June turned to July.

James wondered if Lily got out of her manager's plans to have her back in California for some project. Lily's manager, Peter Pettigrew, seemed to not take her no as an answer though. Moody, James' boss, sent an email stating that they were going to be moving to California with the client. According to the orders, Lily had to be in Burbank for a meeting with Disney Animation on July 6th. Alice told James that Lily was getting ready to sign an important new contract to lend her voice to a project.

James took a day off before moving, just so he could go see Annie, his best friend, before he flew across the country. Annie had been James' best friend since the day she took over his rehabilitation from losing his leg. Annie was always sharp with a tough-love attitude that James needed when he was on his path to healing. She had single-handedly taken a man who could hardly walk and turned him into a fitness guru.

Currently, they were running down the streets in a tiny town on the outskirts of London. Annie kept to his pace as they raced alongside each other, jumping over cracks in the sidewalks and always slowing down when they passed a cute dog. Sweat poured down his back, but he welcomed the uncomfortable feeling, because he felt more alive than he had in weeks.

"She sounds like a handful."

Annie's voice barely fluctuated, showing off how talented she was at holding a conversation and running a marathon. James had been telling Annie all about his time with Lily Evans, and how weird it was to watch over someone who had more money than he'd ever know what to do with. He'd just finished describing her sleeping habits, and how she woke in the night and paced the house like a ghost.

"She keeps to herself," James said as they rounded a bend onto a long tree-lined road, "and she doesn't like change."

"Just like someone else I know," Annie teased, knocking shoulders with James so that he laughed. "This job is the best you could've asked for James," she reminded him, "so run with it!"

"I know," James ignored her pointed 'run with it' advice, "I actually really like this job, I just wish it wasn't taking me so far from you and Minerva."

James' only other friend, only other family really, was his therapist Minerva McGonagall. Minerva had been the one to receive James straight out of his nightmares. She'd worked countless days and nights to remind him that life was worth living. As she worked on his mental health, they'd grown closer. Therapy sessions turned into dinners, which had turned into trips to the shore, which had resulted in James meeting her own family. Minerva was the closest thing he'd had to a mother since his own mother died.

James hadn't been more than a few hours from Minerva or Annie since his accident. He was comfortable knowing that they were there for him, night or day. He didn't know who he was going to lean on without them close enough for a chat or run.

"You're going to be fine," Annie promised him, "you can still join me for virtual workouts, and you know Minerva will be checking in on you everyday."

James was quiet, pondering his thoughts as they came upon a lake which signaled it was time for them to turn around and head back into town. While he knew that Annie and Minerva would never forget about him, or stop caring about him, he wasn't comfortable knowing that there would be a distance between them. He felt a little bit like he was losing them, and he didn't want to lose what he had.

Annie seemed to notice he was all up in his own head. She pulled him to a stop, in the middle of the road, staring him down with a hard look in her eye. James avoided her stare, knowing she was reading him like a book.

"Things change, James." She said, "And for worse or for better, your world is going to keep changing. You can either choose to run at its pace, or fight it."

"But I'll be so far," James looked down at his feet, scuffing the road to show his irritation.

"It's the same world," Annie tucked her hair behind her ear, "just a different time and place."

"Nothing about Lily Evans' world is the same as ours," James muttered before he started running again.

It was true, James viewed her world as nothing but riches, glory, and power. No one normal would be able to own as many houses as she did. No one who lived paycheck to paycheck could ever understand how she had so many clothes that she rarely wore the same outfit twice. James marveled at the grandeur of her Scotland home, so he could only imagine how grand her LA home must be.

Annie didn't press his fears anymore, instead she settled back into her pace and chatted about the new class she was starting at her gym. James listened to her, but he was really lost in his own mind, thinking about the last time things had changed so much. That hadn't gone well, so he couldn't imagine this circumstance would be any different.

Annie and James had pulled up to a cafe for lunch when James' cell phone rang. He was surprised when the caller ID rang for Moody, his boss. James slid his finger across the glass before he held the phone up to his ear.

"This is James."

"Hey Potter," Moody sounded tired, more than usual, "Fletcher got the flu, so I'm going to need you to work both shifts for the Evans girl, at least until Alice and Frank can meet you in California."

"I'm still in London with family," James felt Annie's eyes fall on him with questions when he said that.

Moody just grunted his understanding, "I'll need you to wrap it up and get back to Scotland, tonight."

"Yeah," James glanced at his watch on his wrist and saw it was already noon, "of course, I'll text you when I'm on property again."

Alice and Frank would be joining James and Lily in California later. They'd left to go on their previously booked Honeymoon in Hawaii, leaving James to work with any extra body the security company had. Sadly, the only other body got the flu, so now James was alone with Lily all the time.

He stayed quiet, and laid low, trying not to capture her attention any more than usual. James was also still brooding that he'd been called back to Scotland before he could say goodbye to Minerva. He knew that wasn't Lily's fault, but he was still annoyed that he wasn't able to say goodbye to the person he trusted the most.

Between his brooding, and Lily's worsening anxiety, the Scotland chateau was not the happiest place on earth. Lily's best mate, Sirius, said that he was about to scream at the amount of silence he was subjected to. No one was more excited than he was about returning to California, something James noticed that Lily seemed to feel guilty about. He'd overheard her telling Sirius he didn't need to stay with her more than once.

James often wondered why Sirius did stay at her side, despite clearly being out of his social scene. Sirius answered that question for James the day before the big move, claiming that he didn't want to leave her alone out of respect. They both sat alone in the kitchen, playing a quick game of cards while Lily was off doing something alone.

"She's not in the best place," Sirius placed down a joker, "and when I was like that once, Lily was there for me, especially when no one else was."

James pushed his glasses up his nose with his pinky before assuming, "you didn't want to leave her alone because you wanted to repay the favor."

Sirius nodded, "I might hate Scotland, but I'd do anything for her, including live in the most dismal place for a few months to be her shoulder to cry on."

James placed down his own joker, "but what about her supposed friend, the one with benefits? Shouldn't he be here for her?"

Sirius' gray eyes grew cold, "Steven is the last person she needs in her life right now."

"Why?"

"For one," Sirius waved his hands around as he talked, moving the cards with them, "that asshole is a major tool, and only wants Lily when it's beneficial."

"When is it beneficial?"

"When he wants sex." Sirius deadpanned, "when he's in town, and she's close enough to grab for a quick go in the sheets. That's the only time he's ever shown up for her."

James frowned, not liking Sirius' depiction of the guy what-so-ever. They dropped the conversation though because Lily had reappeared and started digging through the freezer.

James watched as she hurriedly pulled a frozen pizza out of the box and threw it on a pan haphazardly. She was on the phone with her father, giving him directions on how to get through the gate with the new code they'd set the night before. Her red hair was braided down her back, she was wearing fuzzy pink slippers, and she looked like a normal girl for a second.

Then she mentioned a private jet taking her to California and the mirage was gone. James once again saw her as a global superstar. He didn't know how to look at her any other way when her privilege was echoed in her every step. Even her clothes were expensive, James didn't know much about clothes, but Alice did, and she said a lot of Lily's lounging clothes were upwards of eight hundred American dollars.

Her lounging clothes.

James couldn't even fathom what it was like to have that kind of money. The next morning, when he went to help pack bags into her car with her father (who looked as perfectly average as James) he had an even harder time understanding. He walked to her room to offer his assistance when he found her staring into her mirror, perfecting her outfit with a cardigan.

He knocked on the door and Lily looked up from her grooming. James leaned casually against her doorway, but he didn't smile at her.

His eyes traveled up from her expensive looking high heels to her perfectly curled red hair. It was such a far cry from her usual loungewear that it threw James into a loop. He couldn't stop staring, because she was somehow even prettier than before, and James hadn't thought she could get any more beautiful.

"What's wrong?" she asked James when he forgot to say something.

He didn't hold her sharp green gaze long, and he looked down at his feet quickly so she wouldn't determine that he'd been checking her out. Lately, she had taken to inviting him to sit when she was lazing around. Sirius told James it was because Lily didn't like being alone, despite what she claimed. James just always stayed professional with Lily.

"I can get the rest of your things to the car, to help," James offered, "if you need the help."

Lily tilted her head, as if surprised by his forward kindness. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah," James said, "I've been done packing for a while, I'm just taking a knapsack really, in comparison to you."

Lily eyed two of her giant bags, "to be fair, one of these is Juniper's bag."

James tried not to laugh at that. Lily's cat, Juniper, had to be the most spoiled cat on Earth. He'd watched Lily feed the cat any food it wanted, she was always talking to it like it understood her, and she even painted its nails different colors one night while watching TV. He found it endlessly entertaining.

"Your cat gets her own suitcase?" James asked as he picked up a flowery suitcase.

"Lily would buy that cat a house if she could." Lily's father appeared, kissing Lily's cheek before he took a bag. "My girls have always had a soft spot for animals."

"I can tell."

James followed her father out her door, but felt Lily's eyes follow him out the door. James and Lily's father got along well. When her father had arrived the night before, he'd found James immersed in the Great British Baking Show. Her father had commented on one of the meringues and James instantly took to the older man. From that moment on, Lily's father was talking to James like he'd been a part of the family for years.

James and her father shook hands while Lily appeared to finish loading everything she needed into the car they would be taking to the airport.

"Take care of my Superstar," Lily's father told James roughly.

James nodded solemnly, "I promise to keep her safe."

A promise he'd made once before and failed to do. James tried not to think too hard on that fact. There was nothing he could do to change the past, but he could make sure that history would not repeat itself. He would not allow Lily's story to end up like Remus' story.

Sirius appeared in the doorway of the house, sunglasses on his face despite the clouds in the sky. "I feel like we should take a photo, we all look amazing."

James closed one of the car doors, leaning against the red exterior as Sirius sashayed down the steps boisterously. Sirius's outfit was as perfectly loud as his personality. Lily's father laughed as Sirius looked around at them, taking in their attire with attention to detail. Beside Sirius, Lily looked underdressed for the occasion.

"Excited to go back home to America, Sirius?" Lily's father asked.

"I might be born an American," Sirius said, pulling a stick of gum from his sequin fanny pack, "but I like to believe I belong somewhere along the French countryside, drinking red wine and planning my fifth marriage."

"Fifth marriage?" James questioned.

"I plan on mysteriously losing all my partners to an array of unknown causes," Sirius explained, "so that I inherit all their money and land with no need to work into my early forties because I will be living off their trust funds."

"Don't ask any more questions," Lily warned James with a starling humorous edge to her tone, "trust me, or you'll end up an accomplice in his incredibly detailed schemes."

Sirius peeked at Lily, his dark purple eyeliner making his long lashes only pop more. "You're just jealous that you can't ever be one of the husbands that end up in my biopic on TV."

Lily put her cat carrier down. "You caught me, I'm so jealous that I'm not going to be murdered."

"I don't appreciate the sarcasm, Lil." Sirius then gazed around Lily at James, looking the bodyguard up and down unapologetically. "And you, James, those new shoes are absolutely lit."

"Lit?" James questioned.

Lily told James kindly, "Sirius thinks he's hip."

"None of you appreciate how cool I am amongst the youths." Sirius said, "I was invited to so many parties when I went to Coachella."

Without missing a beat, James said, "the fact that you call them youths, tells me enough."

Lily let out a soft laugh but covered her mouth to hide it. James tried not to smile, despite realizing that was the first time he'd made her laugh. Some small part of him was pleased to have her recognition, as if he truly cared what she thought of him.

James wanted Lily to like him.

James caught Lily's gaze as she settled into the seat next to him in the back of Sirius's rental car. Sirius gave Juniper the front seat, claiming she deserved it. While Sirius drove, no one really talked. It wasn't until James started recognizing signs and landmarks that he opened the conversation.

"I grew up just north of here."

"Where?" Lily asked, looking up from her own lap.

"A little town about thirty minutes from Inverness," the second the town's name slipped from his lips he felt a jolt of homesickness in his belly, "I lived there until I was eight, and then my parents moved us to London so that we could be closer to my grandmother. That's where I met Frank."

Lily crossed her legs and put her face in her hands, looking at James. He could see her reflection in the window, as if she were a ghost seated on the other side. She looked intrigued, based on her mirrored reflction.

"I grew up in a small town too, called Cokesworth."

James didn't look at her. He pretended to be more interested in a flock of sheep outside his window. He was worried that if he looked right at her, he might stare at her too long.

"Nothing really spectacular about Cokesworth," Sirius said from the front seat, "I don't recommend a visit anytime soon, James."

Lily agreed, "it's quite unimpressive."

"I'm sure it can't be that bad," James said.

Lily laughed as she thought of her hometown. "Do you like your water laced with toxic runoff from the local factory and sewer rats the size of small dogs?"

Sirius added, without thinking, "stalker-ish assholes come free of charge."

That made Lily fall silent, triggered by what Sirius clearly thought were harmless words. Lily leaned against the window and picked at her fingernail polish. James wondered who they were talking about, then he remembered that Severus Snape had been from her hometown.

James wanted to immediately remind her that Severus Snape wasn't going to be able to get to her. He was locked away at a juvenile detention facility and awaiting his verdict after setting the bomb off at her concert. James imagined that Snape was facing life in prison. James hoped he was in for life, he deserved it.

The plane ride was long.

James stayed on red alert the whole time; nerves shot with everything going on. Lily kept herself busy spoiling Juniper with cat treats. Sirius had them watching Anne with an E. They were on season 2 and Lily appeared to be half asleep. Her eyes were fluttering open and shut. James stayed at the far end of the plane, resolute to blend in with the background.

"Come watch James," Sirius spoke up suddenly, looking around his chair and motioning James to come over, "it's better than staring out a pitch-black plane window."

"I'm great, thanks."

James hadn't flown in an airplane since he'd been airlifted from Germany to England. He wasn't having an easy time with it. He just kept remembering how much pain he'd been in, and how cold the cabin had been as they'd stripped him to apply bandages to his wounds.

"You want to stare out a window all night?" Lily's voice was barely there, amongst his memories.

"I've never really been into romance as a genre." It took James a moment to dig out of the Then memories and get back to the Now.

Lily kicked her legs up on Sirius's lap. "What do you like to watch?"

"Why?"

"Well, we're all trapped in this plane until we land," Sirius told James, "You might as well get comfortable and join us."

"I am comfortable." James' stiff posture was a dead giveaway that he was lying.

"Watch something with us." Lily ordered. "Relax."

James pulled out his phone and pretended to be interested in something else on the screen, even though he didn't have a signal in the air. They had Wi-Fi but he wasn't looking at anything. He had no real texts to keep him occupied from Lily's hard glare.

"Is he really fake texting right now?" Lily asked Sirius.

James didn't look up from his phone.

"I think he is," Sirius mouthed Lily's way in mock-horror.

Lily and Sirius just grinned wider until they were both laughing. They were pestering, and something about their teasing released some of James' tension. His shoulders relaxed but he didn't look up from his phone. He couldn't give himself the idea that he could be friends with her. She was a pop star, he was a bodyguard, they had to remain professional.

"James?"

The second his name fell from her lips, the air in the cabin seemed pressed. His whole body froze, and his chin lifted in a jerking fashion. His thick black curls framed his wide brown eyes as he matched her pointed stare with one of his own. Lily waved the remote in the air between them.

"Come pick something to watch, James."

"I said no, thank you."

"And I say bullshit."

He felt his stomach lurch at her blunt words. "What?"

"You've got to be bored out of your mind," she said, "come sit down and watch something with us."

He didn't move immediately. He weight the pros and cons of sitting down at her invitation. His need for a distraction is what won him over, allowing his feet to drag him slowly down the aisle. He sat stiffly in the chair beside Sirius. Lily smirked triumphantly and tossed the remote haphazardly into his lap.

"Pick something."

James looked up at the TV and started scrolling through titles. Lily settled back down, wrapping her arms around Juniper, and forcing the cat to cuddle. James didn't know what half the shows were. He didn't always watch television because he was more into music and video games. He settled for New Girl. Lily eyed him curiously as he set the remote down between them.

"Did you pick New Girl because you knew I liked it?"

He shrugged as he placed the remote carefully next to her thigh. "No, I've always liked this show."

"What other shows do you watch?" Sirius asked James.

"I also like The Office." James told them, "I used to watch The Office all the time with—"

His voice trailed off before he could say Remus' name out loud. Remus had been the one to always get James into TV. Remus would've loved the wide selection of shows on Lily's private jet. James felt the pressing weight of loss against his head. Luckily, Lily kept talking, like she knew like James needed a proper distraction.

"I like those shows too." She leaned back against her seat. "But you should watch Parks and Rec, it's like The Office. Oh! And there's The Good Place!" Lily prompted him to speak again when he remained still. "Have you seen any of those shows, James?"

"Yeah," he swallowed, "a few of 'em."

She only managed to get a few more sentences out of him. He was too busy staring at the screen as he remembered how excited Remus had gotten about shows as well. James figured that Lily and Remus would've been good friends, had they ever gotten a chance to meet. He tried not to think about that further, it would only upset him more.

Lily and James did not sleep the entire trip, even though they were both clearly exhausted. Sirius, of course, slept like a dog. James watched Lily cover the circles under her eyes with make up right before they landed in California. The press was waiting for Lily at the airport, and she used her sweater to hide her face from the flashes as they piled into the waiting car.

James was uptight, but Lily was worse than him after they passed the paparazzi. She was clutching to Juniper desperately in the back seat of her car. The driver of the care, her primary driver, had the decency to drive through Starbucks and get Lily her favorite tea on their way to Malibu.

Malibu had exceeded his expectations. The houses were big, gaudy, and screamed money. Everywhere James looked there were hundred-dollar clothes, million dollar cars, and billion dollar views. James knew he was meant to be watching the surroundings to keep Lily safe, but he couldn't help staring out the windows at the stately beachside mansions.

James felt totally out of place and a part of him already missed Scotland. That feeling grew worse when they pulled into Lily's property. The house rose to compensate for the sand dines behind it. It had gardens and a circular drive that led right up to the front door. With all its windows, it almost looked like an upscale hotel, only it was her house.

Lily led the way to the front door after they got out of the car. Lily blew her hair out of her eyes before she unlocked the door using her thumbprint on the door handle. James gawked, impressed at the tech.

"Where was that tech in Scotland?"

Lily shrugged. "Scotland didn't need as much fancy tech, it was only meant to be a summer cottage for my parents."

"Besides," Sirius said, "who needs fancy tech when she's got you, and that gun that you almost shot me with when we first met?"

"I said I was sorry." James joked, wincing slightly when Sirius poked fun at the first time they'd met.

James had told the clever man how sorry he was for pulling the gun on him, but Sirius liked to use it now as a joke. James had a feeling that Sirius would never let him live that moment down. Sirius would show up at James' funeral just to tell the story.

"I will never let you live that down," Sirius confirmed James' suspicions, "ever."

Lily buried her face in Juniper's fur as she stepped onto the main level of the three-level, sea-side villa. The first level was her kitchen and sitting area. James had studied them before their arrival using blueprints. Most impressively, the entire back wall was glass, looking out at the dark blue Pacific Ocean.

"Damn," Sirius said as he set some bags near the door, "I missed California."

Lily let Juniper go and the cat ran up the marble lined staircase. Lily fell onto a nearby sofa and stared out her windows, the patterns of light falling across her face. James walked the long line of windows. They all looked out at the dark rolling sea, making James feel a bit smaller, and he was the tallest in the room.

"You had this property," James said finally, "and yet you stayed in Scotland?"

Sirius smirked at James' awe-inspired tone, "wait until you see her place in New York."

James spun on his heel. "Why? Good views?"

Lily flushed self-consciously. "It's nothing special."

Sirius betrayed her, as per usual. "It has a full-sized indoor pool in the living room."

James' jaw dropped and he asked, "why do you even need that?"

Lily defended herself immediately, "my manager Peter picked out the condo! I didn't know about the pool, or the rooftop garden, until I moved in!"

"Rooftop garden." James laughed mirthlessly, his fingers messing up his hair. "A freaking rooftop garden."

He was once again reminded of exactly who Lily Evans was while standing in her giant beach mansion, that was for sure. James didn't think he'd ever meet anyone as rich as she was, ever again. The beachside house was twice the size of the Scottish chateau, and James had thought the Scotland house was huge.

Sirius shook his head at James before leaning down to kiss Lily once on each cheek. "I have to go, I made plans to record with Lorde later."

Lily noticeably deflated at Sirius' news. "I hope the recording goes well."

"This girl is always a breeze to produce for," Sirius winked at Lily, "unlike you."

Lily offered her friend a rude hand gesture and Sirius continued laughing as he walked out the door. Sirius was gone no longer than five seconds before a stranger waltzed into the house with a tablet in his hand. James' hand fell to his gun quickly, but he didn't go to protect Lily like he had when Sirius surprised them.

He'd learned his lesson to ask questions first and jump to respond later.

"Okay Lily," this man clearly knew Lily, and based on Lily's expression, she knew him too. "Marlene McKinnon will be here soon to do your make up for the interview tonight. What are you wearing?"

"Hello, Peter," Lily sighed deeply as Peter used a stylus to click things on his tablet, "my flight was great, thanks for asking."

Peter eyed her over his tablet. "Hi Lily."

Lily certainly knew how to command a room. "And?"

"How was your flight?" Peter continued to play along with her.

"We watched a lot of New Girl," Lily said conversationally, "and the pilot got us pizza during the quick turnaround in New York."

"Lovely." James watched as Peter clicked his stylus again. "Back to business."

Lily groaned and fell back against the armrest. James tried not to roll his eyes when Lily dramatically placed the back of her hand to her forehead. She really was a drama queen sometimes.

"I just got home, Peter." She dragged out his name. "Let a girl breathe."

"You've had three months to breathe." Peter looked down at his tablet again. "If you want, I can schedule you for a private sunrise yoga class tomorrow morning, before your contract signing in Burbank."

"Sunrise yoga," Lily scoffed and finally, her friend laughed.

James wondered what was so funny as he relaxed his posture. It was becoming clear to him that the stranger was Lily's manager, Peter Pettigrew. James had never met him of course, but he'd spoken to the man on the phone once and got emails from his team occasionally.

Peter kicked at Lily's legs, asking her to let him have room to sit on her sofa. When Peter settled next to Lily, he pulled a familiar pink phone from his pocket. Lily perked up at the sight of the phone, which clearly meant something to her.

"You should post a picture on Instagram," Peter told Lily, "your fans online have been worried about you."

"Right." Lily said, pushing the phone away before stretching her legs out over Peter's lap. "When's my meeting with Disney Animation?"

"It's tomorrow morning at seven." Peter just worked over her legs, typing into his tablet. "I'm emailing you the updated schedules for this month. You have some dress fittings with Mary McDonald soon. A few award shows have added you to the guest list, so she's making the outfits personally."

"Peter." She drew out the syllables in his name to emphasize her point. "One thing at a time, please. It's been months since I've done any meetings or press."

James watched as Peter just patted her knee sympathetically. James resisted the urge to yell at the manager. It was clear he wasn't listening to her. James personally thought it was brave of Lily to speak so openly about what she wanted.

"I know, I'm sorry," Peter told Lily, "but you were gone three months and I need to get you back into the public eye."

There was another knock on the front door. Lily threw her legs off Peter and stood up, straightening her dress. James followed her closely as she waltzed over to her front door. His hand stayed on his belt, where his gun was in a holster. Lily opened the door and squeals of excitement cut through the silence.

"Marlene!" Lily felt a huge smile spread across her face, opening the door wider as a pretty woman flung herself around Lily in a huge hug.

The girl was taller than Lily, closer to James' height. Her brown hair was perfectly styled, and her make-up was flawless. In fact, everything about her seemed too perfect, almost doll-like. James thought that she might be the prettiest woman that he'd ever seen. He didn't even know what to do, except stare at her the same way he'd stared at Lily in awe.

"You have been gone way too long," Marlene proclaimed to Lily with her thick Alabama accent, "you got your British accent back!"

"I never lost my accent!" Lily argued.

"You're worse than I am!" When Lily pulled away, Marlene took Lily's hand. "We missed you terribly, you've missed all the best parties."

"I needed a break, but I'll be in America for a while now."

"Oh good!"

"Marlene," Peter called from the sofa, "get moving, she has the interview in an hour!"

"Hello Peter, nice to see you too!" Marlene replied and the two girls shared a roll of their eyes.

Marlene only noticed James after the front door was closed, even though he'd noticed her instantly. She was almost at eye level with James in her ballet flats. James stared at Marlene, dumbstruck.

"Who're you?" Marlene's eyes scanned James up and down with just as much intrigue as a kid in a candy shop.

"Marley, this is James." Lily spoke and James broke his stare to glance her way sheepishly, "James is one of my new bodyguards."

"Well, honey." Marlene held out a hand for James to shake. "I ain't gonna beat around the bush, my body is open to be guarded anytime."

James' skin turned a shade darker than usual, embarrassed by Marley's blunt request. Lily led Marlene away from James before he could say anything, thankfully.

"You must be the guard that Moody told me about," Peter demanded James' attention before James could follow the girls, "let me show you to the control room, we have a whole security system up and running, we just need you to monitor it."

James went over the cameras and the system, thoroughly. He tested each alarm set, made sure the wires were all hooked in properly, and checked to ensure all the windows were locked in place. By the time he was done checking the system, Lily's press thing had only just started. James wandered outside, where it was being held, and watched from the sidelines.

It appeared to be going well. Lily talked to the reporter as if she'd known them forever. James noted that her face was colorful, not quite as pale as it had been before they'd arrived in California. He knew it must be makeup making her look so healthy, because she usually looked a half step away from collapsing. Now, with the help of cosmetics, Lily was faking her way through the interview, until, of course, the reporter slipped a question James knew she wasn't ready for.

"How are you doing after the bomb in Manchester?"

"I'm fine."

She lied. James could tell by the fluctuation of her voice, and how small she sounded. For some reason that he didn't know, her eyes found his behind the camera. Her green orbs seemed to pierce his very soul, and it was like she was screaming for help. He didn't know how. Under the darkening California sky, Lily was just another celebrity basking in her self-made fame.

For the last few months, James had only seen the Scotland version of Lily. Scotland Lily wore joggers and loose shirts as often as possible. Scotland Lily passed her time on the couch re-watching The Office on the TV until four in the morning while her pasta burned in a pot on the stove. Right now, Scotland Lily seemed like eight worlds away from Malibu's version of Lily.

He didn't know which Lily concerned him more, but both seemed far from the Lily that she could be. They both seemed to be calling for help, but James didn't know how to help someone who already had everything.