Coyote Ugly 2
Sorry for the wait everyone! Thanks to reviewers and let's get on with the story!
Disclaimer- I've been writing for nearly a year now so I definitely don't own anything.
Chapter 11 Missing the Finish Line
Rain. Rain. Rain. It had been raining like a pack of elephants for the past week. The sun stayed tucked behind the clouds as though it were too shy to show its warm glow. Then again, what else was to be expected from April?
As gloomy as it was, nothing could dampen Mona's sprits. Her time being pregnant was almost up. Sometime this week, she would have a son or daughter to look after. The very thought scared her. So many things could go wrong. The baby could choke itself with the umbilical cord. She might continue to bleed and die. Not to mention Victor Krum now knew where they lived and when the baby would be born. Still, Mona held her head up high though inside she was shaking.
"April showers bring May flowers." She recited one day to Draco. He had been starring out of the window all day wishing it were nicer out. Rain made him nervous as though it were a bad omen.
"Well then what to May flowers bring? June bugs?" he asked sarcastically.
"No. Pilgrims." Mona said simply. Draco smirked at her joke and went to help her in the kitchen. Harry, Ginny, their kids Matt and Hermione, and Ron would be coming tomorrow so they would be there for Mona and Draco when they had her first child.
Mona had become quite the chef. Between Thanksgiving, Christmas, upcoming Easter, and now this, her skills improved greatly. They were no longer eating TV. dinners, but spaghetti, chili, and even a ham and cheese casserole, which Draco actually liked considering her never liked anything with the word casserole at the end of it. Today she was making lasagna straight from scratch.
"Think this will be enough to feed everyone?" she asked looking at the five small pans that were filled with lasagna. Draco snorted.
"You could feed a whole army with that much food. You're not even eating. The doctor said you should stick to salads and things."
"Even without me, that's a lot of people! There's Kristina, Taylor, Severus, Chelsea, Megan, Sam, Ethan, and you." Explained Mona ticking off the people on her fingers. "Alone, that's eight people, but then there's Harry, Ginny, Ron, and little Matt and Hermione. Now that's thirteen people! Not to mention that Ron has a bottomless pit for a stomach." Draco snorted.
"We'll be eating lasagna until we die!"
"Mona!" shouted an energetic Ginny as she raced from her seat in the airport to her best friend. It was five o' clock by the time Harry, Ron, and Ginny's plane had finally arrived. To Mona, it seemed like forever. She had been dying to see her best friends. "You look great!" Mona looked behind her and saw Harry carrying Hermione and Ron behind him carrying Matt.
"Aw thanks, Gin." Said Mona hugging Ginny as best as she could.
"Only a few more days, eh?" said Harry grinning and Mona's round stomach.
"Dear God, I hope so!" Mona said as she moved on to hug Harry and Ron. Draco then stepped forward and shook hands with them.
"How are you feeling, Draco?" asked Ron.
"Nervous, scared, excited, mortified, and I'm kind of hungry. I didn't have time for breakfast." Replied Draco. They collected all of their bags and headed out to Draco's truck, which had been magically enlarged to fit all of them.
The party had already started. Megan had let everyone into Mona and Draco's house with her spare key. All of the lights were on and the smell of coffee hung thick on the front porch. Kristina was now a coffee obsessed coyote since Ethan bought her a cappuccino machine for Christmas. She brought it to every party. A banner hung above the front door that read "Welcome Back Potters and Ron!" in sparkling gold done by Chelsea.
As soon as Mona and Draco opened the car doors to let everyone out, a squeal followed by the pounding of feet could be heard along with the barking of five Dalmatians. The front door flew open and Megan, Kristina, Chelsea, and Taylor, though it was hard for her to run, bounded down the steps and grasped Ginny in a tight hug.
"We've missed you tons!" yelled Chelsea.
"You've got to come and visit more often!" shouted Megan
"Love that new thong design by the way." Said Taylor. Ginny blushed and hugged them back.
"Glad to see you guys again." She said smiling.
Mona shivered slightly. "Let's go in! I'm starving and I made loads of lasagna!"
"The Chudely Cannons Quidditch Match is on too!" exclaimed Ron turning sharply to Draco. His eyes lit up.
"I have to show you the mobile we got the baby. It has all of the Chudley Cannon players going around and it plays their national anthem!"
"Really? I saw that in their collector's magazine! They gave me a free subscription for designing their brooms."
"I picked up a spare one for you. I figured you'd want one for your own bedroom." Both men walked up the front steps as though they had been friends their entire lives. The others looked over at them strangely.
"Two men can be enemies their whole lives, and then they find they love the same Quidditch team and all of the sudden, they're best mates. I just don't get them." Said Ginny shaking her head.
"Don't make logic out of stupidness." Said Severus in a sarcastic tone as he and Harry got the luggage from the back of the truck. Mona had warned Harry, Ron, and Ginny about Severus and Taylor. Though they nearly died of shock, they agreed to be civil to him as they were to Draco. Harry still hated him with the deepest passion possible, but for the sake of Mona and Draco, he kept his mouth shut.
Once inside the house, Mona served the lasagna, and Draco and Ron glued themselves to the T.V. where a very important match was taking place. Harry, Severus, Ethan, and Sam, who didn't want to listen to Mona, Ginny, and the coyotes talk about babies, eventually joined them and gambled on who would win. In the end, the Chudley Cannons finished triumphently taking the snitch right out from under the nose of the opposing seeker.
That night, Mona tossed and turned, but she could not fall asleep. The baby was constantly kicking her, and every move seemed to upset it. When Mona couldn't sleep, Draco couldn't sleep.
"Are you okay?" he asked finally not being able to stand her constant moving.
"It's the baby." She replied painfully. "It won't stop moving." Immediately, Draco jumped up. He ran for the closet and grabbed a suitcase fully packed and was halfway through dressing before Mona stopped him. "Draco, calm down. I'm fine. This baby's not going anywhere."
The rush of adrenaline was gone leaving Draco exhausted and tired. "Are you positive?" Mona smiled warmly.
"Come back to bed, baby. You need your rest too." She said extending her arms. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were pregnant. You're so jumpy. Relax…" she soothed as Draco laid back down and did his best to wrap his arms around her and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.
Mona did eventually fall back to sleep, but a familiar dream came back. She was in the hospital, tired and sweaty. A cry could be heard from somewhere though she couldn't quite place it. All she could think about was regaining her breath.
After another minute, a woman holding a bundle of something came walking to her and smiled.
"Congratulations." Said the woman placing the bundle in Mona's arms. "You've got a baby girl." Mona looked down and gasped. A head barely bigger than her fist was poking out of the blankets sleeping peacefully after crying its lungs out. A man, who Mona immediately recognized as Draco, came and sat next to her grinning stupidly, too happy for words.
As Mona beamed up at him, a strange thing happened. Draco's body began to fade away. Mona gasped in horror, and looked down at her daughter. She was also fading away to nothing. The once bright hospital room became dark, and a cold, malicious laugh was ringing from all corners.
At once, Mona screamed and woke up panting. Draco, startled and still tired, sat up sleepily.
"What's wrong?" he murmured trying to open his eyes. Mona couldn't tell Draco about the dream. He might worry even more and she needed him to be strong.
"Nothing… nothing, it was just the baby kicking. Go back to sleep." She said softly trying to convince herself that it had in fact been just a dream. Draco grunted and fell back down and was soon fast asleep.
Mona didn't have much time to dwell on the dream. The alarm clock went off an hour later and it was time to get up. Today was extra special. It was Mona and Draco's wedding anniversary. Draco had planned a recreation of their first date at Sam's Pizza Palace. It would be romantic and most likely their last night out for a long time, though they had said the same thing at Valentine's Day.
"Happy anniversary." Whispered Draco into Mona's ear as he kissed her neck. She shuddered in pleasure and turned around to kiss him properly. They lay in bed for another ten minutes just kissing and hugging until Pongo and Perdy pulled off the blankets and barked loudly for their breakfast. "You know what we're doing today, right?" he asked as they got up and began to pull on robes and slippers.
"Yep! Ginny and the coyotes are coming here to help me get ready while you get Sam's ready. Then they're brining me down there." Said Mona remembering the plan. Draco had refused to let Mona stay alone since the break-in. So for the day, the two watched their favorite movies and cuddles together while reliving some of their favorite memories.
At three o' clock, it was time for the coyotes to come, and Draco to leave. But the coyotes weren't there yet. Draco anxiously checked his watch over and over while looking out the window. Mona, who seemed relaxed, just sat on the couch reading a magazine.
"It's alright, Draco. I'm sure they're coming." She said effortlessly turning the page. Draco still seemed tense.
"I have this feeling…" But he was interrupted when the phone rang. Mona picked it up off he coffee table and answered it. Draco waited while Mona said her greetings and smiled. After a few "Yeah's" and "Okay's" and "Alrighty then's" Mona put down the receiver and turned to Draco.
"They're coming. They just hit traffic. That was Ginny. Megan picked everyone up and they hit traffic downtown. She said for you to go, and they would b here momentarily." Said Mona. Draco thought for a moment.
"I can't leave you." He said stubornly feeling as though leaving her would kill her.
"Don't worry. They'll be here in about five minutes. If you don't leave now, you may not have time to prepare. It's already quarter after three, and I'm coming at four. Get going." She said playfully getting up and kissing him quickly on the lips. "I'll be fine." She whispered.
Mona's power of persuasion had convinced him, and after making her swear to not leave until they had arrived, walked out the door and headed for Sam's. Mona set down her magazine and slowly walked up the stairs and went to sit at her vanity to do her hair. Giving no regard to her dream, Mona hummed a little tune not hearing the noise downstairs and hearing the Silencing Spell being casted on the dogs.
As she looked up in her mirror, Mona was met by a horrible sight. Standing at the doorway grinning madly, was none other than Victor Krum himself.
"You!" she choked fear flooding her body. His grin only widened as he stepped fully into the light. Victor had changed a lot since Mona had last seen him. He was now skinnier and looked even paler than Draco. His hair was messy and was greasy.
"Me. You should have expected my visit, Hermione. We have some unfinished business to attend to." He said evilly.
"We have nothing to talk about!" she shouted standing up. "Leave before my friends come! They're very powerful witches!" Victor let out a cold laugh that chilled her bones.
"The coyotes as you call them? Oh, they're not coming. That call was from me just to get you husband out. He'll be dead soon enough." Mona searched the room with her eyes for any sign of her wand, but couldn't see it. Victor was twirling his in his hands as he walked closer to her grinning again madly.
"You left me, Hermione, right when I was about to have you. Thanks to you, I lost my career." He said in a deathly cold voice. "Thanks to you, I lost six years of my life! Thanks to you, I never had the family I deserved. A wife to do my bidding and a child to carry on my blood! Well, that doesn't matter now."
"You'll be mine. Once your child is born, I'll kill it, then Draco, and you'll be mine forever!" Victor let out another cold laugh as Mona screamed, but Victor hit her with a mild Stunning Spell knocking her senseless. It wouldn't hurt her baby. He wanted to pleasure of killing the child with his own bare hands.
Draco waited for a whole hour before he decided to walk home and see if Mona was all right. A nagging feeling sat at the back of his mind. Something was wrong.
When he arrived, he saw the coyotes and Ginny just pulling up in front of the house. They got out of the car and looked confusingly at him.
"Where's Mona?" asked all of them including Draco at the same time. It felt as if a huge rock had been thrown into his stomach.
"We thought she was with you. No one answered when we called, but we decided to come and make sure anyway." Explained Kristina looking pale. Draco wasted no time. He bounded into the house and found the door unlocked. Along the walls, pictures of him and Mona had been ripped apart. The dogs were locked in the bathroom. He called for Mona, but no one answered. Dashing up the stair three at a time, he burst into their bedroom.
A ghastly sigh met his eyes. The bed was unmade, and the curtains had been ripped and torn. On the walls were messages like "She's mine!" and "Your baby dies!" and "Go to hell!" written in red ink that looked remotely like blood.
Draco broke down. He couldn't take it. He had lost his wife and baby all in one day. The once proud man fell to the floor as tears streamed down his cheeks and pleas for his wife and child could be heard. He had failed. After all that they went to, it was over. They had missed the finish line, and that was it.
A/N: That's so not the end! More will come. Happy Thanksgiving and I hope everyone stuffs himself or herself silly! Until next time! Please read and review.
Keep On Laughin,
RonFan