HARDCORE A/N: I REWROTE CHAPTER 10! If you didn't read the rewritten version (I just updated it yesterday – August 18th 2009) please go back and read it! I rewrote a lot of it and added some things that will make this chapter confusing!
I'm sorry it has taken me so long to update. I've been doing a lot of school stuff and working, but I've fallen in love with this story again and I'm planning on finishing it by the end of the summer.
Taking a deep breath, Ginny stepped into the ballroom behind Luna and Fred. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut and then let her deep breath out before letting her eyes flutter open. The room was so richly decorated it made Ginny gasp in surprise. She moved closer to Luna and Fred, saying, "Guys, I don't know if I can do this. I haven't seen him in almost two months and now I'm just showing up at his ball, dressed all fancy." She glanced down at her floor length emerald green gown. "It just doesn't feel right."
"Gin, you're not just 'showing up'," Fred insisted, "You received an invitation in the mail."
"And you look beautiful Ginny," Luna assured her, "You are wearing proper attire for a ball, don't worry about it." Luna glanced around the room, "This place really does look nice." She glanced around the room and then a confused look crossed her face, "Is that Ron?"
Ginny followed Luna's gaze and caught sight of red hair on the other side of the dance floor. "Yeah," Ginny said slowly, "That's Ron, and my parents. What on earth are they doing here?" She made her way across the dance floor and stopped in front of her family. "What are you guys doing here?"
"We all received invitations," Molly shrugged, "We figured we'd come see what all the fuss is about."
"Oh," Ginny said disappointed, "I guess he invited the whole family."
Luna, sensing Ginny's disappointment, wrapped an arm around her friend's shoulders, "Gin, I'm sure he wants to see you. Why else would he have invited you?"
Ginny shrugged, and said, "I'm going to go to the bathroom." She turned around and slammed straight into Draco's chest. She let out a soft, "Eep!"
Before she could move away from him he stepped closer to her and asked, "Would you like to dance?"
Luna pushed her towards him and Ginny stumbled into his arms. He took it as a 'yes' and he gently laced his fingers with hers to lead her onto the dance floor. His arms fit perfectly around her and within moments they were gliding across the dance floor. They danced in silence for a while; Ginny could feel her heart beating out of her chest. After a few moments he said, "I'm glad you came, Gin."
"I'm glad you invited me," she said honestly.
He glanced down at her, surprised and she smiled up at him. He grinned back at her and pulled her closer to him. They finished the rest of the dance in silence and when the song ended he laced his fingers with hers again and led her off the dance floor, away from her family. He surprised her by leading her out of the ballroom and onto one of the balconies that looked over downtown London. She sighed and leaned against the rail, admiring the view.
"How have you been doing?" he asked quietly.
Ginny shrugged and said quietly, "I'm ok."
"I've missed you," he said quietly.
She finally looked up at him and the look in his eyes made her heart pound. "Draco, I-," Ginny started to say, but he cut her off, pressing a finger to her lips.
"Ginny, there's nothing I can say to make everything ok again," Draco said quietly, "All I can do is tell you that I'm sorry and I haven't been able to stop thinking about you for months. I'm in love with you Ginny." He took his finger away and leaned down to gently kiss her lips. Ginny's body reacted immediately, grasping his arms as he pulled out of the innocent kiss. "I'll wait as long as it takes for you to forgive me." He gently tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear and then walked back inside, leaving her alone on the balcony.
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The next day, Ginny woke up smiling. It was the first day in a long time that she felt she really had a reason to smile. It took her less than an hour to get ready and get to work. She quickly changed into her scrubs and walked out to the nurses' station, but as soon as she got there she looked around, puzzled. "Christy, where's Luna?"
The younger nurse looked at Ginny puzzled and said, "She's in the delivery room."
"Oh, I didn't know we were expecting a pregnant woman today," Ginny said, grabbing a chart off the rack and looking it over.
Christy touched Ginny's hand gently, "Ginny, I thought they would have owled you. Luna went into early labor. She's in the delivery room giving birth."
Ginny dropped her chart and ran down the hall to the elevator. It took over a minute for the doors to slide open and she spent that minute pacing back and forth in the hallway. When the doors finally slid open she froze. Her breath caught in her throat and she stared, wide eyed into the elevator. Draco smiled at her gently, "Are you coming in?"
"What? Oh, yeah," Ginny muttered. She stepped into the elevator with him and the doors slid shut behind her. After a moment of silence she asked, "What are you doing here?"
"Fred owled me," Draco said, "Luna is going into early labor."
"Right," Ginny said, nodding. Fred and Draco had remained close friends after she and Draco had broken up.
When the doors finally opened again, Ginny sprinted down the hall to the delivery room and found Luna in tears, screaming in pain. When the contraction subsided Luna dissolved into sobs, saying, "Oh, Thank God, Ginny, I'm so glad you're here!" The blonde woman's body trembled.
Fred smiled weakly up at Ginny from Luna's side. A moment later Draco, who hadn't run from the elevator, walked gracefully into the room and stood next to Ginny. Her eyes fluttered shut when his hand brushed hers. "How are you guys doing?" Draco asked quietly.
"Well, we're exhausted. We've been here for a few hours," Fred said, gently wiping sweat off of Luna's forehead.
"Why didn't you owl me you prat!" Ginny insisted.
"It was two in the morning when we got here. It was pointless to owl anyone," Fred answered.
Ginny sighed and brushed the issue aside, "How are you doing Luna? How's the baby?"
"I'm fine," Luna whimpered, "We're not sure how the baby is doing."
Suddenly the doors banged open and Molly and Arthur rushed in the room. Molly immediately ran over to Luna and held her hand tightly, "How are you doing, dear? Can I get you anything?"
"No, I'm fine," Luna said weakly.
Noticing Draco and Ginny, Molly said, "Oh, Draco. Ginny. I didn't see you two there. How are you doing? Draco, I hope you got those pies we sent over."
"I did," Draco said, smiling, "In fact I had a piece for breakfast this morning. They're wonderful."
"I'm glad," Molly smiled. "Will you be able to make it to the Burrow for Christmas dinner?"
"Actually," Draco glanced over at Ginny and she stared up at him, shocked, "I'm going to have to get back to you on that."
Abruptly Luna let out a shout of pain. A nurse rushed into the room yelling, "Ok, I can't have you all in here. Some of you need to get out. Now!"
"I'll go," Ginny offered, "Mom, Dad, you should be here."
"I'll go too," Draco said, he clapped Fred on the shoulder and followed Ginny out of the room. They walked to a waiting room and sat down on a couch together.
"God, they can't lose their baby," Ginny said, squeezing her eyes shut to hold in her tears. "They are the most loving people I know. It will devastate them if they lose the baby."
"I know," Draco said quietly. He reached across the couch and gently laced his fingers with hers, "Don't worry. Everything will be fine."
They sat in silence for a while until Ginny said, "I didn't know you kept in contact with my family."
"Well, Fred and I are good friends," Draco answered quietly, "And your parents had a good time at the Ball last night. It was nice to see them. I really do like your family Ginny." He looked down at her, "This morning I got three peach pies from your mum."
Ginny smiled softly and said, "I'm glad you get along with them so well."
"I'd like to think they'll be my in-laws someday," Draco said, near whisper. Ginny stared up at him, wide eyed. Her gaze snapped to the floor and they sat that way for hours, in silence.
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When Arthur walked out of the delivery room late that evening, he looked crestfallen. "What's wrong Dad? Are they ok?"
"They're stable," Arthur said sadly. "At this point the doctors aren't sure what's going to happen. It could go either way." Ginny's shoulders dropped sadly as the tears started to slip down her cheeks. Draco instinctively wrapped an arm around her shoulders and she sagged against him, burying her face in her hands. Sighing Arthur said, "The doctors have told us to prepare ourselves for the worst."
He gently touched Ginny's shoulder before walking back into the delivery room. Draco helped Ginny over to the couch and he sank down onto it, bringing her with him. He whispered soft comforts to her in her ear while she cried. Within minutes she had fallen asleep against his side. He wasn't surprised, it had been a long day, but Ron and Harry were shocked when they walked into the waiting room.
"How is Luna doing?" Ron asked quietly.
"They're stable," Draco repeated what Arthur had told them. Ron and Harry also took seats around the room. They were soon followed by the rest of the Weasley brothers and Hermione, who curled up against Ron on a couch. Draco leaned his head against Ginny's, enjoying the feeling of being close to her again; he didn't know if he'd ever be this close to her again.
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When Ginny finally woke up, it was past midnight. Everyone in the room around her was either asleep or sitting with their eyes shut. She tried to sit up, but found herself wrapped tightly in Draco's arms. She smiled up at Draco, who was fast asleep, and gently let her head back down to rest against his chest. It wasn't much long after when Arthur rushed into the room saying, "Ok, they're ok. They'll be fine. We have a new baby boy, Conner Weasley!"
Everyone in the room erupted into cheers. Draco, and the others who had been asleep, were startled awake. "What's going on?" Draco muttered.
"They're fine Draco!" Ginny said excitedly, sitting up. Draco sat up too, looking confused. "Luna and the baby," Ginny explained happily, "They're going to be fine. Oh, I'm so happy! They're going to be fine!" Ginny, in her excitement, cupped Draco's cheeks in her hands and kissed him deeply. Immediately the kiss deepened, and he wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her tighter against him. She wrapped her arms around him, and nipped his bottom lip gently. When they finally pulled back for air she looked up at him, wide eyed and scared.
"Ginny," he muttered, touching her cheek gently.
"I-I should go see Luna," she stuttered. She pulled out of his grasp and hurried out of the room.
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"Happy Christmas!" Ginny exclaimed, hugging her mum when she came out of the fireplace.
"Happy Christmas Gin-Bug," Molly said happily, hugging her daughter, "You're the last one here! Everyone else is in the living room opening their presents!"
Ginny walked into the living room and found herself surrounded by people. All of her brother's and their wives and children were crammed into the living room. But that wasn't all. Lupin and Tonks were huddled in a corner together, as were Neville and Lavender. Standing by the tree was Kingsley Shaklebolt and Harry. Nicole and Luna were sitting together on the couch, cooing over baby Conner.
Leaning against the doorframe on the other side of the room was Draco. He was wearing black slacks and a green button up that hugged his body perfectly. Ginny's eyes were drawn to him and she couldn't help staring at him. Abruptly his eyes snapped to hers and he stared back at her, smirking as if to say, 'I caught you.'
Ginny shook her head to clear her thoughts and waded through the mass of wrapping paper to perch by Luna on the couch. Luna smiled at her and said, "Hey Ginny."
"Hey!" Ginny said happily, "Can I hold him?"
Luna, who looked exhausted, happily handed Conner over to her. Ginny smiled down at him and rocked him back and forth. After a moment Luna sighed and said, "I think I need to go change him."
"Don't worry," Ginny pushed her back on the couch, "You stay here and relax, I'll go change him."
"Thanks Gin," Luna smiled tiredly, "You can put him down for a nap too if you'd like."
Ginny stood up, cradling the baby in her arms and made her way to Fred and George's old room. Molly and Arthur, after having four grandkids in one year, had converted the room to a nursery. Ginny put the baby on the changing table and cooed at him. She quickly changed him before rocking him in her arms for a few minutes. When he had finally fallen asleep she gently laid him in the crib and watched him for a few minutes.
She turned to leave and jumped in surprise when she found Draco watching her from the doorway. Putting a hand to her heart she gasped, "Draco, you startled me."
"I'm sorry," Draco walked over to the crib and peered in, "He's amazing."
"Yeah, he is," Ginny smiled softly.
"Ginny, you look wonderful with him," Draco said, looking at her.
She stared at him puzzled, "What do you mean?"
He moved to stand in front of her and put his hands on her shoulders, "You with a baby. God, Gin, that is one of the most amazing things I've seen in my entire life." Ginny looked up at him, hope in her eyes. She was surprised to see tears in the corners of his eyes. Hesitantly Ginny leaned up and pressed her lips against his. He moved uncertainly, not wanting to frighten her away. When she finally reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, he let his hands wander to her waist where he pulled her closer to him. The kiss deepened and soon he had her pinned against the wall, ravaging her mouth with his, and her body with his hands. Her hands made easy work of the buttons on his shirt and she was just about to push it off his shoulders when the door opened.
They jumped apart; Draco turning away from the door so he could button his shirt. Nicole eyed them warily before saying, "Ginny, your mum wants your help downstairs with dinner."
"Right," Ginny said breathlessly, "I'd better get down there." She hurried out of the room, past Nicole and downstairs. Nicole followed her, leaving Draco alone in the nursery. He sighed and leaned against the window frame, watching the snow fall around the Burrow. He smiled softly, thinking of her lips pressed against his, before he walked out of the nursery and back downstairs.
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Three weeks later found Ginny bundled in her hat, mittens, scarf and winter jacket, waiting for Luna outside a small café in downtown London. It was only a short while before Luna walked around the corner, baby Conner in her arms.
"Oh!" Ginny said excitedly. She took her nephew from Luna's arms and cuddled him close. Kissing his forehead gently, "How are you doing?"
"We're doing fine," Luna said, smiling happily. "We celebrated his three week birthday this morning." Luna smiled lovingly down at her son. "Fred even cried a bit."
Grinning, Ginny balanced Conner on her hip to open the door to the café, "I'm so happy for you guys."
After they had settled into a booth in the café and Conner was curled up in Luna's arms, Luna turned quizzically to Ginny and said, "I forgot to ask you, how are things going with Draco."
"Well," Ginny said blushing, "I haven't seen him since Christmas."
"Ginny!" Luna whined, "I thought you had decided to owl him to go out to coffee!"
"I was going to," Ginny insisted, "But… I got too scared." Luna scoffed, frustrated and Ginny continued quickly, "I know Luna. I'm going around in circles. One minute I feel I'm completely ready to be with him again. He kissed me at the Burrow on Christmas and all I wanted to do was go running back into his arms, but now," she paused, "now I don't know what I want. I'm scared of getting hurt again.
Luna sighed hugged her friend tightly before saying, "I swear Ginny Weasley. You need to get your act together before you lose him."
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A/N: Ok, long chapter. I hope you guys enjoyed it! (Review!)
