Disclaimer: Meh, you know this already.

Author’s Note: This story takes place a half-an-hour or so before the fateful moment when Sirius finds out the truth about Peter’s loyalty. Also, I’m sure no one knows Sirius’ personality after graduating from Hogwarts, but I am assuming he has “grown up”. There will also be certain elements in this story that will make it AU, so don’t get bothered by it because this might as well be a prequel to a story I’ll be working on. As usual, this has not been Beta’d.

Hopefully you’ll enjoy…

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October 31st

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It was already late at night, by the time he returned home from work; it was a job that asked of him to disappear for a certain amount of time. A time that he knew, he had finally accomplished, since he was finally relieved from the position he had been assigned to. This moment, as he stepped into the living quarters, was what he has been longing for since the beginning of the day, when he knew he‘d finally be coming home.

A storm has been brewing by the time that he stepped into his home. He has read in The Daily Prophet that a chance of rain would appear earlier in the day, a fact that has yet to be proven right for a tear from the sky has not made its presence. The coat he had worn throughout the day was unnecessary, but he knew it would be worse if he were to catch a cold for it would have ruined the days he has been given off.

Everything around him was quiet as he stepped through the living quarters, past the dinning room and into the hall. Though it disappointed him for not seeing her, he was not surprised by her absence. He did not owl her, did not tell her he was returning home. If he had, he would have seen her in the kitchen or in the dinning room, preparing the last touches of dinner she loved making; a trait he always admired and loved. He could only assumed, as he was nearing the last two rooms down the hall, that she was already asleep.

It was the first room he looked into that he finally saw her.

She was lying on her side, facing towards the door, towards him. Her blonde hair glowed with the candle flame that stood upon the night table near her; an arm was underneath the pillow that supported her head. Though the room was cool to the skin, she laid without a cover. Her naked sun-kissed legs lay upon one another, the knees lightly bending towards her body. It has been nearly a week since he has last seen her, but the face she wore, calmness and a state of bliss, delighted his heart. As much as he wanted to touch her, to kiss and hug her, he did not want to disturb her sleep.

“Sirius?” a soft voice called upon him.

He was about to leave and close the door, when the woman on the bed caught his attention.

Turning around, he now saw her sitting on the edge of it. Without a noise, she had woken herself up without him noticing it. “Marissa?”

With a smile that brightened the room, she sprang from her seat and ran up to him. He took her into his arms, enfolding them around her. His head pressed against hers, and he caught the sweet scent of lavender coming from her hair. He held her like that; an innocent embrace, as he took the warm feeling of her body against his own.

“If I had known you were returning, I would have made something for you.” She uttered, her head moving away from his own, a signal that she would be looking up at him. His eyes caught her icy-blue ones, their twinkles returning to where he was accustomed in seeing them. “I know how much you enjoy having dinner waiting for you.” she grinned.

It was at that moment that he kissed her, their lips crashing onto one another, before she took reign of the situation. If it were not for the fact that he needed to breathe, he would have gladly given himself away to her. Not saying anything, he pulled her into a hug. He let a couple of seconds pass before he finally said anything. “Words cannot express the feeling I have for you.” He started, as he snuggled his head down to hers, “How grateful to have you in my life; how I thank God for the minute you had crashed into me back in Hogwarts.”

It had taken him seven years in Hogwarts to meet the one person who understood him; the one person who could look beyond the façade he was putting on for show. Only those closest to him knew what he was going through in his personal life, but the girl that had been trying to escape the rain had changed that. He knew of the reputation he had, but he could not help it while he was in school. He loved the attention the girls gave him, and the way they always looked upon him in admiration. However, it was the girl landed them both on the muddy water that had changed that. If it were not for her indifference towards him that piqued his interest about her that day, they would have never gotten together.

Four years later, the two of them shared a life, but not without its obstacles.

“At least we weren’t bickering back and forth like Lily and James were before they admitted their feelings.” she smiled, as she pulled herself at arms length. Her face then faltered, “I don’t mean to ruin this moment, but I have to ask, is everything alright?”

He nodded, “Of course, why do you ask?”

She gave him another of her smiles, “It feels as if you’re leaving us again.”

He chuckled once at this, “I’m not, not for a while at least.”

Just then, a whimper was heard across the hall, which had instantly caught their attention. Marissa then pulled away from his touch as she walked past him and into the one room that Sirius had reserved to check on last. Turning around, he followed her.

Unlike the room they last stood in, this one was of a nursery. The soft lavender color -Marissa’s favorite- wall spruce up the room; the white furniture with the occasional stuff animal added to the whole atmosphere. Sitting in the middle of the room, the center of it all stood the white crib he had bought months before the child was born. Marissa’s back was facing him; her body lean and poised was bent over the railing. He barely could hear her speaking, but he caught the one word that he adored, ‘Dad’

Time has ceased to exist for him, as he watched the scene in front of him. It was a strange thing, being as he was used to seeing Marissa holding their daughter. With a white onesie and a pair of small booties, Victoria cradled between her mothers’ chest and arm. “Good thing you decided on the days, and not the months or you wouldn’t have seen this babe grow.”

“I can only be away for two days, and she would have already grown from the last time I’ve seen her.” He replied, as he stepped near to his family. Marissa smiled at him before sharing it with her daughter; her hand took hold of the small one, which Victoria’s fingers quickly grasped onto. He felt for her face, a finger trailing down a chubby cheek on the small being. “She’s so beautiful.”

“Have you eaten? Here, why don’t you hold the baby while I go make you something to eat?”

Without a hesitation, Sirius took the tenth-month old into his arms. For some reason, whenever he carried her for the first time after being away for a day or more, she would often feel foreign in his arms. It is not to say that he had never carried a child before, because he had with his own godson, Harry. Unlike Harry, Victoria is his blood and the one he was always around. Carrying her in the crook of his arm was at the same time foreign but wonderful.

After she had left the two of them on their own, Sirius walked toward the window that overlooked into a garden. It was created months before Victoria was born, but it has been the project Marissa worked on. Before, it was done out of a hobby but now with a child; she wanted to create a beautiful scene outside of her room. Since it was fall, not many flowers were blooming with their colors except for the occasional white flower that he could not name; he was never interested in gardening, but now that Victoria was here, he always loved standing in front of the window that overlooked it.

He looked down at her form, her own eyes where looking out of the window. It was already dark, but whatever it was that she was seeing there, was something that caught her attention. He took this time to observe her; observe how the small amount of her hair she had was not the same color he had or that of Marissa’s. Unlike theirs, hers was sandy with an inexplicable sheen to it. With his free hand, he gently caressed it, which was enough to catch her attention. Her dark eyes held the glimmer that only a child could hold, an innocence that has not been tainted by corruption.

She cooed at him, as he slowly wiggled a finger in front of her. She let out a squeal, as she took it into her own hands. He smiled at the thought of her running around the house in the future, her laughter filling in the emptiness of the home, a home that he has longed to have. It saddened him that she would not have the set of grandparents a child deserved; the figures that are supposed to be the ones doting over a child would not be available to her. It is not like his parents or those of Marissa have perished, but they might as well have with their high-standard rules they set upon them. He was disowned for not sharing the beliefs of his family, she was forbidden to return home for falling in love with the likes of him. It was their love for one another that they had managed to live through those hard times, and it was Victoria that had grown out of it.

He raised her to the level of his face; her small chubby legs kicked in the air as he did so. Her arms waved across the air, before she curled a small fist into her mouth. He then pulled her toward him, kissing her chubby cheek when she was close enough. He placed her against his chest; as he took in the sweet smelling scent a baby always held. Her back arched; he looked down to see her turning her attention back to the window. He joined her, but unlike her, he was not sure what he was searching for. All he could see was the darkness, and the small flecks of raindrops that were sticking onto the window.

“What do you see?” He asked her, as he turned to give Victoria a better view of the window. She only replied with the language a child her age would understand, as she pointed out into the darkness. “It isn’t the raindrops, is it?” For some reason, he had a feeling that she was seeing something that he could not see. It was a strange sight, but he had seen it happened with Harry before; it was something that only children their age could notice, while adults could not see beyond what their eyes looked upon. “You’ll be a good girl for daddy, wouldn’t you?” He finally asked and not expecting an answer, he leaned forward and kissed her temple.

“Sirius!”

Quickly, he whirls around to see Marissa standing by the doorway; she was distraught; her eyes were no longer holding the cheerfulness she once had. “Someone’s at the door, it’s urgent for you to attend.”

Hurriedly he walked up to her, handing her Victoria without asking anything else.

Three seconds later he was standing in front of the open door; rain was pouring behind the man who was barely shielding himself from it. “It’s the Potters,” he first said when Sirius saw him. “I’m afraid something awful has happened to them,” he last uttered.

There were no words that could explain the feeling he felt for what he had heard; how it involved the three people, he had known, and that it was possible that something unforgivable has happened to them. They couldn’t be dead, was the first thing that went through his mind before a million of possibilities went through his head, trying to explain to himself what could have really happened.

It was at that moment when he heard Victoria’s babble coming from behind, turning around he came to see the two people he loved more than words could explain. When his eyes locked with those of Marissa, he knew what must be done. There was no need for words to be exchanged, but he now needed to go. Taking in a deep breath, he gave her and his child one last look before walking out of his home.

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Fin

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A/N: I will admit that I have been feeling strange when I’ve written this one-shot, I’ve no idea as to why but I did. Like I’ve said earlier, this will probably be a prequel to a story that I’m working on. So in case you’re interested in it, have this story in your alerts, and I’ll let you know with a note.