Hey, guys! Life has been crazy, so I haven't quite been up to speed with my updates, but I'm trying, I promise! This week I don't have orchestra, so I should be able to get something out. No promises, though. Thank you all for your continued support, you're the best. Please review!

"So, what's this I hear about Lily Evans' past life of crime?"

James and Lily were in the Evans family kitchen, peeling sprouts for dinner, where they had been since Petunia had broken up Mr. Evans and the boys' impromptu band. Lily laughed and blushed. "My dad sure doesn't know how to stay quiet, eh?"

James gasped indignantly. "I will not have you besmear the name of our lord and savior Lawrence Evans in such a manner!" He brandished his sprout knife in Lily's direction. "Take that back, you wench!"

Lily laughed and picked her sprout knife as well. "En garde, villain!"

"The only villain here is you!"

"Your comebacks are weak!"

"So is your form!"

"I've never taken lessons, unlike you, you twit!"

James had backed her up into the counter. "How did you know I took fencing lessons?"

"Please. You reek of ridiculous pastimes."

James laughed and leaned in closer. "Ha-bloody-ha-ha. How did you know, Evans?"

Lily blushed and looked to the side. "I might have half-listened to you, like once, at a thing sometime."

James opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the deep voice of a man who was quite clearly trying to keep his laughter in check. "Please, mon chou, I already have to see Petunia attacking Vermin with her lips at every turn. Please spare me that from you."

Lily and James separated embarrassedly, both of them turning as red as the radishes in front them as they went back to slicing vegetables. Sirius, leaning behind Mr. Evans' wheelchair, spoke.

"They've been like this all week, Mr. Evans. Let me tell you, it's difficult being the third wheel."

"Believe me, my boy, I know. I was the third wheel in Eleanor's relationship for years before she married me."

Sirius laughed. "I guess there's a chance for Lil and I yet," he said, sighing dramatically and wiggling his eyebrows at the red-faced girl.

Mr. Evans' booming laugh once again seemed to fill the room. "Unfortunately for you, my boy, I'm rather attached to this James character."

Lily and James exchanged worried looks over the cutting board. James closed his eyes. "I knew this was a bad idea," he hissed at Lily.

"Don't be ridiculous. Dad'll get over it."

James exhaled theatrically. "Glad to know you've taken so many boys home that you know he'll get over it."

Lily elbowed him. "Don't be a prat."

"I was joking. Unless your life on the wild side extends to a number of gentlemen coming home at all hours of the night-"

"Don't be ridiculous."

"I'm always ridiculous."

"I know."

"Well, Sirius, m'boy, if this is what they're always like, I don't blame you for wanting to jump out of that van."

"Actually, sir, I wanted to jump out of the van because every time it hit a bump it knocked me on my-"

The quick click-clack of heels warned them all of an approaching Petunia. Mr. Evans and Sirius both looked alarmed at the sound and hastened to look busy, but weren't quite quick enough.

"What are you all doing? Vernon is going to be here in less than an hour and dinner isn't even half cooked!"

Mr. Evans arranged his face into a somber expression. "Don't worry, my dear, dinner will be ready by the time Verm- I mean, Vernon arrives. Don't worry yourself about it, I'll have it covered."

Petunia exited the room as Mr. Evans turned to his salad spinner with disgust. "He picked up a piece of kale. "How does she eat this?" he wondered, eyeing the vegetable with disgust. "I tell you, Lily-petal, ever since she's been staying with me, it's been nothing but green vegetables and lean chicken." He turned to her with pleading eyes. "Will you support me if I order a pizza?"

"You'll have to get twenty if you want to properly feed Vermin."

Mr. Evans smiled and pulled her into a hug. "I've missed you, my flower."

Lily blushed into her dad's shoulder. "I've missed you, too, Dad."

XXXXXXX

"You never answered my question."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

The van hit a bump. Lily rubbed her elbow where it hit the door. "Bloody hell, Potter, Sirius was right. This van will knock you right on your-"

"Hey! Don't disrespect the van!"

"The van dumped us in the middle of the English countryside with no heat in a snowstorm!"

"She was tired!"

They hit another bump. "How many bumps can you hit on the way to get a pizza, Potter, jeez!"

"It is dark out! Much like your past, apparently."

"We're not talking about this. Now or ever."

"You ought to tell your boyfriend these things, you know."

"I would if you were actually my boyfriend."

"Ouch."

She turned to James. "Instead of having this conversation, I'd like to tell you some important things you should know about Vermin. Firstly, he has the most boring job in the entire world: he makes drills."

James wrinkles his nose. "Sounds like it fits his personality."

"Secondly, every time he comes over, he eats us out of house and home, so you had better get your pizza early and eat it quick, or he will find a way to take it from you. Finally, he and Petunia will try to make a fool out of you. Not that they need to do much, but-"

"Hey!"

"I'm just saying, you need to stay on your feet."

"You don't need to worry about me; you should be focusing on you, because I'm going to sweep you off yours tonight."

"You're ridiculous."

"I will have you know that I am the greatest tree decorator of our time, and I will astound and impress you with my rad ornament dispersing skills."

Lily laughed. "Go in and get the pizza, you clown."

XXXXX

The five occupants of the Evans home were waiting by the door when three crisp knocks sounded at six o'clock precisely.

"On time, like normal people. Vernon would never dream of arriving three days late," Petunia said smugly, throwing a dirty look at James as she grabbed the door handle and threw herself at Vernon. Lily could see her father making faces at Sirius as Petunia proceeded to straighten Vernon's puce tie and smooth his gray suit jacket. As they all filed into the kitchen, Lily could hear Petunia apologizing over the non-home-cooked meal, and heard Vernon's response.

"It's alright, Pet, I know your family is difficult to work with."

James saw Lily fuming by the doorway to the kitchen. "Us, hard to work with? The most difficult person to work with is her!" Before she stomped in to confront Vernon, James put his hand on her forearm.

"Let Sirius and I handle it, Lil. We'll get him."

Lily smiled slightly. "I'm glad we're friends, you know."

Normally, that would have put James over the moon. So why did his heart feel like it was sinking?

XXXXX

"So, Vernon, my Lily-flower tells me you work with drills?"

Across the table, James saw Petunia's eyes thin suspiciously. He expected she was wary of any courteous behavior coming from him. As well she should be. I mean, we didn't really get off to a great start. Also, I made jokes about her going to hell. And her dad likes me more than he likes her boyfriend.

"I do, in fact," Vernon said, puffing out his chest for what James was sure was going to be a very long-winded and boring conversation.

"What kind of drills? Fire drills? Tornado drills? Active shooter drills? You guys should work more on those, I hear there's a real problem in America." Sirius chimed in.

"Not that kind of drill. The kind you use for building."

James tilted his head innocently. "Body-building? You design workout drills? Do you, you know, ever use them?"

"Lily, control your friends!" Petunia hissed for across the table.

Dursley scowled. "I don't appreciate your tone, young man."

"Few people do. But seriously, I'd be interested in your workouts if you can bring yourself to show me them."

"I work with drills, you fool!"

"Oh, you work with the military!" Sirius responded, his eyes sparkling with laughter. "You write their movements during wartime. How long has it been since you've done something useful?"

Petunia stood up from the table. "Lily, may I speak with you?"

James watched Lily stand up and straighten her jumper. She stopped by her father and bent down next to him. He seemed to be pleading with her about something, but what, he couldn't tell. She straightened up and exited the dining room without responding to her father. For a few minutes James strained to hear what the sisters were discussing, but after a few minutes of uncomfortable silence between the four men (except for Vernon's loud chewing as he devoured most of a sausage and olive pizza), the living room seemed to explode.

"Petunia why don't you just leave me and my life ALONE! You obviously disapprove of it, and can't bear the thought of me being there, so why don't you just leave me the bloody hell alone!"

Lily came storming out of the living room red-faced and riled up. She snatched a pizza out from in front of Vernon and stormed up the stairs, feet banging on every step. James stood up and excused himself from the table, following her up.

It wasn't hard to figure out which room was Lily's- there was only one person who would blare Persichetti's Pageant when she was angry. Slowly pushing the door open, he found Lily sitting on the floor with her head in her knees.

James knew comforting her wasn't what she wanted. So he sat down and looked around the room.

If people's souls were a color, James had long since decided Lily's was cherry-red. Her room seemed to embody her cheery personality. In the corner, an old phonograph was spinning a 44 of Persichetti's greatest, and beside it was a bookshelf stuffed beyond its limits, stacked next to it was a pile of books that reached halfway up the bookcase. In the other corner, a French horn sat in its case, with a music stand next to it. Her simple bed had a worn but clean red checked bedspread on it, and on her nightstand were several framed pictures, including one of her and Marlene, as well as pictures of her father, Petunia, and a pretty blonde woman James assumed was her mother.

What fascinated him most, though, was the wall opposite the bed.

Pinned to the wall were dozens and dozens of programs, pages of sheet music, pictures of orchestras, musicians, French horns- it seemed to be an assembly of everything Lily loved the most about music. He was so engrossed in all the individual pieces that he didn't even hear Lily come up behind him.

"This is my inspiration wall," she said in a shaky voice. He turned to look at her. "It's pictures of musicians and groups and programs of concerts I've been in and my favorite of the pieces I've played- this used to be my dream wall- it's what I wanted to do since I was a little kid."

"Why did you go into education, then?"

She smiled brittlely. "I was in music my first two years. But I was still trying to make up with Petunia then, and she said it was waste of my life. Then mom died, so I chose to follow her path in honor of her." She sighed and looked at the wall. "I miss music so much."

James turned her by her shoulders to face him. "You know your mother would want you to follow your own dreams, right?"

"It's too late, now."

James laughed. "Lily, you know that our university would pay you to go to school there as long as you wanted. You're the best student it's seen since God knows when. They want you there. DO what you need to to be happy." He smiled at her. "Now we ought to go down, or Petunia will think we're up to no good."

Lily smiled. "All the better." She pulled the pizza out from under her bed. "Pepperoni and bell pepper?"

James smiled at her. "First caramel milkshakes and now this. You do have the strangest tastes, Evans."

"Well, what do you prefer, then?"

"Much like my taste in milkshakes, I am a pizza purist. I prefer pepperoni alone. However, I will eat this just so I don't have to hear Vermin chewing like an angry jackal again."

Lily laughed. "Isn't he awful? I appreciated your drill jokes, by the way."

"Thank you very much, my lady. We left Sirius and your dad down there to fend for themselves, you know."

"My dad can handle it; he's been dealing with him all year. And I get the feeling Sirius can keep Vermin on his toes, too."

James chuckled. "Will you be okay to go downstairs and decorate the tree?"

"Why, I couldn't miss your self-proclaimed 'mad decorating skills'. But let's finish this pizza first, Vermin's always the first down in the morning and he doesn't leave any waffles for the rest of us."

"How tragic. And on Christmas Eve, too."

Lily paused to look at him. "I'm glad you're here, James."

He felt a warmth in his chest rise, and he extended his arms for a hug.

"I am too, Lily-flower."