It was late at night just days before the final battle and Dora lay awake listening to the silence of the night her mind anything but quiet as she lie there beside Remus who she thought was asleep until a hand gently brushed her bangs out of her face as Remus sat up looking at her in the dim half moon light.
"What's on your mind love? You've been awake since you put Teddy down."
Dora looked away from her husband's eyes for a moment to glance at the bassinet at the foot of their bed where their infant son was sleeping then back to Remus as he wandlessly turned on the bed side lamp looking worried at her.
"It's nothing darling, I'm just wondering if things would have been different if I had met you before I did, if I had been at school with you and been there when you needed someone most. Would we still be lying here in the same bed with our son or would it be different?"
She sighed closing her eyes as he chuckled kissing her head.
"Do you always think of such philosophical things at night?"
She smiled opening her eyes looking into his.
"Only when I'm faced with the possibility of losing everything and everyone I love and care about..."
She paused and took his hand in her own looking at them as their fingers interlaced.
"Don't go, please Remus. I'm not begging for me but for your son, growing up without a father is no life for a child."
Remus sighed placing a kiss to her hair lingering for a moment before he spoke.
"We've talked about this Dora, I have to go.."
"Then I'll go too! I can't let you go and play hero and get yourself killed!"
Remus looked at her but before he could say a word Teddy began to cry awoken by Dora's outburst. She swallowed a lump in her throat and got up going to the bassinet lifting their crying son softly cooing to him as she sat in the bed. Remus felt a ping of guilt seeing them and her words about growing up without a father rang in his ears.
"You can't go Dora, I'd rather he grow up without a shame of a father like me than as an orphan."
Dora looked up at him her eyes were blue with sadness and hurt but her hair was growing red as a candle flame.
"Don't talk like that Remus! Your not a father he would be ashamed of! I can think of lesser men who are fathers and horrible ones at that and you are not one of them! So what if your a werewolf he's not going to care just like I don't!"
Remus watched her as the words acted like adrenalin shots to his heart making it race and swell with love and admiration of this young women who still loved him even after knowing what he was and even after he left her while she was still pregnant.
"Either you stay or we both go there is not in between where I stay away and worry myself to death while your off risking your life."
Remus gently moved her into his lap holding her close his lips pressed lightly to her shoulder as he tried to find his words.
"Dora please he'll need you, I need you but he does more, growing up without a mother isn't easy."
"It's no easier growing up without a father, for merlin sake Remus please just say you won't go."
Remus tried to swallow the lump in his throat as he took a shaky breath.
"Okay I won't go."
Remus felt horrible remembering that promise as he quietly left the house as Dora slept in the living room and Andromeda rocked Teddy to sleep, the minute he stepped out the door his heart was crushed by the realization of breaking two promises he'd made to his wife, that he would never leave her again and that he wouldn't go to this fight in the first place, little did he know the now brown haired witch watching from the window was about to break her word.