Tonks awoke to Sirius attempting to move her off of his chest and onto her pillow. "Oh sorry I must have dozed off," she said, sitting up.

"I took it as a complement really," Sirius joked. "I figured the sex was that good."

She nudged him playfully. "You would think that," she replied with an exaggerated sigh. He gave her his most charming smile.

She yawned and stretched her arms in a wide circle. She hoped that the intensity of their earlier conversation wouldn't make the remainder of the night awkward. "The night is still young!" She sang out, even though she actually had no idea what time it was. "What shall we do?"

She had expected an innuendo but Sirius had fallen uncharacteristically quiet. She would even dare describe his look as contemplative.

He took a deep breath and took her hands in his. "I want to ask a favor of you," he began. His tone was so sincere it took her by surprise. She nodded for him to continue. He looked down and said his next words to her hands, "I just really need to go out. Just for a little bit. Just an hour even." He looked up at her, looking almost afraid.

She watched him appraisingly. He was being very straight forward with her in this moment, which she appreciated. Normally when Sirius wanted something he would either just take it or attempt to talk, tease or cajole someone into doing it. The fact he was being honest about what he wanted and asking her to participate instead of trying to manipulate her into it made her feel that he truly trusted her. She felt he understood the weight of what he was asking.

"Sirius, that's a big risk," she answered carefully.

"That's why I won't go alone," he replied. He looked at her pleadingly. "Please Tonks. I just need a break from this fucking house. Even an hour will make me feel loads better."

She put her face in her hands to give herself a moment to decide how she wanted to respond to his request. Finally she moved her hands to look at him once more. She nervously bit her lip. "There has to be rules. Non-negotiable rules," she replied. She felt her Auror training kicking in. "First off we need to go somewhere with lots of people. It's got to be a Muggle place to reduce the risk of anyone recognizing you. The ministry has stopped bothering showing your face to the Muggles for over a year now."

She looked at him to make sure he was taking her seriously. He nodded his agreement so she continued, "Second no drinking. We need to stay aware and ready in case we need to make a quick escape."

"Reasonable," he replied.

"Third, we do not leave each others sides. We have to have each other within reach at all times. Wands somewhere easily accessible and you have to be ready for my signal for apparition if anything goes wrong. Trust me, it's better to disappear in front of a bunch of Muggles than to try to run or fight. Muggles accidently see apparition all the time, it's hardly even citation worthy since we usually don't even have to modify their memories to get them to dismiss it." She tilted her head to examine him, then added, "And you are probably pretty rusty at it so you better let me guide you. I'll bring us back right on the top step inside the Fidelius charm."

"What's the signal?" he asked.

"I'll step on your toes and grab your elbows." He raised his eyebrows skeptically. She shrugged and replied, "More contact makes guided apparition easier and if it's this awkward I won't do it by accident."

"Fair enough. Anything else?"

She was getting a thrill out of holding him captive. She so rarely felt like she was incharge being the youngest of the three of them and Sirius was often more than a little dominating. She was tempted to add a few more rules just to flex her new found power but kept herself in check. He was being very vulnerable with her right now and she didn't want to do anything to betray his trust. "I think that should cover it. Where would you like to go?"

"Well I since we aren't drinking I suppose that rules out pubs. How about a Muggle club? We can go dancing I guess," he replied.

This was starting to sound like a proper date. She smiled. "Perfect cover," she stated befor she jumped out of the bed to search through the dresser for something appropriately sexy. When she was satisfied with her outfit, her mini skirt and a purple halter top with a very deep vee, she turned to check on Sirius.

Tonks had always found Sirius to be attractive but she realized before tonight she had never seen him in prime form. With no opportunity to leave the house and very little motivation to put any effort into his appearance, Sirius had mostly lounged around in his old robes which hung baggy as he had never quite gained his weight back from his years in Azkaban. When it wasn't robes it was threadbare t-shirts and old trousers. Tonight his usual wild tangle of hair was brushed and tied neatly back. He wore a slim fitting black button up with the top few buttons undone, revealing just a peek of his chest, and a pair of black jeans that Tonks had never seen before but thoroughly appreciated.

"Wow. Anyone ever tell you that you clean up nice?" she asked jokingly.

"I only dress like this for special occasions. I wouldn't want to be distracting," Sirius replied with a smirk. "I'm glad you like it," he added. "You are looking pretty good yourself."

For once she didn't blush. She merely nodded. "Okay, well I'm going to need to change my face and hair." She took a deep breath and concentrated. She made her face a bit longer, her nose a bit sharper, her spiky pink hair changed to black and extended out and down to her mid back and her eyes faded to a light blue. "How's this? Can you still tell it's me?"

Sirius smiled and reached for her hand. "I can but I doubt anyone else can."

"Well I guess we best be on our way. We definitely want to be back well before daylight," she said fidgeting with his hand.

"I was never all that familiar with Muggle London and what I would know I'm sure has changed in the past fifteen years or so," Sirius pointed out.

"Oh right! Well I, err, I know a place," she replied sheepishly.

"A place?" he asked with interest.

"Don't judge me but sometimes one night stands are easier with Muggles. I had a particular favorite spot to, uhh, meet people," she explained.

Sirius laughed, "So you've always been a right little nymph then? It's not just me and Remus who bring it out in you?"

"Yes I'm afraid I was depraved before we met," she replied with a wink. She pulled him toward the doorway and he followed, still holding her hand.

When they were finally out the front door, Tonks grabbed his other hand, "Ready?"

"Ready." He answered wrapping his arms around her. The bare skin on her shoulders tingled where his hands rested. She squeezed him tightly to her and pictured the dark alley a block and a half away from their destination.

She felt the brief uncomfortable tightness of being squished through a space of nonexistence. On the other side the air was slightly more humid and she could smell the faint odor of exhaust that seemed to infiltrate the whole of proper Muggle London.

"That was smooth," Sirius said admiringly. Despite reaching their destination, he hadn't yet let go of her.

She felt her face heating up and decided to ignore his compliment. "Well, it's just a little walk from here," she said, taking a step back from him but keeping her hand in his. This was the longest he had ever held her hand she observed.

It was bitterly cold, even for mid November and few people were out on the streets. Tonks was beginning to regret her choice of outfit. Sirius was in high spirits, more alert than Tonks had seen him in months. He seemed to find delight in every store front they passed. Considering how gloomy and dim Grimmauld Place was, he was probably just appreciating seeing the full spectrum of colors for once.

They could hear the baseline from the club music echoing through the empty street. The bouncer was the first person they encountered since their adventure began. He gave them a swift up and down look before shuffling aside to let them in. Sirius gave him a seductive smile and a cheeky pat to the bicep before following Tonks inside, laughing heartily.

Inside it was warm and crowded. The music was chaotic but enjoyable. The lights were low, sporadically changing color in time with the beat. Tonks couldn't help but start moving her body to the music.

Sirius finally released her hand. He stood stock still beside her, taking in the scene. All around them people were dancing, a large mass in the center of the room where people were grinding against each other, some with glasses in hand. Some couples were apart from the central group, swaying and touching in more intimate ways.

She worried that perhaps Sirius was overwhelmed. It must have been nearly fifteen years since he'd ever been in a crowd of strangers. But then he turned to her with a magnificent smile and pulled her closer as he began to move with the music too.

"Music sure has changed," he shouted so she could hear him over the noise. "I like it."

She smiled up at him and brought her arms to rest on his shoulders. He moved his hands down to her waist. "It's a nice change of scenery," he said into her ear. She shivered and he gripped her tighter.

They danced away their hour, neither wanting it to end. It was one of the most sensual experiences Tonks had ever had. Though she had danced this way with many strangers and even with a few of her flings but never with someone she had genuinely loved. And it was intoxicating, in a strange way, to have Sirius so near, his hands roaming gently with measured restraint. Any of the other times they touched in this way it was inevitable it would end with a shag, but here with an audience and the risk of being caught, they could only go so far. She found it very erotic and judging by the strain Sirius was showing in attempting to keep his hand above her skirt so was he.

She of course was still aware that there was a bit of danger in their being out at all, though in her professional assessment it was minimal here in this Muggle venue. This was one of the last places anyone would think to look for Sirius Black, notorious Death Eater, and she was certain no one could have followed them as they had still been inside the Fidelius charm when they apparated. Still she was a top notch auror and she was keeping watch even though Sirius was doing his best to distract her.

When the crowd started to thin, she leaned in close and whispered, "It's time to go." Sirius' face fell but he didn't object. He let his hands fall away from her and took a step back. She led the way back to the street.

The ease at which he took her hand again gave her a thrill. "Let's hurry home," he said suggestively. She didn't need any additional prompting.

They reached the alley without incident and she took both his hands in hers and pulled them back to the top steps of Grimmauld Place.

Sirius wasted no time in pulling her into the house, which elicited a giggle from her. As soon as the door was closed he was on her. She was squished between him and the wall, his hungry hot mouth on her own and his hands went to the places public decency had denied him moments before. When he pulled back from her it was only to whisper, "Thank you," before he kissed her again.

She thought he would have her right there in the hallway, inches away from the angry portrait of his mother, but then he did start pulling her down the hall, unwilling to leave much distance between them. She followed breathlessly. They had almost reached the stairs when he picked her up and sat her on a side table that was placed against the hall wall. "I can't wait anymore," he said, working to remove her boots.

She smiled and began working on the buttons of his shirt. She reached up and pulled his hair out of its binding, letting it fall wildly around him, framing his face. He kissed her again, hard, her boots forgotten, one on the floor beneath them and the other still on her foot. She buried her hands in his hair.

"Where the hell have you been?" Remus' voice boomed out from the top of the stairs. He was peering down at them. She couldn't remember ever seeing him so angry.

Sirius took a step back from her to turn and face Remus. He still kept her hand in his. "We went out for an hour," he said, nonchalantly.

"You what?!" Remus was practically yelling now as he came down the stairs to confront them.

"It's fine Remus. We were very careful," Tonks said soothingly. She hoped she could defuse this tension before the two men really got going and ruined the whole night. She didn't appreciate having to switch gears from what was surely going to be an epic shag to playing referee between her boyfriends.

"Fine?" he repeated, not at all dissuaded.

"Clearly," Sirius replied. "We are home aren't we?" He turned away from Remus and was glaring at the wall over Tonks' shoulder. She was suddenly very aware of the disheveled state of her clothing.

"How could you be this fucking stupid?" Remus demanded. He was wearing a terrible smile. "How could you pull Tonks into this lunacy?"

For the first time, Tonks felt anger welling up toward Remus. "Oy Remus! I'm not a child who is easily manipulated," she blurted out. He was reminding her of the men at work who tried to coddle her because she was young and female. They were worse than the hazers, at least those arseholes didn't think she was some delicate, breakable china doll. "I'm a fully trained auror, currently assigned to Sirius' case. I know better than either of you what the actual risk level is."

Remus seemed startled by Tonks outburst. He looked directly at her for the first time. He opened his mouth to respond but she cut him off. "Sirius didn't trick me or drag me into anything. I chose to go with him."

Sirius' responding smile was meant as a gloat.

Remus looked at Tonks for a long moment before continuing. "You are an auror so you should know the risk if you were caught with him." He turned back to Sirius, "She could have been at best fired and at worst thrown into Azkaban or executed on the spot right along with you."

It infuriated her that he was addressing Sirius and not her. "Remus we had contingency plans. And it's not like we went to Diagon Alley. I know the protocols, the search parameters. I kept watch the entire time."

Remus turned back to her, preparing to give her another lecture she was sure but Sirius broke in. "Relax Remus. We are back, safe and sound. Nothing happened."

But telling Remus to relax was the last thing to do when he was worked up like this. Tonks would have stepped on Sirius toes if she wasn't still atop the side table.

She expected Remus to shout again but he seemed deflated when he replied, "You could have both died, or worse."

He's afraid. She realized. It was enough to ebb away some of her fury. He's afraid that he could have lost us both.

But his statement had an entirely different effect on Sirius. "Either one of you could die any time you leave this godforsaken house. You don't think I spend my time alone thinking the same damn thing?"

Remus couldn't quite make eye contact. The anger she and Remus had been feeling seemed to have diffused and reformed within Sirius. "You are so fucking selfish Remus. You have all the fucking world and yet you still want to keep me from having any little piece of it."

Remus looked hurt, he lifted his chin and prepared to object, "Sirius-"

"No. I don't want to hear it. Whatever you are going to say." Sirius interjected. He was squeezing Tonks hand tight enough for it to hurt. "Whatever self pitying noble martyr bullshit line you are going to give us you can just keep to yourself."

Tonks felt Sirius building up to something gut wrenching. Something they might not be able to recover from. She wanted to stop him, to shove her hand over his mouth but she was in shock. Unable to get her body to cooperate.

"Poor pitiful Remus! He got to show his girlfriend off all night before going out to play the hero. You know your problem Remus? You can't seem to get past your younger self. You always thought no one could ever love you or accept you. Doomed to a life of loneliness and misery. You are too stuck on that to open your damn eyes and see that it all worked out best for you didn't it?"

Remus seemed to be as frozen as Tonks herself was and Sirius seemed unable to stop himself now that he had worked up to this tirade. "James is dead, I spent half my life in a soul sucking ice box and Peter spent his as a fucking rat. Your life is looking pretty fucking good in comparison."

"You've got two people who love you, you get to show the world your pretty new girlfriend while I get to languish in this shithole waiting for you to get back and remember about me. I just wanted one hour to go out and dance with Tonks and you won't even let me have that." By the time he was done Tonks' hand was numb, he didn't seem to notice he was still grasping it desperately.

Remus stood staring at Sirius with a horribly blank expression. "Are you done?" he asked in monotone.

Sirius seemed unable to respond. He was breathing hard and Tonks thought he was very close to tears.

"So is that what this is about?" Remus asked in that same terrible, emotionless tone. "Me and Tonks being public about our relationship? Which I remind you was your idea."

Sirius was looking pointedly at the floor. She could see his nostrils flaring.

"There are better ways than this to deal with your jealousy, Sirius," Remus continued. "Better than risking your life and hers."

Remus turned to leave, and Sirius broke out into sobs. He pulled Tonks' hand close to his chest, "You'll leave me for her, just like he did. You'll both leave me," he gasped through his tears.

Tonks didn't know who the "he" that Sirius was referring to was, but she understood the desperate fear Sirius was feeling. She sometimes felt it herself. That the two of them would get bored of her and she'd be left alone. She pulled Sirius down to rest against her chest, hugging him tightly. "Never," she promised him.

This may have started for her as an unshakable attraction to Remus, now she was firmly attached to them both. She loved them as she had never loved anyone before and doubted she could ever again. "Never," she whispered again, and Sirius sobbed harder.

Remus joined them, putting an arm around each of them. "I'm not James and she's not Lily and this is not even remotely the same," he said in a sad voice. The pieces clicked in place for Tonks. She had known Sirius and James had been best friends but she hadn't known that Sirius had been in love with him. Unrequited she guessed. She found herself holding him tighter. It was just one more hardship for him in a past brimming with them. "We both love you Sirius," Remus murmured, kissing Sirius on the brow. "No matter how hard you try to push us away, we aren't going anywhere."

"Never," she repeated again.