A/N: This is the last chapter.
"Hermione… Hermione, wake up," Harry whispered, shaking her.
Hermione mumbled something then finally opened her eyes, looking up at Harry.
"What is it?" she asked groggily.
Harry smiled.
"It's Ron… He woke up."
The entire waiting room was bursting with excitement as they all waited for the healer to come out. Hermione was clinging tightly to Harry, biting her lip as they both prayed for the healer's quick arrival.
"There she is," Mrs. Weasley whispered, standing up with Arthur.
The woman came over to them with a smile on her face. "Hello. I'm guessing you're all awaiting the news. Ron is fine. Miraculously, he woke up this morning without a scratch on him. We've been doing some testing and haven't found a trace of what ever affected him left. We're going to hold him here for another day though, just for precautions but he should be ready to go tomorrow. He's up actually and is requesting, Hermione?" She looked up. "Hermione Weasley," she said.
Hermione pushed past Harry. "I'm here," she said. "I want to see my husband," she whispered.
"So do we!"
They all turned to see Lorel, Aphrodite, Artemis and Athena running over to their mother. They all surrounded Hermione, clinging to her. The Healer's eyes were wide but she nodded. She looked up to the others.
"I'll come back to get you shortly," she told them before leading Hermione and the girls down the hall and into one of the rooms.
"DAD!" Lorel screamed, running away from the others. The three other girls followed, crowding around the bed.
Hermione slacked behind, taking her time. Just a few days ago she had seen this man fall, cold. Just a few days ago, she had left this man, knowing exactly who he was and why she remembered. Now she was here… free…
He was smiling, holding two of the girls while the others were sitting on his bed, all speaking at once. He had changed. His eyes, though looking completely happy at the moment, were filled with past pain as well. A pain she had caused the day she had disappeared. His bright red hair was hanging in front of his beautiful blue eyes.
At that moment she had the incredible need to be alone with him. To remember what she had lost…
"Girls… Why don't you leave dad and I alone for a while," she whispered.
Ron looked up and instantly his heart constricted painfully in his chest. Never had he seen anything so beautiful until that moment. Her watery, red, puffy eyes. Her messy hair. Her pale face. Everything was so incredibly pathetic yet so sexy, it hurt.
The girls glanced over at their mother, said goodbye to dad and left the room. At first, Hermione started over to Ron quickly, but then she stopped, biting her lip. Her hands went up to her hair. If the situation had been different, Ron would have laughed, but now… he just watched her every movement, taking in the little lines on her face that hadn't been there before. He took in the pain she had gone through. Ron got out of the bed and walked over to her, standing right in front of her. Hermione looked up at him, her eyes glancing down to his lips. She reached up and touched them gently, gasping.
"Ron."
He leaned in and captured her lips with his. Instantly, she opened her mouth to him, letting him explore where he hadn't been for seven years. That's when she started crying silently. It had been seven years and the passion hadn't died. The excitement she got when kissing him was still there and she wanted more. She wanted to feel more. Ron's arms wrapped around her, crushing her body to his as their mouths moved against each other, aggressive and fiery. Hermione ran her hands up and down his arms, missing the feel of them in her grip, ending up in his red hair, pulling his lips closer to hers. It had been seven years since she had last felt his hair between her fingers.
Hermione pulled away for a moment, taking much needed breath. Ron looked on, slightly worried.
"If we're moving to fast…"
Hermione placed a finger on his lips, her eyes looking into his, burning with a blaze he hadn't seen in a long time. "Shut up," she growled, pulling his head back to hers, their lips moving at a much faster speed, desperate to regain lost time. His lips left hers, moving down her jaw and down her neck, his teeth grazing her burning skin as it went, longing for the taste of her. He needed to forget the hurt right now. He needed to forget the memories. All he wanted to do was get lost in her. Get lost and never return.
As he kissed her neck, his hands dove under her shirt, caressing her smooth skin. Hermione held him close, gasping as his hands ran over her body.
"Ron… please," she begged. Their lips met again in a heated battle, both desperate to remember. Plunging his tongue into her mouth, he grinned as she moaned, grinding her hips against his. He began to unbutton her shirt, kissing her gently over her face as she continued to struggle for breath.
Shoving the shirt off her shoulders, he picked her up, their lips never loosing contact. As he carried her to the bed, she pressed herself closer to him, cradling his face in her hands as their tongues danced. Before they made it to the bed, Ron set her down. Their kisses became more intense and finally Hermione broke away, leaving them both panting. They both stood there for a moment, eyes closed, clinging to each other. Hermione finally looked up, her eyes searching his face. Her heart swelled and the fire burned brighter. She put her hands on his chest and began to push him back until he fell back on the small bed. Getting up so that she straddled him, she pulled the band out of her hair, letting it fall to her shoulders. They watched each other for a moment, taking it all in then Ron leaned up and met her lips half way. Hermione's hands traveled down over his shirt to his pants where they stopped, trembling. Ron sensed the hesitation from her and pulled away, looking into her dark eyes. Ron kissed her reassuringly before pulling her closer.
Hermione could feel herself slowly letting go again and she wanted to let go. But then something struck her. Pulling away, she sat up, looking around.
"Not here," she whispered. She looked down at him. "Not here," she repeated.
Instantly Ron understood what she meant and looked around then spotted what he needed. Grabbing his wand, he pulled her to him and they disapparated.
Appearing in the living room, Hermione looked around. It had been so long…
Ron, however, wasn't interested in what was around them, his lips glued to her neck. Hermione closed her eyes, taking a deep breath before pulling away. She watched him groan at the loss, his need for her growing stronger with every waking moment. She took his hand and began to lead him to the staircase and up to their room. They had just made it past the door when she stopped and turned to him. Turning to him, she looked up into his eyes. Neither of them moved. Neither said a word. They just gazed into each others eyes, comforted by this one moment of inaction and silence. It said everything words couldn't. That even through all the pain and all the suffering, this… this love… would always stay the same…
Hermione reached up and touched his face, pulling his lips to hers. This time they took their time. Relishing every caress and missing every moment. Hermione then pulled away again and reached down, pulling at the hem of his shirt. She pulled it up and over his head, tossing it to the side and taking in his chest. Her head tilted to the side and a small smile appeared on her face as she reached out and touched his abdomen. He just watched her, amazed at how beautiful she looked. How beautiful she always looked. She looked up at him and her smile grew brighter. She leaned in and kissed his chest. She then laid her head on his chest, shivering as he wrapped his arms around her.
Pulling away slightly, Hermione looked up at him, her eyes clouded. "Make love to me," she whispered. Ron smiled and she brought his head down to hers again and they kissed fervently. Ron ran his hands through her hair and down her back again, landing gingerly on her backside. They made their way to the bed and Ron laid her down, their lips still moving together. Finally Ron pulled away, looking down at her. He took in her disheveled hair and full pink lips. The way her body looked in the pale moonlight. She watched his eyes rove over her and smiled wickedly, pulling him back to her. She dipped her head down and kissed his collarbone, causing Ron to moan. Soon the only clothing that remained was a necklace and a wrist watch. Their bodies fusing, burning, as they explored each other; it was not new and yet it was like discovering something original. Something fresh. Something amazing. As their feelings gave way to mounting passion, they melded; male and female fitting perfectly together. It was like coming home; their bodies moving urgently until they came as one, their muffled cries heard only by the birds in the trees.
This is what they both wanted. What they both needed… to feel complete…
Harry, Ginny, Alicia and George entered the room only to find no one there.
Ginny frowned.
"Where are they?"
Alicia pointed to some stuff that had been knocked down. "What were they doing?" she asked.
George grinned, pointing to the shirt on the ground. "Judging by Hermione's discarded clothing, it doesn't take much to guess who they're doing," he quipped.
Alicia rolled her eyes. "Don't you ever think of anything else?" she muttered, picking up the shirt and walking out of the room.
George followed her out. Harry glanced over at Ginny who was trying not to smile. They exited the room to find George and Fred laughing while Mrs. Weasley looked slightly indignant.
"Well, I hope they didn't go to the Burrow," she said.
Ginny laughed, taking Harry's hand in hers. "Believe me, mum. I highly doubt they'd go to the Burrow… especially with all the catching up their doing," she added.
"Ginerva Molly Weasley!"
Ginny shrugged. "It's true," she mumbled.
While everyone began to disperse, Harry leaned into Ginny's ear. "Speaking of catching up, we haven't had much time to ourselves since Hermione arrived."
Ginny smiled and looked into his beautiful green eyes. "What's your point, Mr. Potter?"
"My point, Mrs. Potter, is that I miss you and I would like to have the chance to show you just how much I miss you," he whispered into her ear, causing her to shudder with excitement.
Ginny took his hand and led him back into Ron's hospital room.
"Gin, where are we going?" Harry asked.
Ginny pulled him into the room and locked the door. "We're going to finish what Ron and Hermione started here," she whispered before pulling him to her.
In the early morning, sunrays danced over the room. A room it had seen empty for so long but now gave way to something beautiful again. Something remembered. A beauty that had not been seen for over seven years.
They were both awake now, gazing into each others eyes silently as the day began. Hermione lay on top of Ron, resting her head on his chest, needing to hear him breathe. Her fingertips trailed up and down his arm as he watched her. He wanted to ask her so many questions yet he found himself speechless under the intensity of her gaze. Her beauty.
Hermione reached up to touch his cheek and bit her lip.
"I'm sorry…"
"For what?" he asked, trailing soft circles over her back.
"For leaving… for doing what I did…"
Ron shook his head. "You were trying to protect the girls," he whispered.
"You could have died…"
"But I didn't."
"Ron-"
Ron leaned in and kissed her, taking his time to enjoy the softness of her lips. "It's not your fault so I don't want to hear any more of it," he growled into her ear. When she looked away, he took her face in his hands. "Hey… we're alive aren't we?"
Hermione sighed. "Not all of us," she replied.
A deathly silence fell over them and Hermione sat up, straddling him and looking away. Ron couldn't help but take in her body before sitting up himself.
"What happened to Triniti is Malfoy's fault, not ours…"
Tears started to roll down her cheeks as her mind went back to that night. Ron wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to him, holding her tight as she buried her face in the crook of his neck.
"I'm so sorry," she sobbed.
Ron stroked her hair as she continued to cry, in his heart knowing that things would get better now that they were a family again. Hermione pulled away slightly, holding his face in her hands.
"I want to see her… I want to see my daughter…" she whispered.
Ron nodded and kissed her gently before pulling her back to him where she cried.
Things were quiet as they walked past the carved stones. They held hands as they made their way to her grave. Hermione noticed a couple over to the side, holding each other as they stared painfully at a grave. Hermione bit her lip and closed her eyes. Ron noticed and pulled her closer, leading her to their daughter's resting place.
"There she is," he whispered, motioning to the small carved grave stone.
Hermione stared for the longest time, reading the words.
"Here lies Triniti Elaine Weasley. Loved daughter," Ron whispered.
Hermione kneeled down in front of the grave, tears streaming down her face.
"I'm so sorry..."
"Mommy."
Ron and Hermione turned to see Harry and Ginny standing there with their daughters. Hermione let out a small sob and opened her arms where they all ran to her, holding her. Ron stared at them for a moment then turned to Harry and Ginny.
"Thank you," he whispered.
Ginny smiled and hugged him. "Now you can start over," she whispered.
Hermione looked up from the girls and offered a small smile. "We can, can't we…"
Harry nodded and took Athena by the hand. Ginny took Lorel's hand and they started for the exit. Hermione turned to Ron and walked to him. They stared at each other for a moment then she smiled and took Aphrodite and Artemis and left. Ron turned to Triniti's grave.
"I love you," he whispered. He then looked up at the sky and smiled. "Thank you…"
With that, he turned and followed after the others, feeling as if a heavy load had been lifted off of him. They had finally arrived back home…
A/N: Yes, my friends. It's over. But it has been a beautiful journey with all of you. But don't think of it as the end but as the beginning of something much better. Just think. In another week or so, I'll be coming out with a new story to tell. Though I doubt it will be anything like this. I must admit. This is probably my favorite story which is probably why I took so long with it. I love this story. Most likely because it has a deeper meaning for me...
Courtneyyyy: I'm glad you liked it. This was a very difficult story to write.
Mandy: Don't worry. I find myself getting impatient sometimes when I can't think of what to write. Then I start mumbling to myself and tell myself to get a grip then I come up with stuff like this. :-)
cellogirl: I'm happy you enjoyed it so much. Don't stay away too long. I'll have a new story out in no time!
RHrWilLizKataangPrincess2010: I don't think you have to feel sorry for Hermione anymore! ;-) I CAN'T WAIT FOR POTC!!!!
"There's not been a gatherin' like this in our lifetime." Barbosa.
"And I owe them all money." Jack.
LOVE IT!!!
LitaFanForLife: Don't worry!
sballLuvr5: I did this just for you!
ronandmion4ever: Yeah, I remember that quote. They're trying to get to the back of the ship and this guy's taking forever. Anyway, you never know, it could be an old Hermione later on, but that's a totally different story.
charma10: Since when am I not that obvious? I think in several other stories that I've been painfully obvious with my intention... but hey! You were right. I'm not always that obvious:-)
Wesker888: Well, I wanted to put something inspirational on there. They were going through a really hard time. I remember that verse when I'm going through a hard time.
See you all next time!
And as most of the times, I'll give you a quick preview of my next story, Numb. Please look out for it in the next week or so. And now, a preview of Numb!
Hermione bit her lip to keep herself from crying. "Ron… Ron, I… I can't," she whispered. Ron took her face in his hands.
"Hermione, please… I don't want to lose you again," he murmured. He leaned in and kissed her all over her face, but she wouldn't let him kiss her lips. Her eyes closed for a moment before she pushed his hands away.
"Ron, please! I… you promised me you wouldn't do this…"