"What can I do for you, Lily?"

Lily Evans stared at James Potter, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she tried to put words together to form some sort of socially acceptable sentence. She had run all the way here, she had something important to say, she just couldn't do it. Somehow she knew who to blame for this. Mary. Bloody Mary and her smart ass comments and her trying to make things right and her stupid meddling.

The desire to run burned into Lily. Run, run, run. Back to safety. Back to her room. Just... away. she tried to move her feet, but she couldn't. Her body wouldn't listen to her anymore, and instead of finding herself moving in the direction she desired, away, she found herself moving towards him.

"Evans?" Sirius said from beside James, looking at her slightly amused. They always sat there, together, the four of them. Lily should have known he wouldn't be alone.

"We didn't do it." Peter said, turning towards her. If she could have, Lily would have rolled her eyes, but she was completely unable to control her body anymore.

"Are you okay Lily?" Remus asked concerned. "You look slightly ill."

Her breath, instead of slowing, had hitched up several notches. She had a huge desire to put her head in between her knees, or get a brown paper page. She was certain she was several minutes away from a full fledge panic attack.

"Moony is right, you look at little green Evans." Sirius laughed at her. She felt her face burning. "Sorry, make that red." If it was possible, her face flushed more.

"Is something wrong Lily?" James asked, his face turning from confused to concerned. "Something didn't happen, did it?" It was a logical question. Death was around every corner.

She managed to shake her head, the internal battle she was struggling with was mapped across her face. Her foot turned slightly, away from the four boys.

She was brave. She was a bloody Gryffindor for Merlin's sake. She could do this. Just do it. JUST DO IT.

And then it happened. She opened her mouth to say what she came there to say, when she saw her. The reason why she hadn't done it sooner. The reason why she told Mary to sod off when she had the nerve to tell Lily what to do. Lily was smart, Lily was right, and as Marlene McKinnon sat down on James Potter's lap, Lily knew that listening to Mary McDonald was the worst thing that she could have done.

She turned, and she ran.

"What was that all about?" Marlene asked the boys. Sirius shrugged, as James stared where Lily had escaped out of the portrait hole.

*

"Well?" Mary asked, sitting in the Head's common room, waiting for Lily.

"Damn you Mary McDonald!" Lily shook her fist at her now ex-best friend. "Damn you!"

Mary forced herself not to laugh, "Didn't go well?"

"She was there."

Mary's mouth made an 'O'. "I thought she had detention."

"So did I." Lily muttered, collapsing down next her friend. "Do you think they're sleeping together?" Lily asked after several minutes.

"They've only been dating for a day Lily." Mary said kindly, rubbing circles on her friends back. Lily just stared at her. "I really don't know." Mary finally admitted.

Lily sighed dramatically and threw herself on the armrest of the sofa. "They are, aren't they!" She cried, tears slowly made their way down her face.

"Lily." Mary shook her head, taking her hand back. "For Merlin's sake Evans!" Mary stood, and Lily looked up. "I've tried to be sympathetic, I've tried to be helpful, and honestly, I'm bloody sick of hearing how bad things are for you right now. This whole past day has been a complete nightmare, there is no way I am going through another, blah blah, your life is so bloody hard. I could honestly slap you! You did this to yourself! You turned him down! And someone else swooped him, asked him out, and he's giving her a bloody chance because despite the fact that he's done a complete 180 for you, you still wouldn't bloody give him one damn chance. You're a daft prick, and you're making me livid with this self pity!" Lily gapped at her, stunned.

"Don't hold back Mary, tell me how you really feel." Lily muttered weakly.

"If you want him, tell him." Mary crossed her arms and pointed out the door. "Go!"

Lily, in shock, stood and made to leave.

"Oh, and Lily." She turned back and looked at her friend. "If you don't do it, don't come crying back to me. You're a Gryffindor. Don't be a bloody pussy."

Lily nodded, still completely shocked and too stunned to cry. She ran back to the common room.

*

"Lily?" James asked again. He was still sitting with the Marauders and Marlene. She swallowed deeply, took a deep breath and-

"Sorry McKinnon," Lily's eyes didn't move from James' face as she addressed the other girl, "but I've got to say this one thing, and then probably crawl into a hole and die from the shame of the whole thing, but James bloody Potter, I love you!"

Everyone stared, looking back and forth from James to Lily, back to James.

"Wh- What?!" He managed to sputter out.

Her face burned. She wanted to run, and as she was about to turn away and flee, yet again, she felt a painful tug at her heart. She could do this. She would do this.

"I love you, you arrogant toe-rag!"She cried again. "And I know your dating someone else now, and I probably completely missed my chance and I'm a daft idiot, but Mary made me come here and take to you-" She was rambling. She didn't notice him stand. She didn't notice him walk over to her. "She won't even let me wallow in my own self pity for a bloody day, she's probably the worst best friend in the world, that's saying something because your best friend is Sirius bloody Black."

He was right in front of her now and she was still yabbering away. "If there was a God he would have opened the floor and allowed me to swallowed whole by now-" He kissed her in the middle of the crowded common room, to cat calls and whistles. They pulled away after several minutes, and grinned at each other. James rested his forehead on Lily's.

"I love you too."

They smiled at each other.

"Yeah?" She whispered.

"Yeah."

"Pay up!" Sirius cried as all around him, Marlene McKinnon included, handed him sickles, knuts, and galleons.

"Told you it wouldn't even take a fortnight."

Lily and James turned and looked at each other. "Did you know about this?" They asked each other at the same time. They began laughing, and kissed once more.

"I guess I'll have to postpone my plans of murdering Mary McDonald." Lily smiled.