Hey everyone! I have just been super inspired to write, even with my busy schedule! Hope you enjoy this chapter. Thank you all for following and reviewing.

A/N: Sorry I removed it because I saw some mistakes and then wanted to add a part to the middle of the chapter. Please reread if you have already done so so you can get the part I added. It's a little steam. Be warned.

The next week at work was uneventful. Even Marcy seemed to back off. She no longer showed up at his desk at lunchtime. Alan spoke a lot about coming over that weekend for dinner and that both him and Claire were so very excited. Sirius, on the other hand, found it hard to concentrate. Something that Alan picked up on very quickly, as he also noticed the smile on Sirius's face when he walked into work. His customary conversation started with the usual for Mondays.

"How was the rest of your weekend?" He gave him a suggestive look and Sirius raised a single eyebrow at him.

"It was good." He looked back at his file, trying to stop the smile on his face. "One of my mates from school stopped by for the day yesterday. That's really about it. What about you?"

"Oh well, Claire and I went to a movie and walked around the park. Oh and Pat is gone, finally. We don't have to do rework for him anymore. So there is that." Sirius was only half listening, still distracted with his own thoughts, as Alan talked more about the different gossip he had gotten at the coffee machine. He stared blankly down at the file, not even reading it. He looked at his watch, then at the stacks of files he had to get through. A long day. He set to work.

Sirius left work a lot later than usual on Wednesday.. He grabbed his helmet and swung his leg over his bike, kick starting it, feeling it roar to life between his legs. He knocked the stand back and pushed off and was winding his way down the road at quite a clip and had just made it out of the major part of the city when he heard a siren woop behind him. He looked back at the flashing lights, thought for a moment of not stopping, then pulled over the bike thinking better of it. He flipped up the visor and waited. A portly policeman walked over to him.

"Take off your helmet, please, sir." He instructed and Sirius did so. He looked at the officer who paled instantly. Sirius stiffened on the bike. Hoping this man didn't recognize him from the muggle news as an escaped convict. He wasn't sure if the muggles were even bothering looking for him anymore. The man edged toward him and Sirius itched to grab his wand, unsure what was about to happen.

"I'm gonna need you to get off the bike, son. Real nice and slow." The man looked like he had seen a ghost and Sirius was starting to get nervous and was starting to reach for his wand. He wasn't going to get caught like this.

"I'm sorry for speeding. I wasn't going that much over. I'll just take the ticket." He stayed exactly where he was. Ready to take off in a moment if he needed to. The officer took a step closer, scrutinizing his face.

"What's your name? I need your license and insurance information." As Sirius had neither of these, he just stated his name.

"Sirius Black." The man blanched. He knew he had recognized this man.

"You! It's you! You destroyed my police car!" Sirius looked at him confused for a moment and then it hit him.

"Oh that was you?! I thought the ministry would have taken care of that!" There was a haughty smile on Sirius's face as he stared back at the man, remembering now what the officer was talking about. "That was like, 7 years ago. Look I don't want to cause any trouble, but I really need to get on."

"Oh ho, you aren't going anywhere, son. You need to come with me." He blustered, looking a little nervous.

"I don't think that that is going to happen here." He looked around, there was no one around. It was dinner time and there was nothing on either side of him except trees. "You can't arrest me for going over the limit." He was hoping this was true. He in fact did not know what he could be arrested for in the muggle world. "And you have no proof it was me that magically made your car fly up in the air." The officer blanched again. As if remembering just how his car had actually been damaged. He started to splutter as Sirius placed his helmet back on his head. "Are you gonna write me a ticket? Or can I leave?" He indicated the road ahead of him. The man just stared at him and Sirius took that as he wanted. He kicked the bike back to life and flipped down his visor. He saluted the officer and then took off again. He kept his eyes peeled for other police as he rode. Taking a circumnavigated route back to his house. He pulled into the drive an hour later, it was starting to get dark. He turned off the engine and pushed the motorbike towards the car park and lifted the door and then pushed it inside. He entered through the door there.

Lily looked extremely relieved when he finally got into the house, as Charlie was jumping on him and Harry was running up to him to say hello. He was excitedly telling him all about the zoo. He was already in his pajamas. He hugged the child quickly and then stepped further into the house.

"Sirius, where have you been? You should have been home hours ago. I called the office and the woman said that you had left hours earlier." She saw the look on his face and her concern grew exponentially. "What happened?" She waited, her arms folded over her chest, her eyes staring straight into his.

"I– do you remember that time that we–James and I, that is–had a run in with some muggle police?" Lily stared at him blankly. "Ok, he didn't tell you. Well, there was a situation…and we were chased by– some people– on brooms and muggle police. We had to do some magic–you know– to get out of it. And well, apparently the ministry–they must not have known about it, because they didn't wipe their memories. Or it didn't take." Lily was glaring now. "So I got pulled over, and this copper comes over and instantly recognizes me. I had to take off. I didn't want to come straight home, so I had to ride around a bit." He smiled sheepishly at her and she glared harder, if that was even possible.

"And… you didn't think to wipe his memory yourself? Of this current incident?" Her foot had started to tap against the floor. He looked down at it. Harry piped up.

"Mummy is mad when she does that, Sirius." he looked up at him.

"Yes, thank you Harry. I'm aware of that." he looked back at Lily. "It's not going to be a problem. If I had done magic, it would have set off alarms. I did what I could, Lils." He looked at her sheepishly. "And I don't think that I should be taking the bike for a while. What's for dinner?" He grinned at her and made to walk past, but she blocked his way.

"Sirius, this isn't funny." She narrowed her eyes.

"And I'm not laughing. Look, there was nothing I could do. If I would have altered his memory or went with him in cuffs, neither would have a good ending. He was spooked when he saw me. No one will believe him that I magically flipped over his car 7 years ago and that he just happened to see me again. They would think he is crazy." He stepped closer to her and put his hands on her shoulders. "It's ok, I promise." She dropped the tension in her shoulders.

"You and James are idiots." She glared and then turned back to the living room. "Dinner is on the counter. Harry come on, bedtime. Say goodnight to Sirius." Harry went over to Sirius and hugged him goodnight then begrudgingly headed up the stairs with his mother. Sirius followed, going to his room to change out of his khakis. He came back downstairs to find Lily sitting on the couch with her book open and studiously ignored him. He grabbed the plate that she had prepared and a fork and went to sit next to her on the couch. He removed the plastic wrap. Spaghetti. He started shoveling it into his mouth. He was famished.

"You gonna ignore me, Lils?" He said through a mouthful. She rolled her eyes at him.

"Sirius, it was really irresponsible of you–"

"I didn't do anything but drive a little fast. I've seen you do that in the car. So don't even start." He took another bite of his food.

"It was just irresponsible." She mumbled and went back to her book. Sirius chuckled through his mouthful of food and slouched against the back of the couch, finishing his dinner. He got up and washed and dried the dishes. He walked back into the living room and sat back on the couch, much closer to her this time with his arm along the back of the couch, his chest against her shoulder. Lily huffed and put her book down and looked over at him.

"Sirius."

"Lily." She paused. Not wanting to play this game.

"I–just. I was worried about you. I know you didn't intend for this to happen, but still. I'm just worried. I…" She stopped talking and moved away slightly to look at him better, so they weren't so close, so she could actually think straight. "I need you to be careful." She finally said. Sirius reached his hand out to her cheek and grazed it with the back of his fingers.

"I am careful. I can't change the past. How could I have possibly known I would run into the guy? I had forgotten about the whole thing, honestly." He touched her bottom lip with his thumb. "It'll be stupid to tell you not to worry, but really. I'm not gonna ride my bike again for a while. It'll blow over. Things usually do." He was now staring at her lips. Lily sighed and took his hand in hers, bringing his attention back to her eyes. "You aren't going to lose me, Lily. I promise."

"You can't promise that, Sirius. No one can promise that." Sirius pulled her closer into his chest and held her for a moment. Stroking her hair.

"Well you won't lose me to something as stupid as a traffic violation, at least." he kissed the top of her head and then leaned back on the couch. "I'm sorry, for what it's worth."

"I know." He really just wanted to kiss her again. He had thought about it non-stop all day. They hadn't kissed again since Sunday morning. He just didn't know how to do it. His lack of moves was severely affecting his mood. It just didn't seem like the right thing to do. Kiss her before he went to work? Kiss her when he got home from work? Before they went to bed for the night in separate rooms? He just didn't feel up to that conversation, so he stood up and stretched a little.

"I'm going to head up to bed, myself. Just– believe me. It's fine. They won't find us."

"If they search your name– you were on the news after you escaped, Sirius. The muggle news. If he searches your name or asks around, the ministry could find out. They think you are in god knows where. But they definitely don't think you are in Great Britain." She took a deep breath. "Just be careful for the rest of the week. I'll drive you to work if I have to."

"Probably not the best idea. I'll just apparate like I have done in the past." She stood up then as well, looking like she wanted to say something more.

"Well, erm. Goodnight then." She turned away and was about to head up the stairs.

"Lily?" she paused on the first step and looked back, he was standing at eye level with her. She reached out and ran a hand through his hair and pressed a soft kiss to his lips before turning and going to her room for the night.

Sirius continued to stand there and groaned as he heard her door shut. He scrubbed a hand across his face and then headed up to the bathroom, deciding on a shower before he went to bed. He ran the water for a moment, turning it a little colder than usual and climbed in. He sighed and closed his eyes, running his hands through his hair. The frustration and tension of the day mixed with his sexual frustration made him groan again. The thought of Lily's lips and the gentle curves of her body made Sirius sigh as he hardened. He reached down and wrapped his right hand around himself and started to stroke it. It was slow at first and then his breath hitched as he imagined what it would be like if she were under him. His stroke quickened and he braced his other hand against the wall, trying to hold in the groan that was fighting to escape his lips. He felt the tension start to build. he stroked faster yet and he let out a huff of breath as he tipped over the edge and came hard, stroking his throbbing dick until it was done. He took a breath in and stood there a moment, simply letting the water run over his back before he straightened, still not satisfied, but feeling a lot less tension. He turned the water hotter, almost scalding and finished his shower quickly.

Once he was back in his room, he turned out the lights and then lay awake for hours, staring up at the ceiling. Worried about the future, too.

Nothing happened for the next week or so. They remained on high alert. Sirius had decided to call in to work to take some leave. He had quite a bit saved up and luckily they approved it. They still had dinner with Alan and Claire that weekend. It was uneventful. They promised to do it again soon.

It was a Monday evening when there was a knock at the door. Charlie barked and Lily shushed him. It wasn't someone he recognized, that was the only time he barked. Sirius immediately transformed into his animagus form. And lucky he did. As Lily opened the door, she was confronted with Kingsley Shacklebolt. Harry was of course excited that Sirius had performed his trick, but they had told him that if he was a dog, that his name was Snuffles and to never talk about Sirius when he was in his dog form. He had grasped the concept, but barely.

"Kingsley!" She said, surprised. "This is a surprise. What can I do for you?" Charlie was sniffing him intently and Sirius walked over and did the same, acting like any normal, friendly dog. He smelled like ashes and brine and decay. He sneezed. He knew that smell and he backed up unintentionally. It was the smell of Azkaban.

"I don't think Snuffles likes you very much." Harry told the man. Charlie had backed off too once Sirius did, taking his cue from the big black dog as he usually did. Shacklebolt smiled down at him politely.

"May I come in, Lily? It's been awhile." he said then lowered his voice. "This is important." He indicated the foyer. Lily stepped back and allowed him to enter.

"What is it?" She was a little less nervous that it was him, he had been in the Order with them. But she didn't know how much he believed that Sirius was innocent.

"Lily, Sirius Black was spotted in the area. The Ministry is looking for him. They think he might be coming for you. I don't think that you do, but do you have any idea where he is? If you do, and again, I'm not saying that you do, but if you do know, then you need to tell him he needs to go back to where he was." He looked at her steadily.

Harry was about to ask something and Sirius went up and licked his face and he giggled instead. He play bowed at the boy and then ran to the back door, Charlie, thinking that there was a game to be had, followed. Lily walked over and opened the door, telling Harry to go out and play with the dogs. He happily went. Lily turned back to Kingsley, who had followed her further into the house and now stood in the living room.

"He doesn't know about Sirius. I would like to keep it that way, please." She said, unsure of how much to say.

"Lily, if you are in trouble, of any sort. You can tell me. I'm here as a friend who hasn't seen his friend in several years. The Ministry doesn't know that I am here. I know Dumbledore thought he was innocent. I'm inclined to believe the same because of it. Just…. keep him safely away from here. He can implicate you in this." Lily just stared back at him, her eyes filling with tears.

"How–"

"A London police officer reported that he saw Sirius in this area. The Ministry was notified and his memory of him has been modified. He does not remember….either of his encounters with him. All aurors are now on the lookout for him. I just wanted to warn you." He looked at her pointedly. "How about a cup of tea. It really has been too long." He smiled at her and she returned it a little nervously. Sirius had popped his head back into the house as Kingsley took a seat at the counter and Lily started making tea. Charlie and Harry followed, also looking in through the doorway towards the stranger in the house. Kingsley turned to him and smiled.

"You must be Harry. You look a lot like your dad. He, your mom and I all went to school together." The little boy smiled at him. Kingsley held his hand out to him. "My name is Kingsley Shacklebolt." Harry walked forward and shook his hand.

"Harry, why don't you go watch something on the tv?" Lily suggested and he nodded and Charlie bounded after him until he realized that Sirius had laid down in the kitchen, so he went half way and laid down himself.

"What have you been up to, Lily? How have you been?" Kinglsey took a sip of his tea.

"I've just been keeping busy. Adjusting, you know." Lily took a sip of her own tea. "Harry has become close to the girl a few houses down. Turns out she is a witch. Her parents are muggles, so I have been helping them out while they are at work. How has your work been going in the aurors office?"

"It's been good. A lot of people have been reassigned, since he fell, to other departments." Kinglsey looked up at her and Harry peeped his head around the corner then turned back to the television. "Look Lily, dropping all pretenses, I know you know where he is. He really does need to leave. Great Britain isn't safe for him. The ministry has worked out that he is here because of Walburga Black passing. They think he is here to collect his inheritance." Sirius had stiffened, as did Lily.

"His mother passed?" Lily clarified looking over at the big black dog.

"Yes, but listen, Lily. The goblins do not act within wizarding law most of the time. They do not care for our laws or whether someone is good or bad or wanted. And this is why the Ministry is patrolling the bank. He cannot go there. He will be caught again." Kingsley looked at her steadily.

"Are they inspecting the mail as well?" Lily asked.

"Well yes. Just in case he doesn't just walk in to—" Lily jumped up as a thought occurred to her. Both Kingsley and Sirius startled when she did so. She walked to the desk and grabbed a form and ink and a quill. She stood at the counter and started to fill out the form in front of her. Sirius was standing behind her worried, he whined a little.

"What are you doing, Lily?" Shacklebolt asked, flabbergasted by her actions.

"I'm transferring five thousand galleons from the Black Family vault into a new account that is to be made under the name of Sirius Black at the South American Wizarding Bank. To be done immediately." Her hand stilled when she got to the account information. A hand reached for hers and took the quill and slid the form away from her. She looked over at Sirius who was finishing the form for her. He was quiet and said nothing to the astonished Shacklebolt, who was staring at him with his mouth slightly agape. He didn't look at Lily but he knew there was a panicked look on her face.

"You're an animagus?" He asked, still processing. "How long?"

"About ten years." Sirius replied quietly he had finished with the form and folded it deftly and then walked over to the door and whistled into the night. Waiting for Magnus to come to him. "It's how Pettigrew escaped. We had to hold his hand during the entire fucking process. But he managed it. I watched the bastard cut his finger off after he killed 12 muggles and change into a rat and head straight into the fucking sewers. There are a million rats in the sewer alone in London. He will never be found. Quite a brilliant plan, don't you think? Never thought the prick had it in him. That's why the Ministry found me laughing like a crazed lunatic." Sirius looked back at Lily and Kingsley. He hadn't shared this with anyone, not out loud, at least. Their faces mirrored each other in shock. "Just couldn't stop thinking, 'Fuck me'."

"Fuck is a bad word, Sirius." Harry said to him, he had walked back into the kitchen once he had changed back into his human form.

"I know, thank you Harry. And you aren't supposed to repeat those words." Sirius admonished him. His anger flared at himself. For failing.

"You've been here the whole time, haven't you?" Kingsley asked, a look of wonder in his eyes. "Right under the Ministry's nose. Sirius, the order has disbanded, but we can still hide you more effectively than what you are doing now. You can go deeper into hiding."

"Being in hiding is almost as bad as being in Azkaban. Being shut up all day. I won't do it. Nor will I go back there ever again." He shot a glance at Kingsley.

"Sirius, what is azaban?" Sirius looked down at the little boy.

"It's a place very bad people go, Harry." Harry considered his words.

"Like the one that hurt my daddy?" He looked up at Sirius again.

"Well, yes. But he isn't in Azkaban. He died the night he went after you."

"When I got this?" He reached up to his forehead, to his scar. "When I made him go away? Am I bad, too, then?" Sirius knelt next to the boy.

"You are not bad Harry. You were protecting yourself and your mum. It's only ok if you are doing it for good and he was a very bad man. You are very good." The little boy nodded his head and looked over at his mother. Just then, Magnus, the barn owl, flew into the house and waited. Sirius stood and strapped the letter to his leg.

"Straight to Gringotts with this one, mate." He stroked the bird and it flew off. "We'll go on actual vacation. The three of us. Get out of Britain for a few weeks." Shacklebolt stood up.

"Well, don't tell me where. And you really shouldn't have shown me you were an animagus, but I'm going to go now. I'll be in touch." He held his hand out to Sirius who grasped it firmly. "Be careful, both of you." He looked over at Lily and then down at Harry, who was twisting his fingers together. He left then. And the house was quiet. All that could be heard were the crickets singing their evening serenade and the ticking of the clock in the living room.