A Cold Christmas Welcome.

Chapter 26

"No!"

Sitting upright, Tonks gasped. For a second or two her breath was still staggered sounding. Remus reached for her, placing a hand on both shoulders, before reaching for her face and turning it to him. He saw her eyes swim with fear, relief, and embarrassment.

"It's alright now." Remus whipped a single tear from her face. "It was just a bad dream."

"Yeah it was." Tonks still looked shaky despite her words or reassurances.

"Dora?"

"It's the same dream every time, Remus." Tonks' voice was so soft Remus had to strain to hear it. "I don't do anything. I just sit there and let the death eaters kill them. I let them kill my parents. Why would I dream that?"

"Because," Remus now wrapped his arms around her, bringing her close to him, "you're scared, not that you would do nothing if your parents were being attacked, but that you would not be able to do something."

"When did you get so smart?"

"I'm always this smart I just play dumb a lot of the time."

"You don't usually wake up when I do."

"And I don't usually stay over this close to a full moon. I sleep less deeply the closer I am to one."

"Oh." Tonks lay back down on the bed. Remus followed suit, pulling the bed sheets up over them. After a moment or two of them being still and silent Tonks let out a large sigh. "I'm so awake now."

"Me too."

With a hint of mischief Tonks said, "Hmmm, I wonder what we could do here alone in this bed together at this late hour? Especially with us both being so awake, and I don't know about you, but I'm just full of energy."

Remus' hand moved around Tonks' waist. "Hmmm, I wonder." he let his had slip underneath her pajama top. "Perhaps we could play chess?"

Tonks twisted around so that she was facing him. "Like that's what you're thinking." She hit him playfully.

Remus' only response was to pull her in to a passionate kiss, that left her in little doubt what he was thinking about.

*

The Tonks family house looked very different from the last time Remus had visited it. Covered in a thick layer of snow, the cottage merged with its surroundings effortlessly. A tasteful string of Christmas lights were hung along the eaves of the house, the large Christmas tree could be seen through the window and smoke puffed out from the chimney, making the whole place look so much more welcome then it was to Remus.

"You'll be fine," Tonks reassured him as they trudged up the driveway. "They've had time to adjust."

Doubtful about this Remus said nothing.

The door opened before they got to it. Andromeda stood on the door step, "Nymphadora! Sweetheart!" Tonks dashed forward into her mothers arms.

"Merry Christmas, mum."

Andromeda released her daughter and moved her attention to Remus. "Remus it's so lovely to have you here again."

Remus expressed his thanks, and gave her light kiss on the cheek in way of a welcome. Together they moved inside and after dropping the bags down joined Ted Tonks by the fire. A rather tied voice was blearing out of the wizard wireless that sat on the mantle. Listening Remus worked out that it was a Quidditch match commentary. Ted Beamed up at them from the couch, without a word he stretched out his arm and invited his daughter in for a hug.

Tonks sat down on the couch and lent over into her fathers arms. "Merry Christmas daddy."

Ted reached out a hand to Remus. "Remus, Merry Christmas." Remus retuned the greeting and shock his hand.

"Is this still the Portree / Wanderers game?" Tonks asked her Dad.

Ted nodded but continued listing silently.

"How long have they been playing?"

"Twenty six hours and about thirties five minutes."

"Wow." Tonks gasped before slipping into the same comatose listening state that her father was in.

Bemused by the sight of both father and daughter so engrossed in the Quidditch match, Remus sat down in the arm chair that sat right next to the fire. It wasn't long before the warm room began to render Remus quite drowsy. Remus embraced the feeling as he watched the progress of the twinkling Christmas light on the large tree that occupied a whole corner of the room.

Andromeda entered the room with a tray laded with mince pies, wine and glasses. She placed the try down on the low table in the middle of the room, before sitting in the other armchair next to the tree. Taking in scene of Ted and Tonks, she rolled her eyes, a movement that didn't escape Remus' attention.

"I've never really got Quidditch," Remus said.

"That makes two of us." Andromeda smiled. "We won't be able to talk to them now until the games over."

"We'll have to settle for each others company."

"Yes, we will. Tell me Remus do you find yourself more or less tired as the full moon approaches?"

Despite what Andromeda said Tonks heard this comment. "Mum!"

"Right, might just turn this off." Ten got up and switched the wireless off. "Seeing as we have guests and all." He gave his wife a reproachful look as he made his way back to his seat.

"Less," Remus said steadily.

"Remus, sweetheart, you don't have to answers my mum's rude questions," Tonks interjected.

"Full moons only a few nights off isn't?" asked Andromeda despite the looks from both her daughter and husband.

"Don't worry Andromeda I'll be out of your house after lunch tomorrow. Full moons the night after next." And with that Remus got up and left the room.

*

Cautiously Tonks opened the door of the spear room. Remus sat on the end of the bed his book unopened in his hands. Slowly Tonks made her way over to the bed. She stood in front of Remus and pulled the book from his hands. She dropped it onto his open bag. She ran a hand through his hair tenderly.

"She can be a bitch," Tonks said quietly.

"She definitely knows how to push my buttons."

"At least she's met you," Tonks said trying not to sound bitter.

"Well, you've never really asked about my family."

"I was hoping you'd tell me, Remus."

"You really want to know." Remus looked up into Tonks eyes.

"Yes. How can it be worse than my mum being such a bitch to you."

Remus took a deep breath, then talking to Tonks feet he began. "I grew up on a farm, my father grew all different types of Potion ingredients, you know that much. Well come harvest time he would hire two or three men to come in and help him harvest. One year he hired a man called Fenrir Greyback, he was a werewolf. When my father found out he refused to pay him anything but half the amount owing to him, a grave mistake on my father's behalf. Greyback took his revenge. He attacked me." Remus took another deep breath before continuing. "I had an older brother, his name was Johan. When Greyback attacked, the assault that changed me, killed Johan. Some people don't change, there is too much damage, they bleed out."

"Remus," Tonks knelt down in front of him. She held his hand in hers.

"My father never really accepted what I had become, I think he would have rather that I'd died like my brother. I don't think my mother ever forgave my father for angering Greyback and for rejecting me."

"What happened to them?"

"My father left when I was in my fourth year. I've never seen him again and I don't want to. My mother. . . she's. . . well, she's best without me."

"Remus, what happened?" Tonks tried to get Remus to look at her, but he was determined not to meet her eyes.

"I'm not ready to talk about that yet."

"OK."

Gently Tonks sat up on the bed next to Remus. She slid her arms around him. Tonks lost track of how long they sat like that, in the early hours of the morning, Tonks threw all house rules out the window, they began to pull each others cloths off, slowly, gently she made love with Remus.

A/N: Hey guys, you know what to do, let me know what you think.