Song: "Dream for Two" by Thalia
Chapter Eight
By Natali K. A.
(-Memories…-)
Finally, after hours of searching, Lily's eyes fell upon the perfect ring.
"That's it," she told James. "That's the ring." She pointed to a diamond and emerald ring set in a platinum band. Its mate-the ring James would wear-was much like it, bar the emeralds. Instead, diamonds encrusted the entire band.
"You like it then?" he whispered in her ear, massaging her neck.
"Yes. Do you?"
"Naturally." He looked at the salesclerk. "Manny, we'll take that one then. And don't bother wrapping up the engagement rings."
When Manny handed him Lily's ring, James slid it onto her finger. "This is forever, Lils," he whispered, kissing her. "Forever."
"Always," Lily agreed. "I can't wait to show Lynn and Julie the size of this rock!"
They laughed and headed out of the store.
*~*
(-Present…-)
Lily looked at James. She let out a long sigh, full of pain and suffering.
"I don't know. It's been year, I've moved on-"
"Whoever that bloke was in there, he was not your bloody boyfriend," James said angrily, startling Lily. "Don't even pretend it. I'm not sure my heart could take it."
"James, but you had that girl… Penny, was it?"
"But she didn't mean anything-"
"A week after you broke up with me!" she said, half hysterical. "If there was one thing that could hurt me more than you telling me you didn't love me anymore, it was the fact that she took my place."
"Lily, I wanted to protect you-"
"You wanted to solve your problems without me," she yelled at him, stepping back. "A marriage is a union between two people who work together in their lives. You wanted to leave me out of it!"
"Because I knew what you'd say," he shot back, closing the distance between them again. "You'd say that you didn't care, that he couldn't hurt us, that-"
"Don't call me an idiot, James, I know very well that he can hurt us and that I would be in danger. But you're perfectly right, I don't care. I would've married you anyway."
It took a moment for James to speak. "Past tense? You would have?"
Her eyelids hid her emerald orbs from him. "Yes. Past tense."
He swallowed the words of anger that threatened to pour out from his mouth. "You don't mean that. I made a mistake, and I can admit to that. But then so did you. You found out, so who told you?" He raised an eyebrow at her when she didn't reply. "Yes. Nosing around my things?"
"Don't. How dare you?" she hissed. "You are not going to turn this around, James Potter. It's not bloody fair!"
"If life was fair, your sodding surname wouldn't be Evans!"
She closed her eyes in frustration. "I can't believe we're arguing over this. See? James, maybe it just isn't meant to be. Things are like that sometimes. In fact, my mum once told me-"
He pushed her up against the wall. Having used a bit more force than he had meant to, he waited a moment before chastising her in order to check she was alright.
The incensed look on her face told him she was.
"You-"
"No, you listen," he cut her off, placing a hand on either side of her face. "It's one thing to tell me you don't want to marry me. Quite another to tell me that we weren't meant to be, that are destinies aren't intertwined. In fact, it's fucking sacrilege."
Lily blinked stupidly. "I didn't know you felt so strongly."
He face broke into a handsome grin. "I'm about to take advantage of you. Another thing I feel very strongly about."
"James," she sighed. "I just don't think-"
"Shh,"-he pressed a finger against her lips-"Don't think. That's just it."
And despite all the arguments she'd put up, Lily kissed him back when he pressed his lips against hers. Then suddenly-the past year didn't exist. She felt the passion they'd had-did have-for each other flare up, and realized how very much she'd missed it. She had missed this: making out with him in the middle of Dublin against the wall of a pub. Because there was more to James than the James she loved.
She loved showing him that she loved him.
So when five minutes later they turned up in Lily and Jocelyn's flat, kissing and practically ripping off the clothes, Lily decided she wasn't accountable for her actions when high on Pot-Potter, that is.
"Well, I assume this means that you're back together?" Jocelyn asked flatly, not bothering to look up from her magazine. "I'll make sure to alert the media."
"See you tomorrow morning, Aunt Jo," James grinned, following Lily into her room. "And thanks for keeping my Lily-Flower safe."
"I hate that nickname, James!" Lily said from inside the room.
"I know," he chuckled, closing the door.
"Those two have a lot to catch up on," Jocelyn muttered, throwing something into the fireplace. When a face appeared, she smiled. "Guess what, Miriam?"
"Yes, Jo?" Miriam asked. "Is something the matter?"
"Hardly. I live in Dublin, Ireland with Lily Evans, and have been sharing a flat with her for the past year," Jocelyn said in a single breath. "So there! And you'll never guess who's here."
"Milo my first boyfriend?" Miriam shrugged.
"No. Your son, Miriam. James. James Potter. The same James Potter that broke up with Lily last year."
Instantly, Miriam was at the flat. "Really?" she squealed. "Does that mean they're getting back together?" A thump sound came from inside Lily's room.
"You judge for yourself," Jocelyn snickered.
"They're in there?" Miriam asked.
"It would seem so," Jocelyn smiled, then winced as another thump came from the room. "Let's leave. I have no wish to listen to the rest of this."
"There we're in agreement." But she paused for a second, cocking her head to the side as she thought. "That might not mean they're together. You don't have to be committed to sleep with someone."
Jocelyn gave her a stern look. "You know how they are. Do you think that's the case?"
Miriam shrugged. "You have a point."
*~*
(-Inside the bedroom…-)
Lily giggled. "That's all right. I never liked that vase anyway." She kissed James.
"And what about that alarm clock? Did you like that?"
"Hardly."
James chuckled, kissing her neck, her ear, her face, her shoulders. "Oh, Lily… I'll never forgive you for this. A year without you-without any woman-is too much." He groaned.
"And Penny?" she laughed. "Didn't she please you?"
This time, when he groaned, it was with disgust. "My God, what a bimbo. The only reason I even went out with her was to convince Voldemort that we were over."
"You're going to explain this Voldemort thing later, right?"
"Indubitably."
"Good." She reached for his T-shirt and pulled it off of him. The expanse of chest that greeted her was top notch. "Ooh, James… I'm so glad you didn't stop working out."
He laughed hoarsely and picked her up. "Come on. We're going to the bed."
"Mr. Hasty," she chided.
"Mr. I-Need-To-Get-Some," he corrected. Once on the bed, he leaned over her and scattered feathery kisses all over her face. "Oh, Lily," he sighed. "I love you so much."
"I love you too," she whispered, her eyes watering. "You asshole! Never keep another secret from me again."
"Alright, here's a secret. I told Sirius and Remus that I had gotten laid just to shut them up," James laughed. "In reality, I was at the office that night. Interestingly enough, women haven't appealed to me for the past year."
"I hope you're not gay." She glanced at his erection. "No, most definitely not gay." She smiled up at him. "Alright, I'll confess something too. Seventeen different guys have asked me out, that guy at the pub included. I've turned down each one."
James let out a whoop of glee. "I was half-afraid that some moron would come and scoop you up off your feet."
"Yeah. You."
"Very funny."
"Shut up."
"With pleasure…"
*~*
(-In a hotel across the street from Lily and James…-)
"You three have been here for a week, and now is when you're running into Lily?" Lynn scowled. "Ingenious."
"Well, if you would recall, someone didn't tell us she was in Ireland. Why would we bother looking?" Sirius asked, glaring at Lynn. "Back off, woman."
She giggled.
"What's so funny?" he grimaced. "You're supposed to cower with fear."
"One, when have I ever cowered with fear of you? Two, this is better than porn." Lynn handed Sirius the binoculars. "You better catch a glimpse before they get naked."
"Did they just break a vase?" Sirius asked.
"Yes."
"Holy fuck. How come we don't have that much fun?"
"We break… other things."
"Such as?"
"Um. Mum's writing desk."
"Point taken."
Julie and Remus entered the room. "What are you guys up to?" she asked, eyeing Sirius, who was snickering and looking into the binoculars. "Isn't spying against the law or something?"
"Lily and James are about to get dirty in her room," Lynn smiled, conjuring another pair of binoculars for herself.
Sirius set down the binoculars, scowling. "They just had to get their clothes off immediately, right? I'll bet you it's because that prat knows we're watching and that I can't look at Lily naked. It'd be like seeing my sister shagging someone." He shivered.
Remus chuckled and flopped onto the bed. "Well, on the bright side, we have something to tease them about."
Julie looked at Lynn with disgust; she was still spying on Lily and James.
"Could you give them a little privacy, mate? It's bloody nasty what you're doing," she muttered.
Lynn stuck her tongue out at her. "For your information, I can't see any of James's body parts, and I've already seen Lily naked. So, what's the matter?"
"They're having sex."
"Yes, and beautifully so," Lynn giggled. "Ooh, James! That was splendid. Lucky girl, Lils. She gets to marry that talented man. Honestly Julie, if you could see what he's doing to her over, and over, and over, and over again…" She let out a guttural moan. "My God, Potter!"
Sirius grimaced at her. "Well, it's so nice to know that I'm a good lover, Carolyn."
Lynn snapped her head away from the binoculars and narrowed her eyes at him. "What did you call me, Sirius?"
Sirius chuckled and winked at her. "Now I know how to get your attention, Carolyn."
Lynn eyed him oddly. "Say it again," she demanded after a moment.
Julie perked up. So did Remus. Lynn had just heard someone call her by her full first name, and she hadn't completely ripped them limb from limb?
Sirius noticed too. "C-Carolyn," he stuttered.
Lynn walked over to him, dropping the binoculars on the way. "Ah, yes. Do continue." She grabbed his arm and led him to the other bedroom. "Don't stop."
Staring after their retreating backs, Remus said, "I cannot believe that just happened."
"I know," Julie gawked. "He just called her Carolyn-"
"And he's still breathing easily."
"Well, I doubt easily. From what I think they're doing…"
"I'd rather not think about that." Remus glanced up at her and smiled. "It's a miracle she didn't notice. Sirius either."
Juils smiled lovingly at him. "Lynn, through all her nosiness, didn't even bother to ask what we were doing out there. I suppose she was too busy watching the events across the alley." She glanced at the window, catching a glimpse of what she assumed was James's leg… in the air…
"Well, no matter," Remus sighed happily. He gestured for Julie to join him on the bed, and she did, burrowing into him.
She admired her newly acquired engagement ring, and smiled up at her fiancé. How long had they been going out? Since Fifth Year at Hogwarts, and that was over six years ago. Well, they'd always been very thorough…
"Who do you think will see it first?" she asked, raising the Lupin family heirloom into the air. "I mean, it's huge…"
"Bigger than Lily's," Remus boasted, kissing her forehead. "I thought you would appreciate that the most."
"And you were quite right, my dear."
"I thought I was. It was the first thing out of your mouth after you accepted my proposal."
"It's nice to know that you know me so well, Remus."
"Six years…"
"Finally is all I have to say."
He looked at her with an eyebrow raised. "You would have said yes if I had asked you earlier?"
Julie thought about that. "Well, see, I'm not too sure. We're still so young, you know. But if we had been older, yes, without a doubt." She smiled softly at him, and he returned the gesture. "Now, when are we getting married?"
"In six years."
She shoved him away from her. "I hope you're joking, because there's no way that I'm going to put up with that."
He chuckled and pulled her against him. "Of course I am. Whenever you'd like, Mrs. Lupin."
Jules made a retching noise. "No offense, but that sounds purely awful. I really hope that no one calls me that for awhile. Julie Lupin… It's acceptable, at most."
He nipped her nose lightly. "You'll like that name, and you'll like it a lot. Understood?"
"Yes, Father," she giggled, turning and half-climbing on top of him. "I love it."
"That's what I wanted to hear."
*~*
(-In the next room, an hour later…-)
"Julie and Remus are so funny," Lynn said dreamily, still in a half-trance.
Sirius looked at her lazily. "What the bloody hell are you talking about?" he asked, kissing her bare shoulder. "And why are you thinking of our mates after sleeping with me?" He frowned.
She smiled and pinched his cheek playfully. "They think I didn't notice that whopper of a ring on her left ring finger." She shook her head, a little hard to do since Sirius was sort of on top of her. With a sensual chuckle, she added, "And I'm thinking of them because I do believe they're the source of those pleasurable sounds coming from the other room."
Sirius listened, and when her thought was confirmed by a female groan, followed by a male one, he laughed alongside her.
"You saw it too, then?" he asked her. "I say, isn't-wasn't-that Remus' mum's ring?"
Lynn nodded. "Yes. I remember thinking it must have cost more than my house and yours put together."
"You haven't seen my parents' house. I honestly doubt anything is worth more than that pile of greedy crap," Sirius muttered.
"It's not my fault I haven't seen it," Lynn argued.
"Not mine either."
"I think you're overreacting about that fight you guys had in Sixth Year," she sighed. "Sirius, baby, they're your parents."
"They're the devil incarnate."
"You're miserable."
"Not nearly."
"Fine. But don't expect me to think they're as awful as you and James claim. The two of you tend to exaggerate. I refuse to judge them."
"Do whatever you'd like, but we're not exaggerating. If anything, we're not being harsh enough…"
She frowned at him. "Impossible human."
"Stubborn female."
"Maddening homo sapien."
"Beautiful goddess."
"Sexy baby."
"Grr."
Lynn giggled, and growled back at him. "I guess I should get lively now, seeing as you're hard as a rock."
"How crude, Carolyn."
She moaned and kissed him. "You're the only one who's ever called me that and lived to do it again. God bless you, sir."
*~*
A/N: Had time today, so I'm posting. Actually, I'd fixed this last night, which is why I have it today, lol. Um… I don't think I'm posting next week at all, am going on hiatus. To nowhere in particular, but I just need a break. Spanks.
Much love to everyone and a Merry Christmas!!
NKA
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