Just An Ordinary Week: Saturday
Title: Just An Ordinary Week: Saturday
Author: bratty_jedi (Rachael)
Format: Ficlet (just under 900 words)
Rating: All Audiences
Prompt: 16 (July 1): Hope it's right when you die, old and bony.
Dawn breaks like a bull through the hall,
Never should have called
But my head's to the wall and I'm lonely.
Warning: None
Summary: "She saw his face in the glowing embers of the fire dying in her fireplace."
Disclaimer: I own none of this. J. K. Rowling and assorted companies including but not limited to Bloomsbury, Scholastic, and Warner Brothers own everything. They also make all the money. I am just having fun and in no way seek financial profit from their property.
Author's Note: I am going to try to tell one continuous story over this week (Saturday to Friday). Each prompt will be one day in a week in the lives of Remus and Tonks. Don’t be fooled by the title. This will (hopefully) not be a boring week for our hero and heroine.
Dawn. Sunlight was slowly filtering through the windows, golden droplets sparkling across the table. Remus Lupin glanced up in surprise as a beam of light struck the text in front of him. He kneaded the back of his neck, trying to soothe the dull ache that confirmed what the sun told him. He had spent the entire night hunched over the dusty volumes that littered his table. He looked over his notes, his neck popping as he turned his head. Unfortunately, the pain in his neck, shoulders, and back really did seem to be the only thing he had to show for his efforts. He rubbed at his eyes, fighting exhaustion.
He reached for another tome to continue his search, his joints creaking in protest. His stomach growled a message of its own. He sighed, the breath of air stirring the wisps of brown-and-gray hair falling over his forehead. Mundane matters such as a meal, a shower, and a bed were currently calling to him much louder than researching ways to save the world.
She was running. Her entire body was heaving as she struggled to take in enough oxygen. Her heart raced, threatening to leap out of her chest and leave the rest of her behind if she did not move faster. She tried to run faster but her limbs were heavy and sluggish. The thing chasing her was almost upon her. She could not get away. She whirled, wand out, ready to face her pursuer rather than be attacked from the rear. A small ball of fluff landed on her face, leaving miniscule scratch marks as it clawed for purchase. She pulled it away from her body and looked in shock at the small kitten she held in her hands. It opened its mouth. "Tonks? Tonks?"
With a painful thud, Tonks woke to find herself on her living room floor. She had obviously fallen off the couch. She rubbed at her sleep-filled eyes, hoping to clear her mind. Why had she been asleep on the couch? And why was the bloody cat from her dream still calling her name. "Tonks?" In a heartbeat, she came fully awake. She knew that voice.
"Remus?" she called into the darkness.
"Over here," came the soft reply.
She looked toward the sound of his voice. She saw his face in the glowing embers of the fire dying in her fireplace. "Wotcher, Remus," she said with a yawn as she scooted closer to the fire. Her back muscles cried out in protest as she moved. "You're lucky I slept on the couch or I would have missed you."
"I woke you. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have called."
"Yes, you should have." She replied as she ran her fingers through her short, pink spikes, trying to calm her usually wild morning mane. "What's up?"
"Nothing. I shouldn't have woke you. I should go."
She glowered at the fiery image of Remus' head. "Fine. You shouldn't have woke me, if that will make you feel better. But since I'm already awake, we might as well talk."
He laughed. "You win. Why were you sleeping on the couch anyway?"
She grinned sheepishly. "I think I must have fallen asleep last night waiting to see if you would call."
"Sorry," he muttered past a grimace. "I meant to, but I lost track of time and never left the library. I only came back to my hotel an hour ago."
"And you think you shouldn't have woke me? You need to get some sleep."
"I need to get this research done," he countered.
"Have you found anything?" she asked hopefully.
"No. But it would help if I had a better idea what I was looking for. 'Anything connected to Voldemort and his time here in Romania' is more than a bit vague. Have you heard anything from them?"
There was no need to ask whom he meant by "them." It was always the same them: Harry, Ron, and Hermione. "Nothing new. I talked to Harry the day after you left but he wouldn't tell me anything more. He just keeps saying he promised Dumbledore."
"I know. I guess we just have to truuuust hm." She had difficulty understanding his last few words, swallowed as they were by his yawn.
"You should go get some rest."
"I will," he promised. "Provided I can get these old, tired bones up off the floor. I am so stiff and sore."
She laughed. "If you're old, what's my excuse?" she asked as she began to massage her aching shoulder.
One of his ash eyebrows arched up. "Perhaps sleeping on the couch all night?"
"Perhaps sitting at a library desk all night?" she countered.
He smiled. "I guess we both have reasons to crawl into a soft, warm bed."
"Too bad it can't be the same bed," she said with a mischievous grin.
"I'll be home as soon as I can."
"I know. I just miss you."
"I miss you, too, love. It should only take me another few days to go through everything, even if I don't find anything."
"Good. I want you home. But don't push too hard just to finish. Take care of yourself and get plenty of rest."
He smiled at her concern. "I will. Goodnight, Tonks."
She smiled as sunlight began to trickle through her window. "Goodnight, Remus."