Remus was home before Sirius was up. He sank onto the mattress beside his husband and brushed the hair off Sirius's forehead gently, making Sirius's eyelids flutter as he woke up.

Sirius stared up at Remus, haloed by morning light from the window, staring down at him with an unreadable expression.

"You're not usually the one who wants it in the morning, Moonshine, but if you just gimme a second to wake up --"

"Shhh," Remus rolled his eyes. "Everything's gotta be dirty with you. When did you get to be so bloody foul?"

"Sometime during fourth year," Sirius shrugged.

Remus bent down and kissed the bridge of Sirius's nose.

"You're really sending me mixed signals here," Sirius complained mildly.

Remus sat up. "I need to talk to you."

"You are talking to me," Sirius said through a yawn.

"I mean about something in particular."

Sirius raised a brow and pushed himself up from the mattress, "What? What's the matter, Moony?" he asked.

"Well nothing is the matter, it's just I've got this thing which I need to do and I want to tell you about it a bit before it --"

There was a bang on the wall in the hallway and they both looked at one another with question, then got up and went to the bedroom door, sticking their heads out to see what the noise was.

Peter stood in the hall with his desk wedged between the door frame and the opposite wall, a look of frustration on his face.

"What's going on, Wormtail?" Remus asked.

Peter flushed, crammed between the desk and the wall at the end of the hall.

Ever since the moment his stupid mouth had spouted off and proposed to Oni, he had been positively mortified at the thought of seeing her again - a possibility made so much more likely to happen by his living directly above her curry shop. This panic had led him to take action and he had inquired after a room to rent in Diagon Alley. He found one in the stuffy attic over Florish and Blott's that be could afford, and had rented it out and started quietly moving his smaller things there over the past couple of days, never saying a word to the lads about it.

He had bitterly wondered if they'd notice he was gone.

Now, both Remus and Sirius were staring at him with confused looks; and the damned desk was stuck.

"Pete?" Remus pressed.

"I'm moving out," Peter announced.

Sirius asked, "What?"

"To James's?" Remus asked.

"Downtown. Diagon Alley, actually," Peter corrected.

Remus and Sirius exchanged glances. "Really?" Remus asked.

"Why?" asked Sirius.

Peter shrugged. He didn't really want to tell them about how stupid he'd been proposing to Oni. He also didn't want to outright accuse them of having wanted him to leave. Anytime he accused them of things like that, they got defensive - Sirius especially, who always made a big production about what a grand friend he was when, in Peter's opinion, he really wasn't that good of one. He really didn't feel like arguing with them - with Sirius. And Sirius was already looking at him with eyes that said he was concerned.

He's good at fake caring, Peter thought. Sirius Black never gave a damn about me before - all seven years at Hogwarts he'd been the one Sirius didn't mind forgetting about or mocking or outright bullying. Why would he care now? Because of some stupid love-magic? The love magic made Sirius gooey and sticky sweet, even more fake than ever before, because now Sirius was pretending he could make up for the past by being "better" now. Well it wasn't making up for anything.

Peter realized, standing in that hallway, looking at Sirius's concerned expression that he rather hated Sirius Black.

"Just thought it would be easier with work is all," Peter lied, shrugging.

Remus noticed Peter's eyes were watery and darting between him and Sirius and he wondered whether Peter's sudden independence was in part because of the way the others had confronted him over the Grindelwald book. Or perhaps Peter had sensed that Remus wanted Spencer to stay with them, at least for a few months, until the newness of the Lycanthropy had worn it's edge off. That's why it would have been good sense for Pete to stay with the Potters for a couple months - and then return to the flat... Remus wished he'd just made time to talk to Peter about it.

Sirius worried he might've hurt Peter without meaning to, acting like he always had done before. He could feel resentment coming from Peter, aimed at him specifically.

"We aren't that far from Diagon Alley to make it a tough commute, Wormy," Sirius argued, "Even by muggle transit. Not to mention you're a wizard that can disapparate anywhere you like. Why move? We like you being here."

Peter stared at him and Sirius could feel the -do you?- that Peter's very blood seemed to thrum with.

"Of course we do," Sirius murmured, answering the unspoken question.

Peter seemed surprised Sirius had read what was so clearly on his mind and he twitched. "I just want to be on my own, alright?" he put his hands against the desk and pushed it a good turn. The edge of it scratched the wall, leaving  mark and he stopped and grunted in frustration, waving his wand, twisting his wrist, trying to pivot the desk magically.

"Shrinking charm," Sirius said, and he waved his wand, the desk instantly puffing and downsizing into a doll-house dimension. It landed at Peter's feet. "See? You can move your entire bloody room in one go this way."

"Thanks," Peter said hurriedly, picking up the desk and shoving it into his pocket, then pushing his way into his room.

Sirius followed after him, wand aloft. "Here, let me help you."

"Why? Because you think I can't do it myself?" Peter demanded sharply.

Remus lingered in the doorway, "He's just trying to help you, Pete," he said, seeing Sirius's hurt expression.

"Well I'm perfectly capable of doing a shrinking charm myself," Peter answered, shrugging.

"Sorry, Wormtail," Sirius said. "I wasn't trying at implying that you couldn't. Really."

"S'fine," Peter answered.

They all stood there awkwardly until finally Remus touched Sirius's elbow and pulled him back out of Peter's room and Sirius, reluctant, followed him, letting Peter be to finish shrinking the rest of his things. The door closed behind them and Remus nodded for Sirius to follow him down the hallway toward the kitchen.

"I really wasn't trying to imply he couldn't do it," Sirius said, looking at Remus for support.

"I know," Remus said.

"I just wanted to help."

"I know," Remus repeated.

Sirius sighed heavily as they returned to their bedroom and Remus closed the door, locking and muffling it with magic. Sirius lay down on the bed, stretching out on his side and grinning at Remus with mischief in his eyes. He grinned and patted the mattress beside him. "C'mere, Moony," he said in a tone that rumbled deep in his throat and threatened to turn Remus's knees into jam.

"Hang on," Remus said, lingering by the doorway, carefully keeping the distance between them - if he went over, he'd end up letting Sirius seduce him and he'd never get his words out. "Sirius, I have something very important to talk to you about."

"Oh right, you said that," Sirius said, remembering.

Remus nodded.

"Well what is it, darling?" Sirius asked. He was still petting the mattress beside himself suggestively.

"Well, see --" Remus found he wasn't sure where to start or how to word what he had to say, and Sirius's eyebrows raised, staring at him in anticipation of what he had to say. Remus's lips went tight as he contemplated the wording.

"You're overthinking it, whatever it is, Moony," Sirius said, "You're doing the thing with your mouth that you do when you're overthinking things. Go on and blurt it out!"

Remus said, "I have to go and be a delegation to the werewolves."

Sirius's brows came together in concern and he sat up. He had been expecting Remus to share some kind of fantasy or kink or something that he would have been all too happy to act out with him - not this. Sirius wrapped his brain around the sudden change in mood.  "What?" he finally asked, feeling like his mind was malfunctioning. Certainly he'd misheard.

Remus's voice was a rush, "Dumbledore originally asked me and I balked at it but he didn't tell me about Ned and now I read my letter, the one he left me, and he asked me to do it and I have to honor Ned's wishes and besides that, they need me, they need someone like me, someone who cares, who does for them what you do for me. Just look at Spencer, just --"

The room was spinning and Remus looked wobbly suddenly, overwhelmed as a rather uncharacteristic panic attack took hold.

"Slow down, Moony," Sirius said, and he slid off the bed and came 'round to face Remus, gripping his husband's hands and staring into his eyes. "Remus."

Remus stared back into Sirius's eyes.

"You read Ned's letter?"

Remus nodded.

"I'm so proud of you," Sirius murmured.

Remus looked at him with confusion. Sirius was running his hands up and down the length of Remus's arms, seeming to absorb the panic that had risen up in him. "Proud of me? For reading a letter?"

"For reading that letter," Sirius said. "Moony, it's been over a year, nearly two now, and you've dreaded reading it since the moment Newt Scamander handed it to you. It took a lot of courage to finally open it and read it."

Remus felt a lump grow in his throat and he nodded.

"So I'm proud of you."

Sirius's hands were on his shoulders now, fingers unkotting the muscles in his clavicles. Remus closed his eyes, focusing on that touch alone.

"What's this about a werewolf delegation or --?" Sirius raised one eyebrow.

Remus took a deep breath. "The Order of the Phoenix needs to send a delegation to the werewolves, Dumbledore approached me the night the Prewett twins were killed. I guess he saw me fighting Greyback and..." Remus shrugged.

"A delegation?"

Remus nodded. "But it's bigger than the Order anyway... Bigger than the war."

Sirius looked overwhelmed already. "What do you mean?"

"Ned's letter. Greyback got the imperius on him after defeating Ned in a challenge for the title of Alpha."

"I thought Greyback wasn't Ned's Alpha?" Sirius asked.

"Alpha of the pack, the werewolves that were staying with Ned at Fallengunder," Remus said. "They were all under Greyback - runaways and rebels, the ones that didn't want a part of the stuff going on at the Great North Woods, you know? And they found safety and all at Fallengunder. But Greyback wanted them back and they were technically still his pack, even though they were choosing to follow Ned, see?"

Sirius was struggling to follow, but he nodded slowly, "Uh huh..."

"So in order to free the pack from Greyback, Professor Veigler had to challenge and defeat Greyback in a fight. In their wolf forms. Else it doesn't count. But Ned was defeated and Greyback won back the pack and he imperiused Ned and that's how Fallengunder fell."

Sirius was frowning. "But, again, I thought Ned wasn't under Greyback?"

"He wasn't. He was challenging to be the Alpha of the pack himself," Remus explained.

"Ned... an Alpha?"

"Yes. He was the chosen Alpha of the pack at Fallengunder - challenging to be the true Alpha... and... and he named me his heir."

"His heir?"

"Yes. The letter - he wrote it before challenging Greyback. He knew there was a chance he could die and he wrote a letter explaining this stuff to me and asking me to... to take his place. As he pack's Alpha."

They both waited for this to fully sink into Sirius's mind. Remus biting his lip nervously as Sirius processed... and then, "You - you're to be Alpha? Of a pack?"

Remus nodded.

"But wouldn't you have to fight Greyback then?" Sirius asked, and worry flashed on his face.

Remus nodded again.

Sirius searched Remus's eyes for any sign of him joking or - or anything that meant it might not be true but there was nothing but sincere determination in Remus's eyes. "Oh hell no," Sirius said, "Nope. No. Absolutely not. You cannot. I won't let you."

"Won't let me?" Remus laughed, "I don't think I have a choice, love."

"Of course you've got a choice."

"I don't. It was Ned's last wish. And honestly the werewolves - they need help, they need somebody to care for them. He's starving them and mistreating them. They're the pack that's in Blackburn, Sirius."

"The ones killing people all over the town?"

"I - I dunno what that's about, but there's only one way to find out."

"Yeah, stay out of it and let the proper authorities handle it. That's what people like Underhill are working on. Not you. You've got - you've got your classes at the art school. And you've got enough stuff on your hands with Spencer and --"

"Sirius," Remus's voice was firm, "I can't sit back and let the thing that Ned Veigler died for be lost. For the last two years I've boiled myself alive trying to figure out why he had to die, why he died for nothing when I needed him so much still. And - this is the first thing that makes his death make sense. Makes the fact that I've lost him make sense."

Sirius could feel his heart beat in his ears, almost louder than Remus's words. Suddenly all that panic he had siphoned off Remus before came crashing around him like a shroud of black cloud and he could feel Achlys in his chest... expanding. It was like she had wings that she had never stretched out before that were now extending, filling up the hollow spaces in his shoulders and arms.

"But he died, Remus," Sirius choked he words. "He did this thing and he died. Greyback killed him. What if --" he couldn't even say the words, they died in his throat and he all but choked on them.

Remus said, "I have to do this, Sirius. I can't let the pack down."

"You don't even know them!" Sirius objected.

"I met one of them - and his son. And he has a daughter and a wife. And there are others with children - children trapped under Greyback's rule, Sirius. I just... if Greyback had taken me when he bit me, I can't imagine what it would be like growing up in that place. And that's what's happening to these kids. Not to mention that he's starving them and entrapping them and threatening them - men and women and children alike - and they have no where to go. No where! The Ministry won't protect them. As far as the Ministry is concerned, werewolves are... they're not worth the effort. They don't care. Nobody cares."

Sirius's eyes were sopping, his mouth trembling as he stared into Remus's face as he spoke, passionate and firm, a tone of voice that Sirius hadn't heard much of over the years.

Remus continued, "But I do. I care. They need me, Sirius."

"So do I," Sirius argued selfishly, and he felt like a child, his face red with frustration. "I need you."

Remus lay his palm on Sirius's shoulder. "I'm not leaving you. Me doing this - it doesn't mean I don't love you or that I won't be here or anything like that. This won't change anything between us."

Sirius stared into Remus's eyes. "But what if it does?" he asked.

Remus answered, "Then I'll give it up," and he pulled Sirius into his chest.

Sirius wrapped his arms around Remus.

But both of them were silently wondering the same thing.

Which "it" was the one Remus would give up?