A/N: I am so sorry it has taken me so long to update. Real life happened. My grandmother got sick and passed on, i started a new job, Christmas. It was just a hard time. But i'm back now. I hope this chapter makes up for it. I have to thank my beta Aaron for all the hard work he does in helping me make this a good fic. Enjoy and please review I hope i didn't lose my fans. you keep me going.

Chapter 9

Hermione appeared in her house with a pop, still fuming after her talk with her inlaws. "Why can't they just understand. I have told them time and time again about the connection, Ron and I together told them. I thought they believed us. Why wouldn't they believe us? Why won't they believe me? Do they think I'm so crazy as to not be true to what I am feeling? And now I'm talking to myself, I really am crazy."

Shaking her head she walked into her kitchen finding it just as she left it. Needing time to think she filled the sink with hot water and soap, putting her dishes in the water and rolling up her sleeves she began to wash the dishes muggle style. It always had helped her think, to sort things out. She smiled at the memory of Ron shaking his head in disbelief as he would watch her wash glasses and plates. It was when she was doing these little things that she missed him most, she could still here the comments he would make, the way he would come and slip his arms around her. "Hermione you have got to stop," she told herself. "This is not helping you at all." She reached in the sink and released the stopper, dried her hands and headed into the sitting room. She picked up her favorite photo album and settled down into her favorite chair. In the album resided all the pictures of her and her beloved and all the times they had spent together and the fun they had. She didn't love it so much because it held all these pictures she held dear, but because Ron had made it and given it to her the first Christmas after they were married. It was one of her favorite memories of their life together, one she thought of often. As she flipped through the pages of the album, she went there.

Flashback

"Here Ron open mine first." Hermione and Ron sat on the floor in front of a rather small but still brilliant Christmas tree in the small flat they were calling home. They had been married six months and were enjoying their first Christmas together as husband and wife. Later they would be going to the Burrow to celebrate with the rest of the Weasley's and Harry and Ginny too, but for now it was just them.

"Oh, Hermione this is great. I love it. Thank you so much" having said that he leaned over and kissed her softly on the lips.

They had agreed to give each other presents they made this year, while Hermione made good enough money they were still just scrapeing by until Ron was out of training and employed as an auror. "I must say that I like your version better than Draco's. It's great." She had given him a framed parchment that she had written her own version of Weasley Is Our King and changed the name to Weasley Is My King. She beamed at him brightly as she watched him smile as he read.

"Ok 'Mione, your turn now." He smiled from ear to ear as he handed her a large heavy package.

She felt the edges and measured it with her hands, "Ronald, I thought we agreed not to buy anything? And you went and bought a book for me? I can't belive you would do that. We need to save every knut we earn, there is no way we could afford this. You didn't borrow money from the twins did you? You mu..." her ranting was cut short by another kiss from her husband.

"'Mione, I didn't buy anything. Now will you please stop and just open the present?"

"Oh fine but I know you bought a book, don't you think I can tell what a book feels like? I can't believe you bought something." she said all this while ripping the paper off the package as Ron rolled his eyes. Looking down she saw the word Photographs written across the front of the large album, she opened it and looked in. As she turned the pages, he watched as her face and eyes softened. "Ron, this is wonderful. Is this all of the pictures we have ever had together?"

"Yes, love, it is. And before you go into a fit I didn't buy the album I got it from mum. She hadn't used in in years and said I could have it. And there are pages in the back left for more as we share more years of our life together."

"I love it Ron, it is perfect. I will cherish it forever and always."

End Flashback

As she looked through the pages she recalled having been worried about his gift that year, never knowing how thoughtful he could be. Each picture told a story of different moments in their life together, from the moment they became friends all those years ago. There were pictures she didn't even know existed. One of her favorites was one that had been taken the night of the yule ball their 4th year. The couple in the picture were screaming at each other, but if you looked closely you could see there was no anger in their eyes. She sighed and continued to flip through the pages, occasionally stopping to read something he had written. This was something she loved too, the time he took to write about the memory the pictures evoked for him. Sometimes it was a long story, other times it was simply a sentence, but the farther into the album she turned more often than not it was simply just the words I Love You.

Continuing to go through the book she stopped at a picture of them with their lips pressed together, some of the twins fireworks exploding behind them, their arms wrapped tightly around each other. She had forgotten about this picture. It was taken on New Year's Eve, the year before they were married. She layed her hand upon the picture and almost instantly was transported to that moment.

Flashback

"Why Ginny? Why do we fight like this? I thought when we declared our love for each other that it would end, but it didn't. I was for certain now that we were engaged we wouldn't have as big of rows."

"What did you fight about this time?"

"I don't really remember. But he was really mad when he stormed out. I should go find him and appologize first. It was my fault."

"Hermione, don't you see? Fighting is what the two of you do. You always have. If you weren't fighting then we would know you were mad at each other. And it doesn't matter who appologizes first, because after the sorrys' have been said , and the making up done, and don't you blush you know you love it, you will still love each other. That is what you guys are, the fights fuel you. No one expects less of you. Now go find him and let the making up begin. I have to go find Harry. Last I saw him he had the baby and was walking to the twins."

Hugging Ginny and saying a quick thank you Hermione stood and went to find Ron. She wove in and out of the crowd that filled the room searching for Ron's head knowing it would be well above the rest of the others. Not seeing it she headed outside, he always had a way of finding his way there when needing to brood. She scanned the grounds quickly, looking for him and finally seeing his form sitting on a bench near the lake.

Walking up behind him she placed a hand on his shoulder and spoke his name, "Ron."

He reached one hand up and layed it on hers turning his head to look at her, she looked at his face in the moonlight and could see tear paths on his cheeks. Looking down at the hand that was on hers she saw spots of blood on his knuckles. Sitting beside him she said, "Oh Ron, what did you do?" She took his hand in hers once more and began kissing it.

"After I came out here I just started running and when I got to the lake I hit the first thing I saw, and well it was a tree. I think it's broken."

"Ron, why do you hit things?" she said as she took her wand out and preformed a healing charm on his hand, " It does no good. But I didn't come out here to fight with you more."

"Then why did you come out here?"

"I came to say I'm sorry. I can't even remember why we fought and it isn't important why. What is important is that I'm sorry and I love you so much it hurts."

Slipping his arm around her waist, "I'm sorry too, Love. I hate when we fight, but it seems that it is what we do best."

"Oh I tend to disagree there. I know of something else we do particularly well." she said with a gleam in her eye.

"Hmm...what could that be?" He replied with a devilish look.

Standing up she said "Come and get me and I'll show you" and with that she ran off back towards the house.

Shaking his head he stood up and took off after her. His long legs allowed him to catch her quickly. Reaching out and grabbing her arm he turned her around facing him linking his arms behind her. "Now what was it you were going to show me again?"

"This." She stood on her tip toes and grasped his long red hair in her fingers and pulled his head down to hers, pressing their lips together. She traced his lips with her tongue asking permission to deepen the kiss. Somewhere in the distance she heard the word 'one' shouted and fireworks began going off in the sky. Breaking from the kiss to breath, she looked at Ron's face and said

"Happy New Year, my love."

end flashback.

She knew she should do something other than waste her afternoon away flipping through the photo album but she couldn't put it down. Each picture brought a new memory and a new feeling to her. Sometimes she cried, other times laughed but mostly it was just a feeling of peace and love coming over her.

Peace, that was something she hadn't felt for 5 years now. As much as they fought and yelled at each other there was always peace surrounding her. Once Ron went missing, her world had collapsed and she felt rage and fear and alone. She knew Ron was being held captive, she didn't know why she knew it but she did. She could feel it. She hated whoever was holding him, she would kill whoever it was with no guilt and no second thoughts.

She finally reached the last page and stared at the picture. It had been taken just one week before Ron went missing. They were standing in front of their house, she was leaning against him and he had his arms wrapped around her. She was looking up into his face and they were smiling. She had had the film developed muggle style, telling Ron she wanted to freeze that moment in time forever. He laughed and rolled his eyes but when the picture came back he helped her paste it in the album. Under it he had written these words.

"My dearest Hermione.

Until the day that I die I will never love you less, it will always be more and more each day.

Forever you will be my life.

Forever yours to love,

Ron."

She noticed the time when she finally looked up from the book, she didn't realize she had been sitting there so long. She stood up and placed the book back in its place and decided to go on her walk earlier than usual.

As she walked she once again recalled the day that Ron had left, making her promise to continue walking each night if he didn't return to her and he would find her. She finally reached their tree and when she went to touch it her heart leaped, she felt Ron stronger than she ever had before. She could actually see his face, it was peaceful. She smiled, but the smile soon faded from her face. She could see a foot kicking him his face wrenched with pain. Pain filled her body as she watched the foot continuing to kick him, she dropped to her knees. Then another flash and she could see him sitting in a chair his body contorted from a spell being put on him. He was screaming, she could hear it, she could feel the pain he was having. She couldn't take it anymore she screamed out his name "RON!!! NO RON!!! PLEASE DON'T DIE! RON!!!!!!!"