Till There Was You

Chapter 18: I'm Gonna Love You

Disclaimer: After all this time…………I still don't own them.

A/N: Last chapter…………well besides the epilogue.

It didn't start this way
It happened just one day
You smiled at me and I saw you, differently.

Now I'm a tremble just to be
A part of you as we
Begin a life that's sure to never end.

Cause I'm gonna love you for the rest of my life
I'm holding you safe here in this heart of mine
I can't live without you cause my soul would die
You know I'm telling the truth, I'll spend the rest of my life loving you

-I'm Gonna Love You, Jennifer Love Hewitt

             Hermione pulled a pile of folded shirts out of one of the dresser drawers and placed it down in the cardboard box. The then closed the flaps of the filled box and attempted to lift it. Struggling across the room Hermione dropped the heavy load next to the other filled boxes with a grunt.

             "You could help you know," she said to Fred who was sprawled out on her bed.

             "Help you move out? Not going to happen," he replied. "Do you really have to move out?"

             "Yes," Hermione replied moving toward her closet with an empty box.

             "Why?" Fred pressed.

             " Well I can't very well live in Ron's room anymore!" she responded.

             "You can stay in my room," he countered her.

             "Share a room with you…and George?" she shook her head. "Besides I don't think me  moving in to your bedroom would improve my relationship with your mum any. Which by the way is another reason it's best if I move out. While I'm well aware that it could be worse you Mum seems uneasy whenever she's around me now. It's not right for a woman to have to uncomfortable in her own house."

             "You think she act peculiarly around you?" Fred exclaimed. "A third of the time she acts like she does when she's around you, a third of the time she's still scolding me, and the rest of the time she's apologizing for she acts the other two thirds of the time and telling me how much she loves me and that she always will no matter what."

             "And you think me moving into your room would improve things?"

             "Yes," he answered. Hermione gave up arguing and rolled her eyes as she turned back to her closet. "And why do you have to move it with Harry?" he asked.

             "It's just until I've gotten back into work for awhile and find my own place."

             "I don't think I'm comfortable with you moving in with another man. How can I be sure you'll be faithful? You don't have the greatest track record…"

             Hermione chucked the sandal in her hand playfully at Fred, who avoided it with ease.

             "Fred we've been over my relationship with Harry before. Should I be worried about you and George?"

             Fred made a horrified face at the suggestion and stared at Hermione.

             "That's exactly how I feel every time you suggest anything sexual going on between Harry and me. Besides," Hermione paused. "Would you was to incur the wrath of Ginny? Because I know I  wouldn't."

             Fred laughed.

             After a stretch of silence Fred finally spoke again.

             "I'm just going to miss you. That's all."

             Hermione stopped her packing and turned and looked at him. "We're still going to see each other everyday Fred."

             "I know but it'll just be…different."

             Hermione smiled at Fred and got up to go sit next to him on the bed.

             "I'm going to miss you too," she said before leaning down to kiss him.

             When they broke apart Fred looked at her for a moment before grinning and saying. "Well, then I guess you shouldn't go. I'll help you unpack."

             Hermione punched Fred in the arm before getting up and getting back to work.

             "I swear…" she muttered shaking her head.

             Hermione sat down across from Ron at the kitchen table placing her plate down in front of her.

             "What are you reading about?" she inquired, referring to the paper in his hands.

             "I'm looking at apartments for rent," he replied. Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Lana and I have been talking and she decided that she's going to move back to England."

             "She is?" Hermione exclaimed. "Ron that's fantastic! Are you going to get an apartment together?"

             "Not just yet," he answered. "I think I'm going to stay here for a while longer and she's going to get her own place. Nothing so small though that another person wouldn't fit," he grinned.

             "That's great Ron. It really is."

             "How's the packing coming?" Ron asked Hermione as he folded up the paper and set it aside.

             "I'm almost done. I'm moving out tomorrow."

             "I hope your not rushing because of me Mione. I can stay on the couch as long as you want," Ron offered.

             Hermione smiled. "That's alright. The longer I stay the harder it will be to leave when I finally do," she replied.

             "I'm gonna miss having you around."

             "You're not the only one," Hermione laughed and shook her head thinking about Fred.

             "Hey you can't complain about him. I'm the one who's going to have to deal with him complaining about you being gone. I'm sure this is going to be a fun next few weeks."

Harry walked toward the fireplace carrying with one of Hermione's boxes.

             "You could help us," he said to Fred who was sitting in an armchair pouting.

             "Nope. I will have no part in this."

             "Fred if you don't get up and help now, not only will I still be moving out but you won't see me for the next 48 hours."

             Hermione watched as Fred as a look of inner conflict appeared on his face. She then watched him swallow before he said, "See you in two days then."

             Instead of being offended Hermione grinned and shrugged as if to say 'Your loss'.

             "See you then," she said before she apparated to Harry's apartment. "You Weasley's are took stubborn for your own good. You know that?" she said to Ron and Ginny who were already in the apartment.

             Harry soon arrived in the fireplace, laughing as he walked into the room.

             "You should have seen Fred's face when you disapparated. It was priceless."

             "Well he's just going to have learn when not to test me."

             Hermione sat in an armchair in Harry's living room flipping through a magazine the following afternoon. She couldn't really focus though and she found herself wishing she hadn't been so hasty in her threat to Fred.

             Sighing she got up and went to the kitchen and started pulling ingredients from the cupboards. Cookies. That's what she'd do. She'd bake cookies. As she placed the some of the items on the counter she heard two pops in the living room.

             "You've got to do something," George said, Ron standing beside him.

             "He's going insane."

             "We've gotten more owl orders today than ever before and he's still moping around the house like the world had ended. You'd think you called it off with him."

             "Well," Hermione said. "Next time he'll help."

             "I think he's learned his lesson already. So come on over cheer him up…do something! Anything!" Ron pleaded.

             "Me? Give in? No way," Hermione shook her head, turning back to the counter.

             "And you said Weasley's were stubborn," Ron muttered.

             "Weren't you the one who said I was a Weasley in everyway but one? Look it as me proving you right."

             "Oh! The one time you decide not to try and prove me wrong," Ron threw up his hands.

             "You two would have never worked," George laughed and was soon joined by Ron and Hermione. "What are you making?"

             "Cookies," she replied.

             "Hmm. Want to stay for awhile Ron?" George asked.

             "Better than going home to Fred," Ron said taking a seat at the kitchen table.

             "Good you two can help!" Hermione grinned as the two boys rolled their eyes.

             That night Hermione was alone in the kitchen washing dishes from the dinner she, Ron and George had eaten together. They had left soon after. Sighing Hermione turned off the tap and wiped her hands dry on a dishtowel. She turned around and jumped when she saw Fred standing in the doorframe between the kitchen and the living room.

             Without saying a word he rushed forward and kissed her. Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck as she felt her knees go a little weak. When Fred eventually pulled away her looked in her eyes with a serious expression on his face.

             "Marry me," he said.

             "What?" Hermione asked, shocked.

             "Marry me."

             "Fred…wh…" she stuttered.

             "Hermione it's barely been twenty four hours since the last time I saw you and I've been going crazy and I realized today that I don't want to spend another single day away from you for the rest of my life. Mione I can honestly say I felt ill today. I came too close to losing you when you almost married Ron. I can't do that again. I can't. So please Mione. Will you marry me?"

             "Yes! Yes I'll marry you!" Hermione said with tears in her eyes. With this Fred kissed her again briefly before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small black box. Her opened it to reveal a beautiful diamond ring, which he removed and then reached for her trembling left hand.

             "Fred! When did you…"

             "I needed do to something to keep myself busy today," he grinned before looking down and slipping the ring on to her finger.

             Hermione glanced down at the twinkling stone decorating her hand and felt her eyes well up again. She reached up and took Fred's head between her hands and pulled his face down gently so that their foreheads touched.

             "It's beautiful."

             "Looks like we're going to get our forever after all," Fred smiled a little.

             "Forever's a long time," Hermione responded, smiling

             "I know," he smiled. "But it doesn't come close to being long enough."

             "Not even close."

A/N: AHH!!! That's it! Wow it seems so strange to me that I'm finally finished. This was the first fic that I ever posted….. Well guys thank you soooooo much for all of the support you've given me. I know I would have given up without it. Also…thank you for your patience. I know I'm not the most timely poster, and it means a lot that you keep reading anyway. Well………..the epilogue should be up Friday along with my deleted scenes. So look for those!!!

Love,

Bella