I couldn't resist a second chapter!

Thanks to Firefly for betaing.

This is marked as complete, though if I'm inspired, I may add more.

It started as just an average day at work for Remus. His thoughts lingered on an upcoming exam whilst he served cakes and sandwiches, made hot-chocolates and other drinks, and smiled at people. Sometimes he found it quite disheartening because he had never before realised how rude some people could be until he started working in a coffee-shop. People seemed to always be in a massive rush and expected their drinks to be ready the moment the request left their lips. Remus was certain that if it was ready that quickly, these people would complain that it wasn't freshly made. There was no winning—well, not for the staff anyway.

And they couldn't do or say anything because the customer was always right, even when the customer was horribly wrong.

His exam-focused-thoughts were interrupted when he heard a man shout loudly nearby. He glanced over curiously, spotting a man with dark hair and glasses storming towards the doors. But that wasn't what captured his attention. What caught his attention (and made his breath catch) was the man sitting in a wheelchair, watching the first man walk away, looking quite shocked and upset.

Remus instinctively took a deep breath, unable to help himself. Over the smell of coffee that filled the place, he could smell the man.

And the scent was divine… though there seemed to be way too many scents to get an accurate reading. He wanted to get the man's scent without all of the others distracting him. Remus finished wiping down the machine he had been using to make the last drink and couldn't help but look back at the man in the wheelchair, but quickly noticed his struggle.

Without a word to Alice, he began to make his way around the counter, speeding up as the man began to ease himself from the chair, his face portraying a little bit of pain in the movements, though he was trying to hide it. Remus wondered what was wrong with him. Perhaps recovering from an operation, though he couldn't scent any blood on the man. Maybe a back-injury instead?

Remus reached out, quickly stopping the man from standing up, willing to help him in any way possible. "Sit down and I'll get that for you," he insisted, easing the man back into the chair. The stranger sat down, looking extremely relieved. "Are you okay?" Remus couldn't help but ask, eager to start a conversation.

The man shook his head and Remus wanted nothing more than to reach out and comfort him. He kept his hands to himself.

"My friend abandoned me," the man said, pitifully. "He was supposed to help me, but I upset him somehow." Stormy-grey eyes found his, and Remus felt like he couldn't breath. "I didn't mean to, but he hates me now."

Remus couldn't imagine anyone hating this man. The scent alone was the most addictive thing Remus had ever experienced and that included chocolate. He craved the man in front of him more than chocolate and at that realisation, he knew he was absolutely screwed. He pushed away his anger at the idea of the stranger's friend abandoning him. Who does that to someone in a wheelchair?

"I'm sure he doesn't," Remus replied with a warm smile. He quickly offered to bring his beautiful stranger over to a table, the alpha in him wanting nothing more than to look after his Omega.

"One where I'm not alone, like I always am," the man replied sadly.

Remus felt his heart twist at the comment. Who would ever want to leave his Omega alone? Certainly not him! He hesitated, knowing he should really take a step back from this man. After all, he was already calling him 'His Omega' in his head and didn't want to turn into one of those Alphas.

Because he had quickly worked it out. First the wonderful scent and now the connection when he looked at the stranger… there was no doubt in his mind that he was looking at his mate. There was only one more test and that was touch, or so Remus had heard.

He certainly couldn't allow his mate to sit alone and be so unhappy. He glanced at the time and towards the queue, noticing that it was empty. Perfect. It was only polite to offer his own company and was relieved when his mate agreed.

Remus returned to the counter, slightly dazed and Alice stared at him. "Let me guess. You're in love with the hottie in the chair?" she teased.

Remus snorted. "Of course not," he replied, though she didn't look like she believed his reply in the slightest. "Though he's sitting alone and is clearly unhappy. I was hoping—"

"Yeah yeah, take your break," Alice laughed. "Go and sit with him. Find out if he has a hot friend!"

Remus nodded and started getting the drinks and paninis ready, feeling satisfied that he was providing for his Omega. He walked around the other side of the counter and quickly paid, before heading over to the table.

As he set the tray down, he felt eyes on him. He looked up, and his mate was taking time to examine him. Remus nervously hoped that he passed the inspection. He had been told before that he looked too pleasant to be an Alpha. Hopefully his mate wasn't disappointed. The approval in the man's eyes made Remus breath a silent sigh of relief.

"I'm Sirius," his mate offered, and Remus couldn't help but smile at the appropriateness of his name. Sirius was the brightest star in the sky. His head was quickly filled with corny thoughts about how Sirius had managed—in just a few moments—to make himself the brightest star in Remus' life.

Remus bravely reached out took Sirius' hand to shake, anticipation filling him as Sirius reached to shake it. He felt the sparks shoot through his body, and a calm feeling flowing through him. Yes. He had been right - this was his mate. Sirius. "I'm Remus," he offered shyly, wondering if Sirius felt as content at that moment as he did.

After the introductions, the conversation between the pair flowed quickly and Remus had to resist smiling when Sirius bossily ordered him to clink their cups together.

Yup. Totally screwed.

...oOo...

Remus watched the lift doors close, and he sighed softly to himself. There wasn't a single doubt in his mind that he had just met his mate, and the man had flirted slightly, but something was wrong. As they left the coffee-shop, Remus could get a clearer scent from Sirius, but the scent appeared to be muddled somehow. Remus knew it didn't make sense. He didn't know what Sirius' scent should be as he had never met the man before, but he knew that the scent he had breathed in wasn't right. Something was making it different, and Remus wasn't sure what could do that.

There was something changing the scent. Blockers perhaps? Though those would dull the scent of his mate, not change it. Plus, patients weren't allowed to wear blockers if they were on medication, and Remus assumed Sirius was on some because of him being in a wheelchair. Birth control? Medication? Maybe he was bonded? Remus wasn't sure what to think.

Remus shook his head as he began to walk back from the lift. That must have been it. The man was bonded, so his scent was merged with his partner. Remus felt a stir of anger but quickly shoved it away. He worked in a hospital , and there was no way he'd let himself get worked up or upset. If he was upset, he'd just cause upset for the customers. He had to be careful as the customers needed calm, especially the ones who came downstairs from their rooms to get a drink.

Thankfully he had great self control: the type anyone who planned to work in a place like a hospital or a school needed. He forced Sirius from his mind and focused on his duties. Though he couldn't help picture the beautiful grey eyes when there were a lull in customers.

"Alice, I need to get out of here," he finally said, an hour before his shift was due to end. Things were getting too much, and Remus needed to sit and think about his mate and about what he was going to do.

"Are you alright?" she asked, concerned. "You've not been yourself all day, Remus. Ever since the guy in the wheelchair came in." Her face lit up at the realisation. "So, this clearly has something to do with your hottie!" She waggled her eyebrows at him as she waited for an answer.

"No," Remus denied. "It's me. I just need to get myself back on track." Again, he knew Alice could see right through him, but tried to keep his emotions at bay.

"Oh, you mean read until you pass out?" Alice guessed with a grin. "Remus, you can talk to me, you know that. I'm your friend, and you can trust me to give you advice or just be here for you."

Remus nodded. Alice was right: had it been the other way around, he would have wanted Alice to talk to him too so he could help her. "Okay," he began softly. "Alice, what would you do if you met your mate, and they were already mated with someone else?" The words came out quickly before Remus lost his nerve.

Alice stared at Remus in shock for a moment. "Mate?" she squeaked, before a smile crossed her face. "First, congratulations! And secondly… Well, if he's your mate—your true-mate—that trumps any other bond," Alice assured him. "Tell him. He'll leave his partner for you."

"No." Remus shook his head, frowning at the idea. "I'm not one of those alphas," he insisted. "I'm not going to convince him to leave anyone he's dating now for me. That's not my call, and I don't want to put something like that on him. Sirius… he seemed down but I could tell that there was something that's making him happy, which could be whoever he's chosen."

"Fine," Alice sighed. "Yeah, we're not too busy today so head home. I'll think about your dilemma and if I come up with anything, I'll text you."

"Thanks, I owe you," Remus replied. "I'll make the hour up."

"Sunday?"

Remus groaned but nodded. He couldn't afford to miss work now. He had a mate and needed all the money he could get because…

"I really need to get out of here," he muttered. He needed help. He needed to not think about Sirius as his mate. He needed to stop trying to prepare for a future with a mate he couldn't be with.

...oOo...

Remus couldn't help but be delighted at the sight of his mate coming in the next day. There was no sign of the Alpha who had shouted at him, which brought joy to Remus, before he pushed away the feeling.

The chat flowed as easily that day as it had the day before, and Remus melted under seductive and flirty looks and barely resisted the way Sirius looked at him through long eyelashes.

Remus couldn't help himself. He felt high on Sirius' attention and began telling Sirius how he'd always be there for him. He forced himself to stop, scared he would come across as strange, but the expression on Sirius' face told him otherwise. Sirius didn't think him weird at all.

Remus chose to scent the air once he was putting the tray back. He could tell that Sirius' scent wasn't what it should be still, though he allowed the wonderful scent to wash over him, calming him and making him feel happier than he had in awhile.

...oOo...

It took him just over a month to realise the truth of the matter. Sirius had come down again for a drink and something to eat, and Remus had taken his break at the same time. He had quietly explained to his manager about Sirius being his mate, and Frank was quite accepting in the matter, shooting an oblivious Alice a longing glance. Remus couldn't help but roll his eyes. Frank would never make a move on Alice, and Alice would never notice Frank's scent if he kept wearing the scent-blockers he insisted on all of the time.

Thankfully Frank had agreed that Remus could take his break depending on what time Sirius came down since they were mates and special allowances were made for those types of situations.

"So what are your plans for when you get out of here?" Remus asked. Sirius had thus far managed to avoid talks of the future, and Remus wasn't sure if Sirius was avoiding the question or if he just didn't know. Remus wanted to know. Even though he was convinced that Sirius had chosen his own mate, the Alpha part of him insisted on knowing whether Sirius wanted to stay at home and have kids, work from home, study or find a job.

Remus wondered if his mate would support whatever choice Sirius made. Remus certainly would. Sirius could do whatever he wanted and Remus would support him.

"I… Well, I've not thought that far ahead." Remus watched as Sirius' hands went down to his stomach, and he turned his head away at the way the other man caressed it. He forced back the feeling of despair. Sirius was pregnant. His mate was carrying another Alpha's baby. He felt sick.

"What about you?" Sirius asked and Remus could hear the need in Sirius' voice to change the subject.

"Me?" Remus asked, turning his attention back to Sirius and schooling his features. "I'm hoping to be a teacher. It doesn't pay loads, but I wanted a job to make me happy really. Something that I could do for the rest of my life. I mean, what happens when I find a mate for myself and have a family? I want job security."

Remus wanted to kick himself. He was slightly less controlled than usual, and an attempt to make Sirius jealous at the idea of him having a different mate slipped past his lips. Remus urged himself to get under control.

"So you can look after them?" Sirius asked.

The control slipped again. Remus felt the need to show Sirius how he was a better Alpha than the one Sirius currently had. After a long moment, the words forced themselves out from Remus' lips.

"Yes and no," Remus said. "If I meet someone who wants to stay at home and have me support them, well, I'd never refuse my mate that, so I'd need to have a secure job to be able to afford to do that. Though if I found a beta or omega who wanted to work, I'm happy with that too. I just want to give that special person whatever they want."

Remus stopped quickly, not wanting to accidently let slip that Sirius was that special person.

"And they are going to be very lucky," Sirius insisted.

Remus ignored the bitter taste in his mouth. "What about you? You're amazing. Whoever is lucky enough to be with you - they are the lucky one."

He was surprised when Sirius snorted and a look of anguish cross his face. "Lucky? You'd think. The last one abandoned me like this! Didn't want anything to do with me."

For a split second, the Alpha part of Remus was gleeful that there was no Alpha in Sirius' life, leaving Sirius alone. But that was quickly squashed by the urge to comfort his Omega. Sirius was hurting bad and Remus immediately hated whoever had the nerve to do this to Sirius.

The man, whoever he was, wasn't a real Alpha. Alpha's took care of their Omegas, they took care of their children. They didn't abandon them.

Remus decided that if he found the Alpha, he'd rip his throat out for causing Sirius all this upset.

"I'd like to go upstairs now," came the whisper. Remus quickly made sure that Sirius' food and drink were fine to transport and brought him to the lift.

"Sirius, whatever's happening with you… whatever is making you so unhappy, I wish there was a way I could fix it for you. I've known you over a month now, and it's been amazing getting to know you. You're… I can't even begin to tell you how special you are. Just… if you ever need anything, call me. If you want me to come up to your ward instead, I'll do my best to get someone to cover me. I'm here for you whenever you need me, okay?"

...oOo...

Sirius had never taken Remus up on the offer, but Remus felt a little more comfortable knowing Sirius was single. He didn't want Sirius to be unhappy, but he felt like maybe one day, he'd have a chance with Sirius.

But it was hard to watch him week after week. He watched Sirius' stomach grow and held back any comments that would alert Sirius to the fact that he knew. After all, Sirius was clearly trying to hide it with his blankets wrapped higher around him and messed up at the front, trying to hide the weight-gain.

Remus had decided to let Sirius tell him, rather than admit that he already knew.

And once they were together—if it happened— Remus would be able to admit his feelings to Sirius. That he had been smitten with the man since the first moment, and he had fallen in love with him not long after that.

And as for the baby… well, Remus knew that most Alphas wouldn't accept an Omega with another's child. But Remus wasn't like those Alphas. He loved Sirius and couldn't envision a future without him in it. He knew without a doubt that they were a package deal and strangely enough, the thought of raising another man's baby didn't scare him away. In fact, the idea of raising that baby at Sirius' side made him long for his mate even more.

...oOo...

Remus sat quietly on his mother's sofa, his eyes staring unfocused on the wall.

"Remus, talk to me," his mother said, dropping down next to him and passing over a hot drink. "What's got you like this?"

"Mum… I've… I've found my mate," he muttered.

Hope gasped. "It's about time!" she said. "So tell me about her—"

"Him," Remus corrected.

"Him… okay, tell me all about him. Who is he? What does he do? When is he moving in? Have you marked him? Children—"

Remus chuckled softly at the last one. "It's a lot more complicated than that," he said.

His father walked into the room, glancing at Remus. "Did I hear something about a mate?"

Remus nodded. He knew his mother would be happy, but his father was quite traditional and he could see the conversation going badly.

"We've spent a lot of time together over the past few weeks. I see him at work because—"

"Oh, does he work in the hospital too?" Hope asked.

"No. He's… a patient. Actually, it's more complicated than you can imagine. Sirius is wonderful. He's smart, sweet, and has a big heart. He's handsome, and I can't stop thinking about him. When he first came in for a drink, I could pick his scent over everyone else's scent and it was amazing. But… he's a long-term patient there."

"He's not sick is he?" John asked, looking concerned.

"No. He's… pregnant."

"You're going to be—"

"He was pregnant when I met him," Remus replied. He could see his father's smile slip from his face.

"But—"

"I love him," Remus insisted. "Sirius and the baby will be a package deal and… and the baby has no father in the picture."

"Remus, you can't be suggesting—" John began, standing up.

Remus jumped up too. "Sirius is my mate," he said firmly. "The baby might not be mine, but that doesn't mean I can't help him raise it—if he even wants to be with me."

"But raising another man's child. It's not how we do things. If you lost your mate and moved on, perhaps, but—"

"No, Dad. It's not the way your generation were brought up to do things. But things are different now. Sirius is my mate and I want to be with him. You understand the pull and the falling in love—you fell in love with mum just the same, didn't you? Well, Sirius is going to have a baby and I'm not going to make him choose between us. So… so if he let's me, the baby will have two parents because it'll have me too."

John's expression started to turn angry.

"If Sirius gives me the chance, I'm going to be with him," Remus insisted. "I'll marry him, have a family with him. He's my mate—my true mate— and you can be a part of my future family's life or you can choose not to be. I don't even know if he'll give me a chance."

He leaned down, pressing a kiss to his mother's cheek before walking out.

...oOo...

Weeks without seeing his mate and Remus could feel the scary, out of control side of him coming out to play more and more often. He forced himself not to snap at people when they spoke to him and forced himself not to argue with the nurse who refused to let him into the ward where he knew Sirius had to be.

Alice had convinced him that Sirius didn't come down every day for nothing and to just wait and he'll be back. Remus hoped that she was right because the idea of his mate abandoning him terrified him.

The relief Remus felt when the man came to the counter one day saying Sirius' name was unmeasurable. Sirius had sent for him, Sirius was asking for his mate. Sirius knew about their bond. Without a word to Alice—though he knew she totally got it—he rushed with the man. His mate needed him and his… yes, he decided, his baby needed him too.

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