Tonks and Lupin: Until the Very End

Christmas! (pt. 1)


The first thing Tonks saw when she opened her eyes Christmas morning was white.
She closed her eyes and then squinted through them carefully, letting them adjust to the brightness before her.
Finally, she realized that she was lying in bed facing the window.  The curtains were wide open and...it was snowing, a thick layer already covering the world, blanketing it and making everything beautiful and new.  Large, fluffy flakes continued to dance slowly, but steadily to the ground, adding the winter wonderland it had already created overnight.  It was the first snow. 
A grin lit Tonks's face and she sat up and opened her eyes, suddenly very much awake.
Glancing over, she saw that Lupin was still fast asleep, his dear face relaxed and peaceful.
Normally, she would have let him lie on in peace, and simply snuggled back down and watched him sleep.
But not today.  Today was Christmas!
"Remus," she whispered, "Remus, wake up," she prompted, laying a hand on his bare shoulder and shaking him gently.
He sighed, coming to the edge of consciousness.
Suddenly his eyes flew open, and he looked over at her in alarm.
"Are you all right?" he asked worriedly, eyes falling to her rounded tummy.
Rolling her eyes, she leaned back, propping herself up on one elbow next to him and dropping a lingering kiss on his lips.
He relaxed into the touch of her lips, just as she'd known he would.
In danger of being distracted, she pulled back, smiling at her husband excitedly.
"I'm much better than all right.  It's Christmas!  And it's snowing!" she exclaimed, morphing her hair from its' traditional pink color to more festive, bright red waves falling to the middle of her back.
Tonks started to get up, impatient to get out in the snow.
Lupin laughed and, in a swift move, snaked an arm around her waist and had her on top of him, breathless and laughing, not quite knowing how she'd gotten from sitting up next to him to lying on top of him.
When they'd both gotten control their laughter, she looked up and met Lupin's eyes; they were so warm and happy and loving, and suddenly she was rather glad that Lupin had kept her from rushing out of bed.
A fleeting memory of the awful Christmas she'd had the year before - the year without him - flitted through her mind and, gazing into his gentle blue eyes, she was grateful beyond words that he was with her, and that they were married and so happy.
That he was hers now and always would be.
Her eyes must have shown her happiness, because Lupin's softened and his hand came up and sweetly brushed along her cheek, tucking a lock of her red waves behind her ear, fingering it softly.
She grinned happily and laid her head on his chest as his hands weaved deftly and wonderfully through her hair.
"I like your hair choice this morning," he murmured, smiling.
"Mmm, thank you," she hummed against his chest, picking up her head and planting a kiss on his chin.
His hands weaved into the hair at the back of her head and he guided her lips to his, meeting hers gently.
A soft, happy sigh escaped her; she returned his kiss eagerly, and felt his lips curve up in a smile as his tongue darted out to tease her bottom lip.
She gasped when he deepened the kiss and for several minutes became blissfully unaware of anything except for him.
"Merry Christmas, Mrs. Lupin," he said breathlessly when they finally broke apart.
She smiled widely, rather fond of her name, "Merry Christmas, Mr. Lupin," she returned with a grin.
He chuckled, and kissed her briefly and very sweetly one more time.
She met his eyes as his lips left hers, and the tender look in them melted her heart; he was so beautiful.
She traced down his face slowly, coming to rest with her palm holding his cheek, loving him so much in that moment that she wondered how she ever contained the feeling.
He smiled softly, his eyes shining with happiness, staring back into hers.  Neither of them needed to speak to tell the other of the love they felt in that moment; it was shining as clear and as beautiful as the dawn of a new day out of their eyes.
Lupin's hand drifted from her hair to her face and he traced along hers so gently; she leaned into his touch, cherishing his love and this day.
"Are you hungry?" Lupin asked.
"Yes," she confessed, looking away from his eyes and feeling a bit guilty.  She would have thought the cookies and milk she'd made at three that morning would have stayed with her a bit - it was only six-thirty after all.
They weren't really poor but they weren't anywhere close to rich either...the cravings wouldn't leave her alone, though.
Lupin chuckled, and tilted her chin back up so he could see her eyes. "No need to feel guilty Dora, our child's growing inside you - and obviously he's very hungry." Lupin laughed, though his voice was gentle.

Tonks grinned and rolled her eyes.
"Come on, we'll find something to have for breakfast," he suggested.

Grateful he'd brought up breakfast - because she was ravenous - she let her lips brush across his cheek before rolling off of him.
A sudden glimpse of the window made her remember the snowy world waiting for them; she grabbed Lupins' arm, "Can we have something ...quick for breakfast?" she asked, glancing at the snow still falling.
Lupin laughed out loud but nodded.
She grinned and bounded out of bed, eager to explore the white-robed world beyond their door.
Tonks, in record time, dressed in a festive green sweater that said 'HAPPY CHRISTMAS' in bright red letters, a warm pair of blue jeans, wool socks, and snow boots.
Lupin followed suit - though not with the festive sweater; being a more...subtle character, he donned a simple grey jumper, trousers, and thick socks of his own.
Tonks took his hand and dragged him to the kitchen before he'd even finished doing up the buttons of his jumper.
When they reached the kitchen, Lupin, who had allowed himself to be drug this far, suddenly stopped and pulled on the hand clutching his, reeling her towards him until she was encircled in his arms.
"Impatient are we?" he asked with a grin, looking down at her in amusement.
She pretended to be affronted and turned her face away from his, though his arms held her waist fast, making it impossible for her to turn all the way around.  Lupin chuckled and kissed her cheek, his lips lingering there, brushing and teasing, causing her breath to catch when he nipped at the skin just below her ear.
"No fair distracting me," she complained breathlessly as he continued to explore the skin of her face; though if she was being completely honest, she had to admit that she didn't mind all THAT much.
He chuckled against the skin of her jaw, his warm breath tickling her skin and sending a shiver down her spine.  She turned to face him before he could drive her completely crazy and distract her so much that they wouldn't go outside at all.
Noticing that his buttons weren't done up, she laughed at her own impatience and traced a scar on his chest that was peeking out of the parted fabric before slowly doing up the rest of the buttons.
When she looked up from the task, Lupin's eyes immediately captured hers; he was smiling, and she couldn't help but smile back at that wonderful, tender, expression of joy.
He kissed her forehead before they let go of each other, Tonks still intent on finding the quickest breakfast possible.
"What would you like?" he asked, grinning at her obvious impatience.
"How about some toast?" she asked.
He nodded and pulled out his wand, Summoning four pieces of bread; she let Lupin do the charm, so that they survived.
Now they were buttered and even spread with marmalade, as Tonks liked, and just plain buttered - lots of butter- as Lupin liked.
Tonks thought suddenly and rather inexplicably of cinnamon, and Summoned the jar from the open pantry.
She bit her lip, looking at the marmalade toast for a moment, then she opened the jar of cinnamon and sprinkled some over her toast.
Thank Merlin she could blame this oddity of a craving on hormones.
Lupin chuckled quietly when she sprinkled the cinnamon over the other piece of toast.
Taking a bite, she was surprised at the wonderful taste.
"Mmm!" she hummed with closed lips, gesturing to the toast.
When she swallowed, she spoke enthusiastically to Lupin, "Merlin, this is so good, you have to try it!" she exclaimed.
Lupin rubbed the back of his neck, looking like he was trying to come up with a kind way to say 'thanks, but I'm good that looks disgusting'.  

Tonks laughed over her plate of toast, making cinnamon fly into the air.
"I won't make you," she giggled, still amused by the look on her husband's face, "but it is delicious."
"I'll take your word for it," he said with a smile.
They finished their toast, Tonks eating hers rapidly, but still appreciating it, then donned a coat, a hat, and gloves and waited VERY impatiently for him to finish.
Lupin, seeming amused at her impatience and apparent excitement, ate the last few bites of his toast with exaggerated slowness, and laughed when she frowned at him, wishing he would hurry up.
Lupin stopped teasing her and finished his toast, then Summoned his boots, gloves, and cloak out of their room, slid them on, and finally allowed Tonks to drag him out the door.  In her rush to get out into the snow, Tonks slipped on the ice under the snow on the stairs, and nearly fell flat on her face.
Lupin's arm shot out and he caught her just in time.
"Thanks," she said gratefully.
"Anytime," he said with a smile.
They walked SLOWLY down the rest of the steps and into their snowy yard.
She couldn't suppress the amazement she felt upon looking at their world covered in white.
Their cottage sat all alone in the country, a forest behind it filled with pines, spruces, maples, and oaks.  A giant oak tree adorned the corner of the yard, and its naked branches were laden with snow, as were the branches of the willows, birches, and alders behind their house.
One could see a fair distance out over some gently rolling hills of the English countryside in the distance, all white.
Lupin had once told her that he didn't think he could have bought a house in a neighborhood, because of his "furry little problem", and no Wizarding community would have him, so this place had been perfect.
It was only about an hour away from the town that Lupin had lived in for twelve years.
Of course they always Apparated, but had that knowledge from Angela, who had traveled here before to bring Lupin food shortly after he'd left her kind care at the Bed & Breakfast.
Tonks couldn't help but think that Angela reminded her of a Muggle version of Molly.
Tonks loved the privacy of the cottage; it made her feel safe, like the rest of the world couldn't find them here.
This snowy, white wonderland only increased her love of it.
"It's beautiful," she whispered to Lupin, who had come to stand beside her in the middle of the yard.
He took her hand, nodding his agreement, and they started to walk.
Not to anywhere in particular, just walking, admiring the view.
Snow was still falling lightly to the ground, the air so still and the snow falling so peacefully that Tonks thought time could have stopped all together, and they wouldn't be able to tell.  They were in their own little bubble of happiness, and in that moment, the rest of the world's troubles faded away.
After they'd walked a ways, Tonks stopped by a small spruce and turned her face up towards the sky laden with thick, fluffy gray clouds promising still more snow to come.
Opening her mouth, she stuck out her tongue and tried to catch snowflakes on it.
Lupin just watched, smiling, as she danced around trying to catch them.
"Do they taste that good?" Lupin asked finally, chuckling.
"You've never done this?" she asked incredulously.
He shook his head.
"Well come on then - you'll never know until you try!" she said, feeling like she could be a little girl again, and loving every second.
Lupin laughed, "Can I take your word for it?" he asked hopefully.
"Nope," she said with a grin.
He sighed, but obligingly turned his face upwards, opening his mouth only a bit and sticking his tongue out.
She could tell he felt stupid doing it; she caught one on her tongue, and looked over to see that Lupin was still standing there looking awkward.
Sighing, she came around in front of him and cupped his face in her gloved hands, pulling his lips down to hers, deepening the kiss immediately, eliciting a gasp from him and making Tonks smile against his lips.
His hands came to hold her waist tightly, pulled her closer and passionately returning her kiss.
After a minute, she pulled back, letting herself catch her breath.
"That's what a snowflake tastes like," she said, still smiling, her quick breath making clouds in the cold air.
"It tastes wonderful," he said with a mischievous grin.
She giggled and kissed his cheek before letting him go.
They walked further, the house becoming smaller in the distance.
Tonks didn't know how long they'd been out there - her nose and toes were numb, but everything was too lovely for her to care.
It was apparent that they'd been outside for long enough that Lupin's hair was damp and sprinkled with snowflakes.  He looked adorable, his thin bangs falling over his forehead, and his cheeks a bit red from the cold, a gloved hand holding hers.
After walking a bit more, Tonks suddenly had an idea.
She stopped and bent in the snow, looking like she would be doing if she was tying up a shoelace.  Really though, she was molding together a snowball.
The snow was the soft - but not too soft - fluffy kind that molds into perfect snowballs.
"Are you all right?" Lupin asked, sounding worried, and apparently unable to see what she was doing.
"Yes, I'm fine," she said, suppressing a laugh as she rose with her hands behind her back.
Lupin noted her stance with curiosity, obviously suspicious...and for good reason.
In a very quick move, she brought around her snowball and threw it directly at Lupin's chest.
He saw what she was doing a moment too late; he tried to dodge it, but it still hit him on his left shoulder.
Tonks laughed out loud, half-expecting him to dust himself off, chuckle at her antics, and walk on.
But instead, he looked at her with eyes that were fairly dancing with amusement and mischief.
And he knelt and made a snowball of his own so quickly that Tonks barely had time to get past her surprise and try to dart out of the way before he was throwing it.
Despite her last ditch efforts, it hit her square in the chest.
She laughed, "You're on," she accepted the silent challenge, grinning and getting to her knees in the snow, making snowballs at a furious pace.
She saw Lupin was going for the 'stash' approach, and already had a small pile of around ten snowballs piled by his knees.
She grinned in amusement, and, while she was stashing them too, she began to throw every other one she made.  This seemed to distract him from being able to make too many without fighting back.  The first one she threw hit him on top of his head, adding to the dampness of his blond hair streaked with gray.
He tossed one back at her, and it hit her on her shoulder.
Tonks threw another, and this one hit Lupin right in the stomach.
Laughing gleefully, she grabbed up her armful of snowballs and ran as Lupin rose and started to chase after her.
The snow made it nearly impossible for them to really run as it was nearly knee-deep at this point.
Lupin normally could have overtaken her in an instant, but as it was, between the help of the snow, and the snowballs she'd stashed, she kept him off for about ten minutes.
When she was out of snowballs, she squatted and rushed to make more before he reached her.  Lupin threw the one he'd just managed to make; she turned and tried to rise so she could run - she snow making it difficult to move quickly, and he laughed when it hit her back, knocking her over, blamed no doubt on her half risen, off-balance position, and desperate, last-minute lunge to escape it.
"Sorry!" he exclaimed apologetically, and came over, holding up his hands to show that he wasn't going to bombard her with snowballs while she was lying on the ground.
He must have thought she was stuck; true, pregnancy had round out her tummy a bit, but she wasn't that big yet, and she could have gotten up...but a devious idea had just occurred to her, and it was simply too good to pass up.
He reached down his hands to help her up and she ginned wickedly, took his hands, and pulled, hard.
He gasped in surprise, and toppled down into the snow next to her, flat on his back.
She looked over at him and saw that his surprised look had turned into laughter.
And his laugh made her begin to laugh.
And so they lay in the snow just laughing, trying to catch their breath from their snowball fight.  
"I think we've come to an impasse," Lupin said, chuckling, when their laughter finally died down a bit.
"I think so," she agreed, looking up at the sky and the show and feeling suddenly that Lupin and she could have been the only two people in the world right then; it was wonderful to feel so carefree for a time, even if reality was slowly starting to sink back in.
When Tonks felt her bum starting to go numb from the wet snow sinking into her jeans, she sighed and moved to get up.
Lupin was up with surprising agility, and offered his hands to her this time, though warily.
She giggled, "I'll behave," she promised.
He pulled her to her feet and into his arms, "Not too much, I hope," he murmured against her cheek, his warm breath on her cold skin tingling pleasantly.
She smiled and kissed him.
He returned it, his lips eager and loving on hers.
The kiss deepened slowly, and Lupin's warm breath in her mouth made her gasp and she deepened the kiss further.
A soft, appreciative moan came from his throat when she melted into his body.
His kisses became longer and sweeter, and she returned them with the same ardor.  She didn't know whether it was the snow, or the adrenaline of the snowball fight, or the warm pressure of his body against her own cold one, or the feeling of his cold lips moving with hers, slowly beginning to warm them, that made her so happy, but in that moment, she was perfectly content.  Content just to hold him, overjoyed that they were together, whatever else they were facing.
Lupin's kiss was sweet and his lips exultant on hers, and she knew he was feeling the same joy she was.
What was Christmas, after all, if not a day to be grateful for one's family?
When they were both nearly breathless they broke apart; Tonks smiled up at her husband, "I love you, Remus," she murmured, wrapping her arms around him and laying her head on his chest.
"I love you too, Dora," he spoke softly into her hair.
After a few minutes, Tonks was starting to get really cold just standing there.
"Remus...can we walk a bit?  I can't feel my feet." she said, laughing a bit.
A worried expression came into Lupin's eyes, and he started to speak.  "Maybe we should go ba-"
She cut him off with three fingers to his lips, "I'm just fine, Remus." she assured him gently.
A sudden thought occurred to her though. "What time is it?"
"Just now nine-fifteen, why?" he asked.
"My mum's supposed to be here at noon, I totally forgot!  I've got to start cooking..." she said.  But even as she said the words 'I' and 'cook' in the same sentence, an awful mental picture of a ruined supper, or a ham on fire flitted into her head, and she frowned.
"Dora," Lupin said, bringing her out of her thoughts.
She looked at him, and when her gray eyes met his blue ones, she relaxed.
"I'll help, don't worry." he said, smiling reassuringly.
"Thank you," she said gratefully.
He kissed her forehead and took her hand, and they walked back to their cottage, enjoying the snow and the companionable silence that enveloped them along with the snow-covered English countryside.
When they reached the door, they walked carefully up the stairs, remembering Tonks's earlier close call, and stamped off their boots on the small porch.  Lupin did some handy wand-work, making the porch and stairs snow-free and dry for her mum, and they went inside.
Lupin pointed his wand at the small fireplace and instantly a warm fire was blazing.
Tonks hadn't realized just how wet - or cold - she was until she was back inside with the fire warming the rooms.
They kicked off their boots at the door; Lupin waved his wand over them to clean up the snowy sludge they'd tracked in.
She shivered involuntarily, teeth chattering a bit, and started peeling off her wet, dripping clothes, eager to get into something dry.
Suddenly Lupin was beside her, a blanket in hand.  He was still wearing his wet clothes, and his eyes were filled with concern.  Tonks noticed she was still shivering and realized that this was probably the source of the look of anxiety in his eyes.
"I'm okay," she said.
Lupin didn't speak, but simply raised an eyebrow dubiously.
She started to toss her wet sweater and jeans on the floor, but Lupin took them before she could.
"Here," he murmured, handing the blanket to her.
"Thank you," she said, taking the blanket gratefully and wrapping tightly about her shoulders.
Lupin performed a drying spell on her clothes, and then on his and Summoned a towel.
Tonks mimicked him and took her wand out of the strap on belt loop of her jeans, performing a drying charm on her undergarments and socks.
It worked rather well, and Tonks set her wand on the nightstand, pleased to be dry.
Tonks lay a hand on her belly inside the blanket; the small, rounded bump was a source of fascination for her. It was amazing to think her baby was in her, sleeping and growing...and eating.
She looked up to find Lupin before her, his hands held out with her now dry clothes in them.  Smiling at him, she took her clothes and donned them gratefully, but pulled the blanket back around her shoulders even after she was dressed.
"I'll be right back," Lupin said suddenly.
He disappeared into the kitchen, and a minute later, returned with two large steaming mugs.
"Here, drink this, it'll help warm you up." he said, handing her an earth brown mug.
It turned out to be hot cocoa.
"Mmm," she hummed appreciatively.
"Thank you," she said gratefully to her husband. "You're too good to me," she smiled.
"Ahh, but so are you," he said with a smile of his own, closing the distance between them and pulling her into his arms - minding carefully their mugs of cocoa - and kissed her nose.
They sat on the sofa and drank their hot cocoa, Tonks finally letting the blanket fall off her shoulders, pleasantly warm now.  Enjoying the warm feeling now radiating from her chest, she set her empty mug on the coffee table, Lupin mirroring her movement.
She looked at the clock, seeing that it was nine forty-five.
Suddenly, a new thought that she'd been unconsciously avoiding all day hit her.
Her dad.
Looking down, she blinked rapidly a few times, wondering where he was...if he was all right, if he was safe - warm.  Was he lonely?  Was he okay?  She just hoped he was safe and that he wasn't alone; Merlin she missed him.
Lupin's warm hands cupped her face, gently tilting it up so he could see her eyes.
"What's wrong?" he asked softly.
"I...I just was thinking about...about my dad.  I wonder where he is.  If he's all-all..." she trailed off, tears pooling in her eyes and slipping onto her cheeks despite her best efforts.
Lupin wiped them away with gentle fingers, "Dora...he's probably just fine.  He's probably camped out with Dean right now.  He'll be okay." he said soothingly.
She knew that he was only trying to comfort her - there was no way to know whether Lupin was right or not.
But she desperately hoped that he was.
"He said...that he might come back and see us at Christmas if he thought he could lose the Death Eaters.  I told him to come here if he could, because none of the Death Eaters have ever been here and don't even know that he would come here - it's pretty well off their radar.  Not like the Weasley's place." Tonks said with a sigh, remembering why they were all separated this Christmas.  

Since the Death Eaters had been to the Weasley's house - where they would have normally convened for a celebration - it wasn't safe for all of them to gather there, because the Death Eaters would suspect that they would all gather on a day such as today.  They didn't have a way of knowing when the Order meetings were, but Christmas was obvious, and it would be foolish to blithely gather all of the most 'troublesome' to the Death Eater's cause in one place where they could be easily 'disposed' of.
And Tonks couldn't go to her mum's because it was also on the radar.  The Death Eaters were watching like hawks for her dad to come back home.  Also, they didn't want to be watched in each other's company, as the Death Eaters may become suspicious of Tonks, which could put her in serious danger - plus her dad couldn't show up there, so this place was their best option to stay out of the Voldemort's path.
Tonks couldn't help but feel anger towards him for everything.  How many lives had been turned upside down, torn apart...shattered.
She prayed that wherever Harry, Ron, and Hermione were they were safe.
They hadn't had word from them at all - which was best, but still very troubling.  Especially when the Ministry'd turned over Grimmauld Place not two days after Lupin had left Harry, Ron, and Hermione there.
Tonks and Kingsley, having been part of that raid earlier that year, had been able to assure the Order that Harry, Ron, and Hermione had gotten away.
Where to, how, or in what shape, though, was an entirely different matter.
Lupin's thumb gently wiping away another falling tear brought her out of her troubled thoughts.
"Maybe he'll come today.  But even if he doesn't, that doesn't mean that he's...it may be that it wasn't safe for you and Andromeda for him to come here, that's all." he said.
She nodded, unable to speak because of the lump in her throat.
Her tears were silent, but he seemed to sense her distress.
He kissed her forehead and drew her into the comforting circle of his arms, letting him hold her until her trepidation at last calmed a bit, and she was able to regain control of her worry.  After all, she didn't know that something had happened to him.  She had to hope and believe that he would be all right.  

That was all she could do.  And she could do that, as long as Lupin was around to remind her of it.
"Thank you," she whispered when at last she was calm. "I'm sorry to...to worry and make this day sad at all." she apologized.
"Dora, don't apologize.  This is a day I get to spend with my beautiful wife, and no matter what else we have to worry about, that joy is what I'll concentrate on." he said softly.
She nodded, "Me too," she decided.
She half-smiled and kissed him briefly, silently thanking him for his steady, reassuring presence.
When the clock chimed ten, Tonks reluctantly let Lupin go, and they went into the kitchen, Tonks doing her best to put her worries out of her mind and concentrate on Christmas with Lupin.
Tonks was just opening the pantry when suddenly Lupin's hand was on her shoulder, turning her to face him.
"Would you allow me to give you your gift now?" he asked, looking a little nervous for some reason, but excited too.
"Of course," she said, "But Remus...I hope you didn't do much – you didn't have to get me anything..." she said, knowing they didn't have the money for that.
"It really isn't much.  I...well you'll see," he trailed off mysteriously.
"So can I give you yours too?" she asked, suddenly rather excited also.
He looked over at her; obviously worried about the same thing she had been a moment before.
"It's not much, don't worry." she said with an understanding smile.
They stopped in front of their tree, and Tonks looked at it fondly.  

It really was a beautiful tree.  On December first they'd gone out into the forest behind their house and Lupin had good-naturedly cut down one of the Spruce trees in the forest.
It had been Tonks's idea to cut down their own, because it was more festive and she'd always wanted to.
And also, because it was free.
They'd made some decorations, and bought some Muggle Christmas lights, and Lupin had charmed them so that they didn't need electricity and wouldn't go out.
They were rainbow lights, and they set off the deep green of the short, wide fir tree rather well.
Under the tree sat five packages.
Molly had given their gifts to them at the last Order meeting, as they wouldn't be able to celebrate Christmas together.  Molly had sent them home with two packages - one for each of them, and also a delicious chocolate pie and box of cookies.  The pie was already gone.
They silently picked up their packages from Molly to open first.
Tonks tore the wrapping off hers enthusiastically, even though she already had a sneaking suspicion of what was inside.
Lupin unwrapped his carefully, and she laughed quietly to herself at how funny it was that two such opposite personalities such as theirs had fallen in love.
Molly had once again made her a sweater - but two this year.  The first was a light, pleasant shade of blue, and Tonks grinned, touched that Molly had finally given up trying to get Tonks to dress in more subtle colors and made her something bright and colorful.  A large 'D' was sewn onto the front in black, and Tonks smiled again, seeing that Molly had chosen well.  After all, Tonks wasn't entirely appropriate now that her last name was Lupin.  She was relieved Molly hadn't put and 'N' for Nymphadora - Lupin would have teased her to no end.  In a way it was odd to think that...but he'd been so...almost lighthearted, since he'd returned to her...well as lighthearted as anyone could  be in such times.
The other was bright green with a large red 'D' on the front; Tonks happily donned this one, loving the festive sweater.  It was so soft!
Tonks looked up from her lovely gifts to see Lupin's.
Molly had made him four jumpers. One was a deep shade of burgundy, another a tan, earthy brown, and also a dark green rather like their Christmas tree, but a bit darker, all of them bearing a large 'R' on the front.
And for a festive jumoer, Molly had also given him a brick, more deep shade of red, with an 'R' in a darker shade of green.  Subtle, pleasant colors, just like he liked.
Tonks tucked away a mental note to thank Molly the next time she saw her - Lupin really had needed more jumpers.
"She knows us well," Tonks said, wishing she could hug her friend.
Lupin nodded, and smiled when he looked over and saw her in her new Christmas sweater.
"Come on - put yours on too!" she encouraged with a grin. "They're really soft." she said.
Lupin shed his rather threadbare grey sweater in favor of the more festive, new jumper.
Tonks jumped up and took the wrapping paper out of Lupin's lap, dashing to the tree to get the two packages from her to Lupin.  As she was getting them, she noticed that the last package was huge.  It was waist height, or even a bit taller, and oddly shaped.
Well she'd find out soon enough, first she wanted to give Lupin his presents from her.
"Here you are," she said excitedly, setting them on his lap and sitting down next to him.
He looked at her, a strange, almost sad, but so tender look in his eyes.
He reached over and took both of her hands in his.
"There's just...something I wanted to tell you, before Andromeda gets here," he said softly.
"All right," she said, wondering what he could have to say that was making him look almost...nervous.
"How can I ever thank you, Dora?  You've made my life so wonderful...I never thought that I could be so happy.  There aren't enough words for me to tell you how much I love you, how grateful I am that you love me," He murmured, his voice husky.
Her eyes filled with tears as he spoke, and all she could do was whisper, "I love you so much, Remus," around the lump in her throat before she kissed him, telling him exactly how much she loved him, how grateful SHE was for HIM, with her kiss, all of her love pouring over into him, and his into her.
When they broke apart several minutes later, Lupin rested his forehead on hers while they caught their breath.
Tonks closed her eyes, perfectly content, and filled with so much love that thought she could quite easily burst with the joy of it all.
"I can't tell you how grateful I am for you.  Even though our world is...falling apart, I've also never been happier-"
She was cut off by his lips on hers again, and they kissed each other breathless again; when they separated, Lupin cupped her face in his hands and kissed both her cheeks, her nose, her forehead, her eyelids, and her hair before just holding her for a few minutes.
Finally, Tonks pulled back, eager to see what he thought of his presents.
"Open them?" she asked excitedly, gesturing at the forgotten packages in is lap.
He chuckled, and proceeded to do so, picking up the smaller of the two packages.
It was a HoneyDukes chocolate bar - the biggest one they sold.  Lupin grinned when he opened it.
"Thank you," he said, kissing her forehead fondly.
"I solemnly swear not to eat a bite of it.  It's your present." she promised.
"I don't mind-"
"I want you to have it - besides, I have Molly's cookies." she said with a sly grin.
Lupin chuckled and turned his attention to the other package.
Tonks hadn't been sure about this one, but since he and Kingsley had started up the Potterwatch radio station, she'd decided to do something for him that would be geared towards that.  It was more of a useful gift, something that she had thought of and worked on with Fleur for the last week.
Lupin opened it and found inside a little black box; he looked at it for a moment, then up at her, puzzled.
She laugh and explained, "It's - well it used to be an old Muggle transmitter, but Arthur found it bewitched to cuss out anyone who tried to use it – nasty spell.  Anyway, Arthur kept it and fixed it to catch the Wizard radio via this," Tonks said, reaching behind the radio and pulling up a long antenna, tilting it to the left a bit.
"Well I had an idea, but I wasn't sure how to work out the magical engineering.  Fleur helped me with it - she did the charms.  It blocks the location and tracking waves that a radio puts out in any given location.  It basically hides you whenever you're near a radio, or speaking into one – blocks out what otherwise would be a track-able signal.  If the Death Eaters showed up during one of your shows again, it'd effectively block the radio signals and hide the radio.  Don't ask me how Fleur did it, but...I thought maybe it would help." she said, wondering if it would help that much.
She hoped so - when the Death Eaters had tracked the signal of the radio Kingsley and Lupin had been using at the Burrow, they had nearly been arrested, and it had only been Kingsley's quick thinking that had gotten them out of it.
Lupin was looking at the little black box with deep interest now.
"That's wonderful!  Thank you Dora." he said, giving her a hug.
"I'm sure Arthur can explain it to you a bit better - I only had the idea see, and I asked him about it to see if that was even possible, and he said it was and told me Fleur was good with charms, so..." she trailed off with a smile.
"This will help a lot, thank you," he said, looking fascinated by the little box.

Pleased that he liked it so much, Tonks grinned and watched him examine it for a few more minutes before finally set it down on the coffee table with his bar of chocolate and other three new jumpers.
"Now it's my turn," he said, smiling.
Tonks couldn't help but think that he still looked a bit...nervous, though.
He went got up and pushed the package to where she was sitting.
"I wish I could have done something more... I made this the Muggle way...I hope you like it." he said.
Curiosity piqued, she got up and went around the other side of the package, starting to tear open at one of the corners.  Tonks ripped the paper off quickly, not really seeing what it was till she'd pulled the paper away.
It was a crib...a beautiful wooden crib.
It was carved, but smooth and soft as leather.  Only sturdier.
The headboard of the cradle was indented in simple, elegant patterns.
Every piece of it was perfect.  She didn't know if she could speak, she was so moved.  She slowly trailed her hands over the smooth headboard, trying and finally finding, her voice.
"You made this?" she asked in amazement, tears forming in her eyes, imagining how long it must have taken, as she ran her hands along the smooth wooden dowels that lined the side.
He nodded, seeming to be taking in her reaction with surprise.
"It's so beautiful," she whispered, running her hands along the pattern of the carvings at the head of the crib.
"I know it isn't much...I wish I could have done something for you, something...better." he mumbled, looking down.
She looked away from crib, so lovingly made, and love for him filled her.
Reaching out a hand, she stroked the side of his face, running her hand down to his chin and tilting his eyes up to meet hers.
His were a bit embarrassed, and a little ashamed.
"This means more to me...is more special than anything else you could have given me.  It's perfect," she said softly, one of her tears escaping.
Lupin wiped it away with a gentle finger, and as she gazed into his blue eyes, so gentle, she found more words pouring out of her very soul before she really thought about them.
"But there's something I cherish much more." she said, smiling softly at him.
"What's that?" he asked, completely clueless.
"You," she murmured. "You're all I need, all I've ever wanted.  I would have never thought that I would get to have this Christmas with you.  I used to dream of it, sure, but I don't think I really believed it would ever happen.  But here we are..." she trailed off, amazed anew at how good life was despite the war and the chaos of the world around them.
"So today with you, and just YOU, are pretty much my Christmas gifts for life.  I'll never need anything else. As long as I've got you, what more could I ever want?  All I want is you." she said, smiling as she watched joy and tender love dawn in his eyes.
He closed the space between them, drawing her into a hug.
Her arms came about him, and they held each other close, both grateful beyond words for each other's unconditional love.
"Merry Christmas, Remus," she whispered into his shoulder.  
"Merry Christmas, Dora," he murmured back into her hair.
Suddenly Lupin surprised her by getting onto his knees in front of her.  He placed his hands on her gently rounded belly and smiled, "Merry Christmas baby." he kissed her stomach at its largest point, making her giggle, even as love for him filled and warmed her from her soul to her toes.
"Remus?" she asked.
His blue eyes shone happily up at hers as he looked up at her face from where he knelt.
She stared back into his eyes with joy radiating from her soul. 
"Thank you for him too," she whispered.
A soft smile lit his face and he stood, twining his hands with hers,
"Thank you," he said with a grin.
"There's that impasse again," she whispered.
A soft smile lit his face and he stood, twining his hands with hers.
He smiled a bit and met her lips, his sweet and joyful on hers.
She returned the kiss happily, joy of her own in the kiss.
After several minutes of dizzying joy, they broke apart, and Tonks smiled and trailed kisses down both of his cheeks and his neck before coming to rest with her head on his chest; he pressed his face into her hair, and held her.
When they'd caught their breath, she spoke.
"Thank you for the crib, Remus. It's beautiful...he's going to love it too." she said happily, looking at it from Lupin's arms; it still moved her almost to tears to think of the time it must have taken for him to make it.
"Arthur told me at the last meeting...about the shop you had, before Umbridge passed that law that a werewolf couldn't own a business.  I'm sorry, Remus.  Why did you never tell me?  We were friends then." she wondered quietly.
"I...well I didn't tell you because at that time I thought you still didn't know what I was.  And as for my wood work...well it wasn't exactly a respectable profession, doing it by hand as I did.  But it was something that I'd found peace in since I was a child - though naturally the things I made then were considerably smaller.  But I enjoyed it, so after the first war ended, I had a small shop for a while.  It was a nice source of income, albeit a small one.  But when Scrimgeour started his attempts to climb up in power, and started passing all of that werewolf legislation...I knew I was going to lose the shop - I'd heard of a few others losing their small businesses, and their stores and products being completely trashed.  It would have only been a matter of time before the same happened to me.  So I cleared off with my things and closed the shop before they found me, so that one day maybe I could open somewhere else.
Eventually I privately sold all the rest of my work, and then I just... existed.  If not for you...I don't know what would have happened to me.  Being useless was the worst torture.
But having you and the new Order and Sirius, I don't know...I felt needed again, and you made me feel alive and hopeful for the first time in years." he explained, seeming to come back to the present after his story.
"I'm sorry you lost so much," she murmured sadly, remembering the story he'd told her of why he had started carving; she cuddled closer and held him tighter.
"At the time, I was so sure I would never be truly happy, and there were so many days where I just didn't want to go on, but I got through somehow.  It doesn't matter how, it only matters why, and I believe that you're why - it was all worth it.  I made it to this point, and I'm with you." he said, kissing her hair.
She smiled softly, "I'm just so glad we're together," she sighed happily.
"Me too," he murmured.
Sitting in his arms, in front of their lit up tree, snow still falling outside from the overcast sky, with the fireplace blazing was so cozy that Tonks didn't want to move, even though she knew they ought to start the meal.
Lupin was stroking her hair and every now and again dropped a kiss into it.  She was so content, and Christmas really felt peaceful for the first time other than when they'd wandered in the snow as though they were the only two people in the world.
Their little clock cheerfully informed them that it was now eleven.
"Do we have to move?" Tonks sighed, turning a bit and burying her face in his chest; Lupin kissed her hair, and she felt him smiling.
"Yes, but we can come back.  All we really need to do is put the ham in the oven."
"Okay," she agreed.
Reluctantly, she unwrapped herself from his arms and stood, stretching sleepily in front of the fire before turning to look at their baby's crib again.
For the first time, she realized what the carvings on the little headboard were...the twisting, lines and swirls made and surrounded an elegant 'L' centered in the wood.  
'L' for Lupin.  It was perfect.  After all, they didn't as yet know what they were going to name their baby.  Or even whether it was a boy or a girl.  Molly had said she could probably tell them, but they'd decided together that they would rather be surprised.  Her moisture-filled eyes came back to the crib for a moment.
She didn't even realize that Lupin had gotten up till she turned to look for him on the couch and found him beside her instead.
"Thank you, it's so perfect." she whispered, gazing into his blue eyes, so tender and warm with love.
He didn't speak, but brought his hands up to cup her face so gently in his hands, caressing her cheeks softly.  He kissed her and she threw her arms around him, returning it ardently, loving him so much right then she thought she could burst from it.
When the clock chimed eleven-fifteen, they broke apart, breathless and smiling.
Tonks twined her hand with his, "Come on, let's go cook." she said, suddenly happy to do anything, as long she was doing it with him.
Suddenly she was in the air, and she gasped before realizing that Lupin had picked her up.
Then she laughed when she saw the teasing glint in his eyes. "Git," she muttered, still laughing.
He grinned and swept them into the kitchen.  He set her down on the counter and kissed her cheek sweetly before going over to the big freezer in the corner of their kitchen, and pulling out a delectable looking ham.
A few days before, Tonks and Lupin had braved the hordes of Muggles to go the Muggle grocer's store where Lupin used to work, and gotten food for their Christmas dinner with Muggle money, which they easily had more of than Wizarding gold.  Though Tonks's income helped quite a bit, Lupin's old reserve of Muggle money was what kept them eating.
They went around the kitchen happily, Tonks mostly helping Lupin, who could charm most things to be ready very quickly.  He'd insisted though, that the Muggle way of cooking ham was far more delicious.  So they were trying it.  Since Lupin knew what he was doing with the ham, Tonks got started on the one dish she could make without fail: shepherd's pie.
Tonks could magic most of it, but she gathered the ingredients manually, just to keep Lupin company.
But since the ham had to cook for the better part of four hours, they were eating at four.
"Dora?" Lupin asked.
Tonks turned from where she was fixing small sandwiches for a light snack-ish lunch.  "Yes?"
"Later...would you sing for me?" he asked, looking a little shy about asking.
Tonks nearly dropped the piece of bread she was munching on while she made sandwiches. "Why?" she asked, unable to understand the request or where it was coming from.
He walked from where he was finishing getting the ham in the oven, drying his hands on a cloth and then coming to cup her face in one of his hands.
"Because you sing beautifully," he said with a soft smile, playing with a tendril of her bright red hair that was wisping around her face.
Feeling her face flush a bit, she marveled over how Lupin was the only one who could make her feel this way; could make her blush.
"Is this about when I sang for you that full moon when you tried to dilute the Wolfsbane?" she asked.
"Guilty as charged," he said, still grinning, but his eyes were soft.
Before she could reply he leant down and kissed her passionately, deepening it quickly, stealing her breath and making her gasp.  After about a minute or so (Tonks really couldn't have said how long it was), he pulled back, both of them out of breath.
"Please?" he whispered breathlessly against her skin, making her shiver.
"No fair," she gasped.
He grinned and kissed her forehead sweetly and she caved. "Fine, but only if you sing with me." she conceded.
"And you said I wasn't fair," he chuckled.
"I've never heard you sing," she reminded him, grinning that she now had the upper hand.
"And for good reason," he muttered.
"Ahh, I'm sure you're too modest Professor," she teased.
He laughed, "Go on and think that if it makes you feel better," he paused, and looked into her hopeful eyes, still glinting with humor, and then gave in also. "Oh all right, but you'll probably be sorry you asked." he sighed.
"I doubt it," she grinned.
With that, he kissed her sweetly one more time and let her return to the sandwiches.  Still smiling, she shook her head and went back to work.
As she worked, she ate another piece of bread; she'd been going through craving bread the last couple of weeks.
She reckoned that they would help them not gorge themselves and die when their delicious dinner was finally ready...