A/N: This story is based on a scenario in Aspen's fic 'Heaven's on Fire' (found at http://aya.aogiri.net/aspen.htm), except with an R/H pairing. Hope you like it. :)

~*~

Jam and Bread

"I don't think we'll ever get this done," said Hermione, blowing a bit of dust off her sleeve. She stood up, stepped gingerly over the various cardboard boxes crowding the kitchen, and looked into the living room, where dozens of similar boxes were still lying around stacked on top of each other.

Ron peered over her shoulder. "I don't even think the house is big enough to store all this junk." He went back to his corner of the kitchen, bent down, and heaved a large box labelled 'Appliances' onto the table.

"It's not junk, Ron," Hermione protested. "Some of these things are really nice." She picked up a large, potted plant which had leaves in flashing neon colours and wondered what would be the best spot to hide it in. "People just go a little overboard when it comes to wedding presents."

Ron nodded at the plant and snickered. "Who went blind and gave us that?"

Hermione couldn't hide a smile. "Mundungus. But luckily he doesn't come over much so this is yet another one for the closet."

Ron dug through the box on the counter while Hermione carefully arranged the china dishes in the cabinet. "This lot is even stranger than Fred's flaming bedsheets," he concluded.

Hermione looked over her shoulder and laughed. "Those are just all the kitchen appliances my aunt gave me. She was horrified when I told her that I could do without them."

Ron cautiously set out three of the objects on the counter. "Weird," he said, shaking his head.

Hermione came over to where he was standing and grinned. "That's just a blender, a coffee-maker and a toaster.  Nothing to be afraid of."

"A toaster?" Ron queried.

"Yes, to make toast," she clarified, looking through the various cartons on the kitchen table.

"Muggles need this to make toast?" Ron wondered, picking up the shiny silver appliance and looking at it from all angles.

"How did you think they make it?"

"I never really did," said Ron, eyeing his reflection off the stainless steel. "Show me how it works."

"Ron," Hermione groaned. "We're only half-way done with the unpacking."

"We could use a break! Come on, I want to play with this," he wheedled.

Hermione shrugged, giving in, and pushed aside some thermocol to reveal an outlet in the wall. "You plug it in like so," she demonstrated, "and then you take two slices of bread, which we don't have right now, by the way-"

"I'll Apparate out and get some!" Ron interrupted eagerly.

Hermione frowned, but he persisted. "Please? I'm hungry."

Hermione couldn't help but laugh at the look on his face. "All right, fine. So—you take two slices of bread, insert them in these slots here, turn the knob like this, and wait until the timer goes off and the bread pops up."

"We have to wait?" Ron pulled a face.

"Well, yes, of course. It is a Muggle invention, after all. But if you're really hungry, I do have some leftovers from last night-"

"No, I want toast," Ron said quickly.

Hermione shrugged again and started arranging the cutlery in the drawers. "Fine, if you'll buy the bread. But I don't see why you want to use the toaster, you can get perfectly good toast with just a wave of your wand."

"It's the novelty of it all," said Ron.

Hermione looked back at her husband and smiled. Just then, a voice suddenly called her name from the living room, and she jumped. "Is that Mabel?" Hermione wondered out loud, referring to her colleague. "Sounds like she's in the fire…"

Ron stuck his finger into one of the slots of the toaster, fascinated, as Hermione went into the living room. She rushed back into the kitchen a minute later, looking very bothered.

"There's an emergency at work," she said quickly, pulling her hair into a ponytail and reaching for her purse. "Milton's MIA and they have no idea what to do about the Nott situation and Pansy's given the files to that idiot Kent… I won't be back till around eight. Clean up around here for me, will you darling?"

She kissed his cheek and ran out. "Sure," Ron muttered absently, a few minutes after the door slammed.

~*~

Hermione hadn't really expected Ron to finish all the unpacking, but she couldn't help but feel a little irritated when she returned home to find not a single box moved from its position in the living room. "Damn," she sighed, and marched into the kitchen, making sure to take deep breaths along the way.

She found Ron sitting dejectedly at the kitchen counter, staring daggers at the toaster. He had bandages on two of his fingers, and concern quickly replaced Hermione's irritation.

"Oh you poor dear!" she exclaimed, rushing over to him and taking his large hand gently in hers. "What happened?"

"I didn't know whether that thing," he sulked, shooting the toaster yet another betrayed look, "was working or not, so I… tested it. And it burnt my fingers!"

"It wasn't the only thing it burnt," said Hermione, her eyebrows shooting up. She had just noticed about half a dozen plates and bowls on the kitchen table stacked with charred, blackened and scorched pieces of bread.

"Yes, er… it took me a while to get the hang of it," said Ron, his ears turning red. "But look here!" He reached over to the table and put on the counter a large plate containing two perfectly toasted slices of bread, and a bottle of jam.

"For you," he smiled.

Herimione laughed and threw her arms around her husband, almost knocking him off his stool. "Thank you," she said, and kissed him. Before she could pull away, Ron drew her closer and made it clear that he did not intend to let her do so. All coherent thoughts escaped her brain, as his lips left hers and travelled up her cheek, doing something very interesting to her ear.

"I missed you," he whispered in the midst of it all.

"Nnh," managed Hermione, gazing up at the ceiling as Ron kissed her neck. Faint wisps of smoke drifted past her line of vision.

"On… fire…" she managed to gasp, before Ron picked her up and swept her out of the kitchen. A minute later, she clung to him tightly and giggled, when he suddenly jogged back into the kitchen, grabbed the bottle of jam, and carried her into the bedroom.

~*~

Ron raised his head and sniffed. "Hermione, what's that smell?"

"Pardon?"

Ron hurriedly pulled on his robe and grabbed his wand. "I think something's on fire in the kitchen."

Hermione slowly sat up as Ron rushed out of the bedroom. "I did try to tell him," she said.

His wails floated in a minute later. "What the… My toaster!… Oh shit… Damn it damn it damn it…"

"Even so," she yawned and smiled. "He still has the blender." Hermione fluffed the pillows, turned over on her side, and fell asleep.

~*~