A/N: Hey loves! I took a break from my other one-shot series (A First Time for Everything) because this one shot struck me. I've never really written a fight before, so hopefully this made sense feelings-wise. It's gonna get steamy (like, real steamy), so I split this into two chapters so this is a safer story. Like I said, this chapter is clean, probably T next chapter is M for sure.

Read and review! Enjoy!

She crashed through the front door with so much force that the knob slammed against the wall, chipping off a bit of plaster. She was not in a frame of mind to care about that right now. High heels in hand, she stomped down the hall to her bedroom, slamming the door behind her before the tears came. She wanted nothing more than to get this damn gown off and take a shower - to wash away everything about this night.

Tonight was the ball, hosted by the Ministry each year, to commemorate the end of the war and to raise money for the orphans left behind. Over the years, it had been much less sad for her to attend and more stressful since she was now on the committee that organized the event.

Everything had gone off without a hitch. The flower arrangements were beautiful, the catering was excellent, the band arrived on time...it was all perfect.

But he was there.

She knew he was going to attend, he always did. He arrived in his pristine tuxedo in a flurry of photographers with a tall blonde on his arm - some pureblooded aristocrat, no doubt.

It seemed he was constantly surrounded by the press these days. Ever since the passing of his mother and he had been left as the sole heir of the Malfoy fortune, the press wouldn't leave him alone. Only a year ago, anything you may have found in the paper mentioning him would have been negative - some snide editorial, reminding the world of his dark past and questioning the "real motivation" behind his insistence on having a legitimate career and his abundant charitable giving. But the tables had turned and now he was a media darling.

And tonight, no doubt, they got a great picture of him and his supermodel of a date. Great.

She struggled out of her beautiful red beaded gown that she had been so excited to put on only a few hours before and left it in a heap on the floor. Reaching for her soft blue robe, she attempted to draw a calming breath as she slipped her arms into it and tied the belt snugly around her middle.

But she was angry. And hurt. And angry at herself for being both angry and hurt. The tears began to sting her eyes and she wiped them away angrily. None of this should have been a surprise to her, she knew that he would be there and they weren't going to be there together, so why did it hurt?

Because she wanted to be there with him.

A cupboard door closing in the kitchen snapped her from her thoughts and her anger returned with full force. She had forgotten - he had followed her home. They hadn't really walked together, she was far too furious to carry on any sort of friendly conversation, despite him calling out her name, begging her to stop and listen. He was only a few steps behind her when she apparated to her usual spot around the corner from her building. Walking at the fastest pace her four-inch heels would allow, she finally paused to kick them off as she ran up the stairs. And still he followed her. Of course, he followed her.

Snatching her hair up now into a hasty bun, she stormed out of her bedroom and down the hall again to find him calmly pouring himself a glass of scotch in her kitchen.

"What are you doing here?" She did not attempt to sound remotely cordial.

He only answered her after taking a leisurely sip and setting the glass back down on the counter. "Getting myself a drink. Would you like one?"

His calm only infuriated her more. "Why are you here?" Crossing her arms tightly across her chest, she spit her words out with as much venom as she could muster. "Surely there's somewhere else….."

He cut her off with an even tone that only served to infuriate her more. "I fixed your wall." He motioned toward the front door with the bottle before pouring himself another. "You're welcome."

Her cheeks were hot with rage as she shouted, "How dare you show up here after that...that...spectacle!"

"Oh, do you mean the ball? I thought it was lovely… well done." He had the nerve to wink at her.

"I mean that 'date' you thought it necessary to prance around all night...I wonder what The Prophet will have to say about her…."

He smiled, appearing to enjoy her tirade. "Her name is Angelica...or Erica? It doesn't matter. She is from Sweden. Doesn't speak a bit of English."

Hermione laughed without humor and rolled her eyes wildly. "So why aren't you out for drinks with her!"

"She had plans with her fiance."

She clenched her jaw as she squinted angrily at him (although that little tidbit was a relief), "So this is all a game to you, is it?"

He slammed the glass down on the counter so hard that she jumped."This was not my idea, Hermione!" He finally shouted back at her and she could see the rage in his eyes. "You were the one who all but demanded that we keep this a secret." He motioned between them furiously as his voice rose.

She took a step into the kitchen as she scoffed. "We agreed that keeping our relationship out of the public eye was wise." She shook her head emphatically. "Don't act like I forced you into this!"

"No. You didn't. But it's not like you gave me any choice!" He stepped around the island to face her fully with his hands in his pockets. "You said that the two of us dating would ruin your career."

Her jaw dropped. "That was not what I said! I said that I refuse to be portrayed in the papers as some… some… money-grubbing whore!"

"Ah hah! Except, darling, you're forgetting that I was still the social pariah of the wizarding world when you and I started dating." He pointed an accusing finger at her with a malicious grin. "Just admit that you're ashamed of me!"

"I am not ashamed of you!"

Draco rolled his eyes and ran a hand roughly through his hair. "Oh really?"

"Don't twist this around on me!" How dare he. " We agreed it would be best for both of us to keep this a secret until we knew what this really was." She stood directly in front of him now, looking up at him with tear-filled eyes.

"And what is this exactly? Because right now, it doesn't seem like this is working!" He yelled. They both stood in silence for a moment, panting for breath, neither knowing what to say.

"So...we're done then?" She whispered as she turned to storm off - she couldn't bear the thought of completely falling apart in front of him - but he caught her roughly by the elbow and spun her around to face him.

"That's not what I want!"

"Well then what the hell do you want?!" Her tears began to fall in earnest now and all she wanted was to run away.

"I want to go out for dinner." His tone softened as he stepped closer. "I want to wake up with you in my old t-shirt and fight about what to have for breakfast." He pulled her closer by tugging both sides of her robe as she felt her anger slowly melt away. "I want to have babies with you and go on lazy vacations and listen to you prattle on about some article you're studying."

She sniffed and looked down through her tears at his hands where they held her and only then noticed that her robe had fallen open, leaving her breasts half-exposed. She looked up - his red-tinged cheeks told her that he had noticed, but he continued. His voice was low and filled with emotion as he kept pulling her gradually closer.

"I want to tell our friends. I want to put a completely outrageous ring on your finger. I want to buy you an obscene amount of old books." He smiled when she let out a giggle.

"I hope this isn't a proposal…"

"No no no...I would prefer when that happens there will be far less screaming." He tilted her chin up with one finger and dried her tears with the handkerchief from his pocket . "You asked me what I want." He kissed her nose as she placed her hands on his chest. "I want you, Hermione - your wild hair and your stubborn will and your smart mouth." He kissed her lips softly and whispered. "I want you. And not in secret."

"I want those things, too."

She fell into his chest, wrapping her arms around his waist beneath his suit jacket and breathing in his scent as he held her. She loved to be in his arms. What had angered her the most tonight was being so close to him but not right here.

His presence grounded her. She knew what they had was serious and real and worth the media frenzy that going public would cause, but she had been nervous about it. And he was right. When they first started seeing each other, it was her idea to keep it between them - mostly because she didn't want to defend what she didn't fully understand yet. But as time went on, it was he who pestered her constantly about going public. He said he wanted to take her out on dates and kiss her goodbye when he walked her back to her office after eating lunch together, but she insisted she didn't need that to be happy.

"I'm sorry." She mumbled against his white shirt. "I'm sorry I've made this so difficult."

He stepped back, grabbing her by the shoulders to look into her eyes. "No, I'm sorry." He traced a tear down her cheek with one finger. "If I wasn't me this would have been much simpler." He smiled at her. "I'm sorry I'm me."

She smiled back. "But I like you."

"You do?"

She nodded. "Very much, actually."

He smiled warmly at her as she took a step back. "You looked amazing tonight, by the way. You know I love how you look in red."

She smiled impishly. "I did that on purpose."

"I knew it!" He reached for her, but she stepped back from him and continued slowly backwards down the hall.

"I love you." She made a show of slowly untying the sash of her bathrobe and backing away from him. "Very much, actually."

He smirked as he began to remove his suit jacket and lay it on the counter as he crept toward her. "And I love you...even when you're difficult."

"I was kind of thinking…" She spoke nonchalantly as she exposed herself fully to him, sliding the robe slowly from her shoulders and letting it fall on the floor of the hall. She smirked back at him when she saw his eyes go wide at the sight of her gliding backwards down the hall in nothing but her lace knickers. "I was thinking that we didn't get a chance to dance tonight."

His smile was predatory as he walked slowly after her, untucking his shirt as he went. "Hmm… I wonder why that was."

Ooooh guys... I split this one into two chapters cuz it got real lemony real quick. Stop here if that is not appropriate for you! Please tell me what you think so far! Chapter two (with graphic lemons) will be posted shortly...