Petunia left and didn't return. Lily sat, with wet washed hair dripping down her back, on the stairs for a long time, wondering if the door would open and Petunia would swoop in, claiming it was all a game; that Lily had imagined it all, and that they would always be a family, and Vernon was actually a very nice man who treated Petunia well. She never came, though, and Lily sat there until her hair was dry and curling around her face. She sat there until her father woke up the next morning and made his way downstairs. That was when she put on a brave face, curled up on the couch with a book and pretended she had just woken up. He made her eggs. He told her they had all missed her the day before. He kissed her forehead.

Then he sat down across from her at the kitchen table, his we-need-to-talk frown in place, "Lily, I have Alzheimer's."

"I know, Dad."

"Lily, you have to help me remember," He set his hand on hers and she absently pulled it away, dipping bacon in ketchup, she didn't like the feeling of having to tether to him to his memories.

"I will, Dad."

"Lily, I don't want to forget your mother," he said as he wrapped his hands around his coffee cup and stared at her, "I don't want to forget the important things."

"I won't let you forget her," Lily murmured, "I promise."

"Tell me your favourite part about her," he said, leaning slowly forwards, "Refresh me."

Lily dropped her fork, and, finally, looked at him. "I liked her singing. She was always off tune but she sung the prettiest melodies."

"I liked that too," he said quietly, "I liked when she danced."

"She didn't have much of a natural rhythm, though, did she?" Lily answered with a smile, "I miss when she used to hold my hands and spin me around."

That was how they spent breakfast. They traded stories of the mother she lost and the wife he loved. That was how they began to spend all their breakfasts and Lily thought that that, just like her running, was a good system.

One morning, a few weeks after the incident with Petunia, Harvey appeared at her window, squawking and tapping on the wood. Lily rolled out of bed with a groan and pulled open shutters, letting him soar in and land on the edge of her bed. She untied the letters from his legs and he flapped to the top of her wardrobe to begin cleaning his feathers.

She flopped back onto her mattress with the letters in hand. The first was addressed to her in the impeccable, tiny writing of Alice. The contents told her of a letter from Frank Longbottom, who Lily never knew she liked. Apparently the boy had asked her if she would be willing to go on a Hogsmeade trip with him. There was a small mention of an invitation from James Potter that outlined a week at his family's large summer home by the water. Lily ignored it with foreboding building in her stomach and moved on to the next, which was from Marlene. The other girl wrote sloppily about the request of a date from Sirius Black and also mentioned the invitation from James. After that it was Mary, who wrote a very short blurb wishing Lily well and, too, mentioned the week at James' house. Lily pushed the three letters away and scooped up the next, which was so obviously from Hestia it almost made her laugh. It said bluntly in small block letters that James had invited all of them to his summer home for a week and that Lily should expect a letter.

She glanced back on her comforter, where a last letter lay with her name written sloppily on the front. With a deep breath, she pulled the parchment from the envelope:

Lily,

We're all getting together at Towndown House on the second last week of August to celebrate the summer. Please come. I shouldn't have just kissed you like that on the platform and I understand if you're confused or angry. But, I'm tired of dancing around. I can't do it anymore. I'm in love with you, but if you tell me to piss off, I will. I'm not going to change myself for you and I don't expect you to change for me. Come regardless of whether or not you return my affections. If we can't be together I want us to be friends.

With love,

James

Lily took a moment to stare at the words swimming off the page at her. With shaking hands she slipped out of bed and stumbled to her desk, where she yanked a Muggle pen from a drawer and flipped James' letter over. She took a steadying breath. She was Lily Evans. Tenacious, kind to all. A Gryffindor. I'll be there, she scribbled hastily, As for the rest. You'll find out in August. But don't expect any theatrics. Your blonde friend is there for that.

Wonderful, now she was angry and flustered, all thanks to stupid James Potter and his stupid, stupid little blonde companion. She coaxed Harvey down from the wardrobe, rolled up the letter and then sent him away out the window with her theoretical fate attached to his leg. There was a knock at her door and her father's voice drifted in, asking if she wanted eggs.

"Yes please," Lily called back, pulling open the doors to her wardrobe and selecting a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. She changed quickly, pulling on her necessary undergarments and fitting the rest of the outfit overtop. She twisted her hair onto the top of her head and padded out into the kitchen, where her Dad was already flipping spitting bacon on the frying pan.

"Dad?" She asked as she sat down at the table and tucked a foot underneath her, "Do you mind if I go to James Potter's place in August? There'll be a bunch of us going."

Her dad shrugged and then sent her a smile over his shoulder, "Sure, sweetie, I don't mind. I don't want you staying here all summer just because of me."

She smiled back, "Thanks, Dad. I'll call to check up on you while I'm gone."

"I know you will," He said with a chuckle and turned back to the stove, "Now, breakfast!"

Once they eggs had been cracked and flipped and cooked, they sat across from one another and spoke of her mother. They traded praise and shared things they didn't like about her as well. They told each other that they loved each other and then Lily disappeared to the lake.

James stared down at the letter in his hand, a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth. He kicked his foot out, catching the thigh of Sirius, who was spread out across the floor in front of the TV, and said with was most definitely not excitement, "She said yes, mate."

"I'm not getting into this whole Lily and James business again, Prongs," Sirius said slowly, "I know that she wasn't dragging you along -she's too kind for that - butI I just don't want you to get hurt. I don't want either of you to get hurt, actually."

"What do you mean?" James asked, "She just confirmed she was coming to Towndon this summer. She didn't say anything about," He paused, "The rest."

"Oh," Sirius answered, then laughed, "She will though."

James sighed softly, "I know."

"Be careful. You know, if you do get together. You've been dancing around for so long, what if it's not what you expect it to be?" Sirius pushed himself to a sitting position and tugged a hand through his hair, "What if she doesn't like you like you think she does?"

"This isn't about us, is it?" James asked suddenly, "This is about you asking out Marlene."

"No it's not," Sirius answered quickly, shaking his head, "It's about you and Evans."

"It's about you and Marlene!" James laughed, vaulting off the couch to grab his friend in a headlock, "What are you even worried about? She's already agreed to go on a date with you!" James mussed up the other boys hair and then shoved him away, "She wouldn't have said yes if she didn't like you."

Sirius laughed, "Yeah, man, I know." He pushed James hard on the shoulder, "Quidditch?"

"Sure, but, there's one more thing," James said, grabbing the letter from where it had fallen onto the sofa cushions, "She said something about a blonde friend. I don't get it."

"Did I hear something about Quidditch?" The voice came from the doorway, fully American and undoubtedly female.

James turned around laughing, "Yeah, Beth, me and Sirius-" He stopped mid-sentence, nearly choking on the words, "Bollocks!"

Beth's eyebrows rose to her hairline, her very blonde hairline, "What?"

James whipped around and grabbed Sirius by the shoulders, staring him in the face with pure panic written on his features., "Elizabeth's blonde."

"Yeah, so?" Sirius asked, looking absolutely terrified that his best friend's face was a mere few inches from his own.

"Lily. The blonde friend," James stuttered and realization dawned on Sirius' face, "She thinks I'm dating Beth! I kissed Lily! On the platform." He trailed off, "The only way she would have seen me greet her was if she came looking for me. Bloody hell, I'm an idiot! She thinks I kissed her while I had some ties to another girl! Padfoot, I'm dead! I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm dead."

"She doesn't know she's your cousin?" Sirius spat, bursting out into booming laughter, "You're such an idiot!"

"Shut up!" James barked, "Shut up, you stupid twat! What am I supposed to do?"

"What are you talking about?" Beth snapped from the door, "An explanation would be beautiful, James."

He pushed to his feet and turned around, "I've told you about Lily?" At her nod he continued, "I kissed her, when we left for the holidays and she ran off. She must've come looking for me afterwards though, because she mentions a "blonde friend" of mine in her letter. She thinks I'm dating you." He paused, brows furrowed, "Or something."

"You're so stupid," She said softly, "You are such a complete idiot."

"I'm aware, Beth," James snapped back, he paused and wrinkled his nose at her like a child, "And you're annoying."

"Is she coming? In August?" Beth asked, leaning against the door frame. James nodded and she shrugged, "Then tell her everything."

James nodded again, fear coiling in the pit of his stomach as the knowledge that it would not be quite that easy settled down onto him.