There seemed to be some mixed emotions about Draco's proposal. Some thought they moved too quickly, some just want them to get married already. I've finished the story, so I know exactly what happens. I just hope you all like it!

Chapter 14
Silent tears slipped down Hermione's cheeks as she stared at the television. It was off and she could see her pathetic reflection in the blackness of the screen. The flat was quiet, too quiet, as Liam napped. Occasionally, she would glance toward the door, willing it to open. Willing Draco to walk through it. But after hours of doing so, it hadn't worked.

She skipped the usual Sunday brunch with the Weasleys. It would hurt too much to pretend to be happy. It would hurt too much to explain Draco's absence. Her hand reached up to wipe the tears from her right cheek, then her left.

A wave of tiredness swept over her. She hadn't slept the night before, spending the darkened hours wishing he would reappear. Her head drooped, chin practically touching her chest, and she gave in to the sleep her body so desperately craved.

Dreams of moments past swam through her subconscious mind as she reclined against the arm of the sofa.

"I think Hermione Malfoy has a nice ring to it," Ginny mused as she fed Liam. He was cradled in his mother's best friend's arms, contentedly pulling gulps from the bottle between his rounded pink lips.

Part of her wanted to smile as she lovingly eyed her son, but another part, the stronger part, rolled her eyes at the redhead. It wasn't the first time Ginny made that pronouncement, nor would it be her last.

"You can't even be sure he'd want to marry me," Hermione muttered.

A mischievous smile crossed Ginny's face. She knew something, something she was dying to share with her friend. "Our boys talked, you know."

Her curiosity was piqued. But not by the words exchanged between Harry and Draco. "And no hexes were thrown?" she asked incredulously.

Ginny shook her head proudly. "Not a one," she replied, shifting Liam to her shoulder. "Anyhow, if you hadn't guessed, the conversation was about you. Has Malfoy tried to propose to you at all?"

Sighing, Hermione sat down in the armchair adjacent to the couch. "Once, about a month after I told him I was pregnant," Hermione told her friend. "But he hasn't asked since."

"You sound disappointed," the redhead commented, rising to hand son back to mother.

"I don't want him to marry me because he thinks he needs to. I want him to marry me because he loves me," Hermione stated, holding Liam close as they stepped into the floo to go home. Liam wailed as they stepped out of the green flames. "Shh, Li-Li, it's fine. We're home now. No more floo."

Draco sat on the couch waiting for them, and rose to take Liam from her arms. He bounced his son carefully as his cries subsided. "Apparently, I hated the floo too when I was younger," he said more to his son than to Hermione. "Cried until I was four whenever my mum dragged me into it." He looked at her then, and was taken aback by the surprise in her brown eyes.

"I never would have thought," was her only reply, mystified by his confession.

He closed the small gap between them and cupped her cheek with his free hand. "I do feel things, you know."

Hermione stirred, moving her hand up to rest against her cheek. She could still feel his touch, even though it had been a dream. Her eyes opened upon Draco kneeling by the side of the couch, his hand resting beneath hers on the side of her face.

"I didn't think you'd be home," he said softly. She tried to sit up, but he told her to stay. "Did you sleep at all last night?"

Hermione shook her head against their hands, feeling the irritating tears slip past her eyes once more. "I couldn't," she murmured. "I, um, I kept thinking I was hearing things. All night long. The door opening, the floo activating. I thought about calling you, just asking you to come over like you used to do before. God, I felt like the Katie Morosky to your Hubbell Gardner, just needing a friend. Wanting someone there to help me fall asleep. But I couldn't pluck up the courage to do it."

Draco chuckled softly. "You've got to stop watching those old movies before going to bed," he chided. She laughed quietly and agreed. Many times, he'd found her asleep on the couch while The Way We Were played on the screen. He would sit and watch until its conclusion before shutting off the television and carrying her to the bedroom. "You're a lot like her though. Stubborn, righteous, unflagging in your convictions."

"People are their principles," she quoted, her voice just above a whisper.

His hand slid away from her face as he sunk back to sit on his heels. Hermione finally sat up, wrapping her arms around her stomach. "What am I doing wrong?" he wondered, glancing down at the carpeted floor. "Or is it you? Have you just gotten so used to turning down Weasley's proposals that when a sincere one comes along it's instinct to say no?"

Her arms unwound from her torso and she reached down to take his hands. "We've done everything so...out of order. You know how I hate that," she replied with a small laugh. She let it go and set a sobering expression on her face. "We didn't love each other when you first proposed, and it was only obligation that made you do it. But now I'm afraid, Draco, that I'm going to lose you. Like I lost Ron."

Draco shifted up onto his knees and pressed his lips to hers. "I'm not Ron," he murmured against her soft flesh. He continued his mantra as he deepened the kiss, their tongues swirling together as he laid her back and covered her body with his own. His hand slipped under her sweater to rest on her stomach as he pulled away to look deeply into her eyes. "I'm not going anywhere. Liam isn't what holds us together. I know you never saw yourself being with me, but you didn't have to be. You could have walked away, never told me about the baby, made up some story for Weasley about a blonde haired great aunt."

Stretching her neck, she kissed him gently. "I couldn't do that," she whispered against his lips. "Why did you come back?" she asked, hopeful that his answer had something to do with her.

"Clean clothes," he replied, embarrassed by his admission. The bag he had packed the night before contained only a tooth brush, pair of pajama pants, and a shirt that belonged to her.

Her hands slipped away from their hold around his neck. "Oh," she said with a frown. She struggled to pull herself into a seated position as he was still draped over her. "So you're leaving again?"

With a sigh, Draco moved off of her and stood. "I don't want to," he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. He wanted to stay with her forever, and they both knew it.

Scrambling to her feet, Hermione rose and rested her hands on his waist. "Then don't," she replied, sliding her hands up his sides to his shoulders before she reached his neck. She pulled his head down for a searing kiss that left them breathless when they parted. Her eyes opened to meet his sparkling, stormy gray eyes. "Stay. Marry me," she whispered before letting their lips connect once more.