Sirius' POV

"Well… that was interesting…" I tell Prongs as the three of us apperate back to the Burrow.

"You're telling me!" he laughs. "I didn't realise so many people would come out to welcome us back…"

"We always were rather popular," Lily points out, "and I guess no small part is due to hero worship."

"I suppose so," I agree, "but how did they all know?"

Before they can respond my Mate hurries over, looking very nervous,

"Siri, are you ok? Did it go ok?"

"Moony," I grin and scoop him into my arms. He wraps his arms around my neck.

"Everything is fine, Moony," Lily tells him.

"What happened?" he asks. "You were gone for hours."

I shrug,

"We arrived at the Ministry with Dumbledore and were taken down to the Hearing rooms. We were given Veritaserum and made to tell who we are, and that I am innocent. Then the Ministry gave me all sorts of apologies for the error, which I forgave, and re-registered us on the 'alive register', or whatever they call it. James and I then registered as Animagi. At around that time I guess the news was leaked so before we could leave we were suddenly overrun with well-wishers and journalists wanting the full story."

"It was crazy," Prongs interrupts as I pause. "They were all cheering and welcoming us back like heroes…"

"I'm just glad you are ok…" he presses his face under my chin.

"Shh, Moony, we're fine," I rub his back, only too aware of how much he has been through recently.

"I won't survive loosing you again…" he murmurs.

"You aren't going to loose me, Love," I tell him.

"I'm glad," he looks up and smiles. "I just wish you had let me come with you."

"I know you do," I nod, "but I didn't want to remind the press about you… The last thing we need right now is people remembering that their hero is friends with a werewolf."

"Or, now they have accepted you, that you are my lover…" he sounds dispirited.

"Yes, I am," I force him to look into my eyes. "I love you, and I don't care if the whole world finds out, but I don't want you to get hurt…"

"I know…"

"Sheesh guys," Prongs rolls his eyes and spoils the moment, "is this a touchy-feely moment or what? Get a grip!"

I let out a bark of a laugh,

"Gee, way to spoil the moment, Spiky."

"It's my duty," he smirks.

"What happens now?" my Mate asks, as James and Lily walk inside to tell the others the news.

"We get on with our lives," I tell him. "I spoke to a guy and he said that I can owl him if I want an interview about becoming an Auror again."

"That's great," he smiles, but doesn't meet my eyes.

"Hey, s'ok to be scared, Love," I tell him gently.

I hear him chuckle,

"When was it you became the mature one in this relationship?" he asks, his eyes still on something clearly fascinating on my chest.

"Hmm," I laugh, "since you have needed me to be?"

"Thank you…" he murmurs and wraps his arms around me again.

"What's wrong with you, Moony? You were fine only this morning, now you're acting all… angsty."

"I can't loose you," he tells me again, now meeting my eyes. "You left and I realised that and… it hurt, Siri… You had only been gone for a few minutes and it already hurt…"

I scowl,

"I'm sorry, Love, we shouldn't have left you so soon."

"I wasn't alone, I'm just being silly…"

It really irritates me when he is so self-depreciating.

"You aren't Remus," I tell him sharply, "you are reacting how any other normal, feeling human-being would. You have been though hell, Remus… You have been bitten by a werewolf and abused by anyone who knows what you are. Then you found us and thought everything was great, then Prongs and Lily died and you thought I betrayed you. You lived without your Mate for 12 years, before I came back, and then our situation was hardly perfect. Then you loose me again, in a worse way than before. You keep going, like the insanely responsible caring man that you are, then finally decide to give in. Harry offers you a cure, but it seems to go terribly wrong. The attempt to heal you is the last straw and the next day you slit your wrist…" I pause my tirade and shake him gently.

"Moony, so many people would have given up before the first hurdle in your life, but you crossed them all."

"Not all, I gave up in the end…" tears are slipping down his cheeks, but he is smiling weakly.

"Sheesh…" I pull him into my arms. "You are, without doubt, the strongest person I have ever know. The very fact you need me now means that any one else would have… I don't know… people aren't designed to take the crap you have, Remus."

"I take the good with the bad," he shrugs.

"Chocolate and tea make your life worth living?" I joke lightly.

He laughs suddenly, his eyes sparkling again,

"Yes, now you know my secret. My life continues due only to the continued existence of Honeydukes!"

"Hmm, I'd better stock up then, make sure I keep you happy," I lead him into the house.

"You'd better," he puts an arm around my waist and rests his head on my shoulder. "I'll get very lonely when you go off to work very day."

The slightly depressed tone has come back to his voice, so I lead him upstairs to our room instead of to the living room.

"It won't be perfect like you want it to be, Siri," he tells me.

"Maybe not, " I agree, "but that doesn't mean it won't be good. School wasn't perfect, but we still had fun."

He thinks that over for a few minutes,

"You're right," he nods. "I am being defeatist."

"You are speaking from an experience that doesn't count anymore," I tell him.

"It was a bad experience," he shrugs.

"I'm here this time, and so are Prongs, Lily and Harry," I tell him. "You're safe this time, Love."

I see a brilliant smile light up his features and know I have gotten my message though to him.

I lay down on the bed and gesture for him to join me. He complies instantly and rests against my chest, his right left wrapping around my own as his right hand fiddles with my left sleeve.

"You know we haven't had sex for years…" I hear him murmur.

I let out a snort of laughter,

"You're insatiable!"

He laughs with me,

"I didn't say I wanted to; I was just making an observation."

"So you don't want to have sex with me?" I ask, teasingly; knowing that right now he doesn't.

"Not really," he doesn't even hesitate before teasing back at me.

We lay in comfortable silence for several minutes.

"I will do," he tells me, "but not right now."

"You speak like you are fending me off…" I grumble. "Why does everyone think I'm gagging for it all the time?"

"Because you are?" he offers, sniggering.

"If I didn't know that you would take it seriously I would threaten to dump you," I mutter.

"You can't leave me," I can hear the humour in his voice. "No one else will put up with you, and then how will you get laid?"

"Humph, and why does everyone always assume you're the innocent one?"

Remus' POV

I know he is just trying to cheer me up. I know that what we are talking about is skirting the matter at hand. I know that what he is telling me is pretty irrelevant.

I also know that despite all that it is working, and I do feel better.

He is my Mate, and he knows how to make me feel better.

"Siri?"

"Umm?"

"I love you."

"Thank you."

There is a long pause then I poke him hard in the stomach.

"Oi!" he laughs. "I love you too."

"Better," I tell him.

Another long, but not uncomfortable, silence follows.

"Siri?"

"Umm?"

"Why aren't we downstairs with the others?"

"Because we needed some time to ourselves."

"Oh. Thank you."

"You're welcome," he chuckles.

"James will come looking for us soon," I tell him.

"Of course he will, he worries about you almost as much as I do."

"I'm fine."

"God, Remus, that is such a cliché!" he exclaims.

"It is?" I am baffled.

"Yeah!" he nods. "One partner who is so obviously NOT fine telling their partner that they are because they fear… something… You don't need to fear me, Mate, and I know you are not fine."

I laugh gently,

"Ok, I love you and for the moment I am happy. Will that do for now?"

"It'll have to do, but I do know why you aren't fine, Moony," he tells me. "You don't need to explain that to me, I just don't like it when you lie to me."

"Sorry," I apologise.

"Get some sleep, Love," he tells me. "I'm not going anywhere."

I feel my heart swell happily when he says that.

"Thank you, Padfoot."

I close my eyes as I nuzzle against his chest. His arms hold me securely and I slowly drift off.

Author notes:

Yay! I finally finished this darn chapter! I apologise if it is terrible but is the hardest thing I have ever written. I honestly don't know why that is. Looking back over it, it is nothing special… I'm sorry about that. Hopefully the next chapter won't take as long…

The title is growing on me now, but if you think that I should change it please do tell me.