Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Harry Potter or Harry Potter related copyrights.

"You're up early for someone who isn't a morning person," stated Lily as Sirius dragged himself into one of the manor's many informal dining rooms.

"I could smell the cinnamon buns baking," replied Sirius as he rested his head on the table. "Cinnamon buns are always worth getting up for."

"Isn't seeing my shining face enough to make you want to get up and have an early breakfast with me?" asked Lily with a fake pout.

"I think you may have me confused for my best mate. Even though you do have a lovely face, only food can get me up this early. Speaking of Prongs, where is he?"

"I wouldn't know; I haven't seen him this morning," Lily replied loftily.

Sirius lifted his head just enough so that he could look at Lily and vehemently state, "Bullshit."

"While normally I would agree with you, I really haven't seen James this morning; we figured that we could only push Mr. Potter so far."

"Good move," mumbled Sirius, whose head was once again resting on the table.

"Hey Sirius, look, cinnamon buns!" called Lily suddenly.

"Where?" asked Sirius as his head whipped up so fast he nearly got whiplash.

Lily didn't even bother to stifle her laughter. "Just kidding!"

"Just kidding?! Just kidding?!" asked Sirius as the volume of his voice increased with each syllable. "You have much to learn about living in Potter manor, and the first lesson is that you never ever joke about cinnamon buns!" he cried as he hurriedly pushed back from the table and began to approach Lily with a familiar glint in his eye.

"Do you know what the punishment for such a crime is?" he asked her.

"I have no idea," she said as she let another giggle escape her lips.

"Death by tickling," he informed her gravely as he launched himself at her, knocking her to the ground.

"How did you know I was ticklish?" gasped Lily.

"Prongs told me," replied Sirius as he continued to mercilessly tickle Lily. "Now I could tickle you to death, or the only acceptable alternative is for you to say these words exactly: 'Sirius you are far more sexy, athletic, and all around brilliant than James, and I have no idea why I haven't left him for you yet.'"

"Those words exactly?"

"It's the only way," said Sirius, grinning.

"Okay, okay!" shouted Lily when her sides hurt from laughing so much. "Get off me you big lump and I'll say it."

Sirius obliged her and then helped her up. As soon as she opened her mouth to fulfill her punishment, Sirius cut her off by saying, "I may have failed to mention but you have to get down on one knee and declare the words in a dramatic fashion."

Lily just laughed and did as she was told. She got down on one knee and took Sirius's right hand in hers. "Sirius," she said with an enormous grin on her face. "You are far more sexy, brilliant and athletic than James and I can't believe that I haven't left him for you yet."

Sirius shook with laughter. "Close enough," he declared as he pulled her up. He then surprised her by pulling her into a hug.

"What was that for?" asked Lily with a short laugh.

"I'm just glad you moved in," said Sirius somewhat awkwardly; feelings really weren't his thing. "I thought it was going to be weird and it really isn't."

"Sirius," laughed Lily. "We've lived together since we were eleven."

"Hogwarts was different; technically we were living with Slytherins too but I wouldn't invite any of them to live in Potter Manor with us," Sirius pointed out.

"You also lived with me in my house last summer," Lily countered.

"But it wasn't you, me, and your boyfriend-slash-my best mate living all together," Sirius stated pointedly.

Lily rolled her eyes. "You thought it was going to be weird because James and I are living in the same house? We're not that bad. And there was only a staircase separating us before."

"And now there's only a hallway."

"Oh big difference," said Lily in an exaggerated fashion. "Like a staircase would have ever stopped James or I if we really wanted to sleep in each other's dorms."

"You're right," mused Sirius. "It didn't seem to ever stop you, but I don't recall James ever getting up into your room."

"That was because you two never figured it out," said Lily smugly.

"Why are you looking so smug?" asked Sirius defensively. He had forgotten that getting up the girls' staircase had been a goal of his and James's.

"Because Remus and I figured it out third year," responded Lily before she actually thought about what she was saying.

Sirius was floored. "That bloody b******," he cursed. "He knew and never told the rest of us? Think of all the stuff we could have done to you girls if we had been able to get up to your dormitory."

"I think that was precisely why Remus never told you. But I must say, that having that sort of access does make pranking far more fun and effective."

"Not that you pranked us all that often," said Sirius haughtily. "What, once maybe twice all seven years?"

"As if," scoffed Lily. "You're lucky we had better things to do seventh year because you would have been royally screwed."

"I doubt we would have even noticed your amateur efforts," boasted Sirius.

Lily, standing on her tiptoes, got right into Sirius's face, and grinning widely, issued a challenge. "You will eat your words Black. I challenge you to a prank war."

"Okay," said Sirius confidently. "What are your terms, Evans?"

"Start is tomorrow morning at 12:01 a.m. until 11:59 p.m. August 31 or either of us surrenders unconditionally. Anything goes?"

"Anything?" asked Sirius with a raised eyebrow.

Lily clarified. "Anything short of death, or permanent damage to a person or reputation."

"Sounds like my kind of game," said Sirius as he extended his hand.

"You're on," said Lily, her green eyes flashing with a dangerous glint that Sirius recognized all too well.

As he shook her hand Sirius finally understood why James was willing to do anything for Lily. "I can see why James loves you."

Lily blushed, and asked, "And what about you?"

Sirius was caught off guard. His original family members were the last people on Earth to ever share their feelings, the Marauders weren't much better, and the Potters, though loving, were limited in their expression of affection by traditional rules of propriety and formality. So, all in all, Sirius was emotional crippled. Never in his life had he told someone he loved them and meant it. Of course, before Lily, he had never been friends with a girl either; she just broke down all sorts of walls and boundaries.

And now she was looking at him with those piercing eyes of hers; it was like she was reading his soul. He could see that she knew exactly how much she was challenging him and she enjoyed it.

"Me too," he finally stammered without looking at her.

"You too what?" she inquired.

"I love you," he finally said. Sirius was shocked that his voice didn't shake or come out in a whisper.

Lily smiled her hundred watt smile as she hugged Sirius tightly and said, "I love you too Sirius!"

Remus, who was standing in the doorway, watching this exchange, turned to his friend Peter, and speaking in a high and girlish voice, declared, "And I love you Petey-pie!"

"Oh Remmy-poo I love you too!" announced Peter as he reciprocated Remus's sentiment in the same ridiculous fashion, extending his arms and clasping Remus tightly.

Unfortunately, James was caught in the middle of this pseudo love-fest.

"Oh look, cinnamon buns!" called Lily as she released Sirius and in turn released James from being ensnared by his mates who were making obnoxious kissy sounds.

"I don't see any cinnamon buns," James whispered to Lily as she joined him in the doorway.

"That's because there aren't any; come on before they find out," urged Lily as she grabbed his hand and fled the room.

Once the teenaged boys discovered that the house elf was carrying a platter of fruit and not the coveted cinnamon buns, an enraged roar was heard throughout the house. Fortunately for the two lovebirds, they were far away by that time. Throughout his lonely childhood James had thoroughly explored his mansion and that information had certainly come in handy at that moment. Within minutes James and Lily were safely in the woods, far from harm.

After glancing around to be sure they were alone, and allowing their heart rates to return to normal, James kissed Lily slowly and gently and then said, in his husky morning voice, "How was your morning?"

"It was pretty average, I declared my undying love for Sirius, tricked him about cinnamon buns twice, and challenged him to a prank war. Now about this prank war, anything goes and it starts tomorrow morning…"

"Wait, back up to the part about your undying love for… Sirius?" asked James skeptically.

"Oh relax James," sighed Lily. "You know that we're just friends."

"You two seem like more than friends a lot…" muttered James.

Lily smiled softly and put a gentle palm on either side of James's face and pulled him close to her so that she was the only thing in his vision. "Sirius only ever has been and ever will be a friend, a brother to me. We're close because we have a lot in common like crap families, and family names that cause people to give us crap. We understand each other and help each other out, but we are not romantically involved in any way. It's like you and Marlene; you grew up together so she knows and understands things about you that I never will but I'm okay with that because I have accepted the fact that I am not the only person in your life who is important to you."

Unconvinced, James muttered, "I never kissed Marlene."

For his sake Lily resisted rolling her eyes and instead closed the miniscule gap between their faces. Unlike many of their kisses, this kiss was rushed, hot, and heavy. Lily wasted no time in parting James's surprised lips with her tongue. After a brief and flirty dance with his tongue, she began to explore his mouth leaving him wanting more. With a final flick, Lily's tongue retreated to her own mouth, but as expected James's tongue followed. Eventually oxygen was needed and the sexy tongue dance had to come to a dramatic finish. A final caress of her lips was the encore Lily provided to an already stellar performance.

"I never kissed Sirius like that," panted Lily.

"Damn right," quipped James before he captured his foxy lady's lips again.

------

"Sirius I need a favor," announced Lily as she jumped over the back of a sofa and plopped into the seat next to Sirius.

He lowered his crossword puzzle and snorted. "And I need a cinnamon bun. Oh wait, just kidding there aren't any!"

"I'm not joking Sirius; you're the only one I can ask."

Instantly shifting gears, Sirius asked, "What's wrong?"

"It's a really big favor," said Lily in a small voice.

"Lils, you know I'll do anything for you," said Sirius gently as he put a reassuring shoulder around the unusually timid teen and pulled her to his muscular side.

"Lils?" she asked.

"Just roll with it," he told her.

"I like it."

"So out with the favor already; for a genius you're awfully slow," he teased.

"I need you to go back to my father's house to get my stuff. Mrs. Potter has leant me clothes and stuff, but I really want my own toothbrush and a dress to wear tonight and I really can't go back into that house. Everything is packed and ready to go because I had planned to leave a little differently a.k.a. not crying as James carried me away. It's just one trunk in my bedroom."

"That's all I had too," commented Sirius quietly. "When I left home. I shoved everything into one trunk, shrunk it, and grabbed my broom. I never went back."

"I don't intend to."

"Why don't you ask James?" wondered Sirius after a short pause.

"As much as I am angry with my father, I don't want to see him get hurt and I'm afraid that James would hurt him for hurting me. I'm trusting you Sirius," said Lily gravely, impressing the significance of her faith in him by gazing directly into his stormy gray eyes.

"I'll be back in a little while," said Sirius. He kissed the side of Lily's forehead quickly and bounded out of the room with a dashing nod and quick wave.

Lily quickly occupied herself by reading the paper Sirius had discarded. Minutes later James came into the room, broomstick slung over one shoulder and Quaffle in hand, searching for his best mate.

"Have you seen Sirius?" asked James.

"Not for a while," answered Lily, her forehead wrinkled in thought. "But I'm glad you're here. I didn't get a chance to tell you about the prank war I declared on Sirius earlier this morning."

James grinned at the memory of why Lily didn't have the chance to tell him about the war. He placed his Quidditch gear on a table and joined Lily on the sofa. "This ought to be good."

"You sound as if you don't think I'll win," pouted Lily.

James openly guffawed. "Lily there is no way you're going to win! Sirius is a Marauder, a pranking expert. Pranking is all we did for six years!"

"But he wasn't personally tutored by Dumbledore," Lily pointed out. "And if you spent as much time in the library as I did you boys would know twice as many spells as you do."

"You may know the spells, but he's got the technique, the ideas, the practice."

"But I am clever; I lie, I cheat, and I play dirty."

"How dirty?" asked James roguishly, his eyebrows raised and interest piqued.

"Wouldn't you like to know," said Lily moodily as she swatted him away. "Too bad you're not on my team."

"I didn't know there were teams."

"Anything that doesn't result in death of permanent damage goes, starting tomorrow at 12:01. I was going to recruit you to help me, but now I just want to beat you."

"And who are you going to get to help you? Peter?" challenged James.

"Remus," Lily shot back. "He'll make an excellent accomplice."

"You know what, take Peter too. I can't make this battle any more unfair."

"You will eat your words," said Lily echoing her words from earlier that day as she made a mental note that she needed to brush up on her witty banter.

"You don't even know what you're getting yourself into- limitless pranking? I had no idea a genius could be so stupid!"

"Both you and Sirius have openly admitted that I am quite brilliant, yet you still insist that you will beat me."

"You are a genius in everything else; pranking is the one area that Sirius and I jointly claim."

"You are both so stupid you can't even lick your elbows," huffed Lily as she jumped from the couch and strode from the room defiantly.

"Can't even lick my elbow," laughed James after she had left. "Of course I can lick my elbow! Who can't lick their elbow?"

-----

Sirius had had no problem getting into Lily's house because he explained his story to the maid who answered the door. She hadn't really believed the story Clarice had fed them all the previous morning when they returned to work, so she was more than helpful in pointing him in the right direction. She also informed him that Clarice and Petunia had left early that morning and hadn't yet returned, so he only needed to be careful in avoiding the other two Evans.

Due to years of practice, Sirius had an extraordinary mind for remembering routes, maps, and locations. Therefore he easily reached Lily's room.

Once in her room he noted the trunk set out neatly next to the door. Before he shrunk it, he took a look around the room. It wasn't much different from the first time he saw it. He recalled being shocked when he sneaked in there one afternoon the previous summer. It was so ordinary, so sparse. The walls were a pale pink and decorated with only a few boring paintings of flowers, lilies of course. The white lilies that adorned the walls said it all; Lily wasn't a delicate white lily, she was a vibrant and expressive tiger lily. Her walls should have been covered with muggle bands and actors, photos of her friends and many trips around the world, and her sister's artwork.

Sirius then mused about his own bedroom in the House of Black. He had certainly left his mark there. He was sure that the door hadn't been opened since they discovered he was gone; it was likely that the effect had been much like sun shining on a vampire in an old muggle movie- "My eyes! They burn!".

Sirius felt a moment of remorse for Lily as he said the incantation and placed her trunk in his pocket. This room could easily belong to anyone else. The dresser, desk, bed, they were ordinary. He wanted to change something, wreck something, anything just so Lily wouldn't fade away from memory; she deserved to leave a piece of herself behind.

Then her words surfaced in his mind; she was trusting him to do the right thing. If she had wanted to wreck havoc in her bedroom she would have done it, or she would have sent James, he would have been sure to destroy half the house in revenge.

He was about to leave when a lilting voice broke his thoughts. "I knew she was going to send you," Daisy told him as she walked into the room without a sound.

"How did you know that?" asked Sirius.

"James is a hothead like Lily; he wouldn't be able to leave without throwing dungbombs everywhere."

"I'll have you know young Miss Evans, that I am just as hotheaded and familiar with dungbombs as James," said Sirius defensively.

"He's too emotionally involved," Daisy continued in her strange manner. She was just as intuitive and perceptive as Lily; she could see through the mask, the charades, and observe people as they really were. Then, just like her older sister, she didn't beat around the bush. Sirius had a feeling that reality was much different in the eyes of the two Evans sisters. "You have some distance and yet this hits home for you."

"I don't want to leave her room this way," stated Sirius.

"Wait just a minute," said Daisy as she swiftly exited the room.

She came back a few minutes later with her box of oil pastels.

"She'll leave her mark I promise," said Daisy as she began making sweeping motions on the wall with a vibrant orange.

Sirius watched as color was left in the wake of the young teenager's hand. Slowly the silhouette began to take shape and Sirius smiled as he saw that it was a tiger lily. Daisy worked feverishly with her reds, oranges, and yellows, and soon the huge mural was complete.

"You're good," was the only thing Sirius could come up with.

Daisy grinned and simply said, "Thanks."

The pair stood admiring Daisy's artwork for a minute, and then Daisy swept out of the room without warning. She returned a moment later with a large canvas in her hands.

"I've been working on this for weeks and I finally finished it yesterday. I want Lily to have it," she said slowly and emotionally.

As soon as Sirius caught sight of the portrait depicted on the canvas that was nearly the height and twice the width of its artist, Sirius knew why Daisy was on the verge of tears; the portrait was of her parents. Sirius recognized Mr. Evans easily, though he was much changed from the man Sirius had met the previous summer. He had a full head of blonde hair, and blue eyes that shone with hope, love, and joy. His face was relaxed and his wrinkles nearly nonexistent save for around his eyes, which crinkled to create a look of amusement.

The woman in his arms could only be Maggie Evans, the lost mother of Lily and her sisters. She was beautiful; her auburn hair was thick and curly and cascaded around her shoulders like a waterfall. Her face was remarkably similar to Lily's. They shared the same delicate ski slope nose, elegant arching eyebrows, and high cheekbones. Her eyes were a thing of beauty. Like those of her daughter, Maggie's irises were fathomless pools of emerald; they held smiles, tears, and scars and were only all the more lovely for the depth. Sirius also recognized the lips of Mrs. Evans as having been passed on to Lily. They were small and not too plump, but he knew how expressive they could be. In the portrait they were arranged in Lily's ecstatic grin, the somewhat rare but powerful smile that had the ability to light up rooms.

In her hands, which were covered by her husband's, Maggie carried a bouquet of flowers. There were seventeen violets, eleven petunias, six tiger lilies, and three daisies.

"One for every year old we were when our family was most happy," explained Daisy quietly as she watched Sirius's gaze settle on the flowers.

"I'll make sure she gets it," said Sirius. He shrunk it, conjured a box, and placed it safely in the box and then in his pocket. "Now I had better be going."

"Good-bye," said Daisy sadly. "Tell her I love her."

"She knows," Sirius assured her as he gave her a tight hug.

After Sirius had left Daisy was once again left alone with overwhelming loneliness and crushing depression.

Occupied by many thoughts, Sirius didn't take as much care as he should have on his exit from the house.

"You are Sirius, correct?" inquired Mr. Evans as the two met abruptly. "What are you doing in my house again?"

"Lily asked me to get her stuff," he muttered, unable to come up with a suitable lie.

A look of remorse flashed across Mr. Evans's features as the name of his daughter reached his ears. "Is she okay?"

"Safe and happy," Sirius assured him, purposely leaving out any other details.

"With James?"

"He's a good man," said Sirius, avoiding the question. "He will keep her safe and happy."

"Which is more than I could do," responded the despondent father. "Would you please sit down?" Mr. Evans asked, gesturing to the office from which he had just emerged. "I'd like to tell you something."

Curiosity got the better of him, so Sirius agreed and entered the study.

"I know that Lily isn't going to come back and I don't blame her. However I want her to know that I am truly sorry for everything," at this Mr. Evans shuddered and had to work to repress his tears. "I realize now that I messed up, but I'm trying to fix things as best as I can. Please let Lily know that Clarice and I are getting a divorce, that I'm giving up drinking, and that I'm selling this mansion and Daisy and I are moving back to the town where Lily grew up. So just let Lily know that I'm trying now; I listened and I'm trying to fix things for Daisy before I lose her too."

"Okay," said Sirius solemnly. "I'll tell her."

"And one more thing," said Mr. Evans as Sirius rose from his chair. "Tell her that I love her."

Sirius nodded and left Mr. Evans sniveling at his desk.

Moments later he was home. Sirius set course for Lily's bedroom, but was met by James before he could reach his destination.

"Hey Padfoot," James greeted him genially.

"Prongs," Sirius reciprocated.

"So I talked to Lily a little while ago about your little deal," said James with a grin.

"Which deal?" asked Sirius cautiously.

"There's more than one?" asked James, one eyebrow raised in confusion.

"Course not!" said Sirius, laughing to mask his uneasiness.

James looked at his best mate skeptically and asked, "What is going on?"

Because he was a tad overwhelmed by Mr. Evans's speech and unsure of how to deliver the news to Lily, Sirius confessed. "Lily asked me to get her stuff from her dad's house, and before you jump to any of your crazy conclusions she asked me because we all know that you would have wanted to hurt her dad for hurting her. I owe him for allowing me to stay there last summer, and I don't love her like you do, so she knew I wouldn't hurt him.

"Anyway, her dad told me that he's divorcing Clarice, moving back to her hometown, and quitting drinking. How do I tell her that?"

James surveyed Sirius for a minute and then said, "You don't."

"What?" asked Sirius in surprise. "This is good news. It's exactly what she wanted him to do."

"There's no guarantee that he'll do it, and when he doesn't she'll be devastated. She has closure now, don't ruin it for her." After these coolly spoken words James brushed past Sirius and headed toward his bedroom to get ready for the Gala.

A/N. I was so thrilled by all of your reviews that I updated only a few hours after I got home from vacation! Thank you so much; you all really touched me!

Here are some questions for you:

Do you think that Mr. Evans has really turned over a new leaf?

Do you agree with James's decision not to tell Lily?

Do you think that James has a right to be jealous? Is Lily too flirty around Sirius?

What do you think about Daisy and her pictures?

I challenge you all to impress me again; you are doing well so far!