AUTHOR'S NOTE: In all caps because you may actually want to read this even though it's sort of long. But if not, then that's cool too.

Well, here it is. My second major multi-chaptered fic. This has been a challenge to write for two main reasons. The first is that it contains a bit of a mystery plot, which is something I've never attempted to write before. The second is that this is the only one of my fics that directly contradicts the timeline established in my first multi-chaptered fic, Firsts and Lasts. In this story, we will encounter a Ron and Hermione who are a bit more impulsive than they were in FAL - you'll see what I mean by the end of this first chapter. Though this is a bit of a departure from what I've done in the past, I sincerely hope that you all will find at least some enjoyment in it. I have been playing around with this idea for quite some time now - half of the premise for the whole thing actually long predates FAL, believe it or not. The rest of the story developed a little over four months ago, and it has gone through some major revisions since. In the end, this was the result. Thank you for giving it a shot. :)

The title was predominantly inspired by Elvis Presley's "I Can't Help Falling in Love with You." I like this song for Ron/Hermione in this story, and (fun fact) it was my parent's wedding song, which is kind of cool I guess. Also, the title emphasizes the idea of the two of them holding hands and facing the world together, which is an image I like. Yep. (Side note: I had a really tough time picking a title. Seriously. The rejected ones were really bad so hopefully this one is at least passable.)

Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling never intended for this to happen, did she?

When Hermione Granger had woken up that chilly morning in early March, she'd been intending to take a shower, put on her favorite jumper, eat breakfast in the Great Hall, meet Ron in Hogsmeade, and snog him senseless for the rest of the afternoon, before retiring to her room to get a head start on revising for NEWTs. Things began just as she had planned; she took her customary fourteen minute shower, dug out the purple jumper Mrs. Weasley had given her for Christmas, ate a small breakfast with Ginny at the Gryffindor table before they left for Hogsmeade, and promptly jumped into Ron's arms the second she saw him waiting outside of the Three Broomsticks. Hermione had not, however, been intending to invite Ron back to the castle, sneak him past various teachers (including now-Headmistress McGonagall), and have sex with him in a Hogwarts dormitory - the Head Girl's dormitory, at that. And yet, that was exactly what had happened. But even though it hadn't been meticulously planned, Hermione reasoned as she adjusted the duvet around the lower half of their otherwise naked selves, there were certainly worse ways to lose their virginities.

She supposed the change of events wasn't completely unexpected. It was true that neither of them had really known what they were doing, of course, but this sort of thing had been a long time coming. In fact, Hermione suspected it would have happened much earlier if they'd ever really had the chance. Well, really, they weren't supposed to have had a chance today, but somewhere along the line one of them had decided to make a chance, and things had progressed from there. It scared Hermione, sometimes, how willing she was to break and bend the rules where Ron was concerned.

It hadn't been romantic in the traditional sense, perhaps, but Hermione didn't really mind. She had been taking the contraceptive potion for months anyway as a precaution, and she'd read up a bit on the subject - until she'd started to feel a little embarrassed for her choice of reading material, that is. So, even though she hadn't had a particular plan in place, Hermione had felt prepared enough to simply let things happen as they may.

It had been a little awkward, yes. They hadn't got nearly this far with each other before, or with anyone for that matter, and the fact that their prior knowledge came only from hearsay of other people's experiences had made for a bit of a steep learning curve. But they'd begun to get the hang of it quickly, for even Ron was a fast learner when he wanted to be, and the things that had happened before - the foreplay, Hermione supposed it was called - had been very nice indeed, even if the sex itself had been a bit uncomfortable for her at first. It was alright, though, because the way Ron looked at her and touched her and said her name made her feel more beautiful, more loved, than she ever had in her life.

So now, as she lay on her back, one of Ron's strong arms draped across her bare stomach as he lay next to her on his front, his face buried somewhere in her bushier-than-normal hair as he rested his head near her shoulder, Hermione didn't care one bit that the day had deviated from her original plan, because this had happened, and this was amazing.

They'd been lying there for several minutes now in a comfortable silence, each trying to catch their breath and get some sort of reasonable grasp on their mental faculties. This was exceptionally difficult for Hermione due to the feel of Ron's fingertips tracing gently along her side. She felt almost as though she were in a dream; even the unquestionable reality of everything around her caused her to feel disoriented. So, when Ron shifted and she turned to face him, she was only able to respond to his gravelly "hey" with a simple, breathless "hi."

They stared at each other for a moment. Hermione would have laughed at the slightly boyish and certainly adorable look of awe that was on his face if she weren't sure she was wearing almost precisely the same expression.

"That was-" she began breathlessly, but found herself unable to come up with a sufficient adjective.

"Yeah," Ron nodded in understanding, a satisfied smile spreading across his face. "I love you," he added quickly, as though the need to remind her was so great he may combust if he didn't comply.

"I love you, too," she agreed quietly, moving one of her hands to lightly brush the arm still wrapped around her stomach.

Ron simply grinned at her for a moment, before his face fell a bit and he blurted: "I'm sorry you didn't-"

"I did though," Hermione cut him off almost immediately. "Before," she added, the smile across her face growing as she remembered the circumstances that had brought that particular feeling about.

"But not during," Ron remarked knowingly.

"No, not during," Hermione confirmed. "But I didn't expect to during - not the first time, anyway."

"So there'll be a second time, then?" Ron asked casually, waggling his eyebrows around in a ridiculous fashion.

"Of course there will, you dolt," Hermione laughed, poking him in the side. "I'm afraid this isn't going to be a one-night stand."

"I should hope not," Ron said seriously. "I don't think I could be without you after that."

Hermione gasped in mock indignation. "Just after that, then?"

Ron rolled his eyes and smirked. "Especially after that. Better?"

"Marginally," Hermione allowed, leaning over to brush his lips softly with her own. When she pulled back, the slightly dazed look in his eyes had grown even more pronounced, and she couldn't help but giggle a bit. The sex was something that would get better with time, but this, this was already perfect - this intimacy, this easy familiarity; everything was simply-

"Will you marry me?"

Hermione froze. Only her eyes were moving, widening comically as she tried to determine whether or not the words she'd just heard had come from Ron or from her imagination. Some part of her suggested that it may have been the former, as illogical as that was, because he was looking at her expectantly, his expression a mix of hope, vulnerability, wonder, love..but her brain had temporarily shut down; she had no idea what to say, or do, no idea of anything at all. When she could only muster a whimper in response, Ron continued hurriedly.

"Look, I know it sounds a bit mad, but Hermione, think about it. There's nobody else, you know? I'm only ever going to want you, and I reckon you feel the same way."

"You're just saying that," Hermione accused, because that explanation was far easier than daring to believe that he knew exactly what the words meant. "Because we've just had - it's just the moment, it's fine, you're just caught up-"

"No, that's not it," Ron insisted, shifting and propping himself up on his elbow. Hermione was instantly struck by the confidence he exuded, which was remarkable because Ron had never been particularly self-assured unless he knew precisely what he was doing. His voice grew more excited as he continued to speak: "I mean - this isn't spur of the moment. Well, yeah it is, I guess, but it's really not when you think about it. Remember last summer? I stand by everything I said that night, you know. I fucking love you, more than anything, and I want to be with you 'til I'm a hundred years old and senile, and then for awhile after that, too."

Hermione nodded, because she did remember. It had been one of the best nights of her life. She and Ron, after a couple months' worth of holding hands, stealing kisses, and determinedly avoiding any difficult conversations, had stayed up all night talking under the stars at the Burrow. They'd finally been completely open with each other - about the war, her parents, his family, Hogwarts, how helpless they felt trying to adjust to all that had happened. They'd even revisited their younger years, all the good times and the bad times, and the misunderstandings most of all.

Finally, they'd talked about the future. Though it had all been labeled as hypothetical, they both knew on some level that it wasn't, not really. That night, they had declared once and for all that they wanted to be together - not as some sort of fling, and not as some sort of quasi-relationship, but really, properly together, for the long haul. They had their entire lives ahead of them now, and they wanted to share the years they'd earned with each other, because there'd never really been anybody else. So they'd made a plan, as Hermione was wont to do. Ron would train to become an Auror, and Hermione would finish her education. Afterward, they'd settle into their jobs, find a flat - and maybe, someday...

But they'd left it at that, because then, they'd each said three little words that had changed everything, and Ron had leaned in and kissed her in a way that was nothing like the stolen kisses they'd been sharing for the past few weeks. It was the sort of kiss that took everything each of them had to offer and gave it to the other person tenfold. Neither of them could have held any doubts after that, but the promise of their long-term future had remained unspoken. So yes, Hermione remembered that night very well, and she knew exactly why his words weren't coming entirely out of the blue.

"I meant it, too. But we're only nineteen," Hermione protested as her mind returned to the present, and her focus shifted entirely to the gorgeous man - truly the love of her life, she knew - lying next to her, naked in more ways than one, with a hopeful expression on his face.

"So?" Ron insisted. "Think about it, love. We've still got some of that reward money Harry shoved off on us, so it's not like we couldn't afford a small ceremony, which I'm assuming is what we'd want anyway. I'm almost done with training, and you're going to get some amazing position at the ministry. We were talking about getting a flat together anyway. Not a lot would change other than making it official, you know? I mean, it would, but in a good way. And yeah, it's not like either of us is ready for kids yet, obviously, but getting married…I dunno, it just…it seems right."

Ron paused for a moment, but Hermione remained silent for a moment. When at last she regained her ability to speak, she stammered: "Well yes, I always thought someday-"

"Ah, screw someday," Ron dismissed. "Look, we could dawdle for ages, waiting for the right time to do it, or we could just do it now. It all comes out the same, and we both know that's how it's going to turn out anyway. So why wait?"

A thousand reasons why they should wait a proper amount of time flew through Hermione's head, but she couldn't bring herself to vocalize any of them, because none of them seemed remotely good enough. When she was silent for another moment, Ron continued:

"I can still ask you properly, too. There's a ring, in a shop in Diagon Alley; I don't have to pay rent to live at Grimmauld, so I've been saving up for it for awhile now. It's not like it's huge or anything, but I think you'd like it. I'll go get it for you as soon as I leave here, if that's what you want. Hell, I'll even do the kneeling thing, I just - I want to marry you, Hermione, and I want everything that entails," Ron's eyes shone as he spoke. Hermione could very nearly feel the nervous excitement in his tone - though, on second thought, that excitement may have been her own as well.

"I want to marry you, too," she answered automatically. She could hardly believe what she was hearing, but even more so, she could hardly believe that it made perfect sense. Every ounce of logic told her that she shouldn't get married just yet, that she should wait another few years. But the look of honesty in Ron's eyes and the warm feeling that was quickly spreading through her insides told her something entirely different, and she was quickly finding this to be one of those rare occasions in which logic would not winning out.

"But?" Ron prompted knowingly, his face falling a little. Hermione could see the confidence that had radiated from him earlier dropping a bit the longer she took to give an outright answer, so she spoke quickly.

"But nothing," she said firmly, not wanting to let a shred of doubt cross his mind. "It's just a bit scary, isn't it?" she asked tentatively, hoping that he knew she didn't mean marrying him was scary, but rather, the idea of properly growing up and marrying anyone at all.

"Of course it is," Ron answered automatically, quelling her anxieties. "But it's right, don't you think?"

Hermione paused for a moment to think about it, though her brain was still only capable of working at about half its usual speed. She was completely in love with Ron, she knew that, and she knew without a doubt that she wanted to be with him for the rest of her life. It was one of those things that she'd never really questioned. The first time she'd kissed him, she'd known.

Really, the only thing that had stopped her from saying yes the instant the question had come out of his mouth, other than complete shock, was the fact that they had not yet been together a full year. And they were young, almost too young to really know. But then, she thought, the events of the past few years had forced them to grow up, to identify what truly mattered. She knew they were both far more mature than their ages would have them seem.

And besides, hadn't she always known, on some level? Hadn't they said that there hadn't ever been anyone else, and that there never could be? They'd had a few fights, sure, but they'd always come through them stronger than before, because the truth of the matter was that they needed each other in some strange way they both understood perfectly, though neither of them could quite explain it in words.

Furthermore, their arguments had been few and far between since they'd got together; they were now able to handle rows with an integrity they'd lacked in their younger years. They understood now that their relationship was more important than any of their often ridiculous quarrels, and that communication could save them a lot of heartache. As a result, they could no longer stand to give one another the silent treatment for longer than about an hour.

It wasn't as though they didn't know each other well enough, either; in fact, there was no one else that knew her better than Ron did, and there was no one else that ever could. Hermione didn't normally like revealing everything about herself, but it was different with Ron. He'd seen her at both her high points and her low points, and she had done the same for him. They'd been there for each other in ways that no one else could, especially in the year after the war. Ron was her best friend, and of course she was going to marry him someday. It was one of those things that went without saying, like how she and Ron would always have Harry's back, or how the Weasleys would always love their children. He was Ron, and she was Hermione, and there was really no other way it could go. That begged the question: what was the point in waiting? In that moment, Hermione made a decision: she simply couldn't see one.

"Ask me again," she whispered to a now very nervous-looking Ron, bringing one of her hands to rest on the arm that was still tracing patterns on the side of her stomach, and the other to tangle in his hair. A slow grin spread across his face as he realized what she was requesting.

"Hermione Jean Granger," Ron said very seriously, leaning down to hover over her so that his face was mere inches from hers."Will you please marry me?"

"Yes," she breathed, and in an instant his lips were on hers, and she could feel him smiling into their kiss. Soon, they were both laughing through happy tears, and though their lips broke apart, they clung to each other as though they couldn't possibly be close enough.

"We're mental, aren't we?" Ron wondered aloud as they lay there, tangled together in what Hermione could only describe as a fit of happiness.

"Completely," she agreed. "But weren't we always?"

"Yeah. Always will be, too," Ron said emphatically before he once again covered her mouth with his, and this time, they most certainly did not stop.

Three weeks later, when Hermione stepped off the Hogwarts Express in King's Cross for Easter break, she was greeted promptly by Ron, who, as promised, fell immediately to one knee and presented her with a simple diamond ring. Doing her best to ignore Harry's look of shock, Mrs. Weasley's joyful tears, George's wolf-whistle, and Ginny's triumphant holler, Hermione accepted it, and was pleased to find that the modest but beautiful ring fit perfectly on the third finger of her left hand.

They were able to kiss for only a moment before they were surrounded by Weasleys, but neither of them particularly minded. This part was all for show, anyway (though neither of them had to fake their smiles). It made for a lovely "public" story, and they were able to keep the true circumstances of their engagement to themselves. And at any rate, regardless of when, where, or how it had happened, they were getting married, and the feeling that went along with it made them feel as though they were on top of the world.

A/N: So, now we see why they are a bit different than I've written them before. In the FAL universe, they tended to be very calculated when taking new steps in their relationship. This story begs the question: what would have happened if they had decided to simply go for it?

I sort of want to emphasize now that this story is less about drama between Ron and Hermione than it is about Ron/Hermione dealing with outside forces. Now, they aren't going to have a perfect relationship - no one does - but there isn't going to be a blowout fight or anything. Like I said, there's a bit of a mystery plot in the background that we will begin to see unfolding in the next chapter…which should make an appearance in less than a week's time. My hope is to update once every five or six days so that I'll have this completed around the time the school year is starting up again. Thank you for reading :)