I never normally minded what my wife looked like on the outside, it was her personality; the thing she couldn't change, that I had instantly fallen in love with. To begin with, we were just friends. Each a comfort for the other's loss: Her cousin, my friend. But then we grew closer and closer.
Remus awoke and turned over to find the bed empty.
"Tonks?" he called out, sitting up. She bobbed her head back into the room.
"Happy Birthday love," she said, grinning. For a moment, he looked startled, making her laugh. Then he remembered. It was, in fact, the 10th March. It was his birthday, and he'd forgotten. His first birthday without his best friend. The thought saddened him.
"You can't look like that today," she said, sitting herself beside him, on the edge of their bed.
"Sorry..." he said, still thinking.
"Right, come on," she suggested, standing up and holding out a hand for him.
"What?" he asked; puzzled.
"I have a few surprises for you," she said, smiling.
He wasn't sure he wanted to. In fact, he rather liked the idea of going back to sleep and forgetting about everything. The hole in his chest; his friend's now void space, ached more as the seconds passed.
"Go and get dressed," she said kindly, "I'll go and get you a drink."
With that, she skipped merrily out of the room, knowing exactly how he was going to react to her surprise. Tonks headed into the kitchen, and as she had promised, she made him a drink; Aero Hot Chocolate. Setting the drink upon the table, Tonks sat down and thought.
She wasn't sure how to go about her idea, but she was determined to try, knowing that if she messed up, he would appreciate it, and if it worked out, he would be over the...well, ecstatic.
Remus ran a hand through his hair as he made his way downstairs. Instantly, the smell of the hot chocolate drink wafted through his sharpened senses.
"Mmm," he said with a smile. Hearing him approach, Tonks jumped up from the chair and dived into the kitchen, placing the small chocolate cake onto the table.
When she returned into the main room, she found Remus sitting on the chair she had left a moment sooner, sipping the scolding drink.
"Surprise in the kitchen," she said, hiding her nervousness with ease. Nodding, he set down his cup and stood up. As she approached him, he realised what she was about to do only a moment before she did it.
"Is this really necessary?" He asked her as she clamped her hands over his eyes.
"Exceptionally so," she said, "Don't ask me any more questions."
He frowned, as much as he could, as they made their way into the kitchen. His arms out stretched before him, he felt along the door for the handle. He began to turn the handle, and pushed open the door. Before it had opened fully, he stopped.
"Tonks?" He asked her. For where her hands had been quite cold before, they were now extraordinarily hot. But, it wasn't an unfamiliar feeling.
Breaking from her grasp, he turned.
"S-Sirius?" He asked her...him.
Sirius smiled, "Hey, Rem," he said.
Remus could only stare, and watch on; looking at the friend he had not seen for less than a year. The friend he thought he would never see again. Remus watched as Sirius' hand came up to his face, wiping away a tear that he didn't know had begun to fall.
The two of them assessed each other, and then without thinking, Remus took his best friend into a hug. The arms he had missed wrapped themselves around him. Closing his eyes, Remus just decided he was going to enjoy the moment.
"Happy Birthday, Moony," Sirius said as they hugged. They stayed like that for a few moments, but as the warm grasp of his canine friend soon became the cooler grasp of his wife, Remus opened his eyes and pulled back to look at her.
"Happy Birthday, love," she said, smiling.
"Thank you," was all he could say, he choked on the words slightly.
With a nod, she gave a pointed look over to the table, where the cake lay. Remus looked at it for a moment before turning to sweep her into another hug.
"Thank you," he said again, "I love you."
And so, that was how my day began. The first day without my best friend, and yet he was still there, in person at least. As I mentioned earlier; I love Tonks for her personality. And I stand by that claim. Who else would have practiced for months, to turn into their cousin, for their lover's birthday? Only my Tonks would consider the idea. Those wacky Blacks, eh?