This story was beta'ed by FFN user: WL. Erkling, though it has seen a few revisions since then. Any mistakes are all mine. Thank you WL. Erkling!

Lily cracked her eyes open and groaned. She closed them and focused on the thump-thump of her head. While she waited, unsure whether she should open her eyes and deal with the headache that was throbbing behind them, she started to hear voices. Just the slightest whisper here or there, but definitely voices. Finally, unable to take not knowing who was talking or about what, she eased her eyelids open again.

She was staring up at the ceiling over her and James's bed. She tilted her head just enough to the left and saw that the door was ajar, letting in those hissed whispers. She groaned again. With any luck, Remus would hear her and come explain what she was doing in bed with a killer headache.

The door opened wider and James was the first to peek in at her. "You awake, Lily?"

She groaned in response, though this time she did have a grin on her face.

James stepped in and Remus followed. Remus came around and sat on the edge of the bed.

"What all do you remember?"

She looked at him in confusion as she thought about it. An Order meeting, dressing up and going to a concert, slipping out to tail a couple of wizards thought to be associated with Voldemort and his Death Eaters. After that, there was an annoying blank spot, with only flashes of light that she reckoned were memories of spellfire.

"I remember we were on a mission. I remember tailing... somebody, but nothing after that."

Remus nodded like that's what he expected. "We were tailing Abraxas Malfoy and Philip Parkinson and they didn't take well to being followed. When they caught on they led us on a wild goose chase. We split up. You managed to disarm Parkinson, but he tackled you, punched you a few times, and cast a Confundus Charm on you. When I found you wandering I gave the mission up for bust and brought you home. Interestingly enough, he didn't take your wand."

"Damn. Did you get anything definite?"

He shook his head.

"We'll just have to be stealthier next time," she said. She tried to sit up and Remus shook his head again.

"No, don't get up. Sirius is in the kitchen brewing up a potion for your headache."

"It won't hurt any worse if I'm sitting up in bed than if I'm laying."

James came closer and helped her sit up when she tried again. "Hey you," she muttered after breathing deeply. He smelled like broom polish and fabric softener.

"Lily," he said, sitting down next to her and holding her hand, "I don't know if I want you going out again. I don't like how easy it was for you to be separated and disarmed. Maybe you should just stay at Headquarters to patch us up when we come back in."

She shook her head slowly, cautious of the headache but still determined to disagree with him. "No, I want to be out there. It's my fight."

"I'd feel better if you were here at home, you know. Leave the fighting to the wizards."

"I wouldn't."

"Be reasonable, Lily."

"It's my fight," she argued.

Remus stood and Lily turned to look at him; he gave her a pitying smile before leaving the room.

"Why don't you think about it," James continued, "For my peace of mind. We'd all be happier if you stayed home."

"Except me!"

The door swung open but Sirius caught it before it slammed. "Someone call for headache-relief and a glass of water to wash it down?" He asked, grinning. Lily smiled back and reached out for it. He came close to the bed and offered her the potion first and then the water. She drank both and handed the glasses back to him. She closed her eyes and marvelled at how well potions worked compared to Muggle pain relief. She sighed and opened her eyes to look back at them.

"Thanks, Sirius."

"You're welcome," he said. "You ready to get back out there and kick some arse?"

"Sirius," James said, a warning tone to his voice.

"What?" he asked as he walked out of the room.

Lily climbed out of the bed on the side James wasn't sitting on and followed after Sirius.

"I really don't think you should be up walking around just yet," Remus said from the living room.

"Lily, you'll promise to not take any more Order missions, won't you? And stay home? For me?" James asked, following her out of the bedroom.

"No, James," she said again. "It's my fight. I'm not going to let one little incident stop me from doing my part."

"You're not being reasonable!" He shouted.

Both Remus and Lily winced; apparently, the headache wasn't completely gone.

She turned around and sat on the couch next to Peter; he'd been flipping through a magazine and looked up to see what the argument was about. "I am not going to sit on the sidelines, James, you're not listening to me," she argued. She didn't particularly want to yell, but he'd already raised his voice, which meant she was bound to soon.

"Why won't you see this from my side, Lily?" He asked again.

"Because you're not seeing it from mine!" She snapped. She winced at how yelling made her headache flare back up for a moment but didn't let it deter her from arguing. "Voldemort and his Death Eaters are out to eradicate Muggle-borns. If I'm not willing to fight for my right to exist, why should anyone else?"

"It wouldn't be particularly boring," Remus muttered, "I'm sure there are several witches that stay back just for healing others. I know Sirius's cousin Andromeda does it. She's got a five-year-old daughter."

"I'm not a mother!"

"Did you know that even Muggle women in the military don't go into combat?" Peter piped in, offering another consenting opinion.

"Where did you even learn that?" Sirius asked, leaning over the bar from the kitchen where he was cleaning up.

"Muggle Studies."

"I don't care. I'm going to be a part of this fight," she said.

"You can still be apart of everything. Just from home," James said.

"Mate, lay off," Sirius said, coming back into the room with a hand towel drying his hands. "She doesn't want to stay home. She's got one of the best reasons to be in the thick of things. Voldemort's out to kill her and others like her. Would you want to stay home if he was out to kill you?"

"They are killing blood traitors," James said through grit teeth. "Stay out of it Sirius."

"Why? You didn't say a word when Remus and Pete spoke up because they agreed with you. I'm on Lily's side in this. This isn't the Muggle world where the military is about brute force. Women are just as capable with a wand as men are."

"She's supposed to stay home!" James yelled.

"Well, maybe I should find a new one of those!"

"What?" James voiced the question, but all four of the men looked at her like she'd spoken a different language.

"If you can't get this through your fat head, James, I'm going to find somewhere else to live. I'm part of the Order and I'm Muggle-born. I'm going to fight. If you can't deal with that, then maybe we ought to take a break."

"No... Lily!" He looked devastated.

She stood up and brushed past him to go to their bedroom. She was going to pack. What she wanted was to hex James Potter, but she knew that wouldn't help matters. She did slam the door behind her and locked it, hoping he'd get the message. She winced at the loud noise. She had thought about Apparating but wasn't sure where to go. Maybe she'd Floo to Headquarters and ask around for a place to stay for a week or two.