AN: This was written for round 12 of Quidditch League which was all a part of OTPs which was great for me because I've really been neglecting my otp lately. The ending is prompt not a great one and pretty abrupt but I was just lucky that I actually got this finished in time.

Prompts: A blessing in disguise, "We didn't have to fall in love, we could've climbed down slowly," – Upset Boulevard, Spector and Dialogue: "Keep looking at me like that, I dare you."

Word count: 1,408

"We didn't have to fall in love, we could've climbed down slowly," – Upset Boulevard, Spector

A Blessing in Disguise

She held up the little book with trepidation – all the memories felt heavy in her hand. Her nervousness and a bit of anger were mixing together and causing her to shake a like; so much that she felt like she may drop the book. She looked down at the photo album in her hand – filled with muggle and wizard pictures alike.

She sighed as she looked down at the book in her hand. The inside was filled with pictures of her and Remus, mostly of which were taken off guard by Sirius. She shook her head, she loved her cousin but sometimes he could be a bit annoying.

She gently tossed the album on the nearby table, only for it to fall and land open on the floor in front of her feet.

Well damn.

She knelled over to pick the book up and stopped herself. She held her hand over the page and couldn't help but smile at the picture it had landed on. It was from a few months ago on Remus' birthday. Tonks had made the mistake of trying to bake a cake – needless to say, it was a disaster waiting to happen.

Somehow she had gotten more care batter on every possible surface in the kitchen of 12 Grimmauld Place, including herself, than she need in the actual bowl.

What had possessed me to even try to bake in the first place?

Once Nymphadora Tonks set her mind to something, she was determined to get it done. She was just stubborn that way – it was a sometimes annoying Black Family trait she had inherited; the same trait that caused her to never take no for an answer.

Tonks stood in the middle of a very messy kitchen, her torso, legs, arms and hands covered in cake batter with a cheeky grin on her face. She stared at the two men who stood in front of her, both of whom were trying hard to hide their laughter.

"Why did I know that you would do this to my kitchen?" Sirius asked her, referring to the fact that she had managed to cover every surface with cake batter.

"What exactly happened in here?" Remus asked.

"A complete disaster," she heard Sirius mumble, but ignored him.

Tonks looked up at Remus and gave him a sideways smile. "Well, Sirius had let it slip that it was your birthday and I just wanted—"she stuttered, clearly at a loss for words. She gestured at the mess around them. "Well, I'm sure you can guess what I tried and failed to do."

"You know you didn't have to go to all this trouble," he told her.

"I just wanted to do something nice," she went on, not hearing his comment. "And now everything is ruined…Everything was supposed to be perfect and now it's not going to be." She started off on a long rant and started talking over herself.

"It's fine, Tonks," Remus told her. "Honestly, you didn't have to go through all this trouble for me. I'm just really touched that you did."

Tonks stood there staring at him. Eventually he drew her into a hug.

From the moment she meet Remus Lupin, she was intrigued. There was just something about him that drew her in; the way he usually kept to himself or near Sirius at the Order Meetings, how into a book he got whenever he read.

She became more intrigued when she found out he was a werewolf. He would always try and push her away after that – but she wouldn't have it.

She was a Black after all and they didn't take no for an answer.

No matter how many times she'd told him that it didn't make him any different, he wouldn't believe her and he wouldn't let her in.

She sat down on a nearby chair with the photo album and starting flipping through the pages.

Eventually though, he game around and three of them – Tonks, Remus and Sirius – had some of the greatest times in Grimmauld Place. Times that she wouldn't trade for anything.

"Keep looking at me like that, I dare you," Tonks said.

Sirius quickly looked away, hiding his laughter before turning back to Tonks. "Like what, Tonksie dear?"

Tonks narrowed her eyes. "Like that, Sirius. And. Don't. Call. Me. Tonksie dear," she told him, enunciating each word.

Sirius grinned, leaned back in the chair he was sitting in and placed his hands behind his head. "You know me and my nicknames for people."

"Annoying nicknames," Tonks muttered.

"Now, back to the topic at hand," Sirius said, pulling the conversation back on track.

"Don't you dare, Sirius."

Sirius let the chair drop back to the floor with a thud and placed his hands on the table. "Oh come on dear cousin. I think we both know that you love old mooney."

"What was that about old mooney?" Remus asked, walking in the kitchen.

Tonks choked on the water she was drinking, while she was sure her face was turning a bright red.

Sirius moved across the table and thumped her on the back. "Don't die on us now Tonks. Take your time drinking."

Tonks shot her cousin a glare that a normal person would have squirmed away from.

Tonks smiled at the memory, even though Sirius annoyed her to no ends most of the time, he was still her cousin and she loved him. For the most part. If there was one thing he was great for, it was embarrassing those he was close to.

Tonks continued to flip through the pages of the album. Some memoires making her smile while others made her frown.

Sometimes, Remus was just as stubborn as she was; especially when the topic of them came up.

Tonks was tired of hearing the same old excuses from Remus whenever she told him about her feelings for him. She was tired of him being too scared to be with her and too afraid to get out of his comfort zone.

She could still remember the argument they had just the other day about the status of their relationship.

They were standing in the middle of Grimmauld Place's living room after an Order meeting had disbanded, staring at each other. Tonks' hair was a bright red color which showed how annoyed and mad she was getting.

"Seriously Remus," Tonks said. "This shit again?"

Remus ran a hand through his hair and took a breath. "I'm too old, too poor and too dangerous for you, Nymphadora."

Tonks crossed her arms tightly around her chest and glared at him. "I'm a grown woman Remus; I can make my own decisions and deal with the consequences. I have my own money, I'm damn sure I don't need yours and I'm a fully trained Auror, I can take care of myself…And don't call my Nymphadora," she added, almost as an afterthought.

You deserve someone's who whole – not someone like me."

"But I don't want anyone else, Remus."

A knock at her door pulled from her thoughts and her memories. She slowly closed the book and set it down the side table.

She stood up and crossed the room to the front door. She quickly looked through the window and was shocked to see who it was. Taking a deep breath, she slowly pulled it open.

"What are you doing here this late at night, Remus?" Tonks asked.

"I came to apologize for—for basically everything," Remus told her. "I've realized that life's too short – I shouldn't live in the past, moping around. I shouldn't be pushing you away like I've been doing."

Tonks gently leaned against the door frame and loosely crossed her arms. She stared up at him.

"I was being an idiot and trying to hide my feelings because I didn't think I was good enough for you."

"Always thought you knew what was best, didn't you?"

"I thought I did anyways," Remus went on. "Even though now I know I obviously didn't know what was best."

"Which was?" Tonks prompted.

"I've realized that you're what's best for me, Tonks," Remus stated. "I haven't felt like this in such a long time. You bring out the best in me. Falling for you was a blessing in disguise."

"I know you're sincere, Remus, but that doesn't mean that I'm going to automatically forgive you at once," Tonks replied.

"I wouldn't expect it any other way," he gave a small sly smile.