Chapter One

"Bill, it's only me, Charlie," Charlie Weasley called as he arrived at his brother and sister-in-law's house, Shell Cottage, via the Floo network. Based in Romania, it was much more convenient for him to stay with Bill and Fleur than with his parents. He loved his mum, but she drove him nuts, the way she was always going on about his hair or his marriage-free state. Molly Weasley was mad about grandchildren, and until Bill and Fleur had children, Charlie knew she would hound him about settling down. He didn't want to settle down – he'd never met a woman he could see himself being with forever – and he had never wanted children. As a dragon trainer, he considered his line of work to dangerous to bring a child into the mix. He was perfectly happy as he was, and wished his mother would see that.

There was no answer. Charlie wandered into the kitchen, then stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the most stunning woman he'd ever laid eyes on – which was saying something, given Fleur was a quarter-Veela. He figured she was one of Fleur's friends. He wondered why she hadn't come to the wedding; he would easily have remembered someone who looked like her.

She was reading a book, so he sauntered up to her and placed his hand on her shoulder. He'd always been good with women – phenomenally so, and he was juvenile enough to still enjoy reminding Bill that he'd lost his virginity first despite being two years younger – and he saw nothing wrong with demonstrating an interest in this girl. "Hi, I'm Char – " he started before he was abruptly cut off.

She bolted out of her chair and scampered to the corner of the kitchen, her wand out and pointed at his chest in such a swift motion that it hit him later that it could only have been a supernatural reaction. She screamed at him in what he knew to be French, although he didn't speak a word of it. He quickly retrieved his wand and tossed it on the floor, his hands held up in a motion of disarmament. "I'm sorry," he said helplessly in light of this girl's fury.

"Tess! What's going on?" Bill's voice came through the house. Tess bolted into Bill's arms, her face buried in his shoulder and started rambling in French. Bill was highly sympathetic, saying soothing words in French and English and rubbing small circles between her shoulder blades. At first, Charlie was a little alarmed that he was sharing such an intimate moment with a woman who wasn't his wife, but then it occurred to him that Bill's body language was more paternalistic – in fact, if their kid sister Ginny weren't the strong, not-easily-upset type, he might treat her the same. "Shhh, it's going to be OK. I promised you no-one would hurt you while you were under my roof. Why don't you go to your room and I'll bring you some hot chocolate?" he offered. Tess nodded tearfully and left Bill's embrace and the kitchen.

"Who the hell is that banshee?" Charlie asked. "I barely touched her!"

Bill's green eyes flashed warningly. "Don't ever talk about Tess that way," he growled in a way that reminded Charlie Bill had some werewolf tendencies far more than the cursed scars on his face did. "She's Remus's sister."

Charlie frowned. Remus Lupin, fellow Order of the Phoenix member, werewolf and married to Charlie's high school girlfriend. Charlie liked the guy, though since he and Tonks had gotten married he was a little skittish around the werewolf; they were notorious for being possessive, and it was a good idea not to refer to his and Tonks's relationship. "Remus doesn't have a sister," he said. Apparently, it had taken him a long time to be conceived and his parents had chosen not to have any more children after he had been bitten as a six-year-old. Then it occurred to Charlie what Bill meant. "Oh," he said. "Oh. Ooooh..." he said as it sunk in. Fenrir Greyback – Lupin and Tess's sire – was a notorious paedophile as well as a particularly vicious Dark Creature who brutalised his sired sexually before turning them. No wonder Tess had been terrified to have a strange man touching her. "Oh, Merlin, I'm so sorry," he said, not apologising for anything in particular – he couldn't be expected to know that touching Tess would terrify her like that – but for the trauma she must have gone through both in being brutally raped and turned into a werewolf.

Bill's lips curved into a grotesque smile. "Greyback had this idea that he was going to make her his wife – got it into his head that he could create some super-monster by having a child with someone he sired. Remus found out about it and took her away. He asked me to take care of her 'cos I can watch her during the full moon." He sat down at the table. "She's had such a bad time of it, Charlie. She still has nightmares and I can hear her crying when she thinks I'm not around. I wish I could do something for her other than just be here. Believe it or not, she's actually far better than she was when she first came here. She locked herself in her room and wouldn't look me in the eye. She'll get used to you. But for the love of Merlin, don't touch her unless she invites you to – and by invites-you-to, I mean she instigates it, not your interpretation of a woman being interested in you – and try and let her know beforehand if you're coming into the room."

Charlie nodded. Sounded reasonable enough. "Would it be better if I stayed at the Burrow?" he asked.

Bill grimaced. He shared his brother's opinions about living with their parents. "I'm hoping it won't come to that," he said.

"I'm sorry for reacting the way I did before," a contrite Tess apologised later that day. "I know you weren't trying to hurt me. Bill says you're a great guy."

"He's not bad himself," Charlie said. "And don't worry about it – I understand what you've been through. If I'd known, I wouldn't have touched you. I'm sorry I scared you."

Tess sat gingerly on the edge of the couch, and Charlie scooted further away from her to give her space. "I took so much for granted," she said. "I felt a bit inferior sometimes 'cos I'm a muggle born, but everything else – being human, being beautiful – "

"You're still beautiful, Tess," Charlie interjected. "You're more beautiful than Fleur, which is saying something. And she's not full human, either."

Tess smiled thinly. "That's sweet of you to say that, but you should see the look on people's face when they find out about me. First they look at me with lust – which I hate – but it's almost as bad when they look at me with disgust, like all the beauty in the world can't make up for the fact I'm a Dark Creature. I'm not worth anything to anyone," she said haltingly.

"You mean everything to Bill," Charlie said kindly. "I think you mean more to him than Ginny. He always wanted a kid sister he could protect. Ginny's not the type who needs a lot of protection. And Remus must care about you a lot to go to the lengths he has to protect you. Greyback isn't someone you trifle with lightly. To tell the truth, I'm not sure I'd take the risk if I had a pregnant wife. Sorry, that sounded awful," he apologised.

"I've met Andromeda. Dora will be fine," Tess said with a wry smile.

Charlie laughed at that. "She can be terrifying. People think just because she's sane and a decent human being, she's no less dangerous than Bellatrix. I once got busted for having Tonks in my dorm room – in the end, I was far more terrified of her than mum."

"You and Dora are close?"

Charlie shrugged. "We used to be. Not so much now – Remus is very territorial." He shrugged. "It wasn't going to work out between us anyway. I'm just glad she's happy." Tess looked flustered at that. "Do you know something I don't?" he asked.

"He isn't happy about the baby," Tess admitted. "He's terrified it will be like him. He wants her to have an abortion."

"Wow." Charlie leaned back against the couch. "I've never wanted children myself, but if I got someone pregnant I wouldn't want her to have an abortion. And Remus is so good with kids, too. He'll be such a good dad if he can get over his fears."

"How come you've never wanted children?" Tess asked.

"I work with dragons, that's not something I'd want my children around. I think I'd be a good uncle – actually, I can't wait for Bill and Fleur to have kids so mum will get off my case – but I never fancied being a dad. And I never met a woman I wanted to settle down with," he added.

"What about Dora?"

"We were kids," he said dismissively. "She was my best friend and we just kind of drifted together. I wouldn't have done it in retrospect. I still care about her, though. I hate to hear that she's unhappy. I wish there was something I could do."

Tess smiled thinly. "You Weasleys seem to have this thing for wanting to do something," she said.

"Can't help it, it's a family trait. You should meet our mother," Charlie quipped.

"I don't think she'd like me," Tess said flatly. "Purebloods tend not to, even before..."

"Tess..." Charlie's hand fluttered in her direction, longing to hug her but wanting to respect her boundaries. "Remus is part of the Order with mum and dad and they love him, they just don't see that part of him... and this was after he nearly shredded Ron back in his third year," he said with a smile. "They'll like you. You're practically family now, they've got to like you. It's a Weasley rule."

Tess gave a small smile. "Thankyou, you're being so wonderful, and after I attacked you," she said.

"It's my pleasure. Anything to make a gorgeous blond smile."

"I'm not – " Tess started to protest, but Charlie interrupted her.

"You're gorgeous, Tess. I'd be all over you if I wasn't afraid of scaring you. The only way you could make me lose interest is if you turned out to be an utter bitch, and somehow I don't think that's likely. Remus and Bill wouldn't have gone to the trouble they did if that was true."

"Charlie..." Impulsively, Tess reached out and grabbed his hand. "I want to be able to, I do. But when I think about someone touching me like that, I just..." she shuddered with revulsion. "I hate him for what he did to me," she said, her voice quivering. "What kind of a monster preys on people like that?"

She was crying now, and Charlie couldn't help himself. He eased himself over to her and took her in his arms. She didn't push him away; she wrapped her arms around his neck and cried into his shoulder in a similar way to how she'd been with Bill hours earlier... except she didn't see Charlie as a brother-figure. "Bill was right – no-one's going to hurt you while your here. And you don't have to feel like you ought to do anything. Besides, Bill would kill me if he thought I was pushing you. And now he's part-werewolf I'm more scared of him than I am of Andromeda.." He felt Tess choked out laughter and patted her back soothingly. "Don't cry. No, cry if you want to. I'm here for you. We all are. We all are."

... Bill walked into the room to see Tess in Charlie's arms, sobbing her heart out but looking perfectly at ease in his arms – well, as perfectly at ease as someone could look while sobbing their heart out. He frowned. He was used to his brother's skirt-chasing antics – he still wasn't tired of reminding Bill that he had lost his virginity first, despite being two years younger – and had usually considered it a fine joke. After all, Charlie wasn't the type to push a woman into having sex with him, or even lie about his intentions to commit, so if it was all consensual and informed, then whose concern was it other than his and the woman's in question? But this was Tess, vulnerable, young Tess (though come to think, they had the same age gap that he and Fleur did) who he had promised Lupin he would look after... who he was more and more seeing as a sister. Perhaps, he thought wryly, that was the problem – Charlie was his biological brother and Tess his quasi-pack sister, even if there was no sibling relationship between the two of them themselves. It was icky. And if Charlie did something, even unintentionally, there would be hell to pay, both from Bill and Lupin...

... "Charlie, we need to talk about you and Tess. You were looking pretty cosy before," Bill said.

"What? I did exactly as you said – I didn't touch her until she instigated it. And I'm hardly going to crack onto a girl when she's sobbing over being raped. Merlin, Bill, I know I have a reputation but Jeez, can't you give me a bit more credit?"

"Tess isn't like most of the women you've gone out with," Bill said quietly. "She's hurting really badly right now. The last thing she needs is the interest of someone whose hardly ever here."

Charlie scowled. "I know that, Bill. I'm not completely insensitive. I'd never push her to do something she doesn't want to. I'm too scared of Remus to do anything lousy to her. Not that I'd do anything lousy to her anyway," he added defensively.

Bill decided it was best to leave it at that. Charlie seemed to genuinely like her and be well aware of the issues that haunted Tess. He figured it would be best if he spoke to Lupin about it...

... "The thing is, Charlie's never been one for settling down. I've never seen him with the same woman twice in a row. And that's fine, because he's never tried to hide that, but I'm worried about Tess's state of mind. She's... fragile."

"I think you're so used to having Ginny as a sister that everyone seems fragile," Lupin said dryly. "If she can stand to have him touch her, that's got to be a good thing."

"I thought you'd be a lot more... disapproving," Bill said.

"Because this is Charlie of the infamous Charlie-and-Tonks scandal of nineteen-ninety?" Lupin asked. "I know all about that – it was still hot news when I was teaching there. But I trust him with her. Maybe I shouldn't, but I do. Maybe it's just because he's one of the most open-minded purebloods I've ever met... scratch that, one of the most open-minded humans I've ever met. Must be all that work with dragons. He truly isn't fazed by Dark and Dangerous Creatures."

"Neither am I!" Bill said indignantly.

"I know that," Lupin said patiently. "It's just of all of you, I've always felt the most comfortable around him. If Tess is comfortable with him touching her, then that's fine by me."

Bill accepted Lupin's words at face value. It was obvious the man had bigger issues on his mind. "Everything OK with you and Tonks?" he asked.

"Everything's fine."

Bill raised his eyebrows. "Everything OK with the baby?" So far it was only Bill, Fleur and Charlie who knew about the baby, through Tess, as well as Ted and Andromeda. "That bad, huh?" Bill asked when he saw the grimace on Lupin's face.

"I don't want this baby, Bill," Lupin said, his voice dangerously quiet. "I would have been more careful if I'd known how much she had her heart set on it. I would never have married her if I'd known how much she wanted a baby. Damnit, I told her I didn't want children." His fists were balled in impotent rage that was far scarier than if he's started yelling. "I want her to get rid of it," he admitted.

There was no abortion in the magical community, though Bill was aware that it happened – through both improvised magical methods or more traditional muggle ones. Still, he was shocked to learn that Lupin was that serious about not wanting to be a dad. He felt his own brand of frustration. He wished he could offer reassurances, but the fact was, no-one knew what the results were when Dark Creatures mated with humans. "I'm sorry," he said helplessly.

Lupin smiled wanly. "It's my problem," he said. "No-one can do anything about it now. You, however, can help Tess through this time. That's at least something off my mind if I know she's being taken good care of."

Lupin caught up with Tess soon after, who greeted him with a delighted squeal and threw herself into his arms. "Nice to see you, too," he said; what with feeling so edge around Tonks and her parents, it was nice to be with someone he felt so comfortable around. He wondered if the rest of the pack had this same connection that he and Tess with, then decided that they couldn't have. "How are you holding up?"

"It's pretty bad," she admitted. "I have these cravings that I hate, they feel so unnatural and yet – "

"So forceful, so magnetic?" Lupin offered. Tess nodded, her cheek against his shoulder. "It gets easier. And have chocolate. I really does make you feel better, and Fleur makes the best hot chocolate. And let the Weasleys be there for you if you need them. That's why I brought you here."

"I was a bitch to Charlie," Tess admitted.

"No, you weren't. And if you were, he understands. He's taken quite a shining to you, you know."

"He likes me," Tess said. Then, bitterly, "I don't know why."

"Would you understand why if you were human?" Lupin asked.

Tess shrugged. "I guess." She had been used to male attention before she had been turned; even as a muggle-born her striking blond looks had made her highly desirable.

"Then trust me that it truly doesn't make a difference to Charlie. He doesn't care. In fact, I have a suspicion he prefers it. He feels more comfortable around Dark and Dangerous creatures than people."

"I don't think I can," she admitted in a small voice. "The idea of a man touching me like that – I mean, it was OK, when he hugged me, I didn't sense anything – but the idea of anything more than that..." she shuddered, thinking of Greyback.

"Don't think about it, then, love," Lupin said. "No-one's going to make you do anything you don't want to do. Or they'll have me and Bill to answer to." He drew Tess into his arms and hugged her protectively. "It's gets better, I promise." He rubbed her shoulders comfortingly, and wished there was more he could do for her. It had been thirty years since he had been bitten, and he still remembered those awful first transformations. At least, he thought consolingly, Tess would never know what it was like to transform without Wolfsbane... though that was surely cold comfort to her. "I care about more than you can understand, I hope that's some comfort to you. I'll be back after the full moon. Bill will take care of you until then."

"How's Tess?" Tonks asked Lupin that evening when they were having dinner with her parents.

"Fine," Lupin said. "She's going through a rough time. I wish I could do something for her. At least Bill seems to be taking really good care of her. And Charlie seems rather taken with her," he added absently.

"Really?" Tonks asked. She had remained deeply fond of Charlie long after their ill-conceived relationship, and she was enough of a romantic to be concerned that he was never involved with someone for long. People were meant to be together, she thought. She slid her hand onto her husband's thigh and was relieved when he clasped it with his own. He was so moody lately, snarling at her one second, all over her the next, gentle and thoughtful the moment after. "That's sweet."

"He's an idiot," Lupin said shortly. Tonks flinched. "He's so blinded with infatuation that he's got no idea what he's getting himself into."

"Really?" Ted asked disbelievingly. "Didn't his brothers have a bet going that he'd end up with a Dark Creature? Something up no-one else being able to keep up with him?"

"Ted..." Andromeda said warningly. Ted, for all his attributes, could be quite dense when it came to the magical community. Everyone knew you didn't start talking about your daughter's ex's stamina in front of her werewolf husband.

Ted remained oblivious. "Just watching that kid fly was exhausting. I've never known someone to have that kind of stamina – at least, not from a human," he added, just cottoning on to his gaff.

It was too late. Lupin dropped his fork, abruptly pulling away from his wife's hand at the same time. "I'm going for a walk," he said abruptly. "Don't get up," he barked at Tonks. "I want to be alone." And he walked out.

"Sorry," Ted mumbled. Over thirty years in the magical community and he still made mistakes about things that had been completely foreign to him until he'd been eleven, things his wife and daughter had grown up recognising as the Merlin-given truth. Like his son-in-law's pathological jealousy when it came to Charlie Weasley.

"He'll come back," Tonks said dully. "He always does." Usually drunk, but always remorseful. She was beginning to prefer it when he came back like that, because at least then he was sorry and gentle with her.

True to form, several hours later – shortly after her parents had left, which made her think he'd been watching the flat – Lupin returned, clearly drunk and remorseful. "I'm sorry," he said, not quite slurring his words but not quite getting them out clearly either. "Hearing about Charlie gets me so jealous. I feel like a schoolkid and I hate it but I can't switch it off."

She bit her lip. She hated how he got jealous and temperamental, though she tried to understand that he really couldn't help it. At least not the jealousy – that was hardwired into his werewolf physiology, he was extremely possessive. "It's OK," she said in a small voice. "I'm just glad you're home."

He kissed her gently and scooped her into his arms with ease. She lay her head against his chest, feeling the supernaturally fast beat of his heart. He carried her into their bedroom and lay her down gently, climbing on top of her and slowly, tenderly starting to make love to her. She arched her back and clung to him in response, crying out his name as he delayed his own gratification to made her climax.

She curled up to his afterwards, albeit somewhat awkwardly given her condition. "I love you," she said in a small but contended voice.

He kissed the top of her head idly. "I love you, too." He felt his wife relax in his arms and fall asleep, confident for the time being that her husband would stay by her side. While she slept, he stared up at the ceiling. This thing with Charlie was only the tip of the iceberg, although being married to someone who used to date someone with Charlie's reputation wasn't exactly easy to live with. It was everything. His marriage, the baby – he didn't want any of it, even though he loved Tonks to distraction.

Tonks stirred in her sleep and he realised he'd been shifting restlessly. He settled down, stroking her hair the way she liked to put her back to sleep. But even when sleep came from him, he couldn't stop thinking about what a mess he'd made of things and how between his wife and their baby and his sister and Charlie Weasley, he had far too much to worry about.