The dress Franki tossed landed over Tonks' head, covering her bland, mousy hair. She let it stay for a moment, then pulled the dark garment off, tossing it to the side.
"I don't really feel like going..." Tonks sighed. She flopped back onto her bed and sighed.
"I don't really care." Franki replied with a snark. "I have too much planned into this and this night. And then-" She grinned, "We are crashing your cousin's birthday party."
"I can't crash a party I was invited to..." Tonks snorted. "And Hermione has never cared who I drag in."
"Well, either way." Franki said, picking the dress back up, holding it out for Tonks to see. "You're going out with me. Dancing. You're going to wear this- And then we are going to that party and YOU are going to make that werewolf eat his own tongue."
"Doubtful. Remus has more self control than anyone I've ever met." She rolled toward the wall.
"Normally, sure." Franki nodded, grabbing Tonks and forcing her to roll over. "But- I read. I know a thing or two about werewolves, Tonksy. He has a jealous streak he will not be able to avoid when every eye in the place is on you when we walk in."
"So you plan to dress me like a slut to do that?" Tonks scoffed. "Its not me and its desperate. Besides, I have to wear something that covers this stupid..." Tonks gestured to her thigh where she had her own, fresh patronus tattoo. She was still quite sensitive about it, because her patronus, which last she knew had been a rabbit, was now a very large wolf. She was still not sure how to feel about it.
"No. Not like a slut. Its a tea length. But the hug of it is gonna ride those curves. It is more than enough to cover that wolvie. Plus, this... And some kitten heels... Charmed to keep you from tripping and falling, of course... All we need is for someone, anyone, at the party to flirt with you. Then we'll see." Franki gave an almost Cheshire cat style grin.
"What you are forgetting, Franki, is that its been days. Which, yes, I told him to take time. But I haven't heard a peep. And he's one of the 'Big Three'-" Tonks did the over dramatic air quotes with her fingers, "So women fall at his feet. He's the only one not married. He has options." She drew her knees to her chest. "And he DID keep me a secret. For MONTHS."
"Matters not now!" Franki said, dragging Tonks to her feet. "I already know how I want you to do your hair..." She guided her off toward the bathroom to start to get ready.
Later that night, he music pounded in Tonks' ears as what had to be the fifth or sixth stranger spun her around the dance floor. She had to hand it to Franki, she did manage to have a little fun, and she made a good point about having 'the scent of other men' on her when she walked in. It wouldn't be detectable to anyone else at the Black house, but it would most likely catch Remus' nose straight away. The band ended the song and Tonks thanked the man, who corrected her to say his name was Greg, for the dance before seeking out Franki.
"So-" Tonks said, leaning into her friend.
"So." She nodded. They left together, arms linked, headed to Sirius' birthday.
"Are you having fun, darling?" Hermione ask, wrapping one arm around Sirius, who had slipped away from the crowd to the kitchen to eat in peace for a moment. He had both cheeks stuffed with sweets, and more on a small plate, ready to devour. He choked down what he'd already packed in.
"Its wonderful!" He smiled, turning enough to wrap his free arm around his wife. He popped another giggle truffle in his mouth, muffling the laugh as he chewed the confection. "Thank you so much!" He kissed her temple, smearing her face with chocolate. Hermione laughed and wiped the chocolate away.
"Listen-" She said, stepping back a bit, sliding his arm away but taking his hand in hers, "I think something is wrong with Remus."
"How do you figure?" Sirius ask, eyebrow raised, eating another, zebra striped candy.
"He's keeping to the corner. Barely ate. Scanning the crowd." Hermione explained.
"Yeah..." Sirius shrugged, "I mean, he is always a little tense and paranoid after the full moon. And we're subjecting him to a very crowded place with an onslaught of scents and sounds..."
"Well, if you think so." Hermione said, as Sirius peaked around the kitchen door into the main party area of his mother's old grand ball room.
"Look- Lily is over there talking with him and her friend Tyrena now." Sirius gestured over his shoulder. Hermione peeked around the door, noticing her redheaded friend had indeed cornered Remus. He was talking through a tight, visibly uncomfortable but polite smile on his face.
"Yeah... I guess." Hermione said, even less convinced. She sighed and Sirius wrapped both his arms around her waist, pulling her backward into him and closing the kitchen door, which had previously been propped open. He moved her chestnut colored curls out of the way and placed a wet kiss on her collar bone, then up her neck, stopping at her earlobe. She sighed and shivered.
"Think they'd miss us if we popped upstairs?" Sirius ask, biting at the sensitive skin he'd just kissed.
"This is our party. At our house..." Hermione said, sighing again as Sirius pulled her back into him, where she could feel just exactly why he wanted to slip away. She slipped away and palmed at him through his trousers.
"Ah, 'Mione..." He groaned, gripping her hips tighter. "It's my party, after all..."
"Later." She said, turning around to face him. "I promise. It will be very worth it."
"Well, Mrs. Black... As long as you promise..." He winked as he stepped back and tugged at his pants leg, in order to adjust himself. Hermione's head snapped around toward the door.
"Sirius." She said, getting his attention with her serious tone.
"Yeah?" He came over, looking where she was staring.
"The music stopped." She said, pushing the door open.
The room stood in stone silence, but the couple with everyone's attention only seemed to focus on each other, and the young man laying sprawled across the floor at their feet. No one spoke, the DJ cut the music, and all sound ceased. Tonks stood, looking from Remus, to the floor and back. She twirled a single, pale pink curl between her fingers. Remus was panting, almost growling, even. His glowing golden eyes never left the witch before him. James came silently through the crowd, gently laying his hands on Remus' shoulders.
"Come one, mate." He said quietly. "Lets just take a deep breath." But hard as the other wizard tried, his eyes never left Tonks.
After a few breathless moments, Tonks heard Hermione's polite 'excuse us, pardon...' coming through the crowd. She and Sirius came through the other partiers and Hermione's jaw dropped. Sirius, however, looked far more amused. He came over to James' side, leaning over to his calmer friend. "What the bloody fuck happened?"
"Not a clue." James said honestly, nodding to the ground. "But I imagine it must have been horrible, for Remus to loose his temper like this." His voice stayed low. "We need to get him, and this poor bloke, out of here and into separate rooms." Sirius nodded, stepping back.
"Alright, everyone. Nothing to see here. Little too free flowing with the elvish, if you catch my drift..." He gave a nervous chuckle and charmed the unconscious young wizard to levitate from the ground, and he walked the opposite way from where James was very firmly trying to guide Remus from the room. He deposited the man on the couch in Hermione's office, closing the door behind him. He then hurried back through his house and the crowd, which had once again started to make small groups of polite conversation, to find that James and Hermione had taken Remus to the kitchen. He passed Lily and her friend Tyrena, who it turned out was a healer, going to check on the lad in the other room.
"Alright, mate. What happened? Honestly?" Sirius ask, propping against the counter, arms crossed over his chest. He looked from Hermione to James, then back to Remus. He shrugged roughly, still visibly angry.
"We could ask Tonks..." James suggested. "She was right there when it happened. I honestly thought at first maybe the bloke had got too friendly with her and got handsy... like you said, Elvish is pretty free flowing 'round tonight..."
"Where is Tonks?" Hermione ask, looking at Sirius, who had came through the thick of the party to join them.
"Franki took her outside when we moved everyone." James answered. "She looked... Shocked? Embarrassed?" He shrugged, turning his attention back to Remus. "Deep breaths, mate. Sip on that tea. For your nerves." He scooted the cup across the counter.
"He didn't do anything wrong." Remus said, pushing the tea away, sloshing part of it out as he did. He moved past all his friends, who at this point knew to step back as he pushed on through the kitchen. There was a door on the other side leading to the gardens. It took him almost no time to find Tonks, standing with both Franki and Lily. Lily looked him up and down, tugging his collar straight on the pale blue button down he'd warn to the party where he'd become disheveled during his altercation.
"No, you didn't break his jaw." She smiled, knowing what he was about to ask her. He swallowed and gave a tight nod, then moved on to the overlook of the patio, where Franki and Tonks were.
"T-" He started, then stopped himself. "Dora."
"Remus." She greeted, mirroring his stiff tone.
"We should talk." He said, his shoulders finally relaxing a bit, tension leaving his face.
"Should we?" She cocked her head to the side. "What about?"
"You know-" He stammered, exasperation taking over, "You know what about." He looked over at Franki, then just next to her at Lily. "Could you ladies..." He gestured for them to go into the house. Lily looked over at Tonks' best friend, who nodded in agreement and they headed back up the stairs.
"Make up your mind, did you?" Tonks snorted. "You don't want me, but no one else can have me either? How is that fair to me?" She spat her words with as much venom as she could muster.
"No." Remus said sadly. "No, that is not at all what happened." He wrapped his arms around himself, gave his shoulders a heave, then moved to a nearby bench and sat down.
"Then what?" She demanded. "Because I sure would like to know. As would about seventy of our closest acquaintances..." She pointed back toward her old family home. "Including, you may have noticed, my parents." She was shouting now.
"I'm in love with you, you psychotic little witch!" He shouted in return. Her face grew pale, her hair faded from pink to brown and the curls fell straight.
"What?" She whispered now.
"I love you." He said again. "I love you. And I saw him touch you... Innocent as it was for him to wrap an arm around you like that..." He recalled the young brunet wizard who had been flirting with Tonks, as he'd tried to guide her over to the bar before Remus' fist cracked into his jaw full force. "I told you before, there are a million reasons for you to not be with me." He looked up at her, and she saw tears gleam in the light on his cheeks. She moved over to him and took his face in her hands.
"I love you, too." She sighed, a tear of her own escaping. "Merlin knows I do." She drew a shaky breath. "But I cannot, and will not, be a secret another moment. Not if you want to be with me."
"I agree." He said, rising from the bench, his face now barely a few inches from hers. "I already have plenty of explaining to do."
"Yeah..." Tonks agreed, looking up into his eyes, which had faded back into their dark green natural shade. He leaned in, and with one quick motion wrapped her in close to him, his lips overtaking hers, and she allowed the kiss to deepen as she slid her hands up his arms, then his neck, then into his soft sandy hair.
They stayed this way for a long moment, neither bothering to even try to breath until they heard a voice from behind them sound that Sirius, too, had received a shock... "Bloody fucking shit..." He laughed, humored. "That explains SO much!"
Please review and let me know what you think of this! I worked so hard on this particular chapter, trying to get it right.
Thank you all for reading!