Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Warning: Slash, get over it, or get out.

One-Night Stand

Part Five

Sirius continued to stare at Remus.

For a long moment the silence was so thick in the air Remus was hazily surprised it hadn't suffocated them both.

Then Sirius turned abruptly on his heel, the book still clutched in his arms, and walked out.

Remus stared after him. It took nearly a full minute before he registered the sinking feeling in his stomach.

What have I done? he thought. His legs curled up under him of their own free will and he sank to the ground in a graceless heap.

He bit into his lip again and the coppery tang of blood filled his mouth even as his eyes overflowed.

What have I done? What have I done? What am I going to do? What have I done? What have I done?

He'd lost his best friend, the one person he cared most about. The one person he loved.

The wolf had lost its mate.

But the wolf wasn't going to give up without a fight.

Remus surged to his feet, human will fighting the wolf once more, but, this time, the already half-defeated human was losing.

He didn't know what he was going to do, but he knew he had to find Sirius. He would find Sirius. The wolf would find Sirius.

He swiped angrily at the mingled tears and blood on his face and left the room, feet carrying him down the stairs, across the common room, and out into the hall beyond.

He knew where Sirius was. He felt it in his heart, in his blood. The wolf knew.

His legs stretched into a long stride, not quite running, but covering the ground at a steady lope. Through the dark, silent castle he went, feeling the tug in his veins.

He was in front of the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy before he even realized he was on the seventh floor. He stared blankly for a moment at the trolls in tutus before turning to face the door in the opposite wall.

Sirius was inside. Remus knew it. The wolf knew it. And Sirius wanted Remus to find him, or there would be no door.

Despite this knowledge, Remus hesitated, hand outstretched towards the brass doorknob.

What can I say to him? Will he even want to listen? Will he say anything? What will he say? Will he tell me he hates me? Does he hate me? Will he never want to see me again? What am I even doing here?

The wolf growled, and Remus grabbed the handle, turned, and pulled the door open, completely unsure what he would see.

What he did see confused him as much as it surprised him.

The Room of Requirement looked very much like the seventh year boys' dormitory in Gryffindor Tower. There was only one bed, but it was an exact replica of the beds in the dorm, complete with heavy red draperies. There was a thick red carpet covering the floor, and a fire burned brightly in the grate.

As Remus entered, Sirius rose from the red armchair that had been placed in front of the fireplace.

The dark-haired boy stepped around the chair and moved towards the center of the room. He was still cradling the book Remus had shoved at him.

The quiet thud of the door closing sounded like a canon. The crackling fire was almost deafening.

"You came," Sirius said simply, voice soft.

"You wanted me to." Remus said it as a statement, but wondered if it should be a question.

The tension in the room was almost palpable.

Remus suppressed a shiver.

Sirius moved closer, his movements measured and precise, almost as though he were a wolf, stalking its pray.

Remus couldn't decipher the expression on the other boy's face, nor could he get any sort of emotional reading through the bond. Did he reject it, then? Remus wondered, feeling sick and rather frightened. Not knowing what else to do, he waited for Sirius to speak.

After a moment, Sirius's head cocked slightly to one side. His voice, when he spoke, was unreadable. "What you said before, why did you say it?"

"It was the truth."

"It was the truth?"

"You know I don't lie. Not when it's important. Not to you." How could he think I would make something like this up? He's felt the effects of it himself. He told me as much.

"I'm not sure I understand," Sirius said quietly.

What else is there to say? Remus wondered. How can I make him see? "I –" he began.

Sirius cut him off. "You said you were sorry."

Unsure what Sirius was getting at – and half-terrified of finding out – Remus nodded. What does that have to do with understanding what's going on?

"You said it was your fault."

Again, Remus nodded.

"But you don't remember anything."

"I –" Remus said again, and stopped. He blinked, trying to think. It was hard. His memory of That Night didn't want to function properly. "I don't remember much," he admitted at last. Vague feelings, bits and pieces, brief flashes. Tempting. Tantalizing. Taunting. Nothing solid. Nothing he could call a proper memory.

Sirius nodded his head once, twice, and seemed to clutch a little harder at the book clasped in his arms. He took a deep breath, opened his mouth as though to speak, and let the breath out.

Remus waited.

Sirius took another deep breath and dropped his gaze to the floor. "I remember," he said so quietly Remus was sure he hadn't heard properly.

"What?"

"I remember," Sirius said, louder this time. He tore his eyes from the carpet and looked into Remus's face. "I remember everything."

TBC

A/N: Watch the tables turn… Er, yeah. Sorry this part was so incredibly short, but the previous part was longer than the others, and this fic is just causing problems. Terrible writer's block with this thing. Sorry! In answer to a question I got (please, if you have questions, sign in or leave an e-mail address!), everyone got drunk at the beginning to celebrate the end of the fall term, not the end of the year. It's winter break. (Or Christmas break, since everyone in these stories seems to be Christian.) There's a lot of snowing and such wintry-weather things going on, though perhaps I only realize that because I wrote them in. Remus and Sirius are at school over the holidays, the others went home. Hope that cleared it up! Oh! And I'm on LiveJournal now! Yay! I'm slowly posting my stories there. So far, just my oneshots are up, but You're So Vain (which got kicked off this site) is up there. Anyway, hope you liked this (short) installment! Please review!