Disclaimer: I still remain only a fan of HP and not the owner.

A/N: Okay, the first part of this chapter is a flashback, so for this chapter only, the flashback will be in italics.

Chapter 5 – I'm Sorry

Ray came upon an unused classroom and saw that the door was slightly ajar. She peeked in, and saw Sirius sitting on the top of a desk. Quietly, she closed the door and went and took a seat beside him. It was a few minutes before he realized that she was even there.

"Ray, I don't want to talk about it."

"I didn't want to talk about it before, Sirius. But we have to talk some time. Whether or not we want to."

"Why?" was all that he asked.

"Why what?" Ray asked, mildly confused. "Why do we have to talk about it? Why did I do it? Why didn't I tell you? Why do I love you? Your question is a little vague." Sirius sat there, without saying a word. "Sirius, you're going to have to realize that we can't move on until we talk about this. Our relationship can-" Ray was cut off.

"Relationship? What relationship?" Sirius asked, standing up. "No, we have no relationship. Not anymore."

"Sirius, what are you talking about? Isn't this just like any other argument we've gotten into before? What's the difference?"

"The difference is that this one holds a lot more meaning. Our relationship was based on trust and honesty. I admit, I had my secrets too. But I came clean!"

"No, Laura came clean for you. She had no problem telling me."

"What's the difference! Lucius came clean for you! And when will you realize that I don't care about Laura! But I used to care about you! At least Laura didn't keep secrets from me!" He yelled at her.

"And I don't care about Lucius! But I STILL care about you!"

"Do you really? Do you really care, Raychel?" He asked, using her full name, making her flinch in the process. "Because I don't think you do. And I don't think you ever did."

"Then you don't know anything. I've always cared about you, Sirius, and I always will. Don't ever forget that. No matter what happens between us tonight or any other night, I will always care about you, and I will always love you."

"How can I believe that when you can't even confide in me? How do I really know that you care about me and that you love me? See, that's the thing: I don't know. Believe me, I am much better off without you because I'll never have to second-guess anything. So maybe Malfoy was right. Maybe your biggest mistake was breaking up with him and getting together with me. Because now, you've ruined both of our lives." And with that, Sirius walked out on her for the second time that night.

Sirius walked down the hall, anger bubbling up inside of him. He was so mad, that he didn't even want to think about Ray, because it just made him even angrier. He found himself at the entrance of the Gryffindor Common Room, said the password and entered through the portrait hole. Sitting on the couches were his other friends. Each of them with different looks on their face; each of them trying to figure out what was going on.

James started to speak, but Sirius stopped him, "Don't ask." James immediately shut his mouth, knowing that it wasn't the time to mess with Sirius. Sirius plopped down in a chair, unable to do much of anything else. He only had a few minutes to go over everything before Ray burst into the Common Room. Everyone instantly turned towards her, waiting to see what was about to happen.

Sirius stood not more than two feet from the door, not more than two feet from his freedom. Freedom and absolute bliss. That was what was waiting for him on the other side of the portrait. Never again would he have to put himself through this or anything like it. He would be free to do as he pleased with no one to tell him otherwise. Even though this is what he told himself, he couldn't make himself walk any closer. Just do it, man, he thought to himself. Just two more steps. He could tell that all eyes were on him, watching him, judging him. The only sound was coming from Ray as she tried to hold back her tears. He shook his head and took a step closer to the door. He listened as a few of the people scattered around the Common Room gasped. He thought back to the first time that Ray had come in all bruised up and bloodied. She had made up some lame excuse and then shrugged it off as if it was nothing. He, of course, didn't believe her, nor did any of the others, but they accepted it because they all knew she wouldn't tell them anything else. He tried to focus and bring his mind back to the present. Quit thinking about her and just go. The voice inside his head told him. He ignored it as Ray's voice came into his mind. "Sirius Black, I love you and I promised you that I was yours forever and no one else's." He desperately wanted to believe her, but the voice inside his head refused. She doesn't love you. If she loved you, she would have told you and not kept you in the dark. Just one more step and you won't have to worry about it anymore. Once again, Sirius tried to ignore the voice. Ray was becoming even more unsuccessful at holding back her tears, but still she tried. Sirius could hear her and he wanted to run to her and tell her not to worry and tell her that everything was going to be okay. He wanted to tell her that they would work it out and that he didn't mean anything he said. But he couldn't do that either. He knew that there was only one thing left for him to do and that was to keep moving…forward. As hard as it was, he knew that he didn't have any other choice. He wasn't doing this just for him. He was doing it for Ray too. She needed this almost as much as he did. Some peace and quiet would do her good and then maybe she would find that one special person who would accept her no matter what. Exactly, so what are you still doing here? Get a move on, already! The voice was practically screaming at him. But still, he ignored it. Sirius couldn't help but think of when she finally did find that person, because he knew that that person would be the luckiest man in the world, just for ending up with Ray. And he would make her happy, and he'd never let her stand there and cry in front of him without offering to share in her pain. It was at that moment that he realized what a fool he had been. After all the stupid stuff that he had done, this had to top it all off, and he was afraid that there was going to be no coming back from that. Even though he had come to this realization, his legs were still frozen, inches from the door. Part of him longed to just take a giant leap out the door, and yet part of him longed to never go out it again, as long as it meant that he could stay with Ray. He longed to be the one to take her away from her pain and offer her the chance for a new start, a new life that consisted of nothing but the two of them, forever. He decided that he had struggled with himself for long enough. He had to do something, instead of standing there looking like an idiot. He shifted in position and the whole room grew even quieter than before. The room was filled with an eerie silence that only spelled out doom. But he knew what he had to do even if he didn't agree with it. He knew that he couldn't think anymore and just had to take action. He wouldn't let his mind control his body. Whatever direction he went in, that was the choice he was going to have to live with. As he picked up his foot to take that last step forward, his mind got the better of him and he whirled around, facing the entire Common Room. He didn't wait any longer to go to Ray and he ran towards her, picked her up and spun her around. It took Ray a full minute to realize what had actually happened, and she wrapped her arms around his neck as he kept holding her. He pulled her back a little bit, just so he could see her face.

"I never got to finish my last sentence." He said, a somber look overtaking his handsome features. "I'm sorry." He repeated, just like he had said when he was about to leave, "I'm sorry that I made you wait for me." She smiled at him as he pulled her head back towards him and kissed her passionately. Immediately, she returned the kiss and the whole Common Room erupted in cheers.

THE END

A/N: Well, I do hope that everyone enjoyed this, and I'm so glad that I posted it because it is the first thing in a long, long time that I've finished, story-wise! And hopefully, not the last. (I guess, hopefully, but that all depends on the reviews…so please help me decide by reviewing to this story! It will be very much appreciated!)