Written for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry - Assignment 9

Wandlore - Task 8 - Write a Hurt/Comfort

Misunderstandings

Warnings:

Mpreg (this is Omegaverse)

Talk of abortion (no abortion happens)

Remus could feel it in the way Sirius tensed ever so slightly. His fingers tightened on Remus' waist and he pulled him that little bit closer if that was even possible given how close the pair of them were already.

Remus didn't know if Sirius was aware of his actions, but he knew without a doubt that Sirius had seen one of three things. He glanced around, already suspicious. None of his exes or Sirius' exes were around which ruled that option out, and there were no Alphas looking his way. Thankfully Sirius didn't try and challenge anyone who accidentally made eye-contact with Remus, but there was still the possessive streak that Sirius struggled at times to tame. Holding Remus closer was much better than Sirius trying to storm after another Alpha thankfully.

That left only one thing and Remus' gaze fell on a couple walking towards them, the Alpha pushing a pram and smiling delightedly down at the child inside whilst his girlfriend tucked her arm through his, her lips curved into a content smile.

Remus' insides twisted at the sight. Not at the couple themselves, or even at the child. It was the reaction Sirius was having to them. Over the last few months, things had slowly been crumbling around them even though Sirius had insisted it was fine. It had possibly been longer than a few months, but Remus had been able to push it to the back of his mind until he couldn't anymore.

They were both pretending now, both living on this borrowed time for their relationship. Remus knew the deadline was approaching - when it would be too much of an issue to push aside or pretend. But Sirius wasn't letting go of their love. It was almost perfect. Almost.

Sirius insisted that love was everything. He loved Remus more than he wanted to be a parent. He didn't have to be a father. Remus would believe that if he didn't see the way Sirius looked at Harry, the envy in his eyes when their Godson's name came up. The jealousy Sirius felt towards James which seemed harder and harder for Sirius to handle as time passed by. Whatever Sirius told himself and told Remus, it was clear that he wanted to be a father more than anything. Remus was standing in the way of that.

Only a couple of months ago, Sirius had broached the subject of adoption. Just a little comment asking Remus' thoughts, but the hope in his eyes had almost broken Remus there and then. Sirius had clearly come to the conclusion that Remus' fears were based around a child getting his condition.

That was his main concern, but the fact was - Remus was happy being "Uncle Remus" to Harry, and to any of their other friends' children. He just didn't want to have a child himself. He didn't see himself as a father. He didn't want to raise his own child. A lot of Omegas felt this way, and Remus couldn't just change that about himself.

If he could, he would. It would mean that Sirius would want for nothing else, and there would be no deadline on them.

And seeing the way Sirius' eyes filled with jealousy as the happy couple passed them, Remus knew that they had reached their expiration date. He couldn't pretend any longer. He loved Sirius to the point where he'd die to protect him, where he'd do anything to make Sirius happy.

Having a child was the only line he had drawn. Though Sirius was forcing himself to accept that line, Remus knew that Sirius deserved better. Sirius would never be completely happy with him.

"Let's go home," Remus murmured.

...oOo...

Remus was supposed to be the one to leave. He was the one who had ended it and he planned to go back to visit his parents and allow Sirius the little flat which was their home. But as soon as Sirius realised that Remus wasn't changing his mind, he had gone to pack, ignoring Remus' protests.

"Sirius," Remus murmured when his Alpha walked past the doorway of their living room, but Sirius didn't say a single word. He didn't turn and Remus was partially relieved that he didn't. He didn't know if he could handle see Sirius' tear-stained face and knowing that he was the cause of that hurt. Still he followed Sirius to the door, trying to think of anything that could relieve the hurt in any way.

But nothing came.

It would have been easier for them if one of them had done something wrong like had an affair, or if one of them had fallen out of love with the other. If that had been the case, the relationship would be over because there would be nothing left of them. But this was two people deeply in love. Soulmates as Sirius liked to say. It made it all the more harder because they were perfect for each other.

Sirius' hand banging against the front door made him jump. Sirius stood frozen, his hand moving to the lock. "You know I don't care about having kids, as…" he paused, trying to get the words out. "As long as I'm with you," he said. His voice shook and Remus felt even worse. He remembered eleven year old Sirius stuttering over his words. He remembered sitting with Sirius for hours, patiently practicing talking and relaxing. Sirius was clearly so upset that he was struggling to get the words out.

"I'm sorry," Remus whispered. "This is how it has to be."

Sirius pulled the lock down. "You'll… you'll c-change your mind," he said, trying to sound strong. "You… you love me."

"We want different things," Remus replied. "How much we love each other isn't in question, Sirius. You're free to have the family you've always wanted."

"I—"

"Sirius, it has to be over," Remus said gently. "I love you more than anything, but I can't do this anymore."

Sirius nodded as though realising that there was no point arguing with Remus. He pulled the lock down, opening the door. Without another word, he walked out of the flat. "James will come back for anything I need," he said.

Remus felt like he couldn't breathe. Sirius was his world and losing Sirius was enough to destroy him. But by doing this, Sirius could fall in love with someone. Sirius could get married and have kids. Sirius deserved a family and Remus couldn't give him that.

It was what was best for Sirius, whether Sirius believed it or not. In ten years, Sirius would understand. Remus had no doubts that Sirius would be able to find someone better very quickly. He still didn't understand how he had been so lucky to have Sirius fall in love with him in the first place.

The door was closed and locked, and Remus barely made it into the living room before breaking down.

Though he knew it was the best thing for Sirius, Remus had now lost the best thing in his life. Maybe Sirius could move on, but Remus doubted that he'd ever do so.

...oOo...

"Sirius went on a date yesterday," James said, leaning against the doorway. His disapproving gaze moved over Remus briefly. "A date with someone else. Is this what you wanted?"

Remus nodded, not meeting James' eyes. He knew he was a mess. He also could see through James' latest attempt to fix them. Still, the words hurt. He felt sick to his stomach, though he had felt like that for a long while now. Ever since Sirius had left, in fact. The break-up was destroying him. He knew he looked terrible - pale, unable to sleep and just generally uncomfortable. It was hard to determine which symptoms were those of the breakup and which were from the full moon.

"He's single, why shouldn't he?" Remus asked.

"You know how he feels about you," James snapped. His tone quickly changed. "I'm sorry, Remus. I know… I know why you did this. But I've never seen either of you so unhappy." James rubbed a hand over his face. "I thought if anyone was going to make it, it'd be you both. I've never seen two people more in love. I feel like my own heart's breaking because of this. I just… I just want you both together - where you belong. But now Sirius is dating and it's wrong."

"Maybe this is good. He's moving on," Remus insisted, wrapping his arms around himself. He felt cold and wasn't sure if it was because the door was open, or if it was the news.

James' gaze turned to pity. "Full moon hitting early?" he asked. "You've got… what, three days? I've got to go into work the next day but I'll pick you up, okay? Sirius… he wants to join us. He asked again."

Remus shook his head. He was weak, emotional, alone. He'd give in if Sirius even looked at him.

James sighed softly. "So, I can't convince you to come to lunch with me, Regulus, Harry and Sirius, I suppose?"

"We need a bit of time apart," Remus insisted. "James, I can't give Sirius the family he wants. I don't want kids and Sirius wants a family more than anything. I don't want a child, I don't want to adopt. This was inevitable. I hate that I had to end it - it's destroying me, but Sirius gets the family he wants. We both know he wants a child more than anything."

James shrugged slightly. "You know Sirius would choose you over anything."

"I know, but he shouldn't give up the one thing he's always wanted," Remus insisted.

"You're wrong, just so you know," James retorted. "You're everything he's ever wanted. I used to be jealous of how he would drop anything just for you until I realised. You are his world. He wants kids, but he wants you more."

Remus didn't reply. It was an echo of the same conversation they had been having for months.

"Fine. But I'm not giving up," James insisted. "And you need to look after yourself. You look terrible - you need to go and see Madam Pomfrey or something."

"I don't need to."

"If you don't, I'll go there myself and tell her you're not looking after yourself. You know full well that she'd make a house-call if needed. Imagine how angry she'll be if she finds out from me, rather than you heading in there?"

"I'll go and see her after the full moon," Remus called after him, knowing that this threat was one James would stick to.

"And… and the heats?" James checked, turning back briefly.

Remus shrugged. "Stress and the lycanthropy still have them screwed up. Honestly, it's good to have a break."

"You know, when soulmates lose each other—"

"Not this again," Remus snapped, losing his temper slightly. He had always loved the nights where he had laid in bed with Sirius, trying to catch their breaths or just whispering about their future. Soulmates. Sirius had always used that word and James bringing it up hurt more than anything else. "I missed two heats when me and Sirius were together. It wasn't the first time and it certainly isn't the last. They'll return and then mess up again."

"Fine," James said, knowing that he had crossed the line. "Get that checked out too though."

...oOo...

The wolf used to be so violent, but the last few months, the beast had calmed. Remus hadn't understood why. He expected it to try and tear him apart after the loss of his Alpha. Padfoot had been the only one to placate Moony in the past, and without Moony there, Remus expected the wolf to go insane.

James had been there during the full moon. Remus only knew because James had been doing the spells shortly before the transformation. He vaguely remembered turning back, before feeling like his body was breaking. James was shouting his name and everything went black.

...oOo...

The first thing Remus registered upon waking was that he was in a lot of pain. The second, was Sirius' head resting on the bed next to his hand. His hair looked a mess, unwashed and Sirius' skin looked pale.

Something inside of him eased slightly, knowing Sirius was back. But as Remus looked at him, he realised that he wasn't in his own bed.

He looked around, ignoring the pain in his back and neck as he did, noticing the curtains around the bed and the crisp white sheets.

"Sirius?" His hand reached for Sirius' hair. He couldn't stop himself even if he wanted to. He laced his fingers through the curls, stroking them back. Some were pulled back into a bun, but from what Remus could see, the bun was almost undone.

Sirius never let his hair get messy like this.

"Sirius." His fingers moved down from the black curls to gently run across Sirius' face. He smiled at the stubble on his Alpha's cheek. "Wake up."

Sirius stirred slightly, a groan escaping his lips and his eyes opening slightly. There was a moment of confusion before he sat up, dislodging Remus' hand, his gaze darting about. Finally it settled on Remus.

"Oh," he murmured. Remus guessed that Sirius had forgotten where he was in that moment upon waking. "You're awake."

"Yeah. Everything hurts." He hesitated. "Do you think… why am I in the hospital? No - could I just have something to take away the pain first then you can tell me what I broke."

Sirius' gaze moved down Remus' body for a moment. "Well, you…" he trailed off, clearly losing the nerve. "I'll get a healer."

"Why'd they let me in, anyway?" Remus asked.

Sirius smiled. "Private room, private medi-witch and healer," he explained. He looked tired, scared even. "Let me go and alert them that you're awake."

"Wait. What aren't you telling me?" Remus demanded, his face searching Sirius' for some sort of hint. "The pain can wait. I need… tell me."

Sirius hesitated.

"Also, it's a private room, so why are the curtains up?" Remus continued.

"Because I was tired of everyone coming in and staring. I wanted you to have a bit of privacy," Sirius explained, reaching for the curtain and pulling it open. He did the same to the other side, clearly buying time. Using magic would have only taken moments.

"Magic in here is… sensitive," Sirius explained, not looking at Remus. Instead, he fiddled with the curtain. "Because… something went wrong during the last transformation. There was a… a complication."

"What?" Remus asked, frowning.

"Remus, you're pregnant," Sirius blurted out sounding completely lost. "You're pregnant. You're about… four and a half, maybe five months along now and during your transformation back, you almost lost the pregnancy."

Remus stared at Sirius. "I'm… what?"

Sirius nodded. "You heard me," he replied softly. "You're pregnant." He returned to Remus' side. "And when the Healer comes in, they'll want to know whether to get rid of… of the pregnancy or not. I've told them your opinions on having children so that'll save any shock or anything."

Remus was silent and Sirius grabbed his hand. "But they said that when it happens, I can stay with you. I can make sure you don't do this alone."

"Wait. Are you talking about… ending it?" Remus blurted out, staring at Sirius. "How long have I been here?"

"A week," Sirius said. "I was scared you wouldn't even wake up, even though they said you would. But they said you'd only take a day or two to wake up, so what do they know?" Remus believed it had been a week - Sirius looked like he hadn't left the whole time. He bit his lip. "I know you don't want kids and that the news of this pregnancy would be something you didn't want. They said that there's only a tiny time-frame in which you're legally allowed to end it, so… I started the paperwork on your behalf a week ago."

"You… you filled out paperwork for me to lose this… this pregnancy?" Remus asked.

"I filled it out so they would be ready for when you woke up and gave the go-ahead."

Remus stared at his former Alpha. If the time-frame was so small that Sirius had to start the paperwork on his behalf, it meant that maybe Remus mattered more than a family. Sirius could have ignored whatever paperwork needed to be done. It may have meant Remus wouldn't be able to do it in time. But on the other hand, Sirius wanted a family more than anything - why wasn't he fighting for it?

"How long before it needs to be done?" Remus asked, closing his eyes.

"Three… no. Two days," Sirius said. "You were scheduled at the last possible appointment."

Remus' fingers tightened around Sirius' hand. "I'm glad you're here," he admitted. Whatever was going on, he was terrified and knew it would have been worse to wake up alone - to hear this news from a Healer instead. The idea of getting rid of a baby that was part his and part Sirius' made him feel even more terrified. In fact, as Sirius had talked about it, Remus had felt sickened at the idea.

It was one thing to not want a baby. It was a whole other situation having their baby taken away. How could he kill his child? Sirius' child? How could Sirius talk about it so casually as though he didn't want this baby.

Remus hadn't wanted a child, but… but one now existed and maybe it meant more to him than it did to Sirius? Maybe Sirius didn't feel the same anymore?

"Go back to sleep," Sirius murmured gently. "I'll get the Healer in a moment to come and check you over and do a few spells to help with the pain, but I'll be here with you always."

"But… will they…" Remus' hand moved to his stomach protectively.

"No. Not whilst you're sleeping and not without you signing the paperwork approving… that… happening," Sirius insisted. He brought his other hand up to stroke through Remus' hair. "Just so you know, I'm going to use this hospital visit as a way to get back into your life somehow because you look like crap. Beautiful crap though. But you haven't been looking after yourself. I'll be helping to fix that though."

"Thanks," Remus muttered with a slight chuckle, though he still felt cold at Sirius' steps to take away their child. "So do you. Utterly gorgeous crap though."

Sirius laughed. "Merlin, I've missed you," he admitted softly. "Whatever happens over the next few days, I'm going to be here to support you, care for you, look after you… love you no matter what. You're my world, Remus. Just you, okay? Only you." He gave a pointed look at Remus' stomach.

Remus felt sick. Sirius couldn't be any clearer that he didn't want this baby. The tables had certainly turned because to end the pregnancy would be to kill their baby and that would never be an option for Remus. Not ever.

...oOo...

"Sirius thinks you're back together," James said, as Remus stirred from his sleep. "But you look worse, if that's even possible. Are you planning on breaking his heart again? He's terrified that you're going to change your mind and leave him all over again. I'm sure that's not the case though - you wouldn't give him false hope about your relationship and then break his heart all over again… would you?"

"Has my mum gone home?" Remus checked. His mum had come from Wales but he hadn't told her about the pregnancy. He didn't know what to say to her, so the rule was that there was no talking about anything whilst she was around.

James nodded. "She's going to come back tomorrow," he said. "Sirius came up with an excuse or two. I'm not sure what he said, but it was enough to get her to stay away today - give you time to go through with your procedure and a bit of recovery afterwards. Sirius has been sent to the flat. I said you'd need a few things and that he really needed to take a shower." He fixed Remus with a level stare. "So…"

Remus hesitated. Since waking that first time, he had been so happy to be with Sirius again - he was unable to say no when Sirius said he wasn't ever going to leave again because Sirius was all Remus ever wanted. But he had also had to deal with Sirius talking about a future - making it clear that it would just be the two of them. Remus struggled to get a word in about how he was so uncertain about what to do. This baby was a part of him and a part of Sirius. He tried to explain that he couldn't harm it, but Sirius was so sure that termination was the way to go, that Remus' weak objections weren't heard.

Remus' hesitant silence was enough of an answer and James' expression darkened.

"You're going to explain yourself right now," James said, clearly struggling to stay calm. "The only reason I'm giving you a chance to do so is because I love you both - you're my family and I want you to be happy. The only reason I'm not shouting and hexing you right now…" he looked pointedly at Remus' stomach. "The truth. Now."

"I can't hurt the baby," Remus admitted, the words falling from his lips before he could stop himself. "But Sirius… he doesn't want this after all. He's so sure that getting rid is the best course of action. He keeps talking about how it's going to be just me and him forever. I tried… I tried to… to say I wasn't sure, but he wouldn't hear what I was saying."

James stared at him. "So you're saying that you do want this baby and Sirius doesn't?"

Remus nodded. "I never wanted kids, I was happy to just be Uncle Remus and that to be the end of it. But… but that was before there was a child involved in this. It's one thing to not want a child. But ending this pregnancy is me killing our child. I would be murdering a piece of me and a piece of Sirius - I would be robbing… him or her of their life."

"So, if you weren't pregnant, you'd never have changed your mind," James murmured, tilting his head slightly and frowning. Thankfully the anger had faded from his face. "But now you have that baby, that it's alive and you can feel it…"

"I'd die to protect it," Remus admitted. "And when I tell the Healer that I'm not going to end the pregnancy, Sirius will find out."

"You know, I found a grey hair this morning and I knew it was because of you two," James muttered. "And I'm going to have more. Some people get grey hair because they're getting older. Some because they have stress, some because of kids. Mine are because of you and Sirius." He sank down onto the chair by Remus. "Your procedure is in an hour. I'm going to go and cancel it. Is that what you want?"

"Sirius—"

"Do you want this baby?" James snapped. "Forget Sirius for a moment. Do you want to go through with having a child, or do you want this procedure?"

"I want the baby," Remus whispered.

James nodded. "That's all I need to know. I'm going to tell the Healer that you're not having it. You'll probably need to see someone to help with the pregnancy since you had a complication before. There are potions and spells that'll help. When Sirius comes back, you're going to tell him the truth."

"But what if he leaves me? What if he hates me for this?" Remus asked softly.

"Remus, I think you and Sirius need to sit down and discuss this. You need to tell him how you feel without him taking the lead in the conversation. What you never seem to understand is that even if you cheated on him over and over, Sirius would forgive you. He would forgive anything because he loves you more than anything else."

"I'd never cheat—" Remus began, getting angry that James would even suggest that.

"I know," James interrupted. "Just an example. My point is that no matter how much you hurt Sirius, he's going to always be there, offering forgiveness, planning his life with you. You broke his heart and when I knew something was wrong with you after your transformation, I sent a patronus to alert him and got you to the hospital. He was frantic when he arrived and wouldn't even leave your side for a moment. He is happy pretending the break-up didn't happen, even though you shattered his heart. I'm not going to let you do that to him again."

"If only I had waited, or gotten checked out sooner," Remus muttered. "None of this would be happening."

"Well, it has happened," James stated. "Even if you said this was another man's child, Sirius would be by your side because you mean the world to him. Tell him that you want to keep the baby. Tell him that you want to raise your child together."

"What?" Came a voice from the doorway. Remus and James turned to look, noticing Sirius standing there, clutching Remus' favourite blanket and a small bag of belongings. "You… you want to keep the… Remus - what's going on?"

"Ever since I found out about the baby, I've felt protective," Remus admitted. "I didn't want children, Sirius. But… not wanting children is very different when there is no child involved. The baby isn't born yet, but he or she exists. If I terminate this pregnancy, I'm killing our child. I can't do that." He tried to stop his voice breaking as he spoke, but was aware of how raw it sounded. "I don't know what I'm going to feel in a few months but I want to try. I mean… the baby is yours. How could I not love a child that is yours?"

Sirius tossed the belongings onto a nearby chair and strode over. He reached for Remus, hugging him tightly and burying his face into Remus' neck. Remus felt the tears from Sirius' eyes against his skin.

"These past few days have been killing me," Sirius whispered, his voice shaking. "But I thought you didn't want the baby so I've done everything to show that you're the one that matters. I couldn't force you into having the baby and I thought that if I even tried to talk you into it, you'd… you'd know how badly I wanted to be a father and I'd never get the chance to win you back. I was so sure you had your mind made up, all I could do was be supportive. After all, it's your body and it wasn't up to me. But… it's been killing me. I feel sick at the idea of losing our baby."

"We've got a lot to talk about," Remus murmured, his fingers coming up to stroke Sirius' hair. "We're not as strong as we thought. We've got a lot to fix if we're going to make this work - to make us work."

"I'll do whatever it takes to fix this," Sirius insisted.

"No," Remus replied, noticing James slipping out of the door. "Everything that has gone wrong is my fault. I need to fix this."

Sirius chuckled through the tears. "I never gave you a chance to tell me you wanted the baby. I need to learn to listen to you better," he said. "We both have our faults. But… but we are strong. Our love is very strong and… and we'll fix this relationship and be amazing parents to our baby. Just so you know, one baby is enough for me, okay? Let's agree on that. We both only want the one." He lifted his head to look into Remus' eyes. "Everything fell apart over kids. If we can agree this, I think we can - no, I know we can fix everything else."

Remus nodded his head. One seemed like a good number. "Just this pregnancy," he murmured gently. Deep down he knew that if he ever ended up pregnant again, he'd feel the same about the child. He'd never harm any baby they had. But he also knew that Sirius would be happy with just the one - and Remus wasn't stopping Sirius from anything because Sirius would be a father now. There was nothing stopping them from being together. Except Remus himself.

Remus took a deep breath. "I think… I think before we fall back into what we had, I should talk to someone. I think you should too." He saw Sirius' face and let his hand rest against Sirius' cheek. "You were willing to let me get rid of this baby. I couldn't even tell you I wanted it. I think that our pasts have made us… feel unworthy of each other to the extent that we'd allow ourselves to be completely miserable as long as we're together."

"I make you miserable?" Sirius whispered.

"No. Not at all," Remus rushed to reassure him. "You said that the idea of losing our baby was killing you, yet you were willing to do it because you love me and want to be with me. James said something… he said that even if I cheated on you countless times, you'd forgive me. He's right - I mean, I'd never cheat, but I know you'd forgive me anything. The same way I'd forgive you anything. I think we need to maybe see someone who can help us make this relationship something healthy."

Sirius nodded slightly. "I think it's healthy enough, considering," he said. "But if you believe it'll help fix our problems and make us stronger, I trust you. I love you, Remus, and I know that my future is with you. You're my soulmate. So we'll see someone and we'll get help. We'll make this relationship healthier and stronger."

Remus smiled. "Thank you."

Sirius' hand moved up, covering Remus'. "Should I stay with James whilst we start this? I was prepared to move home and immediately help you, but I don't want to overstep my boundaries. What should we do?"

Remus hesitated. He hated to admit any form of weakness and hated asking for help.

"I asked this morning - what would happen if I kept the baby. They said bedrest. Lots of bedrest. Potions, spells… they can stabilise the baby during the full moon but I have to rest as much as possible. Whether or not we're ready for this step, I need your help."

Sirius nodded. "Until you're ready, I'll take the spare room," he said, but Remus shook his head.

"It makes everything easier when you're next to me," he admitted. "I think having you by my side at night would…"

"I'm happy with that," Sirius assured him softly. "But if you ever want space, don't be afraid to ask. I know I can be a bit clingy and stuff."

"I like it when you're clingy," Remus gently assured him. "I love you so much."

Sirius' hand moved to rest on Remus' stomach. "I love you too," he said. "So… I guess we'll be dipping into the wedding fund."

Remus smiled. "I guess we will. But we have all of the time in the world to get married. Let's focus on our baby instead for now."

"We don't need a big wedding anyway," Sirius insisted. "Your parents, James' parents and a handful of friends and Regulus. Let's wait a year, get settled somewhere that's more fitting for our family and start this therapy. Then we can talk about getting married again."

Remus nodded his head. That sounded perfect.

Sirius reached into his pocket. "I don't want to rush you or anything… but maybe if you're not ready to wear the engagement band on your hand, you could at least wear it on your neck. I can get you a chain for it."

Remus reached out, taking the ring from Sirius. "I have no doubts about marrying you," he insisted gently. "I don't doubt our future, Sirius. I just want to make us stronger." He slipped the ring back on his finger where it belonged.

"So… you've kissed and made up then?" James checked from the doorway. "Because I told the Healer that Remus is keeping the baby, so they want to keep you in for a bit, do scans, go through potions - all the things they would have done if they knew you were keeping. You can't leave until tomorrow."

"One more night apart. I can handle that," Remus said.

Sirius shook his head. "I'm not going to be away from you. I said I'd be at your side no matter what. There's no way I'm not spending the night here. Now… tests. Do you think… are we having a boy or a girl?" Sirius looked at Remus' stomach in excitement.

"As long as the baby is healthy, that's all I care about," Remus replied.

"Yeah. I agree. I'll love our baby no matter what," Sirius insisted. "Should we find out or wait?"

"I want to wait. I'd like the surprise," Remus said.

"Surprise it is," Sirius agreed. "So… when do we tell Mum?"

"Tomorrow," Remus said. "I don't think I can handle it today. When I go home tomorrow, she'll know."

...oOo...

"Twins!" Hope gasped. "And I thought you were sick. No-one was telling me anything. I thought something was wrong. And… and you're keeping them?"

Remus nodded. "I never wanted kids, but they exist," he explained for what felt like the hundredth time. "And I already love them. Me and Sirius agreed on one. Of course that extended to two when we had the scan. But this is the only pregnancy I intend to have."

Sirius walked into the room carrying a tray. "Tea and chocolate biscuits," he said, setting it down on the table and beaming at Hope, before turning his attention to Remus. "How are you, my love?"

"I'm doing good," Remus said. "It's strange sitting around. I could sit and read for hours, but now I have to rest, I feel restless and want to move around… but I'll be good."

"Let me know if you need anything. I mean, if you need the loo, I can—"

"Please don't finish that sentence by saying you'll carry me," Remus insisted, narrowing his eyes. "They said I need to take it easy and be on bedrest. Not that I couldn't use the loo."

"Well, I'm going to stay here and help you out," Hope insisted. "I've already got my things in the spare room." She stood up. "Now, I'm going to finish unpacking whilst I wait for my tea to cool." She smiled between the pair before leaving the room.

"You know… I was talking to James at the hospital and… he suggested something interesting," Sirius said. "He said that if I moved out of London, he'd do it too. After all, Lily lives far away anyway and Harry always comes by Floo..."

"Where are you thinking?" Remus asked.

"I want you to be somewhere that doesn't cause you stress. Somewhere suitable to raise our family. I called around and there's a cottage for sale about a mile from your mum's house. It's only two bedrooms so we'll be one short when the babies are a bit bigger, but it's spacious with land and we could extend."

"You want to live in Wales?"

"I like it there. I don't want my kids growing up amidst all of the noise and everything that London offers. Imagine having a nice, quiet home. The four of us, with your mum and dad just down the road. James and Regulus a few miles away. If James moved, he'd actually be a little bit closer to Harry than he is now. He's all for it. We never intended to live here for too long anyway." He glanced around. "It's not big enough for our family."

He reached for Remus' hand. "Of course, it's a choice we need to both make," he added. "I love the home we have here, even if it's small and the babies won't take up too much space, so we'll be good for a while. We can discuss this in a year or two if you prefer?"

Remus considered the two options. Sometimes the flat felt crowded when they were babysitting Harry. Having two babies there would feel even more cramped.

He loved Wales and missed it dearly. He had only agreed to move to London because of Sirius. James and Lily had moved into their own place upon leaving Hogwarts and Remus had been scared that if he fought to move elsewhere, he could lose Sirius. So he agreed to live there.

Now he knew better - Sirius would have followed him to Wales, but Remus was glad he didn't make that choice for Sirius. They had a nice little flat above a bakery which smelt wonderful in the mornings when the bread was being baked. They were near their friends, even after Lily and James divorced and Lily moved back to her hometown.

Months later, James and Regulus were together, living together, planning a future. And now, Sirius was ready to leave London. Remus was too.

"Can you get pictures of the cottage?" Remus asked. "Maybe go there with my mum - James can keep me company. If you're both happy with it, we'll do it."

"Are you sure?" Sirius checked.

"I trust you," Remus responded. "I stayed in London for you, Sirius. I'd love to move back to Wales."

"If you had said the word, I'd have moved there immediately," Sirius chuckled. "We really are terrible at communicating, aren't we?"

Remus nodded. "We'll learn," he said. "Because we always do what we can to make each other happy and now we know that not communicating properly is making us unhappy, so we can fix that."

"We're Remus and Sirius. We can achieve anything," Sirius insisted gently.

...oOo...

Remus moved slowly as they pushed the double-pram between them. He had spent a few days at James and Regulus' place to recover, before Sirius hired a car to bring them to Wales.

Remus hadn't even stopped to see the cottage. He had spent months on bedrest with everyone fussing. Though he hated the fussing, he understood the reason behind it so he tried not to snap when Sirius hovered, or be miserable when Sirius offered to go to the library in his place. He tried not to complain when Sirius fell asleep and Remus could smell the chocolate cakes cooking in the bakery below.

And when the babies were born, he needed to recover which meant more resting whilst looking after two newborns. Hope had insisted on going back to Wales to make sure the cottage was ready, rather than get a lift up in the car. Remus didn't blame her. They had to stop countless times for nappies, feeding, and to calm the babies down when they were crying. Sirius was delighted whenever one of them woke up. Remus hoped they would just sleep until they reached Wales.

So the moment they were out of the car, Remus checked nappies, before strapping each of the newborns into the big double-pram that they had purchased.

"Where are you going?" Sirius asked, quickly locking the car and falling into step beside Remus. He put his hand on the bar, the other slipping around Remus' waist.

"I need to walk," Remus insisted, shaking his head slightly. "I've spent too long laying around. I've been restless for too long. I have my library card and we're going to go to the library, then to the cafe next door before we come back here."

"But don't you want to see the cottage?"

Remus nodded. "I'm sorry - I know you worked hard to get it looking good. I really can't wait to see it. But I know if we go inside, we're not going to leave the house again today. We're dressed and the girls are dressed and I just need to finally stretch my legs."

Sirius nodded slightly. "You're right. I can't imagine how dull it was to do nothing for months," he agreed.

Remus smiled. "The girls could do with some fresh air too," he added. "They've been cooped up in the car all day. Plus, it's our first outing as a family."

Sirius perked up immediately. "Can we go to that pharmacy where the Alpha always checks you out?" he asked.

"We are not using our outing to show other Alphas that I'm off the market," Remus chuckled. "Unless you want to go to the grocers where that woman at the counter was flirting with you."

Sirius laughed. "We could do that," he agreed. "James and Regulus are moving down next month. They wanted to give us time to settle before I help them with the move. See, I have my suspicions as to why James wants Regulus to stay here for a few days whilst—"

"Is your suspicion that Regulus is pregnant?" Remus interrupted.

"You think it too?" Sirius asked.

Remus nodded. "I just stayed with them for three days," he explained. "James was worse than you, fussing over Regulus and touching his stomach constantly and just heart-eyes. Regulus was not pleased in the slightest."

Sirius chuckled. "James doesn't do the 'heart-eyes' thing as well as me," he explained.

"Sure," Remus muttered. "That was the issue."

Sirius' fingers tightened slightly and he gently pulled Remus closer. "You know when I said all those months ago that I didn't care if I had kids or not…"

Remus nodded.

"I meant it," Sirius insisted softly. "I meant it when I said that you were all I needed. But now our babies are here…"

"I agree," Remus murmured. "I'm glad too. I can't imagine life without them."

Sirius' smile widened. "And since they were born at the end of March, they might be in the same year as James and Regulus' baby… if the baby arrives in time - which it will. Do you know what that means?"

"I'm scared to find out."

"It means the Marauders part two." He looked at the sleeping babies, dark wisps of hair on both of their heads and let out a content sigh. "Carme and Elara?" he suggested.

"What?" Remus asked.

"I've been thinking about names whilst driving. We wanted space names, right… well we had already settled on Carme, but Elara is the name of one of Jupiter's moons."

Remus considered the name. Carme Lupin-Black," he murmured. "Elara Lupin-Black." He grinned. "I love them." He turned his head, his lips meeting Sirius'. "I love you."

"And I love you too," Sirius insisted gently. "I always have and that'll never change."