AN: Enjoy! Any suggestions or requests are appreciated! Sorry for the delay, I'll try to get the next chapter up soon!
May 1988
"But why do you have to go?", Darcy asked with the most pitiful look on her face.
Remus frowned as he put on his jacket. "I have to go speak with Professor Dumbledore about something. It's really important."
"Can I go with you?"
"Not this time, cub. Why don't you want to stay here? You and Sirius will have a lot of fun, you always do."
That was true, but Sirius had told Darcy that his new friend was going to be spending the day with them, and after a few brief meetings, Darcy had already decided that she did not like that woman.
"I wanna go with you", Darcy whined, wrapping her arms around his waist.
Remus pried her hands off and knelt in front of her.
"What's this really about, Darcy?", he asked.
"I don't want you to leave", she replied, wrapping her arms around his neck.
Sirius walked in at that moment and raised his eyebrows. Remus gave him a look that clearly said help me.
"Remus has to leave, kiddo", Sirius said. "He'll be back before you know it, and in the meantime you and I can do whatever you want."
Darcy shook her head and tightened her grip on Remus. Sirius walked up behind her and hooked his hands under her arms, easily lifting her up into his arms.
Darcy squirmed and began to cry. Remus stood back up and placed a quick kiss on her cheek.
"I'll be back in a couple hours, cub", he promised, concern evident in his eyes. Remus glanced at his best friend. "Maybe she should take a nap."
Darcy was still trying to free herself from her godfather's arms, with no success.
"I'll see you later", Remus said before slipping out the door.
Darcy began sobbing loudly.
"Darcy", Sirius tried, rubbing her back gently. "Love, what's wrong? He won't be gone long."
She shook her head vigorously.
"Talk to me, kiddo. What's the matter?"
Still nothing. Sirius was at a loss. What was he supposed to do if she wouldn't tell him what was wrong? It had been years since she had a meltdown like this, what could have triggered it?
He sighed and sat down at the kitchen table, settling her in his lap with his arms wrapped tightly around her so she couldn't run off.
Darcy eventually calmed down, though she was still visibly sad. At least the tears stopped.
"Are you okay now?", Sirius asked her gently.
She nodded against his chest.
"What was that about, hm?"
"I w-wanted Remus to s-stay", she sniffed.
"He won't be gone long, love", Sirius assured her. "Like I said, we can do whatever you want until he gets back."
Darcy shrugged and her godfather frowned.
"Do you need a nap? You seem a little off."
"I'm too big for naps", she reminded him.
"Not if you're sleepy. Maybe you should just go lie down and relax for a bit."
Darcy shook her head, but her body betrayed her and she yawned widely.
Sirius chuckled. "Come on, I think you're more tired than you think."
"No!", Darcy exclaimed, starting to struggle once more.
"Darcy, stop", Sirius said firmly as he stood and placed her on his hip. "Is there something bothering you or are you just acting out because you're tired?"
She stopped her flailing and looked away. She was a bit tired, but the overwhelming issue was her godfather's new friend. Why did that woman have to come?
Sirius tapped her chin. "Hm?"
"I'm a little tired", Darcy said softly.
"I thought so. That wasn't so hard to admit, was it? Let's get you comfy."
He climbed the stairs and deposited her on her bed before pulling the covers up to her chin.
"There we go. When you wake up we'll do whatever you want, sound good?"
Darcy nodded. "I'm sorry."
Sirius leaned down and kissed her cheek. "It's alright, kiddo. I love you."
"Love you."
He tapped her nose gently before leaving the room, not closing the door all the way in case she needed anything.
Sirius looked at the clock. He had about twenty minutes before his girlfriend would be arriving. He hoped Darcy woke up in a better mood, he really wanted the two of them to get along.
Sirius made sure he looked decent before waiting by the door. Finally, the doorbell rang and he answered it.
"Hey", Alexis smiled.
"Hey there. Come on in."
She did. "Where is everybody?"
"Remus had a meeting", Sirius replied. "And Darcy is taking a quick nap."
"Awe, I can't wait to see her", Alexis' smile widened. "She's such a sweetheart."
Sirius smiled back, but it didn't reach his eyes. Merlin, I hope so.
They went to the sitting room and sat down on the couch together. They talked for a while before Sirius noticed the time.
"I should go get Darcy up", he said. "I'll be right back."
He climbed the stairs and slowly pushed open her bedroom door. Darcy was already awake, sitting up in bed and holding her stuffed Padfoot tightly.
"Hey, ladybug", Sirius greeted her. "How long have you been up?"
Darcy shrugged. "A little bit."
"Why didn't you come down? I was hoping we'd get to snuggle like old times."
When Darcy was younger, she would always seek out either Sirius or Remus to cuddle while she woke up from her nap. They all loved it.
She gave him a small smile and lifted her arms. Sirius bent down and picked her up.
"You're getting so big", he commented. "Soon we won't be able to carry you."
Darcy laid her head on his shoulder.
"I know, I don't like it either", her godfather chuckled. He kissed the top of her head and swayed back and forth for a bit. "Alexis is here, do you want to say hi?"
Darcy wanted to say no, but she didn't want to be mean, so she nodded. "Is Remus back?"
"Not yet, love. I'm sure he'll be home soon." Sirius braced himself for another meltdown, sighing quietly in relief when one didn't come.
Darcy was relishing the time with her godfather. Sirius continued swaying for a few minutes.
"Are we awake?", he asked with a soft smile.
"Yeah."
They exited the bedroom and walked down the stairs.
"Look who I found", he said as they walked into the sitting room. Alexis smiled widely at them.
"Hi, Darcy!", she said. "Did you have a good nap?"
Darcy hid her face in the crook of Sirius' neck.
"She's still waking up", he chuckled and gently patted her backside. "Can you say hi, love?"
"Hi", she said softly.
Alexis giggled. "It's alright, I know how that feels."
Sirius sat down beside her and placed Darcy in his lap, smiling when she leaned back against his chest. She hadn't been this cuddly in a long time–not that he was complaining.
Darcy tried to distract herself from the two of them talking by listening to the sound of Sirius' heartbeat and the rumble of his voice.
She was snapped out of it when she felt his fingers poke her side. She looked up.
"Can you tell Alexis about what you're doing at school?", Sirius asked her.
Darcy shook her head and her godfather frowned.
"Hey, that's not nice. Come on, tell her about that project you were working on."
Darcy crossed her arms over her chest. "No."
"It's okay", Alexis half-smiled. "She's probably still tired."
Darcy had curled up into a ball and was now hiding her face in Sirius' chest. This woman was not going to steal him from her, not on her watch.
Sirius shot his girlfriend an apologetic look. "I'm sorry. Excuse us for just a moment." He stood and lifted Darcy up once more before walking out into the kitchen. He set her down and knelt in front of her.
"What's going on with you today?", Sirius asked in a hushed tone that was surprisingly stern.
Darcy stared at the floor. She couldn't tell him the truth, he couldn't get rid of Alexis over her.
"I asked you a question, Darcy. What's going on?"
She shrugged, eyes still on her feet.
"Do you need to go up to your room to think about it?", Sirius asked. Darcy's eyes snapped to his. She had never been sent to her room before, only the corner. She shook her head quickly.
"Then give me an answer."
Her gaze lowered once more. She heard her godfather sigh. She felt his fingers take hold of her chin and tip it up.
"I want you to go upstairs and think about your behavior today", Sirius said firmly. "And what we can do to stop it. You've been moody all day, and it needs to stop, Darcy."
"But–", she tried.
He shook his head and pointed to the stairs. "Go on. I'll come check on you in a bit."
With the most miserable look on her face, Darcy trudged up the staircase.
Sirius took a few deep breaths before going back to the sitting room. When he explained to Alexis where Darcy was, he thought she seemed a bit too relieved that the little girl wouldn't be rejoining them anytime soon.
Remus walked through the front door, hoping beyond all hope that things had calmed down since he left earlier in the afternoon. He had barely taken one step after removing his jacket before he felt something collide with his legs. Darcy had attached herself to him once more.
"Hi, sweetheart", Remus said, reaching down to rub her back. "Are you feeling better?"
She opened her mouth but another voice spoke first.
"Darcy, I told you to stay in your room."
Remus met his best friend's eyes with an expression that was a mix of confusion and surprise.
"What happened?", he asked.
"She was moody all afternoon", Sirius replied. "She refused to speak to Alexis and then decided she didn't want to listen to me, either."
"Did she take a nap?"
"Yeah!", Darcy interjected.
Remus gently patted the top of her head. "Hold on, cub", he shushed her softly.
"She did", Sirius answered his question. "But that didn't seem to help anything."
"Is all of that true, Darcy?", Remus asked, turning his attention to the little girl.
"Yeah, but Remus–"
"Did Sirius tell you to stay in your room until he said you could come out?"
She nodded. "Yeah."
"Would you like to tell us what's bothering you?" Remus had put together what was going on while he was gone, and he had hoped either Darcy would tell Sirius or he would figure it out on his own. Apparently neither of those things happened.
Darcy looked at the floor and Remus smoothed her hair down.
"Is it because of Sirius' new friend?", he asked knowingly.
The other man was shocked at the question, and even more when he saw his goddaughter nod.
"Come here, kiddo", he said. Darcy scurried over to him and he knelt in front of her. "Why didn't you tell me? We could've talked about this."
"I dunno", the little girl mumbled. "I felt bad."
Merlin, were all seven year olds this empathetic?
"Darcy, I need you to listen to me very carefully", Sirius said. "You are the most important thing in my life, and you are my first priority. If you're unhappy with something, you need to tell us."
"Same goes for me, cub", Remus added with a smile. "It's our job to help you when you're upset."
"I'm sorry", Darcy told her godfather. "Is Alexis still here?"
Sirius sighed. "No, she isn't. I don't think she'll be coming around anymore. It's not your fault, love. She and I decided we're better as friends."
Remus shot him a questioning look. "Cub, why don't you go get something to play with and bring it down here."
"Okay." Darcy threw her arms around Sirius' neck and he smiled as he returned the embrace. She hurried up the stairs once he let her go.
"What happened?", Remus asked. "You really seemed to like her."
"I did", Sirius sighed. "But she seemed convinced that once we got more serious I would leave Darcy with you. Then she proceeded to admit that she doesn't like kids, so we'd never see her again."
Remus tried to keep a smile off his face, with little success.
"What?", Sirius demanded.
"Nothing. I'm still not used to seeing this side of you."
"Which side is that?"
"The one where you choose a little girl over a date."
"Oh, like you wouldn't?"
"Of course, but I wasn't the most notorious ladies man in our year."
Sirius rolled his eyes. "Whatever, Moony."
Darcy came back down the stairs with a few stuffed animals in her arms. Sirius picked her up and carried her into the sitting room.
Remus watched them go and shook his head. He glanced up at the sky.
If you were only here to see this, Prongs.