Chapter 11

I Need You

Ginny sat on a bench in front of a bus stop, the overhang sheltering her from the beating rain. There was nothing she wanted more than to go home, and by Merlin, if Harry was coming to find her, there was no way she was going to sit around and wait for him to come to her.

She had been gone from her family for merely a week, and she wasn't enjoying it. Despite the fact that the last thing she wanted to do was put anyone else in danger because of her, she had learned from Harry that the worst thing you could do when things like this were going on was to shut up inside yourself and run away from everyone.

As she thought of Harry, his words suddenly came to her mind, clear as if he were sitting right beside her. "Ginny, if you're pregnant, you won't have to go through this alone, I promise. I'll be there for you every step of the way, even if you're not — you know, going to have a baby."

She winced as a streak of lightning hit a little too close to home for her liking. Please, Harry . . . I need you to find me. I thought I could do this on my own, but the truth is, I can't. She moved her hands down to caress the small roundness of her abdomen. Almost instantaneously she started talking. To the baby, to herself, to nobody in particular.

"I love him so much," she spoke to her child between sobs. "But I'm so scared that loving him means losing him."

I don't need a lot of things, I can get by with nothing

Of all the blessings life can bring, I've always needed something

But I've got all I want when it comes to loving you

You're my only reason, you're my only truth

"What if Michael's father comes after us? What then? I don't expect Harry to always be around 24/7, he has his own life to attend to, you know. I don't believe a word of what Mr. Corner said, you won't go to the dark side . . . "

"Nobody's going to the dark side if I have anything to say about it," came a voice from behind Ginny. Instantly, she recognized it as Ron's and stood up, whirling around.

She never thought she would be so happy to see Ron's face. He was standing behind her with Hermione, whose stomach looked identical to Ginny's, perhaps a bit smaller. The rain was drenching them both, but the looks of pure happiness as they watched her made all the difference.

"Gin, what the hell are you doing here? We've been searching for you ever since we got home, the whole bloody Ministry has Aurors all over the place looking for you!"

It was too much for Ginny to handle. "I'm sorry, okay! If you knew what happened, you wouldn't blame me for leaving!"

"What happened, Ginny?" asked Hermione gently, taking her by the elbow and sitting her back down on the bench, out of the rain. Quickly, Ginny spilled the cliff notes version of that night's events, wanting as much as was humanely possible to find Harry.

"Where's Harry?" she asked, when she was finally finished. Ron and Hermione sat numbly on the bench beside each other, staring at her as if she were a loon.

Ron cleared his throat and nudged Hermione, who hastily gathered herself together.

"Ummm . . . he didn't exactly know where we were going . . . "

"I don't care if he doesn't know, he will soon. Can we please go home?" Ginny begged, salty ponds of tears pooling in her chocolate brown eyes.

"Aw, Gin, you know I can't resist that look. Come on, we'll catch the next Portkey to Surrey, and go to the Burrow from there," relented Ron, finished with his reprimanding. He was just so happy to have his baby sister again, he couldn't find it in him to scold her anymore.

I need you like water, like breath . . . like rain

I need you like mercy from Heaven's gate

There's a freedom in your arms that carries me through

I need you . . .

Butterflies flew around the inside of Ginny's stomach, desperatelyvying for her attention. She felt as if she were going to be sick at the thought of what Harry would have to say to her. Would he be mad? Would he cry? Would he scream at her, tell her that he wanted nothing to do with her anymore? Even as she thought it, Ginny knew that it wasn't true.

Ron pulled up to the Burrow in a Ministry car, and parked. "Are you ready, Ginny?"

"More than I ever will be," she sighed, opening the door and stepping out. "Can't escape the rain," she mumbled, meaning it literally and figuratively. It seemed the rain storm that plagued the Bahamas was mirrored in England. The rain still poured down on her face and clothes, but nothing but the moment when she met Harry again seemed to matter anymore.

"Are you sure it won't be too much stress for the baby to handle?" asked Hermione, ever the thinker.

"No . . . no, I'll be fine now. And so will she," smiled Ginny, breaking into a run.

Feeling grateful that she found nobody in the rest of the house, she made it as fast as she could upstairs and to her room, where she knew she'd find Harry. However, she stopped outside the door as she heard his deep voice talking.

"I love her so much it aches," he croaked, and Ginny felt a lump in her throat as she peeked inside the door to find Harry standing by the window, looking up at the dark sky. "You don't understand, I can't live my life without her. I don't think it's possible to love anyone more than I love her. She's become my life, my future . . . my best friend. Haven't you taken enough from me? You have to take my reason for living? I demand that you bring her back to me! What more do I have to do to make myself worthy? I've saved the freaking world for Merlin's sake, a hundred times over, and you can't grant me the one blessing of letting me be happy for once?"

Noiselessly, Ginny opened the door and went to stand behind Harry. He stood, watching the rain pour in streaks down the window. Closing his eyes, then opening them again, he fancied that he saw Ginny's reflection in the glass.

"She's the one," he whispered. "Find her, keep her safe."

"I am safe. Now," spoke Ginny from where she stood.

Harry wheeled around and rubbed his eyes, then looked at her again. "Ginny?" he asked doubtfully. "Is that really you?"

Ginny couldn't answer, the tears found their way over her eyes and down her pale cheeks. Harry was equally silent and the only thing he found he was capable of doing was pulling her into a tight hug and relishing the feel of her curvaceous, four months pregnant body against his own.

You're the hope that moves me
To courage again
You're the love that rescues me
When the cold winds rage
And it's so amazing
'Cause that's just how you are
And I can't turn back now
'Cause you've brought me too far

Ginny buried her face in his neck, breathing the scent of him. It still gnashed at her that she was putting him, and everyone she knew, in danger. Especially now, after she'd just heard him beg for happiness in his life. But she was there, in his arms, and for once she was going to enjoy that.

"I love you," he whispered, drawing her even closer to him and threading his fingers through her thick hair. "I can't wait to do this anymore. I've been planning this since we were on vacation, and then, well . . . "

With that, he bent down to a single knee and looked upward into Ginny's hazy, coffee-colored eyes."Ginny, I know I could never live up to what you deserve, but I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I love you more than I could ever dream of loving another woman, and I want you to know that. No matter what happens, you will always be the one I want to be there with; you're the one I want to live with, the one I want to die with. I don't deserve you in the least, but do you think there's a chance you could settle for me?"

Ginny looked down at his hopeful face, and salty tears pooled down her alabaster, marble-like cheeks. "No."