They were leaving, Caelen couldn't decide if she was nervous or excited at the thought. With the death of her mother and the reappearance of Voldemort, Remus had decided to join the, recently reestablished, order of the Phoenix. Personally Caelen thought the name was a bit pretentious, she'd have gone with something simple like 'down with the dark lord' or maybe 'say no to voldy!' But maybe those weren't very good names for a secret group after all. The little girl skipped along beside her father as they left the castle, "are we going back to the cottage now daddy?"

Remus smiled down at his daughter, "not this time cub, I'm sorry. Dumbledore has a special place we need to be, I'll tell you when we get there."

"Are we taking the train?" She asked puzzled.

"No little one," Remus replied lifting her carefully into his arms, "hold tight cub."

Caelen felt as if she were being pressed in, crushed from all sides. She gasped for breath as they appeared on a dark street, clinging desperately to her father, "I think I preferred the train," she mumbled once her breathing returned to normal.

"Sorry little one, it's not the most fun way to travel I know." Remus soothed rubbing her back as he approached a house in front of them.

Caelen felt herself crushed between her father and another body the moment the pair entered the home. "Remus it's so good to see you!" The deep voice barked behind her. "And little Caelen! Hello again little one!" She felt a hand ruffle her hair.

Caelen turned in her father's arms eyeing the boisterous man, "ullow," she murmured quietly. She wasn't one for loud boisterous affection, she wasn't used to it. The girl especially didn't know how to handle it from people she'd only met once, and that meeting had been tense at best.

Sirius smiled genuinely at the child, "lot like you I see Remus, same quiet nature?"

Remus laughed shaking his head slightly, "fraid not my friend, Caelen can be quite playful and chatty. No, I'm afraid you've frightened her."

Sirius looked truly horrified by the thought and reached to pull the child away from Remus and into his own arms. Caelen's eyes widened considerably her little fingers digging painfully into her father's shoulders. The man looked dejected, "oh come on mini moony, you aren't scared of your uncle Sirius are you? Why I expect had I not been stuck in," he paused shivering slightly at the thought, "well that place, well I'd probably have been your godfather. Incidentally who is her godparent?"

Remus looked shocked then puzzled, who was? Did she even have one? He looked towards her in confusion, "ummmm do you have a godparent Caelen?" He couldn't help but feel nervous at the prospect. if she did have one, with her mother now dead, was there someone out there who'd try to take his child from him?

Sirius watched his reaction completely bewildered, "well surely you'd know Remus?"

Caelen laughed a dark humorless laugh that sounded wrong coming from such a young child, "I'm pretty sure people only give kids godparents when they care what happens to them if they die."

"Well that settles it then," Remus began ignoring the ache in his heart from Caelen's cold acceptance that her mother never cared, "Caelen needs a godparent. Sirius as you're my best and oldest friend I must ask, would you be my daughter's godfather?"

"Definitely!" The man responded swinging a stunned Caelen up into his arms and heading off towards the dining room. "Are you hungry kid? I think we've got something in here, maybe some biscuits?"

"Don't get her all hopped up on sugar Sirius," Remus warned trailing along behind the pair.

Sirius scoffed, "oh come on Remus what sort of uncle/godfather would I be if I didn't give the kid a little sugar now and then!? Honestly, I should've been the first to give her a sweet if you ask me but I assume I'm far too late for that."

"Harry gave me my first sweet," she mumbled catching both men by surprise. She didn't seem to notice however and continued, "on the train last year, remember daddy? He gave me a frog, I didn't wanna hurt it but Ron said it would be ok, it was really yummy."

"She didn't get a sweet until last year!?" Sirius bellowed as if he were horrified, "Remus you monster!"

At the word monster Caelen stiffened struggling madly to be set down. Sirius put her down quickly afraid he'd drop her. He took in Remus' troubled expression noticing the emotions flitting across the little girl's face too quickly to identify. "Caelen uncle Sirius didn't mean it, he was just joking, weren't you Sirius?" Remus began looking pointedly at his old friend.

Sirius wasn't sure what he was supposed to have not meant but he could tell he'd walked into something. "I'm sorry little one," he murmured glancing towards Remus with a questioning look, "I was teasing your dad, I didn't mean to upset you."

The girl looked horrified backing away from him as if at any moment he might launch himself at her to do her harm.

Remus walked forward cautiously pulling his daughter into his arms, "why don't you take a nap in our rooms while daddy has a chat with uncle Sirius hmm?" He whispered looking towards his friend to lead the way.

Black waited till the girl was settled and the pair were back in the sitting room to speak, "alright what's going on? Why did she panic like that, why do you not know if or who her godparent would have been, and why in merlin's name did you keep sweets from the poor girl for so long? I mean I understand health and all that nonsense but I'd have thought you of all people would have given her some chocolate before now, I mean she's what six?"

"Seven actually, well she'll be eight soon." Remus sighed sitting on a chair as if the world rested solely on his shoulders. "You remember Gena?

"Davis?" Sirius barked laughing. When Remus didn't join in his face sobered, "oh Remus tell me that little girl doesn't belong to that...." He trailed off unable to fully voice his dislike of the woman.

Lupin sighed running his hands through his shaggy brown hair, "yeah, it was really hard when you were all gone. James and Lilly dead, Peter I thought dead, your perceived betrayal and subsequent incarceration, I wasn't doing so well. Then there was Gena, I'd always liked her as you know and she was there. I thought I could show her that maybe her prejudices were wrong, thought I could help her. I realized too late I was wrong and we separated, she didn't tell me exactly what I was losing at the time. Caelen came to me right before term started last year." He sighed the next words leaving him in a rush of air, his tone broken, "she'd beaten her, badly, because Caelen's like me, a werewolf. I left my little girl alone with that woman and she beat her for something I passed on." Remus had tears on his cheeks, utterly broken as he related, what he considered his biggest failing, to his dearest friend. "That's why she got so upset when you called me a monster, it's what her mother called her. I don't think she even knew what her name was before she found her birth certificate and the bit of parchment that lead her to me."

Sirius stood to his feet with a growl stalking from the room before Remus quite realized what was happening. He raced after the other man worried what he'd do. Lupin rounded the door taking in the scene before him.

Sirius sat on the edge of the bed pulling a startled Caelen into his lap. He cradled her chin in his right hand, his left wrapped around the girl keeping her on his lap. "I didn't know about, her, Caelen I'm sorry. I swear I don't think you or Remus are monsters, either of you. I want to be your friend, ok kiddo?"

Remus sighed in relief when his daughter, true to her nature, forgave Sirius his infraction, wrapping her little arms around him and patting his back reassuringly. "It's ok, we can be friends." She held out her hand for a handshake securing their friendship.

Sirius laughed at the girl's grown up gesture, "well that's settled then, why don't we get out of here? You don't wanna take an old nap do you?"

Caelen glanced towards her father hesitantly, "I uh..."

"It's ok Caelen you don't have to nap now if you don't want to," her father laughed.

That was all the encouragement Sirius needed he stood, little girl still held securely in his arms and raced down the stairs, Caelen squealing as they went. Remus found the pair in the kitchen surrounded by piles of sweets and biscuits and even an open bag of literal sugar. He scoffed crossing his arms, "Sirius I said don't get her all hopped up on sugar," he sighed in exasperation rubbing the inside corners of his eyes.

"Oh come on Remus don't be a spoil sport," Sirius responded popping a piece of chocolate frog into Caelen's grinning mouth, the rest going into his own. "We're making up for lost time!"

"Yes well you can stay up with her when she can't sleep tonight."

Sirius eyed the grinning child sitting where he'd placed her on his counter, "you wouldn't keep your favorite uncle up all night would you?" She shook her head no trying to school her giggly features into a serious expression. "See Remus nothing to worry about." He grinned placing pieces of Drooble's best blowing gum in both he and Caelen's mouths, "ok Caelen now this you jut chew don't swallow alright, I'm going to teach you to blow a bubble."

Remus sighed rolling his eyes at his friends antics as he left the room to unpack. "Don't get gum in her hair Sirius," he scolded in a defeated tone as he went.

"Ah your old dad always was a buzz kill," Sirius told the girl laughing, "although he may be right this time id hate to mess up your hair." He paused his head cocked to the side as he studied her, "maybe we should put it up or something. Do you know how to braid?"

Caelen shook her head no, her mouth full of bubble gum.

"Well that's alright can't be too hard right?" Sirius fumbled digging his hands into the girls long brown hair, "let's see I've seen this done before, Lily used to braid her hair sometimes ummmmm..."

Fifteen minutes later Remus was rushing through the house, Sirius' shouts for help propelling him down the stairs as quickly as possible. Sirius' mother's portrait was irate shouting insults at the 'blood traitors' who dared enter her home. He stumbled into the kitchen breathlessly wand held out, prepared for the worst.

What he saw wasn't dangerous and he burst into laughter at the sight. Caelen sat scowling on the table, Her godfather's hands hopelessly tangled in her brown hair. "I swear it's worse than devil's snare!" He groaned in frustration tugging on his hands.

Caelen yelped at his tug earning Sirius a glare from her father. "Gently Sirius that's attached!" He berated the other man as he approached the pair attempting to untangle the mess of hair. "What were you even doing?"

"We were going to put her hair in a braid so she didn't gum it up."

Lupin shook his head exasperated, "Lot of experience braiding hair have you?"

"Can't be that hard," Sirius replied pouting as he tugged once more in an attempt to free his hands.

"Ow uncle Sirius don't!" Caelen yelped tears entering her eyes.

Sirius looked horrified Remus looked angry, "stop tugging you great oaf!" He snapped prodding at the tangled mess of hair as if it were sentient and planning to pull him in any moment. "You see this is why all I do is brush it! Why would you use my daughter to learn how to braid you've got enough hair braid your own next time!"

That's how Molly found them, the men segueing over the best way to get the tangles out and weather or not hair worked like untying a knot. Caelen sitting in front of the pair crying silently at every accidental tug. "What on earth is going on here!?"

"Oh Molly thank god!" Remus breathed rushing to pull the woman into the room, "Sirius here thought he could braid and somehow this happened," he waved his hand completely bewildered at the mess of hair.

Molly glared at the men pulling a nearly sobbing Caelen into an awkward hug, "oh you poor dear, I just knew leaving you alone with these two would've trouble."

"Hey!" The men complained indignantly.

Molly waved her wand straightening out the mess of tangles and swatting Sirius' hands away from the girl's head. "There now that's better huh dear? Did you still want that braid? I promise it's not as traumatic when someone who knows how does it."

Caelen shook her head no vigorously attempting to get to her father. Molly had pulled her into her arms at that point though and seemed oblivious to the girl's reaching hands. "Honestly Remus I expect this sort of thing from Sirius but I'd have expected better from you. Why on earth would you let that man try to do anyone's hair especially a little girl's!?"

"Hey!" Sirius sounded offended crossing his arms, "I'll have you know people like my hair!"

Molly looked at him with disdain, "oh I'm sure."

Remus reached forward pulling his daughter into his arms, "I didn't actually know he was doing it, I was upstairs unpacking."

Molly did not look impressed, "That's not exactly reassuring dear, I wouldn't advise leaving him on his own with her."

At this point Sirius was well and truly offended, he hadn't meant to hurt the girl. So what if he didn't know how to braid that wasn't so uncommon, it surely didn't warrant questioning him every being alone with her! He glared at the redheaded witch indignantly, oblivious to the audience of equally redheaded children in the doorway. "Now see here Molly I'd never hurt that little girl on purpose and to suggest that I would is ludicrous and insulting!"

The woman ignored him fussing over Caelen, despite the girl's obvious discomfort. Caelen peeked around Molly smiling lightly at her godfather, "it's ok uncle Sirius I know you didn't mean to. Can uncle Sirius teach me how to blow bubbles now daddy? We never got to before.."

Remus passed his child to his friend, who was grinning smugly at Mrs Weasley, "no more hairstyling got it Sirius?"

The man saluted quickly before carrying Caelen, tickling her as he went, out of the room. Her giggles wafting behind them as they disappeared down the hall.

__________________________

New chapter! I'm pretty pleased I've been working on this all day hope you enjoy it let me know I love comments! Ok see you very soon laters