~ Dungeon ~

Harry pushed open the door to the dungeon and peered inside.  Draco's classes had ended ten minutes ago so he should still be here, sorting out his desk ready for the next school day. 

"Draco?" he called out as he stepped into the room.  It seemed to be empty.  Harry frowned.  Draco normally didn't leave until the room was perfect, and his desk was still a mess of homework scrolls and lesson plans. 

Suddenly the blonde appeared from the storage cupboard.  "Honey, what are you doing down here?"

"Daniel was having so much fun playing with Bella and Michael that I decided to leave him at the pre-school a while longer," Harry explained.  "But I got lonely and I wanted to see you."

Harry walked easily across the room.  He had gotten used to the weight around his middle and now, in his eighth month, his energy levels were starting to increase so that he no longer got so exhausted all the time.

"I hate not being able to get close to you," Harry grumbled good naturedly as he tried to put his arms around Draco. 

"There's only a month to go, then I'm going to hold you as close as possible for as long as possible," Draco vowed, leaning in to kiss Harry.

"Which will probably be until the baby cries," Harry said ruefully.  "Perhaps next time we should use a surrogate again, so we can enjoy ourselves right up until the birth, like last time."

"No," Draco protested as he rested his hands on Harry's bump.  "I want to experience it too.  I want to know what it's like to have a tiny person growing inside me."

"Alright.  I just hope I can be as understanding when you have mood swings as you've been with me," Harry said, apologetically.

Draco smiled before gesturing to a cauldron at the back of the classroom.  "I was just finishing up a batch of Wolfsbane for Remus.  I just have to put the cauldron away and then we can go."

Draco walked to the back of the room and quickly returned the equipment to its rightful place.  Harry had sat down to rest at his old desk and was glancing around the room nostalgically while Draco gathered his belongings and shoved the homework scrolls into his bag.  It was difficult to believe that almost nine years had passed since he'd been a student at Hogwarts.  Hell, it was almost time for their ten year reunion!

"Ready?" Draco asked, hoisting his bag onto his shoulder.  He grinned at Harry happily.

Harry nodded and stood up.  He stepped around the other side of the desk heading towards the door.  He smiled at his husband, who's eyes still lit up at the sight of him, before he stepped in a puddle of spilled potion that a student had obviously not cleaned up properly and tumbled down onto the hard stone floor.

"HARRY!"

Harry groaned as he tried to move but he was sprawled out on the stones and it didn't seem like he'd be moving any time soon.  He felt Draco's hands checking his body for injury.  He couldn't open his eyes, he saw stars whenever he tried that. 

"The baby?" he asked fearfully.

"I don't know," Draco replied, sounding worried.  "Can you get up?"

Harry managed to open his eyes and focus on Draco's anxious face.  He tried to move again, to push himself up into a sitting position but found the lower half of his body filled with pain.

"Ahhh," he cried out as he fell back against the stones.  "No, no I can't."

"I'll go get Poppy," Draco said but Harry reached out for him and gripped his hand like a vice, preventing him from going anywhere.

"Don't leave me," he begged as a feeling of dread pooled in his stomach.  A moment later a sharp pain viciously ripped through him.  He screamed in agony and clutched Draco, who yelped as his hand was crushed in Harry's.

"Honey, I have to go.  You need help."

Harry didn't let go.  His mind was filled with pain and all he could do was try to fight it off.  He felt like he was drowning in agony.

"Harry, think of Jeremy."

Harry instantly let go of Draco's hand as he realised he was putting their child in danger by not allowing Draco to get medical help.  Draco hurried out of the room and Harry was left alone to deal with the crisis.  His breathing had quickened and he tried to slow it down like he'd read in the books Hermione had leant him.  He was praying that he wasn't going into early labour but this felt a lot like what Mione had described as a contraction. 

God, please let the baby be alright.  If you have to take someone, take me.  Just let Jeremy live.

Desperate, anxious tears started falling from his eyes as he grappled with the pain.  The last month had been a turning point for Harry.  The morning sickness had finally receded and his energy had returned and he'd been able to enjoy being pregnant and having Draco faun over him like he was the most special, delicate, fragile thing in the world.  Now everything seemed to be going wrong and Harry was certain that he was being punished for being such a bastard to Draco and the world in general during his pregnancy. 

The pain stopped almost as suddenly as it had started and Harry gasped, trying to catch his breath.  

"Harry, Poppy's here now. It's going to be alright," Draco said, as he entered the room and sat down beside Harry, holding his hand reassuringly.

Harry knew Draco meant well but he was desperately afraid that all would not be well.

TBC

A.N. Yes, chapter 23's title – Don't Let Me Get Me was a reference to the Pink song.  I thought it seemed appropriate for Harry at the moment.  I was hoping you'd catch the reference.  J