Saturday, May 16 - 11:35 am Liam gulped down as much Fire Whiskey as he could manage. He paced around the living room, restless and anxious and overwhelmed by what happened only a few moments ago. He felt caged, lured into a trap with no way out. And he 'd walked right on in. How did this happen? Everything was going so good. Lupin even admitted that he wanted to make things better.

But that was before he knew. Things were fine before he knew.

It isn't MY fault. Not really. I didn't tell Roarke to fall for me. I didn't force her to kiss me.

But I didn't have to be a smart arse, either. I didn't have to say what I did about being close to her.

"Me and my big mouth!" Liam declared to the empty room. "Always have to get the last word in. Can't leave well enough alone!" He paused at the edge of the coffee table where Mr. Lupin's cup of tea still sat. A few quick shallow breaths were followed by a release of the rage building within him. "Fuck!" he yelled, and swung his hand at the cup, hitting it and sending it crashing against the wall.



Remus stood outside for a few moments, breathing in the cool morning air. He let it flow through his lungs in an effort to calm his temper. But the calm wouldn't come. There was too much too be angry about – too much deception. He started walking aimlessly down the street, debating what he should do about the situation.

I was fool for thinking Liam Zetter could be trusted! He must feel very proud of himself – he pulled one over on me.

Was it a set up? Katie told me to make amends with Liam. Why? Was it because she knew?

She would have told me. She wouldn't keep something like this from me.

But then, I wouldn't have thought Roarke would keep something like this from me either.

Remus stopped in mid step. He couldn't decide which upset him more; the fact that this happened at all or that his family knew about it and didn't tell him.

Maybe it isn't what I think. Maybe I'm missing something. Surely Katie wouldn't be happy about this.

"That picture..." Remus closed his eyes, forcing the image of his daughter draped across the sofa out of his head. Katie would not approve of Roarke posing for such a thing. He would tell Katie what he had seen and then she would certainly admit to having doubts about Liam Zetter. Yes, that's what would happen. With a pop, Remus Disapparated.



There was a soft pop followed by a friendly voice calling out to him. "Sorry it took so long. I got side tracked looking something up at home." She paused and squinted at him in confusion. "Liam? Are you all right?"

Leaning back against the couch, Liam took another hearty swig from the bottle. "I'm happy as a bastard on Father's Day! This has been the best day of my life, second only to the day Oliver decided to sink his teeth into me." Liam didn't even try to mask the sarcasm.

Roarke frowned. "What happened?"

"Funny you should ask. You know how you were planning on having dinner with your folks tonight? Tell them about us? Yeah well...," he took another drink. "I think that's a bad idea."

Roarke's eyes grew wide. "What happened?"

"You're father decided to drop by," he said, following the comment with another gulp and a belch.

"Oh no," she sighed, leaning on the back of the chair.

"Oh yes. And boy was that fun!"

"What did you tell him?" she asked a bit more forcefully than Liam thought was appropriate.

"I didn't tell him anything. He figured it out! He could smell your perfume...saw your damn picture."

"But what did you say about it?"

"The truth." Roarke groaned, which disturbed Liam further. "What did you expect me to say? He thought I was imagining you posed like that. Hell, he thought I was having – I dunno – wet dreams about you like that," he said indicating the picture. "I may be many things, Rory, but I'm not a pervert!"

Roarke closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "And what did he say?"

"He was angry as hell! Oh, he tried to look calm about it, but trust me, he was spitting chips!"

"So you let him think that we...that you and I..."

Liam narrowed his eyes at her. "I told him the truth, that you and I were dating. That's all! Which was exactly what I thought you were ready to tell him."

"Yes, but I was going to ease into it. I wasn't just going to blurt it out. This isn't the time to be blunt!"

Liam stood up, trying to keep his anger focused on the way Lupin reacted rather than on how Roarke was responding. "I wasn't blunt about it. Truth be told, I tried my damndist to cover things up. I lied about your mother giving me a potion when he found that goblet of yours. I lied about where I got his bloody book. I even doused myself in shit stinking cologne so that he wouldn't smell you on me! Now, I'm sorry that it didn't work, but I have never said I was very good at this."

Roarke's face fell. "I'm sorry," she said softly. "I know how you feel about lying. I just didn't want him to find out like this. Do you know where he went when he left?"

"No idea. Off to call the werewolf capture unit for all I know."



Remus Apparated into his home in Devon and immediately began calling for Katie. He charged into his office and pulled out his notes on Liam, trying to pin point the time when all this started. He had a note somewhere in here about Liam's first meeting through the Registry. He didn't know why he needed to know this information; he just knew that he would go mad if he didn't find it.

"Katie!" he called again.

She came around the corner quickly, wiping her hands on a towel. "What's the matter? Why are you yelling?"

"I've just come from Liam Zetter's apartment," he said, closing the drawer to his desk angrily and unrolling the scroll on which he had all of his notes on Liam.

"I take it things didn't go so well?"

Remus laughed harshly. "Oh Katie, you've just uttered the understatement of the year. Do you know what he has in with all of his little drawings? He has a picture of our daughter, our Roarke, lounging on his couch looking as if she were posing for Aphrodite Woman magazine." He paused, waiting for his wife to comment. When she didn't he added, "Katie, there was more skin showing than there were coverings! Aren't you the slightest bit upset about this?"

Katie blinked. "Was it any good?"

Remus looked at her, his mouth agape. "WHAT?"

"Well, you know, did it look like her? I've heard he's very talented, but I've never seen any of his work personally."

Remus looked at his wife in total bewilderment. "That isn't the point! She was naked!"

"Really?" Katie sounded reasonably appalled.

"And do you know what he said about it? He said that Roarke was flattered by the drawing - how she actually posed for the picture!"

"Roarke posed naked for Liam?"

"No! She had some clothes on, but not much. Her shoulder was like this," Remus said indicating how the robe was draped over Roarke's skin. "Her leg was out like this," again he demonstrated the pose. "You know, like some sort of cheep tart!"

"Sounds...sexy to me."

Remus flopped down into his chair, amazed at how unfazed his wife was. "This doesn't upset you in the least, does it?" he asked.

"Had she actually been naked, yes, I would be upset."

"How about the fact that she's been out with him several times – over to his apartment doing Heaven knows what – all the time hiding it from us." Remus stopped suddenly and shifted his train of thought. "Although, she didn't hide it from you, now did she? You knew. It was that morning she came over her." He thought for a second. "She came to get a potion for Liam, didn't she? And she told you then."

Katie nodded, "Yes, I knew."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because it wasn't my place. This was something you needed to hear from Roarke."

"Unfortunately, that isn't how it happened. I found out the hard way – by discovering rude pictures of her in his note book!" Remus stood up, with the scroll in hand. "Katie, I could pick up on her scent all over his flat. I'm sure if I got close enough, I would have picked it up on him. He even suggested such a thing just as I left!"

"They are dating, Remus."

Remus ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "I don't believe this. I thought you of all people would understand – that you would be just as opposed to this as I am."

"Opposed to what, Remus? If you have issues with young woman falling in love with handsome werewolves, you should have said something about this twenty-five years ago."

*** "I should probably go find him and talk to him. Try to smooth things out."

Liam chuckled, hiding his irritation that she would rather be with her father than here with him. "And how will you do that? Tell him I was lying? That we aren't really dating?" He took another long gulp from the bottle.

"You should put that away, now."

"Why?"

"Because you're drunk."

Liam only laughed harder. "Drunk? It's Fire Whisky, Roarke. It takes a lot more than this to get me pissed. Believe me, I've tried."

"Whatever you think, it is affecting you. Now please, put it away."

"It relaxes me."

"This is relaxed?"

Liam sat down on the couch and glared at her. "It dulls the pain, all right?"

Roarke frowned. "What pain?"

Liam took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and let his head fall back. "I nearly got away with it, too. I was so close." He looked up at Roarke, who was now standing over him. He held up his finger and thumb as if he was ready to pinch the air. "I was this close to hearing him admit that he actually liked me. A few more moments and it would have happened. And then..." he laughed again. "Everything went to shit. And the worst part is, he blames me for this. He thinks it was my fault that he was kept in the dark."

"So, you told him it was my idea to keep this a secret?"

Liam didn't answer. He just shook his head in disbelief.

In a very controlled voice, Roarke said, "I'm going to go find my father and explain everything to him. I can't talk to you when you're like this."

"When I'm like what?"

"Drunk."

"I'm not drunk, Roarke!" Liam's voice became very irritated. "Fire Whiskey works on humans, and I'm a werewolf!



"Just what are you implying, Katie?" Remus said coldly.

"I'm not implying anything. It's completely hypocritical to tell your daughter that she can't date a werewolf. You said, of all people, that I should understand. Well, I do understand! I've been exactly where Roarke is."

"This is completely different. You and I knew each other a long time. We resisted. We controlled our emotions."

"Did we? Because that isn't how I remember it."

"What's going on?" a familiar deep voice said from the doorway.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know you were here, Sirius," Remus said in a very controlled tone.

"Liz hasn't been feeling well. It's just morning sickness, but Katie offered to make a potion for her." Remus kept his eyes fixed on Katie as Sirius watched the both of them. "Really, what's going on with you two?"

"Roarke is dating Liam," Katie explained. "Remus isn't too happy about it."

A simple, "Oh," was all Sirius said.

Feeling another surge of anger, Remus' eyes darted to Sirius' face. "Let me guess, you knew about this, too?"

"Not...officially. She was with him when he came for his appointment yesterday. He said that she was helping him."

"Oh yes, helping him practice his artistic abilities," Remus snarled.

Sirius looked confused and Katie briefly commented about the portrait. Again Remus was astounded at how no one but him seemed to really be troubled about the whole situation. "It's just a picture, after all," Sirius said.

"How would you react if you found inappropriate pictures of Griffin in a place you most certainly never expected to see such a thing?"

Sirius thought for a moment. "I don't think I'd be too surprised." Remus gaped at him while Katie suppressed a laugh. "After all, he takes after his father."

Remus didn't think it was funny at all. "I shudder to think at what you will do if Liz gives you a daughter." Remus brushed passed them, still holding the scroll. He headed for the dinning room where he opened it up and read the date he was so eager to find. "March twentieth. This has been going on for two full months!" He could sense Katie and Sirius behind him. "Only two months and already things have gone too far between them."

Katie stepped to his side. "In your opinion, even dating is too far."

"Yes, it is! I have warned Liam about this. And Roarke should know full well what she's getting herself into!"

"It isn't as if they've...they've...you know," Sirius suggested rather weakly.

Remus rolled his eyes. "No, Sirius, they haven't. But Liam implied that they've done other things." He closed his eyes, pressing the idea from him mind.

It was Katie who spoke next. "After two months of dating, I would expect them to do some things."

Remus couldn't believe Katie was being so obtuse. He slowly turned his face to her, his hands gripping the back of a chair tightly. "That is precisely why I am upset about this. I know first hand what the limits are. I can see that neither of you has a problem with the circumstances. And I can see that you are stunned that I even oppose this. What you are forgetting, however, is that I have a very different perspective on this than you do!" The anger had been in check too long and came out in one agonizing moment. "I know what he's feeling! You both seem to have forgotten that I, too, am a werewolf!"



"I realize that! However, the fact that you are irritated at my comment only proves to me that you're not as well off as you think you are," Roarke pointed out, coming around the table to sit next to him on the sofa.

"I had to do something to take my mind off the fact that I just royally screwed everything up!" She took the bottle away from him. "I'm open to suggestions if you have any better ideas."



There was a moment's pause as Katie and Sirius exchanged glances, which irritated Remus to no end. "Remus," Katie said softly, touching his arm, "you're being irrational."

"Irrational? No Katie, I don't think I am. I have every right to be concerned for my daughter's welfare. Liam hardly knows anything about this curse. If he wants to play with fire, that's his business, but I refuse to sit by and allow him to involve Roarke!"



"First of all, you don't know if that's true. Second of all, I suggest that you wait and see just how bad the damage is before you jump off the deep end into a bottle of fire whiskey."

Liam looked at her in uncertainty. "What might not be true? You've lost me."

Roarke chuckled slightly. "See, if you can't even follow the conversation, then you've definitely had too much to drink." She placed a comforting hand on his knee. "What I meant was that I doubt you've royally screwed everything up."

Liam groaned. "Trust me, I have. I said...something I shouldn't have said, knowing full well it would piss him off."

"Which was?"

Sighing heavily, Liam managed, "I didn't go into specific detail but I - " Liam sunk down into the couch more, embarrassed by his words. "I made sure he understood that we were...close."

Roarke blinked. "How close?"

"Like I said, I wasn't specific."

Sensing Liam's growing worry that she might be angry with him, Roarke took Liam's hand and leaned over to place her head on his shoulder. "We are close. And I don't think this is your fault. Please, just let me talk with him and see if I can smooth things over."

Liam shifted his body so that she could fit snugly against his side. "I would like that. It's suddenly very important to me that your father...well...likes me."



"Has it ever occurred to you that Liam didn't drag Roarke into this? That she is only with him because she wants to be?" Sirius offered.

Remus shot him a heated glance. "When I want your advice on how to raise my child, I will come and ask."

"All right's that's it," Katie said, frustrated. "Remus. Dearest. Love of my Life. Butt out. Roarke is old enough to fall in love whether you approve or not, and I personally think Liam is a very nice fellow. Furthermore, you have no right to take this out on Sirius. He's only here as a friend. If you need to vent to someone, use me."

Remus took a few deep breaths. His eyes started to lose their intensity as he swallowed the huge lump in his throat. "Forgive me. I am displacing my anger – focusing it on the both of you. In reality, what I'm feeling is disappointment in Roarke for not only getting involved with a man like Liam, but that she would hide it from me."

"I think," Katie started, "that after you calm down a bit, you should have a talk with Roarke and get her side of the story. But you must promise me that you won't fly off the handle again. She is an adult, Remus. That's something you need to start realizing, and not just for Roarke but for Malcolm and Annie, as well. None of them are children anymore."

"That doesn't mean they don't need us. That doesn't mean that their decisions are the correct ones." He left the room, but still heard Sirius' last comment to Katie.

"If that's how protective Remus is going to be about his girls, I guess I had better warn Griffin."



Roarke tilted her head up, bringing her mouth closer to Liam's. Gently, and quite instinctively, he covered her lips with his. The kiss was out of comfort and reassurance that things would be all right. It wasn't the most passionate kiss Liam had ever experienced, but it held the most meaning.

The kiss stirred his soul – his heart. She was here forgiving him for being an idiot – convincing him that things would turn out for the best. And for the first time, Liam actually believed that they would.

It didn't matter what anyone else thought. This is what would be. She would be with him. He would have her in his life. Her father would just have to accept it – and Roarke would make sure that he did accept it.

And then the words that had been plaguing Liam's mind made their way to his heart, piercing it without warning. The words went unspoken, but they rocked his body as if he had said them aloud.

I love you.