"What!?" I demanded, nearly dropping the phone. "Are you all right? Where are you?"

Her voiced on the other end sounded pained. "I-I'm a-at the library. Remus, it hurts. Please come get me."

Just the sound of her voice made me want to cry. "I'll be there, m'love. Just sit down, okay? Take it easy." I turned to Sirius. "Sirius, come on." Sirius looked as worried as I felt. "Is Tonks okay?"

"She's in labour." Sirius looked happy and sad at once. "YAY!" he yelled.

"Sir, I'm going to the library. Stay here and call a taxi, would you." Sirius saluted. "Yes sir."

At the library, she was curled into a ball on the sofa. I went over to her and stroked her hair. "Are you alright?" I questioned, kissing her forehead. She half-nodded. "Yes... But how are we going to get home?" I had forgotten about getting home. "Do you think you could walk?" The library was only 2 blocks from our house. She nodded. "I think so," she said, and tried to rise. I pulled her up and we started home.

By the time we got home, labour was in full swing and Sirius was still on the telephone with the taxi company. "Sirius, hurry it up, would you?"

Sirius looked apologetic. "Sorry Mate. The line's busy." Nymphadora looked like she was going to cry. "I don't think I'm going to make it..." she whispered. I curled up next to her and squeezed her hand. "It'll be okay," I whispered. "We'll get through this." Just as I said that, Sirius gave me the thumbs-up sign and began to speak briskly into the telephone. "Yes," he said. "Could you send a taxi-cab to 11 St. Christopher Place as soon as possible please? 20 minutes? Can you get one here sooner? No? Okay, that's fine. Good bye." Sirius hung up and looked apologetic. "Sorry guys."

I suddenly had an idea. "The Knight Bus, Sirius." I laughed manically. "Go hail the Knight Bus."

20 minutes later, I was waiting outside my wife's hospital room with bated breath. Suddenly, a doctor appeared at my side. "Mr. Lupin?" he said gently. I snapped up. "Yes?!" "Your wife is ready to push... would you like to go in to see her?" I jumped. "Of course!" I started to plow toward the delivery room.

"IT HURTS!!!!! REMUS WHY DIDN'T ANYONE TELL ME IT WAS GOING TO HURT THIS BAD?!" Nymphadora screamed in my ear.

"Shh... It'll be okay, Darling..." I whispered soothingly. "Shhh..."

"OKAY?!" she screamed. "OKAY? YEAH, IT WILL BE OKAY, BECAUSE YOU'RE NEVER TOUCHING ME AGAIN! NEVER EVER, EVER AGAIN!" I let go of her hand and looked pleadingly at the doctor. "It's okay," he said to me. "They all do this. Mrs. Lupin, I need to you to take a deep breath and push." She did, and then when she could breathe again, she started to cry. "Why didn't anyone tell me it would hurt this badly? I want my mum, Remus. I'm sorry. I'm just so... so... scared. Please, make it stop... Make it stop!" she blacked out then, her eyes closed and her hair fell long and dark around her face. I turned to the doctor once more. "Is she all right?" He smiled at me. "She'll be just fine, Mr. Lupin. She's just exhausted, and she's very petite, so this is hard on her body." Petite. I had never thought of her that way before. She was short, yes, but she was solid. I knew she could do it. She was strong.

13 hours later

"Mr. Lupin, your wife just had a beautiful baby girl." I snapped awake. "She did? When?!" "About 10 minutes ago. She weighed 10 pounds, 3 ounces, 21 inches long. Big and healthy."

"M-may I go see them?"

"Of course."

I stepped into the room once more. This time, she was awake and holding a tiny bundle capped by a pink knitted hat. "Honey?" I whispered. She looked up and smiled. "Oh love, come and see her." I came round and sat on the edge of the bed in order to cuddle both my girls. "What have you called her?" I whispered. "I don't know," she replied. "What does she look like to you?" I stared at the baby for a few moments. "She looks like an Anna, what do you think?" I replied. "Anna Clare."

"Anna Clare," she repeated. "That sounds right. Welcome to the world, Anna Clare."

We're a family, I thought. A family. I'm a father. We're the Lupins. Remus, Nymphadora and Anna.

Suddenly, Sirius stepped into the room. "So, what is it?" he asked, grinning. Nymphadora smiled at him. "You have a beautiful new baby girl cousin, Sirius. Her name is Anna."

"Anna," he repeated. "Anna. I like it. It's cute. Is she cute?"

"Of course," Nymphadora and I replied in unison.

"Well, let me have a look, then," said Sirius, peering down into the bundle. "Yes, she is cute. You're so cute, yes you are, yes you are," he said to the baby, tickling her chin. "Anna's a cutie, yes she is... Anna's gonna grow up and be the coolest little girl ever, yes she is!"

I smiled. I was entirely happy. I was a father, and I was complete.

A/N: I was originally going to have Remus and Tonks have a little boy, but my mum's friend had a baby named Anna in March, so I named the baby in honour of her. Enjoy.