You can blame...erm... thank freshly caught Cornish pixies for this. I find that I write rather quickly when threatened with bodily harm. ;)

These characters belong to good ol' JK, of course. I'm gaining no profit from this, so kindly put down the pen and step away from the lawsuit.

A Distant Sort of Close

Remus stepped carefully through the dark hallway of Number 12, Grimmauld Place. Every now and then the tiniest of shifting noises rose from the shadowed outlines of pictures along the walls, making the tiny hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. It felt as if every painted eye was following his movements. The air held a clear, fragile sort of chill, letting him know that most would be sleeping at this hour. He, however, lived on extremely off hours as part of his duty to the Order, and knew his body wouldn't be shutting down for some time.

A dim light glowed from beneath the kitchen door, betraying the presence of a late night roamer. Perhaps it was Molly, finishing up with some last minute cleaning. She was dedicated like that. He had a lot of respect for the woman who had raised seven normally pleasant children—even the twins included—and lived to tell the tale. He pushed through the door with a gentle hand on the low, brass knob, and the other on its midnight wood to be sure it didn't rasp against the frame.

When he stepped through, there was a gasp and a tinkle of broken glass on the floor. There was Tonks, looking down at a shattered tea cup with frustration. Her slight figure, normally vibrant with energy, slumped for a split second. She glanced up, her eyes blinking quickly twice as she registered who he was. "Remus!" she said with surprise, in a voice that was pushing the limits on 'too loud.' "What're you doing up?"

He replied in a softer tone, repairing the cup quickly with his wand as he did so. "Just got back from the colony and thought I'd stop by for a quick cup of tea." He levitated the tea cup back to her waiting hands, which grasped it gratefully. "What about you?"

"Same. Only just finished up with some nasty business. A Muggle somehow stumbled upon a Lethifold." They both winced. "Yeah, it wasn't pretty… Have a seat!" She gestured to the chair beside her, kicking it out with a foot. He complied and she poured them both some tea, then placed a gooey chocolate cupcake in front of him.

"What's this?" Remus picked it up. It smelled moist and sweet, making saliva pool in the base of his mouth. He licked his lips.

"That—" Tonks waved her own cupcake at him. "That is what happens when a couple of teenage girls run out of things to do in a great, empty house. Plus, they needed an excuse to keep Molly from putting them to work again. Poor things." She sounded more amused than sympathetic, licking a bit of frosting off the top of her cupcake. "Mmm, this thing is pure evil, let me tell you."

"Chocolate is pure evil?" Remus couldn't help but ask. As a past DADA teacher, he always thought of chocolate as the thing that combated dementors, tax collectors, and other such depressing creatures.

"Oh yes." Tonks nodded. She took a slow bite. Her eyes rolled back in ecstasy, tongue shooting out to collect extra crumbs. "Chocolate cake, especially."

"What about… say… red velvet?" he asked playfully. Remus knew from experience that if he played along, things would only get better. Tonks was more like Sirius than she knew.

"Nah," she pressed a licked finger against brown crumbs on the table, then lifted the tiny bits of sweetness to her lips to suck them off in a rather un-ladylike fashion. "Red Velvet cake looks more royal than evil. Chocolate, though, chocolate is so delicious that it can't be anything but evil. See?"

"But by the same logic, that means… evil is delicious?" Remus finally took a bite of his cupcake, feeling the skin around his eyes crinkle as he smiled. He had to admit, it certainly was divine. He washed it down with a sip of warm tea.

"Of course!" Tonks said thickly around a mouthful. She wiped the corner of her mouth, then checked her fingers for signs of brown frosting. "Why else would anyone ever want to be evil? The complimentary tattoos? No, it's so delicious, it's practically irresistible."

"Care to explain why you haven't turned to the dark side, then?" Remus chuckled. He wasn't normally one for these light, pointless conversations, but then, it had been quite a while since Sirius was in the proper mood to begin one. This back-and-forth reminded him so much of his Hogwarts days that he had a sudden urge to hug Tonks right there. Clearing his throat, Remus focused his attentions on the cake in his hand.

Tonks scooted forward in her seat, grinning. "Same reason I don't go eating chocolate cupcakes every single day." She waved a finger. "What fun would that be? It would turn into the same old routine with the same old flavor. Bo-ring!" She pulled off another chuck and popped it into her mouth. "You need to spread these things out. If you're going to do something evil, do something just a tiny bit rebellious every now and then." To emphasize her point, she screwed up her face, coloring her hair turquoise.

Remus shook his head. "You know—" he leaned closer to the young woman, lips twitching with amusement. "—that explains quite a bit about you."

Tonks' hair darkened to a deep maroon. "Well what about you?" she retorted a bit defensively, holding her cupcake between them.

"Me?" His eyebrows shot up.

"Yes," she said emphatically. "You're enjoying that evil cupcake very much for a guy with his feet firmly planted in the light.

Remus paused, having just been licking frosting off his fingers with relish. "Guilty." He shrugged. "Granted, I'd have thought you would have caught on sooner, what with me turning into a great, furry monster once a month." He swallowed quickly with surprise. It had been a while since he was able to joke about his condition. Yet, just now, it had erupted from his mouth without a tint of bitterness. He glanced back up at Tonks, who was eyeing him carefully.

"What does that have to do with anything?" she asked, her eyes clear and curious.

Feeling a shift in their conversation, Remus sighed inwardly at the loss of the easy lightness they had spoken with. "Werewolves," he said bluntly, "are not exactly fluffy unicorns. We're classified as Dark creatures, just like that Lethifold you were dealing with earlier."

"Poppycock!" Tonks took a bite of her cupcake.

Remus' brow wrinkled. "Um, come again?"

She turned, looked him in the eye, and said slowly, "That's… a… load… of… poo."

Feeling slightly affronted for a reason he could not quite place, Remus couldn't help but respond somewhat angrily. "And why in the name of Merlin is that?"

Tonks dropped her cupcake on the table and poked Remus hard in the chest. "Because you, Remus Lupin, are not a Dark creature. You are a man. You're a man who happens to change into something else against his will once a month, but takes every precaution to make sure that when that happens, no one gets hurt. Does that sound dark to you, Remus?" Her eyes were wide yet determined, her jaw tight. "Because if it does, maybe chocolate is the right kind of dark for you."

Something like a patronus flew through his center. Without thinking, without doubting, without even pausing to wonder what would happen next, Remus placed both hands on either side of her face and kissed her. His palms felt large and calloused against the much softer, much smoother skin of her cheeks.

After a moment that seemed to last forever, he leaned back. Their faces were still very close, his whiskered and pale, hers slightly pink.

"Oh," she breathed.

Remus let his hands fall into his lap awkwardly and inched away. He cleared his throat, not sure where to look. "Sorry. I'm so sorry. I can't believe—" He cut off suddenly as Tonks' face appeared in front of his once more.

"Shut up," she said lightly, her eyes dancing. And then they were kissing again.

It was as if all his frustration, anger, and inner turmoil just melted away. There was nothing but that ball of warmth dancing about his innards. It had been so long since he had felt like this. So long since that furry, sharp-toothed image in his mind hadn't stood between him and happiness. That furry wolf…that he turned into every month… with sharp teeth and deathly claws… which were out of his control.

Remus pulled back suddenly, his breath coming in gasps. Tonks had somehow ended up in his lap, her arms around his neck. He gently pulled them off and, avoiding her gaze, laid her hands neatly in her lap. "We—I—I shouldn't…" he muttered, finally looking up into her confused eyes.

She quirked a single eyebrow with dexterity he always secretly wished he could have. "And why in the name of Merlin not?" He squirmed, stiffened, wriggled, but she just planted herself more firmly on top of his legs.

He couldn't help but finger a bit of pink hair just above her ear as he struggled to gain control of his mind again. "It's not safe," he blurted.

Tonks reached up and grasped his hand. He let her, marveling how small and soft her hand was in his. "These things rarely are." She shrugged. "There's always something, isn't there? It's always a risk, but it's a risk I'm willing to take."

Remus lightly slipped his hand from her grip. Half of his mind was shouting, calling him a complete nutter for letting her go—somehow in Sirius' voice, too. But the other half sported a terrible image. Tonks' still, bloodied form, his own red hands, fiery despair and shame burning forever inside his chest.

"…But I'm not." The words were sour in his mouth.

Tonks closed her eyes in something that may have been a wince. She slid off his lap, only head and shoulders above him even while he was sitting. He forced himself to look up at her unwavering stare.

"I see." Her voice was soft. Delicate, even. Then, her mouth stretched into what apparently was supposed to be a smile. "Well, I suppose we'll just have to pretend this didn't happen, won't we?"

Remus clenched his fists, but nodded.

"Well then," Tonks said in a much too cheery voice. "Good night, Remus. I'll be off then." She plucked the remains of her cupcake from the table and made her way toward the door. She paused for a split second with her back toward him, as if waiting for something, but then continued out.

Entangled in the icy grips of misery, Remus couldn't even find the voice to say goodbye.