This chapter has some angst, some fluff and some forshadowing. I've already started on the chapter to follow this and i hope to have it up this week. Enjoy. :)

Five pairs of eyes watched with varying degrees of unease as the short pink haired woman stormed out of the room. A palpable tension descended on them all and with a slight nod to Peter who was sat beside him looking quite uncomfortable and avoiding the piercing grey of Sirius' gaze, Remus Lupin too departed the kitchen of Emiline Vance to follow his seething other half.

When he exited the house where the latest order meeting had been held he didn't bother to look around for Nymphadora. He knew that she would have disapperated already and would expect him to follow.

She really can be quiet bossy at times, he mused distractedly so he wouldn't have to think about what had caused her to storm off. With that final thought he too departed the small neighbourhood and landed outside his house.

The young werewolf Colm, who along with Erin was still staying at the house, immediately greeted him.

"She went that way," he told the older man with a slight smirk as he indicated the direction of the beach. "Seemed right pissed."

Remus nodded and trudged off in the proper direction although he didn't hurry. It was better, he knew, to let her get her anger out before broaching the subject. When he reached the beach it was to find her pacing through the sand her hair an angry shade of red. Sighing he let her be and sat on the well worn log bench that had seen so many visits from him in his life time.

Finally she seemed to calm down enough that he felt it safe to speak. At least her hair had calmed back to its vivid pink colour. Before he could get a word in though she spoke.

"Can you believe him?!" she demanded whirling around to face him. Her eyes were blazing and he had a brief moment to be amazed that someone could have so much indignation on his behalf before she plowed on without letting him answer.

"I mean he was practically implying…" she trailed off and shook her head in part disbelief and part sadness. She covered her face with her hands and Remus stood going to her.

"You can't blame it all on Sirius." He told her gently as he pulled her hands away from her face and gripped them tightly in his own. "You know how he is. Besides," he wasn't quite able to keep a hint of bitterness out of his voice, "he was only voicing what they all think. There is a spy in the order Dora, why shouldn't they think it's the dark creature?"

She glared up at him. "Don't you dare refer to your self like that Remus Lupin!" she hissed in a low voice. "You're so much better than that, and how they could think…how Sirius could imply…he's your best friend for Merlin's sake!"

"He never said he thought it was me," he reminded her calmly. One of them had to remain rational. "He simply voiced the concern that others are feeling. I don't blame him."

She shot him another fierce look of disbelief and he shook his head. "No, Dora, I truly don't. We're all worried about what will happen next, who will be the next to die. When this is over and we come out alive it won't matter what accusations were cast. All that matters is that we persevere and get out of these dark times."

Neither of them spoke for some time and the only sound that could be heard was the lapping of the dark waves. Finally she leaned against him, all anger dissipating to be replaced with weariness. "I'm just ashamed that that thought would ever enter his mind Remus. I never thought I'd be ashamed to be related to him, but right now that's all I can feel. That and anger." She glanced up and held his eyes. "One of us has to feel that way. You're always so calm about these things, but it's not right."

"It doesn't help anything for me to be angry about it Nymphadora. It won't change anything." He paused then continued for once admitting how he really felt. "It does hurt that I'm not trusted for what I am, and the fact that Sirius has doubt hurts even more but it won't change anything. I'll still continue to do whatever Dumbledore asks and we'll just have to hope that the real spy is discovered soon."

She didn't say anything and instead wrapped her arms around his neck to stand on her toes and kiss him briefly. No matter what he said, it was wrong and it left her with a bad feeling. She had thought Sirius was above the prejudices of his patrician upbringing. She hoped that a way to end all the madness would be found soon and when it did end she would have a few things to say to Sirius Black.

The rest of summer passed in a quick haze it seemed. Remus helped Erin and Colm find a new place to relocate to; both having decided that life as part of Greyback's pack was no longer for them. They wanted a fresh break and Colm wanted to leave the United Kingdom all together.

This caused lengthy arguments between he and Erin which Tonks found highly entertaining. Remus was right; it was like listening to her and her mother. All the same when they finally agreed to a temporary move to Ireland she was relived. It had looked like they would spend so much time arguing that they would never leave. And she was anxious to have them gone.

Living with a cynical thirty two year old werewolf and his hormonal 17-year-old werewolf charge was not what she had in mind when she decided she couldn't live with Cally any longer.

"Erin and Colm left about an hour ago." Remus informed her one September evening as she stumbled through the door after a long day of Auror training followed by three hours of reconnaissance that had led no where. Death Eater activity had strangely lessened in the past few weeks. The Order was especially worried that something big was going to happen. Dumbledore had them all working on information he had mysteriously gained on Voldemort's movements.

"Oh?" she snatched the carrot he had been about to cut out of his hand and bit into it with relish jumping up to sit on the counter.

He gave her one of his exasperated eyebrow raises, to which she smiled innocently back, then picked up another carrot and began cutting.

"Yes, they both asked me to give you their regrets that they couldn't say goodbye. Especially Colm." He looked at her out of the corner of his eye and she could see he was smirking.

Tonks rolled her eyes and ran hand through her bobbed hair before giving into laughter. It seemed to her that she hadn't laughed in quite awhile.

"I'm sure he did."

Remus was still smirking as he put the chopped carrots into the pan he already had on the stove. "Yes, you seem to have left quite an impression on him. He seemed truly disappointed that he couldn't say goodbye to you." He turned to her then with a completely straight face. "Nymphadora is there something I should know?"

"Don't worry," she said with equal seriousness as he moved to stand in front of her and she hooked her legs around him pulling him in so that their foreheads touched. "He's not my type. Too young. Plus his eye colour is all wrong. I prefer werewolves with amber eyes, sexy fringes and a penchant for forgetting not to use my first name. Do you know where I can find one?"

Remus simply laughed and leaned in. "Sexy Fringes?" he asked his lips brushing hers and sending a tingle down her spine.

"Umhmm. Yours is particularly attractive. Hides your eyes perfectly." She resisted the urge to laugh. They were being silly, but it felt nice to just let go for a bit. Moments like this had become few and far between.

In reply he closed the sparse distance between them and kissed her passionately, to which she responded with equal fever. The dinner cooking on the stove was quickly forgotten.

Time continued to pass disjointedly. Some weeks seemed to go by quickly and others dragged on. September faded in to October, which was filled with increasing reports of Muggle attacks and the deaths of those who refused to support Voldemort. In Kent Greyback savaged a young girl causing her death. The news of the attack came a week before Halloween and was the topic of discussion when Tonks finally visited her parents after having not seen them for three months.

"I wish someone would put a stop to that monster." Andromeda said vehemently as she cleared away the dinner dishes. "That poor family. Having to burry their little girl, I simply can't imagine what I'd do. Although…" she paused and seemed to catch herself. Without continuing she carried her load into the kitchen, Tonks trailing behind to help with the dishes.

She didn't ask what her mother had been about to say, she really didn't want to know. She could imagine that it was along the lines that it was better the girl died then become a werewolf. Such thoughts were not ones she wanted to dwell on. It would only cause strain between her mother and herself. Not that their relationship hadn't become strained as it was.

"Darling you don't need to help me. Go talk to your father, he's been missing his little girl." Andromeda told her gently as she flicked her wand to set the dishes scrubbing.

"What you really mean is get out of my kitchen before you break something." She said dryly already heading for the door.

She could have sworn her mother smiled before saying, "Which ever way you want to look at it."

"Hey Kid, come and sit down." Ted welcomed when he saw his daughter in the entry to the living room. Tonks complied and settled on the couch. Ted looked at her thoughtfully.

"How have you been?" he asked surveying her.

She sighed tiredly, but managed a smile. "Ok Dad. I've been Ok."

He nodded still looking at her in a thoughtful way. "You know Dora, it can't be easy trying to do what you think is right. In fact a lot of the time it can hurt more than anything else."

She frowned not really understanding what he was trying to get across. Usually Ted was as blunt as she was.

"What're you getting at?"

"Are you happy?"

The question surprised her. What had led her parents, for she knew that her mother was probably in on it, to think that she was unhappy?

"Of course," she said quickly. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Ted ran a hand through his brown hair and seemed to be collecting his thoughts. Again it was very unlike him. "You seem tired. And I don't mean just physically. It's the kind of tiredness that you get when something's wrong." He looked at her earnestly.

"You know you can tell your mother and I anything."

Looking at her father then and seeing his concern she felt the urge to tell him that no, she was not all right. That she was worried that she could be the next to die or that Remus would be killed or her family attacked. She was tired from the constant fight that never seemed like it was going to end. She was sad that her best friend was letting her own fear and paranoia ruin a friendship that would have lasted for the rest of their lives. That she was angry at but also worried about Sirius, who could loose his life for protecting his best friend and his family.

Most of all she wanted to say that no she couldn't tell them all that was going on with her, not like she used to be able to. She wanted to say how sorry she was she had been lying to them for a year. But she couldn't. So instead she smiled as convincingly as she could and stood going to her father.

Kneeling in front of him like she used to as a child she wrapped her arms around him and buried her head against him. "I know Dad. I'm all right. I promise."

Ted returned the embrace and that was how Andromeda found them when she entered the room.

"Best be on alert tonight lass," Moody warned her as they exited the room that the Aurors used for training. "Halloween is always a big night for dark wizards. You can be sure that the Death Eaters will pull something; they won't be able to resist."

Tonks glanced at a large clock positioned above the door. It was 9pm. Usually she didn't stay so late but Moody wanted her to get a taste of the late night shift. She would be there until the early hours of the morning.

As soon as they reached the Auror office they were met by an Auror Tonks had yet to learn the name of. He said that he was on his way to respond to an alert that an underage wizard had performed an unforgivable. Moody decided that he and Tonks would accompany him. Yes, she decided as they reentered the lift, it's going to be a long night.

Little did she know that the next day would be even harder.