Woot! Microsoft Word is finally working on this vile wretched marvelous little computer. I know I had promised a preview of All's Fair in Love and War last chapter…but it was just too screwy and I wanted to get it out there. So…congratulations…at the end of this chapter…will be the first 2 paragraphs of All's Fair in Love and War! And also, this chapter is rated T for a reason…just warning you. It's not descriptive at all. BUT THIS IS YOUR WARNING! This chapter is dedicated to my darling Rachel and her crazy reviews! I wuvvle you Rachel…and you too, Iella.

DISCLAIMER: I OWN ZACH, NIKKI, AND KATE! THAT IS ALL!

Chapter 15

House-sitting

After about a thirty minute drive, the taxi pulled up to Zach's house. Harry got out first and opened the door for Nikki. She was a bit surprised at this but loved it anyway. It was always the little things Harry did for her that made her love him. Sure, they were going on nearly six months and he was still perfect. She knew that men are complicated. Not as complicated as women, but still complicated. Nikki knew that when a guy and a girl first start going out, he is on his best behavior for about a month. After that, they show their "true colors".

Among teenage boys, usually their goal is sex. Once they get that, most stick around for more. If they don't get more, it's over and the girl is crushed. Harry was one of those rare guys who didn't push sex, or look down on Nikki for her choices. That was why Nikki had no doubts about Harry. They hadn't had sex since Christmas, and Harry didn't care. He didn't push her because they had slept together once. He didn't even care when she denied him on Valentine's Day. He was perfectly content with just sleeping next to her that night.

When they entered the house, they went to their respectable rooms to change into some comfortable clothes. Harry put on a tee-shirt and some jeans. His hair had been partially tamed for the wedding but now it was back to being a complete mess. Nikki loved that messy hair, about as much as Lily came to love James' hair. Ever since Harry discovered that Nikki adored his mop, he never bothered to tame with the exception of the wedding. Harry would do anything for Nikki, and she knew it. Harry had never felt this way about anyone else before in his entire life. He truly loved her.

Nikki changed into a band tee that had The Clash on it. She went out into the hall to see if Harry was ready. His door was open and she heard the television coming from the living room. Nikki's adopted parents were magical, but her real parents were not. Her dad was a wizard and her mom was a muggle. Her adopted parents made sure they had both wizarding and muggle influences. She went into the living room to see Harry stretched out on the couch watching television. When he heard something behind him he turned around to see Nikki standing over him with her arms crossed and a smirk on her face.

"Comfortable are we?" She asked. Harry sat up and made room for Nikki. She walked around the couch and plopped down right next to him. Harry wrapped his arm around her while flipping through the channels.

"Damn, nothings on." He replied, tossing the remote down.

"Would you like to watch a movie?" Nikki asked.

"Sure, what movies do you have?" Harry replied as Nikki got up off the couch.

"Almost everything, Zach has tons." Nikki said as she browsed through the movie titles.

"There was this one my cousin watched once. It looked cool. They had these glowing sword type things and this one girl had this freaky braided hair-do. Oh yeah…there was this really funny looking hairy creature." Harry replied, trying to think of the name of that movie.

"Star Wars!" Nikki exclaimed.

"Yeah, that's it."

"That is one of my favorite movies. We can watch A New Hope, that's the very first one." Nikki explained, putting the movie into the VCR.

As soon as it started, in big blue letters came the most famous tagline in all of movie history: A LONG TIME AGO, IN A GALAXY FAR FAR AWAY…

It is a period of civil war. Rebel spaceships, striking from a

hidden base, have won their first victory against the evil Galactic

Empire.

During the battle, Rebel spies managed to steal secret plans to the

Empire's ultimate weapon, the Death Star, an armored space station

with enough power to destroy an entire planet.

Pursued by the Empire's sinister agents, Princess Leia races home

aboard her starship, custodian of the stolen plans that can save her

people and restore freedom to the galaxy...

Harry glanced over at Nikki during the opening. Her eyes were closed, yet, she was reciting the opening crawl, word for word. (A/N: coughIellacough). Harry chuckled slightly and Nikki opened her eyes and glared at him.

"What?" He asked.

"Don't laugh at me." She snapped.

"Who said I was laughing at you?" Harry replied.

"Well, I am pretty damn sure you don't find the opening funny." She spat back.

"Okay, jeez. I am sorry. It's just kind of funny that you know it word for word." Harry said, knowing he was beaten. He really didn't want to fight with Nikki on their vacation.

"I will forgive you this time. But, only because you don't know my love of Star Wars." Nikki responded.

"That's good. I would hate for you to be mad at me." Harry sighed.

"You have to find a way to apologize, though." Nikki replied, smirking.

"I can think of a few ways…" Harry said before his lips came crashing down on hers. She re-situated herself so she was sitting on his lap. She licked his bottom lip, asking for entrance. He granted it without hesitation. He hand slid up and down her back. Harry's other hand slowly began to stroke her cheek. Even more slowly, it began to slide down to her shoulder…her arm…her waist. It was just about to slide under her shirt when suddenly…

RING

Nikki was so startled; she fell off and landed hard on her arse.

"Shit! That really hurt! Bloody Hell, I think I broke my arse!" She cried while running to get the phone. "'Ello?" She answered.

"Nikki! It's Zach." Came the voice on the other line.

"Hey! Are you in Hawaii yet?" Nikki asked.

"Yeah there is this one little island full of witches and wizards. It's great. How are things at home?"

"Things are fine. We are watching Star Wars."

"Okay, well, I just called to let you know we were here and make sure you are okay. I'll call you later. You have the number, right?" Zach asked.

"Yes, I do. I'll talk to you later. Bye." Nikki replied.

"Bye." Zach replied just as Nikki heard him hang up. She put the phone back down on the receiver and went back into the living room. She sat down on the couch where Harry was looking quite confused.

"Hey, Nikki, how can that one robot understand that other robot's beeps?" Harry asked.

"For one, they are not robots. They are droids." Nikki began.

"Yeah, but still…" Harry started.

"Two, C-3PO can understand R2-D2 because C-3PO can speak over six million forms of communication, including R2-D2's beeps. And, don't you dare criticize the great George Lucas." Nikki replied with an air of authority. Harry just stared at her with a blank look on his face.

They continued watching the movie for an hour. Harry was amazed that there could be such amazing graphics for a 1977 film and George Lucas was only a muggle! After the Death Star blew up and nearly everyone was safe, Nikki ejected the tape and put in The Empire Strikes Back. It was getting to be quite late. By the time the second movie was over, it was after midnight. As the credits began to roll, Harry looked down at Nikki, who was laying her head on his chest, only to find that she was sound asleep. He turned off the telly and gently picked up Nikki. He slowly carried her to her room and laid her down on her bed. He muttered a spell that put her in pajamas and then he folded her clothes up and put them on a chair. He pulled the covers up around her and kissed her forehead. Then, oh so gently, he kissed her lips. He turned to leave when he felt a hand grab his arm. He looked down at Nikki as her eyes fluttered open.

"Don't go." She whispered.

"It's late. I have to get some sleep." Harry whispered right back.

"Sleep here." Nikki said as she yawned.

"Alright. Let me go get ready. I'll be right back." Harry said as he left to go to his room. He took off all of his clothes except his boxers. He walked back into her room only to find she had fallen back to sleep. Harry just sighed and climbed into bed next to her. He wrapped his arm around her waist since she was on her side like him. She seemed to sense the contact because she put her arm over his and moved in closer to him. Soon, Harry drifted off into a nice, peaceful sleep.

The next morning, Nikki woke up around nine. She looked over at Harry and saw that his eyes were still closed. She turned over fully and moved her hand over his chest. Nikki had forgotten how firm that Quidditch toned chest was. She began slowly moving her hand up and down his firm abs. Suddenly, she felt a warm, yet slightly rough, hand slide over hers. She looked up and saw Harry's bright green eyes looking down at her.

"Sorry." She said softly, trying to pull her hand away. Harry just tightened his grip.

"I never said I wanted you to stop." He said huskily, slowly bringing his lips down to hers. She lifted her head up for her lips to meet his, but he stopped a mere centimeter before they could touch.

"What gives?" She asked softly.

"Morning breath." He said sitting up. "Let me go brush my teeth."

"Yeah, I should do that, too." Nikki replied, sitting up as well.

They both got out of bed and Nikki saw exactly what she had been sleeping next to. She just wanted to snog the living daylights out of him, but morning breath is so un-romantic. Harry went into his room to get his toothbrush. He opened up the little pouch and found a note addressed to him.

Dear Harry,

I am taking a big risk in trusting you and Nikki alone in a house together. I trust her, I really do. And as of this moment, there is nothing you have done that makes me not trust you. But if you do anything to her that you wouldn't do in my parents' house, you sure as hell better not do it while I am away. I will find out. I will be watching you. Other than that, enjoy your stay and make yourself at home.

Sincerely,

Zach Gryffin

Harry gulped loudly as he read this He walked into the bathroom where Nikki was brushing her teeth. She looked up when he walked in and saw a look of panic in his eyes. She spit out her toothpaste.

"Harry, what's wrong?" She asked.

"Uh…nothing. Nothing at all." He replied, shakily.

"Yes there is. What's in your hand?" Nikki asked, seeing parchment sticking out. Before he could respond, she reached out and grabbed the note. She read it once and her eyes lit up with fury. "That bastard! I can't believe…I'm going to kick his arse for this! How dare he!" She shouted, walking into the living room to get the phone. She picked up the slip of paper that had Zach's hotel phone number on it and dialed the number. She knew it was the middle of the night in Hawaii. She knew that it was his Honeymoon. She didn't care. The phone rang a few times before a male voice answered groggily.

"Yeah?" It spoke.

"What the hell is the matter with you, Zach?" Nikki exclaimed.

"Nikki? What are you talking about?" Zach asked.

"Why must you always be the overbearing brother? Why can't you let me live my own damn life? I'm not a kid anymore Zachary!" She shouted into the phone.

"Nikki, hand the phone to Harry and go into the kitchen." Zach replied.

"Why? So you can fully run him off?" She snapped.

"I am going to talk to Harry for a minute and you need caffeine before your head explodes." Zach explained. He could hear the phone being transferred from one person to another.

"Hello." Came Harry's voice.

"Hey. Look, I'm sorry if I freaked you out with that note. But you have to see where I am coming from. Nikki's all I have left. So, I have to make sure you are good for my sister." Zach began. "First, do you love my sister?"

"Yes, more than anything in the world."

"Have you ever thought of or actually cheated on my sister?"

"No, of course not. I love her far too much to hurt her."

"Have you ever hurt her physically or emotionally?"

"Never physically. Once when we first started going out, there was a huge misunderstanding but we worked it out." Harry explained

"Have you ever hit a girl?"

"No. That is way too low. Well, I think I did hit Bellatrix Lestrange with a few curses, but that's a different story."

"Final question. Is Nikki still a virgin?" At Zach's final question, Harry paled. His hands started shaking; he didn't know what to say. If he told Zach 'no', Zach could kill him. If he said 'yes' and Zach found out that he was lying…he could also kill him.

"That is between you and Nikki." Harry replied. He heard Zach sigh on the other end of the line.

"That's what I figured. You seem like a really nice guy Harry. But so help me God, if you ever…EVER hurt my sister, I will kill you. Goodbye Harry." And with that, Zach hung up the phone and Harry set the phone back down on the receiver. He heard some noise coming from the kitchen. He walked in and saw Nikki cooking breakfast. Harry crept up behind her and slid his arms around her waist while lightly kissing her neck. She jumped a bit at his touch but relaxed when she felt his lips on her neck. She turned around to face him and captured his lips in her own.

"What's cooking?" He asked as they broke away.

"Breakfast. Sausage, eggs, biscuits." Nikki replied, turning around to finish cooking. Harry reached over and took the spatula from her hand.

"You go sit down. I'll finish breakfast." Harry said, gently moving her out of the way.

"No. You are the guest, let me do it." Nikki pleaded, trying to get the spatula back.

"Nikki, I insist. It's no trouble." Harry insisted. Years of cooking for the Dursleys had taught him a thing or two about cooking breakfast. Nikki just sighed and sat down at the kitchen table.

Harry quickly finished breakfast then made a plate for himself and Nikki. He set them down on the table and they began eating. As soon as she was finished eating, Nikki got up and walked around the table. She knelt down beside him and put her hands up by his face. Slowly, she pulled his face down to hers and kissed his lips softly. He slid his tongue in, making the kiss more passionate. She gently stood up with him, never breaking the kiss. He slid his arms around her waist as she slid hers around his neck. Suddenly, she broke the kiss and grabbed his hands from her waist. She pulled them up to her face and kissed each one. Nikki held his hands in hers as she guided him towards her room. She shut the door and attacked his lips once more. She kissed him hungrily as they made their way over to the bed.

"Harry…" Nikki whispered.

"Yeah?" He whispered back.

"I can't breathe. You're crushing me." She said.

"Sorry." Harry replied as he rolled off of her. She turned on her side and laid her head in the crook of his neck with her arm draped across his chest. He reached down and pulled the sheets up around them. Then, he lightly kissed her forehead as they fell into a nice, comfortable sleep.

Later that evening, after they had slept through lunch and it was nearing dinner, Nikki finally awoke. She looked up at Harry's sleeping figure and leaned in to lightly kiss his lips. She slowly broke away then wrapped a sheet around herself. Before she could even make it out of the bed, Harry grabbed her arm and pulled her back down.

"Don't go. Stay here, we're on vacation. There's no where we need to go." Harry said softly as he kissed her hand. Nikki slid back into bed next to Harry, facing him.

"It's getting late and I'm hungry. Can we go out?" Nikki asked.

"Sure, why not. Anything for you. Where do you want to go?" Harry replied.

"There is this great little Mexican restaurant down the street. Las Ardillas Loca." Nikki suggested.

"Sounds good. I could go for a burrito." Harry said as he sat up. Nikki got out of bed, still wrapped in her sheet, and grabbed some clothes. Harry grabbed a blanket to wrap up in before getting out of bed as well so he could go to his room and get his clothes, as well as let Nikki get changed. Ten minutes later, they were outside the house getting ready to walk down to the restaurant. It was only 3 blocks away. They arrived ten minutes later. They entered the restaurant and were greeted by the host.

"Hola Señor, Señora. Is it just the two of you tonight?" The man asked.

"Yes. Just two." Nikki replied.

"Table or booth?" The man asked.

"Booth." Harry replied quickly. The man chuckled and Nikki grinned. The man led them to a round booth in the back of the restaurant where they could have some privacy.

They ate their dinner happily with idle chat before making their way back home. As soon as they walked in the door, the phone started ringing. Nikki answered the phone to a very frantic Zachary.

Don't you just hate cliff-hangers? See, I told you I would have this chapter up today. Oh…wait. I almost forgot. Here are the first two paragraphs to All's Fair In Love And War: A Marauder's Tale. :

Chapter One

Surprises

The scarlet steam engine lurched forward and began to pull out of King's Cross Station. Lily Evans was sitting in a compartment with her two best friends, Cara Richardson and Madison Cooper. Lily Evans was a seventh year of medium height. She had fiery red hair and a temper to match. Madison was a bit on the tall side. She had short brown hair and deep blue eyes. She was quiet…usually. She was known to be quite wacky when you got to know her. Then there was Cara. She had long black hair and a pale complexion. She looked like she belonged in Slytherin but she was far to kind and loyal.

Lily was very kind and tolerant of all people. Well, almost all people, everyone but the Marauders. Better known as Messer's Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs otherwise known as Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, Sirius Black, and James Potter. Lily did not mind Remus. She found him to be nice and an excellent study partner. It was also known by the three girls that Madi had a bit of a crush on Remus. Then there was Peter. He really didn't fit in with the Marauders. He was a bit of a tag-along. He really looked up to James and Sirius. Sirius Black. What is there to say about Sirius Black? He left his parents' house over the summer and moved in with James. James didn't mind. Neither did Mr. and Mrs. Potter. Sirius was like a second son to them. If there was one Marauder Lily despised the most, it was James Potter. Ever since third year, James had taken it upon himself to ask Lily out at least three times a day. He also would hex anyone Lily seemed to be interested in. All in all, Lily despised James with every fiber of her being.