A/N: I know, I know, I'm a mean person. I'm sorry for making you all wait so long for the final chapter! I would give you a whole sob-story about what took me so long, but it would only be partially true – I mostly just wasn't in the mood to write, which I know can happen, but that was just horrendous timing. Hopefully you weren't too cliff-hangery – I did try to make the previous chapter an easy wait chapter because I thought it would take me a bit. I promise I didn't anticipate nearly three months though. In any case, I hope this is a nice conclusion for a story that was really not supposed to be that long. Thank you for sticking with me through the end!

...oOo...

The Lupin cottage was cozy in every sense of the word. With warm maple hardwood flooring, burgundy armchairs encircling a stone fireplace, and thick crushed velvet curtains, the home easily provided the desire to curl up with a good book. At twelve in the afternoon, the air still held the tantalizing scent of maple sausage that had been served with breakfast that morning. A leather jacket and cranberry cardigan lay side-by-side on the arm of an oversized couch, and two sets of shoes were neatly set by the front door.

Little more than an hour after leaving the park, two half-empty teacups sat cold and abandoned on the dining table. One with far too much sugar, leaving a thick coating of the sweet substance visible on the bottom, and the other with a soft film of milk skin forming at the top. Neither of the two men had intended on straying from their drinks, but as these things tend to happen, they quickly found themselves tumbling into Remus' bedroom.

Remus had lost track of how long they had been snogging, ruffling up each other's hair and clothing. The taste of Sirius was far too irresistible for Remus, showing him just how easily he could grow dependent on the shorter man. He tasted spicy and sweet with a hint of tobacco, and his skin smelt of leather, motor oil, and gun powder. He was dangerous and alluring. As addicting as a drug, and Remus was most definitely falling under his influence.

As their enthusiastic kissing and teasing turned into heavy petting, Remus pulled Sirius onto the bed with him, rolling them over so he was straddling Sirius. He kissed along Sirius' jawline, dragging his mouth down his neck, and nipping at the soft flesh there. The soft whimpers that escaped Sirius' mouth only caused Remus to want to hear more. Everything about this man was just so perfect, and he really wanted to overdose on Sirius.

They made short work of removing their shirts, tossing them carelessly just off the edge of the bed. Remus took a moment to marvel at his soulmate's perfect chest. Sirius' muscles were firm and defined, but not overwhelmingly bulging, and he had abs like a surfer with a line of soft black hair leading from his navel to a treasure below. He looked at Sirius' face noticing his eyes hungrily roaming Remus' torso.

"You're beautiful," Sirius whispered, his voice thick with lust.

Remus smiled, shaking his head. If any of them were beautiful, it was this Adonis spread before him. He leaned back down, trailing open-mouth kisses down Sirius' chest, causing the other man to moan and lean into his touch. The sounds he made were enough to drive Remus crazy. He felt as if everything about Sirius was specifically designed to allure to Remus' senses. The way his soft hair tangled so easily in his fingers, the way the other man sought out Remus' touch, the gentleness those strong hands showed as they brushed along Remus' back with feather-like delicacy. Everything about him was just so perfect, and Remus wanted to experience all of this perfection. Suddenly the idea of waiting to go all the way seemed like such an idiotic idea.

Remus captured Sirius' mouth again, tugging on his lower lip as he pulled away and causing another gasp. Did Sirius even know how to not be provocative? Remus wasn't sure he could resist much of anything if Sirius kept that sound up. "I want you Sirius." He hoped that his forwardness wouldn't scare him away, but he couldn't deny the longing that was growing in his libido.

Sirius licked his lips as he gazed up into Remus' amber eyes, his breath coming in quick puffs. "You do?"

Remus nodded. "Very much so." He punctuated his point by running his tongue along the rim of Sirius' ear, causing the other man to shudder.

"I don't think I'll be able to say no if you keep that up," he whispered, his hand coming up to cup Remus' cheek.

He pulled back so he could look Sirius in the eye. "You're alright with us going further?" Remus trailed an idle finger along his torso, following the various lines formed by his muscles. "I don't want to push you if you're not ready."

Sirius hesitated for a moment, his eyes flickering between Remus' hand that was steadily gliding lower and his amber eyes. "I – yes. We can go as far as you'd like."

While his voice was steady, Remus didn't miss the uncertainty that flashed in Sirius' eyes. "Are you sure?" He moved his hand so it was resting in a more neutral territory than the hem of Sirius' trousers.

He took a deep breath as he debated his response, narrowing his gaze ever so slightly. "I'm sure that I want to be with you Remus, it's just that I've never done this before. Admittedly I'm a bit – nervous? You know, blushing bride and all that."

Remus gave a small smile, easily understanding Sirius' concerns. "I've never been with a man either, but I'm sure we can figure it out. We are grown men after all."

Sirius chewed on his lower lip, eyebrows pursed together. "No, I mean that I've never had sex before. With anyone." A soft blush formed on his high cheekbones upon the admission.

"Oh," Remus replied, eyes widening upon the realization. "Oh."

Sirius offered a nervous smile.

"So then -" Remus paused, his mind trying to grasp the reality of what Sirius said. He rolled off, settling next to Sirius and propping himself up onto his elbow. "Wait, but that doesn't make sense."

Frowning slightly from the loss of contact, Sirius sat up. "What doesn't make sense? That I'm a twenty-six-year-old virgin?"

"No. I mean, well, kinda. Just look at you. It's hard to believe that someone as good looking as you was never snatched up."

He gave a soft chuckle. "There were plenty of offers, but I wanted to wait for you." Sirius traced Remus' hairline with his index finger, causing a tingle to spur through Remus' body. "I didn't see the point in getting attached to someone that wasn't my soulmate. I knew I would leave that person the moment you entered my life anyway."

Embarrassment flooded his chest. He had never regretted opening himself up to Nymphadora, but now that he heard about Sirius' insistence on waiting for him, he suddenly wished he could go back in time and stop his younger self. "I'm sorry I-"

"There's no need to apologize," Sirius interrupted, placing a quick peck onto his cheek. "Waiting was my own decision, and I don't mind that you found someone else in between. Besides, if you hadn't been with that woman, you wouldn't have that adorable son of yours."

The niggling in his brain finally resurfaced, bringing the question he had meant to ask to the forefront again. "You said you've haven't been intimate before, but how can you have a son if you've never slept with anyone?"

Sirius' gray eyes widened in surprise. "Harry?"

"Yes, Harry. He is your son, isn't he?" Remus didn't know why Sirius would try telling him he was a virgin when he so obviously wasn't, but he needed to make sure Sirius knew right away that Remus wouldn't stand for lying. Even if he was only intending to give Remus the illusion of virginity, liars were something Remus hated the most.

Sirius dropped his gaze as he scooted back enough to rest his shoulders on the headboard and brought his legs somewhat close to his body. He draped his right arm over his knee, while his left hand dutifully traced odd patterns on Remus' forearm. "Harry isn't my child; he's my godson."

Remus licked his lips as he followed Sirius' lead, adjusting into a more comfortable sitting position. It was clear from Sirius' body language that the mood had already changed drastically. "He's your godson," he parroted. "He calls you 'pops' though."

He nodded. "It's easier that way. Less questions get asked if everyone assumes he's my son."

"What happened to his parents?" Remus asked quietly.

Sirius took in a deep breath as he finally brought his eyes back up to meet Remus'. The grief that Remus saw there was enough to tug at his heart, causing an uncomfortable jerking feeling. It was clear from that expression alone that he cared deeply for the boy's biological family.

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," he amended. Remus ran his hand up and down Sirius' left arm, inwardly smiling at the way it looked as if he was petting the large black dog that resided there.

"His parent's names were James and Lily Potter."

Remus paused his stroking as memories came flooding back to him. The case of the Potter murder was one of the first he was assigned after moving from Wales, and to this day he could still remember the grizzly scene before him. They weren't just killed; they were made an example of. It was clear from the wounds inflicted that they had been tortured before finally having their throats slit. Cryptic warnings had been painted on the walls in their blood as well. While it had been left a cold case, never being able to find just who killed them, there were whispers of it being done by a dark and powerful organization. An organization like the Death Eaters.

"James was more like family to me than anyone else. He was my brother in everything but blood." Sirius took in a deep breath, a dullness fogging his gray eyes. "When we first joined The Order, we formed a sort of gang, for lack of a better word, amongst the three of us; James, myself, and Peter Pettigrew, a childhood friend of James. We called ourselves 'Marauders'," he gestured to the ink letters that had been etched onto his right arm years ago with a weak smile on his face. Clearly the nostalgic fondness warred with the pain of loss in his mind.

"We were still new to The Order," he continued, "but when James heard all the shite my family was up to, he thought that we should try to put them in their place. After all, I had an in depth knowledge of the whereabouts and identities of several prominent members, so why not put that information to good use?"

"So you three made it your personal agenda to try taking on the Black Family?"

"Exactly," Sirius nodded. "We were good at it, too. For a while there, we really had those scum bags sweating. The three of us were a force to be reckoned with. James was a very devout leader, ready to charge in without fear; much like a stag." Sirius glanced towards his right shoulder, drawing Remus' attention back towards the large stag standing proud with a rat nestled between its antlers. "Peter was exceptional at gathering wisdom, easily going unnoticed in a crowd and able to gain access to almost any room."

"Like a rat?" Remus guessed.

Sirius barred his teeth seemingly involuntarily, a snarl to his voice as he replied, "Yes, exactly like a rat."

Remus gnawed on his lip. "I'm guessing that the doe and fawn represent Lily and Harry, then?"

That seemed to bring Sirius back and he nodded firmly. "Yes. I had them added after-" He chewed his lower lip, fixing his eyes on the mussed up comforter below them.

He reached forward, squeezing Sirius' hand gently. Remus wouldn't be able to take the pain away, but he could at least be there for his soulmate.

Sirius offered him a small smile. "James said that I reminded him of a mangy mutt," he said with a soft chuckle, shifting his left shoulder to draw Remus' attention to the large black dog that sprawled there. "I suppose it's fitting since Sirius is the dog star."

"I can see that, actually. You really are a big puppy."

He scoffed playfully, nudging Remus' arm in mock offense. "Well, as you can imagine, my family didn't take it very well when we started tearing apart their operations."

He nodded along, already knowing where this story was going. How could he not? He had seen the end result, and even if he hadn't, the Black Family was known for their violence. The thought of three twenty-somethings taking on a large organization like that was simply too foolish. Even if they did work for The Order of the Phoenix, they were still outnumbered.

"We weren't caught, if that's what you're thinking," Sirius said, clearly noticing the grave expression on Remus' face. "No, we were far too clever for that. The three of us were great with hiding in the shadows, and with Peter's ear to the ground, we always caught wind of any oncoming threat. We had a vast amount of fake identities and safe houses we could rotate through. There was no way we should have been found out."

"So then, what went wrong?"

He took a deep breath, eyes shuttering closed for a long moment. "We trusted Peter."

Something clenched in Remus' stomach, an unpleasant coiling sensation settling there.

"We knew Peter was attracted to power and money, but we foolishly thought the two of us would be enough for him. We kept him safe, made sure he was included in every mission we took on. He had an ample supply of income, and the three of us were quickly climbing up in rank faster than most could ever dream of doing. We thought he had no reason to stray."

Sirius paused, taking another calming breath before continuing. "Of course, our money and power could not compete with Orion Black's. A man named Tom Riddle approached Peter, giving him an offer he should have refused, and Peter traded information on the Potter's for a prominent position among the Death Eaters."

Remus narrowed his eyes, both in anger and curiosity. He knew the Black Family and the Death Eaters were both powerful enterprises, but he didn't realize they were connected.

"The morning before they were murdered, Peter had approached me with two tickets to the zoo, suggesting I take Harry out for the day." He shook his head, obviously feeling embarrassed by the foolishness of his past self. "He said he won them in a contest, and I didn't even bother questioning him."

"At least Harry was kept safe though," Remus tried. "Even though he turned out to be a traitor, he protected the child."

"It doesn't excuse the betrayal though. Because of that bastard, James and Lily were killed."

Remus stayed silent, waiting for Sirius to continue. After what felt like several minutes, he began wondering if he was finished, before Sirius finally drew in another breath.

"I knew something was wrong the moment I pulled up on the street in front of their home. The atmosphere was heavy with evil. I quickly called Dumbledore, the leader of our order, and had him meet me there. He showed up with several other members, and I thankfully left Harry with McGonagall before heading inside. He was only two at the time, but I wouldn't have wanted him to see that. It was so awful."

"Yes," Remus agreed, once again remembering all that blood and pain that was thick in the air.

"I felt like I was dying when I saw them," he choked, an errant tear falling from his left eye. "They didn't deserve that. Especially Lily. She was so sweet and kind. She was a preschool teacher. She had nothing to do with what we were doing."

Remus shifted closer, wrapping an arm around Sirius' waist and urging Sirius to rest his head against his shoulder. Sirius rubbed his face against his skin, his stubble scratching Remus' chest. Remus brought his free hand into Sirius' black hair, rubbing his fingers into his scalp soothingly.

"There were warnings written on the walls, telling me to stop what I was doing or Harry would be next," he whispered.

He took in a shaky breath, as he realized that Sirius clearly understood that cryptic message. He was tempted to ask for more information, but knew better than to pry. It had to be hard enough for Sirius to relive this much. Remus planted a kiss on the top of Sirius' head as he breathed in the scent of the other man's citrusy shampoo.

He let out a choked sob as he nuzzled closer to Remus. "I wanted revenge – still want revenge – but how can I put Harry in danger like that? I owe it to James and Lily to keep him safe. They trusted me with his life, and as much as I would love to make whoever killed them pay, I can't be reckless anymore."

Remus stayed silent, continuing to stroke Sirius affectionately and allowing the other man to lean on him. Sirius didn't need advice, he just needed comfort. While he couldn't understand what it was like to have your best friend murdered, he was able to at least offer a shoulder to cry on.

"I'd thought about having that stupid rat tattoo removed," Sirius said quietly after a long silence had passed. "Have it turned into a flower or something less disgusting, you know? But I couldn't do it. I couldn't bring myself to alter it."

"Why not?"

"It's a good reminder to be careful whom I trust."

Remus furrowed his eyebrows, his right hand idly toying with the soft hairs on Sirius' neck.

"Peter was James' closest friend when they were younger; the two of them practically grew up together. Yet that worm went and had him killed anyway. How can someone do that? Why did he do it?"

Remus let out a soft breath. "It's hard to understand what causes someone's heart to turn to darkness sometimes. I'm sure he had his reasons, even if they weren't the right ones."

Sirius pulled away from Remus just enough so he could look at the other man's face. "I'm sorry I ruined our night with all my drama," he said wryly, his face slightly flushed with embarrassment.

A quiet laugh escaped Remus' lips as he shook his head gently, placing a kiss on his temple. "You have nothing to apologize for, Sirius."

He snuggled further into the pillows with an uncertain look on his face.

Grasping at a distraction for his soulmate, Remus reached into his bedside table drawer, pulling out a remote. "How about you find something for us to watch on the television while I order us some takeaway?"

Relief flooded Sirius' face as a smile played at the corners of his mouth. "Yeah, that sounds nice."

Remus placed a chaste kiss on Sirius' lips before hopping off the bed. "I'll be back in a minute. Is there anything in particular you'd like?"

"Surprise me," he answered, his normal confident demeanor returning much to Remus' delight.

The evening passed in amiable companionship, filled with ample cuddling, Korean barbeque, and romantic comedies. While there weren't any more heavy conversations, the two men felt a strong bond form between them that night, and Remus had never been happier he decided to give Sirius a chance after all. He had been foolish to reject his soulmate all those weeks ago and he knew he had a lot of heartache to make up for, but, from here on out, Remus swore that he would do everything in his power to be the perfect companion for Sirius. After all, that is exactly what a soulmate is meant to be.

...oOo...

As a soft glow permeated the bedroom curtains, pleasant bird call roused Sirius from a rather fascinating dream. He was a pirate captain in charge of a massive fleet of flying ships. The world both feared and revered his name, none daring to oppose his mighty power, yet all loving him the same. As he blinked himself awake, he rolled over to pull out the dream diary he kept in the nightstand drawer, pausing just as his hand grasped the cool leather.

He took a deep breath, belatedly realizing the wondrous scents of bacon and maple syrup had wafted into the bedroom. While the dream had been fun and he would love to have it recorded, he could not deny the now fervent rumbling in his stomach. Truly no man could resist bacon after all.

Sirius slipped from the bed covers, breathing a sigh of relief as the cold tile chilled his sleep-warm feet. With an over-exaggerated yawn he threw his white robe on, tying it closed around his waist. He was certain his hair was a mess, but he was the only one in this house that would find that offensive, so he forced himself out of the bedroom door without brushing first.

He followed his nose towards the kitchen until being forcefully halted by two eight-year-old boys in the dining room as they jumped onto him simultaneously, nearly knocking Sirius onto his rear.

"Pops! You're up!"

"Good morning, pa!"

Sirius gave a jovial groan as he coaxed the two boys back onto their own feet. "You're getting too heavy for that," he laughed. "I'm not as young as I used to be."

"Oh, you're still plenty young," Remus replied as he smirked from the doorway, a tray of breakfast food in his hands. "Teddy, Harry, go wash up for breakfast."

The boys chorused their assent before scampering past Remus into the kitchen, racing for the sink.

"I was beginning to think you were going to sleep forever," Remus mused as he set the tray down and began pouring tea into four teacups.

"You know I need my beauty sleep," he grinned. "You don't get this good-looking without extra rest."

Remus laughed, shaking his head before kissing Sirius on the cheek. "Yes, you are definitely a sleeping beauty."

"And you're my prince charming," he cooed as he wrapped his arms around Remus' waist, nuzzling his neck with his nose.

"Eww! Gross!" Harry exclaimed, scrunching his nose in mock-distaste.

"Yeah, get a room!" Teddy agreed as he plopped into his seat with all the grace of a blind chicken.

Sirius maturely stuck his tongue out at the boys as he took his seat. He reached towards the milk when a firm 'ahem' and eyebrow raise brought his gaze back towards his husband.

"Sirius, you know the rules. You need to wash up before breakfast."

Sirius sputtered. "I'm a grown man; do you really think I didn't wash up? I'm not eight like those two!"

Remus turned his gaze onto their sons. "Boys, did you see your father wash his hands?"

"No, daddy," they chorused with big innocent eyes.

"How do you know I didn't wash my hands before I came down?" Sirius defended.

"Who wants to sniff his hands?" Remus asked the two boys.

"I'll do it!" Harry exclaimed, his hand shooting into the air like a rocket.

Sirius groaned as he noisily slid his chair back. "Fine! I'll go wash up." He noisily shuffled into the kitchen, muttering about Remus not being his mother and the boys being just as bad as a nosy brother.

As he lathered the soap onto his hands, he couldn't help but smile in his irritation. This domestic bliss was something he had always thought would never be attainable. Never in his wildest dreams did he believe he could find someone as perfect as Remus. He never thought he could have a family like this with someone. Being able to marry the man he loves and raising two young boys with him was the most perfect picture in his world.

It was hard to believe that they had met three years ago, and that the start of their relationship had been extremely rocky. It all seemed like a hazy memory now, overshadowed by excitement and joy. Going on their first real date to the theatre, crying as they kissed the boys goodbye on their first day at primary school, their anniversary dinner when Remus proposed, their small beach wedding, and the honeymoon phase that never seemed to end.

Even though there would always be moments of irritation and arguments, he knew that there was nothing that could break the two of them apart. He had truly found the counter-part of his soul in Remus, and he wouldn't trade that for anything. Even if he was forced to wash his hands before breakfast.

...oOo...

Word Count: 4125