The war was going badly. This was not a secret. It was also not a surprise, and most of the time, James cared. In fact, it tore him apart -- watching people go out to fight Death Eaters, and not come back, worrying where Lily was, if she was safe, if she was careful, and wondering what would happen if he ever left without coming back.

But on June 16, 1984, James woke up angry at the war. He woke up furious at it for making Lily so nervous that she was already awake and at her desk bent over a pile of scrolls, though it was still dark out. He woke up utterly enraged that his arm still hurt from his last assignment, and even angrier that Sirius was still at St. Mungo's. He was livid that Remus hadn't been with them -- that the already insane Ministry had been driven batty enough by the war to make it impossible for the most talented wizard James knew to be an Auror.

James was tired. He was tired and he was sick of being afraid and quiet and responsible for protecting so many people he'd never met, when the people he wanted most to protect threw themselves into the line of fire. He was a young man, with a beautiful wife who he loved and friends who were total rotters but, in the end, the best friends a fellow could possible have.

He could just see Lily from the bed, the line of her body as she bent over the desk, the side of her face. She kept biting her lower lip, and murmuring to herself as she made notes. There were dark circles under her eyes, and her hair frizzed around her head.

The war, James decided, throwing off his covers and standing, could sod off for the day. He stomped across the bedroom, into the living room. Lily didn't look up, but waved distractedly.

"There's coffee in the kitchen," she told him, bending closer to her scrolls. "And when you've got a minute, could you -- "

James reached down onto the desk, picked up all of the scrolls and tossed them into the corner. Lily blinked at him, mouth hanging open. She was too shocked to resist even as he came around the desk, and pulled her to her feet.

"Have you gone *mad*?" she asked, as he put his arms around her. "Utterly, irretrievably insane?"

"No," James said, propping his chin on the top of her head. "I've gone on holiday from the war."

Lily snorted, but relaxed against him. "So that's a yes, then."