A/N- This has been a LONG time coming. To make up for it, it is super long and wonderful, if I do say so myself. Sorry guys, I've been busy with my last few weeks of high school, but summer is upon us! So look out for more long updates.

"I need you."

"Huh?" James looked up from the Potions essay he was desperately trying to complete before the coming morning when it was due. Lily was standing before him, looking quite pink. Her freckles stood out very much, and she was staring at her feet.

"That came out wrong. I meant, I need you to come to my sister's wedding with me." She paused, her eyes finally meeting his. "Please?"

He raised a skeptical eyebrow. This could not be happening. "Why are you asking me to take you? You have plenty of other friends." This response seemed to annoy her because more color rushed to her face and she turned away from him, heading towards the portrait hole. He quickly threw down his quill and raced to stop her.

"Lily, wait!" He held onto her gently by her elbow. She reluctantly turned to face him, her lips pursed in a very McGonagall-ish fashion. It was almost comical. "I'm sorry. I didn't say no. I just asked why you want me to go with you."

She sighed, shaking her head. Strands of copper hair danced across her face. James reached over with his free hand, tucking the free strands back where they'd been. She stiffened slightly at his touch but didn't move away or say anything. In fact, she did the exact opposite. She moved a step closer to him. He could practically count her eyelashes, she was so close. James could feel everyone's eyes on them, but he couldn't care less. Lily's face was inches from his own.

She was moving closer now, and he couldn't seem to make his lungs work. He didn't know what she was doing. Surely, she would not kiss him. That was not the type of relationship they had. And just as suddenly as her head had moved closer, it turned, and her mouth was at his ear.

"You're the only one who knows. I'm too embarrassed to ask someone so late notice. It is in two days after all. And I want you there. You won't bother me with questions. You'll just be there." She pulled away to measure his reaction. Her breath had tickled his ear while she'd spoken.

He grinned. "Yeah, I understand. Of course I'll go." He released her elbow. She frowned, seeming to dislike the ending of his touch. She looked back up at him.

"Thank you." This time, she smiled and he could tell it was genuine.

The next morning, after a hasty packing session, Lily and James were escorted to Hogsmeade station by Hagrid, the gamekeeper.
"I love me a good weddin'." He said, smiling brightly through his beard. "I tear up every time."

James flashed him his troublesome grin. "Ever think you'll get married Hagrid?"

Before Hagrid could respond, Lily spoke up. Quick witted and sharp tongued, she had a response on her lips before James even fully finished his question.

"No one's good enough for Hagrid." She stated matter-of-factly. Hagrid blushed scarlet.

"Thank ye Lily, but that's not righ'. They just didn't make young ladies as sweet as you back in the day." He smiled down at her, patting the top of her head.

James snorted. "Lily's not sweet. She's trouble."

Lily's narrowed in contempt as she turned to look at James. "Look who's talking."

He winked at her, letting her know he'd only been teasing her. She smiled, letting him know it was okay. He loved how easily they'd shifted into this newfound friendship of theirs. Their talk in front of the Owlery had only happened ten days before, and they were already attending a wedding together. Some aspects of this friendship were extremely hard for James, like when she'd helped him pack, splayed out across his bed. He tried very, very hard not to look at her as she listed everything he'd need for their weekend away.

Sirius had walked in, and not only did a double take, but a triple take. "My goodness, you two move fast. Going away together already? When shall I expect to see a wedding invitation?" he'd asked, an incredulous look upon his face as he eyed Lily on James' bed.

James and Lily had smiled at each other, enjoying their private joke. The two of them were in fact going to a wedding, but they hadn't told anyone. Most students were calling it a whirlwind romance. They said James and Lily were just itching to get a room somewhere to do the dirty deed, that they'd requested a weekend away. The pair of them hadn't bothered to correct the rumor. Lily claimed it wasn't worth their time, people would believe what they wanted to believe. Personally, James just wanted to pretend that the rumor was true.

"Never thought I'd see James Potter and Lily Evans attendin' a weddin' together. But, then again, Dumbledore himself once told me Lily would come 'round one day." said Hagrid. He seemed to really like the idea of the two of them spending time together.

Lily however raised an eyebrow, and looked up at Hagrid. They'd reached the station. On the way home, they'd be traveling by floo. Dumbledore thought it was unwise to reuse the same mode of transporation in such dangerous times.

"Dumbledore spoke about us?" She asked, disbelief in her voice.

"Yeah, that's righ'. One day, yeh told James yeh'd never enjoy spending' more than two seconds in his company, righ' in fron' o' the staff table at breakfas'. Dumbledore said yeh'd come around." Hagrid responded cheerily.

James eyed Lily carefully, but she didn't react to Hagrid's words. He sensed a feeling of disbelief in the air, but he also couldn't help feeling that if Dumbledore said Lily would change her mind, it just had to happen.

They boarded the train, waving goodbye to Hagrid until they could no longer see him. Lily stretched her legs across an entire seat, her skirt rising to reveal milky white thighs. James turned his face to look out the window, it was the only way that she would not be in his line of sight.

"James?"

"Mmm?" He didn't dare turn to look at her.

"James, look at me when I am speaking to you. It's rude if you don't." So, she had to choose this particular moment to criticize his manners? He reluctantly turned to look at her, but tried to focus on her shoulder, which was safely covered up.

"Yes?" He asked.

"I just wanted to thank you for doing this. I know it was very sudden-" She stopped talking once James started laughing. Why didn't she get it?

"Lily, I don't think you understand. It means a lot to me that we're friends. I wouldn't do anything to ruin it." His laughter had subsided, and his tone was very serious. He meant every word. Lily's lips parted in surprise. Then she smiled warmly.

"You're so different." was all she said. He shrugged, this time choosing to focus on her face. They were quiet for a few moments, neither one of them wanting to break the silence or their eye contact.

Finally, James spoke up. "Do you miss the old James?"

She didn't hesitate for a second with her answer. "Sometimes. But I think it's mostly the attention that I miss. You were great for my ego."

"That was very honest." His voice was appreciative.

"You've been nothing but honest with me. It's the least I can do."

Lily knew that if she napped on the train, the ride would go by a lot faster. But she just couldn't make herself do it. She couldn't seem to go to sleep. Across from her, James was skimming through the Daily Prophet. He'd been silent for over an hour now, and a nervous tension was beginning to fill their compartment. She wondered if he could feel it too. It was the reason why she couldn't seem to fall asleep, or say more than three words. Instead, she pretended to be revising her Charms notes, while quickly glancing at James every couple of seconds. He hadn't met her eyes in over half an hour and they still had another two hours to their ride.

She couldn't seem to stop watching him, and she knew why. She just couldn't accept the fact that he was her friend. That he was only her friend, and that's all he wanted from her. Friendship. It stung, she couldn't deny it. For so long, she'd been the object of his affection, and now she was anything but that. She couldn't help but wonder what made the transition seem so easy for him.

"Do you fancy someone else?" The words came tumbling out before she even realized she was saying them and not thinking them. She could feel the blood rushing to her face, knew that she must have been redder than her hair. Why did this have to happen? Why did she always ruin absolutely everything?

He folded up the newspaper, placed it to the side of him. Why was he taking his sweet ass time to answer her? The seconds trickled by, and she grew more anxious. She looked down at her hands, saw her knuckles had gone white due to her gripping her quill so tightly.

"No. I haven't fancied anyone since you." He said this in a dull tone. Was he lying? That didn't make sense, he didn't do that anymore. At least not with her. He was telling her the truth. She was suddenly very warm. She shifted uncomfortably, keeping her eyes on him. She hoped that he wouldn't ask her why she was curious about this. It was embarrassing enough at the moment, and lucky for her, he didn't press the subject.

"I'm sorry. That was rude of me." The apology was choked up. It got caught in her throat, felt heavy on her tongue. A part of her wanted to cry for some reason. James stood up, and closed the gap between them. He leaned down, moved her legs away, so that he could sit down next to her. It was all very casual, but she was stunned by the ease with which he touched her.

She crossed her ankles, making sure to give him his space, but he only moved closer to her. He had one hand resting on her knee, and she couldn't help but study the way his shirt clung to his chest. It's not like she'd never noticed that James Potter was good looking. He was just always so annoying, she'd never paid any attention to his looks. But now things were different.

"Lily." He paused, drew a breath, and then continued. "I have liked you very much since the first day that we met. Fifth year, I went insane. And that is because I loved you." He stopped again, measuring her reaction.

Time seemed to stop. She couldn't seem to think coherently. James Potter had loved her. This couldn't be true. They'd only been fifteen. Lily was quite the cynic, and she honestly did not believe that an emotion so strong could exist in the heart of someone so young. But she also couldn't seem to doubt him. Why would he make this up?

He realized that she wasn't going to say anything, so he boldly went on. "I knew I loved you once I started having that dream. I know I was only fifteen, but I knew. And I also knew that you did not feel the same way in the slightest. But Lily, you have to understand something. I can't just throw myself into someone else, when I felt so strongly about you. It's taken me a year to be able to be your friend. It'll take much longer to ever feel that way about anyone else. I'm not even sure that I can." She could tell that this was hard for him. She was even willing to guess that he'd never said this aloud to anyone else. His friends, though they were the most loyal of friends to him, would not understand.

He was very close to her, his hand still on her knee. She took one of her own hands and placed it over his. She watched him carefully, watched as he bit down on his bottom lip, as his head moved closer to hers. She didn't even blink as his forehead made contact with her own, and his nose grazed hers. They stayed like that for what felt like hours, neither one daring to move. Deep inside her, her heart ached for him.

"Lily." His voice was rough.

"Yes?" She squeaked.

"You need to tell me to move back to where I was in the next five seconds, or I really won't be able to move away from you. Do you understand?" She felt his hand tighten slightly around knee. His warm breath tickled her face. She could practically feel his lips moving. "Lily?"

She couldn't speak. This was all happening too fast. They were too deeply connected for people who, up until ten days ago, hadn't spoken for over a year. She felt like she would hurt herself if she hurt him. And this was why she could not kiss him. She wouldn't do that to him. But if he made the choice on his own, then maybe things could be different.

Five seconds had definitely passed, and she knew what was coming. She expected it, and if she were being honest, she wanted it. She wanted to see what it would feel like. He was beautiful, and he was different, and his mouth was just so close to hers.

One of his hands reached behind her head, locking it in place. He moved in, and for the first time ever, James Potter and Lily Evans shared a kiss.

"I think the train's slowing down." Lily's voice was high and throaty in his ear. He groaned, moving away from her to look out the window. She was right, the trees weren't moving by as fast as they had been before. He turned back to look at her, green eyes vibrant, peach skin now an absolutely beautiful shade of pink.

She reached one hand up, ran it through his hair. "I've always wanted to do that." Her voice was quiet, and he was suddenly worried that he was crushing her lungs. She was on her back, splayed out across one of the seats, and he was right on top of her. He started to move, but she shook her head. "Stay." She ordered.

"Are you sure I'm not too heavy for you?" He asked. Despite how strong everyone had always said she was, she always looked delicate to him. She shook her head no, gently pushing his head back down towards her. Their mouths met for what must have been the millionth time in the last two hours, but James was nowhere near finished with her. He kept things slow and easy, trying to cool down, knowing they'd have to go get their luggage in a few minutes.

"James?" Her lips moved against his unsurely.

"Yeah?"

"Why the sudden slow down?" She sounded annoyed.

He sighed, a throaty chuckle escaping him. "Because the train is going to stop soon, and I'm having a difficult enough time as it is." He lifted himself off of her, sitting in an upright position. She did the same, an annoyed look on her face. She pursed her lips, studying him carefully. When her eyes traveled south, they widened slightly.

"I'm sorry." She said, and he knew she was being sincere. He looked down at his own lap and laughed.

"It's alright Lily. I'd rather get one of these from you than from a dream." He grinned, reaching for the t-shirt that had been thrown on the floor of their compartment in the heat of the moment. He pulled it over his head before he continued speaking. "To be honest, I'm glad the ride's almost over. I don't know much longer I could have held out."

"I'm sorry." she repeated.

He smiled down at her sweetly, reached over to button up her blouse. "Stop apologizing. Don't worry, I won't have any expectations because of this. I get it, things happen. There's been this tension between us for over a week now, and it led to this. I'm not going to propose or even ask you out. No pressure, okay?"
He needed her to understand that he was not upset that she hadn't stopped him. They'd barely paused to take a breath over the course of the last two hours, and it had been absolutely wonderful. He knew, as time went on, that he was very close to the point of no return. But he wouldn't dare take things into that area. Once things moved below the waist, it would be more difficult to stop. He wouldn't do that to her, not unless she asked him to.

She returned his smile. "Are you sure you're not upset with me? You've been trying so hard to be a good friend to me."

"I think I was just a very good friend to you." He said, buttoning her last button. His hand moved up, cupped the side of her face. "It's quite alright Lily. We don't have to do this again." He paused, mulling over his own words, not liking how they sounded. But he knew that if this was a one time deal, he'd have to be grateful that it happened and move on.

"What if we did do it again?" She asked, a fresh flush of blood coloring her cheeks. Her skin felt so warm and soft beneath his hand.

"I'm not going to lie. If it happens again, I'm not sure I'll be able to stop. Do you understand?" He tried to keep as calm as possible, but the thought that this may never happen again was quickly making him very anxious.

She nodded her head. "I understand." The train stopped moving at that moment, signaling that it was time to go.

James stood up, opened the compartment door for Lily. She paused in the doorway, their bodies only inches away from each other. "Thank you." was all she said before she walked past him.

Within the first ten minutes of meeting Lily's sister, James understood why it was so hard for her to talk about her. She didn't so much as shake James' hand upon their meeting.

"Oh. Hello." Was all Petunia Evans said before walking back towards her fiancé, who was eying both Lily and James suspiciously, as if he sensed their lack of normalcy. He was quite large for a boy of only nineteen, and seemed to be missing a neck. James found this utterly hysterical, and could not look at Vernon Dursley for too long, afraid that he would laugh and embarrass Lily.

Lily's parents chose that exact moment to come bursting through the door, obvious delight on their faces.

"Lilypad, darling!" Mrs. Evans embraced Lily tightly, then took a step back and studied her daughter carefully.

"I've only been at school a few weeks mother, you'd think it's been three years." Lily said, grinning, the broad smile touching her eyes.

"It doesn't matter! I miss you every day that you're gone." Her mother said warmly, placing her hand on the side of Lily's face. James was heartened by the fact that at least Lily's parents seemed to support her, even if her horrible sister could do nothing but glare.

"And who is this?" Mr. Evans was eying James cautiously.

"This is James Potter. He's a very good friend of mine from school. His family's legendary in-" She paused, catching the alarmed look on Petunia's face. "Legendary in school. Generations of them, you know."

"Nice to meet you James, thank you for coming." Lily's mother pulled James into a hug, and he smiled, glad that she approved.

"Well, we should all go inside for the bridal dinner. We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow." said Mr. Evans, leading the way into the dining room.

As they all followed, James catches Lilly's eye, and without hesitation, reaches over and takes her hand. No matter what, he would not let her be sad this weekend.