I don't own a thing. Please don't sue!
It Can Only Be
Ch. 1 She Follows Her Heart
Hermione surveyed her room, looking at the mess packing up had created. Boxes and crates littered the place, papers strewn about like leaves, and packing peanuts sticking to the sides of her bed. She smiled to herself, knowing that this time tomorrow she'd be on the road to the northern Canadian territory.
A few weeks prior, Hermione came across an ad in the morning newspaper. A man living up in Canada was selling off his 52 acre property for the bargain price of 75 dollars an acre, with a small cabin settled on the property near a creek. The ad advertised clean air, rolling hills, clear blue rivers and streams and a small cozy cabin that "may need some fixing up". Hermione jumped at the chance and purchase the property.
Telling her boyfriend, Ron, was a lot harder than buying the property. Although he and Hermione had been dating for the past year, she never felt as it was a serious relationship. Sex was, to say the least, boring, predictable, and sessions far and few between. He was the pinnacle of everything she wanted and didn't want. While he was smart, good looking, wealthy and caring, he wasn't passionate, daring, adventurous and far too practical to her liking. He begged her to stay for him, declaring his undying love for her, but staying with him would be like a death sentence to her.
The next day she put in a leave of absence at her job. She was paid fairly well, she knew how to save her money, and she had just been promoted. Her coworkers were all very friendly and cordial, and extremely supportive of her decision, all claiming envy as they wish they could drop everything at the drop of a hat and leave. Her boss accepted her leave, assuring her that her position would be there waiting for her when she returned in 7 months.
Lavender was totally ecstatic for her best friend. Lavender, who wasn't dating anyone, worked with Hermione in the same building.
"Who knows, maybe there will be a young handsomely rugged man who saves you from being eaten by a bear," Lavender swooned.
Hermione smiled at her best friend as she folded up a pair of jeans. She had traded in her Eclipse for a dull red Ford Explorer to trek across the rocky terrain and sought out the help of Ron's sister Ginny to look after the apartment and her new kitten, Mackie. She transferred all of her savings and checking to an international bank, and except for finishing up her packing, Hermione was set to go.
Ginny and Lavender came over a few hours later to help Hermione pack up her car. One by one the boxes slowly diminished from the bedroom, and Ginny's belongings began to fill up the apartment. Ginny's cat, Boots slept in its crate, very aware of his new surroundings and feeling extremely vulnerable.
The girls sat on the couch and Lavender opened up a bottle of wine.
"To Hermione's moving out, and to my moving in!" Ginny proclaimed.
"Here here!" Lavender agreed. The girls clinked their glasses together and giggled. The rest of the evening was spent giggling and girl talk, which Hermione was extremely appreciative for.
After Ginny and Lavender left, Hermione picked up the phone and called her father.
"You've packed lots of warm clothing?"
"Yes, Dad."
"And you've got Mace to spray in a bear's face if he comes after you?"
"Yes, Dad."
"And you've got plenty of money just in case?
"Yes, Dad. My tires have been replaced, balanced, aligned and rotated, the oil's been checked and changed, I've had my tune up, I've got insurance on the car, the cabin and the land and plenty of gasoline for the ride. I'm going to be okay."
"You just be careful and you call me as soon as you get there. I'm going to worry about you, Pumpkin."
"I'm 27 years old, Dad. I can take care of myself. I love you." She said her goodbyes to her father and hung up the phone. Immediately after hanging up it rang.
"Hello?"
"Hermione, it's Ron. I'm coming over and we're going to talk your whole moving away thing through." And with that, he hung up. Hermione took a deep breath in and tried to control her anger. Ron had not been very supportive about the entire experience. Another one of his idiosyncrasies that Hermione was beginning to despise about him was his possessiveness.
Mentally, she began to prepare herself for the argument she was to ensue with her boyfriend, if you could even call him that. He would beg her not to leave, to stay for him, and he would promise to work on his issues and he would promise her everything in the world. A chill ran down Hermione's spine as her stomach churned at the unpleasantness of the quarrel.
Exactly 20 minutes after the phone call, Ron showed up at her front door, holding a huge bouquet of cranberry colored lilacs. Hermione gave him a pathetic smile and invited him in.
Ron set the flowers down on the barren table and went straight on his knees, taking Hermione's hands.
"Hermione, please don't leave. I promise you that whatever our problems are we can fix them. You mean the world to me and I'm willing to do anything for you. I love you," he pleaded.
Hermione looked down at Ron and smiled at him sadly. "Ron, if you really do mean that, then you'll let go of my hands, get up off of the floor and stop looking like an idiot. I'm going north whether or not you want me to, and to be quite honest I don't believe it's your decision to be made."
"Is there anything I can do to convince you to stay? To stay and be with me?"
"You need to let me go, and you need to let me do this. I want an adventure, to explore uncharted territory, to breathe in clean air, to wake up and not hear the honking taxis on 7th and Main. This expedition will allow us to really think if this relationship is really what we want," Hermione stood firmly by her statement. Ron slowly got up from his knees and looked at her with a mix of quiet desperation and frustration in his eyes.
"This IS what I want," he whispered and gave her a small kiss on her lips.
Hermione felt nothing from his kiss, other than the softness of his lips. "Please, Ron, I'm going whether or not you want me to stay. Don't make it harder than it needs to be."
Ron blinked back wetness from his eye. "Well..then. is there anything I can do to help you out?"
"I would really just like for you to sit on the couch and hold me," she pleaded.
"Consider it done," and they walked to her sofa and Hermione laid in his arms. Ron had a good physic, strong upper body, lean torso, soft silky hair. Hermione always enjoyed being held by him, despite her mixed feelings for him. He always smelled nice too, a mix between Old Spice and cedar. Hermione knew she would miss him, but deep down in her heart she felt as though she would miss his friendship with her.
It was 2:30 in the morning before Ron announced it was time for him to leave.
" I'll be by in a few hours to stay goodbye. What time do you think you'll head out?" Ron questioned.
"I'm leaving at 7:30, it's going to be a very long road trip."
"I'll be here at 7:00 then to say goodbye. Goodnight Hermione." Ron kissed her forehead and left her apartment. She sighed a deep breath before going into her own bedroom and prepared to go to sleep. It would be a long trip; she predicted it to take her 2 days to get to her destination, maybe 3 depending on how much energy she had to get her there. After slipping on a pair of pajamas and brushing her teeth, Hermione went to bed and immediately fell asleep.
4 hours later the obnoxious noise of the buzzer awaked her from her deep but short slumber. She took a nice, hot shower, changed into her vacationing clothes and made herself some eggs for breakfast. A feeling of excitement and anticipation could barely keep her from sitting down with out moving. She read the morning paper and before she knew it 7:00 had arrived and Ron was rapping at her door.
"Good morning, sweetie," Ron said in false jubilance. He kissed her on her cheek and walked through the threshold. "So what's there to pack?"
"I have 2 boxes in the bedroom that needs to go into the car. Ginny's stuff is on the floor, mine's on top of the dresser." He walked into the bedroom and lifted the two boxes that held Hermione's belongings.
"Hey, Ron?" She stopped him before he walked down to her car.
"Yes?"
"Thank you for helping, it means a lot to me that you would do this even though you don't want me to," she said sincerely.
"Anything for you, hon. I'll be right back." He smiled at her and walked down stairs. A twinge of guilt ran through Hermione's heart, but she knew she was doing the right thing. As a little girl, she had promised herself that she was going to have fun in her life, do things that most people wouldn't do, enjoy life, go find adventure wherever it led her. Moving to the city, going to St. Lucia for 3 months to study the wild life for her job, hunting with her father were all things that had satisfied her craving for exploration in the past, but now she was ready for something big, something major. She wanted more than just little trips few and far between. No, she wanted to hike the Himalayas, travel the world, backpack through Asia, live in Mexico and Alaska. Family and marriage were the last thing on her mind. She was young, she had plenty of time to settle down.
"Well, that's everything," Ron interrupted her thoughts. "When are Ginny and Lavender coming by?"
"They're going to move her things in after I leave. We said our goodbyes last night." She looked down at her watching. "Care to walk to me to my car?" she asked.
"I suppose. I still don't like this, I really hope you would reconsider this," he begged hopefully.
"Ron."
"Okay, okay. Let's go." He held out his arm and Hermione took it. She grabbed her purse, her suitcase and duffle bag, locked the apartment and felt her heart squeeze.
"I'm doing the right thing," she whispered to herself. She smiled and walked down to her car.
"I'll miss you," Ron spoke.
"I'll miss you too. I'll write to you. I doubt I'll have much reception up there. Be good, will ya?" She ruffled his hair and gave him a sweet kiss on his lips. A tear rolled down both their cheeks. Although Ron could really rub her the wrong way, she still loved him.on a certain level. But the call for adventure was stronger. She needed to go.
She hopped into her car, waved to Ron and headed off to the highway, excitement replacing her guilt and anxiety she felt before leaving Ron.
"Here goes nothing!" she said to no one.
It Can Only Be
Ch. 1 She Follows Her Heart
Hermione surveyed her room, looking at the mess packing up had created. Boxes and crates littered the place, papers strewn about like leaves, and packing peanuts sticking to the sides of her bed. She smiled to herself, knowing that this time tomorrow she'd be on the road to the northern Canadian territory.
A few weeks prior, Hermione came across an ad in the morning newspaper. A man living up in Canada was selling off his 52 acre property for the bargain price of 75 dollars an acre, with a small cabin settled on the property near a creek. The ad advertised clean air, rolling hills, clear blue rivers and streams and a small cozy cabin that "may need some fixing up". Hermione jumped at the chance and purchase the property.
Telling her boyfriend, Ron, was a lot harder than buying the property. Although he and Hermione had been dating for the past year, she never felt as it was a serious relationship. Sex was, to say the least, boring, predictable, and sessions far and few between. He was the pinnacle of everything she wanted and didn't want. While he was smart, good looking, wealthy and caring, he wasn't passionate, daring, adventurous and far too practical to her liking. He begged her to stay for him, declaring his undying love for her, but staying with him would be like a death sentence to her.
The next day she put in a leave of absence at her job. She was paid fairly well, she knew how to save her money, and she had just been promoted. Her coworkers were all very friendly and cordial, and extremely supportive of her decision, all claiming envy as they wish they could drop everything at the drop of a hat and leave. Her boss accepted her leave, assuring her that her position would be there waiting for her when she returned in 7 months.
Lavender was totally ecstatic for her best friend. Lavender, who wasn't dating anyone, worked with Hermione in the same building.
"Who knows, maybe there will be a young handsomely rugged man who saves you from being eaten by a bear," Lavender swooned.
Hermione smiled at her best friend as she folded up a pair of jeans. She had traded in her Eclipse for a dull red Ford Explorer to trek across the rocky terrain and sought out the help of Ron's sister Ginny to look after the apartment and her new kitten, Mackie. She transferred all of her savings and checking to an international bank, and except for finishing up her packing, Hermione was set to go.
Ginny and Lavender came over a few hours later to help Hermione pack up her car. One by one the boxes slowly diminished from the bedroom, and Ginny's belongings began to fill up the apartment. Ginny's cat, Boots slept in its crate, very aware of his new surroundings and feeling extremely vulnerable.
The girls sat on the couch and Lavender opened up a bottle of wine.
"To Hermione's moving out, and to my moving in!" Ginny proclaimed.
"Here here!" Lavender agreed. The girls clinked their glasses together and giggled. The rest of the evening was spent giggling and girl talk, which Hermione was extremely appreciative for.
After Ginny and Lavender left, Hermione picked up the phone and called her father.
"You've packed lots of warm clothing?"
"Yes, Dad."
"And you've got Mace to spray in a bear's face if he comes after you?"
"Yes, Dad."
"And you've got plenty of money just in case?
"Yes, Dad. My tires have been replaced, balanced, aligned and rotated, the oil's been checked and changed, I've had my tune up, I've got insurance on the car, the cabin and the land and plenty of gasoline for the ride. I'm going to be okay."
"You just be careful and you call me as soon as you get there. I'm going to worry about you, Pumpkin."
"I'm 27 years old, Dad. I can take care of myself. I love you." She said her goodbyes to her father and hung up the phone. Immediately after hanging up it rang.
"Hello?"
"Hermione, it's Ron. I'm coming over and we're going to talk your whole moving away thing through." And with that, he hung up. Hermione took a deep breath in and tried to control her anger. Ron had not been very supportive about the entire experience. Another one of his idiosyncrasies that Hermione was beginning to despise about him was his possessiveness.
Mentally, she began to prepare herself for the argument she was to ensue with her boyfriend, if you could even call him that. He would beg her not to leave, to stay for him, and he would promise to work on his issues and he would promise her everything in the world. A chill ran down Hermione's spine as her stomach churned at the unpleasantness of the quarrel.
Exactly 20 minutes after the phone call, Ron showed up at her front door, holding a huge bouquet of cranberry colored lilacs. Hermione gave him a pathetic smile and invited him in.
Ron set the flowers down on the barren table and went straight on his knees, taking Hermione's hands.
"Hermione, please don't leave. I promise you that whatever our problems are we can fix them. You mean the world to me and I'm willing to do anything for you. I love you," he pleaded.
Hermione looked down at Ron and smiled at him sadly. "Ron, if you really do mean that, then you'll let go of my hands, get up off of the floor and stop looking like an idiot. I'm going north whether or not you want me to, and to be quite honest I don't believe it's your decision to be made."
"Is there anything I can do to convince you to stay? To stay and be with me?"
"You need to let me go, and you need to let me do this. I want an adventure, to explore uncharted territory, to breathe in clean air, to wake up and not hear the honking taxis on 7th and Main. This expedition will allow us to really think if this relationship is really what we want," Hermione stood firmly by her statement. Ron slowly got up from his knees and looked at her with a mix of quiet desperation and frustration in his eyes.
"This IS what I want," he whispered and gave her a small kiss on her lips.
Hermione felt nothing from his kiss, other than the softness of his lips. "Please, Ron, I'm going whether or not you want me to stay. Don't make it harder than it needs to be."
Ron blinked back wetness from his eye. "Well..then. is there anything I can do to help you out?"
"I would really just like for you to sit on the couch and hold me," she pleaded.
"Consider it done," and they walked to her sofa and Hermione laid in his arms. Ron had a good physic, strong upper body, lean torso, soft silky hair. Hermione always enjoyed being held by him, despite her mixed feelings for him. He always smelled nice too, a mix between Old Spice and cedar. Hermione knew she would miss him, but deep down in her heart she felt as though she would miss his friendship with her.
It was 2:30 in the morning before Ron announced it was time for him to leave.
" I'll be by in a few hours to stay goodbye. What time do you think you'll head out?" Ron questioned.
"I'm leaving at 7:30, it's going to be a very long road trip."
"I'll be here at 7:00 then to say goodbye. Goodnight Hermione." Ron kissed her forehead and left her apartment. She sighed a deep breath before going into her own bedroom and prepared to go to sleep. It would be a long trip; she predicted it to take her 2 days to get to her destination, maybe 3 depending on how much energy she had to get her there. After slipping on a pair of pajamas and brushing her teeth, Hermione went to bed and immediately fell asleep.
4 hours later the obnoxious noise of the buzzer awaked her from her deep but short slumber. She took a nice, hot shower, changed into her vacationing clothes and made herself some eggs for breakfast. A feeling of excitement and anticipation could barely keep her from sitting down with out moving. She read the morning paper and before she knew it 7:00 had arrived and Ron was rapping at her door.
"Good morning, sweetie," Ron said in false jubilance. He kissed her on her cheek and walked through the threshold. "So what's there to pack?"
"I have 2 boxes in the bedroom that needs to go into the car. Ginny's stuff is on the floor, mine's on top of the dresser." He walked into the bedroom and lifted the two boxes that held Hermione's belongings.
"Hey, Ron?" She stopped him before he walked down to her car.
"Yes?"
"Thank you for helping, it means a lot to me that you would do this even though you don't want me to," she said sincerely.
"Anything for you, hon. I'll be right back." He smiled at her and walked down stairs. A twinge of guilt ran through Hermione's heart, but she knew she was doing the right thing. As a little girl, she had promised herself that she was going to have fun in her life, do things that most people wouldn't do, enjoy life, go find adventure wherever it led her. Moving to the city, going to St. Lucia for 3 months to study the wild life for her job, hunting with her father were all things that had satisfied her craving for exploration in the past, but now she was ready for something big, something major. She wanted more than just little trips few and far between. No, she wanted to hike the Himalayas, travel the world, backpack through Asia, live in Mexico and Alaska. Family and marriage were the last thing on her mind. She was young, she had plenty of time to settle down.
"Well, that's everything," Ron interrupted her thoughts. "When are Ginny and Lavender coming by?"
"They're going to move her things in after I leave. We said our goodbyes last night." She looked down at her watching. "Care to walk to me to my car?" she asked.
"I suppose. I still don't like this, I really hope you would reconsider this," he begged hopefully.
"Ron."
"Okay, okay. Let's go." He held out his arm and Hermione took it. She grabbed her purse, her suitcase and duffle bag, locked the apartment and felt her heart squeeze.
"I'm doing the right thing," she whispered to herself. She smiled and walked down to her car.
"I'll miss you," Ron spoke.
"I'll miss you too. I'll write to you. I doubt I'll have much reception up there. Be good, will ya?" She ruffled his hair and gave him a sweet kiss on his lips. A tear rolled down both their cheeks. Although Ron could really rub her the wrong way, she still loved him.on a certain level. But the call for adventure was stronger. She needed to go.
She hopped into her car, waved to Ron and headed off to the highway, excitement replacing her guilt and anxiety she felt before leaving Ron.
"Here goes nothing!" she said to no one.