AN: For those of you familiar with my other fiction, I'm sure you will find this to be quite different. It's a much darker story than I have ever written with mature themes. It's also my first try at Remus/Tonks. I hope you find it interesting enough to come back for more. Many thanks to Durayan, Pelirroja, and Gryffinjack for their help with beta reading and tweaking the story so it all fits together. You guys rox!

1Chapter One

9 Feb, 9:47 pm

Why do Muggles think getting pissed in a smoky pub is sexy?

The thought had crossed her mind a dozen times this evening, and she still had no good answer. No one could call this place romantic. Blaring music made it nearly impossible to hear any conversation without yelling. People were jammed up against one another, grinding their bodies in an attempt to arouse the person they were next to. The stench of sweat mixed with beer and smoke was overwhelming. It was just the sort of place Nymphadora Tonks hated.

Mandy Grissom, however, was having the time of her life. Tonks was actually enjoying it, too, but on an entirely different level. Pretending to be someone that you are not was always entertaining, especially when it came with the chance to lock up several Death Eaters and take down a woman you despised. The only regret Tonks had about the whole situation was that it made her feel…well…dirty. Not dirty in the sense of perversion, but honestly fifthly, slimy, sticky…dirty.

Yet, she knew it was the best place to get what she wanted – more specifically whom she wanted. Unfortunately, Darrius LaMont – or as he had introduced himself to her, David Monty, was currently in the loo. Not an original name, but then Darrius LaMont wasn't too bright.

Tonks had been following him here for a week now, keeping a close eye on which ladies he favored, and how he dealt with them. He always gravitated towards blondes who had too much to drink. Darrius really went for that type, proving to Tonks how truly trite his tastes were. The women never seemed to be anything but the all fur coat and no knickers type. They would have to be brainless to go home with him, but that's exactly what they all did. Sick, really, but tonight she would make it work to her advantage.

With her hair as white blonde as she could make it, and her chest as inflated as her breasts would go, Tonks had morphed herself into the perfect trap for Darrius. He spotted her right away and made a beeline straight for her. His pick up line had been one of the worst she had ever heard, but she laughed and giggled and stuck out her chest, playing the tart to perfection.

He bought her several drinks, cheap drinks to be precise, most of which Tonks managed to spill here and there to avoid truly having to drink them. She would laugh loudly at some stupid comment of his and, in what she hoped appeared like a drunken stupor, would spill some liquid over the rim of the glass. The floor was so sticky no one would notice the spill anyway.

The more their conversation progressed, the more Tonks wondered how this man ever managed to attract women at all. He knew nothing about the art of flirtation, not to mention the fact that he really wasn't that good looking, though he seemed to think otherwise. And yet, Darrius had taken home a different woman every night this week.

She glanced over at a handsome, olive skinned man in the corner to find him sitting alone. Zach raised his eyebrows at her suggestively, obviously having a good time watching her play the tart. It was astonishing to Tonks that Darrius had loads of women and Zack had none. Then again, Zach was trying to keep himself hidden as much as he could. It was his job to be her back up, and it wouldn't do for him to become distracted from the task at hand.

The feel of a hand rubbing up her back snapped Tonks out of her thoughts. Darrius smiled a twisted smile at her. It was a look that he used all the time, and it sickened her. But at least it signaled that he was ready to get on with the evening's festivities.

Sure enough, he made his predictable move. She had seen him use the same tactic on three other women, so it wasn't much of a surprise at this point, but she kept her eyes wide all the same.

"You want to get out of her and make some magic?" he shouted at her over the roar of the pub.

"Magic?" she said with a wiggle of her hips. "What kind of magic did you have in mind?"

"The real kind."

"Real?" she teased. "Are you a magician?"

"Hardly. Magicians have tricks up their sleeves."

"And where do you keep your wand?" she asked suggestively.

He flinched just a bit. "Who said I had a wand?"

Tonks smiled brightly. "Don't all magicians have a magic wand?" she covered.

He relaxed slightly and said, "I've got one hell of a powerful magic wand that I'm just aching to show you."

She looked up at him through her eyelashes and nibbled on a long fingernail. "I'll bet! And I suppose you are an expert at using it."

"Baby, you have no idea. It's my job."

"You're job?" she sounded surprised. "You mean you're a gigolo?" she said with an air of stupidity.

"Bloody hell! My magic is worth more than that."

"Then what are you?"

"I'm a wizard, doll. I'm one of the most wanted wizards in the world. The stuff I've done is legendary."

"Oh, come on," she said rolling her eyes at him. He was taking the bait: hook, line, and sinker.

He raised his eyebrows, "You don't believe me? Sweetheart, I'm so powerful, I can kill people with one thought."

"No! Really?" she mocked at him.

"Simple flick of the wrist is all it takes."

She shrugged, "If you say so, I guess." She leaned back against the bar, resting on her elbows, which only amplified her swollen bosom.

His eyes traveled over her curves. He smirked and took a step closer to her, obviously not liking the fact that she didn't believe him and his magical story. "And what if I can prove it to you?"

"I'd love to see you prove it!" she said a tad too quickly. "I mean…cursing someone."

His eyes narrowed into slits. "I don't usually like an audience when I work."

"Oh, well…" she said in a demure manner. "How am I supposed to believe you're a wizard if you won't let me watch?"

His smile was pure evil. "You are a kinky one. I like that in a girl."

She wiggled her body up next to his. "And I like powerful men."

"Well, I do have an assignment, if you're up for it."

"Depends on whom we're cursing," she stated, using her best impression of a dim-witted adolescent. "Anyone I'd know?"

"Doubt it. Just some old bag of bones who's been causing my boss trouble."

She wet her lips. "Well, I'd love to see you work. Are you sure I wouldn't get in the way?"

"Hold that thought," he said placing a finger on her pouting lips. "Give me a minute, and I'll see what I can do." He dragged a finger over her chin before sliding off his stool. With a nod, she let him go and watched as he strolled to the washroom.

Tonks shivered in revulsion once he was gone. She wasn't too sure why he always waited until the last second to take care of business in the loo, but that was his routine. He'd done it with all the others. It was actually quite fortuitous since it gave Tonks a moment to signal to Zach that they would be leaving soon. To a casual observer, it would look as if Tonks were merely redoing her cherry colored lipstick; however, Zach understood the signal. He gave an almost imperceptible nod of his head, and left the pub for the designated meeting place. It wouldn't be long before Tonks would join him there.

After ten minutes of wondering if Darrius had gone arse over kettle on the floor of the loo, Tonks at long last spotted him swaggering towards her. He gave a wink to the bartender and said, "Come on, babe, have one more drink and then let's get some privacy."

This was new. She hadn't ever seen him buy a drink after a loo visit. He'd always been too anxious to make "magic" with his lady friends. He'd never wasted time on a last drink before, and this made Tonks a bit nervous.

"One for the road," he added when Tonks looked skeptical. He handed her the beer and she took a sip with a flirty smile.

"No, no. Drink up. It will help you not feel so nervous." He tipped the glass up to her lips and nearly shoved it down her throat.

Tonks choked and coughed and pushed the glass away, forcing a smile on her lips. "I'm good. I'm not nervous at all."

"Yeah, but you're chatty. And I don't like the chatty kind."

There was an edge to his voice she didn't leave her feeling comfortable. When he grabbed her upper arm and started dragging her to the front door, she knew something wasn't quite right.

"Hey, don't be so rough!" she managed once they were out in the cold night air.

"I like it rough, baby." He pulled her against him and squeezed her bum with both hands.

"Whoa!" she said, pushing away from him and nearly falling backwards from a sudden dizzy feeling. "You're a feisty one!" she said, trying to recover.

"You haven't seen anything yet."

A warning signal went up in Tonks' mind. She had to keep him at bay long enough to get the information she needed. "Now what about this magic trick? Who are we going to kill?"

"Don't you mean curse?"

"Curse…kill…whatever."

"Uh uh," he shook his head at her. "You know there's a big difference between a simple curse and the killing curse, don't you?"

She felt light headed. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"I think you do. I think you know all about magic."

The warning she felt earlier was now screaming at her to run. "Maybe I should just…"

Before she could turn away, Darrius grabbed her. "I don't think so, baby. I'm too turned on right now. And you're going to drop the act and tell me who you really are." He rubbed his pelvis against her.

She tried not to look disgusted, but knew she was running out of time. She pushed him away again, her mind going a bit fuzzy. "No! I don't know what you're even talking about!" She could hardly focus anymore.

He froze and gazed at her with dangerous eyes. "I thought you might say that."

Her blood ran cold. "What do you mean?"

He chuckled. "You've got about ten seconds till bed time, baby."

Tonks gasped. "What?"

"Nighty-night."

She turned to run, but the world went black before she even managed to take a step.

10: 52 pm that same night

Someone was kissing her neck. Hot breath was covering her skin. Lips pressed urgently against her pulse point.

What the…?

A hand covered her breast and gave a tight squeeze. It was flesh to flesh. She wasn't wearing a shirt. The same hand moved down her stomach and below her waist.

What's going on?

A knee pressed her legs apart. Again, it was flesh to flesh.

Tonks opened her eyes to find a man kneeling above her.

His face was menacing and lustful. "Wakey, wakey. It's time you joined the party!"

He lowered his mouth to hers and she screamed. Almost reflexively her knee came up to meet his groin. He cried out in pain and she shoved him off of her. She scrambled to get off the bed, but his large hands grabbed her.

"Wait a second, what do-." She saw stars as he cracked her across the mouth; trickle of blood stained the pillow.

"Oh no you don't! You're way to mouthy for your own good, and I don't like the chatty type!"

He held her wrists over her head with one hand and reached for something on the nightstand with his other. Her body was still sluggish from the potion that must have been in that last beer, but she fought back as best as she could. The stiletto, calf-high leather boots she had worn still concealed her wand. If only she could free her hand long enough to reach it.

Tonks' mind was racing; her only thoughts were of getting free from him. And then she saw what he was going for…his wand. With all the strength she could muster, she wrenched free from his grasp and grabbed for his wand. She twisted and writhed under the weight of his body in a desperate struggle for control of the wand. Her left hand scratched his rib cage as her right hand grabbed at his wand. All she could do was reach his wrist, but that was enough.

"Let go!" he ordered.

"Never!" she cried out. Finally, with a sudden twist that caught off guard, Tonks jabbed the tip of the wand painfully into thehis flesh of his side. "INCENDIO!"

Flames burst from the tip, scalding his bare skin. He screamed and rolled off the bed, waving his arms in an attempt to stop the fire.

Tonks didn't hesitate. She scurried off the bed and grabbed her coat draped over the chair. She quickly bent down, grabbed her wand out of her boot, and Disapparated. There was no time to gather up anything else.

A moment later she found herself in the middle of her bedroom, safe from harm. For the first time she could really consider what had just happened. She glanced down at her body and shivered, hugging the coat to her. How could I be so stupid? She could smell him on the fabric…feel his sweat on her skin. It left her completely nauseated. She dropped the coat, kicked off the boots, and headed straight into the bathroom.

Stepping into the shower, she turned the water as hot as she could make it. The heat was scalding, but she didn't care. She had to get him off of her. She lathered up the soap and scrubbed and scrubbed until her skin was nearly raw. Feeling suddenly weak and light headed, she sat down in the shower and let the water fall around her as tears started to fill her eyes.

Stupid…stupid…STUPID!

There was a knock on the door followed by an inquiring voice shouting at her. "Dora? Are you all right?"

It was Zach.

"What happened? I got worried when you didn't show up at the cabin?"

"I'm fine," she managed. "I'm just taking a shower," she said in a voice that was surprisingly strong.

"Tonks?" a second, harsher voice said, causing her to jump. "I want to know what happened."

It was Moody. Zach must have gone for help when she didn't show up on time. She rolled her eyes and turned off the water, knowing that the men wouldn't leave her alone until they had some answers. She stifled her sobs and told herself to get a grip. Stepping out of the shower, she wrapped a towel around her body and opened the door just a crack.

"I just wanted to wash the smoke out of my hair," she said not looking at them.

"I can see that." He noted dryly. "What I'm interested in knowing is why you left your back up?"

"I didn't…leave really. I just…"

Through the crack she could see Moody's magical eye focused directly on her. He could see her. Damn it!

"Is that a bruise on your face? Open this door!"

She reluctantly did as she was ordered, slowly revealing her dishevelled and now dripping wet self to her colleagues.

Zach gasped.

"What the bloody hell happened to you?" Moody asked gruffly.

"Things didn't go as planned."

"Obviously. Go on," he said when she paused and looked away.

"I thought I had convinced him to take me on his next assignment, but I guess…I was too willing. I wasn't convincing enough for him."

"So he landed a punch before you could get to your wand?"

"Not at first, no." Tonks lowered herself to the bed, keeping her eyes on the floor. "He drugged me. I was so stupid! I should have known better."

"He drugged you and then beat you?" asked Zach, taking a seat next to her on the bed. His eyes travelled over to the meagre clothing pile.

She looked up at him slowly. She wasn't comfortable explaining everything with Moody standing there. "No…no. We struggled and I…got hold of his wand."

"Tell me you didn't accidentally kill him." Moody frowned.

"No. I wanted to, but I didn't." Darrius had important information about the surviving Death Eaters, specifically where to locate Bellatrix Lastrange. The Ministry needed him alive. She knew killing him would have placed her in even deeper trouble than she was in right now.

Moody turned his focus to Zach. "How many times have I told the two of you, CONSTANT VIGILENCE? Laddie, where were you whilst this was happening?"

"I was at the cabin. Darrius took all of his girls there."

"Correction, all the girls except Tonks." Moody paced the room, the clunk of his wooden leg pounding out the fact that he was observably angry with the two of them. "So let me get this straight. First Garcia leaves you alone with a known Death Eater, and then you accept a drink from him without so much as a second thought?"

Neither Auror made a sound.

There was a long pause as Moody looked them over with his magical eye, the vein above it twitching in what Tonks could only assume was a combination of disappointment, and anger. "You're off duty for the remainder of the week. Both of you."

Tonks nodded, no use arguing the point when she knew she had made a terrible mistake. "I don't want to hear about any more missions like this." Moody's tone was chilling. "Nor do I want the two of you working together. Not for a while, at least." Again she nodded. "Seems both of you have forgot a few basics of the job. You're next few assignments will be routine until I'm certain you won't disregard your training again." Tonks caught Zach's eyes. He looked just as guilty as she felt. "Now, missy," Moody's voice softened every so slightly, "get dressed and have a healer look at those wounds."

Once Moody had Disapparated, Tonks flopped backwards onto the bed and let out the breath she had been holding. "Bloody hell," she mumbled.

Zach stood and walked to the pile of clothes on the other side of the room. "You're going to tell me what really happened, no?" he said, glancing at her over his shoulder. "Because I know you left out a few things." His Spanish accent was thick, but his voice was full of concern.

Tonks slowly sat back up, unable to look him in the eye. "So I left a few things out? I didn't want to get into more trouble with Moody." She walked to the wardrobe and grabbed a robe. With her back to him she slipped it on and let the towel fall to the floor. "It isn't what you think."

"It isn't? Then explain to me why a fully clothed woman would return home with only her boots and a coat." He emphasized this by picking up the discarded items. "Why would she rush to the bath before making sure her friends knew she was all right? Why would she have bruises all over her and say that it was just a little struggle?"

She looked up at him slowly, feeling humiliated. "He tried to…er…when I woke up I was…my clothes were all on the floor and he was…" It was all she could do to hold back the tears.

Zach's eyes went wide. "Do you mean that he…that he…"

"No, no. I don't think so."

"You don't think so? Dora!"

"I woke up in time. He hadn't…I don't feel like he did anything." Zach gave her a stern, angry look. "I think I would know if he had done anything," she said assuredly.

"You must go to a healer," he stated matter-of-factly. "Immediately."

"No. I just need…"

"Basta!" he commanded. "No arguments, or do I have to get Remus to drag you to one?"

She pursed her lips. "Listen, if I promise to go to a healer, will you promise not to tell Remus anything about this?" Zach looked at her questioningly. "Don't tell him. Please, Zach. He'll go insane if he finds out about this."

"I do not like guarding secrets. Besides, he should know."

"I know, but please…you know how he gets. I didn't tell him I had been given this assignment for that very reason. He won't be home for another few days anyway."

Zach ran a hand though his long, dark hair. "Fine. I will not say anything, but I doubt my silence will be of any help."

"Why's that?"

"Because he knows you too well. From what I know about werewolves, he's going to know that another man has laid hands upon his wife."

She took a deep breath. "Let me worry about that. Just…don't say anything to him if he asks."

Placing a hand on her shoulder, he said, "I'm not going to lie for you. I will not offer up any information on my own, but if he asks me, Dora, I cannot…I will not lie."

"Fair enough. I'll just have to make sure he has no reason to ask you."

Zach cocked his eyebrows again. "You sure about this?"

"Yes."

"Is there nothing I can get for you right now? No potion? Food?"

She collapsed onto the bed, slouching forward, resting her elbows on her knees. "No, I'll see the healer tomorrow after I get some rest. I promise. And I'm really not in the mood to eat anything."

"Then I'll leave you to it," he said before gently kissing her once on each cheek. He smiled reassuringly when he broke away, and then gave her a final supportive hug before Disapparating.

Finally alone in the room, Tonks curled herself up into a tight ball in the middle of the bed and cried herself to sleep.