Written for:

Auction - Apocalypse

Seasonal - Days of The Year - 23rd April: Take a Chance Day - Write about taking a chance on something.

Seasonal - Spring - 16 - (theme) New Beginnings

Seasonal - Colours - Turquoise

Seasonal - Birthstones - 6 - Turquoise - (dialogue) "I just had to ask."

Seasonal - Flowers - 7 - Primrose - (word) Perfection

Seasonal - Earth - 9 - (word) Warming

Seasonal - Amanda's Challenge - Fandom 1 - Apocalypse!AU

Seasonal - Hufflepuff Prompts - Character - 20. Teddy Lupin

Seasonal - Trait - 13 - Understanding

Seasonal - Star Chart - 13 - June 21st - June Solstice: (word) Innocence

Writing Club - Assorted Appreciation 3 - Ash Wednesday - Write about the start of something

Writing Club - Disney - Character 6 - Jaq - Write about someone angry on the behalf of someone else.

Writing Club - Trope of the Month - Arranged Marriage - 1. Dialogue: "Is this what you really want?"

Writing Club - Book Club - 4. Mulch Diggums: (feature) beard, (character) Sirius Black, (word) escape

Writing Club - Showtime 10 - Be Back Soon - (emotion) Worry

Writing Club - Liza's Lodes - 1 - Write about someone who is stubborn

Writing Club - Angel's Arcade - 5 - Ken Masters: (theme) family, (plot point) protecting someone, (color) black

Writing Club - Lo's Lowdown - Dialogue 7 - "Honey, you should see me in a crown."

Writing Club - Bex's Basement - Tony Stark 1 - (emotion) guilt

Writing Club - Film Festival - 14 - Single Parent

Pinata - Hard - Muggle!AU

Dragons - Welsh Green

Writing Month - 50k goal - 5376 words

Constellation Club - 2. Lynx - 7. HD 75898: (object) chair

Fortnightly - Zoo Lovers Day - 9 - Gorilla - Write about someone protective of their family

Fortnightly - Elizabeth Appreciation - 4 - Apocalypse!AU

Easter - Egg Hunt - Hagrid's Hut - Pink Egg - (AU) Single Parent / Purple Egg - (Trope) OmegaVerse / Orange Egg - (Genre) Hurt/Comfort

Assignment 7 - Arithmancy - Task 2 - Write about a big change in someone's life.

Herbology - Seeds: Apocalypse (3/4)

The Silo Collection - A collection of Silo-set apocalypse one-shots

Believe in Fate

It had been a month - a whole month since they had found themself in the silo. A big metal prison it felt like, though it was better than being outside and breathing the poisonous air that spread over the United Kingdom and who knew where else.

Remus had been on holiday with his parents. Teddy wanted to visit London for his eighteenth and they had travelled down from Wales, booking two weeks in an expensive hotel (though weren't most places in London expensive hotels? He had failed to find an inexpensive one). But he figured that it was worth it. After all, kids didn't turn eighteen every day and Remus wanted to make it a birthday to remember.

Alarms had gone off three days into their trip. The news was causing panics across the country and when the Lupins had tried to leave to go home, they were stopped. Roads were closed now, there was no returning to their home.

Teddy had been terrified. Yes, he was eighteen, but he was new to being an adult. His idea of adventure was rolling dice whilst wearing a wizard's hat with his friends and sulking whenever the die showed a 1 instead of a 20. Not when the world was on the verge of ending - or Remus assumed, judging by how people were acting and by the lack of information.

Bit by bit, the UK was shepherded off into bases that had been constructed. Upon arriving, Remus had been shocked. They would have taken a lot of time to build, and that meant whatever was happening in the world wasn't a surprise to those in power. Those running the country would have had to be aware of a threat already.

Thankfully he had his parents and his son with him. If the world was ending, he wouldn't need anyone else at his side but his family.

So he stayed strong as they sat in a large hall filled with other people, waiting. He spoke for his family when someone came around with a clipboard, trying to get an idea of who and how many people were there, and what they could offer in terms of running things. They were all given a quick interview and had to list everything from their marital status to every job they've ever had.

Remus gave all of the information, choosing not to argue like the people he heard elsewhere in the hall. They were all in this horrible situation together after all. If he stayed calm, Teddy would follow suit. Maybe they would survive this.

He just had to have faith.

...oOo...

"Welcome to the first meeting of Silo Thirty," a pale man with a beard said, standing on the makeshift stage and looking out. The man had been making short announcements for the past month now, but Remus couldn't recall his name. It didn't matter - the notice that went to every housing unit was that the new mayor was ready to meet with them all. They were only interested to see what Charlus Potter was going to say.

People had complained that it was taking too long, but it was clear that Charlus Potter hadn't been the intended leader of the silo. There had been someone else who was supposed to be there, to run things, but that man never made it to the silo before the doors closed to protect them. Charlus was in the same boat as the rest of them - in fact, he had it worse because he had to read through books and look through new laws and legislation to understand what was expected of him and what he needed to do.

"Charlus will be here momentarily," the man continued. "But I'll give you a quick update. Silo Fifty-Two has been contacted this week. It's in North London. So if you think you might know someone in there, see me tomorrow between two and five, or leave a message with the mayor's office."

Good news. A silo meant a few hundred people still alive. Remus liked these announcements. They had heard talk of some silos failing to protect those that entered. Some had been built hastily towards the end, choosing the rush to save the population, and thus not being secure enough. There were hundreds of silos and Remus felt secure that theirs was a low number. The lower, the more secure in his opinion.

People had been talking in the hallways and on the main stairwell about how people in other silos had opened the doors, thinking it safe to go outside. People wanting to escape because they felt trapped. Bad leadership because the doors couldn't be opened unless the mayor, the sheriff and several other people submitted their keys and typed in codes.

Or so Remus had heard.

Other silos had issues with people pushing things in the open doors to keep them open. People wanting to give their loved ones more time to get there. So when the other silos automatic doors closed, locked and sealed, those ones stayed open and poisonous air got in.

Again, stories - rumours. Who knew if it was true, but Remus couldn't see a problem with people believing this information. It meant people were wary to even go up to the top level of the silo where the main doors even were. If people were wary, scared, it meant that they were a little bit safer because no-one was going to try and leave.

"Who is that?" Remus murmured, as the bearded man moved off the stage. Next to him, his father shrugged slightly.

A man walked up onto the stage and Remus watched him. He had seen Charlus Potter around the silo, and Charlus had been the one to do Remus' interview before assigning him the role of teacher and assigning Teddy to the library. Remus' parents had been put in charge of the farm on their first day there - not many Londoners knew how to farm. A few people had their own allotments in the outside world, but Lyall and Hope's experience was enough to put them fully in charge of things.

Remus trusted Charlus. The man was honest right from the start of things, even if he had to make tough calls. Remus could feel that there was something coming, and was worried as to what.

"I'm Charlus Potter," he said, taking his place behind the podium and looking around at the people in the hall. His eyes moved from person to person, assessing each of them. "I know I've met each of you over this past month when assigning jobs around the silo. I've spoken to some of you, seeking advice on certain aspects of running this silo, taking advantage of other people's strengths - because we're all in this together, so the smoother we can make this, the better. Now. Living arrangements and jobs were the highest priority on my list. People need somewhere to live - beds to sleep in. The silo needed people to work. There were farms to set up, schools to organise, security… but that's all out of the way now."

He paused. The weight of being in charge in these circumstances already seemed to weigh on him.

"This silo is now our home, our safe haven until we can go back into the outside world again. We won't know what will be waiting for us out there, all I can tell you is that we will cross that bridge when we come to it. The information I have tells me that we will be here for a few years at the very least. I don't know what the number is currently. That's why it's important to make sure that we can do things like grow our own food. We want to make sure we survive if that number is high. We want to make sure that—"

"What do you mean, a 'few' years?" a woman called, interrupting him.

Charlus took a moment. "Ten. It could be twenty. It could be fifty. We might spend our lives in this place. We have no way of knowing how long it'll take before the air is safe to breathe again."

"Couldn't we just go elsewhere?" a man shouted. "America? France?"

"As far as I'm aware, the problem is worldwide," Charlus insisted. "There is nowhere to go. I know it sounds without hope, in here for what could be the rest of our lives, but you all need to remember that we're alive at least. We've survived. We have no way of knowing how many people were lost and how many are safe like us, but we're here."

A few murmurs around the hall, but no-one shouted or spoke up again. Charlus waited a moment in case there were any other questions, before continuing.

"Our focus is our new home. We need to learn how to live together, we need to understand the silo rules that the government has laid out for us. Rules that not everyone will agree with, but ones that are for the best to keep us surviving."

"The first rule I choose to set are these meetings," Charlus continued. "Once a month at the very least, I will hold silo-wide meetings to keep you all updated and in the loop as to what is happening. You all deserve to know. If we have updates on the outside world, I'll spread the news. If there's callouts from other silos looking for family, I'll address those too. Concerns, issues… anything you need to ask, it'll be addressed."

Remus could sense bad news was coming. He waited as Charlus continued talking.

"We have one main concern though," Charlus insisted. "It's taken me three weeks to come to you all about it, because I was trying to explore every solution. Me and my team were running the numbers, trying to find a way around this because I didn't want to do what I'm about to do. But there appears to be no other option."

People were shifting in their seats, eager or scared to find out what was happening. Remus watched Charles carefully. The man looked upset, his fingers digging into the edge of the podium he was standing behind.

"The concern in population," Charlus said. "And I'll remind everyone that I've tried to find a solution to this, but we've failed. This silo was made to fit double the amount of people it has now - more in fact. Though we've a large population here already, it's not going to be enough. People will die, reducing numbers, and when numbers get too low, we won't even be able to run this place. We need to take action now to prevent that from ever being an issue."

Remus wanted to ask how, but he knew what was coming. There had been laws many years before, before Omegas rights were a thing. The world had taken so many steps forward.

And now here it was taking several backwards.

"The new laws - issued by the Prime Minister - the laws of the country should we end up in here. They are very clear what to do in the situation," Charlus continued. "We'll have to introduce a marriage law. We may perhaps have to run this every few years." He raised his voice over the murmurings, clearly eager to finish talking before people started to get upset and voice the objections. "I've made a list. I've picked one unmarried or unattached Omega from each family to be paired with one of the many Alphas that reside here." He reached for the sheet of paper. "Those whose names I call will remain behind, as will all of the Alphas who are not in a relationship and are eighteen or over. My assistants will be doing the interviews and the list of marriage arrangements will be up in approximately a week."

Remus' insides twisted. He knew what was coming, but couldn't find his voice to speak up once more. Name after name was called, with Charlus' voice slowly filling with guilt.

"Edward Lupin."

There it was. His son, barely turned eighteen, was going to be pushed into a marriage simply to build up a population. Teddy knew nothing about dating, nothing about relationships. He certainly knew nothing about being a parent.

Remus remained quiet until the names were finished and everyone had been dismissed.

Teddy hadn't said a word since his name had been called. His eyes had been wide and he had clutched at Remus' arm, fingers digging hard into his father. He was clearly even more terrified than he had been. The terror had lessened during their month there, but now it was back full force. Remus was angry on his behalf - Teddy still had so much innocence and he wasn't going to let anyone rush his son into marriage or a relationship or anything.

"Is this law happening in all of the other silos," Remus demanded, storming up to the front as other people left the hall. "Is it just us?"

Charlus glanced up from the paper he was looking over. "It's everywhere," he confirmed. "The silos we've been in contact that aren't full also have this. The ones that have exceeded the population are being restricted on having children. I understand it's a horrible situation, but there is no way around this."

"Well, perhaps you have a few minutes free to discuss this and how it affects my son."

Charlus glanced at where Teddy was clinging to his father, quickly understanding the concern. "Come, let's sit down," he offered, gesturing to the seats at the back of the stage. Two were occupied, with two dark-haired Alphas, and Remus recognised them as the Sheriff and Deputy that had been announced only a couple of weeks before.

Charlus led them over to the other seats and gestured for Remus to sit down. Remus did as offered, aware that the Deputy and Sheriff had stopped talking to each other and were clearly listening to whatever was about to happen.

"Mr…" Charlus began.

"Remus… Remus Lupin, and this is my son, Teddy. Edward, I mean."

"Mr Lupin, I'm really sorry about all of this, but you seem reasonable and I'm sure that you understand the position that we're stuck in," Charlus said. "We're not singling your son out for this, instead we've asked this from every family. The only families that haven't been asked are those who already have a pregnant Omega or an engaged Omega."

It made sense, but Remus wasn't going to let this happen to his son. He sighed. "Can't you just wait a year?" he asked.

"We can't do that," Charlus insisted. "We need to sort this issue out as soon as possible otherwise we'll face issues down the line. I can assure you that he'll be well taken care of by whichever Alpha he is matched with - I'll personally have a say in which one we choose to be his arranged partner."

It wasn't good enough. This was his son and in his heart, he knew Teddy would be unhappy. He wasn't going to let his son go through this with a stranger. A year down the line, perhaps he wouldn't feel so uneasy. In a year, Teddy would have friends, he might even have an Alpha in mind. But right now, Teddy was scared and Remus would protect him from this, whatever it took.

"No," he said, crossing his arms. "Teddy isn't ready for this."

Charlus shook his head slightly. "I'm sorry, the law is the law," Charlus insisted, lowering his voice. "I understand. If my son was a young Omega, I'd be as reluctant as you are. But there are laws here, laws that were put in place by the government."

"It's easy to say that you understand. Your son is an Alpha, isn't he? You've not had to worry about the safety of your Omega child."

"My grandson Harry, he's an Omega," Charlus insisted. "He's in the hall, but so is his Alpha boyfriend. I understand your concerns, trust me I do. He's twenty and I still worry constantly."

"But he's marrying someone he knows, someone he's already dating," Remus insisted. He glanced at Teddy. "Teddy, do you want to go and find your grandparents?"

Teddy shook his head. "I should stay until this is sorted," he said.

Remus glanced over to where the Sheriff had moved from his seat. "Harry!" he called. An Omega came strolling over. "Can you keep Teddy company for a bit?" the man said. "Maybe introduce him around?"

Harry nodded and smiled at Teddy. "Have you met the Weasleys yet?" he asked. "You'll like Fred and George, they're hilarious. Come on."

Remus waited until Teddy had walked away, before turning his attention back. "Thank you," he said to the man.

"James Potter," the sheriff said. "The Weasleys are a nice family, hopefully your son feels a little less threatened with them." He took Teddy's empty chair. "Mr Lupin…"

"Remus," Remus insisted.

"Remus. As a father of an Omega, I can understand your concern more than anyone. Especially when Harry actually started noticing Alphas. The first time an Alpha came to the door when Harry was seventeen, I wanted to punch the guy." He frowned as he remembered. "I'd be up here too, if I were in your shoes. I don't think Harry is ready for marriage, but he insists he is and I have to let him make that choice for himself, so I can understand your worries. Teddy seems quite shy and quiet."

"His social life is playing dungeons and dragons with his friends," Remus confessed.

"Oh! Charlie Weasley plays that," James insisted, glancing over to the group of redheads. Remus looked over too, noticing Teddy's turquoise hair in the middle of the group. "They had it set up in the canteen a few nights ago. Just the Weasleys, but I'm sure they'll be welcoming of new players too."

"Teddy will be glad," Remus murmured.

"Well, in any case, this marriage arrangement isn't fun for anyone," James said, turning his attention back to the subject at hand. "But we have no other choice. If you have another suggestion, we will take it into consideration of course. But I don't know what to do otherwise."

Remus glanced at his son again. He knew what he had to do.

"I'm an unattached Omega," he finally said, turning his gaze back to Charlus. "My last appointment with my doctor was about eight months ago. Consider me for this law instead."

Silence followed his demand, and James glanced at his father.

"I'm still in good health," Remus insisted. "These marriages are going to happen every few years I imagine, so if it doesn't work out, Teddy will be more mature next time. He'll know people, he may even be dating someone."

Charlus considered it.

"Pops, he's right," came a voice. Remus glanced around, remembering that James had been sitting with the deputy before joining them. He had forgotten all about the other man. The man stood, dragging his chair over to them.

Remus couldn't help but stare. The Alpha was around his age, but was completely gorgeous. He was wearing fitted black jeans and a tight black t-shirt. Remus had never seen such perfection before. He quickly tore his gaze away, not wanting to be caught staring. Today was about helping Teddy, not lusting after a handsome Alpha.

"Sirius?" Charlus asked.

"We're basically telling that kid to get married and have sex with an Alpha he doesn't even know. Look at him, he's not ready for that. We have another option here - Remus."

"But it'll be harder to match you," Charlus said.

"I'll do it," Sirius added. "I get your concerns, Pops, but if Remus agrees, I think I could be a good match."

"You? Married?" James laughed.

Sirius shrugged, glancing at Remus. "This law is shit, but it has to happen. It affects all of us here, and I like how you came up here, standing up for your kid and putting him first. Even taking on the burden so he doesn't have to. You can go through the interviews and see if there's a match there, though being a single father might be a struggle with your match, or you could pick me."

"I don't know you," Remus replied softly. "Why me though?"

Sirius grinned. "Because I like how stubborn you are. You look hot in the cardigans you keep wearing, and you're clearly a caring guy. You care about your family and you'd do anything for your son which makes me like you even more."

Charlus stared at Sirius for a long moment.

"The point of this is to build the population," he reminded the pair. "You have two years. If it doesn't happen, I'll have no choice but to make the same request of your son, Teddy."

Remus nodded. Accepting now was better than the idea of being interviewed and being forced to answer difficult or intrusive questions. "I'll do it," he said. "But you need to promise me that you're not going to change your mind and try and marry Teddy off in six months, a year. I want two full years at least."

Charlus looked back at Sirius. "Is this what you really want?" he checked.

Sirius nodded his head, his grey eyes fixed intently on Remus.

"I just had to ask," Charlus murmured, before turning his attention back to Remus. "And you?"

Remus nodded too.

Charlus held out his hand for Remus to shake. "Agreed."

...oOo...

Sirius poured water from the small jug on the table, and Remus reached for his glass, bringing it to his lips.

It didn't matter that Sirius was the most gorgeous Alpha he had ever laid eyes on, or that he stood up for Remus. It didn't mean he was a good person in the slightest. Though there was something about him that made Remus want to trust him, and told Remus that he was the genuine article.

The contract sat on the table between them, with a pen at its side, but Sirius made no move to reach for it. Remus didn't want to just yet. He had agreed, but he wanted to know the man he had been arranged to marry before putting name to paper.

"I'm almost forty," Sirius began. "I've never been married, mated. I don't think I've ever dated an Omega actually. Not that I've been avoiding Omegas, just that the people I've fallen for have mostly been Betas, with a few Alphas. Gender and second gender makes no difference to me." He brought the glass to his lips.

"I'm of a similar age," Remus replied. "I've been in one serious relationship in my life - with Teddy's father. He wanted nothing to do with us when he found out I was pregnant. After Teddy was a few years old, I tried to go on a few dates but… it's hard having a kid and dating. The guys never liked that I'd always put Teddy first, so I remained single. But I wouldn't change any of that - Teddy will always come first… and any children I may have in the future, of course. Now, really - why me?"

Sirius smiled. "Because I find you attractive. I've noticed you before. You work in the school, right? Teacher or something. I've seen you around with your parents and with your son. I like the look of you, I like the cardigans, but I never approached you. There was too much else to do, and I was nervous, I suppose. Part of me hoped that you'd be caught up in this marriage thing, just so I could rig the results and pair us together… or at the very least, it'd give me a chance to talk to you. But I didn't know your name so couldn't do anything until now. It was seeing you stand up to Charlus earlier that sealed it for me. He's in charge around here and he can be quite the scary Alpha when he wants to be. Quite intimidating too, yet you didn't let that stop you. You put Teddy first, wanting your son's happiness to the point where you'd shoulder his burden. What I've seen, you've got a lot of good qualities!"

He reached his hand out slightly, before withdrawing it. "We're all trapped here. Though we have a duty to our new home, though we're all going to do things we hate, things that set the world back hundreds of years even, maybe it doesn't have to be all bad. Maybe this marriage thing could work between us."

Remus glanced at his hand.

"I am a teacher," he confirmed. "I was a librarian back in Wales, but there was a lack of actual teachers here so… Like I said, Teddy is my life. He's everything to me. He's a good kid and anyone I choose to be with, would need to treat Teddy like their own. By doing this - by signing your name, I will ask one thing of you - that you treat Teddy the same way you'll treat any children that come along."

Sirius nodded. "I will," he promised. "I'm big on the family thing. My brother is married to James and—"

"Wait. I thought Charlus was your dad. I thought James was your brother," Remus interrupted.

Sirius chuckled, reaching up to tuck a stray curl behind his ear. "I ran away from home at sixteen," he said. "My parents… let's just say that my life would have been very different if my father or even my mother had cared about me even half as much as you care about your son. James is my best friend, I ran away to him. A year later, Regulus came to find me. James was dating Harry's mum, Lily—"

"Lily… she's another teacher, isn't she?" Remus checked.

Sirius nodded. "James was married to her until his mid twenties. It didn't work out. About a year after the divorce, he started dating Regulus. I lived with the Potter family for a while and James' parents treated me like their own. They're my family. What I'm saying is that I would do anything for my family, because I appreciate what having a good family really means. I don't know what I'd have done without Mum and Pops - Dorea and Charlus."

His hand reached out again, but remained in the middle of the table. "I honestly thought I'd never have my own kids. That I'd just be a fun uncle to Harry, to Regulus' children, to Harry's kids when they happened… but when I heard you standing up for Teddy, I wanted that. I wanted to be a father more than ever. To care so much about my child that I'd do anything for them. But when I listened to you, I realised that I'd like to give this a shot with you. What do you say?"

Remus looked at his hand. Sirius was genuine, and something about his story about being raised by the Potters made Remus believe that Sirius would treat Teddy like his own. Sirius valued his father-figure over his own father after all.

He reached out his own. "Let's do this," he agreed. "I'm ready to sign."

...oOo...

"Dad, you're friends with these guys right?" Teddy asked, noisily dragging the chair out from the table and sitting down. "I've decided to get married."

Remus took a deep breath and Sirius grinned. "Oh? To who?" Sirius asked.

"One of the Weasleys. Fred, George, Charlie, Bill… I'm not fussy," Teddy said. "So, can you rig that for me?" He looked at Sirius hopefully.

Sirius chuckled. "You have good taste, they're a good family. I've known them for years."

"Teddy, you don't have to get married now, it has been sorted," Remus insisted.

"Really?" Teddy looked relieved. "How?"

Remus glanced across the table, before gesturing to the form in the middle where his name and Sirius' name sat.

"Because I am," he said. "This is Sirius Black, your future step-father."

Teddy's smile faded. "My future step-father. Did you even get interviewed or did he swoop down to steal you away? How do I know he's good enough for you?" He watched Sirius suspiciously.

Sirius stared back for a long moment. "Maybe you should interview me and see if you think I'm good enough," he said. "Whatever you want to know." He glanced back at Remus. "If you'll excuse us, love." He made to stand, but Remus did instead.

"You guys take this table. I'll go and give Charlus the form and I want to meet this… Charlie, Fred, George and…"

"Bill," Teddy filled in. "First things first, Mr Black," he said, crossing his arms. "Can you keep one of them single for me?"

Sirius' grin widened. "That can be arranged, but you can only pick one. Have you heard that Charlie is a Dungeons and Dragons DM?"

Teddy nodded his head. "That sounds acceptable," he agreed. "Second, what are your intentions towards my father, what was your job, and did you have a motorbike to go with that leather jacket you sometimes wear?"

"I'll leave you two to it," Remus said, hoping it went well. He didn't want to go back on everything, but if Teddy didn't like Sirius… well, Teddy would always come first.

...oOo...

"Hey Teddy, leaving already?" Charlie called, as Teddy waved at the family on his way past. Sirius and Remus were going to have dinner together to talk further, and Teddy had plans to go to the library. "Your dad told me you D&D. I was thinking of setting up a game if we can find others to play - I have all my books and DM boards and dice and stuff. You should bring your character sheet by sometime."

"Tomorrow?" Teddy suggested.

Charlie grinned and nodded. "Find me at lunch in the canteen," he insisted.

"Sure," Teddy said. He waited until they were outside of the room before turning to Remus. "I've got a date with Charlie."

Remus was about to point out that it wasn't a date, but his words failed as he watched Sirius and Teddy high-five.

"Definitely a date," Sirius insisted. "I'll make sure to talk you up when I see him later."

"Thanks, Pops," Teddy said. "You two have a nice dinner. I'll see you back at home, Dad." Teddy smiled between them.

"That went well, I take it he approves?" Remus said.

Sirius nodded. "He's a cool kid. You're going to have to teach me how to play that game though, because it was one of the nine conditions that he set."

"You're going to listen to all of the conditions?" Remus checked.

Sirius nodded. "I want your son to like me and trust me," he said. "I'm marrying you, but I'm also signing up to be his step-dad. I agreed to his terms, and if I break that deal, I'm breaking his trust. I want this to work."

Remus smiled. His hand reached for Sirius, and the pair headed upstairs hand in hand. Remus felt his hand warming with Sirius' touch.

"You know, I'm looking forward to this," he admitted nervously. "Being married. It's starting to look like it has its upsides."

Sirius smiled warmly at him. "I have to agree. I look forward to spending my life with you, Remus. So… dungeons and dragons. I can be a king or something, right?"

"No, but you could be an elven princess with a crown," Remus teased.

Sirius smiled. "You may joke about that," he said. "Honey, you should see me in a crown." The smile turned into a smirk. "That and nothing else."

"I'll hold you to that," Remus murmured. He ignored the shocked look on Sirius' face and continued to lead the way to dinner.

"Over dinner, you can tell me how you ended up in London," Sirius suggested. "I like to think that it's fate that you ended up in this silo. Fate that we met."

Remus liked the idea of fate. It sounded much better than trapped in a silo and forced into marriage in order to help keep the human race alive. Fate brought him and Sirius together, and that's how he was going to think of it from now on.

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