Sirius stared down at the message in front of him. Just a few words but each one cried out with pain in Marlene's voice.

Marlene.

She was all alone there. He couldn't bear the thought. She had been there for him minutes after her heard the news about his brother and that was before…

He couldn't just leave her there. There would have to be an expediting of plans.

Sirius Black was pretty good and making things happen when he needed to. He could find a way. But first he had to let her know that she wasn't truly alone in the world. She was probably worried that the bombs had taken him too, and he couldn't let her go on like that for a moment longer.

The telegram reply that he paid nearly his whole months wages to send read: "I am so sorry for all that you have lost. My heart is with you. I will be there as well, soon as I can get free. Know that I love you."

Then he got to work making things happen. Sirius Black was a man who knew how to make things happen. People tend to underestimate the power of asking very nicely while armed with an overabundance of inborn charisma. The strategy rarely failed him. This instance was no exception.

He was on a train early Friday morning, with 48 hours of leave and tiny box full of hope for the future.

Andromeda hadn't let him get away with his elusive answers to questions regarding his sudden interest in heirloom jewelry. She was thrilled for him. He imagined that she and Marlene would have a grand old time making fun of him together when there was an opportunity for them to become acquainted.

James Potter was flabbergasted that his brother had found a woman crazy enough to put up with him forever. Sirius found it particularly amusing when Lily could be heard in the background giving James a very thorough "I-told-you-so". She was the type to pick up on things. She'd noticed Marlene and had suspected that she was more than a passing fancy for Sirius.

The Potter's infant son Harry was keeping them quite busy while James waited on his orders. Sirius hoped they could all get together and get to know Marlene soon. The Tonks' could come as well. That would make up his whole little patchwork family. That hypothetical gathering was his most sincere wish for the future. That was the daydream he indulged himself in during that train ride.

A little over two hours into his leave he knocked on Marlene's door. She was quite clearly surprised to see him. Her face cycled through about 30 different emotions as she stood frozen and silent.

"I know I'm dashing without the glasses and all, but I didn't quite expect you'd lose your grip on language and not even invite me in." He chuckled at her.

She broke her trance with a laugh and a shake of her head.

"You absolute wanker" then her hands were on his face and her lips on his, kissing like her life depended on it, still in the threshold of an open doorway.

He attempted to guide her inside a few paces without breaking their kiss, but ended up causing both of them to stumble and fall in a heap of laughter to the floor, just inside the still open doorway.

He breathed in the sound of Marlene's laughter and the beauty of her smile so deeply he could feel the warmth of her in his bones. He'd meant to help her up from the floor but he was caught up in noticing the small smattering of freckles on her nose for the first time and then her mouth was soft on his again. Her lips parted for his tongue as one of his hands found its way up from her knee to the soft skin on the outside of her thigh. He'd nearly forgotten about the door entirely when he heard a conspicuous clearing of throat noise coming from directly behind him.

Marlene's face was priceless. He would probably still be laughing about this for years to come.

"Arabella… I… erm… wasn't expecting you."

"I'd brought over some lunch for you Sister, because I worried about your being alone over here. I see that my worries were quite unfounded. Nice to see you again, Captain Black." The shy little maid's voice seemed deeply amused with the situation they'd found themselves in.

Sirius started picking himself up off the floor then extended a hand to Marlene. But Arabella Figg set down the tray in front of the door and did not look like she was inclined to intrude.

"So I'll be off then. ...have a nice day Sister, Captain. You don't seem to need my help with that."

Then she was off on her way before either of them could find words.

Sirius gathered his wits and shut the door behind the two of them before the next wave of laughter came over them.

"It just occurred to me that this is the first time I've seen you out of uniform. I like your hair like this."

His fingers found their way to her untamed golden curls. He'd never get over how truly beautiful she was. He could have spent the whole two days just looking at her. Memorizing every inch of her. But he'd come here with an important task, and he thought he should probably get to that fairly quickly. He could stare at her adoringly after.

"I wasn't expecting you so soon. How long are you here?" She slid her hands into the lapel of his uniform.

He glanced at the clock on Marlene's wall, suddenly feeling nervous. "45 and a half hours"

"Just a 48 hour leave? Well I'm glad you're here. I'm going to make the most of every minute I have with you."

He took a very deep breath and reached a hand into his pocket. The box was still present and accounted for. Good. Ok then.

"Right, yes. 48 hours of leave is sort of the done thing. For soldiers to go get married."

Then he remembered that perhaps he ought to phrase that as some sort of question. He dropped to one knee. That was also the standard procedure, he'd gathered. He opened the little box with his grandmother Irma's diamond ring inside. He'd really meant to say something by now but his thoughts were scattered and Marlene's face was bloody distracting.

"To… what?" Her eyes went very wide.

"Marlene McKinnon, would you do me the honor of being my wife? Immediately? Because I love you and I never want to be without you, and because I have less than two days so we'd best step to it?"

He took the ring out of the box and slid it onto her finger. He would have known she was smiling even if he'd still been blind as a bat. Her smile practically echoed off the walls. Marlene's smile wasn't just a beautiful sight to take in, nor was it just a pretty song, it was a feeling. That feeling was something akin to home.