Dear Remus,
I went running this morning on the sand and I can officially say that running on sand is hard as fuck.
You'd absolutely love it, of course. I wish you could see Malibu.
The mansions are a sparkling array of wealth spread along the coastline.
What little accent Lily had has pretty much disappeared again. She's practically American.
The pages of James' notebook fluttered in the breeze, making some of the words he'd just written down disappear. James took advantage of her whole team being in for the interview by going for a run. He sat sprawled out in the security office, allowing the cool air conditioned room to cool him down. The run had been good for his brain, he knew that, but he missed running everyday. At least Frank and Alice would be back soon and James could get more than an hour's break at a time.
Based on the cameras, Lily had poured herself some wine and ordered take out. Lily sat on the sofa in her sitting room, watching the waves outside her windows glow under the moon. James watched her through the little screens, watching as she drowned in her own little problems. As soon as her team had left, she'd dropped her brave face and resumed her usual hauntings.
She was a shadow of a kiss of Hollywood glamor, her hair still styled perfectly around her head. James had a feeling if he walked into the room he'd find her face still full of makeup. She didn't move, didn't talk, didn't do much of anything that night. James stayed up with her, uncomfortable with the size of the house he was meant to be protecting, and the importance of the woman sitting alone in her mansion.
The next morning was rough for James and Lily. Lily had to be in Burbank for the meeting with her team at seven in the morning. James just nodded at her that morning in the kitchen when he'd come out of the room where the security cameras were, not wanting to draw attention to himself.
"Hopefully you'll get some sleep when Frank and Alice get back tomorrow." She said kindly.
"I'm fine." James hadn't meant to sound so moody, he just didn't know how to act around her now that she was all dolled up.
Lily Evans had been pretty in Scotland, she'd been beautiful on stage for her concert in Manchester, but now she seemed to have an otherworldly radiance that made James very aware of just who he was dealing with. Something was different when she looked at him as she ordered coffee, as if she could also see the distance between them. Lily couldn't relate to him at all.
They walked into the studio side by side, Lily leading the way. The July air was warm, and James missed the cooler Scottish weather. He hated that he was forced to wear dress slacks and a button down cotton shirt at all times for the job, he was melting under the California sun. He glazed at lily to see if she was also struggling in the warm weather when he pulled himself to a stop, because she had stopped on her tracks as if she'd seen danger.
She blinked owlishly across the lobby they'd just entered, the glitter in her eyeshadow glowing as she did so. James looked around for trouble, but only saw her manager Peter Peettigrew standing next to a blonde man who looked like he was trying to grow a beard and failing. When James looked back at Lily she was staring at the blonde boy like he was nothing but trouble. James realized blondie was holding yellow sunflowers and knew that this bloke must've been the one Sirius had been talking about in Scotland.
Steven Roosevelt looked as arrogant as Sirius had described him. He was standing there, right next to Benedict, grinning at Lily as if he owned her. James looked the politician's son up and down coldly. He was wearing jeans and a red shirt with his father's campaign slogan splashed across the front. Nothing about him looked right for Lily, James decided, nothing at all.
"Morning Lily," Peter announced from beside Steven, "big day today!"
Lily ignored Peter. "Steven?"
James didn't like that he had to just stand there and watch Lily give into her loneliness. He prayed she'd tell blondie to get lost, but his pop star was looking at Steven with a hopeful glint in her eyes that James had seen reflected in the eyes of soldiers who hadn't been home in months and wanted a cute local girl to warm their bed. It annoyed him enough that he pulled his phone out and texted Sirius quickly before she could notice.
James Potter: that prick you mentioned just surprised Lily at her meeting this morning
Sirius wasted no time in texting back: fucking hell
"What—what are you doing here?" Lily hugged Steven, but her voice was shaky. "I thought you were going to be in Washington until next week?"
"I wanted to surprise you." Her beau flashed the flowers. "And I brought your favourite, sunflowers!"
Steven wrapped his arm around her waist, planting a kiss right onto her mouth. James looked away and down, purposely avoiding seeing them kiss. Something about her with him just didn't feel right.
"What are you doing in LA?" Lily asked him when they broke apart.
"I missed you," Steven replied, "why do you seem so shocked?"
James felt so awkward when, out of nowhere, Peter hugged them both gawkily. Lily patted her manager on his shoulder before Peter broke the hug, but she looked uncomfortable too. Steven kept his hand in hers, even with all the people around. She stared at their connected hands, eyes contemplative. James tried not to stare too..
"I'm so happy to see you two together again," Peter said brightly, "just like old times, eh?"
"Like we're seventeen again." Steven agreed, winking at Lily. "sneaking into parties, pretending to be a duchess and a Prince."
James didn't see anything Prince-like in Roosevelt's grin.
Peter's phone buzzed, and he shifted back into business, "time to go upstairs, Lily."
James followed the trio but kept his distance as Peter continued telling Lily that Disney was going to hand her papers and a deal for their new princess movie called Piper . Lily was nodding at Peter, but her eyes were on her waist where Steven's hand was melded into her. Steven was just grining stupidly at her side. It was James that snapped all of them out of their own heads when Steven tried to close the doors to the elevator and James stopped the doors with a firm hand. The door immediately opened.
James stared at Steven and Steven stared at James.
"Who're you?" Steven queried, eyeing James' tall stature.
"Her bodyguard," James nodded at Lily. "I take it, this'll be the Steve that Sirius mentioned?" James said 'Steve' just to annoy him on purpose.
"Steven, please, Steve is my dad." Steven whipped out his best politician smile and held out his hand to James. "What's your name?"
"James." He replied curtly.
"Jamie?" Steven joshed.
"James."
"Jim?"
James decidedly hated this bloke. "No, just James."
Nothing Sirius had warned James about Steven would have been enough warning. James looked at Steven like he was the biggest prat on the face of the earth. In fact, James was pretty sure he must've been.
"Steven, James is my bodyguard," Lily clarified, trying to clear the air, "so he goes where I go."
"When did you get him," Steven asked, tightening his grip around Lily's waist covetously, "in Scotland?"
"Yeah," Lily said, "my father wanted to make sure I felt safe."
"Personal bodyguards were a necessity." Peter spoke up. "After London, everything changed when it came to her safety."
"Where are you from?" Steven asked James directly.
Lily placed a hand on Steven's chest, as if to hold him back "James is from the UK, like I am."
"Right, the accent." He hit his forehead. "I'm an idiot, forgive me James?"
"Sure."
James did not forgive him, not in the slightest. Steven might've been Lily's–whatever he was–but James wasn't paid to be nice to anyone like Steven. James was aggravated as he stood next to Peter in the elevator. Peter tried exchanging pleasantries with James, but James was too busy glaring at Steven. He didn't dare look at Lily, it would've just angered him more. Steven seemed to want to win James over, because he spent the whole way to the meeting asking James what sports he played in school and where he went to university.
"I didn't go to Uni." James said as they stepped out onto level six, "I joined the military."
Lily glanced at James through her lashes on her way out of the elevator. James didn't offer her a smile, he just fell into step behind her, an ever present shadow.
Thankfully, Steven waited outside the meeting room until Lily was done going over her contract with her team and Disney. James stood in the corner of the business room, silent as always, a part of the gray paint on the wall. Lily was encircled by men in suits and sharp pens, including her lawyer who had introduced himself to James as Mr. Albus Dumbeldore.
The meeting lasted over four hours, everyone going through the contract in detail. They showed Lily the storyboards of Piper , an animated movie about a princess who wanted nothing more than to rule her country in her ill-brothers place. The red haired girl was persistent, funny, refined and clever. James didn't question why they wanted Lily for the job.
"A real-life Disney princess," Peter hugged Lily with one arm as they finished up with the team, "your mother would be so proud of you!"
"Thank you, Peter."
Lily seemed to be saddened at the mention of her mother, but Peter didn't notice her shoulders slouch. James did, but he didn't want to overstep and offer her a kind word. He stayed quiet, ever the perfect bodyguard.
Steven appeared no more than two seconds after Lily got into the main hall. He swept forward, kissing Lily again before shoving the sunflowers into her hands. He wrapped an arm around her waist as he continued kissing her in front of Peter, James, and Mr. Dumbledore.
"That took forever," Steven said when he finally pulled back from suffocating the girl, "let's go get a late lunch."
Lily shook her head. "Peter and I have lunch with Mr. Dumbledore planned."
"Lily," Peter shook his head, interrupting her, "Albus and I are fine. Go out with Steven. Have fun."
"You heard your manager," Steven said, tugging on her waist, "let's get out of here."
James kept a wide berth, but it wasn't wide enough. Steven got into Lily's car with his hand up her dress. James had to bite his tongue the whole way to the sushi restaurant, even when he was sitting up front with the driver. Lily's driver, a kind man named Timothy, told James that Roosevelt's presence was a usual thing when Lily was in LA.
"Fantastic." James sighed, wishing he could burn the image of Steven's hand up her dress from his mind forever.
The owners of the restaurant were thrilled to see Lily when she walked through the doors. Guests in the black booths lining the walls got out their phones when she waltzed in. Camera flashes went off as she was escorted to the back kitchen, James and Steven following close behind. James wished that he had Alice or Frank with him, the restaurant was overwhelming inside, but thankfully Lily was eating in the back.
The owners both kissed Lily's cheeks twice and sat her down on a chair in the small kitchen. Steven took the seat across from Lily, leaning it back so that the chair balanced on two legs. Steven needed a menu, but Lily already knew what to order. James stood, mute, by the door, praying Lily didn't address him.
His prayers were not answered. "Did you want anything, James?"
James opened his phone up, pretending not to have heard her.
"James. Do. You. Want. Anything."
"I heard you the first time." James wrinkled his nose at Lily without looking up from his phone screen where a text from Annie sat.
Annie: how's it going with the pop star in California?
James: I am not a fan of her boyfriend
"What do you want, then?" Lily asked. "It'll be my treat."
"You aren't supposed to feed 'em Lily." Steven muttered at her, shaking his head, "They're being paid to protect you, not get free food every time you go out."
"He hasn't eaten since this morning."
"I'm fine." James said brashly, making Lily jump a bit, "but thanks for the offer, Lily."
"You're welcome, James." Lily sent a barbed stare at Steven. "See? James appreciated the offer."
Steven rolled his eyes, "you're too nice for your own good."
"You say that like it's a bad thing."
The argument was dropped, and Steven ordered his lunch. James stared pointedly at the wall, listening to the conversations in the main room. It wasn't enough to keep him from hearing the conversations in the small kitchen.
The manager, Abby, mothered Lily as they set an order of sushi in front of the couple. "You're too skinny, Lily!"
"I don't have a chef anymore, Abby," Lily admitted, "and you know I can't cook!"
"I will make you two extra meals to take home."
James almost thanked Abby for offering to send Lily home with food. If Lily didn't have food at home, she usually relied on microwaved pasta. She was also really skinny, much more so than she'd been when James saved her from the bomb in Manchester. She was shrinking into her own fears.
Steven leaned into the table, placing his hand on her knee under the table. "I think you look great, for the record."
James actually rolled his eyes and muttered, "prick," under his breath.
Lily pushed Steven's hand off of her thigh. "I haven't slept right in months, Steven."
He winked, unfazed by her annoyance. "I can help tire you out."
James wished he'd never met Steven Roosevelt. Lily wasn't strong enough to tell Steven no, especially after he dragged her to their favourite bar at the beach and got a few margaritas in her. By the end of the night, her arms were around his neck and she was planting kisses all over his face inside her sitting room.
James made himself scarce on purpose.
They disappeared into Lily's room after a movie she'd put on had ended. James watched them stumble up the staircase together through the cameras. He didn't know why it irked him so much to see Lily with this guy, but it really put a thorn into his side. It pissed him off even more when the cameras showed Steven leaving at three in the morning.
A few hours later, he thought he heard her crying when he passed her room.
According to Sirius, this was usual behavior for Steven and Lily. They apparently had a very unhealthy relationship. James couldn't help but wish Sirius was there to deal with the after effects of Steven Roosevelt. She drank heavily, so much so that he actually grew concerned.
At half past ten that night, he found her sneaking out, half stumbling to a cab she'd called. He knew she couldn't get up to anything good going out in her short mini skirt and pink wig. He followed her out the door, calling her name, asking her to stop. She didn't even look back.
"Lily Evans, I swear to God." James huffed as he charged after her before she could reach her gates.
He grabbed her hand and she shouted at him, "I wanna go dance."
"You can't dance," James scoffed as her left shoe fell off, "you can barely walk."
"I just want to go." Now she was crying, actually crying. "I don't want to be here."
James' heart broke in that moment for her. She was so broken, and no one in charge of her life could see that she was screaming for help. All her actions, loud and quiet, were begging for someone to love her. James wondered how the most popular pop star in the world, had turned into the loneliest pop star in the world.
James sighed as he started walking her back to her mansion, "I don't want to be here much either."
"Then why are you here?" She limped, since she lost one of her stilettos, "I bet you hate me, poor little pop star, can't even keep a boyfriend down because she's so annoying."
"I definitely don't like you when you're drunk," James muttered as he sat her on the hallway floor, "but on average, I don't mind your company."
Lily scoffed, "I'm not drunk."
James actually chuckled, "whatever you say, Lily."
She fell asleep two seconds later, when he finished locking the door, he turned to find her sparked on the marble. He bent down to take off the stupid pink wig. He wondered if she had been hoping that it would help her fit in when she went to whatever club she had planned on crashing. Nothing about Lily Evans fit in, not even when she tried to hide behind a pink wig and mini skirt.