Friends and Brothers AU

[morgynleri]

Title: Guardian's Worries
Word Count: 426

Companion story to: Watching Your Back and Protecting the Innocent
Next story: Those Left Behind

Part of the Friends and Brothers AU.

Sirius stared up at the ceiling above his bed, listening to the quiet sounds of the safehouse at night. Lily would scold him in the morning for not taking the sleeping potion she'd left on the nightstand, but he didn't want to fall asleep yet. That, and he didn't want to find himself waking up to a wand at his throat.

Or not waking up at all.

He shivered, squeezing his eyes shut a moment, only to snap them open again in an effort to banish the images that danced behind his closed lids.

James, so quiet and still, and as cold as the stone slab beneath him. Too prisine for the last time Sirius had seen him, as Aurors arrived to drive the Death Eaters away. Sprawled limply at the edge of the road, his head tilted at an unnatural angle...

Choking, Sirius turned away, bile rising to burn at the back of his throat. He could see Regulus, pale as the white marble of the tomb, staring at the body.

"Reg..." He grabbed his brother's shoulder, forcing him to turn, to walk away, the younger boy half-supporting him as they stumbled out of the mausoleum. Sirius barely made it to the shelter of the tree at the center of the graveyard before he fell to his knees, his stomach heaving even though there was nothing to bring up.

"Sirius." Regulus's hand felt too warm on his shoulder, and Sirius shivered. "Sirius, why didn't you tell me before? Why didn't you tell me when I asked at Hogwarts?"

"I... I couldn't, Reg. I'm sorry. I just... I can still see their bodies, Reg. James... Merlin, Reg, no one should have to see that in the back of their thoughts all the time, and I didn't want to... you're still my little brother, Reg." He looked up at the grey eyes that were so like his own. "It's my job to protect you."

"Who's going to protect you, Sirius?" Regulus looked worried, and a little lost. "How can you protect me if you're dead?"

"I don't know. Fuck, Reg, I don't know."

He still didn't know. He did his best to look out for his brother, and Lily, and the others who relied on them, but some days he wasn't sure how he managed to keep going on. And the longer the war dragged on, the more he felt himself slipping away, the more he worried that this next trip, this next mission, would be his last.

And then who would be around to protect them?

Comments

[ladybeth.livejournal.com]

Very good scene, I think:) Although I'm confused as to wither that is a dream or a actual event and James is really dead.

[morgynleri]

Sirius' memory is after the memory of Regulus' we see in "Watching Your Back", and yes, James is dead. So is Remus, to be honest, much as I am fond of the werewolf. It just... seemed right for the universe.

But the confusion is just fine... I might clear things up a bit when I get Lily to sit down and write a story for me.

[ladybeth.livejournal.com]

Ah, ok. Now it makes sense. Although does that mean that Harry won't make an appearance in this 'verse?

[morgynleri]

*nods* 'Fraid so. No James, no Harry. Not sure if any of the terrible triumvirate has a significant other at the moment. They're so wrapped up in their work, and each other...

[ladybeth.livejournal.com]

I can imagine given the circumstances.

My SG-1 satuarated brain decided to bring up Quantim mirrors and alternate universes colinding...It tends to come up with wacky crossovers.

[morgynleri]

*blinks* Oooo. Brain hurts. Please, don't need to have any more plot bunnies show up... though now I have a concept brewing of a crossover involving Lily, Carter, O'Neill, Sirius, and some fucking weird shite....

You're evil.

[ladybeth.livejournal.com]

I blame the lack of caffine. For the first time in awhile I haven't had any soda for atleast 24 hours so I'm lacking the caffine.

ooo...*smakes self* Will not go there. I will leave it alone *repeats*

You should see the stuff I'm digging up from the great beyond that was my past LJ entries There was one where Hermione was the daughter of Helen and Blaise Zabini was the Trojan slave her uncle brought back from the war for her as a gift.

[morgynleri]

*smirks* Your fault that bunny exists... and I'll bloody write it, thank you. *snuggles the plot bunny* I'm actually thinking I'm getting rather fond of it, for all its shiney newness.

Hermione/Blaise... mmm. Other than the ancient Greek setting, the concept of Hermione with Blaise as her slave sounds very neat. Not something I'd write, but sounds interesting.

[ladybeth.livejournal.com]

I will definately read it.

Well, apparently its not something I'd write either because nothing came out of it. It was right after Troy came out, summer of '04. *shrugs*

I'm gathering all the plot bunnies and posting them together and striking them out as I get to them because at this point there is a long line.

[morgynleri]

I gave up even trying to list the plot bunnies... they come and go as freely as my muses, and so long as some are around so I can write, I'm happy.

I've now got the beginnings of a story in this AU for Lily, and I think I'll let the new plot bunny brew overnight, and see what I can start in on when I wake up... it being twenty after 2a here, and me on only five hours of sleep. I need to go crash out.

[ladybeth.livejournal.com]

Same time here:) I probably should be sleeping too, but I feel like I need to finish a year of tagging first so *shrugs*