Author's Notes: Thank you to my reviewers! You totally keep me motivated! I love opening my email and finding reviews inside. They make my day. :-)

This chapter has been written for months – it took me that long to fill in the blanks to get to this point in the story. :-) I've spent a lot of time polishing it – so I'm hoping it's good.

Chapter 17 – The Dream

In late June, Cassius flooed home from the Ministry and was immediately engulfed in an embrace as soon as he stepped out of the fireplace.

"You'll never guess what happened!" Remus' voice was muffled against Cassius' shirt as his arms surrounded Cassius tightly.

"All right….what?" Cassius put his arms around his mate feeling the familiarity of Remus' thin frame. Although Cassius was always telling Remus to eat more, he remained thin, although he was much healthier than he had been when he and Cassius had first started dating.

"Dumbledore wrote – he's offered me a teaching position at Hogwarts!" Remus' eyes were sparkling with excitement.

"Really? That's wonderful!"

Remus separated from Cassius, dragging him over to the table. He picked up the scroll that was laying on it.

"Look…see?" Remus thrust the scroll at him. "Lockhart couldn't return because of his memory loss so there was an opening!"

Cassius looked down and scanned the letter. "Defense Against The Dark Arts! You know as much as any auror, you'll be great!"

"I hope I will be." Remus suddenly looked doubtful.

"Of course you will be, you're brilliant." Cassius said with certainty before he leaned down and kissed Remus.

"I already owled Dumbledore to accept the job, I was so excited! I've always wanted to teach at Hogwarts."

"I know you have. It's a wonderful opportunity for you."

"You know…married faculty can have their spouses live at Hogwarts with them." Remus said hopefully, slipping his hands under Cassius' sweater. He knew Cassius would refuse but he had to ask.

"I can't…you know we can't…not with Voldemort around…and after Lucius' involvement in opening the Chamber of Secrets…Voldemort obviously has his hold back on Luke." Cassius still didn't believe that his brother was a Death Eater of his own free will. "It's to keep you safe, Remus. Otherwise, I would, honest. I'll come visit every month, so we'll get to see each other often so we won't get sick."

"What?" Remus looked at Cassius blankly.

"The werewolf bond. Really, Remus, I would have thought you'd have memorized all this stuff."

"I have!" Remus answered quickly. "I just don't remember anything about…getting sick."

"Well, since we're bonded, we need to be around each other – otherwise we'll get sick, they call it separation illness. That's part of the whole 'mates for life' stuff. If we were parted for long enough we'd die...at least that's the theory, no one knows exactly how long that would take – and there haven't been any documented cases of death happening, so I don't think it would really happen… Anyway, and we're double-mated so we're more susceptible."

"Oh…"

"I thought that was why you didn't want to mate…I thought you knew about that." Cassius looked curiously at Remus.

"Well…I knew we'd be stuck with each other but I didn't know we would die if we were separated." Remus said, suddenly scared about the separation illness.

"Stuck with each other?" Cassius asked with wry expression.

"Cass, you know what I mean." Remus was flustered, he hadn't thought about dying if he was away from Cassius too long. He hadn't thought about Cassius dying either. How long was too long, he wondered worriedly. What would happen to him if Cassius was killed on assignment? Why didn't he know all this stuff about mating? Mating was a very serious thing…maybe they shouldn't have done it.

"Hmm…" Cassius was looking thoughtful. "We could have sex in the astronomy tower after curfew." He looked down at Remus and arched his eyebrow seductively.

"What?" Remus gasped, jolted out of his worried thoughts.

"What?" Cassius repeated innocently.

"Sex in the astronomy tower?" Remus wasn't sure if he had heard Cassius correctly.

"Oh, please, Remus, practically every student who goes to Hogwarts has had sex in the astronomy tower. It's almost like a graduation requirement."

"Really?"

"Yup. It's dark, it's secluded, it's kind of creepy…just the right sort of place to have sex." Cassius grinned.

"You like to have sex in creepy places?" This was something new, he thought.

"It's only kind of creepy….and I didn't so much care about the place as much as the sex."

"How many…mmph." Remus was cut off from asking his question by Cassius' mouth descending on his own. Cassius' tongue probed at his lips until he opened them. "Mmmm" Remus sighed as he tangled his hands in Cassius' hair and deepened the kiss. "Our attic is kind of creepy." Remus said breathlessly, feeling desire bubbling through his veins.

"No – there's that portrait…what about the old house-elf's room?" Cassius tightened his arms around Remus.

"Definitely kind of creepy." Remus shivered as Cassius kissed his neck.

"And we have…an hour before dinner."

Remus was awakened by an owl tapping on the window of their bedroom. Cassius got up and walked over to the window, opening it and taking the scroll from the bird's leg.

"What is it?" Remus asked sleepily, lighting the lamp by his side of the bed. Cassius didn't answer, he was staring at the scroll, he looked like he had turned into a statue. "Cass?" Cassius didn't answer, he didn't move. "Cass?" Still no answer. Remus felt a knot start in the pit of his stomach…Cassius never reacted like this to anything. He got out of bed and walked over to Cassius. He laid a hand on Cassius' arm. "Cassius." Cassius startled and crumpled the scroll in his hand.

"I have to go." His voice was hoarse.

"What happened?" Remus looked up at Cassius whose face was paler than usual and his eyes had turned black. "What happened?" Remus repeated with growing apprehension, his stomach starting to flip flop.

"I have to go." Cassius sounded like an echo of himself. He turned and went to the closet, hastily pulling on clothes over his pajamas. Remus noticed the crumpled scroll was dropped to the floor. Cassius raced out of the room and down the stairs.

"Cass!" Remus raced after him.

Cassius went to the mudroom and came out a moment later jerking on his coat. "I have to go." He repeated as his hand reached into his pocket, retrieving his wand.

"What's wrong?" Remus couldn't imagine out what could have happened. Was Stevens dead? Or Moody? Had Voldemort…

With a crack, Cassius Apparated. Remus stood there for a moment. He raced back up to their room, picking up the scroll from the floor. He smoothed it out. After reading it, he fell to his knees, his hand flying up to his mouth – he thought he would be sick.

Urgent –

Sirius Black has escaped from Azkaban Prison.

All aurors are recalled to the Ministry immediately for assignment.

All other department activities are on hold until Black is recaptured.

Permission to use The Unforgivables is granted.

– Hector Worth, Head Auror.

Remus felt faint and sweaty. Sirius had escaped! He had escaped. It was impossible, Azkaban was impossible to escape from, everyone said it was. How had he done it? And in a flash, the answer came to him, the answer only he knew, the answer only the Marauders knew, but why now? If he could have escaped now – why didn't he escape earlier? What was Sirius planning? And why was Cassius so upset?

Remus' 33rd birthday was the day after Sirius' escape. Cassius hadn't come home since he had left after getting the owl. It wasn't unusual for Cassius to be gone for days at a time, but he always owled to let Remus know he was ok. Remus hadn't heard anything. He was a nervous wreck, he hadn't been able to keep any food down after reading the message from the Ministry. He paced around the house so much Tabby told him he was wearing her out.

Remus looked at the clock for the millionth time that day. Stevens and Moody were coming for dinner in less than an hour. Remus hoped that Cassius would be there. Remus was attempting to organize his lesson plans in the library when he heard the clomping of Cassius' boots on the stairs. He raced into the hallway and was immediately swung into Cassius' arms.

"I'm sorry I left so…I missed you."

"It doesn't matter, you're home now." Remus kissed Cassius passionately

"Happy birthday." Cassius smiled before kissing Remus. Remus noticed that the smile didn't reach his eyes.

"How is – "

"I don't want to talk about it." Cassius said smoothly as he set Remus down. "Let me get changed, I've been wearing these clothes since I left."

The birthday dinner was a subdued affair although Stevens tried hard to make it merry. Remus appreciated his efforts. Cassius seemed cold and distant and Remus felt the knot in his stomach tighten as the dinner went on.

"Cass, I need to talk to you before I go." Moody said gruffly after the presents had been opened.

"All right." Cassius and Moody went into the sitting room and Moody did a silencing spell.

"Remus looks very healthy for a werewolf."

"What are you talking about?" Cassius looked at Moody as if he really were mad. Remus was too thin and often looked ill and tired due to his lycanthropy. He was better now than when Cassius had first met him, but he certainly didn't look healthy.

"He looks unhealthy for a wizard…but healthy for a werewolf." Moody explained calmly.

"And your point?" Cassius snapped.

"The staff at Hogwarts knows he's a werewolf, don't they?"

"Yes."

"They'll know he's mated. It's the only way a werewolf would look that healthy."

"We can't un-mate." Cassius' brows knit together.

"You can abstain from sex. Starting now. That way when he goes to Hogwarts he'll look closer to normal for an unmated werewolf. If he looks like he's mated, they'll start to investigate who he's mated to. They might track his correspondence."

"Why would they care who he's mated to?"

"They might think he's mated to Black." Moody paused as he watched Cassius' eyes turn black. "Obviously he's not, but if they think it, they'll start looking into his personal life and they might discover you. You don't want that to happen, do you?"

"No." Cassius ground out the words, trying to calm down, he could see Remus and Stevens looking into the sitting room from where they were talking in the dining room. He was aware the room was starting to get colder.

"Well, then. Until Black's recaptured..." Moody said, thinking to himself that the recapture would be soon, within a few weeks at the most. There was no way that Black would be able to evade Cassius. In Moody's opinion (and he didn't feel he was biased) Cassius was the best tracker, the best auror the Ministry had ever seen. But keeping Remus safe was a priority for Cassius, and the way Cassius thought he could do that best was if their relationship was a secret. Just in case Black was able to stay in hiding or was able to get to Voldemort, they needed to start taking action now to start the separation illness effects.

"Damn Black." Cassius muttered through gritted teeth.

"I'll be going. You need to get some rest…be with Remus tonight." Moody said, lifting the silencing spell as he walked back towards the dining room. "Remus, happy birthday."

"Thank you, Moody. Thank you for my present." Remus had gotten a teaching plan book from Moody.

"I'm off as well. Happy birthday, Remus." Stevens stood and patted Remus awkwardly on the shoulder. "Bye Cassie."

"Bye." Cassius said absently as Stevens hugged him.

When they were alone, Remus didn't know what to do. Cassius seemed to have withdrawn into himself as he stared down the hallway towards the kitchen with black eyes. Remus walked over to Cassius slowly.

"Cass…are you all right?" He asked softly, touching Cassius' arm. Cassius looked down at him for a long moment, not seeming to really see him, before yanking Remus towards him and crushing his mouth down in a hard kiss. Remus suddenly found himself upstairs on the bed, falling under the onslaught of Cassius' love. There was a desperation in Cassius that Remus couldn't understand, he just pulled Cassius closer, murmuring words of love into his ear.

Stevens came over for the weekly chess game that was a ritual between Cassius and him. It was a rainy mid-August day. Remus played piano while Cassius and Stevens played their game. Remus sometimes listened to their conversations but he could only really understand about half of it because they never seemed to complete their sentences. Remus was always reminded of the Marauders. They had been like that too, so close they knew what the other was thinking. Except that no one had known that Sirius had betrayed them all. He shook his head to clear it of the memories of the good times at school and afterwards – it was painful now. He tuned back in to listening to Stevens and Cassius. He envied Stevens his easy, open relationship with Cassius. Cassius was still hard for Remus to read sometimes, even after over nine years together.

"I saw Bartleby the other day." Stevens' voice was casual.

"Mmm..."

"He's a chatterbox, isn't he? Nearly talked my ear off. He talk to you at work a lot?"

"Yes."

"Don't grumble at me, you're the one who's losing. You can't move that pawn that way."

"Yes, I can." Cassius' voice rose defensively.

"No, you can't. It's illegal." There was a pause. "Cassie." Stevens' voice changed into a soothing tone. "If you're tired, you should take a nap."

"I don't need a nap." Cassius growled. Remus could feel sparks fly off his mate. He was very tired and irritable, he hadn't been sleeping well the past two weeks. Remus thought it was the effects of the separation illness although he himself hadn't started to feel any symptoms. Cassius hated when anyone commented on it. Stevens was the only one brave enough to do so.

"Remus seems tired. Full moon was a couple nights ago, wasn't it? He'd take a nap if you did."

"He seems tired?" Remus could feel Cassius' gaze on him but he continued to play. He knew Cassius felt badly about not having sex with Remus on the full moon, but Remus understood his reasons. Remus disagreed, but he bowed to Cassius' wishes. "I'll get him to take a nap when you leave."

"Good." There was silence for a moment. "Still worried?"

"Yes."

"You needn't be, it's silly to be – you've no reason."

"Maybe."

"No 'maybe', you don't."

"You think so?"

"After so many years? And what he did! Don't be daft." Stevens paused. "Why do you still believe that bastard?" Remus wondered what they were talking about.

"I don't." The air in the sitting room suddenly crackled, like a thunderstorm was coming.

"Prove it." There was silence while the air slowly returned to normal. "How's working with Audra?" Remus' ears pricked up, he hadn't heard that Cassius was working with anyone although the Daily Prophet had mentioned aurors were now working in pairs searching for Sirius.

"Fine."

"How's it going?" Stevens repeated calmly.

"Fine." There was silence and Remus imagined that Stevens was glaring at Cassius. Cassius sighed. "She talks a lot."

"Maybe she's nervous around you."

"Why would she be nervous?"

"You're intimidating…you never talk to anyone at work. So no one knows what you're like."

"I talk to people."

"Like who?"

"Kingsley…and…Tessen and Bartleby."

"Uh huh. And you have long conversations with them, do you?"

"No – you said I didn't talk to anyone and I said I did – you didn't ask if I had long conversations with them."

"Audra was at school with you – same year, and in our house, remember?"

"Was she?"

"Yes. You liked her."

"Did I? Well…I guess I still like her – she's just natters on about everything. She's almost as bad as Bartleby."

"Checkmate!" Stevens said triumphantly.

To be continued…. Sorry for the kind of abrupt ending but…the next chapter will be up soon!