A/N: Warning: really long chapter (are you that surprised?)...

"There you go," Mia said softly, placing a cup of steaming herbal tea in front of Tonks as she sat by her side, not more than ten minutes after the other woman had arrived and broken the shocking news to them, which both Sirius and Mia were still struggling to register. "This should calm you down and won't do a thing to the baby."

The baby. Merlin, Sirius thought at hearing his wife saying it. He couldn't believe Moony was having a kid – he'd thought of that, of course, but knowing it was completely different. And, most of all, he couldn't believe he'd done something so… stupidly selfish. Left his pregnant wife. He didn't even know what to think.

Sighing, he turned to Tonks. She wasn't crying anymore, thank Merlin – it just didn't fit her – and was huddled on a chair, sipping some sort of tea as her eyes remained on the table, showing her absentness.

"So, when did you find out you were…?" Sirius asked awkwardly, pointing at the metamorphagus's middle.

"This morning," she responded in a monotonous tone before turning to Mia. "I've already told you this afternoon that Remus had my Mom dragging me to St. Mungo's this morning because of the alleged food poisoning. Well, they ran a bunch of tests, didn't find any signal of actual food poisoning in me aside from the puking and ended up figuring out I was… I am pregnant."

Mia's face suddenly lit with realization at that. "So, wait, this afternoon when I was drilling you with questions and Elizabeth jumped in to stop me…"

"She knows," Tonks admitted. "The general healers sent me to the baby department and she took over my case when she saw me there."

"And? What did she say?"

Tonks shrugged, struggling a little bit with her thoughts at that moment. "She assured me everything was perfectly fine with me and the baby even though the morning sickness was pretty bad and had started awfully early on."

"Right," Sirius mumbled, still feeling rather awkward. "So, just how pregnant are you?"

Tonks stared at him, not finding any sense in the question. "One hundred percent, I guess."

Mia cleared her throat. "I think he meant to ask how far along you were," she said softly , turning to her husband and rolling her eyes at his previous question.

"Oh. Little over five weeks, according to her," the metamorphagus responded. "Five weeks," she repeated. Nearly right after Dumbledore's death, she absently noted.

"So, do you want to tell us how it happened?" she asked softly. "How things led to Remus leaving, I mean?"

Just thinking of it made Tonks feeling her nerves rising again. "I… I don't know," she stammered. "It's just so much…"

"Take your time," Mia told her.

The metamorphagus nodded and took a breath. "I was so nervous over telling him about the baby… and so happy at the same time. I mean, it's a baby – it's scary as hell but also what's not to be happy about? It's ours!"

Sirius nodded and smiled just a little, feeling more nostalgic than awkward at that moment. "We know what you mean."

She closed her eyes for a second because they were burning again. "I waited until after dinner and filled in some auror paperwork in the meanwhile to keep my mind occupied. He knew I was up to something – he usually has a sixth sense for this sort of thing. And then… I told him." She paused, then, recalling the scene. "He was shocked, obviously. Just sat there, staring at me. Panicking. And then he said it wasn't supposed to happen. At first I thought he was talking about us always being so… you know, careful."

"Protection is not always foolproof. All it takes is taking the potion one day later or forgetting to cast the spell just one time…" Mia observed. "We have three kids to prove that."

"Yep, none of them actually planned," Sirius agreed sheepishly. "Our little accidents."

Tonks bit her lip bit the corners curled just a little. Not enough to call it a smile, though.

"So, you told him you were pregnant, he said it wasn't supposed to happen," Mia summed up, urging her to go on.

Tonks nodded. "It escaladed from there. He said that 'his kind' didn't have children and didn't marry – like it wasn't bad enough what he was saying, that he didn't want the baby, that he…" she hesitated "… he shouldn't have married me, it made me so angry he was calling… insulting himself by portraying himself as just a werewolf, saying they were 'his kind' when he's nothing like the rest. People like Greyback. Next thing I know, he was just walking out."

"Tonks…" Mia started, sympathetically.

"I waited," Tonks continued. "I waited for him to come back for an hour. I was hoping he just needed to work it out. But he didn't come and I didn't know what to do and then I thought…" She turned to Sirius with glinting eyes. "I thought you knew him better and longer than anyone. You could find him. I… I want him back, Sirius. Running away… this isn't him."

Her cousin nodded. "I'll get on it right away," Sirius said without hesitation, glancing at Mia and receiving a nod of agreement in return. "Did he give any indication of where he was going?"

She shook her head. "My guess is as good as yours."

He nodded, standing up. "Don't worry. I've got a place or two on mind."

She motioned to stand up as well but Mia stopped her by placing a firm hand on her shoulder. "And where do you think you're going?"

"To get him back with Sirius," she responded.

Mia shook her head. "No, you're not," she told her firmly. "It's not good for the baby or for you to walk around upset as you are, especially when for all we know there can be Dementors on the loose. Let Sirius handle this for you – he's good at this sort of thing and, honestly, what Remus needs right now is a man-to-man talk."

Sirius nodded and approached his cousin too. "I promise I'll beat some sense into him for you, Tonksie, alright? You stay here and relax – I won't come back until I find him, okay?"

Reluctantly but keeping in mind her newfound protectiveness over her child, Tonks nodded silently.

"Good," Sirius concluded, meeting Mia's eyes before nodding at the door, indicating for her to meet him outside.

They stepped out of the kitchen together a moment later, leaving Tonks at the table, and stood in the cramped space between the kitchen door and the beginning of the stairs leading up from the ground floor.

"I can't believe Remus would do this," Mia said, whispering so their friend wouldn't hear. "Doesn't sound like him at all!"

"The guy's got more issues than any of us can imagine. It doesn't justify it but still… it makes him unpredictable sometimes."

"Merlin, Sirius," Mia mumbled, expressing her disbelief. "Just… Merlin."

"I know," he said, reaching for one of her hands. "This is completely messed up."

"That's understating it," she said. "Make sure you let him know what an idiot he's being when you find him. I mean, look at Tonks! She barely sounds like herself at all! It's worse than when he kept rejecting her before they got together."

Sirius nodded. "Keep an eye on her, alright? She needs someone to talk to."

Mia nodded back. "I will. Actually, I think I'll convince her to stay overnight. Even if you get Remus to come back tonight, it's not wise to send them home alone right away…"

"You do that," her husband agreed before reaching forward and placing a soft kiss on her lips. "I love you."

"So you keep telling me," she replied, cupping his cheek for a moment before taking a step back. "Go put on a cloak before you leave – it's ridiculously cold outside for a summer night."

He nodded and turned around, climbing up the stairs leading to the ground floor and then the ones taking him further up, headed to his room on the third floor. As made his way up, Sirius made a mental list of the places Remus was likely to be. If he wasn't in any of them, Sirius honestly didn't know where to start. Merlin, was the whole situation exceptionally messed up… Deep down, he'd always thought that, of all people, Remus was the least likely to do a bunk from his responsibilities… The baby was his as much as it was Tonks's!

"What happened?" he heard a voice asking behind him when he reached the second floor, making him turn around. Harry was standing at his room's doorway, arms crossed and concerned look on his face. Unlike Izzy, who'd already gone to bed, he'd stayed out all that time between watching his godmother rushing downstairs and his godfather coming back up waiting, trying to get a hint of what was going on downstairs. "Was that Tonks?"

"Yep," Sirius replied shortly.

"And? Was there some sort of attack? Who died? Was it Moo…"

"Nobody died, kid," his godfather assured him.

Harry was visibly relieved at that but didn't look even a little less determined to find out what was going on. "What, then?"

Sirius sighed, thinking if he should just tell him about it or simply avoid the matter. "It's a complicated story, kid," he warned him.

"Simplify it," Harry replied. "I don't need a full report – I just want to know why Tonks was crying. She was crying, right?"

"She was," Sirius confirmed before taking a deep breath. "Apparently, she's got a bun in the oven."

Harry's face lit with surprise. "Really? As in a baby? And she's upset because of that?"

He shook his head. "She's upset because Remus freaked when she told her and made a run for it."

As soon as he said that, Sirius saw as his godson's face darken – no doubt he was angry with eyes narrowed and fists clenched. "He walked out? Just like that?" Harry asked in disbelief. "Is he coming back?"

"That's still to be decided, kid," Sirius replied quietly.

"Why would he do that? Why would he leave Tonks? And… and his kid?"

"Don't know that either, Harry," he assured him. "It's hard to tell what goes on in that bloke's mind. But you can bet your arse I'm going after him and I'll make sure he knows just how stupid he's being."

"Can I go with you?" Harry requested, hopefully.

Sirius shook his head. "Too dangerous for you to walk around the streets with just me in the middle of the night, kid. You know that's when most attacks take place – if anyone knew Harry Potter was outside and vulnerable today…"

Harry got it. And couldn't help pursing his lips together at that same, annoying reason as always. "Sometimes I hate being me."

His godfather patted his shoulder sympathetically. "You could do worse, kid. Let me handle Moony – we've known each other far too long for me to take any of his crap."

The younger boy nodded. "Bring him back to Tonks and their kid. Parents have no business being away from their kids."

Sirius sighed at his words. "I was, for a long time."

Harry shook his head. "You're different. You didn't have a choice and you also didn't know there was a kid in the first place."

His godfather's lips curled a little and he patted Harry's shoulder again. "Good kid. Now go back to bed – let me handle the lecturing. Merlin knows I've being on the other end of it enough times to give him one hell of a speech."

Harry couldn't help chuckling before turning around and walking back into his room, closing the door behind him with a bang.

He trusted Sirius to know how to handle Remus. He couldn't deny that. Yet, he wished he could take a part in it – it just didn't seem right. Him leaving Tonks. Him of all people – he simply couldn't believe that. That someone he respected so much, the person who'd thought him in his third year how to fight back Dementors, would do something so bad. So selfish and cowardly.

His parents had died to save him. There wasn't a day that went by when he didn't remember that, especially after reading his mother's diaries and seeing how full a life they'd had before. How wrong was it that some parents were so willing to give their lives to save their children's and others simply walked out? He couldn't believe Remus was willing to make another fatherless child so easily, as if there weren't enough with the war that was going on.

Honestly, Harry wished he could shout it all to his face – maybe he'd set the bar to high for parents because he'd had two sets of such amazing ones but Remus… no excuse was good enough for him to walk out like that. None. And Harry would be damned if he'd let him make such a stupid mistake so easily.

But how could him reach his former teacher? How? He couldn't leave the house… well, maybe he could but he shouldn't. And, keeping in mind that, in a little more than a week he'd give his godparents with more than enough material to worry about by going away in his quest with Ron and Hermione, he supposed now was a time to spare her some worry… So, how could he give Remus a piece of his mind? How?

It occurred to him very quickly. Second year, he and Ron had crashed Mr. Weasley's old car into the Whomping Willow. And what had been Mrs. Weasley's response? A howler to Ron. That was it! Only, he didn't know how to make one, Harry pointed out in his mind. "Hum," he mumbled. "Kreacher?"

Seconds after he called, the old house-elf materialized opposite him. "Young Master call?"

"Er, yeah. Listen, you don't happen to know if there's any book in the library on how to make howlers, do you?" Harry asked, uncertain.

"Young Master don't need book. Kreacher can tell Young Master how," Kreacher informed him. "Kreacher see old Mistress make many howlers for Master Sirius!"

Of course he had, Harry thought, just a little amused. Knowing Sirius's relationship with his parents, it was no wonder he'd received a lot of those… "So, can you do it now?"

There was a sort of sadistic pleasure in the house-elf upon hearing that request – Harry imagined he missed watching old Walburga Black sending howlers to her least favourite son… "Kreacher be happy to."

"Great," Harry said. Problem solved.

In another occasion, he might feel awkward about sending a screaming message to his former teacher (and, according to Sirius, also future one when it came to defence). But, Merlin, he had it coming on him. He wouldn't go easy on him, he'd show Remus what a selfish coward he was being – he owed it to his own parents' sacrifice.

And, hopefully, at the end, it would all be worth it and he'd go back to Tonks

While Mia and Tonks remained back at Grimmauld Place, Sirius started his search by the not so long list he'd already made of likely places where his friend would be – sulking, no doubt. Thankfully, it wasn't a really a long list, which made his job easier… unless, by some reason, Remus had decided to go somewhere completely different from what he imagined.

The first obvious stop was his best mate's apartment with Tonks which was still irrevocably empty – any hope that he'd gotten back to senses on his own and made it back home by his own doing didn't last after that.

The second stop had been the Shrieking Shack, a place that had undeniably been the Marauders' headquarters back in the day – yet, with the exception of a few unknowing rodents, it seemed to be empty as well.

Third time trying was the charm. Or rather had been, sometime in a very recent past. By the time he'd reached the little cottage in the woods that had, once upon a time, been Remus's home and was still to this day the place where, every full moon, he transformed, Sirius had found the place empty of living presences but full of indications that it hadn't been the case little more than ten minutes before.

The burned down candle on the battered kitchen table was still warm and there was a pile of ash on it, which Sirius clearly remembered not being there after the previous full moon, during which he'd been in cleaning and repairing duty after his friend's latest 'wolfy episode' as he kindly refereed it. Had Moony burned something? He thought as he touched the ash. His friend wasn't usually one to express his anger on inanimate objects or on anything for that matter. Finding a little bit of red paper in the middle of the ash-pile, he was vaguely reminded of a howler burning off after it had done his job. But who would send Remus a howler? It simply made no sense at all…

He spotted an empty bottle of firewhiskey on the kitchen counter – a bottle, he recalled, they'd finished not long before Remus had transformed last time around. He'd been too lazy to dispose of it in the morning and had simply left it in some cupboard, Sirius vaguely recalled. Maybe that was it, then, Sirius figured. The bloke had needed a drink and had found the bottle empty. His guess would be that the most likely place to find Remus was, strangely, at a pub. That narrowed his list down even more.

Apparating away from the cottage, Sirius started his search with Hogsmeads' pubs, seeing as they were usually quieter in regular nights than the other ones he could think of. There was no sign of Remus either at The Three Broomsticks or at The Hog's Head – likely the guy was too worried about other stuff to even think of the quietness factor.

And so Sirius skipped to the third pub on his list – the Leaky Cauldron.

"Oi, Sirius!" he heard someone calling for him minutes later as he stood near the pub's entrance to Diagon Alley. Sirius browsed the room, first looking for Remus and then for the source of that familiar voice. He wasn't successful with the first part, although that wasn't the case with the secons as he quickly spotted one of the twins standing near the counter, not very crowded that day, waiting for his drinks.

"Oh, hey there… er, Fred?" he greeted in return as he approached the pub's counter, a bit uncertain of which of the two identical redheads he was talking to. This one, he noted, seemed to have some of the ends of his hair a bit charred – the result of an explosion, Sirius imagined.

"George, actually," he corrected without a fuss. "Didn't expect to see you here at this hour. The place is pretty deserted. People are still freaked out because of the breakout, I guess. Huddled at home and everything," he said as the landlord of the pub, Tom, placed four butterbeers on the counter for him.

"Merlin, you and Fred are in a drinking mood today," Sirius had to observe.

George snorted. "Those are not just for the two of us, actually. Angelina and a friend of hers are over there," he said, gesturing to a corner booth where Sirius quickly spotted Fred and his girlfriend sitting with a perky blonde girl who seemed to be giving them quite a speech. "Just call it our 'half-blind double date'." He made a gagging sound at that.

"A half-blind double date?" Sirius asked, intrigued.

"Long story short, Angie thinks I need a girl so she's trying to fix me up with her friend – Anna or Audrey or Alicia… something starting with an A, I'm sure – by arranging for us to take part on a double date with her and Fred," he lamely explained.

"Not going well?"

George huffed. "She just won't shut up. Merlin, I wonder how she manages to even breathe! When she went to the bathroom, our ears sighed in relief – Angie swears she's not this much of a chatterbox at work. For the record, you're my witness that she and Fred owe me. Badly."

"Well, didn't you create your Skiving Snackbox products for situations similar to this one? Take some Fever Fudge or something and you'll have the perfect excuse to leave. And don't tell me you don't always have some of those at hand," Sirius pointed out. "Any respectable prankster always has some of his most useful tools at hand."

The redhead looked at him, impressed. "That's not such a bad idea," he admitted, searching his pockets for the products in question. He ended up coming up with what seemed to be a square piece of confectionary covered with bright red wrapper. "Nosebleed Nougat. This should do the job." He tucked it back into his pocket with a plotting grin on his face. "Thanks for the advice. You've just saved me from endless hours of boredom."

"Don't mention it – us pranksters need to stick together," Sirius said dismissively.

"Very true," George admitted. "And speaking of pranksters and, by extension, Marauders, I hope you have a whole lot of cheering planned for Moony. The bloke looks like someone just ate his puppy. Honestly, he's got to come to work tomorrow and it's bad for the business having an employee with a long face even if he doesn't show it much to costumers."

"Wait, Remus is here?" Sirius looked around again, searching for his friend, only to see himself unable to spot him again. Well, it wasn't like he had the best angle at the moment. Surely there were blind spots in the bar.

"Sure. I saw him entering like fifteen minutes ago looking like the world was about to end. I don't think he saw any of us here – he took a seat at one of the booths upstairs," he said, pointing up at a balcony area over the bar which Sirius knew to contain only a handful of tables. "Doesn't seem he want to be bothered."

"Oh," Sirius mumbled. Truly enough, felt thankful he'd ran into George. If he hadn't taken a moment to stop and chat, odds were he wouldn't have thought of going searching upstairs.

"So, what's wrong with him?" George asked, seriously. "He seemed just fine all day at the shop and at the meeting too – I haven't seen him looking this down since… well, since before we hired him and he and Tonks got together. Did something happen? Are they having a fight?"

"In a way… Honestly, I think you should ask him that directly," Sirius told the boy. "I don't think this… thing is for me to share. No offence."

George shook his head. "None taken. Just tell me – how bad is it?"

That was a good question, Sirius thought. One whose answer would depend on the outcome of their conversation. "Ask me again another time, will you?"

"Hum, that bad," the redhead mumbled. "Well, better take those butterbeers to the table before they get completely flat. Thanks again for the… advice on the whole skiving thing, by the way." And, with that, he walked away, towards the others. It was a few seconds later, as Sirius walked towards the staircase leading upstairs, that some sort of commotion started taking place at the twins' booth, no doubt related to George's staged nosebleed.

Unaffected by the redhead's theatrics, he just kept making his way up. By the time he reached the top, he finally spotted Remus sitting alone, very still, only the back of his head visible to Sirius.

He pursed his lips together, then, feeling himself getting angier. What the hell were you thinking, Moony? He thought. How the hell could the most upstanding bloke he knew mess up that bad? With that thought in his mid, Sirius took another breath and walked a few steps further, taking the seat opposite Remus's.

The guy looked in shock and pale as a ghost – the last time he's seen him that way it had been right after a particularly bad full moon. Though that didn't make him any less of a jerk for doing what he'd done to Tonks, it did make Sirius feel a little sympathetic. Just a little. "Well, look at that," he said a tone like poisoned honey. "Moony hanging out in a pub on his own. Haven't you ever heard that drinking alone isn't good for you?" He nodded at the half-full glass of firewhiskey resting on the table between them.

"I'm not in the mood for your joking, Sirius," Remus said in a plain tone.

"Oh, I know. Believe me, I know," he replied, his voice hardening. "Apparently, you're just in the mood for walking out on your wife. Your pregnant wife, let me add."

Remus looked at him in shock. "You know."

"I know," Sirius repeated. "She showed up at my doorstep looking like a wreck. Do you have any idea what you did to her? What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Sirius…"

"You know, there are loads of rules when it comes to relationships. Loads," he stated. "But, out of those loads, two are the most important ones: don't hurt the person you love in any way and don't walk out on them. Especially when they need you the most. Especially when they're having your kid. So, for Merlin's sake, tell me what got into your head that made you break those two rules at the same time. And if you say it's just that whole 'I'm a werewolf' crap, I swear I'll drag you outside and kick your arse so badly you'll wish it was full moon." He couldn't help himself from being that rough. From not going easy on him. Remus had it coming. It was ludicrous – absolutely ludicrous. He'd give anything, anything, to have been there to celebrate with Mia when she'd found out they were first having a baby, to have witness his daughter being born, to have been there to see her and Harry through their childhood… and yet his own best friend – the only best friend he had left – was so easily giving that up. It made Sirius want to punch his face in.

"I messed up," Remus simply replied, taking a sip of his glass.

"Well, that's a bit of progress," Sirius offered, taken aback by his admission. "Still doesn't answer what possessed you to do it."

"I don't know, Sirius. I…" he paused and sighed. "All my life, I always thought I'd never find someone… someone like her. That I'd always be alone. And I was fine with it. I didn't want to share my burden with anyone…"

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Here we go…"

"Don't be patronizing, Sirius. It's impossible to discuss this without bringing up me being a werewolf," Remus replied. "I've made her an outcast, put her in danger in more ways than I probably imagine… Do you even know what children of werewolves are?"

"No."

"Neither do I. What if the curse passes down? What if some sort of mutation happens? What if…?"

"Do you want to know what I know?" Sirius interrupted. "I know that, this morning, your wife went to St. Mungo's. I know that, when they found out what the 'problem' was, they sent her up to the baby healer department (or whatever it's called) and I know that the healer who took her case happens to be one Elizabeth Harper – you probably know her: was in our year at Hogwarts, spent a lot of time with Mia and Lily, considers you a good friend and is perfectly aware of (and fine with) your furry little problem. She's also a damn great healer and assured Tonks her baby was perfectly alright and perfectly normal, something I'd bet anything she wouldn't have done without running every test possible to make sure of those facts. So, guess what? Your kid so far is not a three headed furry thing or whatever disturbing picture you're imagining at the moment. And if, at some point, it turns out the little one has a furry little problem too, it probably helps having a dad around who knows a thing or two about dealing with it. You had no business walking out on your wife and your kid like that. That's selfish and, honestly, a bit cowardly too."

"Yeah. That's what Harry said," Remus mumbled, looking down at his glass, apparently in some sort of a trance.

Sirius furrowed his brows. "Harry?"

"He sent me a howler."

"He… what?" Sirius asked in disbelief. So the ash he'd found had been from a howler. Merlin's pants, he thought. "So, let me get this straight: Harry sent you a howler?"

"He did…"

He couldn't help chuckling. "Blimey, that kid's brilliant. But how… I told him like half an hour ago. How could an owl have reached you so fast?"

"My guess is he didn't send one. He sent Kreacher. I heard that cracking sound house elves do when they apparated and then the envelope was just there," Remus explained in a detached tone.

"Twice as brilliant, then," Sirius mumbled, impressed. "So, what did he say?"

"What you said. That I had no business walking out on Tonks and my child. That he didn't care what reason I might have for that, nothing could make it right – allowing another child to grow up without a father. And that he couldn't believe one of his father's best friends, one of the best teachers he'd ever head could be such a… such a coward." He paused, then and Sirius didn't say a word, either. Just waited. "I swear it was just like hearing James saying it," Remus confessed several seconds later. "It just made it all worse, you know? James died to save his child and I'm walking out on mine."

"You're figuring it all out now, aren't you, Moony?" Sirius asked calmly. "That's your kid Tonks is carrying. It will need you just as it will need her and, Merlin, Moony, you'll regret it for the rest of your life if you push yourself out of his or her life. And, trust me, that's not a feeling you want to live with. You owe it to your kid to be part of its life and you owe it to Tonks to be there to help her through the whole way. She's made you happier than I've ever seen you since we were kids – you can't do this to her."

"I know. Trust me, I've realized that even before I came here, Sirius. Or rather I came here because I realized that," Remus declared. "I know I messed up really bad and I would undo and unsay everything but I can't. Dora will never forgive me."

His best friend sighed. "You'd be surprised with the amount of stuff the people who care for you can forgive. Look at us: I nearly had you ripping Snape to pieces in out fifth year because of some stupid, poorly-planned prank and you forgave me for putting you in that position when many people wouldn't. Listen, do you even know why Tonks came to us tonight? After you left?"

He shook his head. "Because she needed someone to be there for her?" Remus said, feeling his throat ache with regret.

Sirius shook his head. "She could have gone to her parents if she wanted to be coddled, Moony. The reason why she came to Mia and I instead of them is because she knows that, aside from her, we are the ones who know you best. And she knew I was the person most likely to find you after some moody storming out session. I won't lie: she'll be pissed at you – she has more than a good reason to. But she wants you back. So get your head out of your arse, Moony, and go make it all better for her. Apologize on your knees if you have to – just do whatever you need to let her know that your idiocy was completely temporary. That you are never, ever doing something like this again. Because if you're planning to walk out again, just do us all a favour and don't bother to go back this time."

"I'm not walking away again. I'm not," Remus told him more confidently than Sirius had ever heard him. "Only if there's no other way. Absolutely none."

Sirius couldn't counter that – if his family's survival depended on him leaving, he'd do just that without regret. He'd do anything for them. "I suppose those are acceptable terms – just one thing, though. If that situation comes: you having to leave because there's no other way… let Tonks help you judge that. You know, because you tend to be a bit… over-dramatic in this 'I'm the problem' thing."

Remus sighed and his eyes shifted to the half-full glass of firewhiskey again. "You know, part of me feels selfish for wanting to go back to her. For all of this…There are so many ways in which she and that child would be better off without me around…"

Oh, come on! Sirius thought. "What they would be better off without are your stupid dramas," he told his friend moodily. "Go get your head checked for memory loss, mate – we've been through this dozens of times. Let her decide what's she's better off with or without. You're her husband, not her keeper. Act like it," he said sternly.

There wasn't a thing Remus could say against that. His friend was right – when had Sirius become the wise one? "So, she's at Grimmauld Place?" he asked, finally.

Sirius nodded, motioning to stand up, indicating it was time for them to go. "Mia's decided to have her spending the night over – we weren't sure how hard you'd be to push some sense into. In any case, don't count on her to going back home with you tonight – I'd say it's very likely you'll be walking on eggshells for a while. Keep in mind those break very easily so you'd better give her some space."

Remus nodded. "I intend to," he said, getting up.

His friend nodded in return. "Now, speaking of things that break easily…" he started, narrowing his eyes at Remus and leaving the sentence to be finished by his fist punching him right on the face. He'd been wishing to do that ever since he's seen Tonks crying brokenly at their entrance hall. Still, he couldn't help immediately regretting not hexing him instead, as his hand felt like it had just crashed against a bloody brick wall. Merlin, he hoped it wasn't broken or Mia would kill him.

"Damn it, Sirius, I thought we had this settled!" Remus said in shock, rubbing his chin in a way that let him know it was aching way less than his hand was. Damn werewolves had to be so bloody hard to punch.

Sirius hissed out a pretty heavy curse as he flexed his hand tentatively. "I promised your wife I'd beat some sense into you – I take my promises very literally. Also, in my book there's one thing that no one, not even my best friend, gets to mess around with – that's family. The good kind of family, I mean, either it's mine or it's yours. In this case, by messing with Tonks, you messed with both. So, consider the punch a warning for future reference."

Remus just looked at him for a few seconds, registering his words carefully. "Alright, so I had that one coming," he admitted. "Though it would have been a better idea to curse me – that punch probably hurt you more than it hurt me."

"Oh, you think?" Sirius asked sarcastically. "Let's just go now before I feel like doing it again and end up breaking my hand. If it's not already broken, that is."

The other man didn't respond and simply followed Sirius towards the stairs. Several heads turned to them when they reached the ground floor, having heard the commotion upstairs. From a corner booth, Fred gave him an inquisitive look as he sat with his arm around his girlfriend's shoulders. He supposed he should take some time to explain everything to them in the following day – if he owed an explanation to anyone about anything, it was to Fred and George Weasley who'd given him the first job on which he'd lasted for more than a few months at a time, ignoring the many setbacks of having a werewolf as an employee either coming from the law or from the condition itself.

"Oi, step back into the real world, would you?" he heard Sirius's voice say as the two of them stepped out. "We need to apparate and I'd rather give you back to Tonks with all parts attached."

"I can't say I fancy the idea of splinching myself either," Remus said. "But wait."

"What now?" Sirius asked impatiently. "I swear, if you tell me you've changed your mind…"

"I didn't," he assured his friend. "But are you sure it's wise for me to just go back right now? Maybe I should give her more ti…"

Sirius shook his head. "She needs to see you're back. Let her decide from there if she needs time on her own. Merlin, just put yourself together – you need more time, just say it."

"I don't."

"Then quit stalling. You've got a wife and a kid to get back to."

And, with that, the matter was settled – or as settled as it could be at the moment – and they apparated straight onto Grimmauld Place's front steps, barely managing not to stumble onto the floor.

"Ready?" Sirius asked, reaching for the door's lock with his wand.

"Does it matter?"

Sirius shrugged in response and tapped the lock, opening it.

The entrance hall was dark and empty like a grave but not for long. As Sirius used his wand to lit the nearest chandelier, Harry, who apparently had been secretly lurking up on the first floor waiting for them to arrive, quickly walked down the stairs and answered the silent question.

"Aunt Mia took her upstairs to the room in front of the nursery. They finished talking a few minutes ago – I heard aunt Mia going into Alex's room," he declared plainly, reaching the ground floor.

"Hadn't I told you to go to bed before I left, kid?" Sirius pointed out casually.

Harry shrugged as he moved towards the stairs leading down to the kitchen. "I don't know what you're talking about. I'm just going to the kitchen for a drink of water."

"Well, why don't I join you downstairs then?" Sirius said, turning to Remus. "Go on."

He gulped and nodded before turning to the youngest boy. "Harry…" Remus started, his tone apologetic.

Harry beat him to it. "I was wrong. You're not a coward. But you sure were acting like one," he replied before making his way down the stairs without another word.

"Well, that pretty much says it," Sirius observed. "You know where to find us, Moony." And so he followed Harry. Vaguely, in the background Remus heard Sirius's voice as he spoke to Harry. "So, a howler?"

It was up to him now, Remus thought as he climbed heavily up the stairs. Not to screw up further. To put his fears and his issues behind him and do the right thing. The thing he wanted done but that part of him incessantly screamed to be the selfish one to do. He'd always been one full of doubts, of conflicting feelings. Being happy or doing what his self-sacrificing self said to be the right thing? He liked to believe that was what made him different from the others like him. People such as Greyback.

This time, it had all hit him at the same time – the fear of what that child might mean, the fear of being a parent as well, that guilt he'd been carrying since the day he'd given in to Tonks's advances and made her into an outcast… In the midst of his panic, walking out had seemed like the only thing to do, either it was just a temporary situation for him to let himself think on his own or a more permanent arrangement – he wasn't sure which case would have ended up making it without the intervention of Harry's rough words. Still, he knew that, for a moment there, by some sort of twisted logic it had seemed like the right thing to do: leaving and making it all better… getting himself out of the equation. And did knowing that kill him…

He could only thank Merlin that that moment had passed nearly as quickly as it had come. He'd never be able to repay Harry for his piece of sixteen-year-old wisdom that had finally shamed him into seeing how wrong he'd been on walking out. Or Sirius for not going easy on him either and showing him that he still had a shot at correcting his mistakes.

Stepping out of his thoughts, Remus saw himself standing in front of the room Harry had indicated to be the one harbouring Tonks. The door was firmly closed and, for a moment, he wondered if that was a hint for him to leave his wife alone. If it was, he ignored it – it had taken him too long to figure himself out to back away so easily.

So, lifting his hand, he knocked quietly on the wooden door. Seconds passed and there was no answer, so he knocked again. He could hear someone moving inside, which told him she wasn't asleep or anything. "Hum, Dora?" he asked tentatively.

The movements inside became louder and he heard the door clocking seconds later, right before it opened. She looked dreadful, her eyes red and swollen like she'd been crying for a while but not anymore, contrasting with the paleness of her skin. Was she feeling ill again? Was it the pregnancy-related sickness again? Had she even eaten anything? She was supposed to be eating for two now! He stopped himself for a second, amazed at how easily the concerns for her and their unborn child's well-being affected him. He actually had to make an enormous effort not to scoop her up, take her to the bed he could see right behind her and make her remain there until she presented a better colour.

She just looked at him for several seconds and he simply couldn't tell what she was thinking. At some point, she just bit her lip, took a breath and made an effort to look completely indifferent about his presence.

"Oh, good," she started, forcing a monotonous tone into her voice. "You're back. Well, good night." And then, to her husband's surprise, she unceremoniously slammed the door closed right on his face without another word.

As Remus just stood there, looking at the door with a frown on his face, Mia, who'd been standing at Alex's door long enough to have witness the scene, approached him with her arms crossed and a slightly merciless smile on her face. "Well, you had that one coming, hadn't you, Remus?" she said, behind him.

He turned around immediately. "Mia…"

"You know, I usually go easy on you about pretty much everything because you're one of the most responsible and dependable guys I know, not to mention a great friend. But this time… what were you thinking, Remus? Walking out on Tonks? She's your wife. She's having your baby!"

"I know, Mia. I made a horrible mistake and I would do anything to go back in time and erase all of it but that's just not possible," he told her helplessly. "I love her. And it kills me to know that I did this to her… that I upset her this way."

Mia sighed, shaking her head. "What are we going to do with you, Remus Lupin?" she asked.

He didn't respond, suspecting it was just a rhetorical question.

Sighing once more, Mia spoke. "Well, you'd better get ready to start working on gaining her favour back," she told him. "She's hurt. She's really hurt. And she's scared too – knowing you've got an actual… person growing inside of you… it's pretty terrifying at first. Especially if you're alone. And, for a while today, she had to wonder if she'd be alone. You came back – that's a good start. But you need to make sure she doesn't have to wonder about that ever again."

"I will," he promised with a sigh. "Should I…?" he nodded at the closed door of the room he knew his wife to be in.

Mia shook her head. "Not yet. Give her a little time to… well, settle down. Just wait until the morning comes before trying to talk to her again. Or wait for her to come to you. Baby steps, Remus. In the meanwhile, there are plenty of rooms in this house in which you're welcome to stay tonight but, to be honest, taking the living room sofa will probably give you more sympathy in the morning. And, if I were you, I'd go for sympathy. Maybe that's just me."

Remus took a breath. "The sofa it is," he agreed.

"Wise choice," Mia told him, letting out a huff and resting her hand on his arm in a comforting fashion. "For all that's worth, I always imagined you'd make a good father."

"How can you possibly know that?" he asked in return.

"Well, it happens that I know for a fact that you've spent most of your early life keeping your best friends out of major trouble, not to mention that these days you do it in a regular basis for the twins," Mia observed.

"I don't think raising a child is quite the same…"

"It isn't," Mia admitted. "But it's a beginning – you can't deny that. Now, speaking of children, where's that big kid I married? I assume he came back with you."

Remus nodded. "He's with Harry in the kitchen."

Mia raised an eyebrow. "Harry's still awake?"

"He just needed a drink of water, apparently," he pointed out. "You raised s good boy, Mia. I owe him."

She looked at him in confusion. "About what?"

"Long story," he excused himself. "You might want to take a look at Sirius's hand, by the way. I think he hurt it when he punched me."

That only caused Mia's eyebrows to rise further up. "Is that right?" she mumbled, shaking her head. "Merlin, that man…" She shook her head some more. "I'll send Kreacher down to the living room with some pillows and blankets. Try to sleep tonight – people tend to over-think things at night and over-thinking never leads to anything good. And remember: baby steps."

"Baby steps," he repeated as his friend made her way down the stairs. Alone, he turned to face his wife's door, wishing things weren't the way they were.

He'd made his bed, now he had to lie in it and hope for the best.

A/N2: Hello, everyone! I hope you all liked the chapter - I very much liked to write it :D And, also, I have good news. Expect very soon (maybe today) to find in my profile a little new entry consisting of an out-take parallel to this chapter and the previous, featuring Remus and Tonks. Because so many things happen at the same time and not all of them fit in the main plotlines of Brave New Hope, I decided that this would be the best way to give you a little peak into some of my secondary characters' (punctually also the main ones) lives. That said, from time to time, some out-takes may make an appearance :D So, look into my profile for 'Outtakes: The Companion to the Brave New... Series'. I hope you find this little experience as interesting as I did :D.

Feedback is welcome! Review!