Tonks was stepping out of the fireplace in her mother's home when she heard shouting.

"Nymphadora is still my wife and I'd rather throw myself into a well than give up on her! I don't care if you ever think well of me again or refuse to see our children because of me! My family is too bloody important to me to see it torn apart and you can sod right off if you think I'll be leaving them at your request!"

Remus's usually calm, mild-mannered demeanor had been replaced with something vicious. Andromeda looked frightened – wide eyes, a creased forehead, and she'd shrunk back from Remus. The image of her mother, backing up against a wall, and Remus, furious and threatening, twisted something in Tonks's stomach.

"Nym—Tonks." Remus set his glittering, golden eyes on her. Her jaw fell open at the almost predatory gleam in his eyes, but the moment he blinked, he quickly neutralized his expression.

"I'm going to get our children," he said curtly. "I'm taking them home and I'll have dinner ready for you. We can discuss this there. I'm not spending a moment longer here than I need to." Without another glance, he strode to the stairs and took them two at a time.

Andromeda clutched at her chest, speechless, and Tonks gaped at the spot where Remus had been standing, wondering what had happened.

"Err…mum? What just happened?"

Andromeda let her gaze drift in the direction of the stairs. She put her finger over her lips and then mouthed, "Later," pointing upwards to the creaking from Remus's movement upstairs.

"I feel like you should tell me now," Tonks urged. "I'm going home with Remus and the kids."

Andromeda gaped at her in return. There were loud footsteps on the stairs and Remus appeared with a drowsy Teddy on one of his shoulders, and a still-sleeping Hope on his other.

"I'm going home now," he announced, keeping his eyes steady on Tonks. "I'll have dinner ready shortly. I'm setting the usual places." There was a finality to his tone of voice, an unspoken demand in his words.

"Mum, can you give us a minute?"

Andromeda glared at her but stepped away from the parlor and into the kitchen.

"What happened?" Tonks asked Remus instantly, once her mother was out of earshot.

"Your mother was kind enough to suggest I leave you and never see you again," Remus snarled, with his jaw clenched and lips tight. "I told her off and I'm not apologizing for anything I said."

"Right…but you didn't notice how frightened she was of you?"

Remus's jaw softened. He darted his eyes at the kitchen and shook his head.

"I don't care. Your mother has no right to tell me not to see you. Now are you coming with us or not?"

Tonks chewed on her lower lip. Remus's face fell and his features hardened.

"I see," he said quietly. "With what we've been through…just a friend, after all."

"No! No, Remus, that's not—" Tonks groaned and dragged her fingers down her face. "I'm going home with you. Let me tell my mum to expect me after dinner. I need to talk to her about this."

"Fine. I'm going home now."

Remus tried to take a handful of Floo powder from the pot, but struggled with Teddy and Hope in his arms. Tonks grabbed some for him, tossed it in the fireplace, and watched him vanish with their children in the emerald flames.

"Mum?" Tonks called. "You heard all of that, didn't you?"

"That man is unstable," Andromeda said, pointing her wand at the fireplace to shut the connection off. "What are you doing with him?"

"First, 'that man' is my husband," Tonks replied, gritting her teeth. "I'm not going to explain my choice of husband with you. It's one thing to tell me to leave him but you've crossed a line, telling him to leave me!"

"You won't listen!" Andromeda shrieked. "He ought to do what he does best, leave you—"

Tonks felt her hair flare and wisps of red and gold came into her periphery. She shook with rage and hollered, "WHAT THE FUCK, MUM? WHAT'S GOTTEN INTO YOU?"

"Calm yourself, Nympha—"

"I WILL NOT CALM DOWN! I'M NOT THE ONE WHO'S DONE ANYTHING WRONG!"

"Nymphadora—"

"NO! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO TELL ME WHAT TO DO!"

Tonks stomped to the fireplace. Realizing the connection was closed, she took her wand out to reopen it. As soon as her wand was brandished, it flew out of her hands.

"You're going to get your heart broken again," Andromeda said coldly, holding Tonks's wand in her left hand. "You and your children don't deserve this. That man will never change and you're too naïve to see it."

"Just because you lost dad," Tonks hissed, seething with anger, "doesn't mean I have to be miserable and alone too."

Two wands clattered to the floor as a pained cry escaped Andromeda's lips. Tonks felt immediate remorse for what she'd said, but she needed to get home soon. She snatched her wand off the floor and dashed outside, trying not to burst into tears on her way out.

A suffocating moment later, she rushed through her home's enchantments and swung open the front door. Teddy was asleep on the sofa, while Hope was playing with wooden blocks on the floor.

"Mama!" Hope chirped, and Tonks did a double-take, realizing that her daughter had just said her first word.

"Did she just—" Remus gasped, popping his head out of the kitchen.

"Mama!" Hope clapped, wiggling her bum forward on the wooden floorboards.

"Oh, baby, I'm so proud of you." Tonks grabbed Hope off the floor and hugged her tightly. It took only a fraction of a second for Tonks to burst into guilty, shame-filled tears over what she'd said to her mother.

"What's wrong?" Remus asked, concerned. His hands twitched at his side. Tonks nodded at him and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her and Hope close.

Tonks stuttered and cried while telling Remus what had transpired between her and her mother. What wracked Tonks's conscience was not yelling at Andromeda, but abusing her father's memory to hurt her.

Remus listened patiently while entertaining Hope with conjured smoke rings. Teddy, so like his father, snored on the couch.

"You have to go back," Remus said softly, when Tonks finished speaking. "It's the right—"

"I know it's the right thing to do, but I feel so bloody terrible. You should've seen her face."

"Dinner can wait." Remus put his hand on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. "We can talk about – about what I said when you get back."

"I don't care about what you said. You were right…if mum told you not to be with me, that's not...that's not what she should've told you. She shouldn't have said anything."

"She asked what I'd think if it was Hope." Remus scooped up their daughter and planted a kiss on her cheek. "I don't want anyone to hurt her."

"She's going to get hurt," Tonks said bitterly. "Everyone gets hurt."

"I know." Remus stared longingly at Tonks, before turning to Hope. "I'm not happy with what she told me…but bringing up Hope made me think about it differently."

"So you agree with her, then? You should leave—"

"Of course not," Remus said harshly. "I don't know if you heard everything I said but I told her I'd rather die than walk away from our family. I know I've hurt all of you…" He looked over Hope's shoulder at Teddy, who babbled about hippogriffs in his sleep. Hope clapped again, reaching her hands out for Tonks.

"I'll take her—"

"Go to your mother. I'm angry at her, but I'm not heartless," Remus murmured. He offered her a half-smile and added, "Besides, didn't you say you didn't want to avoid hard conversations like this anymore?"

Tonks narrowed her eyes at him. The corners of his mouth twitched in amusement, and upon seeing that she had no other alternative, she reluctantly left the house to talk to her mother.

…

The house was quiet when Tonks returned. She opened the front door and spotted her mother. Andromeda's eyes were red and watery. Her nose was pink and her cheeks were blotchy from crying. In her hands was a familiar photo album with faded, cracked leather binding and a few precious photos within. It was Andromeda and Ted's wedding album, featuring less than ten pictures from the day they'd eloped.

It had always been one of Tonks's favorite albums.

"Mum?" Tonks said tentatively. "It's just me."

"Come in, Nymphadora."

Tonks shook off her boots and sat down across from her mother in the parlor. A pile of tissues sat next to Andromeda. A quick "Evanesco" vanished them, and Tonks conjured another fresh stack.

"I'm sorry about what I said…about dad. That was uncalled for."

Andromeda sniffled and blew her nose into a tissue. In a thick voice, she replied, "I'm not sorry about what I said to you or your husband."

"I know. Remus isn't sorry either."

"I always wanted you to find someone like him," Andromeda said, tracing her finger around Ted's smiling face. "Your father was wonderful to me."

"I know."

"No, Nymphadora, you don't." Andromeda blew into another tissue and wiped fresh tears away from her eyes. "Your father would've never done what Remus did, or has done to you."

"It's not like you can choose who you fall in love with." Tonks knew her tone was becoming more defensive – she berated herself, knowing she'd come to see her mother to apologize.

"You had ever opportunity to choose someone else – anyone else."

"I chose Remus," Tonks declared. "I choose Remus."

Andromeda shook her head sadly. "No parent wants to see their child suffer."

"I'm an adult."

"You'll always be my baby, Nymphadora," Andromeda said, summoning another familiar photo album – the one filled with Tonks's baby pictures. She opened it, quietly crying over pictures of an infant whose hair changed color, laughing and smiling with her father. "No matter how old you are, you'll always be this to me." Andromeda pointed to a picture of Tonks, aged two or so, in pink dungarees, matching pink hair, and a giant white bow on her head.

"The bow was originally pink…it came from one of your father's aunts, who didn't know you could change your hair color. I made the bow white for you," Andromeda ran her finger around Tonks's chubby, toddler face. "No matter how old you are, this is what you'll always be to me."

"I'm almost 30. I'm a grown woman." The words sounded more childish as they left Tonks's lips. Images of her son and daughter came to her mind; the idea of Teddy as a rebellious teenager, or Hope, as a cheeky twentysomething, seemed too far away for her to comprehend.

Tonks sighed into her hands.

"Mum, I'm sorry for what I said…about Dad, but…you can't stick your nose where it doesn't belong. I don't want my kids getting hurt either, but this conversation isn't about them."

"It's their father we're discussing, Nymphadora."

"No, it's not," Tonks countered, clenching her fists in her lap. "It's about what you can and can't say to my husband. How could you? You know how hurt he could've been. If it wasn't for how much progress he's made…he might've honestly left. That's what you wanted though, isn't it?"

Andromeda exhaled sharply. "I want what's best for you."

"You can't decide that for me. If I hadn't moved in here with you…fuck, mum, I could've fixed things with Remus ages before now."

"You and I both know that's not true. He's not a well man."

"He's working on himself," Tonks barked. "I told you – this isn't about him. This is about what you say to him."

"Now I'm to blame for your marital problems?" Andromeda said, her eyes glimmering with fury. "I'm to blame for you choosing to marry—"

"I never said that. Stop putting words in my mouth. My marital problems are just that – mine. We're working on it and you need to keep your nose out of our marriage, even if you think it's as valuable as hippogriff dung. I already told you I'm sorry for what I said about Dad, but that's all I'm apologizing for."

Andromeda put her hand over her forehead, shaking her head slowly. "What did your father and I do wrong?"

"Seriously, what is your problem?" Tonks roared, getting to her feet instantly. "I know you've always had some issue with Remus, but why've you got a stick up your arse?"

"You were going to leave him." Andromeda twined her fingers together and put her hands in her lap. "You were finally going to leave him and move on. You had the chance to end this unsustainable relationship and now you're throwing it all away."

Tonks stared at her mother incredulously.

"How long, Nymphadora? How long will it be until the next time he disappoints you? How long until there's another issue that threatens your family?"

"I said we're working through it," Tonks had her fists at her sides, her body shaking with anger. "Every marriage has problems."

"He left you when you were dating. He left you when you became pregnant. He moped for months, wandering from job to job. He moped after that incident with the Wolfsbane Potion. He left you for months when you most needed him." Andromeda ticked off the issues with her fingers, each one making Tonks's temper rise higher than the last.

"We – are – working – on – it," Tonks said, emphasizing each word to keep herself from shouting. "I'm perfectly aware of what problems we've had before. I'm asking you to keep your bloody mouth shut so we have a chance at making it through."

"You've had so many chances, Nymphadora."

"As cliché as it sounds, this time it's different." Tonks let her fists unclench. She sat back down, keeping her back straight, pointing her chin up, and trying to exude confidence. "We're not – we're not really a couple right now but we're more than friends. I don't know how to explain it. It's different than before and you need to trust me."

"Trust you?"

"Actually, you know what? You don't need to trust me. It's not your life. You can take or leave what I do – and if it means you don't want to see my kids anymore, then so be it. Everyone loses, but I'm not letting all the progress Remus and I have made get wasted. If anything, you've convinced me to keep trying."

Andromeda gawked at Tonks with a blank expression.

"Remus didn't run away from you. He fought back, and that's huge. He never would've done that before." Tonks stood back up, now that she had a new goal in mind. "I'm going back to him and I'm going to tell him that we're going to really do this. I'm giving it everything I have. If this means you don't want to see your grandchildren, it's your loss."

"You know that's not what I want," Andromeda said, closing the photo albums and setting them aside. "I want you and your children to be happy."

"Then stop being such an arse to Remus. Teddy and Hope will pick up on whatever you think, and he's a good father, despite what you might think."

Andromeda took several deep breaths. Tonks inched her way closer to the door, but stopped short of the doorknob.

"I don't want to keep my kids away from you," Tonks admitted. "You're a good grandmother and Teddy adores you. I've had enough of your shit with Remus. Teddy and Hope should get to form their own opinions about their dad."

Tonks put her hand on the doorknob. As she twisted it, Andromeda spoke.

"Fine," Andromeda reluctantly agreed. "I won't speak about your husband or to your husband, if this is what you wish."

"I'd like us all to be civil, actually, but I'll take what I can get. I'm sorry again for what I said…but for once, can't you say you're sorry to me?"

"I will never apologize for wanting what's best for you."

Tonks leaned her head against the doorway, knowing there was never going to be a way past this disagreement.

"Can I still bring the kids by tomorrow?"

"At the usual time?"

Tonks nodded against the doorway.

"They will always be welcome here."

"Thanks, mum. I'll see you tomorrow."

"I love you, Nymphadora," Andromeda said softly. "Don't you forget that."

"Love you too, mum." Tonks went away from her childhood home, from one emotionally taxing conversation to another.

…

"The usual books tonight," Remus said, taking a seat in the living room. "Teddy's sight reading a few more words. Fish, blue, yes, no…he's doing quite well."

"Mum's been teaching him," Tonks replied. "She mentioned the other day that he's reading faster than I did, at his age."

"I started reading at about his age, I think." Remus frowned. "I wish my mum were here. Never thought I'd try to remember something like that."

"Do you think she would've liked me?"

Remus lifted a brow at her. "I think so…why do you ask?"

"I haven't been the best wife—"

"We've both made mistakes."

"I know, but – I was with mum today. She's so fucking bad at apologizing and admitting she's wrong. I'm more like her than I thought…they always say you turn into your parents, don't they?"

Remus snorted softly. "It gets worse the older you get."

"I always thought I'd be more like dad…but becoming more like my mum…" Tonks shuddered and sat back on the couch, summoning a blanket to throw over her bare legs. "Anyway, it's not really what I wanted to talk to you about."

Remus's expression changed immediately. This was something Tonks had gotten accustomed to over the last several weeks; every time she mentioned discussing something, he displayed a slight moment of panic before forcing himself to appear nonchalant. She knew it was killing him – the uncertainty of what she wanted their future to look like – but she hadn't wanted to give him hope. Not yet.

Tonks quickly told him about the conversation with her mother, from thinking of Hope and Teddy as grown adults to her fury over her mother's interference in her life. She recounted all the offenses her mother had laid against Remus. He winced at each one of them, but Tonks continued, intent on getting through the conversation successfully.

"Anyway," Tonks concluded, "all of this got me thinking…you could've run off when mum talked to you. You could've gone home and started panicking. You didn't do either of those things. You took our kids home and got started on dinner…and you didn't even go back to beg for forgiveness. That's…it's like a few things, as of late. You're reacting to things differently than you used to."

"Is that a good thing?" Remus asked hoarsely, though Tonks could hear the trepidation in his voice.

"I think so." Tonks twiddled with her thumbs, her heart racing as she considered her next words. "I think…I want to be a real couple. Like before…but different."

"You do?" Remus got to the edge of his seat. His eyes were lit with barely restrained joy. "Really?"

"Yeah, but different. I want to keep going on our dates."

"Yes, we can do that," he agreed readily. "Definitely."

"I want you to keep planning them. I like that it's something you've been taking on…getting a babysitter, finding a place for us to go…all of it."

Remus nodded enthusiastically. Tonks could see the corners of his lips fighting their way upward to a grin. She wanted to smile, too, but she wasn't done yet.

"I want us to go on these dates for the rest of our marriage, unless it's a full moon or emergency," she continued. "We don't have to go to posh places…what's important is us taking time together, just the two of us." She kept her hands in her lap, playing absentmindedly with her cuticles. "And I want us to keep talking about things. I'm not ready for us to do more coupley things, I suppose. I dunno if I'm even ready for us to sleep in the same room yet."

Remus deflated. His shoulders slumped forward a little. His eyes remained steady on hers, however.

"I want to get back to all that…I do." Tonks snorted to herself, earning a quizzical look from Remus. "This is fucking ironic. Years ago, this is what you were telling me you wanted to do."

Remus offered her a thin smile. "We've come a long way since then."

"Yeah, we have." Tonks adjusted the blanket over her legs and grabbed her perfectly warm cup of tea, prepared for her by Remus. He looked terribly forlorn where he sat. She pitied him, knowing that if she'd been starved for affection in the last year, it would be worse for him. At least she'd had her children with her. He'd had no one.

Tonks hesitated for a moment. She cleared her throat and pulled the blanket off her legs.

"Remus, do you want to sit with me here? Throw the blanket over our legs and…I dunno? Just be?"

Remus was at her side within the blink of an eye. He sat next to her, pressing his warm body against hers. She leaned her head on him and sighed contently. It had been too long since she had been touched in any meaningful way, and Remus's mere presence was enough to warm her.

"Do you want to talk about anything tonight?" he asked. "Past, present…future?"

"I think I just want to sit here and have this tea. Thank you for it, by the way."

"Anytime."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Mmm?"

"What was it like to be at Hogwarts again? Was it like before?"

Remus summoned his tea and took a few slow sips. He set the cup down and dabbed at his mouth with the sleeve of his jumper.

"It's not the same at all. I used to think that was the happiest I'd ever be…being back at Hogwarts, with a roof over my head, all my meals provided, regular Wolfsbane Potion…dream job…"
"But?"

Remus chuckled quietly. "It was the first time in my living memory that I wanted to be somewhere other than Hogwarts. The four-poster bed used to be very comfortable, but it became cold and lonely. The food used to taste perfect, but I lost my appetite—"

"I thought you'd gotten thinner," Tonks mumbled. "You lost weight and I…" She cleared her throat, looking down at a body that had a few more curves to it than she'd ever had.

"I don't care if you don't want me saying this," Remus said carefully, "but you are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. You are the mother of my two children and your body is beautiful as-is."

"Thanks," Tonks replied weakly. "But go on, please."

Remus gazed at her, that piercing, nearly golden gaze sending heat throughout her body. He exhaled slowly and let his eyes drift to the fireplace.

"It was so quiet. Too quiet…you're so loud, Tonks. I missed hearing you."

"Really?"

Remus nodded solemnly. "The sounds of you going about your day…clunking around in your boots, puttering about in the kitchen, humming those tunes you hear from Muggle adverts…it was nice to have someone around. It meant I wasn't alone."

"You even missed the kids' noises?"

"I especially missed them. I thought I'd be more annoyed by it all, but it's perfect. It means my children are real – really alive, really here."

Tonks nodded along, feeling the guilt coming over her again that she'd kept her children from him for so long. In the months she'd lived with her mother, she hadn't given a single thought as to how lonely Remus would be, living alone in his professor's quarters at Hogwarts.

"Anyway," Remus said, clearing his throat. "Care to tell me about your new recruits?"

Though she wanted to know more about Remus's year, she let him switch the topic of conversation. As they sat there, legs and arms touching in the comfort of their home, Tonks finally felt that they were going to be okay.