Little by Little by ficexchange

Merry Christmas, Laura (Sunset)!

Little by Little

"Get out of my house," I ordered her, the accusatory finger pointed at her shaking.

"Wha-what?" she stammered, her face paling, and her almond-shaped green eyes opened wide.

"Out." I accentuated the single syllable with as much force as I could.

Lily nodded her head. "All right, James." Slowly, almost mechanically, she moved around the messy bedroom, picking up different articles of clothing and folding them into a stack in her arms. Then, she gently placed them into an open suitcase and closed it with a snap.

"Goodbye, James," she said softly before walking out the door.

All throughout her packing I had stood there, numb and unresponsive, looking at everything in turn yet seeing nothing. I heard the sound of the bedroom door slamming and I jumped to life.

"Lily, wait!" I called out, throwing open the door. But, as I suspected, no one was there.

We the people fight for our existence

We don't claim to be perfect

But we're free

We dream our dreams alone

With no resistance

Fading like the stars we wish to be

You know I didn't mean

What I just said

But my God woke up

On the wrong side of his bed

And it just don't matter now

I was standing in a Muggle apartment building, in front of her door to be exact, and feeling very stupid to be the one groveling, yet here I was.

Hesitantly, I knocked lightly on the door and waited. Footsteps sounded on the other side, and the brass doorknob turned so very slowly.

Then there she was, just like that. She was still dressed in her black suit from work, but her fiery red hair was hanging down in elegant curls, having been released from their confinement.

"J-James?" she stammered.

"You didn't send the divorce papers, so I didn't know..." I bit my bottom lip out of nervous habit.

She smiled hesitantly. "Come on in." She opened the door slightly wider, and I stepped inside. The flat was elegantly furnished with a feel of money drifting along the air.

"Is this all yours?"

"Lord, no! It's Arabella's. You remember her - that friend of mine who looked like a geek, and disappeared straight after school?" She paused, and I nodded. "Well, apparently she was recruited directly into the Aurors — the ones that get paid pretty darn high, and, let me tell you, she's no longer Geek-a-Bella!"

"So, where is she now?"

"Austria, last time I heard." There was a pregnant pause.

"Lily, I... I honestly have no clue what to say." I looked at her cautiously.

"James," she spoke for me, "we both know you didn't mean what you said, and that it was out of anger. We dated for two years, and have been married for four. I, for one, thought you would have matured enough to stop thinking irrationally. I could understand if it only happened once or twice, but Merlin, James, this is the fourth time! I'm sorry, but I don't think you're ready for the commitment! We should just take a break. I'll contact you before the end of the week."

"I-I... I'm just really sorry, Lily, I honestly am. Just know that."

I turned to go, and she opened the door for me. She placed a hand on my shoulder and whispered, "It's just goodbye for now, James." It was when I stepped out into the hallway and the door closed behind me that I realized something: she wasn't wearing her wedding ring.

'Cause little by little

We gave you everything

You ever dreamed of

Little by little

The wheels of your life

Have slowly fallen off

Little by little

You have to give it all in all your life

And all the time I just ask myself why

You're really here

True perfection has to be imperfect

I know that that sounds foolish but it's true

The day has come

And now you'll have to accept

The life inside your head we give to you

"Merlin, that's a gorgeous dress!" Lily exclaimed from where she was buried in her fashion magazine.

"Which one?" I asked, leaning over her shoulder. She pointed to a black strapless ball gown modeled by an abnormally thin girl with a pointy nose and too-straight hair.

"Hm..." I mused over it, trying to picture Lily in it. "Not that bad, but I happen to like this one better." I pointed to a gold one, also strapless, but with a fuller skirt and a bodice threaded with beads that reflected the light.

"I like it. It has class." I smiled and clapped her on the shoulder as she took out a quill to make a large cross next to the gold dress. I would have to make a mental note of that.

.

"Good morning, Lily!" I said in a sing-song voice, presenting her with a brightly-wrapped present.

"Wha—?" she said, her voice still groggy. She rolled over and propped open on eye to peer at me. "And what, in Merlin's name, possessed you to wake me up at this godforsaken hour?"

"Why, your birthday, m'dear!"

Lily snorted and rolled back over. I was half-tempted to try again, but I valued my life and instead, I ran into our kitchen, whipped up a cup of coffee, and ran back into the bedroom.

As the smell of caffeine wafted through the room, she rolled over and blindly groped for the source of the smell. "Coffee..." she groaned.

"Now, now," I said, cooing softly. "You have to get out of bed before getting the coffee." I placed the cup within mere inches of her reach, and smiled when she cursed at me and finally flipped over the bedcovers.

Without opening her eyes, she grasped the mug and sucked its contents down eagerly. When every last drop was gone, she opened her eyes and eyeballed the box. I handed it to her, and she ripped through the paper and threw open the lid.

She gasped, and lifted out the gold dress from the magazine. "James. Oh my..."

"It's for tonight."

She looked confused. "What's tonight?"

"You'll see."

.

"Where are we going, James?" Lily asked, struggling against the blindfold that covered her eyes.

"You'll see." The limo I had rented for the night pulled up to the front of the building and stopped. I got out first and helped Lily find the ground, then stepped behind her and pulled away the handkerchief from her eyes. She gasped, and I smiled.

A chorus of "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" rang throughout the room as we entered. Lily groped backwards for my arm to steady herself as tears started to run down her face at the sight of all of our friends and still-living family gathered in one place for one occasion.

"Oh my God, James!" she cried, and turned to jump into my arms. I laughed silently, and put her down, eager to start enjoying the night.

You know I didn't mean

What I just said

But my God woke up

On the wrong side of his bed

And it just don't matter now

'Cause little by little

We gave you everything

You ever dreamed of

Little by little

The wheels of your life

Have slowly fallen of

Little by little

You have to give it all in all your life

And all the time I just ask myself why

You're really here

"Why do you work so much?" I asked her one day as she got in from her seemingly 24-hour job.

"At least I have a job, Mr. I-Can't-Keep-A-Job-More-Than-A-Week," she shot back, easing out of her heels and coat.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"If your parents hadn't left you a butt-load of money, then you'd be living in the slums!"

"Not true!"

"Really? All you do while I bust my arse at the Ministry is sit around and play with your stupid Snitch. You should be grateful that I have a trust fund account set up so that when you finally waste all of our money on Firewhisky and what not, we still have something to live off of. Hasn't getting out of school changed your priorities at all? What happened to wanting to be James Potter, Head Auror?"

I didn't answer right away. She was right, again, although I wouldn't admit it.

"James, do you like sitting here, knowing that you can't do anything?"

"Well, if you don't like the way I'm living and running my life, then get out. Get out of my house," I ordered her, the accusatory finger pointed at her shaking.

"Wha—what?" she stammered, her face paling and her almond-shaped green eyes opened wide.

"Out." I accentuated the single syllable with as much force as I could.

Lily nodded her head. "All right, James." Slowly, almost mechanically, she moved around the messy bedroom, picking up different articles of clothing and folding them into a stack in her arms. Then, she gently placed them into an open suitcase and closed it with a snap.

"Goodbye, James," she said softly before walking out the door.

All throughout her packing I had stood there, numb and unresponsive, looking at everything in turn yet seeing nothing. I heard the sound of the bedroom door slamming and I jumped to life.

"Lily, wait!" I called out, throwing open the door. But, as I suspected, no one was there.

'Cause little by little

We gave you everything

You ever dreamed of

Little by little

The wheels of your life

Have slowly fallen off

Little by little

You have to give it all in all your life

And all the time I just ask myself why

You're really here

A sharp knock sounded at the door in the early morning, and I stumbled over, still groggy with sleep. I opened it and prepared to give an extremely long and angry tirade on how it was early, and how I liked my sleep, but the words left my mouth as soon as I saw who was on the other side of the door.

Her red hair was loose and tumbled down her shoulders in waves. It was one of the first times I had seen her without make-up or her fancy suits on. It suited her.

"Hey, James," she whispered, and smiled softly.