Thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter, especially those who returned after absences or first timers. Thanks anonymous abigail for your review - much appreciated, duckie!

Remember everyone - flames are beneath you.

THANK YOU: DragonDi- for holding my hand through these final chapters, unofficially betaing for me and stopping me from getting on a flight to Antartica and living the rest of my life under an assumed name.

WARNING: Implied smut.

Disclaimer: Oh, I wish I could hide behind JKR right now. Anything you recognise isn't mine; the rest - I apologise for.

Chapter Twenty Six

July

'I can't believe how much Harry looks like James,' Remus said for the fifth time as July prepared to turn into August. 'Lily didn't get a look in, did she?'

Kate yawned, belatedly covering her mouth, then said, 'James said he has green eyes like Lily - although sometimes babies eyes change colour after they're born so they might still turn hazel. Maybe he'll have Lily's personality; less troublemaking than his father, hopefully.'

Remus let out an amused snort then sat down on the bed, watching Kate change into nightclothes. 'I didn't know that,' he said and Kate twisted around to look at him curiously. 'That a baby's eyes can change colour as they get older. How do you know that?'

Kate pulled on an old shirt of Remus' - having completely claimed it as her own now - and made her way across the clothes strewn floor to the bed.

'I'm not sure,' she admitted. 'Probably read it somewhere.'

She stretched out across the mattress, smiling up at him. 'He was cute, wasn't he? Not as chubby as the Longbottom's baby.'

Remus grinned, running his hand under her shirt to rub across her stomach. 'No, Neville is certainly a bonny babe,' he agreed, moving his hand in a circular motion then ducking to kiss her neck.

'Neville!' she exclaimed. 'That's his name. I kept calling him Nigel and Peter was giving me strange looks.'

Remus laughed, the sound vibrating along her skin and raising goose bumps. 'You looked good holding Harry,' he whispered as his mouth trailed along her collar bone. 'Maybe that broken maternal bone got a dose of Skelegrow?'

'Are you trying in your usual round-about way to tell me something?' she asked, rolling over onto her stomach then looking pleadingly at him.

A smile twitched the corner of his mouth and he shrugged as he took the now familiar hint to rub her back.

'Just thought I'd mention how sexy you looked holding a baby,' he said blithely, sitting up and straddling her leg as he ran his hands up under her shirt. She made a little contented noise as his thumbs immediately found the usual sore spots.

'You're getting clucky,' she murmured, her voice muffled by the pillow. 'I knew you would once Alice and Lily popped those babies out.'

Remus bit his lip, knowing she was right. The moment he'd seen James with Harry tonight, he knew that his concerns about his lycanthropy were nothing compared to his desire to wear that same look of pride and adoration as he looked down at his child. His and Kate's child.

'Remus?' she queried, twisting around to look at him.

He leaned over, kissing her quickly on the side of the face. 'Well, I'm very interested in the events that lead up to a pregnancy,' he teased, a finger tracing around the elastic of her knickers. 'Perhaps we should get some practice in before we start thinking about trying for real.'

Kate giggled and went to push herself over onto her back. 'Oh, no,' Remus told her, grasping her hips to hold her still and grinding his groin into her buttocks. 'I like you right where you are, Kate Bradley.'

Half an hour later, the sound of ragged breathing was the only noise in the room then a loud groan of pain rent the air.

'Remus, get off me, you lump,' came Kate's muffled voice, a deep chuckle answering her.

'Do I have to?' Remus asked lazily, pressing his groin into her lush backside, his still slightly turgid cock pushing further inside her and making her moan.

'Yes,' she insisted, reaching behind her and smacking him on the ass. 'You're heavier than you look.'

He laughed and rolled off her, sighing in satisfaction as he turned his head to look at her amused face.

'Pleased with yourself?' she taunted gently, shifting to lay across him, head on his shoulder.

'Mmm,' he murmured, dragging his fingertips lightly up and down her bare back. 'I am rather.'

He heard her soft laugh then they lay in contented silence for several minutes.

'Kate Lupin,' Kate whispered eventually and he jerked out of his dozing state.

'Huh?' he grunted and she turned her head to look at him.

'Just trying to get used to it,' she said softly. 'The wedding's less than a month away.'

Remus grinned broadly, tightening his hold on her as she continued.

'And I'm thinking that after that we might need to revisit the children issue.'

He looked slightly abashed and said, 'Kate…'

'I saw your face tonight, Remus,' she interrupted gently. 'When you were watching James with Harry, when you held him…you want a child.'

She hesitated then added, 'So do I.'

His guilty looked faded as a bright smile lit up his face. 'Really?' he asked excitedly, trying to sit up. 'Don't do the spells then and…'

'Not tonight, you maniac,' she laughed, pushing him back down onto the bed. 'But…I don't want to wait too long either. I'm not getting any younger…'

'Yes, twenty five and a half is positively ancient,' Remus agreed sarcastically and she pinched him.

'I've just agreed to have your baby one day soon,' she pouted. 'And all you can do is…'

But he cut her words off, claiming her lips and kissing her breathless.

'I love you, Kate soon-to-be Lupin,' he mumbled against her lips.

She giggled then managed to gasp, 'I love you…' before his mouth came back down firmly over hers.

August

'Where is Lupin?'

Kate looked up from the parchment she'd been poring over and smiled, still surprised each time she saw Moody with his new fake eye. He's lost it recently and the protruding, blue replacement was magical, spinning around sickeningly in the socket.

'He's gone with Sirius to the Potters' house to visit Harry. Then they're going to see the Longbottom child…god, what is his name…Neil?'

'Neville,' Moody grunted as he sat down. 'I've got a task for him. Call him back.'

Kate frowned. Remus had been looking forward to visiting the new additions again with Sirius and Peter today and she didn't want to interrupt. 'Oh, let them finish their visit first,' she wheedled, folding the maps in front of her.

'You've gone soft in your retirement, girl,' Moody complained, pulling out a flask of what Kate knew was Firewhiskey and taking a pull.

Kate glared at him then said, 'Well, what's the task? I'm not doing anything right now. Can't I go instead?'

Moody sighed. He'd been avoiding sending Kate out - the Ministry was already suspicious of her because of her relationship with Lupin but today was only a bit of reconnaissance work...

'I suppose,' he shrugged finally. 'Lupin's sensory awareness would come in handy though…'

'Well, it's up to you,' she said, throwing the parchment onto the sideboard.

He was quiet for a moment then nodded, pushing himself to his feet. 'Vance will be here in a few minutes and she can tell you what's going on. It's just a bit of information gathering in Wales. I'd go myself but I'm supposed to be in a meeting with Scrimgeour and if I miss another one…'

Kate nodded and took the stairs two at a time as she went to change. She'd been itching to do something constructive and even a quick bit of observation was better than nothing. She took a moment to write a quick note to Remus, explaining her absence. She'd just folded the parchment when she heard Emmeline calling her name. Quickly she propped the note up on his pillow, smiling when his scent reached her nostrils, before she thundered down the stairs.

'He's a chubby little thing,' Peter said, looking down at Neville Longbottom as the baby kicked his fat little legs at the young man's arm.

'Pot. Kettle. Black,' Sirius muttered and Remus nudged him sharply.

Peter had been away a lot over the last couple of months and Remus hated hearing Sirius have a go at the other man the first time he was home.

They'd been to the Potters and fawned over newborn Harry then Flooed to Frank and Alice's flat to see Neville.

'Two more brave Gryffindor's in the making,' Remus said with a smile at Frank as he took his son off Peter. 'How could they not be with their parents?'

Frank grinned and bounced his infant son in his arms to soothe his fussing. Peter checked his watch.

'Somewhere to be Peter?' Sirius asked and the other man flushed.

'No,' he said with a little smile. 'Nowhere at all.'

'Emmeline.'

Her hissed call received no response and Kate frowned. She had lost sight of the woman as they crept through the heavily wooded area and was concerned. The spell to reveal human presence was being blocked, probably by the trees, but Emmeline wouldn't just disapparate without her. She had to still be here - so why wasn't she responding?

'Kate?'

The weak voice reached her ears and she turned around, weaving her way through the trees as she headed in the direction the voice had come from. They were meant to be checking out a suspected Death Eater hideout and reporting back but so far, the mission had proved troublesome – they were unable to find the supposed safe house, instead the coordinates they'd been given had landed them in the middle of a forest. They'd done a quick scout around and found nowhere that could house humans then they'd gotten separated.

'Kate!'

The voice was closer this time then she heard the sound of a scuffle and a scream.

'Emmeline!' she cried, running through the scrub now then came to a screeching halt when she heard the other woman yell, 'It's a trap, Kate! Run!'

There was a flash of white light and a pop as Emmeline apparated and Kate started to turn to do the same when she felt her body go stiff and she fell heavily to her stomach on the leaf littered ground.

Terror streaked through her as she heard a familiar deep throated chuckle and a foot turned her rigid body over. A dark shadow fell across her and Kate's blood chilled as she recognised the voice that greeted her.

'Hello, darlin'. I've been waiting for this day for a long time.'

Antonin Dolohov plucked her wand from her unmoving fingers and grinned menacingly down at her. 'I'm looking forward to you fighting back this time, darlin'. I've been dreaming about it.'

Kate felt panic bubble up inside her as she realised that there was no way out of this.

Don't you give up. You fight, Kate Bradley soon-to-be-Lupin. They can't win.

Dolohov pointed his wand at her.

Remus. Think about Remus.

She kept repeating those words to herself, seeing Remus' reassuring blue eyes and his glorious smile in her head as Dolohov released the Body Bind spell and she prepared to fight for her life.

It was dark when they finally got back to Headquarters after wetting the babies heads with a few drinks at the Leaky Cauldron. Peter had gone back to his own place but Sirius and Remus decided to carry on at Headquarters, Remus not wanting to admit that he was missing Kate after just a day away from her.

Sirius laughed at him as they landed inelegantly on the kitchen floor of Headquarters, brushing themselves off as they stood. 'You are pathetic,' he teased, watching Remus look around. 'You can't be away from her for more than an hour at a time.'

Remus laughed and brushed his backside off. 'An hour is like torture,' he admitted and Sirius laughed his bark like laugh.

They heard a clumping sound and Moody appeared in the doorway.

'Hey, Alastor,' Sirius called, waving at the man. 'Come and have a drink with us.'

Moody stepped into the room and as he came closer, Remus and Sirius saw his pale skin, the tremor in his hand and the unfamiliar but unmistakeable sight of grief on the man's face.

'Alastor?' Sirius said, his smile fading.

The Auror glanced at the brunette then shifted his gaze to Remus, his face grim.

'Remus…' he ground out, his voice cracking and a shot of almost paralysing fear hit Remus' heart. Moody never called him by his given name to deliver good news.

'What?' he whispered, his skin turning as cold as ice while his insides burned. 'What is it?'

'Kate…she's…' Moody said, his lips shaking as words failed him but the single tear that fell from his good eye was all Remus needed, not hearing his next words.

'I'm sorry. She fell, Remus.'

There was a roaring sound in his ears and his heart was pumping madly as he shook his head and backed away from the man who was telling him this...crap.

'No,' he whimpered, breathing ragged. 'No, no, no, no, no.'

He kept repeating the word, as if it would keep the truth at bay, until his back hit the stone wall of the kitchen.

'Moony…'

'No,' he repeated hoarsely, shaking his head. 'She...she's here. She wasn't supposed to go anywhere…'

'She offered to go with Emmeline to Wales…' Moody began softly but Remus kept shaking his head, unable to allow himself to believe, to even consider for one moment, that Kate was…

'Moony,' Sirius rasped again but Remus pushed off the wall and ran upstairs, yanking open doors as he careened down the hall - the bathroom, the library, the spare rooms and finally, the bedroom he and Kate shared; all the while calling her name.

She wasn't here.

Sirius appeared in the doorway of their bedroom and Remus looked over at him, his blue eyes wide and frightened.

'She's here, Pads,' he whispered, not daring to believe what Kate's absence meant. 'She's got to be here. I can...I can smell her.'

'She's not here, Remus,' Sirius said gently, his own eyes full of grief. 'She's gone.'

Remus shook his head violently. 'No!' he yelled, suddenly angry that Sirius was trying to make him believe this lie, this complete bullshit. 'Kate wouldn't just leave without telling me. She knows I'd be worried…'

Moody had appeared behind Sirius and nodded towards the bed. 'She left you a note,' he told him, his voice breaking and Remus suddenly couldn't breathe.

His lungs hurt, his whole body hurt, as he turned slowly around, seeing the folded paper on his pillow. Reluctantly, he reached for it, letting out a little moan of anguish when he saw Kate's handwriting.

Remus,
Moody's finally giving me something useful to do. It's only information gathering but it gets me out of the house. Em's going with me…I should be back tonight or tomorrow. Sorry I didn't get a chance to say goodbye but I promise, I'll make it up to you!
I love you, babe.
Kate.

'No,' he whispered, the awful truth starting to seep its way into his brain, into his heart. He could feel the wolf fighting it, the wolf telling him it was a lie, that she wasn't gone, that he could still smell her everywhere.

'Sh...she's not gone.' His voice shook so badly it was unrecognisable and hot tears coursed down his cheeks. 'She's not. She's not. I…I can still s...smell her…'

He was finding it hard to draw breath and the room was spinning. Sirius moved quickly over to him, managing to catch him as his knees buckled, lowering him to the ground and murmuring, 'I'm sorry, Remus. I'm so sorry,' over and over as he clutched him to his chest.

Remus felt the wolf tearing at him, telling him not to believe it even as Remus' human mind started to realise the truth. A grief-stricken howl like that of an injured animal filled the room and as the chilling sound dissolved into heart wrenching sobs, Remus realised that the anguished keening had come from him.

Oh my god, I am so sorry. I'm going to throw up now.