Remus' gaze bored into Tonks, unwavering and seeming completely unwilling to turn away. For a long moment, the din of the customers in the Quill faded to the background as they stared at each other. She swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry at the sudden rush of desire that flooded through her at the intensity in Remus' eyes.

Gods, he's sexy when he's angry.

Finally, an unpleasant snigger forced them to break their gaze.

"Girl ain't happy to see you again, Lupin," Chuck Parsons said from his spot next to Remus.

Tonks snapped to attention. "I don't give a toss if I see 'im again or not," she said, hiding her confusion at his statement with a scowl while trying to work out quickly why this werewolf thought Piper had been anywhere near Remus.

Parsons siniggered again. "I...recognized you, you could say, a few weeks back," he said, gesturing toward Remus before tossing back the rest of his drink. "He wasn't none too happy about it, I reckon."

Tonks shrugged out of her jacket and tossed it on the stool behind the bar, avoiding Remus' eyes. She knew he was watching her. The weight of his stare felt as if it was enveloping her entire body. To buy time, she grabbed the bottle of Firewhisky and refilled Parson's glass even though he'd not requested it. She thought wildly of what to say to the man leering in front of her and briefly imagined hexing Remus for not telling her that Parsons had mentioned catching her scent—after having a moment to gather her wits, she was certain that's how he recognized her.

"Like I care if you recognize me," Tonks answered as she slid the drink to him and thought of something to say to put the man off. "It's not as if I'd go all sentimental about a one-off."

Parsons reached across the bar as if he was taking the glass from Tonks' hand, but grabbed her wrist instead, sloshing Firewhisky over her fingers. In a maneuver he obviously wasn't expecting, Tonks drew her wand and had it pointed at his face before he could pull her closer.

Parsons quickly blinked away his surprise and, keeping ahold of her wrist, asked, "You sure it was a on-off? Or are you one of Dumbledore's lot like Lupin, here? There's more than one person here tonight that would pay me nicely for that information."

"I don't give a shit what that old man has to say," Tonks said, keeping her eyes focused on Parsons. "I'm not anyone's. Now let go."

Tonks heard the door to the back room swing open before Quigley said, "She'll kick your arse, Parsons," before he went about Levitating two bottles and fresh glasses from one of the upper shelves behind Tonks.

With the hand still clutched in Parsons' grasp, Tonks cast a mild Stinging Jinx, just strong enough to produce a small jolt to the palm of his hand. He released her wrist suddenly and laughed—a thoroughly unpleasant sound—as he clenched and unclenched his fist a few times before pulling his refreshed drink toward him.

Tonks lowered her wand and pointed it at her fingers, rinsing the Firewhisky from them before wiping them on a rag sitting behind the bar. Her gaze flitted to Remus for a moment and she found him staring into his drink, his jaw tense and his hands grasping his glass so tightly she was amazed he hadn't shattered it in a fit of uncontrolled magic or outright rage.

"You seem to have a knack for making friends," Quigley said when she turned to pick up her tray.

"I must be likeable," Tonks replied as she began loading up the glasses.

"I'll deal with your new friend for the night. You have enough to worry about with that one back," Quigley said, jerking his head toward the table of Death Eaters.

Tonks glanced over her shoulder to find Avery watching her, his lips twisted in an unsettling smirk. She'd seen a handful of other patrons throughout the pub when she'd entered and decided that the table of Death Eaters could wait a few minutes more since their bottle appeared only half empty. With a sigh, she stowed her wand before picking up the tray, ignoring Parsons as she rounded the bar.

While taking a few orders and delivering drinks to the other customers, Tonks quickly thought over the exchange with Parsons. She tried her best not to be distracted by the memory of Remus' intense, knicker-wetting gaze, at least for the moment, wondering which part to put him off of first: her relationship with Remus or her association with the Order. Hoping she'd already put Parsons off her relationship with Remus by categorizing him as nothing more than a one-night stand, she decided her first priority needed to be putting him off the Order; the last thing she needed was to have to orchestrate an on-the-fly plan for her and Severus if Parsons mentioned his musings to the table of Death Eaters.

Knowing that Severus would likely hate the hasty plan she'd just envisioned in her head, but not seeing any other choice, Tonks ducked into the back room to scrawl a note on a slip of parchment and perform a charm that brought her back to her student days. She grabbed her tray, steadying the bottle of Firewhisky before it slid to the floor and pushed through the door to deliver the fresh bottle. Staying at the end of the table furthest from Avery, Tonks wandlessly and nonverbally Summoned the dirties, glancing up when the the glass sitting in front of Avery didn't respond to her spell. The git had a finger hooked over the edge of the glass, holding it in place as he watched her with the same smirk he'd worn earlier. Unwilling to play his game—and uncaring at this point if she showed her hand slightly with her wandless magic since her days at the Quill were numbered—Tonks flicked her hand to knock his glass back and Summoned it once more. With the glass finally in hand, Tonks raised her eyebrows in challenge as the man chuckled.

As Tonks poured their drinks and tried to at least catch something of what they were saying, a piece of parchment folded into the shape of a frog hopped onto the table in front of Severus. He regarded the frog with his usual indifference before lazily uncrossing his arms from where they were resting over his chest to unfold and read the note. Tonks counted the seconds until the parchment disappeared in a small puff of smoke and had to stifle a smile at the memory of sending Lucy notes in this fashion during History of Magic classes when they'd been nearly driven to floods from boredom. Watching Severus' inscrutable face as she passed out the round of whisky, Tonks wondered what he thought of her message.

"Anything interesting?" Goyle asked, waving the last little bit of smoke away as it wafted toward his face.

"Nothing that can't wait until I return to the castle," Severus replied tightly, telling Tonks that he was indeed not thrilled with her request.

Tonks slowly placed a glass in front of each Death Eater, edging her way carefully around the table as she completed her task so as not to spill. With Avery's glass in her hand, she silently began the spell to Levitate his drink so she didn't have to reach down in front of him. Before the incantation was finished in her head, he reached up and wrapped his hand around hers.

With a steady look that Tonks hoped was a sufficient imitation of Severus' impassive countenance, she said, "Surely you don't need both of us to 'old your drink."

"I've got something else you could hold instead," he said with a sickening grin.

With a quirk of her eyebrow, Tonks had an insult on the tip of her tongue before she quickly reconsidered. Thinking she should use every opportunity to put off Parsons, Tonks said, "Too bad for you, I'm rather busy at the moment," and wriggled her fingers from underneath his before wrenching her hand away. Though her words were biting, before she walked away she turned toward him and gave him a conspiratorial wink she hoped he'd loudly boast about when she left the table.

As she turned, Tonks heard sniggers and one of the men say, "Doesn't seem as keen on you as you think."

"Should have seen her last time I was here…" Avery began as Tonks approached the bar. Despite the fact that his words were likely to turn her stomach, she forced herself to strain to hear as he continued, "...on her knees…" Tuning out the conversation once she heard chuckles coming from the other men, Tonks silently thanked Avery for having such a predictable male ego.

Knowing Parsons would have the same sensitive hearing as Remus, she hoped he overheard his foul comments in between his discussion with Remus. The implication of what Avery had said certainly left little doubt that their interaction had been more than just barmaid and customer—at least to anyone who didn't know better. Tonks was sure Remus had heard it and was—if his rigid shoulders and tremor to his hand as he reached for his drink were any indication—none too happy.

Putting aside Remus' reaction for now, Tonks sent her tray floating to its spot behind the bar and turned down the short corridor, regretfully ignoring the hidden room so she could go through with the next portion of her plan. She pushed through the door to the ladies' loo and leaned against the sink with her wand drawn just in case it was Avery who followed her rather than Severus.

After a tense minute during which Tonks wondered whether Severus would heed her request or ignore it, he finally pushed through the door with the expected thunderous look on his face. He turned and warded the room before spinning back toward Tonks.

"Did I not tell you—"

Tonks held up her hand. "You can dock House points later, first I need your help," she began, ignoring his anger—there was only so much time she could spend in the loo, after all. "I know you think I'm mad, but I have a reason for what I did, and I think I have a plan. You'll hate it—"

"—It'll be no different than every other fool plan you've come up with lately," he said curtly.

Tonks nodded her head concedingly before saying, "Parsons—the werewolf that's here with Remus—"

"Lupin recognized you, I assume?"

"So does Parsons," Tonks said slowly. "Or at least he…"

Severus contemplated for a moment before his face turned to a look of disgust. "He recognizes your scent. Your werewolf is careless and has put you in unnecessary danger."

"I can—"

Severus stalked closer to her and, in a display of full-on furious Potions Master persona, loomed over her, producing another memory of her Hogwarts days. "Don't. Don't even say it. And do not defend him." He practically spat the words at her. "He is taking a selfish risk I would never entertain no matter—"

Severus stopped suddenly and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and stepping back. The brief silence between them was heavy as Tonks considered his words, unsure as to how much she wanted to wonder about the thought he'd left unspoken.

"I have a plan," she said quietly.

"So you said," Severus replied, his usual mask of indifference sliding back into place as he opened his eyes to regard her steadily. "May I say that yours was the oddest written message I've ever received."

Glad to leave their awkward silence behind, Tonks smiled despite their situation and asked, "Nobody's ever written you a note to meet in the ladies' loo?" Severus simply raised a sardonic eyebrow at her in answer. "Parsons made it clear that he wondered if I'm here as one of Dumbledore's spies. If he's still out there, I need you to do something—or have one of the others do something—that makes it look like I'm here for their side, not ours."

Severus silently regarded her plan for a moment before saying, "This mission needs to come to a close next week." Tonks sighed heavily but nodded in agreement as he continued. "And we shouldn't linger—we've both been gone too long."

As Severus released the wards on the door, Tonks said, "I'll go out first." She cautiously opened the door and found the corridor empty, but pulled her head back in and closed the door when an idea popped in her mind. "Tell Avery I asked about him."

"No."

Tonks rolled her eyes and leaned back against the door. "Yes! Hear me out," she said, her mind working rapidly as plans for ending the mission formed in her head. "It explains why you were gone so long, and we can use it as a means to an end. Tell him my asking roused suspicion, and you decided to find more about Piper—that's how you find out she's a spy!"

Severus pinched the bridge of his nose. "I may enjoy hexing you next week."

"I've no doubt. Now cast your Disillusionment Charm so you can follow me out," Tonks said, smiling as the charm took effect and Severus' scowling face slowly disappeared in front of her.

The night crawled by, and Tonks went about her job settling the tabs of the few other patrons scattered throughout the pub and aiding the group of Death Eaters in drinking themselves stupid as she mulled over possibilities for the following week. As she cleaned and swept under each table after they'd paid and left—having learned her lesson of putting off the work until the end of the night—she considered the list of spells she'd started for Severus and steadfastly ignored the racing of her heart as she wondered if a nonverbal Shield Charm would block the Cruciatus Curse if whomever accompanied Severus decided to break out an Unforgivable.

Parsons seemed to have abandoned prodding her any further and had been focused instead on his conversation with Remus, although he did seem to keep an eye on her as she swept and tidied as best she could. Their conversation seemed to winding to a close as the hour became late enough that it would blessedly time for her to leave soon. Just as she was wondering if Severus was going to go through with approaching her before she left—and she fervently hoped he would approach her himself rather than sending one of the other goons to the bar—he stood from the table full of his raucous colleagues and approached. Thankfully, said colleagues were too busy with their whisky-fueled sermon congratulating themselves on being world-class prats to care that the quietest of their group had left.

After striding to the bar, Severus jerked his head to beckon Tonks to where he stood. She Levitated the last of the clean glasses to the shelves before she walked toward him, hoping to keep the appearance of Piper's aloofness. A quick glance told her Parsons' curiosity was piqued as his eyes followed her while Remus counted out money for their drinks.

Severus raised an eyebrow as Tonks cast a Muffliato Charm before crossing her arms over her chest, hoping that concealing their conversation would further convince Parsons of her possible association with Death Eaters rather than the Order.

"Out of curiosity, where did you happen upon that particular charm?" Severus asked with a curious look of satisfaction on his face.

"It was one of those spells Flitwick didn't teach that made it around the common room."

"It seems your objective has been met—Parsons seems to be intrigued by our conversation," Severus said as he pulled a slip of parchment from his robes and Summoned a quill. "I would suggest your exit be sooner rather than later what with the steadily increasing level of intoxication at that table."

Tonks took the parchment he slid across the bar and picked it up, having to once again smother a smile at the doodle he'd drawn of a stick figure passed out in a chair with a bottle in its hand.

"Bully for me if Avery passes out," Tonks said as she folded the parchment and tucked it inside her camisole.

"He could drink Hagrid under the table—it'll likely be Nott that will need Apparated home."

When Severus gave her a curt nod and turned, Tonks cancelled the Muffliato spell and went to collect the money Remus had left, keeping her eyes focused on the coins in front of her as he donned his cloak and turned for the door. As Remus yanked the door open, Tonks tried her best to ignore Chuck Parsons as he threw back the last of his drink; the fact that he followed Remus' example and left the pub was the only thing that kept her feet rooted in their spots rather than follow Remus out to the alley. The last thing she wanted was to encounter the man while giving Remus a piece of her mind.

Lost in her thoughts, Tonks distractedly charmed a rag to feebly wipe down the counter as the myriad of emotions that ran through her pushed her to wonder just what she would have done if she'd chased Remus and confronted him. The desire she'd felt at the fierce look in his eyes made her want to snog him. The frustration that he had obviously been keeping information about Parsons from her made her want to slap him silly. The satisfaction she felt at finally being able to pull off something worthwhile with her time at the Quill made her want to throw her accomplishment in his face and tell him that the anger—no matter how enticing—she'd seen burning in his eyes was unwarranted. Protective nature be damned. She'd sooner walk over and snog Avery silly before she'd feel guilty or apologize for the danger he likely believed she was in on this mission.

The loud burst of laughter erupting from the table made Tonks snap back to reality. She needed to leave. Immediately. She flicked her wand to stop the rag from it's pursuit, distantly noticing that her boiling emotions had caused her spell to go wonky and the rag to begin wiping the bar top in rapid strokes back and forth, sending drops of water flying about. With barely a word to Quigley that she was leaving—giving a brief explanation that everything was nearly cleaned up—Tonks pushed her arms through the sleeves of her jacket before she all but sprinted to the back door, barely stepping into the darkness before she turned on the spot.

Tonks stalked down the sidewalk, breaking into a run before barreling up the steps to Headquarters, throwing open the door so hard that it slammed into the wall where Mrs. Black's portrait was hanging. In a welcome moment of deftness, Tonks caught the door before it swung back to smack her square in the face, slamming it shut behind her as the portrait's wails echoed through the hall.

"Remus John Lupin!" Tonks shrieked. Footsteps thundered down the stairs as Tonks whirled on the portrait, ignoring Sirius' indignant shouts as he rushed through the entry hall. "Shut your mouth, you bloody, buggering, tosspot!" Tonks punctuated each insult with a Stunner, effectively silencing the foul woman.

"Ace! Merlin knows she needed a good bollocking," he said as he pulled the curtain over his mother's scandalized, but thankfully quiet, portrait. He gestured toward her face. "You'd better morph your face before the old man thumps his way down here and interrogates you or turns you into a ferret."

Heeding Sirius' advice, Tonks paused for a moment to close her eyes and morph her face back to her own before demanding, "Is Remus here?"

"He was, now he's not. He barged in and yelled at Mad-Eye for a few minutes and left—reckon he's gone to your flat to wait for you."

Knowing Mad-Eye would track her down if she didn't actually check in, Tonks pushed past Sirius and stomped up the stairs. She'd reached the landing before Sirius caught up with her, grabbing the sleeve of her jacket.

"Wait."

Tonks jerked her arm away from Sirius and turned, shouting, "No!"

After weeks of uncertainty and frustration, Tonks didn't want to hear any explanation her cousin had for Remus. "Anything you say to me right now defending Remus is worth about as much to me as a pile of Hippogriff shit!"

Sirius had the nerve to smirk. "That's something I know quite a lot about, you know," he said with a snort. "And I was actually going to tell you to give him hell."

Pushing her long, dark hair away from her face, Tonks regarded Sirius for a moment before turning to enter the drawing room. Mad-Eye was sitting on the sofa with his wooden leg propped up on the coffee table. He set aside the report he'd been reading and snatched his reading glasses from his face, tossing them on top of the report before he sat back and crossed his arms over his chest.

"I'm done for the night," Tonks said unnecessarily. "I'll report to Dumbledore tomorrow."

Mad-Eye stared at her for a long moment, his good eye narrowed as his magical one scanned her body, likely checking for injuries. "I told the lad you were a big girl and to stop being such a woman," he finally said, picking up his report and glasses once more.

"Actually, you asked him when he lost his wee bollocks and grew a fanny," Sirius said as he passed Tonks and flopped in a chair.

"Aye."

If she hadn't been so irritated, Tonks would have laughed; having spent countless hours with Mad-Eye as her mentor, she knew that if Remus had stayed, he would have been subjected to more of Mad-Eye's colorful insults. Protective though he was of her, and never one to shy away from telling her if she needed improvement on her vigilance, nobody ever got away with questioning her skills in front of him—apparently not even Remus.

With that thought buoying her, Tonks left, making it out of the house and to the Apparition point in likely record speed. When she landed just outside of her flat, she was face-to-face with Remus. Leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest, he wore the same angry expression he'd been wearing when he'd recognized her at the Quill.

Wordlessly, Tonks pressed her hand to the door and used her wand to release the wards. She pushed through the door and held it open for Remus, who stalked in and whirled to face her. The door had barely closed before she felt Remus' hand circle her wrist as he turned her roughly, pinning her against the door with his body. His eyes were blazing with both heat and anger as he looked down at her; for the first time that night she got a good look at his face and saw the weariness and exhaustion evident in the lines and pallor that showed the full moon was just days away. Neither signs of his impending transformation nor her own anger could distract her fully from the feel of his long, lean body holding her in place as his other hand seized her free wrist, restraining both of her arms helplessly at her sides. Their heated gaze held for a few long moments, before Remus spoke first.

"That is the mission you planned?" Remus demanded, his voice even more hoarse than usual. "You did this knowing you'd be in a room full of Death Eaters every Friday night?"

Refusing to quell under his temper, Tonks simply said, "Yes."

"Are you mad?"

"I'm not mad!" Tonks struggled against his grip and huffed irritably when it became clear her efforts were fruitless. "And you could have bloody well told me that Parsons recognized me. A bit of warning would've been nice, you know."

"I thought he was winding me up, that if you'd come across him during a mission I'd have known it." Remus leaned even closer, sliding a leg between hers and letting it settle against the place where the sweetest ache threatened to derail her thoughts. "That man—Avery. I replaced his scent with my own more than once."

Tonks sighed in an attempt to hide how her breaths were quickening—even angry, she couldn't ignore how she longed for him.

"Is he the one who roughed you up?" he continued, his voice low and dangerous. "Or have you been using him to...gather your information?"

White, hot anger surged through her body, and Tonks knew that if Remus hadn't had ahold of her wrist, she would have slapped him. As it was, all she could do was strain against his grip, considering for a moment using her knee-to-bollocks technique to gain the upper hand. "Bugger off, Remus! Albus Dumbledore asked me to join the Order and I will do that job as I see fit." Her voice rose as her anger swelled. "If that means I keep my cover by letting some blighter convince his knobhead friends I sucked him off—"

"Don't!" Remus growled.

"—then bloody so be it! I was trying to put Parsons off the Order and us, and I reckon it worked."

Remus' expression darkened at her words. "At what cost?" he asked through clenched teeth, releasing her wrists and stepping back, running a hand agitatedly through his hair. "That man now thinks—"

"It doesn't matter! At least it won't after next week" Tonks rubbed her wrists where Remus' long fingers had held on with a vice-like grip, mourning the loss of his body pressed so enticingly close to hers. Remus' head snapped up, staring at her intently. Tonks swallowed and took a shaking breath before saying, "This mission will end next week."

Remus' gaze narrowed. "What aren't you telling me?"

Tonks kept her eyes on Remus, briefly thinking of keeping the details to herself just to spite him, but the indignation in his eyes seemed to be begging her for information after two months of being kept in the dark.

"Piper Smyth is nearing the end of her usefulness," Tonks began.

"Nearing the end of her usefulness," Remus repeated slowly, as if the words were tumbling around in his mind in an effort to add up to meaning something other than what she was implying. "Tell me you don't mean…"

Tonks took a breath, anticipating Remus' anger and willing her voice not to shake. "Severus is going to find out Piper as a spy next week. He's going to…he's going to dispose of her."

"Dispose of her." Remus practically spat the words out. "You mean he's going to kill her." He grabbed Tonks by the shoulders and gave her a little shake. "Have you any idea the danger your putting yourself in?" he bellowed. "How much could go wrong?"

"I know exactly the danger I'm putting myself it, but I'm doing it anyway" Tonks said. "Severus' part as a spy is secured, Piper isn't a loose end, and it can get back to Parsons that she's dead! Now," she continued as she wriggled her shoulders, trying to free herself from Remus' large hands gripping her shoulders. "I've had a shit night after an equally shit week, so if you don't mind—"

Suddenly, Remus wound his hand into her long, dark hair and tugged, tilting her head up as his mouth descended on hers. There was no teasing, no gentle caresses of his lips—gone were his usual sweet, cherishing kisses. This kiss was hot, demanding, bruising even. Tonks reveled in it, kissing him back just as fiercely, wrapping her arms around his neck and clinging to him; she was desperate to be close to him after weeks and weeks of Remus either keeping her at a distance or being away on a mission. She pushed her hands into his hair, closing her fingers around the shaggy strands she loved and waited for him to come his senses, to abruptly stop—as he had done so many times—once he realized just how thoroughly he was kissing her.

But he didn't stop. As he greedily claimed her mouth, his tongue stroking along hers, commanding her to respond, Remus ran his hands down to cup her bottom. Bending at the knees before he thrust his arousal deliciously against her body, Tonks gasped at the surge of desire that was dizzying enough that she swore it would have sent her to the floor if not for the unyielding surface of her door at her back. Her hands unfurled from where they were still grasping his hair, and she couldn't help the low moan that escaped when she dropped her arms to shrug out of her jacket and Remus impatiently pushed it off her shoulders, letting it fall to the ground.

Tonks' mostly-incoherent thoughts swirled in a haze of sensation, but were able to settle on one thing: this was Remus Lupin finally unleashed. His passion and intensity and tenderness seemed to all be focused only on her, and it was a heady and amazing thing. For once he was not holding back, kissing her with abandon as his hands wandered her body, finally sliding under her black jumper to pull down her camisole, boldly caressing her bare skin. Soon she was weak-kneed with desire, barely registering that the sensation of floating was Remus lifting her rather than being carried away in one of her naughtier desire-riddled fantasies of them together.

Tonks clung to him as he carried her to her bedroom. Feeling the soft duvet under her as Remus gently laid her down caused her to shiver in anticipation as she clutched the front of Remus' robes and pulled him to her, raising her head off the bed to meet him in another searing kiss. To her dismay, he broke their kiss abruptly, causing Tonks to prop herself up on her elbows, a groan of protest falling from her lips until she realized that he'd stood only to hastily shrug out of his robes and kick away his boots.

With a determined expression, Remus held Tonks' gaze and crawled over her, letting the weight of his body settle over hers. Looking up at his face, Tonks saw raw need and eyes that were so full of fire and passion and intense longing that a fresh wave of desire pooled low in her abdomen. Unable to stop the traitorous thought, Tonks worried in that moment, as they balanced on a thin precipice, that he would deny her. Thoughts of the empty feeling of loss she'd have to endure if he retreated once more caused unbidden tears to sting her eyes, even as she lied under him and felt his need pressing insistently against her body.

"Please, Remus," she whispered, blinking back her tears. "Please."

A/N: *Gasp* Look at that, just over a week between updates—you're welcome:).

So...what do you all think? Are they finally gonna do it, or not!? Tell me what you think! Just scroll down a little further and click the little box that says "Review"—click it, I say!