Remus' POV

I wince as the knife cuts into my wrist. The blood rushes to the wound and runs down my arm.

I sigh with relief. Finally, I am free…

I feel the wolf inside me howl. He doesn't understand my sorrow. He doesn't believe our Mate is dead.

I slice deeper.

There are heavy footsteps of someone running up the stairs. I jump to my feet as something crashes against my door. They try the handle, but I have locked it. There is a brief pause, then another crash. Someone is throwing themselves at my door.

"What do you want?" I shout.

"Remus! You're still conscious!" I recognise the voice… but it can't be.

"Moony? Open the door, Love. Please let me in…"

"You're dead, leave me alone…" I back away from the door and stab the knife into my wrist. I scream with pain and drop to my knees. My head is spinning.

"Moony!" another crash, then the door gives way.

I try to pull away from the impostor posing as my Mate, but the blood loss is too great now.

"Oh, God," the man murmurs as he falls to his knees beside me. He catches my injured wrist with his left hand and quickly applies pressure.

"Keep away…" I try weakly to pull away from him.

"Shh, Love. It's me; I'm back… I'll explain later, but now we have to get this healed."

He lifts my chin with his free hand so that I look him in the eyes,

"You have been very brave, my Mate," he tells me. "But I am here now, there is nothing to fear…"

I recognise him… and the Link, I feel it now.

"Sirius…" tears appear in my eyes, "I'm so sorry…"

"Don't you act like you're not going to get through this," he snaps, "because you are. Where is your wand? I can heal this in an instant, but I don't have my wand."

I point to the bedside table. I assume it is still in there, though I haven't seen it for days.

He doesn't want to let go, I see it in his eyes, but he does. He dashes for the wand, and looks relieved when he finds it in the first draw he tries. He bounds back over and mutters a healing charm. My wound scabs over instantly.

He sighs with relief and pulls me into a tight hug.

"Moony… I missed you," he buries his face in my neck so his words are muffled.

I put my arms round his neck and rest my head on his shoulder. I start to cry. He rocks me gently, like he used to after the full moon,

"Shh… I'm here, you're safe… shh…"

Someone is at the door. Harry, I can sense it.

"Sirius?" he calls in, "is everything ok?"

Sirius turns to face Harry, his face beaming with joy,

"Yes, Harry, everything is great!"

Later

"You ok?"

"Padfoot, that is the twenty-ninth time you have asked me that is the last ten minutes…" I point out.

Harry has left us alone in my room. Despite the fact Sirius made a right racket earlier braking down my door, which he has now repaired, nobody has looked in on me. I guess years of living with the twins means everyone is used to loud noises.

Harry might have told them by now. I heard Molly head downstairs, and Arthur a minute or so later. Ron has already seen that my Mate has returned. I guess Ginny is with them too, though I didn't hear her go past.

"What did you do to convince them it was really you?" I ask.

"I transformed into Padfoot," he shrugged. "Also I think they were at least partly expecting me anyway… they were expecting you to get a reward."

"Mmm… all mine," I tell him happily.

"Oh yes," I can hear his grin. "But, you're sure you're ok?"

"Yes, Padfoot, I'm fine."

"You look pale."

"I just slit my wrist, of course I'm pale. Also, it is the full moon tomorrow tonight."

"You haven't any wolfsbane," he murmurs.

"With you here I don't need it," I point out. "Have you looked out the window?"

He looks out the window and laughs,

"Excellent! Gees, look at all that space!"

"I knew you'd love it…"

"We so have to buy a place nearby!" he exclaims, reminding me of his enthusiastic animagus form. I smile happily.

"I wonder if my bank account is still valid…" he ponders.

"It is," I tell him, "because it was given to me when you… when you… left me."

"When I died," Sirius scowls. "I died, Remus, I never left you."

I nuzzle his shoulder and wrap my arms tightly around his chest,

"Thank you," I tell him.

"For what?" he hugs me back.

"For returning to me."

Third Person POV

"Let me get this straight," Fred held up a hand. "Sirius is back from the dead because he is Remus' Mate?"

Harry nodded slowly,

"Yes, that sounds about right."

"Cool!" the twins announced together.

Ron laughed,

"I worry about you two!"

"We worry about you too," George grinned.

Ron stuck out his tongue.

"Will they be coming down soon, Harry dear?" Molly ignored her bickering sons.

"I don't know," Harry admitted, "Remus is probably quite shocked by all this, but I guess they'll be down soon."

Hermione apperated into the room,

"What was that note all about, Harry? I can't read your writing when you write fast like that."

Footsteps were heard on the stairs and Remus stepped into the room, followed by Sirius. Remus was smiling, and looking infinitely better than before. Sirius was grinning and looking around with interest.

"Sirius?" Hermione exclaimed.

Sirius grinned,

"Why do people keep saying that today? Who else where you expecting?"

"I think you'll find we weren't expecting anyone at all," Remus pointed out.

"Why did the spell take so long to work?" Hermione asked.

"The Powers had to judge me worthy," Sirius told her.

"But the spell was for Remus," Ron gestured to two spear seats.

"No," Sirius shook his head as he and Remus sat down, "the spell, due to Harry's choice of words, was for the marauders."

Later, Remus' POV

"You say the spell was for the marauders?" I murmur as we slip under the covers.

"Yes," Sirius pulls me over to keep me warm, as it is so close to the full moon.

"If it included you in that list even though you were… dead… Does that mean they also include…?"

Author notes:

Wow... you guys really like this story... I really hope I don't disappoint you right at the end. :) Thank you for all the lovely reviews. I know, it was very cruel for me to leave it there. I did mean to update again after about an hour, but something came up. (My friend Cairn87 needed help with his notes where he couldn't read his own writing.) Anyway, I have updated now, and I hope you like it.

PS this is not quite the end, but we are nearly there now