**
~Chapter 10~
The world was silent, save for the gentle gurgling of water flowing over rocks, and the rustling of the leaves as the wind whispered through them. Remus groaned and sat up, shaking his head. The world spun as he tried to get his bearings. The rolling emerald landscape was dotted with old trees, and Remus sat underneath an old willow, whose branches were covered with so many leaves that he couldn't see the topmost branches. Memories ran through his head, and when he tried to focus on one, they slipped away just like the handful of sand that he had just picked up.
Sand? Remus looked around, bewildered. What he had taken for grass was really soft sand. "Curiouser and curiouser," he murmered, looking around. "Where am I?"
"Well, you're definently not in Kansas anymore, Dorothy!" a familiar voice called down, causing a stab of pain to hit Remus' heart. He couldn't look up, the blow hit too close to home. It couldn't be...
"Not speaking to me? What have I done to make you mad this time, Moony? I haven't forgotten any anniversaries, have I?" Sirius said, jumping down from the tree and landing gracefully in front of Remus.
"Sirius..." Remus whispered, unable to believe his eyes.
"The one and only!" Sirius grinned, dark eyes laughing behind his darker hair.
"But you..you..you're-" he couldn't bring himself to say it.
"Dead? Yes, well, so are you for the moment, so its all good!" Sirius sat next to Remus and put his hand on Remus' knee, which Remus' jerked back instantaneously.
-Dead?- Remus thought. He didn't remember dying. "Are you real?" Remus said, nervously. This place was seriously creeping him out.
"What is real?" Sirius replied, put out by Remus' reaction to his touch. "I am as real as you, and as imaginary as heliopaths!"
"What type of answer is that?" Remus muttered. "Fine then. Where are we?"
"Erm...I'm not sure what this place is called, but the foods good, and that's all that matters!"
Rolling his eyes, Remus asked. "Okay, how long have you been here?"
"What is this, twenty questions? I have been here forever and never, I'm real and unreal! Does that answer you?"
"NO!" Remus exploded. "I have no idea where I am, who you really are, what this place is, nothing! And you give me answers like you've been here forever and never, well that is completely-" He never got to say absurd, because at that very moment Sirius leaned forward and placed his lips over Remus'. Remus, taken aback, immediately pulled away. Sirius looked at him, and Remus could see the hurt plainly in his eyes.
"How can I know who you are? And trust you?" Remus asked sadly.
"Je souhoute que je pourais tomber le sommeil dans vos bras ce soir," Sirius said, hesitating over the foriegn words. Remus blinked. He remembered how hard it had been for Sirius to learn even the simplest phrase in a foreign language. Leaning forward slighly, he kissed Sirius, and realized this was no illusion. Never could Bellatrix mimick Sirius' kiss, never.
"M'aussi, mon mignon," Remus whispered, smiling at Sirius and brushing a stray strand of jet hair out of his eyes. " I can't believe you learned French!"
"Oú sont les toilettes?" Sirius smiled. Remus was amazed at the difference between this Sirius and the one who had escaped from Azkaban. This Sirius looked just like he did after high-school, full of energy and ready to take the world as his oyster.(^-~) "Je vous manque, m'amour," he said into Remus' ear.
"Je vous manque aussi," Remus replied, as Sirius wiped away a solitary tear running down Remus' face. He left his hand there and pulled Remus to him. "I want to stay with you forever..."
Sirius smiled sadly at him. "One day you will, Remus. But you are not meant to stay here now." He looked at Remus, whose sad brown eyes were filling with tears. "It's your chance to live, and you are destined to do great good. Plus, Harry needs you."
"But I need you, Padfoot." Remus said simply, tears spilling from his large eyes. He buried his head into Sirius shoulder.
Sirius held Remus tight. "I will always be there for you, Moony. I'm always going to be in your heart, cheering you on. Be strong." And he kissed Remus' forehead, then his nose, and finally they kissed for real. Now, there have only been 5 great kisses in the history of kisses, and this one put them all to shame. Never had two people been through so much pain and suffering, never had any couple loved each other so much. (This kiss even put Westley and Buttercup's kiss to shame!) Sirius let his lips linger on Remus fo a couple of seconds, savoring the sweet taste of his love before pulling back.
"Padfoot, I didn't kill her." Remus said bitterly. "I had the perfect chance to kill her, kill that horrible bitch that took you away from me. And I didn't. I just stood there, and let her hit me. Why couldn't I do it? Why couldn't I kill her? I hate her so much."
Sirius sat silently for a moment before replying. "I don't think you could ever kill any one in cold blood, Moony. You're just not that type of person. I think, in an odd cosmic sort of way, you not killing Bellatrix was for the best. Because, she deserves to be truly punished for her crimes, and death is too good for her."
Remus rested his head on Sirius' strong shoulder. He closed his eyes and wished desperately that this moment would never end, that he could stay right here with Sirius forever.
Meanwhile, twilight started to fall over the mysterious land, and Sirius could feel Remus starting to fall asleep in his lap. So, stroking Remus' sandy hair, he sang in a soft, sweet voice.
"Good night sweetheart, 'til we meet tomorrow
Good night sweetheart, sleep will banish sorrow
Tears and waiting may make you forlorn,
But with the dawn a new day is born
So good night sweetheart, though I'm not beside you
Good night sweetheart, still my love will guide you
In dreams you are, in each one I'll hold you
Good night sweetheart, good night..."
Then, ever so gently, he kissed Remus' closed eyelids, and fell in to sleep himself.
**
~Chapter 10~
The world was silent, save for the gentle gurgling of water flowing over rocks, and the rustling of the leaves as the wind whispered through them. Remus groaned and sat up, shaking his head. The world spun as he tried to get his bearings. The rolling emerald landscape was dotted with old trees, and Remus sat underneath an old willow, whose branches were covered with so many leaves that he couldn't see the topmost branches. Memories ran through his head, and when he tried to focus on one, they slipped away just like the handful of sand that he had just picked up.
Sand? Remus looked around, bewildered. What he had taken for grass was really soft sand. "Curiouser and curiouser," he murmered, looking around. "Where am I?"
"Well, you're definently not in Kansas anymore, Dorothy!" a familiar voice called down, causing a stab of pain to hit Remus' heart. He couldn't look up, the blow hit too close to home. It couldn't be...
"Not speaking to me? What have I done to make you mad this time, Moony? I haven't forgotten any anniversaries, have I?" Sirius said, jumping down from the tree and landing gracefully in front of Remus.
"Sirius..." Remus whispered, unable to believe his eyes.
"The one and only!" Sirius grinned, dark eyes laughing behind his darker hair.
"But you..you..you're-" he couldn't bring himself to say it.
"Dead? Yes, well, so are you for the moment, so its all good!" Sirius sat next to Remus and put his hand on Remus' knee, which Remus' jerked back instantaneously.
-Dead?- Remus thought. He didn't remember dying. "Are you real?" Remus said, nervously. This place was seriously creeping him out.
"What is real?" Sirius replied, put out by Remus' reaction to his touch. "I am as real as you, and as imaginary as heliopaths!"
"What type of answer is that?" Remus muttered. "Fine then. Where are we?"
"Erm...I'm not sure what this place is called, but the foods good, and that's all that matters!"
Rolling his eyes, Remus asked. "Okay, how long have you been here?"
"What is this, twenty questions? I have been here forever and never, I'm real and unreal! Does that answer you?"
"NO!" Remus exploded. "I have no idea where I am, who you really are, what this place is, nothing! And you give me answers like you've been here forever and never, well that is completely-" He never got to say absurd, because at that very moment Sirius leaned forward and placed his lips over Remus'. Remus, taken aback, immediately pulled away. Sirius looked at him, and Remus could see the hurt plainly in his eyes.
"How can I know who you are? And trust you?" Remus asked sadly.
"Je souhoute que je pourais tomber le sommeil dans vos bras ce soir," Sirius said, hesitating over the foriegn words. Remus blinked. He remembered how hard it had been for Sirius to learn even the simplest phrase in a foreign language. Leaning forward slighly, he kissed Sirius, and realized this was no illusion. Never could Bellatrix mimick Sirius' kiss, never.
"M'aussi, mon mignon," Remus whispered, smiling at Sirius and brushing a stray strand of jet hair out of his eyes. " I can't believe you learned French!"
"Oú sont les toilettes?" Sirius smiled. Remus was amazed at the difference between this Sirius and the one who had escaped from Azkaban. This Sirius looked just like he did after high-school, full of energy and ready to take the world as his oyster.(^-~) "Je vous manque, m'amour," he said into Remus' ear.
"Je vous manque aussi," Remus replied, as Sirius wiped away a solitary tear running down Remus' face. He left his hand there and pulled Remus to him. "I want to stay with you forever..."
Sirius smiled sadly at him. "One day you will, Remus. But you are not meant to stay here now." He looked at Remus, whose sad brown eyes were filling with tears. "It's your chance to live, and you are destined to do great good. Plus, Harry needs you."
"But I need you, Padfoot." Remus said simply, tears spilling from his large eyes. He buried his head into Sirius shoulder.
Sirius held Remus tight. "I will always be there for you, Moony. I'm always going to be in your heart, cheering you on. Be strong." And he kissed Remus' forehead, then his nose, and finally they kissed for real. Now, there have only been 5 great kisses in the history of kisses, and this one put them all to shame. Never had two people been through so much pain and suffering, never had any couple loved each other so much. (This kiss even put Westley and Buttercup's kiss to shame!) Sirius let his lips linger on Remus fo a couple of seconds, savoring the sweet taste of his love before pulling back.
"Padfoot, I didn't kill her." Remus said bitterly. "I had the perfect chance to kill her, kill that horrible bitch that took you away from me. And I didn't. I just stood there, and let her hit me. Why couldn't I do it? Why couldn't I kill her? I hate her so much."
Sirius sat silently for a moment before replying. "I don't think you could ever kill any one in cold blood, Moony. You're just not that type of person. I think, in an odd cosmic sort of way, you not killing Bellatrix was for the best. Because, she deserves to be truly punished for her crimes, and death is too good for her."
Remus rested his head on Sirius' strong shoulder. He closed his eyes and wished desperately that this moment would never end, that he could stay right here with Sirius forever.
Meanwhile, twilight started to fall over the mysterious land, and Sirius could feel Remus starting to fall asleep in his lap. So, stroking Remus' sandy hair, he sang in a soft, sweet voice.
"Good night sweetheart, 'til we meet tomorrow
Good night sweetheart, sleep will banish sorrow
Tears and waiting may make you forlorn,
But with the dawn a new day is born
So good night sweetheart, though I'm not beside you
Good night sweetheart, still my love will guide you
In dreams you are, in each one I'll hold you
Good night sweetheart, good night..."
Then, ever so gently, he kissed Remus' closed eyelids, and fell in to sleep himself.
**