She closed the oven with a flourish and turned to peak out of the doorway that led to the main shop. She smiled seeing her little boy taking customer orders — he worked the til better than her sixteen year old employee and he was only five. At any rate, the customers simply adored him and often preferred to have simple orders taken by the little boy. He handed over a box of cupcakes to a woman Lily knew back from school (though the two were never close) "Bye bye, Miss Mary!", and then he picked up his pencil and started colouring again.

"Harry! Mummy's just going upstairs to grab some things. Shout out if you need me!"

Not wasting any time, she quickly went up the stairs, two at a time, and unlocked her storeroom. She didn't like leaving Harry at the front on his own, but she'd only be a couple minutes. She cursed Sara for being late. Again. She quickly pulled a milk crate out and started piling in ingredients; three bags of flour, two tins of chocolate cocoa, a bottle of vanilla essence and two bags of brown sugar. She heaved it up and made her way back downstairs, making sure to lock the storeroom again. Her ears pricked up at the sound of a loud, mean sounding voice as she was halfway down the stairs.

"I want to speak to an adult!" the man demanded.

"Mummy will be back in a minute," she heard Harry say but his voice sounded small.

"Go get her! Now!"

"I'm not supposed to leave the front," he mumbled and Lily hit the bottom stair. She dumped the crate on the bench and started making her way out but the timer went off. Cursing she started for the oven.

"Didn't you hear me, boy?" the man barked. "Now!" he demanded. Fury built up in Lily. How dare he talk to her son like that? And she banged the tray of muffins onto the counter before storming out.

"How dare you speak to my son like that?" she spat as another customer said, "Woah, leave him alone! Can't you see he's just a kid? I'm sure the owner will be out in a moment."

"Mama!" Harry jumped up and clung to her leg and she ruffled his messy black hair.

"What kind of establishment do you think you're running? Leaving a child to man the store whilst you're off god knows where!"

Lily glared at the man. "I was in the stockroom grabbing supplies. Was there a problem?" Lily said coolly. If he expected her to be polite after the way he'd spoken to her son, he had another thing coming.

"I want a blueberry muffin," he said throwing a five pound bill onto the counter.

"Mama, we don't have any blueberry left. Mrs Tabby came in this morning and bought them all. I told him that but he wouldn't listen."

"You're quite right, Harry," Lily said despite the fact that she had just pulled out a tray of blueberry muffins a minute ago, "We are out of blueberry muffins."

Harry poked his tongue out at the man and Lily saw the other customers smirk.

"This is ridiculous. How can a bakery be out of blueberry muffins?" he huffed.

"I am only one person and as you see, I offer a variety of cakes and breads, not just muffins. I suggest apple crumble or the raspberry."

Lily grudgingly served the customer a raspberry muffin to go and picked Harry up once the man had left. "You okay, love?" Harry nodded and Lily turned her attention back to her customers. She was now met with the man who had defended Harry and she smiled sheepishly. "Thank you, for stepping in."

"Not at all," he smiled. Getting over her embarrassment (for she had nothing to be embarrassed about), she looked at him properly. He had a hurricane of hair on his head and round glasses with a black rim sat in front of happy hazel eyes.

"What can I get for you today?"

"Er, well actually I wanted a blueberry muffin but seeing as you don't-"

"We do," Lily assured him. "Fresh out of the oven."

The man smirked. "I wouldn't have given them to him either."

"Yes, well, he was quite rude." To my son!

"He was," the man agreed. "I'll take four blueberry muffins then, if you've got them."

"We do," Lily assured him again, she started pressing numbers on the till, "Four?"

"Mmmhmm. I own the coffee shop next door," a hint of pride in his voice. "I managed to straggle my three mates into helping me out this morning. Thought I'd give them a treat."

"You don't sell cakes?" Lily asked raising an eyebrow. "That's 18 quid, please."

"Er, well that's the other reason why I stopped by today." Lily looked at him questioningly. "Wanted to see if your cakes were any good and if we could strike up a business arrangement."

That definitely got Lily's attention. She put Harry down. She'd never had another business interested in selling her cakes. "Oh?"

"Yeah just an assortment of things, every morning. Muffins, cookies and the like. You know, coffee shop stuff," he shrugged.

"Well in that case, Harry, why don't you prepare Mr …"

"Potter but you can call me James."

"Harry, why don't you prepare James a box of all your favourites and I'll get the muffins," she smiled. He handed her the eighteen pounds for the muffins and she deposited it into the till before going back into the kitchen to bring out the tray of fresh muffins.

"How much for the extra stuff?" he asked.

"Don't be ridiculous," Lily waved off, "Consider it a welcome to the street gift. I was meant to send one over yesterday but I was unexpectedly short staffed at the last moment and couldn't grab a spare moment to come over."

"Are you sure? Those look delicious," he said. She looked over where Harry was using tongs to carefully grab different cakes and breads.

"I'm sure," Lily smiled. "So what made you move to Nottinghill?"

"How do you know I'm not from here?"

"Your accent. Definitely a Londoner."

"Got me," he grinned and then he shrugged. "My mate, Sirius was moving up to open a bar so I decided to move with him and then one day I drove past this street, saw the empty vacancy and I just knew I had to open a coffee shop."

Lily smiled, "Just like that?"

"Just like that," James agreed. "What about you? You've got a pretty nice set up here."

"It was slow in the beginning but I got there eventually. Harry's older now, so it's easier. When he was a baby I only opened four days a week but now it's seven and I can afford two casual employees." Lily shrugged. "It's a nice spot." It struck Lily that she hadn't introduced herself yet. "I'm Lily Evans, by the way and my son, Harry."

Harry tugged on his mum's apron, holding up the box. "All done!" he grinned.

"Good job," Lily gave him a high-five. She grabbed the two boxes and placed them into a bag and turned back to James, who looked at Harry adoringly. "It was nice to meet you, James."

"You too, Lily," he smiled and Lily smiled back. "I, er, better get going before they start demanding over time."

Lily chuckled. "See you later."

"Bye," he said and he walked out.

"I liked him, mama."

"He was very nice, wasn't he?" Lily mused, not to mention good looking. Harry agreed. "Okay, so what's next on the list?" Lily piped and Harry grabbed the clipboard under the counter and slowly started reading off the orders that needed to be made for this afternoon.

Lily was pleasantly surprised when Sara walked in — two and a half hours late. "Traffic, was there?" Lily called out as Sara put on her apron. She didn't get a reply but Harry did come and help her in the kitchen now since Sara was at the front. Lily was even more pleasantly surprised when James made a return at around lunch time.

"May I speak to Lily, please?" she heard him ask Sara.

"Evans!" she shouted and Lily rolled her eyes.

"Don't touch anything you're not supposed to," Lily warned Harry, wiping her hands on her apron as she stepped out. "James," she greeted.

"Prongs, I'm telling you play it cool," a black haired man whispered next to him and Lily quirked an eyebrow.

"Shut it, Pads," James muttered. "Lily. About that business offer," he said, "We loved your cakes."

Lily smiled, "Glad to hear it. Do you want to come to my office?"

"That'd be great. Sirius, will you go back next door? Peter can't make coffee to save his life and Moony is only slightly better."

"What if she rips you off?" Sirius said suspiciously and James glared at him.

"I'm a big boy, Padfoot."

"Then why are you paying twenty cents extra per coffee bag?"

"Because they're a better brand," James said calmly, like he'd explained it a thousand times.

"That doesn't explain why the coffees aren't twenty cents more expensive."

"Sirius, I say this in a loving way but please for the love of god, get the fuck out."

Sirius huffed and threw up his hands and stormed out muttering to himself and James sighed, turning back to Lily. "Sorry about him. He's got a flare for the dramatics."

"It's okay," Lily smiled, "Come on around."

Lily waited for James to come behind the counter and then led him through the kitchen. She told Harry to stay up front with Sara as they passed through and went up the stairs. She unlocked her office and flicked the lights on. It wasn't much, just a desk with a computer and two chairs, a couch against the wall.

"Er, please, sit." James sat on the chair as she sat in hers on the other side of the desk. "So what would you be wanting every day?"

"Hmm?"

"For the order," Lily clarified.

"Oh, yes. That. Er, well like I said before, an assortment of things. Banana bread, muffins, cookies — you know those pastry cone things with the chocolate mousse inside-"

"Cannoli."

"Yes, those! They were absolutely delightful! And the chocolate bread thing."

"Hot cross bun," Lily supplied, amused.

"Yes! Amazing just everything," James admitted.

Lily smiled, "Well, thank you. Look how about I start off with a few things, we'll experiment and see what works well at the cafe and then we'll strike up a deal, say in two weeks where we'll have a better idea about numbers and variety?"

James grinned, "That'd be fantastic."

So every morning Lily found herself sending Harry over with a large box of assorted breads and cakes with a receipt and Harry would come back with the money in an envelope and a coffee and a hot chocolate. Despite the promise to strike up a more formal deal after two weeks, neither seemed bothered by the way things were going and so it continued in the same way. James and Lily hadn't seen each other in almost a month — both of them too busy to pop over — and so it was with apprehension that Lily entered the coffee shop one Tuesday morning.

The coffee shop was nice. It had a rustic vibe with hardwood floors that hadn't been polished and steel beams that ran overhead. At the back there was a stairwell that led to a loft where some tables and a lounge sat. The kitchens could be seen right down the back through a large open window, underneath the loft and to the left was the bar where she saw James making coffee orders. She glanced around. About five tables were occupied but most of them already had coffee cups out. That made her feel better for what she was about to ask.

She stepped up to the counter. "Hello, James."

He spun around and grinned, "Hullo, Lily. Come in for a another coffee?"

"Er, no — I need a favour actually. Sara quit and something happened with my couriers truck so I won't be getting a delivery today and I'm short on a few things but I can't close up shop and I called Mary but she can't get in til later and could you mind the shop while I step out for twenty minutes just to grab some things from the grocers? Harry's there and he can show you how to work the til, really you're mostly babysitting Harry," she rambled, "And even Sara can do that. I mean I completely understand if you can't step away but it's just Mrs Miller will be coming in at noon to pick up a birthday cake for her grandson but I don't have eggs or milk and I ran out of baking powder and-"

"I'll do it," James smiled though Lily was sure he'd only agreed to get her to shut up but on the contrary, James thought her rambling was adorable.

She sighed in relief, "Are you sure?"

"Positive," he turned to the other man behind the bar. Lily recognised him as Sirius. "Sirius, I'm popping next door for a half hour."

"I want overtime," he demanded though Lily could tell he was joking.

"Sure and I demand triple time when you leave me to clean up your bar whilst you go shag some bird in the bathroom."

"Not in front of the lady, Prongs," Sirius said charmingly.

Lily put her hands up, "I'm no stranger to a shag in a pub bathroom. I have a son to prove it."

"I like her," Sirius decided. "Sirius Black."

"Lily Evans," she replied before turning to James. "Five year old manning a bakery," she pointed out.

"Right. I'll be back."

They walked back over to the bakery where Harry was counting the change for a man and Lily walked right on through to the back, beckoning James to follow. He did. She walked through taking off her apron, revealing to James her thin frame.

"So like I said, Harry will walk you through how to use the till but if you get really stuck on something, my phone number is on the business cards by the register — again Harry'll show you. Uh, and in ten minutes the spanikopita will be ready to take out of the oven," Lily pointed to the first oven. "The timer will go off. Just take them out and leave the tray on the stove and turn the oven off. Umm," she said trying to think, "Ah! Mrs Skeeter comes in every Tuesday morning to pick up a box of cookies. She always tries to worm the price down — don't. And the her box is just over there," Lily said pointing to a counter under the window where a few boxes sat, "It'll have her name on it." Lily grabbed her bag and keys. "You're brilliant for doing this, you know."

James shrugged, "Just being neighbourly."

The next day, Lily took twenty percent off the goods she sent over with a note saying, "Just being neighbourly." Then James popped in at lunch with two plates of food — a burger and chips for Lily and a cheese burger and chips for Harry. When Lily closed at five, she popped over with Harry in tow and returned the plates. She ended up sitting on one of the stools at the bar talking with James and Sirius whilst Harry coloured.

"So what'll you be having then?" Sirius asked Harry.

Harry looked up to consider and then turned to his mum. "Mama, can I have a thickshake. Please, please, please!"

Lily frowned and turned to Sirius, "Go easy on the ice cream and a small one, please."

Sirius saluted, "Wanna help me make it?" Harry's face lit up.

"Go on," Lily encouraged and Harry scrambled off his stool and dashed off into the bar.

"Harry's a pretty cool kid," James mused as he placed a handle into the coffee machine.

"He turned out okay," Lily smiled. "Considering."

"What? That you're young?"

Lily smiled again. "Everyone thought I was crazy. My sister actually stopped talking to me. She couldn't bear it. A baby out of wedlock — oh the horror. Marlene — she's been my best friend since kindy she stuck by me though. We actually live together now and she helps out as much as she can but mostly I'm doing this on my own."

"What about the dad?"

"Have you seen one around?" Lily asked, perhaps a little bitterly.

"Wanker."

Lily snorted, "It was one stupid night. Just a typical one night stand. I fell pregnant. I called him when I found out. I said that I'm keeping the baby and that he was more than welcome to be in the baby's life but he doesn't want a bar of it. So it's just me and Harry … and Marlene."

Lily watched as Harry helped Sirius scoop up the ice cream and put it in a plastic take away cup.

"How come I've never run into this friend of yours?"

"She works full time at a publishing firm. But what about you? Mr I opened a cafe on a mere whim. A successful one at that," Lily praised, gesturing to all the full tables.

James shrugged. "My folks died two years ago leaving me a shit tonne of money and it's just been sitting in the bank. I'd been waiting to find something to spend it on. I helped fund Pad's bar and then I saw this and ta-da. What about your parents?"

"Died long before Harry came along," Lily said sadly. "They'd hate to see what me and my sister have become. She lives in Surrey with her obese husband now."

"They'd be proud though, of what you've accomplished. Best baker in Nottinghill, I'd say."

"Liar," Lily accused though she grinned. "So Sirius owns a bar?"

"Yeah, it's two blocks down. Once we lock up, we'll head there. Remus and Peter manage the bar during the day and then Sirius and I take over at night."

Lily was surprised. "So you go from work to work?"

James shrugged, "It's not work if you like it and what else have I got to do? Besides it's good money."

Lily smiled. "Mama!" Harry called, "Look I made it all on my own!"

"That's wonderful, love," Lily grinned as Harry slurped at it. "Well, I daresay Harry and I have distracted the two of you long enough. Come on, Harry. Time to go home. Aunt Marly will be worried about us."

"Auntie Marly!" Harry shouted excitedly and turned to Sirius, "Auntie Marly's the best," and then he loudly whispered, "She sneaks me chocolate before bed but shh, mama's not supposed to know."

Sirius grinned and Lily frowned. "I'll be having to have a talk with Marlene." James laughed. "Thanks for lunch and the thickshake. I'll send Harry over with cakes in the morning as usual."

"Not a problem," James grinned.

And so that was the new routine every day. Harry would drop off the cakes and come back with drinks, James would drop off two plates of food for lunch. Lily and Harry would return the plates after five where they'd sit at the bar for a half hour chatting. Sometimes Sirius was there, sometimes he wasn't but James always was.

Lily and Harry stumbled into the small house they shared with Marlene just after six one night, having stayed longer than expected at James' cafe and whilst Lily and Marlene made dinner together, Lily could tell something was bothering her. She waited until Harry was in bed until she asked.

"Marls, what's wrong? Something's up."

"Riddle's bumped up the rent."

Lily groaned. "How much?"

"More than we can afford. I mean I can start working weekends to cover my half but you already work seven days a week."

A conversation Lily had with James popped into mind.

So you go from work to work?

It's not work if you like it and what else have I got to do? Besides it's good money.

Would Sirius even need anyone working at his bar though? Lily stood up and went to her bedroom.

"Lily?" Marlene called as Lily slipped on a white shirt and pulled on her blue jeans that were ripped at the knees.

"I've an idea. I'm stepping out for a bit!" She tugged on her black boots — the one with the heel.

"Where?"

"I'll be back in an hour — two at the most!" She grabbed her bag and keys. "If Harry wakes, call me." And Lily was out the door.

She parked in front of the bar and stepped out of her car. It looked pretty packed but she steeled herself and pushed her way through the crowd until she reached the bar.

"What can I get for you?" Sirius asked in a bored voice, not realising it was Lily.

"A job, maybe?" Lily asked hopefully.

"What — Hey! Lily! I didn't recognise you in a white shirt." Lily snorted. "And you already have a job."

"I need money, Sirius. The bakery is doing well but I can't raise my salary without cutting something else out. I can't afford to cut something else out."

"So you want to work, here?"

"Yes."

Sirius shrugged. "Okay, when do you want to start?"

"Wait, seriously? Just like that?"

"Sure. I was looking for someone anyways. Though I will have to draw the line at you bringing your kid to work. Not very appropriate for a bar."

"Obviously. Marlene'll be able to watch him. So what days would you want me?"

"Mondays to Wednesdays are typically slow. Maybe Thursday and Friday nights? Though at the beginning you'll start out on Mondays or Tuesdays just to learn the ropes."

Lily grinned. "This is perfect, Sirius. Thank you."

"Not a problem," he said in a way that was typical of James. "Want anything?"

"Ahh, I shouldn't. James here though?"

"Yeah, go on out back," Sirius gestured to a corridor off the side. "Second door on the right."

Lily nodded and bade farewell to Sirius as she made her way to the back. She knocked on the door and stepped in.

"All right, so the last two weeks we've run out of tequila by Thursday night so I'm thinking we should — and you're not Sirius. Lily! What are you doing here?"

"Evidently, I just got employed."

"Here?"

"Mmmhmm."

"Why?"

"Landlord upped the rent. Need more money. If I work two or three nights a week, it should cover it."

"Ah well, that's good — not that your landlord upped the rent that Sirius finally got another employee. He's been looking for two weeks."

Lily sat down. "And no one applied?"

"Oh we've interviewed about a dozen people but none of them were quite right." James shrugged.

"But I was?" Lily teased and James flushed.

"Yeah, well you're pretty fantastic."

It was Lily's turn to blush. "I should go. Marlene's on Harry duty."

"He's still awake? It's almost ten."

"Well, he's asleep but-"

"He won't notice you gone then. Have a drink with me?"

He grinned charmingly at her and Lily felt her resolve disappear. "One drink."

Three drinks later, Lily and James were in a heated darts battle. Lily waved her hands in the air as she won yet another round. "Ha!"

"You know, Prongs, this is just pathetic," Sirius commented coming by to drop off another round of drinks. "She's beat you four times!"

"Because I'm the best!"

"Are not," James denied.

"And yet you're the one still paying for drinks," Lily pointed out.

"Shut up, you. Another round," he demanded.

"Don't worry, Evans if he wins it's on the house," Sirius winked and Lily laughed appreciatively.

"Thanks Black."

Lily watched as James threw the darts at the board and winced as one hit the wall.

"And you are terrible!" Lily laughed going up to him, "You're throwing it all wrong." She used her hands to re-position his arm and she blushed when she realised how close they were. "There," she said softly.

"Thanks, love." He pulled his arm back and pushed the dart forward it soared through the air and whilst it didn't hit the target, it hit the board at least.

"There we go," Lily smiled stepping back and grabbing her drink. "You just need to practice a little and then maybe you'll give me a bit of a challenge."

James frowned, "That was hurtful." Lily shrugged.

"Whatcha gonna do about it?" She sipped at her drink.

James sighed. "I will practice every night until I beat you."

"Sure sure," Lily patronised. "Just like you promised one drink."

James held up a finger, "Now, technically, you said you were only staying for one drink. I made no such promises."

They both fell onto the small lounge that was there and James put his arm around her. "That's true but you're a bad influence, Potter."

"Hey, I just wanted to win at darts."

Lily snorted, "We'll be here all night." She hummed, "You know, I haven't had a night out since Harry."

"That is honestly tragic, Evans. That's it, clear a night. I will take you out and it will be the best night of your life!"

Lily looked at him with big green eyes, "Do you mean it?"

James nodded. "Of course, love, just tell me when and I'm yours." Lily rested her head on his shoulder.

"I'm glad you opened a coffee shop on a mere whim," she said.

"I'm glad I opened a coffee shop next to the pretty red head's bakery."

James ended up carrying Lily into her house at one in the morning where he met an exasperated Marlene McKinnon.

"James Potter," he introduced.

"Marlene McKinnon. Lily," she grumbled.

"Mmm?"

"What happened?"

"I got a job," Lily mumbled.

"What every time you take a shot someone gives you five dollars?" Marlene snorted.

"Er, at a bar. My mate's bar actually," James supplied. "She said the landlord upped your rent and that she needed a job."

"Oh." Marlene paused. "Why's she drunk then?"

James placed Lily on the couch and pulled the throw blanket over her. "Er, probably my fault. I didn't know she was such a lightweight."

Marlene snorted, "She likes to pretend she isn't."

"I realised too late. We were matching drink for drink and then after the fourth drink she passed out."

"She usually holds out til eight," Marlene frowned.

"Double shots."

"Ahh."

"Yeah. I would've brought her back sooner but I was still technically working and we just closed up half an hour ago."

Marlene nodded as she pulled off Lily's boots, setting them next to the couch.

"I parked her car out front and here are her keys." James handed them over. "Nice to meet you."

"Wait if you drove her car back, how're you getting home?"

"My mate followed with my car."

"All right then. Thanks for bringing her even if you did get her drunk."

"Accidentally," he quipped, glancing at Lily who had curled up under the throw. James smiled, "She's a right whizz at darts though. Well, goodbye McKinnon."

"Bye Potter."

James walked back to the bar where Sirius was refilling the fridges.

"She get in okay?"

"Yeah. I'm going up."

Sirius nodded and James went up. He stripped down to his boxers and climbed into bed, still thinking of a certain red head and wondering if she'd actually take him up on the night out. He hoped she did. She was insanely sexy and kind and just everything he could ever want in a woman.

Lily started at the pub the next Tuesday night. She wore ripped jeans, a black shirt and boots and by the time her shift ended she was all but dead on her feet. She refused to complain (out loud) because the extra job was saving her from being kicked out of her house. They had just finished cleaning up when James sat next to her at the bar.

"So what'd you think?"

Lily smiled, because despite her aching feet and drowsy eyes, "I had a good time."

His eyes crinkled. "So tomorrow night you'll be working with Remus and Peter. Sirius and I'll probably stop by. We can never seem to help ourselves."

Lily understood perfectly. If she weren't working seven days a week at the bakery, she knew she wouldn't be able to stay away on her days off. "Well, either way … I'll see you tomorrow."

James stood up, "Come on," he said holding out his hand. "I'll walk you to your car." She grabbed his hand and they shouted out a farewell to Sirius who was doing something in the office and headed out.

"You know," Lily started, "I think it's unfair that you know where I live and I don't know where you live."

"Oh, well I live with the boys above the pub."

Lily couldn't help herself. She giggled. "Seriously?"

"Yes," James frowned. "We bought the entire building and downstairs we kept as a pub and the upper two levels are an apartment."

He really wasn't joking when he said his parents left him a shit tonne of money, Lily realised, if he bought an entire building. She'd bet he even owned the coffee shop. Not renting like she was. One day, she thought longingly. "Sounds lovely," Lily smiled as they reached her car, she unlocked it and James opened the door for her. "So you said you ran out of cakes by midday, did you want me to put extra pieces in tomorrow's?"

It was a mundane topic. Boring even. But talking to James was nice and easy even if it was about work and Lily didn't want to sit in her car and think about how tired she was or how she'd have to get up at four.

"Uh, yeah might be a good idea," James agreed.

"Soon the box will be too big for Harry," Lily mused.

"I hope. It means I'll keep getting busier."

Lily grinned, "Greedy! You're cafe is already doing so well. Packed pretty much every night."

"Yeah, I was thinking of extending my hours til ten or eleven so people can come for dinner. The customers always seem upset that I rush them out at six."

"You'd have to hire."

"I know. I'm just running numbers with Remus at the moment — he's an accountant when he's not bartending. But if things keep going the way they're going, I'll be able to cope with the extra cost not to mention the extra revenue from being open extra. I don't know," James shrugged. "I might just trial it for Friday and Saturday nights and if that goes well I'll consider doing it all week."

"That's smart," Lily agreed. "I better get going."

"Harry waiting up for you?"

"He'll be in trouble if he is. It's," Lily checked her watch, "five hours past his bed time."

"Marlene then?"

"Nah, she has work tomorrow. I'll see you tomorrow, Potter." She waved at him before getting into her car feeling self-conscious as he stood on the footpath with his hands in his pockets as she started her car. It was an old thing and she'd only bought it for a few thousand but it worked. James watched as she drove off.

The next few weeks followed the same routine. Lily would work at the pub on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday nights, until usually midnight, but sometimes it was one which was enough that she could pay the rent and put a little bit aside for saving so apart from the exhaustion, she saw it as a major plus. Sometimes, she picked up an extra shift if they needed her or if she felt she was a bit tight on money for the week. She met Remus and Peter and decided they were all right. No James and Sirius but decent guys. Remus was the intellectual sort and Peter was the bumbling sort and his skill at making a fire shot amazed Lily.

It was a Saturday night when they finished up at 1:30.

"All right, I'm off," she called, slipping her bag onto her shoulder and fishing for her keys.

"You should stay for pizza," Remus suggested.

"Yes, you know what they say," Sirius chimed, "Don't starve and drive."

"Oh, I should go, I've to be up soon." Two and a half hours.

"Come on," James begged, "Pizza will be here in a minute and you can have a slice and go. Our way for apologising for the extra late night."

Lily bit her lip. "All right." She settled herself on a bar stool and rested her cheek on the table and Sirius did the same, facing her so their faces were mere inches apart.

"All right, Evans?" he asked.

"Just tired."

"You know you can leave at whatever time you want after eleven. I know you've got Harry and the bakery. You don't have to stay to close every night."

Lily shrugged. Going home a little earlier would be nice but it was a nicety she couldn't yet afford. "I don't mind. If I were at home I'd just be watching cartoons with Harry or cooking dinner or taking him to the park."

"If you were at home," Sirius corrected, "You'd be having some time to yourself."

The pizza came and Lily ate a slice and then drove home, she thinks she fell asleep at the wheel at one stage but she brushed it off and it was out of her mind the moment her head hit her pillow — she hadn't even bothered to change.

She cursed the alarm when it blared at four a.m. She flung a hand out to shut it off and rolled out of bed. She stumbled to the bathroom where she jumped into the cold shower to wake herself up and to get the smell of alcohol off her. As she brushed her teeth, she woke Harry up who started getting ready too. By four thirty, they were in the car on the way to the bakery. When Lily parked, she carried Harry in and took him up to her office where she laid him down on the small, old couch and let him sleep as she fussed about in the kitchen. She started with the breads as usual and then whilst she left the dough to rise on some, started some muffins. Harry wondered down at seven thirty and Lily let him pick something out to eat and he munched happily as he spooned cupcake batter into the tray. At eight, help arrived in the form of Lily's other (more reliable) employee, Mary. Mary opened the register and the doors and then she started on the pastries. At a quarter past eight, Lily sent Harry over to Potter's Box with a box of cakes and breads and Harry came back with warm, caffeinated beverages much to Lily's delight. At nine, they opened.

Mary took care of the customers whilst Lily stayed in the kitchen, baking away. James stopped by with food at noon and Lily ate as she mixed a batter for a baby shower cake. At two, Mary left and it was just Harry and Lily but Lily was happy. She'd finished all the baking for the day and she finally took a moment to sit.

"Mama, come look at my drawing!" Harry shouted and Lily stood up and swayed. She squeezed her eyes shut and then opened them again, white light blinding her.

"Harry," she said weakly.

"Mama," Harry said but it was more like a question.

Harry watched as his mum's eyes rolled back into her head and she collapsed landing on her back.

"MAMA!" Harry shouted running over to her. "Mama!" he patted her face. "Mama, wake up!"

But Lily was gone to the world. Unaware that her son was desperately calling to her.

"Mama! Mama!" he tried again, "Mama! Stay here, I go get help!"

Harry ran out of the shop and shyly entered Potter's Box, searching for James and Sirius. James smiled at him from over the counter.

"Hiya, little man! Does your mama want a coffee?"

"Mama, won't wake up," Harry said in a small voice and James' smile faded.

"What?"

"She fell."

James jumped over the counter and grabbed Harry before running over to Bread and Cakes. It took a moment for James to find her but she lay on the floor in the kitchen, white as a sheet and on her back. James knelt next to her and he almost laughed in relief at seeing her chest rising and falling.

"Harry, get the phone."

Harry scrambled up onto his chair and grabbed the phone before jumping off and handing it to James. James took the phone immediately.

"Hello, 9-1-1, what's your emergency?" the woman asked.

"My name is James Potter and my friend, Lily Evans has, uh, passed out. By the looks of it she fainted."

"You weren't there at the time?"

"No, her son, he's five, alerted me straight after."

"How did he describe it?"

"He said that his mum wouldn't wake up and she fell. I came over and she's on the floor, and she's pretty pale — I mean, she's a pretty pale person in general but she's not that pale."

There was a pause. "An ambulance is on it's way. If you could just stay with Ms Evans. Should I send over social services to care for the son?"

"What? No, I can look after him."

"Very well. The ambulance is two minutes away, Mr Potter."

"Thank you."

Two hours later and they sat in an emergency room around Lily's bed. Marlene was playing some sort of hand games with Harry and Sirius was scrolling through Facebook on his phone whilst James just stared at Lily. Wake up. After five hours, Lily was moved to a private room, so they sat there instead.

Harry crept up to James shyly. "Is mama gonna wake up soon?"

James grabbed Harry and sat him on his lap, "I hope so, buddy. The doctor's think it'll happen soon."

"How soon?" Harry wanted to know.

"I don't know, bud."

"I want mama."

"I know, bud but you're mama isn't feeling too well but I think if she rests enough, she'll feel better."

"Can we go get mama flowers? She likes flowers."

James nodded and stood up. Feeling slightly awkward he went up to Marlene. "Ah, Harry and I are just going down to the gift shop downstairs."

Marlene didn't seem to mind, "Stay close to James, Harry. Don't wander off."

"Yes, Auntie Marly."

At the gift shop they picked a bunch of sunflowers, they seemed to be the happiest of all the yellow flowers there. James also bought Harry an ice cream from the vending machine before they made their way back up to Lily's room.

"Mama likes you a lot," Harry said, "I can tell. She always smiles when she talks to you."

"Do you think so, buddy?"

Harry nodded. "Can you teach me how to make a coffee? Mama likes those."

"Of course. You know you can come over any time."

Harry grinned and then frowned, "But then who'll stay with mama?"

"Maybe you can come by when your mama isn't alone. Maybe when Auntie Marly or Sara or Mary is there?" James suggested.

Harry thought about it. "Yeah, that's a good idea."

They reached Lily's room again and set the flowers on the bed side table. Lily was still sleeping but her cheeks seemed to have a little more colour in them. James pulled out a deck of cards he had also bought at the gift shop and played Go Fish with Harry — Sirius and Marlene joined once they realised they were bored enough.

Her eyes flickered open as there was a cry of outrage.

"How do you keep winning?" Marlene gawked.

"Skills, love, skills," Sirius replied smugly. "If only this were a gambling game."

"Keep dreaming," James snorted.

"What's a gamb-er-ling game?" Harry asked.

"Er, nothing. Sirius is just being silly," Marlene said.

"What's going on?" Lily croaked, her throat painfully dry.

"You passed out from exhaustion, dear," Marlene told her as easily as she would've announced dinner on the table. Marlene handed Lily a cup of water as James helped her sit upright.

"I'm cutting you off, Lils," Sirius announced. "You never told me you get up at four every bleeding morning."

"But I need money," Lily protested.

"You are no longer working past ten unless we really need you," Sirius said firmly. "And as for money, I'll up your hourly rate."

"And I think you need to start taking a day off at the bakery," Marlene chimed. "I talked to Mary and she'd be more than happy to do Saturdays and she's also more than happy to do eleven to close on Wednesdays."

"But money," Lily frowned.

"You're on a salary," Marlene pointed out, "Your wage wouldn't change and I know from when we were running numbers when you employed the useless one that you can afford to give Mary the extra hours."

"I'll," Lily frowned. "I'll think about it."

"Mama?" Harry called with a small voice.

"Harry," Lily smiled, "Come onto the bed so I can see you."

Harry followed her instructions eagerly and climbed into the bed with his mum. "You scared me, mama."

"I know, sweetie. I'm sorry but you were very brave and mama already feels better."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"Harry was a champion," James piped. "Came and got me as soon as you collapsed."

"My hero," Lily kissed Harry's cheek but her eyes flickered to James.

"Can we go home, mama?" Harry asked and Lily looked at Marlene. Could she go home?"

"I don't know," Marlene said honestly, "I'll go get a doctor or nurse or something."

Marlene left and Lily looked back to James. "How long was I out for?"

He checked his watch, "Nine hours roughly. You passed out at around two."

"Woah," Lily breathed, "And it is way past your bed time mister," she scolded Harry lightly. He grinned and leaned his head on her stomach.

"I sleep with mama."

Marlene came back with Doctor Vance who said Lily would have to stay the night for observation since she had a concussion from the fall.

"I'll come in the morning," Marlene promised as she grabbed a sleeping Harry from Lily.

"And Mary's got the bakery?"

"Yes, Lily."

Lily nodded and Marlene kissed her forehead. "I'll bring you a bag of stuff tomorrow. Fresh clothes, your laptop."

"Thanks, Marls. Bye," she waved.

"Get some sleep," Marlene ordered.

"Yes, ma'm."

After that Sirius stepped out and it was just Lily and James.

"Er, thanks for being there … for Harry … and for me."

James sat down on the bed grabbing her hand. "How come you didn't tell us you wake up at four every bloody morning? We never would've made you work that late had we known."

"I needed the money, James and, and it was nice having a little extra just to save. Who cared if I was a little tired?"

"I do," James said, "Damn it, Lily, seeing you like that almost frightened me to death — you looked dead." Lily winced. "Just promise you won't keep overworking yourself and that you will consider having at least one day off per week?"

"I already promised Marlene didn't I?"

"You did. I just wanted to make sure." He squeezed her hand and she smiled weakly. His hand was warm and she liked how it felt in hers. "I should get going. Give you some space to rest up."

She wouldn't have opposed had he wanted to stay but they were just friends and it would be wildly inappropriate to ask no matter how badly she wanted to. His hand left hers as he stood up, "Sirius will be waiting for me," he said before he leaned down pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. "I'll come by tomorrow if you're still here."

"And if I'm not?"

"I'll come by yours."

Lily grinned and then something occurred to her. "Harry! Marlene won't be able to watch him tomorrow!"

"I'll take care of it."

"Oh, no! I didn't mean you don't have to! Not that I don't want you to but you don't have to feel obligated — I was just thinking out loud."

"It's okay, Lily. I'm here to help. I can pick up Harry at seven and he can spend the day at the cafe with me — he said he wanted to learn how to make a coffee," James grinned and Lily chuckled.

"That son of mine," she muttered. "James, we never went on that night out."

James grinned, "I thought you'd forgotten."

"That you asked me out? Never."

His grin widened if possible and Lily wanted to get out of bed and kiss him right then but she couldn't promise she wouldn't collapse if she stood. "Next Saturday. I'll pick you up at eight."

"Sir, visiting hours are over," a nurse said crossly as she walked by the room.

"Get out of here, Potter. You're distracting me."

"From what?" he snorted.

"Sleeping."

"Good night, love."

"Good night, James."

He strode out and Lily did an awkward, horizontal happy dance that consisted of her kicking her legs around and messing up her sheets. She grabbed her phone.

James will pick Harry up at seven tomorrow. He's offered to watch him for the day. Oh and I have a date next Saturday.

Lily set her phone down and grinned replaying her conversation with James.

Her phone dinged.

About time, Evans.

And so the next Saturday, Lily dressed up nice in a pretty black dress and she did her make-up and she put on a pair of heels and James picked her up at eight and kissed her on the cheek. He opened the door for her and told her she looked beautiful.

"Not so bad yourself, Potter," she said and he did look nicer than she cared to admit. His hair as messy as always but instead of the casual jeans and black top he seemed to live in, he wore nicer jeans with a white shirt and a leather jacket she was sure he stole from Sirius but it suited him.

He took her to a fancy restaurant where they made fun of the names of the dishes on the menu. She told him that she doesn't eat mangos and he almost dropped his fork and after dinner he took her to a supermarket because, "How can you not like mangos, Evans!" She ate one because he wanted her too but spat it out when he wasn't looking and then he took her to a rooftop bar that had a nice view of the city and she ordered a vodka raspberry and when she shivered he gave her his jacket. They started out sitting on opposite sides of the booth but after an hour James was on her side, an arm around her shoulders as she leaned on him.

He told her about the time he fell off a motorbike because he wasn't ready and Sirius sped off and how he'd had to spend five hours in the emergency room to get stitched up because he had a gash on his head. Lily laughed as she felt the scar on the back of his head claiming she was going to lose her fingers in his hair. When the bar got too loud, they left and walked on the streets hand in hand and James picked a frangipani from a tree and tucked it onto her ear and told her she was prettier than all the stars combined. They kissed for the first time and it was everything a first kiss was supposed to be. Soft and sweet and he felt her up as her fingers twisted in his hair.

She pulled away. "You don't mind that I work to much and that I have no money and that I have a kid?"

He kissed her again. "Love, I wouldn't care if you killed Sirius at this point." Lily giggled and pulled him closer and they stayed like that, kissing on the street for what seemed like forever and then he took her home and he walked her to the door and kissed her again.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Evans."

"I'll see you tomorrow, Potter."

And that was the end of everything because from that day on, the two became inseparable and Harry loved the new people in his life. James took Harry to a football game (Chelsea versus Manchester United) and bought him a jersey, scarf and beanie in Manchester United colours and Harry refused to wear anything else for a month. James and Lily made sure to go out at least once a week every week and sometimes they'd take Harry along and sometimes Marlene and the boys would tag along as well. In September, Harry started kindy and after she dropped him off she sat on the stool whilst James made coffees and teared up a little because her baby was growing up too fast. James came around and hugged her from behind, kissing her cheek and whispering sweet things in her ear until she was smiling.

Marlene always made sure that Lily took one day off a week and on Wednesday's Lily finished early, letting Mary take over. Despite her fear that the shop would crash and burn without her, she enjoyed her time off because it meant she could spend more time with Harry doing things kids were meant to be doing. On Halloween, James and Lily took Harry trick or treating and they all dressed up as superheroes. James was Captain America, Harry was Iron Man and Lily was Black Widow. One old lady said they were a nice family and Lily grinned and thanked her. By Christmas, James regularly slept over at Lily's place and he'd cover his head with his pillow when Lily's alarm went off at four in the morning. Except on Christmas, they were woken up by an excitable little boy who jumped on the bed.

"Mama, it's Christmas! We gotta open the presents!"

They both rolled out of bed and James messaged Sirius to bring the present over. When the doorbell rung, they urged Harry to answer it, following him excitedly. He'd been begging for a puppy for two months and Lily caved and her and James went to a breeder and picked out a corgi. Harry opened the door and the corgi was sitting on the door step. He took to the puppy immediately and called him, Pumpkin.

In August, Marlene announced that she'd gotten a job promotion but that it was in London so Lily gave up the house (the landlord was an arse anyways) and her and James bought a house three streets away from the coffee shop and bakery and it had a backyard with a pool. Harry loved it. They quickly made friends with the neighbours. To their left was a married couple just a few years older than them, the Weasley's and to their right were the Grangers. Both couples had kids. The Weasley's had seven children (six boys and a girl) and the Granger's had a girl Harry's age and Lily was ecstatic because Harry had people to play with and soon enough Harry, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley were inseparable.

One day, Harry started calling James 'dad' and though James was shocked for a moment he gushed about it to Sirius for days. "He called me dad. I'm his dad," James would say in amazement and Sirius would grin. The boys dropped over frequently, Remus always brought Harry a new book and Peter would show Harry card tricks. They'd all play football in the backyard, usually playing three against two unless they convinced Lily to join. Pumpkin would try to join in and they would all laugh when he learned to head butt the ball. James told Lily that Harry would be a great football player and so they signed him up for football.

Lily ran numbers one day at the bakery and realised she now had enough money to hire two more employees so she did. Dory Meadowes was a force to be reckoned with in the kitchen and Benjy Fenwick cooked up a storm. Lily now took both Saturdays and Sundays off and finished at noon instead of twelve every day. She still worked at the bar on Thursdays and Fridays and Sirius paid her more than he should considering she only worked two six hour shifts a week. Sirius hired more people and they all became fast friends. There was Alice Longbottom who had a son Harry's age with her husband, Frank and then there was Amelia Bones who was from Scotland and Mundungus Fletcher. James extended trading hours at Potter's Box though he alternated shifts — either working days or nights. He hired more people too.

One day the doorbell rang and Lily froze when she answered it so James went by to see who it was.

"I want to see my son," the man said but James couldn't find any similarities between Harry and the man at the door and he was glad Harry was at school.

"He's not your son," Lily said fiercely. "You've no right to come back after six years. How dare you?" she slammed the door on his face and it took James two hours to calm her down. It took three hours for Sirius to calm James down because, "Harry's my son! He calls me dad!"

"I know mate," Sirius would say.

"I'm his dad."

The next day James and Lily went to an attorney to make sure that he had no parental rights to Harry. A court date was set for late September and Lily won custody. They never saw him again. In November, James proposed with his mother's ring and Lily smiled so much her face ached. Sirius minded Harry for a weekend whilst they went to a Bed and Breakfast for a weekend. Marlene came back for Christmas. They had a massive Christmas Eve party in the backyard and Lily asked her to be maid of honour. They started planning the wedding for June.

It was a small affair seeing as neither had any family left. Lily mailed an invite to her sister but she never got a reply. James thought good riddance. Petunia didn't deserve a sister like Lily. Harry gave Lily away in a small church and Lily wore a lace dress and a veil. James wore suspenders and a bow tie and Lily joked that he'd make a good Doctor. They promised to love each other until the end of time and they kissed after they slid rings onto each other's fingers. They went back home afterwards where they held a party where all their friends attended. The boys, Marlene, the Weasley's, the Granger's, Mary, Dory and Benjy. The Longbottoms came and so did Amelia. Sirius, Remus and Peter all promised to take exceptional care of Harry whilst James and Lily spent three weeks in Greece for their honeymoon.

When they got back, James legally adopted Harry and he cheered louder than any of the other parents when Harry scored a goal in football. James would grin and say, "I told you so," to Lily.

One day, James got home and Lily had dinner on the table and she seemed nervous and then she just blurted out that she was pregnant. James grinned and spun her around. They told Harry the next morning before school and Lily was a little embarrassed when his school teacher congratulated her — Harry had drawn a picture of his new family.

They invited everyone over for a barbecue to announce the news and everyone was ecstatic. Lily sent another letter to Petunia and after a month of no replies, Lily was surprised when Petunia showed up at the bakery one day, Dudley in tow.

"Can I talk to you, please?" Petunia asked and Lily nodded.

"Mary I'm going next door for a bit. Just ring if it gets busy."

Lily lead the way to Potter's Box and it was packed, a bunch of orders lined up over the coffee machine.

"Hey, love. It's busy, I'll pop by later yeah?" James said not even looking up. Lily fake coughed and James looked up. "Oh."

"Petunia, this is my husband, James Potter. James, my sister Petunia and her son Dudley." Lily glared at James as though daring him to comment on the name.

"Lovely to meet you both," James said.

"Oi, Potter! We're out of ice cream! Hiya, Lily," Sirius waved and she waved back before he was off serving food to people.

"Fuck," James muttered, "Just take a seat upstairs, I'll join you when I can. Petunia, can I get you anything?"

"A latte, please."

"I'll have my usual," Lily said quietly. "What about you, Dudley?" The boy shied away from his Aunt behind his mother's leg. "Perhaps a milkshake or a hot chocolate?" Lily asked Petunia.

"A chocolate milkshake."

James nodded and Lily lead her sister and nephew up the spiral stairs to the empty loft where they could get some privacy.

"Vernon and I … we're splitting up."

"What? Why?"

"I need a place to stay for a bit."

Lily bit her lip. Her sister shunned her for years and now she wanted her help. "We haven't spoken in seven years."

James came up to serve their drinks and when he went to leave, Lily caught his hand and looked at him with wide eyes. James nodded and took a seat.

"I was wrong to push you away, Lily. I loved him and I was just trying to fit in his world and I got caught up with it. I have missed you so much."

"It didn't seem like it."

"Please, Lily … help me."

"What does she need?"

"A place to stay," Lily said curtly. "I just don't understand, Petunia. You shut me out for seven years and now you want to live with me?"

"Any money I'd saved up from before I was married is being used to pay for the attorney. I don't have money."

James placed a key onto the table. "What's that?" Petunia asked.

"A key to an apartment in London. You're free to use it — no rent." James wrote down the address on his notepad before ripping it off and handing it to her. "The place has four bedrooms and it's furnished. It may be a little dusty, I haven't been there in a few years. All I ask is that you pay the bills."

Petunia nodded once, grabbing the key and the piece of paper. "That is more than I deserve."

"It is," James agreed. "But you're family."

Later that night, James was holding Lily in bed. "You didn't have to do that," Lily murmured.

"I know but she's your sister."

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

"Three," Lily corrected.

"Hmm?" James asked puzzled.

"It's twins so technically, you love us three." She rolled over so their faces were a mere inch apart.

"We're having twins?" James grinned and he whooped as Lily laughed and he kissed her all over her face before finally landing on her lips.

In May, Lily gave birth to two baby girls and Harry brought them a stuffed animal each. Everyone visited Lily in the hospital — even Petunia who had taken to calling Lily every Tuesday night. In the morning on the second day at the hospital, they were trying to come up with names.

"What about Polly?" Peter asked.

"Polly Potter," Lily wrinkled her nose. "No offence, Pete but that's dreadful."

"Olivia?" Marlene suggested but James shook his head this time.

"I expect better of you, McKinnon."

"It's a nice name!"

"Daisy!" Harry shouted. "Daisy, Daisy, Daisy!"

Lily and James looked at each other. "Daisy Potter," Lily tested out loud. "I like it."

James went over to the two basinets. "But which one do we call Daisy?" he asked distressed.

And so an argument over which twin looked more like a Daisy ensued and eventually it was settled that the one with a tuft of red hair on her head would be called Daisy.

"So one down, one more to go," Sirius announced.

"You should name her after a star."

"Don't go forcing your family's weird naming traditions on my kid, Black."

"You know, Sirius is considered a unisex name."

"Shut up, Padfoot," James and Remus said at the same time.

"What about Evie?" Lily suggested, looking at her new little girl who was going to have her daddy's hair.

"Evie Potter. Daisy and Evie. Evie and Daisy," James tested out loud and then he grinned. "Where's the nurse with the the birth certificate?"

"I'm wounded," Sirius put a hand to his heart.

"Harry, dear, hit Uncle Sirius for mama." Harry complied.

"Low, Evans."

"That's Potter to you," James corrected.

"Yeah Black come on. They've been married almost two years!" Marlene teased.

"Wait," Peter said, "What about middle names?"

The entire room groaned before they jumped back into suggesting names. Two hours later after six google searches and using Harry to break ties they settled upon:

Daisy Grace Potter

And

Evie Hope Potter.

On the third day, they took the twins home and Harry and James surprised Lily with a gigantic teddy bear that sat in the girls nursery and as Harry sat with James and Daisy and Lily rocked Evie in her arms, Lily wondered how she'd ever gotten so lucky to have a family like this because never in her wildest dreams did she imagine she could ever be this happy.