Disclaimer: Everything belongs to JK Rowling, except characters and events unrecognizable as being part of the Harry Potter series. This disclaimer applies to all previous chapters as well.

A/N: Hey guys! Once again, thanks for all the lovely reviews! You all made my day! And once again, thanks to Nat, my bonny beta reader. Um, someone complained about the swearing in the last chapter. Well, I'm not going to take that out, because I happen to have a swearing problem, and to pretend I don't would be lying. So sorry, but it stays.

also, i think you guys shoudl all go and read fics by 'Nattatude' because she rox!!!! do so and make sure to rveiew as well!

This chapter was going to be different, but you guy want some action between Lily and James, and I think James wants more action too… :P So here we go, with:

Chapter Eight

The Missing Friends

For a moment, there was complete silence on the porch. Then James let out one long breath and closed his eyes. Opening them again, he stared at Lily in shock, as if he had thought that she would have disappeared in the moment they had been closed.

Remus was looking down to hide his smile, and Sirius was staring from Lily to James, wincing and grinning at the same time.

Lily had her eyebrows raised as far as they could go, and her mouth was slightly open.

"Uh…h-ha, ha, James, that's a great joke," Sirius offered weakly, making an attempt to explain away James' outburst.

The silence continued.

"Or not?" Sirius mumbled, casting his eyes downward. Remus shook his head, and, taking Sirius by the arm, steered him inside, leaving James and Lily alone.

James cleared his throat nervously. Lily's gaze didn't shift. Her stare was beginning to make James uncomfortable, although it was difficult to be any less comfortable than he already was. He glanced around the verandah in search of a distraction.

"Well…the, uh, weather's great today, isn't it?" he began, but Lily's eyes stopped him short.

"Do you really have a crush on me?" she asked bluntly.

"Um…yes. I mean, no. I mean…I don't know?" James babbled. He stared at her wildly.

For a moment, she frowned in confusion. Then a grin crept onto her face, which soon turned into a laugh. Reaching up, she ruffled his hair.

"You're kinda cute when you're all confused like this," she remarked as she walked back into the house.

And James stood out on the verandah for almost an hour, with a goofy grin on his face.

Like someone who was so happy that he was almost drunk on it.

Like someone who was a little bit in love.

"Where are the boys?" Elena asked the next morning, looking from Lily to James.

It was breakfast time, and they were the only two of the four teenagers present. That wasn't very comfortable for either of them, as they were still having difficulties talking after the events of the previous evening.

"Uh, I don't know," James mumbled, clearing his throat. "They weren't in their rooms this morning. And Sirius' leather jacket was missing too. You know how he never goes anywhere without it…"

"Maybe they went for a walk or something," Lily suggested mildly.

"As if Remus would ever go for a walk willingly with Sirius at this time in the morning," James scoffed. "Yeah, right."

"Well, where do you think they are?" Lily asked pointedly.

With a start, James seemed to realize that they were talking to each other.

"Um, I, uh…" he once again lost his capability to speak.

Elena was eying them both suspiciously, and Lily was smiling a little smugly. She had never known she could do that to a guy, and the knowledge was proving rather fun.

"Well, uh, do you two want to go look for them?" she suggested carefully. "In case they have gone for a walk, I mean?"

"Sure," Lily said, not noticing James' look of horror.

It seemed that he was not yet ready to handle time alone with Lily. Especially now that she knew he had a…thing for her.

Lily half smiled to herself. James was really kind of cute. She was beginning to like him quite a bit. And she couldn't deny that she had always had a bit of a half crush on him. He was pretty damned crush-able. Maybe time alone was just what they needed. Pity that James didn't seem to share her sentiments…

Sirius half pulled, half dragged Remus through the forest surrounding the Potter estate, once again giggling like a maniac.

"You know, you're really scary when you do that," Remus commented, although he couldn't help a small sigh escaping his lips. His friends were so exhausting.

"But my plan is so perfect!" Sirius exclaimed, as they reached a clearing in the forest. "With us gone, James and Lily can finally have enough time alone to admit that they're in love!"

"Sirius, you're crazy."

"I know! Now we'll just sit here and wait for a couple of hours, and then we can go back and bask in the glory of their love!" Sirius said, still grinning excitedly.

"You realize that once James has a girlfriend, he might not want us to hang around while they're together," Remus pointed out.

"Well, that's inevitable," Sirius said briskly. "There's the advantage of having two best friends. When one gets sick of me, I just hang around with the other."

Remus sighed. It was going to be a long day.

James stared at the back of Lily's head, trying to think of something to say to break the silence. They had been trekking through the grounds for almost fifteen minutes now, and neither one of them had said a word.

"The question is, do we really care where Sirius and Remus went?" Lily said suddenly.

"Huh?" James uttered. Then he mentally slapped himself on the head. Grunting like a Neanderthal wasn't the best way to impress a girl. "I mean, pardon?"

"Well…I'd really like to visit that little club house you showed me again," Lily offered shyly, turning to face him expectantly. "I mean, I didn't get that much of a chance to look around last time, and, well…?"

"Uh, sure," James said, shaking his head a little, as if to clear his thoughts. "Besides, Remus and Sirius are big boys, I'm sure they can take care of themselves."

Lily smiled, and followed him as he headed towards the forest.

Remus tapped a twig against his boot aimlessly, and looked up at Sirius, who was juggling pebbles.

"This is pointless," he remarked conversationally.

"Hey, nothing's pointless if it's for the sake of love!" Sirius shot back indignantly.

"Yeah, says you," Remus muttered.

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Well, you are the biggest playboy in Hogwarts, and have been quoted as being a firm believer in lust, not love," Remus pointed out.

"Yeah, but that's all bollocks, and – hey! Look, I heard something!" Sirius hissed, walking stealthily over to the edge of the clearing. "It's Lily and James!"

"What? What are they doing here?" Remus sat up quickly.

"They're going over to the clubhouse! See, my plan's working!" Sirius whispered gleefully.

"They're probably looking for us," Remus rolled his eyes.

"Come on," Sirius hissed, as he began to move forward sneakily.

Remus sighed and got to his feet. With Sirius, it was often easier to just agree.

Lily pushed open the creaky door to the River Club hut carefully, and peered around it before entering.

The air inside was musty, and it was a little dark. She turned around to beckon James, and found herself staring at his chin. She lifted her head a little to look up at him. His gaze was so intense that it was almost scary.

"Uh," she breathed, "It's…dark in here isn't it?"

She took a step back and almost tripped over a stool that lay on its side on the ground. James reached out and grasped her shoulders to steady her.

"Why do you keep trying to run away from me?" he asked, his voice husky.

Lily swallowed. She could fell her heart beat speeding up, and she didn't remember when she had last taken a breath.

"I'm not running away from you," she whispered.

He took a step closer. She stood her ground.

Cautiously, he bent his head. She lifted her chin. Their lips were only centimeters apart. He lifted a wary hand and lightly touched her cheek. She tilted her head, and their lips finally met. All sense of the present disappeared without a trace.

Sirius was watching from the window, and Remus was standing with his back to the hut, watching the rapturous expression on his friends face.

"They're snogging! They're in love! I knew it!" Sirius breathed.

"You are so lecherous, spying on them like this," Remus muttered.

"You just don't want to admit that I'm right," Sirius said over his shoulder.

Remus couldn't help a half smile gracing his countenance, even if it was bittersweet. Love. His best friend was in love.

A/N: So…clasps hands nervously What did you think? Too intense? Actually, I thought it was time for some seriousness in this comedy. Review me, yeah? and don't forget to read Nattattude's fics!

Luv, Jaizar.