Moonlight and Memories by Twix

"Moony. Hey, Moony."

Remus woke with a start. He was lying on the sofa in the living room. It was dark outside, and the room was dimly lit by the Christmas lights strung along the walls. Sirius stood over him, shaking his arm slightly. He was holding a smoking goblet in his hand and said gently, "Sorry to wake you up, mate, but it's getting late, and you need to take your potion." He sat on the edge of the sofa next to Remus and offered him the goblet.

Remus sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Thanks. How long was I asleep?"

"A few hours," Sirius replied.

"Wow. Sorry about that," Remus said, taking the goblet from Sirius. "I shouldn't have fallen asleep after leaving you alone all day."

Sirius smiled. "Don't worry about it, Moony. I was being a prat. You've got enough to be getting on with tonight."

Remus smiled wryly, and then sniffed at the potion and shuddered. "Cheers," he said glumly and drank the potion as quickly as he could. When he had swallowed the last bit, a shiver seemed to travel through his whole body. His hands shook violently and the empty goblet slipped, clattering to the floor.

"Are you all right?" Sirius took Remus' hands and rubbed his fingers between his hands.

"Yes," Remus sighed. "That's just from the potion."

Sirius looked in his eyes, still moving Remus' fingers back and forth in his hands. "I don't know how you do it, Moony. Having to put up with all this each month. I admire you for not having lost it years ago."

With a slightly twisted smile, Remus replied, "I'd hardly call it admirable."

Sirius then picked up the goblet and stood up. Kissing Remus' forehead, he said, "Well, whatever it is, I sure don't have it, and I would have cracked a long time ago."

Pushing against the arms of the sofa, Remus slowly stood up. He noticed how Sirius kept a steady hand against his back. In a way, he liked all this attention and care from Sirius, who was trying to make Remus as comfortable as possible. Remus knew he was trying to make up for thirteen years worth of full moons he felt he had missed, and he appreciated it more than he could ever say. Sirius handed Remus his cane, and he took a moment to rest his weight on it before beginning to walk across the living room.

Remus took his time walking from the living room to the front bedroom. Sirius walked behind him with his hand gently resting on his arm and his eyes casting worried glances. Then, for a moment, Sirius doubled back to put the empty goblet in the kitchen. But as he stepped out of the hallway, another shudder overcame Remus' body. He dropped his cane and held his arm to his chest, trying to stop the shaking. With a low gasp, he leaned against the wall, attempting to catch his breath.

Hearing all this, Sirius ran back into the hallway. He rushed up to him and put his hands firmly on Remus' arms. Remus cursed underneath his breath, then unexpectedly burst out, "Goddammit, I'm so sick of this!"

Sirius couldn't reply. He was shocked into silence by Remus' outburst. Sirius knew Remus hated his condition--how could he not--but he rarely spoke about it, much less in this particular way. With a rush of emotion, Sirius put his arms around Remus' shoulders, and Remus let himself be held.

When they finally moved, Sirius ushered Remus into the front bedroom, ignoring the cane still on the hallway floor. Remus sat on the edge of the bed and began to unbutton his shirt. Remus was numbly staring ahead, his eyes not focused on anything in particular. The sight of him almost made Sirius cry. He had never seen Remus look so empty and helpless before. Sirius sat next to him to help him undress. They were silent in the dark room, lit only by the moon, which was just minutes from full.

Remus then set his clothes on a chair in the corner of the room. He quietly moved to the bed and lay down and began to wait. Sirius lay on the bed next to Remus and once again took him in his arms. Remus hungrily pressed against Sirius' body as they held each other close. Sirius leaned his head up to look at Remus; their lips brushed, and Remus kissed him fiercely. Sirius returned the kiss, then whispered against his face, "I won't leave you, Moony. I promise."

Remus' eyes suddenly filled with tears, and he opened his mouth to speak. But then, there in Sirius's arms, he began to transform. Remus let out a slight moan, and his grasp on Sirius tightened. His face was beginning to lengthen, his back was hunching, and hair was growing on his face and body. In the absence of the screaming and howling he remembered, Sirius could actually hear Remus' bones cracking and snapping as they transformed. It was awful, but he didn't let go. Remus' arms and legs began to change, his hands and feet curling into paws. Still, Sirius held him.

As Remus changed in his arms, Sirius followed suit. When Padfoot appeared, he whimpered softly at the sight of the quivering wolf next to him on the bed. Moony raised his head and studied the large dog. The wolf's mind was reeling; these sights and smells were unusual, but . . . there was something incredibly familiar about it all. Trembling with excitement, Padfoot lunged forward and began to lick the wolf's face. Instinctively, the wolf reared back and growled loudly, baring his teeth. Padfoot immediately pressed his enormous paws against the wolf, forcing him onto his back in submission. The wolf's intense amber eyes locked with the dog's large, grey ones, and instantly, all the sights and smells and memories that Moony had missed over the years came back to him. With a wide, toothy grin, Padfoot licked Moony's face again and began to nuzzle his neck. He rolled off the wolf, and Moony buried his face in Padfoot's thick, dark fur.

It went on like this for several minutes: Moony and Padfoot playing and licking and nuzzling and remembering. Then the dog sensed the utter exhaustion and fatigue in the wolf. They settled against each other on the bed, their heads resting on each other's haunches in a perfect circle. The dog and the wolf quickly dropped into a drowsy, peaceful lull, and eventually, they fell asleep there on the bed, bathed in the calm, pale moonlight.