A/N: The Blackinnon Week Tumblr prompt for today was to write Marlene alive in book 3. =) Enjoy!

Amalgamation

Sirius didn't know if she was alive. Didn't know what had happened after Peter escaped him and he'd been carted off to Azkaban and left to rot while the rat ran free.

But Sirius needed to know.

It had taken him a good bit to track her down after locating Harry at Petunia's home. Long enough that his picture was plastered across both the Magic and Muggle world. Long enough that he'd been able to watch her come and go from her flat for a week. He wasn't sure how much he should hate himself for being glad that it was only her coming and going. He should hate himself for hoping she'd spent the last twelve years waiting for him. But today he'd at least be able to show her what that meant to him. Even if she tried to kill him tonight, or worse told him she had actually moved on, at least she'd know that he'd only thought of her, only wanted her.

Merlin, how his life had flipped on its head.

Her little flat was on a grubby side of town that didn't suit her at all. And as he slinked along in Padfoot's fur he found himself wanting to barge into her flat and take her somewhere better, somewhere more suited to the bright woman he remembered, loved, somewhere with him.

Not that it was an option given he was now a hunted man on both sides of the war.

He clambered up the stairs to her door, sitting before doing something that he remembered had annoyed her beyond almost all his other habits.

He started scratching on the door.

It took longer than he thought it would, but she did finally open the door, and he felt like a hole inside him had suddenly been filled.

Marlene opened the door slowly and cautiously first, her blonde hair plaited back and her blue eyes haunted and guarded. She was a coiled snake ready to strike, but then she saw him and her expression turned to panic.

"You came here! What were you thinking?!" She grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and pulled him into her flat before quickly shutting and locking the door.

Sirius shifted out of his fur and pulled her into his arms and for the first time in over twelve years, everything felt right again.

"That I had to know you were safe, alive."

She clung to him for a long moment before pushing him away with a shove. "Idiot! They'll expect you to come here! They snapped my wand for the fit I threw when they put you in Azkaban! No one believed me! They thought I was a traitor too! Dumbledore told them all I was hysterical!"

"They snapped your wand?!" Sirius felt his blood boil.

"Oh, don't do that!" She swatted his arm, "I snuck out of the country and went and got another one."

Sirius took a deep breath and pulled her back into him.

"I'm sorry."

She shook her head and gripped his tattered prison clothes in her hands.

"No! I'm sorry I couldn't get you out! I tried! I swear I did everything I could think of! I'm so sorry-" her voice cracked and he pulled her tighter against him.

"It's fine now, I'm out and we're together again. Everything's going to be alright."

"They wouldn't give me Harry!" Twelve years' worth of Marlene's tears spilled out onto his chest. "I failed you and I failed Lily and James! And Remus is who knows where now!"

"Marls," he nuzzled her head with his nose, "Marly stop. You did the best you could. You didn't fail."

She took a deep breath, managing to gain control again.

Just like her, always in control.

"Speaking of Harry," Sirius continued, "Wormtail has managed to sneak his way into Hogwarts."

Marlene bristled, "I'm going to kill him."

"Those are my feelings on the matter as well. Feel like helping me commit the only murder I wish I'd managed before I was thrown in Azkaban?"

Marlene gave him a wicked grin. "I'm getting you some clean clothes, a wand, and then yes. I've just nominated us as the new Hogwarts pest control team."

"Merlin, I've missed you," He brought his lips closer to hers and smirked when she met him halfway.

Her kiss was fire and Sirius wanted to be consumed by it. He devoured her, wanting everything she was willing to give him, everything that he'd thought he'd lost forever when they'd thrown him in Azkaban.

"I've missed you too."

"Those clothes and that wand can wait, yeah?" He murmured as he kissed down her neck, walking her slowly back towards the bedroom he could see from the entry. "I'd need to take these off and all anyway."

She pulled her wand from her holster, increasing the wards on her flat.

"You always were impatient, Black."

"I've waited twelve years, McKinnon," he picked her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist. "I think I've earned some impatience."

Marlene bit down on his lip as he laid them down on her bed. "Twelve years is a long time, think you can handle me?"

Sirius smirked against her lips, "I've never been able to handle you, it's part of what keeps me coming back."