A/N Humble and sincere apologies for the wait!

And, since I've been writing this for over a year, thank you to each and every one of you who has read, reviewed, put on alerts or favourites. It means so much.

Finally, a HUGE thank you to my lovely and wonderful beta, LoveHGSS.

It was Hermione who reacted first to the presence of her lover's ex-fiancé. She kissed him quickly before sliding out of bed and finding his clothes where she'd dropped them earlier.

Remus stared at her, confused. "Hermione, I didn't, I don't, I would never, you, she. Oh, Merlin," he babbled.

Hermione laughed softly before throwing his trousers at him. "I know you weren't expecting her; just go and see what she wants before she walks in here."

Remus smirked as he pulled on his trousers, quickly regaining his composure. He watched as Hermione pulled on her skirt and blouse, and then opened his arms, smiling as she stepped into his embrace.

"I don't know why she's here after all this time, but I do know that she's not going to wander back into my life after the pain she caused me. I care deeply about you, just remember that," he murmured into her curls as he held her to him.

Hermione responded by kissing him passionately before pushing him towards the door.

They walked down the stairs, hand in hand, walking into the living room at the same moment Tonks entered from the kitchen. She stared at them as they stood together.

"Remus? What's she doing here?" Tonks asked, her face screwed up in a look of vague disgust.

"Not that it's any of your business, but she's here because we're together." He turned to Hermione suddenly, a worried look on his face. "That's ok, me saying that we're together? Is it too soon to say that?"

Hermione laughed and kissed him softly.

"Of course we're together." She faked an offended pout. "What kind of girl do you take me for?"

Remus smiled down at her.

"A whorish one, actually," Tonks said.

Remus turned back to the woman who had made his life hell, a snarl marring his handsome features.

"I think you'll find that cheating on the man you had planned to marry with someone he considered a friend, especially when that other person was already married, is considered, by most people, to be whorish. Starting a relationship with an unattached man, when you are also unattached is, generally, considered to be normal behaviour," Remus stated, glaring at Tonks. "Now, what the hell are you doing here?"

She sighed, her features softening as she looked at him. "I'm sorry; I didn't come to pick a fight. May I sit down?"

Remus nodded warily, and then pulled Hermione onto the couch next to him as Tonks settled into a chair.

"The thing is," she continued, "I'm pregnant, and it's your baby."

Silence reigned for an endless moment as Remus stared at Tonks, barely comprehending what she had said.

"You're what?" he asked, his voice a whisper.

"Having our baby." Tonks leant forward in her chair, her face becoming animated, her tone growing lighter as she spoke. "We can get married, raise the baby, maybe get a place with a garden for them to play. It's everything you dreamed of, longed for. I know it's what you want, deep down, and we can have all that."

"You're right; it is what I dream of, a wife and a child, a future." He felt Hermione tense beside him and he grabbed her hand, his thumb rubbing her skin softly. "But I don't dream of you in that picture anymore."

"I suppose you dream of her instead, do you? That your children are bookish and frizzy haired, not fun little Metamorphmagus?"

Remus smiled a little. "No, it's a bit soon for that." He turned to Hermione, the hand not clasping hers cradling her face. "I don't even know if you want a husband and children; I don't even know if we'll work out. Maybe the fact that I hum while I think, and my really awful cooking, will put you off. Maybe you have some awful habit that I don't know about. Maybe we're just not meant to be. But maybe we are, maybe this is as right as it feels. All I know is that I really want to find out."

Hermione smiled, tears forming in her eyes as she looked at the man she knew she could so easily love.

"So that's it?" Tonks asked. "You won't give me, us, a second chance?"

"I want this baby, I want to be part of its life. I'll love it, and care for it and provide for it as much as you like. But I can't forgive what you said, and I can't just forget that you think I'm a monster. I'm moving on, and you have to accept that Dora," Remus said.

"What if that's not an option?" Tonks asked.

"What do you mean?" Remus eyed her warily, unsure as to what she meant.

"What if it's all or nothing? You marry me and we have the baby together, or you'll never see your child."

Remus stared at her, wondering how he could ever have loved her, have wanted a life with someone who could be so cruel.

"You wouldn't," Hermione gasped.

"Yes, I would. And there's nothing you could do. You're a werewolf; you have no rights to this child unless I say you do."

Remus sat for a moment, gazing at the floor.

"If you thought that would push me back to you, then you don't know me at all. You and I are finished because you chose another man, and if you decide to keep me from my child through pettiness, then so be it, but I wouldn't subject an innocent baby to the misery that would be caused by me living with you."

"Another man," Hermione breathed, her expression thoughtful.

"Hermione? What do you mean?"

Hermione didn't answer him directly; instead, she turned to the other woman.

"How do you know the baby is Remus's baby? You were with Bill at the same time as Remus and paternity charms don't work until you're over six months, which you're clearly not. So why are you here, emotionally blackmailing Remus, instead of playing happy families with Bill?"

Tonks looked away from the younger woman and stood up.

"You know what the options are Remus, let me know what you decide."

They watched in silence as she walked out of the door and Apparated away, never answering Hermione's question. Remus leant his head on Hermione's shoulder and sighed.

"Well, that was interesting," he said.

Hermione laughed at that. "Not exactly how I'd envisioned our evening, I'll be honest. Is there anything I can do?"

"Don't take this the wrong way, but could you let me have a bit of time to think? I'm not going back to her, but I need to get my head around all this. It's been a complicated day."

Hermione kissed him softly then stood up. "That's fine, really. You know where I am if you need me. I'll owl soon to see how you are."

Remus pulled her back onto his lap before kissing her soundly. "Thank you."

She smiled at him, hoping he would make the right choice for him, and for her, but knowing she wouldn't blame him anyway. She stepped out of the door and Apparated away, but rather than going home, she went to find answers.

"George, you here?" Hermione called as she entered the flat above his shop. She pulled up short as she found him curled up with Angelina on the couch. "Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt."

"It's ok. You alright? How was today, seeing Remus?" George asked. The prankster had been on the receiving end of Hermione insecurities, anger and fear all week at the thought of seeing Remus again.

"Great; it was all a big misunderstanding. We sorted it out." She couldn't stop the blush that rose on her cheeks as she thought of the way they had sorted things out.

George and Angelina gave her identical smirks as they guessed the meaning behind the pink tinge on her cheeks.

"Wait, if you and Remus are ok, why are you invading our Friday evening?" George said with a grin, yelping as Angelina elbowed him.

"Well, we were at Remus's house when Tonks turned up. She's pregnant and demanding that Remus has to marry her," Hermione explained.

"Bloody hell."

"Yeah, exactly."

Angelina frowned. "Why would she claim it was Remus's baby? She's with Bill."

"Actually," George said slowly, "she isn't." The two women exchanged glances. "Bill was at the Burrow a couple of days ago saying that he'd made a mistake and had left her."

"So Tonks ran to Remus because Bill left her, if Bill wanted babies and a settled life, he probably would've stayed with Fleur," Angelina said thoughtfully.

"Sounds likely," Hermione agreed.

"What did Remus say?" Angelina asked gently.

"He told her that he would love the baby but he wouldn't be with her. She threatened to keep the baby away unless he married her." She shrugged, trying to hide her fear. "I left him to think things over. He said he wouldn't go back to her, but I just don't know what he's going to do."

Tears ran down her cheeks as she spoke, feeling the love she'd dared to dream of slipping away from her. George and Angelina hugged her as she cried, both hoping that Remus had the sense to see that the chance of a life with this wonderful woman was worth more than anything Tonks could threaten him with.