-Chapter Three: Unraveled
-By Natali
Lily stretched languorously in her bed the next morning. For the first time in a very long time, she'd finally had a good dream. She threw her legs over the side of the bed and yawned. In the dream, James had come into her room and left a kiss on her cheek. Of course, it'd then escalated to more, but that was slightly more private than a simple kiss on the cheek…
If she did kiss him and do all the deliciously naughty things that they'd done in her dream, would it feel as good? Just by looking at him, Lily could tell he would be a god in bed. Not that she actually had any experience in those matters, but she'd overheard it often enough from the girls in her group that just wanted a good shag.
Did he agree to just a shag? Was he the kind of guy who would stick himself in anything with two breasts and two pretty legs that sat still long enough? Did it bother or matter to her if he was? Could she fall in lo-
"Stop it, Lily," she told herself. "You're being ridiculous. Dumbledore is just wrong. You and James are not going to get together. Now, today you're going to go into the village and look for any eligible guys your age." And, just to make sure she had a chance of succeeding, she added, "Or up to thirty years older, preferably about to fall over dead with a billion pounds in his account."
"You shouldn't talk to yourself, you know," James said, leaning against her doorframe. "They say it's a sign of madness."
She blushed and covered her unsupported chest. He chuckled, secretly thinking that by the end of the summer, he'd see a lot more than just her unsupported breasts…
"I was just… planning out my day."
He smiled. "Sure, of course. Don't worry, we all give ourselves morning pep talks. Mel told me to tell you that breakfast is ready when you are." He turned to leave, but then turned back around. "By the way, I love you with your hair like that. You look like you've just woken up from a vigorous night of sex." He grinned wider at her astonished look, and headed down the stairs.
"Good Lord! I cannot be meant to… Ugh!" She stuck her hands into hair and gave a quick tug. "Where does he get off saying that?" She fanned herself. "And it's really hot!"
Only because you know that he was looking at you, she thought at the back of the mind.
"Don't be silly," she muttered, opening her suitcase to find some jeans and a shirt she could wear to go horseback riding. "It's natural that he'd be looking at me. I mean, I've just woken up, and he did come to tell me something…"
She frowned in the mirror and her shoulders slumped. "He totally just undid me completely, didn't he? I'm losing my mind because he said one little thing about me having…" She closed her eyes. "Wonder what he looks like without a shirt on…? Gosh, it's just been too long without a good romp in the sheets-way too long."
Never mind that I've never actually gone all the way, she thought to herself. All the more reason for it to have been a way too long a time. Good Lord, I need a mate, and I need one now!
But Lily nevertheless tried as best she could to get her mind's view of James naked as accurate as possible.
And what she was seeing was quite flattering. She liked very much…
*~*
"Lily," Jenny laughed. "Relax, we've got all the time in the world to get into the village. Trust me… That's the best and worst thing about living in the middle of nowhere. There's absolutely nothing to do."
"Both a blessing and a curse, I'm sure," Lily said, leaning over Jenny's shoulder to look in the bathroom mirror. "We need to put up another bathroom sometime in the future. Two isn't nearly enough."
James smiled as he slid along Lily's backside-he had to. There wasn't any room. "You're staying long, Lily?" Before she could answer though (not that she could-she was speechless) he said, "Sirius is a bathroom hog. The trick is to get in there before he does. Apparently, he's searching his head for gray hairs." He picked up the cologne he'd come to find.
"I do not have gray hair!" Sirius yelled from his room. "Shut up, James."
Jenny snickered and winked. "Sure, Sirius. You haven't taken a look at your brush recently then, huh?"
"Does he really have gray hairs?" Lily whispered, trying not to show just how uncomfortable she was to have James's pelvis against her bottom.
Jenny shook her head. "No, but it's a blast to tease him. Any plans for today, after the village?"
"I wanted to ride into it," Lily replied. "I like horses, in case you can't tell."
"I never knew. Well, you can do that, but I think James should lead you. I wouldn't want you to get lost," Jenny smiled, secretly playing matchmaker (really, as if they needed help). After only one day, you could cut the sexual tension with a knife. "Right, James?"
"It would be my esteemed pleasure to escort Miss Evans on horseback into Nickleberry village," he nodded, giving a bow. "Whenever you're ready, Lily."
Lily's stomach turned. "How far is the village from here, Jenny?"
"On horseback, it must be… about an hour or so."
An hour, alone with a seemingly horny James with no one for miles and miles? This was just what she needed. Yes, one of the Four Ways To Remain Insane: Spend alone time with someone who is very physically attractive and likes to completely undo you into a blubbering mess and in your mind has the best body that you've ever seen.
Who in the heavens hated her so much?
*~*
You can do this, Lily, she encouraged herself, vaulting onto the horse. It's only two horses, you, and a guy who you've gone to school with for seven years but never really talked to, going on a ride to a village that's an hour long.
"Ready?" James asked, kicking his horse's sides. "Go!" He set off and gradually increased into a gallop, all while Lily kept walking.
"If, by tonight, I am still in my right mind, I'm going to reward myself with a whole tub of ice cream," she sighed. "Go on, Cocoon. Hya!"
Soon, she'd caught up to, and passed him, trying to keep as much distance between them as possible.
*~*
"Lily!"
She slowed down her horse and turned to look at James. "What?"
"Do you want to stop for some fruit? I know these great fields east of here, and they have the best strawberries you've ever tried. We could conjure up some clotted cream."
She bit her lip in thought. Would it be wise to prolong their journey? "Alright," she said finally. "Let's go." There was nothing like English strawberries. And with clotted cream? As if anything could compare…!
He nodded as he led the way. It wasn't too far from where they were, and they reached the row of strawberries in just five minutes. He picked a few for her, dusting them off on his shirt and handed it into her hand.
"Thanks."
"No problem."
They fell silent and concentrated on eating their strawberries and fighting for the clotted cream (and James trying to ignore the pain between his legs… So bloody sexy to watch someone suck on a strawberry… And Lily was born to suck on strawberries). So, it was a complete shock to Lily when James edged his horse closer and knocked the strawberry out of her hand.
"What are you doing? I was eating that, and it was really good," she protested, going to reach for another. "Quite rude, I'll-"
He quieted her, placing his lips on hers tenderly.
It wasn't a very forceful kiss-it was soft, and inviting. Warm… And not at all what she needed. It was probably what she wanted, but not what she needed. She was on a quest to find the person who would save her life. While a little dalliance was all well and good, this was hardly the time for it. But she didn't pull away. She just couldn't.
She tasted of strawberries, champagne, and something impossible to name. Where the champagne had come from, James didn't know. Nor did he care. What he did care about were her soft, full lips-and how they didn't demand to be separated from him. The end of the summer… His deadline was near. If what Aphrodite said was true (which it probably was), she'd be leaving, forever. But she could be wrong-never mind that Aphrodite was never wrong, and he knew it…
They were still kissing, only playing with each other's lips. He slid his tongue along the bottom of her lips, massaging the back of her neck. He could feel her pulse-racing under his fingers, beneath the hot flesh he was caressing. And how was Lily doing during all of this?
Not too well. Besides the fact that she had been caught entirely off guard, she couldn't pull away. Not that she was very sure that she even wanted to. And then, well, why this sudden interest in her? Before last night, he didn't seem to give a crap. Needless to say, he was now devoting all his attention to either getting in her pants or just bored with "country life". Maybe both…
As she was thinking this through, he had slipped his tongue into her mouth. Startled, she gave a yelp and broke it off.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, leaning against her forehead. "Was I going too fast?"
"No. I just… wasn't paying attention." When he frowned, she tried to amend herself. "No, that's not what I meant, I just-" He interrupted her again with a kiss, quick this time.
"I just… really had to do that," he explained.
"James, I'd like to go back to the house," she blurted out.
Slighting surprised, he said, "Alright, I'll take you back then."
"No. I need to spend some time alone. In two days, my life has gone completely… upside down, and I need to think about a few things."
"Ok," he mumbled. Had he done something to offend her? Did she wish he hadn't kissed her? Did he have bad breath or something?
"Thanks," she said softly. "I'll… see you later." With that, she left him.
*~*
"Oh, my God," Lily groaned, sitting on her bed. "What is all this?" She touched a hand to her scorching neck. "Oh, I'm so hot."
She took a deep breath (four, but who's counting?), and closed her eyes. One simple kiss-their tongues barely touched!-and she was about to explode. Whether from sexual frustration or his promise of sorts of more to come, she didn't know. Perhaps a little of the two, mixed in with anticipation.
"A cold shower!" she exclaimed, jumping off her bed. "That's what I need. Right, and at about -3 degrees Celsius, too." She stepped into the bathroom. "And then, all this nonsense about James will go away. I'm just horny, that's all."
*~*
"That's not all!" Lily whined later, having escaped from James's kiss a second time. This time, he'd pecked her lips quickly when he'd returned from Nickleberry. Again her temperature was high, and again she needed a cold shower-colder than the one she'd had earlier. A lot colder.
*~*In Another Time & Place…*~*
"Aphrodite!" called a sing song voice. The "goddess" in question scowled. What did that annoying woman want?
"Yes, Artemis?" she asked sweetly, turning to the queen of the nymphs. Artemis tapped her chin, studying Aphrodite.
"You need to perfect your secret keeping skills," Artemis chided. "I mean, really, Aphro, you can't keep a secret to save your life. Now, James is off about to sleep with Lily… I'm supposed to protect her, you know. You're not making my life easy."
If she calls me that atrocious name, Aphro, one more bloody time… Aphrodite thought.
"Listen, Arty," Aphrodite snapped. "Just because you're the queen of the nymphs doesn't mean I have to hand your witch over on a silver platter. I'm doing my job with James-it's not my fault you've been ignoring Lily."
"I haven't been ignoring her," Artemis argued. "Who do you think talked to Dumbledore?"
"Oh, please," Aphrodite rolled her eyes. "Dumbledore knew before you probably did!"
The other nymph's eyes glowed red with anger. "Listen to me, Aphrodite, daughter of Nercia and the great Wilkinburough. Back off, and shut up, or I'll suspend you into purgatory."
"Purgatory doesn't exist."
"That's what you think."
Aphrodite glanced at her with one raised eyebrow before heading to her vanity table. "Alright, what?"
Artemis thought for a moment, before smiling and saying, "Make sure that James is on-hand for some fun times for the next week or so. I'll see what I can do with my beautiful flower angel…"
Aphrodite rolled her eyes. "Fine, Artemis. I'll speak to my project. Now, if you don't mind, I'm terribly tired, and a nymph does need her beauty sleep." As she said this, she was backing Artemis out of the room. "Good evening!" The door slammed in Artemis's face.
"Bitch," Artemis muttered, walking down the hall. "If she hadn't kept screwing up all this years, I wouldn't have to step in and save her ungrateful ass from humiliation." She turned right into a courtyard. "I told her long ago to give James a talk and tell him to grow some. But does she listen? Of course not." She made another right, into a room with a huge glass bottom. With a wave of her hand, she saw Lily's face come into view.
Artemis smiled as she watched Lily fan herself with a piece of paper. Yes, James made her hot, didn't he? She blew over the picture, sending a cool breeze Lily's way. Just because she had to be on fire, ready to explode, didn't mean the poor girl had to sweat. Sweating was such an ugly process…
Next, she waved her arm over an empty spot in the glass bottom, where James materialized magically. He too, seemed to be in a sweat, pacing his room and messing up his hair every few seconds. Artemis giggled as he groaned, heading for the shower.
"Yes, dear, a cold shower would feel very nice now, wouldn't it?" she told him. Not that he could hear her, of course…
"Oh, Artemis," Persephone sighed, coming out from the shadows. "Lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, and pride of life. Do you want to eternally doom them?"
"Silly, Persephone," Artemis laughed. "This isn't mere lust. It is so much more…"
Her sister smiled. "Yes, I suppose you're right. So, what are you planning, Artemis?"
"A lot, sister. A lot."
Persephone gazed at the two people, both getting ready for a cold shower-only Lily's would be in a stream behind the house (there had to be something unsanitary there). "So, why haven't they already come together? Haven't you had Lily under your care for awhile?"
The other sighed. "Alas, I thought that Aphrodite could do this on her own, but I had to step in at last. That moronic father of hers had made that promise to Victor, so I had to get her where she belongs. And when
they were at school, they didn't run in the same circles. So finally, I had to have Dumbledore-bless him-force her into going. She was not very happy… Not at all."
"We all know that Aphrodite is a bit of a ditz," Demeter, Aphrodite's sister, giggled. "Why on earth and Nini would you ask her to be in charge of something, and then expect her to do it?" She gazed out the window onto the fields of Nini, the land between heaven and earth.
"True," Artemis nodded. "And after all, she was the one who disclosed us to the Greeks, making us out to be something that we're entirely not."
"And James," Persephone added. "Anyway, I can help if you need it, Artemis. Just say the word."
Artemis nodded, walking to a golden well in the corner of the room. She stuck in her index finger, her other ones hovering right above the liquid-actually liquid silver and diamonds. After a few twirls, she lifted out her hand, followed by a small band.
A ring.
"You are most clever," Demeter whispered. "Oh, yes… This will be quite fun."
"Gather your wits, girls!" Artemis laughed, snatching the ring from above the liquid. "We are going to need them to complete this task in time."
"But Artemis, we don't believe in time," Persephone protested. "It doesn't count for us. Therefore, we don't follow it."
"Yes, well… there's a first time for everything. Anyway, it's so confusing to live in a world without time, don't you think?"
*~*
A/N: I know this wasn't posted on time, I'm so sorry! But we had Hurricane Katrina here, and it's been a bit hectic. Also, there's a few family issues. But, thanks to a review from Loser_Kid, I remembered White Houses. I'm sorry!! But, just a couple days late. I hope you guys all enjoyed, and thanks to everyone who reviewed. It makes my days so much brighter to know that I can affect someone's life by writing. Well, I suppose affect is a bit dramatic, but I thought it was less so than touched. I hope you guys know what I mean. Thanks, and I'd love to hear feedback.
Um, the nymph thing is kind of confusing, and I still don't know how I came up with that. So… if anyone needs explanation, feel free to email me at: NatiBaby13@bellsouth.net .
With all my love,
Natali
-->