June 1980

The next morning, Freya's mouth felt like cotton from the alcohol the previous night, and her muscles were sore in the most delightful of ways. She grinned as she snuggled down under the soft, warm blankets, hearing the sound of a shower turning off. A few minutes later, she was almost asleep again when she felt lips softly pressed against her forehead. "Morning, love," Sirius whispered in her ear.

Freya groaned. "No morning, just sleep," she whined as Sirius opened the curtains, letting sunlight flood the room.

Sirius chuckled. "You need to get used to getting up early again," he said. "Only six months till you go back to work. Besides, I'm pretty sure Annabelle will be hungry by now, and only you can take care of that."

Sighing, Freya slowly sat up in bed, shivering when the blankets fell away from her bare chest. Sirius whistled at her, so she picked up his pillow and chucked it at him. It hit him with a soft thud, making him roll his eyes as he picked a shirt from his closet and pulled it over his head. Out of habit, Freya looked down at her skin, inspecting it for bruises and potentially open wounds that could potentially be healed with magic, finding nothing. Disbelieving, Freya mused, "Incredible. Not a single mark."

Sirius frowned, pausing as he pulled on his dragon hide boots. "What are you…" He trailed off as realization hit him. Turning to Freya from where he sat at the foot of the bed, he took her hand in his and squeezed it. "Freya, I'm not him," he reminded her gently. "I promised you I'll never hurt you, and I'm going to keep that promise. Sex shouldn't be something you walk away from injured or in pain. That was never something that happened with me, remember?"

Freya took a deep breath, then nodded. "Yeah, I remember," she mumbled. "You were always rather… gentle."

Grinning wryly, Sirius teased, "Yeah, but you've gotten a lot rougher since we were last together."

He lifted his shirt and pulled the waist of his pants and boxers down, exposing a deep purple bruise spreading across his hip. Freya gasped, reaching and ghosting her fingers over the injury. "How did I do that?" Freya asked. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to…"

Sirius laughed her off. "I think we hit my hip against a wall too hard or something. I honestly can't remember how it happened, but it doesn't matter. It's fine; it's just a bruise. It'll heal, and it was incredibly worth it to get to be with you again." Freya blushed as Sirius grinned in triumph. He leaned in and brushed a quick kiss on her lips. "I have to go to work. Remus will come back later today in case you want some company or want to go out or whatever. Please, don't go anywhere by yourself, ok? I want you to be safe." Freya nodded, and Sirius left the room. She heard the fireplace light up from the Floo powder, and then he was gone.

Getting out of bed and dressed, Freya fed Annabelle before changing her diaper and laying her back down to take a nap. Freya walked into the living room, grabbed up a handful of Floo powder, and threw it into the fireplace, calling, "Narcissa Malfoy."

After a few moments, her cousin-in-law appeared in the fireplace. Narcissa, who looked ready to go into labor at any moment, huffed as she stepped out of the fireplace. "What do you want, Freya?"

Freya raised an eyebrow at Narcissa's appearance, having been unaware that Narcissa was pregnant until then. "I see congratulations are in order," Freya said casually.

"I heard the same of you," Narcissa sneered. "And I hear that you got Regulus killed."

Freya took a deep breath to steady herself before she replied. "I'm not so sure about that." Narcissa raised an eyebrow. "Have you heard from him?"

"How could I have heard from him?" Narcissa laughed coldly. "My blood traitor cousin killed him."

Freya hesitated. "If Regulus was alive, what do you think the Dark Lord would do?"

Narcissa frowned. "You going back to your family, I can understand," she said slowly. "It's foolish; you should've come to the Manor, and Lucius and I could have…" She paused, took a breath, then continued, "But that's irrelevant now. I can't imagine why Regulus would run away from the Dark Lord, but I do know that if he found out that Regulus was alive, he'd come after you and your daughter to try to find him, and he'd kill all three of you. Why?"

Freya shook her head. "I could swear I saw him last night," Freya said softly. "But I was drinking, so I could've easily imagined it."

Narcissa's eyes grew wide. "Why would you tell me this?" she snapped, startling Freya. "If it's true, if he's alive, then Regulus doesn't want anyone to know, including you. If the Dark Lord learns that Regulus has abandoned him…"

"How would he learn that, Narcissa?" Freya said angrily. "Would you betray your cousin to the Dark Lord?"

"I will do whatever it takes to protect my family," Narcissa hissed. "My son and my husband come first, above all others, including the Dark Lord."

"Same goes," Freya said heatedly. "If my husband is out there, who else can I turn to in order to keep him safe if not his favorite cousin?"

Narcissa scoffed. "Well, you're clearly on more than good terms with his brother, perhaps you should have asked for his help instead. I can offer you nothing."

Freya said, "Sirius doesn't believe it's possible. Who can blame him? Sirius is sure he killed his brother; how could he be alive after that?"

"What makes you think that he is? Like you said, you could've imagined it," Narcissa replied, circling slowly around Freya, setting the younger girl on edge.

Standing her ground, Freya replied, "Sirius said something the other day that I might have brushed off as nothing, but combined with seeing Regulus last night… It can't be a coincidence."

"And what might that be?" At that moment, Annabelle started crying in her nursery. Freya sighed, walking off to get her baby with Narcissa close on her heels. She picked Annabelle up from her crib, then froze at what she saw in the crib. Narcissa rolled her eyes at Freya's shocked expression. "What?"

Freya shook her head. "That was not there when I put her down. She doesn't own a lion." The stuffed lion in the crib had a black mane, and it shook both girls to the core. "How —"

Narcissa said slowly, "He must have been here while we were in there. Why would he…"

"He's dropping me hints," Freya mumbled. "He has to be."

"What did Sirius say that made you suspicious?" Narcissa asked.

"I went back to where Regulus's body should have been," Freya said. "Regulus was gone, but Sirius was the only one who could've done anything with the body. Thing is, he doesn't remember what happened after he killed Regulus. He said it's fuzzy, that he can feel the memories there but can't quite reach them. The whole night between killing Regulus and telling me that he did is blank. I suspect Memory Charms."

Furrowing her brow, Narcissa said, "Are you saying that you think Regulus used Memory Charms on Sirius in order to fake his own death and run away? Why?"

Freya shook her head. "I don't know why, but doesn't that make the most sense?"

Narcissa shrugged. "A lion could just as easily represent Gryffindor. How do we know one of your Gryffindor friends didn't leave it, and you just didn't notice until now?"

Freya sighed. "I guess we don't, but the mane…"

"Is suspicious, sure," Narcissa said coldly. "But it could just as easily be someone alive and well messing with your head." Freya nodded, and Narcissa sighed. "I want to believe it, too," she said, softening a bit. "But we have to accept his death and move on. Even if it's not true, that's what he wants. Be with Sirius; as much as I can't stand him, he cares about you. Let him help you move on." Nodding again, Freya heard Narcissa start to leave. "Oh, and by the way." Freya glanced over her shoulder at the blonde woman. "Aunt Walburga is out for blood — your blood. She's furious you're keeping your daughter from her and not living with her. She's coming after you. She might not move quickly, but don't let that lull you into a false sense of security. If I can get here, so can she. Protect your daughter."

"Thank you," Freya said softly. Narcissa nodded, then walked away, leaving the flat the same way she came.

Pain radiated through her skull as Regulus slammed Freya against the wall of the flat's hallway, making her hit her head. He cut off her cry of pain by capturing her lips with his. When he pulled back, she slapped him as hard as she could, his head snapping to the side. He stared at her, shocked. "How dare you?" Freya hissed. "Faking your death? Again? Don't you think that tactic might getting just the least bit worn out by now?"

Rolling his eyes, Regulus sneered, "It's working better this time than last time. At least, it would be if you'd shut the hell up about seeing me. Narcissa, really?"

"I thought you were in danger. Who would you prefer I tell?" Freya snapped.

"No one!" Regulus shouted. "You don't tell anyone I'm alive, Freya. You stick with the bloody story."

"Well, maybe if you'd bothered to tell me you were going to leave me, fake your death by using Memory Charms on your brother, and then constantly haunt me like a bloody ghost, maybe I would be able to do that!" Freya yelled back, pushing against Regulus's muscular chest and making him stumble back a step.

"It's not as though I had the chance to!" Regulus huffed. "You bloody ran off and disappeared! Then you turned up in St. Mungos and my brother turns up in my safe house? I did what I had to. I did what was needed to protect you and Annabelle."

"No!" Freya raged. "No, you didn't. You could have, but you didn't. You did what you need to protect yourself!"

Regulus punched the wall, leaving a dent. "Damn it, why don't you understand what's going on here, Freya? Are you Gryffindors really that bloody thick? I had to go to keep the horcrux hidden from Voldemort."

"So you did take it," Freya accused.

"Yes, of course, I took it," Regulus laughed coldly. "I finally figured out that the bloody awful thing was making us both crazy, me more so than you. That's why our relationship was such a bloody mess in Ireland. I destroy this thing, and we can go back to what we were before we got married and other people started affecting our relationship." Regulus paused, reaching up and cupping Freya's cheek gently in his hand. "Me and you against the world, remember, Vixen?" he said softly, then leaned down and kissed her lips hard.

Freya melted against him as Regulus gripped her hips hard enough to leave bruises. Her whole body was on fire, heat coursing through her veins like poison, leaving a haze in her brain. She was a drug addict, and he was her drug. He trailed kisses down her neck, pushing her shirt off her shoulder as he worked his way down, and Freya tangled her fingers in his neatly combed black hair, pulling him closer as she remembered that there was a reason she never left him, no matter how cruel he could be. She could never possibly live without him. "I love you, Regulus," she whispered in his ear before lightly nipping his earlobe.

She felt Regulus smirk against her collarbone. "I love you too, Freya," he replied as he pulled away from her. "That's why I had to leave you with him."

Freya frowned. "You knew that Sirius would…"

"Of course, I knew," Regulus said, chuckling. "I know my brother better than anyone else. He's always been in love with you. I knew that if I were dead, even if he was the one to kill me, he'd take you and Annabelle into his home. He'll love you and protect you in ways I can't right now, but you need it. So I'll let him have you… for now."

Freya shook her head. "Wait, so you want me to…"

"I don't care what you do with him anymore," Regulus said, frowning. "I don't like it, but do whatever you feel like you need to do, including sleep with him. It's not like you haven't already, anyway." Freya opened her mouth to say something, but he waved her off. "If I'd wanted to stop it, I'd have let you know for sure I was alive," he sighed. "As far as you knew, I was dead. I don't blame you for it."

"Why are you here, Regulus?" Freya snapped. "Why are you doing this? To make me feel guilty for living with him, for sleeping with him, for not sticking with your family, what?"

Regulus snorted. "Thank Merlin you didn't stay with my family. I don't want my mother anywhere near Annabelle."

Freya quipped, "Can I get that in writing in case your mother decides to try to come after me legally?"

Regulus laughed. "It's in my will, which is in my bedroom back at our cottage in Ireland, actually," he said softly as he smoothed Freya's auburn hair. "I'm here to tell you that Voldemort's not done. The locket isn't his only horcrux." Freya froze, fear filling her eyes. "I don't know what they all are yet, or where they are, but it's why I faked my death. I have to stay underground, unharassed, until I've managed to find them all. The worst part is that he's still creating more, so there's no telling how many more there'll be, but I'm going to find out. I'll track them all down and destroy them. Then we can defeat him, and I can come home, and we can be together again. Annabelle, you, and I can be a family again. And when that happens, I promise that we'll settle down near your family, and we can all be friends again, and you'll finally get the life with me you've always wanted, ok?" Freya nodded, still biting her lip nervously at the idea of multiple horcruxes hidden away, keeping Voldemort alive. "Remember this always, Freya. I love you; I'll always love you. And I'll do what I can to keep you and Annabelle safe." Suddenly, Regulus whipped out his wand, pointing it at Freya. "Remember that I love you. Obliviate."

Freya jolted awake at the feeling of hands on her shoulders. Eyes wide, she nearly screamed until Remus's face came into focus. She relaxed as she recognized him. "Are you ok?" Remus repeated, though it was the first time Freya had understood what he said.

Freya frowned. "Yeah, of course I am. Why wouldn't I be ok?"

Face serious, Remus replied, "Freya, your head is bleeding. See?" Reaching around to the back of her head, he gingerly touched her, and she winced as pain throbbed through her head. Pulling his hand back into her view, she saw that his fingers were soaked in blood. "What happened to you?"

Freya shook her head, trying to remember, but all she got was fuzzy images of Regulus in Sirius's flat, startling her, yelling at her, kissing her, and then… nothing. "I don't know," Freya said softly. "Would you please…?"

She gestured to her head, and Remus hesitated. "You want me to heal it? I don't know, Freya."

"I've seen you heal yourself enough times after a full moon. I'm pretty sure you can do it," Freya teased.

Remus sighed, then moved to sit behind her so that he could work on her scalp. "It's not as easy with all this hair in the way, you know," he whined.

"Says the man with a very furry little problem," Freya shot back with a laugh. "Just hurry. I don't want Sirius to see it and think something's wrong."

"But something is wrong, Freya," Remus said. "You're all beat up, and you can't remember why."

"Obviously I hit my head on something and somehow forgot," Freya said, doing her best to be nonchalant. "Please, don't make a big deal out of it."

Remus snorted. "I don't believe that at all, but ok," he sniped. After another moment of thought, his hands stilled on her head, only halfway done healing her. "Where's Annabelle?"

Terror gripped Freya's heart, tightening her lungs until she thought she couldn't breathe. She bolted up from her seat and took two steps before getting lightheaded and woozy from blood loss. Remus caught her before she fell, moved her back to the couch, forcing her to lay down, then rushed down the hall to the nursery. A moment later, Freya heard Annabelle's cries of annoyance at being disturbed, and Remus reappeared, holding Annabelle tightly to his shoulder. Freya breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank Merlin."

"Sirius is going to go ballistic when he finds out someone hurt you," Remus said, gently rocking Annabelle in an attempt to soothe her tears. "And I can't blame him. Just be honest with him about what happened."

Freya sighed, "Moony, I'm being honest. I can't remember what happened. I think I dreamed that it was Regulus, but obviously, that couldn't be true, so I don't have a clue what happened." Remus watched her suspiciously for a minute, before nodding in acceptance.