Disclaimer - I own nothing you recognise.
Challenges at the bottom.
Word Count - 483
Warning - Possible triggering content about being unable to carry a child.
Stumbling Block
It made her feel like less of a woman.
Ron sat nervously beside her on the sofa. He was fidgeting, and she could see he wanted to put his arm around her shoulders, but she held herself so stiffly that he didn't dare.
It made her hate herself a little bit more, knowing that she was making him feel like that.
That she couldn't bear his children was a failure that she just couldn't compute in her mind. She'd had a plan, a life plan that up until the point, she'd stuck to rigidly.
Good jobs, a flat, marriage, a house, kids.
It should have been an easy plan to follow; indeed it had been up until the last point.
They'd been trying for a year with little more to show for it than frustration. When she'd booked their appointments at Saint Mungo's, she'd been ready to comfort him. It hadn't actually crossed her mind that she'd be the one with the problem.
"Hermione…"
She startled when he spoke, and turned her head slightly to look at him. He seemed to take courage from that, and in a flash, she found herself in his arms, her head resting against his chest, his heartbeat steady in her ear.
That was all it took for her to crumble and she sobbed into his shirt.
"Sorry, I'm sorry, sorry."
It took her a moment to realise it was her apologising while he hushed her gently, rocking them both.
"It's not the end, sweetheart. So you won't be able to birth our children. That doesn't mean that we can't have them," he assured her. "Think of all the babies in the world that don't have parents. We can help them, he can give them a home and love them just as much as we could our own children."
He squeezed her tightly until she calmed, her breath evening out with only an occasional hitch.
"You want to adopt?" she asked, shifting so she could meet his eyes.
Hermione wasn't surprised to see his eyes red rimmed. He'd always hated it when she got upset. He'd never been able to watch her cry without shedding tears of his own.
He nodded. "It's an option."
She swallowed hard. "I feel likes I've failed you."
"Baby, no. When will you realise that you gave me more than I ever could have dreamed of when you gave me you? Everything else… it's a bonus. If I have you, just you, for the rest of my life, I'll die a happy man."
"But… you'll be a fantastic dad."
"And you'll be a brilliant mum, sweetheart. This isn't the end. It's a stumbling block, and we'll climb over it like we always have and we'll carry on."
Sniffing, she threw herself back into his embrace. "I love you so much," she whispered.
"I love you too, Hermione. I always have. I always will."
Written for;
Character Appreciation - 6. Devoted Husband
Buttons - Pairing - 3. RonHermione
Snakes - 51. Japanese Rat Snake - RonHermione