Title: Worn Thin
Pairing: Remus/Tonks
Rating: PG13/T
Period: DH, epilogue compliant
Summary: Behind them lurked their past, painful and still bleeding. In front of them the uncertainty of war. Today, they fight to live, love and protect. Remus/Tonks

Disclaimer: Don't own it... sorry.

"And you were left feeling so alone."

The days blended into weeks which formed months that all made up the long stretch that as Tonk's pregnancy. At times she'd be fighting mad and other days she lay at the foot of the bed curled into a ball. Remus didn't always know what to do, but he learned to be there. She didn't need to be alone.

In the mornings, Remus awoke early. That was why he found Ted sitting, alone, at the kitchen table a quill in his hand and a dejected look upon his face. The older man's head snapped up when he heard footsteps.

"You can't stop me," Ted told him.

"From doing what?" Remus asked softly taking a seat across from his father-in-law.

"I must do it."

"What?"

"Go."

Remus stayed silent.

"I won't register and if I don't they'll tear this house apart. I must leave, Remus."

Remus nodded his head. Standing up he left the kitchen and returned to his bedroom. He waited until he'd heard Andromeda descend the stairs. A few moments later he followed her down to console her.

Remus thought of leaving again, but Tonk's had to stay at her parent's house. There were no other options since the Death Eaters were closing in on places where order members have once lived. Andromeda assured him that she could keep them safe.

Remus got news that most of the Weasley's were out of work. He felt hopeless and estranged from the world. The world that needed him.

The estrangement was the reason they began the broadcasts. One day sitting in the burrow between Fred and George who were tinkering with their mother's wireless it came to him. The redheads were supportive and one night every few weeks Remus snuck out and they broadcasted. He hated leaving Tonks alone, but he had no choice. He hated himself for doing nothing more.

The broadcasts were sporadic and secretive. He hoped that Harry heard them and knew that he was proud of the young boy who'd grown into a strong young man. He returned, home to his growing family and dreamed every night of his healthy baby boy.

The close contact with the Weasley boys and Lee Jordan brings news to the house. The majority of it was dreadful. But it was something.

The only thing that Remus could be thankful for was that it hadn't been him who brought the news. He'd been away for the full moon when it happened. Bill dropped by the house to deliver the news. By the time that Remus had returned the two women had been mourning for hours.

Andromeda sat at the kitchen table when he apparated in. Her face buried in her hands as she dabbed her eyes with a white handkerchief.

"Is everything alright?

"We just got news, Remus, Ted's-," she broke off with a wailing sob.

He didn't wait to hear the rest of her sentence. A sinking feeling in his gut told him all that he needed to know. He ran up the stairs. Tonks sat in a chair, in their room, looking at the mirror. Her face colorless, her lips a thin line, her nose an exact replica of her father's, a curtain of black hair surrounded the strange features.

She looked up at him when he burst through the door. There weren't any tears on her face but a look of misery hid in her black eyes. Two hands cradled her swollen belly protectively. He pulled her into his lap and her head rested upon his shoulder.

They sat like this for some time until Tonk's finally broke down and began to cry. She buried her head in his shoulder and he wrapped an arm around her. When her breathing slowed down and the hiccups subsided he risked running his fingers through her hair. She raised her head and looked him in the eye . Her face scrunched up in concentration and the black eyes fade into a dark blue.

"The baby kicked for the first time," she whispered.