A/N: My last authors note of this story. I'm disclaiming for the last time everything that J.K. Rowling and Scholastic or Warner Bros owns, and stating here that I only own those characters whom on the next page are listed as so.
It's done and I want to thank all of those that stuck with me through the writer's block, through Draco and Ginny's fights, through the insanity, and those who can't stand Nickleback that still read the song-fic chapters. I'll never forget this story, or the people who told me that this was the best story ever, they're the ones that got me to this point of completion! I love you all! (See list of faithful reviewers at bottom)
Ginny sighed as she sat at the kitchen table. It had been a long six months and raising two kids by herself was beginning to take a toll on her. Cassidy and Hermione often came with their kids, but they too were reaching their limit. Their husbands had been gone for half a year. The Ministry went on lock-down after and attack, and had put them out of work. Waitress work was no good as people were too afraid to go our and no one had the money to shop for more than necessities, so retail wasn't a choice.
Luckily before they left, Draco Harry, and Ron had placed numerous spells and enchantments on the house making it nearly impenetrable from outside invaders. How ever, they had only done this when all their wives had refused to move to Grimmauld. Dumbledore often sent Snape or McGonagall to check o them, as he was busy with the lock-down taking place at Hogwarts. He had decided that the 2010-2011 students were better off staying in the school, and had to call Snape and Lupin back to replace Harry and Draco.
There were no letters or floo calls as they could be intercepted and there was little time to stop and do such things on the men's parts. Ginny longed for word on how Draco was, if he was even alive, but there was no way of knowing.
Lucius who had not taken a side in the war often stopped in to check on Ginny and his grand children as well, yet he didn't talk about the war that was raging outside their front doors.
"Mommy, when's Daddy coming home?" Payton asked as she sat as the table with a coloring book. She was very much like Alyssa now, with her blond hair and blue eyes. It hurt Ginny everyday to see her looking so much like her father. Tonight, she wore lilac Addidas jogging pants and a black tank-top with a white zipper front sweatshirt. Braided pigtails finished off the look.
"I don't know honey, soon I hope." Ginny replied watching Spencer pushing a toy car across the kitchen floor. He had become the opposite of Payton, with the Weasley red hair, and those chocolate puppy dog eyes that you can't say no to. He matched his sister in clothes however, something that Ginny often did. His jogging pants were black with a grey long sleeve shirt, giving him a more manly appeal.
"Does he miss us?" Payton asked, putting down her crayon as if this were a serious matter.
"Yes Payton, I'm sure he does. He loves you and Spencer very much. I'm sure he thinks about you all the time."
"I miss him." Payton now had tears in her eyes.
"I miss him too Baby." Ginny told her daughter as she stood to comfort her.
"Dadda?" Spencer asked.
"Yeah, Daddy." Payton confirmed to her brother. Hugging her mother tightly, she let go and knelt down in front of him. "Spencer, wait here, I'll be right back." she said before walking down the hall. Ginny heard her going upstairs, then seconds later run back down again. "Spencer, do you remember Daddy? See that's him in the picture. It's all of us before he leaved." Payton said, showing his the framed family portrait that Draco insisted they get before he embarked.
"GINNY!" Hermione cried the moment she apparated into the house. Carted was on her back, and Paige was held against her chest. Putting both down on the floor to play with their cousins, she continued. "We won!" There were tears in her eyes as she hugged her freiend. Both bounced around the kitchen.
"Here look, there's an owl at the window." Ginny pointed out excitedly. Running across the room to open the window over the sink, she let the Ministry bird in. "Yeah, yeah, yeah." She murmured as she read the letter to herself. Her eyes were moving quickly across the page, when suddenly her face fell.
"What?" Hermione asked, taking the letter as Ginny sat on the floor. Payton rushed to her mother's side.
"What is it Auntie 'Mione?" she asked hugging her mother.
"We are sorry to inform you that your husband, Mr. Draco Malfoy is reported missing and that we believe he is still being held prisoner in a Death Eater camp. Oh my God Ginny, I'm so sorry."
"Go home Hermione. Be there when Harry arrives." Ginny said solemnly.
"I'll tell Harry the minute he gets home, he'll go look for him!" Hermione promised.
"NO HERMIONE! GO HOME! Be there for Harry, let it just be you four tonight. I'll deal with this." Ginny spoke on auto pilot as she scooped up her kids. "I gotta go to Mum and Lucius' now, they'll do something."
Hermione nodded. "Good luck. Want me to take the kids?"
Ginny gave her friend a look. "Go home Hermione."
Her friend did as she was told, but quickly hugged Ginny first.
"Mommy, what's wrong?" Payton asked her, her voce laced with fear.
"We have to go see Grammy and Grammpy." Ginny responded, "Come here, we need to apparate now."
"The stove Mommy!"
"Right," Ginny thanked Merlin she had a smart daughter. The last thing she needed was to come home to a burnt down house. "Come on."
Lucius looked up from his newspaper as Ginny apparated into the state house. "Ginevra! What a pleasant surprise. I wasn't aware that you and the children were stopping by tonight!" He said cheerfully. However the look on his daughter-in-laws face, which was mirrored on Payton's as well told him that something was off. "What has happened?"
Payton released her mother's leg to run to her grandfather's arms.
"I'm so scared Grammpy, the owl's letter said Daddy was lost!"
Lucius looked up from his frightened granddaughter's face to Ginny's. "Is it true?"
Ginny nodded, and handed him the letter. "Read it, it says they've got him in a Death Eater Prison or something! Is there anything you can do?"
Lucius sighed, "I have no idea. However if you are willing to work with me, we can leave the children with 'Cissy and go look for him. There are a few places we could check."
Ginny nodded, "Where is Mum?"
"She's in the kitchen. Just bring them in there, I'll get my cloak, and obviously one for you too, and we'll leave."
Ginny nodded, and grabbing Payton's hand, half dragged the little girl into the old-style kitchen. "Mum," she called to get the elder woman's attention.
Narcissa turned around. "Oh hello Dear, I didn't know you were coming, I would have prepared a dinner. How are you?"
"Horrible, so I'm going to leave the kids with you and go out with Lucius. Sorry to be in such a rush, but we really need to get going.
Narcissa stood in her kitchen completely baffled by her son's wife, whom she now after five and a half years of marriage called her daughter, left the room. She looked at her granddaughter as if asking what her mother meant.
"Daddy's lost."
/-/-/-/-/
Draco slammed his head against the wall behind him. This wasn't happening, it couldn't be happening. The war was over, that much he knew. But how the hell to get out of this dungeon he didn't know. He had to be home, he had to see Ginny, needed to hold her, to kiss her. He longed to look at his children and see how much they had grown, put himself back in their lives.
"Malfoy? Did you hear that?" Fred Weasley asked from across the chamber.
Draco sighed. "That was me Weasley."
"No, not you banging your head again, that, like voices."
Draco suddenly sat up.
/-/-/-/-/
"Do you think he's in there?" Ginny asked as they walked the perimeter of the old stone house.
Lucius nodded, "Stand back Ginevra, I'm going to blast off the door."
With a crack, the door fell off it's hinges, revealing a dark room.
"What the hell?" A voice came from with in.
"DRACO?" Ginny cried, seeing her husband stagger out of the shack.
"Ginny!" Draco breathed as he moved towards her. He was limping, and had lost a lot of weight. Hugging her with all his might, which wasn't a lot, do to the fact his muscles had been deprived of nourishment for the past five weeks, he sighed.
"I've missed you so much Draco. I was so scared when they said you were missing." Ginny said, she wanted to hug him so much tighter, and never let him go again, but he looked so fragile, it frightened her.
"I'm here now, so's your brother Fred, he's in there too, but I don't think he can walk." Draco explained, leaning on Ginny as his legs suddenly wouldn't support his weight.
"Ginevra, apparate him to St. Mungo's, I'll meet you there with your brother. Quickly now." Lucius instructed.
Ginny nodded, and disapparated. "HELP!" She cried as she landed in the lobby of the hospital. "My husband is hurt from the war!"
A whole flock of nurses looked up from the nurses station, and hurried towards them.
"We'll take him from here, you need to fill out some paper work." A nurse said, pulling Draco off her as another shoved a clipboard in her empty hands.
"NO! I have to go with him! Please, let me go with him!" Ginny cried, lunging after him.
"It's alright Gin, it's been this long, a little bit more won't hurt." Draco said softly as they lay him on a gurney.
Tears welled up in Ginny's eyes as Lucius apparated in beside her. "Here, take him too!" he called. Ginny was left standing there, all alone again, tears sliding down her cheeks. "Ginevra, it will be okay." Lucius said, turning her so she looked at him. "He's going to be fine!"
"You promise?" Ginny asked shakily.
"Yeah." Lucius replied, hugging for the first time his daughter-in-law.
/-/-/-/-/
"When's Daddy coming home?" Payton asked as Ginny bathed her and Spencer a week later.
"Tonight Baby, remember." Ginny answered her absently as she rubbed the shampoo through her hair.
"How come we can't go see Daddy in the hospital?" She asked, wiping her eyes.
"Because Payton, he's sick and until he gets better you and Spencey can't go see him."
"But you get to!" Payton complained.
"Payton, I know that you miss Daddy, but right now you just need to wait. I'm going to bring you to Grammy and Grammpy's and then I'm going to go get him okay?"
Payton nodded. "I just want to see him so bad!" she said as tears welled in her eyes.
"It's not much longer sweet heart."
Once she had finished bathing and dressing the kids, a jean skirt and baby blue sweater for Payton, and beige cargo pants and a green sweater for Spencer, and dressed herself in jeans and a drapey blouse, Ginny took them to Lucius and Narcissa.
"I'll be back in about an hour." She informed them before leaving again.
Today Draco was sitting in a chair to the side of his bed. He looked like his normal self again, and the nurses said he was even able to dress himself. He'd put on jeans and a button down shirt with a wife beater tank-top underneath. "Hey!" He greeted her as she walked into the room.
"Hey Baby." Ginny replied kissing him on the forehead. "The kids are anxious to see you."
Draco nodded and stood up, "I'm ready."
Ginny raised her eye brows. "You look so much better." She said in disbelief.
Draco nodded. "The nurses say I have gained like fifteen pounds, and with walking everyday around and around these corridors, I have been able to build up my muscles again. Back to my normal self."
Ginny smiled. "Good, because even though I have warned Payton not to, we both know that she will be climbing all over you!"
Draco too smiled, "I think I can deal with that." he replied grinning, and both apparated to the Malfoy state house.
"DADDY!" Payton screeched as she threw herself into her daddy's arms. "I missed you!"
Draco hugged her tightly. "I missed you too honey."
"Dadda?" Spencer asked.
Draco turned around, tears in his eyes. "Hey buddy!" he said, swinging Payton onto his hip and picking up Spencer on his other side.
"Why don't you sit Draco, they are both very heavy, especially with you just getting out of the hospital.
Looking at his mother, Draco rolled his eyes. "Please Mum, I'm FINE! I just want to be able to hold my kids alright!"
Lucius smiled. "It's good to see you son!" He said, clapping him on the back. "You looked a wreck in up there the first couple of days. Did some pretty major healing."
"The thought of coming home to my wife and kids did help, gave me hope you know?" Draco asked, setting Spencer down on the floor again, however Payton clung fast to his neck. "Do you mind if I just head home? It's been a long six months and to be in my house again is just what I need."
Narcissa nodded. "Of course, go ahead. We'll be expecting you on Sunday for dinner though right?" she asked, walking to Lucius' side. "Have a good week now."
Draco nodded, and kissing his mother disapparated with Payton in tow.
"I'll be in touch Mum. Thanks again Dad." Ginny said smiling at the old man.
Lucius nodded. "Your welcome Ginevra. You deserve it, after all you've done for him."
Nodding Ginny, kissed his check, then saying farewell to Narcissa disapparated soon after her husband.
"Everything is going to be okay." Draco said when she arrived.
Ginny smiled. "Yeah, everything is going to be just fine now."
A/N: That's it. Attached is my character list, so check that out... Um yeah Draco came home, and he's okay! Life goes on, and even though the beginning of the marriage was a wreck, it's okay now. Ginny and Lucius even get along. There is always a happy ending. I'm kinda sad that it's done, but there is nothing left to say. The sequel will be a follow-up, but Draco and Ginny will not be the main characters. It's depressing that we are done. But even though the story ended doesn't mean that it's over. Ginny and Draco will forever be together, and sure they'll have rough times, but they'll make it work like they always do! Love and cookies to my last reviewers!
/Bratiebrunette27/ -Cobey-
My reviewers:
Queen of Night, Alexandria J. Malfoy, Emma, Eve Granger, Fan fic fanatic, Golden Potter Fan, Mischievous Marauder, Bethy Girl 94, Hippy Pottermous, dark roses 2992, angel babie 13190, Life in Heaven, Harry Ginny Fan 23, crazy sugar high pixie, Draco's girl 1814, Diza of the moon, Bel Dumbledore, piper-h-99, not to sirius, anna, corny's idol, seriously funny serious, draco's chick, kez192, Jame's Fire, sid loves nancy 1979, tollivandi silverwing, little bitchy witchy, Pheniox feather queen, MorganisM-lve, Molly R. Moony, Aunt Annie, Bein Caran Sereg, Zac Efron Lover 45, louey 31, and of course!...
Duplicate Pen Name Here- AKA my bff Ally! Love you so much, if it wasn't for you this story would never have started! She read through a lot and I bounced all my ideas off of her all the time!