A/N: Thanks for the reviews, sometimes I'm not sure how I'd survive without you guys! If you haven't, check out the oneshot about Reg's sorting...just because I said so. muahah. Anyway, I figured that I should update while I know I have time. Also, if you have any requests for oneshots, please let me know because I'm very fond of writing them. Now, here we go, onto the story...

I walked to patrols, debating how I would handle it. There wasn't a question to if I was attracted to Remus; the more I thought about it, the more that I realized that I wanted him.

Yes, I wanted to marry Regulus, now that I knew that I could.

Yes, I was still a bit in love with Lucius.

But Remus was my friend and I was attracted to him. It was the best of both Regulus and Lucius.

A shadow of what I had with each of them, of course, but sometimes a shadow of the good is a lot easier than taking the bad too.

But as I arrived outside the Great Hall, surprise awaited me. It wasn't Remus, leaning against the wall with a book in hand. It was Sirius.

When I opened my eyes, a surprise awaited me. Sitting in the chair by my bed in the hospital wing was Regulus Black. He was staring at me with his gray, hollow eyes, so unlike Sirius's. Sirius's eyes were alive and Regulus's were, quite simply, dead, the product of too much occlumency and legilmency.

"Lupin," he acknowledged me.

"Why are you holding a book?" spilt from my lips before I could stop myself. I don't think I've ever seen Sirius read for pleasure.

Sirius chuckled, looking oddly relieved at my greeting, "Remus requested it. He's sick, stuck in the hospital wing. I'm going to bring it to him after we're done."

I suddenly tensed as I realized what he meant, "You're patrolling with me?"

"Sorry?" he affirmed my suspicions.

I set off in Remus's and my usual route and Sirius quickly fell in step beside me, amused at my irritation. After a minute or so, my irritation wore off and my concern for Remus surfaced.

"What's wrong with him?" I asked.

"Regulus," I said in return, straightening myself into a sitting position.

He didn't say anything else, looking very distracted. I waited, looking at him curiously.

What does he want? Why would he be here? How did he know I was here? What's going on?

Regulus turned to me after a second, "Do you like Narcissa? And don't play dumb, you know exactly what I mean."

Yes. Is it obvious? Are you going to kill me now?

"I, uh…"

Regulus chuckled, "I don't kill people, Lupin."

You just…you just…

Sirius seemed surprised that I was talking to him again, but answered immediately, "The flu."

His eyes screamed that he was lying, but I chose not to call him on it.

Did Remus just not want to see me after the display at breakfast yesterday?

"He's not mad at me, is he?" I asked cautiously.

Sirius shook his head, "I don't think so."

"You don't know?" I asked, shocked. Regulus always knew when I was mad at someone. I couldn't even imagine not telling him.

"No," he said, suddenly becoming very distracted, "Hey, why aren't you mad at me?"

I shrugged, "Well, being annoyed all the time is rather exhausting. Why? Should I be mad at you? Did you know he was cheating?"

Sirius sighed, "I found out when he came back with a black eye and misplaced eyebrows. It was just the once, Cissa. It wasn't as if he had been doing it the whole time."

"And that's supposed to make it better?" I laughed in disbelief.

"No," he said, "I just don't want you so think that James is scum. Because he's not. And it's really killing him, what he did. You just have to understand that he really loves Lily…"

"Then why did he ask me out?" I asked.

"He wanted to get over her."

Liar.

"Reg taught me how to tell when people are lying, Sirius. This is the second time in the last five minutes you've told me an outright lie."

"Does that make you uncomfortable?" he asked, sounding unexpectedly apologetic, "I don't normally think about not using legilmency. It's habit."

Do you do this all the time?

He grinned, "It only works with eye contact. Don't worry. I haven't been eavesdropping."

Okay then. That's good…

"You're still wondering why I'm here," he laughed, "I just wanted to tell you that I don't approve."

I wasn't aware I even had a chance. So does it really matter whether you approve or not?

"And it isn't because of what Potter did, and it isn't because of what you are—."

You know?

He blinked, surprised, "I, uh…sorry, Cissa."

I sighed, "It doesn't really matter Sirius. It's not like we're friends. You've no reason to be honest with me."

"Hey," he said gently, "We're friends."

I laughed, slightly hysteric, "We are? Since when? You moved out and just wrote Reg and I out of your life. You didn't even come to my birthday."

"I wasn't invited," he said, surprised, "Did you want me to come?"

"I told Bella to invite you!" I said, affronted, "You mean she didn't send the invitation?"

"No," he said, "But are you really surprised? Bella hates me."

"Bella hates everyone," I pointed out, "She even hates me."

"That's 'cause of all the times you and Regulus tried to blow her up when we were little," Sirius laughed.

"I was young, should I really still have to hear about this?" I asked, pouting.

"You're just sad because it never worked," he accused, mock-seriously.

"Yeah," I sighed, "Too bad."

If we had succeeded, Reg would never have become a deatheater. Damn.

"Of course," he said in bored tones, "It doesn't take a genius to figure out that you go missing the week of every full moon. How do you think I knew where you were?"

And you don't care?

His expression became oddly concerned, much like Narcissa's when I told her that I was attracted to Sirius, "Of course I don't care. What sort of bigoted people are in that accursed tower that would make you think that it interferes with your value as a person?"

Aren't Slytherins supposed to hate half breeds?

"Don't stereotype us," he snapped, "We're not all Lestranges."

I'm sorry.

He smiled and pulled me into a one-armed hug, "If I had gotten the invite, I would have come to your party."

"Thanks, Sirius," I said, hugging him back, "Can we still talk sometimes, even if I'm not dating your best friend?"

He laughed, "Yeah, of course. I do miss you two too."

"You could tell Reg that," I told him somberly, "I bet he'd like to hear it."

His expression softened, "That's alright. I know that the misconceptions weren't born from thin air…but Cissa and I don't discriminate. We've been around pretentious snobs all of our lives. How could we not know that it's baseless?"

Then why do you play their games? Why don't you run away like Sirius?

His expression collapsed for a second before he regained his composure, "You don't think that we want to? Escaping isn't an option for me anymore. And Narcissa won't leave me, no matter how much she should."

What do you mean?

"It's nothing," his hand rubbed his left forearm, "Never mind."

Sirius shook his head, "You let Regulus and me work out our own issues, okay?"

"I don't see what it is that's keeping you two apart," I said.

"You don't have to," he responded, "But maybe someday we'll be able to forgive each other."

"What happened?" I pressed, "Just tell me. I want to know. You two used to be so close…"

He shook his head again, "Not really. You two were always the soul mates."

"Yeah, and you and Andy were the other half of our quartet," I reminded him, "I really miss that."

Sirius sighed, "I'm sorry, Cissa."

We walked in silence for a few minutes before Sirius spoke again.

"I'm thinking about buying a motorcycle," he informed me.

"Really?" I asked, a smile escaping, "Like what the muggles have?"

He nodded, "Yep, an enchanted flying one. Don't you think that sounds the best?"

"Definitely," I agreed, "Will you take me for a ride once you get it?"

"Of course," he said, "It's a plan."

So why don't you approve of me then? If it isn't because I'm a werewolf?

"Because I can see it in your thoughts that you love my brother," he said stiffly, "And if you want to be friends with Cissa, that's one thing, but if you want to lead her on until Sirius finally realizes what's right in front of him, it's a whole different matter."

I wouldn't do that to her…

"Yes, you would," he rolled his eyes, "You love him. And love makes people do stupid things."

Yeah, like kiss your best friend.

He burst out laughing, "Yeah, like that."

That night, Regulus and I decided that we needed to straighten out my relationship status. I begged Regulus to do the talking while I hid out of sight. I couldn't face him.

Regulus said the address to Lucius's apartment as he stuck his head in the fireplace.

There was no one on the other end.

Regulus waited a second before calling out, "Lucius? Travis? Anyone home?"

Travis appeared a few seconds later, "Hey there, Regulus. What do I owe the pleasure?"

"Hey Travis," Regulus said awkwardly and I saw the back of his ears begin to go red.

For god's sake, Reggie, if you don't want to know, don't pry into people's thoughts…

"Is Lucius home?" Regulus asked, "I just wanted to ask him something."

"I'm here," Lucius's head appeared in the fireplace beside Travers, "A Regulus without Narcissa? That's a rare sight indeed."

Regulus jumped on this comment, "Narcissa and I actually heard something today…and we wanted to know if it was true…"

"What'd you hear?" Lucius asked curiously.

"We heard that Cissa was engaged," he said fighting to keep hostility from his tone, "And that she was engaged to you."

"Oh god," Lucius looked very guilty, "Is she there?"

"Maybe," Regulus said noncommittally, "We really just wanted to know."

"Let me talk to her, Regulus," Lucius requested quietly.

Regulus turned to me, eyes questioning.

Lucius saw this and at once said, "Cissa, I know you're there. I'm sorry. It was months ago, at your birthday party. Your father was about to give your hand to Rudolphus Lestrange—I bet Rabastan would've loved that—and I just couldn't let that happen to you…Do you know what happened to his last wife? They found her—or I should say what was left of her—in a muggle garbage receptacle, burnt to a crisp and being gnawed on by rodents. I didn't want that to happen to you. So I asked your father to wait to marry you off, just until you finished school. He wasn't very receptive to that idea. He asked me if I could guarantee him a better match than a Lestrange for you and, well, I wasn't thinking. I just didn't want you to end up as rat food. I said I'd marry you myself in two years. And, well, when I realized what I had done, I figured I'd just have to convince you that marrying me wasn't that bad…"

Regulus was watching me carefully.

"I don't even get a ring?" I asked, trying to absorb this information.

"Would you wear one if I gave it to you?" Lucius asked skeptically—but hopefully.

"No," I said glumly, "Of course not."

"Come into the fire so I can see your face," Lucius pleaded.

"No," I snapped.

"Do you want me to call the engagement off?" he asked.

"Yes," I mumbled.

"Even if it means that you'll be married to Lestrange?" Lucius reminded me.

I groaned and put my face in my hands.

Hell. Hell. Hell. This is pure hell.

"What if I call off the engagement after Lestrange marries someone else?" he suggested, "We've got time."

Hope swelled inside of me, "You'd do that?"

"Of course," he said, "Please come into the fire."

"No," I said stubbornly, "I'm still upset with you."

"You're always upset with me," he sighed.

"You deserve it," I muttered.

"Cissa and I have homework to do," Regulus cut in.

"Of course," Lucius said, "Study. Get Os. Goodnight, Regulus. Goodnight, Narcissa."

Regulus pulled his head from the fire and turned completely to face me.

"Homework?" I asked blankly.

"Lies," he shrugged.

I hugged him, needing my best friend. He hugged me back immediately, mumbling reassurances that life was going to turn out alright.

Sirius sank into the chair beside my bed and handed me the book for which I had asked James.

"Hi," he said awkwardly.

"Hi," I responded.

And silence weighted the passing moments.

"What happened earlier…" Sirius said suddenly, "Was it…um…did it have feelings behind it?"

I floundered under his gaze.

"It, uh, wasn't premeditated, if that's what you mean," I found some twisted form of the truth.

He relaxed a little, "So can we forget about it?"

"Do you want to forget about it?" I asked—too quickly and too disappointed.

Sirius stared at me, comprehension dragging his mouth into a frown.

"You don't want to forget about it?" he asked me, slowly.

"That's not what I said," I flustered.

"It's what you meant," he countered at once.

And I didn't know what to say.

A/N: Don't forget to review...