I've only written drabbles for James/Regulus before, so I'm quite nervous as to how this turned out.

Written for Emily :)

Totally Worth It

James waited in the forbidden forest. He stood near the spot where he had last spotted Regulus Black and followed him. Regulus was too good at slipping away, and four legs made it hard for James to follow at times.

But each time, James waited at the point he had lost Regulus, and each time he managed to find a little bit more of Regulus' route out. Hopefully it wouldn't take too long to reach the end and find out where he was going and who he was meeting every Thursday.

He needed to know if Sirius' suspicions of Regulus were true. Was Regulus a death eater?

The thought of it made James feel sick and he tried not to think about what would happen after he left Hogwarts this year and joined the Order as a full member. How could the four Marauders face Regulus Black in battle?

How would he be expected to fight Regulus, when Regulus meant so much to him? Not that he could tell Sirius that - Sirius would hex his balls off whilst he was sleeping if he knew the way James looked at Regulus.

Even if they weren't talking, Sirius was fiercely protective of his younger brother - that was why they kept heading out into the cold.

As he waited, he wondered what else Regulus could be heading into the forest for. Perhaps he was in a relationship... with a muggleborn? It would make sense for him to stay away from the school. Scheduled meetings because they couldn't make arrangements in the castle? James ignored the jealousy rising through him at the thought, but it was still better than the Death Eater accusation that Sirius had thrown around.

It wasn't long before Regulus appeared, looking lost in his own thoughts. James shifted closer, and closer, knowing Regulus would walk right past him.

Watching Regulus closely, he paid little mind to where he was stepping. He stepped on a branch, the loud crack making Regulus jump.

He turned, staring into the eyes of the beast. James stared back. When Regulus stepped his way, James shied away as he imagined a stag would have done. He almost breathed a sigh of relief as Regulus turned back to the path and carried on again.

...oOo...

James waited a minute before following him. He hoped that this was the night - as Sirius wasn't in the forest with him. Sirius had come all the other times, as they would take turns in watching the paths Regulus walked - they didn't want him to become suspicious from seeing the same stag after all.

Sirius had wanted to come, as it seemed to be a weekly occurrence that the lone figure of Regulus Black headed out of the dorms and into the forest, but it was also the night following the full-moon and Remus was completely exhausted, having insisted on attending his classes that day, rather than recovering.

"I'll go," James insisted. "You stay here with Remus."

He knew Sirius wouldn't be able to turn down an offer like that. Sirius' gaze drifted to the boy who had fallen asleep curled up against his headboard, a book hanging from his lap.

"He looks uncomfortable," James continued. "You should help him lay down properly."

"I should," Sirius murmured, heading over to the bed.

James grabbed the cloak off his bed, and took one last look at Sirius who was already prising Remus' fingers from the book. "I'll be back soon, hopefully with some news," he said, closing the door on his way from the room.

...oOo...

He followed Regulus to a large clearing, standing near some trees as he stared in a different direction, at nothing in particular. He wanted to see who was there, but it wouldn't do to look so curious.

"Black," came a voice - but James didn't look to see who it was - he would try and work out the voices later when he was able to sneak a glimpse.

"Dolohov," Regulus replied, frostily. "Must we always meet here in the cold? There is a warm fire waiting for me back in the castle, and a house-elf waiting to deliver me a hot drink and something to eat. These constant visits tire me."

"Such luxuries the muggle-lover grants you," Dolohov sneered. "We're waiting for an answer."

"And I'm waiting to find out whether this is in my best interest or not," Regulus replied smoothly. He sounded calm, but James could hear the doubt in his voice. He didn't think anyone else could - but James was someone who could know with just the way his best friend was breathing that something was wrong.

And as much as Sirius denied it, he was very similar to his younger brother.

"We've been over this," Dolohov said, sounding impatient. "Your interests are the same as ours. Your interests are having the Pure-blooded wizards favoured... and keeping your family safe."

"My family can keep themselves safe," Regulus replied haughtily.

"I wasn't talking about your mother and father," Dolohov informed him. "You don't realise that we could get to another Black quite easily. There are people who could just... hex him in the hallways if we asked it."

Regulus went silent, choosing not to reply.

"We'll give you some time to let that sink in," Dolohov told him. "Be here next week."

...oOo...

James waited a couple of minutes before following Regulus. He hadn't expected to stumble upon Regulus sitting on a large rock, his head in his hands.

James discreetly transformed back to himself, walking over, not even withdrawing his wand when Regulus quickly jumped up, his own out, pointing at James' chest.

"It must be hard," James said, ignoring the wand and walking over to the rock. He sat down next to where Regulus had been sitting. "Having all of this on your shoulders I mean."

"I don't know what you are talking -" Regulus began, trying to discreetly wipe his fingers across his eyes, before meeting James'. James wasn't fooled.

"So, Sirius was right about why you were sneaking around. He'd be shocked to know that the reason you're joining up is to keep Sirius safe," James commented, looking at him. Regulus' hand shook, the wand lowering slightly.

"I'm not going to attack you," James assured him, watching the wand lowering completely. "I'm just here to keep you company and walk you back to the castle."

Regulus snorted, but took a seat next to James. Upon closer inspection, James could see his the fear in Regulus' eyes. "You don't have to do this," he told the younger boy.

"I'm not doing anything," Regulus quickly replied, his gaze moving from James' face and landing on the ground.

"It sounds like you are," James replied. "But who would attack your brother in the hallway? He's often with one of us, and we have ways of knowing when we're in trouble." He took in the confusion on Regulus' face. "Also, you have to consider the choice Sirius is making right now. Joining them will not protect your brother."

"How do you know?" Regulus snapped, his eyes on James again.

James shrugged. "Do you think when this all gets bigger, that they'll spare him? I think maybe at first, until you're in too deep. Once you're one of them, there's no way out, Regulus. You're going to find yourself face to face with Sirius on the battlefield. Then it's kill or be killed!"

"Sirius would kill me?" Regulus whispered, horrified at the thought.

"No," James said, shaking his head. "It's either you kill him, or this 'Lord' you're considering following will kill you."

It was hard to tell, but Regulus seemed to pale further. "I don't know what to do," he whispered, the words slipping out of his mouth.

James wrapped a comforting arm around Regulus' shoulders, ignoring the way Regulus tensed under his touch. "I can't tell you what you should do," he said. "But I can say that the only way we can protect you is to have you on our side, with us. I'd do my best to keep you safe!"

"Why?" Regulus asked, sounding more curious than doubtful. "Because I'm Sirius' little brother?"

James shrugged. "Maybe that factors in somewhere, but it's mostly because I don't want anything to happen to you. If you joined and got hurt, or died, Sirius would blame himself."

"What does Sirius want?" Regulus asked, hesitantly.

James smiled at the question. "When it comes to you... Sirius wants to keep you safe, even if he doesn't say it." He hesitated for a moment. "What do you want?" James asked.

James heard him sniff, his breathing hitching, and his arms were around Regulus quickly, pulling him close. He ran his hands over Regulus' hair in the same manner he used to calm Sirius.

"I want something I shouldn't want," Regulus muttered. "I want what my brother has."

"You want Remus?" James asked, slightly bewildered and quite jealous. Did Remus realise the appeal he held for the Black wizards?

Maybe he could learn more from Remus than he thought?

"That's not what I meant," Regulus said, the corners of his lips threatening to turn up. "If I could choose what to have, I'd choose freedom... love. Why would I want Lupin?"

"Just... don't say that last part in front of Sirius, he'd get very offended," James said. "He thinks everyone wants Remus." He chuckled, recalling a conversation a few months before where Sirius was convinced James was trying to 'woo' Remus. "So, what are you going to do about it?"

Regulus didn't seem to realise that James was referring to the Death Eaters and Order. He thought James was asking what he was going to do about wanting love.

"This," Regulus said, leaning in and capturing James' lips with his own.

James didn't waste a second in bringing his hands up, winding his fingers through dark hair he had only until this moment fantasised about.

"I'll keep you safe," James said, pulling away just long enough to utter those words. His lips quickly took Regulus' again.

Sirius was going to kill him in his sleep, but it was totally worth it.

Review Please :)

Written for:

Gringotts Prompt bank - pairing: James/Regulus

The Restricted Collection: 34. No spells can be cast / mentioned

The September Event: (plot) getting into trouble at Hogwarts (I would imagine joining the Death Eaters would totally count)

The Monthly Exchange: For Dolby Digital. Prompts: James/Regulus, Romance, Hurt/Comfort, lost, 'She/he turned, staring into the eyes of the beast'