A/N Hello again. I promised I would update this week and since I'm not deathly ill, though I have a cold, here I am. I really appreciate all the reviews I have been getting, so hopefully I'll be getting a few more to make me feel better. Remember I don't own anything Harry Potter related. BEWARE THIS CHAPTER IS GOING TO BE SEMI-FLUFFY. Thought I should give everyone a fair warning. Hope you like it.

a couple months later

Four months later, after Ginny and Draco's second-first date, things were still running smoothly. Ginny and Draco tried to meet with each other at least once a week for their sake, but also for Ailey's. Ailey had become so accustomed to Draco's presence; she began calling him "Draco" instead of the formal "Mr. Malfoy." Ginny knew the time to tell Ailey the truth was drawing closer, but she couldn't deal with that right now. She couldn't bear the thought of telling Ailey the truth, causing her to become more attached to Draco, then Draco floating away on a breeze never to be seen again. Ginny rationally knew this was probably the worst case scenario, but she didn't want to get too ahead of herself.

"Draco, guess what we did today in school?" Ailey asked on day while they were in the park.

"I don't know, 'ley," Draco said affectionately, "tell me."

"Okay. Well, today we started counting. First, we just went to ten, but I already knew that, so with the teacher's help I counted to twenty."

"That's great."

"Then I remembered that my birthday is coming up."

At this statement, Draco looked questioningly at Ginny, who just glanced back.

"So," continued Ailey, "I decided to see how many days there were until my birthday. Guess how many days are left?"

"Umm, I don't know, ten?"

"Nope, guess again."

"Well, am I too high or too low?"

Ailey scrunched up her face trying to figure out the answer, then swirled again and began counting on her fingers. Draco grinned. Ailey spiraled back around and exclaimed,

"Higher."

"Okay, higher. Let's see, twelve?"

"Nope, higher."

"Fourteen?"

"Nope."

"Fifteen?"

"Nope."

"Eighteen?"

"Nope."

"How 'bout twenty-seven?"

"Nope, higher," Ailey said automatically.

Ginny interrupted the happy scene and said, "No, baby, it's lower."

Ailey turned her back again and furiously began counting her fingers to check, while Ginny shook her head, Draco chuckled beside her. Draco moved his hand down and grasped Ginny's and gave a little squeeze. Ginny tilted her head up and smiled as she leaned her back into his side.

"Yeah, its lower."

Draco stopped laughing at replied, "nineteen?"

Ailey glanced at Ginny quickly to verify, who nodded her head.

"Yup."

"Okay, so that means your birthday is on March 27."

"Yup."

"And how old are you going to be?"

With all her childish innocence, she stuck out her hand and spread out her fingers.

"Five."

"Wow, you're almost your mom's age."

"No, mommy's old."

"Not that old." both Ginny and Draco muttered.

"Why don't you go play with Scruffy for awhile?" said Ginny. "Then we have to head home."

"Okay."

Ailey ran off onto the grass with Scruffy as Draco turned to talk to Ginny.

"Why didn't you tell me it was her birthday sooner?"

"I don't know. I guess I have had a lot on my mind and it slipped from it."

"Okay. So what do you think I should get her?"

"Oh, I don't know Draco, but nothing extravagant. I don't want her too spoiled okay?"

"Fine. I want to see her on her birthday. I think I have a meeting but I can reschedule it."

"Are you sure? I don't want you to miss an important meeting just for Ailey's birthday. We can do something later, like on the weekend."

"No, I feel like I need to see her on her special day."

"Okay, fine."

They sat in silence for a few moments before Draco asked,

"When are you going to tell her?"

Ginny gazed at him in shock.

"Which do you mean? You being her father or her being a witch."

"Both," he answered quietly.

"I don't know when I feel it's right."

"As in, when everything is secure."

Ginny blushed, "I guess that time would be best."

A sudden thought struck Draco. He immediately stood up and exclaimed,

"Umm, I'd better get going."

"Draco, where are you going? You said you were free the whole night."

"I know what I said but I just remembered something I have to take care of."

"But we all were going to go out for dinner."

"I know Gin but I just remembered I really have to do this, okay." leaning down and kissing her forehead.

"Fine," Ginny grumbled "say 'goodbye' to Ailey though."

"Of course."

As he stood up and walked towards Ailey and Scruffy Ginny wondered what could be so sudden and urgent. Draco came back carrying Ailey with Scruffy trailing and then set Ailey onto the ground next to Ginny.

"Okay, 'ley and Gin, I have got to go but I'll see you on your birthday okay." looking down at Ailey. "I think I'm going to be pretty booked solid the next two weeks due to the shift in the schedule so I might not see you before then." now directing his comments towards Ginny.

"Okay." Ginny replied quietly and then giving him a slight kiss on the lips.

"Bye, see you on March 27th."

Draco turned around and walked out the gates of the park.

'How busy is he really going to be for two weeks?' Ginny wondered.

afternoon March 27

The past two weeks all Ginny could think about was Draco and what he was doing. Though she didn't want to admit it openly to herself, she knew she was falling in love again, this time with the right person. She never wanted to think about the possibilities because they all could be wrong.

For the last two hours she had set up the house for Ailey's arrival. Ailey had been picked up from school by Alvina's mother, so the two girls could have their own celebration, then to be dropped off in, as Ginny realized looking at the clock, another two hours. Ginny hadn't really had anything to do the last couple hours. She mainly had just been puttering about putting up little banners and decorations for Ailey.

Though she had mailed a note to Draco informing him the time he should arrive, she didn't know the exact time of his arrival. Draco hadn't given her a response note back. This only increased Ginny's frustrations.

Ginny was broken out of her reveries when she heard the doorbell ring.

'Must be the cake.'

Ginny stood up and opened the door and gasped at who she saw holding the cake.

"Surprised?"

"A little but shouldn't the surprise be for Ailey and not me, Draco?"

"I guess, but you really should have seen your face."

"Haha," Ginny said sarcastically "come on inside and put the cake on the kitchen table. Scruffy is going to stay in the living room. How were the past two weeks?"

"Okay. They have been very stressful."

"I can imagine. Why did you come two hours earlier, unless you didn't get the note?"

"No, I got the note. I just wanted to come earlier."

"Well, why didn't you answer the note if you got it?"

"Gin, like I said I didn't have time. I was so busy with meetings I have to open my mail in one meeting and I wanted to answer back but by the end of the meeting somehow my mail had been dispersed to someone unknown region and I forgot about it."

"I'm sorry, but you expect me to believe that?"

"Yes, Ginny, because it's the truth. You know how much I wanted to see you and 'ley the past weeks. Everyday I thought about you guys but paperwork left over from father kept me occupied at work and at home. I'm sorry."

"Okay." said Ginny thought still not really believing him.

"Maybe if you this about Ailey's party it will take your mind off your troubles. You might want to check the cake, I braked at a stop sign hard, and some of the frosting may have slipped."

"Fine."

Ginny walked over to the kitchen table, while Draco followed her in. She saw the cake box and upon closer she saw a slip of paper atop the box lid.

'That's weird. Must be a note for Ailey from the Duffs (the husband and wife whom they knew and whom had baked the cake).'

Ginny lifted up the paper and noticed that it was the same type of paper she always wrote on.

'Weird.'

The top part and nothing on it so she flipped it over and noticed her familiar writing scrawl. She read the brief letter at the top and realized it was the exact note she had written Draco- the one he supposedly lost. She glanced up at Draco with a perplexed gaze, but Draco wouldn't say anything. She then reverted her attention back to the note. Below her scribble was another message.

I'll be there. And one question…. Will you?

"What does this mean, Draco?"

"I don't know" he said as bent down to try his shoe "You're taking forever to open up that cake box. I'll need time to get a new one if the frosting is messed up."

"Fine, fine," she said still a little confused.

She used her nails to cut the pieces of tape attached the top to the base and then grasped the top of the lid and yanked it off.

"Draco, don't worry there is nothing wrong with the frosting."

"Are you sure? I'm almost positively I heard some frosting sliding around when I braked. Check harder."

"Fine."

Not wanting to upset Ailey if the cake was slightly ruined, she began scanning, though quickly, over the sides of cake and then the top.

As she reached the middle something sparkling caught her eye.

'What the..'

There in the middle of the cake was a diamond ring.

She glanced from Draco to the cake then back to Draco. Draco was still tying his shoes but Ginny could tell he had a smirk on his face.

Ignoring him and believing the ring was actually Mrs. Duff's, she went to the counter to get a bag to put the ring in. However, when she sat back down the ring was gone.

She suddenly felt a hot, familiar breath on her neck and heard a familiar voice whisper,

"Will you?"

She slowly turned around and glanced from the kneeling leg of Draco to the ring and then to his grinning, angelic face.

Ginny was too shocked to speak and she could do was gawk at Draco.

"Well, will you?"

Gulping and inhaling a deep breath, she asked, "Are you, umm, are you, you know…"

"Asking you to marry you?"

Ginny's eyes grew to the size of saucers and she nodded her head.

Draco chuckled and replied,

"Yes. Though I do think you are supposed to be the one saying that."

Ginny smiled, "But how."

"Well, I have been thinking about this for awhile and couldn't think of a good time to ask you. So when you said at the park that you would tell Ailey the truth when you were more secure, implying that everything was sound between you and me, I figured why not. So the past two weeks I have been trying the figure out the best day and how and this is what I came up with. I figured out which baker you were using and convinced them to let me bring the cake over."

"Wow," was all Ginny could reply.

"I never really did stop loving you, the feelings just changed slightly after I didn't see you those four years. When I saw you this time, I started falling in love with you again. And with Ailey around it made me want to marry you even more just so we could be a true family. So what do you say?" he finished quietly.

Ginny gazed into his grey eyes and replied,

"I love you too. Of course I'll marry you."

Draco's face broke into the widest smile Ginny had ever seen as he took the ring from his hand and slid it onto Ginny's finger. He then pulled her into a hug. Ginny played lovingly with his hair at the nape of his neck as he kissed the top of her head.

Draco broke away from the hug and pulled Ginny face closer to his as he lowered his lips to hers. He kissed her with all the passion he had kissed her with that night five years ago until they could both barely breathe. Both slyly pulled away at the same moment. Draco rested his lips against hers and whispered,

"I love you."

()

After Draco's proposal, both decided to start on Ailey's birthday dinner. As Ginny moved about the kitchen, she would get glimpses of the diamond on her finger and couldn't help but smile. When Ginny was cooking on the stove, Draco would come over and wrap his arms around her waist and rest his chin on her shoulder and just watch her cook. Ginny loved the feeling of Draco securely by her and the sense as if she didn't have a care in the world.

She glanced up and clock while taking off her apron and realized that she only have ten minutes before Ailey arrived. With the help of Draco, they cleaned up the kitchen and walked through the apartment to make sure all the decorations were in order.

Five minutes later, both sat down on the couch with Scruffy lying on the floor beneath them. Ginny rested her head on Draco's chest and just contemplated her happiness with Draco.

"I think we should tell her tonight." she suddenly said.

"What do you mean the proposal or everything?"

Ginny lifted her head up and replied, "Everything."

"Are you sure? I mean I can understand the proposal 'cause it will be hard for her not to notice the ring, but everything?"

"Well, I mean she already seems to love you so I don't think she'll mind the difference between step-daddy or real daddy and she should find out her true identity before she begins showing her powers. Plus, it will only get harder as time goes on and she gets older. Besides if I was in Ailey's position I would probably think this was the best gift ever if I agreed."

"True. So when do we tell her?" he said rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand.

"After she has opened her gifts."

The beginning of the night had gone off without a hitch. Ailey loved having a birthday with Scruffy and Draco and loved the cake which Draco and Ginny both smiled at. Ginny had warded off any questions about the ring by taking it off and slipping it around a chain on her neck.

After opening her wrapped gifts and sitting happily among the wrapping paper, Draco asked her,

"Would you like your own dog?"

"What!" she exclaimed, "But mommy said I can't have a dog."

"Don't worry about it."

"Then, yeah."

"How 'bout Scruffy?"

"But Scruffy's yours."

"He will be both of ours."

"What do you mean?"

"Baby," interrupted Ginny, "what Draco means is that you both are going to have Scruffy."

"But how, we both live in different houses."

"Well, you see. That is going to change."

"What do you mean?"

"You see this ring," taking it off the chain and onto her finger, "it means that Draco asked me to marry him and I said yes."

Ailey kept moving her head between their two smiling faces.

"Does this mean I can call you 'daddy'?"

"Yeah, 'ley"

Ginny had snuck upstairs quickly to retrieve her box of Draco items. When she came back down Ailey was sitting comfortably on Draco's lap.

"Sweetie," Ginny started, "there are a couple other things we have to say."

"What?"

"Well, remember when we met Draco in the park with Scruffy, that wasn't the first time I had met him. We went to school together but didn't like each other because our families didn't like each other. When your aunts and uncles left I couldn't see for awhile. That is when I met Draco again. We fell in love but when I could see again, I was so angry that I loved my supposed enemy that I got mad at Draco who went away. That day in the park was the first time I had seen him since he left. Do you understand that so far?"

"Yeah" she said quietly as she turned to Draco who continued the story.

"Now your mommy and I didn't know was when I left, you were growing inside of her. If I had know I wouldn't have left. I am sad that I missed seeing you grow up. But at least now I have to chance to catch up."

"So what do you mean?"

"What Draco means is that he is your real daddy. Half of you is me and half of you is him. These last couple months we have fallen in love again and now were are going to become a real family if that is alright with you."

"I guess." she said as Draco kissed the top of her forehead while she wrapped an arm around his neck.

"There is on more thing your mommy and I have to tell you though."

"What?"

"You are special, 'ley. Well, all of us are. Your mommy and I have special powers and you do too."

"Mommy doesn't have special powers, she's normal."

"She only made you think she was normal to protect you after what the mean people did to her family."

"Yeah, Ailey. After what happened to my family I could survive in our world alone but when you came I didn't know what to do so I just raised you as a non-magical little girl. I still partly live in our special world though you just haven't known. When I went to work I didn't work in a normal building like Alvina's mother but a special magical building."

"Really?"

"Yes, now that you know we can show you our magic. When you're older you're going to go to the special school Draco and I went to and there you can learn magic."

Ailey echoed another, "really?" and smiled.

"Are you alright with all this news?"

"Yeah, now I have a real daddy and have special powers." she said beaming at Ginny and Draco.

"Well, I have one more gift to my daughter and future wife."

"What is it?" said Ailey leaping up to see what her daddy had brought.

"Well, Mommy was telling me that you haven't traveled a lot, so as a present, we're going on a trip."

"Yay!"

"Draco, you didn't?"

"Yeah. It was another one of those things I was planning the last two weeks." he said smiling.

"Where are we going to go?" Ailey said excitedly.

"Well, I planned that we can visit all these special places in Europe. How does that sound?"

"Fun. Will I see some animals?"

Draco chuckled, "Of course. And now since you know the truth about your powers, you can see some magical creatures like unicorns."

Ailey let out a huge gasp and squeaked, "Unicorns?"

"Yes, unicorns."

"Yay! I can't wait."

"Neither can I" said Draco grinning at Ginny's head on his shoulder.

Like it? My goodness, this was definitely the longest chapter ever. People did review and ask for more dialogue so here you go. Please review for all the hard work I did during my sickness. I even skipped lunch to finish this since I was on a roll. Finally for anyone who cares Duff means baker.