James could not believe it; the love of his life was standing in front of him. It had been more than a decade since he last saw her, but that did not change any feelings he had for her. The glimpses that he had seen before could not compare to her standing right in front of him. And James' heart swelled because he had never stopped loving her.

Lily was panicking on the inside. James was standing right in front of her, and staring at her with absolute love in his eyes. She knew, deep in her heart, that he was never going to let her go. And Lily's heart saddened because she had to leave for Harry's safety, for James' son safety.

Remus sighed sadly. James would not even look at him, the only time he did was to glare. Remus knew that he smelt James in the forest, but he was too preoccupied with Lily's and Sirius' competition to check it out. He should have, though, because Remus was sure that James saw his and Lily's impromptu kiss. And Remus knew that James was furious at him.

Sirius rushed to the dungeons, hoping that James hasn't killed Remus yet. The letter was already on its way to Harry's only hope. Sirius approached his way to the entrance of the dungeons, a doorway to the basements of the flashy castle. The guards were absent, but that was because dear, old Victoria sent them away when she went to visit the prisoners. She wouldn't want anyone to overhear her conversations.

Sirius quietly crept toward the cells, the hallway where Remus and Lily were kept was absent of people. This hallway of cells were always empty, the prisoners were kept deeper in the castle, where, rumored to be, the tortures truly happened. At least, that was what his cousin Bella told Sirius. Queen Bellatrix had told Sirius numerous of times that Victoria was not originally from the Gryffindor Kingdom, and that he always had to keep an eye out for her. Victoria was quite ruthless, and it was her probably her idea about the torture dungeons hidden below Gryffindor Castle.

Sirius walked ahead until he heard voices. James had beaten him there.

"Lily…is it really you?"

Remus snorted and while James' eyes flickered toward the werewolf, he did not say a word. Lily kept her mouth shut, not trusting herself to speak, either she welcomed him back or pushed him away, and both will break her heart. James sighed; he needed to hear Lily speak.

"Lils…please…"

Lily bit her lip, and turned her head away from James. She slid closer to Remus, whose arms immediately enfolded her. It was a gesture of pure comfort, and it always had been. Remus was always Lily's best friend, and the same went for Remus. They protected each other, and loved each other as if they were siblings. Sirius knew that. James knew that, or at least, he used too. Remus glanced at James' furious gaze, and he knew that James had forgotten how close Remus and Lily were.

"Get your arms off her, now, Lupin!"

Remus glared at his former friend, "And if I don't."

James scowled and took out his wand, "Then I'll kill you."

"Calm down, James."

Sirius stepped out from the shadows, his own wand aimed at the Prince. James grunted.

"This isn't your problem, Sirius!"

Sirius smiled, "It is when you threaten my friends."

They stood there for a moment. Remus tightening his hold on Lily, who was wishing that, she and Remus, could disappear with Harry. James, his eyes narrowing as he saw the werewolf embracing his maiden. He just wanted to talk to Lily. Sirius, keeping his wand at his friend, and glancing at Remus and Lily, he needed to get the two of them out of here. James kept his gaze on the red-head, and lowered his wand.

"Let me just talk to Lily in private."

Sirius looked at Remus, who looked at Lily. Lily kept her gaze at the window, studying the half moon that was shining outside. Were the centaurs helping Harry understand the secrets of the stars? They never trusted any other humans, but Harry was a strange exception. Maybe it was because they found Lily, pregnant, alone, and looking for her best friend. They helped her find Remus, and they helped her with Harry. They, too, loved Harry, but Harry was, unfortunately, endangering them. If something happened to the centaurs, Harry would be heartbroken. Lily sighed deeply, and looked into Remus' eyes. She slightly nodded, and Remus looked away. Remus nodded to Sirius.

Sirius lowered his wand, "Fine, James, but just for ten minutes."

James nodded. Remus kissed Lily on the forehead and whispered, "Stay safe."

Lily smiled and kissed Remus on the cheek. He chuckled and stepped away from Lily. He then faced James, who was frowning at the whole thing. Remus rolled his eyes. James was always so clueless when it came to Lily. He stepped closer to James, who narrowed his eyes. He put his hand on James' shoulder, but retracted it when James flinched. Remus was hurt but shook it off.

"Don't hurt my sister."

James' eyes widened and bowed his head. Remus smiled and went with Sirius. Sirius went out of the room, after Remus, and closed the door behind him. A moment of silence passed between the two former lovers. The tension in the room was thick. James lifted his head, and his hazel eyes met the emerald shade of green eyes of Lily's.

Sirius dragged Remus away from the cell, leading him toward the empty hall. Remus held Sirius's hand tightly, trusting Sirius with his life. Sirius turned around.

"Will Lily tell James about Harry?"

Remus shook his head, "Never."

Sirius stopped, his eyebrow raised. How could Lily keep Harry away from James forever? Yes, he understood that something was wrong, but it will soon be fixed. Surely Lily would not keep James's own son away from him.

Remus smiled sadly, "It is not her choice, Padfoot. If it was up to her, James would have known the day she figured out that she was with child."

Sirius looked down. What happen all those years ago? Did Remus know that Lily was pregnant before he disappeared or after? Sirius frowned, why did Remus disappear? He looked at Remus, he needed an answer.

"Why did you leave?"

Remus was startled. He was expecting questions about Lily's early days when she was pregnant. Remus' disappearance was not a subject that he liked to talk about. How could he tell the person loved that he was facing death? Remus shrugged his shoulders, he could never tell Sirius.

Sirius let go of Remus' hand stared sadly at him, "Did you want to go? Did you get tired of us?"

Remus' eyes shut up; he could not let Sirius believe that he wanted to go. He never wanted to leave his friends. Remus shut his eyes tightly; he knew that eventually he would have to tell Sirius, for his disappearance tied in with Lily's. He had to trust Sirius with this, and hope that Sirius would help him. Remus grabbed Sirius's hand and squeezed tightly.

"You cannot mention this outside of us, only to Lily. If the Queen finds out that you know…"

Sirius nodded and squeezed Remus's hand. Remus sighed, turning around so he was not facing the lord.

"Do you remember the day you visited me? My father was finally in town after three months, and he returned with a great illness."

Sirius smiled, "Yes, you would not leave your home, so I decided to spend the day with you, and help you with your father."

Remus smiled as well. He remembered the day clearly.

(Flashbacks starts)

"I'm fine, Remy."

A sixteen year old boy sat next to an elder man. The elder man was aging, yet he still had a youthful look in his eyes, especially when he saw his son. His son was growing up nicely, considering that he was bearing a terrible curse. Remus's shaggy sandy-blond hair fell in his eyes. His body was lithe, not yet bearing the physical or emotional scars that fell upon him when taking on the responsibility of protecting a maiden and her son. The elder man was Remus's father, and they each shared the same burning amber eyes, which was the entrance to their souls.

Remus smiled gently at his father, "Father, you are ill."

Jonathan Lupin chuckled at his only son, "You remind me of your mother, Remy."

Remus blushed, "Mother would have wanted you to rest."

Both father and son adopted a sadden gaze, each reminiscing about the woman who meant so much to the both of them, and left two years ago. Remus shook his head of those thoughts of his mind. He grinned tightly as his father.

"Dad, you heard the healer, you must rest."

Jonathan smiled gently at his son, "I also remember that the full moon was only two nights ago, and I have not seen you rest."

Remus looked sheepishly at his father, "Your health is more important."

Jonathan narrowed his eyes at Remus, ready to scold him for selflessness. "Remus Jonathan Lupin, I ought to—"

The knock on the door interrupted Jonathan's threat, and Remus happily left his chair to open the door. As Remus threw the door open, ready to thank the person who knock in the middle of his father's scolding, he frowned a bit when he saw it was Sirius Black. Sirius stood there regally, just as the son of Lord Slytherin should look like, except for the wild grin on his handsome face.

"Now, Moony, what is with that frown? I thought you would have been happy seeing your gorgeous boy—"

"Who's at the door, Remy?"

Sirius gaped, and then nervously fidgeted. Remus could not help but smiled sweetly at Sirius's nervousness. Sirius was always so confident, so it was a bit of a treat to see him lose his cool. Sirius glared at the young werewolf.

"You didn't tell me your father was home!"

Remus shrugged his shoulders, "He came home late last night, and I had to get a healer. He's dreadfully ill."

Sirius's eyes soften at Remus's concern for his father. Remus's only family was his father and he could not help but worry for him all the time. Remus bit his lip nervously; he hoped that Sirius was not too mad at him.

"I'm sorry, Padfoot. I should have told you before—

Sirius held his hand up and Remus's stopped speaking. Sirius stepped into the tiny house belonging to the Lupins and grabbed Remus's arm. He pulled Remus closer to him, embracing the werewolf as he would to a lover, and whispered in Remus's ear.

"Don't worry about it, Moony."

Remus blushed at the close contact with Sirius and Sirius laughed gently at Remus's blush. It always amused him how easy it was to get the werewolf to blush. All Sirius had to do was touch Remus with the gentlest touch, and Remus's cheeks would redden. Sirius bent down slightly, he was only a couple of inches taller than Remus, yet Remus was the smallest between the Marauders. Remus smiled shyly, looking down at the floor, but Sirius tilted Remus's head up, and kissed him gently on the lips. The two have not been going out for long, only six months secretly, but they have always known, deep down, that they loved each other for years.

Sirius backed up slightly, causing Remus to protest, when they heard Jonathan Lupin yell.

"Remy, are you still there?"

Sirius's eyes widened, and Remus chuckled. "Yes, dad, I'm still here."

"Well, then, who was at the door, son?"

Remus grinned, and grabbed Sirius's hand, pulling him toward the only bedroom in the house. Sirius started fidgeting again.

"What are you doing, Remus?" Sirius hissed at his werewolf.

Remus chuckled softly, "My dad wants to know who was at the door."

Sirius groaned, "But Moony…"

Remus pulled Sirius down and gave him a passionate kiss. Sirius's protests died the minute he felt Remus's lips on his own. He would die for the werewolf. Sirius would give up his positions, his wealth, and his own life if that made Remus happy. He loved and always will love Remus Lupin.

They pulled apart unwillingly; both thinking that air was not an important part of life. Sirius placed his forehead on Remus's, hearing Remus's whisper.

"Please, Sirius, for me."

Sirius smiled, "Only for you."

Remus's amber eyes brighten greatly and Sirius's heartbeats quicken through his chest. He let himself be pulled toward the room where Remus's father laid.

Remus quietly opened his father's door, and not at all surprised at his father's amused face. Sirius was the quietest person.

"What took so long, Remy?"

Sirius stepped in besides Remus, sheepishly looking around the room, avoiding Jonathan's gaze. Jonathan bowed his head respectfully to Sirius.

"It is a pleasure to have you in my home, Lord Black."

Sirius's eyes quickly went to Jonathan. He shook his head, not wanting the father of his lover to treat him as a superior. "Not lord, sir, just Sirius. My father is Lord Black."

Jonathan kept his even gaze at Sirius, "Yes, but you soon will be Lord Black. I heard your father was planning on passing the torch."

Sirius snorted, "My father would have to die first. He would not give it up yet."

Jonathan smiled sadly, "When he does, though, it falls upon the eldest to take up his position. So, in the future, you will become Lord Black. That will be your first priority, and your visits to the Gryffindor Kingdom will become less frequent."

Sirius frowned, looking briefly at Remus, who was avoiding his gaze. In fact, Remus was glaring at his father. Jonathan shrugged his shoulders, he hated upsetting his son, but he also needed to protect Remus from everything, including the future Lord of Slytherin. Sirius shifted uncomfortably for a moment, but regained his Slytherin façade. He smiled mockingly at Jonathan Lupin.

"Not really. King Harold and King Tomas are aware of my close friendship with Prince James, so I would become a link between the two kingdoms. I would probably come as often as I come now."

There was a moment of silence, a silence filled with tension between the two people that Remus cared about. Sirius sighed deeply, turning slightly to face Remus.

"I should probably go."

Jonathan noticed his son's heartbroken gaze, and smirked sadly. He only wanted his son to be happy, especially in a world where people will be unbelievable cruel to him.

"Actually, Lord Black, you should probably stay. My son is determined that I should get some rest, but someone needs to make sure that he also gets some relaxation. The full moon was only a few days ago."

Sirius grimaced at his title, a title that did not belong to him yet, but he could not argue with Jonathan's request. Remus should have been taking it easy, not running around trying to cure his father or pleasing Sirius. Remus, of course, did not believe that he needed some rest, and was not about to let his father alone.

"Dad, please, I am just fine."

Sirius and Jonathan both rolled their eyes. Sirius grabbed Remus, and led him out of the room. "Don't worry, Mr. Lupin, I'll take care of your son."

Jonathan smiled, "I know you will."

(Flashback ends)

Remus and Sirius were pulled out of their memories. That was a bittersweet one because it was the day that Remus had disappeared.

James glanced nervously around the room, frowning slightly when figuring out that someone was missing. Lily, showing no emotion, noticed the Prince's frown. She bowed her head slightly, speaking in a respectful tone.

"Is something wrong, my prince?"

James bristled when hearing his title. He spent ages trying to convince Lily to never use his title in front of him. Lily was not one of his subjects. Lily was the love of his life, and, in his heart, they both were equal.

"Lily, please do not call me that."

Lily did not look up when replying, "Call you what, your majesty?"

"Prince," James said the word with such disgust, as if he was speaking about the dark arts, or his nemesis, Severus Snape.

There was a silence in the room, as both lovers tried to figure a way into their motives. The young prince was trying to get into Lily's heart once again. He needed to convince Lily to stay, so they could be a real family with their son. Lily was trying to get out of this room, to avoid the conversation where the prince would be asking about her son. She needed a way out. James, struggling to connect with his love, decided to ask the most obvious question.

"Where is the kid?"

Lily stiffened inwardly, quickly thinking a response to the most dreaded question. She composed her face quickly, like the Slytherin she really was, and spoke in a cold voice. The voice that the Prince never wanted to hear from the sweet maiden,

"What kid?"

James narrowed his eyes. Lily had never lied to him before, "The kid in the forest, where I found you."

Lily smiled hauntingly, "I don't know what you're talking about. Are you sure that you are not mistaking me for someone else, my prince?"

"No," James barked.

And another silence descended the room.

"I spent the afternoon entertaining you."

Remus rolled his eyes, "You spent the afternoon coddling me. It wasn't very entertaining."

Sirius laughed and spent closer to Remus. Remus backed up until he hit the wall. Sirius spoke softly.

"The afternoon was very entertaining."

Remus shifted nervously and pushed Sirius away. Sirius frowned, clearly Remus was not comfortable around him anymore, and that hurt Sirius deeply. Remus coughed loudly, trying to ignore the sexual tension between the two former lovers.

Sirius sighed, "What happen afterwards? I came back the next day and your father said you were gone. He told me that the he remember you saying good night and then waking up, finding that you were gone."

Remus looked down sadly, that was the last time he had seen his father. He died two years ago, and Remus did not find out until six months later after his father's funeral. It nearly killed the werewolf, and if it wasn't for Lily and Harry, Remus would have died.

Sirius tugged Remus's arm gently, "Moony…"

Remus shook his head, not wanting to face his friend, "Sirius…Padfoot…did you give money for his funeral?"

Remus's voice broke, tearing Sirius's heart into two. Sirius gulped, "He was your father, Moony."

Remus held in his tears, taking a deep breath, forcing down the memories of his father. Remus can talk about the years his father lived with Sirius later, for now, he needed to help with Lily's situation. Remus turned to face the young lord.

"The night…the night I disappeared…it was because there was a knock on the door. When I opened it, someone stunned me, and I woke up chained in the cells under us."

Remus held his arms out wide, ignoring Sirius' shock, and then, angry gaze. Remus should have known that Sirius knew what was under the castle floors. Sirius struggled to remain calm.

"You were…under…there?"

Remus nodded slowly, "I was bait."

"Lily, where is our son?"

Lily cringed at James' yell. He never raised his voice to her before, but then, she had never kept a secret from him. Lily took a deep breath, repeating her statement slowly, hoping that the prince will buy her lie.

"What son?"

"My son," James yelled again. His face becoming red under the stress the maiden put him in.

Lily almost lost it. She should have known that James would not give up, not after losing her before. It was a lose-lose situation, either she broke James, or she dies, which would also break the young prince. It was either losing the love of her life or losing the lives of her son and brother. Lily looked deeply into James' angry hazel eyes, what would he want her to do?

What will she do?