Thank you GinnyPotter6891 for beta-reading.

The three friends sat in the half-empty outdoor dining section of Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor, enjoying their desserts. The weather had grown considerably warmer compared to the past month and a Sunday afternoon seemed like a perfect time to enjoy it.

"You look happy," Amy commented as she stuffed a mouthful of her pastry.

"Don't I always?" Tonks replied, raising her eyebrow.

"Of course you do," said Hestia, smiling softly. "-but mostly you're like this chipper, cheerful, sometimes annoying-" Tonks huffed, "-ball of energy. However, presently you… look serene."

"That's the word." Amy nodded in agreement. "You look serene- peaceful at heart."

Tonks smiled, glad that she looked peaceful instead of her usual inquisitive, cheerful, annoying self. She swirled her spoon in her cup of hot chocolate, refraining from answering.

"Amy?" Hestia looked at the brunette woman. "Do you think we won the bet?"

Realization dawned on Amy as Tonks smirked in her cup, though that smirk soon turned into a proper grin when her friends looked at her curiously.

"I don't think either of you won the bet," she spoke finally; they looked as if they would burst with questions if their initial query wasn't answered. "As you opted for the time frame of five months and you said it would be six months." She pointed at Hestia and Amy respectively."I happened to…we happened to get together in four months since my birthday."

There were a few seconds of silence, when Amy spoke first, "My, she's blushing…"

Tonks' blush darkened under the intense and watchful gaze of her friends. Truth was this past month had been like a dream, as if she had been floating on air the whole time. Amidst the Order missions and Auror duties, somehow she had managed to find time to spend with Remus daily, and those times had been nothing short of bliss. Every moment she spent with him seemed so thrilling, so full of love, laughter and promises that these days she fell asleep with a smile and woke up with a smile.

"That's… great, Tonks." Hestia grinned, she seemed to be refraining herself from squealing and hugging her; in public they had the responsibility to appear mature. "He's a great guy."

"He is." Tonks whispered softly.

"Ooh, Tonks!" Amy exclaimed. "You've got it bad. You know I might have warned you or something but… you look so happy, Tonks. I can't stop smiling seeing your face." She looked genuinely happy for her friend. Her hand crawled to Tonks' and she squeezed it once. "In all the time I have known you I don't think I've ever seen you this happy."

"You know, now that we are together, it seems as if all these years I have been merely pretending to be happy. You're right, Amy, I haven't been this happy for a long time. This happiness, this never ending giddiness… I can't explain it." Now that she had started talking, she couldn't bring herself to stop. When Remus and she had been together before, she hadn't had anyone to talk about their relationship to, but now she had Amy- who wasn't prejudiced and Hestia-who already knew about Remus; neither was judgmental which allowed Tonks to easily talk to them about anything and everything. "When I walk in a room, my eyes always search for him and once I find him, he's all I can see! He's so considerate… he never lets me fall when I trip. He tends to even the smallest of my scratches even if I insist it is nothing. He cooks for me… if I've had a tiring day, he'll make sure to prepare tea for me and send me off to sleep. And-and around him I feel so beautiful, so special- believe me, no one has ever managed to make me feel this special. He helps me grow; he manages to guide me through things without sounding patronizing… He calls me Precious and he really means it. This past month has been like… falling in love with him all over again."

"Ah, sweet love…" Amy shook her head, smilingly. "Reminds me of the days Alex and I used to court."

"I wish you both worlds of happiness." Hestia nodded her approval.

"Yes, just-don't let him disappear this time."

Tonks smiled. "It's his birthday today."

"Really?" Hestia looked surprised. "Any special plans? What are you getting him?"

She smiled secretly. "I have a few ideas."

Closing the main door of Number 12 behind him, Remus crept through the dark hallway, making his way to the kitchen. Sirius, who was the sole occupant of the room, turned around to look at the new entrant.

"Remus." Sirius smiled, and moved forward to hug his friend. "Happy birthday." A seventeen-year old Sirius Black would never have hugged and wished his friend a happy birthday. Remus had spent more than seven of his birthdays with the Marauder and all of them had begun with shrieking, screaming and surprise jinxes and hexes. Remus nevertheless accepted the stiff hug and thumped him on the back.

"Thanks, mate."

Sirius pulled away and sighed. He pulled out a chair and sat heavily. These days, he was becoming more distant day by day. Remus lived in the same house as Sirius, yet often days would pass and he'd barely get a glimpse of his friend. Sitting across from him, though, Remus admitted to himself guiltily- the past month he had been busy elsewhere to give much notice to Sirius.

Sirius sported a thick beard in comparison to the stubble he generally had, and his eyes looked bloodshot as if he had spent the whole night drinking. The bit of weight he had put on during Christmas had disappeared and he was back to his usual old self- gaunt and grim. He rarely smiled these days; he barely laughed anymore even on the evenings Dora and he would spend with Sirius.

"Would you like some?" Sirius asked, unwrapping a serving dish-which he immediately recognized as that of Molly's, having seen it so many times- placed in front of him. "Chicken drumsticks."

"Molly was over?"

"Yeah…" he answered, carelessly throwing the foil on the floor.

"Oh." Remus sighed. "Sirius, sorry… you know, the past few weeks I have been rather busy and well…" he trailed off.

Unexpectedly, Sirius chuckled. "Don't be silly, mate! I couldn't be happier for you. I also worry about you, you know, even if it goes against my rugged, macho Azkaban escapeeimage. But I'm glad you're safe with Tonks instead of running rampant with wild werewolves collecting information and whatnot."

Remus sighed in relief. "Well… since it's my birthday… we'll spend the night drinking and reminiscing about all the legendary birthdays."

To his surprise Sirius shook his head. "No, actually you aren't spending your birthday evening with me… but rather with Tonks."

"She's… she owled me in the morning, wished me a happy birthday, but I don't think she's anything planned."

"Oh, yes, she has," he said slyly, tearing through the chicken piece.

Remus blinked.

"Go upstairs." Sirius grinned toothily.

"She's upstairs…?"

"Yes, in your room."

"Oh." He suddenly felt very hot under his collar.

"Hmm… don't forget to put on a silencing charm on the door."

"Oh, shut up." He ducked his head.

Sirius laughed and Remus found it difficult to stay annoyed at him when he was enjoying this so much.

"Go on, Remus, I know you're having a hard time staying where you are instead of running upstairs."

No matter how true those words were, he stood up with deliberate and slow speed. "Oh…well, I'll see you later then. You'll be okay, right?"

"Oh, piss off now before I spell you away to your room."

Remus huffed. "I-er," He straightened his collar and combed his hair at the nape of his neck. "I- look okay?" He cringed immediately as the words left his mouth.

"Oh it's not me who should find you charming, Remus, sweetheart." He drawled; Sirius had overheard Tonks calling him that one evening and hadn't missed a single opportunity since to have the mickey taken out of him. "I am sure she lurves your rumpled, rugged and disheveled look more."

Remus growled softly; pulling his wand out, he spelled three drumsticks into Sirius' mouth simultaneously.

"Hummph!"

"Be thankful that I am not doing a silencio on you. Now dear Padfoot, enjoy your drumsticks while I have a little birthday celebration upstairs."

He made to leave the kitchen, but turned once to look at his friend who was struggling to pull out the chicken from his mouth. "And, by the way, Sirius, she does love my rumpled, rugged and disheveledlook more." He grinned and shut the door behind him before a flying chicken leg could hit him.

His heart pounded loudly as he ascended the stony stairs of Grimmauld Place to his room. Reaching his door, he hesitated and knocked. . . and then thought, why am I knocking on my own door?

As if reading his thoughts, a sweet voice came from inside, accompanied by a chuckle. "Remus, you don't have to knock on your own door…"

He turned the knob of the door and entered with uncertainty. His room was bathed in candlelight- scented candles floated near the ceilings; his generally cluttered desk was cleared and on it was a single candle, illuminating a small chocolate cake, a wine bottle and two glasses. Smiling widely, he turned around, looking for the woman who had done this much for him and found her lurking in the darkest corner of the room, where the lights failed to reach.

"Dora-?"

She emerged from the shadows, singing in a wobbly voice, "Happy birthday to you," His breath caught in his throat and his mouth went dry as she appeared fully in his vision. "Happy birthday to my love Remus, happy birthday to you." She grinned.

He started at her in open wonderment. She was wearing the lace negligee- the negligee she had brought for herself their first Christmas together, the negligee she had been wearing the night he had left her, the negligee which had haunted his dreams and had made his nights restless. And now here she was wearing the same nightgown- a mixture of lace and net, beige colored with pink on the hem. The net carefully covered her curves and the fabric stuck to her like a second skin and fell neatly to her mid-thighs, making his heart soar. Her hair- he gulped as nostalgia took over- was waist length, her natural, shiny brown. Her eyes twinkled with mischief. Despite her bold attire, he caught a touch of shyness beneath those twinkling eyes as she tugged at her outfit.

"Is it too much for you?" She grimaced and looked sheepish, cringing at the candles, as if their colorful lights and scent was offending her. "I mean, I hope it is not too cheesy for you… enough though it clearly is." She laughed nervously.

"It's wonderful," he rasped, not looking at the settings as he said this. "You are wonderful." His hands itched to reach out for her; he wanted to check if the negligee still felt the same to his hands.

She stepped towards him where he stood in the center of the room. He noticed she was barefooted. "I… hope I fit in this; I haven't worn this since, well, since that day. I was a bit nervous about it…" She trailed off, wringing her hands self-consciously.

He covered the remaining distance between them. "It's just as perfect as before." Had it not been for the Slytherin green walls, he would have thought that they were transported back to their time.

Placing her hands on his shoulders, she raised herself a bit on her toes, to cover up the tiny difference in their heights. She pressed her lips to his and he felt his arms automatically closing around her waist. Taking a shuddering breath, he pulled her flush against himself and he was lost in her. He caressed every inch of her barely covered by the light fabric. This past month had been like a perfect dream; he had spent each moment- whether with her or without her- drowning in her. It was like he was learning to live again and she was his anchor.

Pulling away, he took a moment to compose himself. "You can't conjure candles properly, Dora," was the first thing that came out of his mouth.

She chuckled; he picked her up and with some effort, placed her on his feet so that they were equal in height. "Molly did it. She did the cake as well."

"Molly?"

"Yeah… you don't mind, do you?" she asked uncertainly.

"If it makes you happy, then no. Besides, Molly is a very dear friend."

She hummed and played with the hair at his temple. "I didn't get you any present, though."

"You are my present, what else do I need?" he kissed her forehead. "Precious?"

"Yes?"

"Are you… I mean, you said you needed time… you don't have to hurry because of me."

"Silly man." She shook her head at him and kissed the tip of his nose. "I've wanted to jump on you for days, but then I thought that I'd wait for this special day instead."

He peered into her beautiful eyes. "When we first met, it had been ages since I'd had a decent friend. You ended my loneliness… then when we got together, I- kept thinking how lucky I was that despite everything, here was a girl who wants be with me forever… then those few years in between… never, never in my right mind would I have ever thought that… I'd even get to see you let alone… but here you are, with me, and I think this is nothing short of a miracle. So, yes, you know… people say that they have experienced a miracle, but for me, you are the miracle of my life."

She rubbed his cheekbone with her nose, a soft expression on her face. "You are so sweet. When I think you can't get any sweeter, you win my heart again…You think you're the lucky one… but you weren't here for ages, yet I never fell out of love with you. You are so very special. I could write a book on things I love about you."

He touched her forehead with his. "One day, you are going to tell me the probable content of that book."

"Want to cut your cake?"

His lips covered the path from the corner of her mouth, shivering as she moaned delightfully, to her cheek and stopped at her ear. "Do you mind if I open my present first?"

She chuckled breathlessly; her shy smile was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. She took hold of his hand placed on her waist, and moved it just beneath the hollow of her throat, where the closure of the dress was.

He fingered the silk ribbon, then holding one side, he slowly pulled it open. She sighed softly and he felt her curling her toes above his shoes. He inched it off her shoulders slowly and let it fall into his waiting hands. Aware of the drumming of his heart, he allowed her to take off his blazer and then shirt.

He kissed her, worshipped the feel of her body he had missed for so long. His palm fitted snugly in the small of her back as her fingers dug in his back. She trembled like a butterfly caught in his hand, waiting to be freed.

She stepped down from his feet and allowed him to cover the short distance to the bed.

"…and I just didn't feel like going out on a date…," she was saying from her position next to him on the bed. They were reclining, leaning against the headboard, his arm around her shoulders, covers tucked neatly under her arms, shielding her bare body from him as he kissed every inch of her visible skin while she talked about why she hadn't had a boyfriend in past years. "…I mean-" a kiss on her forehead, "-Amy even-" kiss in between her eyes, "-setup a date-" kiss on her cheeks, "-for me but-" kiss at the corners of her mouth, "-I backed out-" kiss on her chin, "-at the last moment-" kiss on the tip of her nose, "-she was angrhummp-" a deep kiss on her lips. She pulled away and tried to adopt a stern expression. "That's impolite, downright rude for you to interrupt me like this, have you been listening at all to what I've been saying?"

"Of course I have." He replied a tad indignantly.

"Repeat; repeat everything I've said in the past thirty seconds."

"You said, 'I didn't even go on a single date despiteafew guys asking me out, and I just didn't feel like going on a date. I mean Amy even setupa date for me but I backed outatthe last moment, she was angrhumm'…"

Her lips twitched with the efforts of trying to conceal her smile but her eyes gave her away. "I didn't say angrhumm!"

"You did, say 'angry'."

"Angrhummp!" Just as she'd had half of the word out of her mouth, he kissed her again, causing the rest of the words to muffle.

"See, you did."

"You are mean!" She swatted his arm. "Be glad that it's your birthday or else-or else, I would have punished you."

"Oh, kinky, Dora, that sounds downright exciting."

"Remus!" she laughed and then sobered. "I've missed it."

"What, punishing me?" He raised his eyebrow.

"No, silly… this, I mean… you remember right, when we'd be in bed talking, and you'd spent the whole time kissing my face and I'd think you hadn't been listening to me at all; then I'd ask you to repeat and you'd end up reciting each of my words correctly."

"That's because I do listen to you, my dear Precious. It's multi-tasking." He pulled her closer, their legs twining together. He hooked his fingers under the hem of the cover, which was securely held in place by her arms. It came loose, revealing the upper swell of her breast but before he could pull it down completely she batted his hand away.

"What?" he asked innocently. "My present is wrapped up again!"

"Shut up! I'm still talking." She sniggered at his antics.

"We can talk later; right now why not put our mouths to better uses…?" He trailed off touching his lips to hers, he just couldn't get enough. After kissing him lovingly for few moments she pulled away.

She looked contemplative and stroked her index finger over his collarbone.

"What's on your mind?" he whispered, his thumb caressing her belly button.

"I talked to Mrs. Selwyn…"

"Your tenant with the eight cats?"

"Yeah, that one."

"What about her?"

"I asked… if it would be… possible for her to move out and if it wouldn't be very inconvenient to her… if I arranged another similar place for her?"

He was surprised. Ignoring his racing heart, he asked: "Whatever for?"

"I'd…like to move in with you, or rather, I want us to move in together in that place, in that flat again where it all began." She spoke softly, her fingers caressing his chest in a soothing rhythm.

"Really?"

"If you want that?"

"If I want that? Dora… I would love nothing more… it would be like-" he failed to express his joy at the implication. He laughed; it had been his home- home that he and his Precious had shared together, every corner of that place was filled with their love.

She smiled widely. "Lovely… Mrs. Swelyn agreed and, well, thought it would take about a month."

"Of course, Dora but," he frowned and expressed one nagging worry that had been at the forefront of his mind. "-your mother?"

She sighed and deflated. "She's going to be difficult but… I'll handle her…and my father as well."

"I'm sorry; I just don't want to cause a rift between you and your mother."

"You won't, Remus. She loves me and… she might not be happy with my choice but she'll come to accept it."

"She has every right to be angry… she saw her daughter in pain after I left…"

"And she'll see her daughter happy now that you are here." She smiled reassuringly.

"What about… the Ministry? I mean here in Grimmauld Place, we are safer…"

"I asked Mad-Eye; he said currently there's no legislation- hidden or otherwise- about being in contact with werewolves… but I understand that it might not be good for the Order if we are seen together. But Remus, I have thought it through. I want to move back into that place. You know already that between the Order and the Ministry, I'm barely at home. Besides, at this time, I don't think we can just abandon Sirius; he needs us and we need him. So I'll continue spending my evenings here… but it will be a good change to have a place of our own when we do want to spend our time together, away from this house… and as I said I can't think of a better place than our old home…" The way she said our home made his heart melt. "And Dumbledore said that now it's just a matter of time before the Ministry accepts You-know-who's return and then we won't have to worry about secrecy anymore. I can't and won't jeopardize the Order, but other than that, Remus, you have to understand that it's my choice to be with you…"

"I do." He nodded solemnly. He knew they still had minor trust issues, along with a time gap of three years which stood between them that they had to recover. But at the speed they were going, he was sure that they'd conquer all hurdles. And he realized that the first step to that was to respect her freedom and her right to choose.

"So… well, I'll get my old place back and nothing much will change, except we'll have some place to call home. Imagine, we could invite Arthur and Molly to dinner at ours, how great does that sound?" She was bouncing with excitement.

"Sounds wonderful, just- you don't have to cook." He smirked.

She huffed.

"Can I unwrap my present now?" he asked.

She grinned and threw the covers aside. She crawled on top of him, igniting a fire in his body and kissing him passionately. Her wicked tongue glided smoothly over his lips, making his blood sing in his veins. Her long, lovely hair fell, shielding their faces. He was immersed in her intoxicating fruity-lemony scent. He took a shuddering breath as she dug her fingers into his thigh.

As he returned her kiss and flipped her on her back, he decided he was going to enjoy every moment of his life to the fullest. This was not going to be easy; given the looming war, and the uncertain possibilities of him going underground- but they were even more solid reasons to do so.

"I love you, Remus…" She breathed into the skin of his jaw as his hands stroked her stomach. He broke their heated kiss to look at her beautiful face.

He suddenly felt overwhelmed with the abundant love he felt for this woman. "You do realize, Precious, despite everything… despite every hurdle, every insecurity, every fear, we have found our way back to each other."

"Believe me, Remus, my life has never failed to amaze me; I do realize it, love."

He touched their lips together and carefully lowered his weight onto her. "And I love you as well."

He sank into her as another realization dawned on him- even if destiny and fate did pull them apart now, he had faith that they would always find their way back to each other.

That's all folks! I applauded myself when I finished writing the last line of this chapter which marks the end of Finding My Way Back To You- my longest fic so far. When I started this, I had no idea that this would cross the 100k+ word mark. Now that it is complete I am glad I was able to contribute a fic of this length to RLNT fanfiction.

I also (barely) managed to finish this story before completion of one year! And with satisfaction, I mark this story complete :)

Lastly, thanks to each and every person who ever reviewed, favorited and followed this story. Since this was the last chapter, I shamelessly expect lot many reviews to follow. So readers, tell me how did you find this and if you think this fic earned it, then don't forget to favorite it.

Thank you once again my lovely readers! Do remain in touch. I hope to make a comeback soon :)