I thought I wouldn't be able to post since FanFictionNet was doing upgrades but…seems that I can so…here it is! Author's Notes at the end!

Chapter 39 Getting Reacquainted

"If you could escape from Azkaban…why didn't you escape right away?" Remus asked after Sirius had been at Windy Corner a few days.

"I figured I deserved to be in there." Sirius stared down at his hands. "I made Peter the secret keeper so I killed James and Lily. I thought you were the spy when I should have known better. I was always the fuck-up, I thought it was time that I learn my lesson. Until I realized Peter could kill Harry…and I couldn't let him do that, I couldn't let James and Lily down again. So I escaped."

"I'm glad you did." Remus hugged him tightly. Sirius closed his eyes, pretending for the moment that Remus was still his boyfriend. He could feel himself getting hard and knew Remus had noticed when he gently pulled away.

"Sorry." Sirius muttered. "Can't help myself."

"It's…it's all right." Remus's cheeks were pink.

"It's not all right! I buggered up everything!" Sirius shouted. "I lost you! I killed James and Lily! I wasn't able to protect Harry!! I wish I was dead too!" He ran up the stairs and slammed the door of his room shut.

Remus walked up the stairs and knocked on the door. There was a muffled 'go away' in response. Remus ignored it and walked inside. He sat down next to Sirius who had flung himself face down on the bed.

"You didn't kill James and Lily, Voldemort did. And…no one was able to protect Harry from Voldemort this time, it wasn't just you. Harry needs you now, he loves you."

"What about you?" Sirius mumbled.

"I love you too." Remus said softly. "I'm sorry that we can't be together now, the way that you want, but I still love you."

"I love you so much, Remus. I can't change my feelings for you."

Remus ran his hand through his hair. "I can't change my feelings either. What do you want me to do?"

"Nothing. I'm glad you're happy, really I am. I'm just so jealous it's some other git that makes you happy and not me. I'll get over it…I suppose." Sirius sighed heavily. "If I'd only mated with you before Azkaban…"

"We would have died after being separated. And believe me, the separation illness isn't fun. I learned that when I was teaching at Hogwarts and my mate was here." Remus spoke lightly although his heart was clenching painfully after hearing Sirius wish they had been mated…Remus knew now he'd never felt the mating pull to Sirius, he'd only felt it for Cassius but it was better not to mention that, to spare Sirius's feelings. He was lost in thought when he noticed that Sirius was talking. He had to ask Sirius to repeat himself.

"I said it seemed pretty nasty when I read about it."

"When did you ever read about the werewolf bonding? I didn't know about the separation illness myself until over a year ago."

"Honestly, Remus…you should have known all that stuff years ago." Sirius rolled over and sat up, shaking his head. It reminded Remus of Cassius, who had said the same thing on many occasions. "When we were together before, I researched it. It scared me…I wasn't ready to be tied to you like that. Except then when I went to Azkaban…I realized I had never really imagined my life without you."

Remus thought about that for a moment. This was the most open conversation they'd ever had about their relationship and he decided to say what he'd wanted to say for years, but hadn't had the courage to before.

"Didn't always seem like that to me." Remus said quietly.

"What are you talking about?"

"You slept with other men."

"You told me it was ok!"

"I didn't mean it!"

"Oh. I…I'm sorry."

"It's all right…I don't know why I'm still mad about it..." Remus grinned wryly. "It's all in the past now."

"So…this mate of yours…I guess he didn't sleep around on you?"

"No."

"How long did you date before mating?"

"Two years. Then he asked me to marry him."

"So you love him a lot."

"Yes, I do."

"I'm happy for you, Moony. You deserve to be happy."

"So do you.

"I'll get there eventually. It helps being with you again and having Harry."

"I'm glad." Remus smiled.

Remus and Sirius were sitting on the sofa in the sitting room watching "The Princess Bride" when Remus heard someone Apparate into the kitchen. He stood, putting Tabby the cat back on the couch – she'd been sleeping on his lap - and walked towards the door, he knew it could only be a few different people due to the wards on the house.

"I'll be right back, stay here." Remus said. Sirius nodded, his eyes glued on the telly, enthralled by the movie. As Remus walked into the hallway, he picked up Cassius's scent and broke into a run. He thudded into Cassius's chest right inside the threshold.

"You're home." Remus mumbled as he kissed Cassius all over his face.

"I just came back for my winter coat…I have to go to New Zealand."

"I miss you so much."

"I miss you too. How much longer?"

"Just another week or so."

"It's already been a week." Cassius's voice was very close to a whine.

"I know. We've made contact with all the old members, now we're just recruiting some new ones. The first meeting is the day after the full moon. Moody says we can use his cabin on Skye. How long will you be in New Zealand?

"A few days or so."

"It's the full moon in four days."

"Is it?"

"Could you come home for it?" Cassius looked down at him thoughtfully. "Please?"

"Call my name an hour before moonrise, all right?"

"He bought you the car for an anniversary present?" Sirius sounded impressed as he smoothed a hand over the hood of the car. "He must love you very much. Or you're a really good lay."

"Both, actually." Remus said, choosing to keep with the joking tone of the afternoon. "He used to have a flying motorcycle like you did."

"You never wanted to ride on mine." Sirius looked at him sharply.

"I never wanted to ride on his either. He got tired of trying to convince me."

"Can we take it for a drive?" Sirius sounded like a teenager again as he gazed back at the car

"Um…yeah, but we can't leave Windy Corner."

"All right, prefect. But we could just drive around the grounds."

"We could do that."

"And then we're going swimming."

"You sure you have enough strength for all these grand plans, Padfoot?"

"Being on the run for a year has gotten me into shape, Moony." Sirius said sarcastically.

"You really are thinner than me." Remus reached out and smoothed his hand down Sirius' back. He could feel each one of Sirius' ribs.

"Thanks to you, I get three square meals a day now."

"I know." Sirius had actually filled out a bit since he had arrived at Windy Corner over a week ago. He'd slept a lot and ate a lot. After the first night, he'd been taking a dreamless sleep potion to allow him to rest. Remus supposed he was catching up on years and years of lost sleep and sustenance.

"I know I can't stay here. Your mate's an auror, it's too much of a risk for him if I stay here much longer. I've owled Dumbledore, I told him we can use my parents' house as headquarters for the Order. Mother's dead so the house is mine. I'll go live there."

"An actual headquarters would be great for the Order. I know Dumbledore wanted one." Although Remus hadn't thought about Sirius living elsewhere, he also hadn't been able to picture Sirius living at Windy Corner with Cassius and Remus.

Sirius got behind the wheel of the car and was looking fixedly at the dashboard. "Remus."

"Sirius." Remus climbed into the passenger seat.

"Would you stay with me? At Grimmauld Place? Just for a while…just till I get used to it? You'll have your own room and everything."

"Of course. Anything for a Marauder." Remus smiled, feeling an intense need to see Sirius smile. "You know…the car does have an invisibility charm…"

"Really?" Sirius grinned back.

"Oh yeah." Remus felt like the years since school had melted away.

Remus stood in their bedroom, pacing nervously. He checked again that the door was locked and then looked at his watch again. Finally, an hour before moonrise.

"Cassius." He said quietly. A moment later there was a loud crack as Cassius Apparated a few feet away. Remus threw his arms around his mate, breathing in his scent. "I'm so glad you're here."

"Me too. Dumbledore owled me."

"Oh?"

"He told me Sirius wants to use the Black house for HQ. Grimmauld Place is locked to any one who isn't a Black or a Malfoy. So, I need to go there to change the wards."

"Sirius can't do it?"

"He was disinherited, he's no longer acknowledged as a Black."

"But it's still his house?"

"No…technically it belongs to me, I was Aunt Black's sole heir. But I don't care that he lives there, he doesn't need to know it's not his. All right?" Remus nodded, wondering if Sirius remembered he'd been disinherited so that the house might not belong to him…the years in Azkaban had affected his memories in some ways, Remus had noticed.

"I'm going to go on Saturday. Could you meet me there? After I do the spells?"

"Of course. Are you sure I shouldn't be with you the whole time? You haven't been back there since-"

"I'll be fine. You can't be there until all the spells are done anyway."

"Cass-" Remus opened his mouth to tell Cassius that Sirius had invited him to stay at Grimmauld Place when Cassius interrupted.

"Enough talk, I have 57 minutes left with you tonight and I intend to be inside you for all of them." Cassius started stripping off his clothes. Remus pulled off his own clothes with shaking hands and laid down on the bed. A quick lubricating charm and Cassius was in him. Remus gasped at the suddenness.

"Sorry." Cassius murmured, kissing Remus gently. "I've missed you." Remus shook his head, unable to speak as the pleasure washed over him. "I love you."

"Please." Remus choked out. He didn't have to say any more as Cassius took over and gave Remus what they both wanted.

Remus gulped down the potion, a minute left before moonrise, as Cassius pulled his clothes back on.

"Now, you're not to go into the forest, you can go outside as long as Tabby can see you both."

"All right." Remus nodded.

"I mean it. I heard about the car ride, which I shouldn't even have to tell you was an irresponsible thing to do." Cassius glared down at him. "You're not going in the forest."

Remus nodded meekly. "Are you going to take house points?" He asked softly.

"I just might. Tabby has my permission to stun you both if you disobey the rules." Cassius smiled slightly, crawling back on the bed to take Remus in his arms. "I love you, sweetheart." Cassius gave him another kiss. "I'll see you Saturday."

"I love you." Remus kissed him, feeling his bones start to shift.

"You want me to stay? Or I can open the door now." Cassius stood back up.

"Stay." Remus collapsed back onto the bed, starting the transformation. It was over in less than a minute. The three orgasms he'd had in the last hour eased the transformation immensely, he hardly felt any pain.

"I'm opening the door and then I'm leaving." Remus licked Cassius's hand in answer. "You're feeling ok?"

A howling yip answered him. Cassius moved to the door, standing behind it to remain out of sight from the hallway. He opened it and then Disapparated.

Remus trotted through the opened door to see Padfoot standing there. He howled and raced down the stairs and out the back door. Tabby sat on the porch in a rocking chair, her wand was in hand.

"Stay on this side of the garage, so I can see you. You won't get to be in the swimming hole, but the creek is good enough."

A bark and a short howl answered her as the wolf and the big black dog raced over to the creek, plunging into the cold water. They raced across the creek several times, stopping to wrestle in the middle, then raced back across the yard, rolling in the grass and tumbling around. Remus felt like if he looked hard enough he could see a stag and a rat joining in the fun, it was like they were young again, without a care in the world.

A few days later, at breakfast…

"I have an errand to run this afternoon – Order business." Remus answered, he hoped his cheeks weren't turning red.

"Mm." Sirius looked sullen. Dumbledore had forbidden him from doing anything for the Order and Sirius was starting to resent his forced inactivity when he knew Voldemort was out there somewhere. They were planning to move to Grimmauld Place the next day and Sirius was starting to shut down emotionally at the prospect of going back to his childhood home. Remus was reminded strongly of Cassius, he and Sirius were very similar in many ways.

Remus opened the door to 12 Grimmauld Place cautiously. Cassius was standing in the hallway, opposite a pair of curtains. Remus turned and shut the door, he heard steps behind him and he was quickly turned and engulfed in Cassius' arms.

"You're finally here." Cassius said ardently. Remus clutched his mate's shoulders as Cassius kissed his neck.

Remus tipped his head to give Cassius more access and shivered as Cassius pulled his shirt collar aside to kiss the bite mark. He moaned as Cassius licked over the bite mark. "The spells are done, Sirius can move in today and we can go home." Cassius started to lean in for another kiss.

"Well…I wanted to talk to you about that." Remus said, looking over at the grimy wall, he was anticipating a row over what he was going to say next.

"What?" Cassius set Remus back on the floor and looked at him warily.

"Sirius asked me to stay here with him." Remus said calmly, bracing himself for Cassius' reaction, hoping that it wouldn't be an angry one.

"What?"

"Only for a little while – he's lonely, he has nightmares, he isn't the same…" Remus said, stroking Cassius' arms.

"I have nightmares too!"

"You told me you weren't having nightmares."

"Well, I am." Cassius said coolly.

"You lied to me?" Remus looked up at Cassius.

"Oh…well…no, I haven't had any nightmares recently. But I miss you, I miss being home with you." Cassius drew Remus closer to him.

"I miss being home with you too. …I just…I need to be here for him. He needs my help. He doesn't have anyone else." Remus watched Cassius's jaw clench. "Please let me stay with him, just for a few weeks."

"Oh, Remus." Cassius took a deep breath. "Three weeks, then you're coming home."

"Thank you, husband." Remus hugged Cassius tightly. "I love you." Remus' voice was a soft murmur against his skin. "It'll just be a three weeks, then I'll come home to you."

Cassius threaded his hands through Remus's hair and crushed his mouth down on top of Remus' lips. Remus felt his knees go weak, he clung to Cassius, pulling himself closer to his mate's heat. Cassius pulled away suddenly from Remus leaving him breathless. "Come to Moody's with me – he's at Hogwarts visiting Dumbledore."

Remus nodded, he was too aroused to speak. Cassius hugged him tightly and they Apparated in Cassius's room at Moody's. Cassius ordered Remus to undress while he quickly stripped off his own clothes. As Cassius reached for him, Remus noticed for the first time since seeing his mate that the fingers on Cassius's left hand were torn and bloody.

"How long were you at Grimmauld Place before I got there?"

"A couple hours…I didn't know how long the spells would take and no one else could be there while I was doing them."

"How long did they take?" Remus retrieved his wand from his robes and waved it over Cassius's hand.

"Hour and twenty minutes." Cassius shrugged as his hand was healed and the blood disappeared.

"I'm sorry…are you all right now?"

"I will be." Cassius's mouth attached to the bite mark on Remus' neck as they tumbled to the bed. Remus squirmed under his mate's body, the pleasure sizzling down his back. Remus had missed Cassius greatly the past two weeks. The first time was over quickly as their pent-up needs didn't take much time to release. They had sex another time before Remus looked over at the clock.

"I better go." He said gently, tracing his hand over the tattoo on Cassius' collarbone. The action soothed him, as it always did. Cassius didn't respond, his eyes were closed, but Remus sensed that he wasn't asleep. "I love you." He pressed a kiss to the magical writing marked on Cassius' skin.

"I love you." Cassius answered softly. "I'm leaving tomorrow for Germany, I'll be gone a few days. I'll owl when I get back."

"Be careful."

"I will be."

On Remus's 35th birthday, Cassius Apparated over to Windy Corner just before dawn to give Remus his birthday gift and sex. The gift was a protective amulet. Remus held it tight in his fist as Cassius rocked into him. Love crashed over Remus as Cassius kissed him, rocking harder and faster. Remus felt his world narrow down to just the two of them, together, nothing else mattered. The coiling of heat began. He knew he was begging Cassius for more, but he couldn't understand his own words. It seemed like everything was happening in slow motion as he dug his fingers into Cassius's back, nipping at his neck and shoulders. And then…Remus cried out as his orgasm hit.

Less than a week after Harry came to live at Grimmauld Place, Remus met Clara for lunch at her flat. He'd been staying at Grimmauld Place off and on for the past month because Cassius was often gone on assignments.

"Clara, I don't know what to do! I want Cass to meet Sirius. I want to tell Sirius that Cass is my mate but Cass won't let me. He doesn't trust Sirius."

"It's understandable, if irrational." Clara and Remus both knew Cassius's distrust of Sirius went back to their childhood and had peaked with the prank that Sirius had blamed on Cassius.

"Sirius can't hurt him again and Sirius can't hurt me, he wouldn't."

"You know Cassie – he'll avoid something that's hard for him emotionally and it will eat at him." Clara looked at him earnestly. "You can't be scared of him getting angry at you if you go against his wishes. You know what needs to be done. You need to do it."

"I should tell Sirius and have them meet."

"Yes." Clara nodded for emphasis.

"How?"

Clara thought for a moment, stirring her tea. "Have them meet first…dinner at Grimmauld Place, it'll be good for Cassie to have to go there again as well…then tell Sirius afterwards, away from Cassie."

"Clara, what would I do without you?" Not for the first time, Remus was glad to have Clara as his best friend. They had a very similar outlook and could talk about anything. He knew she loved him unconditionally.

"You wouldn't be eating my delicious crème brulee, that's for sure." Clara smiled.

"You think I can convince him?"

"Of course you can. You have that man wrapped around your little finger. Like he's ever said no to you before."

"Yes, he has."

"Oh? Really? If you can actually tell me one instance when he's refused you something I will….I will run down Diagon Alley naked."

"He told me I couldn't…" Remus trailed off. Cassius had let Sirius come to their home although he didn't like or trust his cousin. He had let Remus go to Hogwarts in spite of his worries for Remus's safety. Remus searched through his memory. "All right, I can't think of anything."

"See? So…there you go. You know it's the right thing to do. Cassius can't hide from Sirius forever."

"You are right." Remus took a deep breath. "I'll do it."

Author's Notes: The next chapter will be up after I get…um…six reviews! :-) You know you want to!

Kungzone: thanks for your review of my other story, since I'm not updating that one, I'm responding here, so I hope you read this story too. While there won't be anymore of that Draco/Harry story, I do have plans for Harry. (Rubs hands together gleefully).

Drastic Diner, you need to put your email address in your reviews! You brought up great points! I think all your wonderings will be answered in this chapter and the next few. thanks for your reviews of ch 35 and 36. Owen's parents did like Cassius but as you have read in Ch. 37, they died when Owen did.

Mon-2, I'm glad you picked up on what I was putting down (ha ha) with regards to Sirius.

Thanks also to Padfoot, Peegchica and Gil-Celeb!!