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Alright, Evans?


The program ended and the credits were rolling and James drew his wand and turned the volume down as Lily shifted beneath his arm… he lowered his arm from her shoulder, sheepish now that the moment was over. She stretched and turned to face him, one leg on the floor and the other folded beneath her. “That was really good,” she said.

“Yeah, excellent program,” James nodded, “The Doctor never ceases to be bloody amazing.” He smiled, “Always saving the day just in time! Amazing everyone…”

“Sounds rather familiar,” Lily murmured.

James’s eyes met hers.

He shifted and turned to face her the same as she was doing and he braced himself on the couch. “I’m glad you liked the program. And the omelettes. I have a confession, Evans.”

“A confession?”

“I’d never made an omelette in my life ‘til last night.”

Lily laughed. “You did very well.”

“Thank you.” He smiled at her, his eyes dancing with the nerves and excitement coursing through him.

“No, thank you,” Lily said, “This morning was really great, I had a lot of fun.”

“Me, too.” He hesitated, then, “Perhaps… perhaps we could do it again… sometime?”

Lily smiled, “I’d like that.”

James smiled, “Really?”

“Yes. Quite a lot.”

He felt like his heart might beat it’s way right out of his chest. His palms were sweating. “I’d like it quite a lot too…” he said lowly.

His voice was incredibly sexy all low and manly sounding like that, Lily thought and she shivered at the sound of it.

They stared into one another’s eyes.

Then - slowly - tentative - James leaned forward, his hand hesitating over her hip. She put her hand over his, bringing his palm down to her side. His fingers were long and his palm wide and he pulled her close by hooking his fingers ‘round her, so that she was mere centimeters apart from him and he brought his face into hers, one hand gently cupping her cheek, his thumb running over the softness of her skin. And just like that he was so close he was all she could see and her eyes were directly looking into his and she instinctively licked her lips.

“Alright, Evans?” he whispered.

“Yes,” she whispered back.

He pressed his lips to hers - just barely at first, the atoms of their skin cells tingling off each other, a breath could not have fit between them, and Lily felt James’s jaw tremble with anticipation and perhaps just the teensiest bit of fear… He slid his palm back, over her cheek, into her hair and he cupped her head, bracing her, as he pushed his mouth a bit more into hers and their lips parted and moved against one another, warm and wet… the flavor of each other filling each of their senses.

James lost all conscious thought.

Lily thought that perhaps Severus Snape and Jasper Odair had been poor kisses because this was so much more than their kisses had ever been. It was soft and smooth and James’s lips were so much more delicious than she’d ever expected. She felt like crying.

He shifted his weight and came a bit closer, tilting his head to press their lips even more together, his breath brushing her cheek as he breathed through his nose. She gasped as he softly sucked on her lower lip, she could feel his teeth ever so slightly run across the skin as he held it for a moment, then released it and she tingled as she pressed her mouth to his all the more…

All this time she’d been missing this?

All this time - years - they could’ve been kissing like this?

Why the bloody hell had she put him off so long?

Was she mad?

He drew back after a few moments, breathless, and stared into her eyes. “Alright Evans?” he whispered again.

“Yes,” she panted.

“Yeah?”

“Kiss me again, Potter,” she demanded.

So he did. He brought his mouth back to hers and she put her hands up in his hair and ran her fingers through it, messing it up like he always did - and he brought his hands to her back, his palms splayed over her spine. The telly was playing the theme song for a game show, happy plinky-plonky music filled the room and the host was talking about scoring and Lily’s breath was gone and she pulled away to catch it, staring into his eyes.

He had tears in them.

She reached up and swept them off with her thumbs. “Alright, Potter?”

He laughed, “Yes,” he said.

And he started to lean in again...

There was a crash upstairs.

He looked up.

“What was that?” Lily asked.

“Bubo maybe?” James murmured.

He started to go back to kissing her… when there was another crash. A very loud one. Like an explosion.

They both stood up quickly, pulling their wands from their pockets. They hurried from the living room, leaving their empty plates and cups and the cup with the pretty flowers there on the coffee table, the plinky-plonky music from the game show still drifting through the living room… Both Lily and James stepped into the hallway and James barrelled up the stairs ahead of her, though Lily was only a couple steps behind.

There was a cackling laughter - a roaring sound - and he saw his bedroom door was open wide and there was a flickering green light coming from within it and he ran to the door frame and inside, standing on his bed, stood Bellatrix Lestrange, her hair wild and eyes brightly glowing. Bubo’s cage was indeed knocked onto it’s side. Feathers were everywhere, spilled from the cage - he prayed it was only from the cage, that is - as green flames fed on his furniture, consuming his books, his desk, his wardrobe, everything, like a great green snake of fire, burning, roaring as the flames flickered and Bellatrix laughed and clapped, dancing and bouncing upon the mattress.

“Hullo poppets,” the voice came from behind them and Lily shrieked as she turned around in surprise - Rudolphus Lestrange stood behind her and he raised his wand. “Avada---”

ANATICULA!” James shouted and Rudolphus once again fell victim to the ducks falling from his wand. James grabbed onto Lily’s arm and pushed her down the hallway, “Go, Evans. Run. I’ll hold them off.”

James stood in the hallway and waved for her to go and he blocked the stairs, “Stupefy!” he shouted as Bellatrix came into the hallway, but she waved her wand, blocking the spell, sending it into the wall, and the plaster exploded, bits of it flying through the air like a little firework.

Expelliarmus!” Lily cried, reaching over his shoulder.

“Evans!” he said, “I said run!”

“I’m not leaving you!” she answered.

Ducks were filling the hallway as Rudolphus shouted curses, squawking and spraying even more feathers about.

Bellatrix waved her wand, “Feindfyre!” she shouted and more of the green fire snakes poured from her wand, blazing white-hot and exploding down the hall, long and thick as basilisks. They roared and fire spread up the walls and into the rooms and James turned and grabbed onto Lily and they bolted for the stairs, him pushing her ahead of him, blocking her as best he could as Rudolphus continued to scream ducked-up killing curses.

Trudo!” Bellatrix cried and the pair of them toppled forward on the stairs, tumbling down them, James only just managing to keep himself from falling on Lily and crushing her as she shrieked in pain from the fall.

In pain himself, James gripped his ribs and rolled onto his back, lashing his wand, “STUPEFY! EXPELLIARMUS!” But Bellatrix was faster, flicking away the spells in tiny fireworks against the ceiling and walls. She aimed for Lily. “CRUCIO!” she shrieked.

PROTEGO!” James cried, blocking the spell.

Rudolphus was coming up behind her, and the ducks were getting wispier, which meant the spell was about to wear off and James struggled to hold his shield charm and pulled Lily to her feet as Bellatrix unleashed even more of the great fire snakes. The house was blazing - the heat excruciating, like being in a furnace, and James felt sweat pouring over his face and his shirt stuck to his chest as he pushed Lily toward the front door, smoke filling the rooms. “Go! Evans, go! Run! Get the car! Turn the car on!”

She ran for the car.

James turned about, “EXPULSO!” James aimed for the staircase and - with a great ba-boom! - the whole case exploded beneath the Lestranges and they fell through with the broken wood and fire, down into the basement below and James ran for the door, his heart in his throat as the family photos curled in the fire and the smoke filled every crevice, as the house shook and shivered, consumed by flames as green as snakes… He dove outside, racing across the lawn… “Go, go, go, go, go!” he cried at Lily, “Go!” And she backed out of the driveway, flooring the gas as hard as she could, the Morris Mini’s tires squealing on the pavement, an screeching to a halt when they’d got to the road…

James leaped into the car.

Rudolphus was emerging from the dust and fire as the house was quivering, on the edge of falling in… Bellatrix behind him… and he saw the little red car and he waved his wand, “Expulso!” he tried, but he missed, the Morris Mini speeding down the road, the pedal pressed flat to the floor, Lily Evans hands shaking on the wheel…

James looked back.

The house was falling.

His home was gone.