Disclaimer: In the words of one fanfiction author (sorry, I don't know who it was), me no own.
A/N: I GOT OVER MY WRITER'S BLOCK!!! Wow it's been a while, but I finally did it – and you know what? It was your reviews that got me inspired. So, should I ever have another unfortunate episode of writer's block, review or email me and yell at me to get something done! It helps to know that someone out there wants to read more of my story. Also, Ladies and Gentlemen, upon checking my reviews, I was pleased to discover that dun dun dun I have over 50 reviews!!! Woohoo!! (you know what's crazy? Some people have over a 1000!! Oh, I can only dream…) Thanks to you all, you rock my socks!! (that is, on the occasions when I am actually wearing socks, seeing as warmer weather is now on the way and all…but you guys are cool anyhow)
On with the Story!!
Chapter 16: First time
Sarah stared out of the big bay window out to the elegantly laid out gardens beyond the courtyard below. The rain was pouring down outside, blending the multihued greenery into one vast watercolour. Typical English weather, she thought grumpily. If I were in Canada right now, it'd at least be beautiful and sunny, despite the snow.
Oh, yeah, an uninvited voice piped up. A nice, sunny, oh-so-nippy-at-a-refreshing-minus-fifteen-degrees-WITHOUT-the-wind-chill January day. Yes, I can see it now…Sarah frowned, then shivered. On the other hand, maybe I'll take the rain.
A hand on her knee, however, prevented her from any further debate on the various climates of the world.
"Sarah," a kind, deep voice reverberated around the meticulously furnished oak panelled office. "Wake up, Lil' Sis."
Sarah snorted and turned to look sceptically at the man crouching down beside her. "Hello hello, Big Bro?" she returned, raising an eyebrow. Michael Callahan groaned and got up, seating himself on the window seat beside her. Taking one of her slim hands in his big ones, he sat in silence with her for a few minutes, both enjoying the steady rhythm of the rain.
"So…" he said after a while. "You need to take some time off, my girl."
"Ugh!!" Sarah exclaimed, throwing up her free hand in the air in disgust. "Everyone keeps on saying that. First it was Cass, then Uncle Al, now you and not to mention Remus…" she trailed off, instantly regretting bringing Remus up.
"Oh, yeah, Remus." Michael grinned wickedly at her. "The fellow you fancy?"
"Michael…" Sarah sighed, rolling her eyes.
"Right, sorry, I know, you're not a little girl, this is no schoolgirl crush – your boyfriend, right?"
"Honestly, Michael, you're how old?"
"Yes, yes – wait – you didn't run off and marry him, did you?" he quickly checked her hand for any signs of a ring, and upon finding none, continued.
"All right, so he's not your fiancé either – lover, perhaps? Come one, the look on your face is way too content…"
Michael decided to stop talking; Sarah had narrowed her eyes and the murderous look in them as she glared menacingly at Michael was anything but content.
"Michael Darren Callahan!!!! Remus and I are a couple, okay? We're together, seeing each other, dating, whatever. He's my boyfriend. There. Are you happy?"
Michael smiled widely, then frowned. "Well, you do know what this means, don't you?" he grabbed both her hands and held them close to him protectively. "I shall have to have a little chat with this Mr. Remus Lupin."
Horror filled Sarah. "Oh no you won't." she quickly pulled away and got up, backing away from him. "Don't you go into full big brother mode on me now."
"What kind of big brother would I be if I didn't?" Steely grey eyes met determined honey ones. Sarah inwardly groaned.
"Half-brother, Michael." She corrected, pointing a finger at him. Suddenly the light-hearted atmosphere of the room vanished, the smile leaving Michael's face as he too got up, facing her.
"That doesn't mean I love you any less, little sister." He said stiffly. "I'm sorry if you think I don't matter as much because of that."
"No, Michael, I…"
Her protests fell on deaf ears as her brother strode across the room, opening the door and holding it for her to leave. "I'm glad to see that you've recovered, Brenton."
Why does he have to be so moody? Sarah thought grumpily, her own mood plummeting. She gathered her coat and walked past him, looking straight ahead.
As she left the room, Michael grabbed her arm, pulling her back to him momentarily. "Mr. Callahan, sir…" she said, attracting the attention of some passer-by. Michael scowled but let go of her arm. "What the hell are you doing, Michael?" she hissed.
"He doesn't even know about me, does he?" he said, staring into her eyes. "And you say you love him?"
"I never said I loved him…" Sarah trailed off as Michael smirked at her.
"And has he said he loved you?"
Sarah was at a complete loss for words, feeling as if she was drowning in confusion. Remus had never actually said he loved her – she'd never let him say it. And she'd never told him what he meant to her either.
Michael, seeing the confusion in her eyes, squeezed her arm gently, relaxing somewhat. "I guess I'll put off that talk for a while, no?" He gave her a small smile and lightly pushed the bewildered girl forward into the stream of people going by. Sarah walked on, slightly dazed, not entirely noticing where she was going until a tawny head popped out from an office to her right.
"Sarah!!" she called.
"What?" Sarah looked up, confused. "Oh, Cass, hi, what's going on?"
"How fast can you drive?"
"Legally, or illegally?" Sarah asked, grinning. Cassandra smiled back at her.
"Good stuff. Looks like you're going to have to hightail out of here – it seems that we haven't dealt with all of Nolan's colleagues just yet."
"Oh, peachy." Sarah groaned. "Do I get any backup?"
"Sorry hon, just get in that car and go. Details will come as you drive. Time is of the essence."
"Right, okay, I'm gone." Sarah blended back into the mass of people, then stepped into an inconspicuous doorway a couple of feet down the hall. Putting her receiver to her ear, she made her way quickly through the hallways of the mansion towards her car, instructions from Cass pouring in by the second. Jumping into a sleek black coupe, she fired the engine and was soon speeding away from MI5. The sooner I get this done with, she thought to herself. the sooner I can get home and deal with this whole Remus thing. She was almost glad that he was currently away. I need to sort this out – I can't mess this up.
Sarah quietly entered No. 12 Grimmauld Place. Stepping lightly past Mrs. Black's portrait, she slipped upstairs, sneaking her way there in fear of waking up any Order members who were currently using the Headquarters as a rest station. Capturing the Deatheaters she'd found had proved to be a rather daunting task and many a day she would come home to find someone randomly camping out in one of the rooms, or, if they were really tired, asleep at the kitchen table.
Once in her room, she dropped her bag and shed her coat, eager to be out of the leather jumpsuit. As she peeled it off of her body, she cast her mind around the house, checking to see who was actually there. Mmn – no, Bill left with Moody an hour ago, mmn – Remus??!! Remus??!
She opened her door to run down the hall to his room. Remus was supposed to be away on his mission for another week, and they'd received word that everything was going to plan. Why was he home early? Don't question, Sarah, she told herself. Just accept and enjoy.
Her hand was on his doorknob when she heard her name whispered from inside the room. "Sarah…" came Remus' smooth tenor, sending shivers down her back and stopping her dead in her tracks. She instantly opened her mind again, feeling for Remus. He was alone, that she knew, but he was definitely thinking about her. And – oh – oh – Remus… Sarah's breath came faster as the intensity of his emotions at that moment washed over her. Shakily gathering her composure, she quietly turned the doorknob, slipping inside the room without Remus noticing.
He was standing opposite her, newer robes hanging well over his broad shoulders, staring at a point on the ground. He appeared to be in deep thought, but his face was flushed, his mouth moving as he if were silently talking to someone. Suddenly he lifted his head, his hand covering his mouth, but his eyes had closed – he didn't see her. It was Sarah's "Oh - wow - we should do that." that caught his attention. His eyes flew open, widening even further as he looked at the woman in front of him. In her rush to see him, Sarah had come in nothing but the underwear she was wearing underneath her jumpsuit. Even now, the silky black strap had fallen off of one shoulder, and Sarah's flushed cheeks as she ran a hand through her hair certainly caught and held Remus' entire attention.
"Hey, you're home," she said, somewhat shyly – the intensity of his stare was unnerving her. "I missed you." She smiled tentatively at him, biting her lower lip.
"Merlin," Remus inwardly groaned. "Do you have," he crossed the room in two steps and pulled her close to him. "any idea," he bent his head and began to place kisses all over her neck, freeing her other shoulder of its strap. "how incredibly beautiful" Sarah gasped in his arms. "you are?"
Sarah had been told she was beautiful before, but she still blushed and buried her face in his shoulder. "Remus, I'm not really…" she murmured against him.
Sarah's breath hot against his neck sent shivers down Remus' back. He slid his hands down her back to her bottom, pulling her up close to him as she began to kiss his neck, her hands roaming over his chest.
"You have way too many clothes on, Remus." Sarah said, her hands freeing him of his robes. Remus groaned as he looked down and saw the numerous buttons on his shirt underneath – why on earth had he ever wanted to buy this? Suddenly, however, they seemed to all be coming undone with surprising speed, exposing his muscular chest for a very smug looking Sarah to explore.
"What?" he asked, but then Sarah pulled him down to her and caught him in a searing kiss, their tongues thoroughly exploring each other's.
"Remus," she said, pouting playfully. "Did you forget that I'm telekinetic as well?"
His eyes widened; he had known, but now it presented itself to him in an entirely different light. A wave of pleasure erupted in him as Sarah ground her hips against his. "Oh, god," he groaned. "Sarah, oh, god, Sarah…" Picking her up, he carried her over to the bed and lowered them onto it, kissing her almost completely exposed breasts. Realizing that they had a front clasp he grinned mischievously down at her, snapping it open with a flick of his finger. Sarah arched her back, pressing herself against the man on top of her as Remus' mouth came into contact with her exposed skin.
Sarah's head was swimming from Remus' ministrations – the house could have collapsed around them and she wouldn't have noticed – but the second his mouth left her nipple she moaned and tried to pull his head back down to her, causing Remus to chuckle. His laughter stopped, however, when he saw the raw desire in her darkened eyes, and his mouth eagerly sought hers once more.
Very soon they were moving against each other, their cries ringing throughout the house as they showed each other just how much they meant to them. Sarah gasped and cried out as she climaxed, arching her back so that she brought Remus crashing over the edge with her.
"Remus…" Sarah managed to breathe out once she was capable of coherent thought again. "Wow – oh my god, I … oh, Remus."
Remus raised his head to look at her beside him, their bodies still closely entwined. "Yeah," he said seriously, getting a giggle out of Sarah and a half-hearted swipe to his shoulder in return.
"Well excuse me Mr. Sex God Lupin!"
Remus' face broke into a silly grin, the years seemingly falling away from his countenance as he did so. Sarah laughed with him and leaned forward, gently kissing his lips. Remus wrapped his arms around her and rolled onto his back so that she was on top of him, her hair falling around her face as she pulled away slightly to look at him.
"What?" Remus asked her, blushing slightly under her intense gaze despite the intimacy they'd just shared.
"I never told you." Sarah said simply, reaching up an arm to brush her hair away from her face. Remus found himself hard pressed not to reach up and pull her back down to him and make love to her all over again right that second as she sat astride him, unconsciously moving against him as she tried to get her long hair out of her face. Who says we can't? Remus asked himself. Not like we have anything else that can't wait.
"I love you."
Remus was in the process of reaching up to kiss her when the words fell from her lips, freezing him as he stared at her, trying to make sense of what he'd just heard. She didn't say – she couldn't – love…
"Remus?"
He snapped out of his daze – Sarah was looking anxiously at him, biting her lower lip.
"You – you love me?" he asked her, incredulous.
"Ye-Yes." Sarah responded, her voice a little shaky. "I…just want you to know that … that I do love you, I mean…I…" she stammered in her attempt to explain her words, her heart beating painfully in her chest as she waited for Remus to say something. He wasn't looking at her and dread began to creep in to her heart as he remained silent. I know we haven't seen each other for ages, but – I guess he could have changed his mind – but…
Sarah was about to get up when she felt him take her hand in his, using the other to pull her back down to him for a long, soft kiss.
"You love me." Remus said, shaking his head in disbelief, a small smile playing at his lips.
"I love you." Sarah told him, praying he would believe her.
"Well, that's good then." Remus looked up at her, his eyes alight.
"Alright," Sarah nodded. "That's good that it's good."
"It is." Remus said, a full-blown smile on his face now. Suddenly he laughed and pulled her close to him, kissing her thoroughly. Sarah looked at him questioningly as he pulled back, both attempting to catch their breath.
"Sarah," Remus threaded his hands in her hair. "Sarah, I love you."
"Rise and shine, Moony, it's a beautiful day!!!" Sirius yelled excitedly, thoroughly happy that Remus was home early as he bounded with seemingly endless reserves of energy into Remus' room. Instead, however, of the usual sleepy "Go to hell, Sirius" he got from a very grumpy werewolf, he was greeted with yelps and flashes of exposed skin and simultaneous "PADFOOT!!!" and "BLACK!! GET THE HELL OUT!" from Remus and Sarah, who had immediately dived underneath Remus in a rather futile attempt to cover herself up.
Sirius grinned appreciatively at her until he caught a glimpse of the murderous look on his best friend's face and promptly scurried from the room. He briefly considered hiding, but then remembered that Remus would easily find him with all his werewolf senses. Arriving in the kitchen, he began to look for food, emptying cupboards, drawers and anything else that might contain something edible as he did so.
By the time Remus stormed downstairs, Sirius was sitting at the table surrounded by all the food in Grimmauld Place, eating merrily away.
Remus looked quizzically at Sirius. "What the hell??"
Sirius's look became very solemn as he caught sight of Remus. "I'm abvmmng ah lamt mmml." He said, mouth full.
"What?" asked Sarah, appearing from behind Remus.
"I'm having a last meal." Remus translated, knowing Sirius well. "And by the looks of it, he's making sure he goes out well satisfied."
Sarah rolled her eyes and began to put the food away, ignoring Sirius' mumbled protests. "Remus isn't going to kill you." She said tiredly once she finished, reaching for one of the boxes of cereal that she'd left out.
"Oh, yes, I am." Remus quickly interjected, moving threateningly towards Sirius.
"No, you aren't." Sarah said, placing herself between the two men. Sirius grinned at Remus from behind Sarah, mouthing 'whipped, whipped, whipped' to Remus when the latter stopped his advance.
"And you…" Sarah immediately rounded on Sirius, causing him to speedily rethink his previous impression that Sarah was on his side. "What the hell is your problem?!? Would you so very terribly mind not ogling me like I'm a piece of meat?!!"
The trouble is, you're such a nice piece of meat. Sirius thought, while outwardly nodding solemnly and beginning to apologize profusely. Remus snorted, drawing Sirius' attention to the astonishing fact that Sarah, unlike every other woman he'd ever met, was not buying one word of his 'apology'.
"She's telepathic, mate." Remus told him, calmly sitting down beside Sarah and sliding one arm around her waist. "You can't hide anything from her."
Sirius stared open mouthed at Sarah, who was currently grinning rather evilly at him. "I know all." She intoned before sitting down and beginning to eat the cereal she'd previously chosen.
Sirius continued to stare at the couple for a few minutes, then decided to join in their meal – or rather – resume his feast. "So," he asked them, waggling his eyebrows. "Sleep well? Or should I say, sleep much?"
Remus raised an eyebrow at the grinning man across from him. "Sirius," he began, setting down his spoon. "You need to get laid."
Sirius sat up indignantly. "I need to get laid? I, Sirius Black, need to get laid?" he looked incredulously at Remus, who simply looked straight back at him, then at Sarah, but she was engrossed in the morning Daily Prophet. He opened his mouth to retort sarcastically that Remus was one to be talking when the realization hit him full force.
"I need to get laid." He admitted dully. Sarah looked up at him, her eyes sparkling.
"Well, next time I go out with Bill and Charlie and Tonks, you should come! You're a decent looking fellow, you should be able to pick someone up."
Sirius sat up straight once more as Remus chuckled at him. "Decent looking fellow?" he asked her, but Sarah had gone back to the Prophet, frowning deeply.
"Decent?" Sirius turned to Remus, eyes begging his best friend to vouch for all those years in which he had reigned supreme as 'Hogwarts' Hottest Hunk'. Remus, however, was becoming slightly worried by Sarah's concentrated quiet.
"Peaches?" he asked her quietly. "You alright?"
Sarah turned to Remus, her face white. "They found out." She said, thrusting the paper at Remus. "I don't know how, but…they did."
A very confused Remus looked down at the big black headline. MUGGLES ATTACK WIZARDS! It read, on top of a picture of a scowling muggle woman being led away by ministry officials.
"I don't understand." Sirius said from behind him, all laughter gone. "How did these muggles find out about wizards?"
"I…I don't know." Sarah said, her voice shaking slightly. "Oh god, this is bad. Don't you see? If Voldemort and his Deatheaters get to them first…they can use them to kill other muggles and maybe even wizards without being implicated."
Sirius' face was pale. "So he can buy himself some time – make the wizarding public think that he's not really back, that it was all a mistake – time that he needs now that we've got all those Deatheaters locked away."
Remus looked up from the article to stare intently at Sarah. "Do you know of someone by the name of Annetta Larson?"
Sarah went even paler and snatched the paper away from Remus, scanning the article until she found the relevant part. "She was fairly high up in Nolan's circle… I have to get into work now!"
She turned around and fairly sprinted upstairs, where the two men could hear her banging around as she got ready. Within minutes she was downstairs in her uniform, coat on as she rushed to the front door. "I'll be back in an hour or two – if not, I'll make sure you know." She kissed Remus lightly on the lips.
I want to talk to you when I get back. She told him.
Alright, he responded, finding it more than a little strange to think to her instead of talk. Anything in particular?
Nothing to do with this – something else. It's not that big of a deal – I just want you to know. Sarah smiled at him, gave him one last kiss and ran out the door, calling goodbye to both of them as she left. Remus stared slightly puzzled after her until he heard Sirius calling him.
"Moony? Moooony." Sirius said, finally settling for a simple whack to the back of Remus' head.
"Ow! Padfoot, what's your problem? Honestly!" Remus growled at him, turning back to the paper.
"So, who's this Larson woman?" Sirius asked, ignoring Remus' glare. "Someone Sarah deals with at her secret agent job?"
Remus rolled his eyes; Sirius absolutely loved muggle movies such as James Bond and the knowledge that Sarah was a real life agent at the real life equivalent of the movie agency was a continual source of enjoyment for him.
"Yes." He said, not bothering to elaborate that MI5 had been desperately trying to deal with Nolan and his 'circle' for several months now.
"And?" Sirius prompted.
"Like you said, she's a secret agent." Remus said, finishing his cereal off as he read through the rest of the article. He would have said nothing more but Sirius was giving him the hard, tell-me-right-now-you-bastard-you-bloody-well-know-that-I'm-still-stuck-in-this-hell-hole-so-I-need-to-know-something look, the look that Remus knew came about when Sirius was feeling useless due to his 'mass murderer' status.
"Look, Padfoot, Dumbledore will be by and I'm sure there'll be an Order meeting to talk it over."
"BLOODY HELL!!!" Sirius exploded as he stood up. "I'm not going to break! At least before when I was stuck here people treated me like an adult, now it's all 'oh, Sirius, are you all right? Oh, we missed you so much, now we're going to keep you on a nice soundproof display case on the mantelpiece so you don't ever have to worry about anything ever again'. WELL YOU KNOW WHAT??!! IF I DON'T WANT TO WORRY ABOUT ANYTHING EVER AGAIN THEN I NEED TO KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON SO I CAN DO MY PART TO STOP THAT SON-OF-A-BITCH!!!"
Remus sat back in his chair, staring wide-eyed at Sirius, who was breathing heavily as he slowly slumped back down into his chair.
"Sorry, Moony, I know, I'm just – now that everyone's gone, it's all coming back, the way I felt before, I'm trying, it's just…"
Remus felt awful as he looked at the tired figure of his best friend. Physically, Sirius was beginning to regain some of the looks and health he'd lost at Azkaban, but it was all to clear in his eyes that he still felt like a caged animal inside.
"Sirius," he said. "MI5 has been dealing with Larson's boss, Nolan, and his colleagues for months now. One of the reasons Sarah was unconscious when she pulled you out was because she'd spent the whole week without any sleep, she was so busy with work. They're supposedly rather dangerous – not too bad once you can get them out in the open, but…"
"You can't get them out in the open." Sirius finished for him. "What do muggles call them again? Terrorists?"
"Not exactly, Mr. Black, but they do present just as great a problem."
Remus and Sirius both snapped around to see Dumbledore standing in the doorway, his face sombre.
"Albus," Remus said. "I thought you'd be by soon – Sarah has gone in to work already. I take it that she'll be present at the meeting, then?"
"Yes," Dumbledore replied, seating himself at the table. "We'll be meeting at the usual time, this evening. Did she say anything else?"
"The woman they captured, Annetta Larson," Sirius spoke up. "she was involved with someone Sarah deals with at work."
Dumbledore sighed heavily and got up. "I was afraid this would happen. Harry's scar has been hurting him recently – he said that Voldemort was feeling desperate now that we've captured more Deatheaters and he has more control over his mind." Dumbledore, Remus and Sirius sat in silence for a few minutes.
"How's Harry?" Sirius asked – Harry's last owl had been over a week ago.
"Fine, but rather busy. He's been devoting himself more closely to his studies after last year. Or at least, Miss Granger has become more insistent now that they are studying for their NEWT's." A small twinkle appeared in his eyes as both Remus and Sirius were visibly relieved.
"Well, gentlemen, I must be moving on. But before I leave – there is something that needs to be done here – it'll be slightly tedious, Sirius, but it's important."
Sirius, however, looked as if he'd do the world's most boring task as long as he was doing something for the Order.
"Of course, professor." he said. Dumbledore looked approvingly at him.
"In that case then, this is what needs to be done…"
A/N: FINALLY!! I finished chap 16!! pats self on the back and does a victory dance but there's still more to come!! Much, much more! So, what do you guys think?? Should I throw in a random pregnancy to spice things up? An engagement? A little HarryGinnyness? Review and let me know! (Even if you think it's stupid, review and tell me why and I'll try to make it better.)
-Laren.