The light streaming through the dingy curtains gave Remus a rude awakening and intensified the sensation of the Seven Dwarves mining in his skull. Groaning, he tried to spit the cotton from his mouth and then thoughtlessly summoned a vial of the stop-gap healing potion he always kept on hand. It flew directly into his waiting hand, and he uncorked it and swallowed it down with a gagging gulp. It wasn't a perfect cure, but it would knock back the worst of his symptoms until he could get to Grimmauld Place and brew up a quick hangover potion. He flopped back onto his- oddly lumpy, now that he thought about it- bed. He was a little unsure of where exactly he was, but if he was in a bed, it couldn't be that bad…

"Oi!" Tonks groused, swatting his bare chest. "Gimme one too!" She was on her stomach, facing away from him and lying completely still in what had to be an uncomfortable position. She only moved from her statue-like state to tug her pillow over her head and block out the sun.

At her first sign of life, Remus had frozen.

Oh. Shit.

He took a moment to rub his eyes, hoping this was just a bad dream or some figment of his imagination. Yeah, he thought, it was definitely just an illusion brought on by what must have been a hard night of drinking.

That illusion was shattered when Tonks landed another blow to his ribs, then wiggled her open hand in a silent demand for relief. Remus summoned another vial and pressed it into her palm. She quickly downed the contents with a shudder and, gathering the sheet about her, sat up looking marginally better.

"Bloody hell, I haven't felt like this since the night after graduation," Tonks muttered. She glanced over at the man sitting quietly next to her. "Not much of a morning person, are you?"

Remus remained silent, staring blankly ahead, eyes slightly rounded in shock as the events of last night came rushing back to him.

Tonks leaned over and gently poked his bicep. "Hellooooo, anyone home?"

That seemed to pull the man from his trance. Remus whipped his head around and, in a voice barely audible over the morning noises of the village, asked, "How much do you remember?"

"Well, there are a few fuzzy spots, but once the pants came off it's all very clear," she joked. "Speaking of which, that thing you did with-"

"I am so sorry," Remus whispered in horror.

Tonks cocked her head slightly. "I'm trying to give you a compliment here, Moony. No need to apologize for an incredible night," she said, batting her lashes.

"That should not have happened," he continued as though he'd never heard her. He grabbed his pajama bottoms, which were mercifully lying on the floor next to him, and began trying to discreetly tug them on.

"And why the hell not?" Tonks hissed, jerking her nightdress back over her head and moving to rummage in her bag.

"We had this conversation last night," Remus said sternly, tugging on the rest of his clothes, "and we're not going to rehash it now."

"Don't I get a say in this?"

"Keep your voice down! I've already made my feelings clear on the matter."

"I'm just as involved in this as you are! And gladly so! In fact, I wouldn't be opposed to another round-"

"No! Last night was a mistake, and you know it!"

"Was not, you stupid plonker!"

"Really mature, Tonks, going with the name calling."

"Oh, so now you're listening to me?"

"I don't think either one of us is doing a bloody good job of listening."

"Sod it all, Remus, stop being so reasonable! I'm trying to have a fight with you!"

"I don't want to fight with you," Remus growled in frustration. Tonks was looming at him from the other side of the bed, arms akimbo and a fierce scowl marring her face. Remus sighed; he felt like shit for making her so upset. But she just had to understand his side of the argument, why he couldn't just… be with her like a normal guy. Because, despite his every wish, he was not a normal guy.

Realizing that her usual "beg and bulldoze" method wasn't going to work here, Tonks deflated a bit and flopped down on the mattress, patting the spot next to her. Remus slowly sank on to the bed, making sure to keep a safe distance between them.

"Let's try this," she suggested carefully. "I obviously want to be with you and, if I'm reading this right, you feel the same way, but you have some reservations. Why don't you tell me exactly what you're concerned about, and we can talk about what, if anything, we can do about it? I promise to actually try to listen to any of your realistic, tangible concerns if you will be open to solutions and compromises. Fair enough?"

Remus nodded slowly. "Alright… Let's start out with the major issue at hand. I'm a werewolf-"

"And I've already told you I don't care about that!" Tonks interjected.

"I thought you were going to listen?" he retorted, quirking an eyebrow.

"I promised to try," she grumbled under her breath, motioning for him to continue.

"Anyway, number one, I'm a werewolf, which is a danger to your overall safety. On full moons I change into a horrid beast and retain no semblance of my human mind. I have to spend those nights locked up in a cage in the attic of Grimmauld Place, praying the bars hold so that I don't go on a murderous rampage." Remus crossed his arms, smiling grimly as if that one complication settled everything.

Tonks gave him a hard look. "You know you don't scare me, right? I'm a fully trained Auror, and, despite my clumsiness, I'm fully capable of defending myself without really hurting you. And I think it would be a good idea to have someone else hanging around Grimmauld Place during full moons in case your cage doesn't hold. I could charm it so that, if it breaks, it would wake me up and I could stun you before you even got to a different part of the house."

"I can see the logic in that," Remus said begrudgingly. "But I'm also miserable to be around for a few days before and after my transformation. I'm moody and achy and irritable and tired and a complete pain in the arse! No one should have to be deal with their significant other acting like that for a full week out of the month."

She snorted. "You realize you've also described a menstrual cycle, which is incredibly familiar to women in general. We understand how to deal with those symptoms both in ourselves and the people around us- it usually involved a lot of pain potions, naps, and chocolate. And the word is boyfriend, Moony. Get used to it," Tonks finished saucily.

Remus rolled his eyes. "Fine, I guess you have a point there. But if I was your- your boyfriend, you have to know how people would judge you. People see me, they see my scars, and they judge me. I'm used to it, so I don't really care that much. But it would kill me to see them look at you that way just for holding my hand or sneer at you for letting me kiss your cheek- and that's completely ignoring our very abnormal age difference. I don't want you to ever experience that kind of isolation and belittlement. I've been there, done that, and I wouldn't wish it on anyone, especially not you." He turned his head, falling into a memory of when that wasn't his reality.

Tonks tried to discreetly dab at her eyes. "Thanks, Remus. I'm blown away that you would feel so strongly about the way people treat me." She straightened and then pulled his face back to hers so she could look him in the eye. "But you have to know that I've already dealt with so much of that. I got used to the strange looks when I was walking in Diagon Alley and my hair changed colors or my nose turned into a beak. And honestly I think it might be a nice change to have people run from me instead of asking me to turn myself into Gilderoy Lockhart or one of the Weird Sisters." Seeing the intense pain in his eyes, she tenderly stroked his cheek and pulled her hand away.

"I'm so sorry," Remus whispered. "I know we talked about it last night, but I never thought about how the general population would see your gift.

"'S not your fault," she murmured, gently taking his hand. "You make it better."

"I'm sorry about that too," he lamented.

"Stop apologizing, you prat," Tonks smiled softly, playfully nudging him with her shoulder. "Anything else we need to cover?"

"Well, there's the fact that I will probably never be able to support you, even if I had a steady supply of Wolfsbane. Wizards don't want to hire a werewolf, and muggles don't want to hire someone that misses three days of work in row every month and looks as frightening as I do," Remus moped.

A short laugh bubbled from Tonks' lips. "Moony, at this point, I'm not worried about anyone supporting me. As I see it, we're both likely going to be on Dumbledore's payroll at least until the war is over. After that- and that's assuming we survive this thing- I plan to go back to being an Auror. That salary could easily support both of us and probably a couple of kids."

Against his better judgement, Remus began to consider the idea of children, and, to his chagrin, he was elated at the thought. He'd never had the courage to dream of what Tonks was offering him now. It sounded so perfect… And Remus knew from experience that, for people like him, some things were too good to be true. But could he survive after life jerked this burgeoning dream away from him? Best to rip the plaster off now before it got any more painful.

"Tonks, I appreciate how much effort you're putting in to make this"- he gestured between them- "work. But all of this sounds like nothing but compromise and sacrifice on your part, and I can't be so selfish as to take you away from a better life just because I want to be with you."

She jerked her hand out of his and leapt from the bed. "Did you hear absolutely nothing that I just said?! For Merlin's sake, you brainless wanker! How dense are you? Does your lycanthropy prevent you from understanding new concepts?" she snapped. "Why can't you understand that I don't care! Why can't you get it through your thick skull that I don't consider this a sacrifice or feel like I'm giving anything up for you? In fact, I would be giving up my own happiness to not be with you! And since that would make us both unhappy, it's a stupid idea!"

Remus sat gaping at her, unsure of how to respond to her outburst.

Seeing that her tirade didn't have the desired effect, Tonks began maniacally pacing on her side of the bed, the wheels visibly turning in her mind. "You know what, Moony? I don't think any of that is the actual problem. The real issue is that you're afraid. You're afraid of letting someone in. You're afraid that they and all the good things they bring to your life will be ripped away from you. And knowing what I do about your past, I can't really blame you for feeling that way." She paused and turned to face him.

"You know I remember that day in the graveyard? At the Potters' funeral? I was only seven, but I swear that day is burned into my mind. I remember how sad my mother was and how everyone talked about what a loss the world had suffered that week. But what I remember most is you kneeling at their headstone, looking like you had lost everything good in your life- your friends, your family, your direction, your bloody will to live. Honestly, it looked like you were about to die right there with them. But Remus," she breathed, kneeling on the bed and taking both his hands in hers, "you didn't. You made it through all that, more or less in one piece. Yes, you've struggled. Yes, you've been isolated. Yes, it's been really, really hard. But you chose to be brave, to keep going despite it all, and just think of all you've done! You taught an entire school of students how to defend themselves, and to this day they tell everyone you're the best they ever had. You found out your best friend was innocent and enjoyed another year of life with him that you never thought you'd get! You're giving speeches to complete strangers every night and actually convincing them to help us fight You-Know-Who. You are so incredibly brave. Please, just drum up a little extra courage, take a leap of faith, whatever you want to call it, and try, really try to let me in. Let me love you, you silly wolf," she crooned, wiping away the tears flowing freely down his cheeks.

They stayed in their intimate position for a few long moments, soaking in the comfort and closeness.

Remus shifted his weight uncomfortably, clearing his throat and scrubbing his hands down his wet face. "I feel like such a woman after all those… feelings," he whined. He caught an elbow to the ribs for that and had to fight off a grin.

"You win," he relented. "I want to give this thing a shot- a real, honest chance. I know that's what I want to do; I know that's what feels right. But truthfully, my head is still screaming that this could be a bad idea."

It was Tonks' turn to roll her eyes. "Moony, you're the type of person who is always going to overthink and over-analyze every situation. In cases like this, when your head full of doubts is holding you back, you've got to trust your heart to lead you forward," she gently chastised, patting his chest.

"You know, you're pretty good at all this emotional shite," he quipped, receiving another blow to the side for his comment.

"Shut up, you great prat," she snickered, moving to straddle his lap.

Remus gave her his best crooked grin. "But if you're really willing to give this a shot, I'm your prat."

"Then that you are, Moony, that you are," she sighed happily, lying her head in the crook of his neck. "Now, if I remember correctly, there's a pay-by-the-hour option at this fine establishment?"

He nodded, liking where this conversation was headed.

"Well," Tonks breathed in ear, "I'd say we could afford to stay a little while longer and celebrate our breakthrough." She slowly dragged a single finger down his chest.

"I don't think the Order would mind," Remus muttered, sliding a hand behind her head and pulling her in for a deep kiss.

When they finally returned the money pouch to Albus relatively lighter than he anticipated, the old man kept his thoughts to himself and simply smiled, thankful that there was a little more love in the world.