Disclaimer: See the first 4 chapters.
Thank you for your reviews! And thank you, Laura for being my Beta-Reader!
To flamers: I don't take kindly to flames so back off, if you know what's good for you.
Note: THIS IS NOT THE LAST CHAPTER
Chapter 16: Rise Like a Phoenix From the Ashes
"Remus? Remus..." a gentle voice called.
Remus opened his eyes slowly.
"Oh Merlin, he has finally awakened!" an energetic voice cried.
But then he covered his eyes quickly with his hand due to the bright light that was shining at them. "My eyes!"
"Sirius, you idiot! The window!" a familiar voice yelled.
"Snape? What is he doing here...." Remus thought.
"Okay, Lupin, you can open your eyes now," another voice said.
Remus opened his eyes again, carefully.
"Moony, are you okay?" Sirius asked anxiously.
Instead of answering, Moony looked around the place without getting up. He was in a room where the curtains were drawn tightly together. Madam Hooch, Snape, Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, Madam Pomfrey, Hagrid, Professor Sprout and Sirius were standing around his bed, looking at him.
"Where am I? What happened?" he asked with a voice that sounded like he had not spoken for days.
"This is St Mungo's. You fainted. The Healer said that you have had too little nourishment," his best friend explained.
"Where's Alex? Has she awoken yet?" Remus asked.
"Err....no." Sirius said quietly.
Remus was silent for a while before he threw off his blankets.
"Lupin, what the hell are you doing?" Snape demanded.
"I want to see Alex," he said determinedly.
"You can't, you need to rest!" Professor McGonagall said in shock.
"I have rested enough!" Remus snapped as he got down from the bed.
"But..." Poppy started, but she didn't get to finish her sentence as she stared at Remus rushing out of the ward.
"Moony, Moony, hey! Wait up!" Padfoot yelled and he ran after his pal.
Silence.
"Isn't the power of love great?" Hooch asked finally.
Nobody answered.
***
Remus grabbed the doorframes of Alexandra's ward for support when he arrived. Ignoring his legs, which felt as if they would break any minute, he swallowed, let go and walked slowly towards his fiancée's bed. Sirius came from behind and stopped at the door as he watched Moony kneel down heavily beside the bed.
"Hey, wait a minute..." Apollo began when he arrived and Sirius responded by covering his mouth and dragging him away from the ward.
"Alex..." Remus said and held Alexandra's hand, "I was planning to say this on our wedding day, but I can't wait. I am going to say it now...." He paused for a while and then started. "I thought that we would never be together because of what I am. But you don't care. You even said that if you wanted to marry me, you would have to get used to my werewolf form. Although I couldn't speak when you said that, I still had my mind. In my mind, I vowed that I would love and cherish you forever. You are like....a part of me. You are in between life and death now and I feel that I am too.." Remus took a deep breath and sighed. He held Alexandra's hand tighter. "Now I must ask you to wake up soon, so I can fulfill my vow and love you." He ended and kissed Alexandra's lips. "This is what Prince Charming and Prince Philip did to their princesses. I hope this kiss works on you as well." He whispered and stood up, still grasping his beloved's hands.
"Mr. Lupin! You can't just barge into here like this!" Apollo shouted as he stormed into the room.
"Remus, I tried to stop him!" Sirius said frantically as he came back.
Remus responded by putting his finger to his lips.
Both Apollo and Sirius shut up.
"I have had enough time. Excuse me," he muttered and walked past his best friend and the Healer.
***
"Come on, Moony...." Sirius said the next evening.
"No way," Remus said firmly.
"Moony, you said before that you don't want Alexandra to be upset," Sirius pointed out.
He didn't respond.
"Please, Remus, I'm begging you. I can't bear to see you getting thinner and paler day and day. Come on, have a pizza," Sirius pleaded, continuing to hold a slice of pizza.
Remus stared at his friend for a while before he reached out slowly for it.
"That's it, very good.." Sirius said encouragingly.
Remus looked at the pizza and took a bite.
"Okay, I'm done." He said after he had swallowed his food.
"Eat the whole slice, Moony." Sirius said dryly.
"...."
"Moony!"
"All right, all right..." Remus unwillingly took another bite. "Alex likes my pizza," he said softly.
"Oops," Sirius said.
Remus gave the pizza back to his pal.
Sirius asked quickly, "Want anything else?"
Remus shook his head and lay down. He pulled the blankets to his chin. "I'm tired. I wish to be alone. Please."
"Ok, I will come back tomorrow," Sirius said as he got up.
"Don't bother, Padfoot, you need to get some sleep yourself. I know you didn't sleep because of me," Remus said without looking at him.
"Is it obvious?" Sirius asked.
"If you want to know, just look into the mirror," Remus said. "Get some rest tomorrow. I will be fine by myself."
"All right, goodbye," Sirius said unwillingly.
"Bye," his friend said and closed his eyes.
"You are an idiot, Padfoot, out of all the food in the world, you actually brought pizza," he scolded himself mentally as he left Remus's ward.
***
Remus found himself standing in the middle of a beautiful garden. Flowers such as roses, tulips, lilies, daisies, poppies, and narcissuses were growing all over the place. A swing was nearby, swinging slightly by itself as the wind blew.
He was looking at a statue of an angel when someone came behind him and put her arms around him, resting her head against his back.
"Hello, Remus," the person whispered.
Remus looked behind him and smiled. He caught hold of one of Alexandra's hands, lifted it up and kissed it. "Hi," he said, still holding on to his beloved's hand.
"What do you think of this place?" she asked.
"Like heaven," Remus said softly.
Alexandra sighed. "If only heaven was really like this...."
"Then we could live blissfully forever," Remus finished.
"Hey, you finished my sentence!" Alexandra said, pouting a little.
Remus grinned. "Are you objecting?"
Alexandra smiled. "No. What do you think of the angel?" she asked, changing the subject.
"Beautiful. She looks like you," Remus said thoughtfully.
"Really?" Alexandra said, looking over Remus's shoulder to see the angel. "So I am not your fiancée then, I am your angel."
"You are both," Remus said, letting go of Alexandra's hand so that she could come to the front and face him.
"You are my angel and fiancé too," Alexandra said sweetly before she kissed him. "I love you."
****
"Mr. Clayton! Behave yourself!" Apollo yelled outside the ward, waking Remus up from his dream.
Remus groaned and closed his eyes. It was just a dream. He silently grumbled at Apollo for disturbing him and turned his body, back facing the door.
He sighed sadly and went still for a while. He was staring into the darkness of his ward when he heard someone open the door. Remus didn't bother to look, thinking that it was probably just Sirius, Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, Hagrid, Madam Hooch, Professor Sprout, Madam Pomfrey or Apollo, coming to check his condition.
The person who came in didn't say anything. She just walked slowly near Remus's bed and sat down on his bed. She was quiet for a moment before she leaned forward and kissed Remus's cheek softly.
Remus's eyes widened. Only one person could kiss him like that...He turned his head and saw a pair of beautiful blue eyes looking back at him lovingly. The girl moved her body back and Remus could see her clearly.
Alexandra.
"Alex!" he said, trying to get up.
Alexandra helped him up and when he could sit up, Remus reached out timidly to touch his fiancée's pale cheek.
Her cheek felt warm and Alexandra raised her own hand to hold his and brought it down. "It's me, Remus. I'm all right now."
"Am I dreaming?" Remus whispered.
Alexandra smiled as she shook her head. "No, you are not. I have finally woken up. A Healer told me that you are here a few minutes along so I came."
Remus smiled happily. "Then the kiss works! It really works!" he said delightfully and removed his hand from Alexandra's to hug her.
"I love you." Alexandra whispered.
Remus sniffed as a tear of joy ran down his cheek. "I love you, too," he said as he released her.
***
Apollo finally got his patient to behave himself and go back to his ward. He passed by Remus's ward and saw through the door that Remus and Alexandra were kissing. Passionately.
Apollo raised his eyebrows and folded his arms, thinking of whether he should break them up, this was a hospital after all..
"Nah," he said to himself quietly and left the place.
For all of you who are waiting to see Remus and Alexandra's wedding, stay tuned for the next chapter!
Thank you for your reviews! And thank you, Laura for being my Beta-Reader!
To flamers: I don't take kindly to flames so back off, if you know what's good for you.
Note: THIS IS NOT THE LAST CHAPTER
Chapter 16: Rise Like a Phoenix From the Ashes
"Remus? Remus..." a gentle voice called.
Remus opened his eyes slowly.
"Oh Merlin, he has finally awakened!" an energetic voice cried.
But then he covered his eyes quickly with his hand due to the bright light that was shining at them. "My eyes!"
"Sirius, you idiot! The window!" a familiar voice yelled.
"Snape? What is he doing here...." Remus thought.
"Okay, Lupin, you can open your eyes now," another voice said.
Remus opened his eyes again, carefully.
"Moony, are you okay?" Sirius asked anxiously.
Instead of answering, Moony looked around the place without getting up. He was in a room where the curtains were drawn tightly together. Madam Hooch, Snape, Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, Madam Pomfrey, Hagrid, Professor Sprout and Sirius were standing around his bed, looking at him.
"Where am I? What happened?" he asked with a voice that sounded like he had not spoken for days.
"This is St Mungo's. You fainted. The Healer said that you have had too little nourishment," his best friend explained.
"Where's Alex? Has she awoken yet?" Remus asked.
"Err....no." Sirius said quietly.
Remus was silent for a while before he threw off his blankets.
"Lupin, what the hell are you doing?" Snape demanded.
"I want to see Alex," he said determinedly.
"You can't, you need to rest!" Professor McGonagall said in shock.
"I have rested enough!" Remus snapped as he got down from the bed.
"But..." Poppy started, but she didn't get to finish her sentence as she stared at Remus rushing out of the ward.
"Moony, Moony, hey! Wait up!" Padfoot yelled and he ran after his pal.
Silence.
"Isn't the power of love great?" Hooch asked finally.
Nobody answered.
***
Remus grabbed the doorframes of Alexandra's ward for support when he arrived. Ignoring his legs, which felt as if they would break any minute, he swallowed, let go and walked slowly towards his fiancée's bed. Sirius came from behind and stopped at the door as he watched Moony kneel down heavily beside the bed.
"Hey, wait a minute..." Apollo began when he arrived and Sirius responded by covering his mouth and dragging him away from the ward.
"Alex..." Remus said and held Alexandra's hand, "I was planning to say this on our wedding day, but I can't wait. I am going to say it now...." He paused for a while and then started. "I thought that we would never be together because of what I am. But you don't care. You even said that if you wanted to marry me, you would have to get used to my werewolf form. Although I couldn't speak when you said that, I still had my mind. In my mind, I vowed that I would love and cherish you forever. You are like....a part of me. You are in between life and death now and I feel that I am too.." Remus took a deep breath and sighed. He held Alexandra's hand tighter. "Now I must ask you to wake up soon, so I can fulfill my vow and love you." He ended and kissed Alexandra's lips. "This is what Prince Charming and Prince Philip did to their princesses. I hope this kiss works on you as well." He whispered and stood up, still grasping his beloved's hands.
"Mr. Lupin! You can't just barge into here like this!" Apollo shouted as he stormed into the room.
"Remus, I tried to stop him!" Sirius said frantically as he came back.
Remus responded by putting his finger to his lips.
Both Apollo and Sirius shut up.
"I have had enough time. Excuse me," he muttered and walked past his best friend and the Healer.
***
"Come on, Moony...." Sirius said the next evening.
"No way," Remus said firmly.
"Moony, you said before that you don't want Alexandra to be upset," Sirius pointed out.
He didn't respond.
"Please, Remus, I'm begging you. I can't bear to see you getting thinner and paler day and day. Come on, have a pizza," Sirius pleaded, continuing to hold a slice of pizza.
Remus stared at his friend for a while before he reached out slowly for it.
"That's it, very good.." Sirius said encouragingly.
Remus looked at the pizza and took a bite.
"Okay, I'm done." He said after he had swallowed his food.
"Eat the whole slice, Moony." Sirius said dryly.
"...."
"Moony!"
"All right, all right..." Remus unwillingly took another bite. "Alex likes my pizza," he said softly.
"Oops," Sirius said.
Remus gave the pizza back to his pal.
Sirius asked quickly, "Want anything else?"
Remus shook his head and lay down. He pulled the blankets to his chin. "I'm tired. I wish to be alone. Please."
"Ok, I will come back tomorrow," Sirius said as he got up.
"Don't bother, Padfoot, you need to get some sleep yourself. I know you didn't sleep because of me," Remus said without looking at him.
"Is it obvious?" Sirius asked.
"If you want to know, just look into the mirror," Remus said. "Get some rest tomorrow. I will be fine by myself."
"All right, goodbye," Sirius said unwillingly.
"Bye," his friend said and closed his eyes.
"You are an idiot, Padfoot, out of all the food in the world, you actually brought pizza," he scolded himself mentally as he left Remus's ward.
***
Remus found himself standing in the middle of a beautiful garden. Flowers such as roses, tulips, lilies, daisies, poppies, and narcissuses were growing all over the place. A swing was nearby, swinging slightly by itself as the wind blew.
He was looking at a statue of an angel when someone came behind him and put her arms around him, resting her head against his back.
"Hello, Remus," the person whispered.
Remus looked behind him and smiled. He caught hold of one of Alexandra's hands, lifted it up and kissed it. "Hi," he said, still holding on to his beloved's hand.
"What do you think of this place?" she asked.
"Like heaven," Remus said softly.
Alexandra sighed. "If only heaven was really like this...."
"Then we could live blissfully forever," Remus finished.
"Hey, you finished my sentence!" Alexandra said, pouting a little.
Remus grinned. "Are you objecting?"
Alexandra smiled. "No. What do you think of the angel?" she asked, changing the subject.
"Beautiful. She looks like you," Remus said thoughtfully.
"Really?" Alexandra said, looking over Remus's shoulder to see the angel. "So I am not your fiancée then, I am your angel."
"You are both," Remus said, letting go of Alexandra's hand so that she could come to the front and face him.
"You are my angel and fiancé too," Alexandra said sweetly before she kissed him. "I love you."
****
"Mr. Clayton! Behave yourself!" Apollo yelled outside the ward, waking Remus up from his dream.
Remus groaned and closed his eyes. It was just a dream. He silently grumbled at Apollo for disturbing him and turned his body, back facing the door.
He sighed sadly and went still for a while. He was staring into the darkness of his ward when he heard someone open the door. Remus didn't bother to look, thinking that it was probably just Sirius, Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, Hagrid, Madam Hooch, Professor Sprout, Madam Pomfrey or Apollo, coming to check his condition.
The person who came in didn't say anything. She just walked slowly near Remus's bed and sat down on his bed. She was quiet for a moment before she leaned forward and kissed Remus's cheek softly.
Remus's eyes widened. Only one person could kiss him like that...He turned his head and saw a pair of beautiful blue eyes looking back at him lovingly. The girl moved her body back and Remus could see her clearly.
Alexandra.
"Alex!" he said, trying to get up.
Alexandra helped him up and when he could sit up, Remus reached out timidly to touch his fiancée's pale cheek.
Her cheek felt warm and Alexandra raised her own hand to hold his and brought it down. "It's me, Remus. I'm all right now."
"Am I dreaming?" Remus whispered.
Alexandra smiled as she shook her head. "No, you are not. I have finally woken up. A Healer told me that you are here a few minutes along so I came."
Remus smiled happily. "Then the kiss works! It really works!" he said delightfully and removed his hand from Alexandra's to hug her.
"I love you." Alexandra whispered.
Remus sniffed as a tear of joy ran down his cheek. "I love you, too," he said as he released her.
***
Apollo finally got his patient to behave himself and go back to his ward. He passed by Remus's ward and saw through the door that Remus and Alexandra were kissing. Passionately.
Apollo raised his eyebrows and folded his arms, thinking of whether he should break them up, this was a hospital after all..
"Nah," he said to himself quietly and left the place.
For all of you who are waiting to see Remus and Alexandra's wedding, stay tuned for the next chapter!