Nine

Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies.

A/N: Thanks to the Trifecta Beta team of JaneAverage, charmed310 and snapeophile, who helped this fic along so very nicely. And now, the final chapter.

Moony ran through the field, faster, faster, scenting his prey as he saw a flash of white rabbit tail ahead in the moonlight. The black wolf galloped beside him as they stretched out, skimming across the ground, their fur brushing against the short, damp grasses that parted before them and rustled in their wake. The night dew from the blades of grass clung to their coats, flattening their fur into a smooth, slick surface. His breath was loud in his ears, the scent of the kill close at hand, and the animal excitement of his mate crackled in concert with his as they lunged forward in the final attack, but a biting pain ripped through his body, unseen, unbearable, and he stumbled, falling and tumbling on the ground as he howled his anguish...

Moony woke as the first pain coursed through him and he howled... Pain, pain, hurt, hurt, hurt. He panted, barely able to breathe, but even that movement hurt as his snout retracted into his normal features, and he was light-headed from all the pain, certain that if he wasn't already lying down he would collapse. In the distance, just on the edges of his frantic consciousness, there was a steady, soothing, deep drone, a low hum that somehow struck a chord in him. He latched on to it, his mind holding tight to the sound despite the all-encompassing pain. Why must it be so fucking bad? and he stretched towards the source with questing fingers.

~~~

Severus awoke to the howling and thrashing of the werewolf as the first rays of sun broke through the darkness of night. Lupin was transforming again, and Severus was unable to do anything but hold him and murmur nonsense words of false comfort. There was no time for potions, and this close to moonset, none could help the werewolf or the man through the pain of transformation. Although he understood that the change into human was less painful than that of the wolf, Lupin was still clearly in distress. He stroked the shortening fur of the panting creature as it slowly morphed before his eyes into the shivering body of his lover with eyes still wild and body wracked by shudders. Severus held Lupin as he finally curled into his arms, but it was a long time before the trembling ceased and his body relaxed in exhausted slumber.

Severus moved his shoulders and shifted uncomfortably as he realized that his Cushioning Charm had worn off and the thin mattress did nothing to soften the solid wood floors of Lupin's home. He glanced cautiously at the sleeping man in his arms and gradually slid away from him until he was able to stand and stretch his own groaning limbs. Now that Lupin's transformation was complete it would be as well to put the man in his own bed – somewhere comfortable for him to recover. He swung the wooden door open and peered inside the dimly lit room. Although the pale morning sunlight filtered into the house through the window by the sink, the rays barely penetrated the darkness of Lupin's bedroom, which was set against the wall of the canyon itself. To the left of the door was Lupin's bed, modest but fairly large, with a simple wooden side table. A wardrobe stood in the opposite corner of the room, and on his right there was a door to the bathroom.

Severus pulled back the blanket and sheets on the bed and cast an Impervius Charm just to be safe. Walking softly, he cast a Feather-Light Charm on Lupin and carefully picked up the sleeping man, cradling him gently in his arms as he carried him into the bedroom and set him softly on the bed.

Lupin shifted slightly and his arms tightened reflexively around Severus' neck for an instant, but he soon returned to slumber. Severus carefully disengaged himself from the sleeping man and leaned back for a moment as he took in every inch of Lupin's body in the early-morning light that now streamed through the open door. Rising slowly, he returned to the outer room and picked up his trousers from the floor, searching the pockets and eventually withdrawing a small vial that glinted pale yellow as he emptied the contents into a shallow bowl. A muttered spell later and the warm solution steamed in the cool air of the room. Severus Summoned two of his pristinely-laundered, soft, white shirts, and without a second's hesitation, he sliced them into large pieces with a non-verbal Severing Charm. Ordinarily, Severus preferred to heal with his wand; a clean, quick and rather impersonal method of healing, but with Lupin...

He sat back for a moment, thinking. Yes, with Lupin, things are definitely different. He once again entered the bedroom and surveyed the sleeping man, more critically this time, itemizing every wound where the skin had torn, leaving bloody streaks and ragged flesh. Although the rapid metabolism and healing properties of the werewolf would soon make quick work of healing the injuries, Severus felt a compulsion to do more, a feeling enhanced by the swirling, circling magic of the canyon. He turned his attention once more to the abused flesh before him and traced his wand slowly along the deepest wounds, whispering the healing spell and then covering the fresh scars with essence of Murtlap. Lupin groaned as the flesh of his wounds knit, but Severus passed his hand over Lupin's face gently, skin barely touching skin, and the touch seemed to quiet the man.

The wounds were most noticeable on Lupin's chest, where the ribcage had expanded to accommodate the animal's shape, and on his hands, where the claws pushed their way cruelly through the pale fingers. Severus gently traced over the open fissures, the tip of his wand urging the flesh closed, and the cloth bringing with it soothing relief. Finally, the worst of the damage had been repaired, and Severus skilfully turned the sleeping man over, his magic bolstered by the gentle hands of the ancient forces that seemed to reach out and encompass him, encouraging his actions and understanding his heart.

The scars on Lupin's back were equally as fierce, and Severus made quick work of his healing. The warm, moist cloth gently sloughed away the worst of the damage and blood, and he allowed his hands to linger a little longer than necessary as they passed over the small of Lupin's back and the swell of his buttocks. Muttering softly to himself, Severus once more dipped the piece of shirt in the solution and, wringing out the excess, laid the material flat against Lupin's skin. He placed his hand palm down on the fabric and couldn't help but feel the heat from Lupin's body as he slowly moved the cloth along the full length of his spine. The sleeping man stirred slightly and Severus stopped his ministrations, waiting patiently and silently until soft, snuffling sounds confirmed that his patient was once more asleep. Severus discarded the cloth, and then placed his hands on Lupin's shoulders, kneading the still-tense muscles gently before moving slowly and carefully down past the shoulder blades to his back. He worked down either side of Lupin's spine, pressing firmly but gently on the muscles there and encouraging them to release.

He continued the gentle compressions, pressing with his body weight onto his palms, methodically working his way down onto Lupin's pelvis and hips, then further down onto the meaty flesh of his buttocks. After a minute or two he progressed down first one leg, and then the other, his open palm providing ample coverage as he leaned his weight into Lupin's body. Severus moved further down onto the calves–, thin, but for all that, not too thin – and finally, his feet. A near-violent twitching ensued as Severus' hands and fingers touched the soles of Lupin's feet, and almost immediately, Lupin came fully awake, twisting and rolling his body to get away from the sensation.

Severus moved back slightly at the wild look in the golden-brown eyes, and he cleared his throat cautiously.

'I had forgotten that you were ticklish there.'

Lupin lay panting, his legs twisted in the sheets and his chest heaving as he breathed rapidly, his eyes alert but no longer wary. It did not escape Severus' notice that the lycanthrope wore absolutely nothing at all, and that his cock was more than a little interested in the proceedings. He tried to look away but only managed to get as far as Lupin's face, where he saw the want and need shining in his eyes.

'Severus.'

The voice was low and gravelly and shot straight to Severus' groin in a delicious, almost electric way that seemed to pull everything from his chest sharply downwards.

~~~

The steady pressure on Remus' back felt inexplicably wonderful as his muscles gradually released their tension. He still felt pain underneath it all, but this was the welcome pain of healing. His still-acute sense of smell detected Murtlap essence, and slowly his situation dawned on him. Severus. He remembered scraps of the previous night when the wolf had tasted the flesh of the man and how completely he had felt his presence. Even now he felt him as Severus' hands were firm along his spine, and Remus sighed a little in contentment as the pressure moved lower across his buttocks and legs. Although his transformations were always painful, the muscle pain in the days following the full was usually the worst, and Severus' ministrations were helping to ease the stiffness there. He closed his eyes and gave himself over to the sensations. 'Oh, that's so good,' he murmured, exhaling the pent-up energy and tension away as Severus' capable hands moved lower along his legs and calves. The rolling and rocking movements of his body caused delicious sensations in his groin and he felt himself growing harder, but the steady pressure along his muscles was almost enough to take his mind off of his burgeoning erection. Remus floated in a sea of blissful stimulation until he felt fingers against the soles of his feet and jerked reflexively at the unbearable sensation. Adrenaline shot through his body and he came fully awake as he found himself on his back with Severus kneeling naked at his feet, an image so unbearably erotic that his half-engaged libido kicked into overdrive almost immediately.

~~~

Severus felt the rise of something inside him, something almost animalistic in the sheer force of its desire, and he latched onto Lupin's mouth, sucking and biting and licking, much like the animal had done to him only a few hours prior. Random thoughts swirled in his head but he pushed them all aside, wanting only to taste the man and feast on his flesh. He sucked and bit down Lupin's heaving chest and torso until he lay between his legs and the smell of arousal set his own alight. 'Mmmm,' he murmured as he buried his face in the light-brown thatch of hair that framed the thick base of Lupin's erect penis, and the lycanthrope bucked and writhed, moaning wantonly as his hands twisted in Severus' hair, trying to encourage more contact. Severus placed his hands on Lupin's hips and held them down as he ran the flat of his tongue along the underside of the penis from base to tip before taking the entire length into his mouth. The sounds Lupin made, the grunting, groaning, whimpering, moaning, begging sounds only urged Severus on, and Lupin bucked beneath him as Severus growled his desire and began sucking, a series of short but intense movements where he sucked the base hard and then gradually released the pressure as he suckled along to the tip, then down again, more suction, still harder, and Lupin slowly began to come undone. Severus gripped the base of Lupin's cock with his fingers and pressed against the vein on the underside, his lips curling upward as Lupin swore, then he swirled his tongue around the ridge for a moment as he looked up at Lupin, who was lying back on the pillows, his eyes heavily lidded and his breath shallow with desire. The tip of his turgid manhood glistened, spit-shiny as it jutted out from his body, dark red from all the attention, and Severus felt his own cock harden even more at the sight.

He straddled Lupin's thighs and leaned over to kiss him, harder this time and more demanding as the desire swelled within him. Lupin's warm hands slid up his back, gently pulling him forward, urging him on. Severus needed everything about this man and wouldn't be denied anymore. The canyon's magic was all around them, inside him, through him and he could feel the pounding of Lupin's heart echoing his own. Lupin's hands tangled in Severus' hair as he deepened the kiss, and Severus ground their erections together, pressing himself down onto the other man's groin and rubbing their bollocks together in a delicious friction. He knew that Lupin was in no condition to be taken, not with his muscles still sore and his body mending, but Severus wanted to be filled by him, and he moved his body forward for another kiss, tongues sliding hot and wet against each other. Raising his hips slightly until he felt the tip of Lupin's erection against the skin behind his balls, he rocked backward slightly and pushed down gently, feeling the heat of the cock head against his puckered entrance. Lupin's sudden hiss of breath showed that the movement wasn't altogether expected, but welcomed.

Severus shuddered with long-denied pleasure, and he leaned back slightly, allowing Lupin's cock to push more firmly against him as he moaned slightly into his mouth. Lupin pulled away from the kiss, his body trembling and the heat in his eyes so fierce that for a moment, Severus saw the wolf's untamed nature.

'Do it,' he hissed, his hands clutching convulsively at Severus' hips. 'Gods, Severus, please...'

Severus moaned with pleasure as he kissed Lupin again, forcefully, bruising, biting and sucking his tongue, mouth, lips, feasting on the flesh as he wordlessly performed the necessary charms and slowly sank onto Lupin's cock. He controlled the pace, at first teasing himself with the tip, and then pressing himself down onto it slightly as he rotated his hips. Lupin growled his frustration and leaned forward as he sank his teeth into Severus' shoulder, biting him hard enough to cause pain, and the sudden movement forced Severus' body down onto the heated, hard flesh. He cried out as the head of Lupin's cock pushed past his tight ring of muscle and he took the man's length inside him, forcing himself to breathe and relax into the deliciously painful stretch, sinking lower and lower into that slick heat until he was fully seated on Lupin's thighs, the entire length inside him.

Despite himself, he groaned as the pain radiated up his back, through his pelvis and hips into his gut, but Lupin's callused hands rubbed his lower back in slow, gentle and soothing circles that helped to centre him even as he shuddered in pained pleasure.

~~~

Remus' world became one singular, hot funnel of pleasure as Severus' body encased his cock with tight, slick heat. Years, it had been years, and yet the sensations were so perfect, so right. His body shook with the effort of remaining still, of letting Severus stretch to accommodate him and the expression on the pale features before him was breathtaking. Remus wanted nothing more than to lift Severus and slam him down onto his cock, repeatedly, thrusting and pushing and grinding him down onto his erection, but he forced himself to grit his teeth and wait. In the past, he had felt that Severus had never let himself go completely in their lovemaking, almost as though he hadn't been able to find it within himself to trust anyone that much. That knowledge had hurt then, but years apart and too many deaths had changed the realities of both men, and Remus sensed that the canyon's spirits had helped the normally taciturn man to come to terms with himself and his demons, for the man who now straddled his thighs was not holding back anything.

Just as Remus thought he wouldn't be able to hold still a moment longer, his entire body wanting to thrust upwards almost brutally, Severus began to move, slowly, agonisingly slowly, rising up just enough for the smallest slide of friction along Remus' shaft, and then he sank down once more until he had taken Remus balls-deep inside him. He rose up again; further this time and Remus felt the coolness of the air in the room around his shaft for a split second before Severus again lowered his body, twisting his hips and seeming to grind even further down than before. Remus clutched Severus' waist, wordlessly urging him to move faster, to do more, to get him deeper, and Severus obliged, increasing his pace. Remus stared at the sight of his cock as it appeared and disappeared into Severus' body, over and over, his shaft SO HARD, so painfully hard as it slid in and out of the binding, sucking, squeezing moist heat, and the sounds of Severus' skin on his, the soft slap of sweaty skin against his own and the sight of the writhing body astride his was almost too much. He felt the pressure building behind his bollocks, the tightening of his own sphincter and the trembling of his legs that heralded his own orgasm. He ripped his gaze from his own cock and focused on Severus': hard, red and leaking as it jutted out of the thatch of dark curls, arching away from the pale body and bobbing with every movement. Remus' mouth was dry and he licked his lips, longing to taste it, feel the slide of that cock on his tongue and enclose his lips around it as he sucked and sucked. He tried to move his hands from Severus' hip to circle the tip with his fingers and thumb, but the man was doing such a fine job of working Remus into a frenzy that he doubted whether he could concentrate enough to toss him off.

~~~

Severus wouldn't last long like this, couldn't, and he felt it building inside him, the tiny sparks that indicated his orgasm was close. The muscles of his legs burned and started tensing in anticipation as he clasped his hands behind Lupin's neck and drove down onto him, leaning back and using his body weight to augment the grinding against Lupin's pelvis on the down stroke. Lupin's hands were on Severus' hips, pulling him down hard against him as he rocked up to meet him, and as Severus canted his hips forward, Lupin's cock brushed over his prostate gland, over and over again in a dizzying flood of sensation. He felt the gathering as his body began shaking, every nerve ending poised on the edge of ecstasy, funnelling everything inward. 'S-soon, soon, yes, ah, almost...oh, oh...' Once, twice, and Severus saw stars as his orgasm ripped through him. 'Nnngggggaaaahhh!' he roared incoherently as he groaned his pleasure, his body tensing in a shuddering arc from the force of his ejaculation as hot fluid coated his stomach and Lupin's chest.

~~~

Remus was fascinated and unspeakably aroused as he watched Severus twist and thrash on top of him like a wild thing finally unleashed. Sweat glistened on the pale skin and mingled with his own, creating deliciously slick lubrication, and Remus distractedly wondered how Severus had known that this was just what he needed, as the sight of his own cock sheathed by Severus' body over and over again, every plunge, every thrust and twist of hips stirred the sensations in him and sent jolts of fire through him. He gripped the thin hips tightly and pulled Severus' body down hard, impaling his lover on his cock, and the friction, the sweet, heated slide of flesh inside flesh sparked explosions of sensation and desire in his body. Their magic crashed around them as Severus' orgasm broke over Remus, and both the guttural roar and the clenching muscles around his cock spurred his own orgasm seconds later as the contractions hurled him over the edge of his own pleasure.

Remus' cock pulsed and pulsed, emptying all of himself deep inside the heated body and Severus' body seemed frozen in an impossible arc above him. Remus couldn't stop shaking – his body vibrated with pleasure in the aftermath of his release and he could barely catch his breath, so great was the force of the emotion that swelled in his chest. Severus still held him tightly even though he was panting heavily, and Remus slid his arms up and around Severus' back as he buried his face in the heaving chest. They stayed like that until Remus felt his softening prick begin to slide out, and he concentrated briefly before he silently performed a cleaning charm on them both. Severus jumped and shifted, groaning as blood flow returned to his legs, and Remus chuckled softly as the pale, thin man lay down carefully beside him. He turned towards Severus and once more nuzzled against his chest, certain that he was glowing with warmth as the long arms encircled him. He sighed contentedly as he slid a leg between Severus' thighs and pulled the man's upper leg over his own hip, shifting forward until their bodies were pressed against each other.

'Gods, Lupin, must you burrow so?' Remus faintly heard Severus' half-hearted snark, but couldn't respond with more than a muffled 'Hmmm' as sleep enveloped them both.

~~~

EPILOGUE

'Severus.'

'Mmm?'

'What did the note say?'

Severus shifted slightly and opened one sleepy eye, blinking in the mid-morning sunlight. 'What note?' His voice was gravelly with sleep, and even though he feigned ignorance, Remus knew that Severus knew damn well what note. In the few days since the full moon they had been together almost constantly, skin touching skin whenever possible, lips and tongues mapping out each other's body time and time again. Remus wanted to draw out their togetherness this morning too, but Severus' offhanded mention of the note weeks ago had sat in the back of his mind, glowing like an ember that wouldn't be put out until the question had been answered.

'The one from Harry that came with the Pensieve.'

He heard Severus groan. Ever since their explosive argument on the second night, neither man had mentioned the Pensieve, and it was obvious that Severus didn't want to broach the subject now. In lieu of an answer, he grunted and stretched expansively, rolling onto his back and pulling Remus onto his chest. 'Lupin, must we do this?'

Remus sighed and leaned down to nuzzle against the smattering of dark hair around Severus' nipple. Much as he loved the scent of him and the pale expanse of flesh beckoned that him to taste and smell further, he needed an answer to his question.

'Severus. Harry's note; what did it say?'

Oil-dark eyes flickered slightly for a moment before he Summoned his clothes. Puzzled, Remus watched as he reached into the breast pocket and withdrew a small piece of parchment, well worn and carefully folded. Without a word he handed it to Remus, who opened it with shaking hands and read the words written in Harry's small but distinct scrawl.

Use it, Professor, and then find him.

Harry

Remus felt as though his heart constricted, that his emotions were somehow too much for the one organ to handle, and that it would now, finally, cease to function, just when he needed it the most. He inhaled deeply, fighting the feeling of sinking into quicksand, forcing himself to stay afloat in the sea of emotions that threatened to bring him under.

Harry knew.

Harry knew, and he had wanted Severus to find him.

~~~

Severus hoped that he'd not made a mistake by letting him read Harry's missive. He watched Lupin carefully, trying to judge his reaction while steeling himself for another argument of why it had taken him so long to actually search for Lupin, or why he had let him leave in the first place instead of following him and making him return. Yes, he knew that those were all valid questions and more than likely ones that Lupin would ask.

Lupin's hands shook slightly, and Severus could see that the lycanthrope was very deeply affected. Truth be told, he had been also, the day he had received that note with the Pensieve, but his hesitancy to find Lupin had stemmed more from a lack of faith in himself rather than a lack of interest. He roused himself from the sated relaxation of being together and braced for the expected backlash, but he was not prepared for the reaction that came.

~~~

Remus smiled softly. 'He's become quite perceptive.'

Severus blinked, and his surprised expression was really worth Galleons. Still, Remus looked over at him reprovingly. 'You hadn't had that much to drink, surely?'

Severus' lips became a thin line, but there was no true anger behind it. 'The splendour and scope of my hangover the following morning would attest to just how much I had indulged; well, that and the quantity of bottles upon bottles of Firewhisky that were scattered around the couch.'

Remus sat up and regarded Severus for a moment as a smile played at the corners of his mouth.

'Missed me, did you?'

Severus huffed and shifted. 'Perhaps a bit.'

Laughing, Remus stretched out on his side next to Severus and ran his fingertips along the pale flesh, criss-crossed with scars, but still beautiful to him.

'Me too,' he admitted softly, and Severus' answering kiss was all he needed.

~~~

The sun proceeded along its inevitable march towards the west, and the shadows lengthened across the canyon floor many thousands of feet below. Severus looked out over the ever-changing vista that was the Grand Canyon and realized that the Hopi magic knew what they had both tried to resist. They were meant to be together. He had begun his journey to Arizona to find Remus, hoping that he would be able to convince the man to return to England, but as they sat on the sun-warmed rocks next to each other, shoulders touching and feet dangling over the edge, Severus began to realize that geography wasn't the most important thing in their relationship – togetherness was.

And if I told you that I loved you

The mask I wear is one. - Sting

~ fin ~