Lily was asleep on the sofa next to the phone, hugging one of the toss pillows her mum had stitched over the Spring. A fire burned in the hearth. It was the second night she'd slept there, waiting for the phone to ring. Thus far, there had been a plethora of calls for Petunia from the likes of Vernon Dursley and her other rubbish friends from her muggle school, but nothing for Lily. Lily couldn't help but worry that James had tried calling while Petunia had drawn her ridiculous conversations about nail polish and hair rollers on and on and on -- there was no convincing her that the phone call Lily was waiting for was more important than those things, either. Mrs. Evans's only answer was that the girls learn to share.

"She's the one not sharing," Lily had said pointedly.

"You're adults, the both of you," Mrs. Evans said tiredly, "You should be able to sort it out!"

Now, here it was, nearly 7:00 and Lily could hear Petunia upstairs, stomping about in her bedroom. Lily rolled onto her back, glancing at the window as the sun streamed through the curtains, let down once again by another sunrise, wondering what time it was in Costa Rica and whether that ruddy owl had figured out where it was even going... She pictured it being blown off course, or else flying laps about Central America, unable to figure out where James was...

Petunia came down the stairs, fretting because one of her curlers had set crooked and her hair was "an absolute mess" and Vernon would be there to pick her up within the hour... They had some little day trip into the city planned... Lily sat up and peeked over the back of the couch to see how terribly Petunia's hair had fared and she covered her mouth to hold back a giggle at the lop-sided fit of hair that flounced past the doorway to the living room.

"It isn't FUNNY!" Petunia scolded her as she shouted for Mrs. Evans.

She closed her eyes, smirking to herself. What was funny was that if Petunia wasn't such a horrid person, Lily could fix it with a flick of her wand... but Petunia would sooner go out with her hair lopsided or even burned off before she would allow Lily to help her with magic.

Suddenly - the phone rang.

"OH! GOOD HEAVENS, IT'S VERNON!" Petunia cried, running for the phone, her hair bouncing even worse than before.

Lily sat up and leaped for it, too, "It could be for me!" she argued.

Both their hands landed on the phone at once and they both gripped it, fighting back and forth. "LET GO!" Petunia shrieked, "Who on earth would be calling for you?!"

"I've told you about eighteen times that I'm expecting a call!" Lily snapped.

They shrieked and tugged and finally Petunia played the trick that had always worked when they were kids - letting up on her tug so that Lily lost her balance and went flying backwards into the couch cushions. The sole holder of the phone, Petunia snuffed and turned, putting it to her ear, and her voice was suddenly honey-sweet and pasty. "Good morning - Evans residence."

There was a pause as Lily sat up and righted her pyjama top that had ridden up, and glowered at Petunia's back. 

Petunia turned about - slowly. She glared at Lily with absolute hatred, then thrust the phone out to her without speaking another word into the mouthpiece. "It's for you," she sneered. Then she paused and snapped, "Don't be taking all day on that thing! I need to be available if Vernon calls!"

"So you can warn him about your bushy head?" Lily asked meanly.

Petunia looked alarmed, then rushed out of the room.

Lily waited 'til she'd gone, then raised the phone to her ear, nervous excitement coursing through her... in a moment, she realized, she would hear James's voice for the first time since they'd left King's Cross. "Hullo?" she asked, trying to keep steady.

"EVANS?"

"James, hi!" Was it her imagination or did her voice sound... stupid? She flushed at the stupidness of her voice.

James was practically shouting, "CAN YOU HEAR ME ALRIGHT?"

"Yes, I can hear you just fine," she replied, "You don't need to shout."

"REALLY?"

"Really. Haven't you used a telephone before?"

James was quiet a second, then, in his regular voice, "Not much. Maybe once or twice. No need for'em really, is there, when you're in a wizarding family." He paused, then quickly said, "Notthatthere'sanythingwrongwithbeinginamugglefamily."

Lily laughed, "It's alright, I know what you meant."

"I got your owl," he said. "Poor bird about snuffed it when he landed."

"Oh dear," Lily replied.

James's smirk was in his voice, "Is that a pun?"

"No - I mean, I suppose it could be."

"I'm going to say it was a pun," James decided. Then, "I haven't got long. It's nearly midnight here and mum will have an absolute toad if she finds out I've been to San Jose. We were only meant to be walking out in the orange grove a bit."

"We?" Lily asked. "Is Sirius with you?"

"No," James replied, "Alma. I'll explain later." Lily's face burned. What is an Alma? she wondered, jealous instantly. James continued on, "You mentioned you had something to tell me?"

For a moment, Lily considered not telling him after all - she was so thrown off with the idea of some witch being all cuddled up beside James Potter in a sunny beach-side scene that she could barely stomach the thought of it. Confiding in him about Severus Snape seemed far less important in comparison to getting every last grimey detail about this Alma. But Lily knew exactly one thing for certain: since Severus Snape had been to call with that mysterious box he'd left her, things had been... off. Her outlook had been terribly bleak, and she'd felt heavy and horrid and strangely drawn to opening that box... it was as though it called to her... in some funny language that she couldn't understand that sounded breathy and whispered, luring her in...

"It's just that Severus Snape was here," Lily said. "A couple days ago."

"What did Snivellus want?" James asked coldly.

"Potter."

"Sorry. What did... Snape... want?"

"He wanted help."

James's voice dipped with wit and a harsh edge, "While I agree the nutter does need some help, I'm afraid there's nothing to be done for cruel, dark, and nasty."

"He's been on the run from Voldemort," Lily said, ignoring the jab. "Ever since he helped rescue you out of Havmork."

James was silent.

"I know you don't remember it," Lily said, pleading, "I know that, but he did help us quite a lot. He did. And if it hadn't have been for him, we might not have made it out."

"What does he need help with?" James asked quietly.

Lily looked about the living room, to make sure Petunia wasn't listening in somewhere, and she lowered her voice, "He had a box, a very old looking box, and he wouldn't let me open it, so I don't know what's in it, but he said that whatever it is is very, very valuable, and very dear to You Know Who and that I had to guard it for him."

James asked, "Did he say what happens if you opened it?"

"No," Lily answered, "But the box is funny, James."

"Funny? Funny how?" he asked.

Lily replied, "It... it speaks to me."

"Speaks to you?"

"Yes, in a funny language I don't understand."

James's voice dipped uneasily, "I don't trust it. I don't trust it even a smidge."

Lily asked, "What should I do?"

There was a long pause and Lily could imagine the scrunched up face James was making - the same one he made when he was trying to think up a spell or remember the answer to a question on an exam. She bit her lip, waiting. Finally, "Do you think it's safe to keep it for another week or so?"

Lily thought about the box, sitting on her desk even now, beckoning her to go upstairs and open it up. She shuddered at the thought of hearing it's hollow voice for another seven whole days. "I... I suppose."

"I'll be home from Costa Rica then," he explained, "And I can come by your house and see it and we can open it and see what the bloody hell he's trying to hide away with you -- together. So you're not doing it alone."

Lily nodded, "Alright."

James's voice was gentle, "We'll figure it out, Evans. Alright? Whatever it takes, I'll sort it out with you."

"Alright," Lily said.

"I promise." His voice was solid and deep. It gave Lily so much comfort, hearing it. She clutched the phone, not wanting him to ever hang up.

"Thank you," she said thickly.

James said, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah."

"I'll come right now if you aren't," he said resolutely.

"How?" she asked.

"I dunno. I'll... I'll... I'll bloody swim."

"Swim!" Lily snorted, "From Costa Rica? You idiot."

"I could."

"Nobody could."

"Nobody except for me," James said, and she could hear the pride and smirking grin that would hike his lip upon his tooth in his voice. "You've no idea what I'm capable of when my mind is to it, Evans."

"Not swimming across the Atlantic Ocean," she laughed.

"For you, I would."

"Alright Cassanova," she giggled, "I think I'll be alright for a week with the creepy box."

"Yeah?" James asked, then, in a confessionary tone, he added, "Probably would've taken a week for me to swim the Atlantic anyway, honestly."

"At least," Lily agreed.

James chuckled, "Blimey, now I sort of want to try it --"

"Don't you dare," Lily said quickly. And James laughed even harder. "I mean it."

"Yes mum," he said in a sing-song voice. Then, he paused, and he said, "Evans?"

"Potter?"

"Thanks for telling me."

"Thanks for listening," she answered.

"Alright, I've got to go. If you need me, you send me another owl, alright? And I'll get to a muggle phone box as quickly as I can."

"Thank you Potter," she answered, and she flushed and looked down, tangling her arm in the cord for the phone. She asked, "Do you like Costa Rica so far?"

"Yeah, it's really relaxing, and very beautiful." He paused, then, "Oi - what's your favourite colour?"

Lily laughed, "What sort of question is that?"

"What is it?"

"Dunno. Just answer it?"

"Either yellow or purple."

"Interesting choices."

"Potter?"

"Yes, Evans?"

"I miss you." 

There was a long silence. It was ringingly silent. Lily sat nervously oh her end, the phone clutched to her ear, her heart pounding nearly as loud as his breathing as the silence stretched on and on between them. She started to think he wasn't going to reply, that somehow they'd become disconnected...

James's voice shook slightly. "I miss you, too." She opened her mouth to say something more, but suddenly, instead, he said, "I have to go."

"Oh."

James said, "Mum's expecting us and everything."

"Alright."

"Good night Evans... or, er, it's probably morning for you already, eh?" James asked.

Then, almost as though to answer his question, Petunia came in wailing that Lily was tying up the phone lines and what if Vernon was trying to phone her? and James chuckled, "Is that your lovely sister I hear?" he asked.

"The one and only -- Thank gods. I doubt I could handle there being more than one of her," Lily said. 

"How's her neck?" James quipped.

Lily smirked as Petunia stood fuming before her, "Longer than average."

"Brilliant," James replied.

Lily laughed. "You're positively evil."

James laughed, "Good morning, Evans."

"Well. It's morning here. But -- night, Potter." She was just about to hang up when she heard him call her name again, and she raised the phone back to her ear. "Yes?"

"I was just going to say -- have a good day."

"You, too," Lily answered, and she sat, holding onto the phone, listening to his breath on the other end. He was doing the same. It seemed neither of them knew how to hang up - or wanted to...

"ARE YOU EVER GOING TO GET OFF THE PHONE? VERNON COULD HAVE CALLED A HUNDRED TIMES BY NOW!" Petunia was suddenly screaming at her, "YOU AREN'T SHARING!"

"I'm not sharing?" Lily demanded.

James said, "She sounds like a great big ostrich. Squawking."

Lily laughed.

"GET OFF THE PHONE LILY!" Petunia wailed, "You have other ways to talk to that... that VILE boy and..."

"Oh I'm vile now am I?" James snickered.

Lily sighed, "She doesn't even know who she's talking about."

"It's alright, I rather enjoy the title."

She laughed. "You really are a tosser."

James's voice was regretful, "Alright Evans, I really should let you go. Mum truly will have gone through the entire orchard by now, looking for us. Gotta get back. And by the sounds Petunia's like to have a bloody hernia if we don't hang up."

"Yeah," Lily said.

"Bye, Evans."

"Bye," she answered... and she'd hoped he would hold on again, so she could go on listening to his breathing, but he actually hung up that time and she clutched the phone a moment longer until she could nearly feel the disconnection, as though the phone had gone cold. She dropped it onto the cradle and turned to Petunia. "I SPEND FIVE MINUTES ON A TELLY CALL AND YOU ACT LIKE IT'S THE ENTIRE SPAN OF TIME......"

James put the phone down on it's hook and stared at it for a long moment.

She misses me? he thought to himself, and a bit of a smile crossed his face before he turned to leave the phone box.

Stepping out into the street, he looked about for Alma and spotted her a couple steps away, staring down the street.

He walked over, hands in his pockets, all but whistling he was feeling so jaunty. "Mum's probably torn about the entire grove looking for us," he commented as he approached her, laughing to himself, "She's so paranoid, I --" He stopped, mid-sentence as he heard the commotion down the street and he turned to look where Alma was looking, her eyes wide and face pale...

There were four cloaked figures walking toward them through the city street, wands out, fire burning in the little enchilada restaurant, people screaming and running down the dark streets. As they watched, one of the hooded figures caught a muggle man with a jet of light from his wand, which wrapped around the man like a rope, holding him fast, even as he tried to break away, even as the woman he'd been with screamed and turned back, their arms reaching for one another, and the hooded figure pulled the wand back and lifted the man up off his feet, into the air, hovering him upside down as he screamed and the woman sobbed and screamed and --

James drew his wand.