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Chapter 22

At night, we will wander through our bodies.
Our fingers will explore new boundaries that have not met yet…
We will whisper our names and declarations of love.
We will hold hands so tightly, as if there's no tomorrow.
That's all we'll do, but only at night,
Because in the daylight you are theirs and I'm not yours.
We will count down the minutes that lazily turn into hours.
And the night will fall again, and we will be holding hands again.
And we'll pray that the next day never comes.

- Megs

Remus set the stylus into the groove of the record, letting out a heavy sigh while the first notes of Auld Lang Syne began to drift out of the speaker. Moving back to the couch he collapsed into it, looking out the window at the dark snow-covered trees. He could hear the distant sound of fireworks going off from the nearby muggle village. He was still feeling achy from the aftereffects of his transformation, but the real pain he was experiencing had nothing to do with his physical body. No, Remus Lupin's true hurt tonight was that he was feeling lonely.

Another New Year's Eve spent alone. Holidays were always particularly difficult. He'd spent most of the day inevitably reminiscing over previous years spent with James, Lily, Sirius, and Peter. In those days, the New Year had been celebrated with laughter and silliness and anticipated with hope even though the world around them was dark. And this year his sadness was compounded by feelings of inadequacy and anxiety.

It had been two weeks since he'd last seen Rose. Since they had given into their mutual desire and confessed their love for one another. Since she'd left with the abstract hope of a "next time". And it had now been long enough that the doubts and fears were pressing in on him. Did she really want to see him again or had that departure been another painful goodbye? What if the sex had been bad or his love was not enough? Had she just been humoring him the next morning and trying to let him down easy? If so, it was torture.

Remus shook his head to try to clear it of these negative thoughts. Rose had said she loved him. Who was he to doubt her when she had continued to love him even though he'd tried so hard to push her away? But it was difficult after years of abandonment and derision by the rest of the wizarding world to trust again so quickly.

"Should old acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind?
Should old acquaintance be forgot, and old lang syne?"

The record crooned nostalgically, and Remus swirled his glass of champagne and let out another irritable sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. He should just go to bed and hope his dreams were less forlorn. Maybe in the morning he would feel better. Just as he dragged himself up from the couch, a sharp rapping on the door made him freeze. Who could possibly be calling at this hour? His heart sped up traitorously in his chest, but his melancholy mood made him afraid to hope.

Walking quickly to the door, he set his fingers on the handle, took a deep breath, and pushed it open. The breath he had taken caught in his throat at the sight of the redheaded woman standing on the other side. Her hair was done up in an intricate knot and diamond earrings dangled from her ears. Shimmery makeup accentuated her warm hazel eyes which crinkled when she smiled at him. Rose's nose and cheeks were tinged pink from the cold, and it brought a warmth and innocence to her visage that made Remus' heart ache. As soon as the door was fully open, she stepped forward and threw her arms around him, burying her face in his chest. Startled but elated, Remus wrapped his arms around her, squeezing her tightly in return.

"I'm sorry, I know it's late. I just managed to get away from Mari's wedding, I wanted to see you so much. I missed you," she said. Remus closed his eyes and squeezed her tighter.

"Don't apologize, I'm glad you're here," he said, kissing her forehead. "Do you have time to come inside?"

"Actually... I have all night."

Remus felt a wave of heat move through his body at this statement.

"If you want me to stay," she grinned up at him, a mischievous twinkle in her eye. Dropping his head, Remus pressed his lips hard against hers, shivering when her fingers ran up his neck and tangled in his hair.

"Yes, please," he said when they broke apart. Taking her hand, he led her into the cottage.

"How was the wedding," he inquired while she hung her traveling cloak by the door. His eyes swept down the floor length emerald-green dress she was wearing, enjoying the way it clung sexily to her lanky frame.

"It was really beautiful," she said, following him into the living room.

"And we'll tak a cup o' kindness yet
For auld lang syne."

Rose smiled as the song on the record came to an end, her eyes taking in the half-drunk bottle of champagne sitting on the coffee table. With a flick of her wand, she conjured a second glass and poured champagne for the pair of them. Picking them up, she offered him one of the glasses, and he took it from her looking at her curiously.

"I'd hoped to get here in time, but this will have to do," she said, raising her glass and smiling warmly at him. "Happy New Year, Remus."

Raising his glass, Remus clinked it gently against hers, a broad smile crossing his own face.

"Happy New Year, Rose."

Tossing back the small amount of champagne she'd poured, Remus set his glass on the table before reaching out and wrapping one hand around the small of her back, pulling her body tight against his own. Rose giggled at this, setting her own glass down and running her hands up his firm chest and around his neck.

"How did you want to celebrate," he asked, his voice low and husky. Rose cocked her head, looking up at him mischievously while letting one of her hands slide down his body to cup him through his pants. She grinned slyly at his sharp intake of breath at this unexpected but not unwelcome treatment. Leaning in, she tilted her chin so she could whisper in his ear.

"I was really hoping you'd fuck me," she purred. Remus didn't need telling twice.

His fingers twitched at her waist, tightening his hold on her while his other hand traveled up to grip the nape of her neck and pull her lips to his own. Rose moaned into his mouth while he caressed her body over the soft silk of the dress. His own body felt unbearably hot. She continued to fondle him while their tongues entwined passionately. Grabbing a fistful of hair at the nape of his neck, Rose pulled their faces away and stood on tiptoe to capture one of his earlobes between her teeth. He growled at the wave of pleasure that coursed through him. Groping for the zipper at the back of her dress, he quickly unzipped it and shoved the dress down, his fingers seeking out each centimeter of bare skin revealed to him. Rose kicked the dress away, standing before him in a lacy black bra and panties, strappy silver pumps accentuating her long legs.

"Like what you see," she asked teasingly, stepping back and reaching up to unpin her hair.

His throat was too dry to form a coherent response, but he was certain the way his body had reacted was answer enough for her. Shaking out her mane of red curls, Rose looked at him with lust-filled eyes, and sank to her knees. Remus groaned and buried his hands in her hair when she unzipped his pants and pulled him into her mouth. Lost in a haze of pleasure, he let her service him for several long minutes before gently but firmly pulling her up by her long hair.

Rose's toes curled enjoyably at the rough treatment, and she pushed him back into the couch, climbing atop his lap. Pulling the t-shirt he was wearing out of his pants and over his head, she wasted no time in running her hands across his body, dropping her lips to his neck to kiss and playfully bite the sensitive flesh she found there. Capturing her lips in his once again, his stubble scratching against her skin, his hands ran down to her hips, pulling aside her drenched panties. Rose gasped and wrapped her arms around him when he pulled her down, impaling her on his length.

The two were lost in a world of pleasure, only aware of the heat of each other's bodies, the salty taste of sweat, and the musty smell of sex. It was not long before both reached their peak, and Rose collapsed against Remus' own heaving chest, panting heavily. Setting her forehead against his, she kissed his nose affectionately. He grinned at her, running a hand through her long hair.

"How did you like the celebration," she asked, a cocky smirk crossing her face. Remus' matched her smirk with one of his own.

"It will do for a start," he said, flipping her onto her back and kissing her hard.

Rose regained consciousness slowly the next morning, still enjoying the hazy aftereffects of feeling incredibly loved and safe. Blinking, she glanced over her shoulder to find the bed empty. As the smell of sizzling bacon was drifting in from beneath the bedroom door, she was not particularly concerned by Remus' absence. With a yawn and stretch, she rolled out of bed, picking up Remus' oversized t-shirt and slipping into it.

Wandering into the hallway, Rose followed the smell of food towards the kitchen. Pausing, she frowned at the sound of whispered conversation—was there someone else here? Stifling another yawn, she cautiously pushed open the door and stepped inside. She knew immediately by the panicked look Remus shot her way that she'd made a mistake. Her blood froze when she saw the dark-haired man standing just in front of Remus, his back turned to her. Rose immediately began to retreat from the kitchen, but the man must have heard the door open or noticed Remus' look. Turning, Sirius Black's eyes fell on her, his face slowly morphing into an expression of shock.

"Ah… hello there Sirius," Rose greeted awkwardly. Remus pinched the bridge of his nose in obvious exasperation.

"Rose… what…" Sirius' eyes traveled from her mussed hair and slightly swollen lips to the skimpy t-shirt she was wearing. She grimaced when a look of angry comprehension dawned in her godfather's eyes.

"Sirius, let's talk about thi—" Remus began in a placating tone of voice just before Sirius turned and punched him hard in the face.