Somewhere in the old house, a bottle fell, the lid popping off after being dropping multiple times. Milk splattered across the wooden floor, creating a wet mess. A small child started to cry and it reached for the fallen container. Another child picked up the bottle and placed it back on the table before seating himself back down at the table. A woman walked in from another room with another child placed on her hip, playing with the hem of her mother's sleeve. Shifting the baby to her other hip, she bewitched a mop to clean the floor while she took a container of milk out of the refrigerator and filled the emptied cup.

"Ayden, why didn't you fill this back up for your sister?" Hermione asked and placed the bottle back in the hands of her daughter. Taking another cup, she quickly filled it with apple juice and gave it to her other daughter on her hip.

"She didn't ask," he shrugged.

"She ten months old, Ayden. She can not ask for a bottle," she scolded. A loose strand of hair fell into her eyes, making it fair game for the small girl. She took it in her little hands and yanked. Hermione sighed and took it back, tucking it behind her ear. The clattering of a broom and various other items knocking together caused the small, or not so small, family to turn their attention to the now opening door. A man walked through, dropping a couple papers on the way in.

"Ronald, can't you at least keep your work papers organized?" Hermione joked and walked up to him while trying to balance three plates and her daughter. A gentle kiss on the cheek was all that was exchanged before both parents were busy. Ayden ran from his spot at the table and latched onto Ron's pant leg. The four-year-old sang tunelessly, making up the words as he went,

"Daddy's come ho-oooome!
He's back,
From work,
And now, we can….play!" He looked up, his round face expectant for praise from his father. "Good?"

"Very. Almost as good as yesterday's song," the redhead sighed, and ruffled his son's identical ginger hair. Freckles dotted both of their faces, the younger's more prominent. The only difference that separated the father and son were his eyes. Ayden's dark eyes matched his mother's.

"Da!" The little girl in the high-chair called and lifted her arms out, forgetting about the milk. Ron made his way over to his daughter, dragging Ayden on his leg slowly behind him. Picking her up, Ron threw her slightly into the air, making her giggle. Dark hair sprinkled the top of her head and waved when she flew higher.

"Ron, please don't do that unless you want to clean her dinner off your shirt," Hermione warned and looked at Ayden, still attached to his father. "Ayden, get off your father. He needs to help Mommy with the dishes." Ayden complied and ran off into the other room, saying something about toy brooms. In the next room, a blanket was set up with baby toys where Hermione took her two daughters.

Ron watched as his love carefully set his children down, her hair falling down and obscuring her face.

"I wish she'd pulled it back sometimes," her whispered to himself.

"Did you say something, Ron?"

"Just wondering what Cassidy and Michelle ate," he lied.

"Not Ayden?" Hermione strode into the kitchen, one hand on her hip.

"I was just—I mean…I only…"

"Baby, I was only joking." Hermione placed her hand on the side of his face, gently placing a kiss on his lips. Ron kissed back, deepening it. The young parents were wrapped up in themselves; Ron pulled Hermione closer, wrapping her arms around her waist. Letting her arms trail up his, Hermione draped her arms around his neck before gently pulling away. With her lips still only half and inch from his, she whispered,

"We only have two hours until we put the kids down. Can you wait?" Her voice dripped with sultry suggestions as she twirled little rings of ginger hair at the nape of Ron's neck.

"Maybe," he whispered back and snagged another kiss. Hermione softly pushed him back with the tips on her fingers and turned around to face the sink with a smirk.
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The heavy wooden door leading to a simple bedroom was almost thrown open as Ron and Hermione crashed through it and onto the bed. Straddling Hermione's hips, Ron started kissing at the bottom of her ear and trailed down to her collar bone. Hermione let out a quiet moan, causing him to smile. Running her fingers through his hair, Ron slipped the shoulder of her shirt down and went down a little further on her body. Hermione helped Ron by grabbing the hem of her shirt and lifting it over her head. Letting his caresses extend down her stomach, Hermione arched her back slightly.Unbuttoning his shirt, Ron threw it on the floor and Hermione made the small space between them close. Their skin touched, heating the moment. Ron unbuttoned the small metal button and started to pull her pants down when a small cry was heard from across the hall. Hermione's arms went limp around Ron's neck and she let them drop to her sides as she pushed herself up.

"Wait! Maybe she'll shut up on her own," Ron suggested.

"Ronald! She's your daughter. Have some sympathy. She wouldn't finish her dinner."

"Fine," he growled and rolled over onto the side of the bed. Hermione smiled and kissed him tenderly before sliding off the bed and exiting the room. Slowly, the baby's crying settled and Ron waited impatiently for Hermione to return. He drummed his fingers on the bed, switched positions, and finally ended up on the floor facing the door before Hermione walked back in. She looked surprised to see Ron on the floor. Slowly, she settled herself down next to him, neither saying a word. Gently, her head landed on Ron's shoulder. Ron sighed, which was followed by a small sniffle from Hermione.

"You okay?" He asked, pushing away some of her hair from her face.

"Hmhm," she sniffled and took her hair back from Ron's hand and placed it back over her face.

"Did I do something?" Ron's voice held slight annoyance. She should trust me with her problems! I'm her husband!

"No."

"Someone else do something?"

"No."

"Nothing?"

"No."

"Hermione, you can't do this! You have to give me something if you want me to do anything about it!" Ron jumped up, his harsh temper flaring. His eyes were dark as he looked down to see tears rolling down Hermione's face. "You can't ignore me, Hermione!"

"I don't want to!" Her hands were shaking as she tried to wipe away the tears. Any small bit of makeup she might have had on was now washed away by her tears. Shakily grabbing the edge of the bed, she pulled herself up onto it and laid her hands in her lap, starring blankly at them. Ron stood there, watching his wife cry into her lap.

"Did the baby say something?" Ron's sarcastic tone shattered Hermione's unseeing and motionless status. Her head snapped up, her mouth set in a hard line. Her eyes spat venom like a viper as she glared.

"Ronald, you're such a stupid git! I can't believe you would try and blame something on your own daughter! If you were only going to think they were a burden, why did you tell me you wanted a family? You said you wanted a large family, like yours, but once they enter our love life, they should just go die! Why did you even marry me in the first place?" Hermione screamed, jumping off the bed to face Ron. She had to look up at his face, but that made her no less intimidating. Both their faces were the same shade of red, but neither willing to break their blinkless stare. Across the hall now, both Cassidy and Michelle were crying from hearing their parents yell. Their wails carried across into the bedroom, making both Hermione and Ron nervous. Neither enjoyed hearing their children cry. Ron's blue gaze searched Hermione's deep brown for some sort of answer as to why she would say something so rash, but tears clouded her eyes as they spilled onto her cheeks. Her irritation and anger saturated the reason for her cries. With a scream of frustration, Hermione lashed around and stormed off, leaving Ron to stare blankly at her retreating figure.

Walking into the nursery room, Hermione looked around the room. In the room, two cribs were in each corner, a small mobile hanging over each. Pink, yellow, and blue decorated wallpaper adorned the walls that also held pictures of Ron and Hermione's family. Hermione turned to face the wall where Fred, George, and both Hermione's parents' pictures hung.

"Cassidy?" When she only starred up at her mother, Hermione turned around to face her other child. "Michelle?" The older twin reached up with her tiny hands toward her mother. Hermione smiled and picked her up, cradling her in her arms. "Cassidy, I'm sure your father will be in here soon to check on you." Taking Michelle out of the room, she walked in the first direction her body took her. The pair walked down the wooden floored hallway toward the only room in the house that hadn't been touched since they'd moved into the house seven years ago: their room of Hogwarts memories. The smallest room of the house was filled with photographs, trunks, Quidditch uniforms, and school books.

"Michelle, you've probably never been in here. Your father refuses to come in here since Harry…passed away." Hermione hesitated to say it, only briefly mentioning it. Walking over toward the only chair in the room, she sat in the old rocking chair with Michelle in her lap. The gentle rocking relaxed them both, their eyes beginning to close and heads laid back. "Michelle, you, your brother, and your sister are all so innocent. You have no idea of all the evil in the world. Just because Voldemort isn't alive any longer doesn't mean that there won't be another. I just hope that our family doesn't get so involved. After The Battle, everything was such--" Hermione yawned before continuing, "a mess. Such…a mess"

Michelle looked up at her mother with wide eyes as she watched her drift off into sleep.
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"Damnit! That woman is so temperamental!" Ron sighed and fell back on the bed. Spread eagle across it, he heaved another sigh and rolled over to face the door. Hermione had left the nursery door open and Ron could see that Cassidy was left in the nursery. Feeling a fatherly urge come over him, he dashed across the hall before the feeling left him.

"Come here, Cassidy," Ron whispered and picked up his daughter. She cooed in surprise of being taken from her room so late, and smiled at her dad. Ron smiled back, looking in his daughter's eyes. "God, you look much to like your mother," Ron complained, only wishing to forget his wife, and walked out of the room with Cassidy on one hip and a small stuffed animal in his hand. Cassidy reached for the stuffed horse before laying her head on her father's shoulder. He smiled again at his daughter. Ron couldn't seem to stop smiling when he was around his children.

The white walls of the hallway led down the carpeted stairs, which led to the ground level of their house. Walking into the den, Ron found the couch with the light from the kitchen still on. Setting Cassidy on his lap, he looked down at her.

"Cassidy, I don't know what to do? It seems like every time we don't talk about little insignificant things, we fight. We can't seem to agree. And now, I'm talking to my ten month old daughter. I must have gone crazy," he muttered and stroked her hair. "I know that we've had worse times though. I wonder if she remembers…"
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Author's Note: First chapter! This is actually more like the prologue(gasp So that's why the chapter is title that!). Almost the entire rest of the story will be a flashback. I've been totally wanting to write a sort of angsty/romance R/HR story for a while, so here is the product of self indulgence! Please reveiw, and tell me what is good and bad. This is the first R/HR fanfiction that I've done. Check for the next chapter to be up for validation by Monday.