Disclaimer: Sadly, I still don't own Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling and her associates do.

AN: So here's chapter two! =)

Enjoy, and I love reviews =)

Chapter 2: Forever

Monica shifted excitedly in the middle of the wide room, waiting for Tonks to arrive. Ever since their first meeting 6 months ago, Tonks and Monica had grown inseparable. Monica now made it a point to alternate her nights between Tonks and Remus. She still loved Remus greatly, but she really liked Tonks and was also determined to be thorough in her analysis of Tonks' personality, as well as her past and current behavior. Monica wanted the best and only the best for Remus, and she was quite sure Tonks was it, but she wanted to be sure beyond the shadow of a doubt. She had never considered herself a mother hen, but for Remus she basically was. But Monica had had a good feeling about the Metamorphmagus ever since she first met her, which was a very good sign. Monica recalled the meeting fondly:

"Monicaaaaaaaaaaaa," Remus called softly and ominously, sitting on his bed holding Tonks' hand. It had been 6 months since his talk with Monica about meeting Tonks and she, who wasn't patient to begin with, was getting fed up with waiting. After her recent threat to haunt Tonks, Remus decided it was time to tell her about his ghost friend. Tonks had taken it shockingly well and, like Monica, wanted a meeting. Tonks' hair was bright pink with anticipation.

"Are you ready for this Tonks?" Remus questioned worriedly, holding her tanned hand a little tighter.

"Psh, are you kidding? I'm excited!" Tonks replied, smiling broadly at Remus. Truth be told, Tonks was a bit squeamish and wasn't quite sure what to expect, but she wasn't about to show Remus that. Besides, if Remus was friends with Monica, Tonks was determined to be her friend, too.

"Reeeeeeeeeeemus!" Monica whispered, right by Remus' ear. He jumped, yelping slightly as he pulled out his wand and turned around to see Monica right by his face, laughing. Tonks couldn't help giggling at her uptight boyfriend, too.

Monica dodged as Remus threw his wand at her angrily, scowling. "Oh, you love me," she called confidently, hovering above a rafter beam in Remus' teacher's quarters at Hogwarts, "Wotcher, Tonks!"

Tonks was pleased that she didn't have to insist that Monica call her Tonks; it seemed she already understood.

Remus retrieved his wand, red faced. He mumbled something Tonks took to be 'I knew this was a terrible idea' before he composed himself, gesturing between the women. "Tonks, this is my best friend, Monica Matilde Guinevere Devlin. Monica, this is my… girlfriend, Nymphadora Tonks."

"You have foolish parents who think 'more is more' names-wise too, huh?" Tonks said wryly, smiling at the translucent ghost in front of her.

Monica laughed, smiling warmly at the shorter woman. "You know it. I'd shake your hand Tonks, but… I'm dead."

The pair laughed together, and Remus was taken aback at how well they instantly got along and loved that they shared a dark sense of humor. He had been a bit afraid that Monica wouldn't show up because it was 1 o'clock in the afternoon and she only hung around him in the evenings.

"I'm sorry we're intruding on your daily activities, Monica. Tonks just couldn't wait." Remus explained.

"I've heard so much about you from Remus, Monica. I just had to meet you," Tonks replied, smiling slyly.

Monica caught on to Tonks' drift, and played along. "Oh, don't worry about it," Monica replied, flying down from the rafters to hover by Remus and Tonks, "I've been so anxious to meet the girl Remus just can't seem to stop talking about!"

By this point, Remus was going red with embarrassment and rage, and Monica laughed as Tonks squeezed Remus' hand lightly. "Oh, I'm sorry babe. Couldn't resist."

Remus grumbled something about ungrateful witches and sighed, listening to the girls chat about mundane witch activities for the rest of the afternoon.

Tonks and Monica had become great friends since that day, and Tonks knew everything except an awfully important detail: that Monica and Remus had dated. The night after that first meeting, Remus had begged Monica to keep it a secret, saying that he didn't want things to be awkward or for Tonks to hate him for hanging onto his past. Monica thought these worries were silly, as Tonks was the type of woman who could roll with the punches and loved Remus almost as much as she herself did, but eventually she agreed.

Tonks swept into the room at 1 o'clock in the morning and smiled when she spotted Monica. "Hey Mo, how's it goin?"

Monica laughed, "I'm doing fine, but probably not as good as you are. You wouldn't happen to be out late visiting Mr. Moony, would you?"

"Doth my ears deceive me? Challenging my virtue, 'tis it so?" Tonks replied in a fake Shakespearean accent, grinning shamelessly and winking.

"Oh don't play that innocent bullshit with me young lady," Monica replied, grinning wickedly back at her licentious friend.

"Yes, I did happen to be with our young Remus," Tonks replied, getting a slightly faraway look in her eyes as she mentioned her boyfriend.

Monica smirked, floating to a wooden chair and placing her elbows on her knees and her chin in her hands. "Tell me what happened. I want to know everything."

Tonks looked sideways at Monica and sat down on her bed, preparing to change into her sleeping robes. She began undressing as she talked in a very blasé voice. "Well, he took me around in Muggle London to see all the Christmas lights and then in front of the London Eye he proposed to me. Get used to calling me Mrs. Moony, Mo."

Monica had known this day was coming, hell she had even helped Remus plan it and then get up the balls to actually do it, but it still shocked her into silence. That planning had been just 3 nights ago; he must have wanted to get it over with before he lost his nerve. Though Monica loved Remus and she loved Tonks, there was still a rather large part of her that hurt over Remus and wanted to break them apart. That feeling wasn't going to disappear overnight, Monica knew, but she had hoped to have a least a little more time. Instead, Monica focused on other, happier thoughts.

"Really? That's so exciting Dora! Congratulations! Thank Merlin you said yes, too. It took me nearly a whole night to convince him it was a good idea." Monica exclaimed, smiling at Tonks and blowing a ghost kiss.

"Mo, you know I wouldn't say no. This is what I've wanted for so long now! It's been him who's been hesitant. I know it's going to be hard, but I want that and I love him. He's so bloody stubborn; it took him forever to finally believe me." Tonks exclaimed, flopping down on her bed in her purple silk pajamas. Her hair was short and bright pink for the occasion.

"I know!" Monica said, laughing. "So, are you going to let me see the ring or not?"

Tonks stuck out her hand, and Monica examined the ring closely. It was a simple silver band (Remus wasn't exactly the definition of 'rich') with a small pearl set into the middle. It truly was simple and lovely, everything an engagement ring should be. Looking at it, Monica fully realized that it was finished: Whatever she and Remus had had was over. And that ring, that simple and gorgeous ring, was the embodiment of what Monica had always wanted: a concrete symbol of spending forever with Remus. Without realizing it, Monica started to cry, luminescent tears spilling down her eternally pale face.

"Are you okay, Mo?" Tonks murmured, concerned.

"Yeah, 'M fine" Monica whispered back, fumbling for an excuse and finally deciding on the only-partially right one, "I'm just…so happy for you guys."

Tonks smiled as she started to cry a little herself. "Me, too. And you're definitely invited to the wedding, by the way. We're thinking it'll be a really small thing at the Burrow, but it's about time you were introduced to the people Remus and I care about, because we care about you."

"I'll definitely be there, floating in the aisles scaring the shit out of people," Monica replied, regaining herself and her wall of humor once again.

Tonks laughed and began to tell Monica the detailed events of the evening, starting with the Christmas lights, then the pink broom Remus had bought special just for her, and finally the carnival and the London Eye and proposing at the bottom of the Muggle ride. She described how surprised she'd been, how she's instantly said yes and how the rest of the night had been… breathtaking.

"Wow," Monica sighed, floating around the room aimlessly as her mind basked in her friend's happiness, "I'm totally jealous."

Tonks smiled, "I wish you could feel what I'm feeling right now, Monica. It's not at all fair that you were robbed of this chance."

Monica sighed, but smiled back at Tonks. "I know. But it is what it is, I guess."

The two savoured the silence for a while, and finally Monica decided it was a good time to leave, maybe go check on Remus. "Alright, well I'll best be heading out. Congratulations again, Tonks. Maybe I'll help you pick out a dress or something." Monica began to float to the door, but Tonks called out before she could go through.

"There's just one more thing I should mention," Tonks began quietly.

Monica turned, frowning. "Alright, what is it Dora?"

"Remus told me about the two of you."

Shock was the first emotion to cross Monica's face. Remus had not told her that he planned on telling Tonks about their past relationship and lingering love for each other. Typical Remus to wimp out of telling me so that I could get ambushed, Monica mused. Despite how much she loved him, Monica sometimes couldn't help but wonder what the Sorting Hat had been smoking when it placed Remus in Gryffindor.

Monica looked at Tonks shyly, "He did? Are you…alright with that?"

Monica wasn't quite sure how Tonks would react, but she just smiled slightly, saddened. "Oh, I'm fine with it. I was just disappointed that you both kept something huge like that from me. I feel terrible. You should be with Remus, not me. I can't help but feel shitty for all the times I gushed to you about how much I love him and all my frustrations over him when you have much more love for him and much greater problems. Even today when you listened to my whole engagement story and only cried once, covering it up as tears of happiness. I shouldn't have put you through that. You're much stronger than I am, Mo, and I'm sorry. "

Monica felt relieved that Tonks took it so well, but knew that she had some serious explaining to do. "Dora, I'm so sorry. I told Remus you'd be fine with it, because I know how much you love him and if you can accept his lycanthropy you can accept his past relationship with one of your friends. But he insisted, and I'm a pushover so I promised I would wait until he was ready to tell you. And I am definitely not strong, believe me. I've cried more times in the past 2 years than I have my whole life and the beginning of my afterlife combined. I'm selfish and I'm ignorant and I'm stupid. I should have seen your engagement coming and should be totally happy for you both. And I am happy, but there's also a part of me that is sad and I have no business feeling that way. But please listen to me when I say that you are the right woman for him. He loves you, and I know he'll be good to you and you'll be good to him."

Tonks smiled and looked in Monica's eyes with acceptance and sisterly love. "That sounds like Remus. He just can't seem to realize how much I love him, the dumb lad. But thank you Mo. I still feel guilty, but I feel better than I did before."

"Stop feeling guilty," Monica said forcefully, "because this day is supposed to be perfect. If I can't have one, then I'm going to make yours extra special. I listened to all your musings ever since we became friends because I like you as a person and it's my way of living again. I am completely happy for you because I want you and Remus to get married and have bunches of children and grow old together long after I'm gone. Engagement is the first step to that, and I am really really happy for you. Don't mar it with guilt."

Tonks nodded. "Alright. I am happy, but you're right; I should feel nothing short of amazing right now. Anyway, I'll let you go talk to Remus. Thanks, Mo. You're the greatest friend I could ever hope to have."

Monica laughed and blew Tonks a kiss. "Good. I'll talk to you soon, okay Mrs. Moony?"

Tonks nodded, smiling broadly, and Monica walked through the door, keeping her wall firmly in place as she sped through the dark of early morning to see Remus.

The second she flew into his room, she found him sitting on the patchwork bed, grinning like an idiot. When she flew in he stopped immediately. "I thought you weren't coming until tomorrow," Remus murmured, standing to greet her.

"Oh, so that's why you proposed today? Hoping that you'd get to avoid me until tomorrow? No such luck, lad. I have a bone to pick with you. Several bones, actually."

Remus smiled wryly and sat on the bed, throwing a large leatherbound book aside as he gestured for her to hover next to him. "I probably deserve it," he said simply.

"First: why didn't you tell me you were proposing so soon? We talked about this just last bloody week!" Monica demanded.

"I didn't want to wait. I might have just told you last week, but I've been thinking about it for a while," Remus answered, crossing his legs.

"Second, why didn't you tell me you were gonna tell her about us?" Monica said, moving on before she lost the courage to ask all her questions.

"I'm a coward," he replied simply, grimacing. "I'm sorry you found out that way. Is it too much to hope that it might have been better that way?"

Monica thought for a moment, then replied bluntly "Yep, that is too much to ask. Third, do you love her?"

Remus looked at Monica, confused. "Of course I do."

Monica shook her head roughly, floating closer to Remus and looking him in his molten topaz eyes, searching for truth. "No, that's not bloody good enough. She feels like shit for feeling like 'the other woman' in this friendship the three of us have, and I feel like shit for getting in the way and making her feel that way. You have to prove to me that you love her more than me. Because I won't let Tonks be second best. I'm dead; it's better that I feel like I'm in your past than Tonks feel like an intruder in your future."

Remus looked back into Monica's ghostly blue eyes wearily. "How can I prove it to you? And even if I can somehow, it's going to hurt you. I won't do that."

"Either way this is going to hurt me, Loopy. If you don't tell me I'll feel guilty on top of it thought; this is the lesser of two evils, so to speak. Just tell me, dammit!" Monica said harshly, trying to make herself feel nothing. She hated to do this on the night of his engagement, but she had to be sure he wouldn't feel regrets or doubt when he married Tonks; for both of them deserved the best, and therefore deserved each other.

Remus glared back silently and then shouted "Fine! I love Nymphadora Tonks more than you, Monica Matilde Guinevere Devlin. She is the sun in my world, and I can't think of a good day without her in it. She makes me laugh, smile, and feel a love in my heart that's been dead for a very long time. She challenges me and makes me forget my scars and my fears. With her I am happy and I finally feel like I'm living in the present again. She is the perfect woman for me, and I wouldn't have it any other way."

The room was silent for a moment, and Monica felt as if she had just been slapped hard across the face with a wet towel. In one breath, he had basically said he hadn't loved her since she died and that if she was alive right now he would still rather marry Tonks over her. It hurt terribly, more than comprehension, to hear him say that but it was exactly what she had asked for, wasn't it? He had definitely proved to her that he loved Tonks, and nearly taken back every loving word he'd said to her since she died all in one breathe. And strangely, though it hurt, Monica was happy. She knew this was right, for things were as they were and Monica needed to know he would be happy and safe when she was gone. Wow, what a masochist I have become, she thought to herself before looking at Remus again and smiling.

"Thank you," she said through tears.

"Thank you? That's all you have to say? You're thanking me for tearing you apart!" He shouted, bunching his hands in his hair as if he would pull it out from the roots. Monica placed her hand through his, and he looked into her face, agonized. Monica slid behind her mask, saving her tears in order to stop Remus from stressing further.

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying. You told me what I had asked for, and I'm glad you'll be happy. And my final bone to pick with you is: Congratulations. She's on cloud nine, you picked out everything perfectly. I'm proud of you, Loopy. So stop feeling bad for me and go out and get drunk or something."

Remus looked up at her and smiled slightly, "You know I could never hold my drink, and I work tomorrow."

Monica nodded, remembering a particular night in 6th Year when her and Remus had drank a bit too much at a Quidditch after party (Remus was invited by James and Monica). Remus had been totally smashed after 3 shots; Monica held out for about 6. The following day, Remus' hangover had been worse than hers, and they'd taken the day off from school together to recover, even after a hangover spell.

"This is true," Monica admitted, smiling. "Well, if you refuse to live a little, I'll let you get to bed and stop being a 'Negative Nancy'. I really am happy for you Remus, though it may not seem like it right now. You and Tonks belong together; I just wanted to make sure you knew it too."

Remus smiled and whispered a "Thank you, Mo" before sliding into bed, and Monica took that as her cue to leave.

Monica floated off into the night, holding her mask firmly in place as she thought of many possible distractions from the stressful and agonizing night she had just experienced. However, Monica wasn't sure how long it would last, her mask of confidence. But she also knew that when the wall fell down, she'd have to leave them forever. She'd have to leave the 2 people she had grown to love the most to live out forever together.

AN: Thanks for reading! =) R&R =)

p.s. if you caught the 'Negative Nancy' reference, It will make my day ;)

Playlist:

What I Did For Love- Glee/ A Chorus Line

Right Here Waiting- Richard Max