Author's Notes: I'm sorry it's late. Two months late, really. And it's short. I'm sorry.

Chapter Fifteen – Apologies, Kisses and Endings

I'm sorry, James. I'm so sorry. I thought I lost you when you disappeared. I thought I'd never be happy again. Everyone said this and that and all it did was make my stomach clench and be in pain. Because now that I listen to the silence next to me instead of your breathing as you sleep I realize that I really do love you and I really do need you. I can't do this without you. Earlier I had said that I couldn't do this because of you. That we were too different. But I realize that I can't do it without you. I need you. I want you. I love you.

James, words cannot express how sorry I am. They can't even begin to describe how much I love you. I just want to wake up in the morning with you beside me and your hand in mine, listening to your breathing. I want us to be an 'us.' I need you in my life, James. I love you. I can't say that enough.

Please forgive me for everything I said last night and everything I might have done to hurt you. To hurt you wasn't my intention. I just was trying to not hurt myself. But it turns out that I managed to bugger that up in a right hurry. Please, James, please. Think about it.

James stared at the note on his pillow. Lily was sleeping beside it, her brow furrowed and she continually rolled over again and again as if having a bad dream. It stung him to think that he wasn't – or couldn't – stop her and make her feel better but his attention was drawn to the note. He'd forgive her, he knew he would.

He crawled into bed and pulled the sheets up close to his neck.

"Lily," he mumbled into her ear, shaking her arm. "Lily."

"Mmm?"

"Lily," he repeated.

Her eyes opened and she saw James's hazel eyes staring into her own. "James," she said, and immediately she was awake.

"I love you, Lily."

"I love you too, James."

They stared at each other in silence.

"Can I kiss you?"

James stared at her.

"Can I kiss you?" Lily repeated, a bit above a whisper.

"No, you can't," James said with a grin.

"Then will you kiss me?"

"No."

"James," Lily said. "C'mon. You've been begging me every day for the past six years."

"You can't kiss me cause you will kiss me. And I won't kiss you cause I'm thinking this is a dream."

They grinned.

"Just kiss me, dammit."

James leaned over and kissed Lily softly on the lips.

"Are we an 'us,' now?" she asked.

"If you want it to be."

"With all my heart."

"Then we're an us."

Lily glanced down at her hand. She flexed it.

"We're not back together yet," she noticed. "But my hand's tingling."

"Emotions overrule spells and potions."

"But you're not mad anymore."

"But I love you. And I want to hold you. And I need two hands to do that."

"So tomorrow our hands will be back?"

"No. Tomorrow I'll want to hug and kiss you. I'll want to hold you and be with you. I'll still need two hands tomorrow. And the next day and the next day and the next day."

Lily leaned over and kissed him.

"Together forever?" she asked.

"Together forever," James agreed.

They snuggled down close together and fell asleep, completely forgetting that they could both be in their own dormitories because their hands wouldn't be back together for ages (unless they willingly held hands).

And as they drifted off into sleep and dreams, the stars twinkled in the sky like a typical movie ending.

--THE END--

Author's Ramblings: Just about the gayest ending I've ever given. I apologize, too. I went over two months without updating and then I've got the smallest, under 700-words update. That I'm calling my ending. I really am sorry, though. I just sorta ran out of ideas. I'm going to start work on updating A Marauder Summer real soon so if you enjoyed this story, could you please check that one out as well? I'm sure you'll enjoy it. And thanks for reading this one, it means a lot.

Reviews would be nice, even if they're scolding me for ending so abruptly.

Again, thanks for reading.

P.S. My pen-name is changing in the next couple days, for any of you who have me on Author Alert. It should change to RandomeecesPieces or something of the sort.