Disclaimer: It's not ours. We don't own the characters, we do own the plot and would appreciate it if it was not emulated.

A/N: Sorry, no lemons in this chapter, in fact, I think it's still a couple more chapters, but I swear it will be worth it.

Enjoy!

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

IV. Checking the Statues

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Later that day Draco found Hermione in the nursery. She had just picked Caleb up and was walking over to the rocking chair in the corner.

When she stated to unbutton her blouse, Draco realized that she was feeding Caleb. He leaned in the doorway, not making his presence known, just silently observing his wife.

Hermione started singing softly a Muggle tune about a twinkling star. Then she laughed and started talking to Caleb. "You are more like your father than I thought. He seems to have a strange fascination with my breasts as well. I just don't understand it, they're not that special." She paused and took a breath. "I just wish I could tell him how I really feel, but just because he realized that the non-modified me isn't so bad doesn't mean that he loves me. I just have to make sure before I surrender my heart to him." She made a small laugh. "I wish you understood what I was saying, but you and your sister are the only company I have. I'm completely alone in this huge house. Sometimes it's nice to read and stuff, but I miss my friends and I don't think Draco realized that. He hasn't let me out of the house for the last three months and I barely ever see my friends anymore because they can never come here. I know it's horrible to say but I don't think he understands because he doesn't have as close of friends as me, no real friends that he misses when he's away from them for a long time. I don't think he's actually ever loved anyone before, which is why I doubt his love now, I know what I feel for him is genuine though; I just can't let him know that yet. I can't let him break my heart." She stopped and Draco could see the tears in her eyes. His heart went out to her, he wanted to comfort her and tell her that all that she said was true, that he did love her—he knew—and that he wouldn't break her heart.

He couldn't let her know that he had heard her though; she would kill him, no joke.

"Are you done down there?" Hermione asked Caleb. He detached from her nipple and Hermione brought him back to his crib. "I love you, Caleb, good night." She turned around and began buttoning up her shirt. Draco thought that this would be the time to make a graceful retreat.

He backed up away from the door and straight into a statue that fell over and crashed. Hermione looked up from her buttoning to see her husband sprawled on the floor lying over a crashed statue. She looked at him suspiciously. "What are you doing?" she asked.

He looked up guiltily through his halo of blonde locks. "I…er…I was just passing and…"

Hermione smiled. "Were you ogling me?" she asked, trying to sound offended.

Draco smirked. "Maybe." He couldn't let her know that he heard her whispered words of confession, but he could tell a half-truth.

"Well, stop that, I don't appreciate it," Hermione said in a half sarcastic manner.

"I'm married to you, luv, I can ogle you all I want," Draco said. Hermione huffed and turned her back on him, walking down the hall and finishing the last button as she turned the corner towards the kitchen.

Draco then began taking into account everything she had said to Caleb. She never said that she loved him but she said that her feelings were genuine. She also said that she was afraid that he would break her heart, which led him to believe that she did actually love him.

He then took a deep breath as he was hit with the reality of it.

She loved him.

But she didn't trust him enough to tell him so. That hurt him, somewhere deep on his chest, that she still didn't trust him enough after all of their years of marriage.

But, he supposed, he was an arse about everything up to this point in the marriage, so if he were in her position, he probably wouldn't trust him either.

He wanted to know badly how he could earn that trust. He wanted to hear her say the words that she felt. He wanted them so bad.

"Daddy, why are you lying on the floor?" Jaz asked in a concerned voice.

"Er…just checking the…stability of the…er…statues."

"You're weird," Jaz said happily.

"I know," Draco laughed, getting up off the floor and repairing the statue with a quick spell.

A/N: Sorry, I had to use that 'you're weird' from Donnie Darko. If anyone has not seen that movie, I suggest you go watch it...right now!

Lemons and Love and Strawberry Sporks

Brittany and Amber