A/N: Well guys ..... here I am with another update ..... this one may seem a little rushed but I have to admit that it was how I planned on writing this chapter. Thank you for the reviews, favs and alerts. They mean a lot and keep me writing.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

So this time I'm expecting a little more reviews than before so pls R&R and enjoy this one ;)

Whatever Gets You through the Night

Lily came home and took a nap to clear her head possibly but to no avail. Giving up, she finally decided to cook dinner earlier than usual tonight. Luke returned later than usual, looking quite tired and dishevelled.

"Lily!" he called out as he closed the door behind him. Lily came over to him and he pecked her lazily on the lips.

"Wow. You're tired today. Worked hard much?" Lily teased, taking the coat out of his hand before hanging it in the wardrobe.

"Have to do that now haven't I?" he said before disappearing into the bathroom to freshen up and change while Lily served dinner.

They ate in silence or if they talked, it was about the usual things before the conversation drifted to a question, one Luke asked out of insecurity.

"So, you never mentioned James Potter before to me?" he asked.

Lily looked up at him incredulously before regaining her senses, "Yeah. That's because we were never really close friends. We met and then after a few months got outta contact." She explained falsely.

Luke bought it again, "Ahan."

"Why'd you ask?" Lily enquired.

Luke shrugged, "Nothing, it was just a little weird how, being friends and all in the past, you guys didn't talk to each other through-out lunch."

Lily sipped from her glass of water, "Hmmm ... We did actually. But you were busy with Michelle to notice it or make us feel less left out." Lily replied back a little bitterly.

Luke shrugged again which was now getting a little annoying for Lily as how, since the last few weeks he'd just come home after work and be all grumpy and tired and not talk all that much. Sometimes, as today, he'd leave in the middle of lunch dinner or shopping because his 'boss' would be calling an urgent meeting, which, truth be told, happened more frequently than usual. But Lily never questioned, accused, or doubted him because she thought that everyone deserves their space.

That night, as they lay in bed , and Luke started placing light, tingling kisses on her neck, Lily couldn't help but compare it to the night she'd spent with James two years ago. Though it had been a long enough time to have fade that memory away, but now that she thought of it, she could recall each and every touch, recall how their kisses were heated.

As Luke turned her around and lifted her night gown and massaged her legs and inner thighs, her mind wandered and she lay quietly. Luke sensed that.

"You're ... not in the mood?" He said, looking at her, "Something on your mind?" he asked as he levelled his face with hers.

Lily looked into his eyes and shook her head slightly, "No. Just thinking about ... about Petunia." She lied for she knew that her telling him the truth would raise questions. "But-" she continued as she held his face in her hands, "She can be thought of later." She finished with kissing him slowly. He kissed back heatedly and once again, her mind wandered to how James' kisses had been. It was driving her nuts with frustration as of why she was thinking of him and the night they'd spent as strangers and then had forgotten about it. Not to mention the fact that she loved Luke and was engaged to be married to him.

And so, to prove that she loved Luke and no one else, she gave him all he wanted tonight. She was determined to prove it no matter how much was on her mind, no matter how tired she was feeling. She let him touch her, feel her, make her squirm and scream and kiss him back. She let him make love to her rigorously, the thought of James and the night at the back of her mind.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Lily was rummaging through her drawers. She had nothing to do so she set about cleaning them and properly setting her documents since she'd start working soon, soon being when she felt like. She was organising her files when a folded paper fell from it. Picking it up, she noticed it was a letter from Petunia, an invitation to her marriage which was set to be held three months later. When Lily had received it, she'd laughed at the fact that Petunia had sent her the invitation months before the event. But she'd taken it as a good sign that she was at least invited and a sign that she still remembered her as her sister.

Lily put the letter aside and resumed organising her papers. By the time she was done, it was around half past five, which meant that she had to get ready for the awards night tonight. Luke was to arrive half an hour before it and then get ready, he never took more than fifteen minutes to get ready unless there was a 'quickie' in the shower.

She started with a shower, putting her hair in waves and putting on a light make-up. She wore a cross-over, black coloured, floor-length dress which was backless and showed off her cleavage hugged her at all the right places, showing off her curves, before flowing around her feet. She decided on a pair of silver strappy heels to go with it.

The door opened and she heard Luke's voice and footsteps. Lily was checking her reflection in the mirror as he entered the room and stopped dead in his tracks. Lily smirked and turned around.

"Okay, are you gonna keep standing there or start getting ready?" she asked as she walked to him and took his coat from his hands, and hanging it in the wardrobe, as she did every time he returned.

He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, nuzzling her neck. "You look deliciously ravishing. And you have no idea what I want to do to you right here, right now." He whispered hoarsely in her ear as he kissed her sensitive spot. Lily, though clouded with desire, turned around in his arms and gave him a kiss before teasingly breaking away.

"Oh, I have a clear idea but unfortunately, we have a dinner to attend." She said in a low voice, turning him around. "And you have to get ready." She said normally, pushing him inside the bathroom. She waited for him as she put on her shoes and grabbed her clutch bag that matched her shoes.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

They arrived at the hotel where the event was held. As they made their way to the hall, they got themselves photographed as anyone else in attendance for their company magazine. Luke worked as the head editor in one of the best-selling magazines of the U.K. and each year they would hold an awards' night to recognise the best employees in the magazine world.

Lily looked around involuntarily as they entered further into the hall before her eyes spotted the familiar unruly hair. She watched as James and Mitchelle sat down two rows ahead of where Lily and Luke's seats were. They sat down and as the event started, Michelle turned in her seat, her face breaking into a wide smile as she waved at Luke and he waved back. James looked at Mitchelle and turned around to see who she was waving so enthusiastically to when he saw Lily. He continued looking at her for a second before smiling at her which she returned.

The owner of the magazine came up on the stage and distributed the awards one by one. Then came the turn of the Editor's category, and the best editor was awarded to Luke.

As he stood up, Lily beamed up at him and he didn't hug her or even look at her. Michelle got p and made his way to him and hugged him and this didn't go un-noticed by Lily and she couldn't help but feel it even though she clapped and smiled half-heartedly as he went up onto the stage to accept the award. What did go un-noticed by her was when James turned slightly in his seat to look at her when Luke was getting up.

"Okay, so. This is second time in a row and I couldn't be happier." Luke spoke. "I have to thank everyone who's a member of the team but most of all I have to thank Michelle for her support basically even though we work in completely different departments. So thank you, sir. And hope that I do you proud in the future as well. And wow, our magazine has the most awards!" He finished as he walked off the stage. Lily just sat still this time wondering why he didn't even mention Lily indirectly because truth be told, Luke was low on morale this year around and Lily had helped boost it up again.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Lily stood at the bar sipping her drink as she turned around to scan the room for Luke. Since the awards ceremony had finished, Mitchelle and Luke had been attached at the hip and he was surrounded by other people talking to them. It was as if Lily hadn't even accompanied him here, as if she wasn't even here.

"Someone's lonely." James's voice broke her gaze on Luke and she turned to see James, leaning against the counter, clad in a white shirt, black coat, pant and a silk tie. He looked nothing less than handsome and Lily was sure that every woman not committed in this room must be fanaticising about him.

Lily smiled a small smile and looked at the glass in her hands. "No. I'm ... I'm fine." She said, taking a sip and looking around the room once again. James took this opportunity to look properly at Lily and appreciate her beauty. Black seemed to suit her, not to mention how it hugged her in all the right places. James had an amusing thought that if they wouldn't have been with other people, there might have been a possibility of James claiming Lily as her own. Why he had this thought was far from his mind.

"So, what do you do Lily? I mean, work. Or do you merely live off Luke's fortune?" James asked with a smirk.

Lily turned to look at him with a glint in her eyes and chuckled once, "No. No, I'm a photographer for the Fashion Magazine. On break since the last few weeks." She answered, taking another sip. "What about you?" she asked.

"Well, have you ever picked up a Mag called 'Business Today' in the past year?" he asked with a smirk and waited until Lily shook her head. "Well, I'm running my family business and have been on top since I joined."

"That's good to know! Filthy rich huh?" Lily asked playfully as she set her empty glass at the counter.

James shrugged and ran a hand through his hair, "What can I say? I'm rich baby." He said and Lily laughed along with him before turning her gaze to find Mitchelle and Luke dancing together, his arms around her waist and hers around his neck. Lily had a nagging feeling that something was going on but her logics screamed at her that it was nothing more than platonic stuff.

James turned to look at what Lily was looking and cleared his throat. "Well, I guess I'll leave you to your thoughts then. I have to go find my girlfriend." He said and Lily smiled at him before mouthing an 'ok'. And James set down his glass and walked over to the two before Mitchelle and James started dancing.

Lily saw this and smiled and was thankful that Luke had finally decided to come up to her and stay with her for the rest of the evening. And that is what James sis with Mitchelle too. Where ever she went, he went with her.