1A/N Thank you to all my lovely reviewers You make my heart sing :D

Disclaimer: Not mine. Alas.

The moon was red tonight. It hovered on the edge of the horizon, just beginning to peek its baleful head out. Remus could feel it in every pore of his body, in every bone. It called to him, bitter ache in his joints. The moon was coming. And tonight he was alone. It began as a prickling, small pains as the hairs on his arms began to grow. If he closed his eyes he could pretend this wasn't happening. He was at Hogwarts, and the moon wasn't red. His muscles began to spasm violently and he arched his back, whining like an animal. Like the animal he was. And, OH MERLIN! His bones began to crack, his organs shifted. His body was awash in agony. He screamed. Again. Again. The moon tore his voice from him, and then his mind. Remus stared at the red moon, then he knew no more.

"Bloody hell."

'Padfoot, mate, that's the third time you've said that in five minutes."

"I know Prongs. It's just..." Sirius ran a hand through his hair and sighed. Somewhere out there Remus was alone, and he was stuck walking an empty street with a crazy Auror.

"No talking! I'M WATCHING YOU!"

Sirius sighed for what seemed like the hundredth time and tried not to think of Remus alone and in pain. The sun would be rising soon, and as soon as Moody let him he was out of here.

"Black! Have you heard a word I said!"

"Um... Sorry? What was that?"

Moody growled.

"Useless bloody children, that's what they give me. Well, get out of here then. Suns coming up."

Sirius didn't wait to be told twice before apparating away. He knew James would be right behind him.

It was weird being back in the shack. They had been here last month, true, but last month they had still been students. It wasn't right that Moony still had to come here.

Sirius paused at the foot of the stairs, suddenly reluctant to go up. It had been years since Moony had to transform alone.

"I know Padfoot. But we have to go up."

James gave his arm a squeeze and Sirius felt intense gratitude wash over him. Thank Merlin for James. He didn't know what he would ever do without him. He took a deep breath and climbed the stairs.

Somehow everything seemed cleaner. As if the dust of the years had melted away. But that had to be his imagination. He was just stalling, he didn't want see...

"Bloody Hell."

The room was destroyed. Every scrap of furniture was in pieces on the floor. The walls were covered in blood. And Remus lay on the floor, every inch of him stained red. Sirius didn't think he was breathing.

"Oh Merlin, oh Remus." Sirius didn't know when he got to the floor. All he knew was that he was cradling Remus in his arms, and Oh Merlin He felt so light. He wasn't breathing, he wasn't breathing! "James, help me!" He put his head to Remus' chest, desperate for a heart beat. Wait... There! Faint, but true.

"Come on Remus, come back to me." If only he knew healing spells! Three years they'd been doing this with Remus, and he didn't know any bloody healing spells! Suddenly he remembered something he had seen in a muggle film. He closed his mouth firmly over Remus' and breathed. In and out, in and out.

Come on Remus, just breathe with me.

He forced another breath in. His lips are so soft He pushed the thought away, not ready to deal with what it might mean. All that mattered was Remus...

With a gasp Remus opened his eyes and was promptly sick all over Sirius' robes.

"Remus..."

Sirius didn't realize he was crying till he heard James sob behind him.

"I thought we'd lost you mate" James brushed Remus' hair out of his face and Sirius had the strange urge to knock his hand away.

"P'foot."

"I'm here Moony."

"P'ft."

"Yeah. What it is?"

"D'you... kiss me?"

"CPR mate. You weren't breathing."

"Oh. You smell a'ful."

"Yeah well," Sirius had to take a breath to steady his voice "Some bloody werewolf was sick all over me."

"S'ry. I..." His eyes rolled back in his head and he went limp against Sirius' arm.

"Pomphrey?"

"Yeah."

Sirius lifted Remus gently and apparated to the outskirts of Hogwarts. All he could think of the whole long walk up to the gates was how close they had come to losing him...

"James..."

"I know mate. I was scared too."

"Shhh! You'll wake him up!"

"You're the one making all the noise!"

"Well, Peter's eating loudly!"

"Now whose being loud!"

"Shhh!! You'll wake him up!"

"You know, I've never quite seen that color before.."

"What would you call that? Puce?"

"Naw, too... yellow."

"Puce's yellow."

"Not this yellow."

"I'm not deaf you know. I can hear every word you say."

Remus Lupin slowly opened his eyes, grimacing slightly, and cocked an eyebrow at the two black haired boys standing behind his bed.

"Wotcher Moony! Welcome back!" Sirius grinned and slapped Remus' shoulder, right where a particularly bad bruise happened to be. Remus flinched and Sirius pulled back.

"I'm sorry! Did I hurt you?"

"It's fine Padfoot."

He tried to push himself into a sitting position, but his arms were burning. He flopped back down with a small cry. Sirius was there in an instant, helping him up with a strange tenderness Remus had never seen before.

"Carefull. Don't over do it... We nearly lost you this time." Sirius looked earnestly into his eyes and Remus had to look away.

"Yeah, and Sirius saved you!" Peter squeaked.

"Yup. You were sleeping beauty, to be awakened with true loves kiss!"

"It was not a kiss Potter!"

And then Sirius and James were wrestling on the hospital wing floor. Remus shook his head, trying to make sense of that last exchange. Kiss? He had a vague memory of Sirius bending over him, of soft lips on his... But no, that was a dream. It wasn't real.

"Uh... Guys?" His voice sounded harsh even to him. Raw and abraded, then wolf must have been angry last night.

Sirius popped up and sat on the edge of his bed.

"Hello Mooony! Miss me while I was gone?"

James rolled his eyes.

"Say what you like Black, it was a kiss."

"Why you...!"

"Guys!"

Sirius stopped mid punch and turned to look at him.

"What kiss?"

Was it his imagination, or was Sirius blushing

"It wasn't a kiss. It was CPR. You had, sorta, stopped breathing."

"Oh." Stopped breathing? What if Sirius and James hadn't come when they did? More than half of all werewolves died of self mutilation before they were thirty. "Thank you."

"You don't need to thank me Moony." The strange look was back, the one that made Remus want to hide. "I don't know what I'd do if I lost you." He turned to include James and Peter. "Any of you. You're my family, you know?"

"Oh you great softie." James pulled them into a hug, being gentle with Remus' injuries.

"So, when do I get out of here?"

"Pomphrey said you could go whenever you want, but one of us is to take you home and see you eat something."

"Oh." Remus felt his stomach plummet. He couldn't let them know he was living in the shack! "I...I'm still a little shaky. I think I'll stay here for a bit. Sleep."

Sirius frowned, but nodded.

"Okay then. Let me know when you want to leave and I'll help you get home."

"Sure." Remus smiled wanly, trying not to let them know just how much pain he was in.

"See you mate." James gave him a brotherly hug and headed for the door. Peter waved and followed him. Sirius paused by his side, looking like he wanted to say something. Suddenly he swooped down and caught Remus in a tight embrace that made him gasp in pain.

"Never, ever do that to me again." Sirius' voice was shaking. "I thought... I... Never. Never again." He pulled away abruptly and ran from the room. Remus lay back, trying to figure out what had just happened.