AN - Well, what a crazy world we live in hey? I hope you are all social distancing as much as possible and keeping yourselves and others safe. To those of you who work in the medical profession, or are teachers, working to keep food in our homes etc... THANK YOU!

So anyway on to hopefully the reason you are here... I hope to continue to bring you a place to escape to in the coming weeks...

Chapter 24 – Friend's don't jump friends.

"Well? Remus? What's in the note? Can I read it?"

Remus shook his head. Leaning forward, he placed the note into the roaring fire. "You deserve to hear what I have to say in person."

Tonks curled her legs up underneath her and sat back on the sofa. "Okay. Why did you ask that I be removed from your interview?"

Remus sighed, "Tonks I'm so sorry. I wanted to protect you – your career. I didn't want your name to be listed anywhere on that official transcript."

Tonks stared at Remus but said nothing, so he continued, "How could we go from you being curled up on my lap earlier that day to you interviewing me under caution as a ministry official. Tonks if anyone found out that we, well about our... about how close we've become… I didn't want you getting into trouble because of me, because of my past."

Remus stood and turned away from Tonks, unable to look at her any longer. He really was a coward. He'd wanted to tell her, he really had, but he was in too deep and so was she. If he told her now, that he, Remus Lupin was a Werewolf, she'd have no choice but to tell the Ministry and his time at Hogwarts would be over. Though distressing, that wasn't what had stopped him from telling her.

Seeing her face as she'd asked what was in the note, seeing how willing she was to hear him out, let him explain, being able to read on her face and see in the pink spikes of her hair that she was wholeheartedly ready to forgive him had filled his heart with both hope and dread. There was a possibility he had never allowed himself to entertain before this evening – that kind, loving, empathetic Tonks might accept him – wolf and all. That is what had stopped him from telling her this time – he really did want to protect her career – just not from the reasons he was giving her.

If she found out he was a Werewolf and didn't tell the ministry – she would be risking everything for him, and he couldn't put her in that position. He wouldn't.

Remus turned to look back at Tonks but she was no longer sitting on her sofa. Instead she was just inches away from him. Reaching up she placed her hand on his cheek.

Remus closed his eyes and placed his hand on top of hers.

"It's okay Remus. You don't have to protect me, but I'm grateful that you want to."

Remus smiled. The warmth of her hand on his face felt heavenly. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and never let go. "I'm so sorry Tonks. I hope you can forgive me."

Tonks lent her forehead against his. "Already done. Just next time, fill me in before we go into a room with other people, ok? I think it was the surprise of it all that stung the most" Tonks pulled back to look at his face, "And Remus, thanks for not giving up on me."

Tonks placed her hand back on Remus' cheek and Remus placed his on top of hers once again, only this time he picked hers up and moved it away from his face. "Tonks, we can't."

Wanting to save her from any more pain caused by his actions, he knew he needed to explain to her what he was thinking rather than just push her way.

"Tonks, let me be clear. I won't deny that I have feelings for you, though I know I shouldn't, that I don't deserve even your friendship."

Remus hated the pain and confusion he could see on Tonks faces. "Remus, I don't understand, of course you deserve my friendship. We've both made mistakes, I should have told you about naming you in my report and you should have talked to me about your concerns. We just need to learn to talk to each other more openly. To trust each other."

Remus stepped back from Tonks and sat back in the chair he had risen from earlier. "That's not what I mean. Tonks if I was a stronger man, a better man, I never would have come here, never sought - craved your forgiveness. It would be better for you to be as far away from me as possible."

He could see the determination set in her face, she shook her head aggressively, "No. Remus what are you saying? I don't want to be far away from you. I have feelings for you too. Though I hardly think I need to say it our loud, I'm not exactly subtle," She threw him a cheeky smile that made him want to pull her into his lap and hold her firmly against his body. Instead he clasped his hands together and just stared at her.

"No," Remus chuckled, "You certainly aren't subtle. I like that about you. You know exactly what you want and you chase after it. It's a trait I'm rather jealous of if I'm being honest."

Thinking back over his life, Remus could see so many opportunities missed. Opportunities he had actively allowed to pass him by. Never wanting to rock the boat. Never daring to go after what he truly wanted. Struck by a perpetual fear that good enough, happy enough, satisfied enough was already more than he deserved. If he aimed for more, maybe he would lose even that. Isn't that what had happened in his Hogwarts days? He had taken for granted the friendships he'd made, the family he had created for himself – a group of people who had never once allowed him to feel any less than the rest of them. But he'd wanted more, craved to have the kind of connection James and Lily had, or the fun Sirius had with his never-ending parade of pretty dates – he had even started to resent them for having what he couldn't.

Then what he did have had been yanked away from him. Karma – God – the universe telling him he should have just been happy enough. And now here he was, Tonks sitting back on the sofa staring at him. With her he could have it all – the moon and the stars – the fun and the connection. But he couldn't bear to have it and watch it all be yanked away from him. He had learnt from his mistakes. He would make do with happy enough – with her friendship. And he'd be damn thankful for it too.

"Tonks, I'm a person of interest in the Black case. You are an Auror. Just being my friend could get you into a lot of trouble."

Tonks shook her head, "Kingsley has already noted in the files that you are a named person in the case but not a person of interest. And besides, Black betrayed you the most. Anyone who thinks you've anything to do with all of this is a bigger moron than Fudge!"

With this Tonks leant forward and grabbed one of Remus' hands, pulling him up and towards the sofa. "And will you just come and sit on the sofa. It doesn't feel right you sitting over there. I feel like I'm meeting with a professor. Being told off." Remus chuckled, and watched her as she tried to pull him over onto the opposite end of the sofa from her, though he could have easily resisted her grip and stayed where he was, the pathetic truth was, he wanted to be close to her.

"Well I am a professor."

Tonks snorted, "Yes, well luckily for both of us, I never really did listen to anything my professors tried to tell me." As she continued to pull on his arm, he relented and moved and sat next to her.

"See that's better. Don't worry I'm not going to jump you."

Remus' mouth gaped open, some of the water he had just taken a sip of dribbling down his chin. Quickly he looked down and used the sleeve of his cardigan to wipe the mess from his face. He could feel heat rising up his neck and his face turning red. He couldn't stop the onslaught of images running though his head. Tonks jumping him, right there, right now. Straddling him where he sat, placing kisses on his lips, his chin, his chest. Pulling her closer to him...

Looking at Tonks, he could see from the chewing of her lip and the mischief in her eyes that her musings were not far different to his own.

He cleared his throat loudly, "No. Because friends don't jump friends."

Though he had said it very seriously, he realised instantly how ridiculous it sounded. Tonks giggled and Remus laughed heartily.

"I think it's best for now, for your career, that we remain simply friends."

Tonks slid closer to Remus, her smile was wickedly seductive. "I don't dream about my friends the way I dream about you Remus." Whether subconsciously or purposely, Tonks ran a hand through her hair and nibbled at her bottom lip. She was not making this easy.

"In another life, Tonks, if we had met under different circumstances…" The remainder of Remus' sentence hung palpably in the air between them. Tonks moved closer still. He wanted nothing more than to pull her that last few centimetres and kiss her fiercely. His resolve was waning fast.

But he was a werewolf.

And Tonks didn't know it.

He was a dangerous creature.

She was an Auror.

And sadly, this wasn't some sappy romantic fiction novel. In real life the guy didn't always get the girl.

"But we have to play with the hand dealt to us," Remus said abruptly, standing up, "and that hand is clearly drawing a line for us. Friends?" He put his hand out, hoping she'd shake it.

Tonks stood, and walked to him, he was worried she'd try and kiss him again. He didn't know if he had the honour or the want to keep stopping her. In stead she stopped in front of him.

"Fine. I'll compromise."

Remus raised an eyebrow, "How so?"

Tonks pushed his hand away and hugged him. There bodies pressed together, he could feel her muscular frame. He allowed his hands to sit lightly on her waist. "Friends," she whispered huskily in his ear, "For now."

As she pulled away from him. He couldn't move. She was so very bewitching. Was she part Veela?

"Right, I'm going to shower and go to bed. It's getting late and it's been a long day." She smiled at him, stood where she had just hugged him. His feet felt rooted to the spot. He nodded and slowly walked towards the door to the corridor. As he turned the door handle.

"Oh Remus," he turned and looked at her, she was walking towards the bathroom, "sweet dreams," her eyes were playful as she once again nibbled on her bottom lip, "I know mine will be." As she disappeared into the bathroom, she lifted her t-shirt, pulling it off over her head and throwing it behind her into the living room. The last thing Remus saw before he hastily closed the door behind him was a flash of an electric blue bra.

She really wasn't going to make this easy for him.

He groaned as he reached his own quarters knowing that, at least in his dreams tonight, his friend would absolutely be jumping him.

A/N oh I'm sorry! Remus just wouldn't tell her - I really wanted him to so they could finally get together but you know what he's like! Anyhoo hope you liked this chapter - do let me know what you thought.

I have the next few chapters of this written and will keep posting - I am also writing some complete Tonks and Remus FLUFF because I think that is what we all need right now so look out for that over the next few days too :)