A/N: A short chapter, but I think I make up for it with content. ;) Oh and also, in case you didn't notice, I went through and named all my chapters. No particular reason really, except it makes it a lot easier for me to find particular parts of the story to refer back to. This chapter picks up from Remus's POV a little bit before the end of the last chapter.

Remus returned home at 5.40pm, pushing Teddy's stroller and feeling marginally better after having gone out in the fresh air. He put Teddy to bed and then headed back downstairs, wondering when he should go and find Tonks. She won't be home from work this early.

He couldn't quite help the bitter afterthought: if it's work at all.

Come to think of it, he actually didn't know where she had gone to stay. Her parents seemed to be the best bet; Andromeda had not contacted him since the night Tonks had returned home early. He should probably Fire-call first - and send a message to Harry to ask if he could watch Teddy for the night.

His mind busy with arrangements, he stopped short as he took the last step of the stairs and stared. Sirius was coming out of his living room, a wand in his hand, peering around frantically. Remus's heart leapt and he cursed himself. Pull it together, Lupin, damn it.

The moment the Animagus caught sight of him, he launched into a stream of words that simply flew right over Remus's head.

"Sirius," he managed to croak over Sirius's ranting, when he found his voice, "what the hell are you doing here? Who let you in?"

Sirius was pointing at the clock on the wall and words were coming out of his mouth frantically but Remus couldn't understand what he was saying. Finally, Sirius took a deep breath, looking like he was attempting some sort of yoga exercise by keeping himself calm with sheer will, and said clearly, succinctly, "Did you take your Wolfsbane potion?"

The implications of Sirius's words and his presence in his house hit Remus with the force of a full body bind. He stared in horror as images played out in his mind: the full moon calendar he had completely forgotten about hanging in his bedroom, his violent rash of anger this afternoon, broken bottles on the bathroom floor, and the final thought that constricted his chest: Teddy.

He swallowed, not knowing how on earth to begin telling Sirius any of the conclusions he had just realized, but Sirius appeared to understand. The Animagus gestured wordlessly to the stairs leading to the basement. "Get in there first. I'll get the potion – where is it?"

Remus's limbs seemed to have stopped working altogether; it seemed to be another man speaking. "It broke. I—this morning. Accidentally. It was in the bathroom."

There was a pause as Sirius digested this.

Remus took a deep breath. "What time?" He said, heart pounding. Maybe I can—

"Five minutes," Sirius said harshly. "There's no time. Just get in the basement, I'll seal all the exits and add some magical protection to Teddy's room for good measure, all right?"

Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. "Are you—what about—"

"Remus." Sirius gripped his shoulders hard, nails digging in, pinning him with an intense stare. "It's going to be alright. Just go to the basement and get ready. I'll be down in two minutes."

Remus started shaking his head. "No, stay with Teddy—"

"You need me."

Sirius said it matter-of-factly, like it was something Remus should have already known, that it was something long understood. Remus opened his mouth to protest, but closed it again.

He's right.

He did need Sirius. If his wolf side got too out of control, magical barriers were nothing for a dark creature's powers. He needed Padfoot to keep him calm.

He nodded wordlessly to Sirius, turning and quickly heading to the basement without waiting to see Sirius's expression. Confusion and a rising sense of panic was clouding every thought but he fought it, trying to maintain rational, knowing that the more torn up he was inside before he transformed then the worse off he would be afterwards. He didn't know how Sirius knew to be here, but the thought that he was here with him somehow soothed him: Remus trusted him. He entered the basement, mechanically stripping his shirt and locking the basement window. It was one of the emptiest rooms in the house, expressly only used by Remus for his transformations, although they had always been under the Wolfsbane influence. There was a tattered armchair in one corner and small single bed next to it. He sat down on the bed and waited.

Sirius came into the room a few moments later. The Animagus paused for a moment in the doorway, and Remus saw his lean body silhouetted against the light, the tension in his jaw, the way his hand gripped the wand tight enough to break it. Neither man said a word as Sirius closed the door behind him, locked it, and muttered string of protection charms. Remus could feel the magic in the air.

He felt the familiar prickling sensation that warned him his transformation was about to start. He opened his mouth in warning, but Sirius had already transformed himself into Padfoot, and Remus was again reminded of the Animagus's ability to know his own thoughts before he did. The shaggy black dog wagged its tail in a show of support and sauntered a little closer.

Remus could feel his bones shifting, enlarging, cracking. Before the pain completely took over, his final thought was how unfair it was that Sirius's dog form still had the same mesmeric puppy dog eyes as it did twenty years ago.

###

It was one of Remus's most brutal transformations that Sirius had witnessed. Possibly second to the first transformation Remus had gone through after Sirius's betrayal in their fifth year at Hogwarts—Sirius had been expressly forbidden to go to that transformation, but James had reported back afterwards, and every detail had seemed like a sword stab. Now in the musky basement of the Lupins' home, even in his dog form he could almost feel the pain that was radiating off the man in waves, watching as the hair on his skin sprouted and lengthened, the structure of his face morphed into the wolf's, his body broadening. Briefly, Padfoot's mind registered the familiar smells and process of the ritual, the word Moony floating in and out of consciousness.

And then there was no more time for thinking as the transformation was complete; the werewolf whirled around in a low crouch, a low growl emitting from its throat. It surveyed the black dog standing a few feet away, then turned towards the door.

Padfoot threw all his energy into keeping the werewolf at bay. Again and again the werewolf headed for the door, the window, clearly able to scent the humans outside, and again and again Padfoot blocked the attempts. The werewolf was livid, yellow eyes flashing, saliva dribbling from its jaws – it had been too long since it had been able to completely take over its human side, and it reveled in its newfound freedom.

###

At Grimmauld Place, Harry could not stop pacing. Time was moving at an agonizingly slow pace. Sitting on the couch, Hermione had one of Ron's hand in a death grip and was rapidly chewing the nails off the other.

There were brief flashes of conversation that broke through the tense silence, flung back and forth at rapid speed.

"Why hasn't he sent a message?"

"Harry, please, just calm down—"

"I gave him a wand and he knows magic! Why hasn't he let us know everything's fine?"

"Maybe something's happened, and he didn't have time."

"You think Remus has transformed without the Wolfsbane?"

"Well…"

"It's been an hour."

"Yes."

Hermione exchanged helpless looks with Ron. Harry sat down on the edge of the couch, then promptly stood up and started pacing again.

###

Moony aimed, once again, for the basement door, and once again Padfoot leapt in front, rising on his hind legs, placing both paws on the werewolf's shoulders. The werewolf let out a howl of anger and turned on the dog, the animal that would not stop pestering him, and wolf and dog rolled on the dusty basement ground, vying for dominance. The basement echoed with the sounds of snapping jaws and growling snarls.

###

"I'm going over there."

"You can't, Harry."

"Maybe Sirius needs help."

"You can't—Harry, get back here, it's too dangerous!"

"You wouldn't be able to help him anyway, mate. If Remus has transformed without the Wolfsbane he'd bite you if he got the chance."

"What if—"

"Don't even go there, Harry. Come and sit down, all right? We'll hear from Sirius soon."

Harry slumped away from the doorway reluctantly. He sat down on the couch next to Hermione and managed to stayed quiet for about ten minutes.

"Why hasn't he sent a message?"

Hermione gave Harry's hand a comforting squeeze, and the three sat in silence, the sound of the grandfather clock in the hallway ticking hauntingly loudly in the background.

###

Then the werewolf started hurting itself. Unable to leave the confines of the basement, he ran its claws down its chest and up its arms, howling in despair. Padfoot tried his best to keep Moony from doing too much harm, yet was flung off easily every time he tried to get close. But the dog never wavered, coming back time after time, until there were just as many scratches on him as there was on the werewolf's own body.

And then, finally, finally—a ray of sunlight broke over the horizon.

###

Ron had fallen asleep on the couch, his head resting on Hermione's shoulder, and Harry had almost memorized the intricate pattern on the carpet when the silvery dog appeared, padding towards them out of thin air. Harry shot up immediately while Hermione gave Ron a sharp nudge.

Sirius's voice sounded exhausted. "Remus transformed without the Wolfsbane. Everything's fine now. Teddy's unharmed. I've got a few scratches but otherwise I'm OK. Worried about Remus, though. If you could bring over some food that would be good."

The dog vanished.

Harry collapsed back onto the couch. Hermione let out a shrill laugh.

"Right," Harry said, relief punctuating every word, "I'm going to order some pizza and bring it over. You two coming?"

Hermione shook her head with a smile. "I don't think Remus will be up to seeing so many people at the moment. We'll drop in later today though. Right now I think I'm going to try and get some sleep before work."

"Yeah, I've got Quidditch training in—" Ron checked his watch and blanched. "—One hour. Bloody hell."

The three of them stared at each other for a moment, before Harry grinned. "They're OK," he said, letting out a long breath.

His best friends left; Hermione giving him a quick hug and Ron clapping him on the shoulder with a beaming smile, leaving Harry alone in the living room of Grimmauld Place with the sense that his life could resume once again.

###

The first thing Remus saw when he opened his eyes was sunlight streaming in through the window. He was lying on the bed in the basement with a sheet pulled up to his waist. He heard the sound of water splashing next to him and he turned to see Sirius dipping a towel in a pan of water, squeezing out the excess, then dabbing it onto an unseen area of his chest. He flinched as sharp pain fully woke his senses and reminded him with horrifying clarity where he was and what had happened.

Sirius glanced up. "Oh hey, you're awake. How do you fee—"

"Where's Teddy?" Remus sat up and grabbed Sirius's arm in a death grip, ignoring the immediate protest his body made and the stinging pangs of pain. "Is he—did I—" Terror gripped at him and the words died on his tongue.

Sirius winced, loosening Remus's fingers. "Teddy is fine, Remus, I just checked on him fifteen minutes ago. You didn't leave this room last night, alright? Teddy slept like a baby." He paused, one side of his mouth twitching. "Get it? He's a baby, and he slept like a baby…" He grinned sheepishly at Remus's look of disbelief.

"You mean I didn't…?"

Sirius pressed a hand on top of his and spoke gently. "No, Remus."

The sensation of wonderful relief that flooded through him made Remus feel giddy, and he felt his entire body relax. He looked down to see that Sirius's hand was still on his and he flushed, pulling his own hand away quickly. Another stinging reminder made him glance at his chest and he winced. New scars crisscrossed over the old ones that had long faded, fresh lines running all over his chest like a checkerboard, and he looked away.

He looked back when he felt the warm towel back on his body; Sirius was concentrating on his task, carefully cleaning another angry looking wound.

Emotions welled up in his throat and Remus had to clear his throat before he could speak. "You can just use magic, you know."

Sirius reached behind him and brought forward a long roll of bandages. "Yeah, but it's more romantic this way, Moony." He winked, and Remus felt a jolt in his chest that had nothing to do with the pain.

Sirius began winding a strip of bandage around his chest. "So how are you feeling?"

Remus lifted a shoulder in a half shrug. "No worse than the transformations I used to get at Hogwarts, I suppose." In all honesty he was surprised, he had thought this transformation would have left him in a state that was a lot worse.

It's because Sirius was there.

Remus swallowed again. "Sirius—Padfoot—I just wanted to say…" He exhaled. "Thank you. A lot. Without you, I don't know what would have—"

"Oh, can it, Moony," Sirius focused on his task. His voice seemed light, but Remus could hear the underlying discomfort. "What are Marauders for?"

Remus didn't say anything, watching Sirius as he continued to unroll long yards of white bandage. He knew the question that would be coming.

It was a while before Sirius finally voiced it. "Did something bad happen recently, Remus? If you've forgotten to take your Wolfsbane, usually it means you're not yourself…"

Remus focused on the wall behind Sirius's head. He made sure that his voice was even when he answered, "Dora and I broke up."

Sirius's face whipped up to stare at him. "You… really?"

Remus nodded slowly, avoiding his eyes.

The Animagus was still staring, the rest of the bandages lying forgotten on the bed. "When Harry said… whoa. That is—I mean, I wasn't expecting that."

There was a long pause. Remus couldn't quite bring himself to meet Sirius's gaze, choosing instead to fix his attention on a hole in the bed sheet. He waited for Sirius to ask him the reason.

But that wasn't what Sirius asked. Instead, Remus felt the bed creak under Sirius's weight as he sat down on the bed next to him, heard him whisper so close that he could feel his breath on his skin, "Remus, look at me."

When Remus met the familiar eyes, open and accepting in a way that it never was with anyone else, he heard warning bells in his head even as he found himself leaning forward, until their noses were almost touching.

The question, when it came, was tinged with longing and thick with want. "Is this what you want, Remus?"

There could have been a number of things Sirius was referring to—he could have been asking if his breakup with Tonks was what he wanted, if this was the life that he had wanted, if this—this moment with Sirius was what he wanted. But Remus knew that Sirius's question encompassed all over those. He knew it the same way that he knew Sirius wasn't lying when he said Teddy was OK, he knew it the way that he knew he would probably have to rewrap all the bandages on his body again because Sirius, no matter what he claimed, really couldn't do it properly. He knew it because he knew while Sirius was explicitly referring to the last option, answering it would answer the other two questions as well.

And Remus couldn't help thinking that it was a stupid question, because of course it was what he wanted. He knew it was because he had never quite stopped wanting it—he had buried the feelings when Sirius had died, when he had gotten married, and ignored it when he met Sirius again after he had returned from the Veil. But they had always been there, underneath everything else.

There were so many other factors to take into account. But somehow at that moment, Remus couldn't think of any of them. So, with all of his infinite knowledge, Remus gave a hesitant nod.

That was all Sirius needed. The Animagus leaned forward the last few centimeters and lightly brushed their lips together.

At that moment there was a loud knocking on the basement door and Harry's voice rang through, loud and impatient: "Hey! Sirius, Remus, you in there? I brought food!"

Remus heard Sirius mutter a string of expletives under his breath. He leaned back and made to go to the door, but paused, searching Remus's face.

"We can talk about this later, all right, Moony?"

All Remus could do was nod, because Harry was still knocking impatiently and it didn't seem like his mind could have strung together anything coherent at that moment anyway.

Sirius gave him one last look, then went to let Harry in.

Honestly, I went back and forth for ages wondering whether or not I should have included the kiss and whether or not it was out of character. I justified it to myself by thinking that Remus would be highly emotional and unstable after his transformation and more likely to give in to his feelings. What this tells me is that 1) I need a life and 2) I don't care about (1) because I was smiling all the way through writing the end of this chapter! And yes, Harry did have to ruin it.

Please review! :)