Everybody gasp and look amazed, an update after FIVE months! I have finally got back round to writing, so I hope all my reviewers have been patient enough to wait for me :)
Disclaimer: Yea, we all know it by now. I don't own any of the characters, except for Sierra and a couple of less important characters, like Jake. Everybody else belongs to J. K. Rowling.
Sierra grinned happily, licking sweet and sour sauce from her fingers as she carelessly pushed the now empty container away from her, grabbing up one that contained steaming rice, she smiled at Remus.
"Thank you," she said around a mouthful of rice "So much. You don't know how much I've missed this."
"I reckon I can take a wild guess." He mocked, eyeing the rapidly growing pile of containers that had contained Chinese food. Sierra, it seemed, had become a bottom-less pit for food whilst she had been away, and was still happily eating without showing any signs of getting full. She paused,. A spoon of rice halfway to her mouth, one eyebrow raised as she looked at Remus
"You're mocking me." She accused, throwing her hand out, causing the werewolf to dive under the table to escape the assault of rice heading towards him. His head appeared again at the sound of Sierra's muffled giggle, and she happily continued to shovel rice into her mouth
"I would do no such thing!" he grinned, ready to hide again if she decided to attack him with more food. She only grinned in return, and then her eyes flickered across the room
"Hey Si." She called out, throwing the now empty container to the side, Sirius walked over to the table, and Sierra grabbed the next tub from his hand
"Pig." he laughed, throwing himself into a seat, he cast a quick look to Remus, who nodded and exited the kitchen quickly and with muttered excuses.
A long silence followed.
"I'm sorry Sierra." Sirius said eventually. Sierra paused in her eating again, looking at him worriedly
"What have you done now?" she asked, he shuffled uncomfortably, and shook his head
"Nothing, not recently." He mumbled, and then his head rose so that their eyes met "Can you remember before the Death Eaters came to your house? The last time we talked?" Sierra put the spoon down, a frown gracing her face as she thought back
"Yeah…" she said eventually…
FLASHBACK
Carrington Drive was still and silent, light spilled from almost fully closed curtains onto the dark, perfectly trimmed gardens and snatches of sound from televisions were carried by the gentle breeze that swept the street from open windows. A young couple, both about nineteen, walked quietly down the deserted street, pausing halfway down and leaning towards each other as if they were kissing before going their separate ways, however, the man's eyes were locked on the join between tow houses and, as he watched, the two houses seemingly sprung apart as a third grew between the two, the couple did not show any surprise towards this new house, and broke away from their 'kiss' as the building stopped growing, grasping each other's hand, they walked up to the front door, the woman pulling out a wand and glancing around the street before she whispered a simple spell to the door, and the pair entered.
Sound greeted them straight away. A pair of loud, angry voices that echoed against each other and held the atmosphere of growing distaste. The couple shared a worried look, and hastened for the living room from which the voices were coming from.
A young man, only a year or two older than the couple, stepped up as they neared the room, stopping them from going through the door that hid the two people arguing
"I wouldn't go in there James," the young blond man said swiftly "Hallo Lily." The woman nodded her greeting, whilst James pursed his lips, looking over the head of the man before him to the door
"What's going on in there?" he asked, the blond man's face fell slightly
"It's Sierra and Sirius." He explained "I'm not sure what this one's about, was talking to Remus when they started up, but I think it's going to be a long one." He looked slightly worried, and Lily rested a hand on his shoulder
"Don't worry, Jake." She whispered gently "They'll sort themselves out before too long. Sirius will certainly stop before harm comes to his sister." The man nodded, understanding her words, and allowed her to pull him away. James watched them go for a moment, and then chanced to open the living room door.
Sierra and Sirius stood opposite each other within the room, they had been near identical twins since they were born, and that still showed in them today, their stances were matched, both standing with their fists balled at their sides, radiating an air of anger, Sierra's blue eyes glowering at Sirius from beneath long dark hair, whilst he himself gave her the same look through grey eyes shadowed by similar dark hair that fell into his eyes. The only other real differences between them, other than gender and clothing at that moment, were that Sirius towered slightly over his smaller sister, and she herself was heavily pregnant.
"…Sake Sirius! Stop babying me! I can look after myself!" Sierra's voice, slightly frustrated, was ringing out as James opened the door and slid in
"I'm only looking out for you!" Sirius replied "You're my little sister! I have to look out for you!"
"I'm your twin! Not fucking Regulus! I don't need you to look after me!"
"You're not doing anything like that for the Order!" Sirius yelled, his face red with anger "I don't care if Dumbledore gives you the order himself, I'm not letting you do it when you're –" the end of his sentence was lost in Sierra's own shout
"Sirius! I'm pregnant, not dying! Even Jake knows that I need to do this! If I don't do my bit to help, who knows what could happen to all of us! I'm not doing it for me! I'm doing it to help everyone in his fecking country from HIM!" she may have been smaller than Sirius, James noted, but in the heat of her anger, she seemed to tower higher than her brother, swallowing in the light from the room and James allowed himself a small smile at the thought that it would only ever be Sirius who would even try to oppose his twin and her anger.
"Bloody hell Sierra! I'm looking out for you, that's all!" Sirius' voice held the agitation he felt due to this argument, and one hand unfurled to run through his hair "I don't want to see you hurt, and I don't want to see you lose the baby. Jeese, I never thought you'd be this fucking stubborn."
"Who the hell shove the pole up your ass?" Sierra's yell was slightly pained now, one hand going round to her stomach "I can't believe you Si, you're being such a bastard!" she turned on her hell, ignoring Sirius until she had reached the door, and then she turned a tear-stained face towards him "I hate you," she whispered "I don't want to see you ever again." She threw the door open, and slammed it shut after her, leaving Sirius to standing, gaping wordlessly, in the centre of the now silent room.
END FLASHBACK
"I'd forgotten about that…" Sierra mused quietly, Sirius reached out, grasping her hand tightly
"Sierra-" he started, but she cut him off with a wave of her hand
"Just shut up Si." She said "I don't want you to apologise, I've got nothing I need to forgive you for. I can't blame you for wanting to help me, I was very stubborn back then." She ended the comment by picking up her fallen cutlery, and once again diving onto the food. "Besides," she said between bites "I didn't go on that little mission anyway, did I? Went into labour the next afternoon."
"I was glad for that." Sirius admitted "The girl… the one who said she'd go in your place, she died Sierra. We didn't tell you this then, but there was an ambush. The Death Eaters knew. They were ready, and they completely obliterated that girl." Sierra paused, and a tear welled up in her eye
"Poor girl." She muttered "That could have been me. That should have been me." Her spoon dropped again, and Sirius pulled her into a hug, whispering to his twin as she cried into his shoulder.