A/N: Hey Thanks for all the GREAT reviews! This story of mine is on a better start than my 'Mudblood' Series even were! And that's thanks to all of you.

Well, I leave for Florida in the morning (at 4 in the morning to be exact) so I decided not to go to sleep until I get to the plane...what would be the point to get like five hours of sleep? Am I right? So, having all this free time I decided to update ONCE MORE before I leave you all for a week! I'm doing this for all of you because I love you all!

HAVE A GREAT THANKSGIVING WEEK! (AND IN THE WORDS OF ARNOLD SCHWARTZNEGGER...) "I'LL BE BACK..."

P.S. I'M LISTENING TO THE RADIO AND EMINEM'S "JUST LOSE IT" CAME ON! WOO WOO! I LOVE THIS SONG! -dances and dances and sings every word with him-

Thanks to SuperWoman13, spychick989, pur-sanity, mandalay4824, Alenor, Miss Moonlight, gia black, mandabella, That Other Girl, Jomai, kitty253, kk, AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST fireballazur.

Recap:

'Maybe it was a bad idea to get back together.' Hermione said reluctantly.

Draco took Hermione's hand and used all his strength to lean near her.

'Hermione, I took that beating from my father because I want to be with you. I took it, not fighting back or giving up because I knew I had someone to come back to, you. I don't want to hear words of break up come from your mouth out of fear, Hermione. I know you are strong and I know you only say that because you fear for me. Don't. Let me fear for you, let me fear, let me take care of it. It's my father, he's my problem, not yours.'

'But Draco, I can't keep being with you knowing that you are constantly getting hurt because of me. It's on my conscience.'

'No longer, Hermione. He doesn't know about us now.'

'What about later...we can't go on forever like this.' Hermione said crying again.

'We can try. Please try, Hermione.' Draco implored. He then spoke three words that would forever change their relationship. 'I love you.'

Chap. 26 What You Want In Life

Hermione stared at Draco in unbelief. Did she hear him correctly? Surely Draco Malfoy would never say such words to her. She looked down and he still held her hand. She then looked back up into his eyes, tears filled hers.

Draco's POV

'Did I just say I love her?' He thought. 'I did. I told her that and it's true...oh no...she isn't saying anything...oh no now she's crying again, I shouldn't have done it. I shouldn't have said it...to much havoc is going on and it was too much for her. I should take it back...no I can't take something like that back. Why isn't she saying anything?"

Draco gazed back at her in pain. Physical and mental pain, he's never said those words to anyone but his mother before...and now he just said it to Hermione Granger of all people. A mudblood.

'Too much time has passed...why won't she say anything?'

Then he saw he lips part.

End Draco's POV

Hermione began to speak.

'Draco I will try. I want to be in this together though, I don't want you to battle this alone. You have to be honest and trust me. I need your trust, because you have mine. I trust you with everything I have and everything I am, Draco. I don't honestly know why I do, but it's what I feel. I also feel...' Hermione paused briefly, 'I also feel that I love you, too. I know I do.'

Draco finally smiled. He leaned forward, painfully, and kissed her lips...that kiss made up and covered his pain. Thankfully for his body, she also leaned forward, not letting him hurt himself too bad trying to kiss her.

Hermione reached up and put her hands on the back of his neck.

'I wish you weren't hurt.' Hermione said after they ended the kiss. 'I know you are in so much pain, I wish I could take it away.'

'Just stay with me.' Draco requested.

Hermione nodded.

'You've got to be comfortable.' She said. 'I'll help you to your room.'

'Will you stay with me?'

'I will.' She said standing up, with him along with her.

He didn't hurt his legs too badly, nothing broken at least, so she didn't need to help him walk there, but she held his hand anyway, standing beside him.

They walked into his large room and she directed him to his bed. She helped him lie down and placed pillows comfortably under him.

'Did you need blankets?'

'I don't care. Will you?' He asked.

She shook her head as she stood there. She didn't know what to do next. He wanted her to stay with him, but did he mean in his bed? In the room? Until he fell asleep? What? He answered the questions.

He looked at her longingly. He saw how worried she was for his sake. Never was a girl so worried about how he was feeling, or how he was doing. It was always about them. He realized that he had been going out with the wrong type this whole time.

'Hermione? Are you afraid?'

'What?'

'Are you going to come on the bed or just stand there all night?'

'I didn't know what you wanted me to do.'

'I want you to be next to me, but you can do what ever you feel comfortable with.'

She untied her robe, revealed her plain pajamas, and set it on a chair. She then crawled into the bed. He stretched out his arm, inviting her to lie next to him.

'I don't want to accidentally hurt you.' She said honestly.

'Don't worry, you won't.'

'I might roll or something in the middle of the night.'

'I'm not a glass vase, I'll be fine.'

She finally smiled that night and lay next to him. She gently laid her head on his bicep, away from his collarbone. She didn't know where to put her arm. He answered that question for her too.

He took the arm she wasn't lying on and reached over and grabbed her hand. He kissed it and placed it with his own on his stomach...his nice firm muscled stomach. Hermione sighed when she and he were finally comfortable.

'We fit perfectly together.' Hermione thought.

'She feels so good against my body.' Draco thought.

'I'm glad he asked me to stay with him.' Hermione thought.

'I wish I wasn't in so much pain. I would shag her so good...' Draco thought.

Hermione then began drift to sleep. Draco was in pain, not from Hermione, but from the Skele-Gro and he couldn't fall asleep. He lay there and thought.

Dracos' POV

'Hermione Granger is lying here with me. She took care of me. She stayed with me when I asked her. She said she loved me...what's going to happen in the future?'

He then shook his head, trying to snap out of it.

'The future? What am I thinking? What am I talking about? I am a going to be a bachelor...I'm never marrying...too much responsibility and commitment.'

He then pictured himself a bachelor. A modern magical penthouse suite, loud with crazy parties every night. A different exotic beauty every night. He then suddenly felt something he had never felt before... regret. He regret all those women he slept with before Hermione. He realized he truly didn't want to be a bachelor. He thought, at the age of 14, that he never was going to get married. He had watched his father turn into this mad man and his mother turn into a frail, fearful woman. He didn't want to be like that. He was raised in a home like that and thought that's how life went. He was starting to think differently now.

He was not his father and Hermione had faith in him. He then pictured himself a married man...

He would come home from work, to a comfortable large home, nicely decorated by Hermione...in green mainly, of course. He would walk through the doors, Hermione would hear him and come to kiss him, welcoming him back home. His handsome, strong son and beautiful, young daughter would come to greet him next. They would have dinner together, talk of their day, then rush the young kids to bed...time for the real fun. Hermione would lead him up to their large bedroom, where their black silk bed was. Draco and his gorgeous, sexy wife would make love over and over. They of course would use magic to silence the room and lock the doors. Hermione would be loud...and that's the only way he'd have it.

He was interrupted from his vision by fingers caressing his arm. He looked down and saw Hermione's big chocolate eyes staring at him. Her slender fingers were running up and down his arm softly.

End of Draco's POV

'I didn't know you were still awake.' Draco stated.

'I wasn't, but I was sleeping lightly...sometimes I'll wake up randomly.' She smiled.

'What were you thinking about?'

'Nothing.'

Hermione frowned and stopped her fingers.

'Trust. Honesty.' Draco remembered.

'I was thinking about the things I regret.' He said.

She looked back up and him and started rubbing his arm again.

'Things you regret?' She asked.

'Yes. I don't want to talk about them though...it's mostly women I regret.'

'Oh.' Hermione said nodding, understanding. She didn't like him talking about all the women he's had. And she knew there were many.

'I was also thinking about what I wanted in life.' He stated.

'Really? What do you want?'

'I am not sure anymore. I thought I knew, but then you came into my life.'

'I'm sorry.' She said sorrowfully.

'No, Hermione, it's not a bad thing. It's a good thing, a great thing. I was thinking how I want to change what I want for the better.'

'What do you want now then?'

'I still am not quite sure.'

'Well, what don't you want any longer. Can you answer that?'

'I think so. I don't want to give up on having a serious life just because my father fucked his up.'

'A serious life?' She asked, not quite understanding.

'When I was younger, I saw how angry my dad was and how quiet my mom always was. I thought this was how married adults were. I decided I never wanted to be married or steady with someone because I didn't want to be like my parents, especially my father. But now, I'm not sure anymore.'

Hermione nodded. She understood now.

'What do you want?' Draco asked.

'For you?' She asked.

'No...do I need to spell everything out for you?' He asked jokingly.

'Hey, be nice, it's quite late.'

'I know, I was just joking. But no, not for me, I meant what do you want in life?'

'I want to be successful in what ever I do after Hogwarts.'

'You want a career?'

'Well...yes.'

'Oh.'

'Is that wrong?' Hermione asked incredulously.

'Well, I don't know. I guess not. I thought women always just stayed home and let their husbands work.'

'Draco!' She cried laughing, 'You are positively primeval!'

'Well, it's what I was raised to see.'

'What about Professors McGonagall, Madame Hooch, Madame Pomfrey, etc...they are women with careers!'

'Yeah...look at them...they are all old spinsters.' Draco smirked.

Hermione smiled at him and shook her head.

'Well, it's fine if women have careers now, Draco.'

'I guess so.' He replied. 'Is that all you want out of life?'

'Heavens no.' She said. 'I want a family, too.'

'Do you?'

'Of course...what girl doesn't?' She asked. 'I'm assuming you want to have no kids.'

'What makes you say that?' Draco asked. 'I want kids. A boy and a girl.'

'Thought this out have you?'

'I told you I was thinking about what I wanted in life. Besides, the process in which you have to do to have children is way too fun not to have children.' He smirked.

'Oh really?' She asked jokingly. 'I'll take your word for it.'

'If you let me...' He whispered, 'I prove it to you after I get better.'

Hermione swallowed hard. This was awkward for her. Hermione loved Draco and was very attracted to him, but she was a virgin. She also didn't know if he was serious.

Draco saw that she was uncomfortable. He quickly said something to relieve her.

'We don't have to. I'm not forcing you to do anything, I was just...offering.' He smiled.

She giggled, half nervously.

'I know. I get nervous though when you bring up things like that.'

'I don't mean to make you nervous.'

'It's not really you. It's me...Draco, you are experienced and I-'

'You are a virgin.' He finished for her.

'Yeah...I don't know what...and I don't know how...and you do and...'

'Hermione,' he said turning all he could to face her, 'I don't care about that anymore. Sure, I used too but I've matured...a bit.' He smiled, so did she. 'All I ask is that when you are ready for...more...you come find me.'

She grinned and nodded.

'Alright.'

He kissed he forehead and then told her to get some sleep.

She acquiesced and fell asleep into his arms, she subconsciously continued to massage his arm softly and he too fell asleep next to her quickly.

A/N: I started this chappie and "Just Lose It" was paying and now it's playing again when I end!! Isn't that IRONIC!??! I think it's a sign...lol jk! WELL IT'S 2:14 AND I LEAVE FOR FLORIDA IN TWO HOURS AND I HAVE TO FINISH PACKING NOW-SO THIS IS WHERE I LEAVE YOU! I'LL MISS YOU ALL! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! I WOULD TO COME BACK WITH TONS OF REVIEWS AWAITING FOR ME! THANKS I LOVE YOU ALL!