A/N: We hope you like this chapter! Please review!
Enjoy!
0o0o0o0o0o0o0
VIII. Forever
0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Two and a half, Draco thought with a heavy heart as he walked up the bleak walk to the small Paris flat. If this wasn't the right place, he had to give up, there would be no hope of finding her.
Two and a half was how old his son would be, the years that he had gone without knowing his child because it taken him that long to find the woman he loved and then had driven away by his cruelty.
He took a deep breath before ringing the doorbell.
"Pouvez vous obtenir la porte, miel?" Draco heard from inside. He easily translated it to, "Can you get the door, honey?" It was a woman's voice, hopefully Hermione's. The door opened and Draco looked forward to find no 'honey,' thinking that he would have to murder someone to get Hermione back, if she wanted him back.
"Papa!" he heard a voice by his feet cry and throw his arms around Draco's legs. Draco looked down at the little brown-haired boy.
"Draco, arrêtez-le!" Draco heard and the little boy let go.
"Désolé, mére," the boy apologised to his mother.
"Désolé, il fait cela á chacun," the woman said, apologising for the boy and telling Draco that the child did that to every man that came to the house. She walked out of the kitchen and looked up to Draco's face. "Bloody Hell!" she said. It was Hermione, all right.
Draco smiled and kneeled down to the floor. "Parlez-vous anglais?" he asked the child.
"Yes," the little boy said.
"Your name is Draco?" he asked and the boy nodded. "So is mine."
"Really?" the boy asked.
"Actually," Hermione started. "His name is Ophiuchus," she said.
Draco knew he knew that name from somewhere. It hit him. "The Dragon Slayer?" he asked, happy that she would carry on the tradition of his family being named after constellations.
Hermione smirked. "I rather liked the irony, but after I told him his father's name was Draco, he insisted on being called that."
"Mummy?" the boy asked. "Is this my daddy?"
"I need to talk to you in the kitchen, Draco. Ophi, go to bed."
"But mummy!"
"Go to bed," Hermione said.
The little boy dragged his feet. "Night mummy…daddy," he said and disappeared through his bedroom door.
Hermione walked quickly into the kitchen and Draco followed. As soon as he walked through the door there was a red mark on his cheek. "What the hell was that for?" he asked, rubbing the sore spot.
"For coming here, giving him false hope," she said, 'giving me false hope,' was what she wanted to say. She began pacing the kitchen and chewing her fingernails.
"What false hope?" Draco asked.
"He's wanted to know his father since he could talk!" she said. "And now he thinks that since you're here, you're going to stay."
Draco looked at her. "I want to stay," he said seriously.
She looked up at him, surprised. "You can't stay," she said.
"Why not?" he asked angrily.
"Because you hate me! We wouldn't get along, we would always fight and I don't want him exposed to that."
"We can learn to coexist," he said. He needed to tell her how he really felt, how he loved her, not hated her as she thought. The last time he had talked to her, yelled at her, had killed any chance that he had had with her, he realised.
"I'm fine on my own, Malfoy. I have been taking care of both of us for three years now." She looked up into his eyes angrily. "We don't need you."
"I want to know my son!" Draco said, not only that, but he wanted to know her better.
"You shouldn't just try to get to know someone because you're related to them."
Draco closed his eyes and breathed hard. "Hermione," he started. He opened his eyes and looked into hers. "I love you."
He watched as her eyes grew wide and then watery. "Get out of my house, you liar!" she screamed. "You can't have him!" She pushed him out of the kitchen and towards the door.
"I'm not lying!" he tried to defend. He had to make her believe him. She opened the door and pushed him out. Before she could slam the door in his face, he moved forward and cupped her chin in his hand and looked deep into her eyes. "I wasn't lying," he said more sincerely and pressed his lips to hers.
When he pulled away, there were tears streaming down her face. Damn, why did he always have to make her cry? "But...I just want you to be happy," he said as he moved away from her. "If being alone makes you happy, then I'll leave."
He turned around and walked down the cobblestone path. "Oh," he said to the closing door. "Tell my killer that I love him, too."
He saw a small smile grace her lips before the door closed and again he was cold and alone.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0
"Where did daddy go?" Ophi asked as Hermione shut the door and slumped against it, falling to the floor in tears.
"He's gone," she cried.
"How long?" Ophi asked.
Hermione looked at him and knew the word would break his heart as much as it did hers.
"Forever."
A/N: Now, this is supposed to be the end, but if you're really nice and review lots and lots, we'll do an epilogue.
Strawberry Lemons!
Brittany and Amber