A/N — Hi everyone! I'm supposed to be finishing up another chapter of my work in progress and instead I'm here writing the second half of this story because your reviews were so wonderful that I couldn't focus until I wrote this down. I hope you enjoy reading part 2, I'd love to read your thoughts.
I swear I could make this an entire multi-chapter story, but I have several stories backlogged already and a work in progress halfway complete so hopefully you don't mind that it's only going to be two chapters total thanks for reading!
Hermione's feet faltered when she spotted the sign ahead, Mathilda's Tea Room & Bookshop, she chewed on her lip anxiously. She was on her way to her first date with Draco Malfoy, and she could not remember the last time she was so nervous for a date. Hermione smoothed her dress down. She picked a simple baby blue sundress and wedges for their date, hoping she would not be underdressed.
It was nonsensical, she chided herself, they slept together not 24 hours ago but this she was nervous for? Yes. This made her feel vulnerable, exposed even, in a way that even lying naked in his bed had not. She did not know where this was going and that scared her.
She peered through the dingy glass, spotting a head of platinum blond hair at a table towards the back of the tearoom. Taking a deep breath, Hermione pushed open the door and navigated to Draco's table. The room was small, only holding 6 tables; the room was empty except for Draco and one worker who was preparing food behind the counter.
He was wearing a white fitted button-up shirt that showed off the definition in his arms, and a pair of navy-blue trousers. Draco was tracing the grain of the round table with his fingertip when he must have spotted her in his peripheral; he looked up at her and smiled—her heart jumped in her chest.
Draco stood up abruptly, bumping into the table, the tea set rattled from the movement. He placed his hands on the tabletop, settling it and grimacing in embarrassment.
"I wasn't sure you'd come," he admitted, walking around the table to greet her, running his hands nervously through his hair.
"I…brought you some flowers, but I wasn't sure what kind you like so I bought a bit of everything," Draco picked up a bouquet, eyeing it sheepishly.
It was obscenely large, filled with roses, lilies, orchids, peonies, tulips, and many other breeds of flower—some Hermione did not even recognize.
She bit back a smile, "Sunflowers," she offered, "my favorite flowers are sunflowers."
His eyes widened slightly with the new information and he nodded seriously, pulling out a single sunflower from the bouquet and handing it to her, "For my lovely date."
Hermione accepted the sunflower graciously, twirling the stem in her hands and carefully sniffing the flower.
Draco stepped behind her, pulling out her chair to their small round table, she smiled nervously as she sat down. This was a completely different Draco than she had seen yesterday; yesterday he had been cool and suave, overwhelming her senses, today he seemed flustered and almost shy. She decided she quite liked both Dracos.
"Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadows. It's what the sunflowers do." Hermione quoted, still holding her flower.
"Who said that?" Draco asked curiously, eyeing the sunflower, or her hands, she could not tell.
"A muggle named Helen Keller," Hermione said matter-of-factly, "when she was a child, she contracted an illness that left her deaf and blind. She's rather famous in the muggle world, she was an author and activist."
Draco raised his eyebrows, looking impressed; he shook his head affectionately, "Still swotty as ever, aren't you Granger?"
She frowned, creasing her forehead as she looked at him in offense.
"I'm apparently really into swotty, if you weren't aware," he smirked as her cheeks flushed pink, "have any books on Ms. Keller that I can read?"
Hermione sat up straighter, "I do, actually, they are my mum's, but I can lend you a few if you want."
"I would like that, if she can part with them for a few days." Draco casually stirred a spoonful of honey into his tea.
She bit her lip, noticing Draco's eyes drift down to her lips; her heart pounded, recalling his words from the day before 'every week at work, sucking your quills, biting that lip, and now, watching my cock disappear between your lips.' Hermione licked her lips subconsciously, watching his eyes linger for a moment before trailing back up to her eyes.
Did his cheeks tinge pink or was she imagining it?
"Welcome!" An excited voice chattered, breaking Hermione from her thoughts, "I'm Mathilda, the owner, we are so excited to have you join us today for tea and lunch!"
Hermione looked around the café again; they were the only patrons at lunch hour?
"It's not often we have a couple rent out the entire tearoom, how romantic!" Mathilda winked at Hermione who looked back at Draco in surprise.
Yes, he was definitely growing pink in the face.
"I have a sample platter here; I'll stop by to refill your tea and there is a stasis charm on it so it will never grow cold. Enjoy!" She bustled away, leaving a three-tier tray of sandwiches, cakes, pastries, scones, and jam on their table.
Hermione fought back a smile, "Did you honestly rent out the entire shop for our date today?"
Draco glared over at Mathilda who was humming merrily in the corner as she worked.
"I just thought…I don't know, you might not want to be seen out with me," he avoided her stare, "I know it's been years but there are people who will always think of me as a death eater. I…I didn't want you to have to deal with that today. I mean, if I screw this up—which I still might—I'd rather it not start out with the headline, Death Eater Seduces Golden Girl War Hero."
"Don't call yourself that." She frowned, "That's not fair," she argued, "you were acquitted; not to mention, a child during the war. All of us were."
"Yeah but there are those who will never agree with you. They don't realize that some of us never had a choice," he chuckled humorlessly, "I had my side in the war before I was ever born."
Hermione reached across the table, taking his hand in hers.
"You were doing the same as the rest of us, trying to survive. You shouldn't talk down about yourself, it's untrue. You think I haven't noticed you at work over the years? You've done more than your share of reparations. I've heard about your anonymous charities, the donations to the orphanage, I've seen you help people the very people who scorned you, I've seen you villainized in the press and you take it without retribution. Make no mistake of it, you are a good man, Draco." Hermione's hand squeezed his tighter with her words, his eyes watched hers carefully.
"Granger…" he started quietly, gently rubbing his thumb across her knuckles.
"No more of this," she stated firmly, "I am not ashamed to be on a date with you, I hope you know that. There will be no more of this nonsense. If anyone has something to say, I'll be right there to tell them exactly how they're wrong—you know how much I enjoy doing that."
He smiled the ghost of a smile before nodding in concession.
"Tell me about Malfoy Industries, about your business with the Ministry," Hermione prompted, selecting a cucumber sandwich and biting into it.
"Well, after father was sentenced to life in Azkaban, I had to take over the family business. I was 17 and scared shiteless, I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. Luckily, I had full control over the company and replaced all of father's board members with people I trusted on the first day. It's been a challenge, I've made mistakes, and I've learned a great deal along the way; overall, I'm proud of how its grown and that I have a platform to make a difference," Draco confided.
"Securing the Ministry contract was our big break back into Wizarding society. I believe it has to do with Potter's testimony at my family's trial that kept us in good enough graces with the Ministry to accept our work." Draco admitted, shrugging slightly.
Hermione nodded along slowly, absorbing the information.
"What about you? I'd have thought you'd be Minister for Magic by now," Draco looked up at her, tearing a piece off his scone.
She laughed dryly, "Minister for Magic? You realize I'm just a paper-pusher in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, right? I started in the department because I wanted to make a difference, but I quickly found out the current laws make that next to impossible. Though I do aspire to become a deputy head in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, I've found that's where all the real changes are pushed from."
"You'll do great things, Granger, I've never once doubted that. You shouldn't limit yourself, I overheard O'Neal saying just the other day that a position was opening in the DMLE. You should put your name into the running." He encouraged vehemently.
Hermione paused as she considered it, "I think I just might," she agreed with a nod.
Draco looked pleased, selecting a strawberry cake from the top tier of the stand.
"So, Granger, what do you think your mates would say if they knew you were on a date with me?" Draco asked, popping the cake into his mouth.
She tilted her head, considering the question, "Honestly, I'm not sure. I'd like to think they would trust my judgement. I think Ginny would be thrilled; I can't tell you the frequency in which she talked about your arse in quidditch pants during school, but you would be appalled."
Draco inhaled part of his tea, coughing and patting his chest, "You're kidding!"
Hermione gave him a look, "She was not the only one."
His eyes widened in intrigue, "Go on," he encouraged.
She laughed at the look on his face, "I'll spill my secrets another day, Draco. What about your friends? Think they'd approve?"
"Well, funny you should mention it. I had a nice long chat with Blaise last night after you left my flat." Draco started, pouring more tea into his cup.
"Blaise Zabini?" Hermione asked, "What's he been up to since Hogwarts?"
"Apparently, setting up his best mate with his dream girl." Draco paused as realization dawned on Hermione's face, "Not just by Blaise, it was Parvati as well."
She gasped, "No, what? So, it wasn't some freak accident that I was portkeyed into your flat?"
Draco raised his eyebrows at her, "Apparently you're famous for meddling, she set the portkey up in her office specifically for you."
Hermione raised a hand to her chest in offense, "Me? Meddle?" she paused for a moment, chewing on the inside of her lip, "Okay maybe, but you're telling me that they set the whole thing up? Why? To what end?"
"Blaise decided to play matchmaker and thought the element of surprise would throw us off, his quote not mine, 'our usual self-destructive dating habits' and actually spend time together."
"I mean, it did kind of work. We've worked in the same office building for what, three years now? Seen each other at least once a week during that time in passing. We've apparently both fancied each other for nearly a decade, and it took yesterday to get us to really talk." Hermione reasoned, "Perhaps it wasn't the worst idea?"
"Please do me a favour and don't tell Blaise that, he will never let us live it down. He was so smug last night." Draco rubbed his forehead as if he had a headache.
She took a long sip of her tea before making a face. Hermione leaned in closer to Draco, whispering, "You weren't kidding about the tea."
"I promised you mediocre tea and I've delivered on that promise; you'll find that I'm a man of my word," he quipped.
Hermione laughed behind her hand, glancing over her shoulder at Mathilda as she stepped into the back room.
"So, Draco," she started, "since fourth year?" She raised an eyebrow and smirked.
He pursed his lips and waited a beat before nodding in confirmation, "Since fourth year."
"And you, Granger," he smirked this time, "since fifth year?"
She tapped a finger to her cheek in faux contemplation, "I believe so, though it's difficult to place, it's been so long. Plus, it's not as though I ever entertained the idea of actually being with you. You were more of a fantasy."
He raised his eyebrows suggestively, "Do tell me more about this fantasy, Granger."
She swatted at him playfully, "let's see if you get a second date first," she teased, "but I honestly thought you couldn't stand me back then, I'm astonished to hear that you actually fancied me."
Draco looked embarrassed, "I'm sorry about that, I really truly am. I was terrified out of my wits and it felt like I didn't have a choice in anything; I spent so many years acting out. Fancying you would've probably had me disowned at 15, not that that's an excuse. I was a complete prat, I thought if I only showed you the worst of me that you would hate me and not even be an option, and I could…" his voice trailed off.
"Thank you for giving me a chance, Granger." He pulled her hand up to his lips, kissing it softly, "I hope you'll give me more chances after today."
Hermione's heart fluttered as she met his eyes, "I hope you'll do the same for me. Now, we haven't touched the food in a while and I feel the call of the bookstore, shall we?"
He smiled widely, standing up and pulling out her chair, "After you," he placed a hand on the small of her back as they walked through the back door into the bookstore. She smiled to herself as she leaned into his hand, feeling giddy at the intimate touch. Remarkable how much can change in a couple days, she mused, looking up at Draco; she could not believe how effortless it felt to be with him.
"Honestly Hermione, I can't emphasize enough how preposterous this question sounds coming from a Malfoy, but isn't this a bit excessive?" Draco asked, balancing a stack of books in his arms as tall as his head.
"I do recall you said I could buy all the books I want, mister man-of-his-word," Hermione stated matter-of-factly, "it just so happens that I want all the books."
"But can't we at least cast a feather-light charm so we don't have to lug them around until we get back to your flat?" He groaned, his arms already aching under the weight of the books.
"No pain, no gain, Malfoy," she quipped, shifting her own stack of books from one arm to the other.
A laugh escaped his throat, "Who are you?" He asked shaking his head fondly at her mantra.
"I thought we established this yesterday, Malfoy, don't tell me you've already forgotten." Hermione stared at him seriously, "I am Hermione Granger."
Draco's face flushed a dark red, "Please never bring that up again; in fact, I think I'll go die now. Yes, that seems to be the only reasonable reaction to this situation."
"Nonsense, if you're dead then you'll miss out on our goodnight kiss." She smiled slyly, "and I have a feeling it's going to be a good one."
3 weeks later
"Granger," Draco said, his voice grew panicked, "I know I told you I would give you anything you want but I was expecting a library, a rare artifact, maybe a holiday abroad, I didn't realize you would want this."
Hermione rolled her eyes, "Draco, I already told them to be nice, it's not that bad—"
He cut her off, "Not that bad?! I'm going into the lion's den here, literally."
"Awe, is someone afraid of a couple Gryffindors?" She teased, slipping her arm around his waist and tucking her head against his shoulder.
"It's not just a couple—" he started before the door in front of them swung wide open.
"HERMIONE!" The room exploded, no fewer than a half dozen gingers called out to her in unison.
"Gryffindors…" Draco finished lamely, staring at the crowded room in abject horror.
"My love, welcome to the Burrow," Hermione grinned, taking his arm and dragging him through the open doorway.
"Hermione!" Harry pulled her away from Draco and into a hug, Draco stood awkwardly to the side while an extremely pregnant Ginny took Hermione's attention, rattling on about the baby kicking her ribs.
Draco turned to the wizard next to him, "Hello…Harry," he grimaced as if the name left a bad taste in his mouth.
Harry blinked at Draco, "Don't…don't do that."
"Oh, thank Merlin," Draco sighed in relief, "I'm in over my head here, Potter."
Harry snorted, "I'll say, I still can't believe you convinced her to date you."
Draco turned to Harry seriously, "I can't believe it either, every day I keep expecting her to snap out of it and leave me."
Harry's eyebrows disappeared behind his bangs, "Wow, I was not expecting that. You've got it bad, mate. I feel for you, it's your first day and she brought you here with all the Weasleys. No one should have to be introduced to all the Weasleys at once, especially when you're dating Hermione. I had enough of a hard time with Ginny and they loved me already."
"Thank you! That's exactly what I told her, and she said I was being dramatic. I am not dramatic." Draco huffed, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
"I mean, we all saw you with Buckbeak in third year…" Harry trailed off, smirking at Draco.
"With everything I know about you, you really want to start this right now?" Draco questioned, his eyes narrowing at Harry.
Harry thought for a moment, "Absolutely not, want a butterbeer?"
Draco lowered his voice, "Have anything stronger?"
Harry glanced over at Ginny and Hermione, then back to Draco, "I have firewhiskey in my bag, I'll get a glass for you—just don't tell the wife. Her bat boogey hex was excellent before she had the pregnancy hormones, I'm pretty sure it's lethal now."
"You're not too bad, Potter." Draco eyed the sofa full of Weasleys nervously.
"The jury's still out on you, Malfoy," Harry quipped, directing him into the kitchen, "but every bloke deserves a bit of firewhiskey courage when they're being introduced to their girlfriend's second family."
3 months later
"If you're going to be utterly useless as a beater then we might as well go back to playing stichstock! Why even bother with quidditch?!"
"Utterly useless? That's hilarious coming from you, did you know the purpose of a keeper is to stop the other team from scoring? Thought you might've missed that bit from the way you were playing today."
"Oy, get hit on the head with too many bludgers, did you? Let's get back to the game!"
Hermione watched the scene in front of her, completely bewildered. The Weasleys—plus Harry and Draco—were playing quidditch on the field behind the Burrow. At least, they were playing between the sporadic yelling matches.
"They all look furious! You're telling me they're actually enjoying this right now?" Hermione asked Ginny skeptically as Ron threw down his broom in frustration, stomping off the field.
"Oh yeah, they live for this kind of thing. I don't think I've seen them have so much fun playing since Hogwarts." Ginny smiled broadly, rubbing her swollen belly.
"Honestly at this rate I'll be amazed if they don't kill each other by the end of this game," Hermione shook her head slowly.
"Just give them a minute, it's almost out of their systems," Ginny said knowingly, gesturing to Ron as he walked back to the main group.
Moments later, the players were all laughing and clapping each other on the back, picking up their brooms and starting another round.
"Told you!" Ginny stated proudly, "like a timepiece, they're so predictable."
"I will never understand them." Hermione shook her head in amusement, watching her boyfriend blow her a kiss as he flew by the pair.
"This brings me back to Hogwarts days," Ginny reminisced fondly, her gaze lingering just a moment too long at Draco's backside as he flew away from them.
"Ginny Potter!" Hermione chastised with a laugh, "You know, I was skeptical at first, but I've found that I'm quite the quidditch fan under the right circumstances."
"I still can't believe you got Malfoy to come to the last four Weasley Sundays," Ginny marveled, her eyes darting around the field as she watched the game.
Ginny turned to Hermione seriously, "He must really love you."
Hermione smiled, biting her lower lip as Draco dived after the snitch, "I think he really does."
Draco's face bloomed into a giant grin, he held up the snitch triumphantly as his teammates cheered. Hermione's heart swelled watching Charlie, Ron, George, and Bill praise Draco's game-winning catch, clapping him on the back in camaraderie.
"That was obviously just a lucky catch!" Harry called after Draco, ribbing him.
"Lucky? More like lucky I'm so talented," Draco argued back smugly, turning his broom towards Harry.
"Bullshite, see if I let you come back here again," Harry grumbled.
"You wish, Potter! Just want me to stay home to make it an easy win, do you?" Draco goaded Harry.
"Same time next Sunday?" Harry asked, the corner of his mouth perking into a smile.
Draco nodded curtly, "Next Sunday, it is," he tossed Harry the snitch before flying over to Hermione for a victory kiss.
Ginny Potter looked wide-eyed between her husband and Draco Malfoy before whispering to herself, "Holy shite, are they friends now?"
5 years later
Hermione sighed, shuffling through a seemingly endless stack of documents on her Ministry desk. Her office was sparsely decorated, with boxes piled up in the corner. On top of the end table in the corner of the office was a sizeable bouquet of sunflowers, daisies, and chrysanthemums which took up most of the table space.
She chewed on the tip of her quill, reading the same paragraph over again, having difficulty focusing on the material. There was a knock on her open door, she looked up at the sound, seeing Draco Malfoy leaning against her doorframe with his hands in his pockets. His eyes watched her mouth as she took the quill from between her lips and placed it back on her desk.
"Granger," he drawled slowly, "I was in the area and decided to stop by and see if you had the papers for me."
She quirked an eyebrow at him, "The papers? What papers?"
"Yes." He casually glanced over his shoulder as if looking for eavesdroppers, "The papers."
Hermione cleared her throat, raising her voice, "Oh of course, the papers. Yes, I have the papers for you if you'd like to come in."
Draco smirked, closing the door behind him with a click.
"Silencio," he waved his wand, silencing the room with a flourish.
"So, the papers," she tilted her head up at him, her lips curving into a sly smile, "let me find those for you."
Hermione stood up from her desk, turning her back to Draco and bending over slowly as she rummaged through her lower desk drawer.
She heard a sharp inhale behind her, she smirked to herself, perking her arse up towards him.
"I'm having difficulty locating your papers, Malfoy, perhaps they were lost in the reorganization." She wiggled her backside suggestively.
A large hand grasped her hip, the other sliding down the curve of her back and squeezing her arse firmly.
"Mr. Malfoy," she gasped quietly, leaning into his touch, "you forget yourself."
"Ms. Granger," his hand slipped up under her skirt, his fingertips drifted up the back of her thigh with a feathery touch, "I can't believe you lost my paperwork. How unprofessional. Whatever will I do with you now?"
She tilted her hips towards his touch, his finger drawing circles on her inner thigh, inching closer to her center. He pulled away, bunching her skirt up around her waist as she bent over her desk.
Draco caressed the supple skin of her arse, admiring it; he reached around her, rubbing her bundle of nerves through the thin fabric of her knickers. She ground against his hand, impatient for more friction. He pulled her knickers down to her knees roughly, and she whimpered in response.
"Oh Granger, you are positively soaked," he bent down, gently parting her thighs.
He slipped two fingers into her waiting heat; she inhaled a shuddered breath at the delicious stretch from his fingers. He held still, she groaned in frustration, rocking her hips back against him.
"Please," she urged, thrusting herself against his fingers in a torturously slow rhythm for several moments.
Draco pulled his fingers away, slick from her core, "Hey—" she started to protest before his fingers were replaced with his tongue and she breathed out a moan. His hands gripped her cheeks as he licked and sucked her swollen bud, her legs shaking from pleasure as she rested her body weight on the desk.
His tongue swirled over her core, spelling M-I-N-E repeatedly as her thighs quivered around him. Hermione's hands grasped desperately at the desk for anything to stabilize herself, knocking off several books in the process.
She heard the sound of a zipper being undone and she bit her lip, bracing herself in anticipation.
"I will never get tired of watching you come undone," he murmured, grasping her hips and greedily thrusting up into her in one push.
Hermione moaned at the feeling of him inside her, her breath hitched in delight; her torso pushed up against the desk in time with his thrusts, the wood creaking under their combined weight.
He pulled her up to a standing position, slipping his hands under her blouse and cupping her breasts, tweaking the peaks between his fingers. Hermione arched against his hands, pressing herself against him as he pulled all the way out of her, before pushing back into her to the hilt. The sound of flesh slapping against flesh filled the office, Hermione's breath came out in short pants as she rotated her hips around Draco.
Draco lowered a hand between her thighs to her swollen lips, circling and rubbing her most sensitive area.
"Please, don't stop, I'm so close," she gasped out, throwing her head back as he stroked her, slamming into her with a frantic pace.
She felt the coil of tension in her snap, her walls clamping tight around him as he rode her through the waves. Her knees buckled, he held her up as his breath caught, he groaned and thrust one final time into her.
For a moment they stood there in silence, panting and leaning against each other. Hermione straightened up, pulling her knickers up and her skirt down. Draco tucked himself back into his trousers with a zip. She turned to face Draco who was flushed, his hair uncharacteristically messy. She leaned in to kiss him lazily, his hands tangling in her curls as he softly stroked her tongue with his. He pulled away, leaning his forehead against hers.
"I think I can forgive you about losing my papers, it's just like the Ministry to be so disorganized," he quipped, dropping a quick kiss on her forehead.
"Oh Draco, whatever would your wife say?" Hermione teased him with raised eyebrows.
He walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing her neck gently, "who knows what goes on in that head of hers? One thing is for certain, she always has a great deal of opinions."
Hermione playfully smacked his hand, leaning back into the kisses on her neck with a soft groan.
"Think your assistant knows what we've been doing in here?" He asked with a devilish smirk.
"Oh stop, it's her first day, be nice to her." Hermione chastised, "She—"
The door to her office opened, her new assistant stumbled to a stop at their intimate embrace; her gaze flicked to the books on the floor, to the desk, and back up to the pair, her eyes wide. Draco stepped away from Hermione carefully.
"Oh!" The young woman squealed, throwing the paper she was holding over her eyes, "I am s-s-so sorry Mrs. Malfoy, I didn't realize Mr. Malfoy was in your office."
"Mrs. Granger-Malfoy," Draco corrected with his nose turned up at the stuttering assistant.
"If you want to be technical about it, as of yesterday it's Minister Granger-Malfoy," Hermione smiled slyly, reaching for the papers in her assistant's hands, "but really, Elizabeth, as I've already said, you can call me Hermione."
Elizabeth handed Hermione a stack of papers, nodding and blushing furiously, practically running out of the office.
Hermione turned to Draco, glaring daggers, "You didn't lock the door?"
He smirked, "I'll make sure to lock it next time."
She rolled her eyes, straightening a pile of papers that was skewed about. Hermione picked up a name plate that read Hermione Granger-Malfoy Deputy Director and placed it into a large moving box to the side of her desk.
"I still don't see why you insist on packing up your own office, love," he stated haughtily, "you have people for that now."
"I don't mind doing it the muggle way. Plus, I happen to have quite a few fond memories of this desk from over the years," she winked at him, picking up a book that had been tossed onto the floor during their activities, "remember this one?"
Draco reached for the book, brushing his thumb over the cover, "From our first date," the corner of his mouth perked, "leave it to my wife to hoard every book she's ever read. At this rate we will have to buy an extra home just for your books."
"I thought you were really into swotty," she quipped, taking the book back and packing it away.
"Still am." He helped smooth down her wild hair, "You know I've always had a thing for powerful, intelligent women."
"Speaking of, I have a meeting in ten minutes with the Wizengamot but if you stay, we can do a lunch date," Hermione offered.
"Mathilda's?" He asked, interlacing his fingers with hers, "You know how much I adore mediocre tea."
"Mathilda's." She confirmed with a smile, squeezing his hand softly, "So you'll stay?"
He pretended to think for a moment before raising her knuckles to his mouth for a kiss, repeating his favourite words his wife ever said to him; he nodded slowly, smiling back at her, "I'll stay."