A/N: This pretty little piece was written for the Light and Darkness Comp. I've used the prompts: Romance, Hurt/Comfort, Marauder's Era, Marlene McKinnon, Remus/Sirius, fuchsia rose, poaching, bouncing pillows, be yourself, everyone else if taken, mirrors by Justin Timberlake, sympathy, you don't mean it, I don't know don't.

A/N2: Going to be honest, I bawled like a baby once I finished writing it. So with that said, JKR owns it all, but I hope you enjoy.

Marlene McKinnon leaned back, crossing her arms. Her eyes narrowed at Remus as he leaned rather closely to Sirius. She wasn't stupid… she knew the game he was playing.

Remus was in love with Sirius… that much was bright as day. But what Marlene couldn't figure out was if Sirius loved Remus back. She knew there were some days where it seemed quite possible; the two of them disappearing every once and awhile.

But if that was the case, why was he still dating her.

Marlene and Sirius had been dating on and off since their third year and they were now nearing the end of their seventh. She couldn't help but wonder if Sirius would propose. Marlene had always assumed he would, but watching him do his homework with Remus was planting doubts in her mind.

Frowning, she turned back to her Charms essay.

Wrapping her cloak around her tightly, Marlene made her way towards the Astronomy Tower. Sirius had written her a note telling her that he wanted to meet her up there.

Sirius had spent the evening running around mischievously with James, Peter, and Remus, so she was glad he was finally making time to see her.

Climbing up the stairs, she smiled when she saw him there. "Sirius," she whispered, causing him to turn around. The sight of him still made her knees weak. The wind caused his hair to blow all over the place, giving him a sexy windswept look.

She eagerly crossed the space between them, her lips crashing to his. He eagerly returned the kiss, gently cupping her face. They began a tangled mess of limbs, sweating profusely from the April heat.

Breaking away, Sirius grinned at her. "I have a little something for you." Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a small black box.

Marlene internally squirmed, almost unable to contain her excitement. Finally! He was finally going to propose!

"We've been dating so long, and I love you Marlene, I do."

She beamed at him.

"So I thought I'd get you a little something." He handed her the box, smiling nervously.

Grinning, Marlene opened the box, the smile slipping from her face. Inside was a set of fuchsia rose earrings. They were really beautiful, but not what she had been expecting.

"What's wrong?" he asked almost immediately.

"Oh, nothing Sirius. They're beautiful, really." She glanced at the earrings, smiling. "I love them."

"But they're not what you wanted," he guessed, sounding rather dejected.

She sighed. "Not exactly."

A pained looked crossed Sirius' face.

"I just… well, we've been together so long; I couldn't help but wonder if you were going to propose." Her green eyes flicked up to meet his grey ones and was surprised to find they were filled with panic.

"I'm not ready for that yet," he answered softly. "I love you Marlene, really, but I'm just not ready to tie the knot."

Sniffling, she nodded. They were young, and in the middle of a War. Maybe Sirius was right… maybe they really weren't ready and she was trying to force them to be.

"Thank you," she whispered, leaning in to kiss him. The earrings really were a beautiful color and would look beautiful on her.

"My pleasure," he replied, before eagerly kissing her back.

The two of them were sitting at the Great Table eating dinner when Remus approached them.

"Hey," Sirius asked, grinning slyly.

"Hey, I was wondering if you wanted to practice charms later on tonight. N.E.W.T.s are coming up, and I just wanted to make sure you were ready."

Marlene narrowed her eyes at Remus. For some reason, he would never make eye contact with her. She wondered if it was a trust thing, or a jealously thing.

Either way, she didn't really like it.

"Yeah, sure. I have detention with McGonagall, but after that I'll meet you in one of the empty classrooms on the sixth floor."

Remus nodded eagerly. "See you then." He turned and swiftly exited the hall.

Sirius turned back to Marlene, noticing she was now pouting. "What?" he asked, completely oblivious to the jealously coursing through her.

"Nothing, I just thought we could maybe spend some alone time together later on," she whispered seductively, her hand slowly moving up his thigh.

He turned bright red. "I'd love too, Marlie, but I really need to practice for N.E.W.T.s. I can't be an Auror if I don't get top marks."

She sighed, but nodded. "Okay."

He leaned forward, kissing her cheek. "I love you."

"And I love you. Now run off and serve your detention. Hopefully McGonagall's got you doing lines," she said viscously.

"Don't be so negative," he said, smirking at her.

"Maybe next time you won't deface school property anymore."

He shrugged. "That's unlikely, but on can always hope." He too, jumped up from his seat and made his way to exit the hall.

That evening, Marlene corned Remus in the Gryffindor Common Room. "You need to stop," she told him, venom seeping into her voice.

"Stop what?" he asked almost innocently.

"Stop poaching my boyfriend from me!" she practically shouted, causing a few heads to turn their way. "Sirius is my boyfriend, and having you in the background, waiting for the right moment to sweep in is getting ridiculous."

Remus turned bright red. "He's my best friend! You can't exactly tell me to stop hanging around with him."

"I can if you won't leave us be! Honestly Remus, Sirius doesn't like you that way. Why don't you get that through your head?"

He growled at her. "I don't have to listen to you." He climbed through the portrait hole, not giving her another look.

Marlene collapsed into a chair, frowning. What if Sirius did like Remus that way? What would she do then?

Hours passed and Marlene was still curled up in front of the fire. It was nearing curfew and she wondered why Sirius and Remus hadn't returned yet.

Curiosity got the better of her and she quickly grabbed her wand. She'd go spy on them. Being friends with the Marauders did have its benefits. She was a master of sneaking.

Quickly, she made her way towards the sixth floor. Looking around, she quickly spotted the classroom with the light on. The two was open a tidbit.

Slowly creeping forwards, she peaked into the room.

Sirius was laughing as the bouncing pillows danced across the room. Remus was talking to him, encouraging his charm work.

Marlene smiled; glad to see Sirius had finally got that charm down.

But the smile fell from her face as if it had been slapped off.

The pillows stopped moving and Remus and Sirius were now locked in a passionate embrace.

Marlene quickly snapped her hand over her mouth to stop the sob from coming out.

She didn't want to believe it… she didn't even want to believe the possibility of it. But here it was, right in front of her. There was no way she could deny it now.

Eventually, the two of them broke apart. "You're the other half of me," Remus whispered, quite cheesily too.

Sirius grinned, leaning forward to kiss him swiftly. "The vacancy that sat in my heart is a space that you now hold."

The two of them started kissing once more.

This time, she couldn't stop the sob from escaping her lips.

The two men broke apart, turning towards the door. Sirius' eyes widened when he saw Marlene standing there, tears pouring down her face.

"Marlie, it isn't what it looks like!" he immediately.

Shaking her head, she stumbled backwards. "You just weren't going to tell me? You were just going to carry on behind my back for forever?"

He shook his head, quickly chasing after her. "I love you!" he cried. "Please, Marlene, don't leave!"

"You're cheating on me!" she cried, turning to face him in the dark corridor. "You love Remus! And I can't share you, I can't deal with this… we're done."

"No, Marlene! Please, just give me another chance… I'll stop it... this... whatever it is," he said desperately, not wanting to lose her.

"You love him," she stated slowly, allowing the words to sink into her mind.

"But I love you too," he replied.

His words to Remus bounced through her mind. "But it's not enough." She sighed, feeling her heart breaking into two. "Be yourself… everyone else is already taken," she mumbled.

"Don't quote Oscar Wilde to me right now," Sirius practically shouted at her. "I don't want to lose you!"

"You already have," she shouted back.

"You don't mean it. I know you don't," he whispered furiously, tears pouring down his face. Sirius had spent so long trying to convince himself that he could love both Remus and Marlene equally and that everything would work out. But she was right, if he had to choose, it would be Remus. "I'm sorry," he whispered dejectedly.

"Sorry isn't good enough," Marlene sadly replied. Turning, she walked away from him. From their past. And from her future.

A week had passed and N.E.W.T.s were now upon them. Marlene sat in the library, trying to study while Remus and Sirius sat a few tables over, studying as well.

Marlene still felt her heart breaking every time she saw the two of them together. It seemed they wasted no time in carrying on their torrid affair.

But she sighed. Crying wouldn't do her any good. They were done, finished, and that was that.

Glancing up, she saw Remus staring at her. Sirius was nowhere to be found so she assumed he had gone off to find a book.

"Stop looking at me like that," she snapped at him.

"Like what?" Remus asked, cocking his head to the side.

"As if you pity me. Trust me, I don't need your pity," she said, willing the tears not to burst forward.

"It's not pity, its sympathy," Remus explained. "I am sorry for the way things turned out. I never wanted you to get hurt, Marlene."

"Well, I was," she replied softly before getting up and leaving.

It was graduation day. Marlene smiled at her family, who eagerly waved back at her.

Today was a beautiful day. She would be free to move on with her life. She would finally become her own person.

Later tonight, she'd be inducted into the Order of the Phoenix. Glancing over, she saw Lily and James kissing each other passionately, eagerly talking about something.

Remus was reaching over, straightening Sirius' tie. Her heart clenched with sadness, but it wasn't that bad. It still hurt, but the pain was no longer so consuming.

Marlene held her head up high, receiving her diploma.

She'd see the two of them at meetings every so often. Marlene did her best to ignore them, but they'd always try and find a way to sneak her into the conversation.

"Marlie, can I talk to you?" Sirius asked, looking rather nervous.

"What?" she snapped at him.

"I'm sorry, Marlene, but this has been going on for months now. I was hoping we could try to be friends?" he suggested, hope in his eyes.

Marlene closed her eyes. "No."

"No?" he asked, sounding rather surprised.

"No," she repeated firmly. "Sirius, I still love you. And I can't be around you, knowing you don't love me back."

He opened his mouth to speak but she had turned to leave.

Neither of them knew that would be the last time they would speak.

That night, Marlene felt the wards shift in her home. Bolting upright, she grabbed her wand. Making her way downstairs, there was a blast as the kitchen wall fell apart.

Black robed figures poured in, panic filling her. Death Eaters.

She immediately began to duel, fighting for her life. She managed to kill on Death Eater and stun another before she heard the sound of her little sister's screams.

A Death Eater seized the distraction, sending a killing curse towards her.

As the green light sped towards her, Marlene's thoughts drifted to Sirius. I hope that Remus can love you as much I could have.

And then she knew no more.