As ever, I do not own any of these characters, am just having a little fun no harm intended! This contains some spoilers for Half Blood Prince – you have been warned. As ever, all constructive criticism is welcome, I need all the help I can get!

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As she reached up to wrap her arms round his neck he deepened his kiss and pulled her closer to him. He tightened his arms around her as though his life depended on her remaining close to him. In a way he felt it did, he was reluctant to ever let her go. She was the one ray of light remaining in his life after he lost his best friend and he worried every time she was on duty for the order or at work for the ministry. He knew that she could take care of herself but it didn't calm his fears when she was late getting home or had managed to injure herself in some minor way through her innate clumsiness. She was the focus of his hope for the future and the only thing that he could cling to when everything around him was falling apart.

Ever since the moment when she had shaken him back in the hospital wing at Hogwarts he had realised he was being foolish. Molly had been prompting him for months that he needed to acknowledge his feelings for Tonks; yet he had hesitated. He felt that she deserved better than him, someone younger, someone richer, and someone...not a werewolf. The death of Dumbledore had made him realise that there were some things that could not be avoided and that we all have only a limited amount of time in this world. He had finally accepted that he needed, and wanted to spend his time with her.

These realisations didn't make him feel any feel any better when she was away. He still felt frantic that his worst fears would be realised and when he emerged from his wolf-like state once a month it was even worse. He always worried he would do something to hurt her, especially when she had taken to keeping him company when he had taken the potion. He had tried to dissuade her but she had been insistent…

"I don't see why I can't Remus, the potion makes you safe. I hate to think of you on your own… through that." Tonks pleaded as she swept the hair from his eyes.

Remus sighed and rubbed his hand across his forehead. "'Dora, we've had this conversation too many times. The answer is still no."

Tonks looked stubborn "and that's your final word".

"Final"

Of course she had completely ignored him and had unlocked the door from the outside when he was transformed. He awoke the following morning to find her asleep next to him. After a brief moment of panic he shook her to make sure that she was ok. That night had led to their first ever argument as a couple.

"I told you not to chance it. I could have killed you." Remus stated, raising his voice for the first time in their relationship.

Tearfully Tonks replied "but I can't sleep downstairs when you're not there. Last night was the first time I had slept when you were transformed. It hurts not to…"

Remus began to feel very guilty, the only other time he had seen her cry was when he had told her about Sirius. "Look, I'm just worried, it would kill me if I hurt you…"

He knew that he could never hurt her intentionally but the thought that he would do it inadvertently filled him with terror. He could still remember the first time she had come home injured.

Remus had been sitting in the sitting room at Grimauld Place waiting for Tonks to come in and had been nervously watching the clock. He heard the door creak open followed by quiet cursing which accompanied the dull thud that told him his girlfriend was home. Sighing with relief he made his way into the hallway to find Tonks on the floor nursing her arm.

"What on earth..?" Remus gasped as he took in her hastily bandaged arm from which blood was seeping.

" Wotcha Remus. 'S'nothing" said Tonks as he picked her up off the floor. "Just ran into dear Auntie Bella tonight. We only just got away, bloody ambush. Had it not been for Mad-Eye it would have been…well lets just say I was never more pleased to see him."

"Let me see that." Remus quietly stated. He moved his wand above while quietly muttering the incantation needed to repair the damage. "That looks better." He stated somewhat needlessly as he leant over to kiss her arm where the gash had been…

Although there had been many close shave since then, including the one at Hogwarts that had led to Bill's injury but he still couldn't prevent himself from worrying. Deep down he knew his girlfriend was as capable as he was at looking after herself but this didn't mean he was happy while she was away.

He knew that their relationship was never going to be an easy one; she was considered to be a freak by many in the wizarding community and he was feared by most. They did however have each other and there was something fitting in the fact that despite his hesitation and fears they had managed to build something out of the wreckage around them. Although there was still a long way to go and no certainty for either of them, when Remus was holding onto her and kissing her, he felt the whole of the world was on pause. Nothing could touch them and that was the way the he hoped it would remain.