It was almost as if the next three weeks were spent in a roles-reversal therapy session, at least as far as the parents-to-be were concerned. Tonks spent the following weeks since her beloved father's death on either the sofa or the bed, refusing to eat more than half of what she should have been eating for her and the baby. She was quiet, her hair was brown, and her mood was stable, yet consistently very low. Remus, on the other hand, had almost seemed to gain back a little bit of his younger appearance a she tried to keep his wife's spirit up so, at the very least, she wouldn't starve the child to death. But, Remus was surprised to find that keeping optimistic actually helped him feel better. He really felt a little guilty himself, because he'd never really bothered to get close to his father-in-law. But Remus made his peace in taking care of Tonks in her depressive state with Ted. It was as if Remus was promising Ted that he would always be there now, to take care of his only child.

However, Andromeda was in somewhat of a worse state than Tonks. Remus could now see where Tonks got her moods from. Andromeda was downright inconsolable, and over that first fortnight as a widow, she lived off tea and bread, made only after Remus went upstairs with Tonks to bed.

There was no body, so, like with Sirius, there was only a very small memorial service. It had to be held in the utmost secret, but the Order still wanted to pay their respects to the fallen. So Bill and Fleur Weasley came by to pay their last respects around ten the first Saturday. Then, just before they left, they sent a signal to Kingsley, who stopped by for an hour, then he in turn sent a signal to Molly and Arthur, who stopped by with Fred. Tonks had never seen Fred so solemn and serious before. It was rather awkward. No more than six people dared to gather in the house at the same time, however. Andromeda then spend a few days setting up a small, yet elaborate stone memorial in the garden, now no longer covered in snow to her dead husband. Hopefully his spirit, wherever and whenever it was, was at peace.

The funeral was the last time Remus, Tonks, and Andromeda saw the Weasleys before Ginny came home on the train for Easter break. They took her off swiftly and went into their hiding place, wherever it was. Lee Jordan sent his Patronus (a crow) to everyone in the Order assuring everyone that the Weasleys were safe and out of harm's way, and he assured the surviving Order members that while he wasn't an official member of the Order of the Phoenix, he was one to be trusted. Remus felt like he could trust Lee Jordan. He seemed must more sincere in his mannerisms than Wormtail ever had.

Finally, on April 3rd, Remus decided to try and snap Tonks out of her depression. It was remarkable how much she'd changed the past year. Not that he blamed her, from getting pregnant and married to losing her mentor and her father, to going half a year not knowing where her husband was, Tonks had a right to be moody. But she'd gone nearly two days without eating and drinking more than a few glasses of milk and a few biscuits. So Remus had strived to whip out the heavy artillery. A weapon so deadly, even a pregnant woman in mourning couldn't resist it.

Take out.

He had to travel all the way to Muggle London in the utmost of secrecy in order to get it, but he got it, and he brought it home, warmed it up, and brought it on a tray upstairs. Tonks was sitting in front of her mirror, combing out her long brown locks. The bag under her eyes stood out against her abnormally pale skin. It was now spring, she needed sun. Her belly was so big, she now had to adjust her posture so that she leaned back enough to allow her abdomen room at the desk. Technically, as of tonight, she was almost a month overdue, but the Healer said she wouldn't be seeing labor for at least another week.

"Love, I brought you some special supper," Remus whispered tenderly. Tonks turned around, glared at the paper sack with Korean lettering, and smiled half-heartedly.

"I get it. I need to eat more," Tonks nodded.

Remus nodded. "Our baby needs to eat," he added. "And…I figured this would help me get to talk to you."

"What about?" Tonks was only looking at Remus through his reflection in the mirror. Her skin was somewhat paler than usual today. Remus bit his lip and thought cautiously about what he was to say next.

Remus sighed and set down the tray and bag. "Anything. Everything. Anything you want to say out loud," he said. "The house isn't as much a home when you lock yourself inside your head like this."

"My father is dead, just because you and your father never had that relationship doesn't mean you can't expect me to get up after a few days and feel all better."

"I don't expect that of you," Remus said.

"He will never know that he's going to have a grandson soon, and he will never know who his grandson will be," Tonks muttered solemnly. Remus wanted to walk up to where she was sitting and put a comforting hand on her shoulder, but Tonks didn't appear to be one who would appreciate a gesture like that at the present moment.

"That's a very terrible thought, Dora. Most women in your position are thrilled about the impending arrival—"

"—yeah? Well, most women don't give birth within the same month they lose the most important man in their life!" Tonks cried out. "Leave me alone!"

Remus only stumbled a moment over the words. Most important man…did Tonks only consider Remus second to her deceased father? Not that he could completely blame her for what she was saying. Her mind was stretched thirty different ways all at once.

"I'm not leaving until you eat something," Remus said stubbornly. "Even for a woman nine months pregnant, you're acting strangely."

"You really think so?" Tonks asked, spinning around slowly in her seat.

"Honestly, I think we're both acting out of our normal personalities. I find it…strange that I'm become more of an optimist while you're the moping one. It's not supposed to be like this."

"I don't think it's so unnatural," Tonks whispered. "Mum once said that in a good marriage, you begin to become your spouse."

"Then I guess we're doing great then, aren't we?" Remus shrugged. Tonks nodded and made a move to get to her feet. Remus immediately grabbed her hand.

"Oh dammit, Remus! I can't wait until this thing is on the other side…"

"You're not alone," grunted Remus as his and Tonks' joint efforts paid off. Tonks groaned as she finally got up on her swollen feet.

"Then I can finally get back to work, too," Tonks said. Remus rose a hairy eyebrow.

"Like hell."

"REMUS!!" Tonks suddenly shrieked (good Merlin, another mood swing). "What does that mean?"

Remus took a step towards the door in defense. "Dora, exactly how soon after the birth do you think you're going back to work?"

"Four to six weeks," Tonks said quickly. "Two months at the most. Is that so much to ask?"

"Yes," Remus replied. "Who'll stay with our son?"

"Mum," Tonks answered. "If you think you're going to try and make me be a stay-at-home wife, you know I can't."

"Why not?"

"Well, how often do YOU go to work? Hmm? Tell me, Remus Lupin, what kind of hours does YOUR boss give you?"

Remus was silent. She had a legitimate point, after all.

"SOMEONE has to be the breadwinner for this family. If anything else, YOU should be the stay-at-home parent!" Tonks said, pointing an angry finger.

The room went silent as Tonks had to catch her breath. She saw the hurt look on Remus' face. "Remus, you need to understand what I'm going through. So much is going on around me, and I haven't been able to stop it or help it or whatever! I've been a…a spectator at the show, when I'm used to being in the show. I just….wait and worry. I've done that way too much since I met you. It still hurts so much to wait and worry."

Remus nodded. Now he knew how Tonks used to feel after she began spouting off sharp words she never really meant.

"You're right," he finally said silently. "I wasn't thinking, and I am sorry."

Tonks' breath went shallow. Her eyes went wide. Her look changed drastically over the next three seconds. Remus nearly laughed. She looked stunned.

"What, is it that shocking that a husband admits defeat?"

Tonks didn't say a word.

"Dora?"

"Oh shit," Tonks muttered, looking down at the carpet between her legs. It was damp. Remus followed Tonks' gaze to the floor, and suddenly he realized why she'd gone silent. She grabbed her belly and gasped for a breath. "R…Remus, save that take out for later. I…I really don't feel like eating right now."

"Dora—" Remus said, biting his lip.

"—because I feel like having a baby."

Remus immediately called Andromeda up to the bedroom, and Andromeda called for the Healer immediately. The Healer said she was tied up at the moment and wouldn't be able to come until the evening. Until then, Tonks could still do anything she wanted to in order to help relieve the pain. Tonks did not feel contractions very strongly, and they didn't bother her too much. Plus, the contractions only were coming at twelve minutes apart, so for the afternoon, she and Remus walked around outside, in front of the house. It was a relatively cool afternoon, so Tonks wore a sweater and scarf. Remus refused to let go of her hand.

"So, ready to go inside yet and lie down?" Remus asked. Tonks shook her head.

"No, they're still somewhat bearable," Tonks said, slightly lying. The last one she endured had forced her to stop in her tracks. It'd made her feel the urge to stop moving until it passed. But Tonks wanted to enjoy the last of this beautiful evening while it last. There wasn't a cloud in the periwinkle sky.

"Dora, we're having a baby tonight," Remus whispered. Dora smiled and gently ran her hand over her stomach.

"I know."

"Are you nervous?" Remus asked. Tonks looked up at the sky and smiled. Her hair went baby-powder pink.

"I was about to ask you the very same thing, Remus," Tonks said. Remus chuckled.

"I'm not the one about to give birth so—"

"—you know what I mean," Tonks said. "Don't be silly."

Remus sighed. "Yes."

"I don't doubt you'll be an incredible father, Remus," Tonks said. "It will be quite a ride, that's for certain. But we'll go through it together."

"Yes," Remus muttered, nodding.

"But it will be so much fun, too!" Tonks said pensively. "We'll be completely responsible for who he becomes. Think about who he could be! We could be the parents of the next big Quidditch star, like Viktor Krum, or he could be the next Albus Dumbledore. And we'll raise him in our own house."

"Our own house?" Remus asked.

Tonks grinned and squeezed his hand. "Mum won't like it, of course, but getting our own home, finally really starting our life together, with you and I and our little boy Teddy—"

"—Teddy?"

"Teddy. Dad made me promise if he never came home, we'd name our child after him," Tonks said. Remus thought a moment and nodded.

Remus was astounded to see Tonks so peaceful, despite the fact that she was probably in for a long, painful, agonizing night. Then again, he felt an odd sense of serenity, even though so much was happening with the world around them. Harry Potter had nearly been killed in the past month. He and Ron and Hermione had been taken captive by the Malfoy family, and narrowly made their escape. The news had Tonks nearly biting her nails off.

"It sounds right," Remus said. "Theodore Remus Lupin…"

"Remus as his middle name? Why?" Tonks asked.

"Why not?" Remus asked back. Tonks smiled and nodded.

"Ted Remus Lupin it is, then," she confirmed. She paused a moment, as if she really wanted to make sure she wanted to say what she was about to say. "Remus?"

"Yes, love?"

"Would you ever consider….trying to have a daughter?"
"Dora!" Remus said. "You can't be serious! Let's concentrate on this one first!"

Tonks giggled. "I meant a few years down the road."

Remus thought serenely for a moment. "Yes." He said. Tonks beamed. He sounded sincere in his answer as well as agreeable.

Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain like nothing she'd experienced before shoot up inside her. Tonks groaned and doubled over. Remus had to catch her to keep her from falling to the ground.

"That's it," Remus said. "We're taking you into the house and you need to lie on a bed."

"Ugh!" Tonks cried. "THIS hurts!"

Remus nearly killed himself using up every ounce of strength he had in order to get his wife back to the safety of the house. Andromeda was waiting, and she helped get Tonks up into bed. The sun was just setting.

"Hopefully by the time we see the sun again, YOUR son will be there to see it with you," Andromeda noted to Remus.

The night brought a rowdy round of thunderstorms with it. It seemed as if nature was reflecting the growing pain Tonks was enduring. It was as if someone was tearing at her innards with their claws and teeth. Each pain took her further and further into insanity. She began screaming with every contraction sometime after eleven that evening. The Healer even seemed to be concerned. Tonks was getting frantic, fast.

"Should she be in THIS much pain?" Remus asked, gripping Tonks' hand as she grunted her way through a hard pain.
"Not with how late she is. Not with how slow she started off. When was her first contraction?" the Healer asked.

Remus went over the times in his head. He'd gotten back with the take out food from London about two that afternoon….

"Two fifteen, or thereabout," he answered. The Healer nodded.

Andromeda went to the head of the bed and put a fragile hand over Tonks' forehead. Her hand was cool and soothing against her hot, sweaty forehead.

"She's feverish," Andromeda said quickly. "Should she be?"

"No," the Healer said rather quickly. "Not exactly. It might just be the stress catching up to her, though. We need to let her be for the time. Let nature do what it sees fit."

"WHAT?!" Tonks suddenly yelped from the bed. She leapt up from her position lying down, Remus had to hold her back so she didn't fly at the Healer. "Let nature do it's thing?! I'm HURTING and I would really like some DRUGS!"

"Nymphadora, please!" Andromeda hissed. "Don't talk to her that way."

"It's too late for drugs, Mrs. Lupin," the Healer said in a much kinder tone. Her face said loudly and clearly, I feel really sorry for you.

"Too late? WHY?!" Tonks barked rudely. Remus remarked as how she seemed almost werewolfish. A loud clap of thunder roared outside the window (open regardless of the rain at Tonks' request).

"You're halfway dilated. You may be feverish and in loafs of pain, but some women do have worse first experiences than others. Your mother had a tough time with you, she was telling me, so it could just run in the family…" the Healer said.

Tonks gritted her teeth and turned to Remus. "YOU…"

"Me?" Remus asked.

Tonks' hair was as red as Molly Weasley's, and her bloodshot eyes from being awake and in labor at midnight nearly matched exactly. "Don't ever think you'll get me naked again as long as you live, Remus John—"

"—fair enough," Remus said quickly, half embarrassed and half afraid for his life.

Another two hours went by, and Tonks moved beyond the anger phase, now she was on the verge of tears and absolutely exhausted. Remus remarked to the Healer privately on how quickly her attitude was changing.

"What do you expect, her hormones are having the worst rave inside her body since she went through puberty!" she'd replied.

"Isn't there SOME magic way you could take away the pain?" Tonks called from the bed, where Andromeda sat with her, calming her down to little avail.

The Healer shook her head. "No spells. At this stage, any spell, even a benevolent spell, could hit the child and cause damage to it's body," she said. 'An infant's body is very sensitive to any kind of spell cast on or around it."

Tonks groaned loudly from the bed. "How much longer?"

"I really can't say at this point in time. Your progress is slower than average but not altogether uncommon, so it could be anytime between now and dawn," the Healer answered, the agitation beginning to become evident in her voice.

Remus looked at the clock. It was only one nineteen in the morning. Dawn was still a long, long way to go…