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A/N - Remus/Tonks. Tonks lost an arm in a battle and has been removed from the Aurors and from the field in the Order. Meanwhile, the man she was sort-of-seeing broke up with her. She felt like her life was falling apart until she met Remus Lupin in a field during a lightning storm. And Tonks realizes she has much more to do than just fight.

SOMEONE TO SAVE

By: Hopeful Writer

No. This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening.

A stunned Nymphadora Tonks stared at the stub where her left arm used to hang. Or... maybe it was happening.

"Tonks! Tonks, what the hell happened?"

It was Ron Weasley, his blue eyes wide with horror as he looked her over. She gave him a humorless smile. "It fell off," she explained sarcastically, her voice dripping fake cheer.

Ron swallowed hard. "C'mon, Tonks. Let's get you out of here." He grabbed her right shoulder and started to steer her in the general opposite direction of the fighting.

She shrugged him off. "Geroff, Ron. I can still fight. They didn't get my wand arm."

"Bloody hell, Tonks! Your arm's gone!"

She glared at him. "Thanks for that amazing observation. I hadn't noticed," she snapped back dryly. He looked shocked, and she repented slightly. After all, he wasn't the one who'd done this to her. "Look, I've got another arm. I'll get this checked out as soon as we're done."

Ron stared at her with a mix of admiration and complete terror flickering across his dirt-streaked face. "Fine. But if you even get close to losing something else important, you get out of here, okay?"

"Sure, sure." She didn't really intend to, and Ron knew that, but he let it go.

The Death Eaters got away, as they always did, and Tonks went to see a Healer, like she'd promised. "If you'd come to us right away, Tonks, we might have been able to do something about your arm," he told her, in the scolding voice her mum used to use when she stole a biscuit and got caught. "But you waited too long. The curse that was used caused the area to scar over almost immediately. Had it not, we may have been able to reattach your arm, or replace it. But there's nothing we can do about it now."

Ron shot her a look that clearly said, "I-told-you-so". She turned her head away. "So you're saying I'm going to have one arm for the rest of my life?" she reiterated flatly.

"Well... yes."

Tonks sighed. "At least it wasn't my right one that they took. I can still fight with one arm. I'll be out in the field in a few days, right, Mad-Eye?" she asked her supervisor.

Alastor Moody shifted uncomfortably, his magical eye looking at her even while his head turned away. "I hate to be the one to tell you this, Tonks, and I hate to have to say it at all because you're damn good in the field, but we have to take you off duty, both as an Auror and as a member of the Order."

Her jaw dropped. This, she hadn't expected. "WHAT?!"

Moody sighed sadly. "Look, we can't afford to have you hurt yourself again. And, face it, with one arm you're a... liability to the team. You're going to have to stick around at the Headquarters, do the behind-the-scenes work with the twins."

"And for a job? What do I do for a job?"

Molly Weasley jumped in. "Maybe Arthur can get you one in his department, love. Don't worry, dear, I'm sure everything will work out just fine."

"Right. Fine," Tonks snapped back bitterly. Molly pulled back like she'd been slapped. Tonks felt bad about taking her anger out on the older woman. After all, who she was just trying to help her. But she couldn't seem to control all the emotions raging through her right now.

She felt miserable as she left St. Mungo's, and she didn't miss the pitying look Ron gave her. She didn't want his pity. He had tried to warn her, and she hadn't listened. She wasn't about to start feeling sorry for herself now.

At least she still had Brian. Brian was the guy she had been on-and-off seeing for a year and a half. He was her best friend and, yes, her lover. Brian would be able to make her feel better.

She Apparated directly to his house, ignoring the Healer's orders to get some rest. She wouldn't be able to sleep if she went home anyway, and she surely wasn't going to go to 12 Grimmauld Place.

She rapped on his door sharply, hoping beyond hope that he was home. The sky was clouding to a dark grey, promising rain. She started as the door opened.

"Tonks? What happened? What the hell did you do to yourself?" Brian was staring at the stump in abject terror, as if imagining what could have happened.

She smiled humorlessly. "The damned Death Eaters got it. You should have seen what happened to the guy who got me."

"When?"

"This afternoon. I just got released from St. Mungo's."

He looked at where her arm used to be again, almost nervously. "It's healed awfully fast."

"The curse they used caused it to scar almost immediately," she explained dully. Her left arm itched, and she made to scratch it before realizing that there was nothing to scratch. "Damned phantom pains," she muttered, mostly to herself.

Brian shuffled his feet, looking less comfortable as the minutes passed. "Look, this... er... probably isn't the best time to say this, but I met a girl, Tonks. And I really want to pursue her, but I can't. Not if we keep this "shag-buddies" routine going." He swallowed, almost painfully, and didn't meet her eyes. "I still want to be your friend, but that's it. Just your friend. Okay?"

Tonks just stared at him, hurt and anger flashing through her eyes. She couldn't believe how insensitive he was being. As if his love life was the most important thing in the world. "You're right, Brian," she replied in a strained voice. He started to give a relieved smile, so she rushed on, "This wasn't the best time to say that."

And she spun on her heel and walked away.

The rain began to pour as she sat on her knees in the middle of a deserted field. She knew it wasn't safe, that she was a prime target for lightning. But, at that exact moment, she couldn't have cared less if you paid her.

"All right, Fate, you've made your point!" she yelled over the crash of thunder and the constant beating of the raindrops. She ripped out a handful of the orange-brown grass. "Can this day get any worse?"

She heard footsteps and groaned. Apparently so. But whoever it was either didn't see her, or didn't want to approach her. Instead, she could see the silhouette of a man, arms outstretched, head turned upwards, as lightning crackled around him and rain poured through his hair.

He was beautiful.

Then he spoke, and Tonks knew exactly who he was. "Come on, Fate, this isn't funny. First her arm, then her job, then the Order. What's next?"

"Her lover and her best friend," Tonks answered flatly, standing and moving towards him as if she were gliding.

"Tonks! What are you doing here? You're supposed to be at home, resting?"

Tonks gave the man a scathing glare. "Come on, Remus. You know me better than that."

Remus Lupin rolled his eyes, but he couldn't mask the gentle smile that began to tug at his lips. "So... Brian?"

Tonks sighed sadly. "He met a woman, and he fell in love. It happens to the best of us, I suppose."

"Today's not exactly your day, is it?"

Tonks laughed. She couldn't believe it, but she laughed. "That's the understatement of the century, RJ."

"What'd you call me?"

Tonks froze. Had she really said that out loud? RJ had always been her private nickname for Remus, the one he was never supposed to know about.

The one that she had just called him.

"Well, there I've gone and messed this up more, haven't I?" she questioned weakly, backing away.

"No, wait." Tonks stopped moving and stared at him with a mixture of fear and curiosity dancing in her eyes. "No one's ever called me that before. I like it."

A rush of air whooshed out of her in relief. "Yeah?"

He smiled, that sweet, gentle smile that never failed to melt her. "Yeah."

They stood silently together for a long while, the rain that poured around them of no concern, even as lightning crackled in the sky. "Hey, RJ?"

There was that smile again. "Yeah, Tonks?"

Boldly, she leaned against his wet shoulder, and he gasped at the sudden contact. "Thanks for caring. It's been a terribly rotten day."

Remus laughed lightly. "I would imagine so."

She wasn't quite sure how it happened. One minute they were grinning at each other, then she was kissing him and it felt like she was meant to do it forever.

They pulled back just as a particularly loud crack of thunder resounded across the field, and Tonks felt her cheeks heat up. "Remus, I'm so sorry," she whispered, not sure if he could hear her in the noise of the outdoors.

But he did. "You have nothing to apologize for," he insisted, his hand grasping her shoulder firmly to keep her in place. She tried to speak but failed, and settled for swallowing hard instead. Lightning crackled again, and this time they both jumped. Remus stared at her as if just realizing she was there. "Tonks! You should be out here at all! Come on, you need to go home."

Tonks suddenly felt shy. "Will you... will you stay with me?"

He smiled at her again, taking her hand in his. "Of course. I'll stay with you until the end of time."

And Tonks knew that this was Remus' way of saying he loved her. She knew it was too soon, too fast. She knew there would be later days and more appropriate times to talk about love. She'd be okay, staying off the battlefield, she reckoned, as long as she could still help the fight.

As long as she had someone to save.

THE END

Special thanks for wmlaw, for pointing out a few of my mistakes and helping me make this better.