Last Time:

"If this is going to be our last year with these five troublemakers, why don't we try to make it the best year any of us have ever had?"

Danger grinned. "I like your ideas," she said, sitting down on his lap.

"Of course you do. One of my ideas was marrying you."

"Best year ever," said Sirius contemplatively. "I can think of a few things we could do."

"Nothing illegal, please," said Aletha.

"Rats."

Chapter Ten

"Now, the number one rule of pranking and mischief-making is…"

"Don't get caught!" chorused the cubs.

"Excellent!"

Sirius was in the middle of what he called cub-corruption. Once or twice a week he would take all the cubs outside, Meghan included, and teach them the 'noble and prestigious art of causing chaos.'

Remus leaned against the back door, chuckling at Sirius' predicament. One of the cubs had filched Sirius' wand and turned Sirius' hair green and silver, and Sirius hadn't noticed yet. He swiftly passed the image on to Danger, who paused in her cooking to laugh for a moment.

Our little Fox certainly lives up to his name, doesn't he? She laughed mentally before suddenly becoming grim. Although the cubs were unaware of it, Sirius was doing his best to teach the five of them subtlety – to move quietly through the shadows. It broke her heart that her cubs might one day have to depend on that cunning mentality to save their lives.

Less than a year, love… Strong arms wrapped around her waist. She leaned her head back against her mate's shoulder, and sighed.

They'll be ready. And we're doing our best to make sure they have a chance of staying safe from… She broke off, and her mindvoice suddenly changed.

The coming of the Raven will herald the divorce of the Pack. Your choice must truly be made; now is the last chance. Forces beyond your control will bind you to this path. The Pack must be split – two of two, four and one, or all will fail.

Danger collapsed into Remus' arms. He hurriedly caught her, and dropped to the floor, holding her in his lap.

Her eyes rolled back into her head, before returning to stare at him. Her breathing became erratic, speeding up immensely, as if she had just sprinted a race.

Danger! Danger, listen to me! Answer me! Danger! Remus called her with his mind, but their connection was thinning, becoming smaller and smaller – a thick rope, then a vine, then a thread, before…

Guide me back, love… Her voice was barely audible. Call me home, when it's time… Her breathing slowed, and her body suddenly relaxed.

NO! Remus let out a howl of anguished despair, mental and vocal alike. Sirius and the cubs came running from the backyard, only to find their alpha holding his mate in his arms, cradling her limp body, calling her name. All was useless… she would not wake.

"Remus? Was that you?" Aletha was coming from the music room, where she had been playing the piano. "I heard you shout…" She stopped mid-word as she looked upon her best friend cradled in her love's arms, tears rolling down his cheeks.

"Oh God – Danger!" She rushed forward, old Healer training taking over. She quickly checked her friend's vitals. "She's still alive, Remus. She's still breathing!" Joy clouded her voice for a moment – she had been genuinely afraid.

"Let's get her upstairs and into bed. Remus, if you would…" She motioned for him to follow her upstairs. He stood silently, Danger still in his arms, and carried her upstairs and into their bedroom, laying her on the bed, then lying down beside her, all without saying a word.

He was dazed, Aletha could easily tell. It was a common thing, for someone to go into shock when a loved one was hurt. But Remus' case was…unusual. It was as if he was a puppet; he could follow instructions, but not think on his own.

But something else was bothering her about him. Something was off. She traced the difference to his face… then to… his eyes!

They were all blue, as they had been when she'd known him at Hogwarts. No brown was present in them, and this simple fact worried Aletha. She could not remember a time in their marriage when her friends' eyes had been solely one color. Ever since they'd met, the blue and brown had blended together in both sets of eyes, a physical symbol of the bond they shared.

But now… this could only mean one thing… and she did not like it.

Still, a broken bond would explain Remus' trance-like behavior. He could very well have retreated within his mind, searching for his mate's presence.

But if that's what he's done… how do we get him out?

She broke out of her thoughts long enough to wonder where the cubs were. One glance at the door answered her question. Sirius and all five cubs crowded the doorway. She walked out the door, gently shooing them out of her way, and closed it behind her.

As soon as the door shut, she was peppered with questions from all six of her Pack.

"Enough!" she said finally, raising her hands in surrender. "For now, Danger is stabilized, and Remus is with her. She may wake up tonight, or she may not, I don't know. And that's all I know!" She was frustrated with herself… perhaps if she had continued her training, she would be able to deal with this better…

"Letha…"

She looked into her love's face, and nearly broke down into tears. He nodded, then looked at the cubs. "Go start lunch," he told them. "We'll be right down."

They reluctantly obeyed, and Sirius led his wife into the room they shared. The moment he closed the door, she broke down in his arms. He simply held her and let her cry.

After the first bout, she was able to regain her usual control, and looked her husband over. "You'll need to change shirts… I soaked this one thoroughly, didn't I?"

Sirius' mouth quirked, betraying half a grin. "You know me, I'm just the friendly household towel…" He chuckled, and she too grinned.

"It's during times like these I remember why I truly love you." Aletha gently kissed him. "Thank you. Now we'd best go down and make sure the cubs don't catch anything on fire… I trust Dove in the kitchen, but Harry and Meghan together in the same room without one of the adults is… well, slightly scary."

"Just wait a second longer, they'll be calling you to fix up one of their…"

"Mama Letha!"

"…mistakes," she finished for him.

"Well, life here is never dull…"

"Amen to that." Aletha cast one glance at the closed door of Remus and Danger's bedroom. "But there are times I wish it was."

End Chapter

A/N: So, what do ya'll think! And Kudos to whoever guesses what happened to Danger... And if anyone noticed an evil little twist I've put in, I'll be happy. I do apologise for making you wait so long... God Bless

RiverSong DreamShadow

PS- A thanks to whydoyouneedtoknow for pointing out a formatting error! I hope it's fixed now...