A/N: I know this is pretty late, but I really wanted to finish it and post it. So here it is~ Hope you like it.

Blame it on the Candy Canes

When Lily's parents asked her to come home for the winter holidays, she refused. She couldn't think of anything she'd rather do less than spend time with her sister and new brother-in-law. Her relationship with Petunia had deteriorated so much that she hadn't even been invited to the wedding – not that she cared. She had much more fun getting drunk on Firewhiskey with Potter and Black, and then pretending that none of it had ever happened.

Despite sharing the Head's suite with James Potter, the two of them hardly spoke, so it was with great dismay that Lily discovered James was staying at Hogwarts for the holidays, too. He was sitting on the couch in their shared common room when she woke up the first Monday morning of the holidays. She was surprised to see that he was reading a book.

"Morning, Evans," he said, not looking up from his book.

"Potter," she grunted. "What are you doing here?"

"My parents wanted to go on vacation and they didn't want me tagging along. They're celebrating their 25th anniversary."

"They got married on Christmas?" Lily asked, forgetting to make a snide remark about how she couldn't imagine why his parents wouldn't want to take him along on vacation.

"No, they got married on the second," James answered. "They're just celebrating a little late. And since I didn't go home this year, neither did Sirius."

"Lovely," Lily groaned. "Are all four of you here?"

"No," James said, turning a page. "Peter and Remus went home to see their families."

"So the less annoying half of you is gone, and the absolutely irritating half is here to stay and make my holidays miserable?"

"Pretty much," James said, flipping another page. Lily suddenly wondered if he was actually listening to her, which was a real change. Usually she couldn't keep his attention off her for more than a few hours. She decided to consider herself lucky and make an escape while she still could.

Since none of her friends had stayed behind this year for the holiday, Lily would be spending most of her time alone, in the library. It wasn't too different from how she usually spent her time, except that she often shared her study table with Marlene McKinnon and Mary Macdonald. They had offered to stay with her for the holidays, but she had refused. Why should they miss Christmas with their families? They had no reason to.

When first Mary, and then Marlene, invited her to their house for Christmas, Lily refused again. It had been a tempting offer, but in the end she had decided that she'd rather spend her Christmas at Hogwarts if she couldn't go home. It was going to be her last Christmas here anyway. She might as well enjoy the castle while she still could.

By Christmas Eve, Lily was sick of being by herself. She missed being at home, with her parents, snacking on special Christmas treats and waiting for morning so she could open her presents and see how her family liked the presents she picked out for them. It was no wonder she was grumpy by the time evening rolled around. She had been moping on the couch for just over ten minutes when the door to the Head's common room opened and James strolled in. He was followed by a girl Lily had never seen before.

"Evans," James said, nodding his head in her direction as he plopped down on the armchair in the corner.

Lily eyed the girl suspiciously. "Please tell me I'm not going to have to watch the two of you go at it all night."

"No one said you had to stay," James replied lightly. Lily glared at him, and he laughed. "Relax, Evans. She's here for Sirius."

"So she has even worse taste than I thought," Lily snorted.

James put a hand to his heart. "I'm flattered that you think I'm a better choice than Sirius is."

"Not by much," Lily warned. She eyed the girl, who had crossed her arms and sighed huffily at Lily's words. She had glossy black hair that fell to her mid-back, but other than that the girl really wasn't very pretty. At least, not in Lily's opinion. She had narrow, hazel eyes that were just a little too far apart, a nose that was certainly larger than Sirius' standard, and she was so caked in makeup that Lily was sure she'd never recognize the girl without it. She did, however, have a generous amount of chest, which Lily knew immediately was the reason Sirius had chosen this particular girl.

"I'm sorry," Lily felt the need to say. "But doing anything with Sirius Black is a stupid idea."

The girl continued to glare. "You're just jealous because he didn't pick you."

Lily laughed, loud and incredulous. "Trust me, I would rather die than have to ever touch him."

"Hey, watch it. That's my best mate you're talking about," James said.

Lily shrugged. "Sorry, but it's not my fault you're best friends with a playboy."

James opened his mouth, possibly to protest that his friend was not a playboy, but then shut it again without saying anything. A few seconds later, his tone changed. "We're just here to celebrate Christmas Eve," he promised. "You can join us if you want."

"And by celebrate you mean…"

James held up a bottle of Firewhiskey, which had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. It was exactly what Lily expected of him. She had been wondering, ever since the night of her sister's wedding, exactly how often James got drunk. The way she was feeling right now, Lily was tempted to crack open a bottle for herself. However, she was also hesitant. She vaguely remembered the last time she had gotten drunk with James, when she had burst into tears and become an absolute mess.

"Come on, Evans," James said, waving the bottle at her. "Have some fun."

Against her better judgment, Lily agreed. She was tired of being alone. "Alright," she said. Seconds later, the door opened again and Sirius strolled in, looking extremely pleased with himself.

"I'm ready," he announced. Then he caught sight of Lily and frowned in distaste. "You're not hanging around, are you?" he asked rudely.

"As a matter of fact, I am," Lily replied in a tone that matched.

The dark-haired girl, whose name Lily wasn't sure of, sidled up to him and put both of her arms around his chest. "Just ignore her," she said soothingly. "She doesn't have to ruin our fun."

Without a word, Lily stood up and stormed into her room. She made sure not to let the door slam, but it shut with a satisfying snap that was almost as good. A split second later, Lily realized that she had done the wrong thing. She was too prideful to let anyone think they had gotten the best of her, especially Sirius Black and some girl she didn't even know.

Not sure what to do, Lily fiddled with the buttons on her shirt for a few seconds, before turning on her heel and entering the common room again. Sirius and the girl had lost no time in claiming the couch for themselves. They looked up in surprise when Lily came back, but Lily ignored them. She perched herself awkwardly on the arm of James' chair, who gave her a questioning look.

"I just needed to get… something," she said lamely. She could tell that James didn't believe her, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he wordlessly handed her a bottle of Firewhiskey. He also had a box of candy canes on his lap.

"Want one?" he asked, holding the box out to her. They were small, bite-sized, and smelled deliciously of peppermint. Lily took one and popped it into her mouth, crunching down on it without hesitation. She was surprised when a strange, but pleasant, flavor filled her mouth. There was peppermint, of course, and also a sticky syrup that tasted similar to Firewhiskey.

"What's in it?" she asked, reaching immediately for another one.

"It's cognac crème," James answered.

"It's really good," Lily enthused, reaching for a third.

Over the next hour, as Lily crunched her way through the box of candy canes and downed an entire bottle of Firewhiskey, she became increasingly loose and giggly. Somehow, she had fallen off the arm of the chair and into James' lap, where she opened another bottle of Firewhiskey and began to suck it down, enjoying the hot, burning sensation that filled her stomach.

Somewhere, in the back of her mind, she knew this was weird. Usually, she made it a point to stay at least three feet away from James at all times, but now, with their faces just centimeters apart, she was surprised to find that she didn't mind. It probably had something to do with the fact that she was drunk.

The two of them hardly noticed when Sirius and his date got up and stumbled into James' room, barely managing to close the door behind them. Lily giggled and nearly fell off the chair. "Doesn't it bother you that they're using your room?"

James shrugged. "I'm used to it by now."

"But where will you sleep?" Lily asked in an exaggerated whisper.

"On the couch," James said, like it was no big deal.

"But it's Christmas," Lily said, indignant.

"Yeah, but I don't want to ruin his Christmas," James answered, inclining his head towards his room.

The two of them looked at each other for a moment, and then burst into laughter. This time, Lily did fall off the chair. She lay on the floor, laughing so much that her stomach muscles were beginning to get sore. Last time she got drunk, she'd spent most of the night crying. This time, she couldn't stop laughing. When she finally managed to stop, she sat up and took a deep breath.

"You have absolutely no inhibitions tonight, do you?" James asked.

In response, Lily took another swig of Firewhiskey.

Neither one of them was really sure how they ended up on the couch together, so intertwined, so very close together. And neither of them really knew for sure how the kissing started, though James was of the opinion that it was a complete accident. Lily attempted to adjust herself, but had a complete lack of control over herself and slipped, landing awkwardly on top of him. Their lips happened to brush, and thus began the kissing.

They were light, tentative, and shy at first. They seemed to shift automatically into a more comfortable arrangement. James placed his hands carefully on Lily's waist, holding her against his chest. This was a much more pleasant Christmas Eve than the one he had been imagining.

They carried on like this for a couple of minutes, until James realized through his drunken stupor that he was kissing Lily Evans. The girl he had dreamed of kissing since the day he met her. Granted, that particular dream had changed as he grew older, from a simple peck on the cheek while they held hands to a full blown make-out session that ended in various ways.

Adrenaline pulsed through him, and he sat up abruptly, taking a second to stare at Lily. She looked vaguely confused, but before she could say or do anything, James was kissing her again. It was different now, intense and passionate and full of tongue. Lily twisted her fingers in his hair and let out a small moan. Encouraged, James slipped his hands under her shirt, rubbing the smooth, soft skin of her back. They seemed to fit together just perfectly.

Feeling bold, James moved his hands to the front of her shirt and started undoing the buttons. She made no move to stop him, and he slipped the shirt off her shoulders. James had both seen and touched his fair share of bras, and although Lily's was just plain white, there was something different about it. His fingers glided over the smooth, silk-like fabric as Lily knotted her hands in his shirt and dragged him closer.

They kept at it for a while longer, until James started to feel some reservations. He wasn't nearly as drunk as Lily was, and there was a tiny voice in the back of his head telling him that if he ever wanted this to happen again, he needed to end it for now. It would be wrong to take advantage of her state of mind any more than he already had. He detangled himself from Lily, breathing heavily. She leaned towards him again, her eyes half closed, but James pushed her gently away.

"I think you should go to bed," he told her.

"I don't want to go to bed," Lily giggled.

James adjusted his glasses, debating what to do. "Lily, you should really go to bed before you do something you regret."

"But I'm having fun," Lily whined.

James felt a brief rush of elation. He liked this drunk Lily, who actually enjoyed his company. He pushed the feeling away and focused on his desire to be a friend to Lily, and not some guy that would grope her when she couldn't say no. He didn't bother trying to convince her anymore. Instead, he closed the distance between them, scooped her up, and carried her into her bedroom.

"Hey!" she protested. "Put me down."

"Okay," James replied, dropping her on her bed.

"That's not what I meant," she slurred.

"Go to sleep, Evans," James said, backing away.

"Don't tell me what to do," Lily said grumpily, crawling over to her pillows. She struggled for a few seconds to pull her blanket out from under her, before James took pity on her and went over to help. He yanked the blankets out from under her, and then covered her with her comforter. Lily dropped her head against her pillow, and within seconds she was asleep, snoring very faintly.

James watched her for a moment, wishing he had the ability to fall asleep so easily. Then he backed out of the room, shutting her door behind her. He made himself as comfortable as he could on the couch, and stared at the still-roaring fire until he fell asleep.

In the morning, James woke up when some sat down on his shins. He blinked sleepily and reached for his glasses, trying to ignore his pounding headache. When he put them on, the blurry, shadowy shape by his feet turned into Lily. Sometime in the night, she must have changed into her red, fuzzy pajamas. "Happy Christmas," he said, sitting up and pulling his legs out from under her.

"Happy Christmas," Lily answered. "Look, about last night…"

"Ah, so you do remember what happened."

"Of course I remember," Lily said. "I wasn't that drunk."

"Yeah," James said, "You were."

Lily scowled at him and stood up. She took a few steps back, putting more distance between them. "Shut up a minute, would you? I'm trying to say something."

James held his hands up. "Go ahead."

Lily opened her mouth, and then closed it again. "This… This is going to sound really stupid," she said. "I can't believe this is about to come out of my mouth."

"Just spit it out already," James said curiously.

"As much as it kills me to admit this," Lily started again, "I need you to do me a favor."

"And what favor would that be, Miss Evans?" James asked with mock politeness. Despite all that had happened between them last night, he couldn't resist the chance to ruffle her feathers.

"I need you to kiss me," she said, crossing her arms over her chest.

James wasn't sure he heard her right. "I'm sorry?"

"I'm not repeating myself," Lily snapped. Then she appeared to remember that she wanted something from him, and knew that yelling at him wouldn't get her what she wanted.

"You want me to kiss you?" James asked, incredulous. "I thought I was the last person you wanted touching you."

"Except when I'm drunk, apparently." She hesitated, then added, "Look, last night was strangely pleasant. So now I need to know if it was the alcohol that made me feel that way."

James watched her a few moments. "This will drive you crazy if you don't get an answer, won't it? It'll eat away at your sanity until all you can think about is me."

Lily scowled again. "I can still change my mind."

"But you won't," James grinned. He patted the seat next to him. "Come here, and let's get your experiment over with."

Lily bit her lip, but didn't move. She looked down at her feet, and her fiery hair fell in her face. It was just then that James realized how embarrassed she must be by this whole thing, and she might even feel rejected. Here she was, offering herself up to him, and he was laughing at her. For the first time, he understood why she thought he was such a jerk.

"Hey," he said, his voice softer. "I didn't mean to make you feel bad. Obviously I want to kiss you. You were there last night, right?"

Lily cracked a smile.

James got to his feet and approached her slowly. He put his hands on her bare arms and stroked them lightly. "You're sure you want to do this?"

Lily nodded. James moved his hands, placing them on her hips and pulled her a little closer. Her face was flushed and she wasn't anywhere near as willing as she had been the night before, but she wasn't resisting him either. Lily held her own hands against her chest, as if to brace herself.

He pressed his lips to hers as carefully as he could, doing his best to control his desire to lock his arms around her and never let her go. While James managed to keep himself under control, though, Lily did not. As soon as their lips touched, she seemed to come to life. She hooked her fingers through the belt loops on his jeans and yanked him toward her. Her teeth grazed across his bottom lip and her hands slid up his chest, over his shoulders, and into his hair.

James couldn't help but laugh. Lily broke the kiss and yanked away from him, her face the same shade of red as her hair. "What?" she demanded.

"You just can't keep your hands off me, can you?" James grinned.

Lily turned away to storm into her room, but James expected that. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her back to him. He rested his forehead against hers and kissed her easily, wrapping an arm around her waist. "But if it makes you feel better, I can't keep my hands off you, either."

Lily glared at him. "You're so full of yourself."

"Come on, admit it," James said. "You like kissing me."

Lily seemed to be trying very hard to keep her facial expression neutral, but she failed. A smile spread across her face, finally, and she nodded once. "Okay, you're right. This is nice."

"So what are you going to tell your friends when they ask you why you're making out with me?" James teased.

"That's easy," Lily said, flashing a brighter smile. "I'll just blame it on the candy canes."