The Fall Down

By Nanaho-Hime

Disclaimer: I own nothing

For honeybeebeauty's Unlikely Pairing Challenge

Pairing: JamesAlice Prompt: Fall

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Because he's all she sees and it's the fall down.

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And he's so ridiculously charming that its nauseating and she admires Lily Evans for resisting for so long. Alice is falling downdowndown for him and he's beautiful and this is the fall down. She feels a tug whenever he looks at her and its awful because there are so many maybes.

like maybe he'll break her and maybe he'll save her

And there's a sort of triumph because he calls her Alice and she calls him James (as opposed to Evans and Potter) and she knows that he loves Lily and how can she blame him? Lily is bright and beautiful and independent and Alice is not.

Alice depends on him and she doesn't want to need him like she does.

And there's sadness and it's the fall down because he doesn't see her.

But she still wears his Quidditch jerseys in the stands, even though it's Lily he's blowing kisses at. And he hugs her after a brilliant game and it takes all of her self restraint not to cry and sob and scream at him because doesn't he understand just how much it hurts? And she can't even find someone else to dull the pain because they all think she's James' girl and he never contradicts them.

He hateshateshates Frank Longbottom and she doesn't understand why. Frank is sweet and Frank makes her feel like she's important and not someone gray who fades into the background. James says that Frank is a shady character and Alice should be careful, but Alice doesn't listen because James let her fall and maybe, just maybe, Frank would catch her.

She pretends to be happy because Frank is wonderful. He buys her flowers and walks her to class and carries her books and kisses her on the forehead and tells her he loves her.

James doesn't speak to her much after that, and she pretends not to miss him. Frank is wonderful and he makes her feel special and James is awful and he makes her feel unimportant and she's not a masochist she swears (thinks).

When she goes to meet Frank at the library she sees that James is with him and she hides behind the bookcase. James is livid and Frank is calm , but Alice doesn't notice because James is all she sees and it's pathetic because all he does is let her fall down.

"Stay away from Alice."

Frank shakes his head. He's taller than James and, therefore, more difficult to intimidate.

"You're really a sorry, selfish arse Potter," Frank's voice is mild but there is a hard edge to it, "You treat Alice like shit, you follow Evans around like a lovesick fool and you hurt Alice in the process. She's with me. I love her and she loves me and I make her happy and if you cared about her you'd be her friend and accept that she's with me now."

And it's the look on James' face that kills her; like he's effectively and completely heartbroken (and she is so pathetic because Frank has just said he loves her and it's still about .potter).

That night James corners her in an empty corridor on her way up to her dorm and he stinks of firewhiskey and he's looking at her in that way that makes her fall all over again.

"Alice,"

And, oh Merlin, why does he say her name like that? And he's kissing her and when he's in the room he's all she sees and he whispering at her neck.

"I love you."

And she hates him because he's all she sees. And in the morning she'll go back to wonderful Frank and he'll pine after Lily and she'll still love him.

Because he's beautiful and it's the fall down.

A/N: Reviews would be lovely yes please :)