Hello everyone! I'm so excited! I have 98 reviews for this story; it
took me 17 chapters to reach 95 reviews for Just Breathe! Wow! Thanks
everyone! Sorry it's taken so long. I'll post this weekend to make up for it. Special thanks to SisterBear58 for reading through my chapter and helping me fix it!

And as for my last authors note… remember how I said I wasn't sure
how the next couple chapters would affect the overall plot? Eh, I was
wrong. I've changed things around and yes, it will affect it, so I'm
not doing this for no good reason. Here it goes!

The night had passed, though sleepless it may have been, and the nextmorning had come. Hermione had avoided the subject of Ron for as long
as she could. She didn't want to talk about him; it just made her
upset. She wanted to go back to being happy, at least for a little
while. She had successfully avoided it until a letter had slipped through the bottom of he door. Inside a small note was scribbled in a familiar handwriting.

Thinking about you.

Ron

It had forced to face a problem that she was hoping to avoid. But problem's like Hermione's are simply unavoidable, and she was once again forced to face it that evening when Matt took her out for sushi.

"Sushi?" asked Hermione after Matt had suggested it.

Matt smiled. "Why not?"

"Well?"

"Sushi is definitely better than I thought it would be," answered
Hermione, smiling.

"I thought you'd like it," he responded. "Once you stop thinking about
what it is, it's not that bad."

Hermione chuckled. "You know, I've know you for nearly a year and a
half now and I never knew you liked sushi."

"I never knew you didn't," responded Matt.

"Well, I hadn't tried it."

"You have now." Their chuckles faded and a momentary silence was
reached between them. Maybe he could ask her now. "So," he began,
"What are you going to do about Ron?"

It had been all smiles until that point. Hermione rested her
head on her hand. "I don't know what to do; it's all just so
confusing!"

"Confusing meaning you aren't sure whether you should take him back,
or confusing as in you aren't sure you want to take him back?"

"So confusing that I can't even tell you that."

Matt sympathized with her; he knew all too well how puzzling it could
be. But how could her help her? How could he somehow clear the haze?
"I've got an idea," he said. "Let's make a list."

"A list?"

"Yeah. One side lists every concern you have against Ron, and the
other lists everything he has going for him."

"Okay," she responded, looking around at all the people sitting by
them. "Let's get out of here first."

They paid their bill and then left the restaurant. Matt led her
through the plaza until they reached a large fountain. Its display
looked beautiful as the lights shone through the dark, illuminating
the dark water. They took a seat and began to think about the list they
were about to make.

"Ok, ready?" asked Matt.

"Ready."

"Ok, first give me the reasons you shouldn't take Ron back."

"Ok," began Hermione. "Well, the most obvious would be breaking off
the engagement the way he did, saying he was 'holding
me back'. How do I know he doesn't think I'm holding him back?"

"Okay." Matt hurried to scribble everything down. "What else?"

"He can be so insecure. I mean, you know how long it took him to
finally tell him how he felt about me, and he just always seems to be unsure.
I never really know what he's thinking. Does he really love me? And
he's always," she stopped for a moment. "Does he really love me for me?"

The fountain was flying up behind them as she poured her heart out,
questioning her relationship with Ron. Matt watched her, listening
intently. "Can things ever be the same between us after this? Do I… do
I still love him?" They were both silent for a moment. "And what if
he's right? What if I am missing out on something," she said. "Or
maybe someone?"

"Do you really think you are?"

Hermione didn't answer. There was silence between them; the only
noise came from the bubbling of the fountain. Hermione seemed to go off in her own world at that moment, and both came to forget exactly what Matt's
question had been. Hermione looked up into his eyes. "Matt?"

"Yes?" He asked.

"What exactly is there between us?"

Matt paused for a moment. "Friendship," he said, "the kind only truly good friends can have."

"But how can we be sure it isn't more?"

They stared into each other's eyes for a moment, the fountain dancing
behind them. How could they be sure? They both closed their eyes and
slowly leaned in closer to each other. And closer. Soon their lips
would meet; soon they would see the answer to their question.

"We can't do this." Matt pulled away at the very last second.
"Hermione, I'm sorry."

Hermione's eyes filled with tears at the realization of what she had
nearly done, at what she had possibly destroyed: her friendship with Matt.
Hermione didn't know what to do. What could she do? Matt saw the tears
in her eyes and felt terrible. "No, don't cry, Hermione. Please."

Hermione stood up. Words failed her and she said nothing as she left.
"Hermione, wait!" Matt stood up to follow her but she just left
faster. Where was she going to go? Matt felt horrible. He just couldn't take advantage of her situation and kiss her like that, it just wasn't right. She hadn't officially broken it off with Ron. "Be careful." He said quietly as he watched her disappear out of sight.

…………………………………………….

Hermione was frustrated. She had really screwed things up now! Her engagement had completely dissolved and she had just created the most awkward situation between herself and Matt. She felt like running away from everything; she wanted to escape and never return.

Where would she go? Where could she stay tonight? She couldn't go back
to Matt's, and she couldn't go to Harry's after what had just happened. That
only left the option of going to her parents who didn't have a clue about
what was going on with her. Her head ached. She had had about all she could
take. Why did life have to be so complicated? Why couldn't things just be easy? She was so sure Matt...

Hermione wandered around for a while, unsure of what her next move
should be. She knew sooner or later she'd have to return to Matt's
apartment to get her things. "Better sooner than later," she thought.
"Maybe I can beat him there."

Hermione walked into the darkened apartment; surprisingly the
door had been unlocked. He had probably left it open for her.

"I'm just getting my things," she said looking down at the ground.
"Then I'll be leaving."

"Hermione, go!" shouted Matt.

Hermione was surprised at his tone. She really had screwed things up.
She looked up at him to respond. "It'll only take a—" She gasped.
"Matt!"

"Run Hermione!" There between them stood a man dressed in black, who
was in the process of unhooking the TV. At the sight ofHermione, the man
pulled out his gun. "She's not going anywhere." He turned and pointed
it straight at her.

Hermione froze.

"Don't shoot!" Matt shouted to the intruder. "Don't hurt her!"

Hermione began to cry in her exasperation. 'Think, Hermione Think.
Don't freak out. Be calm. You can handle this. If I could only get to
the closet I could find something to help me.'

"Don't hurt her, or else!"

The trespasser looked over at Matt, his gun remained pointed at
Hermione's head. "Or else what?" This was her chance to get to the
closet. Slowly she took a cautious step to the right. "DON'T MOVE!"
The man turned back towards Hermione.

Matt continued fighting for her freedom. "What do you want?" Matt
asked. "You can take my TV, my wallet, whatever you want!" The man
didn't respond. "Look, shoot me, ok? Shoot me; just let her go! She
doesn't deserve this! Don't harm her! Let her go!"

"And why now should I do that?"

"Let her go," said Matt. "Or I'll call the police!" The man spun
towards Matt. He pulled back the top of the gun. Now all he needed to
do was pull the trigger and it was over for him.

Matt held his hands up in fear. "I don't think you will," the
burglar said as he advanced on Matt.

"Matt!" Hermione screamed.

"Hermione," Matt spat out his words quickly for fear he would never be
able to say them again. "Hermione, you're the greatest friend I could
ask for. Whatever you decide to do, just follow your heart, and never forget that I love you."

"Matt, don't' talk like that!" Tears streamed down her cheeks. He was speaking as if he wouldn't ever be around to see her anymore. The man wouldn't actually… They'd make it through this, wouldn't they?

"Don't worry about me, 'Mione. Run! Run and save yourself!"

"Matt, I'm not leaving you!"

"Go Hermione!"

What was she going to do? The apartment was pitch black and it was nearly
impossible to see anything. She reached over the side table grabbing the
first thing she could, and threw it at the intruder in her desperation. He
then turned towards Hermione. Matt seized this brief moment and lunged for
the phone, but Matt never had the chance to dial the police. "Put the phone
down!" The noise created by the phone had brought the burglars attention
back to Matt, and with his attention came the gun.

Hermione tried to think of what she could do to save Matt. She racked her brain, trying quickly to think of something, anything that could buy them more time. Then it struck her. Her wand! That was the obvious solution! The rule that she couldn't do magic in front of muggles hardly troubled her mind. She dove through her things in a state of panic. Why hadn't she put it in certain place? Every second she spent looking was a second that might end it all for Matt. "Lumous!" The burglar and Matt were shouting at each other; they hadn't heard her. She continued searching for
it, hearing bits and pieces of the 'conversation' between Matt and the
intruder. Light! She found it! She grabbed it and quickly stood on her feet
hoping she wasn't too late, unable to see clearly in the dark.

"I've had about enough of you!" Shouted the intruder as he pointed the gun menacingly towards Matt's chest.

There was a loud bang, and a flash of light.