AN - Thank you so much for all the kind comments and pleas to continue with the fic, they keep me going when I have so little time to write these days! This little one shot has grown into a bit of a monster of a fic, but I'm hoping to round it up in the next chapter or two. Hope you enjoy this...chapter 10!

Alleyways and decomposing waste – Heaven on Earth.

Chapter 10

Nymphadora Tonks did not consider herself to be particularly beautiful, sure she could enhance her features by morphing to change her hair colour or the shape of her nose or even the size of her boobs, but without morphing, just was plain old Tonks. She'd long ago conceded that she was not destined to be a great beauty, she was, if she was to be brutally honest with herself, rather plain.

And yet…

Curled up on the sofa, in her tiny flat, with Remus Lupin's soft hand caressing her cheek as he placed featherlike kisses on her neck and whispered things into her ear that made her blush, she felt if just for a few minutes, like the most beautiful witch in the world. Alone she was just ordinary old Tonks, but in the arms of Remus Lupin she became extraordinary.

Each touch was in itself like magic, everywhere his fingers trailed she could feel a tingling. Pushing him back, she wanted to look at him, to drink in every tiny detail of his features and memorise them.

"Tonks," he whispered her name, "You're so beautiful, so breathtakingly beautiful."

Tonks couldn't help but snort, breathtakingly beautiful?

Before she could tell Remus how ridiculous she thought that statement was, a little bluish orb flew through her window and floated in front of them. Turning into the form of a phoenix, the orb, with the calming yet commanding voice of Dumbledore, told them that their presence was immediately required at headquarters.

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Perhaps due to the headiness she felt after spending so long kissing Remus, or perhaps just because it was so late at night and she was so tired after her night of crumpled up sleep on the sofa, but as Tonks apparated into an alley behind Grimmauld Place, she wasn't sure for a few seconds if she was going to vomit or fall over or both.

Hearing a pop behind her, seconds later she felt a reassuring hand reach her shoulder and another steadying hand attach itself to her hip. Despite the nausea feeling, she felt instantly better.

"Tonks? You didn't splinch did…" Remus always so calm and in command sounded so panicked that she wouldn't have recognised his voice, but she recognised his touch.

Tonks turned slowly to look at him, "No, I'm fine, just feel a little queasy, it'll pass. Too much Chinese and bacon this week I recon!"

Remus visibly relaxed, "I saw you wobble as you disapparated away from your flat and I was concerned…"

Tonks, her nauseasness completely forgotten, leaned into Remus and slinked her arms up his chest and around the back of his neck, "I think I rather like you being concerned about me. That came out wrong, I just…"

Remus chucked, placing his hands on her hips and pulling her half a step closer, "I know what you meant" Learning in he treated her to a head spinning, breath-taking, toe tingling kiss.

Grimmauld Place was, Tonks had often mused, one of the most miserable places on Earth, perhaps only second to Azkaban itself. The alley behind Grimmauld Place, with its overgrown hedges poking out of the fence panels that caged it and the disgusting smell of decomposing rubbish which had been thrown there by less than savoury muggles was even worse. It was certainly not the most romantic place to be.

And yet…

In Remus Lupin's arms, not only did plain old Tonks become something extraordinary, but the world itself seemed to shift into a sweet haven. When she remember this moment in years to come, and she could tell this would be the kind of moment she would want to regularly relive in her twilight years, her subconscious could probably easily convince her they weren't stood in the stinking alley behind Grimmauld Place at all, but were in fact in paradise.

Because that is how it felt to be in his arms. Like heaven on Earth.

Unfortunately Dumbledore's message had said to come immediately and even more unfortunately, Remus was the type of man that did what was asked of him, and liked to arrive to places promptly. Ushering Tonks in front of him, the pair made their way in the kitchen of Grimmauld Place.

Many of the Order were already assembled but the meeting clearly hadn't started, Molly was bustling around by the stove, sending plates of biscuits and cakes out onto the painfully scrubbed kitchen table. Kingsley was sat in the corner, hunched over, and leaning into Sirius who was deep in conversation with. Arthur Weasley, was snoozing slightly in his chair, but jumped every time his wife approached or spoke. Waving their "hellos" as they squeezed through the busy kitchen, Tonks settled on a chair on the far side of the room, Remus sat next to her.

The meeting started shortly after their arrival, when with unusual flare and dramatics, Dumbledore, normally quiet and understated, swept into the room in a most Snape-esque fashion. For a moment Tonks wondered if it was in fact Snape and he'd taken Polyjuice Potion as a lesson to warn them all of how easy it was to be duped, grasping onto her wand under her robes, she waited. Hearing in address the group, Tonks was able to relax the grip on her wand. The commanding voice she heard and the kind eyes that searched the group certainly didn't belong to that git of a professor Snape.

"I'm sorry to have summoned you hear on what I hope was, until my interruption, a wonderful evening for you all." Tonks tried to hold in a snort that threatened to burst from her, a wonderful evening? That was a bloody understatement.

"I realise," Dumbledore continued, "that in times such as these, spending time with friends, family and those closest to us is perhaps more precious to us than during peacetime. Making time for friendship, love and new relationships are perhaps a large part of what we're fighting for…" She had to be imagining it, but Dumbledore seemed to be looking straight at Remus. Occasionally his gaze would land on her, but no more than the others, yet, for the majority of his speech so far, his piercing, kind eyes had been locked on the man sat next to her.

But he couldn't possibly…

Next to her, Remus hand slid from the table onto own lap, then ever so discreetly onto her own. Whether Dumbledore had intended for Remus to take his words personally or not, he certainly seemed to have done just that.

"Anyway, I digress. Let us discuss the business at hand and let you all return as soon as possible to your loved ones." The meeting progressed, more slowly than she would have liked after that. A safe hold that the Order used quite regularly to hide people who Death Eaters were known to be hunting or trying to recruit, had been compromised, in short Dumbledore required a few of the Order to ascertain what they could recover from the house and if it was safe to return, whilst other volunteers were needed to search out other temporary safe houses and the numbers needing protection were increasing weekly.

Tonks was on Auror shifts for the next 4 days and Remus already had orders to try and track an ally that may be able to help them identify more Death Eaters and their supporters and so neither of them were really in a position to help. Others readily volunteered however, suggestions of new safe holds, such as Shell Cottage were offered as well as new ideas for heightened security precautions and the meeting was soon adjourned.

The kitchen emptied of people much quicker than after scheduled Order meetings, perhaps simply due to the late hour, or perhaps like Tonks, the other members could still hear Dumbledore's words replaying in their head, "spending time with friends, family and those closest to us is perhaps more precious to us than during peacetime."

After exchanging pleasantries with Hestia and shooting a quick retort at Kingsley's smart remark about her hair, she saw Remus catch her eye and indicate for her to leave the kitchen with him. He led her to the library on the second floor, where once inside he closed the door and with a lazy flick of his wand sent the fire blazing.

Tonks felt like he'd done the same thing to her heart, with a simple kiss.

He was so beautiful in the fire light; his smile lines seem etched deep into his statuesque face, like they had been painted by Michael Angelo himself. "I guess I should be getting home," Tonks admitted reluctantly, "I have a shift tomorrow morning."

Remus smile was as sad as she felt, "I too must begin research for my mission tomorrow." Remus agreed with her assessment of their situation.

"Do you think you'll be done by Friday?" She asked hopefully, "I have 4 day shifts then I'm off for 3 days. Can we get together Friday?"

Remus seemed to hesitate, as if formulating his words carefully. Surely he couldn't be changing his mind already. Please God don't let her have already messed this up.

"I will certainly be done by Friday, but I don't think we should get together Friday." Maddingly he paused, offering no explanation for what seemed like hours.

"However, if you'd consent, I would very much like to take you out on Friday; on a date." Tonks couldn't help that her mouth was hanging open. "I know, after this weekend it seems silly," Tonks was chuckling slightly, "But allow me keep a semblance of my gentlemanly upbringing. I went about this all wrong. I wish to correct that and take you somewhere nice."

Tonks was no longer laughing at the notion of a first date with Remus, she was beaming. She would have been happy counting their weekend of Gilmore Girls and bacon sandwiches as their first date, but she certainly wasn't going to turn down any offer to spend time with Remus.

"Of course, I'm afraid it won't be anything fancy, my means are…" Tonks cut his words short as she quickly stepped forward and placed a featherlike kiss on his mouth.

"Remus Lupin, earlier tonight you made the alley behind Grimmauld Place seem like heaven on Earth, I don't need fancy, as long as I have you."