Disclaimer: All characters and things associated with Harry Potter belong to J.K. Rowling and Warner Brothers. This writing is for pure entertainment only.

Summary: Set right after the Second Wizarding War. Harry and Ron have just become Auror's, and Harry has taken Teddy into his home. But when Harry goes missing, who is left to take care of Teddy? Ron, with the help of Hermione, is forced to pick up the broken pieces, bringing the new couple only closer together.

CHAPTER 25

Hermione sighed as she cleaned up Teddy's toys that he had gotten for Christmas a week earlier. She had just gotten Teddy to lay down and she was exhausted, running around chasing him all day long. She and Ron had hardly at time to talk much about the engagement or anything else, since Christmas. Ron had been working long hours and by the time he got back, Hermione was usually asleep or close to it.

That night, however, Ron flooed home a bit earlier, and stepped out of the fireplace, causing Hermione to jump.

"Sorry! Didn't mean to scare you!" Ron laughed a bit at how jumpy he and Hermione could still be after the war.

"Its fine. Just…didn't expect you home." Hermione smiled at him as he moved to kiss her hello. Lately, her worries about the engagement had been less severe.

"I know…got out early tonight." Ron admitted.

"Work been busy?" Hermione asked. She felt like she hadn't talked to Ron in ages, and at any rate, she wanted to know how things were going with Harry, because that would account for the amount of time she had left with Teddy.

"Sort of…mostly been working on Harry." Ron admitted.

"And?" Hermione tried to sound casual.

Ron, however, could hear the other intention in Hermione's voice and stepped forward, taking Hermione's hand in his and playing with her engagement ring. "Hermione, relax…nothing's changed. You, Teddy and me…we are still a little family…"

Hermione glanced up at his words. This is what she had been worried about; that the engagement had only come about because Ron looked at her as a mother to Teddy and himself as a father. With Teddy out of the equation, why would they need to rush to get married? "Family?"

"Well…you know…whatever we are. Happy…together…" Ron smiled, kissing Hermione softly, too tired to notice how rigid she was against his chest, or how, in that moment, she hardly returned his kiss at all.

"Right…happy…" Hermione nodded into Ron's lips.

Ron glanced down at Hermione, slightly confused. "We are…happy…aren't we?"

Hermione, not wanting to worry Ron with her own worries until she was certain it was the right time and place to talk to him smiled quickly. "Yes…"

"Good." Ron kissed Hermione on the forehead again. "I'm gonna go shower."

"Meet you up there…" Hermione forced another smile and watched as Ron climbed the stairs. She then decided that she would have to voice her concerns about everything soon. Ron had referred to them as a "family" and she was worried that was why he wanted to marry her, and once Teddy was gone, the idea would no longer be something he fancied. She needed to know the truth before she went any further with it.

Ron woke up the next morning alone and frowned as he sat up. He hated when Hermione woke up ahead of them because it cut into any alone time they would have for the day together. He sighed and threw a t-shirt and pants on before heading into the kitchen, the smell of bacon and eggs hitting his senses full force.

"Yum…smells delicious." Ron announced as he moved into the kitchen where he found Teddy in a walker, pushing around the kitchen, and Hermione over the stove, busy with breakfast.

Hermione just nodded at him, scooping some eggs onto a plate for him.

Ron took the plate and moved past Teddy, patting the baby, whose hair was blue this morning, on the head before taking a seat at the table and beginning his breakfast.

"Got plans for today? I'm off from work." Ron said, a mouth full of eggs.

Hermione merely shrugged, putting her own eggs and a strip of bacon on her plate and nibbling at it near the sink. "Not particularly."

Ron's brow furrowed as he tried to think of a reason why Hermione was being so strange that morning; so off. He couldn't remember anything he had specifically done to warrant such an attitude. "Hermione, you alright?"

"Fine." Hermione admitted with a sigh.

"You're lying." Ron said; he knew Hermione better then that.

Hermione took a deep breath and then glanced up at Ron. She thought it was best to be honest with him. "Ron…I've just been thinking…"

Ron swallowed hard and took his own deep breath, his eyes darting to Hermione's engagement ring. "Are you…having second thoughts?"

Hermione glanced down at her ring and realized she had been playing with it. "I…well…I need to know something…"

"What?" Ron pushed his food away from him and sat rigid.

"Did you…why did you ask me to marry you? Did you do it because it seemed like the next logical step because we are here playing house?" Hermione got out in one quick breath and motioned to Teddy fro emphasis

Ron's brow furrowed at Hermione's question, as if it were the dumbest question he had ever heard in his life. "Playing house? Hermione…I asked you because I bloody love you and want to be with you…"

Hermione's mouth gapped open as Ron abruptly pushed himself up from the table, a mixed expression of disgust, anger, and hurt in his expression.

Instantly, Hermione was on her feet, realizing she had made a mistake. How could she have said it like that? Even if she had been worried about it, she realized she had been wrong. Ron obviously loved her and she had hurt him. "Ron…I—"

"Just…just not now, okay, Hermione." Ron motioned for her not to bother to talk as he grabbed his jacket, moving past Teddy who grabbed for him, though Ron hardly noticed.

"Ron? Ron, where are you going?" Hermione followed Ron out of the kitchen and into the hall.

Ron whipped around at Hermione's words. He had heard them before, in the same desperate tone nearly a year early, and they still cut him like a knife, though this time it was different. This time he wasn't running away from a horcrux, this time he was leaving because she had hurt him; this time he was leaving until he could clear his head to not say something he might regret.

"Does it really matter to you?" Ron asked, anger in his voice as he stormed out of Grimmauld Place.

Hermione stood there for a long moment, frozen, staring at the now closed door. The slam of it had cause Teddy to start crying but Hermione could hardly move to comfort him, in fact, she could hardly move at all. She felt cold, numb. She had obviously made a mistake.