Lily jumped.

"Sorry," Remus murmured as he walked into the room, a steaming mug in each hand. He handed one to Lily, putting his own down on the coffee table. Lily whispered a word of thanks as Remus sank down into the sofa beside her. It creaked slightly as he did, but then again, most things at headquarters creaked, or so it seemed. It was a nice place, Dorcas's house. Lily had been to visit a few times before it was overtaken by stray Order members at any given moment. The house was warm and inviting—it helped stave off the feelings of anxiety and helplessness that were so pervasive during the war. They didn't eliminate them completely, though.

Tearing her eyes away from the fireplace across the room, Lily looked down into her mug, then over at Remus. "No coffee?"

"Not for you. It's already midnight, and I know you're worried enough as it is. You don't need to be adding caffeine to the mix."

"Remus—"

He gave her a wry smile but didn't cave. "You can sleep if you need to, Lily. I'll wake you if anything happens, but you need to get some rest. When was the last time you slept through the night?" he asked softly.

Lily was quiet for a moment, running her thumb around the rim of the mug of hot chocolate. "Hogwarts?" she suggested, a feeble attempt at humor. Remus rolled his eyes.

"They'll be alright. James and Sirius have faced worse and come out on top. One run-of-the-mill mission won't stop them." Remus was trying to convince himself as much as Lily. His gaze wandered over to the smoldering firewood at the base of the fireplace. They should've gotten back already. Lily's worries weren't unfounded, but he couldn't let himself think these things. It wasn't going to help anything if he was paranoid. He took a sip of his hot chocolate, a marshmallow resting on top falling to his nose. Remus wiped his face as Lily spoke again.

"I just hate sitting here waiting, not knowing. If Dumbledore could just send me and James out on the same missions—"

"You know why he can't do that, Lily."

Lily scoffed. "That's just Dumbledore's theory, it doesn't mean anything."

"Do you really believe you'd be able to stay on task if you saw James get hurt? I know how scary it is being left here, not having a clue what's happening to them…" Remus's voice grew distant, faded out. He shook his head. "But he's right on this. You're both safer this way, that's what matters."

He was right, she supposed. Lily set her mug down on the coffee table before leaning forward, head in her hands. They'd survived worse before. But the longer the war continued, the weaker Lily felt, the more desperate. She just wanted to be with James. She wanted a normal life.

It was a half-hour later when the door to the sitting room swung open. James and Sirius shuffled inside, a bit battered up but still standing, still smiling. Lily was curled up against the arm of the sofa. Remus sat next to her, a book in one hand as he rubbed soothing circles into Lily's back with the other. He closed the book and stood when they entered, offering a tired smile.

"Just got back from Dumbledore. You two alright?" James asked Remus, who embraced Sirius.

"We're fine. How did it go? How are you?" He pulled James into a hug, too, before letting him go over to wake Lily.

Sirius answered. "It was pretty quiet until midnight rolled around. Nearly got ambushed before the Prewetts came to relieve us. But we're all fine. They got away," he added in a low growl. Sirius sank into the sofa beside James and Lily, who were wrapped tightly in each other's arms.

"I'm so glad you're alright," she breathed.

"I'm fine. Wish the same could be said for you, though. Time to go home to bed, I think. You look dreadful, darling."

She slapped him without any real force. "Git."

.

A/N: Written for: Writing Club - Character Appreciation 14: (organization) Order of the Phoenix; Disney Challenge C6: Write about someone on the light side of the war; Cookie's Cooking Corner 2: Write about someone being left behind; Book Club – Nobody Owens: (emotion) lonely, (plot point) running late, (genre) friendship; Showtime 24: (emotion) nervous; Amber's Attic R1: Write about the Order of the Phoenix or Dumbledore's Army (Bonus); Count Your Buttons O1: Hot Chocolate; Lyric Alley 17: When you're not here; Em's Emporium 5: (time) midnight; Angel's Arcade 5: (character) Lily Evans, (word) theory, (trait) paranoid; Film Festival 10: (object) Hot chocolate with marshmallows, 11: (object) Firewood;

Fortnightly – Bucket List 6: (word) Safe;

Seasonal – Days of the Year – Nov 3: Write about someone that doesn't want to be a housewife; Autumn Prompts: (word) Scary; Elemental: (word) Breathe; Audrey's Dessert Challenge: (character) Remus Lupin; Ravenclaw Challenge: (trait) Sensible;

Advent Calendar Day 3: (trait) Worried;

Writing Month and Dragons: wc 682