Sorry for the uber long delay... I've finally found some time to force myself to sit down and finish this fic. *sigh* Hope you like it, for what its worth.

*****

He was being completely and utterly stupid.

That was the intelligent conclusion he came up with about his standing on the doorstep ten minutes too long, looking at the doorknob and hesitating to touch it for the sole reason of fearing the events that would come next.

Again. Stupid.

Within the span of the ten minutes spent on the stoop, Remus had decided that the events to follow his opening of the door were not something to be feared. With a sigh, Remus reached for the elegantly engraved doorknob and pushed the oak door open, no longer wincing at the shrieks of Sirius's deranged mother's equally deranged portrait, Sirius having shut the curtains a while back with permanent sticking charms and all that (and no, that wasn't the event he feared).

It wasn't spending the full moon in a different house that he was wary of. It wasn't even spending the full moon in a different house that he was not entirely sure had adequate protection spells from the beast that would surely be unleashed from within him. Although he had to admit that not coming in to check a bit earlier was a stupid mistake on his part and that he would just have to deal with the consequences that would follow, should there be any.

He was pretty sure that he was afraid of.. or rather for the company he was sure to have this evening.

Remus may have forgiven Sirius for abandoning him for thirteen years, but he wasn't entirely sure that Moony was just as forgiving of Padfoot. For that, the werewolf was hesitant of accepting Sirius's offer of spending the night, no matter how confident the animagus seemed to be. But then Sirius had always been much too confident for his own good, much too arrogant and bull-headed of things that should be treaded upon lightly. Remus had always taken it upon himself to follow the crazed mutt around, helping him out of serious situations if and when he found himself in them.

Maybe it was that which made him arrive at Grimmauld at precisely 5:30 in the afternoon.

Or maybe it was the addictive nostalgia of their days as the Marauders that Sirius's confidence and his over-protectiveness seemed to evoke.

Remus was certain it was the latter of the two, but he liked to think that it was definitely the former. With that in mind, he called for his best friend while hanging up his coat.

"Hey, Rem," Sirius murmured against his ear, his warm breath washing over the chilly appendage sending shivers down Remus's spine. Because of the temperature difference, the werewolf tried to convince himself, knowing full well that it wasn't. How long he planned to stay in denial, he wasn't sure.

"Hey," he responded equally softly, refusing to turn around and look into the eyes he once spent hours memorizing. Sirius didn't seem to mind as he stepped just a bit closer and linked their hands together, the back of Remus's hand in his palm. Slowly, he drew it up to his lips and pressed a kiss in the center of his ex-husband's palm. The werewolf allowed himself a soft exhale of breath just before Sirius suddenly and roughly pulled him from the doorway, earning him a surprised yelp.

"Come on. There's something I've got to show you," was all his explanation as he hauled the disoriented werewolf down to the kitchens then through a dark and narrow passageway and even lower to what Remus could only assume was the cellar. They had to stoop slightly to fit through the tunnel which gave Remus the idea that probably only house elves came this way. Inadvertently clutching Sirius's hand tighter, he hoped they wouldn't step on any dead house elves bones. Surprisingly, even though the passage was dark, small and dank, it was rather clean. It ended with a small wooden door at the very end, reminiscent of those of medieval peasant houses.

"Close your eyes," Sirius grinned, though he covered the amber orbs with his hands before the werewolf had a chance to do so himself. Remus heard the door squeak open and shut before he was lead down some stairs. Eight steps he counted. Mentally imagining what the cellar would appear like (he assumed that's what Sirius had prepared for him to transform in), he allowed Sirius to guide him further before they stopped. "It's just about ready, but had I finished before you came, I'd lose the surprise," the animagus whispered. Remus could hear the triumphant note in his voice and was just about to remark on it when the ex-convict released his eyes.

While Sirius quickly waved his wand in complicated motions and murmured a few incantations, the werewolf could do no more than let out a small gasp as he took in the room before him. The cellar was magically enlarged to about twice its size and height, the walls and high ceilings of dark gray stone barely visible in the dim lighting. But that wasn't what caught Remus's attention. Instead of a dank cellar, the werewolf was standing in the middle of a tiny field with a miniature version of the Forbidden Forest in front of him. The sounds of the forest at night permeated the air, and the perfume from the trees wafted toward him.

"It's not yet done by any means. I'm still working on putting a charm on the ceiling and walls so that they'd look like the night sky. Just like the Great Hall," Sirius explained, gesturing broadly to the visible stones. Remus gaped like a fish out of water before he recovered his dignity and turned to his ex.

"Since when have you been planning this?" he asked. Sirius smiled softly and stroked his cheek.

"Since forever," he murmured, dipping his head lower to kiss the werewolf. Suddenly, Remus pushed him back roughly, sending him sprawling onto the grass. "Wh—what?!" he spluttered indignantly, but the former DADA professor was crouched on the ground, both arms wrapped around himself.

"Sirius, get out," he hissed as his bones started cracking. He let out a wail before a sudden shriek, and Sirius quickly made his way back up the steps. He slammed the door shut behind him and set the protective spells before pressing his back against the wood. His breath caught in his throat as he heard Remus's screams. Only then did he realize how unprepared he was to handle Remus. He'd been gone for so long, he hardly remembered how it was to be with a werewolf. He only hoped that Moony remembered who he was or, more importantly, what he was to Moony.

Nearly thirty minutes had gone by and Remus's screams faded into howls and bays. Sirius took that as his cue to transform and nudge the door open to slip inside. He couldn't see Moony anywhere on the field, so he assumed the werewolf was lurking around the trees. He stood by the stairs, waiting for the dark creature to emerge, unwilling to go and search for it. Not a few minutes later, Moony emerged from the woods, sniffing the air before catching sight of Padfoot.

An uneasy silence settled and Padfoot fidgeted nervously. He didn't make a move for fear of agitating the tense creature. Slowly, Moony stalked closer, circling the dog and sniffing its scent. He wasn't confused for even a second; he knew who the dog was. That didn't deter him from attacking, though.

Padfoot gave a startled yelp as Moony tackled him, teeth gnashing dangerously at his neck. The dog struggled to fend of the frenzied creature and barely managed to throw him off. Moony was, by far, larger than Padfoot and while the dog had been stronger back in the old days, his weakened human state affected his strength. The canines warred furiously. Sirius knew that he had to win; more than pride was at stake. He had to assert his dominance over the werewolf, to regain his place as the alpha of the pack. This allowed him to keep Moony in check more carefully than if the werewolf were the alpha.

Moony's teeth ripped through his skin in various places, but instead of weakening him, it caused a surge of adrenaline to pump through his veins. He tackled the werewolf violently before biting down on the neck of the writhing werewolf. Moments later, the creature calmed down enough for Padfoot to let him go. Padfoot growled softly, warning Moony from trying anything more. The werewolf laid down on the ground submissively before looking up to see why Padfoot wasn't doing the same. The dog sized up the werewolf but eventually followed suit.

While both animals spent the night simply sitting in silence, Sirius thanked his lucky stars that he had managed to subdue the werewolf despite all evidences to the contrary. When the morning came, Sirius stepped out of the cellar once more only to return with some healing salves and a robe for Remus.

*****

"Hey," came the soft greeting from the kitchen doorway. Sirius looked up from his coffee to see Remus rubbing at his bleary eyes. The animagus had taken Remus to bed a few hours ago and had forced him to take a nap to hasten the healing of his injuries.

"Hey," he returned, moving to make Remus his own cup of coffee while the werewolf sunk onto a chair, resting his forearms on the table and pressing his forehead onto them. It was mid-afternoon, but it still felt like it was early in the morning. The soft tinkling of a spoon hitting the sides of a mug prompted Remus to look up at his former lover before gratefully accepting the mug of steaming coffee. They spent the next few minutes in a comfortable silence while Remus finished off the cup and Sirius watched him.

"Stop that," the werewolf murmured.

"Stop what?" Sirius cheekily returned.

"That. Staring at me." Sirius shrugged but ignored his request. Remus opted to ignore him as well and simply stared out the window.

"Your arm feeling better?" the ex-convict eventually asked. He received a short nod in reply, so he asked again, "And your leg?"

"Doesn't hurt..." Remus paused, "Or at least it doesn't hurt as much as it used to." Their eyes met and Sirius slowly made his way around the table. That's when the werewolf caught sight of Sirius's injuries: a patched-up wound on his neck and a scratch on his cheek. His eyes widened almost comically before he scrambled to his feet as started pulling off Sirius's shirt. The animagus obeyed silently, allowing Remus to check him over. "Siri-- I..." the former professor whispered, his hands ghosting over the healing wounds on his chest and arms.

"Don't worry about it," Sirius finally replied, pulling Remus closer to him in an embrace. The tense man slowly relaxed as Sirius held him close.

"I could have killed you..." Remus murmured, "Or worse, I could have turned you..."

"If you did, we could have more fun together during the full moons," the animagus teased, causing Remus to shove him roughly.

"Don't even joke about things like that!" the werewolf practically yelled. Sirius grabbed his upper arms before he could move out of reach then held him close once more, rubbing circles around his back and whispering calming words in his ear until he felt the other man relax once more.

"I'm sorry; you're right. I shouldn't have joked about that," Sirius murmured. "But you shouldn't worry about these; you couldn't turn me if I'm in dog form even if you tried. Besides, I'm not entirely guilt-free of injuring you." He traced his index finger lightly over the wounds he had inflicted on the werewolf during their brief brawl. He stopped, however, once he reached the small bite marks and bruises around Remus's neck. To the werewolf's surprise, Sirius dipped his head to lick the injuries. All he could do was hold still and whimper while his husband lowered him down to lie on the table.

Sirius didn't linger too long around his neck. He made his way up the side of Remus's face, over his forehead and down his nose. He paused briefly to look into the amber pools that were Remus's eyes before pressing a soft and tentative kiss on his lips.

Remus wrapped his arms around Sirius's neck to pull him closer and deepen the kiss. They exchanged moans as their bodies heated up and their hips rocked against each other's. Slowly and reluctantly, they drew apart.

"Remus," Sirius started, "I can't give you up again..." The werewolf's heart nearly broke at the tone of his voice as the animagus pressed his face to his neck. "Please don't make me..." he begged, his voice slightly muffled. Remus pulled him up so that their eyes locked once more. He pressed a kiss to his husband's lips before answering.

"I couldn't sign the papers, Pad," he admitted before stealing another kiss, "I saw your signature, and I just... I couldn't... I'm sorry for everything... I won't make you give up on us because... because I can't either." Sirius's eyes shone. He dipped his head for another kiss which Remus greedily accepted. When lack of air became an issue, Sirius pulled away but pressed his forehead to his husband's.

"I love you. I always have, and I always will," he confessed, his warm breath washing over Remus's face. The werewolf stole another kiss.

"I love you, too," he replied. Moments passed until Sirius hauled Remus to his feet, surprising the smaller man.

"Come with me," he murmured with a smile. Remus allowed himself to be led through the house to Sirius's old bedroom, wondering what his husband was up to. The brunet rummaged through his old belongings before pulling out a blindfold and wrapping it over his husband's eyes.

"What are you doing?" the werewolf asked, slightly alarmed. Based on his personal experience, being blindfolded by an enthusiastic Sirius did not often result in good things happening. He heard Sirius murmur a whole bunch of incantations and felt things fly by him. Patiently, he waited for Sirius to surprise him once more which the animagus eventually did as he removed the blindfold.

With a startled gasp, he saw that Sirius had transfigured the items in the room to make it look like a chapel of sorts. What he couldn't transfigure was covered with swaths of fabric. The most startling, though, was that around them hung many enlarged pictures of James and Lily waving and smiling at the camera. Sirius smiled proudly before taking both of Remus's hands in his. Remus whipped his head around to look into the shining silver eyes.

"Remus, with you I feel complete. You brought magic to my life, and I look forward to making each other happy, always. No matter what life brings, I know we will always have each other. Our love is rare. I only wish you had talked some sense into me earlier. [1]" Remus wasn't doubtful for one second: Sirius recited with perfect clarity and a perfect memory their vows from so many years ago. He chuckled softly at the last line, remembering the story behind it. His own eyes glowed beautifully as he answered perfectly.

"Sirius, wonderful things happen to those who keep trying. Since the first time I met you, I wanted to make you happy, even when you drive me up the wall with your crazy, inane, harebrained pranks. Now your happiness is my guide, and I will love you for every second of the rest of my life."

*****

DONE!!! Finally!!! I'm so happy to have completed my second chaptered fic. Second! Can you believe that?! =D

I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed. I'd also like to thank Darcy Miller and Andrew Nussbaum whose vows I borrowed (stole). No idea who they are, but I loved the vows. Saw them on the Martha Stewart website. (I was pretty damn lazy not to write my own vows.) I modified them a bit, especially the names (it would have been odd for Sirius to call Remus 'Andrew', but I guess it would be understandable. He is Sirius after all =D)

In any case, there. That's a wrap.

I'd like to invite you all to read my other fics. I'm in the process of completing 'Control Issues.' Hope to read your reviews there as well! =D