A/N: So, I did the thing. I now have a new story published called If You Play With Fire. It's probably going to be really dark, and a bit strange vs all my others. But we'll see how we get on.

Let me know if you head over to read it.

Enjoy this one guys, I think maybe two chapters before we're done here!

Chapter 24

Storm woke to the usual sound of waves rolling in to the beach an a light breeze cooling the room ever so nicely. The room was bright and the sun was already high in the sky, and it was warm… so very warm. Storm shifted then where she lay, her front pressed so tightly to the smaller woman's back. The sheets that wrapped around them were pushed down past their waists, discarded somewhere in the night.

She lent over to press a kiss to Hermione's cheek, humming quietly as her lips met sleep warmed skin. "Morning" Storm spoke groggily then, her brain still a little slow due to the sheer amount of alcohol she had consumed the night before. They had cause to celebrate!

Hermione moved then to peak over her shoulder at the younger witch, already sprawled on her back. Dark eyes shut to the bright lights but she knew Storm was awake. She reached down to beside their bed, the bedside table playing host to a gift for the Shifter. They had planned their honeymoon just right, and they were waking on their third day in Spain.

The brunette moved then, rolling with ease to face the Shifter, dropping a small box onto her chest. She had almost caved in multiple times in the lead up to this moment, but had stuck it out. It wasn't as if she had known for a huge amount of time herself, but as soon as she had found out she had desperately wanted to clue the Shifter up.

Storm popped one eye open as she examined the wrapped gift for a moment before a wide smile tugged at her lips and she was sitting up. "Presents! What is this for?" She exclaimed, any huskiness in her voice still left from sleep had vanished with her excitement. She ran a hand through her hair and pushed it back out of her face.

Hermione followed her, moving to brace herself against the headboard of the huge bed in their hotel room. The first thing Storm had done when they arrived was lay down and stretch out. Noting that it was so big that even she could lay widthways and still fit on.

"Go on then, some of us have been waiting to see if you like it" Hermione nudged, her own voice a little raspy from disuse. Rolling her eyes playfully as Storm lent across to give her another kiss to the cheek before she started to tear the paper off.

The box beneath revealed to be plain, giving away no secrets to what may lay inside. Storm gently discarded the paper to the side of the bed before she pulled at the flaps keeping the container closed. Pulling it's lid up to peak into it's depths. Dark eyebrows immediately furrowing with confusion as she reached in to pull out the jersey that was far too small for her to be able to wear.

The Harpies logo emblazoned on the front of the little onesie, and as Storm spun it around she noted "Griffin" Written across the shoulders. Her dark eyes flicked to the brunette beside her, dark eyes sparkling with unshed tears as she waited with baited breath for Storm to catch on to the meaning behind the gift.

They seemed to widen as they took in the state of her wife, her sleep addled mind putting the pieces together slowly. "Are you pregnant?" She questioned a little dumbly, her fingers still gripping tightly to the little onesie held within her fists.

"Three months" Hermione spoke then, choking back the tears of pure happiness as Storm wasted no time in dropping the garment in order to wrap her up in a bracing hug.

"Bloody hell!" Storm laughed then, so entirely delighted by the news. "That's why you weren't drinking!" She laughed again, unable to really contain the welling excitement that had begun bursting within her chest.

"You did enough drinking for the both of us!" Hermione quipped into the crook of Storm's neck as she fought back the tears. She hadn't quite been able to believe it had happened so fast. She'd come down with what she had thought was the flu about a month and a half after their wedding and had quickly found it hadn't been the flu at all.

"Well, they serve beers in FROZEN glasses" Storm exclaimed. She had been so entirely impressed by the small bar they had stumbled across the day before. They'd wandered down the beach for a while and had stopped for a quick cool down before heading back towards their hotel.

"Sometimes you're so easy to please" Hermione quipped then with a laugh, shaking her head as she considered what she had said. She knew she was spot on, and Storm was incredibly easy to make happy. She was so grateful for everything, and always made a point to say it.

"Obviously." Storm laughed then, "To please me you only need to be one of two things… You or a beer in a frozen glass" She added with a lopsided grin, moving to push herself from the bed in order to wander to the bathroom.

She stopped halfway and turned on heel, her features twisted up with something Hermione couldn't quite place. "Do you think it'll be a boy or a girl? We'll have to think about names!" She spoke quickly, her features morphing once again as her lips stretched into a wide smile.

Before Hermione could answer she had disappeared into the bathroom, and shut the door behind her. Leaving Hermione with her own thoughts for a moment or so. Of course, they were excited. This was huge for them and something they'd been talking about since December. Though, she had figured they'd need more than the first shot to actually succeed.

She thought not for the first time that their long weekend away directly after the wedding had been more successful than they had originally thought. It had done many things for the couple, allowing them opportunity to really just relax and not worry about life back at home. They'd forgotten about work, and the attack and everything else that came with real life.

It wasn't like they'd been short on trying that weekend, the fresh air and new environment had done something to the Shifter that Hermione had been very on board with. She had been so calm, so entirely in her element that she hadn't been short on energy at all. At one point, she'd laughed and figured they really wasted packing space by bringing clothes at all.

"I can't wait to tell Ginny!" Storm exclaimed suddenly from where she was stood peaking her head around the corner. Her words slightly muffled as she spoke around the toothbrush wedged between her lips.

"Storm, you're going to choke" Hermione scolded gently, she knew what the Shifter was like. She was as clumsy as someone could get and had often choked just by inhaling toothpaste. She took her opportunity then to push herself from the bed. Moving to push past the younger woman still stood brushing her teeth half in and half out of the bathroom.

"I can't believe how quickly that happened" She spoke again after setting her toothbrush down and washing her mouth out. Stepping to the side to allow Hermione access to the sink. She looked down then at her crotch as Hermione watched a little perplexed with what she might actually be doing.

"Well done dudes" The Shifter whispered then, patting herself gently as if congratulating a friend on some sort of win. The brunette paused her movements, raising a brow in disbelief as she watched her wife through the mirror.

The Shifter wandered out of the room, all but bouncing as she went. Hermione figured then there probably would be very little that would put her in a bad mood after this. She looked as if she was entirely walking on air. "Joe is going to freak out! I think I'm freaking out" Came her voice again, and Hermione questioned if she had ever seen the younger witch so excited about something the entire time she had known her.

As she finished washing herself up, the brunette wandered back into the main portion of their room. She found Storm sat on the end of the bed dressed in a pair of swimming shorts and a tank top with huge holes for each arm. Her bikini top was visible underneath and left little to the imagination. She had already slipped her shoes on and was staring a little absently at the wall.

"Are you alright?" Hermione questioned then, an eyebrow raised as she watched the Shifter closely for a moment. Storm turned her head then, her features soft as she regarded the older woman. Her features pulled up by a small, thoughtful smile as she considered her response.

"Sometimes I think I get lost in what's happening, and then sometimes it hits me. I'm so grateful for you and now I get to not only call you my wife, but we get to have our own family and you're going to be the mother of my child." Storm spoke then, her voice even but full of something Hermione hadn't really heard many times before. She sounded almost as if she might… cry.

"Storm" Hermione spoke then as she moved to stand in front of the younger woman. Noticing then how young the Shifter looked, how she still didn't look as if a decade had gone by since they'd left school. "You're so silly sometimes." She spoke quietly, moving to pull the Shifter's backwards baseball cap off her head so she had access to unruly locks. She drug her fingers through them then, slicking them back as she pulled Storm gently into her chest.

The Shifter's arms moving to wrap around her, stroking Quidditch calloused hands up Hermione's back to disappear under her own t-shirt the brunette had commandeered. "I'm so glad we get to do these things together." Hermione spoke quietly, afraid if she spoke too loudly she might break the moment. "I honestly couldn't imagine going into parenthood with anyone else by my side." She added, leaning slightly to press a kiss to the top of the Shifter's head.

"I can't wait to be there with you through this pregnancy, and the birth and all of that. First night home and everything. I bet it's a girl" She spoke as she lent back, dark eyes flicked up to look at the older woman in front of her.

"As long as he or she is healthy I'm not too worried about whether it's a boy or a girl." Hermione quipped as she finally moved away to get herself ready for the day. Rummaging through their suitcase to find a sundress to wear over her own swim suit. Her own pair of slip on trainers left on the side from the day before.

"Well, when this one comes we can go for a second!" Storm laughed then, waggling her eyebrows a little suggestively as she flopped back onto the bed, dark eyes trained on the brunette witch as she dressed. Hermione simply smirking to herself as she considered what the Shifter had said.

"Is that because you want to try for another one, or is that because you enjoy trying?" Hermione questioned then, her smirk becoming a little more coy as she watched Storm out of the corner of her eye. The Shifter's face growing all together sheepish as she thought about what that might mean.

"Both" Storm laughed then as she stood up from the bed, grabbing her hat off of it's surface where it had been discarded. "Doing that was hot" She stated simply, boldly. Unashamed to voice her opinion on the matter. "Can we go swimming?"

"I'd like that, it's still quite early though. We can go down and get breakfast first and then go find somewhere to spread out for the rest of the day." Hermione quipped as she folded their beach towels, freshly cleaned up with a simple scourgify. Her bag for once not magically extended holding sunscreen, water and the book she was currently making her way through.

"I am absolutely starving. Besides, we can't skip any meals now that you're eating for two!" Storm spoke as she made to take the bag from Hermione. Shrugging it over her shoulder as she reached for the brunette's hand.

"What are you doing?" The older woman questioned as she laced her fingers through Storm's own larger ones. Squeezing a little bit as she followed the younger woman to the door and out into the hallway. Having already made sure they had everything they needed.

"You're not carrying this, it's heavy." Storm muttered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. A lopsided grin tugging at her lips as she turned to look at the older woman. The elevator dinging to signal it's arrival, allowing them to step into it.

"I'm pregnant Storm, not incapable" The older woman quipped with a huff. She figured this is how the next six months would be. The Shifter's over protective nature kicking in already.

"So, does my wife have to be incapable for me to carry her things? Besides, most of the stuff in here is mine anyway" Storm stated simply, a light laugh escaping her lips as she tugged the shorter witch into her side. Draping an arm across her shoulders to hold her tight to her side.

Hermione's own arm snaking it's way around Storm's body so she could slip her hand into her back pocket. "Storm, you've been asking me to put your things in my bag since the first night we had together. I'm pretty used to it by now" She laughed then, noting how the Shifter just seemed to smirk at the insinuation.

"Well, my pockets are reserved for snacks." She quipped in defence, delving her hand deep into her pocket, much deeper than it should have been able to go. She pulled it out to reveal two chocolate frogs held between her fingers before she pushed them back to where they came from.

"How many things do you actually have in there? Be careful with those! If the muggles see them we'll be in trouble!" Hermione quipped, much quieter than she had been speaking before. Keeping her voice down as she addressed the magic clearly in use here.

"I have a few of those, Jelly slugs, exploding Bon bons, liquorice wands… It's extended and enchanted to stay cool so nothing melts!" Storm explained, so incredibly impressed with herself. She had been using this trick since she had figured it out in her fourth year.

"Why am I not surprised?" Hermione questioned, rolling her eyes playfully. "That is quite impressive though" She admitted quietly, considering the magic actually involved to do such a thing successfully. She figured Storm would have to reapply the charms quite often, and wondered if every pair of trousers she had were like it.

Their morning passed in the most relaxed of ways. They had eaten as much breakfast as they could possibly fit in, and then gone out to the pool. The early morning sun already hot and creating such a heat that left little to do but chill out. They'd commandeered some loungers next to one of the pools with a glorious view of the ocean. The hotel bar easily accessible from where they were.

Storm had laid out and fallen asleep on her belly as soon as she had stretched her large frame out. The sun's rays warming her skin in such a soothing way. Hermione frequently stopping to reapply sunscreen to them both. Figuring the a burnt Shifter would not be a happy Shifter.

Around midday the younger woman had pulled herself upright and suggested taking a swim, the air around them had become stifling and her skin was hot to the touch. A cool dip was very much needed, and she figured the brunette would appreciate the cool water too. Hermione had nodded simply and finished the page she was on. Sliding her bookmark into the pages to hold her space before she set it down beside the lounger to stand and take Storm's offered hand.

The shifter being the first the take to the steps into the water that had been warmed by the sun. It wasn't a shock like she had expected it to be, and as Hermione followed her she turned to wrap the older woman up in her arms. Pulling their bodies flush together as the brunette waded into the water, wrapping her arms around Storms neck to pull her in for a chaste kiss.

They were surrounded by people, though that wasn't exactly something that put either of them off. Nobody was paying any mind to what they were doing, and it was nice to just be anonymous for once. Every public kiss they shared not splashed all over the Prophets pages.

"It's not too cold for you is it?" Storm questioned as she guided them a little further into the water, holding the brunette close to keep her above water as the water had become deeper. Her height making it easy for her to do so.

"No it's lovely. I was baking up there" Hermione spoke honestly as she shifted to grip Storm's hips with her thighs. The water making her weight almost nonexistent, though Storm never struggled anyway. Her hands skimmed across slick skin where Storm's shoulders peaked before she dragged her palms up the sides of the Shifter's neck. The younger woman sighing, content and relaxed exactly where they were.

"It's very warm" Storm quipped, her usual lopsided grin taking her lips hostage as her features twisted up with delight. "So, have you already been to the see the Mediwitches?" She asked a little absently, curious to know about the ins and outs of where they actually were at.

"Only to confirm I was actually pregnant, I haven't been to a proper scan yet. We have one booked a few days after we get back so we can really see what's going on. I didn't want you to miss anything" Hermione explained quietly as she absently stroked her fingers along Storm's sharp jaw.

"What do they see at three months?" Storm questioned then, a curious expression tugging at her features as her eyebrows furrowed. "I mean, I can't even tell you're actually pregnant so, it's gotta be so so tiny still" She added, looking down as if to accentuate her point.

"They'll be able to tell us when we should be expecting the baby exactly, make sure it's growing right and measure it's size." Hermione answered simply, watching as the shifter nodded to indicate she was listening. "It'll be quite small right now. I did some research and right now it should be about the size of a lime" The brunette stated, watching with amusement as Storm's eyes grew wide for a moment.

"That's super small" She laughed then, delighted by the information she had been given. "Bloody hell, I can't believe that that's in there" She added, nodding down once again to Hermione's belly. Still flat as if there was nothing untoward going on at all.

"I suppose it is quite strange" The older woman agreed with a laugh. She too had struggled to actually wrap her head around the fact when she had found out. There was a big difference between trying and actually getting pregnant. She was so hopeful, and worried and nervous at the same time.

"We can change the guest room that's opposite ours into a nursery. It'll be easier to get to when it's time to us it" Storm spoke then, already considering what they might need. "We'll have to go and get loads of furniture. Babies use more things than actual people do" She quipped, shaking her head a little.

"Well, we have plenty of time to get ready. We can wait until we find out what gender it may be before we paint, or we could chose a nice neutral colour and get it all done before things become too hectic" Hermione spoke, having thought a little on the topic herself. As soon as she had found out they were expecting she did some delving into the topic. She had even gone so far as to purchase a few expectant mothers books to peruse at her leisure.

"I'd prefer a gender neutral situation. If it takes after me it'll really be able to chose which one it prefers." Storm stated quietly, bringing the brunette's attention to that little fact that not many people had to worry about.

"I suppose that makes a great deal of sense." Hermione quipped then after a moment of pondering on the situation. "How does that work?" The brunette questioned then, quietly.

"I mean, you're born with what I'd call your default setting" Storm started, trying her best to explain a bit more into her background. "This is mine" she stated as she gestured to herself. "But If I chose to, I could shift and change that setting whenever I wanted for however long I liked" She added, her lips twisted up into a patient smile as she watched Hermione take in the information she had given.

"I mean, I really like my body this way and it's just what's right for me. Obviously that one little bit that get's changed every so often just makes life easier at the time. It's the only downside to this body" Storm quipped with a laugh. "That and human bodies are weak as hell" She stated a little wryly.

"I understand, well that's absolutely fine. It's not really something that matters in the big scheme of things. As I said, so long as they're happy and healthy that's all I'm concerned about." Hermione added brightly, thinking on what it may be like to have a child that took after the shifter. She was powerful in so many ways, and that was something she wanted for their child.

"So long as they don't shift and rip up the floor" Storm quipped with a playful roll of her eyes, "or shift into a puppy and eat the drywall" She added, her features becoming all together sheepish.

"You ate the wall?" Hermione questioned incredulously then, unsure if she believed it entirely. Though, she figured it was Storm and much stranger things had happened.

"Not me… a friend" Storm laughed then, the blush that had crept up to ghost across the bridge of her nose telling an entirely different story. "Teething sucks whatever form you're in I suppose" She laughed again then.

"Hold your breath!" She quipped all of a sudden, and Hermione had barely a moment to understand the meaning behind what she had said before she was being pulled entirely under the water. Her eyes shut tightly for a moment before Storm had stood up once again and they were above again.

The Shifter's booming laugh met her ears as soon as they re-emerged from beneath the surface of the pool. Her dark eyes snapping open to glare at the younger woman as she pushed her now soaking curls back and away from her face. Noting that not for a moment did Storm let go of her at all. The Shifter's hands still firmly planted underneath each of her thighs, keeping them connected and keeping the older woman safe.

"If you wanted to change the subject you could have just done so!" Hermione scolded as she caught her breath that had been held for only a second. Wiping her eyes free of the water that was now dripping so liberally down her face.

Storm was just giggling, entirely amused by what had just happened. Her dark hair falling over her eyes as she flicked her head back in an attempt to get it out the way. Not too willing to release her tight hold on the older woman. Water was cascading down her own face, dripping off her sharp jaw and lips back to splash into the water below.

"I just wanted to see you wet!" Storm quipped as she tried to control her own amusement. Trying desperately to stop the giggles that only seemed to get worse as she took in Hermione's stern glare.

"Well, there are much better ways to do that!" Hermione spoke, her voice tight as she tried to feign annoyance. Unable to really pull it off very well as she took note of just how pleased the younger witch actually was.

"Don't be so filthy, that's not what I meant at all!" Storm stated, trying to keep her face serious as she feigned shock. "And you say I'm the insatiable one! Head out of the gutter Hermione!" Storm quipped, laughing once again.

"You'll be sleeping on the floor if you carry on!" Hermione spoke, her voice terse though the wry grin that tugged at her lips gave her away. She watched the way Storm was looking at her from underneath her sopping wet fringe, the way the Shifter's lips had split her face entirely as they curled around white teeth.

"You'd miss me" Storm stated, leaning in to press a tender kiss to the older witch's lips allowing it to deepen just a little bit before the brunette pulled away to smooth her hair out of her eyes.

The normally deep dark pools taking on an entirely different colour under the bright sunshine. They almost seemed as if they were golden as they glinted in the light. "Are you sure about that?" Hermione teased, her own smile growing as she watched the Shifter she had grown so very fond of. The rest of the world entirely forgotten in that moment.

"I'd like to hope that would be the case" Storm smirked a little cheekily, leaning to pepper the older woman's face with kisses.

"Well, you have become quite the fixture in my bed recently" Hermione added, as she was kissed. Her own dark doe eyes fluttering shut as she sighed at the contact. The shifter's lips wet and a little cold after their dip, so soft and soothing on her warm skin.

"I should hope I'm the only fixture in your bed these days" Storm quipped as she made to move them out of the pool. Her stomach beginning to gurgle, signalling it was time for lunch. "I'd be very upset if that wasn't the case" She added, humming gently as the brunette pressed a kiss to the hinge of her jaw.

"Don't be so silly" Hermione laughed. Even the idea of another person in her bed made her cringe. Something that had been a stark contrast between her marriage now vs the previous one. Something that told her this was definitely just where she needed to be, and the only place she would ever want to be.