Remus heard two loud shots fire into the air. He cursed, and he heard Tonks curse next to him. A few choice words that would not have been approved of by the parents in the neighborhood. They ducked behind a dumpster, and he watched Tonks pinch her nose to the smell.

Moments ago, they'd been laughing about Snape's expression and Tonks's audacity to pour her entire cup of hot chocolate on him. Remus was grinning, clutching his stomach with laughter only moments ago.

Now they faced certain danger.

Remus glanced around to see who had fired.  So far he saw no one.

His heart raced rapidly, as he tried to steady his breaths. His knuckles were white had his grinned the handle of the dumpster and his faded paled.

He looked around the side again, hoping to see whoever fired into the air. And hopefully, wasn't aiming for them. 

"Tonks, just please go." he begged, "I'll make sure you're okay. Just go."

They'd heard another gunshot and Remus ended up covering his ears. He saw her frown at him, more a pout than anything. Her brown eyes glinted angrily at him.

"No, I'm staying with you!" she crossed her arms, "It's not safe for either of us to leave!"
"Tonks—"
"I'm not helpless, I can defend myself."
Remus sighed and met her eyes, "I don't want to lose you."

After the words left his mouth, the scene became move vivid. they were crouched behind a dumpster, staring at each other with a fire of defiance in their eyes (with Remus's flame softer than hers). He noticed the wind blowing their hair and tousling it profusely. The chill touching them, making them shiver from the cold. He could taste the bitter wind on his lips. The horrible and rotten smell of garbage nearby. The evening sky, with dates twinkling and dancing as if the pitch blackness was a ballroom.

But he noticed her most of all.

Tonks's warm chocolate eyes glimmered with defiance, but seemed to kind to him at the same time. Her expression softened, completely free of makeup, and he found himself studying her pointed nose and plump naturally pink lips, which were pulled into a minuscule smile from his words. Her tanned skin, lighter because of winter's lack of sunlight. Her dark hair blowing gently, the light strands at the tips contrasting her natural hair delicately.

"Oh Remus," Tonks spoke softly, "You won't lose me."

As the words fell from her mouth, their eyes softened, and she smiled. Remus grinned back at her. Then he saw her eyes flicker around, and her lips formed a small o, as if a realization just hit her.

"Remus, listen." she pointed to the evening sky.

He heard nothing. Relief filled him. His heart beat steadied, thumping at a slower pace than moments before.

We're okay, he thought, we're okay.

"This was certainly a bonding experience." Tonks joked, grinning.

They watched a bits of snow and rain fell from the night sky. They laughed at the seeming irony of cold rain and the warmth of friendship in a single moment.

"So I'll be seeing you for thanksgiving?" she asked, eyebrows raised in question.
Remus found a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, "Of course."

They embraced one last time before they parted ways.

An hour or so later, Remus found himself talking on the phone to Sirius.

"I'm not into her, Sirius. We're just friends."
"Just friends you say? But I must admit, it'd be nice to have you as my future cousin in law."
"Shut up."

Remus sighed, running a hand trough his hair. His eyes wandered the room instead of meeting Sirius's teasing glare on his screen.

"Sirius, haven't I told you exactly why I can't get married?"
"Yes, yes, you have a certain disease that you mentioned once. And you would not like me to say now for fear of other people hearing." Sirius rolled his eyes.
"Thank you." Remus breathed, "So even if I was in love with her—which I'm not—you know why I can't have her fall in love with me back."

He spotted Sirius roll his eyes again. Remus sighed, knowing that his friend wouldn't understand how he felt completely.

"I heard she asked you to Thanksgiving."
"Yes to join her, you, and her family."
"You better have said yes."
"Sirius, maybe I shouldn't go? It's a family thing after all."

Remus silently thanked his lucky stars, he was invited to go somewhere other than his apartment for thanksgiving instead of spending it in this shabby and dirty apartment. The stains on the walls refused to be washed away as he scrubbed  relentlessly. His bed consisted of a mattress and sheets he washed every other weekend. His clothes were strewn in a cabinet he'd bought so long ago, when he had a little extra money. Thankfully, his kitchen had a refrigerator, freezer, sink, and stove and oven. All worn and rusty, but usable nonetheless. His two week's supply of food sat in his refrigerator and cabinets. He hadn't many clothes, but had enough. A few shirts, pairs of pants, two sets of pajamas, underwear, socks. His landlord was generous—charging him 8,000 a month— for which Remus was utterly grateful.

Compared to the places he'd been and stayed over for a short while, his apartment was a dump. A dump. Unclean and full of garbage.

"You know," Sirius's voice interrupted his thought, "Tonks lives nearby the coffee shop. All we all have off on that Thursday. Why don't I pick you both up at the shop. You guys can hang out for a little while."
"That—that actually sounds like a good idea." Remus answered, as Sirius looked offended at his hidden sarcasm, "Let me talk to Tonks."
"Already did, she's fine with it."

Remus rolled his eyes again as Sirius grinned, knowing he did something stupidly impulsive. His friend was a strange person, but lovable nonetheless. Remus shifted position from his spot on the floor, silently thinking about whether or not he should turn down Sirius's invitation or not.

"Fine, I'll go."

Hey I'm back to say hello! And happy holidays! Its December 23rd in America, so I've got two days til Christmas! How is the story so far? I feel like the characters seem a bit flat, but I'm not completely sure. Please let me know how my writing is so I can improve.

Question of the day:
Favorite activity?
Writing, drawing, or reading. Occasionally watching TV and playing video games but I usually don't have time for that considering my hobbies and my studies. (This writing stuff is draining.)

Anyway, see you all next time. Love you!
Abby