Words: 997
Pairing: Sirius/OC
POV.Rating: Third/PG
"Charlie?" He called out softly. He stretched his hand over to her side of the bed. Still warm, but so empty. He sat up, covers sliding off him, immediately on guard. Something wasn't right, his auror instincts could tell him that much.
Rubbing his eyes, he scanned the room, alarm quietly stirring deep in his chest when he didn't see her.
Trying not to panic, Sirius leapt of out bed and grabbed his wand off the bedside table. Noting that Charlie's was still there, he turned to the door of their room and walked towards it as quietly as possible.
He opened the door, and waited for any sound betraying a trespasser's presence. Hearing none, he crept across the hallway to his daughter's room. He threw open the door, wand at the ready, and sighed audibly in relief as the scene before him unfolded.
Charlie was sitting in her old rocking chair, holding a sleeping Elizabeth in her arms. Her soft singing reached Sirius' trained ear and he smiled softly as he walked over to his lovely girls. He knelt down by the chair, and his hand joined his wife's in their daughter's hair. He looked up at his wife.
"What's wrong?" He asked quietly. Charlie bit her lip, her brow furrowed.
"Something's not right. I had to check on her…I know something's gone wrong," she replied in consternation.
"I know," he said. "I should check on Peter." He got up to leave, but Charlie's hands flew to his wrist.
"Don't leave us, Sirius. Please." A single tear dropped down her cheek and soaked into Elizabeth's nightgown.
"Don't cry. Please don't cry. You know I promised Lily and James. It's a war, I have to make sure…" He trailed off, his throat closing swiftly on him. Charlie's tears were falling in earnest, soaking her own shirt, which in truth was Sirius' old Gryffindor shirt.
"But what about us? You?" She whispered, lowering her eyes to her sleeping toddler's form and fingering the hem of her oversized shirt. Sirius firmly lifted her chin with a finger, and looked her in the eyes.
"I'm going to be fine. We're all going to be fine. I'm going to go check on Peter, and I'll be back as soon as I can to keep you girls safe okay?" He bent down, tying to catch her eyes again as she looked away, her tears still rolling down her face. He rubbed his thumbs across her cheeks, brushing away her tears.
"I'll be back." He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her. She wrapped her hand around his neck, pulling him closer, unwilling to let him leave her. His hands fell to the arm rests of the chair, surrounding his women, leaning into Charlie and Elizabeth. He finally broke off the kiss and pressed his forehead to Charlie's, breathing heavily.
"I love you."
"I love you too," Charlie whispered back, her voice breaking. He stood up, trying fiercely not to cry, counting slowing from one to eight in his head. With one last look at Charlie's tear streaked, blotchy face framed by her messy red curls, holding his sleeping daughter, he moved towards the door, preparing to floo from their bedroom fireplace.
"Daddy?" Elizabeth's sleepy voice called out. "Where are you going?" Sirius turned around, taking two steps to the side of the chair and swept Elizabeth into his arms, her tired heat comforting him.
He closed his eyes, "I have to go see Uncle Peter. I'll be home soon, Princess." He promised.
"Okay, daddy," She yawned, clinging to Sirius tightly, her arms locked around his neck, legs wrapped around his waist. Charlie stood up, and Sirius lifted Elizabeth's dead weight, placing her back in her mother's arms. He kissed Charlie one more time, lingering, and then pressed his lips to Elizabeth's forehead.
He turned to leave again, looking one last time over his shoulder at the beautiful image behind him: his wife, clutching their baby girl to her breast, biting her lip, tears welling in her eyes. Sirius opened the door and crossed the hall quickly. Ha waved his wand at himself, clothes flying into place over his boxers, and he turned to the fireplace, reaching into the floo pot.
"Peter's Place," He cried, flinging the floo powder into the fireplace and stepping in, his form whirling away.
Charlie looked down at her daughter lying in her arms, and sighed. She placed Elizabeth back on her bed and pulled the covers up. She tucked her in lovingly, and kissed her on the forehead, just as Sirius had done.
"Your daddy's going to be home soon. We both love you."
Charlie brushed the hair off of Elizabeth's face and turned to go back to her room, closing Elizabeth's door behind her.
As she closed her own door and glanced out the window, the moon was covered slightly…an owl. Charlie crossed to the window, and threw it open. The bird came to rest on the window sill, an enormous black eagle.
Charlie's head spun. Trying to gather herself, she reached towards the bird, grasping for the note tied to it's leg. With shaking hands she unfurled the document, and read, her breath coming in short gasps. With a thud she slid to the floor, her back against her bed, the letter fluttering to the ground.
The bird, satisfied its job was done, flew off. Charlie lifted the letter again, desperate to find a mistake. There was none.
i"It is with sincere regrets that we inform you that at promptly 12 midnight on this day, October 31, 1987, Mister and Mistress James and Lily Potter, were attacked and killed by Lord Voldemort and his Followers…"/i
Charlie trailed off. "Right Sirius. Everyone's going to be fine." She snorted derisively, even as a single tear fell from her cheek, one more time that night. She brushed it away, lifting his old shirt to her face as a substitute tissue.
"Just come back home to me."
Okay, So I never meant to do an OC fic, but it was requested that I write one with Sirius' wife...so I had to make one up.
Please...Review! It makes my day when you do!