AN: Content warning: Our kids get their happy ending, but first there's just a *tiny* bit of violence and a bunch of swearing :-)

...

Chapter 7: Sparks Rekindled

Lily traced her fingers over the address on the envelope in her hand, the words scrawled in a messy, loopy script that somehow perfectly evoked the image of a playful smile and wild black hair. She'd thought James' stupidity had thoroughly doused the flame of her attraction to him, but just the sight of her name written by his hand threatened to re-ignite those fading embers.

But that's just surface stuff, she told herself sternly. It was what was inside that mattered, and Lily wasn't sure she was ready to deal with the contents of either the letter or the boy who'd written it.

Not that she wasn't curious – she was. She'd considered reaching out to him a hundred times over the past three days. But she'd always stopped herself, despite Remus' and Mary's encouragement, because…what if they were wrong? What if he was only sorry he'd hurt her feelings because it had cost him a one-night stand? What if whatever he said only made her feel worse?

Better to leave it alone.

And yet, as if he knew her secret desires, here he was, reaching out to her in the least invasive way possible. And on New Year's Eve, no less.

This is not a fairy tale.

It was only when Mary yelled, "But it could be!" that Lily realized she'd spoken that last thought out loud. She looked up, startled, and Mary jabbed an excited finger at her. "Just open the dang card, Lil!"

The advice was unwelcome, but sound. So Lily sucked a deep breath through her teeth, squeezed her eyes shut, and ripped the letter open with one violent tug.

Nothing exploded. No earthquake ripped through the East Village. Not even the tiniest sinkhole opened up in Remus' living room floor.

It was just a card. Probably harmless.

But you thought he was harmless before, too.

Lily shook her head at her own paranoia and forced herself to look at the card in her hands. On the front was a picture of a reindeer with a wreath around its neck and its antlers wrapped in Christmas lights. The deer had an oddly pleased expression on its face, like it knew it was nailing this holiday decorating thing.

It looked ridiculous. Lily loved it.

"So?" Mary clapped her hands. "What's it say?"

"Gimme a sec," Lily huffed, annoyed at how much she enjoyed that festive reindeer. The fact that he picked cute Christmas cards was not a point in James' favor.

It's what's inside that matters, remember?

Right. Nothing to do but open the card.

She did, and blinked in surprise at what she saw. Nearly every centimeter of blank space on both faces of the card was covered in more of the looping handwriting she had admired on the envelope. She bit her lip and began to read.

To la Leona -

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I remembered how you said no one sends cards with notes anymore, so I thought I would send you one. I tried to find a Christmas card with a lioness on it, but no luck. Deer are kind of majestic and powerful too tho, right? And maybe brave, who knows? I'm just keeping with the animal theme.

Anyway, I hope it's okay that I'm writing to you. I just really wanted to tell you how sorry I am for what I said when I was at your place last weekend. I don't think you're the kind of person who would cheat on her boyfriend. I think you're a loyal, caring woman. And you're brave and crazy – I mean, crazy brave (lol).

I know we just met, but I really like and respect you. I think you're amazing, and I'm sorry I ever made you feel like I didn't. I was tripping because it felt like I was reading too much into everything that happened between us, and I think I was trying to act like I didn't care if you didn't feel the same way. But deadass, your feelings are mad important to me. And if you give me another chance, I promise I will make sure you never doubt that ever again.

Lily took a deep breath. She had never thought she'd find the phrase, "deadass, your feelings are mad important to me" so touching, but here she was, reading it over and over, caught between laughing and crying from the sincerity of it all.

On her third re-read, she noticed an arrow underneath the text in the bottom corner. With a small smile, she flipped the card over and read:

Also, I watched The Princess Bride. And you guys were right, it's mad funny. But the part that got me is at the end when Westley reminds Buttercup that he will always come for her. Dude said he would actually come back from the dead to find her. That's deep. And then I don't know what happened, I think probably somebody started chopping onions in my living room right at that moment? So my eyes watered for just a second.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Anyway, I just want to say I'm sorry one more time. I would love to tell you in person, but I get it if you don't want to see me again. But if you change your mind and get this letter in time, come with Remus to the new year's party at Frank's place.

Sincerely, James Potter

Lily looked up and found Mary beaming at her. It took her a second to realize she was beaming right back, her smile so wide her cheeks were starting to hurt.

It felt great.

She handed the card to Mary, who scanned the contents rapidly, her eyes lighting up as she read. She finished and gave a little gasp before slapping her hand over her mouth.

"Okay, this is really sweet!" she exclaimed. "Lil!" She fell back on the couch and clasped her hands in front of her chest. If she were an emoji, she'd have heart eyes.

Mary's overt display of emotion set off warning sirens in Lily's mind. Her smile turned into a worried frown as she took the card back from her friend.

"I mean, it sounds good," she said cautiously. "But how do I know he means it?"

"You think he doesn't? This seems like a lot of effort for him to go through if he's not really sorry." Mary raised her eyebrows. "This isn't a text that says 'my bad, bae.' He watched your favorite movie and then handwrote you a letter about how sorry he is and how great you are."

Lily's cheeks went pink. Deadass, your feelings are mad important to me. The sirens in her head faded away.

"He totally did." She fell back against the couch and covered her face with her hands, but her smile was back in full force. "Oh my God, so are we going to this party?"

"Um, ring in the new year with all these gorgeous men you and Remus keep talking about? Yes, please!" Mary yelled, tossing the card in the air and jumping up from the couch. Lily snorted out a laugh. "We'll go find James, and you'll declare your wuv, twue wuv, and kiss at midnight, and—"

"Whoa! Mary!" Lily yelled, but she was still laughing. "There will be no declarations of love! He's just barely off my shit list!"

"Yeah, yeah, Lily Evans doesn't believe in fairy tales," Mary said, grabbing Lily's hands and pulling her to her feet. "Text Remus for the address, and let's get dressed. You've got a hot fireman waiting for you."

...

Two hours later Lily and Mary stood in front of the door at the address Remus had sent them, Lily bouncing on her toes and Mary practically vibrating from excitement.

"You ready, Lil?" Mary asked, wiggling her eyebrows.

Lily gave a tight nod. "I better be," she said. She rang the bell.

The door swung open almost immediately, revealing a short blond man with a Caesar haircut and a boyish face.

"Oh, hi," Lily said, surprised. She glanced at the door to make sure she was at the correct apartment. "Is this Frank's place? We're here for the party."

The blond man ignored her question, squinting at them with his head tilted to the side, his nose twitching as though he smelled something familiar but couldn't quite place it. The expression erased any boyish charm from his face and left him looking distinctly rodent-like.

It was somewhat off-putting. After several awkward seconds, his eyes lit up with a smug smile. "You're the chick from the apartment fire," he announced. "Who invited you?"

"Um, rude!" Mary exclaimed. She folded her arms and glared down at him. "What are you, the bouncer?"

"No, I work with Frank." He jerked a thumb over his shoulder without taking his eyes off Lily. "I was driving the truck the day you set your kitchen on fire. Frank wasn't even there."

"Yeah, I met him later, at the station," Lily said. She tried for a polite smile, but she wasn't sure she succeeded. "But we were invited by James Potter. Can we come in?"

"Ew, of course you're here to see Potter." Rodent-face rolled his eyes, but he stepped back and opened the door wider. Lily and Mary walked inside and began shrugging out of their coats.

"Girls always go for the tall guys," the man continued, leering at Lily. She had on a forest-green sweater dress with long sleeves, but somehow, this guy's stare made her feel like she might as well be in a bikini. "But I bet you know it's not the size of the boat, it's the motion in the ocean that gets it done." He punctuated this with a series of pelvic thrusts and a nasty cackle.

"Nice," Lily said flatly. More than off-putting – he's a total creep. "Can you just tell us where James and Sirius are?"

"Hey, take it easy, sweetheart. I'm just playing." The man slid an arm around Lily's shoulders and laughed in her ear.

He smelled like tequila, and his breath on her face made Lily shudder. She shrugged his arm off and stepped away from him. "Please don't touch me."

He stepped right back into her space, his watery eyes narrow again. "What, you're too good to talk to me?" He grabbed her arm and pulled her back towards him. "Don't be such a bitch."

"Excuse me?" Mary snapped, moving closer to Lily.

"I said don't touch me!" Lily repeated, louder.

The man sneered and reached for her again, and it was like time slowed down. She saw a blur out of the corner of her eye, heard a man's voice call her name in the distance, felt Rat-face's hand close around her wrist and yank.

And she cocked back and punched him in the face.

And then time sped up again, and everyone was yelling at once.

"Ow! What the fuck!" the man cried, clutching his nose. "You're crazy!"

"Oh my god, Lily!" Mary shrieked.

"Lily!" Remus appeared out of nowhere and put a hand on her shoulder. "What happened?"

Lily shook her hand rapidly and sucked in a deep breath. "If a woman says don't touch her, you don't fucking touch her!" she yelled, glaring at the rodent-faced guy. "Shit, that really hurt!"

Remus whirled to look at Rat-face, and Lily realized that at some point in the past minute, James, Sirius, and Frank had joined the crowd by the door.

"Are you okay? What'd he do to you?" James demanded. He stepped towards Lily, then stopped as though he weren't sure how she'd react to his presence. He turned away and began pacing.

"Yeah, what happened?" Frank asked.

Rat-face was scowling at Lily and still holding his face. "She fucking hit me!"

Sirius gave the man a look of pure disdain. "I'm sure you deserved it," he said coolly, before turning back to Lily. "Lily, are you all right?"

"I think so." She matched Rat-face's glare with one of her own. "My hand hurts like hell, though."

James stopped pacing, his eyes darting between her and the blond man, fingers flexing like he was torn between reaching for her and choking him. With clear effort, he focused his attention solely on Lily and said, "I'll get you some ice. If that's okay."

Lily met James' eyes, and her breath hitched, just like it had almost every time she'd looked into his eyes since the moment they'd met. Now those gorgeous, iridescent eyes were so hopeful, and so worried. She felt the sudden urge to comfort him.

"Yeah, that's okay," she said softly. Some of the tension left James' face, and he gestured for her to follow him.

She did, ignoring the insults Rodent-face called after them. She sat on a bar stool in Frank's kitchen, and she was suddenly forcibly reminded of the last time she'd been alone with James. She fidgeted on her stool.

James filled a plastic sandwich bag with ice and wrapped it in paper towels. "Here," he said, handing it to Lily, "put that on your hand."

"Thank you," she said. She expected him to sit down next to her, but he backed away and leaned against the counter.

Lily felt a prick of disappointment. So much had changed between them in the short time they'd known each other. The ease and comfort they'd felt from the moment they'd met had been replaced by caution and anxiety on both ends.

But that's why she was here, wasn't it? To see if they could find that comfort again?

She took a deep breath, but James spoke before she did.

"I can't believe you punched Peter," he said, a note of awe in his voice.

Lily huffed out a laugh. "Is that his name?" she winced and shifted the ice pack over her fingers. "He's an asshole."

"Facts," James said with a nod. "I've come close to punching him a few times myself." His eyes narrowed. "So what'd he do to you?"

Lily narrowed her eyes right back. "Nothing I couldn't handle," she said pointedly.

"True, true. Almost forgot you're a lioness." James held up his hands and gave her a half-smile. But his expression sobered as he added, "I'm sorry for whatever he did that made you feel like you had to hit him, though."

"It's okay," Lily said, softening. "Wasn't your fault."

"I know." James ran a hand through his curly hair. "But not the opening act I wanted for my Epic Apology Tour, either."

An unexpected giggle bubbled up in Lily's chest and slipped out of her lips. "Epic Apology Tour, huh?" She glanced up at him through her eyelashes and pressed her lips together to keep from smiling. "What opening act did you have in mind?"

"Well, first, I was gonna get down on my knees and sing the Temptations' 'Ain't Too Proud to Beg.' Sirius was gonna sing backup, maybe Frank would play drums…"

Lily began laughing in earnest. "Can you even sing?"

"Not even a little." James shook his head and grinned. Then he took a deep breath. "Nah, for real, the first thing is just to say—I'm sorry. I know I said it in the letter, but you should hear it from me." He took off his glasses and polished them on his shirttails, gathering his thoughts. Or maybe his courage.

Lily wanted to go to him, wrap her arms around his neck, adjust those glasses herself. But she couldn't, not that easily. She gave him a tentative smile instead.

It was just the encouragement he needed. "I really like you," he said, more confidently. "And I should've just asked you what was up with Remus instead of worrying I wouldn't like the answer, and I never should've put my insecurities on you. I'm just—I'm really sorry."

He had returned his glasses to his face and was leaning against the kitchen counter, arms and legs crossed as if he were trying to physically restrain himself from walking over to her. The pose highlighted the muscles in his arms and his broad shoulders, but Lily couldn't look away from his eyes.

"Thank you," she said softly. She set the ice pack on the bar behind her and rose from her stool, but she didn't move towards him. Not yet. Instead, she asked, "Did you mean what you said in your letter? About being scared you were reading too much into this thing between us?"

James uncrossed his arms and stood up straight. "I meant every word."

"I believe you." She took a step forward. "It scares me, too. That's where I am right now. I want to trust you again, but I'm scared."

"I get it." He stepped towards her, too. They were so close together now. "But I want to show you you don't have to be. I want—"

"Lily!" Mary poked her head into the kitchen, and Lily and James jumped apart. "Two minutes 'til midnight!" She wiggled her eyebrows at Lily before turning to go back to the living room.

"Oh, wow, already?" Lily asked, blinking as if she'd forgotten where they were. "Are you okay? Should I come out there?"

"No, no," Mary called over her shoulder. "I'm with Remus and Sirius, and Frank and his wife are so nice! Now let me go, I'm trying to see if I can kiss this guy Ben at midnight! Find me later."

She was gone as quickly as she'd come.

James laughed. "She'll be fine," he said. "Benjy's a good dude."

"Okay." Lily turned back to James and her mouth felt suddenly dry. She licked her lips. "And what about you, Potter? Are you a good dude?"

He puffed up his cheeks and blew out his breath slowly, thinking. "I think so," he said after a moment. "I'm trying, you know? I'm not perfect, but I'm trying. I know I fucked up, but I wasn't kidding when I said I think you're amazing. There's something here, and I think you feel it, too. I don't want to let that go."

Lily felt the truth of his words deep in her core. As angry as she'd been at him, the spark between them had never truly burnt out. And she didn't want it to. She swallowed hard.

James smiled crookedly. "Just think about it, okay? Now, c'mon. You didn't come here to hang out in the kitchen with me all right. Let's find your friends."

He raised his eyebrows in a hopeful question and held out a hand to her. She smiled and grabbed it, letting him lead as they wound their way through the crowd to where their friends were congregating by a large fireplace.

The countdown had just begun as they arrived, but Remus and Sirius were already holding each other, swaying in place and exchanging little kisses. Frank had his arm around the shoulders of his wife, Alice, a pretty woman with brown hair and a wide smile. They were loudly counting backward from ten, Frank waving his free arm like he was conducting an orchestra. Mary was laughing with a tall, bearded guy with warm brown eyes – Benjy, Lily presumed. Rat-faced Peter was nowhere to be seen.

And James was still holding Lily's hand.

It was perfect.

The countdown reached one and the room burst into cheers and shouts of "Happy new year!"

Lily looked up into James' face and once again, her breath caught in her throat. The look he was giving her was so intense, she felt more than sparks, it was a raging fire, and –

"Kiss me," she gasped.

And his smile before he did—Lily thought if she could just capture that look and store it in her mind, always, she might start believing in fairy tales after all.

People were cheering and tooting horns, and Lily distantly heard at least two champagne corks pop. But she didn't care. James' hands on her face and his lips on hers were the only things in the world. She closed her eyes and clutched the front of his shirt in both hands and thought she might melt into him, their bodies fused by the heat between them.

They finally broke apart, and James let his fingers slide gently down Lily's cheeks and dropped his forehead to hers. "So," he whispered, "will you let me?"

"Let you what?" she whispered back.

"Earn your trust. Prove I'm a good dude. Do this right."

Lily sucked in a shaky breath. "You're right about whatever this is, between us. And I don't want to let it go, either." She looked up at him shyly and nodded. "Let's do this."

"Whew." James smiled a lopsided smile, then leaned in to kiss her again, softly this time. "Happy new year, Lily Evans. Mi leona. Here's to new beginnings."

…

AN: That's it! Thank you so much for reading! This was my first AU and I worked really hard on it, so I hope you enjoyed it. But whatever you thought, please leave comments, kudos, and feedback – if you loved it, I wanna know, whether with real words, emojis, or a keyboard smash, or if you have thoughts about the story structure, pacing, or dialogue, I'd love to hear them!

And whether you feel like commenting or not, my sincerest thanks for joining me on this journey! I truly cannot express how much I appreciate y'all! xo, Veronica (MagicGirl)