1Chapter 2
Lupin went down to breakfast early so he wouldn't have to see Tonks and feel his heart break all over again. Unfortunately, she had the same idea.
"Remus! What are you doing here?" she exclaimed.
"What are you doing here?" he retorted. She laughed, and the sound brought warmth back to Lupin's heart.
"Well, probably the same thing you are," she giggled.
Their momentary light mood was not to last. By the time their breakfast was finished cooking, they had lapsed into an uncomfortable silence that lasted throughout the meal. Remus barely noticed, as concentrated on every feature of Tonks as he was. Her bouncy mouse-colored hair, her deep grey eyes cast demurely down so he could not look into them fully, her soft skin, close enough to touch.
Before he knew it, they were done breakfast. As he got up to walk away, she suddenly grabbed his hand to stop him and stood in front of him. He saw her eyes were glittering with unshed tears.
"Why don't you love me?" she pleaded, her voice barely a whisper. If only she knew the truth.
"It's not that I don't love you–."
"It's that you want to keep me safe. You are too old for me, too dangerous, too poor. I've heard it all before, and I've told every time that it doesn't matter to me! I can see through it now! You just don't want to hurt my feelings by turning me down! Well, you have. I get it now. Goodbye." Now it was Lupin's turn to grab her hand as she turned away.
"I love you more than you will ever know, Nymphadora Tonks!" he shouted, frustrated. "I stay up all night, every night, thinking of nothing but you. And every morning, I am determined to find you, and tell you how I feel, until a vision of your dead and mangled body flashes through my eyes, and I remember that I must turn you away because I love you, not because I don't! There is nothing more in the world that I would like better than to just kiss you right now, and never let go of you again, but I can't," and his voice fell, "because I love you."
Remus looked at his feet, already embarrassed by his confession, when arms snaked around his neck, and soft lips met his. He kissed her softly, but deeply, for what felt like an eternity, until he realized what he was doing and pulled away.
"Dora, I can't..." Tonks put her finger to his lips.
"What if I told you you're worth it?" she whispered.
He saw the truth in her eyes and felt the truth in his heart, and knew she was right. Love is worth it. Then he bent down and kissed her again.