December, 1979

Remus sighed as another Order meeting ended, looking longingly at all the Marauders who were currently discussing the next mission with their assigned partners. Remus hadn't been given one because he already had a werewolf mission on his shoulders; a mission that Dumbledore had requested Remus carry out tomorrow night – a week prior to what was previously planned.

It was going to be difficult explaining to Sirius that Remus was not only going to miss Christmas but a large part of the December month as well; which also meant that Sirius would have to be alone in the festivities for over a week. Sirius was, in fact, going to hate it, bitch about it and though he would concede in the end, he was going to refuse to talk to Remus for the remainder of the night. Not something Remus was particularly looking forward to.

Perhaps tonight was a good time to put James and Lily's idea to use? It would be a little earlier than Remus had initially planned it, but it would definitely make Sirius happy. Maybe even mark something significant in their relationship though Remus doubted it. Still, the look of utter shock on Sirius's face would be priceless when Remus told him the sudden change in plans tonight.

'You got a beautiful smile.'

Remus snapped back to the present to see a young boy, no older than sixteen, looking up at him. Remus had only seen him today in the meeting and assumed it was one of the member's son or younger sibling. Although, now that he thought about it, no one quite looked or dressed like the boy.

The child had wild, platinum blond curls that reached slightly past his ears, eyes so dark a shade of green that they looked nearly black, and a permanent blush across both cheeks under smudges of what Remus could only assume was dirt. Although he lacked the conventional good looks that Sirius or James had, there was a boyish quality about him that made him attractive. Remus figured that the boy's parents weren't too well off by the flimsy jacket he wore over his green jumper, striped red scarf, and boots that were already fraying at the toes – hardly the right attire for such harsh and cold weather.

'I'm sorry?'

The boy's face broke into a grin, eyes dancing with delight. 'You was smilin' righ' now; looks bloody gorgeous.'

Cockney, Remus realised once he'd gotten over the unusual compliment and stopped blinking like a moron. 'I…er…thank you, I suppose.'

'You're Remus, aren' you? I 'eard the bloke with the glasses talkin' 'bout you. I'm Elphias Dodge, by the way, but everyone calls me Elf,' he said all of this very quick, as if competing with the speed of light and vigourously stuck out his hand for a shake.

Remus, completely speechless, shook Dodge's hand more out of instinctual good manners than amicability.

'I'm new 'ere. Odd though, feels like I's seen you somewhere. I ne'er forget a pretty face, you know.' Dodge winked at him, squeezing his hand tightly before letting go.

Remus couldn't figure out if he was being taken the mickey out of by a child or blatantly hit on (in public that too). He decided to ignore it, though he couldn't help but feel uncomfortable under Dodge's unwavering gaze. 'You might have seen me in Hogwarts, I-'

'Nah,' Dodge cut in, waving off Remus's explanation with his hand. 'Didn' have 'nuf money for Hogwarts; was 'ome schooled until me dad died.'

'Oh,' Remus said, unsure of how he was supposed to reply. Dodge didn't seem too upset about his father's death.

'I think…' Dodge said, looking thoughtful and strangely endearing as he tapped his bottom lip with his finger. 'I think I's seen you at…' He came invasively close to Remus, lowering his voice to a whisper one dreaded word: 'Queens'.'

Remus froze and it took every bit of his strength to keep his jaw from hitting the ground.

His attempt at keeping his composure had obviously failed, if the triumphant smirk on Dodge's face was any indication. 'Got it righ' then? I knew I'd seen you someplace.' He stopped at Remus's worried expression. 'You don' need to worry. I ain't gonna tell no one, honest. I don't fancy being ousted meself.'

Remus heaved a sigh of relief. 'Thank you. What are you doing here anyway?' he asked, changing the subject. 'You're not a friend of Dung's by any chance, are you? If you are, I'm telling you now, I don't have any gold on me.'

Dodge laughed, his head thrown back in a carefree way that reminded Remus of Sirius. 'Lived in Stepney me whole life; ne'er met Dung before.' At Remus's baffled expression, he laughed even harder. 'I'm a member.'

'But you're hardly-'

'Age don' speak for skills, sir, and I'm brave 'nuf to fight some old sod who thinks he's God,' Dodge said, standing straight, chest puffed out with pride and adamancy.

'I didn't mean to offend you,' Remus said, holding back a chuckle at the boy's childish determination.

Dodge grabbed Remus by the forearms rubbing slowly. 'You'd never offend me, Remy.'

Remus raised an eyebrow at the nickname.

Dodge seemed unaware of the sarcasm, moving even closer to him and speaking quietly into his ears. 'Tell you what, I gotta go now – got work an' all, but next time you see me at Queen's, you buy me a drink, yeah?'

Remus laughed, pushing Dodge off. 'You're underage. If you think you're going to weasel out alcohol from me, you've got another thing coming.'

'We'll see.' Dodge smirked confidently and to Remus's horrific surprise, he gave the werewolf's bum an indulgent squeeze before leaving.

Remus looked around, wide eyed and shocked speechless, to see if anyone had seen and found Gideon Prewett sitting nearby, looking at him with an amused expression. He felt himself turning hot and scarlet with embarrassment when Gideon waggled his eyebrows and looked pointedly towards Remus's behind. Noticing Remus's reaction, Gideon burst out laughing and patted the seat next to him, inviting Remus over to sit. Numbly, the werewolf complied, still stupefied at the Dodge's cheek and the fact that everyone had been too busy with their missions to notice the scene.

'Don't worry yourself over it, Remus,' Gideon said, clapping Remus on the back. 'Elf flirts with anything that has a pulse. It's like a disease for him.'

'Y-You know him?' Remus asked, still not convinced.

Gideon nodded. 'He tended the family gardens until Fay and mum found him shagging the neighbour's wife in the broom shed.' He grinned as if remembering old times. 'He was around fourteen, I think.'

This time, Remus's jaw did drop open and hit the floor. 'Fourteen? Christ, you must be joking! At fourteen, all I ever thought of was homework and what pranks James and Sirius was going to pull next.'

Gideon chortled. 'Don't pay it any mind. Elf's just having a bit of fun. He'd flirt with Hagrid if he thought he could get a kick out of it.'

Remus shuddered at the thought. 'He said he was a member…is that allowed? He seems awfully young and inexperienced with a wand. I mean, he's never even been to school…'

'He's an exception…a protégé of sorts, if you like. Fabian suggested him to Dumbledore. He's young, but I reckon Elf could beat Moody in a duel if he wanted.'

'That's ridiculous!'

'His dad dueled for sport, you know. They would have these little street matches, people would bet money on whoever they thought would win; it was good entertainment at the end of the day.'

'It's kind of like boxing, isn't it?'

Gideon's face scrunched up in confusion. 'What's boxing?'

Remus rolled his eyes. 'Never mind. So, his father taught him how to duel then?'

Gideon shook his head. 'He learned by watching. It's hard core dueling, too, where no one hesitates to play dirty or shed some blood. Living on the streets makes you apathetic, I suppose.'

Remus suddenly felt a little sorry for Dodge. After all, streets or not, he was still just a child. Remus remembered how disappointed he'd been when his father had first told him that he wouldn't be attending Hogwarts.

'There's an added advantage that he has no Ministry records.'

Remus's brows rose questioningly. 'How do you mean?'

Gideon shrugged. 'His birth was never recorded, nor was his first signs of magic. He's practically untraceable because according to the Ministry, he doesn't exist. Dodge isn't even his real name, you know. It's his father's street name borne from his fighting skills. Elf carries it on because I don't think he himself knows what his real name is.'

'Wow,' Remus whispered, a new found respect for the young man rising inside him. 'He's really fucked, isn't he?'

Gideon laughed. 'That's one way to put it. Fay uses the term 'gifted'. Also, as you've noticed, Elf can charm his way out of any situation.' He chuckled at the blush that spread across Remus's face and clapped him on the back. 'He's a good kid, despite always trying to cop a feel. I just hope the others don't bully him too much.'

XxxxX

'Where are you taking me, Moony? And why did I have to leave the bike with James? God knows what he'll do with it.' Sirius groaned as Remus pulled him into a dark, empty alleyway. 'You're not going to molest me in public, are you? We could go to jail for that, you know.' The light dancing in his eyes told Remus that Sirius wouldn't quite mind being taken advantage of in a dirty alley or going to prison for it.

'Don't be stupid,' Remus chided, punching Sirius lightly on the shoulder. 'You know that Dumbledore wants me to go tomorrow, right?'

'Don't remind me,' Sirius replied darkly.

Remus kissed him on the forehead as reassurance. 'I wanted to give you your Christmas present early.'

Sirius looked around warily. 'It doesn't involve garbage, I hope?'

Remus bit his lip, smiling weakly. 'No, but it's not much and part of it's useless since we've already had dinner at the meeting. But I was hoping you'd like it anyways, and-'

'Moony,' Sirius said, firmly holding Remus's shoulders. 'You're rambling, and it's cold out here.'

Remus smiled nervously. 'Yeah, sorry. See, I kind of asked the others about what to get you this Christmas because you always have everything. Wormtail said socks, can you believe it? Socks, because you always have holes at the toes, which I know you make on purpose and –'

'Moony!' Sirius whined, now rubbing his sides to get warmer.

Remus rolled his eyes. 'Anyway, Prongs said that I should take you out, you know. Like on a date, 'cause we've never been on one.' At Sirius's shocked expression, Remus hastened to explain, 'We don't have to do it, if you don't want to. I mean, you're not a girl or anything, but it would be nice. And Lily suggested I take you to the theatre, so-'

'I don't want to watch a play, Moony,' Sirius groaned. 'My parents took me to those all the time and I always slept through half of it.'

Remus flicked Sirius on the forehead. 'No, you daft mutt; a movie theatre. I've never taken you to one, have I?'

Remus had definitely peaked Sirius's interest if the wide eyed, eager expression was anything to pass by. When Sirius shook his head vigourously, Remus smiled and wrapped his arms around his lover as he apparated them into another pathway he knew was close to a movie theatre. He quickly let go when he noticed a few people making their way to the place they were standing.

'Is that it?' Sirius asked, looking skeptically at the dull orange building and the brightly coloured movie posters. 'They're not even moving,' he complained further, poking one of the posters as they walked in. 'What fun is a picture if it doesn't move and oh-' Sirius stopped mid walk, causing Remus to bump into his back as he picked up his nose and gave it an experimental sniff in a very doggish manner. 'What's that smell, Moony?'

Remus scrunched up his nose. 'What smell? I don't smell anything.'

Sirius sniffed again, twirling around on his heels and causing people to stare at them oddly. 'That, Moony! That…that…it's making my mouth water…don't you smell it?'

Remus laughed, comprehension finally dawning. 'It's just popcorn, Padfoot,' he explained, trying hard not to laugh.

Sometimes Remus forgot how the muggle world was still very new to Sirius. He was born a Black after all and had known even less than most wizards did when he'd joined Hogwarts. Remus remembered how Sirius had entirely adopted the muggle lifestyle as the years went by, first doing it just to spite his family and then carrying it on out of sheer fascination. It helped to be living with Remus, who was half blood and lived with muggles most of his life, and it was also a good thing that Sirius was a better pupil than Arthur Weasley. That man still asked Remus about 'ecklectricity' nearly every time they met.

'I'll get you some after we go inside. Just let me pick the movie, okay Padfoot?'

Sirius nodded distractedly, still enamoured by the overpowering aroma of buttered popcorn that seemed to dominate the entire building. 'I'm having this stuff for breakfast tomorrow…and lunch…and dinner.'

Remus rolled his eyes, choosing not to humour Sirius with an answer as he looked at all the possible choices he had. Inwardly, he wondered which hall was likely to be most empty; he very much intended to hold Sirius against his molestation charges. In fact, he needed to find a movie that was so impossibly ridiculous that no one except the two of them would actually pay to watch it. As if by some miracle of God, the spotlight shone on a brilliantly animated poster, and Remus quickly strode over to the ticket counter, dragging Sirius by the shoulder (it was a fire hazard to leave him alone).

'Two tickets to Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, please.'

Remus's realised, as he entered the hall, that his prediction had been spot on. The hall was practically empty, save for four other people. Two of whom Remus knew were here to nap in a place where they had sufficient heat; while the other two, a young couple, were probably here with the same intentions as Remus and Sirius (oblivious as he may be). Still, as necessary precaution, Remus looked around, carefully inspecting all the occupants, the lights and their angles.

'There…the last seat at the right corner,' Remus pointed to Sirius, confident that no one would be able to see them there. Inwardly, he thanked his fifth grade Math teacher and the difficult time she gave him when learning degrees and angles. 'The view will be perfect there,' he added as incentive, in case Sirius was having second thoughts. 'Why don't you go ahead, and I'll bring the popcorn and a couple of drinks, all right?'

Sirius brightened up. 'Get lots of it, Moony, and don't bring any of that Diet soda. It tastes like shit and none of us need it. We're skinny enough to start with.'

By the time Remus beat the long line at the snack counter and returned with enough popcorn to keep Sirius happy for the rest of the day and two bottles of fizzy soda (not diet, mind you. That time was a mistake), the movie had already started. Predictably so, Sirius was engrossed; he was sitting on the edge of his seat, back bent, eyes wide, and mouth stuck in a permanent 'oh'.

'No weapon, no motive, no clues. All we have to go on is this bloody corpse.'

'Look again, Harry. That's not blood. It's tomato juice!'

'Enjoying the movie, Padfoot?' Remus asked, taking his seat and setting the popcorn between them.

Sirius grinned and nodded, blindly reaching behind him for the popcorn. 'It's tomato juice, can you believe it, Moony? I mean, this stuff's wackier than Dumbledore in pink stripy knickers. Absolutely, bloody brilliant!'

Remus winced at the mental picture of Dumbledore that popped inside his head. Sirius didn't seem to have noticed and simply lay back on his seat, propping his feet up on the chair in front of him and laughing at some ridiculously bad jokes. Remus shook his head hopelessly, slinging an arm around Sirius's shoulder and planting a chaste kiss on his cheek.

Sirius turned to him questioningly. 'What was that for?'

'Because I can,' Remus replied smugly, trailing more kisses down his lover's jaw and neck.

Sirius smile lasted a millisecond before his face contorted in anger and shock. 'Can you believe that Richardson bloke; trying to make a fool out of those people! Like no one saw that tomato attack on the beach!'

The back of Remus's head hit the seat as he groaned in frustration. Trust Sirius Black to find entertainment in a movie called Attack of the Killer Tomatoes. For what seemed like the next few hours but what was actually minutes, Remus was subjected to the mindless torture of watching tomatoes, tomatoes, and even more violent and aggressive tomatoes.

'That Smith fellow's fantastic, Moony! I wonder where he gets his costumes from…that beard looks practically real!'

From the corner of his eyes, Remus could see the young couple in the front seat snogging heavily and sighed in boredom and frustration.

He played with Sirius's hair idly, curling it between his fingers, massaging the scalp slightly at the base. Apart from a slight sound of content, Sirius seemed unaffected, stuffing more popcorn into his mouth as he stared, transfixed, into the wide screen. Remus frowned, annoyed but determined. He moved his ministrations to the back of Sirius's neck, rubbing slow tantalising circles he knew drove Sirius wild, dipping his fingers past the shirt collar and following the path of his finger's with his lips shortly after.

Remus scowled at Sirius's complete impassiveness. He was going to kill Lily for suggesting the idea of a movie. It was obvious what was going to happen, yet the Remus had completely overlooked it. Of course Sirius would be fascinated; this was, after all, Sirius fucking Black – king of complete idiocy. Remus should have offered to take him out for breakfast or something, or maybe a visit to the museum (not the zoo; that would be dangerous…for the animals).

'Padfoot…' Remus growled irritably.

Sirius took a sip from his drink. 'Hm?'

Remus grabbed Sirius by the chin, turned his face forcefully, and crashed their lips together in a fierce kiss, wasting no time to plunder Sirius's mouth with his tounge or bite teasingly into his lower lip. Remus grinned triumphantly as Sirius moaned quietly into his mouth and allowed himself to be pulled into Remus's lap so that their bodies were flush together.

'Technically, sir, tomatoes are fags.'

'Moony?' Sirius whispered breathlessly, resting his forehead against Remus's and tangling his fingers in soft brown hair.

'…He means fruits, sir.'

Remus smiled, brushing his thumb against Sirius's cheek. 'Gods…yeah?'

'I don't get it.'

XxxxX

Remus took a last drag of his cigarette and looked at Sirius's profile, sharpened by the dim streetlights. They'd chosen to walk home instead of apparating because (as Remus helpfully supplied), all good dates ended with the couple walking each other home. It gave them a chance to talk and be romantic, Remus thought, remembering all the movies and shows he watched on television with his mother.

There was a curfew, he knew, set by both the wizard and muggle community; it was dangerous times after all, and one could never know where the next murder might strike. Still, Remus figured it wouldn't hurt to make one day an exception; they were both skilled wizards and it was a present for Sirius (who smelled disturbingly like a tub of popcorn).

'Can we bring James to watch the movie again, Moony? I bet he'd love it, too!' Sirius grinned, looking happier and more relaxed than he had in a long time, sending pleasant bursts of joy through Remus.

'Sure, Padfoot, but the two of you can go alone. I'd rather die than watch that shit again. Honestly, tomatoes taking over the world.'

Sirius rolled his eyes like Remus was the biggest imbecile on the planet. 'It's symbolic, Moony; I'd think that was obvious. It shows that the things that we usually neglect and consider harmless are what comes back and bites us in the arse.'

'Bollocks. You're making that up, I can tell,' Remus grouched. 'You just like the idea of murdering tomatoes.'

'Moony, my hopeless friend, you simply cannot think beyond the horizons. You shall forever remain tied down to your facts and your books. I pity you, my love, you and your feeble mind.'

Remus punched Sirius in the shoulder. 'Oh hush. You're in no position to pity me, what with your track record.'

'Hm…' Their fingers brushed together, and Sirius entwined his index with Remus's pinky briefly before letting go. 'Did you talk to your mother recently, Moony? She owled again, you know, and I think she called Lily a couple of times, too.'

Remus shrugged. 'I didn't think it was important. She knows where I'm going.'

Sirius frowned at Remus's casual indifference. 'I'm sure she'd want to hear it from your mouth though. I think she wants you over for Christmas or maybe New Years.'

'Well, I won't even be here, will I?'

'You could have visited her earlier. You know she worries abou-'

'She doesn't want me there, Padfoot,' Remus replied coldly. 'She can't even look me straight in the face anymore, so what good will my visit do her except torture her even further. Now please, let's not talk about this, I'm begging you. I really don't want to argue with you on this matter, especially not tonight.'

Remus looked so sad and pathetic that Sirius couldn't help but let the matter drop with a heavy sigh. He didn't say anything further, walking quietly and letting Remus tangle their fingers together as they walked into an abandoned street – a shortcut that people rarely used because of the state of the roads.

'Did you see that new kid in today's meeting: Dodge?' Remus asked, breaking the silence between them.

Sirius snorted. 'Yeah, I'm babysitting him for our next few missions. Bloody boring patrol stuff, too; wouldn't do to endanger his diapered little arse.'

'Really?'

'Ahan, Caradoc Dearborn offered to be his mentor, but he chose me instead.' Sirius grimaced. 'So now I'm stuck because Moody figured it would be the perfect way to exact revenge upon me for what happened last class.'

'I don't blame him, really. You did knock the man out for two whole hours.'

'It was a mistake!' Sirius cried out. 'I lost my temper!'

Remus rolled his eyes. 'You're always losing your temper, Padfoot, I wish you'd think more and act on instinct less. It's really dangerous; the way you work sometimes. It's like you're charging headfirst into death.'

'Worried, Moony?' Sirius smirked, raising an eyebrow and swinging their entwined hands slightly. 'Don't worry your pretty little head, mate, you know I always keep safe.'

Remus smiled, lifting his other hand to tuck errant strands of black hair behind Sirius's ears. 'In any case, I'd advise you to keep safe of Dodge's hands. He might try to grope you. I can tell you right now that he didn't choose you as mentor for your skill with the wand.' He glanced slyly at Sirius's crotch. 'Not the wooden one, at least.'

Sirius laughed, smacking Remus up the head. 'I'll keep that in mind then. Besides, I really think its Dodge who should be wary of me, don't you Moony?'

Remus didn't miss the mischievous glint in Sirius's eyes. 'I know what you're thinking, Padfoot, and I'm warning you. Don't you dare harass that poor child.'

'Poor child?' A minute ago, you told me he likes to cop a feel every once in a while! Besides, he's only a year or two younger than us. That hardly constitutes as a child.'

'I'm serious, Padfoot, he's young and he's new. You're supposed to be his mentor, not some twat who gives him a hard time,' Remus said sternly.

Sirius wrapped an arm around Remus's waist and pulled the werewolf flush against him. 'It's just a harmless bit of fun, Moony. Stuff James and I used to pull on first years. I'd probably just turn into a Grim or something; give him a good scare.' He nudged the skin behind Remus's ear affectionately with his nose. 'It could be like an inauguration.'

Remus was about to retort when he noticed that they were currently standing in front of the steps to their flat. Both their hands dropped immediately, and they moved away to put a good distance between each other. Remus tried hard not to show too much disappointment.

'Time flies, eh?' Sirius asked as they walked up the staircase, jangling the keys to their flat in his pocket.

'I guess so.'

They stopped at their front door, Sirius still fiddling with the bundle of keys. 'Thanks for tonight, Moony; I really did have a lot of fun.' He looked around a little and planted a quick kiss on Remus's lips. 'It really was the best present ever.'

Remus blushed. 'Well, I had fun, too, even though you were too busy with the movie to pay me any notice.'

Sirius shrugged, unlocking the door. 'You'll always be the centre of my attention, Moony, you should know that by now.'

Remus smiled softly, but said nothing.

Sirius was looking at him with a dreamy sort of expression; eyes glazed over, eyebrows arched underneath messy black hair, lips curved in a teasing yet confident smile. 'So,' he said in a low, husky voice, holding Remus's hands between his own. 'Do you want to come in for coffee or something?'

For a moment, they both stared at each other – Remus looking incredulous, and Sirius looking cocky and as if he was trying to hold back laughter at the same time. They both burst out laughing simultaneously, falling over each other and clutching the other's shoulders for support.

'You absolute prick!' Remus cried out between chuckles.

'Hey, you're the one who wanted it to be all date-y and what not,' Sirius gasped as Remus wrestled him against the wall.

'That bit doesn't bloody count if we live together, you git!'

'KEEP IT DOWN YOU NASTY HOOLIGANS! SOME PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO SLEEP HERE!'

There were more disapproving shouts and screams, and Remus and Sirius quickly muffled their laughter with a hand placed on the other's mouth.

BLOODY, THOUGHTLESS-'

'Bet they think we're drunk,' Sirius said, still chortling as he pulled Remus into the flat and pinned him against the door.

Remus caught his breath only to burst out laughing again; he was glad to have Sirius holding him up or he'd definitely have fallen over by now. 'I feel like it, too. Do you think there was something in the popcorn?'

Sirius licked a trail up Remus's neck. 'You never know with these muggles. Enough talking. Does this date of ours end with you fucking me in the bedroom or not?'

Remus arched his neck to give Sirius's tounge better access. 'Gods, I should hope so.'

XxxxX

Sirius woke up in the morning to find Remus running around in a frenzy in his boxer shorts, his wet hair flying all over the place, his shirt hanging open, and a cigarette dangling at the corner of his lips as he pulled out clothes randomly and stuffed them into his rucksack.

'Moony?'

Remus jumped and turned to face Sirius. 'Oh, Padfoot, good, you're awake.'

'Hm,' Sirius mumbled, sitting up and sleepily pulling on his boxers. 'You're leaving already.'

'I'm late actually,' Remus replied, zipping his trousers and walking towards Sirius. 'Dumbledore wanted me earlier, but I overslept.'

'Hm,' Sirius said again, pulling Remus to him and working Remus's shirt buttons close.

Remus nodded, taking a long drag of his cigarette. 'Listen, I made some breakfast for you. It's got a warming charm on it, so you can have it whenever you like. I did the grocery shopping, too, so you won't end up starving yourself or anything. '

Sirius hummed, finishing the last of Remus's buttons and buckling Remus's belt; he fastened it by an extra hole, making it impossibly tight out of pure spite.

Remus made a disgruntled grunt, but otherwise said nothing about Sirius taking revenge on his waist line. 'And don't eat take out while I'm away; you remember your curry fiasco, don't you? Pester Prongs and Lily; eat all three meals at their house if you have to. I don't want you getting sick again.'

Sirius rolled his eyes and pulled the hairbrush out of Remus's hands, carefully combing through honey brown hair and parting it into a neat line.

'I picked up our laundry too, so your robes are all clean and pressed for work.' Remus winced as Sirius pulled on a knot. 'They're on the left side of the cupboard, so don't mess them up with any of mine.'

'I won't,' Sirius groused, as he helped Remus into his robes and buttoned them.

'If you need anything, Padfoot, if you're in trouble, you call Prongs or Wormtail immediately. You understand?'

Sirius rolled his eyes, pulled the fag out of Remus's lips, took a drag himself, and stubbed it against the bedpost. 'I'll be fine, Moony. You don't have to mother me. You've been gone plenty of times before, and I took care of myself all right.'

Remus smiled softly, cupping Sirius's cheek. "I know that…I'm just trying to buy more time with you, I guess,' he admitted. 'I don't want to leave, really.'

Sirius laugh came out more high pitched than intended and before he knew what he was doing, he pulled Remus into a tight hug, snuffling into the soft cloth of Remus's chest and smelling fresh detergent. Sirius felt Remus set his chin on the crown of his head, his hands rubbing Sirius's back in haphazard motion.

'I love you,' Remus whispered, kissing his hair.

Sirius laughed again and pushed Remus away lightly. 'Go on then,' he said, shoving Remus's stomach with his palm. 'Go save the world and what not. I'll see you later.'

XxxxX

'You're still coming for dinner at our place, aren't you, Sirius?' Lily asked, hooking arms with Alice Longbottom casually. 'Frank and Alice have some good news to share apparently.'

Alice blushed and Frank beamed proudly at two of the Marauders and Lily, but otherwise said nothing. He never was the kind to say much, not unless he was bleeding drunk anyway.

They were at another Order meeting; nothing too serious, just a little Christmas celebration to spread holiday cheer during dark times. Everyone had cooked and brought something from their respective homes to join into a big feast for Christmas lunch/tea. Of course, Sirius, being unable to do anything domestic, had brought the wine and chocolate biscuits.

'Padfoot hardly needs an invitation,' James snorted. 'He practically lives in our house now that Moony's gone. Poor doggy misses his master – whipped!' he whispered the last part into Sirius's ear so that Frank and Alice couldn't hear.

Sirius cuffed him up the head. 'I'll have you know that the only reason I bother coming to that flat of yours is because Lily is the best cook I know. Also,' he continued, kissing Lily's cheek, 'who can deny the company of such a lovely woman.'

Alice groaned and Frank rolled his eyes, letting out an exasperated 'oh please!'

James glared. 'I know a complete lack of social life makes you horny, Padfoot, but that doesn't give you permission to hit on my wife.'

Sirius smirked. 'Your wife has been pining for a chance to sleep with me for ages, Prongs, but you've always been in our way.' He wrapped his arms around Lily's waist and whispered loudly in her ears, 'It's okay, my love, Prongs knows now; there's nothing left to hide.'

Alice and Lily burst out laughing. 'Dream on, Black,' Lily replied, pushing away Sirius gently.

'Oh, Alice then,' Sirius said, grinning and wrapping his arms around Frank's wife this time. 'You've always been my first choice, love, but that Evans was so annoyingly persistent. She seduced me wrongly, you know!'

'You're really full of shit, Sirius!' Alice replied, giggling but unlike Lily, hugging him back.

'It's a pity really that little Peter couldn't come,' Frank said, wiping tears of mirth from the corner of his eyes. 'What kind of arse makes a man work on Christmas? Poor bloke.'

Lily nodded in agreement. 'He's always working, have you noticed? When's the last time we saw him outside official Order meetings? He doesn't even join the boys for drinks anymore.'

James shrugged. 'What can you do? A job's a job. Wormtail has to support his mother and sister now; he can't just up and quit whenever he likes. Besides, he said he'll be over tomorrow with presents…He tells me he's buying something special for you this year, Lily, to celebrate our baby and all.'

Lily blushed. 'Peter's a sweetheart.'

'Bloody rat's stealing my title, he is,' grumbled Sirius, 'only minutes ago, I was the sweetheart of the group.'

'It's a miracle your head fits through the door with an ego like yours, Sirius,' Alice said, rolling her eyes at Lily but fighting back a smile.

Sirius was about to retort when the clock struck six. 'Oh, shit. I have to go.'

'Nonsense, Sirius, you're coming at our place directly for dinner with Frank and Alice,' Lily said disapprovingly, as Sirius made a grab for the leather jacket he'd thrown aside on a nearby chair. 'What's the hurry?'

'I need to get to the cleaners. I wore Remus's robes to our field practice last time and got them filthy; he'll kill me if he finds out.' Sirius pulled the zipper and wrapped his scarf around his neck. 'The cleaners close at seven because of curfew and then they won't open until after Christmas. I don't know about you, but I don't fancy Moony's wrath when he comes back.'

James shook his head sadly. 'Whipped,' he mouthed silently and smirked when Sirius held up two fingers before walking out the door.

'Mr. Black! Wait!' Young Elphias Dodge's voice rang above the thrum of Sirius's motorbike.

'No patrols tonight, Elf, you can go home if you like,' Sirius said, revving up the engine.

Elphias stopped in front of the bike, panting from his run. 'I know that, Mr. Black, Mr. Moody told me to go wit' you. Says e'ryone should be goin' 'round in pair or groups o' sorts.'

Sirius tightened his scarf around his neck. Over the past week, he'd taken quite a liking to the young boy; Elphias was an eager and fast learner, charmingly humble, and a good conversationalist when you were bored out of your mind. Also, he knew how to take a good prank (though he was still convinced he saw the Grim earlier). So far, Remus's warnings of Dodge's wandering hands had gone unneeded; although Sirius did notice the boy's extremely flirtatious nature (Dodge's newest target being Marlene McKinnon), Elphias had been thoroughly decent (if not lacking a bit of tact) throughout.

'Moody sent you or you volunteered because you wanted a ride on the bike?' Sirius asked, already handing over the helmet Remus sometimes used to Elphias.

Elphias simply grinned as he strapped his helmet on and sat behind him.

'Oh and please don't call me Mr. Black, Elf. It makes me feel like an old man. We're all equals here in the Order.'

'All righ', Mr. Black,' Elf said with a cocky smirk. 'Why not apparate, sir? Wouldn' it be safer?'

Sirius rolled his eyes as cast Dillusionment charms on both of them and the bike. Most people would be home by now, but it still wasn't wise to have a flying motorbike in plain sight, especially in a muggle neighbourhood. 'You'll call me Sirius if you don't want to be thrown off this bike, am I clear? And I wanted a nice quiet, peaceful ride home actually. I'm afraid my chances of that are ruined,' he said, looking pointedly at Dodge and taking off at a steep angle.

Elphias made a surprised little sound at the back of his throat and clutched at Sirius's waist tightly. 'Tha's the first choir I's seen today, can you believe that, sir?' he said, pointing to one of the houses below them where sure enough, there was a small group of children singing while three of the adults played instruments.

Sirius dived down a little closer and to his utter disappointment, heard the familiar tunes of White Christmas. If Remus were here, Sirius mused, he would argue that it was a beautiful song; a song that spoke about the spirit of Christmas and that Sirius just failed to understand the true meaning behind the soulful music. Then, Sirius would say that it didn't matter if it was because Christmas was supposed to be about joy and happiness, and not slow depressing music that nearly put you to sleep. God, he missed Remus.

''s beautiful, innit?' Elphias asked, leaning precariously in his seat to catch a better glimpse of them.

Sirius shook his head and pulled the boy by the back of his coat before he fell over. 'It's dull. I'd rather add some holiday cheer, if you don't mind.' Sirius left no room for questions as he pulled out his wand and with an elegant swish, charmed the instruments to play Werewolves of London instead.

Elphias burst out laughing as the choir turned into a confused mess, some of the children glaring at the band for playing the wrong tune, while others trying to catch up with the music while still singing White Christmas. The spectators, a small family of four people, were battling between expressions of puzzlement and disgust.

'Awooooo!' Dodge howled, head thrown back and still laughing. 'Awooooo!'

Sirius chuckled, feeling a little better and threw down the little muggle money he had at the choir's feet. 'For you, Moony,' he whispered happily before climbing up the sky again.

'So,' said Dodge, once they'd gained sufficient altitude and flown far away from the people. 'He's your boyfrien', isn' he?'

Sirius shivered and tugged at his jacket; he'd forgotten how much colder it would be this high up. 'What are you talking about?' he asked, brows furrowing as he noticed the thick mist that erupted from his every word.

'Remy…the two o' you are goin' out together, ain't you? Like boyfrien's and stuff.'

Sirius turned back to look at Dodge incredulously. Remus had told him that Dodge knew about their relationship, but no one had ever used the term boyfriend before. It sounded ridiculous even in his head; like Sirius was some kind of school girl. 'His name's Remus.'

'Bit rich coming from someone who calls him Moony, innit? 'Sides, you din't answer the question.'

Again, Sirius mused at Dodge's complete lack of tact. It was good that the boy spoke his mind, but it did tend to get a little intrusive sometimes. 'Yes, we're together. What of it?' Sirius snapped defensively.

Elphias grinned toothily. 'Well, must be fun…bein' with a werewolf an' all. I mean, does he have superpowers; can silver really burn 'im; do the changes 'urt? Is he ahem…aggressive in bed?'

Sirius raised a sardonic eyebrow. 'You seem curious in matters that don't concern you, Elf. Certainly can't be healthy.'

'Come on, sir,' Dodge groaned, nudging him lightly. 'I'm old enuf'…'nother year an' I'll be of age and every thin'! 'Sides, I'm freezing me bollocks off ridin' on your bike. Migh' as well give me somethin' to 'member.'

Sirius laughed and shook his head exasperatedly. 'You're impossible, Elf. Well, let's see…no, yes, yes, and sometimes.'

Elphias's eyes widened comically. 'Sometimes…really?'

'Close your mouth, Elf, you'll ca-'

'Christ, what's going on down there?' Elphias cried, suddenly fisting the back of Sirius's jacket and causing Sirius to lose control of the bike momentarily.

Sirius steadied them quickly and looked down, following Elphias's gaze. 'Oh fuck, it's an attack! Twelve Death Eaters…I can't believe this! On bloody Christmas, too!'

'I know those people, sir; they're wizards!'

'Shit, fuck; there are children there!' Sirius dove towards the ground, casting a heavy silencing charm upon the bike as he did. 'Get off, Elf!' he cried out, skidding to a stop. 'Get off now and call for help! Send a Patronus back in the Headquarters, everyone should still be there!'

Elphias stumbled, nearly falling over from Sirius's insistent push. 'What about you?' he screamed desperately, wincing when Sirius removed the Dillusionment charm with a forceful tap on his head.

'I'm going to try to take them down or at least hold them back till help arrives,' Sirius said, his voice unnaturally calm and a steely glint in his light grey eyes.

Elphias grabbed him by the arm. 'You can't do that! There are too many of them there! They'll slaughter you!'

'You're wasting my time, Elphias!' Sirius growled angrily, snatching his arm away and twisting the handles of the motorbike experimentally. 'If you think I'm going to sit and watch innocent children die, you've got another thing coming! Besides, I'm Dillusioned; they won't know what hit them! Now go!'

Before Elphias could protest further, Sirius had driven away; the only sign of anyone in the vicinity being the tell tale glimmer of the Dillusionment charm cast on the black haired man. Elphias looked away, unable to see what was going to happen next and concentrated on producing his Patronus.

'Breathe, Elf,' he told himself, as a small silver Onyx appeared from the top of his wand. 'Focus, call for help. Mr. Black needs help.'

A shrill scream pierced the night air, and Elphias whipped around to see Sirius lying crumpled on the ground, his Dillusionment charm lifted and his motorbike splayed on top of his legs, restricting him to his position on the ground. Sirius, however, was undeterred and continually aiming spells at all the Death Eaters, but in vain as most of them were dodged or deflected. He was heavily outnumbered.

'Shite,' Elphias swore, clutching his wand tighter and preparing himself for a fight he was sure to lose. He was a good dueler, yes, but he knew his limitations. 'Merlin, help me.' He'd never felt this scared his entire life; his hands shaking, his heart pumping wildly, adrenaline rushing into his veins.

It was when Elphias was running towards the house with every intention to help Sirius that he saw the words form on the Death Eater's mouth before he'd actually heard it. Elphias's reflexes were quick; his wand rose from practiced instinct and he aimed, knowing only too well that he wasn't going to be successful even before he cast the spell.

'AVADA KEDAVRA!'

The familiar jet of green light shot forcefully from the Death Eater's wand, brushing past Elphias and missing him by a hairsbreadth as it made its way towards Sirius with lightening speed. Sirius, who was completely incapable of moving even an inch.

'MR. BLACK!'

XxxxX

'Argh!' Remus fell to the floor with a loud thud, clutching his heart as unspeakable pain shot through it. His chest burned red hot pins, needles and daggers shooting through it, tightening, convulsing, piercing and caving. It was worse than the transformation, worse than any sort of pain he'd ever felt, and Remus knew as he cried and screamed and howled, knew that his time had come, that he was going to die right now and he was going to welcome it. Anything to make the searing pain stop, anything to make it go away. Sweat trickled down his head, his back, his chest; his breath came as short gasps of pain and need; his chest heaved and his head pounded from exertion; his heart was beating so loud and fast Remus was sure it was going to pop out of his rib cage any moment.

Then suddenly, it stopped. It didn't fade away slowly like most pain; no, it just burnt out like it had never been there, and Remus found himself gasping for air like a stranded fish and clutching at his heart tightly. He could feel hands helping him up; shoulders supporting him; a cool wet cloth wiping his face and neck.

'Call the ambulance now! Hurry, Matilda!'

The tears that had been pooling in Remus's eyes fell, his vision clearing to reveal the familiar, worried faces of the waiter and the man that had been sitting on the stool beside him.

'I'm fine,' Remus croaked out, forcing his knees to straighten and help him stand on his own. 'Please, don't call the hospital. I'm fine'

The waiter's (Larry?) hold tightened even further. 'You're having some kind of heart attack, sir, we need to get you to the hospital immediately. Please don't stress yourself.'

'No,' Remus protested weakly, tugging at the hands that were holding him up. 'Look, they're just…they're just panic attacks,' he lied, 'I have them all the time. I just need some rest, and everything will be fine, I promise.'

'He does seem to be fine,' said the other man, scrutinising Remus carefully. 'Whatever it was seems to have gone down.'

Larry looked hesitant.

'Look, there's a couple of pounds in my bag,' Remus said desperately, now fighting the exhaustion and sleep that seem to command him. 'Just take how much ever you need and put me in a room, okay? Please, I just need to get some rest. I'll leave early tomorrow.'

Larry nodded reluctantly.

By the time, Remus had been half carried upstairs to his room and deposited on the bed, he was considerably less tired; he seemed to have gained his energy a little bit. His eyes still strained for sleep, but he brought himself to muster up enough strength to take a shower before getting ready for bed. The pain had faded into a distant memory, and Remus wondered if the incident had all been in his imagination as he watched layers of grime and blood wash off his pale skin.

His mission had proved easier than he'd expected. There was a fight, a scuffle of sorts when Remus had first entered into the colony but that was purely instinctual. Remus had given no forewarning of his arrival, and the members of the werewolf pack had been threatened. They had thought he was a Ministry official or an angered citizen, here to burn them out.

After that misunderstanding, however, the werewolves had been wonderfully courteous and welcoming, despite the dilapidated state of their dwellings. They had welcomed Remus as one of their own, listened to what Remus had to say patiently, and given their replies with the utmost respect for Dumbledore and the Order. They hadn't even been an actual pack; they were more like a group or a club of human beings who looked after each other after being shunned by the rest of the society. Many of them had secret lives outside; jobs, sometimes families, and only visited to talk about their worries, or lend a helping hand, or even just to feel like they belonged. It was sad and wonderful at the same time.

The journey back had been longer and more tiring because he'd had travel on foot most of the way because apparition was easily detected. Remus had been reluctant to stop, aching to just go home, but as night fell and exhaustion took over, he opted to stay at an inn in Derbyshire for the night. He had been casually drinking and chatting to the man sitting beside him when that…attack…that pain had come.

Remus pulled on his boxer shorts and collapsed into his bed. Blindly, his foot searched for his rucksack at the base of the bed and hooked itself in one of the straps, pulling it to his stomach. Rummaging inside it, Remus found what he was looking for and pulled the crumpled photograph out with care so as not to tear it. It was picture from James and Lily's wedding, all the Marauders and Lily smiling and waving at the camera cheerfully – a favourite or Remus's and something he kept at all times with him.

Remus had taken the picture out only once on the thirteen days that he was away from home. Tonight, however, something pulled at Remus's heartstrings as he looked at Sirius's smiling face. Tonight, there was this urge; this longing to see Sirius, to touch him, to feel him, to kiss him, to make love to him, to make sure he was okay. Though his heartbeat had slowed back to normal, he felt a strange pull, not entirely painful, as he thought of his lover.

Remus caressed the image of Sirius with his thumb. 'What are you doing now, Padfoot?' he quietly asked no one. He looked at the picture one last time before sliding it underneath his pillow and surrendering to the sleep that had been trying to overcome him for so long.

XxxxX

Okay, first of all, let me say that Attack of the Killer Tomatoes is not mine, nor are the dialogues in the movie. It's an actual 1987 movie. I've never watched it, but my dad told me it was the biggest mistake of his life. Werewolves of London is Warren Zevon's – another 1978 song, very fun to listen to, and the wackiest lyrics. Also, I apologise beforehand at my poor attempts of writing cockney…or mockney as they call it. I'm well familiar with the dialect, but it's a lot harder to write it down. My university's finally open, and hardly a week's passed and I'm already going crazy. Not enough to kill myself, but enough to kill the professors. Ah well, that's life. Anyway, I hope you guys liked this chapter; it's a bit shorter than my usual ones, but I sort of wanted to keep the little cliff hanger there. You know, to maintain the element of surprise and what not. So read and review!

And to those of you who haven't left an e-mail:

Anon: Thank you and I hope this chapter pleased you just as much. Keep reading and reviewing! jezz rivet: Lol…well, that's Remus and Sirius for you. They're silly, they're adorable, they're angst, and everything else in between. too lazy to sign in: Thank you so much for reviewing. This chapter has a little less fluff and a lot more poncy sap in it. Hehe…hope you liked it. Britt: Thanks! I like to keep my characters as real as possible. They're magic yes, but I agree that they're people first, and obviously no different in reactions than either of us. Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter. Cheers!AclytieAhem…I think I've answered most of your questions. Dangers…dangers…makes you wonder what's going to happen next, doesn't it? SilverfoxI really don't know how far I'm going to write. But The end's nowhere near, so why worry about it now, eh? Lithien I shall leave what Remus did to make it up to Sirius completely to your imagination. You can play with them as you like. Hope you liked the update! A Person: Lol…well, Sirius does kick some good arse. He does it in this chapter though I don't describe much of it yet. The last chapter, I just wanted to show that even though Sirius loved Remus like crazy, he was capable of being cruel to him when angry. It kind of gives the possibility that the whole traitor incident might have happened among them; that Sirius wasn't completely incapable of it. Anyway, hope you liked this chapter! Cheers!