Author's Note: For Liza, who dared me to write a western-squib-soulmates!AU. I somehow pulled this off. :P

Written for...

Romance Awareness Challenge. Task: Your soulmate's name is written on your wrist. Prompt: Western!AU

Gobstones Club. Theme: First Love. Prompts: (genre) Western, Squib!AU, "You're breaking my heart."

(Writing Club) Serendipity Day. Task: Write about a chance encounter.

Fun With Fishing Challenge. Prompts: midnight blue, appreciate

Welcome to Wolf Hollow

1,842 words.

Remus had done a lot of traveling over his short lifetime and found himself in some pretty sorry looking towns, but he liked Wolf Hollow from the moment he flew into it on the back of his pegasus. It wasn't the bustling city he was used to, but it was charming and one of the few all-magic towns left. It was the kind of place he could imagine himself settling down in one day.

It was already late by the time he arrived in town and he headed straight for the stables, conveniently located down the road from the inn.

"How much to board her for a night?" He asked the dark-haired stable hand as he handed over Hazel's reins.

"Two coins."

Remus dug through his bag in search of his coin satchel while the man stroked the winged horse.

"Gorgeous eyes," Remus heard him mutter.

"Yeah, she's beautiful," he agreed, handing over the coins.

"I was talking about you, handsome." The man winked at him. "What's your name?"

Remus froze. It had been a long time since someone tried to flirt with him. Most people didn't really bother with the practice unless they weren't holding out for their soulmate, which he was.

"Remus Lupin, and I'm sorry, I'm waiting for someone," Remus said quietly, absently rubbing his left wrist, where his soulmate's name was written. The stable hand caught the movement and sighed.

"Aw, you're breaking my heart," he said. "Why are you waiting for something that may never happen when you can have what's right in front of you?"

"This name is on my arm for a reason, and I prefer to wait for my soulmate than to…" He wanted to call it settling, but thought that was unfair to the man. Had the circumstances been different, Remus would have been more than happy to give in to the man's advances.

"Too bad," the grey-eyed stranger commented, starting to lead the horse inside. "I'll be here if you get tired of waiting."

Remus shook his head exasperatedly and headed for the inn. "As if I'm going to give up on true love in one night," he muttered.

The inn was big and fancy, though Remus couldn't imagine a town this size had as many visitors as the inn could hold.

"He made up his mind, let him be!"

Remus paused outside the inn's doors, put off by the screaming inside. He wondered if he ought to come back later, but then it was getting late…

"He's our son!"

"That's no excuse."

He went inside, quickly walking to the counter as if he hadn't heard anything.

"Hello there, welcome to the Wolf Hollow Inn," the woman behind the counter greeted. Remus recognized her voice as one from the shouting match. She was at least twice his age with greying hair pulled back in a tight bun, and a dress of midnight blue satin that Remus expected to see at the most grand parties, not an ordinary evening in a small town.

"I'm Walburga Black, the inn's proprietor," the woman continued. "And this is my husband, Orion." A tired-looking man came to stand beside her and flashed Remus a tight smile.

"Black," Remus murmured. "I wonder, do you have someone in your family by the name of Sirius?"

They took a few seconds to ponder this and when the man finally opened his mouth to answer, his wife spoke over him.

"No, no. We don't know anyone by that name. It's just us and our son, Regulus. Here he is now."

Remus turned to find a tall teenager by the staircase. The boy nodded a hello and disappeared into another room. Remus turned back to the couple, disheartened by their response. He figured it was a long shot to ask about his soulmate – Black was such a common surname, after all – but he was always looking.

"Shame. I'd like a room for the night, please."

"Of course, sir. That'll be ten coins, and I'll need you to sign here." She slid the guest book his way with a quill. "Regulus will show you up to your room. Dinner will be served at seven in the dining hall if you'd like to join us."

The woman left to get her son and Orion seemed to relax, leaning against the counter and becoming social

"What brings you to Wolf Hollow, mister?" he asked.

Remus counted out the coins slowly, trying to gauge how the innkeeper would take the reason for his visit.

"I'm here to see a potioneer who lives around here. I have a … a condition. I think he can help."

Orion nodded, accepting the coins. "Sure, Mr. Belby lives just up on the hill, but I wouldn't recommend going to see him until the morning. The path to his place is pretty rocky and you're liable to trip in the dark. I can show you the way tomorrow."

"I'd appreciate that. Thank you."

Walburga came back with their son just then, and the man once more because a statue. Remus thanked him and followed the boy upstairs, admiring the portraits of assumed Black family ancestors that lined the walls along the way to his room.

The boy stopped outside room 104 and Remus reached into his bag for a coin to give him, but the teenager held up a hand to stop him.

"I don't need it," he said in a bored voice.

Remus shrugged and opened the door to his room, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him from going inside. Regulus was uncomfortably close to him, blocking the hallway.

"Sirius is my brother," he whispered. "He works at the stables down the road. I can't-"

There were footsteps on the stairs. Regulus pulled back just as his mother came into sight.

"Have a good night, sir," he told Remus with a smile. He rushed off down the hall as his mother came closer.

"I'll get you some extra blankets, Mr. Lupin," Walburga said. She flicked her wand and two folded quilts floated out of a closet. "It's going to be a chilly night."

"Oh, thank you." He dropped his bag inside the room and closed the door. "You know, I think I left one of my packs with my horse. If you'll excuse me, ma'am."

He made for the staircase.

"I can send Regulus for you, sir."

"No, thank you. This is something I need to do myself," he insisted.

:-:

Remus ran through the stable doors, frantically searching through every stall for the handsome stranger he'd met earlier. He found him in Hazel's stall, brushing her coat.

"Miss me already, handsome?" He grinned when he caught Remus staring at him.

"You're Sirius Black?"

The man chuckled. "That depends. You've met my family now. Is my last name a deal breaker?"

"Why didn't you tell me who you are?"

"You seemed pretty adamant that you didn't want anything to do with me a few minutes ago."

"But I told you my name!"

"And a lovely name it is, but-"

Remus let out a frustrated sigh and began untying the leather arm band that covered his soulmate's name. He'd always believed the name was for his eyes only, and no one but his parents knew who he was looking for. He stepped closer to the stable hand, brandishing his arm so Sirius could see his name written there.

He didn't get the response he expected from this. Instead of being ecstatic at having found his soulmate, Sirius looked upset. Quiet, he calmly dropped the brush he'd been holding and rolled up his sleeve so Remus could see his own arm. But where there should be a name written, there was just bare skin.

"Where's your mark?" Remus wondered, gently touching Sirius' wrist. He'd never met an unmarked person before.

"I'm a squib," Sirius said simply, as if this explained everything.

"I've met squibs before. They're marked too."

Sirius looked surprised at this, but he quickly shrugged it off. "Some people aren't important enough for a soulmate. You've got the wrong Sirius Black."

"Why would you say that? Everyone deserves to be loved," Remus insisted, growing angry. He considered Sirius family. "Your mother said she didn't know you…"

"Of course she did. I'm a disappointment, you see. I finally got fed up with being their servant, so I started working here. Lucky that Hagrid doesn't like using magic around the horses. Not much I can do otherwise."

Remus frowned. He hated people like Walburga Black, who thought they were better just because they considered themselves normal. He'd seen people do horrible things because of their ridiculous views of perfection …. He wondered how far the Blacks had gone.

He pulled his out and tapped it on Sirius' wrist, muttering a few words. The squib reeled back, scared, but the spell was already working. Black letters were appearing on his previously blank skin. Sirius stared at them incredulously.

"Remus Lupin," he read. "How did you-?"

"They were always there," Remus growled. "Someone put a concealment charm over them."

The hurt on Sirius' face was clear, and it was all Remus could do not to storm back to the inn and hex that horrible woman.

"Thank you," Sirius said quietly after a moment. "This means a lot to me."

"It means a lot to me, too. I've been looking for you for a long time."

"You mean you … you still want me, even though I'm a squib?"

"That doesn't matter to me. Although, I suppose I should warn you as well. I came to Wolf Hollow to speak to a Mr. Belby about a potion to help with my-"

"Oh, you came to see Dom? So you're a werewolf." He seemed so nonchalant about it that it took Remus by surprise.

"You know…"

"Sure. Dom has lots of land, living up on that hill. And he don't need much of it, what with staying indoors and working on his potions most of the day. He lets me use the land for practicing my trick flying."

"Trick flying?"

"Yeah. I can't be a stable boy all my life, you know? But there's this carnival that passes through town once a year, and they have guys who fly on pegasi and do all these cool stunts and stuff. I figure I can do that, 'cause it don't require magic." He patted Hazel's back. "I'm getting really good, too."

Remus just shook his head. "Let me get this straight: you're fine with me being a werewolf?"

"Of course."

"And you do flips, in the air, without the magic to save yourself?"

"Uh-huh." Sirius grinned proudly.

Remus couldn't help but smile too. He'd finally found his soulmate, it was just a shame he turned out to be a complete moron.

"Well, if you ever get tired of risking your neck, my family breed pegasi in Tornwood. You're welcome to come work for us."

Sirius pretended to think about it for a moment. "I guess I could do that, if it means I'll see you every day."