A/N: Hello!! Dedicated to my BFFl, Bella1Belle!

Chapter One: Falling.

A small cottage in the middle of nowhere in an unknown village in an unnamed country housed the compassionate werewolf, Remus Lupin.

He stood at the window looking out over the nondescript landscape, his mind in another place. A cold place. An unhappy place. A place he was forbidden to go. A place where his oldest friend had been imprisoned, and two of his other friends had died.

He rubbed his hand across his forehead, as if hoping to wipe away the memories, and sat at his desk in front of his typewriter. He was working on the novel, a dark novel about how love knows no boundaries, yet humans are ruled by them. It was turning out to be a very unhappy story, and Remus wondered if any publisher would choose something as dark as his own writing.

He stood, frustrated and edgy that day, or more than usual anyhow. He rose, and couldn't get his mind off Harry. How was the child doing? Was he safe? Was he being treated well?

He had never been as close to the child as Sirius had been, for Remus was worried about his condition and being near children. James and Lily had brushed it off however, carefree and unworried.

A red haired woman with a beaming smile held out the baby, the baby that had jet-black hair, just like his father.

'Come on, Remus,' Lily urged, the baby wriggling in her outstretched arms, his face turned up towards Remus, giggly and sweet. 'How can you resist that?'

James boisterously clapped Remus on the back as he and Sirius returned from the kitchen, mouths full. 'Man up, Princess!' James said, his voice muffled by a bit of bread.

Sirius aimed a kick at his shin. 'Come on, man!' He laughed. 'You aren't going to pass it on just by touching him.' Sirius tickled Harry under his chubby chin, a smile gracing his handsome face. 'Hi, Harry,' He cooed.

Sirius loved Harry the most, it was quite strange seeing Sirius staying in on a Saturday to hang out with the Potter's and Remus, playing with Harry until it was time for bed.

Remus tentatively took Harry from Lily's arms and held him tightly in the cradle of his arms, muscles stiff and tense.

'Relax,' Lily told him.

Remus looked down at the adorable baby in his arms. Harry smiled back up at him, and Remus' face mirrored his.

A hand on his shoulder intruded on their little moment. The warm weight of Sirius' hand settled on Remus' shoulder as Remus began to rock the child back and forth, crooning to him.

Remus shook his head, letting the memory fade, along with all the other memories of Sirius he'd decided he was never going to think about ever again.

Sirius. Sirius. The man he'd lost. Remus could remember every moment they'd ever spent together at Hogwarts, and beyond.

They sat in the two comfiest armchairs by the fire. James was at Quidditch practice and the other Gryffindor's were God-Knows-Where.

Remus watched Sirius thoughtfully. Watched his hair gleam in the firelight, the flames and sparks reflected in his grey eyes. Those grey eyes. Grey eyes that would have looked cold and unwelcoming on anyone else but Sirius, the warmest, life loving person that he was.

Sirius looked over at him and smiled, the silence stretched before them, a yawning abyss of comfort, proving how many years they'd spent in silence as comfortable as this one.

'No one's here,' Sirius remarked. His eyes were thoughtful, his mouth pursed in that way he had, when he was thinking really hard about something. It didn't happen in class much, but plenty when they were figuring out how to disgrace Snape.

Remus nodded, not needing to say anything. Remus got up slowly, and leant over Sirius, his hands resting on either side of the armchair. Sirius looked at him, his eyes curious.

Remus kissed him quickly on the lips, and stepped back. 'Sorry,' he said, not sounding sorry at all.

Sirius grinned. 'Where do you think you're going?'

And that was the night Remus Lupin truly began to fall for Sirius Black.

Remus smiled slightly, remembering perhaps the one fight that they'd ever had.

'I don't understand,' Remus said, his voice hurt, and his eyes full of unshed tears.

'What?' Sirius brushed him of carelessly, his voice casual, as though they hadn't spent the last three months spending every spare moment they had together.

'You're going out with Tina, Moira and Ashley this weekend.' Remus said flatly.

'So?' Sirius questioned. 'You're the one who didn't want everyone to know.'

'You're the one who didn't want anyone to know!' Remus said angrily, his voice rising and bouncing off the walls in the Room of Requirement. 'And so? I'm not going out with three other girls this Hogsmeade weekend!'

'Maybe we should take a break,' Sirius said, his voice neutral.

'Why?' Remus' voice was anguished now.

'Well,' Sirius fidgeted. 'I'm not sure if I really am … you know …'

'Gay?' Remus supplied in a cold hard voice. 'You're not sure if you're gay?'

Sirius blushed. 'Well, yeah.'

Remus clenched his fists. 'How can you not be sure? You've spent every waking moment with me for the past three months!'

'I know,' Sirius said awkwardly. 'I just …'

'What was I, Sirius?' Remus asked, his voice emotionless, as a tear rolled down his pale cheek. 'Was I just an experiment?'

'What? No!' Sirius shouted. 'Look, stop,' Sirius pleaded as Remus turned away. 'Just talk to me. Let's just talk about … what we have here.'

Remus had reached the door. His voice was mocking as he said, 'Seeing as you can't even call 'what we have here' a relationship, and you're not even gay, there is nothing to talk about.'

The door slammed shut with a final echo. And Sirius' head dropped, a secret tear sliding down his cheek.

Remus remembered his and Sirius' fight with a reminiscent smile. How ignorant he had been then. All had turned out right in the end, but now Sirius was in Azkaban and Remus was here.

Sirius stood outside the library, which he knew for a fact was now empty of all but Remus, all the better for his upcoming confession.

Sirius took a deep breath, brushed his hair back and strode in, his head held high. He walked over to the table where Remus was studying, his head bent over his books in that way that Sirius loved.

Remus looked up as he approached, a sceptical expression on his face. 'Remus,' Sirius took a shuddering breath. 'I love you.'

Remus was taken aback for a second, and then he schooled his face into an emotionless mask. 'I thought you weren't gay,' he said, with emphasis on the forbidden word.

When Remus and Sirius had been together, Sirius had flinched anytime anyone in his vicinity said the word gay, even if they weren't referring to him. Remus had been far more blasé about the whole thing.

'Well,' Sirius sat down opposite him, pushing some of the books aside. 'I am.'

'Congratulations,' said Remus coolly, 'I'm so glad you've made up your mind.'

'Come on, Remus, don't be like that,' Sirius coaxed.

'Oh, I'm sorry,' Remus said with an air of sarcasm about him. 'I didn't realise I don't have the right to be angry when my gay boyfriend ditches me for three other girls!'

'I said I was sorry,' Sirius pleaded.

'No you didn't,' Remus corrected. 'You said you loved me. Which doesn't mean too much, considering you've said that before, and then decided one day that. You. Weren't. Gay.' But a smile twitched at the corner of Remus' mouth, and Sirius knew he'd won.

Sirius slipped a note into Remus' hand, stroking his palm as he did so. Sirius left quickly and quietly, and Remus opened up the scrap of parchment, written on the back of a Potions essay.

He smiled widely as he read, "Room of Requirement. 8:00. We can talk about it. Or not."

Remus' smile dropped from his face, for he knew those times where far behind them now. Now it was not a question of whether they loved each other. It was a question of whether their love would survive the amount of time it took for someone to catch the real murderer. If they ever caught the real murderer.

How do you think it's going??? Suggestions??? Requests???