Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the plot!

Chapter 3: Butter Beer and Baby Talk

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They sat in a corner booth at the Leaky Cauldron and Tom came to take their orders.

"Fancy seein' the two o you here. Busy day?"said Tom, noting their purchases.

"Very. What's good today, Tom?"said Tonks.

"Soup and th' ham are excellent this evenin' but you usually go for th' stew Miss Tonks."he said.

His memory was good. "And how is the stew today?'asked Remus.

"It got Hagrid's approval."said Tom.

Remus and Tonks exchanged nervous looks before saying "I think we'll take the soup and ham…"in unison.

Tom nodded and the two laughed. "Anything to drink?"asked Tom.

"Butter beer for me."said Remus.

"Make it two."said Tonks. Tom nodded again and went to get their drinks.

"Was today really as horrible as you thought it would be?"asked Tonks after Tom had brought them their drinks.

"Not really."smiled Remus as he took a sip of his butter beer.

"It sort of reminded me of my Hogwarts days and going to Hogsmeade with James and Sirius. And I do believe that Sirius owned a set of putrid green robes…"he chuckled.

"He did?"she asked and he nodded.

"James and I bought them as a joke and gave them to Sirius one Christmas and Sirius, not wanting to be outdone, actually wore them. He told everyone what fine taste in clothes his friends had."laughed Remus.

"And Dumbledore complimented Sirius on his 'impeccable sense of style'."he told her.

"I'd say that would be the best part."she laughed.

Remus shook his head. "The best part was that he bought neon yellow and fuchsia robes for me and James….and then he hexed our hair to match the robes."said Remus.

"You with yellow hair? Damn! I wish I could have seen that."she told him.

"It was quite amusing walking around Hogwarts for the following week."he chuckled.

"You didn't change your hair back?"she asked and he shook his head again.

"We enjoyed 'being uniquely different' a little too much. Besides, Dumbledore gave us points for it."he smiled.

"How old were you then?"she inquired.

"Seventh year, why?"he answered.

"Just thinking that I was just about to get my letter then."she smiled. He returned it.

"Do you remember the first time we met?"she asked and he nodded.

"Summer after my forth year. We were all surprised when Sirius brought you with him."he recalled.

"He didn't really have a choice. I made him promise to."she laughed.

"You really wanted to spend time with your 'cool' cousin?"he chided.

"Not quite. He'd told me stories about his friends since he started school and I wanted to meet them and see if the stories were true. The Marauders didn't disappoint."she smiled.

"He told you stories? But you couldn't have been more than a baby…..Oh Merlin! No wonder you act so much like him…."laughed Remus.

"Bad influence very early in my innocent little life."she grinned.

Remus adopted a high fake voice "'Sirius, tell me about the time you hexed Snivellus to tap dance in drag…'"he imitated.

"Actually…."smiled Tonks.

"He didn't…?"said Remus, shocked and she nodded.

"That was one of my favorites."she admitted.

"He used to tell me that he would teach me some spells too. He taught me some pretty useful ones."she said.

"I can't believe it…he actually told you about that stuff…."sighed Remus and she shrugged.

"He's the one who told me about you."she said.

"Well yes, if he told you about the Marauders then I would obviously have come up…"he said.

"No, I mean he told me about how he and James discovered your 'secret'."she said.

"But he didn't tell you that for years…"he said and she shook her head.

"He told me before I met you."she told him.

"What! But…you weren't scared of me at all. If I remember correctly, you ended up asleep in my lap in front of the fire that night after playing Exploding Snap as if you had always known me."he said.

She nodded. "I was a curious kid and I pestered Sirius into telling me. It didn't change anything. I didn't see anything wrong with you. Actually, I thought it made you more like me."she said.

"A child's logic…truly frightening."he shuddered.

"Give me a break! I was three."she laughed.

"Did you know that Sirius teased me about that night for years? 'She fancies you Moony. Isn't that cute? Should I dress her up in a red cape and so can role play with her!'" he quoted.

"Did he really say that?"she asked and he nodded.

"Stupid jerk! I told him not to tell you."she muttered, hiding a slight blush that had risen in her cheeks. Remus smiled.

"He was right though, mostly anyway. I thought is was sweet, totally awkward, but sweet."he said.

"Gee, thanks Rem."she said sarcastically.

"Well, I was a teenager and I wasn't used to little girls having crushes on me."he defended.

"At least that explains why you kept your distance for so long though."she said.

"Yes and no."he told her and she looked at him curiously, waiting for his explanation.

"I didn't really try to avoid you until you were old enough to start school…"he started.

"But you were grown by then…"she said and he nodded.

"That was part of it."he admitted.

Tom came with their food and interrupted the conversation. "Can I get yeh anythin' else?"he asked. Remus shook his head. "We're fine, thank you."he answered and Tom nodded and left again.

"What was the other part?"she asked.

"Hmm?"he murmured. He had forgotten the tread of conversation when Tom had appeared.

"Why else did you avoid me?"she offered.

"I'm not sure this is the appropriate place to discuss my reasons. Could my answer wait until we are in a more private setting?"he reasoned.

"You promise this isn't just some trick to get out of answering my question?"she asked and he nodded.

"If you want to know I will tell you, but considering what I will say, I think it best if the conversation was not conducted in a public setting."he said.

"Alright."she smiled.

They began to eat their meals and she suddenly smirked. "Don't tell me you had a crush on a seven year old at fourteen?"she whispered.

He looked up at her and laughed. "I was a Marauder, but I wasn't that bad. Remember, I was the subdued one."he defended.

She gave a sigh of relief. "Good to know your reason isn't that you were a creep with an eye for kids."she smiled.

"When did I ever give off that impression?"he asked.

"You didn't, but you know me and my imagination. If I don't know something my imagination runs amuck until I find out what's being kept from me."she said and she chuckled.

"In that respect, I doubt I will ever grow up."she mused.

He smiled at her. "There is nothing wrong with imagination. It's a sign of intelligence."he told her.

"Thanks, that makes me feel a bit better."she giggled.

"Why else would society consider fiction authors to be geniuses?"he smirked.

She tapped her chin with her forefinger in thought for a moment and then shrugged. "Because society needed a break from Quidditch and Gilderoy Lockhart?"she suggested and they both laughed.

"James, Harry, Ron, Fred, George, and Ginny would not be pleased to hear that people actually wanted to 'take a break' from Quidditch. But as for Lockhart…."he told her.

"You're probably right."she agreed.

"I never really saw why people liked his books so much. And he wasn't all that attractive. Actually, I thought his was a git…"she said a bit guiltily.

He laughed at that. "I'm sure Harry would agree with you. I didn't really care for him either. A really self absorbed person, wasn't he?"he said and she nodded.

"Thank Merlin he didn't have any children. I don't even want to imagine what they would have been like."she said with a shudder.

"Hopefully like their mother…"said Remus in an undertone.

"But what kind of woman would want to be with him? He was so shallow…."she said quietly and he chuckled.

"I do believe that Molly was quite fond of him…."he smiled.

"But she's a happily married mother of seven with a harmless crush…"she defended.

Remus nodded. "She wouldn't leave Arthur, but Ginny and Hermione liked Lockhart as well."he reminded her.

"And that is just plan disturbing."she said flatly.

"Because he is so much older than they are?"he asked her, arching his eyebrow.

"Because the idea of them fanaticizing about him is repulsive."she answered and he laughed.

Trust her to come up with something he hadn't considered. "You on the other hand…"she smirked.

He nearly spit out his butter beer. "Me? What about me?"he stammered.

"Fantasizing about you is extremely nice."she said.

'Did she just pur?'he thought. His face flushed and he sighed. "I'm not going to ask…"he muttered.

"Why not? Afraid you might like what you hear?"she chided.

Against his better judgment he looked up at her and smiled. "Afraid that this conversation will become a fantasy sharing chat."he told her and then added in a whisper "And that is a conversation that would also be better said in privacy."

The truth was that he had actually thought about her many times. Not strictly in a sexual manner, mind you, but he had thought about her. He had fantasized about her. Most of his fantasies were rather innocent though. She would smile at him, hold his hand, laugh at a joke, or whisper something in his ear that he never quite heard. Those were the fantasies he loved. Where it was just the two of them and she would do ordinary things. But he was a man and he had been friends with Sirius and James- of course he had thought about being intimate with her. But somehow it always paled in comparison to just spending time with her. And he believed that there was a logical explanation for that. She would never be his; it was that simple. Why delude himself into believing otherwise? But he could take pleasure in being around her and that could be enough.

"Spoil sport!"she scolded.

"You're acting like I just took your favorite doll away…"he commented.

"In a way, you did."she told him.

He sighed, but before he could respond to her, Tom returned. "How were your meals?"he asked.

Tonks looked up at him and grinned. "Awesome as always."she reassured.

"Will you be taking desert then?"he asked.

"Afraid I'm a bit too full for desert, but thank you."smiled Remus.

"And you Miss?"Tom asked.

"Stuffed like a turkey. Sorry Tom."she grinned.

Tom nodded and took their dishes away. Remus took out his coin pouch to pay for the meal but Tonks stopped him.

"How much did the bill come to?"she asked.

"Five sickles and thirteen knuts."he told her and he began to take out the correct amount.

"Here."she said and she handed him half of the price and he looked up at her questioningly.

"Don't get all macho. I'm paying for myself."she told him.

"Nym…"she cut him off.

"Stop calling me that."she said with a smile.

"You realize that I did ask you if you wanted to come here. Technically I should…"and she cut him off again.

"By that degree you should not have fought with me about the robes. I asked you to go shopping."she countered.

She had a point. "Fair enough, but please allow me this."he said.

She narrowed her eyes for an instant and then nodded. "But you owe me two 'private' conversations, fuzzy."she told him bluntly.

He cringed. "Alright, Nymphadora."he emphasized.

She dropped her bags and shrugged off her cloak before plopping onto the sofa.

"Make yourself comfortable."he chuckled.

"Thanks."she grinned.

He pulled off his cloak and set down his bags and headed for the kitchen. It was getting quite nippy out and he fancied a cup of hot chocolate.

"Can I get you anything Nymphadora?"he called.

'You snuggled up beside me on the sofa would be lovely…' she mused to herself. "Anything you want as long as you don't call me that."she answered and she heard him laugh.

She sighed a smile. He had always called her that. He had insisted upon it from the first time she had met him. He had always been very proper and it was always charming, in her opinion. In truth, she had to admit that she didn't really mind it when he called her that. Coming from him it sounded…right. But if anyone else dared to call her by her first name…

"I hope hot chocolate is alright?"he said as he handed her a mug, drawing her away from her thoughts.

"It's fine, thanks."she smiled and she took a sip. "You always make the best hot coco. I'm jealous."

"Thank you, but it's nothing special."he said and he sat down beside her on the sofa and placed his mug on the coffee table.

"Ready to tell me?"

"Tell you what?"

"A fantasy of yours and why you avoided me, or have you forgotten?"she reminded.

He needed to buy himself some time. He knew she would laugh at what he had to say and he wouldn't blame her.

"Ladies first."he smiled.

"What kind do you want to hear? An innocent one or…."she let her sentence trail.

He shifted uneasily in his seat. What had he gotten himself into?

"Why not your favorite?"he offered, hoping that is was going to be rated PG because he really didn't fancy the idea of embarrassing himself.

She smiled at him. "My favorite is kind of weird…Well, not weird but…I don't even know why it came into my head, really. But if you must know, my favorite fantasy about you is that you become a father."she shared.

"Become a father?"he repeated, trying to keep his voice level and she nodded.

"You have such a way with Harry and the others…I guess the idea just made its way into my head at some point. I don't know…I just…I image your face as you hold your child and I can see how your face lights up and it makes me smile to think of you being so happy."

That was a surprise. He would not have expected that in a million years. She fantasized about him becoming a father? But she never mentioned who the mother was, did she? She just said that she only pictured him and a child. But she said that it made her happy, hadn't she?

"Remus? You okay?"she whispered.

"Hmm? Oh, yes, sorry."he said, coming out of his thoughts.

"No, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to freak you out."she apologized.

"You didn't. It's just…I wasn't expecting that. Quite sweet, really."he smiled.

She bit her lip nervously for a moment before giggling and ruffling her pink hair.

"Alright, your turn. Your favorite fantasy. And don' tell me you don't have any because Sirius told me what you Marauders used to talk about on your adventures."

He rolled his eyes. Trust Sirius to open his fat mouth. Yes they had talked about different fantasies on their adventures, but that had been while they were still at school and dealing raging adolescent hormones.

"My favorite fantasy, that's not about chocolate, correct?"he chuckled.

"Not unless that's part of it."she laughed.

"It's really rather dull. Just some hand holding and laughing and joking. Nothing to write home about. Just spending time together and enjoying the company."

She slipped her hand into his larger one and smiled at him. "I don't think it's dull at all." He smiled at her despite himself. That had been the last piece of the puzzle, hadn't it? They had spent the day together talking and joking and laugh. The last little bit to make his fantasy complete was holding her hand. And she had completed it for him.

"Thank you."he whispered.

"You're quite welcome."she purred in his ear and she kissed his cheek. "But you still owe me an explanation."she said more sternly.

"Why I tried to avoid you after you started at Hogwarts?"he said and she nodded.

"Like I already said, it was partly because I was grown. You didn't need me hanging around."he smiled and then sighed.

"The other reason I was hesitant to be around you was because I didn't trust myself where you were concerned." At her questioning look he continued. "You had changed. I know it sounds obvious, but you weren't a little child any longer. Now you were a young woman and…."he faltered.

He never really wanted to admit this to her or to any one ever, but he had promised that he would tell her and she did have a right to know. It was embarrassing as hell though. He hadn't avoided her to be cruel, he had done it to keep her safe. And he had cursed himself for years because of it.

"And?"she inquired.

"And…"he took a deep breath. "I could sense other changes in you. There was more confidence and it seemed like your curiosity had grown just as much as you had. Please don't misunderstand, I saw hundreds of girls go through the same process, but with you something was different."

"I didn't trust myself to be around you for a very long time. Every time I smelled your scent in a room…my more animalistic sense took control. I didn't want to take the chance that I might do something….horrible."he finished in a whisper.

"So…you stayed away to protect me form the big bad wolf?"she asked.

If it had not been for the serious face she wore he probably would have accosted her. When he looked up and saw the look in her eyes he nodded and sighed.

"Probably not the reason you wanted to hear, but it is the truth. I know you'd probably prefer a tale about me doing some daring mission but…"

"Actually, I prefer the big bad wolf."she told him and she laid her head against his shoulder.

"Aren't you a little bit old for fairy tales?"he smiled.

"You're never too old for fairy tales."she grinned.

He ruffled her hair playfully. "Hey!"she tried to scold, but it was difficult through her laughter. He smiled as he kissed her head and wrapped his arms around her. "You're such a baby."he laughed.

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A/N: I couldn't help myself! I'm sorry! I just had to write this one. Don't fret! Lots more coming in the somewhat near future.

And to the lovely people who have been reading and or reviewing- you guys rock! I appreciate it!