-Chapter Four: When Lust Overcomes Sense
-By Natali
Lily crawled out of the stream, searching for her wand to dry herself. After spending an hour there in the water and becoming all wrinkled, she was no better.
In fact, she was worse-as if possible! She'd had actual time to think things over clearly. The cold water had brought her back to reality and shocked her into thinking.
Judging by the position of the moon, she figured that it must be around one in the morning. Too much had happened in too short a time.
And more was going to happen, and very soon.
"Damn it," Lily sighed, lying on the cool grass. A noise in the distance made her glance in the direction of James's car (which was never used, for driving purposes anyway). Was there a light on in it? Out of curiosity, she stood and began to walk over to it.
"I'm just going over to see what's up," she told herself aloud. "And then I'm going to bed."
Artemis, who was walking beside her to see what would happen, laughed. Yeah, and I'm ugly, she thought.
Lily finally reached the beat up convertible and peeked inside. James was there, fiddling with some weird contraption. She knocked, startling him.
James lowered the window to talk to Lily. "You scared me. I didn't think anyone else was out tonight."
"Sorry," she apologized. "Can I… come in?"
"Sure. Go around to the other side." He reached over to unlock the door while she walked around to the other side.
Lily sighed as she sat down on the seat. "So why are you out here all alone?"
"Trying to get this thing to work."
"A radio?"
"Yeah. I spent a week with my cousins about two years ago and one of them had married a muggle. She was always listening to this thing"-he held up the radio-"and I decided I liked it."
"So why isn't it working?"
"No idea. I've never figured it out. I've had it for a few months now, but I just can't figure it out," he frowned. "Very frustrating."
"Could I see it?" Lily asked, receiving the radio as he handed it over to her. After a moment, she smiled. "James… you haven't even turned it on." She pressed the button and a slow song came on. "There you are."
"Well, I feel completely stupid." He chuckled and set down the portable radio on the dashboard. "You're up late."
"Yeah, I guess." She looked at him out of the corner of her eyes. "Don't play around, Potter," she said softly. "What's on your mind?"
"You. A lot."
"You've only known me for a few days."
"Seven years, Lily."
"But we never hung out together."
"Does that mean I can't find you attractive?"
"No."
"So why are you up so late?"
"You."
"Ah."
"Yeah. You know that there's only one thing to do now, right?"
"Actually, there are many things we could do right now. And a few of them are R rated." He smiled slyly at her.
She smiled slowly. "Yeah, there's always that."
They looked at each other for a minute until Lily cried out.
"Ouch!" she said, rubbing the bottom of her thigh. "The leather caught my skin."
"Sorry," he chuckled. "This thing is ancient. I bought it off some illegal immigrant for 200 British pounds. It doesn't exactly do much just sitting here, you know, besides rust."
"Yeah…"
*~*
"Sirius, just leave James in peace," Mel said, stumbling through the dark. "He'll come in when he wants to. He's a big boy. What he's probably doing is thinking of ways to get Lily to let him into her pants." She snickered.
"Mel, it's not gonna happen. Don't even think about it," Sirius rolled his eyes. "James doesn't like her."
"Oh, no?" Mel smiled, stopping. "What do you see when you look at James in his car?"
Sirius stopped and looked at James, only to have his jaw drop in shock. "Bloody hell."
Mel came up beside him and looked at him triumphantly. "What were you saying before? Something about them not getting together?" She watched as things began to heat up in James's car-which she'd been arguing with him to get rid of. It was a waste of space and it was hideous.
"I think this is where we leave," Sirius grinned, watching Lily's shirt fly out the window. "Yeah, this is definitely where we leave. Well, first let's wait a few minutes-"
"Come on, Sirius. You're a perv. Only you would get off on something like that."
"I was just curious, I'm not getting off!" he whined, following her. "You know, we should try interesting places like that. I know of this one niche off of the main street in Diagon Alley where we could-"
"Sirius," Mel interrupted, throwing him a look over her shoulder. "Stop while you're ahead and still have your testicles."
Sirius grinned handsomely. "You know you'd never cut off your nose just to spite your face, Mel."
"Do you want to try me?"
Sirius's lips went straight. "I never joke around with something as serious as that. No pun intended."
"Sirius, that was old in Second Year. Now it's just annoying."
He chuckled, grabbing her hand. "Sirius puns never get old, Mel. They're part of the fun."
*~*
"Pants!" James exclaimed, breaking contact with Lily's lips for a moment. "This isn't very comfortable, is it?"
"I didn't want to sound like I was complaining," she said breathlessly. "But yeah, it could use some improvement to be honest with you."
He nodded, thinking. "We could go into the house if you want," he muttered, running a hand through his hair to mess it up. "But I share a room with Sirius. If you want to go to your room…"
"Not really," she admitted. "We should just stay here." She threw a glance into the backseat. "There? Might be better."
"Yeah, I guess." They both got out and into the backseat, sitting uncomfortably for a minute until hormones took over.
They began to kiss each other hungrily, tongues slipping over each other, hands roaming. Gently, James pushed her back until she was lying (albeit in a somewhat odd position) under him.
Lily giggled. "That's a right nice pan handle."
"Why, thanks, I've always been particularly proud of it."
"What an idiot," she laughed as he pulled off her shirt. She reveled in the feel of his hands sliding up and down her body, thinking.
This is nice, she thought. For once I don't have to worry about what other people think. It only matters what I want and what I think.
After a moment, she corrected herself.
What they think of me. It only matters that here they like me for me and not for what I was at school-a snobby, stuck up bitch.
"What are you thinking about?" James whispered in her ear, lifting her up slightly to unhook her bra. "You've got this pleased yet thoughtful look on your face. You're not supposed to be thinking."
"Nothing."
"Bosh, of course it's something," he insisted.
"This isn't the time to clutter our heads with things like this."
"Ah. I see your point." He gently nipped her lips and blessed her swollen lips with a long, tender kiss.
"Lily, have you ever-?"
"Does it matter?"
He paused, for a moment. "Not really. But I still-"
"Seriously, it's fine," she said, softly running her hands up his back and making him shudder. She kissed him, putting her every effort into it.
And it showed.
James, though scared about taking away one of her most precious personal possessions away, considered himself lucky to just experience the way she would throw every ounce of passion into every small thing-kisses, touches …
"Don't blame Dumbledore," he whispered against her mouth. "He wasn't the one who sent you here, so don't be bitter about it."
"I'm not bitter," she said quickly. "I was, I'll admit. But it's so different. I don't-"
"Have to fake being someone else?" he offered. He silenced her with another peck on the edge of her mouth.
"Mmm hmm," she agreed, begging for more with her deep, all-seeing eyes. "If Dumbledore didn't send me here though, who…?"
James gave her a brief, evil grin. "I did."
*~*-Next Morning…-*~*
Lily yawned, covering her eyes against the bright sunlight. Where was she? There were soft sheets beneath her and a warm comforter on top. Hadn't she fallen asleep in the car last night?
She opened her eyes to find herself staring at the canopy of her bed in her room. Feeling the body heat from her left, she turned her head to find James on his side with his back to her.
"Blimey!" she yelped, jumping so much that she fell off the bed. He didn't wake up, but only rolled onto his back, his hands reaching out for the spot where he body had been before.
Relieved, she looked down and saw that she was wearing her nightshirt and shorts. Nodding to herself, half in hysteria to have awoken with such a shock (pleasant as it was), she rose and headed for her closet. Grabbing the first thing she could find, she dashed out of the room, careful not to wake him.
"Good Lord," she sighed once outside, leaning against the door. "Good Lord!"
"My thoughts exactly."
Lily jumped, turning to her right to find Mel and Jenny on the top step, both with a plate in their hands.
Mel smiled and continued. "Having fun? We were just about to bring up breakfast for you two. I hope we didn't wake you too early."
"I-We-It's not…" her voice drifted off and she rubbed her neck subconsciously.
"Whoo!" Jenny squealed. "Lily got off with James! We knew you two were going to get together, just not so soon."
"I did not get off with James," Lily hissed. "Would you two keep it down?"
"Oh, don't worry. We don't think you're a tramp or anything," Mel said to assuage her fears. "Really, you were gagging for it; it was very obvious."
"What?" Lily gasped, running after them as Mel and Jenny headed down the stairs, giggling. "Gagging for it? No! I wasn't-I'm-We didn't do anything!"
"Sure," Jenny winked. On the next story, they ran into Sirius who came into the hall in just his boxers.
"Would you three mind keeping it down a pinch?" he muttered sleepily. "My head hurts like a mother."
"You're shitfaced," Mel snickered. "That's what you get for drinking so much."
"You're the one who invited me for a piss-up!" he whined, going back into his room.
Mel smiled wickedly. "Right, Lily, don't worry. After all, we all have to let our hair down sometimes, don't we?"
"But-" Lily began, stopping short. What was the point? "All right," she sighed. "So I let my hair down. Big deal, right?"
"Right," the other two chorused as they stepped into the kitchen.
*~*
Lily hugged her knees as she stared out at the expanse of grass before her. It was… different, being "new Lily".
It was odd, having such an unprecedented epiphany, in less than 48 hours, no less. It was odd, learning things about herself that she didn't know before, that someone else had known. More than one person, too.
The events of the previous night (or earlier that morning, really) came rushing back. It was all so quick, so sudden, so surprising. She could admit that she was even a bit happy and proud, and relieved.
Most of all, relieved. She was nothing if not relieved.
She felt more complete than she'd ever felt. For once, there was more things in her life than bleakness, darkness, depression… No way out.
She felt like she'd been drowning and last night she'd finally taken a breath. Lily felt disgusted with the cliché, but there was just no other way to describe what she felt. That fear gripping her had eased its clenches a bit-not completely, but enough.
I'm not alone.
That might have been the most prominent thing that she'd gleaned from last night. There was someone there who was willing to go the distance with her. Better yet, someone she wanted to share the experience with.
Lily had gotten to the white house just three days earlier, but it felt like longer. It was amazing, how everything seemed so right. No restrictions, no rules except to respect one another.
To love and be loved in return.
She'd thought a lot about a lot of clichés today, and she considered it very unimaginative that she couldn't come up with something of her own to describe the living situations at the house, but quite simply-that was it. Funny how some clichés are just so right sometimes…
Lily felt like she was being watched, and turned around to view the house. She spotted James leaning out of her window. She sent him a small wave, and he returned the gesture, grinning.
Some guys were just breathtakingly beautiful. And bloody hot. He was both and more. There was something to be said about a man who could walk around with enough confidence so that you could see it in his stride, the way he held himself up. He was who he was, and he refused to be ashamed of it.
"Delicious," Lily sighed, licking her lips subconsciously. "Down to the very last drop."
Up in her room, James was thinking to himself. Oh, James, you've gotten yourself into a sodding complicated situation. Always did have a knack for it…
He stayed to make sure she was ok, and then left her room, heading down for breakfast. He was very hungry, especially after last night and all that it took out of him.
Lily kept looking, the space where his body had been seconds earlier oddly empty. He'd crowded the window space comfortably, as if he was almost destined to block that window. It took a big man to fill that space.
She turned back to the front, watching a grass sway in the wind and letting her mind wander meaninglessly. Always swaying, never going anywhere. How boring it must be to be a plant. Never doing anything, just swaying, and making chlorophyll.
"How cruel to be made a plant," she mused, uprooting the poor thing from the ground. "Bet you wish you were a coconut tree now. At least the coconuts float around the place." She stared at it, as it waiting for it to reply.
"You can stare at it all you want, Lily, but it's not going to tell you the meaning of life." James plopped down on the ground beside her. "So… I heard you told everyone we shagged last night." He chortled. "I didn't think that you would, you know."
"Well, I didn't have much of a choice," she shrugged. "Mel and Jenny caught me coming out of my room in the morning, and I was in a compromising situation." She gave him a glare.
"Meant to explain that…"
"Go on."
"When you fell asleep in the car last, I didn't want to wake you. You looked too worn out and so… unstressed-such a difference from when you're awake." He shrugged. "Honestly, I didn't have the heart to wake you. So I was planning to take you to your room. And I did. But when I got to my room, I heard weird noises."
"Weird noises?" she repeated. "What on earth are you talking about?"
James wiggled his eyebrows. "Sirius and Mel were… busy."
She grimaced. "Ew."
"I'm the one who heard it! Lord, I just ran up to your room as fast as I could, really. I was hoping you wouldn't mind," he said sheepishly. "Besides, I had been planning to get up before everyone else and see if my room was safe yet."
Lily shrugged. "What's done is done."
"Yes," he agreed, gingerly taking one of her hands in his. "By the way, you've forgotten to kiss me good morning," he pouted.
She laughed. "Fuckwit!"
"You can call me whatever you'd like, as long as you kiss me."
Lily shook her head as he leaned forward and gently placed a single, short, sweet kiss on her lips. "Also, it's after noon."
"Close enough."
They remained silent for a few minutes until James gave a gentle tug on her hand, and she willingly leaned against him.
And, oh no! their lips fell on each other…
Such a shame.
A shiver ran through Lily's body as their tongues met in a fire-hot embrace. If things continued the way they were going, they'd end up as they did last night. Though that wasn't such a bad thing, was it?
"Do you want to get out of here?" James whispered. "I've been surrounded by grass, water, and animals for too long. Let's go to a city-any city. Anywhere you'd like. I'm getting seriously bored here."
"But… where would we go?"
He smiled, almost evilly. "Wherever you'd like."
*~*
"Do you have any idea how many muggles I'm surrounded by?" James hissed across the table at Lily.
"No, but I could find out for you," she replied sweetly.
"Really, of all places…"
"It's only a bowling alley, James! Stop being so dramatic," she rolled her eyes. "You need to get out more often. And you are bowling, whether you like it or not."
"That is the last time that I let you choose where we're going," he muttered. "Lord, is this what muggles do all the time?" he asked, disgusted.
"You act as if they're doing manual labor," she exaggerated.
"Good God, no! That would be terrible."
Lily laughed when she saw a "friend" of hers come into her line of vision.
"Lily!"
"Oh, for fuck sake," Lily groaned, wincing.
"Here we go," James sighed. "This should be entertaining."
"Lily, it's me, dearie!" A tall brunette with almost more makeup than Lancome produced in a week headed towards them, swinging her hips obviously.
"Yes, I know it's you, Annabel," Lily said, smiling falsely. "How are you?"
Annabel Peterson, with her group of clones behind her, came up next to their table. "Where have you been, Lily? I've missed-Oh, hello, Potter." The aversion in her voice was evident. "Fancy meeting you here."
"Likewise, Peterson."
Ignoring him, Annabel turned back to Lily. "Right, where was I? Yes, you've gone missing again, Lily! No matter. We're going to a club tonight, and your asshole will be there." She lit a fag and purposely blew out the smoke in James's direction. "Come with?"
"My ex and I are over, Bel. Besides, I'm busy tonight," she lied. Anything to get rid of Annabel and her followers, who were as faithful to her as an adulterous husband was to his wife.
Annabel paused for a moment before venturing, "And what are you two doing here together? Are you"-she gave a fake giggle-"dating?"
Lily cast a glance at James, who didn't look to be answering anytime soon.
"I don't know if that's what you'd call it, but if you'd like to label it…" she shrugged. "I suppose so."
The look on Annabel's face was priceless. Even the cigarette she'd been holding between her lips fell, as her mouth dropped open. "What?"
Lily giggled. She couldn't help it! What had she been thinking for seven years? These were the people she'd spent her time with?
"Yeah," James nodded, reaching across the table and taking Lily's hand. "Dating. I like that."
"So you see, Annabel," Lily continued, firmly squeezing his hand, "you can leave really. Go suck someone's dick."
"Sorry?! What did you say?" she screeched.
"Go. Suck. Someone's. Dick," Lily repeated slowly. "You do it all the time anyway."
"Oh, `cause you're so much better."
"I won't deign to answer that."
*~*
A/N: Alright, I'm on time this week! Yay! Lol. Right, so thanks to everyone who reviewed, and I'll be looking forward to thoughts about this chapter. I've always thought this is one of the cornier ones, but I can't really change it. And while parts of it kind of make me cringe at the thought that I'm going to post something that corny, I've edited so it's not that bad. If you guys had seen (and some of you have) what I'd had before… *shudder*. It's a disgrace. But anyway, moving on.
And in case any of you are wondering, I don't really have a set time for this story. I try to avoid mentioning things like that, just because I don't really know what time it is. I write the dialogue like it's modern, so I guess that's the most logical answer. But if you'd like to think it's in the seventies, all the more power to you. I don't write as if in the seventies just for the reason that I don't know what things were like in the seventies. Anyway, right. Spank you all!
<3,
Nati K. A.
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