A/N Sorry for the long time between updates. Work has increased my hours to nearly every day until Christmas. I am weary. I'm sure this chapter will raise some questions. Those will be answered soon enough I think, but feel very free to ask whatever. Email me. I love email. And please review. Reviews make my long hours of work seem less of a bother.

Nygyrl- Thanks for reviewing. I hope I answered all of your questions. There is Tonks in this chapter… grin

ArwenLumos- He will, but not for a while.

TrinityDD- Thanks so much for reviewing. Please keep reading.

Xx2krazi2luvxx- I'm continuing, I'm continuing. Thanks for reviewing.

Brenna woke in dark, a scream on her lips and sweat running into her eyes. Shaking, she wiped her forehead and tired desperately to catch her breath. Vague memories of fear and blood slowly drained away until nothing was left of her nightmare, save the pounding of her heart. Instinct told her to run next door to Leander and Caleb, one of them would share a bed for the night, but tonight she felt like being brave; fear could wait until she was back in her own bed with her grandfather close by.

Still trembling slightly, she threw the covers back and climbed out of bed. Though it was tempting to whisper the word to turn the lights on, she feared it might wake her Aunt and Uncle when she opened the door to the hall. Very carefully she made her way down the stairs to the kitchen.

"…can't do that, Ron." Her aunt's voice drifted in from the living room.

"She doesn't belong there, Hermione." Ron replied, his voice louder than hers.

The girl froze where she was, ready to bolt up the stairs should they have heard her.

"We both know that, but it won't do any good starting this up again. Honestly, I can't believe you are still obsessing over it."

"He was my best friend!" Ron's voice rose.

"Would you keep it down? You'll wake the children."

"He was my best friend, and I simply can't believe that he would leave his daughter with anyone else." His voice was much softer and Brenna strained to hear what they were saying.

"He was my best friend too. Whatever we would like to believe, the will states very clearly that Remus was to be her guardian."

"But Harry…" Ron's voice was almost plaintive.

"Harry is gone. I want to believe that he's somewhere, trying very hard to get home, but we have to face the facts. It's been three years. If he were still alive, we would have found some trace of him somewhere." Hermione said very slowly.

"I can't give up hope."

"And then… there is what Snape saw…" Her sentence was cut off by an outburst from Ron.

"Snape is a liar."

There was silence for a moment.

"I'm going to try to keep her." Ron said at last.

"No. You aren't."

"She needs a family."

"She has a family, she needs stability and you trying to tear her away from the one person she trusts isn't going to provide that." Hermione's voice was rising slightly as well.

"I just…" He started.

Brenna edged silently to the door and peered in at her aunt and uncle. Hermione sat on the couch, leaning forward anxiously while her husband paced in front of her.

"I know. This isn't the time," She said standing, "Let's go to bed."

"I'm sorry." He whispered and kissed her softly.

Though Brenna pulled back quickly, Hermione saw her as they turned to the doorway.

"Brenna? What's wrong?"

"I was thirsty." She said simply, unsure of what to do.

"I'll get you some water." Ron said and pushed past his wife into the kitchen.

"Did you have a bad dream?" Hermione asked with a knowing smile.

The girl froze. Only her grandfather and Leander knew of the nightmares, she had never told anyone else. How did her aunt know?

"I… I… no." She whispered.

"Here sweetheart." Ron said and handed her a cup of water.

Nervously she sipped at it and looked at her bare toes wiggling on the beige linoleum.

"It's alright, we'll tuck you back in. No need to worry." Hermione whispered, tucking a strand of pitch black hair behind the little girl's ear.

"Thank you." Brenna said and handed the empty cup back to her uncle.

Cautiously she took her aunt's outstretched hand, somewhat afraid that she would notice the way her body was shivering, and allowed them to lead her back to her bedroom. Ron turned on the light and pretended to check under the bed for monsters.

"There you are, Dearest." He said and tucked the covers firmly about her.

"Thank you." She said again.

"Sleep well, if you need anything, just call for me." Hermione said, smiling sweetly.

"Yes."

"Good night." They said and Brenna was left in the dark again.

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Nymphadora Tonks waited patiently for Remus to wake up. Her hands gripped the teacup tightly, absorbing every last bit of warmth she could. There was a chill in the air despite the warming charm she had cast only moments before. No amount of heat would dispel this cold; it seemed to well up from the pit of her stomach and spread over her entire body.

"Tonks?" He asked thickly.

She looked up expectantly from the foot of the bed.

"I made tea." She said holding the cup out for him to see.

"Oh."

Slowly he reached and took the drink from her. His hands shook and a few burning drops hit his hand.

"I'm sorry, my fault, let me get that." She gasped, trying to wipe the mess up with her sleeve.

"It's fine." His tone was soft but firm.

She fell silent again, a half smile on her lips.

"How was it?" He asked, taking a sip of the tea.

Each morning he asked the same question and each morning she wanted to lie. It would be so much easier to tell him that it was getting better, that this time he hadn't lost control. Yet, there was no denying the painful struggle for his body, the warring of man and wolf and the shock of once again becoming human. The bruise on her cheek was a testament to that.

All potions have side effects, some worse than others. The Wolfsbane allowed him more control during a change, but left his mind open and raw once the transformation had ended. Each time was different, though all equally frightening. Sometimes he screamed, other times he wept, but always he lashed out.

"It was… it didn't last long this time." She ran her tongue over her lips nervously.

"Long enough for me to do that." In the dim light he lifted his hand and touched the side of her face.

"It's nothing."

His eyes dropped to the sheet that was tangled about his legs, fingers tightening on the tea cup in his lap. There was no way to ease the guilt, no way to bring him the peace he desperately longed for.

"It'll heal in a few days, I've gotten worse bruises during training exercises. Don't worry about it."

"I hurt you. Again. It's not right for you to do this." He answered.

"What are you talking about?"

"You shouldn't be the one to sit with me."

"Remus," Her voice rose slightly, "If I don't do it, who will?"

"Severus. He could do it."

She frowned, "Do you honestly think he would be willing to give his personal time to help you? He couldn't care less if you were injured or killed."

"I just don't think I can stand to wake up and find you bruised or broken one more time. Perhaps you aren't strong enough for this."

"If I remember correctly you broke Harry's arm once and gave Ron a black eye and a concussion. This has nothing to do with strength. I can handle myself, why do you think the injuries haven't been worse? I know what I'm doing." She managed to keep her voice low, but her frustration was evident.

He blinked a few times, as if unsure how to answer.

"Remus?" She questioned.

"I'm sorry."

Her fingers brushed his knee and she smiled just a little, "It's nothing. Don't worry any more about it. Drink your tea."

"It's cold."

Her smile had become a grin ,and laughing, she took the cup from him.

"I'll take it to the kitchen, you get settled."

"Alright."

Even with Remus only a few rooms away, the old house made Tonks uncomfortable. There were squeaky boards and strange shadows that seemed to jump off the walls. The path from his bedroom to the kitchen took her down a flight of stairs that shrieked if you didn't step in just the right place and through a narrow hall that seemed to grow smaller the longer you stood in it. Long ago she had complained of these things to Remus, but he only laughed and said it was her imagination.

In the early morning light she could see through the warped glass of the kitchen window out into the trees that surrounded the house. There was not another person for miles. It was for the best, considering Remus' condition, but it gave little comfort to the young Auror as she rinsed out the cup in the sink.

"You can't keep this up." The house seemed to whisper as she made her way back through the hall and up the steps.

"I'll do as I please." She snapped back, opening the door to the bedroom.

"Will you come to bed then?" Remus whispered.

"If you want me to." She jumped a little at his voice but smiled.

"I always want you."

She blushed a bit and slipped her shoes off before crawling under the covers with him.

"You always want me?" Her mouth was next to his ear.

"Always."

"Even as a wolf?"

His laughter was a low rumble deep in his chest, "Especially then. I can smell you in the house and every inch of my body hungers for you."

Every full moon she swore she would break it off. What they had was not a true relationship, it was a distraction from reality, an indulgence in something she shouldn't have. A witch her age should be married and starting a family, not fooling around with a werewolf. He was dangerous and unpredictable, a menace to society. If it weren't for the potion, he might have killed her by now.

Yet, every time she saw him, it was impossible to say no. He was always so quiet, so sweet that she could easily forget the bad things. The pained look on his face after the change, as he lay panting and sweating in the middle of the floor, always broke her heart. Though he almost always tried to hurt her in his post wolf rage, that was easily forgiven. When the sun shone through the curtains and lit his sleeping face, she thought he looked like an angel.

"Do you think about me?" She asked as he kissed her collar bone and tried to pull her shirt over her head.

"Late at night. When I can't sleep."

"Why then?" His hands were fumbling with her belt.

"Because I miss you. I never sleep well when you aren't here."

"I'm here now." Gently she pulled his face upward and looked at him

"I know."

"I could… I could be here all the time."

There was a moment of uncertainty.

"That wouldn't be a good idea." He answered finally.

"Why?"

"Brenna… it might confuse her, and I couldn't have Ron hating you as well. Humans who choose to live with werewolves are not well-liked. I couldn't allow you to do that."

"But…" She began.

"I like this arrangement. I like you."

"Will you think about it?"

"Yes."

Without another word she kissed his lips and was lost.