Disclaimer: This is a work of FanFiction using characters from the Harry Potter world, trademarked by none other than J.K. Rowling. Other names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products solely of my imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Warnings: Marriage/Adult Fic / OOC / Debatable AU / Fluffy / Profanity / Explicit sexual content

Timeline: Post-Hogwarts / EWE

Thank you so much to the awesome beta whose pen name is Rose Davis for looking over this fic!

Hermione started to cry. "I can't do this," she whispered, her arms so tight around Draco's neck that she was almost choking him. "I don't want them to cut me open. Draco, don't let them do it."

It was only then that it occurred to Draco that she was scared. Whoever this 'someone else' she spoke of, wasn't here now. He was. He would take care of her no matter what. "We're going to let them do whatever keeps you and the baby safe."

She buried her face in his neck familiarly. "I'm terrified," she admitted in a whisper.

He steeled his heart against her ticklish whispers and whimpers that made him just want to curl around her and protect her from any hurt that may come her way. She left you, he reminded himself, and she confessed that there was someone else. "You're shaking."

"I'm only 36 weeks along. She's coming out a bit too early. She will be frail and small."

"She?"

"We have a girl, Draco."

Draco wasn't sure how much more pain he could take at everything she threw at him. It was more than one man could bear in less than an hour. He didn't say anything else as he sat there in the cab with her on his lap and her arms around his neck in silence, on the way to the hospital. No matter how much she hurt him with words, he couldn't just stay away. He must be a masochist. Surely he must be. Especially when she would gasp out or whimper when a contraction hit her, he would tighten his hold on her and once - he even kissed her on the temple softly like he had always done. He was a bloody idiot. A bloody, masochistic idiot.

Right now he didn't care if he was such. The only thing that mattered was that he was holding his wife for what seemed like after an eternity. He could smell cinnamon and vanilla. She'd been wearing that combination of smell ever since he could remember. Maybe he was dreaming. He probably was. Either way he didn't want to wake up.

She had someone else? Well fuck that! He was the husband. He was going to prove to her that there was none that could compare to him. He was going to have her back. It was the only place she belonged. This someone else could be just a novelty to her. He could forgive her for looking elsewhere. They'd been through much worse before and would probably go through much worse in the future.

"Do you think..." he whispered.

"What?"

"Maybe we could..."

"What?"

He shook his head. "Never mind." He was overwhelmed, that's all. Seeing her after a number of months, seeing her being twirled around by another man - Owen the bastard - and then her going into labor, his brain was all jumbled. He needed more time to process this before he would make a decision.

"We're here," the cab driver announced as the vehicle drew to a halt right in front of the hospital.

Quickly, Draco fished his pockets for money but only found gold coins. He didn't have muggle money.

Before he could tell Hermione, she already pushed a few bills into the driver's waiting hand. The door then opened and there was a wheelchair waiting for her. A medical orderly quickly helped Hermione into it and Draco got out, trailing after them quickly inside the hospital as the orderly announced to the nurse station that Hermione was in labor.

His hands were shaking as they quickly settled Hermione into a private room where they stripped her bare and bundled her into a thin gown that the hospital requires of the patients. She was going to give birth to his baby. It was his. Their baby girl. He was sure. He knew what he said earlier. He didn't mean to say it. He was just angry. He was hurt so he wanted her to hurt her back.

His eyes wandered over to her face and for the very first time ever since he had ever known her, there was pure terror on her face. Her brown eyes were wide and unfocused.

Hermione Jean Granger Malfoy was indeed terrified as she claimed.

He recalled the time when she was being tortured by Bellatrix Lestrange as he watched helplessly. She was scared and in pain, he knew it then, but it was nothing to compared to what was clear in her face now.

Her gaze flew to his and it was all he could do not to fall on his knees before. "Baby," he said, reaching out to place his hand on top of hers. "Everything will be okay."

"You don't know that," she replied shakily. "Nothing in life is ever sure. Especially not this one."

He didn't know what to say to that because there was nothing more real than her words. Nothing in life is ever sure. He flashed back to when he was sixteen years old; Voldemort had ordered him to kill Dumbledore or else, his family would get killed instead. Then some things happened and he and his family were free, given a second chance in life when everyone knew - including themselves (though too proud to admit it, except of course, Draco) - they didn't deserve it.

"Hermione," a voice broke through his thoughts. "We need you to calm down. There is nothing to be afraid of," the voice softened considerably as she promised, "You will be fine."

Hermione clutched Draco's hand tightly. "Okay," she whispered. "Thank you, Dr. Adrienne."

He glanced over his shoulder. "Thank you," he echoed softly.

Dr. Adrienne Raymond acknowledged Draco with an incline of her head before she moved on the other side of Hermione's bed. "We need to get an ultrasound of the baby to see if she's still breech since the last time we had an appointment."

Draco still held Hermione's hand as the doctor opened Hermione's gown, rubbed a clear gel-like substance on her bulging stomach, then proceeded to push buttons on an electronic device with a monitor that he hadn't noticed earlier before the doctor rolled a thing that was attached to the device over Hermione's stomach.

"We need to do it via C-section. It's a frank breech and your hips are too small for us to manipulate the baby around. Not to mention the fact that your water broke, I'd rather do the procedure as soon as possible. I don't want to risk an umbilical cord prolapse on top of everything else." The doctor wiped away the gel from Hermione's stomach and closed the gown.

"What does that mean?" Draco couldn't help but ask.

"An umbilical cord prolapse may diminish the oxygen flow to the baby," Dr. Adrienne answered. "Not that she's in danger of that yet. There's a very small chance that will happen but I just want to stay on the safe side."

Despite the assurance, Draco trembled a bit.

The doctor turned away from the two of them and spoke to the nurse standing on the foot of the bed.

Draco turned to look down at Hermione. "I don't trust these muggle healers," he confided. "You and the baby will be safer if treated at St. Mungo's."

"Doctor. Dr. Adrienne is a brilliant OB/GYN and neonatal surgeon," she replied softly. "I would not have chosen her if she didn't have an exceptional background."

"I don't care what she's called- "

She cut him off by pulling her hand from his and turning her head away from him impatiently. "I'm not in any condition to argue with you when my baby's life is at risk." She paused, staring straight ahead. "If you want to leave, I won't stop you."

Draco fought the urge to growl in frustration. "I don't want to leave you. At any cost," he said tightly. "You did the leaving or don't you remember?" He turned away from her before she could say anything. He approached the doctor. "If anything happens to her and/or the baby, I will sue you and this whole hospital."

The doctor met Draco's gaze unflinchingly. She'd heard this a thousand times before. And she also knew better to make any promises to her patients. "I'll do everything I can... but I assure you, I'm quite confident that the both of them will get through this without difficulty... now if you will excuse me, we need to prep her for surgery."

Draco collapsed on a nearby chair when he was left alone with Hermione in the room, bent over his knees and his head in his hands.

"Have you named her?" he asked quietly, lifting his head to look at Hermione.

"Verity," she said softly.

It wasn't fair, he thought. He was supposed to have a say in what the baby's name should be... but it was a good name. He liked it a lot actually. "That's a nice name," he managed to say.

"I haven't chosen a middle name for her yet," she replied carefully. "You can... you know... choose her second name."

His eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Really?"

She nodded.

He thought about it for a moment. "At first I want it to be Narcissa..."

She blanched visibly but he didn't notice.

"...but not anymore. The first Christmas we spent together, you gave me a book. The lead character reminds me so much of you. She's very intelligent, strong-willed, stubborn but can also be a bit cunning and manipulative if she wanted to be," he chuckled. "Then for some reason, I imagined that's how a child from the two of us would also be... Pyxis, her name was, after a constellation. How convenient is that?"

"Pyxis," Hermione whispered. "Are you sure?"

"Verity Pyxis Malfoy."

"Granger."

Draco frowned. "What?"

"Verity Pyxis Granger Malfoy," she said.

"Oh. Of course." He lowered his eyes. "You like the name then?"

"Yes. I do." The corner of her lips twitched but it did not reach a full smile. "It's very... unique, to say the least."

"Yes, well..."

An uncomfortable silence fell.

It was interrupted later by a knock on the door and it opened before they could speak. A team of nurses and doctors barged in, making Draco stand up from his seat in alarm. They poked a needle in her arm and pushed a small tube thing in her arm that was attached to a bag of some substance that he had no idea what it was.

What the fuck is going on? Draco thought as he started to pace. This is why I don't trust these muggle hospitals and their doctors. They use so much stuff that looked a bit dangerous. At least at St. Mungo's, they use clean, safe and sure magic.

"Are you her husband?" A nurse asked and before he could answer, she spoke again. "You can come with me now so I can get you in your sterile scrubs for the operating room. She'll be under regional anesthesia as she requested which means that she'll be awake during the operation. I would advise you to stay by her head the entire procedure and not touch her at all..."

He swallowed with difficulty. "Okay."

A while later, they were transferred to the operating room with a small army of doctors and nurses. Hermione was lying on a bed in the middle of the room with a bright light focused on her stomach. There was a blanket held up by a couple of nurses that curtains around the stomach.

As instructed, Draco was standing by Hermione's head.

"I can't feel a thing from the waist down," she confessed in a whisper, looking up at him. "It's so odd."

Draco smiled down at her underneath his mask. "That's what you wanted."

"I want to see her before they stitch me up and get me to sleep." Her eyes drifted close. "Draco, despite everything, I'm glad that you're here with me right now. I - I -"

"Shh," he interrupted. "We can get through this." He wasn't just referring to the operation procedure, but also their relationship.

She opened her mouth to say something but was cut off.

"Whenever you're ready, Hermione," Dr. Adrienne announced behind her mask, positioned over her stomach.

Hermione's eyes raised to Draco's alarmingly.

"I'm here," he said. "I won't leave you no matter what."

She took a deep breath and regarded Dr. Adrienne. "Cut me open, Doc."

The doctor chuckled and started to do as she asked, her scalpel poised over her stomach. "Ok, Hermione, I'm starting now the only thing you should feel is a lot of tugging and pulling. If you feel any pain let me know."

Draco's eyes were on her stomach. They widened as he watched the blood oozing out from her as Dr. Adrienne split her skin open. "Fuck," he whispered as sweat started to bead at his upper lip.

"Don't look," Hermione said faintly, fighting the urge to laugh. "Talk to me instead. Distract me. It's odd that I'm wide awake while they prod my insides. God, how gruesome."

"You should have slept and I should have been left behind those close doors. I feel lightheaded."

The other people chuckled softly around the two of them.

"Don't you dare faint on me and Verity, Draco Malfoy. You stupid ninny."

"I'm not stupid!" His eyes kept darting between her face and her open stomach. "What are those? It looks like your intestines. Bloody hell. Years ago, I told you that I wanted to know everything about you. I did. I still do. What I had in mind didn't actually include your... intestines."

"Don't watch I said!"

"Oh," he groaned, "there's so much blood."

"I can't wait to tell Harry and Ginny."

"Don't you dare tell the Potheads, Hermione Malfoy."

"Granger."

"Fine. Hermione Granger Malfoy. Bloody hell."

"And stop cursing. You're worse than Ronald on a bad day."

He sneered. "Don't compare me to the Weasel. Ever."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Then stop cursing so much or I'll he- ah- cut off your tongue."

He snickered at her slip-up. "Oh, I think it's you who better watch her tongue."

"We can see her now," Dr. Adrienne cut in their conversation. "Just in case you two are interested."

"Trying to be funny, Doc?" Draco replied dryly.

"Draco," Hermione warned.

"It won't be long now," the doctor told Hermione. "Would the father like to cut the cord?"

"The what?"

"The umbilical cord," Hermione said to Draco.

"I don't really know what that is."

"It's the thing inside the belly button."

"Oh. The thing. Okay. I'll do it," Draco said excitedly to the doctor. When they were trying to get pregnant, they read books together on everything they needed to know on babies and pregnancy and whatnot.

"Good. She's here... okay... we're just going to..."

Draco's eyes widened when he caught sight of the baby - their baby - for the very first time. They inserted something in her mouth for a brief moment then her nose before a very, very loud wailing was heard over the room.

"Oh," Hermione whispered, her eyes suddenly flooding with tears. "Give her to me. Please."

"In a moment," the doctor answered gently and then she turned to Draco, holding up a pair of surgical scissors. "Will you do the honors?"

He cut the cord then, ignoring the shiver that went through him as the scissors cut through the squishy feeling of the cord. It made him a little queasy.

After that, everything else passed by in a blur. Verity was cleaned up, bundled tightly in a protective cocoon made of blanket. She wasn't wailing anymore. Hermione cuddled the baby against her breast, still crying silently and he, also admittedly shed a few tears, bent over the two of them. The doctors still worked on Hermione's stomach, closing up the incision.

"She's magnificent," Draco whispered.

"I love you," Hermione said.

Draco froze, wondering if those words were for him, but when he looked at her, she was smiling through her tears as she peered lovingly at Verity.

"I love you so much, Verity. I'm going to give you the world."

For some reason, Draco felt an intruder, but he pushed those feelings away. She was his wife and the pink wrinkled little caterpillar was his daughter. "She looks like you," he said softly.

"No," she countered. "She looks like you."

"Are you grumbling?"

"No."

"It sounded like you are." Draco was mildly amused. "Whoever she looks like, she's going to be beautiful - scratch that, she is." Puckered face and all.

He hadn't held her yet, Hermione realized. Nor had he offered to. She can see in his eyes that he wanted to, but was a bit scared to ask for some reason. "Would you like to hold Verity?"

He hesitated. "I don't know how to. I might drop her."

"You won't," she said firmly. "It'll be alright. Do it just like this. Be careful to support her head."

Because she won't be able to move due to the fact that she was still being operated on, he maneuvered carefully so that he would be able to clutch her daughter. With utmost delicacy, ignoring the frantic beating of his heart, he managed to get her in his arms and against his chest.

It was the best feeling in the world.

It was also short-lived when a nurse approached and informed him that they have to take her to clean her up and take tests and some things Draco didn't catch. He didn't want to let go. He wanted to keep her right there with him, damn all of them.

"It's okay," Hermione told Draco softly. "You can see her later. It will only be an hour or so."

Reluctantly, he gave Verity up to the nurse and quickly, they were gone.

Then another nurse approached Draco, telling him that he was not needed in the operation room any longer. They were just going to patch Hermione up and take her to the recovery room. He didn't want to go. He wanted to stay beside her. He wanted to shout at them, tell them to fuck off.

"I'll see you later," Hermione said softly.

Sad was such an understatement to what he was feeling that moment and he was pretty sure that it was evident on his face because Hermione shot him a look that was meant to reassure him, but it hadn't.

Author's notes:

The book Draco mentioned that Hermione gifted to him does not exist. The name I chose is indeed, a constellation. Pyxis (/ˈpɪksɨs/; Greek: box) is a small and faint constellation in the southern sky. It is located close to those forming the old constellation of Argo Navis (the ship Argo).

I'm glad that you guys are enjoying this fic! I've been getting 10 to 15 story follows each day and that is just awesome!

Medical jargon (according to Wikipedia):

breech birth - the birth of a baby from a breech presentation, in which the baby exits the pelvis with the buttocks or feet first as opposed to the normal head-first presentation.

frank breech - the baby's bottom comes first, and his or her legs are flexed at the hip and extended at the knees (with feet near the ears); 65–70% of breech babies are in the frank breech position.

neonatal/neonatology - a subspecialty of pediatrics that consists of the medical care of newborn infants, especially the ill or premature newborn infant.

(umbilical) cord prolapse - when the umbilical cord precedbes the fetus' exit from the uterus. It is an obstetric emergency during pregnancy or labor that imminently endangers the life of the fetus.

regional anaesthesia during C-section - allows the mother to be awake and interact immediately with her baby.

P.S., I'm not a med student and I've never been pregnant. This is written purely based on research alone. If there are some things I wrote wrong, please inform me and I will make the necessary changes as soon as possible. Thanks!