Disclaimer: JK owns all recognizable characters and places. I own everything else.
Ok guys. Down to the wire. There's only one more chapter after this!
Chapter Fourteen
Remus sat at Serena's bedside through the night. At first he was silent, frozen by shock.
She had given him her life?
Heartbroken, he lowered his head to rest it on their joined hands. "Oh, Serena. Why? Why did you do it?"
He was unworthy of her sacrifice, he was certain. He was a werewolf, a creature of the dark. And he had loved her. The tears ran down his ravaged face unchecked. "Wolf or man, Serena… I wasn't good enough for you."
Sobs ripped from his raw throat. There had been no tears for Sirius, who had been his brother, part of his pack. His death had been a shock, but Remus knew that he had gone fighting, the way he would have wanted to.
But Serena. She was the woman he would have chosen as his mate if he had dared. And now it was too late.
Because of him.
The pain he felt now was worse than any of the physical pain he suffered.
"There never was any other for me, you know." He whispered to her. "And there never will be."
Exhausted and broken, he moved from the chair to the bed. Madam Pomfrey would have fits if she saw him, but at the moment he could care less.
He had to be close to Serena. Had to lie with her just once. If she was going to die, he had to have that memory.
He stretched out beside her, on his side, his gaze on her sleeping face. Leaning close, he pressed a gentle kiss to her soft lips and laid his head on the pillow beside hers. Laying one arm over her waist, he gave in to sleep.
***
Serena ran. She ran for the sheer pleasure of it, skipping over the rough terrain of the Forbidden Forest. She laughed aloud, lifting her face to the moonlight shining through the trees. As she moved deeper into the forest, she began to notice the sounds of something moving behind her.
Something was following her. But instead of being frightened, she was exhilarated. She laughed again, picking up speed. Her pursuer kept a steady pace behind her.
She burst through the trees into the clearing with the hot spring. There she turned to face her stalker.
A large tawny wolf loped into the clearing, stopping at the edge of the spring, his golden gaze locked on her.
Serena smiled. "Hello puppy."
The wolf shook himself, his form shimmering and shifting, becoming a man.
Remus smoothed his shabby robes and stepped forward. "Serena."
She held her hand out to him.
He moved closer, taking her hand. "Why did you do it, Serena? Why did you give me your life?" He asked, his voice rough, his tortured eyes expressing the emotions he couldn't put words to.
"Because I could." She replied. "Because Harry needs you."
He shook his head. "He doesn't."
"He does." She insisted. "He cares for you, Remus. And you're his last connection to his parents."
He frowned thoughtfully. "In that case, he needs you as well. You knew Lily."
She smiled sadly. "Yes, I did, but Harry doesn't know me. So it doesn't matter."
Remus released her hand and put his arms around her in a desperate embrace. "It matters to me." He whispered wretchedly. "Don't leave me alone, Serena."
"Oh, Remus. You won't be alone. You have Harry, the other kids. The Order."
"I'd give up all of them, all of it, if you'd just stay with me." He replied brokenly.
Her eyes filled with tears and she shook her head, opening her mouth to respond. He stopped her from speaking the only way he could think of. He kissed her, his mouth claiming hers frantically. Then he lifted his head a fraction. "If you die, I don't want to live." He whispered against her lips.
Her breath caught on a sob, and she threw her arms around his neck, pressing her face against his shoulder.
After a moment, she gently pulled away from him. "Remus, I love you… Don't ever forget that." Then she turned and walked away, fading into the forest.