I can't believe it, but here it is, the last chapter of "Playing With Fire." I just want to thank each and every one of you who has reviewed this story and put me on their alerts lists. Those reviews are what kept me writing and I appreciate it so much. That being said, I hope you enjoy this chapter. I worked very hard to tie up the loose ends and give you what I think is a very happy ending, especailly considering the circumstances. So without further ado, enjoy chapter 7 of "Playing With Fire."

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

...

A few days after being admitted into the hospital, Lily was feeling restless. She hated hospitals and everything that went with them. After several nights of no sleep, bad food, and endless examinations, she was at her wits ends and she longed to break free of the sterile environment,

Lucky for her, the doctor had finally granted his permission for her to leave but not before a couple of more tests just to make sure everything was all right. So Lily sat somewhat impatiently in her bed, awaiting the results watching the clock drag its hands slowly. Her fingers absentmindedly traced over the gold bracelet with the missing birthstones and Lily still felt her own missing piece of her inside of her body. Her mind drifted slowly to forbidden territory.

James had not been back to see her after his initial visit but the huge bouquet of lilies that sat on the neighboring nightstand next to her served as a reminder of his presence. The flowers' sweet scent drifted over to her while she sat in the bed and with each deep breath she took she was transported back to a time when everything had been much simpler. The card had read "Thinking of you and hope you are feeling better. Love, James." Lily had cried for almost an hour after reading it but reminded herself that she needed to pull herself together if she ever expected to survive.

She missed James, but she knew she was right to distance herself from for the time being. Her heart remained heavy from the loss of the baby and she wasn't ready to open up yet. The wounds were still too fresh.

Lily glanced up at the oval clock above her head and wondered what was taking so long for her test results. She was desperate to escape her personal white prison. Lily closed her eyes dreaming of a vacation when she heard the door finally open.

Thinking it was her doctor back with her long awaited test results, Lily opened her eyes but was shocked to see someone else standing before her.

Alex.

He looked incredibly nervous as he stood there, twisting his hands together. Lily could see red in his eyes and wondered if he had been crying. She would have felt more sympathy for him if he hadn't been the main reason that she was sitting in the bed in front of him.

She could see the question in his eyes, and she stared back at him, determined not to speak first.

After what seemed like an eternity, Alex finally worked up the nerve to say something. "Oh my god Lily, I'm so sorry. I can't believe this happened. How are you?" His voice cracked slightly and Lily could see water building in his eyes.

Lily paused but decided to be honest with him. "I'm okay, at least physically. But I lost the baby." Even as she spoke the words aloud, her heart swelled and she felt her stomach drop. A few days later had done nothing to numb the pain she still felt when she thought of the baby that would never be.

Alex sat hesitantly on the edge of Lily's bed. "I didn't know. I'm sorry. This is all my fault" He didn't want to run the risk of upsetting her more by talking too much so he quickly shut up and arranged his face into what he hoped was a truly sincere expression.

Lily found she couldn't look Alex fully in the eyes. She was still partially ashamed of what had transpired between them. "You can't take all the blame Alex. It's true, you threw me out, but you didn't make me drive a car when I was too upset. Or make me cheat on you. I'm a big girl, I can take some responsibility."

Alex pulled on a stray thread on Lily's blanket while he thought of something to say. He thought for a minute before deciding on a question that had plaguing him for the past couple of days.

"Did I do something wrong Lily? Because I thought we were fine, better than fine actually, but now I don't know what to think anymore. I guess I just don't understand what happened between us."

Lily sighed. She really wasn't in the mood to get involved in such a heavy conversation at the moment but she knew sooner or later she would have to face her demons.

"You didn't do anything wrong Alex. Not as far as relationship stuff goes. I just think we both grew up some and drifted apart. I mean, we've been together since high school and we never really explored our other options. I'm not trying to justify my behavior, because believe me I know what I did was wrong, but I guess I'm just trying to tell you how I see it."

Alex stared at her, trying to let it all sink in. "So do you think we could try again? I mean maybe we could go to counseling and try to figure out what went wrong and how we could grow stronger from it."

Lily smiled sadly at Alex as she observed the hopefulness in his eyes. "I'm sorry Alex but if I've learned anything from this experience it's that I'm not ready to be with anyone right now. I need some time on my own to figure everything out. And even after that, I just think we are too broken to fix and I don't want to go through something like this again. I love you Alex, I do, but I'm just not in love with you. And you deserve someone who's going to give themselves completely to you but I can't do that." Lily finished kindly, afraid to bruise his ego but Alex appeared thoughtful. He glanced over at the arrangement of lilies and looked back at his now ex-girlfriend.

"I understand Lily. But what are we going to do about the apartment?"

Lily bit her lip. "After the New Years, I'm going to move out. I've been looking for a new place the past couple of days and I think I might have some good leads."

Alex nodded. "Well if you need any help..." He trailed off, not knowing how to finish his thought.

Lily gave him a brief smile. "I know where to find you."

Alex gave her a wide grin reminiscent of their early days of dating. He leaned over giving her a tight hug and pulled away quickly. "I hope everything works out for you the way you want."

Alex pulled away and made he made his way back towards the door, glancing over his shoulder as he walked.

Lily watched him walk away, knowing a piece of her past and memories were going with him. But instead of feeling guilty or ashamed, she felt a bit at peace.

And that was when she knew she was on her way to healing.

...

James had always hated packing. He didn't know how it had happened, but in the short amount of time he spent living at the apartment, most of his possessions were scattered everywhere. Now he was left with the time consuming task of trying to put it all back together. The only good thing that could be said about it was that it kept his mind off Lily.

For the most part anyways.

As he dug through a pile of clothes he tried his best to not let his mind wander to the hospital room where he knew Lily was. He wondered if she had liked the flowers he sent her or if maybe somehow he might have offended her. It was killing him not to see her but James knew he had to give Lily some space.

Deciding he deserved a mini break, James threw down a pair of socks and stretched out onto his now bare bed. He was moving out first thing in the morning and wanted to leave as quickly as possible.

James closed his eyes and was contemplating a nap when he heard a knock on his bedroom door. Sighing, he went to answer it, wondering if it was Alex coming to threaten him to leave early.

But when James opened his door, he found a much better sight in front of him. Lily, who looked like she had seen better days, stood there, her eyes a bit glassy but otherwise clear. She bit her lip at the sight of him and moved a step closer.

James mirrored her. "How are you feeling?"

Lily shrugged. "I'm okay. I'll be better in a few weeks." Silence fell between them as they both thought back to their loss. Lily, anxious to keep the conversation flowing, switched topics.

"Alex told me you were leaving tomorrow." She looked sad but determined and James knew better than to plead with her again about finding a place together.

He nodded. "Yeah, in the morning. Why, did you want me to leave earlier or something?"

Lily looked taken aback. "No of course not. I just wanted to say good bye before you left, oh, and to give you this." She held out her hand to him and he looked down at her palm.

It was the gold birthstone bracelet he had given her at Christmas.

"I just thought it wasn't right to keep it anymore, you know, given the circumstances." Lily trailed off as she felt the corners of her eyes prick.

James frowned and pushed her hand back towards her. "No, you keep it. It was a present and I want you to have it."

Lily nodded shakily and slipped the bracelet back into her pocket. She held her breath as James continued to stare at her intensely.

Suddenly James remembered something he needed to do. "Actually if you don't mind, there's something I wanted to give to you."

"Oh no James don't-" Lily started to protest when James cut her off.

"Relax Lily. It's nothing big." He turned away from her and went on a search in his room. "Here it is." He thrust a piece of paper into her hands and Lily looked down.

"It's my new address and phone number. I'm staying with a friend of mine. Anyways, I just thought you might like to have it in case you ever wanted to call me or something." James finished his thought aloud awkwardly but was glad he was able to give her his information in person. He wasn't sure he was going to be able to.

Lily stared at the slip of paper in her hand and felt a rush of various emotions flood her stomach. She knew James was waiting for her to say something so she forced herself to look up, working her lips into a smile.

"Thanks, I'll definitely keep it nearby." She didn't know what else to say but she noticed James's eyes light up slightly at her words.

"Under your pillow I hope." James teased her, hoping to see her smile.

Lily laughed softly, noting that the action felt unfamiliar. "Of course."

James moved towards her and before she could argue he gave her a tight hug, determined to feel her against him, even if it was the last time. "I'll miss you." James whispered in her ear and he felt her stiffen slightly in his arms.

It took Lily a great deal of effort to pull away from him but she made herself as looked up at the man who had changed her life in such a short amount of time.

"I hope everything works out the way you want it to James."

And even though his heart ached when Lily pulled away, James smiled again at the beautiful red head in front of him, his conscience feeling the lightest it had in months. He wanted this woman to be his, but knew she would have to come to him on her own.

"Me too Lily."

...

Living on her own was a lot harder than Lily ever expected. After scrapping together the last bit of money she had after her hospital bill, she finally managed to find a place that was willing to let her move in on such short notice. It was a rather small and cramped apartment but it was hers and there was nobody there to tell her otherwise. She was also able to secure a job at the campus bookstore and she slowly but quickly established a steady rhythm.

After several months of simply going to school, work, and home, Lily began to feel independent. There were times when she felt alone and missed having someone to come home to but overall she felt free,

Since leaving Alex's place she had only seen him a handful of times at the university. There was still an awkward air between them but nonetheless, Alex being the gentleman Lily had always known him to be, would smile at her gently before making his way to class.

But when she ran into James for the first time since saying good bye it was anything but awkward.

She had been at work, putting a book away on a high shelf when she felt somebody behind her. Thinking it was a student browsing for a textbook, she quickly turned around to help.

What she didn't expect was a set of dazzling hazel eyes sparkling back at her. In a span of one second Lily felt her breath disappear and her knees buckle.

"Looks like you need some help there." James gave her a lopsided grin and tugged the book from her hands. Blushing, Lily turned away as James set the book in its proper place. When he turned back at her, he felt the same chemistry humming between them. Noticing this he dared to take a step closer while observing her face. She didn't back away but stood her ground as she waited for her heart to slow down.

James fidgeted with his jacket zipper while he watched her. It was obvious she was waiting for him to say something.

"So how have you been? It's been awhile." It seemed like such a cavalier thing to say given how close they had once been but James didn't know what else to say.

Lily gave him a half smile. "I've been good for the most part. Everyday has its ups and downs. How about you?"

James shifted his weight back and forth, looking oddly nervous. "I'm okay. Classes are keep me distracted so I guess that's a good thing." He paused not knowing if she was ready to discuss anything pertaining to a relationship. "I miss you."

Lily's heart throbbed painfully in response as she struggled to keep her face blank. She had missed him too, terribly, but she didn't know if her heart, mind, and body were ready to go through another ordeal. She could feel her face cracking a bit as James continued to stare at her intently.

"I've missed you too." She whispered, allowing some of her red hair to fall down and hide her face. Her stomach insisted on doing flip flops and she half held her breath waiting for the other shoe to drop. She thought back to the slip of paper James had given her with his phone number and how many times she had chickened out when it came time for her to call. She looked back at him, waiting for a response.

James swallowed his sigh of relief and felt as if a tiny ray of hope had illuminated the corner of the bookstore they were standing in. He reached up and brushed the hair out of her face, delighted to see a faint blush sweeping her cheeks. He bit back a laugh and moved closer to her again. He could smell her sweet perfume.

"Would you like to go out on a date with me?"

Lily looked up at him, confused. "A date?"

James smiled. "A date, as in two people go out together, possibly go to dinner, maybe see a movie, and if things go really well they usually end up-"

Lily felt the laughter building in her stomach as she held up her hand to stop him. "I know what a date is, thank you; I guess it just sounds weird after everything we've been through."

James nodded. "True, but we've got to start somewhere. And I can't think of anybody else I'd rather start something with."

Lily took the final step closer to him, erasing any available distance and wrapping her arms around him. It was comfortable and familiar and Lily didn't want to push him away again. "Me either."

...

It had been a long time since Lily could truly say she was happy. But as the months slipped by her, happiness had become the dominant emotion invading her body. Not a day passed that she didn't feel butterflies erupting in her stomach.

She and James had been together for the past few months. Both had agreed to take things slow in the beginning, delaying any physical intimacy until it felt right. There was no need to rush things anymore, but the same electricity sizzled between them when they did go out on their dates. When they finally did progress to intimacy, it was better than ever. This time both of them were allowed to freely love each other and did so frequently. Neither of them felt like they could fully satiate their desire for one another.

All in all, life had never been better and Lily had never felt healthier. As she slipped on her emerald dress for another date that night with James, she still felt a flutter of nerves in her stomach. She looked at herself in the mirror and smiled when she saw James standing behind her in the reflection. She winked and turned around to greet him but before she could get a word out, his lips hushed hers.

"You look beautiful." In fact James had never seen anyone look more beautiful than she did now.

Lily felt warmth invade her cheeks. "Thank you, You look great too." She took in appearance and he was in fact quite handsome in his outfit. "Are you ready to go?"

James shook his head. "Not yet. I want to show you something."

He led her into her small living room, which was dimly lit by the candles he had put out. Lily stifled her gasp as she took in the setting. Soft music hummed in the background and an arrangement of flowers stood on the kitchen table.

"James what is this?" She was still in awe and was vaguely aware that he leading her to the center of the room.

"I wanted to do something special for you. These last few months have been the best of my life and every day I realize just how much I love you." James paused, allowing himself to collect him thoughts and nerve.

Lily smiled gently, relieved that she could freely express herself now. "I love you too James. Very much." She took his hand and squeezed it hard as if she could express her love and gratitude in such a simple movement.

James bit his lip and swallowed his resolve. "I know and that's why I wanted to do this." And as he spoke the words he sank down to one knee still holding on tightly to Lily's hand. He heard her gasp and looked up to see tears starting to form in her startlingly green eyes.

"Lily Evans, you are the only woman on this Earth that I want to spend the rest of my life with. I've lived without you and during that time I realized how empty my life is without you there, talking to me, laughing with me, holding my hand. I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life making you as happy as you make me. Will you marry me?" James tried to say this as slowly as he could but found it difficult due to nerves. He opened up the ring box and looked up at her, waiting.

Lily felt as if her heart with joy. If someone had told her she would find love like this after all that she'd been through and all that she'd done, she would've called them crazy. But as she looked down at the man who walked through fire with her and went to hell and back she knew she had found what she'd always been looking for. She had healed, she was complete.

Lily felt her face break into a spectacular smile as she wiped the falling tears from her eyes. "Yes, I will."

...

So there you have it. What did you think? I would love to hear your opinion on this final chapter, your review means everything. By the way, I haven't fully decided if I'm going to do a sequel, but I have decided that it would most likely be a one shot.

Thanks again for everything and please review :)