The disclaimer stated in chapter 1 continues to hold true.

Author's Note: Alright! Chapter 2! The last one was a bit short, and ended with a cliff-hanger, but this one should be better! ^_^ Also, this fic is very AU. Since I've taken the liberty to allow the Potters to live in this story, I've taken the secondary liberty of making Severus a non-Death Eater, and a third liberty in removing Voldie from the picture all together. Thus far anyway. This is set 5 years after graduation, making the group in their early 20's, and Harry is still within Lily's belly. Nothing else to say, so… on with the story, lovies!

Severus leaned against the kitchen counter of his family's home in Spinner's end, a cup of warm tea cooling in his hands. His eyes were stormy with anger as he stared at the ugly, mustard yellow wallpaper of the room. His eyes subconsciously narrowed and he clenched the cup tighter as his anger spiked.

If Severus had any say in the matter, Sirius Black would no longer be amongst the living. Only an hour had passed since Remus Apparated to his front porch, sobbing and inconsolable over Black's indiscretions. He'd just managed to calm the sobbing to a quiet sniffle when he escaped to the kitchen to make tea and regain control of himself. Remus came to him for comfort. Maybe he wasn't the best choice for the job, but Remus still chose him. The last thing Remus needed right now was Severus losing his cool.

Severus blew subconsciously on the cup of tea, thinking of the man sitting in his living room. Much to the chagrin of one Sirius Black, Remus and Severus had been friends since 5th year. His childish prank backfired, it only served to peak Severus' interest in Remus (after an understandable amount of fear). Their friendship remained in the dark until halfway through their final year at Hogwarts, when Sirius found them studying together. The resulting fight only cemented the fact that Severus and Sirius would never be friends. Remus himself was furious for weeks at both of them. Until one day… one day he sought Severus out and told him that he was now dating that mongrel. It felt like the ultimate betrayal, but he offered Remus a smile and congratulations, because the werewolf seemed to be happy. In a world where Severus had few friends, he didn't want to lose his closest one. Now he regretted the choice. If only he'd spoken up then…

"Severus…"

The dark-haired man's attention snapped to the kitchen doorway. Remus stood leaning against the door frame, wrapped in the gray quilt Severus had given him. His face was blotchy and slick with fresh tears. Remus' golden eyes were red and puffy. His gaze was adverted and pained. Remus wiped at his cheeks and glanced up at Severus. The older man offered him a smile and extended the cup toward him. Remus accepted the cup tentatively, bringing it to his lips for a sip. Severus watched him closely; at the very least, the tears were nearly gone.

"I-I'm sorry, Sev. I know I interrupted your studies-"

"You interrupted nothing, I was only reading ahead, and it was nothing I don't already know." Severus countered, turning to pour his own cup of tea.

He continued to watch Remus as he waited for his own tea to cool. Remus grimaced slightly, looking to the sugar jar. Severus pushed it toward him silently, receiving a weak smile in return.

"Your sweet tooth is unnatural, Remus." Severus teased affectionately.

Remus didn't reply, but his smile strengthened a bit. After another sip, he spoke again.

"Thank you… for having me, I mean. I know you're busy with University, even though you deny it. I-I would've gone to James and Lily's but…"

"You didn't want him to come after you. I understand." Severus finished for him.

Remus nodded, taking a deep drink of his tea now that it was properly sweetened.

"I doubt he'll follow me anyway…" Remus replied, avoiding Severus' gaze again.

Severus took Remus' cup from him and set both of the mugs down. After a moment's hesitation, he drew Remus into his arms. The werewolf wrapped himself around Severus, burying his face into the taller man's shoulder. He gave a shuttering sigh, obviously trying not to cry again. Severus pulled him in closer, stroking Remus' back. Remus pulled himself together, gently separating himself from Severus' hold.

"I've had enough of crying for today, I think." He said with another weak smile. Severus hated it. In all these years of friendship, he'd seen Remus hurt, emotionally and physically. He'd never seen Remus this broken, though. It was as if all of his defenses had been stripped away and he remained vulnerable and devastated. Severus watched his companion retrieve his cup and walk back into the living room. He leaned against the counter again, sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose. He silently cursed himself for his difficulties expressing himself and handling situations like this. He would try his best to do what he could for Remus, but honestly, Lily would've been a better choice. Of course he understood Remus' reasoning. Had he gone to the Potter's house, Sirius would've known exactly where he was. Black probably where he was even now, but at least here Sirius could not come for him here. That Severus could assure. The former Slytherin straightened himself, picked up his own cup, and join Remus in the living room.

He found Remus curled in the corner of the couch, knees to his chest. He was staring into the small fireplace, despite the fact that there was no fire. His brow was furrowed as he stared; Severus assumed he was lost in memory. The slight tremble of his hands confirmed it wasn't a pleasant one. Severus sat next to him.

"Remus-"

"There was nothing. Not a single sign. I… I didn't have a clue." Remus whispered, still staring into the past.

"I cannot begin to understand Black's… motives," Severus started slowly, "I don't know what could drive any man to… I'm sorry, Remus. For what's happened. But perhaps… it was a blessing in disguise. Had you not witnessed his digressions, he would have simply continued this charade."

"I loved him, Severus." Remus answered brokenly, looking at Severus with teary eyes.

Severus' heart clenched painfully, but he ignored the sensation. This was about Remus, not his own foolish pipe dreams.

"I know, Remus. I know. But… his actions hardly suggest that he… that he still feels the same."

Remus buried his face in his hands, struggling to breathe deeply. His trembling began to worsen and Severus feared his words may have undone their progress. He cupped Remus' chin in his hands, forcing his face upwards to look at Severus. His eyes were dull and pained; his face void of color. His chest heaved as he tried to focus on Severus' face. He looked physically ill. Before Severus could question it, Remus sprang up and stumbled across the flat and down the hallway. Alarmed, Severus followed him. Remus dashed into the bathroom where he collapsed over the toilet bowl. Severus kneeled beside him as he heaved and vomited violently, stroking his back soothingly. He could do nothing but offer this meager bit of support as Remus emptied himself into the bowl. Even after it seemed like nothing else would come up, Remus' body convulsed with dry heaves. Gently, Severus lifted his head out of the bowl, flushed away the mess, and put a hand to Remus' forehead. The warmth beneath his hand was startling, especially since it had not been there just a few minutes ago. He could feel the fever growing even now, while his hand was still pressed to Remus' face.

"Remus? What's wrong?" Severus asked, despite how ridiculously obvious the answer seemed.

Remus shook his head weakly, allowing Severus to support his weight. He was sweating now and his breathing seemed slightly labored. Severus frowned; Remus' health was worsening too quickly for his liking. He reviewed the time between Remus' arrival and now to try and pin-point the cause, but he could think of nothing. He remembered then that emotional stress could sometimes make one physically ill. By now he'd lost count of how many times he cursed Sirius' name.

He helped Remus to his feet, supporting him as he transitioned him to sitting on the edge of the tub. Once he was sure Remus wouldn't fall all over, he left the room briefly to retrieve a small towel from the linen closet. He soaked it in cool water in the sink for a moment, watching Remus carefully. The werewolf seemed to disoriented now-

Werewolf.

Severus' blood ran cold. Of course; Remus was a werewolf. With all the research he'd done on lycanthropy because of Remus, how could he not recall that fact sooner? The sudden onset of symptoms made perfect sense now, but Severus hoped more than anything that he was wrong. He needed to know, if he was going to treat Remus, but given the situation he doubted it was what Remus needed to hear.

He knelt before the other man, gently swiping his forehead and cheeks with the cool cloth. Remus relaxed a bit, leaning into the touch of the cool cloth.

"Remus… I need to ask you something, and I need you to answer honestly. Can you do that for me?" Severus asked slowly.

Remus' eyes were unfocused but he managed to nod.

"Have you… have you even bitten Black while…being intimate?"

Remus stiffened beneath Severus' hands.

"I would never! I-I never bit him! W-why could you think-"

Remus stood suddenly, breaking contact with Severus. He swayed slightly but managed to take a few steps. Severus stopped him from escaping the bathroom all together with a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"I wouldn't ask if it weren't important, Remus. It wasn't meant to hurt you. I just need to know if you bonded with him."

Remus shook his head, "No. I-I didn't want to hold him back. If I bonded with him, he would be stuck with me for life. I didn't… didn't want that. Look what that got me!" he laughed bitterly, pulling away from Severus again.

"This isn't about him, Remus!" Severus said, frustrated, "He's hardly my concern! If you would have mated with him, you would be the one suffering, not him! Remus, you know what happens when a werewolf loses their mate! You could be dying, right now, if you bonded with him! I hardly think that ever crossed his mind while he was running around with that woman?"

The second the words left his lips, Severus regretted them. Remus looked at him with disbelief and betrayal, as if Severus smacked him across the face. He didn't say a word as he turned and left the room. Severus hesitated in following him for a moment, kicking himself for being so cruel. His words were honest, but hardly what Remus needed to have on his mind at the moment.

When Severus entered the living room, Remus wasn't there. He was confused for a moment, hoping Remus hadn't left in his distress. He didn't detect a disturbance in the locking charms on his door, so he continued down the hallway towards the bedrooms. Unsurprisingly, Remus wasn't in Severus' bedroom, but Severus was concerned when he also didn't find him in the guest bedroom. That left one possible room, the third bedroom he converted to a personal potions lab. Why Remus would go into the lab, he was unsure, but he moved toward it to check anyway.

He hadn't noticed before that the door was cracked open. Anxiety settled in the pit of his stomach as he pushed the door open. The sight that greeted him was shocking.

Remus was doubled over again, clutching his stomach as he vomited again. This time however, it liquid was a dark crimson color. Severus was frozen in the doorway: it was blood. There was also blood seeping between Remus fingers; Severus gasped as he recognized the sterling silver handle of his scalpel.

Adrenalin coursed through Severus' veins as he leapt to action. He rushed to Remus' side, rolling the werewolf onto his back. Remus' eyes met his and the emptiness was chilling. He choked, blood bubbling from his mouth. Severus acted quickly; He grabbed the handle of the scalpel and pulled, removing it from Remus' abdomen. The werewolf gave a terrible choked cry as more blood sputtered from both the wound and his lips. His eyes rolled in his head and he lost consciousness.

Severus rolled the deteriorating man onto his side, relieved when the blood drained from Remus' mouth and he heard him gasp for breath. He pressed his wand into Remus' abdomen and muttered a healing incantation. He'd never dealt with healing wounds caused by silver on a werewolf and the relief he felt as he watched the blood flow slow to a stop. He lifted the hem of Remus' shirt to verify that the wound had indeed closed before checking Remus' pulse. It was slightly weaker than usual, but steady enough to assure him that Remus was out of immediate danger. He used a diagnostic charm to verify that, too. When it came back positively, Severus let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and sank back, resting his weight on his ankles.

A/N: Yep, another cliffhanger. LOL sorry this chapter took a little longer than expected. I'll make it up to you, I swear! ^_^ Read on, and review! Much love! Muah!