Woe of Aftermath By A Darker Shade of Bright

And now, the moment we've all been wating for... I tried to make this seem as realistic as possible, but I'm not exactly the best person for this particular job, so... bear with me. And enjoy the final installment of Woe of Aftermath...

Chapter 6: A Beginning

He leaned in and kissed her softly. She placed her hand on his cheek and returned the kiss more persistently. Ever so slowly and reluctantly, he broke away. "I don't want tonight to be overshadowed by my past, Tonks. You know that right now all I want is you."

"I know." She gave him a small smile. "I want you too, Moony."

He suddenly felt very good, and smiled back dangerously. "Can you restrain yourself long enough to take off your own robes, or shall I use my fangs?"

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea to me," she purred.

Tonks stood up, her legs already beginning to tremble. She unlaced the front of her robes, absorbed in what she was doing, before she realized that Remus was gazing at her, hungrily anticipating her every move.

"Remus," she started, her voice suddenly unnaturally shy. "Aren't you going to...?"

"I'm having too much fun watching you, love," Remus finished for her, leering in a teasing way. But she could see that he wasn't lying. She decided she should make this worthwhile for him, considering the circumstances.

Slowly sliding out of her robes, Tonks was left wearing a silky nightdress- looking garment, jet black and quite provocative. Molly had discovered it. Tonks found herself simultaneously cursing and praising that woman. She slipped first one strap, then the other, off her shoulders, and as the garment fell off her thin body she heard Remus's sharp intake of breath-

Dear God, she was beautiful. Apparently she hadn't anything on under that dress, because now she was here before him, completely naked and bathed in an ethereal light, her natural black hair spilling over her shoulders and drawing his eyes down...

And Remus was painfully aware of exactly how much older than her he was. When he found his voice again, he looked plaintively in her eyes and said, "Tonks, men my age are generally incapable of attracting women like you."

"I could say the same thing about clumsy young girls and men like you," Tonks answered shakily. Remus noticed that her usually upbeat demeanor had disappeared the moment the two of them had entered the bedroom. "I guess we're lucky we've got each other."

Groaning in reply, Remus took her hands and stood up, wrapping his arms around her again, but this time savoring every touch of her bare skin beneath his hands. He could tell she needed him, by the way she moaned every so often and by the way she refused to let her lips part from his. Soon she was scrambling to get him out of his own clothes, which caused him to break their kiss abrubtly. "Erm, Tonks..." he said between heavy breaths.

"Remus, you weren't expecting to remain clothed all night, were you?" Tonks murmured against his neck, a sensation he found to be a bit too arousing for comfort. Then she promptly reached her hands underneath his shirt, trying to touch him but only making contact with an undershirt. When she pulled the undershirt up and almost touched his skin Remus pulled away from her. Tonks looked confused, and overall very aroused. "Not fair, Rem," she said softly and pouting her swollen lips.

"Tonks, maybe it's best if I do that part." Remus looked at her painfully; his look was matched by the one Tonks gave him in return.

In her silence, he sat down on the bed, removing his shoes and socks. First things first. Then he unbuttoned his robes, laying them neatly on a chair, followed by his shirt. As he had watched Tonks, now she was watching him, but with less hunger and more curiosity. It was just as well, he reflected, that she should see it. She had seen him transform, after all. It was just a scar. A horrible scar, but a scar nonetheless. He removed his trousers, and finally lifted up his undershirt.

After one appraising look, Tonks met his eyes again. "Well, go on then. You're not quite finished yet."

She was back to normal, he thought happily, dropping his drawers with only the slightest hint of apprehension before Tonks came and pressed her body against his and captured his lips again.

This was absolute heaven.

It had been eight long years since he had felt the warmth of a woman, and now here was the young, lithe creature named Nymphadora pressing her bare breasts against him, her long legs parted slightly and her hips meeting his and reminding him how wonderful it really felt, to be with someone you love. He lowered her onto the bed and lost every rational thought amidst her scent, and her taste, and her soft skin.

Tonks murmured into his mouth, barely audible over their breathing. "Touch me, Remus." She spread her legs beneath him tantalizingly, and he felt unsure of himself once again.

"I was never very good at this," he confessed, plodding foreward anyway. With a hesitant hand, he traced a line up her thigh and between her legs, drawing a quiet whimper from her. He was searching for what he knew to drive her over the edge, waiting for her to direct him there, and she did.

"Oh, yes... just a little lowe—ah!" She bucked her hips in response. He almost pulled his hand away, but she glared at him and he decided to keep it there, for his health's sake. "You're a bit rusty at this, aren't you, Remus?"

"Hmmm..." He was busy concentrating.

"You don't have to think about it, you know," she giggled breathily. "You're doing fine."

At this point she lifted her own nimble fingers between his legs, and all was lost. To stop himself from crying out or breaking away from her burning hands tormenting him, he took her in a passionate, bruising kiss that shocked her for a moment.

Remus took the moment to recover his hand's place between her soft folds, running his thumb over her entrance and upwards to her bud. Tonks lowered her mouth away from his lips and began to nuzzle his neck tenderly, her hot breath coming out ragged and letting him know she was close to release. He was aching, throbbing for her, and her light touch against his hardness had worsened his condition in the extreme. He had to have her now...

He lifted his hands and rested then on her hips, and Tonks knew that he was ready to enter her. She shuddered in anticipation, savoring even his hesitance. He looked her firmly in the eye to make sure she was ready, a thing which, were he less of a gentleman, he would have taken for granted. Wrapping her arms around his shoulders and lifting her hips slightly, she gasped as she felt even the barest tip of his manhood outside of her entrance and it made her tingle.

Within moments he was inside her, and both of them moaned at the feeling of being joined like this for the first time together. Remus knew this wasn't Tonks's first time, but he was aware of how tightly she encompassed him, and how excellent it felt to be like this and know that for now only the two of them existed. He drew out a little and then back in with a force, entering and reentering, and Tonks seemed to be beyond making any noise. Her head was thrown back, and she was rather still and waiting. "Please tell me you're close," he begged, conscious that he would burst any second now and that he was only holding back for her sake.

"Oh, Remus- oh... ah... hmmm..." He didn't stop his motions, but when her breathing became a little slower, he took one of his hands and placed it behind her head, kissing her lightly on the mouth.

"You really are incredible, Tonks." He paused for a moment, unaware that Tonks would have none of it. Grinning at him, she threw her legs around him and he felt himself plunging in her again with renewed fervor, so near his climax that it hurt him a little to move.

"Oh, God..." He could feel it coming, and Tonks knew it was too, holding onto his hips as if she wanted to keep all of his seed inside her. With a gasp, and a jolt foreward, he felt as though he were being portkeyed away into the most peaceful place he had ever encountered.

He rolled over next to her, completely spent and covered in a layer of perspiration from his exertion. They lay there for a few minutes, just breathing and thinking and being. And then Tonks turned her head to look at him, and Remus looked at her, and both of them raised quizzical eyebrows.

Tonks began laughing, followed by Remus. He found the strength to roll back over and take her into his arms, and nothing could have matched their joy at that moment.

"Was it so bad, love?" he asked her, playing with her hair. "Being with an old wolf like me?"

"Dreadfully frightning, Remus," she answered with a sweet smile and a beautiful laugh. "Quite wonderful, really. I think I've lost my taste for normal people."

"I lost my taste for normal people the minute I met you," he replied, kissing her forehead. "Tonks, can I ask you something?" She nodded. "Do you think we should tell people? About us, I mean?"

"Well, some of them know already," Tonks answered guiltily.

"Molly and Arthur, you mean?"

"I think the whole Weasley clan is beginning to suspect. And Mad Eye, and Kingsley. And Dumbledore."

"Should we just make this public, then?"

"Well, would anyone have a problem with it? Or us? With a war going on and all?"

"It's happened before, Tonks. I just... I don't like keeping things secret. It feels dishonest."

"I don't mind telling people if you don't. I have no secrets," Tonks boasted proudly, grinning her signature grin.

"Alright, then, it's settled. We can tell them later."

"How much later?"

"As soon as it becomes a decent hour of the morning, and we are both fully clothed," Remus stated wryly. "But I think both of us need sleep right now."

Tonks smiled, and they settled under the covers and charmed out the candles on the nightstands. And they fell asleep together. And Remus felt more human than ever before.

THE END... Or is it... A Beginning? I feel a sequel coming on!