Disclaimer: We don't own anything, never have, never will.

A/N: Not a single flame on this story so far, I think that's a record for us.

Enjoy!

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IX. Soul Mates

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A few hours later Draco heard water running in the adjoining room. He listened over the muted television as the water stopped and footsteps approached their linking door. He stayed on his bed and watched Hermione poke her head in.

"Do you know how to knock?" he asked sarcastically.

"I wasn't sure if you were still up. I didn't want to wake you."

"Nope," he sighed, turning back to the television, the screen flashing noiselessly. "I waited for you to wake up."

Hermione nodded and then sat down on his bed next to him. She rested her head on his shoulder and didn't mind when he wrapped and arm around her, holding her close to him. He un-muted the television and they watched a commercial for a new movie coming out, a commercial for hair dye, and then a new episode of Lingo came on.

Draco growled in annoyance at the program and was going to change it, but Hermione sat up in excitement.

"I used to love this show," she said joyously. "I was so good at it."

The contestants were introduced and then the show began. 'S' was the first letter.

"Sauce!" Hermione shouted at the same time Draco yelled "Snape!" Hermione looked at Draco like he was insane. "You can't use proper nouns, Malfoy," she told him.

"Says who?" he asked, his attention on the screen.

"Stump, S-T-U-M-P." The group on the television said. 'P' was in the wrong place.

"Snape!" Draco said again.

"Shape," Hermione said, exaggerating the first syllable.

The group said 'snort.' 'S' and 'N' were now correct.

"Sna-ape," Draco said in a sing-song voice.

Hermione was stumped.

"Snail." 'S,' 'N,' and 'A'—all correct. "Snack?" they questioned. The same results. Hermione was becoming agitated.

"SNAPE!" Draco was shouted, and with the board reading 'S—N—A—' with 'P' having to be the fourth letter, Hermione was beginning to think he was right. Then:

"SNAPS!" she shouted. It had to be. Snape, was not a Lingo word.

"Snaps," the group said and spelt. They got it right.

"HA!" Hermione said to her blond counterpart.

"I hate this game," he mumbled.

"Oh, don't worry," she soothed. "I'm just smarter than you. That's all," she teased and put her hand flat on his chest, letting it fall a second later.

Draco raised an eyebrow.

"What?" she asked him, obviously unaware of her action.

"Nothing," he said, shutting off the telly. He grasped Hermione and fell back onto the bed with her. He held her close to him, but in a friendly way. She realised that he honestly wasn't going to hit on her for the day, so she relaxed.

"What do you want to do tonight?" he asked her. "Surely you don't want to say holed up in this place."

Hermione mumbled a response that he didn't understand.

"What, love?"

She lifted her head. "You can decide. I'm not in a mood to make decisions."

Draco pondered for a moment. "Something to get your mind off of Potter…I know!" He was about to tell her and then frowned.

"What?"

"Am I still not allowed to hit on you?"

She grinned. "No, you are not allowed to hit on me."

"Damn. Now you have to give me a minute."

Hermione smiled and lay back down on the bed. She deeply inhaled his scent that was covering the blankets and instantly felt relaxed. For some reason she had never really had this feeling of security with Harry. But with Draco, a simple whiff of him made her calm. It was odd, but strangely comforting, considering that she was with Draco, and not Harry.

"You all right, love?" he asked after hearing her sniffs and mistaking them for sniffles from tears.

"Yeah, why?"

"I thought you were crying."

"Oh, no. I was just—" she stopped. She couldn't admit to smelling his sheets!

"You were…" he prompted.

"Nothing, love," she said, purposely calling him love to distract him. It worked.

"Love? Well, no complaints."

"Did you think of something to keep us busy?"

"Well, sort of. But it might classify as me hitting on you."

"Why? What is it?"

"It's a surprise. Just trust me that I don't mean to come across as forward. I acknowledge your desire to be left alone. I just want you to see that there still is good in the world."

Hermione stared at him. "Draco Malfoy? Sappy Romantic?"

"It was in a book I read," he said, trying to convince her. "Honestly."

"Sure."

"So, you want to go?"

Hermione thought about it for a moment. "I suppose it's better than watching TV," she sighed. She got up from the bed after him and followed him out of the hotel into the early evening light. He turned towards the beach and then lay down in the sand, stretching his limbs out. He rested his hands behind his head and looked up at Hermione.

"You're still standing," he pointed out.

Hermione nodded. "And you're lying in the dirt."

"Sand, Hermione. Sand." He sat up and patted the ground next to him. "Sit for a while."

She sat down close to him. "So, what are we doing?" she asked.

"Watching the sun set."

Hermione nodded and then lay down, forgetting about the sand in her hair. Draco lay down again as well and they stayed in silence until the sun sank below the horizon.

"Quick," he said. "Stand up."

"What?"

Draco scrambled to his feet. "You'll miss it."

Hermione stood as well. "We're watching the sun set…again."

He nodded. "Pretty cool, huh?"

Hermione smiled.

"When was the last time you actually watched the sun set, Hermione?" he asked, wrapped an arm around her waist and pulling her close.

Hermione smiled. "Three days ago."

Draco was caught off guard. "Three days ago?" he said loudly, moving away a bit.

Hermione pulled him back and put her own arm around him. She rested her head on his upper arm and sighed. "Neville and I were out here talking about life after Hogwarts. He asked me about us," she smiled

"What did you say?" Draco was curious.

"I said it was a long time ago."

Draco's heart sank. For him the past was repeating every day and he couldn't make it seem like a long time ago no matter how he tried.

"He asked why I would date you," Hermione said softly.

"Oh?" Draco was beginning to feel uncomfortable.

"I lied to him. I told him that I didn't know why, but I realised now that I do know."

Draco was unsure where this was headed. "Why did you date me then?" he asked, his interest sparked again.

"We're soul mates," she laughed quietly. "It sounds corny, but it's all I can think of.

"Think about it, Draco. I was Head Girl, top of the class, a Gryffindor, and new to the world of boys. Then there was you…experienced, out-of-my-league, and a Slytherin to boot. How else can you explain us ever hooking up?

"Besides, now we're together again. It's been years and somehow we've met back up. Can you explain it any better?"

They were both silent as the last of the colour drained out of the sky, observing the horizon. Then Draco led the way to the hotel room. They silently agreed to lie down on his bed together and though they were settled, neither broke the silence. It was nearly twenty minutes later when Draco spoke to Hermione, whose back was facing him.

"Do you think soul mates always end up together, in love?"

When no reply came, he knew she was asleep.

A/N: Well, I think that next chapter is what you all have been waiting for, but if that's not what you wanted, then it's the chapter after that.

I know, I'm confusing.

Lemons and Spoons!

Brittany and Amber