A/N: So, I read this for the first time in about a year, and forgot how proud I used to be of my writing. Not quite sure why I stopped. I guess life got in the way or something.

Anywho, I decided to edit this just a tad, because I was tired of getting reviews saying how good of a story this was, and how much better it could be if I got my facts right about does & antlers. Whatevs peoples, it's FF - if I want my doe to have antlers, it can have antlers dammit. But, as I was re-reading it, I decided the readers were right, and the story would be much better if the facts were all true.

I hope the proper fact pattern will be pleasing to all.

Disclaimer: Harry Potter is property of J.K. Rowling, who I am not.

Lily sat at the piano late one December evening, her muscles rigid, fingers spread apart and hovering over the keys. She had taken another pointless attempt at teaching herself to play, a feat that she was about to deem impossible. She thought she had been doing well, until she looked up at the sheet music in front of her to find that she had been playing in an entirely different key than the one on the page.

Her eyes narrowed and she glared at the piano as though the fact that she was incapable of playing was the instrument's fault. With a great, indignant huff, Lily raised her arms over her head, and proceeded to bang on the piano keys incessantly. Saying it was loud would be an understatement; she wouldn't be surprised if she woke the entire castle. But, it turned out there was only person that would awaken from their weak slumber.

"Evans? What the bloody hell do you think you're doing?" James shouted, when Lily took a break in her furious revenge against the piano. The redhead jumped and gasped, turning to face James with a hand over her chest. She glared at him just like she had glared at the piano.

"You startled me," she accused, planting her arms on her hips as soon as her heart beat had returned to normal.

"Yeah, well you woke me up. Now we're even." James replied curtly, he too taking on a defensive position and crossing his arms over his chest. An awkward silence filled the air when neither of them had any retort, and Lily took the time to look James over. His hair was as messy as ever, his glasses perched haphazardly on his nose, suggesting he threw them on without care. He was barefoot, wearing red and gold plaid pajama bottoms, with a thin and tight white t-shirt that seemed to barely fit him. The muscles in his arms were flexed, constricting and tightening even more as he shifted. She had to admit, from what she could see, he appeared to have grown into a very attractive man.

When Lily got to his shoulders, she stopped, and her mouth fell open. Through his too tight shirt, Lily could see a patch of black coming down from his right shoulder blade, the rest of it obscured by his bulging triceps and biceps.

Lily stood and walked over to him so as to get a better look. "What is that?" she asked, pointing her finger at his chest and staring with squinted eyes as she tried to determine the answer for herself.

"It's a tattoo," James replied, backing up to his doorway and crossing his arms even tighter against his chest in defense. He felt his cheeks warm slightly, embarrassed that she had found what he had purposely never let her see before. He knew that one thing would lead to another, and he had the feeling that she would not be happy with what she found.

"Of?" Lily asked, taking another step towards him. Instinctively, he took one back so that he was now in his room, one hand on the door, inconspicuously easing it closed little by little.

"Myself," he told her, annoyed. It was two o'clock in the morning, and he was exhausted. He was angry with himself for exposing it, and didn't really want to deal with all of that just then. "Now go to bed, Lily."

James shut the door, leaving Lily standing in front of it, her hands on her hips again, glaring at the large piece of wood. She sighed and crossed the hall to her room, having the nagging feeling that James wasn't being at all truthful about the subject of his tattoo.

She put on her pajamas while she was still deep in thought, not even paying attention to what she threw on. It was snowing pretty heavily outside, the temperature pushing towards negative numbers, and she had on a camisole and shorts. She crawled into bed and buried herself in the covers, her mind unable to comprehend that gooseflesh had erupted all over her skin, or that she was shivering nonstop, her lips quickly turning blue.

What was it? What could he possibly care so much about to have it permanently etched in his skin? The first answer that popped into her head was his friends, but that thought made her laugh. She turned down that suggestion almost at once, knowing that it was a bit too odd, even for James.

Maybe it's a quaffle, Lily thought, but once again, that idea was shot down. From what she could see, the tattoo was not round like a quaffle, or any other ball would be. Perhaps a broomstick, she thought, staring up at the dark ceiling, trying to picture James with his Nimbus on his chest. But again, what she could see of it, the tattoo was too thick to be a broomstick.

Scoffing, Lily turned over so that she was lying on her side, facing the door. "Maybe it really is of himself," she whispered, her brow furrowed, her teeth sinking into her lip as she really thought about it. But then she realized that although James was arrogant, he wouldn't be so pompous so as to put a picture of himself on his chest, where any one of his multiple lovers that he was sure to have over the years would be able to see. It would be an immediate turn off, one of the many things that would ensure to kill the mood.

She didn't know why, but as she thought of another woman handling James that way, Lily felt her cheeks burn and her frustration build. Unable to take it any longer, she threw the covers off of herself, grabbed her wand from the bedside table, and stormed out of her room and down the hall.

She didn't even bother to knock, just threw the door open with a fairly loud bang. The sound startled James, and the feeling of drifting quickly faded as he grew more and more awake by the second. He looked over his shoulder to see a very determined and barely dressed Lily.

"Evans?" James said, narrowing his eyes so as to see her better. When she was close enough, he was able to see that she had her wand held in front of her, the tip of it lit and shining brightly into his eyes.

She told him to hush, before climbing into his bed and straddling his waist, each of her knees pressing firmly into his hips. He gulped loudly, and sat up, the covers slipping off of him, leaving him exposed to the chilly air that enveloped the room. He stared at Lily with wide eyes, shocked into silence by her position.

Lily stared back at him with her eyebrows knit together, lips pursed. She breathed out heavily once, before reaching down to grasp the hem of his too tight t-shirt, and pulling it over his head. James didn't even put up the least bit of struggle; he gladly let her take his shirt off, although it only made him colder.

Lily through the garment to the floor, and pressed the tip of her wand against James's peck muscle. He swallowed again, and out of the corner of her eye she could see his Adam's apple bob up and down. He was extremely worried now, knowing there were only a few things that would terrify him more than Lily Evans pointing a wand directly at his heart.

"Lily, I'm sure we could-, "James began, but Lily cut him off.

"Shut up, Potter. I can't concentrate." She narrowed her eyes and James closed his mouth. She leaned forward until she was only a few centimeters away from his chest, and he could feel her hot breath on his skin; it sent a delightful shiver down his spine.

The room was still and quiet, the only sounds being Lily's even and James's incredibly uneven breathing. She seemed completely unaware of what she was doing to him, not even noticing the very sexual way James was beginning to think her actions were leading. She was far too focused on that damn tattoo. Which, after several long and tedious minutes of analyzing, she realized was a stag.

A beautiful stag at that. It was clearly chasing after something, its front legs slightly higher than the hind ones, captured in mid pounce. Under the light of her wand, it appeared to be not black, but a startling shade of gray. The stag's antlers were large, and as Lily leaned closer, so close that her lips were practically upon James's skin, she could see that his name, Prongs, had been intricately intertwined in the twists and turns of them.

James peered down at her, wriggling his nose so that his glasses would shift and he would be able to see well. He didn't want to move, afraid Lily would yell at him for that, too. As he watched her, he realized that she had come barging in here, told him to keep quiet, and stripped him of his shirt not because she had realized her love for him and had come to prove it to him by letting him make love to her until the morning, but instead to simply properly inspect his tattoo. He let out a sigh of disappointment, mentally reprimanding himself for getting his hopes up, yet again.

"How long have you had this?" Lily asked, shifting her legs so that she was no longer hovering above James, but sitting on his lap.

His lips parted and he gasped slightly from the sudden contact, his crazy, sex driven teenage hormones suddenly blazing through his veins. He gulped once more, and croaked out, in a voice much deeper and huskier than his own, "A couple years."

"Is this why they call you Prongs?" Lily asked, pulling her hair out of the messy bun it was currently tied up in and letting it fall forward so the smirk that was now tugging at her lips would be hidden from him. She knew now from the tell-tale poking in her thigh exactly the thoughts that had been running through his mind, and she knew just how to make it worse. She knew it was cruel, but in her mind it was simply revenge for the seven years of ponytail pulling, name calling, torture, embarrassment, and overall confusion that he had brought upon her.

"No," James said, his voice much more guttural than normal. Lily froze, a voice in the back of her mind telling her this was wrong, that she shouldn't be doing this. That she was playing with his heart again. But all the voice in the front of her mind could think was how much she wanted to hear James's voice sound like that again.

A mischievous gleam came over her eyes, and she leaned back so that she was sitting straight up, facing a very nervous looking James. The poor boy was biting his lip so hard it had begun to bleed, his cheeks rosy red, beads of sweat popping out on his forehead. It was all he could not to throw her down on the bed and have his way with her.

"What is he chasing after?" Lily asked, stretching out her finger to trace the outlines of the stag. James's body quivered under her touch, not just because it was some of the skin on skin contact he had been craving, but because her fingers were freezing. Lily tried to keep her face impassive, pretending she still had no idea of the effect she was having on him.

After several minutes of her just stroking his skin, James had seemed to calm down a bit, and he whispered, "You," Lily stopped what she was doing, letting her hand unintentionally fall onto his leg, and lifted her eyes so that she was staring directly into James's darkened hazel ones. He didn't blink, letting her know that he was telling the truth. Curious, Lily lifted the hand holding her wand, and pointed it at the stag. Quickly determining which way it would run if it could, she brought her wand down in that direction, until she could see a bit of bright silver right at his hip. The rest of it was obscured by his pajama bottoms. Thinking nothing of it, she reached down and began to fold the top of them down.

When James's hand suddenly shot out of nowhere and grabbed at her wrist, she let out a small yelp of fright. Her eyes darted back up to his, and she found that they were darkened with lust, frustration, and something else she couldn't quite recognize. His face was even ruddier, a full sheen of sweat dripping down onto his cheeks.

"What do you think you're doing?" James all but growled, and Lily stared back in shock. His eyes were locked with hers, never blinking or shifting in the slightest. His chest rose and fell rapidly and his breath was coming in short pants.

"I-I just wanted to see it," Lily replied innocently, trying to ignore the tingling sensation where James was holding her. He was becoming angry; she could practically feel his skin emitting it.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Evans," he told her, the guttural voice back in play. Lily felt her palms begin to sweat, and she could have sworn her heart skipped a beat.

"And why not?" Lily asked coyly, cocking her head to the side. Behind his glasses, James's eyes narrowed.

"You know damn well why not." Lily's cheeks brightened, and she looked away from him, ashamed. She thought she had been putting on a good act, one that he would never be able to see through. But then again, James had a funny way about him, in which he was able to tell when Lily was lying just about every time.

"Please? I just want to see," she whispered, her last attempt, and she knew it wasn't a very good one. But she also knew that if pushed in the right direction, James was putty in her hands, able to bend to her every want and need.

Although his expression softened slightly, he still stared back at her with defiance in his eyes. He wasn't going to let her have her way, not this time. Not only because it just might break his façade of self control, but also because he wasn't sure she would be happy with what she found.

Lily stuck her bottom lip out in a pout, making it even harder for James to resist. But, in the end, his ego won over, and he shook his head. Her shoulders slumped, and she muttered a dejected, "Fine," James released the death grip he had on her wrist and she pulled it away slowly, noticing how cold she felt without it. He placed his hands firmly on her dainty little hips, and lifted her off of him with ease.

Away from him, she realized just how cold it really was. She shivered, the tremors shaking her entire body, and she ran her hands up and down her arms trying to warm herself up. James stared at her pitifully for a moment before sighing, and slipping out from beneath the covers. Her eyes followed him as he walked over to her side of the bed, and pulled the blankets out from under her. Realization dawned upon her and she shook her head.

"No, James it's alright. I'll-," she started, but he shook his head and she stopped speaking. He pushed slightly on her bare shoulders, but she pushed against his hands.

"Lily, your lips are blue. You stay here; I'll sleep on the couch." When she opened her mouth to protest, he added, "I don't mind in the slightest. I probably won't get much sleep either way." He chuckled softly, and she let him push her back down against the pillows, her body sinking easily into the mattress. He let the covers fall over her, tucking them underneath her body, ensuring she was as warm as possible.

Hesitating slightly, he brushed the hair away from her face, and pressed his lips tenderly against her forehead. She closed her eyes in contentment, not sure why she would be feeling this way, and James pulled away. But just before he was out of reach, she grabbed onto his arm and whispered, "Wait,"

He stopped and turned back to her, and she pulled on his arm, telling him that she wanted him to come closer. She picked her wand up from beside her, and placed it on James's hip right where the second tattoo began. He drew a sharp intake of breath, and she giggled at his fear. She dragged her wand up in the direction of the stag tattoo, and James watched in wonder as the silver ink went with it, his insides squirming from the sensation.

When it was in full sight, Lily gasped and brought her hands to her mouth. If she thought the first one was beautiful, it was nothing compared to this one. It was clearly a doe, and just by looking at it she could tell it was meant to be her. Its eyes were green and gleaming, its head turned back to look at the stag following behind it. She leaned a little closer and could see that like the stag, the doe too had a word graced onto it, but this one was etched into the fur – Lily. Although, her name was much more legible than James's had been.

Lily was truly amazed. She couldn't remember a time someone had made her feel so loved and respected.

When she was finished marveling in the beauty that was her doe, she brought her eyes back to stare into James's guarded ones, her face taking on a serious expression. "James, my name is permanently written into your skin, in a place where any other woman would be able to see. Why?" She didn't understand it in the slightest. While she was truly flattered that he would do such a thing, she was unable to comprehend why he would risk ruining any one of his other many relationships he was sure to have in the future.

"Because Lily, I don't want any other woman to see it," James said, he too wearing a very serious expression, although his was slightly tarnished by an upturned corner of his lips. When Lily still didn't seem to understand, he said, "It's always been you Lily, and I'm fairly certain it always will be."

Lily stared back at him, her eyes searching his face for some sign that he was lying to her, that he wasn't just covering up some stupid bet with some heartwarming excuse. When she decided there was nothing there to find, her mind shut down. Instead, she acted on impulse, something she very rarely, if ever did.

She reached out to him, catching hold of his hand and lacing her fingers through hers. James squeezed her palm gently, and Lily tugged on his. He came closer to her, and she tried to sit up but she was tucked in too tight. Not wanting to waste time trying to break free, she just kept pulling James closer, until he was so close that their noses were touching and his long, dark eyelashes were giving her cheeks butterfly kisses.

"Thank you," she breathed, and ever so lightly, pressed her lips to his. It was sweet and tender, and everything a first kiss between two people who were meant to be together should be.

As James pulled away smiling, a rogue thought entered Lily's mind: The minute she was able to, she was headed for a tattoo parlor.