Back in her human shape, Tonks Apparated herself and Sirius back into Headquarters. She was so tiered that , for a moment, she'd feared she wouldn't be able to do it without splinching herself or the black dog.

She would have loved to gloat at her recent achievement and rest, but there were more pressing matters. Running rather clumsily up the kitchen stairs she almost landed on the entrance hall of Number 12 Grimmauld Place. The troll umbrella stand was exactly where Sirius had left it, a couple of inches from the entrance door. If someone had been there, it would have been surely moved out of that inconvenient place. Smiling, she put the troll leg back in place.

Going back to the kitchen, and sitting on the table, she finally allowed herself a grin.

"Booby-trap intact," she informed Sirius, who had just turned back human. "I think we made it just in time before Remus shows up." Her cousin gave a husky bark-like laugh.

"That was amazing! I don't remember having that much fun since… well it's been surely a while," he was positively beaming at his cousin.

"It was really great, yeah. And I'm glad that no-one noticed I took you out of the house, or it would have been both our sorry arses to pay for it!"

"Come on!" Sirius handled her a bottle of Butterbeer. "Don't start with the I'm-an-Auror-I-have-responsibilities rubbish on me, I know you better than that!"

Tonks looked at her cousin with a mischievous smile.

"And here I was, hoping I was making some progress on that area."

"You'll never will, Tonksie, once a troublemaker, always a troublemaker."

"Forget about it. I did it, didn't I?" She said smugly, with bright eyes. "I managed to stay morphed long enough. I'm ready!"

"Yeah, I think you are." Sirius said slowly. "And it seems it is not that hard for you to morph anymore."

"No, it isn't. I'm still very tired, but that might be because of those stupid races of you than anything else."

"Your wolfish self didn't seem to find them that stupid," Sirius said with a sneer. "Or perhaps you're not liking them now after realising I am so much faster than you."

"Come off it! I could have won you if I'd wanted to…"

"Sure, why not? Continue to delude yourself."

"You wish, old man."

"I used to be the fastest of the four of us back at Hogwarts."

"You are a dog, Sirius, you are supposed to be faster than a stag and a rat. And probably faster than a werewolf…"

The door of the kitchen opened carefully and Remus entered, looking tired and caring a couple of plastic bags.

"Hello," he said.

"Hello, Moony," Sirius stood up hastily, trying to occupy himself in something as to not give away they had been talking about something he was not to hear. Tonks was still positive about hiding her transformations until the next full moon.

"Wotcher, Remus," Tonks stood up as well and gave the newcomer a kiss. "How was your shift?"

"Uneventful," he said kissing her back.

Remus looked at her for a moment, there it was, that something that made him feel uneasy around her lately. Or maybe it was just his imagination. He started taking small parcels out of the bags and putting them on the table. Sirius grabbed some plates and levitated a couple of bottles of wine on the table.

"What have you two been up to lately?" the newcomer asked trying to sound nonchalant.

"Not much," Tonks hurried to say. "Just old Padfoot here, telling me old stories about a very strange pack that went about marauding the Forbidden Forest back on his Hogwarts days."

Remus, trying to put his own insecurities aside, chuckled softly. "Whatever he might have told you, Nymph, he was probably exaggerating."

"Dunno," Tonks said grabbing a plate and taking generous amounts of rice from one of the parcels. "He might have mentioned a very scary werewolf."

"That was no exaggeration, then." Remus smiled. "Did he tell you about that very reckless dog?"

Sirius snorted over a wantan. "The handsome one, you mean?"

"No," Remus said with mocking thoughtfulness. "I don't recall any handsome dog whatsoever… He was rather shabby and very smelly."

Tonks started laughing at both of them.

"Hark who's barking," Sirius said.

"Likewise."

--

Two hours and two bottles of elf-made wine later, Tonks and Remus were walking down the front steps of Number 12 Grimmauld Place. He had been very quiet for the last half an hour and she could feel a prickling sensation of uneasiness running down her spine.

"Do you mind if we walk for awhile instead of Apparating?" he asked.

Bollocks! He had figured it out!

"Alright." Tonks slid her hand in his callous one and suppress a relieved sigh when he took it instead of rejecting her.

For a moment she considered pretending nothing was wrong in the hope he'll forget whatever it was that entertained his mind, but she knew better. If there was indeed something, he wouldn't let it go and it would do him no good to keep it to himself. She braced herself for what might come.

"Remus, are you alright?"

He sighed deeply. No, he wasn't alright but he wasn't sure what to do with this awkwardness he had been feeling lately around Tonks. There was something, he was sure, but he wasn't that certain about wanting to know what was it. Maybe she was having second thoughts about them being together, maybe she was already realising the downsides of being with him, as he predicted she would. But then, why was she holding his hand? Why did she remained closed by and loving as ever?

"Yeah…" he started. No, he had to know. "As a matter of fact… can I ask you something?"

Tonks looked at him, hoping that he wouldn't be able to hear the uneven bumping of her heart.

"Sure."

Remus stayed silent for a moment.

"Are you… are we alright?"

She looked a bit puzzled. That wasn't something she had being expecting. Then realisation washed over her as a cold shower. He wouldn't look at this as if there was something wrong with her. As usual, he would blame himself. If she could have get away with slapping herself without him noticing, she would have done it. Not being the case, she let go of Remus' hand and, without stopping their pace, Tonks slid her arm on his waist. Relieved again, she felt his arm around her shoulders.

"I'd say yes, we are alright," she murmured, resting her head on his shoulder. "Why on earth are you asking that?"

Remus remained silent for awhile, gathering his thoughts.

"I don't know," he finally said very slowly. "I… maybe I'm being paranoid, but I can't help to feel there is something different in you. Are you… are you keeping something from me?"

Tonks stared at him. He was looking at the road and didn't seem willing to meet her eyes. He was asking for an honest answer and she needed to come up with one, fast. She cleared her throat.

"Actually, Remus, I am."

She stopped and he finally looked at her.

Remus didn't expected that, not in a million years. He'd practically expected her to deny it or to make a silly excuse, or even to say that he had been imagining things.

"You are?"

"Yes, I am." She could see in his eyes the changing of his emotions, bewilderment, embarrassment, resentment. "And I need you to trust me."

"To trust you?" he sounded calm, but she could feel he was fighting against his own anger.

"I am hiding something for you but I need you to believe me when I say that it isn't bad, nor dangerous, and that you will learn all about it in due course."

"I don't think that's fair," he replied.

"Maybe not, and I would have wished you wouldn't realise that I was up to something until it would be done. But since you have, you would have to settle with this."

"How long?" his voice was cold and he took a step back, glaring at her.

"How long what?" it was scary. She had never seen him being so cold to anyone, specially her.

"How long will I have to "settle with this"?"

Tonks looked at the moon from the corner of her eyes. It couldn't be that long now.

"Just a couple of days," she whispered meekly. "Please, Remus, I'm asking you to trust me on this one."

His mind was racing. Even when she'd said it wasn't dangerous or bad, it must be something serious for her to wanted it hidden from him. Something that would affect him, probably. However, what annoyed Remus the most wasn't the thing itself, whatever it was, but the fact that she hadn't been completely honest with him.

"Haven't you ever try to hid something from the people you cared for, because you've thought it would be better that way?" she said after a long, awkward silence. It was a low blow and she knew it. He had after all tried to hide his lycanthropy back at school and even now he wasn't too keen to speak about it to strangers.

Remus finally gave her a crooked smile.

"I have, and you know it. But eventually they found out."

"And you will eventually know what this is all about," she said, relieved at the sight of him relaxing a bit. Feeling bold, she closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around his waist, not looking away from his eyes.

Remus chuckled softly. "I do hope it isn't dangerous, Nymphadora."

"Not more than the average Auror stuff," she said brightly.

"Alright, now I'm worried," he said leaning forward to kiss her.

"Don't be, Remus."

I'm doing it this month.