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Remus lay on his back staring up at the stars through the trees, one arm wrapped around his still aching ribs.
The severe beating that he'd endured without complaint had cemented his place on the outskirts of the pack.
'Coward' the other wolves called him. 'Tame'.
He wondered absently if that were really true. The tame part. He already knew he was a coward.
Hadn't he run away when offered what he most wanted?
Tonks.
He allowed his thoughts to fly to her. He wondered if she'd gotten over their conversation yet. If she'd given up on him yet.
It was what had to be. He knew that.
But one stubborn little part of him still hoped uselessly.
That same willful part of him kept remembering the look in her eyes when she was lying beneath him that night.
The ache he felt now had nothing to do with his ribs, and everything to do with his foolish heart.
"Too old. Too poor. Too dangerous." He whispered. He'd been repeating it to himself over and over, like a mantra.
Valid points, all.
She'd shot them down one by one.
He flung his arm over his head, wincing when his ribs protested.
Was he tamed? He did what he had to to fit in, always had. Did that make him tame? Did that make him any less dangerous?
No.
He was, and ever would be, a werewolf.
"Lupin." A voice growled from the darkness. "Hunt."
Remus knew that voice. Fenrir Greyback. Carefully, he rose and followed the other werewolf. He had not been asked on a hunt yet, and knew he was being tested.
He joined a small group of werewolves which crept into a nearby muggle village. He hoped that his skill as a thief, honed by seven years of pranks at Hogwart's, would be enough.
They split up once inside the village, moving soundlessly through the streets. Remus crept along a street of shops, ready to duck into a likely looking alleyway.
He was just at the entrance to one such alley, when he heard an unlikely sound.
"Hsst."
Ducking into the shadows. his eyes scanning the darkness around him. Slowly, he drew his wand.
"Remus!" He knew that whispering voice.
He glanced over his shoulder and edged further in.
"Over here." She hissed. Faint wand light flared briefly.
He leapt at the light, pinning the individual who'd made it against the brick wall. She made no attempt to fight him.
"Wotcher, Remus."
His hands gripped her shoulders. "Tonks, what the bloody hell are you doing here?"
"Dumbledore asked me to check up on you." She answered mildly.
In the darkness he could just make out her features. She looked drawn, tired. Her hair was a nondescript color that looked grey in the dark.
"You could have been killed." He ground out.
Her smile flashed, disappearing too quickly. "Not likely."
"If the others had found you first..."
"They didn't. You did."
"How did you know the pack would be here?"
"I tracked you." She said smugly.
He realized he was still pinning her to the wall and released her suddenly. "How?"
She shrugged. "I am a fully fledged auror, Remus."
"Which means you should know better than to go blindly into a dangerous situation." He growled.
"Which means," she replied chidingly, "that it's my job to go blindly into a dangerous situation."
Abashed, he let his gaze drop. "You're right. I'm sorry. Just... if anything happened to you..." He trailed off, suddenly aware of what he was admitting.
Her voice softened. "I had to see you."
Oh god, she was breaking his heart all over again. And then, she darted forward, pressing her lips to his.
He forced himself to remain passive, even though he wanted nothing more than to drag her close. When she stepped back a moment later, she was frowning.
"Remus?"
He took a deep breath. "Tonks... please. Don't do this to me."
"Do this to you?" She huffed. "What about what you're doing to me? Why won't you believe in me?"
"It has nothing to do with that." He told her.
"It has everything to do with that." She said, suddenly fierce. She reached out and gripped the front of his shirt, dragging him close with unexpected strength. "You make useless excuses, trying to push me away. It won't work, Lupin."
Why did she have to keep invading his space like this? Her scent filled his nose, intoxicating and sweet, and he wondered why he kept fighting.
"I'm trying to protect you." He whispered wretchedly.
She made a sound of disgust and released him, pushing him away. "Fine. Bugger off. Go back to your werewolves."
She stalked away, disappearing into the gloom. A moment later there was a faint pop as she disapparated.
"Too old, too poor, too dangerous." Remus whispered.