His Best Birthday

"Happy birthday sweetheart," a voice purred in his ear. The voice should have made him happy, excited, anything else than what it did to him. In anger he growled and rolled over, turning away from the voice. "What's the matter?"

He mumbled an incoherent response.

"Tell me what's wrong."

Pure Hermione, always demanding to know everything. He didn't feel like answering though. He growled again and rolled all the way out of bed, pulling on a pair of boxers before leaving her alone in their big bed.

In a daze he walked downstairs and into their kitchen. It was still strange for him to think of it as their kitchen. It used to be just him, all alone. Now he was sharing his home with the woman of his dreams. He should be happy. And in some ways he was. But this birthday thing made him remember all the things he couldn't be happy about.

Not really knowing what he was doing he started making tea. He had never been a tea person before he got to know Hermione better. She had had this habit of drinking tea while reading and when she read a lot she drank a lot. So he had started doing the same thing. At first it was kind of forced; he'd rather have his coffee, black. But after a while it grew on him and as he discovered new tastes he was really enjoying his tea. Especially since normally he would get to watch Hermione read as he drank. Many people would have found that dull but he loved seeing her curled up in her grand chair, almost disappearing completely. It made her seem so small and fragile. And young. And then once again he arrived back at age. It seemed like everything in their relationship came down to age in the end. He was fed up with people telling him that the difference between them was too big and that he shouldn't want her. Darn it, he did want her! But there was something worse than the judgemental voices of others. Most of all he hated that he agreed with them. He loved Hermione dearly, but ever so often he couldn't keep himself from thinking that there was no way on earth he could give her what she wanted. Someday she would realise that he was too old to fulfil her dreams and then she would leave him. And he couldn't even hold it against her. He was practically waiting for her to pack her things and get out.

The water boiled and he poured it into a nice, big cup. Holding the steaming cup he sat down at their newly bought kitchen table.

"Remus," came a soft voice from the door. He didn't need to look to know it was Hermione, but then again how could he not? She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen and he loved her. He looked.

She had wrapped her red silk kimono around her slender body. Remus had always loved that kimono. It was a symbol of their love in some strange way. It was during their trip to Bangkok that they had realised that they wanted to be together and it was then that she had bought the kimono.

Standing in the doorway with her arms crossed she was staring intently at him.

"Remus, what's the matter?"

He didn't know what to answer. He couldn't find the right words to tell her. Not without hurting her. Not without driving her away. So instead he stood and slowly walked towards her. Her eyes narrowed the closer he got, and when he stopped in front of her she was glaring angrily at him. Until he reached up and cupped her cheek in his hand. Then her expression softened slightly and she smiled half-heartedly at him.

"You're not going to tell me?"

He shook his head.

"Why not?"

Great, now she was wining and pouting at him. She knew very well that he couldn't refuse her when she did that. He sighed in defeat.

"Fine," he said and turned away from her. "I don't like my birthday."

Her slender lily arms wrapped around him from behind and she laid her cheek against his back.

"Yeah," she whispered into his shirt "I noticed that. I need you to tell me why."

Lacing his fingers with hers he bowed his head.

"Because I'm reminded of how much older than you I am."

They stood in silence before Hermione answered, "So?"

Her total disregard stirred a repressed anger in Remus and he freed himself from her grasp and turned to face her with angry, desperate eyes.

"So?!" he said furiously. "How can you say that so easily?! Hermione, please realise that we have a genuine problem here!"

Hermione remained completely calm as she said, "Who says it's a problem?"

Remus' eyes widened at her question. He could not believe what he was hearing.

"Everybody," he said. "Society. Harry. Molly."

"Does that mean that we have to deny ourselves what we really want?" she asked reasonably. "Do they get to dictate our happiness?"

Remus blinked in surprise. Sure, he had had the same thoughts once, but he hadn't been able to see the logic in them for a long time.

"Hermione, it's not that easy," he sighed and stroked his tired eyes.

"Why not?" she asked intently and took a step closer to him. "What else is there?"

Gently he grabbed her shoulders and held her in place.

"There are things I can't give you because of the age difference," he whispered. "Things you may not want right now but will want in the future."

"Then why worry about it now?"

He didn't have an answer and Hermione kept him from thinking to hard when she leaned up and pressed her lips against his. She caught him off guard and to begin with he didn't respond to her. But not before long he let go of all he had stored inside himself – the anger, the frustration, the love – and he kissed her back with such ferocity that it was Hermione's turn to be startled. His arms went around him and pulled her flush against him. The breath was forced out of her and made her open her mouth. Greedily Remus plunged his tongue into her mouth and deepened their kiss. Soon they had to pull apart to breathe freely. Remus leaned his forehead against hers and stared deep into her hazel brown depths.

"You make it sound so easy," he whispered.

"It is easy," she replied. "It doesn't have to be harder than it is. At least not for now. We'll worry about the future when it's here."

"Hermione, don't you understand that I'm getting old?"

She stared at him before running a hand through his light brown hair which had become more and more scaled with grey over the years.

"I understand that," she said. "It's one of the things that drew me to you in the first place."

Remus' brows knitted together.

"You were attracted to me because I'm 19 years older than you?"

She laughed softly and said, "No, of course not. But you have a depth and an experience level that's hard to find in people my own age."

He returned her laugh and nodded.

"Yeah, you have always needed someone older than you to challenge you. But why me?"

"Why not you? Can we really choose who we're attracted to?"

Remus was about to answer, but Hermione silenced him by placing a finger on his lips.

"Remus, do you love me?"

"You know I do…"

"And I love you. Let's just keep it at that for now."

When Remus was about to protest, she silenced him once again, this time with a scorching kiss. When the kiss intensified Remus forgot all about his birthday and all about his problems. The only thing that existed was Hermione and the love they shared. He pushed her backwards until she hit her back on the kitchen table. Without breaking the kiss he lifted her onto the table and instantly her legs wrapped around his waist, pulling him even closer. Her arms went around his neck and her fingers fisted his hair. He growled into her mouth as she pulled his hair lightly and then moved her hands over his neck, to his shoulders and down his chest. She let her nails scrape his lean chest all the way down to the waistband of his boxers. Before she could hook her fingers in the band, Remus slapped her hands away and pushed her onto her back. She obliged and grinned widely when she saw the look of sheer lust in his eyes.

Bringing his hands to her face he cupped her cheeks, leaned down and kissed her quickly before letting his hands explore her neck, hair and face. Slowly his hands moved further and further down her body, avoiding her breast and stomach but going for the kimono instead. Ever so slowly he opened it and exposed her flat stomach and rounded breast with petit, pink nipples. Feeling like he might drool if he didn't taste her he leaned down and took a nipple into his mouth, earning him a moan in return. He flicked his tongue over the peeking nipple and bit down lightly, making her moan again and begin to trash. His hands moved over her stomach and spread the kimono further, revealing her core to his touch. He breathed in sharply when he found her naked to the touch. Wiley minx knowing exactly how to turn him on. The smell of her arousal rose to his nose and made him grow harder in his shorts. Teasingly slow he moved his hands down to her cleft and found her wet and ready. He touched her clit a few times before plunging two fingers into her waiting heat. He bucked off the table and drove her nipple further into his mouth. Chuckling deeply he started moving his fingers in and out while trailing a hot trail of kisses down over her stomach till he reached her waiting flesh. Without a single warning he sucked her clit into his mouth and made her scream in ecstasy. After less than a minute she came. Hard.

"Remus!" she screamed as orgasm hit her. He growled and lapped up her flood of juices, savouring every single drop.

"Yes, my love?" he said, smiling widely up at her from between her legs. She raised her head to return his stare.

"Get in me. Now!"

Grinning broadly Remus quickly shed the boxers and stroked himself lazily while keeping eye contact with his favourite witch. He saw as she grew more and more impatient. Just when she was about to lose it and reached out to him he thrust forcefully into her without warning. The hand she had extended fell down as her head flung backwards with a silent scream. Remus enjoyed watching her as he drove himself into her over and over again. He loved seeing her lose her composure, loved to see her reduced to pleasure, moans and screams.

They were panting heavily when Remus finally felt her tightening around his erection. Knowing he couldn't hold it for long, he used his thumb to rub her clit to her second orgasm. Just as she screamed again and her walls clammed down on him, he buried himself to the hilt and spilled inside of her.

Coming down from their high together, Remus laid his head on her stomach. Suddenly Remus started laughing.

"What is it?" Hermione asked, slightly confused.

"I was just thinking that now we've certainly made this table ours."

Hermione joined in on his laugh.

"Any other things we need to make ours?" she joked, but Remus took her very serious. He grabbed her buttocks and, still inside of her, carried her to the kitchen counter.

"I can think of a few things," he smiled.

As he started moving within her again, she leaned into him and whispered, "Happy birthday."

I wanted to give Remus a birthday present since he'll be celebrating his birthday on 10 March. Happy Birthday, old man! Love to you and yours.

Please Review and make me happy.