Hermione was working her last shift before they were scheduled to leave on their vacation. Having decided to go prior to the holiday season, she had been working almost every day for the past two weeks. George had been more than accommodating for their plans and Draco and the rest of the healers had been fine with her leaving for a week. She had already packed and it was only a matter of getting home before she and Fred would get to their reserved port key. Fred had balked at her earlier suggestion of flying, apparently perfectly fine with broomsticks but not okay with hurtling through the sky in a big metal box.

She had just come out of a patient's room when she bumped into someone. She dropped the file that was in her hand and cursed herself as papers scattered around her feet. "Damn." She muttered as she bent down to gather them.

Another pair of hands were helping her and Hermione looked up in surprise as she found the hands belonged to Cho Chang. They stood up together.

"I'm so sorry, Hermione. I didn't even see you." Cho said as she handed the papers back to her.

Hermione waved her off and smiled at the other woman as she sorted the papers back into the file. "No, it's alright. I wasn't paying attention." She remembered with a cringe at the last time they had seen each other. "How are you?"

"Looking for you actually," Cho said with a smile. "I just wanted to come and talk to you, about Ron." She said after a couple seconds.

Hermione furrowed her brows, wondering what the other witch would want to know. She led Cho to an empty clusters of desks down the hall. They sat down and Hermione turned in her chair to face her.

"Is everything alright?" She asked.

Cho looked down at her hands. "Do you still love Ron?" She asked quietly.

Hermione almost thought she didn't hear her correctly and her eyes widened at the question. "What? No, of course not." She shook her head. "I mean I do, he's one of my best friends. But I'm not in love with him." Her mind raced wondering what Cho was thinking.

"And you are with Fred." The other girl asked, meeting Hermione's eyes.

She was starting to feel even more confused, "Yes. Cho what is going on? Is everything okay?"

Cho sighed and nodded. "Yes. I think so at least." She glanced up at Hermione. "I just wanted to make sure that I wasn't getting in between anything with you and Ron. You two were always so close in school and I don't want to cause any trouble."

Hermione almost laughed. "No Cho, you are not in the way of anything. Ron and I haven't been together in a while. And I think we both realized that we are just meant to be friends."

She reached out and squeezed one of Cho's hands. "If Ron is being difficulty about this.."

Cho shook her head quickly, "No, it's not that. He's really been wonderful. We were both surprised at our feelings for each other, honestly." Hermione smiled.

"I really like him, Hermione." She looked up. "And I didn't expect to. He makes me feel special, in a way I've never felt before. I just didn't want to cause any trouble for you two."

"Cho, I think you're the best thing that has happened to Ron in a while. He genuinely seems happy with you. And I'm really happy for you both. If you're worried about our argument, Ron always comes around. I'm sure it was just a shock to learn about Fred and I."

Cho nodded and smiled. "Thank you. He can be quite stubborn can't he?"

"I think that is the understatement of the year." Hermione chuckled. Cho stood up to leave and gave Hermione a quick hug. She watched the other girl go and thought to herself that if Ron screwed this up she would kill him herself.

When her shift ended a few hours later she apparated home to find Fred waiting patiently on the couch. He jumped up excitedly and followed her into the bedroom where she changed from her scrubs to a pair of dark green shorts a grey long sleeve T-shirt. Fred told her that she would get too hot once they were at their destination but Hermione reminded him that they weren't there yet and it was cold and drizzly in London.

They made it to their portkey appointment with only minutes to spare. As they gripped the closed metal ring, Hermione closed her eyes against the unpleasant sensation of crushing darkness. She would rather travel by broom any day over a portkey.

She opened her eyes as the world stopped spinning. The bright sunlight surrounding them hurt her eyes as she tried to look around. Fred was right about her shirt, she was already feeling the heat around her.

"This is beautiful." She said softly as she turned and looked around. They were standing at the top of a cliff overlooking crystal blue waters. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and the blue of the ocean and sky melded together in the distance. The low lying trees around them swayed in the warm breeze that ruffled Hermione's hair. She couldn't stop staring and felt all the stress from the past few months release from her body. She looked over and smiled at Fred who was taking in the same view.

She stepped closer to him and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head on his chest. "Why didn't we do this earlier?"

Fred smiled and put his arm around her shoulder. "Someone's a workaholic?"

She laughed and pulled back. "As nice as this is, I'm hot and need to change. Where did our bags end up going?"

He smiled mischievously and turned her around. In her admiration of the view, she hadn't even noticed the light blue building behind them. It was like a fairy tale house, nestled back between taller trees, two stories high with large windows and balconies adorning the front. A small walk way leading to the front door which they made their way to.

She looked around for other people, thinking that it was odd not to see anyone else around. When they entered the front door into a large open living room, Hermione looked around before turning confused to Fred. "Where is everyone else?"

He chuckled. "I told you it would be just us. This isn't a hotel. It's one of those muggle places that owners rent out, air beanie."

She laughed, "Air B&B?" He nodded watching her walk around and look at the place. The walls were cream colored and there was large, plush furniture around the room. Hermione opened the large french doors facing the cliffside and the warm breeze swept in. Fred knew the place had a large kitchen, already stocked with food at his request. There were three bedrooms and a large en suite upstairs that he couldn't wait to explore with her. He also knew of another special feature of this place.

"The bags are upstairs. Let's go change." She nodded and went over to him, following him up the stucco stairs to the top floor. Sure enough their bags were waiting for them on the queen sized bed in the largest bedroom facing the front of the house. There was another set of french doors that opened up to a large balcony with wrought iron railings. Fred grabbed her bag as she was reaching for it, opening it himself and rummaging through her clothes.

She watched him both amused and confused, "Um, I don't think that any of those will fit you, not really your style anyways."

He looked up from his search and smirked at her then tossed a few pieces of clothes at her. She laughed as they smacked her in the face. Looking down she raised her eyebrows at what she was holding. Fred ushered her to change as he pulled his own clothing out of his bag.

A few minutes later she was staring at herself in the large mirror above the bathroom sink. Fred had handed her a swimsuit, though not the simple one piece she had packed herself. This was a new one she didn't recognize and she shook her head at his antics. At least he had good taste, Hermione thought as she surveyed herself. It was a clean cut, two piece bikini, though nothing outlandish which she appreciated. The grey green color suited her slightly tanned skin and showed off her toned abdomen and the top came together between her breasts with a simple knot. She smiled thinking of Fred picking out the garment and pulled back on her shorts and a black tank top she had grabbed. She gathered her hair up in a pony tail as she walked back out to the bathroom. Fred was waiting for her having already changed into his bright yellow and grey swim trunks. His chest was bare and Hermione briefly thought about postponing whatever plans Fred had for other recreation activities.

He narrowed his eyes at her, seeing the look on her face. "Mind out of the gutter, Granger. We have a schedule." She laughed and let him lead her back down the stairs to the front of the house. They followed a narrow trail to the cliff's edge, Hermione looking at Fred in apprehension as they got closer to the edge before she saw the staircase they were headed to. When they reached the bottom, her knees ached from the multitude of steps they had just descended.

They were standing on a much shorter cliff overlooking a picturesque white sandy beach. She didn't see a direct way down to the beach and turned to Fred in question. He was no longer standing beside her and instead was making his way over the jagged rocks, periodically pausing to look over the edge. She followed him confused until he came to a stop, apparently finding whatever he was looking for. She came to stand by his side and looked down. Instead of another set of stairs she was met with the crystal blue water of the ocean, gentle waves lapped at the rocks about 30 feet below them. Fred turned to grin at her as she realized what his plan was.

"No." She said backing away from him. "There is absolutely no way in hell."

He reached out and caught her hand, tugging her back to the cliffs edge. "Sorry, love. It's the only way down."

She was peering over the edge with wide eyes. He laughed before turning to the edge himself. His movements caught her eye with surprise and she screeched as she watched him leap forward into the air and fall with a large splash into the water below. Her heart was racing as she watched the water waiting for him to surface. When she saw his red hair break the surface she breathed a sigh of relief and glared at him. He shook the water out of his hair and grinned up at her while he tread water.

"You know I can just apparate over there, right?" She yelled down at him, eyeing the beach.

He continue to grin up at her, spreading his arm wide and he floated backwards. He knew there was no way she was going to pass on a challenge, especially not after he had already done it.

She sighed frustrated before turning to shimmy out of her shorts and tank top. Fred stared up at her as she returned to look over the edge, admiring his purchase on her. She stood there for a few moments before taking a deep breath and pushing herself off of the edge. She yelled on her way down and then suddenly she was surrounding by warm salty water. She allowed her self to sink a bit, reveling in the sensation before pushing upwards towards the air. She surfaced and her eyes stung as she looked over at the redhead grinning widely next to her.

"Nicely done, Granger. Next step, conquering brooms." He laughed as she splash him. They started to make their way slowly through the calm water to the beach. When they were close enough to feel the soft sand under their feet, Fred pulled Hermione to him in the water. She wrapped her arms around his neck as his went to the bare skin of her back. In the water they were finally eye to eye and she leaned forward to kiss him.

Her lips were salty against his and he slid a hand down to her bikini covered bottom and pulled her closer to him. They stayed that way for several minutes before she pulled back, "This is absolutely perfect."

He pressed a quick kiss to her cheek before pulling her towards the shore.

The sand was hot under her feet as she made her way up on the beach. Fred followed her taking in the way her swimsuit clung to her body. She caught him looking at her when she turned and smirked at him.

"See something you like?" She asked, smiling.

He went up to her and placed his hands on her waist. "Well I did pick it out, love. Though I must say that it has fully exceeded my expectations."

They made their way to the towels Fred had magically sent down from the house earlier. Hermione cast the spell for sun protection over both of them, not wanting to think about the burn that the redhead would get. They spent the rest of the day on the beach; occasionally get up to cool off in the water. At one point Hermione drifted off, exhausted from the day.

When she woke the towel next to her was empty. She turned over and sat up, pulling her knees to her as she looked around. The sun had gotten lower and the sky was starting to get a pink tinge to it. She saw who she was looking for out in the water, he was up to his shoulders, looking away from the beach. She stared at him for a few minutes before standing and making her way to the water. When she reached him she pressed herself against his back, standing on her toes in order to stay above the water. He glanced over his shoulder at her, placing his hand on the arm around his chest.

"What are you thinking about?" She asked after a few minutes of silence.

"Everything." He said, still looking out at the horizon. "Just how absolutely crazy our lives have been. With school and Voldemort, almost dying. And now there are people trying to kill you.. again."

He turned in the water to face her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "We could just stay here. No one would ever be able to find you and you would be safe." His eyes searched hers, "Hermione, if something were to happen to you I don't know what I would do. I never thought I could care this much about anyone. All I want is to be around you, to keep you safe."

She leaned forward and pressed her lips softly against his, understanding exactly how he felt. "We're going to be fine. We always are."

He nodded and hugged her to him. Seeing how low the sun had gotten he remembered his other plans for the evening. He apparated them from the water to standing at the front door of the house, dripping on the stone walkway. She wrapped her arms around her at the sudden loss of warm water around her.

"I picked out something else for you." Fred said pulling her towards the house. They made their way back up to the bedroom and he gestured towards the bathroom. Narrowing her eyes at him she walked over to look into the room. When she saw what it was she peeked back out around the corner to look at him. He was grinning brightly back at her.

"Are we going somewhere?" She asked.

"You'll see. Now get ready." He turned away from her and began to pull clothes out of his bag.

She went back to stand in the bathroom looking at the dress Fred had hung on the curtain rod. She turned on the shower and quickly rinsed off the salt that had dried on her skin and hair. She dried her curls quickly and pulled on undergarments before slipping the dress over her hips.

Ginny must have helped with this purchase Hermione thought as she pulled up the small zipper in the back. The floaty navy blue dress fell to her mid-thigh and dipped low to expose her cleavage. There was black and silver beading across the top that ended at the tie that cinched her waist. Yes, Ginny definitely picked this one out. She wondered where they were going as she applied a light layer of eye makeup and decided to leave her curls loose around her shoulders. Grapping the strappy sandals from the counter she padded out to the bedroom.

Not finding Fred in the room she continued downstairs. She didn't see him immediately but when she walked past the open doors in the living room she saw him standing out near where they had arrived earlier. She slipped her shoes on before walking out to meet him. He was wearing a pair of light grey pants and a white button up shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows. He heard her approaching and turned around.

Fred silently sent thanks to his sister for her expert fashion choices as he looked over the woman approaching him. She looked absolutely beautiful and the setting sun shone off of her dark hair.

"So where are we going?" She asked when she reached him.

He took her hand and smiled down at her. "You'll see." He turned on the spot, pulling her with him.

When she opened her eyes again they were in a dark alleyway. Fred was still holding her hand as he lead her out to the open street. She stared up in awe at the structure lit with glowing lights above them.

"The Parthenon." Her face hurt from smiling as she took in her surroundings. Fred smiled to himself, knowing how much she would love this.

The spent the next hour or so wandering around, taking in the massive structure as lights lit it up in the dark sky. She was stunning in the glow of the spotlights, her dress fluttering in the soft breeze. Checking the time he went to collect Hermione who had been studying the sculptures that loomed above him. He promised that they were coming back tomorrow before making their way to the restaurant he had booked. The patio they sat on had an excellent view but nothing could compare to the food and wine they were served. Hermione laughed at him as he scarfed down his fish, comparing him to Ron.

As their evening ended and they started to make their way back to the house, Hermione was the one to take his hand and turn on the spot. Expecting to arrive in front of their residence he was surprised to find themselves on the beach from earlier, now lit by the moonlight.

He looked down at Hermione in confusion as he heard the waves splash over the sand. She had stepped away from him and slipped her sandals off of her feet. Keeping her eyes on him she silently untied the string around her waist and slid the zipper of her dress down. He felt like he was in a trance as he watched her slip the dress off of her shoulder, letting it pool around her feet on the sand. She turned away from him and started walking towards the water, unclasping her bra as she went. When she reached the water she slid her panties down her legs before walking into the water. The small waves lapped at her skin the deeper she went.

Fred watched as she walked into the ocean his heart pounding in his chest seeing how her skin glowed in the moonlight. He stepped forward and pulled his shirt over his head to follow her. When he slipped into the water behind her he was fully naked. She laughed as he wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her neck. The water was up to her chest and her wet hair stuck to her back.

Fred bent down to take her mouth with his, slipping his tongue past her lips. She moved her hands up to burry themselves in his hair, pressing herself against him. Under the water she could feel the harness of him against her stomach. She squeaked against his mouth as his hands went to her legs to lift her in the water, bringing them to eye level. She stared into his eyes as she lowered herself onto him. He groaned at the feel of her and leaned forward to kiss her. The waves splashed against them as she moved, using his shoulders as leverage to lift herself. They moved with each other until Hermione fell over the edge and dropped her forehead to rest against his, her breath halting. He kissed her hard and thrust upwards into her, finding his own release.

They gripped each other tightly in the warm water. When they finally did make their way back up to the house, Hermione collapsed onto the bed, not bothering to put clothes back on. Fred had opened the balcony doors before joining her. The cool breeze swept over them as he pulled her back against him and quickly fell asleep.