Are You Coming

Chapter 2

"Hi, Mum, thanks for taking Harry tonight," Lily said, as her mother opened the door to her sea-green Renault Clio to let Lily's only son out.

"It's quite alright, Lily, Harry and I are going to have lots of fun. You really should let me do this more often," she said, watching her grandson run inside.

"Mother, you were the one that wanted me to abort the pregnancy!" Lily snapped quietly, making sure that her son didn't hear. "You can't just change your opinion like that!"

"Lily," he mother replied, "it's high time you got over the past. What's happened, has happened! You can't change it now by being a cow towards me! Everyone has lost someone… I wasn't happy when your father died, but I've had to live with it."

"Yes, mother, but you had Dad for thirty-three years; I had James for less than three," Lily growled, "it's not the same thing!"

"I don't understand the problem," Mrs Evans said, "I've done you a favour. You'd never have lasted. You were too young. You'd have split up by now. But you have everything, Lily, a beautiful son and the perfect partner."

"Even Scott has his flaws, mother," Lily told her, passing a bag of Harry's belongings to her, "you choose not to see them… but you had it in for James from the moment you first met him."

"I was the one who saw James for who he was… go now, enjoy your evening and forget about that stupid boy. You owe it to both Harry and Scott," Lily's mother commanded. "Don't ruin this one."

"You ruined the first," Lily reminded her, "goodbye, mother. Look after my son."

"I will, see you later!"

Lily waved to Harry through the window and blew him a kiss. She walked over to where Scott was waiting in the car.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked.

Lily looked back to where her mother was cuddling up to her son. "I hate leaving him here; I can't even look at her anymore."

"I still can't understand why," he told her, as she pulled out of the drive.

"It's the principal, Scott," Lily answered, checking the mirror as she pulled onto the highway. "She wanted me to abort the pregnancy."

"But she has a point, Lily," he said, staring out the windscreen at the rusty red car in front, "think of how much better your life would be if the little brat wasn't here."

Lily nearly swerved the car, "Scott, I love my son. I wouldn't want to live without him."

"It's a hell of a burden, Lily," he told her sharply.

"It's not a problem," she insisted. "Can we talk about something else?"

"Okay," he said, casting his eyes over her cerise gown. "I got the bookings for the hotel sorted."

"Oh, good! I just need to check the holiday dates with Mum so she can look after Harry," she told her boyfriend.

"I'm looking forward to our own holiday, just the two of us," he leant in to kiss her cheek.

"It'll be… fun."

*********

"Wow," Lily said, "this guy's place is massive."

"His company does well, but I could easily afford a place like this… I just don't think we need anything this big," Scott told her, holding her hand. "I also think his mum chose the place."

"Well, that explains it then… I'm sure we'd have a house this big if your mother had chosen it," she squeezed his hand and he pulled her closer to his body in a possessive manner.

"Yes but its completely impractical," Scott told her. "This guy is single, no kids… lives on his own here."

"His own?" Lily repeated in wonder, "in somewhere this big?"

"Yep, course it's all run by maids," he replied, rubbing her hip. "And I'd never deal with other women running around my house."

"Course not," Lily agreed.

The front door was open and flanked by two men in grey suits. It was obvious that Scott had been here several times, for when they approached the two men greeted him by his full name. They were shown into a large ballroom, where the party was being held.

"Come on, I want to introduce you to those guys over there. They're from my office," Scott told her.

He greeted them both and the tones they greeted him with spoke highly of the respect they both felt for Scott. They were young and rather handsome and Lily blushed at the way they ran their eyes over her slim figure.

Scott at once placed a protective arm around her waist. "This is my girlfriend, Lily," he introduced.

Lily smiled as they introduced themselves to her. She was feeling rather smothered by the way Scott was touching her. He had no trust in her what-so-ever.

******

"James, darling, come here, oh I am sorry, Miss Cotter," Mrs Potter said, glancing through the crowd of young ladies for her only child.

"Miss Hooper, so nice of you to come, have you met my son yet, no?" This was the energetic voice of the bustling Mrs Potter, pushing through the crowd. "James, darling, do come and say hello."

If you asked James, she was getting too much pleasure from this. He was lounged in a chair behind his mother, drinking champagne and greeting young ladies when prompted. He had spoken to at least forty in the last hour; all the same, all dull and certainly not what James would be looking for in a wife. Obviously he and his mother had two completely different objectives. He sighed and ruffled his hair, just because he knew it annoyed her.

"Ask one of them to dance," Mrs Potter hissed to him, "and don't mess up your hair. You're not a child anymore. It doesn't look cool."

He ignored her comment on his hair. "I'm not in the mood for dancing, mother," he said. He slowly got up and walked down the set of steps, away from the area he had been sitting in. he decided to go and look for Sirius. He'd make this party more interesting. He was beginning to remember why he'd told his mother this party would be a complete waste of time. He discarded his champagne glass with one of his maids and went in search of his best friend.

***********

"Yes, I'm sure that would be beneficial to both companies."

Lily suppressed a yawn. She had been listening to Scott talking to this prospect supplier for the last fifteen minutes and it wasn't a conversation she was even vaguely interested.

She should have known when Scott suggested coming to this ball; she would be nothing more than an eye candy, making him look good to have a young woman hanging off his arm. She should have known it was all about business. It always was.

"I'm going to the toilet," she told her boyfriend in an undertone.

He waved her off in the tone of someone who didn't care very much.

She walked through the main part of the hall and towards the door, looking for someone to point her in the right direction. She didn't belong with these groups of entrepreneurs and misers.

She walked along a corridor, her feet clattering against the floors. The place had a lonely feel to it. She entered a small room with a few varnished chairs and some selves and cupboards pushed against the walls. She bit her lip and looked around, wondering if she should be here.

***********

His footsteps echoed across the stone floor of the main hallway. They always did. Any other man would say something was missing James' life but he never noticed it.

After all rich businessmen, like himself, didn't have children running under their feet and partners getting in their way. He couldn't get distracted. Too much was at stake.

Sound the bugle now,

Play it just for me,

As the seasons change,

Remember how I used to be

His mind wandered briefly to Lily and how he'd felt when she left him. He remembered how he'd been before she'd disappeared. Young, happy, careless. But she'd dealt him the blow, the one that had taught him the cruelness of the world. He was better of without that cow. Better off alone.

Now I can't go on,

I can't even start,

I've got nothing left,

But an empty heart

She'd left him with nothing. No one. And he had become the man he'd swore to never become. But he knew it was who he should be.

"Padfoot?" he called out as if hoping the other man would suddenly appear. His call was in vain.

Sirius was the only person who'd stood by him when Lily had left him. Remus had never been able to comfort him but James could remember the cold nights when he and Sirius had sat under the cold night sky along the river bank that edged his parents' house. They'd talked and smoked cigarettes until the larks had bid them to sleep with early morning arias. As James had donned his businessman aura like a watery-cold cloak, Sirius had communicated increasingly strong feelings of disapproval. James was no longer the boy he'd pulled pranks with at school. He'd matured long before his time. Or so Sirius said. Mrs Potter disagreed with this statement. Apparently there was no better time for James to be expanding his business. So as of late, even the two boys had begun to split.

James took a sharp right in the corridor and came up to the small room where all his old school supplies were kept. In this was also a box of things he'd exchanged with Lily when he was younger. When he was young and heartbroken, he had been loathed to throw it away. And even now, for some unknown reason, he couldn't dispose of these small tokens of forgotten love. So they had been pushed to the back of the cupboard, in a similar way to the way memories of her were pushed to the back of his mind.

The door was ajar although he distinctively remembered closing it so that no guests would enter. The only other person allowed in here was Sirius when he wanted to think. He pushed the door open fully, gazing into the bright room from the shadows of the hallway. Standing in the room was a girl. She had a slim figure that curved outwards at the hips and chest. She was wearing a red, satin dress and black stilettos. Her long red hair was left in elegant curls down her back. He stepped on a loose floorboard that squeaked in protest; she heard the noise and turned. His eyes opened widely as James realised who it was. He had to bite his lip hard to stop himself from gasping out loud. The girl was looking around carefully for the source of the noise, surprise evident in her shining eyes when no answer came forth.

"Lily?" he called from his spot, hidden in the shadows. "Is it really you?"

"Who are you?" she asked, looking in confusion for the speaker.

"It's me… James," he said, walking into the lit room.

"James," she repeated, looking deathly shocked. Her face shone white with the unexpected turn of events. He nodded slowly and walked a few paces closer, into the centre of the room.

"Woah," Lily cried out, rushing forwards to meet him, now the confusion had gone.

"How did you-? But how did you-?" James cried.

"Where did you come from?" she asked.

"It's great to see you," he smiled.

"It's great to see you," she rushed forward to hug him.

"What are you doing here?" he asked slowly, not responding to the gesture.

"What do you mean 'what am I doing here', what are you doing here?" she giggled.

"What's going on here?" a strict voice behind her asked. Lily gasped as Scott walked up behind her and jumped out of James' arms quickly.

He paced over to her and put his arms around her protectively. "What's going on here?" he repeated.

"Nothing is, Scott," Lily said quickly.

"I've been looking for you," he said sharply.

"Sorry," she breathed, dropping a quick kiss to his cheek.

James easily noticed how close the two were. "What the hell is a girl like Lily doing with Bradley?" he wondered aloud.

"Oh, James, Scott has been my boyfriend for two years now," Lily said softly.

James felt his heart dropping, weighted down by with iron cuffs, imprisoning it.

"Let's get a drink," he suggested, trying to push the weight of his ex-girlfriend dating his rival off.

James got them a couple of champagnes and they sat themselves down in a corner far away from his mother. He didn't want her to see his ex-girlfriend now, not yet. Though maybe they could forget this whole experience after the party.

Lily gave him a wide smile as he sat to one side of her. She sipped her drink slowly and twirled a lock of hair around one finger. Her green eyes were alight as she talked to James. There was so much she wanted to say to him. He would want to meet his son, she thought excitedly. Harry would love this.

"Oh, James, do you remember that day you pushed Sirius into the lake?" she giggled, one arm placed on James' strong bicep.

He nodded, "thought he was gonna jump out and kill me." He rested a single hand against the back of her chair.

Scott growled quietly. He didn't like all this flirtatious behaviour from Lily. He stood suddenly. "We're going home," he said in a deathly cold tone.

Lily looked shocked, "why?"

"Because we are," Scott snapped, "come on."

"Okay," Lily said, rushing out of her chair, so as not to upset him more. "Sorry, James, I'll see you around."

"See you in the meeting on Tuesday, Potter," her boyfriend said, grabbing her hand and hastening away.

They drove off to her mother's house in silence to pick up Harry. Scott seemed to be ignoring her, in deep contemplation about something. She indicated into the driveway, listening to the wheels crunch up the gravel. The headlights bounced off the windows as Lily cut the engine.

"I'll be right back," she told her mute boyfriend. He didn't respond as she opened the car door, but continued staring out of the window at her mother's lavender bushes.

Her mother came rushing to the front door, Harry following her. Lily bent to give her son a quick hug and told him to gather his belongings.

"Is everything okay?" Mrs Evans asked. "You're home early."

"I don't know," Lily answered slowly.

"What happened?" her mother asked progressively.

"I saw James, if you must know," Lily replied. "He seems… different."

"Darling, do be careful. I'd push him away with a firm hand. It'll only upset everything you've built in the last two years," she said, turning to give Harry a goodbye hug. "See you soon, darling."

"Bye, mum," Lily said, taking her son's hand and walking with him to the car. Once Harry was settled in the back, Lily drove off. Her son seemed to sense the tension between his mother and Scott, for he two was uncharacteristically quiet.

When they got home, Scott locked up the house and went straight to the master bedroom. Lily changed Harry into his pyjamas and put him to bed. She kissed his forehead, thinking of his father at the party. A father who didn't even know of his existence.

She closed the door behind her slowly as she left. She padded into the master bedroom, where Scott was laid out angrily on their bed. She sat down on the edge of the bed and ran her fingers tiredly through her hair. She listened to his slow, infuriated breathing, waiting for him to speak. She wiped off her make-up and changed into some lace-trimmed, cotton pyjamas. A few minutes later, her boyfriend finally spoke.

"I want to know everything," he said, "everything about how you met, know, think of, James Potter. I want to know you're history, Lily."

"Now?" She asked, "it's a long one."

"This is ridiculous!" he snapped and after taking a deep breath. "I WANT TO KNOW!"

"Well," Lily swallowed, it was going to be hard talking about the memories she had suppressed for so many years. "He went to Hogwarts with me… he was in the same house and uh…" she got ready to drop the bombshell, "we dated for nearly three years."

"THREE YEARS?" he bellowed.

"I was young!" she stated.

"I DON'T GIVE A DAMN! YOU LIKED HIM ENOUGH TO DATE HIM FOR THREE YEARS!" he was in her face, yelling at her now. "I THOUGHT WE'D TALKED ABOUT ALL THIS WHEN WE DISCUSSED YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE BRAT'S FATHER."

"Scott, please, I didn't think it that important. James was my past and you're my now," she stroked his arm.

"I WISH YOU'D STOP SAYING THAT!" he snarled.

"Its how I feel," Lily insisted.

"LIAR!" he roared, "I WATCHED YOU FLIRTING WITH HIM!"

"What I feel for James is irrelevant, because I LOVE YOU, YOU STUPID MAN!" she yelled in distress.

"Did you ever sleep with him?" he asked in a deathly calm and Lily decided she had preferred it when he was yelling at her.

"Yes, I lost my virginity to him," she admitted.

"And he's Harry's father?" he asked coldly.

"Yes," she replied sadly.

"WHY THE HELL DIDN'T YOU BOTHER TO TELL ME?!" he screamed. "I WOULD HAVE LIKED TO KNOW THAT YOU HAD A CHILD WITH THE HEAD OF MY RIVAL COMPANY!"

"Rival company?" she asked hesitantly, "he's a business man?" She felt tears pricking in her eyes. He'd broken their promise, he'd become what he'd sworn never to be.

"Yes," he growled, "I'M GOING DOWN THE PUB, YOU'D BETTER BE HERE WHEN I GET BACK!"

He left the room and she heard him storm down the stairs and slam the door behind him. She lay on the bed, the room beating out a strange silence. She bit her lip; wanting to cry, but no tears came. The events of the night enveloped her heart with anxiety. Scott had acted so harshly and the cruel wound in her heart had been re-opened once again. She tapped her nails lightly on the polished wood of the bedside table, how did she feel about James after all these years?

She felt a soft weight on the bed next to her and for a moment wondered if it was Scott coming to apologise for yelling at her. But she knew her boyfriend better than that. She rolled over onto her side to see identical green eyes staring into her own almond-shaped ones.

She reached her arm out for her small son, who allowed himself to be pulled into her embrace. His bottom lip trembled slightly and he kept looking around, as if worried that Scott would come back and take his anger out on him too.

"It's okay," Lily breathed into his hair. He held onto her tighter. "How much did you hear?" she asked quietly, her ears still ringing with Scott's shouts.

"Lots… why was Scott shouting, mummy?" he asked.

"He… found something out that he didn't like and…uh- he was a-angry at mummy for not telling him," she said tentatively.

"Mummy?"

"Hmm?" she said, absent-mindedly playing with his messy hair.

"What did he find out?" Harry asked, his arms tightly around her neck.

"Who your daddy is," she said sensitively.

"How come?" Harry asked innocently.

"I saw your daddy, baby," she revealed, "at the party."

Harry looked at her in soundless shock. "My… daddy?" he said after a long pause.

"Yes."

"Wow," he grinned widely. Even though she was unhappy from her argument with her partner, Lily couldn't help but smile back at him, her heart lightened by the small boy's excitement. "Do you think I'll get to meet him?" he asked.

"I don't know," Lily told him. "Don't be too hopeful… and whatever you do, don't mention it to Scott."

"Okay," he said, climbing down the side of the bed. He'd reached the doorframe when his mother called out.

"Harry, stay with me tonight."

"But, mummy, big boys don't go to sleep with their mummies," he cried out.

She laughed and stood, quickly crossing the floor to where he was standing. She picked him up and placed him down on the bed, folding the duvet down before rolling him up in it. He giggled under the soft material, sliding out of his makeshift prison and pouncing on his mother. She pushed him back, before attacking him with bouts of tickles. When he had begged for 'mercy', she lent down and pressed a kiss to his cheek. She pulled the duvet around them and turned the light off. The five-year old boy snuggled up against her and with her son close to her, she easily fell into a deep sleep, dreaming of James.

Hi guys, sorry for the long wait once again.

Hope you're enjoying reading this as much as I am writing it.

Reviews please!

Love JLF xoxo