Insert Usual Disclaimer Here

A/N: Sighs This chapter took forever to get out because first I had this huge debate thingy, then finals, and finally, when I was almost finished, I lost the file. Moral of story: back up your stuff.

Thanks and Kudos to my splendid reviewers: COSMOPOLITAN (who just completed I Know You Sleep With My Boyfriend) and THE MAURADERET (check out her story,The Night He One 100 Galleons, its pretty great). Y'all are my heroes.

James slammed the front door of his house. It had been a hard day of Auror training. Sighing, he went to the only room in the house with the light on. Wait, he thought, I didn't leave the light on, who could have possibly…? He made his way to the brightly lit room, the empty one that was still painted a soft shade of lavender. No one was there. He stepped into the room, wondering who had been there. "I should have called first," a familiar voice apologized behind him.

He turned around and saw Alice, his Alice standing in the doorway, a box in hand. "I just came to get my things," Alice explained, "I figured I would be in and out before you got home, and-"

"No," James cut her off, "Its better this way." Alice nodded. They were both silent for a moment. Finally James looked at her and asked, "Why? Why did you do it, Alice? I thought you were happy the way things were," his voice became quieter, "I thought you were happy with me." "Oh, James," Alice reached out to grab his hand, but James took a step back. "I was happy with you," she explained, "That's why I could never tell you about Frank. I didn't want to hurt you like that."

"Then why didn't you leave him? If you cared about me, then why was he still around?"

"Frank was everything to me that you weren't, and you were everything that he wasn't. For a long time I couldn't choose. And I know it wasn't fair to either of you."

"So why did you pick him? What made you choose him? That's what I'm asking you, Alice. Answer me."

Alice looked up at him sadly,. "Its because I love him, James," she explained, "I love him in a way that I know that we would never have. It wouldn't be fair to you to keep this charade up and deny you the chance to experience that kind of love." James snorted, "So you're saying that you were only thinking of me? Yeah, that's not a load of rubbish."

"Shut up, James!" Alice's patience had worn thin, "This is exactly why! We were never meant to be! Not with your pig-headedness and dire need for confrontation! Not with the way you are when you don't know when to just drop it! This is why I picked Frank over you! I barely even had a choice what with your behavior! I can't take it, maybe some other woman could, but not me! So just shut the bloody hell up!"

James was dumbfounded. Sure, he and Alice had fought before, and she had yelled, but never like this. And her words had never cut so deep. "I can change," he croaked, "We could still try." Alice laughed, "We did try, James. There's nothing more that we can do."

"We can try again, Alice," he pleaded, "Just let us try again. Alice studied his face, and knew that sincerity rang in every word. "Oh, James," Alice stepped towards him and without an warning, reached up and kissed him.

James was once again to shocked to react at first, and before he could, she had stepped away. "See James?" she said softly, "Nothing special."

He touched his lips and realized that she was right, there was nothing special about that kiss. No fireworks, no sparks, not even a little shock. And for some reason, he had thought of orchids instead of Alice.

James nodded, he understood what Alice meant. "When I thought that you had died, I made you a promise," James took a breath before continuing, "I promised you that I would never stop loving you, no matter what, and that not even death would keep me from caring about you. I intend to keep that promise. I still love you, I always will."

"James, " Alice began to say, but James held up his hand, gesturing for her to be silent for just a minute longer.

"But love can change, Alice. And it has. I was going to ask you to marry me," he smiled sadly and nodded towards the ring on her finger, "But it looks like someone beat me to it. It doesn't matter anymore though; because I think that I love you like a dear friend, or a close sister, more than someone I could spend the rest of my life with. I'll always care about you, and I hope that you'll feel the same way about me. I guess that your right, it wouldn't have worked out between us anyway." James paused, "What are we supposed to do now?"

Alice's face broke out into a wide grin as she said simply, "I guess all we can do is move on."

Lily walked into her kitchen and was once again struck by the organized and very nearly sparkling pots and pans that could only have been done by Alice. Alice had moved in with Lily, since Frank's parents had sold his flat after he disappeared, and she certainly couldn't go to James anymore. Fortunately for Lily Alice did not bring Frank with her when she moved back in with Lily; Frank was staying with his parents until he could find another flat. Though she had missed her friend after she had moved out, and even more when she had disappeared, Lily really missed the familiar disarray of her home. Sighing, she began pulling dishes out, just so the place felt more like hers again.

"What are you doing? I just organized those!"

Lily jumped; she hadn't heard Alice come in. She smiled sheepishly, "Sorry, I couldn't help it." "Of course you couldn't," Alice snorted, "Next time I'll put a charm on them to keep you from messing with the stuff that I've cleaned."

"Hey! Watch it!" Lily exclaimed, half-serious, "I live here too. Longer than you have, mind you. Don't forget." Alice half- smiled as she sat down on one of the kitchen chairs, "How could I ever forget someone like you, Lily?"

"Yeah," Lily grumbled, hoisting herself up onto the counter, "Its not exactly a stretch for you to forget about someone." She hadn't meant to say it aloud, even if she had been thinking ever since she found out about Alice and Frank.

Alice didn't say anything at first, both girls sat there in silence. Finally, she spoke. "I love him, you know," she said. Lily only nodded.

"Oh don't look at me like that, Lily. I love him, can't you at least pretend to be happy for me? I'm sick of you being so angry at my happiness. What's stuck up your arse?"

Lily got down from the counter, "You hurt him, Alice. More than you may ever know. And its not fair for you to waltz back in and hurt him again!" Alice nodded sadly, "I did hurt him, and I'll never forgive myself for it. But he has, and he loves me. We're going to make it work."

"Going to make it work!" Lily shouted, "Weren't you just listening to me!? You broke his heart, Alice, and you left me to pick up the pieces. I know I'm your friend Alice, but he's my friend too! Maybe he's closer to me than you are right now! But you can't do that to James, anymore, he's just hanging there for you, and its not ri-"

"James?" Alice interrupted, "Is that who you're talking about, Lily?" Lily blinked, "Well, yes. Who are you talking about?" Alice laughed, "I'm talking about Frank, of course. I went and talked to James today, we worked things out, and then we ended it, officially, at least. I'm pretty sure things were over between us anyway."

Alice grinned, relieved that she and her fiery-tempered friend weren't talking about the same person; Lily was talking as if she was in love with- of course. Alice couldn't believe herself. It was so obvious. They would be perfect together; who else could balance out his stubbornness with a temper like Lily's? Who else could make both of her friends happy than each other? Alice wondered if it was as clear to Lily as it was to herself. She looked at Lily, trying to read her face.

"I'm happy now, Lily. I'm happy with Frank," she spoke in a softer tone as she said, "It would be okay, you know. Its okay to love." Lily nodded, she wasn't completely sure what Alice was talking about, but she knew what she had to do anyway.

When Lily stood in front of the little house in Godric's Hollow, she seriously considered turning back. But Alice's words flashed through her mind and she knew that she couldn't. So Lily closed her eyes, drew in a deep breath, lifted up her hand to knock on the door…and the door swung open.

James Potter walked directly into her before he realized she was there. "James!" she gasped, and then was at a loss for words, "erm…how are you?" James just looked at her with a puzzled expression on his face. It was then that she noticed that he was carrying a trunk. "What're you doing? " she asked suspiciously.

"Moving on," he said flatly. Lily was taken aback, "Why?" He looked at her and said, "I have nothing left here, no reason to stay. Alice is gone now, what's keeping me here?" Lily felt a sharp pang go through her, I have nothing left here. She didn't mean anything to him. She was nothing.

"But-but what about your house?" she stammered. "I've asked Sirius to handle it," he said simply, "He'll rent it out or something." She tried to think of something else, "Your job?" He shrugged, "I just passed my training exam, I can be an Auror now, if I want. And who's to say that I can't apparate to work if I want?" He started to brush past her.

"James," she whispered, "Please, don't go."

He turned around and looked her in the eye, "Give me a reason to stay." He bore into her with his eyes, partly begging her to.

Lily looked down and chewed on her lip, she wanted to tell him, to tell him everything, but she wasn't sure if she should, or even if she could. He had said so himself: she was nothing to him. Could she jump into that world of unknown, to hang there for him?

But she was taking too long. "Lily, please," James said again. Slowly, Lily shook her head. James visibly deflated, though Lily couldn't see because she was looking down and the tears were swimming in her eyes and clouding her vision. James looked at her one more time before heading down the walk. He felt an awful pang in his chest, wasn't he supposed to be moving on? He was the one walking away from her, why did it feel like she had left him?

A/N: Ta-Da! There it is. You know what to do now. (Review!)