A/N: Thank you for the reviews and patience, you guys! Your opinions and support mean the world to me. I hope you enjoy this chapter. xx Sam

I make my way through the tunnel, a million thoughts running through my mind. Trying to keep my hand from trembling to steady my wand light, I keep darting forward in uneven strides. I alternate from jogging to running, as if I am deciding when the Death Eaters – along with my little brother – will most likely strike. Either they'll attack early enough to catch Muggleborns and Squibs out and about, or late enough that it'll be harder for people to keep watch and for the Death Eaters to be captured by any Aurors patrolling the area.

It took me a while to get into the passageway. Many prefects were on patrol a bit earlier like they usually are every weekend to make sure no one sneaks out. The precautions are one of the few things caused by the war that didn't cooperate with me. I had to walk by a few times until the hallways were cleared. To make things worse, a couple of times I'd had to dodge Maggie, who was growing more suspicious by the minute.

I've been running for a good twenty minutes, and I wonder how much further I have to go until I reach the Honeydukes cellar. For a second, I reach for the Map in my pocket, but then realize it would be useless anyway. We should have really considered expanding the scope of the Map to our passageways leading to Hogsmeade.

My legs start to feel sore and my lungs seem like they're on the verge of giving out, but I keep going. However, just as I feel like slowing down again, I realize that I've arrived. I double over, hands on my knees, and try to catch up with my breath. With one last sigh, I heave myself up, climbing through the trapdoor that leads to the cellar.

I stay in a crouch, until I hear nothing but silence in the room to make sure that there's no one around. A thump from the upstairs door makes me jump, but I figure it's just the shopkeeper locking up and leaving. Honeydukes doesn't stay open for long, after all. Slowly, I stand, and walk towards the stairs. I take a step, and then freeze.

It's only now that I realize where I am. I'm in Hogsmeade, after curfew, where an attack is about to take place. The closest I've ever been to an attack was a couple of years ago back in London. But dad Apparated me and Reg out of there before I could even see a flash of green light.

Now, it's different. I've snuck into this place more times than I can count with both hands, but it has always been to nick some sweets when we've been bored in the middle of the night or to roam the rest of the village for whatever we needed for our next prank. But pranks have been the farthest thing from our minds lately, and this time I'm here because my brother is choosing to be part of an attack on the village with the most Aurors on duty outside of England.

It's not even that I know what I'm going to do, or what I want to do. Will I fight against him to stop him? Or protect him? Either way, I'm barely capable of doing either, when all I can think of is how much I want to barge into Grimmauld Place and kill my parents for what they've forced onto my little brother.

I rub my eyes, and take a deep breath. I'm Sirius Black. I'm just gonna have to be prepared for anything. I take another step up the stairs.

When I reach the top of the stairs, I regret making such a confident resolution, because I am definitely not prepared for what I'm seeing right now. Suddenly, I remember that I'm not the only one who knows about the hidden tunnels in Hogwarts and that there's more than one passageway out of that blasted castle.

"What the fuck are you lot doing here?!"

Sitting on the counter is Remus, Frank and Peter, all looking at me pointedly. Lily's standing next to Remus, hands on her hips. And in front of them, with narrowed eyes and crossed arms, is James, who looks like he's seconds away from hexing me.

"What the fuck are we doing here?" he repeats, his voice rising. "We should be the ones asking you that, you git! We're here to take you back before you get your head blasted off."

"How did you even –" I start, but then my eyes find Remus over James' shoulder. "Really, Lupin?! I told you to not fucking stop me!"

He leans back on his hands, glaring at me. "Yeah, because I knew you'd never listen to me, you prick. I had to bring reinforcements."

I raise my eyebrows at Frank and Lily. "Really? You even told them about this?"

Frank laughed bitterly and rolled his eyes. "As much as I appreciate the gratitude you're showing already, if you want to keep things a secret, you might want to check who is still in the bathroom when you and Remus scream at each other about what's happening," he deadpans.

"Besides, Lily already knew," Peter added, his hands shuffling on his knees nervously, as he slouches.

Lily sends me an apologetic shrug and looks away.

"Merlin," I mutter, looking down at the floor, avoiding everyone's gaze. Especially James'.

"Dammit, Sirius, look at me," he says firmly.

I look up at him, spreading my arms. "What? Do you really expect me to just go back to my cozy ol' dorm while my brother is out there getting killed?"

James sighs and clenches his fists. "Sirius, I don't have time for this. We need to go. Now."

"But –"

"Don't even start, Sirius," he interrupts, his face flushed in anger. "Now, come on, we have to hurry before they –"

"James, will you please just –"

I never get to finish, because right then, a scream ripples through the soft hum of the village, and the darkness of the shop becomes illuminated by a flurry of lights coming from outside.

The guys hop off the counter, and in a split second, we all have our wands out. Remus puts a protective arm around Lily, and Frank chances a peek outside the window. I can practically feel my heart stop. Before I know it, I am darting across the shop, heading for the door.

Someone grabs the back of my coat to stop me, pulling me down to the floor in a crouch, and I know it's James before I can even turn around.

"What do you think you're doing?!" he hisses at me.

"I'm gonna go stop my brother from getting killed," I deadpan.

"How!? By getting the rest of us killed?!" James counters, holding my wrist before I bolt out the door again, and gesturing to the others with his free hand.

I look at Frank back against the wall, peeking at the window, looking like a wreck already. He's probably thinking of Alice and how he's ever going to explain this. I look at Peter with his head buried in his hands as he sits next to Frank, taking deep breaths. I look at Lily, shivering and keeping a tight grip on her wand, keeping an eye on Frank and Remus... Remus, who is standing there with an arm around Lily, glaring at me. I feel my heart plummeting against my rib cage as I realize that of all the shit things I've done to him, dragging him out here in the middle of a war and blaming him for it tops the fucking list.

And I look at James, his eyes filled with desperation and frustration. Gods, what am I doing?

Sighing, I nod. "Y-you're right. Gods, I'm full of shit. Let's get out of –"

But before I can finish, another blast sounds outside, closer this time, and we all duck lower.

A wave of heat hits us as we all dive behind the several counters around the shop; Lily, Remus, Frank and Peter crouching behind the cash register and James tugging me behind the display of Sugar Quills across the room.

James and I look at each other warily, our hearts hammering wildly. Just as I am about to crane over the display and take a peek to see whether we can make it to the cellar and hide out without attracting any attention to the shop, the front door is blasted off from its hinges, flying across the room and smashing the glass display of Jelly Slugs next to the cash register.

Shutting our eyes tight and sliding down lower behind the display, it takes everything for me to just not run. As if reading my thoughts, James grabs my wrist and keeps it there, holding me back from anything I might do.

My hand tightens around my wand, and I bite lip, trying to control my heavy breathing. The rush of voices and screams from the street is growing. Pleas, crashes, cracks of apparition, booms, and incantations fill the village rapidly. But regardless of the chaos erupting outside, the most worrying noise is the sound of footsteps crossing the threshold of the store.

"Is this where you said it would be?" a grating voice drawls.

Snape.

"Yeah. In the cellar, I think."

My eyes shoot open. Despair and anger fills my throat like acid. I'd know that voice anywhere.

Regulus.

However, before I can do anything, James pulls me close, gripping my arms and covering my mouth. He widens his eyes in a warning I practically hear. Don't you fucking dare.

I struggle in his grip, panic and urgency flowing restlessly through me. But as soon as Regulus starts talking again, I keep myself still to listen.

"I don't see why we have to do this, Severus," Regulus grumbles. His voice sounds nearer this time, and they're taking slow footsteps, as if unsure whether they should go for whatever they're doing here. "If Sirius finds out that I told you –"

My eyes widen and I turn to look at James questioningly, only to see that his face is already falling with comprehension. He rubs his eyes dejectedly. My confusion grows. What does he understand that I don't?

"Why would I care what your blood-traitor wanker of a brother thinks?"

I chew down on my lip to suppress a growl. I look to James, who is the doing the same thing.

"Besides, I have to seal it. Temporarily, anyway," Snape continues. "Do you want any of our lot to find out about the passageway and get into the castle? You're not the only one who wants to protect certain people who are still in there, okay?"

And suddenly, I have a realization. Lily and I are here. If we just disarmed them right now and tell them to let us go before anyone found us, would Snape and Regulus really refuse us?

"Too risky, Pads," James whispers gloomily as softly as he can, apparently perfectly reading my facial expression. "Might attract attention."

I open my mouth to protest, before I hear the footsteps dim. They're probably descending into the cellar by now. Too late.

Simultaneously, James and I peek around the display we're hiding behind as soon as we hear their footsteps against the creaky cellar floor that's grown familiar to us after all these years. We see Lily rising from her spot, her eyes fixed on the top of the stairs leading to the cellar, and Remus and Frank tugging her down.

She looks over at me pleadingly, and suddenly I understand that we had the same thought. To use Regulus' protectiveness over me and Snape's obsession with her to our advantage.

James looks between us, and groans. "They're sealing the passageway already, okay?" he hisses. "You two better not –"

Before he can finish, a new bunch of footsteps passes through the threshold, and before we can drop back behind the displays, the counters shatter and go flying everywhere, revealing all of us.

We all jump to our feet in front of three cloaked people with masks on. Lily and Remus have already knocked one of them aside onto the floor. It's only when I see that the guy is unconscious that I realize how powerful these two prefects are.

I raise my own wand immediately, pointing at the third person. "Petrificus-"

Before I can even finish, the tallest one waves their wand in a snap, a white bolt shooting out right at me. Thrown off my feet and across the room, I feel my back slam against the wall right as I drop to the floor. The impact on my head makes my vision go blurry and I wince as the blood pools near my eyes.

Through my blurry vision, however, I see the two Death Eaters starting to duel with my friends. Remus takes on one of them on his own, while James and Peter fight the other one. Across the room, Frank looks exactly like me – on the floor, bleeding, and struggling to get up. Only his eyes are fluttering, and his wounds look more severe, losing blood rapidly. Lily tries to get him up and ease his wounds.

I try to push myself off the floor, my arms shaking. I can barely get up, my limbs giving way to the rest of my body, until I hear a blast, a thud, Peter's screams, and a familiar pair of voices that can only belong to Bellatrix and Rodolphus Lestrange.

"Crucio!" they bellow together, and as if the blood has stopped leaking out of me, I shoot up, wand at the ready, to find Peter slumped and unconscious next to Frank – who is slowly getting up with Lily's help – and Remus and James, doubling over on their knees, convulsing in pain.

Their screams and the sight of an unconscious Peter act like a shot of adrenaline.

Without another thought, I whip out my wand as fast as I can."Diffindo! Flipendo!"

The two of them get knocked back, their masks falling from their faces. Rodolphus falls onto the ground among the glass shards, bleeding from his torso, and Bellatrix slams through the glass window, shattering it.

I point my wand at Bellatrix, and to make sure, mutter, "Petrificus Totalus."

Then I rush to help up James and Remus, who are both on all fours, gasping, with tears running down their faces. James immediately goes to Peter, and he and Frank put Peter's arms around their shoulders, helping him stay up.

Lily waves her wand in front of Peter, murmuring incantations under her breath, and then turns to me. She points her wand at me, muttering, "Episkey".

I feel a sting in my wound, but it suddenly feels better. "Thanks," I mumble.

Remus rubs his eyes, and looks around us. Between pants, he asks, "What are we going to do now?"

"Regulus and Snape are probably already sealing the trapdoor, or else they would have come up after hearing all of that, so we can't hide out in the passageway," James says as he tries to steady Peter. "Can't just stay in the cellar, either, because I think those Death Eaters were looking for them when they went in here and if anyone finds us in the cellar while they're still in there, they might take it out them," he adds, casting me a glance. I feel a rush of gratefulness towards him.

"So what are we supposed to do, then?" Lily asks, craning her neck to check through the windows if anyone is within close proximity. "Because we need to get out of here, and Apparating is too risky when none us have even taken the test yet. Same way, then?"

"Guess so," James says, shrugging.

I raise my eyebrows. "What are you talking about?"

"How do you think we got here so quickly after you did?" Remus asks. "The passageway that leads to Gladrags. We thought you'd use that one since it's much shorter and you didn't have to deal with sneaking past the other prefects."

"Oh," is all I can say, feeling stupid. "So what are we waiting for?"

"It'll be tough, it's only down the street, but from what I can hear, that's where all the fighting is coming from, "James says.

"Well, it's not like we have a choice, James," Remus points out. "Let's go."

Without another second to spare, we all hurry out of the store, and step out onto the exposed streets.

We keep our wands raised, but we are greeted only by running villagers, people dashing for shelter, women screaming at each explosion they hear.

Trying not to get ourselves lost in the crowd, we huddle together, and start to make our way down the street hastily. Fear starts to engulf me when I see that where we're heading, there are Death Eaters with wands at the ready, firing random curses and spells at passersby.

Judging by the disembodied screams and commotion and the lack of Aurors in the street, the focus of the attack is a few streets away from here.

"At least there are only four of them," I try to say lightheartedly, as Remus, Lily and I jog towards them, letting James and Frank fall back, shielding them as they carry Peter.

"As opposed to six students, one of whom is unconscious," Remus mutters, as we dart forward.

"Glad to know our chances are good," Lily adds beside me.

I roll my eyes, picking up my pace. Only a few meters away from the Death Eaters who are dueling a few villagers, we try to sneak past them. Gladrags is so close and only a sprint away. We hear James and Frank catching up behind us. I turn around and see James nodding at me, giving me a look that says, 'we're okay. Just keep going.'

And we do keep going.

The crowd has gotten thinner by the time we are nearer to the attacks. We hurry through the flock of people, feeling more exposed. I fall back a bit, letting Frank, James and Peter go ahead.

Everything seems too manageable until I hear Rodolphus' voice behind us. "There they are! I told you they'd still be here. Go take care of them, Snape!"

I spin around to see Rodolphus, being followed by two shorter Death Eaters. Surely, by the uncertain manner of their half-raised wands, they were Snape and my brother.

"Get Peter to safety! We'll handle this!" I hear Remus yell at James. No sooner than a second later, I feel Remus and Lily at my side.

Before we can even blink, blinding lights start shooting all around us. We start swirling our wands as fast as we can, keeping steady as we shoot our own offenses at them

The jets of spells and curses light up the dark streets while we deflect everything being thrown at us. Remus manages to stun the shortest one – my brother – throwing him back a few meters. I feel thankful because that's better than any fate I could have imagined for him.

Rodolphus growls and fires a red light at Remus, which he nimbly dodges this time.

We continue to jab our wands in their directions, spells barely hitting their targets or just being met with shield charms. My arm starts to ache, but I ignore it, knowing that it only takes a single second off-guard to kill me.

Rodolphus raises his wand towards Remus, as I duck from another curse from Snape.

"Cru-"

"Ventus!" Remus yells before Rodolphus can finish. A blast of wind shoots out and knocks the Death Eater aside, sending him tumbling into the ground.

"Petrificus Totalus," Lily adds, binding his body on the stony path, leaving us alone with Snape.

"You idiots," he mutters, before pointing his wand at me – carefully avoiding Lily, of course. "Sectumsempra!"

I get fazed for a second by the familiarity of the spell, but it gets deflected immediately by a 'Protego!' coming from a voice behind us.

I turn around to see James jogging up to us. "Frank and Peter are okay," he hastily informs, before lifting up his wand towards Snape.

"Don't you fucking mess with my best mate, git," James growls, before lifting his arm and yelling, "Stupefy!"

Snape yells, "Protego!" shielding himself from James' stunning spell. However, at the corner of my eye, I see Remus flicking his wrist and sending a quick bolt of red towards Snape, making him fall backwards.

"Where'd you learn that?" I mutter, as we turn around and start running away.

"I actually learn things from the books I read, wanker," he answers. But for the first time in months, it sounds lighthearted.

Crack.

In front of us, just as we stop a couple meters away from Gladrags, materializes Bellatrix and a masked Death Eater.

"Well, Lucius, isn't this cute?" she drawls, before a new array of spells start hurtling towards us.

We elevate our wands, trying to get a clear shot at either of them, but all we manage to do is block everything they're firing at us. I whip my wand around, casting a dozen shield charms per minute.

Malfoy, as he shoots different spells at us, shouts over our shoulders, "SNAPE! GET UP FROM THERE AND BE USEFUL!"

Surely enough, seconds later we hear footsteps running towards us.

In a simultaneous fluid movement, Remus and Lily both turn around and start firing at Snape, as James and I continue to hold off Malfoy and Bellatrix.

Then, I hear a new voice.

"Everte Statum!"

I look towards the Gladrags store entrance to see Frank with his wand pointed at Lucius, who is lifted upwards and backwards before slamming into the concrete.

Bellatrix gets distracted for a moment, and I take the opportunity.

"Reducto!"

She gets blasted aside, shrieking, smashing against a wall.

James and I start forward towards the shop, but when we turn around we see Remus and Lily still battling against Snape.

"Stupefy!" Snape shouts again, pointing at Remus.

A look of panic flashes across Lily's face, as she dives forward, pushing Remus out of the way.

My face pales as the spell hits her square on the chest, and she falls, her head crashing into the ground. A pool of blood immediately forms.

"LILY!" James yells, darting forward and scooping her into his arms. Frank follows to help James carry her. James casts a wary glance at us.

"Get her out of here, Prongs! We can handle this!" Remus screams over his shoulder, as he sends another spell towards Snape, sending him tumbling backward. But Snape seems to have given up, his wand arm limp at his side. Even with his mask on, I know that his face is horror-stricken by what he has done to Lily.

So I use it to my advantage, and stun him, leaving him crashed against the pavement.

When Remus and I move to follow James and Frank into the store, Bellatrix finally manages to stagger up, sneering at us.

"You've got to be kidding me," I mutter, as Remus and I immediately start firing at her.

She deflects and dodges the spells effortlessly, laughing maniacally. "I haven't seen you since you left, cousin," she drawls without the rhythm of her dueling faltering. "I always expected a reunion warmer than this."

I smirk. "Warmer, huh?" I ask, before waving my hand. "Lacarnum Inflamarae!"

A ball of fire shoots from the tip of my wand, tearing towards her. She ducks just in time. She straightens, scowling at me. "You good for nothing brat! Cru –"

"Crucio!" I beat her to it, making her curl into herself, clutching at her torso.

But she looks up, laughing again. "You're supposed to mean it, Sirius! How dare you... Avada Kedavra!"

My heart stops beating as I stand frozen on the spot, and several things happen in the span of a second.

I watch in slow motion as the jet of green light hurtles towards me. This isit.

Bellatrix has already thrown her hands up in victory. Then, a weight slams against my side, knocking me to the floor.

I feel the hard concrete against my back, my eyes still focused on the green blur of light. And it's heading for Remus.

However, Remus dodges the curse, missing it by no more than a couple of centimeters.

I feel my heart fill with relief as I prop myself up on one elbow, aiming at Bellatrix. "CRUCIO, YOU MOTHERFUCKING BITCH!"

This time she falls onto her knees, screaming, holding onto her sides. Her wand is cast aside, and she sinks lower into the ground, choked cries coming from her trembling mouth. I cannot bring myself to be terrified of the pleasure of seeing her writhing in agony, because it is only now that I can fully fathom the rage. It is only now that I realize that the split second that the jet of green light was surging towards Remus, my heart was plummeted into a black abyss. It surprises me how much of the anger in me is focused on Remus as well. Why the fuck would he risk his life like that?

Remus, interrupting the ongoing curse, knocks my arm away, and yells, "Stupefy!"

A stunned Bellatrix collapses onto the ground, as Remus hastily pulls me up. I sway a bit, but Remus puts my arm around his shoulder, steadying me.

We stagger into Gladrags, greeted by Frank rushing forward to help Remus steady me. My ankle must have broken my fall, because it hurts like hell, and when I try to put my weight onto it, I feel like stumbling down. While Remus locks up and double checks to see that Bellatrix is still knocked out, Frank leads me to the back of the empty store, through a concealed trapdoor in one of the dressing rooms, and down a ladder. We find ourselves in a dark chamber lit with only wand light. Across is the start of the passageway, where Peter, slumped against the wall, is slowly coming to, rubbing a big bruise on his forehead among several gashes, and James is holding Lily in his arms. The wound has been reduced to one gash, with several bruises across her face.

James looks up from Lily immediately and relief grows on his face. He gently settles Lily down onto Peter's lap and jogs towards me, giving me a bear hug. I hug back, patting his back.

"Calm down, Potter," I laugh through my panting. "Can't get rid of me that easily."

"Sod off, Pads," he murmurs. "I love you, okay?"

I chuckle, pulling away. "Hey, I love you too, Jamie, but don't get all emotional on me. I'm still here."

"And Regulus?"

"Knocked out," I mutter, feeling a bit anxious, but deep inside, I know nothing too bad can happen to him at this point. "But I'll think he'll be alright

He smiles at me sympathetically. Then he looks over my shoulder, a look of horror painted on his face. "Wait, where's Remus?!"

"Calm down, he's right behind us," Frank assures, as he walks over to Lily.

"Are you sure?" James asks me, worry growing in his eyes. "What if he –"

Before he can finish his sentence, we hear footsteps, and soon enough, Remus is descending down the ladder.

James lets out a relieved sigh, and steps forward to hug him too. "My Moooooooony," he coos, crushing Remus. Remus laughs and squeezes back before struggling out of James' grip. Then, as soon as he turns to me, I snap.

"What the bloody fuck were you thinking, Lupin?!"

James frowns, staring at me. "Sirius, what are you talking about?"

"He dived in front of a fucking killing curse, that's what!" I answer, flailing my arms in emphasis.

James' eyes grow wide, turning to Remus.

"What was that about, huh?!" I go on, jabbing a finger into his chest.

Remus raises his eyebrows at me, backing away from me. "I was saving your sorry arse, that's what!"

"I was handling it –"

"Could have fooled me," he counters before I can even stop talking.

I feel anger boil in my blood. How dare he do something so stupid? How can he just put his life on the line like that? How could he risk leaving us? Leaving me?

And he's just standing there acting like he doesn't mean the whole fucking world to me.

To us, I correct my thoughts hastily.

"Hey, you two," James starts, "calm down, let's just –"

"Why the fuck did you get in the way, you tosser?!" I yell at Remus, ignoring James.

Remus laughs bitterly, glowering at me "Well, it's always nice to be thanked. You're fucking welcome."

"Shut up, Lupin, you shouldn't have done that! You should have… should have…" I trail hopelessly, getting more frustrated.

"Should've what?!" Remus challenges. "I should've just let that curse hit you?!"

"It would've hit you too, Remus!" I retort. "You're not invincible, either, you know. Why would you risk your life like that?!"

Remus shakes his head in disbelief. "You really don't get it, don't you?"

"Get what?!"

Remus inhales impatiently, glaring at me. "Because I can risk my life, but I can't handle risking yours! I can't handle putting you in danger. I can't handle losing you."

I feel my heart lurch and my eyes sting.

"And you think I can handle losing you?!"

We stand in front of each other, panting. My throat feels raw from the screaming, and the look on his face lets me know I got him off guard. We just look at each other, waiting for someone to speak up, our chests heaving with the exhaustion that we now fully feel.

Then, as if something broke, we rush forward into each other's arms, hugging each other so tight it hurt.

From here, I can still hear the commotion from the streets. Crashes. Screams. Explosions. But as I hold him in my arms, something stirs within me and for the first time tonight, I suddenly feel all fear evaporate.

At the thought, I remember something James said up in the Astronomy Tower weeks ago when I was complaining about Maggie. 'When you really, really like someone, the attraction can make you deaf to the loudest explosions and the greatest wars.'

My heart starts pumping faster, fast enough to make me nervous that he might feel it against his chest. I try to push my thoughts away, failing at the attempt.

"I'm so sorry. Gods, I'm so sorry," I whisper, still not letting him go.

He rubs my back, his voice all cracked. "It's okay. None of us blame you. We're always going to be there for –"

"That's not what I meant and you know that," I interrupt. "For everything. I'm so fucking stupid. I'm sorry."

I can't see him, but I feel him nod. "Like I said, Padfoot, it's okay. It's okay."

My heart twists at hearing that nickname from his mouth. "Moony," I mumble.

"Friends?" he asks.

I thought you wanted more than that?I catch myself thinking, but I clear my throat, and reply. "Best mates, you wanker."

"Prick."

"Arsehole."

"Mutt."

"Is a post-life threatening situation not a good time to retort with a Werewolf joke, or…?"

I feel – more than hear – him laugh, and everything goes blurry.

I want to just walk away and leave my thoughts here in this chamber. But this is Remus. This is Remus and I've done too much to walk away from someone I love. As a friend, I add, although I'm not sure why I feel like I have to clarify that to myself.

So instead, I bury my face into the crook of his neck, not sure whether I'm trying to drown out the noise of the riot or the noise of my thoughts. Or maybe those are just excuses, and this is just how I want to stay for a long time.

As Remus pulls away – a little too soon – and smirks at me, I know the answer.

I'm fucked.

Preview:

"Pads? You okay there, mate?"

"Of course I'm okay. Why wouldn't I be?"

"You've been acting...different."

"Well...something's changed."

"What's changed?"

"...Nothing. Never mind."