When he comes back, Tonks feels like a bruise. She doesn't tell him this.

Everything hurts. Her heart feels tight in her chest as she watches Remus brush his teeth; when he looks up from the Prophet and catches her eye he smiles, uncertainly. The scent of him on the sheets makes her head spin. She can't trust this, not yet.

At night, she doesn't sleep. She memorises him, drinking in the way his greying hair falls across his face, the strange cartography of his scars. She counts his breaths.

His weight on the other side of the bed unbalances her. It feels strange, after all the nights he wasn't here. She is dizzy, lightheaded, like a kite without a string; she is in danger of floating away. Remus anchors her, his strong arms tight around her. He is tangible, his breath is warm on the back of her neck. He whispers, "Dora," into her hair.

Her skin flushes where he touches her. It's as if the blood remembers him, and comes flooding to the surface. He notices this, and traces patterns all over her, a strange light in his eyes. She's bigger now, and Remus strokes the bump with his thumb before bending to kiss it, gently.

The days are easier now. They laugh at her disastrous attempts at dinner, and he helps her clear up. They sprawl on the sofa, her feet in his lap. He peels oranges for her.

She wakes suddenly one night, and Remus isn't there. His pillow is rumpled and empty. Tonks sits up in the bed, shaking, and draws her knees to her chest. She can't breathe. He appears in the doorway, glass of water in his hand; when he sees her face he looks appalled. He pulls her to him, smoothing the hair back from her hot forehead, kissing her face.

"I'm not going anywhere," he says, over and over. "I'm here."

She wakes up, and Remus is on his side, smiling at her.

"Your hair is pink," he tells her. Tonks grins.

"We're going to be alright," she says, and she believes it.

Come on, Come on, Come on
Get through it
Come on, Come on, Come on
Love's the greatest thing
That we have
I'm waiting for that feeling
I'm waiting for that feeling
Waiting for that feeling to come
Tender, Blur