Disclaimer: nothing here is mine. Darn it all to heck!

Dedication: to The Big Easy. Yet another hurricane only this time it's a massive one. Prayers and hope for well being to them. And to my local soldiers who have recently died in Iraq. Without them and all the other brave men and women who have fought for everything America stands for, I wouldn't be able to write this. God Bless them and their families. Freedom isn't free.

A/N: sorry if somehow this overlaps with "Connecting" but I wrote this without re-reading that one and realized that they are a lot alike. ButI really liked this so I decided I'd let it go. I hope you enjoy!

XxXxX

Aly had slipped silently through the backdoor when a voice rand out, "And where have you been?"

She jumped in surprise and let out a sigh of relief that it was only Sirius in the kitchen.

"None of your business," Aly said simply. She wished for once that the wall that had been between her and Sirius since they had first met could just completely crumble because what she had just learned wanted to break free from her, but she couldn't bring herself to tell him this horrible news despite what had happened earlier in the day. True, she was free of her dad every summer, even though she'd rather have Lily come to her rather than stay in the same house as Petunia, but the other information she had received still burnt a mark in her mind.

She looked at Sirius, who was leaning back casually in a chair, and he seemed complete blank. His face held no emotion and his body was very relaxed.

Her mind still reeling about her own home life, something Sirius had said earlier rang in her ears. "So, really, what is it with your parents?" she asked casually.

His entire body changed in an instant. His spine went rigid, he sat up straight, and his face was suddenly very alert.

"What do you mean?" he asked, trying but failing to sound calm.

She walked over to the refrigerator and leaned into it so all he could she was her bottom and she replied, "Just wondering." She stood up; pop can in hand, "Really? What's the big deal? Just tell me."

"Tell me about your visit first," he said looking suddenly like a 5 year old. Aly felt pity for him, for she had rarely seen this look of defiant innocence on his face. For even in his most juvenile moments, he always held himself with the grace of an adult that's seen too many wrongs and lost all hope in the wishes and dreams he had once held. He lacked a basic part of life, Aly thought. It was a part of her own life she clutched to so desperately and prayed would never be wiped away. She clung onto her childish naïveté of the world, as small as they may be after everything that had happened to her, and he was missing them; except in these extremely rare moments such as this.

"Ok," she said slowly sitting down across from him, "I will."

He nodded slowly, his lips pursed together, as if he had expected her to give in, but Aly knew he was as surprised as she was to hear her agree. Something inside her wanted to reach out and give him a piece of her innocence she knew she still had. To just let him be naïve for a short moment in time.

"I want to see my dad," she started.

He nodded, "I suspected that much."

Aly licked her lips, sighed, and then pressed on. He sat silently while she poured the entire story out. She felt like the part of her that had been burnt by her father's confession had been eased. It was as if he had reached over and blown gently onto the cut like Aly had done to herself when she was little. She had seen mothers do it to the other children in Hogsmeade and found a comfort in thinking it was her own mother blowing onto her wounds rather than it just being her own breathe. It was strange to feel one of her few connections with her mother being connected to Sirius.

She let out a very deep breathe as she finished and, with her head bent down, her chin touching her chest, she stared at her hands. She wasn't sure how he'd respond to it all.

She looked up at him after he stayed silent and saw that the maturity had returned to his face and realized for the first time that his beautiful face was slowly gathering lines around his eyes and his brow. She wanted his little boy to come back, but wasn't sure how to bring it about. She half shrugged to herself and then said, "I just never expected him to actually not have wanted me."

He looked up from the table looking startled that she was sitting there. He seemed very deep in his own thoughts. "Chin up, Als," he told her bitterly, but trying to smile, "It could be worse."

She was about to correct him by telling him not to call her "Als" but her curiosity took over. "How so?" she asked her own face becoming overcome by the lines that had started on her own beautiful face. However, like they did to Sirius, they only increased her beauty and his breathe caught for a moment. He cleared his voice as Aly's eyes formed an inquisitive glance.

"My parents wanted me," he stumbled quickly into his explanation, the words coming out in a rush. "But they grew to hate me." Aly nodded, but still was over come with the urge to argue the point but he held up his hand in protest. "They do, no arguing. You wanted the story and I'm going to give it to you, but no interruptions."

Aly's mouth twisted to the side and she nodded silently to show she understood and agreed to the condition.

Sirius nodded back for different reasons. His mind filled with thoughts of how to address the situation before him. Aly could tell that he too, like her father, was struggling with giving the candy-coated version or the truth of his story. The hard look that over took his face told her that she was going to get the truth.

"You can't imagine how proud they were of having a new son to turn into, and to use your word, a droid. They expected me to be just like them. Or more so, just like my father." He stopped for a spilt second and looked over Aly's shoulder at the oven door, which was still glowing slightly which meant Mrs. Evans had saved Aly some food. "I can see him," Sirius still staring off into space. "Tall, smug, greased; his pockets jingling slightly from the gold he carried around. I used to think it was so neat that my dad could do that, but now I realize he only does it to intimidate people. Bastard," he swore snapping his head to the side. He was breathing heavy. Aly could tell if he had been anywhere else he would have hit something just to ease the tension building inside of him, but she also knew he wouldn't violate the hospitality of the Evans'.

"I turned out so wrong in their eyes." He said it almost apologetic. Aly understood that feeling. The feeling that you did something wrong and it was your fault that your parent didn't pay as much attention to you. She also understood how people like Sirius' parents thought and acted and believed under no circumstance should he feel sorry for not being what they wanted and she told him so.

He looked at her and summed up his thoughts with his face slightly glowing with a deep resentment. "Your dad loves you just as you are. In spite of the fact that you are everything he tried to keep you from being."

She was at a loss at these words. How was she everything her dad had wanted to keep her from being? His face lightened slightly. "You don't know, do you?" A smile spread across his face. It was a smile an adult would give a small child who is worried that it was true that Santa wasn't really and Aly felt defeated by it. She had wanted him to feel like the child for once, not the other way around.

"He wanted to keep you from becoming him," he explained kindly, "But you went one step further and you became an even better version of him." Aly opened her mouth but, once again, was cut off. "I was supposed to be my father. The next big Mr. Black." He lowered his eyes, "But I failed. And you're right. I'm better off for not being him. Or any of them," he snarled.

"Yes you are!" Aly said slamming her hand down on the table. She made a face as she realized that she had probably given away their privacy.

Sirius looked over his shoulder as if expecting someone to walk in, but when no one did he turned and looked at Aly. "Give'em time."

They looked at each other for a time. How long, Aly didn't know. Then, just as he predicted, a head popped around the door.

"There you are," Lily said.

"We were wondering where you went," James added from behind her.

"Yep, here we are," Aly said, catching Sirius' eye noting that the conversation was over and that somehow they had managed to take one step further in breaking down the barrier between them. "The Disappointments, front and center."

Sirius smiled and keeping his eyes locked on hers, the back of his head the only thing visible to Lily and James, replied, "Yeah. The Disappointments."

XxXxX

Partay! It's done! Yes it took me a good 5 months to write and a mere 4 pages in Microsoft but it's done. I'm sorry it took so long, but I didn't realize that anyone actually read this. But a warning, it may take just as long for the next chapter and so on. I promise, promise, promise to be as quick as possible but I'm in college now and it's a lot harder to find time to write on the side, but I solemnly swear to be as quick as possible!

As always, review!

-Later days-

-aim---->