SO we are going to be swimming in fluff for a while but I would like to remind everyone

There is a war going on here, even if it has been pretty low key, excluding the beginning.

But either way, back to the fluff and stuff!

Chapter 36

Changes

Being back to school had changed Lily and James. They were no longer sure of where they stood with one another. Before, they were friends, it didn't matter how much they flirted, how much they cuddled, they were just friends. Now, they were obviously more than that but what were they.

Everyone had gone to their dorms upon arriving at the castle, all of them being worn out from running amok over break. And the boys needing to rest up for the moon tonight, Remus did not come back on the train at all, saying he was sick and flooing home, in actuality he went to the hospital wing to rest before tonight. James and Lily had went to their rooms to put their trunks up and settle back in. He was supposed to be pulling together his quidditch gear when James found Lily's school robes thrown over his desk chair from before they left. He picked it up and carried it to her room, elated that he had found a legitimate reason to come see her. When he walked in she was sitting on her window seat in her favorite comfy short shorts and a sweatshirt with the neck cut out.

She looked up from her book and smiled happily.

"I thought you were getting your practice equipment together?"

"I was, but I found these on my chair and I thought you might could use them." He said, shrugging his shoulders as he placed them on her bed and sat on the edge facing her.

She couldn't take her eyes off of his face. She wanted so badly to walk over put her hands in his hair and just kiss him but she didn't know if he wanted her to, she didn't know how he felt. He wanted to yank her off of the window seat throw her against the window and rip that poor excuse for a sweatshirt off of her, but that was a big step. Granted it was one they had taken before but that was before and this, this was different.

In true James fashion he flung himself backwards on the bed, throwing his arms above his head and closed his eyes.

She stood and walked over to him, sitting a few inches away from the curve of his waist.

"You alright?" she asked

He opened one eye to peek at her and shook his head.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know how to act around you now. I, well, I don't want to scare you away. Or move too fast, or make you mad. I just don't quite know where we stand I think. Before I knew that no matter what you were my friend, only my friend. I, well I would like you to be more than just my friend and I don't know what to do about that." He said opening both eyes to see her better.

"You're telling me that the great James Potter that asked me out gazillions of times can't remember how to do it?"

He laughed softly, she placed her hand on his belly and he instantly stopped, looking deep into her eyes.

"I don't want to be that James and Lily though. I don't want you to say no."

She smiled sadly and leaned down to him intending to kiss his forehead but instead he pulled her to his mouth and kissed her firmly. Sitting up as he did so she wasn't in such an awkward position. He pulled her onto his lap, his lips still firmly on hers and moved them to her jawbone so he could breathe.

"I don't want you to go away." He whispered.

She pulled back from the kiss and ran her fingers down his face, taking care to trace his lips while she flung her leg over his waist so she was straddling him and leaned in close to his face.

"I don't want to go anywhere." She said simply.

He gripped her around her waist holding her against him.

"Lily Elise Evans, can I keep you?" he asked softly, completely lost in the liquid green fire of her eyes.

"Yes." She whispered in a trembling voice before he pulled her back to meet his hungry lips.

He kissed her until he felt her gasp for breath, when he let her go he kissed the exposed skin from the cut up shirt. Thinking that he was liking that style more and more as he pushed it lower down her arms, displaying the skin at the top of her breasts and bra, he reached one hand up and traced the lace line with his finger before placing his lips to the skin and nibbling slightly. He smiled when he saw the fair skin turn pink and mottled.

'Lily you are amazingly beautiful." She blushed and tried to hide her face behind her hair, he pushed it to the side and returned his attention to her mouth. He pulled away after a few minutes, knowing if he didn't stop he wouldn't be able to. "So does this mean I get to call you girlfriend?"

"I would prefer you to call me by name but yes James, I would be glad to be your girlfriend." She said, smiling dazzlingly.

He kissed her once more, short and sweet before standing.

"Are you leaving?" she asked sadly.

He met her eyes and he felt his knees go week, how did she do these things to him? They weren't even shagging anymore.

"I was, but now I don't know"

She reached out and pulled his hands to her face, kissing his palms and the tips of his fingers, he dropped onto his knees in between her legs and leaned his head forward against her stomach.

"Do you even understand the effect you have on me?" he muttered.

"If it is anything like the hold you have on me I think I get it."

She released his hands and started twirling strands of his hair around her fingers. Her hands were shaking.

"Why are you shaking?"

"You are leaving tonight." She said softly.

He looked up and for the first time recognized the fear and tears in her eyes for what it was. He stood up from his knees and sat back down beside her before pulling her into his arms and laying down in her bed. He stroked her hair and kissed her eyes, trying to make the tears go away.

"Lily you will be safe in the castle." He said gently.

"I know, but you won't be." Her voice shook.

"We have been doing this for years, the only difference is that now you know about it." He said with a smile.

"Yes, but that is a big difference."

He laughed lightly and kissed her head.

"I will be fine, it will be easier than last time because we will not have any strong willed head girls out there to contend with. It is harder when he gets around people, he is hard to control. It will just be us and we will be fine."

She nodded her head but he knew she didn't agree.

"Do you want me to stay with you?" he said in a choked voice.

She instantly looked up at him in surprise.

"You would do that? You would stay here for me?"

He nodded, but she could see the sadness in his eyes.

"I would, I will. Lily I would move the heavens if it meant you not being scared. I just want you to be happy. I will do anything, give up anything." He whispered.

"James, I cannot ask you to choose me over Remus, I won't ask it. You are doing something amazing for your friend. He needs you, I may be nervous but I will be fine. You are going to go, and then come tell me that you are alright."

"I can stay, I will. I won't be upset, neither will Remus, he would understand."

"No, you are going, kiss me and then go. Don't forget to come tell me you are alright."

He smiled and pulled her back to his lips.

"That was some goodbye kiss." She said, her eyes twinkling.

"It wasn't goodbye, it was a warning, a, this is what is coming back for you warning." He said with a wink.

oOoOoOoOoOoO

James drug himself into his room through the entrance from the tower, he was exhausted and so irritated that he had class in 2 hours. He pulled off his sweatshirt and made to throw it on his bed but stopped when he noticed that someone was already there. With a smile he kicked off his shoes and sat down beside her, running his fingers through her hair. The tear tracks on her cheeks were impossible to miss, as was the fact that she was holding his practice jersey that he had left out for practice tonight, he smiled at her wrapped up in his bathrobe. He edged forward and kissed her lips softly, she did not move at all. Stretching he stood and walked down the staircase and into the bathroom for a shower.

The hot water felt great on his bruised muscles. This moon was much easier than the last but there were always some scuffles here or there, after all they were running rampant with a hormonal werewolf. He closed his eyes and let the rivulets of water scald the aches out of his body.

"James?" a small voice came from the main part of the bathroom.

He smiled to himself and stepped back sticking his head and chest out from behind the screen.

"Hey pretty girl." He said, smiling hugely.

He watched as her eyes lit up and she ran to him, grabbing his shoulders and pulling his lips to hers.

"Give me just a second." He chuckled stepping forward to turn off the water and pulling the towel off of the screen that he had hung there. Wrapping it firmly around his waist he stepped out and nearly directly into her arms.

"You were supposed to get me when you got back!" she cried, her head on his chest.

He kissed the top of her hair.

"I did, I even kissed you but you didn't wake, I have only been back for about 30 minutes."

"You should have woken me." She protested.

"I needed a shower, I was all muddy, and I didn't want to wake you if I couldn't be with you."

She nodded her head and stepped out of his arms. She pulled his arms straight and started an inspection of him. He couldn't help but snicker. When she ran her hand down his side and her fingers grazed his back he sucked in his breath and flinched. He watched her eyes narrow and she spun him around by his shoulders to look.

"Oh James. Your entire lower back is nearly purple and you have only been transformed back for an hour or so." She said sadly. "It is going to be much worse in a few hours. Are you alright?"

"Lily I am fine, I will be fine. It is just a bit of bruising all in all the night was smooth, Remus did snap at Pete once, that's where that came from but other than that all went well. Rem might even be in classes today."

"I don't like to see you hurt." She said, her fingers lightly playing along his ribs.

"Hmmm well if you keep that up I am sure I won't be hurting for long."

She kissed his shoulder and he could feel her lips curl into a smile. She reached around him and grabbed the top of the towel where he had knotted it on his hip and used it to turn him to face her.

"And what are you planning?" he asked, nearly choking on his words.

She said nothing but pulled him by the towel out of the bathroom, up his steps and into his room. She stopped in front of his bed and pushed him down onto it. He couldn't breathe normally anymore. Straddling his towel clad lap she sat down and kissed him hard on the lips, he wrapped his arms around her waist, noticing for the first time that she was not in his robe anymore but back in her shirt and shorts, he one hand drop to her thigh and play with the hem of the shorts while the other slipped under her sweatshirt and traced patterns on her lower back.

"I missed you." She said into his ear softly.

"Well if this is how I am going to get welcomed I am going to go away more often."

She giggled as he nibbled her collar bone, she could feel his arousal under her. She shifted her weight so she was sitting more firmly on top of it. He moaned deeply.

"Mmmmm, you do not understand how much I wish we had time for all of the things that I want to do to you right now." He growled.

She wiggled on his lap pressing him to her.

"You have time to do some of them." She teased.

"While that is crazy enticing, I do not have near enough time. We are going to need a day away for all of that. And we need to leave in about 20 minutes if you want to eat before potions." He said, his voice laced with longing.

She stood letting her hand brush his length before stepping back. He dropped his head into his hands and groaned deeply. He reached out and grabbed her shirt, pulled her to him and threw her onto the bed before flipping himself over and straddling her, his towel loosening and barely hanging onto his hips.

"Fuck it, we will skip classes." He said brusquely.

She laughed and pushed him off after kissing him.

"After all of the classes I missed last month I can not miss the first class of the new term." She stood and walked to the door. "Are we meeting at breakfast or going down together?"

"Are you kidding? Go down separate and miss everyone's faces when they see me holding Lily Evan's hand. We are totally going together."