A/N: I'm taking next week off for Holy Week and Easter, but I'll be back with four chapters on April 18th.

Sirius:

"Do I need to worry about you as well?" Sirius asked James as he conjured cots for them.

"Nah," James shook his head. "Lily telling me she loves me was a decent barrier to the stress."

James moved a sleeping Lily from his arms to the cot.

"What about you?"

Sirius shook his head. "Very little gets to me after how I grew up."

James sighed and pulled a chunk of bread off the loaf. "There are days I want to march into Knockturn and throw your parents into one of my dungeons."

Sirius pushed away his feelings on it. Mia had sat him down one day and got him to tell her his whole rotten childhood. It had taken hours, but once they'd hashed through it all, Mia pulled him into a hug and told him he could let the past go now. He worked daily to do just that.

"Has it let up at all?"

James turned to look out one of the small holes in their shelter to look, "Not a bit."

Sirius sighed, "Remus is going to be livid."

"Remus has spent most of our friendship livid with me about something." James chuckled.

"Ah, well," Sirius grinned.

"Did anyone get a chance to look at Prongs?" James handed the loaf to Sirius.

"No, I had been intending to until I saw Marlene's blue lips. And then Lily was starting to go frantic on us and I completely forgot about the horses."

"I hope he can at least walk. I can ride with Lily, but if he can't walk then I don't want to leave him out here."

Sirius ran a tired hand over his face. "Let's worry about that once we actually know what's going on. Right now, I'm going to set the wards and then try to get some sleep."

Sirius set some pretty intense wards, feeling his own exhaustion keenly. And after ensuring that Marlene was still warm and Lily was still asleep and James was settled, Sirius let the exhaustion take him.

"Ho the camp!"

Sirius bolted up from his cot and snatched his wand, realizing that Marlene was moving in the same fashion.

Was that sunlight filtering in?

"Easy," he cautioned her.

She rolled her eyes at him and he grinned.

"Ho the camp!" The voice called out again.

"Is that Peter?" James asked as Sirius looked out one of the holes they'd made to keep air moving through their little hideaway.

"Whoever it is they've got your banners, James." Sirius blinked from the sunlight hitting his eyes.

"Let's go out then," Lily moved to break open a door.

"No Lils," Marlene moved to look out one of the other holes. "Not until we know who they are."

"Stay here," Sirius moved to the ground and used his wand to break open an exit just big enough for him to belly crawl out of.

The sunlight made his eyes burn a bit but Sirius adjusted quickly.

"Good morning," Sirius called out.

"Sirius!" One of the riders called out and moved forward.

"Pete?"

Peter dismounted and looked furtively around. "Can I get close? I don't want to set anything off."

Sirius laughed, and it felt so good to laugh after the day and night they'd had.

"Come on over, Pete." Sirius laughed. "Let's get our sovereign and his bride home."

"His bride?" Peter walked slowly towards him.

"You didn't think I'd risk this if it wasn't for something worth it, did you?"

"Oh, well, I, Remus, he," Peter stammered.

"Go check on James' horse," Sirius signaled the small group of James' soldiers forward. "If you can get him to walk back to the stables I'll call us even."

Peter chuckled, "You got it, Sirius."

Sirius turned and opened up a proper size opening to their little shelter.

"Rescue party is here."

Marlene came out, her wand held out in front of her.

"Are you warm enough?" He let his hand brush her arm.

"For the moment," she pulled her cloak tightly around her.

"When we get back, promise me you'll get some warm broth or something."

Marlene put her hands on her hips and stared him down.

"You're starting to sound like my mother."

Sirius didn't even think. He moved to her and pulled her into his arms before kissing her for the whole world to see.

"Please stop scaring me," he murmured against her. "I need you here."

Marlene pulled closer to him. "I'll do my best."

"That's all I ask." He kissed her again, wishing for all the world they weren't in the middle of a frozen plain with an audience.

"Ha!" Peter cheered. "Prongs is up and walking Sirius!"

Sirius rested his forehead against Marlene's, "We have got to get them married."

Marlene's smile went just a touch sad.

"Let's get James and Lily home." She stepped back from him and moved to her horse.