Marauders - Always - Part One

Everything Was Fine

Sirius woke in bed and rolled over, expecting to land against his husband's chest, but instead flopped into the empty space that ought to have been occupied by Remus. The blankets weren't even turned down on Remus's side of the bed and Sirius stared in surprise at the spot, his brows knitting together. He sat up, the quilt falling away from his chest and pooling in his lap.

"Remus?" he called, looking around the bedroom. Remus's pyjamas were folded neatly on the chair by the window. The door was closed, and Sirius was alone. He pushed out of the bed, swinging his legs over the side and onto the floor. Sirius elbowed out into the hallway, glancing down toward the room that was Peter's until just yesterday - now it was Spencer's. The door was closed, no light appeared beneath the door and there was no sign of anyone being awake down that way - no sign of Remus. Sirius padded down the hall to the living room, glancing about before going on into the kitchen.

Empty.

Doubling back to the living room, he looked around more closely and spotted Remus's loafers were missing from the door, his coat missing, too. Sirius felt his heart quicken as he moved to the door of the flat, stepping out the door and onto the landing, glancing around the alley behind the curry restaurant. His bare feet thundered down the cold metal stairs to the alley's pavement.

There'd been a light snow overnight that left the ground cold and his feet stung even as he rushed to the gate of the alley way, stepping out onto the road beyond. Cars rushed by, the tires sloshing through the puddles, sending a spray up at Sirius that was icy cold. His eyes scanned 'round the sidewalk. It wasn't terribly busy yet, the curry shop was closed, and across the street there were only a couple people wandering through the park - pigeons bobbled as they moved around the benches and trees across dead brown grass and splotches of snow.

But still no Remus anywhere.

Feet aching with cold, Sirius ducked back through the gate and into the alley, trotting up the steps to the flat, slamming the door behind him. He rushed up the hallway, past his bedroom door, pushing his head in the bathroom to see it empty, then on to Spencer's room. He banged his fist on the door.

There was no answer.

Sirius banged harder. "Spencer? Remus?"

When still no answer came, Sirius finally shoved his way into the room regardless.

It was empty.

No Spencer. No Remus.

Spencer's bed was at least unmade, the blankets messy from use, but it was empty nonetheless.

Sirius swallowed back his anxiety and backed out of the room, closing the door behind him. Spencer was with him, wherever Remus had gone. He scanned his brain - had Remus mentioned an early morning arts class, maybe?

Breathe, Sirius told himself. Breathe. If it was an attack, surely he himself would've heards something, yeah? He couldn't have slept through Death Eaters breaking into the flat and stealing away his husband and the boy down the hallway. Besides that, if Death Eaters had come, they would've taken him, Sirius, for certain. No way would the blood traitor son of Orion and Walburga Black be spared. Unless this was the punishment? Taking Remus? But no, that wasn't a Death Eater's style. They were more the death curse kind of brood than the steals-your-husband sort.

So wherever Remus and Spencer were they were likely there by their own choice, at least. That was a small comfort. Unless they'd only started out by their own choice and ended up prisoners, captured, kept from leaving, from returning to Sirius, kept from aking for help and now, even now, Remus's last moments could be ticking away and --

Sirius took a deep breath and focused on feeling for Remus... He wasn't sure he could feel him, or if the panic and fear he felt was all his own.