Ever since she’d arrived in Vallo, a part of Tonks had felt like it was missing. A huge part of her. Remus showing up a week in helped ease that feeling, but there was no joy or pride in the things she had to do as a mother with no child. Dealing with not only the physical aches that came with that, but also her broken heart. Even though they knew Teddy was taken care of back home after the war, raised exactly the way they would have wanted him raised under the circumstances, that didn’t make the fact that he wasn’t there any easier to deal with.
She went through bouts of desperately wanting her son, the postpartum still hitting her in waves mixed with the grief of the Battle. It made for some long nights and a lot of time spent in bed, even if she did try to do her best to get up and put one foot forward every day. Still, it was a struggle.
This morning was different though. Through the fog of sleep, the sound of a baby cooing nearby stirred her awake, the fog lingering for a moment before it lifted as she laid there to listen, making sure she wasn’t just hearing things. Her eyes went over to Remus, who was still asleep next to her and then she pushed herself up to look in the direction the sound was coming from.
A crib. Teddy’s crib. Without a thought, Dora rushed from the warmth of the bed to the side of the crib where their son was, swaddled and smiling up at her.
Like Dora, Remus felt the same ache. That they weren't quite as complete as they had been before they came here. And it seemed particularly cruel somehow to be without Teddy now - both of them alive and fine but still without their son. Something more than death now separating them.
He tried as best as he could to make it easier on Dora. Kept her company as often as she wanted. Tea at the ready or a gentle massage, he'd found some books for them to read to try to keep their minds occupied. But it was still hard. And while he'd never deny his friend his own happiness it was hard to live in a house with three children and have to miss his own. Though Zayna and Seren, and Lucas, while a reminder of what hadn't followed him did offer a nice distraction themselves. Children were always an amusing sort.
Sleep was a sort of off and on thing. It had never been easy on him in the first place, but now was even worse. That he was deep enough to lag behind Dora that morning was a small miracle in itself. But it wasn't long before the noises reached him, mingled with whatever dream had taken hold. He blinked his eyes open, saw the spot beside him empty and glanced around.
"Dora?"
She couldn’t quite figure out how any of this had happened, but she also knew better than to think on it too hard. Bending down over the edge of the crib, she gently unswaddled the small boy and smiled when he gave a big stretch before reaching down to lift him to her. There was nothing abnormal about it and you’d hardly think she’d gone a few weeks by this point without him. “Hi, my little lovey,” she cooed to the baby in her arms.
So caught up in the moment though, it took her a moment to register the sound of Remus’ voice and she giggled softly, giving Teddy the tip of her index finger for a moment for him to suckle on. “I bet you’re hungry, aren’t you?” But then she turned slowly and let her gaze fall on her husband, eyes shining a little with tears.
“Look who showed up.”
A smile pulled at her lips and she looked back down at him, feeling a sort of wholeness she hadn’t felt since she’d arrived. “And just in time for his papa’s birthday, didn’t you?”
As sleep lifted itself the room started to come into sharper focus, and Remus realized that Dora was still there. The sound of her voice at the foot of his bed, mingled with the sound that haunted his dreams - the good ones and the bad ones.
Was this just that, he couldn't help but wonder. Another dream that would turn nightmare, or simply vanish and leave him without again. Slowly he made his way to his wife. To his son. His heart thundered in his chest and he made note of the feel of the cool hardwood below his feet. How real it felt.
And it was, wasn't it. Real. As he touched Dora's elbow gently and peered down at Teddy in her arms. Warmth swelled in him as he stared down at the baby, exactly as he remembered him. "Quite the birthday present," he said softly, his voice a mix of awe and emotion.
"Teddy," he said as he reached a hand to brush lightly over Teddy's hair and settled to cup his son's head. "We missed you so much."
Remus glanced to Dora beside him, pressed a soft kiss to her shoulder. "If this is just a dream, don't wake me."
Dora couldn’t help the emotions that had washed over her in the moments between holding Teddy and hearing Remus quietly say his name. She peered down at the infant in her arms and then looked up, turning her head enough to look over at her husband. “It’s not a dream, love,” she replied softly before leaning forward to nuzzle her nose to his cheek sweetly. “Though I can hardly believe it myself.” Cooing quietly, Teddy smiled around the tip of her finger as Remus’ hand cupped his head and her eyes felt damp with fresh tears. It truly did feel like a dream that they were a whole family again. Her eyes fell back on the infant and she bounced him gently in her arm. “C’mon, little one, are you hungry?” she asked, turning toward her husband again.
“Do y’think Sirius still has any things from when the twins were newborns around here? We… weren’t exactly prepared for this, eh?” All they had were a crib and what Teddy arrived in and that was only going to get them so far.
"I'm sure he's got enough to get us through until the shops are open.” He leaned his chin lightly on Dora's shoulder as he looked down at Teddy. "We'll have to go get some things later though."
Remus didn't want to leave, for fear all of this would be gone when he walked back in the room. But Teddy began to fuss. "You might be onto something with the hungry," he said, amused and awed. Remus pressed a soft kiss to Dora's shoulder. "I'll go see what I can find."
He headed down into the kitchen, poked through some cupboards to find a canister of formula. He read the instructions, three times, and then set about finding the rest of the things needed to make up a bottle, checking at least ten times that the temperature felt alright.
Remus made his way back to their room, bottle in hand. "I think I got it sorted alright."
They certainly would have to get some things later. Nothing quite like having to stock up on things for a baby at the absolute last minute, eh?
Dora gave Remus a gentle smile at the kiss to her shoulder before she turned to sit on the bed, settling in on the mattress with Teddy still cradled gently in her arms. She shifted, tucking both of her legs under her criss-cross style and sat there just admiring the small boy. He was a little fussy, but mostly curious about everything, though it wasn’t as if much had changed at all in his world.
When her husband returned, she looked up with a bit of relief and reached for the bottle. “Thank you, lovey,” she said quietly before carefully allowing Teddy to latch onto it. “I can’t believe he’s here. And he’s still as perfect as ever.”
Remus settled onto the bed beside her, the leg closest to her slipping under her crossed ones. He slipped an arm around her waist and leaned his head on her shoulder. Remus' gaze settled on Teddy, as though looking away even for a moment would break the spell. It felt poignant somehow that Teddy had arrived now, in the middle of the night. Some quiet hour between sleeping and awake. A moment just for the three of them.
"Somehow perfect doesn't seem to cover it," he said.
"I love you, both of you," he started as he turned his gaze to his wife. "So much, Dora." He leaned in, pressed a soft kiss to her lips. "I'm so glad we have this chance again."