"Lily, you are being really immature," James protested.
"Sign the damn papers!" said Lily, throwing them at him.
James had come to take Harry to a Quidditch game, and while he was getting Harry's bag Lily had taken the tickets from his jacket pockets and wouldn't get give them back.
"No. Give me back the tickets," James said, trying to stay calm and extending his hand out for the tickets.
"Sign the papers," Lily said obstinately.
"No I'm not signing them ever," James sighed.
"Why won't you just grow up and sign the damn thing!" Lily shouted. "If you don't sign in two weeks, we have to file again!"
"Will you leave me alone in two weeks then?"
"I'll leave you alone right now if you'll just sign the papers."
"I'll never sign them, so just give it up! I love you and I'm going to try and win you back!" said James, raising his voice in frustration.
"It's too late! I'm dating Calvin!"
"You don't feel a bloody thing for him, you and I both know it!" James shouted.
"So?" Lily asked angrily. "He is a nice guy! He adores me!"
"So do I!" James argued.
"And he is good with Harry!"
"I'm his Dad!"
"Will you stop interrupting?" Lily snapped.
"Hell no! Come on Lily, tell me something else about him! Something that's actually relevant!"
"He would never hurt me!" she countered. "You can't say the same, can you?"
"I'll never hurt you again," said James quietly.
"How do I know that?! You told me that when we first got married, but it obviously didn't stick! I could never go through that again, and I have no intention of risking it because it wouldn't just be my heart, it would be Harry's too!"
"I would never hurt him, Lily, and you know that!"
"I know!"
"Then what the bloody hell are you talking about?" James exploded. Lily still managed to confuse and frustrate him to his breaking point.
"YOU!" Lily bellowed, her whole body shaking with rage. "I'm talking about you! You're the one who left me! You're the one who gave up on me! You filed for divorce! And now all I'm asking is for you to follow it through!" shouted Lily.
Before James could respond, they were interrupted by Harry screaming. They both turned to where it was coming from and there he was in the doorway howling because he had seen them arguing.
"It's okay, don't cry," said Lily, picking Harry up and hugging him. "Don't cry..."
"It's alright, Harry. We were just talking," said James, trying to calm him.
"Here, take him to the game," said Lily, giving James the tickets as she rocked Harry until he calmed down.
---------------------------------------
"Lily told me you won't sign the divorce papers," said Calvin that night. James had brought Harry back from the game, Lily was putting him to bed and Calvin had cornered him in the kitchen.
"What's it to you?" James said, highly annoyed. This really wasn't any of Calvin's business, as much as he'd think it actually was.
"You know very well what it is to me," Calvin said, his voice dangerously low.
"Oh yeah, you're trying to hit on my wife," said James calmly.
"She is your wife in name only. Lily is desperate to get away from you to be with me. Just sign the papers, you've made your point."
"You really think she wants you?" said James, trying to control his urge to punch Calvin.
"Yeah, as a matter of fact I do," said Calvin, getting riled.
"I don't, and I know Lily a hell of a lot better than you do."
"If you knew her, you would know she wants rid of you. Sign the papers and let her be happy."
"You won't make her happy," snapped James, thinking how satisfying it would be to knock him out.
"I'll make her happier than you could," Calvin insisted, eyeing James with animosity.
"You actually believe that, don't you?" laughed James.
"Yeah I do," said Calvin forcefully.
"You're deluded."
"Look, Lily is too nice to say this, but if you don't sign the papers, you might find you'll be spending less time with Harry."
"That is enough," said Lily in a deathly calm voice. She was standing in the doorway, her eyes glinting in anger.
"Lily!" Calvin said, jumping a bit and looking alarmed. "I was just trying…"
"Save it," she snapped. "Both of you are acting like children."
"If my son wasn't asleep in the next room, I would break your jaw," said James, deadly serious.
"I said that is enough!" Lily snapped.
"I was just trying to get him to sign the divorce papers," said Calvin.
"And I was telling him that it is none of his business."
"He thinks you still love him."
"I said stop it!" said Lily, raising her voice.
"Lily tell him you don't love him and get him to sign the papers," urged Calvin.
"She can't do it," said James, looking at Lily, who was just standing there looking at them.
"Lily…"
"You have a choice to make, love," said James, walking over to Lily. "Me or him. You know I love you and I'll spend the rest of my life showing you how much I love you and I'll never let you go again. I never really gave up on you, you know…"
"Lily, don't listen to him," said Calvin in the background, but Lily barely heard him, she was mesmerized by the look in James' eyes.
"Don't pick me for Harry, pick me for you. I don't want you to even think about Harry as a factor, I'll never let anything going on between us affect him. I'm going to take him to my place tonight. If you pick me, go there. If you don't I'll drop him off in the morning, I'll sign the divorce papers and we'll never talk about this again."
"There!" Calvin said desperately. "Just tell him now and you'll be free."
"Think about it. Do you want to spend the rest of your life with someone who would threaten to keep our son from me?" said James, rubbing Lily's cheek with his thumb. "Just think about it."
Then he went into Harry's room, picked him up and apparated to his flat.