A/N: I don't own Harry Potter or any related characters

Word Count: 2156

Warning: mentions of addiction

The Wolf's Hair Tattoo and Piercing Parlor had been in the family for as long as James Sirius Potter could remember. His grandfathers, Remus and Frank, worked there. He knew Grandpa Remus had started the shop, something to do with his hands he'd said when James had asked once.

"It was a hard war, James. We lost a lot of people, I needed something to do, something that brought beauty to the world of pain, light to the darkness. One day, you'll take over the shop, it was supposed to be your father, but he had other plans."

"I know, Grandpa Remus. He and Daddy met, fell in love, had me and he also can't even draw a stick wix," James said, laughing. Remus ruffled James' hair, the same color as Harry's, the same color as the man James had been named after. Remus tried not to think about James, about Lily and Sirius. They'd all been lost to him. He'd taken Harry and run to the only safe place he could think of.

"Frank! Alice! Anyone here?" he'd screamed, pounding on the door with his free hand. He was holding Harry close to him with the other. The door opened a crack, a shaft of light illuminating Remus' scarred face.

"Remus? What are you doing here? I thought, we broke up," Frank said. Alice appeared behind him, a worried expression on her face.

"The Potters are dead. I've got Harry. I just need...I don't know what I need. This was the only place I could think of to come."

"Come on inside. Frank, I know you and Remus have unfinished business, but he's terrified. And he's got a child with him," Alice said, her voice pacifying Frank for a moment. Frank stepped aside allowing Remus and Harry inside.

Their relationship had ended before the war, their senior year when Sirius had taken a prank too far. Remus had defended him, something he'd come to regret, that had cost him Frank. Alice had been there to pick up the pieces, to give Frank someone to trust again. Remus had never been able to express his gratitude for her. He still loved Frank, with all his heart, but now Frank's heart belonged to Alice.

"Can you show me your new designs?" James asked, pulling Remus back to the present. "Did Grandma Alice make anything new? She said she was working on roses that changed color?"

"She's still working on the charm. We tried it on flesh last night, but the color change didn't work right. It kept going from red to black and back again. It's supposed to do several colors, not just two."

"Red and black are still cool, you could make up a fancy name for the color, like Midnight Rose or Broken Heart, or you could just call it Red-Black,but with a hyphen so it's all one name?" James suggested. Remus smiled, jotting that down on a yellow legal pad he kept for when inspiration struck.

"And this is why you're going to take over this place eventually," he stated. James just laughed.

"Daddy Draco thinks I'm going to take over his business too. Guess it's part of being first born, everyone expects you to just take over something, not asking what you want to do."

Remus paused, looking at his grandson.

"And what do you want to do?" he asked.

"And what do you want to do? Let them stay?"

"They need somewhere safe. Harry and Neville can play together, share toys for now. He's apologized for what he did you know. He had this whole speech and then, he thanked me for being there. He still loves you, Frank," Alice whispered, looking at Remus who was currently sound asleep on their sofa. Harry was sharing Neville's crib at the moment, but Alice knew both boys would soon need toddler beds, or a least a spell to keep them from climbing out. Neville had tumbled head first to the floor just that morning.

"I know, but I don't know, Alice. What Sirius did, it was horrible. I mean, he assaulted poor Severus, and for what? For laughs?"

"Remus wasn't even there when it happened. Sirius is a prat, a tosser, a million other words that probably shouldn't be said in polite company, but Remus is a good guy. I can see it in his eyes. They're very easy to get lost in," she added, laughing a little.

"Sounds like you have a crush on my ex-boyfriend," Frank stated. Alice shrugged slightly.

"I might have thought about dating him before we were together. He was sweet and we'd study for history together. He had this way of making you feel special."

"I know. He still does, he's still Remus, even after everything. Fine, they can stay here for awhile. I've got work to do. It's going to be a nightmare cleaning up everything that's been left behind by You-know-who."

"You're the first one whose asked that Grandpa Remus. And I want to be an artist, like you and Grandpa Frank. I want to take over Wolf's Hair when I'm old enough and you decide to retire. Banking is boring and Lily's better at numbers than me. Daddy should look at her to inherit Malfoy Inc.." James answered, picking up a sheet of paper and doodling a money symbol with a snake running through the middle of it. "There, I designed a new logo for Daddy," he laughed, holding it out. Remus looked at it and nodded.

"Not bad, James. I know of a few people who would probably want this as a tattoo, is it alright if I add it to the designs we sell?"

"Draw it first so I know you're going to do my artwork justice," James said. Remus complied, drawing the symbol just as James had, being very careful to keep it the same. Once James was satisfied he gave Remus permission to use the design. Remus smiled at James' business sense, at the fact he wouldn't let anyone, even his own grandpa, steal his work.

"We should buy it!"

"The tattoo shop? Why?" Remus asked, staring at the falling apart building. It had been abandoned since the war.

"Because, I'm tired of being an auror. It's all blood and death. We're still trying to round up the last of the Death Eaters, but they're all getting off the moment we bring them to court. They have money and can buy anyone they want. It's a rigged system," Frank said, popping the cork on a potion bottle and downing it. Remus has noticed Frank was hitting the Draught of Peace hard lately.

Maybe it was just work, or the fact Remus and Alice had started sleeping together on nights Frank worked late. It had started innocently enough, just holding each other, keeping away the nightmares. Remus had never thought about Alice like that before.

Sure, he knew he liked boys and girls, but she'd been his study partner, then Frank's girlfriend, now Frank's wife. He wasn't sure when it had changed from being innocent to being something more. Maybe if he could pinpoint that, could go back, he'd change it. He didn't want to betray Frank again.

"Frank, there's something I need to tell you," Remus said, looking at the ground. Frank laughed.

"About you and Alice? I know about it, Remus. I know she loves you, that you have feelings for her. Actually, I was planning to talk to you about it tonight at dinner."

"I understand, Harry and I can find another place."

"No, no, that's not what I was going to say," Frank said, walking over to the tattoo shop and putting a hand on the brick wall. "I was going to ask you, if maybe I could join you and Alice, or you could join me and Alice. I still love you, Remus. I never stopped loving you just because of your semi-poor choice in friends."

"Are you suggesting all three of us?"

"I am. I also still want to buy this place. What do you say? Partners in both bed and business?" Frank asked. Remus smiled, relief flooding him. He wasn't going to lose Alice, and now, now he was getting Frank back.

"Sure, I can draw, not well, but with practice, sure!" he answered, looking at the building that would become his and Frank's future.

"I should get going, Grandpa Remus, Daddy and Dad don't like it when I'm out too late," James said, looking out the large glass window at the setting sun.

"I know, how about I walk you home. I think Alice baked some biscuits, ahh, there they are," Remus said, picking up a tin and handing it to James.

"Thanks for the cookies, but I'm going to stop at Layla's on the way home. Mind if I share the biscuits with her?"

"Go ahead," Remus said, smiling. James climbed on his bike and took off into the evening. Remus looked around the shop. It was getting late, which meant it was going to start getting busier. He switched on the neon lights. Frank would be down soon, he never missed the evening shift.

"Frank," Remus screamed, running into the shop. Frank lay unconscious on the floor, a vial of Peace on the floor next to him. Remus had seen the signs, had tried to ignore them, telling himself that it couldn't be, that Frank couldn't be an addict. He'd been an idiot to deny it.

"Remus?" Frank asked, stirring as Remus poured the antidote down his throat. Remus wasn't sure when he'd started carrying it. Maybe it was the same time he'd noticed how much Peace Frank downed.

"I'm here, Frank. I'm here."

"What happened?" Frank asked, looking around. "I was sweeping up the shop, getting ready for the evening shift, you know that's when the drunks come in."

"You drank too much Peace. I think you might have a problem."

"It's not a problem. I just drink it when I'm stressed," Frank argued. Remus shook his head.

"And what were you stressed about tonight? We've been open for a year now, same thing every day. You said the routine was calming, that you were having fun."

"I am. I don't know... maybe it has become a bit of a habit. I should stop. I mean, the war's over, I'm safe, you're safe, Alice is safe. The boys are safe," Frank said, his shoulders sagging. Remus nodded.

"Yes, we're all safe, you're not an auror anymore. You're not putting yourself in danger any more. So what do you need Peace for?"

"Nothing," Frank said, shoving his hand into his pocket. He pulled out three vials of Peace and handed them to Remus. "I don't need it for anything now. Take it!"

Remus had taken it, destroyed it when Frank wasn't looking. That had been the start. Things got rockier before they got better. Frank, still in withdraw, had had to take a step back from working at the shop. It had broken Remus' heart seeing him like that.

"You can do this, Frank. Think of it as a holiday, actually, yeah, why don't we all take a holiday? You, Me, Alice, the boys? Let's all go on holiday," Remus suggested. A change of scenery for a bit wouldn't hurt anyone. Frank had finally agreed.

"Was that James' voice I heard?" Frank asked, walking down the stairs from the flat above the shop.

"It was. He stopped by because," Remus paused, trying to remember why James had actually stopped by.

"Because he missed you," Frank said. "Or because Harry and Draco are pressuring him again. When are they going to see that James isn't like Draco?"

"When he takes over this place from us. He's becoming quite an artist, look, he even gave us a new design," Remus said, showing Frank the drawing James had done. "He said we could use it."

"He's going to be good for this place, Remus. Alice made dinner if you want to grab a bite before we get busy. There's some convention in town, going to be a lot more customers than usual," Frank said, giving Remus a quick kiss.

"Good idea," he said, putting a hand on the banister remembering how they'd come so far, how everything had changed the moment he'd shone up on the Longbottoms' doorstep in a dead panic.

It was a bumpy road as Frank worked through life without the Peace. Remus noticed though, his mind was sharper, that he had started coming up with more inventive tattoos. Alice did the charm work, making them move in ways Remus had never seen. Soon the Wolf's Hair Tattoo and Piercing Parlor had earned an amazing reputation in both the wizarding and muggle world.

"This is the life," Alice stated, watching another customer leave.

"It is," Remus agreed, putting an arm around Alice's shoulder and the other around Frank's. It really was the perfect life.