Chapter title from "You Make My Dreams (Come True)" by Hall and Oates.

Sirius could feel his limbs twitching against the mattress but was powerless to open his eyes. He wore his tattered prison stripes once again, hands magically bound behind his back. He could tell it wasn't a memory, for as he drifted back and forth between being himself and seeing himself, he could see he was strong, with defined muscles and a slight tan; longer, shinier curls; his facial hair neatly shaven. And he wore a gold band adorned with etched moons and diamond stars. His captor was walking him through a crowd of jeers and pointed stares. An owl flew overhead, and he could hear her grating squawk; it looked like Hedwig, but with red eyes.

Next thing he knew, Sirius was on a small, rickety wooden boat being tossed through the giant waves of the North Sea. A man sat on his right, his face completely hidden by lank, greasy black curtains of hair that looked like it hadn't been washed in weeks. He was also in Azkaban-issued garb, though his looked newer. He wore a glowing green ring overlaid with braided black metal, studded with emeralds. Sirius knew both rings would be taken the minute they arrived at the door of the imposing dark gray tower that loomed ahead. He saw a vision of Colleen with tears in her eyes, and he pushed it away.

The hooded figure piloting the boat through the roaring sea was rather small compared to most Azkaban prison escorts, and was quiet and stoic rather than the usual boisterous braggarts who rather enjoyed taunting new prisoners. When they reached the rocky shore, the escort pointed to the tower ahead with a youthful hand. Sirius charged forward as if under the Imperious Curse, knowing what was going to happen and how powerless he was to stop it. His companion in the boat remained seated and hidden behind his curtains of hair.

"Come along, Snape." The voice that emerged from the hood was impatient, but not unkind. Familiar, but older.

"Harry?" Sirius heard himself ask shakily.

The figure removed its hood, and Sirius was left staring into Harry's sad eyes, the boy's mouth held in an expressionless line. The air around them was filled with disappointment, guilt, and regret. Two shadowy figures slid over what was left of the setting sun, and Sirius's bones were immediately chilled from the inside with an inhuman cold.

"Sirius?"

Hands gripped his arms firmly but somehow tenderly, yet he jumped and threw them off. He couldn't trust any touch in this place, this watery pit of hell.

"Sirius, please wake up. Everything's fine...you're home."

The hands were back, this time with gentle lips on his forehead. He opened his eyes to moonlight filtered through sheer sea blue curtains, an enchanted candle with its faint dancing flame, and Colleen's eyes fixed on him, full of fear, concern, love, and an effort to understand. His hand was shaking as he reached for a curl of her hair, drawing it to his face, breathing in her rosemary shampoo mixed with the faded notes of the perfume he'd smelled in his heart before he even knew her. He allowed the scent to hover in his mind and bring him back to the present. The present, though, wasn't just nestled with Colleen in a perfect seaside house. It was also Harry, now an adult, off on his own and hunting down pieces of the Dark Lord's soul in an effort to save them all. And Sirius had officially missed out on his very last chance to be a part of his childhood.

Sirius buried his face in his hands to shield Colleen from the tears that were threatening to break through. Colleen was powerless in these dark times, and she needed him to be strong, always. She had to be able to have faith in him not to fall apart.

"Sirius, whatever it is, it's not real. You and I are real. Ben. Our family here, in this house." She pulled him back to lean against her, smoothing his hair with one hand while the other grasped his fingers in hers.

"Our family in this house," he repeated bitterly. "Which is who, Colleen? The Death Eater and the Dark Lord's daughter? My friends who get to live a double life, enjoying the best of both worlds, living off of me, then going and living the life I'm supposed to be living, with my godson?"

Colleen promptly let go of his hand. "You don't mean that," she said quietly. "Rhiannon and Severus are doing everything they can to protect us. Remus is your best friend, Tonks your cousin. You take care of Remus because you love him like a brother. They go to take care of Harry, to make sure he feels loved. And to make sure you have news and updates on his life. Sure, it might not look exactly the way you want it to, but it's the best it can realistically be. And it's the best because all of these people care about you enough to make it that way."

Her words were trying to talk sense into him, to make him feel better, but Sirius knew Colleen was hurt by what he'd said. As she should be. It was a dick move. He was just so frustrated by the missed opportunity with Harry that his mind would get stuck in circles, trying to find some way to recapture something that never was and now never could be. And he let his jealousy over the others and their proximity to Harry eat away at him until it bubbled over in those harsh, angry words. He was grateful to have Colleen as a sounding board before he damaged his relationships irreparably.

"I dressed as a fucking Death Eater, Colleen, and sent hexes toward my own friends when they were already fighting for their lives. I hate playing the role of some damn double agent. I live with Albus Dumbledore's murderer. I've kept my very existence secret from my godson for over two years. How am I ever going to explain that to Harry? How can I ever expect him to forgive me?" Sirius felt tears pushing against his eyes again, and he looked away from her.

"The truth," she said simply. "The whole truth. Everything you did and all the reasons why. If anyone can understand the greater purpose behind it all, it's Harry. He is the greater purpose."

Sirius nodded miserably and pulled himself back up to sit again. "And I should be out there helping him. Not sitting here playing chess and frolicking in the waves and stuffing my face full of fancy food like some lazy spoiled wanker."

Colleen let out a sharp sigh. "I feed you 'fancy' food because I love you and it's the only damn thing I can do to be useful to all of you. And as far as chess games and playing on the beach, that's called being a dad to your son. Your son, Sirius, who loves you. Don't waste your precious time with Ben by being so full of regret over your past. Because then there will come a day when you realize you lost them both. You've got to get out of your head. Let everything play out the way it will. I know you will never stop loving Harry, and I don't want you to. But I do want you to love him by hoping for the future, not dwelling over some phantom past. Please?"

Gods, she was beautiful. And bloody brilliant. And everything Sirius could possibly need.

"I don't deserve you," he said darkly. "I honestly don't know why you even wanted to sign on to this mess."

"Well, I didn't," she said with a small laugh. "Not the mess anyway. But I loved you in spite of it, and somewhere along the way, I fell in love with the mess, too."

Sirius just gazed at her, in a mix of disbelief, gratitude, and something bordering on worship. She was right. He had to be present for her and for her son. Their son. He couldn't give up these beautiful, living, breathing, vibrant souls that loved him to keep chasing after a ghost. And sadly, that's all these unrealized ideals of his past were.

"I'm sorry, love. I guess I should have found a way to bring Dr. Moody with me to Scotland, huh? Seems like I still have a lot to work through."

Colleen shook her head. "Severus never would have allowed it. It's too dangerous for anyone to know where we are. But you have a house of people that love you. I know it's not the same as actual professional help, but until we're safe, you'll just have to lean on us. ALL of us. Please don't write off your friends, okay?"

Sirius laughed under his breath. "I don't know what I was thinking, trying to be 'friends' with Snape."

"What happened between the two of you? Lately, I mean. I thought things were getting better?"

Sirius didn't really know how to answer. His mind drifted back to the dream. "It's like we're no different from one another, anymore," he finally answered quietly. "Like I'm no better than he is. After the other night. Feeling what it's like to do what he does."

Colleen's brows were furrowed, her lips starting to open like she wanted to say something, but her mind was trying to find the least offensive way to say it.

"Okay, I'm going to tackle this one," she finally began. "First off— this 'better or worse' than Severus stuff is nonsense. You're both human— wizards, yes— but I think that while wizards are capable of being far superior humans, they're also capable of being far more terrible humans. Everything you do is magnified, one way or the other. You and Severus have both suffered immensely, basically as far back as you can remember. If the two of you had only made one or two decisions differently, it could have set off a course where you helped heal each other instead of becoming bitter enemies. And maybe made fewer mistakes along the way. Who knows?"

Colleen paused to press a soft kiss to his cheek.

"But again, just like I said before— the past needs to be left there. There's too much at stake here in the present. And about what you did the other night during the battle— you know full well that wasn't you. And it's not him either. You're both doing what is necessary. I think it's incredibly brave."

Sirius pulled her to him and just held her. It occurred to him that they didn't do this all that often— just held each other in silence, without any intention of going further. He leaned backward to settle on his pillow again, bringing her to his chest. She immediately settled in, running her hand along his stomach before coming to rest on his heart. Sirius kissed her head.

"I'm sorry I woke you, my love. Let's sleep, all right?"

"Are you okay?" Colleen's voice sounded very uncertain. She was perceptive, and not easily dismissed.

"I will be. Just need to rest without these nightmares."

"Dreamless Sleep," she said quickly.

Sirius nodded. "Exactly. That would be heaven."

"No, I mean the Potion," she corrected with a small giggle. "I've been trying to get up the courage to ask Severus to let me try brewing something. I think I'll see if he will teach that one to me."

Sirius grunted. "Good luck with that one. I have a feeling you'll regret asking."

Colleen shrugged. "He's not so bad. I think I understand him a little better now. And it's worth it, to help you get a good night's rest for a change. I love you, Sirius."

"I love you, too, sweet Colleen." Sirius kissed those dark pink lips whose softness always seemed to warm his soul. He prayed that the warmth would hold him from the icy cold sea of his mind until morning.

It turned out that the warmth did hold until morning; in fact, Sirius's mental exhaustion was so compounded that he slept well into the afternoon. He stepped groggily into the shower, turning the water as hot as it would go until his tattooed skin was nearly scalded. He enjoyed the feeling. It made him feel alive.

"I can't believe Skeeter has the Number One spot and the book hasn't even been released yet!"

Rhiannon's lamentation drifted up from the dining room as Sirius made his way downstairs in a t-shirt and jeans. Colleen stood from the table immediately when she saw him, bringing her arms around him before busying herself making his plate of spaghetti and salad. It was only the women and Ben present for dinner; Sirius assumed Snape was either tied up with Hogwarts business or plotting with his fellow Death Eaters at Malfoy Manor, since they had taken over the Ministry and now basically ran the whole of Great Britain. He was surprised to see Remus absent, though, and was immediately filled with worry.

"Where's Moony?"

"Gone to Headquarters," answered Rhiannon. "Harry's there."

Sirius was folding his napkin into his lap but paused and let it drop to the floor. "What? Harry's at Grimmauld Place?" Home. His home - as complicated as that word was, when you were the black sheep of the family. The home they'd shared for all too brief a time. The house that had magically recognized him, his wife, and his child all as family even before it was official. They could apparate there now. Be together.

Tonks was no Legilimens, but she quickly nipped her cousin's dreams in the bud.

"The Ministry has made it all but impossible for us to go anywhere without being seen. Remus was going to be extremely cautious, as it's very likely there are Death Eater guards all over the square, looking for Harry. The Ministry's a bunch of puppets now, for the Dark Lord."

Sirius looked to Rhiannon for confirmation.

"It's true," she admitted. "We— they— have put much of the staff under the Imperius Curse, and even if they aren't, they have to do Pius Thicknesse's bidding or lose their livelihoods. And he's completely under my father's control. That's the subtlety of it all— there was no giant coup, with the exception of killing Scrimgeour, of course. But not many know the truth about that; the official word is that Scrimgeour resigned. So to most people, it's business as usual at the Ministry in terms of there being no giant shakeups. Only policy changes. Big ones. All Muggleborn witches and wizards are now required to register and prove a close wizarding relative, or else be criminally charged."

Colleen's head snapped up, and she secured a hand around Ben's arm as he slurped up a noodle.

"It's all right, Colleen," Rhiannon said gently. "He's not school age yet. So he's off the radar, so to speak."

"Unless Robert's relatives somehow use this against us," Colleen reminded her tightly. "Which is always a possibility."

"And why we're together, here," Rhiannon replied. "I've been battle trained by Severus Snape, yet he keeps me home as his little wife and never lets me use it. I'm itching to defend your honor." She gave Colleen a wide grin, stroking her forearm with one teasing finger.

"That's not all she's itching to do," Tonks quipped, and Rhiannon gave her a pointed glare.

Sirius sighed. "That's enough of that. Why aren't you with your husband, cousin?"

Tonks' sly grin left her face, and her hair seemed to dull a bit in its shade. "He wanted to go alone. Said I was better off here. Defending you all if needed."

"Hey, I can take care of myself." Sirius felt his agitation rise. "And my family. I don't need to hide behind a bunch of skirts."

Tonks's dark eyes grew enormous with indignation. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm in brand new studded jeans- no skirt. There's an amazing punk store down in the village. Never would have thought it out here. Got this there too." She indicated a leather choker studded with metal and diamonds to match her jeans. "And I don't appreciate the insinuations. Pretty sure the witches at this table could sweep you under it if we wanted."

"Just because I had one flub up at the Ministry..." Sirius muttered, stabbing his fork down into a wad of pasta that he shoved in his mouth rather angrily.

Tonks let out a giant guffaw. "Flub up? Your ego wouldn't stop yapping until you pissed Her Royal Bitchiness off enough to Stupefy your pompous arse right into Death itself. Oops...sorry Benji...Colleen." She winced apologetically. "And who saved you? A witch. I think she was even wearing a skirt that day."

"I was," Rhiannon confirmed. "And I didn't bring you back to be all mopey and sullen around the house all day."

"Daddy's grumpy!" Ben declared with a grin, which Sirius actually had to acknowledge with a laugh and an affectionate tickle of the boy's dimpled cheeks.

"What should we do to cheer him up, Benji?" Rhiannon asked, reaching for his little hand and pulling him to the living room. She commanded everyone else to follow.

"I need to do the dishes, Rhiannon," Colleen protested.

"Colleen, you are not a house elf! And the dishes can wait. Right now we are having a dance party."

The witch bypassed the old gramophone in favor of the CD player from Colleen's old flat in Highbury that Sirius had enchanted last year, much to her delight. Colleen loved music and dancing, and Sirius would never forget some of the first few moments he'd laid eyes on her while she was dancing in the London nightclub.

"Rhiannon, play 'Shoop,'" he instructed.

"Sirius..." Colleen said with a blush. She'd been so drunk that night she barely remembered anything, but she did admit to vaguely remembering the song.

"This time you get to dance with me instead of that jerk from the club," Sirius said huskily in her ear. Colleen laughed and mimicked her adorably awkward nightclub moves up against him while Rhiannon and Tonks took turns twirling Ben around.

"Don't know how you do the voodoo that you do so well, it's a spell, hell, makes me wanna shoop..." Colleen attempted her best rap, which had Tonks in a fit of giggles with her hair decidedly violet again in that moment.

The music was so loud they didn't notice Snape walk in until the song had died out. He stood in the front entry hall, glowering at them, arms crossed, buttoned up tight in black. Rhiannon's eyes lit up when she saw him, and she pulled him onto the "dance floor" they'd created in the living room by magically moving a loveseat out of the way.

"Here, give me your wand," Colleen said eagerly, fumbling in Sirius's pockets.

"Now, my love, ask nicely," he teased, but placed the long wooden wand in her hand. She pointed at the CD player, and Sirius obliged her by placing his hand in the proper spot and directing the spell.

"You Make My Dreams Come True," she whispered, and he repeated after her.

"I love this one!" Rhiannon exclaimed. "Dance with me, Severus!"

"To this Muggle rubbish?" Snape sneered, but he didn't seem all that combative this evening. He permitted Rhiannon to sway up against him, allowing his hands to rest at her tiny waist where her shiny purple tank top met her light blue jeans. The witch wore a broad smile as she reached a hand out to Colleen for her to join them.

Sirius's wife left him shyly and slipped behind Rhiannon, her hands closing over Severus's as she mimicked Rhiannon's movements. Sirius felt a slight tug below his waist at the sight of them, and his eyes narrowed. It was that damn Polyjuice experience, messing with his mind. Their connections were starting to jumble together. That had to be it.

"Come on. Benji, let's find some dessert," Tonks said quickly, lifting Ben up with a wink to Sirius.

"What are you waiting for, Sirius?" Rhiannon taunted him. Those green eyes of hers started to glimmer subtly with their amber strands, as they always did whenever she turned on her innermost magic. Sirius had become all but immune to her spell over the last year, but he was beginning to feel its nagging tickle as he watched it overtake his wife. He felt Snape's eyes dart in his direction, not angry, but gauging his reaction. The man wasn't dancing, still standing like a statue as his wife gyrated against him.

"Come on, Sirius," Colleen laughed, giving a little shimmy of her hips against Rhiannon's behind. "It's just a bit of fun. We need it right now." Her blue eyes fixed on his and her lips formed a bit of a pout.

Sirius reluctantly moved into place behind his wife, his hands resting on the lower front of her thighs, feeling the beautiful curve of her behind press immediately to his growing erection. Knowing such a phenomenon was taking place in such close proximity to Snape was unnerving, and he was grateful Moony wasn't there to witness it. Severus wore a bemused smirk, and Rhiannon was in seventh heaven as she spun around to face Colleen this time, wrapping her arms around her waist as she leaned back into Severus. Because of Rhiannon's shorter height, Colleen's face was a bit closer to Snape's than Sirius would have liked. Memories of past insecurities haunted him, with the unwelcome thoughts of having the man swoop in and steal another heart that already belonged to Sirius. He was rather good at that. Sirius's mental instinct was to pull her away, but the way Colleen leaned her head down to Rhiannon caused his body to stay in place.

Sirius swallowed. He felt something electric seem to travel over his skin as the two women's lips came together. He recalled the feeling of kissing Colleen under Polyjuice as Rhiannon, and how Colleen had come alive at the sensation. He couldn't be too upset; the witch was her sex magic teacher after all. It was natural, right?

Sirius glanced at Severus, who remained completely still save for a slight shrug in response to Sirius's questioning gaze. Snape must approve of the union, or else his soul bond with his wife would have caused Rhiannon pain by now. She had to have his consent to be with another, even with just intimate touches. Sirius heard Colleen's breath hitch and saw the glimmer of Rhiannon's tongue enter his wife's mouth through their parted lips. His cock was straining against his jeans now, and his head was spinning. Feeling possessed, he lowered his own lips to his wife's exposed neck, his fingers drifting down to the hem of her summer dress, sliding down to stroke her inner thigh. He heard Colleen moan into Rhiannon's mouth in response. Sirius couldn't really see Snape at this angle, but he thought he finally heard him shift a little against his witch's backside.

How far is this going to go? Sirius wondered, not sure he was ready for the answer. The answer apparently wasn't ready for him either, because not even a minute later, the front door burst open to reveal a distraught and disheveled looking Remus, whose eyes grew as big as saucers when he saw the foursome that broke apart quickly and met his awkward stare.

"Erm, Tonks and Benji are in the kitchen, looking for some dessert," Sirius managed to squeak out nervously.

"Ah, is that what this is? Dessert?" Remus's tone was humorous, but his expression looked completely haunted. The others seemed to register this fact also, the fire of the previous mood now extinguished just as quickly as it had built.

"I'm going to do those dishes," Colleen muttered, her pale cheeks ablaze.

Rhiannon looked like she wanted to follow her, but Snape gripped her hand firmly and led her upstairs.

"You all right, Moony?" Sirius asked him with a sigh, running his fingers through his hair as he tried to think of random oddities to put out the fire in his pants. He needn't have worried, because Remus's words immediately steered his mind in a different direction.

"Harry's about to go on some big mission, with Ron and Hermione. He's not going back to school. I asked him if I could go along, and they refused." His face looked pained, and Sirius knew there was something more to the story.

"You don't need to go along," Sirius responded slowly. "You need to be with your wife."

Remus sat down on the loveseat they had pushed aside for their dancing, head in his hands. "I know she's your cousin and you'll probably turn into Padfoot and rip me to shreds. But I'll tell you what I told Harry. I think I made a mistake, Pads. I told you all along that all I could do was hurt her. And now I'm hurting a child too."

Sirius shook his head. "As long as you are there being a dad to your child, you're not hurting him or her. And the few days a month you have to be away is no matter at all— it's like a Muggle dad traveling on business. The rest of us will step in and help."

Remus's hands formed into fists, frustrated. "You're not understanding. My child could be disappearing monthly, too! Do you not understand how this condition works? I could have sentenced my own flesh and blood to being born as a monster!"

"So the answer was to run away?" Sirius challenged him. He immediately felt guilty. "I'm sorry, that was harsh. I just don't understand how you leaving solves anything."

"Yes, and neither did Harry," Remus said bitterly. "In no uncertain terms."

Sirius nodded slightly. "I can see why Harry may have felt that way. He probably feels like his own life has been nothing but one giant abandonment. Much of that blame being on me."

Remus let out a broken sigh and seemed to choke back a sob. It tugged at Sirius's own raw grief from the past 24 hours and seemed to bring it to the surface again. It had been nice to let it give way to pure lust for a few minutes.

"Look, you did the right thing by coming back," Sirius commended him gently. "Colleen had to tell me last night to get out of my head and stop thinking about the past and things that are lost. So I'm going to tell you to stop thinking about the future and things that could be. There is a very real chance that your child will be fine— healthy, happy. And a mirror of the very best things about you and my cousin. That chance is just as real— probably technically more likely, though I'm no wizard geneticist— than the outcome you're dreading. But either way, thinking about it now does nothing except tear you away from the ones you love. You've got to focus on the here and now. And that's not all sunshine and roses; we're fighting a war. But the happiness within these walls, and the war outside, is present and real. And that is where your focus should be. Okay, Remus?"

Sirius laid his hands on his friend's shoulders, kneeling down to look him in the eye. It was one of many times they'd been in a position just like this, since their days together at Hogwarts. Sirius kept Remus from spiraling, and now Sirius had Colleen to keep him from doing the same. They were clearly all meant to be under this roof right now, for so many purposes it was almost mind-boggling. And Sirius was immensely grateful.

Remus nodded, sniffing back the tears that had started to form. "I'm sorry, Pads."

"Don't be sorry." Sirius stood and pulled him into a hug, being sure to step aside to avoid sharing further evidence of the nature of his previous encounter.

Remus let out a chuckle. "This is really going to happen, isn't it?"

"What?" Sirius blinked and feigned confusion.

"You know exactly what I mean." Remus pursed his lips in amusement. "You and Severus. Sharing your wives. If it goes beyond that, please don't tell me."

"It won't," Sirius assured him. "He and I love our wives madly. It will always be about the two of them."

He stopped, suddenly faced with the glaring possibility of watching Severus and Colleen together. He hadn't seen any evidence of attraction between the two of them. Maybe it would never come to that point. Maybe only the relationship between the two women would be added into the mix. That was easy enough to get behind. Obviously it would be easier if Sirius and Rhiannon's relationship stayed in the past and buried also. His mind darted to their playful antics in the water a few days earlier, and how his mind had raced a bit as Rhiannon had chased him beneath the waves. It wasn't even in the same galaxy as his love for Colleen, but it was fun. A game. Like their relationship really was the whole time, in the first place.

Sirius couldn't think about that. Not tonight.

Don't be mad at me— you know I can't make the four of them jump into bed right away. I've built these characters up over two books and have to get them all to arrive at this conclusion naturally... :-)

Hang with me...it's fun to write "falling in love" again from a whole different perspective.