Summary: What happened between Lupin and Tonks before Dumbledore's funeral and after the scene in the Hospital Wing?

Tonks walked into headquarters (12 Grimwald Place), closely followed by Lupin. Both had left the Hospital Wing a little while ago to give the Weasley family some privacy. Tonks stormed across the hallway, not caring who- or what -she woke up, and into the kitchen.

She sat down at the kitchen table not saying anything, just staring at her hands.

Lupin was the first to break the uncomfortable silence.

"We need to talk," he said, his voice more husky than ever (that meant he was either nervous or very tired, Tonks went for both).

"About what?" She almost yelled, she was having a very difficult time controlling her temper. "About how you've broken my heart again and again just because you don't deem yourself worthy of me and possibly think I might just drop it when I see in you what you see in yourself, or lack thereof." She added as an after thought, almost on the verge of tears.

"We've gone over this," Lupin said, looking on the verge of tears also. "I'm to0 old for you; your 23 and I'm 39, I'm too poor and I'm…… I'm too dangerous to be around let alone live with."

"Don't you understand?" Tonks cried out tears streaming down her face now. "None of that matters as long as we love each other, I thought love concurs all. Age doesn't matter, so you're a little bit older than I don't care, so what if you don't have as large a salary as I do, money isn't everything, and as for being dangerous," Tonks gave a slight huff of breath before continuing. "There's the Wolfsbane Potion, and I know for a fact that you have a large wood in your back yard. You've lived with this since you were 9 or 10? And you were in a school full of students your own age at the time, and now you consider yourself dangerous?"

Remus looked thoughtful and pained at the same time, almost as if he didn't want to think about what he was thinking.

"You said none of it mattered as long as we love each other?" Remus asked, Tonks nodded through her tears. Remus thought again, as much as he didn't want to do was he was going to, he had to… to keep her safe. Even if it meant she would hate him for ever.

"Well then," Remus started, "I don't…. I don't love you." His eyes started to "water-from-the-dust".

Tonks looked as if she had been slapped with all the force of the world. She stared crying harder and shook her head.

"I DON'T BELIEVE YOU," she screamed. "I don't believe you," now a whisper. After that, her legs just gave away; she couldn't support herself right now. When she hit the ground she crumpled into the fetal position and wept harder.

If a heart could break twice in less than an hour, Remus' did. It broke the first time when he looked at her, really looked at her, at the Hospital Wing and saw how depressed she looked, and now, seeing what four words did to her soul.

Remus couldn't help himself; he bent down and shifted her so she was almost in his lap and let her cry on his shoulder while he rubbed her back in comforting circles. After about a half hour she clamed down and Remus thought she had gone to sleep until she looked up at him and spoke.

"I don't believe what you said," she spoke, her voice hoarse from the crying. "I don't believe it at all."

Remus was over joyed and devastated at the same time. Happy because she knew he still loved her and sad because he knew he could not protect her.

"I'm sorry but, I don't want you to get hurt, physically and emotionally. If I bit you I would never be able to live with myself. I'm looking out for you well being."

Tonks smiled slightly, "We can set up precautions, besides I'm willing to risk being bitten as long as I can be with the man I love."

Now it was Remus' turn to cry, though he would never admit to it. Tonks knew he was afraid, terrified even, with the chance of biting her. When Remus was finished with his little "episode" he looked at her with confusion written all over his face.

"Why would we need to set up precautions anyway?" he asked.

"Well, I thought if we were together, you know since I don't have a place of my own, that maybe the rest drifted into nothingness.

"Oh," Remus cried out in a mock hurt voice. "So, now you're just using me for my home? Thanks, now I know I'm loved."

Tonks smiled at him, glad he wasn't angry with her for suggesting that she live with him, but she didn't have an answer.

"So…um… is that a 'Yes, Tonks you can share my humble home with me as long as you pay half the rent'?"

Remus laughed out loud for a little while. Then with a smile on his face, said, "Yes, but you don't have to pay half the rent, one quarter of it will do fine."

Tonks was going to retaliate but was cut off by a pair of very soft lips on hers. Remus was kissing her. Remus was kissing her.

Tonks lost all thought of what she was about to say. She was very happy when he put his arm around her waist, she was almost positive her legs would have giving away at that very moment.