James looked at his wife, his eyes filled with a weight that surprised her. Rarely was he ever so serious after spending time with Sirius, and never when they were just talking and laughing. "What is it James?"

"I'm worried about him, Lily. He and Cela have been married for over a year. And he hasn't changed toward her one bit. I don't want him stuck in something that means nothing to him just because he's worried about her. Don't get me wrong, I want to see her better, but it isn't fair to either of them to be stuck in a loveless marriage."

"It's happened before James."

"I don't want it to happen to my best mate!"

Sighing, Lily looked at him carefully. "Did it ever occur to you that he's happy? He never wanted to settle anyway, and Cela's the perfect person to let him roam without making him feel guilty. They've been too close for too long to not be fabulous together. I'd love to see her with a man that would go to the moon for her, but the only single ones she ever tolerates are Sirius, Remus, and the Prewetts. We both know that she and Remus are just friends and Sirius might have a heart attack if Cela started anything with Fabian or Gideon. He's happy being with her."

"Is it wrong that I want him to be in love?"

"No, it's not. It's sweet, actually. How do you know he doesn't love her though?"

Smiling at the optimism of his wife, James kissed Lily lightly. "He loves her, alright. But I don't think he's in love with her. He'd have slipped up by now and shown it to someone. We'd have caught him, I'm sure of it. If they aren't over here, Remus and Peter are there. And none of us have caught any signs of anything more than before between them."

"You do know that they have slept together."

"Lily!" James exclaimed, shocked.

"What?" Lily replied, amused by his astonishment. "They have. Maybe they didn't start off the same way we're all used to, but they care about each other. They've always been attracted to each other. I know it doesn't equal love, but Sirius would die before hurting her and she would slit her throat before hurting him. They're good for each other, even if love isn't in the mix."

"Then why do I want it to be so badly?"

Leaning back and thinking of months earlier, of what Sirius had begged her not to tell James, Lily smiled. "Because they fit together so well. Because if they were in love, death would only be a minor issue. Maybe we're all wrong, James, maybe they've been tricking us and they really have been in love this whole time."

"I wouldn't put it past Celaeno, with all her efforts toward objectivity. But not Sirius, he's my best mate. He'd have told me."

"If he loves her, James, if he really loves her. Would he really test her by telling you something he thinks you'll be able to figure out anyway? Anyway, Halloween's coming up soon, and it'll be much more magical than Bonfire Night. Watch them. Maybe you'll be pleasantly surprised to find that Sirius and Mira Celaeno are more in love than you're giving them credit for."

"I hope so. If it's anything like this, like you, then he deserves it. There's nothing better. Nothing happier. You're my best friend, Lily. You're everything."

Laughing, Lily kissed him gently. "I thought Sirius was your best friend?"

"Of course. But so are you. You're my Lily. He's like a brother and friend. You're a friend, of course, but you're really more than that."

"I love you too James."

Smiling as he leaned forward and kissed her deeply, he thanked Merlin that he had straightened up enough to land the woman he was now kissing.

Halloween. It was a fabulous day, it really was. It was a right shame that muggles favoured Bonfire Night so much more. He shook his wet hair, drying it and thinking about what a fabulous night it would be as he tossed his towel onto the bed. He had been with James and Lily when the couple had decided to be a prince and princess. They really looked the part, though James' unruly hair would have been better suited to a rugged look than a royal one. Celaeno had said that Alice and Frank were coming as German shepherds, which would definitely suit the pretty pair. Though none of their friends had been privy to their decision, she and Sirius had decided to go as ancient Egyptians. Looking in the mirror, fixing the gold band Celaeno had fastened around his head earlier, he prayed it wouldn't be too cold. Perhaps the bare-chested costume hadn't been such a great idea, even if they were only outside a little. Then he thought of Mira Celaeno, glittering in the white strapless gown that had shone even without her in it. Grinning, he decided he had done two things right, preparing himself for the rush of heat that he would get every time he saw her, and investing in a wisely loose garment.

"Sirius? Is everything alright? You're taking forever."

Straightening, he threw the door open just as she had poised herself to knock. Swallowing, he felt his jaw drop. And she hadn't even put the costume on yet. Her long hair cascaded over her shoulders, straight as a pin and ending at her waist; her large eyes were wide, lined with kohl and inescapably beautiful; her lips were a deep red against her ivory skin; the gold armband wrapped intimately around her upper arm as the ribbons of the Egyptian sandals crawled up her calves and around her ankles. "Wow."

Her eyes had lingered on his bare chest, a sight that she could still drink in, and his sandals and bands were no farther from his skin than hers. Lifting her gaze to rest on his dark eyes, now stormy and endless, she smiled. Letting her hand fall on his chest, she brushed her lips gently against his. "Next year we should be Greek. You can be Adonis. I'll be Mira."

"Mira was married to Poseidon. I'll be him. Where's your costume? This is nice and all, but you can't walk around in underwear."

Throwing a long jacket on, her thighs brushed by the coat, Celaeno winked at him. "I can't get the confounded thing on myself, so I'm heading over a little early so Lily can help me. So you'll get to be just as surprised as everyone else."

"Do you like torturing me?"

"Immensely. Now kiss me and I'll see you in an hour."

Kissing her gently, he winked. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. We may as well go together, I promised James I'd help him with the grilling before the party."

"Alright darling, then let's go. Do you have the drinks?"

Lifting the firewhiskey and vodka bottles that James had requested, Sirius nodded cheerfully. "Give me another kiss, a good one, before we go."

She obliged, letting her body melt into his as he deepened the kiss. "We should go."

Capturing her lips again, he nodded and continued to kiss her. "We should. Mmm. You taste good."

"Siri – mmm." Her disapproval died. As he put one of the bottles down, his hand going to her hair, she jerked back to the moment. "Sirius. We really have to go. James and Lily are waiting for us. We said we'd be there. You're supposed to be helping."

"Lily doesn't need help."

"I've been with her, getting ready, all afternoon. I took off after lunch and we got everything finished before you lot go and get involved. Now don't forget that bottle and let's go."

Kissing her quickly and grumbling, Sirius followed her to the steps of Godric's Hollow. He glared at the door and waited for Celaeno to open it for him, her finger against her lips. "Be quiet. Come in. Come on, darling."

He followed her, letting her take the two bottles from him as he closed the door. Placing the bottles down on the kitchen table, she motioned toward the corner, where Lily and James were, engrossed in something much like what Cela had put a stop to herself only moments earlier. Leaning down, Sirius hissed in her ear, "And you were on my back for kissing you?"

She smiled at him and kissed him deeply, knowing that James and Lily were too busy to notice them. Celaeno's laughter bubbled as Sirius went to stand beside the happy couple, moaning and crying out, "Oh, James! James!"

The busy pair froze, looking over at Sirius. James glared, smacking his best friend soundly in the back of the head as Lily turned a deep scarlet. Still bright, she slapped both James and Sirius and stalked haughtily over to Mira Celaeno. "Now you, Cela darling, should be more sensible than allowing that."

Shrugging, she winked at her cousin, "I tried, Lily. You two were very preoccupied, what can I say? And you look radiant, I'm not surprised my brutish cousin was trying to devour you. The kitchen is a prime place for such devouring, too, it was just too good. And how was I to know that my lump was going to be so turned on by James?"

Lily laughed as Sirius glared at her. "Funny, Mira, real funny." Flashing a beam toward him, she let Lily drag her off. "Having fun there Prongs?"

"I was," James said grumpily, straightening his costume, "until you decided to imitate Lily."

"Does she really do that?"

"I'm not going to tell you. I like being in one piece, thank you Padfoot."

Chuckling, Sirius accompanied his best friend into the parlour. Whistling, he admired Celaeno and Lily's handiwork. "Nice. They did a great job."

"They were working like dogs, no offence."

"None taken."

James grinned. "But yeah, it was pretty impressive. Had me doing some of the manual labour, but I couldn't complain because they were somehow out here getting set up and in the kitchen cooking. Smelled great earlier, but Cela said she'd castrate me if I set foot in there or if I so much as touched any of the food. She and Lily did some neat little charms to keep everything warm, so it's just as good as it was when it first came out."

"And we're manning the grill till everyone gets here?"

"You got it. Hey, Pads, how're you and Cela doing?"

"How are we doing? Fine. Why?"

James shrugged. "Dunno. Lily and I were talking a couple days ago, and I was just wondering if everything's alright, you know."

Knowing exactly what his best friend was getting at, Sirius frowned. "No, I don't know. Mira and I are fine. We had a minor argument last week, but it didn't last long."

Partly because he had kissed her until she couldn't think of anything else to say. But he wasn't going to bring that up. "That's not what I mean, Padfoot," James said sternly. Sirius raised an eyebrow, James sounded as serious as he did when they were talking about Voldemort, and he never suspected his relationship with Celaeno to reach that level of importance. "You've been married well over a year. A year and a half, plus. I'm worried about you mate. You shouldn't be getting stuck, you or Cela."

"We're not stuck. We know what we're doing Prongs, I promise. Besides, I have more fun with Mira than any other bird."

"I could take that the wrong way too easily, Padfoot. You sure?"

"If I wasn't with Mira I wouldn't be seeing anyone else. At least this way I have something to do when you're out with Lily. And take it the wrong way if you want, you might be right."

Sirius winked and laughed as James grimaced. So Lily had been right about the state of things between Sirius and Celaeno, and Sirius hadn't bothered denying it. Slightly pacified, James sighed and shook his head, letting himself be goaded into a good bout of laughter with his best friend.

"James looks fabulous, did you help him?"

"Is it really that obvious?"

Laughing, Celaeno shook her head. "Only because I know what state the boy's in when we leave him to his own devices. And don't worry; I had to help Sirius with his makeup too."

Grinning devilishly as she helped Cela tie up the seams of her white dress, Lily replied, "He looks great too. Didn't think he still had that kind of body. Surprised you didn't stay to eat him up."

"It was tempting," Cela admitted with a laugh. "And he tried. We were right up there with you and James before we came over. He took it well, considering I was the one who stopped it from turning into a full-on snog."

"Oh, shut up Cela," Lily said, blushing again.

She laughed and hugged her best friend. Stepping back, Lily looked at her carefully. As always, Celaeno looked beautiful, but now it was an irresistible, exotic, sensual, and simple beauty that was accented by her costume. The white satin flowed over her, the gold embroidery at the edge set of by her ivory skin. Handing the gold belt to the girl, Lily wished she had the smooth skin to pull off the strapless elegance that came so naturally to Celaeno. She watched her best friend fasten the belt, her figure framed even more and she turned to Lily with a smile. "How is it?"

"Sirius is going to swallow his tongue."

Celaeno laughed, hugging her best friend tightly. Stepping back, her head tilted to the side and she frowned slightly, "You know, I always envied your red hair."

Wondering where that confession came from, Lily laughed. "Really? Your hair's so gorgeous."

"I know, and I love my hair. But I always envied your colour. And I seriously doubt that James has a problem with freckles. Besides, it was always so much easier for you to get through a breakout than it was for me. It used to drive me crazy."

Laughing, Lily felt her desire for Celaeno's flawless skin melt into contentment. Cela really did know what to say. "I love you, Cela. Let's not go down yet. I want to make a grand entrance after everyone gets there." The other woman laughed and shrugged, allowing herself to be pulled onto the bed. "So let's talk. I haven't talked to you in forever."

"I know! What's been going on? I would ask how you and James are, but obviously you're okay."

Lily blushed and laughed. "Fine, rub it in. It's all his fault, anyway. Are you and Sirius okay? I was kind of worried, after your fall out earlier this year."

"Never been better," Cela replied honestly, smiling at the relief on Lily's face. "You know how nice it is, to know that you're loved by the man you love. He felt bad after that, you know. He still dotes on me for it. Constantly, it's almost irritating. I've gotten more roses the past few months than I have in the rest of my life combined."

Lily laughed. "And you kept them all, I hope?"

"Sitting on the kitchen counter, so I can see them when I'm cooking. And to inflate Sirius' ego a little more every time he sneaks up behind me."

Laughing, the two women fell into very feminine practice of gushing over how sweet their men were.

"Where in the name of Merlin are Lily and Cela?"

Tapping his foot, James was a very disgruntled prince. "Why don't you go find them, if you're so concerned, James?"

Looking at Alice, James made a face and replied as though it was obvious, "What if Cela's changing? I can't walk in on that!"

"Then send Sirius."

"Huh?" Sirius looked up from the table, the food on his plate jerking as though offended by his sudden movement. James sent Alice a 'do-you-honestly-expect-me-to-send-that-one' look as Sirius grinned. "What about me?"

"Only that you're a little old to be walking around topless," Alice said sweetly, laughing as Sirius kissed her lavishly in response.

Eyes narrowing good-naturedly, Frank Longbottom's voice was stern, "Alright, Black, off my wife."

"Yessir!"

Jumping to attention despite his very un-soldier-like costume, Sirius laughed. "But really," James said impatiently, resorting to italics to express his irritation, "where are they? Sirius, where are they?"

"Who, Lily and Mira? Probably waiting until they're sure everyone's here so they can make a grand entrance."

Alice looked at Sirius, clearly impressed, and James stopped grumbling. He couldn't deny his love and his cousin their opportunity to shine like the princesses they were. "Everyone is here," he insisted anyway. "And you make a very pretty little shepherdess, Alice."

Dropping into a bobbing curtsey, Alice's tightly-wound blonde curls danced around her pretty, round face. "Why, thank you your Highness. You look dashing yourself, if I may say so. And if your Lady looks half as real as you, she'll be breathtaking."

"She is," James said with a grin. "Though nobody's going to know if she doesn't come down."

Just as he was beginning to get irritated again, Gideon Prewett, complete in a jester's costume, magnified his voice, "Ladies and Gentlemen. All fortunate enough to be here tonight, to enjoy themselves in the presence of friends and family, I have the good fortune of presenting to you our lovely hostesses. Possibly the two most ravishing women here tonight, I present Ladies Lily Potter and Celaeno Black."

James jerked, he still thought of her as Celaeno Venatici, and he noticed the spark of satisfaction in Sirus's eyes at the sound of his last name attached to the beautiful woman. But both friends froze, eyes glued to the stairs as the two came down. Red hair spiralling over her shoulders in elegant ringlets, green eyes bright with confidence as her small waist was clenched by the intimate green corset that truly made her look like a princess, Lily Potter was as beautiful as she had been on her wedding day. Beside her was undeniably the most gorgeous woman of the party, her sculpted features accented by red lips and kohl-lined eyes, eyes that glittered with laughter. Raven hair cascading over her back like a waterfall, ivory skin glowing in the light, shoulders bared for the world to admire the glass-like bones, body flowing and petite in the white gown with gold embroidery, figure accented by the well-placed gold belt that could have easily outshone the Egyptian princesses of old.

Unable to focus on his wife or cousin, James focused on both, noticing the dumb-struck adoration of his best friend with a critical eye. He mentally smacked himself as Sirius stepped forward, taking Celaeno's face in one hand, stroking her cheek, whispering something that made Lily's green eyes melt, and wrap an arm around her waist as he danced off with her. He managed to take one step forward, eyes fastened on his red-headed princess, and he bowed, taking her hand and asking regally, "My lady, you are a princess. May I have this dance?"

She nodded, letting herself be swept into a waltz, and she accepted his gentle kiss. "You really do look beautiful. I thought I was dreaming."

"Oh, James, that's so sweet. I love you."

It was sweet, and she didn't need eloquence or flowers to understand his adoration. And much later, when James swept to her side again, handing her a glass of wine, he asked idly, "What was it that Sirius said to Cela earlier? You got all gooey-eyed. I want to know what it was so I can use it later."

She had been waiting for that question, and she had already determined what she would say. After all, it would betray both Celaeno and Sirius if she repeated Sirius' words. Merlin, you're perfect. I couldn't die now, heaven would feel like hell after holding you. My love, my life, my lady, let me hold you. Please. His words echoed in her head and she smiled, eyes melting at the mere memory, "Just how beautiful he thought she was."

"She does look gorgeous. I think Remus is going to die if he doesn't return her to Sirius soon. If looks could kill he'd already be dead."

Lily laughed and leaned her head against James' shoulder. Alice and Frank were chatting with the Prewetts, Peter was with most of the other Order members, talking about Voldemort or Halloween or any number of things, Sirius was talking cheerfully with people he and James knew from work, though his eyes remained on Mira Celaeno. When the current dance stopped he excused himself, heading toward where Celaeno stood in Remus' arms. Whispering at James, Lily knew that her husband was fixated on what Sirius was planning, "Watch him, James. He loves her. I really think he does."

The handsome man grasped his wife's hand gently, waiting for his friend to step back and oblivious to his best friend's critical eye on him. "Sirius," Celaeno said with a smile, wondering what the smouldering look in his eyes meant this time.

Wanting to yell out to the entire world that this was his love, that she loved him as much as he loved her, Sirius swallowed and pulled her to him in a single movement. Tilting her face toward his, he swept down and kissed her. It was far from the idle and friendly kisses the people in the room were familiar with. It was a kiss that Mira Celaeno only received when Sirius felt it necessary to insist that he was in love with her. Deep, tender, and slightly desperate, his hands tightened, one at her waist and the other holding her hand lovingly. Her chin tilted up toward him, her free hand touching his arm lightly, afraid to hold on because she might never let go and afraid not to hold on because she might give out beneath him. James swallowed, he hadn't seen Sirius kiss a girl like this before, and the closest thing to it had been the few girls Sirius had felt seriously about. Maybe Lily was right.

Sirius broke away, breathless, and stared levelly into Celaeno's wide eyes. "I love you," he whispered, so that not even Remus could hear, and then he spoke louder. "I've been wanting to do that all night. Remind these silly boys watching you that you're already taken. Right, m'love?"

Only Sirius could end with a joke and not ruin the romance of the moment, Celaeno mused as the rest of the room seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. Lily was the only one who knew better, and the chocolate eyes caught the emerald gaze and they exchanged a silent conversation. Swept into another waltz, she let her gaze return to Sirius. "I wouldn't have minded, you know. Not anymore."

Smiling, Sirius shook his head, "Maybe not now. Besides, this isn't how I'd have James find out. He'd never forgive me. You are his cousin, after all."

Her chocolate eyes melted, boiling with innocent admiration. "You are too good. Everyday I remember how thankful I am that you didn't fall in love with another lucky girl."

"How could I? Merlin, Mira, I've been aching to do that all night. I thought I was going to announce to the world that you were mine if I held back any longer."

"I've been watching you. Marvelling that such a beautiful man could possibly be mine. It really makes me feel beautiful."

"You are. Even without all this. Even when you're working in the garden with Lily, your hair a mess, dirt on your face, in jeans and one of my old t-shirts. You're still the most beautiful woman I will ever lay eyes on. Even if another woman is dressed as you are now and you're dishevelled and dirty, my eyes would still rest on you first."

"Stop," she murmured, laying her face in his shoulder. "You'll make me melt right here. I love you, so much, Sirius. No words could ever hope to describe, nothing that you could ever put down can compare to this. Even now, I'm bursting. Merlin, I want them to know. Not because I really do, but because I want everyone to envy what we have."

Kissing her gently, it appeared a regular, idle kiss, but the love and passion in it despite its brevity made it anything but idle. Arm around her waist, he led her to where James, Lily, and Remus stood in conversation. "Look, we're gracing you with our presence."

James knew that Sirius was happy, even if he wasn't in love with Mira Celaeno. Unable to believe his best friend would not tell him, James still couldn't accept the obvious – that Sirius really did love Celaeno. Settling for seeing his best friend happy, James laughed.

Lily hugged her best friend tightly, feeling her two favourite men watch them. James hadn't left her all night, and she knew by the firm touch of his hand that it was out of adoration and not possession. But it was Sirius who had impressed her, doting on Celaeno to the point that even she stopped realizing it. The idea that Sirius was in love with Celaeno would forever stay in James's mind, Lily knew, but she knew he would never believe it without Sirius' admission. Feeling her beloved's hand on her shoulder, she smiled at him and watched him wrap Celaeno in a one-armed hug. "You look amazing, Cela, you really do."

Looking up at her cousin, Cela replied fondly, "I'm proud of you, Jem my Jem, you look like a prince and you're starting to act like one. Marauder or not, you've grown up. And I like the man you've become. I like him more every day."

James blushed, kissing her quickly to avoid having to respond. Handing her to Sirius, he said roughly, "Take care of her. She's the only cousin I've got."

Celaeno may have pointed out that she had a younger sister, but Sirius's hand around hers, the gentle squeeze as he brushed a kiss over Lily's cheek silenced her. She was too content to bicker, and she smiled as Lily whispered in her ear, "Have fun with Sirius tonight. Even I'm ready to enjoy myself."

"After earlier you should be," Cela giggled, whispering in reply. "I love you, Lily. Goodnight."

She allowed herself to be whisked away, looking up into Sirius' dark eyes in the middle of their dark living room. Waving his wand idly, candles lit and the dimly lit room became a perfect place to end a perfect night. Pressing a gentle kiss to her lips, he smiled in the candlelight and watched her. "You're amazing. Merlin, I love you."

"You're at a loss for words, Sirius. Maybe I should wear Egyptian clothes more often."

"It's not the clothes."

"I love you Sirius Black. You are the most important person in my life, without any exceptions and without a shred of doubt in my mind. I love you so much."

"So much it hurts."

She shook her head, looking up at him with a searching, probing gaze. "No. So much that it's stopped hurting. So much that I can't escape it, it's there all the time. Every day, every moment of my life, it's as much a part of me as breathing or my heart beating. I don't just love you. My life is loving you. It's not just something I do. It's who I am now."

A/N - This chapter's a bit of a filler, but it is the pen-ultimate chapter. On the other hand, next chapter should be adequately action-filled. Hope you enjoyed it!