Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews everyone, and I hope everbody is having a wonderful summer.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything but my imagination and whatever else is in this story that doesn't make sense. I was inspired by another romance novel i read and J.K. Rowlings wonderful world. Enjoy!

Chapter 35

"Wrapped so Pretty"

She sat out in the garden, as a house elf's brought her out a cup of tea. Millie, a girl elf, and the youngest of the others. Hermione had always treated her with the special kindness like that of a misfortune child.

Looking around, Hermione felt their land was rather dull in comparison to Narcissa's. With her bounds of lilies and spring roses, blooming year round. There was a time she dreamt of starting her own garden, but now it seem foolish to continue lying to herself, to push herself into believing this was her permanent home. Because it seemed that their honeymoon had passed.

She felt her baby moving as she took the first sip on her evening tea. Someone in the distance shouted her name and she looked up to see Draco marching at full speed across the lawn. If he were not so controlling, she would relay to anyone that he held the personae of an angel in the sunlight.

But judging from the snarl upon his face he was an extremely pissed off angel. "Forget something?" she asked as his figure closed in on her, blocking the sun. He was dressed in his good cloak and it was covered in multicolored specks of mushy melted marshmallows.

"Yeah I forgot something all right, I forgot to ring your bloody neck, Hermione!" She didn't look the slightest bit intimidated. No matter how he threatened, no matter how loud he shouted, she would never even cringe. "You're going to pay for embarrassing me like that!"

"Oh don't go all psycho on me! You've embarrassed yourself loads of times without any interference from me."

He gritted his teeth "But—don't you think that was a little bit childish coming from a future magical scholar?"

"It certainly was. And immensely satisfying." She took another sip of tea "I suppose your lot got a right laugh out of it." She flicked one of his stray blue marshmallows off her lap with her finger, and it landed onto the grass."

"I knew you were pissed off about me being out last night! I knew you were just waiting, waiting to find a way to let it all out! But we could have handle this like adults!"

"I prefer docudrama." she said "Like one of those funny reality shows, maybe toss a little magic in it for conversation sake."

"A reality-what?"

"Never-mind!"

"I can't believe you of all people could be so bloody immature!"

"I could have been a lot more immature-" she crossed her arms and stared back at him with as much intent. "for example I could have not just used a duplicating spell, thank your chipper little arse I didn't use an engorging charm as well! But I believe retribution should be subtle."

"Subtle! You just ruined seven boxes of cereal, I was about to hex a load of innocent little leprechauns for no good reason, now, now I'm the biggest laugh on my team. They'll never let me live it down, and we'll be cleaning out your mess for hours."

"What-a- pity. I suppose living in with a load of Slytherins has finally taken its toll!" she said and turned away from him.

Seriously. He was seriously going to kill her. He regarded her with narrowed eyes, she looked different when she was in fighting mode. That was such a dirty trick, he could swear he was standing toe to toe with another Slytherin.

He wanted to stay rational; try and keep things civil between them."Maybe you'd better explain why you got so bloody upset to do this in the first place."

She ignored his request and picked up her cup of tea. It had gone cold.

"It's not like it should matter to you what I do or if I come home at all, right Granger?"

Tears immediately stung her eyes at the sounding of her old name. She hated when he did that.

"Its not as if you even care anymore. You said it yourself that things were over between us - that you're happy with simply being you, the old Granger." Was it his imagination or did something change in her brown eyes. She was fighting her anger he could tell. Maybe he had atlast gotten through to her. If she would just give some sign that she didn't mean all those things last night, some indication that they could move past all this feuding, some promise that she'd at least try to see things his way, at least for the kid's sake.

She stiffen and held her belly as she push up onto her feet from her chair. She had to leave this place right now. She could see it in his eyes and knew the trap he was laying for her as clearly as the dry dying grass beneath her feet. He wanted her to be the first to apologize, to be the first to admit she was wrong about everything. Always. But she wouldn't do it, not for all the galleons in this lifetime or the next. Love is not controlling, it is compromising. . . .and she's done enough of that. Wasn't she the one here against her will? Wasn't she the one closed away from her friends and family and force to relocate her work? How far would he go, how badly will he treat her for wanting to have this baby once it was here? Or for simply getting pregnant at all. He was just as guilty for all the things he said to her last night, just as wrong. They hurt her just as badly.

Hermione knew this was the clashing of the two worlds. His and hers. In the Muggle world, a loving husband would be as willing to apologize, if he felt it would please her. But in his mind, Hermione's knew that no matter how much he secretly wanted their marriage to continue. It would be beneath him to admit it to himself or to her. He was the pureblood, and therefore would always want the role of being the superior one in their marriage.

Of all the pitfalls that she wanted to skip in this forced arrangement. Growing to love him so much had been one of them. She had hoped that he had changed his heart for the baby sake, and began to see her as equal, truly as a wife, his wife. She felt alive with him; her blood pumped faster when he was near her, her horomones went on beserk whenever he entered the room. Everything would be so much easier if she could simply set down her sword and shield, and accept this life, accept that this need to struggle was only a delusion made up in her mind. Why couldn't she just accept him as a egotistical, overly proud pureblood with pureblood ways.

A large part of her wanted to run into his arms and forgive, to just dismiss the entire business about the car, or his intentions to keep her shadowed away from his father. She only wanted to go back to simply being the wife he loved, the center of his world.

But something shifted in her when she stood up from the chair. Would she forever be suppressed for the sake of their love and their future? So much was running through her mind and so much more weighing on her heart. Maybe it was not be the right decision at the time, and perhaps she would live to regret this very day. But She turned on her heels and did what she should have done months ago.

She withdrew her wand, and dissapparated.