-Chapter Five: Mini Chappette In Order To Cover My Stupidity-
-By Natali-
-Dedicated to Amanda G. Who inspired chapter four. I can't remember why exactly right now, but I know she did because I made myself a note. If you know me at all, you're aware that I have just about the worst memory possible. So, thanks Goddess of White Houses and All That Is Good And Sexual... From the Goddess of Wisdom, Beauty, Sarcasm, and the Bed-Pissing Dog. Love you!-
-Ok, more stupidity from me. In Word, I'd had this laced together with chapter four, because I'd forgotten I'd already posted a chapter four. So you can imagine how utterly surprised I am to find a chapter four already up. I'd lace it with the original chapter five, but I love chapter six so much, that I can't bear to do it. Sorry. Ok, now to the part you guys actually care about.-
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"I would consider it the biggest of honors to take out that bastard," James replied honestly. "Why? The Order of the Phoenix, Albus?"
"How do you know?"
"Well, Sirius is in it, isn't he? I was eavesdropping," James grinned. "Incidentally, I was initially very offended that you hadn't asked me to join, but considering I was just the biggest lout for awhile there, I can't say I blame you."
"Well, I'm asking you," Albus grinned.
"One condition," James stated. He glanced at Lily, who was still in a slight daze, and then spilled the beans. "Lily can't join."
"Who's to say he was going to ask me?" she sputtered.
"I was," Albus confirmed, frowning. About to say that it wasn't really his place to decide whether or not Lily, he was cut off from doing so by Lily.
"You've got no bloody right, you prat!" she hissed, walking straight up to him and poking his chest. "In case you haven't noticed, we were finished a long while ago."
"But I still care," he said sincerely. "Dumbledore asked me first, and I accepted first on the grounds that you couldn't join."
"And just why can't I join, Master?" she said smartly, crossing her arms.
Dumbledore smiled, remembering the several times throughout their Hogwarts career when they'd gone head to head. He sat back in his chair to admire the sport.
"You'll die!"
"That's not certain! Besides James, why would you care a bloody fig whether I died or not?" she laughed bitterly, throwing her head back. "Do you think that just because you didn't marry Erica I'm going to come and crawl back to you?"
"Damn you, Lils, I still love you." James shut his eyes. "Dumbledore, could you give us a moment?"
"Sure," the nearly ancient man nodded, springing up. "In my defense, I knew it all along." With that famous twinkle in his eyes, he briskly left the office, leaving Lily and James alone.
Well, technically.
"Ha! Crawford, you old hag!" a somewhat unorthodox blue-haired witch screeched, calling another of the past headmistresses of Hogwarts. "What did I tell ye? They'd still have somethin' after they left this school!"
"Shut up, you old tartar," Crawford screeched back. "I'll give ye the bloody twenty galleons some other time. Shut up and enjoy the show. Come on, young pups, I've not had good R rated entertainment since the 1800s when young Jimmy and Christina-"
"Shut your face," Lily interrupted, turning back to James. "Good God, James. You're kidding me! You just had a wedding planned with another girl four fucking days ago!" She pushed him aside and strode for the door. "No, James. I don't want that over my head."
"God damn it, Lils!" He caught her wrist and tugged her, a bit too hard. She winced and took out her wand.
"Let go of me. Or I'll hex you without a second thought."
"Hear me out! You wouldn't let me four years ago, and not at the wedding, not ever!"
Lily closed her eyes, suddenly weary. "I'm tired of it all, James. I want it to stop. When you were gone, my life was fine. Last year, it got all messed up because you looked so damn good every time I saw you. And now... My body can't take it again."
"Your life was fine. It can be great," he whispered, pulling her closer. "You've changed in four years, Lily. Whatever happened to marrying that guy from the art exhibit?"
She glanced at him. "How'd you know about that?"
"Your drunken ramble."
"Oh." She looked down at her toes, blushing at the few thoughts she could recall from that night she'd gone to his bedroom, practically begging for sex. "I... I didn't think you remembered that."
"You told me to enjoy it. I did, and I memorized every bit that I could." He sighed. "Every touch, every emotion that rolled through me... I was so mad at you that morning, Lily. You've no idea."
"You left me," she gasped on a dry sob, allowing herself to lean on him for support. As if by their own accord, his arms mobilized and wrapped themselves around her small frame. He'd always been taller than her by at least a head. But it'd always felt right.
"I didn't know what to do," he admitted. "You... You had been talking in your sleep. You kept saying `No, James... Don't ask me, the answer is no. It was just sex. Just sex...'. I couldn't take it. I got up and left."
"And Erica? What about that?"
James ran his hands across her back. "I was mad."
"What happened at the wedding?"
"I realized it was wrong. You look good in purple, did I ever tell you that?"
Lily remained silent for a moment, then broke out into tears, laughing. "You agree? Oh, I'm so glad you agree. Erica looks terrible in purple. It clashes with her skin and hair."
James laughed. "She doesn't know how to wear it, it has nothing to do with her colors. You look good, and you have the same coloration."
She stretched up and draped her arms around his neck. "I love you. Damn you. Damn you." She nipped his lips. "Why did you kiss me that night? When I came to you in my pink pajamas? Which, by the way, I never got back."
"I kept them. I still have them. I kissed you because I wanted to," he shrugged.
"But I asked you not to," she whined, giving a little stomp with her foot. "It would have created so many less problems! That's what I'd been dreaming about. You asked if you could kiss me, and I said no. And you said that we'd slept together, and you deserved to kiss me. That was the whole `just sex' thing."
James leaned his head against her forehead, placing light kisses on her nose. "I should've stayed."
"I should never have gone."
"You should never have turned me down."
Lily nodded, choking on her tears. "I know," she whispered. "Do you think there's anything left?"
"Of course! Don't be an idiot," he glared. He hugged her tighter. "But I can't do this again if the end result isn't going to be marriage. For me, that includes kids and a whole lifetime. Also, you're not allowed to desert me at the altar."
She bit her lip. "Do we have to do this now?"
He opened his mouth to say a firm Yes, but Dumbledore poked his head in.
"Are we done? Not that I'm all for love and all that good stuff, but I'd rather not have to step in here and think of the time Lily and James did a few things on my desk..."
They stared at him.
"Yes," Lily said softly. "To both your questions."
"WHOO!" James yelled, picking her up and twirling her. "You've got three months to organize a wedding, Lils. So get started!"
"James! I'm not rushing into this!"
"No, if we were rushing, we'd be leaving now. But, as we're not, no rushing involved." He smiled down at her and kissed her deeply. "I mean it. Three months from today."
"On one condition," she whispered against his lips.
"Anything."
"I join the Order."
"Damn you. Fine. But you're getting a desk job."
"Too late," Dumbledore interjected happily. "You are currently embracing the new head of the Order. You, too, of course, James, but she's been in the Order for about two years now. I was going to ask her to join my poker group, not to join the Order..."
Lily laughed, kissing his chin as he stubbornly held his lips out of reach. "On the bright side... I've currently got an empty flat in downtown London, if you'd like to rendezvous there..."
James considered her, a wicked grin growing on his face. "Let's, then." He glanced up at Dumbledore. "If anyone asks, we were never here, and you most certainly do not know where we are or what we're doing. We'll see you tonight at the meeting."
"How did you know there was an Order meeting tonight?" Albus asked curiously, smiling slightly.
"Sirius said he `had to work late' tonight. If you knew Sirius, you'd know that his job is nothing. Quite simply because he's a spoiled little rich boy, whose parents died and left him mounds of money. I'm not a simpleton," James replied. "We'll be going then."
"And we might be late!" Lily called over shoulder as they jumped into the fire to use the Floo Network.
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-A/N: Hello! Don't shoot me! Ok, I've got one more chapter for this, then it's done. Let's put it this way: I'm going to wait for twenty reviews to post it. So, get your friends, do what you will. I think twenty is a pretty decent number. Ok, so I know you all hate me, but could you please read and review anyway????
Thanks to all of you for reading. I'm really sorry I haven't been posting. Anyone want to flame on me????
Please read & Review!!!!!!! Love you!
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