Draco dropped the subject of asking Jade what was wrong, but every day when he came home, he'd find something amiss about her. She constantly fell into deep thought and there was a vacant expression on her face every time she spoke or listened to him. He knew that he'd waste his time asking Hermione or Nessie about what was bothering her. Women were like watertight dams; their secrets would be kept safe to themselves. He spoke to Harry about Jade but Harry hadn't a clue what was going on with Jade.

One day when he was at work, he received an unexpected visit from Jade.

"Mr. Malfoy, Miss Harper is on her way to your office…without notice…again." His secretary told him. Jade flung the door open and walked in, dropping her bag on the floor.

"Are you busy?" Jade asked seeing Draco look at his papers and shrug.

"Er-"

"Is it really important? I really need to talk to you." Jade said standing next to his desk.

"Just give me one minute. I need to send these papers out by this hour. Gina get in here." Draco said pressing on a button. It was only a few seconds until Gina, a tall blonde woman with thick black framed glasses ran in. Jade could tell that Gina was a bit infatuated with Draco but she never told or asked Draco about it and wondered if Draco ever knew.

"Yes Mr. Malfoy!" Gina said as Draco handed her a few papers and folders.

As he explained the task to her, Jade's eyes drew to the pictures on his desk. There was a picture of Jenita and Jade together, smiling brightly. There was another picture of Jade and Draco in their Hogwarts years that made Jade feel a bit embarrassed and wondered why Draco kept a picture like that of her. There was a cigarette in her mouth as she winked at the camera with Draco swinging an arm around her shoulder and blowing the smoke upwards into the air. She remembered that they took this picture in their 6th year. Jade was so awkward looking and lanky. She could have passed as a boy, no wonder no one noticed her when they first met her.

Jade felt Draco's arm wrap around her waist and another arm hook under her legs. He lifted her up and walked over to a comfortable couch.

"What did you want to talk about?" he asked placing her gently on the sofa. Jade kicked off her heels as Draco placed himself on her.

"How much time do you have?" Jade asked.

"Does it matter? I always make time for you." Draco said.

"No, if you have work to do, we can always talk when you come home." Jade said.

"Well I'm supposed to be out on lunch in 5 minutes. Would you like to talk over lunch or prefer to stay here?" Draco asked moving a few strands of hair from her face.

"I'm not hungry…are you?" Jade asked seeing him shake his head.

"Hermione was nice enough to send some lasagna over. I scarfed it down as soon as I saw it." Draco said seeing Jade smile.

"Yeah Hermione promised to send you her lasagna every time she made it." Jade said seeing Draco nod.

"Now tell me what you wanted to talk about." He said.

Jade took a deep breath before what she said. She looked into his cool grey eyes and played with the collar of his dark blue shirt.

"Well when Nessie and Hermione were over the other day, we were talking about something that you and I never talk about." Jade said seeing Draco try to follow.

"What is it?" Draco asked.

"Marriage." Jade answered. She felt him tense up against her. He was probably thinking that she was here to tell him that there was absolutely no way they were going to marry and to never let the thought come down to him ever again. Instead, Jade placed her hand on the back of his head and asked him what marriage meant to him.

"Marriage means that I get to make something of my life, of my family that my parents never could. I always thought marriage meant the union of two unhappy people and never thought that I would have a choice, after my father told me that I'd be arranged with Pansy. Then I guess after he died and after I was free…it took me you to figure that I would love to spend the rest of my life with. That I have a choice and that I could be happy. Before the concept of marriage, I already had started to think about kids and you know perfectly well why. Then when Ginny told me it was all a hoax, it brought me back down to where I was but with new hopes and aspirations. I wanted to be a father and I realized that, that was because I already accepted the fact that I was going to be one and planned so many things. I planned so much; it was up to the point where I was telling myself that I would give my child the things that I never had been able to receive from my parents. Cheesy, yes but that's what I wanted. So I guess years after that, when I saw you again, those thoughts still hung on to me. Harry, Weasley and Granger had all gotten married and had kids and it was just me. Then I see you and everything changes for me. I felt like a fool, trying to reach the light at the end of the tunnel without knowing how long the tunnel was. But I still found myself walking towards you knowing that you were engaged to another man. I loved you before I knew it myself and it's the most pathetic thing that's ever happened to me." Draco said wincing at the thought.

"I shouldn't think so; you were quite pathetic with Ginny." Jade commented. Draco smiled and shrugged.

"Maybe, but I shouldn't have taken so long to notice. You were my best friend and I passed you up for some girl I liked for a few days. You don't know how bad those 7 years were. I never dated a single girl after that and I didn't even try. I was so upset after losing you; I couldn't look at another girl because it reminded me that it was because of my temporary blindness I had lost you. Being with you brought me back a friend I had lost and a lover that I never had and never will have. That's why I wanted to make it official by claiming you as my wife and prove to myself that I can be happy with a wife and child. That I'm nowhere near my father who is incapable of loving his family except himself and the Dark Lord." Draco explained.

Jade was silent. She didn't know what to tell him. She never thought of it this way. She didn't realize how much marriage meant to Draco and how important it was for himself to complete who he was. There was just one question on her mind but she didn't know how to ask him.

"I know you're uncomfortable about marriage. I never asked why but I didn't want you to feel like you had to explain. I had my own selfish reasons and I didn't want you to change yourself because of me." Draco said seeing Jade shake her head.

"Oh my goodness, you're not selfish, believe me. If it's anyone, it's me. I'm keeping you away from this because of my own selfish reasons not to be married. Sometimes I can't even make up my own mind Draco. I think about things so spontaneously, I don't even know what I want at times. If I can agree to get married to Daniel, why should I not agree to marry you? I can be really selfish at times and not know it. I wanted to prove that I can be happy without being married but I never knew it was getting in your way." Jade said.

"You don't have to-" Draco started but Jade interrupted him.

"Will you marry me?"

Draco stared at her. He wasn't expecting that. "Um. Is this a trick question or just a question for the sake of our conversation?" Draco asked.

"None actually. This is really it. I'm proposing to you right now. Will you marry me?" Jade asked seeing him lift himself off her and stare at her bewilderedly.

"You know, this isn't exactly the proposal I had in mind." Draco told her seeing her get impatient and start to flush red.

"You're really hurting my ego here." Jade said.

"But I thought I'm supposed to propose." Draco said seeing Jade start to get angry.

"Good Lord Draco, does it even matter if the man proposes or the woman proposes? I'm just asking you a simple question and in it, I want a simple answer. Is that too hard to follow?" Jade asked getting up.

"Hey stop getting angry. I was thrown off by your question. You're not supposed to propose, that's what I was trying to say." Draco said seeing her walk away, picking her bag up. "Why are you leaving?" Draco asked incredulously, following her.

"I'm leaving because you failed to answer my question. Another reason why is because you keep saying you're supposed to ask the question but you don't. Let go of my fucking hand Malfoy." Jade growled.

"You're making this really hard for me Jade. Will you just relax and let me try to do this traditionally?" Draco asked politely.

"Yes of course and if you want, I'll wear black at our wedding and perform cartwheels while coming down the aisle. I'll shoot someone when I'm supposed to throw the bouquet and we'll eat fucking pizza and drink beer. Is that all right for you? I hope I'm not being too radical." Jade said seeing him give her a grim look.

"You're completely mental." Draco told her.

"Fuck you." Jade said leaving.

Jade apparated to Hermione's to pick up Jenita. Hermione noticed how angry Jade looked and asked her what the matter was. Jade told her everything about her embarrassing defeat.

"I don't understand what's so funny! How come it's so important to follow traditions? I say fuck it-oh I'm sorry." Jade said when Rose looked up with wide eyes.

"Rose take Jenita to the other room please." Hermione said flinching when she saw her daughter's eyes go wide and alert when Jade had cursed. Rose left with Jenita in her arms and Hermione turned to Jade.

"It's not appropriate for the woman to propose. It looks funny and sometimes some things should always be followed traditionally." Hermione said.

Ron walked in, listening to their conversation and smirking at Jade's frustration.

"I didn't know it was such a big deal. I don't even care honestly. I made an arse out of myself in front of him. Fuck, shit…bloody wank." Jade said.

"Well this is your first and only time proposing to him I guess. You won't have to ask him to marry you again or any other man for that matter right?" Ron asked seeing Jade look at him.

"Yeah but I completely fucked it up the first time. There will be no other time to make it right again." Jade said.

"I think he's got the idea. I think he's going to do it the way it's supposed to be done…if he's serious about marrying you." Ron said pouring himself some juice.

"How did you propose to Hermione?" Jade asked.

Ron looked at Hermione who blushed. "We were at the Burrow and I asked her to share a midnight swim with me." Ron said, the tips of his ears turning red. Jade looked at Hermione who looked like she'd do anything to relive that moment again.

"It was so romantic. The water was warm, the weather was perfect. There was a full moon and everything was just so quiet." Hermione said sighing.

Jade smiled and watched Ron kiss Hermione's cheek. She knew that she had to leave now to give them privacy. She needed to go home and take a long hot bath. Jade got up and thanked Hermione and Ron for looking after Jenita. She grabbed Jenita and apparated home.

After feeding and changing Jenita, Jade put her to sleep and went for a hot bath. She started to worry, wondering why Draco wasn't home yet. He would usually be home before she did and she spent most of her time at Hermione's home. Jade turned on the hot water and let it run as the tub filled up. She threw in oils and created a soothing bubble bath that Jade indulged herself into every time she had a stressful day. She slipped off her clothes and stepped into the bath, sighing at how the hot water started to relax her muscles. Lighting a cigarette and taking a long drag, Jade closed her eyes and threw her head back, thinking. In a few moments she heard Draco arrive and she cursed herself for leaving the bathroom door open.

"Hey." Draco said knocking on the door, seeing Jade ignore him and look away. She stubbed her cigarette in the ashtray near her and looked at him from the corner of her eye and could tell that he was smiling, which made her turn red with embarrassment. He was laughing at her for idiocy she pulled today. He walked over to the large tub and sat down on the edge of it, watching her gently clean herself with a sponge.

"Can I join you?" he asked softly.

Jade looked at him and shrugged. "If tradition allows." Jade said innocently.

He smiled at her and stepped into the water with his clothes. "I'm really sorry for what I said today. I was so stupid and wasn't fast enough to react properly. You caught me completely off guard." Draco said touching the top of her knee.

"I'm sorry for that." Jade said.

"I love you Jay. And you're right. It doesn't matter who asks who, the main point is if they're willing to spend the rest of their life together as husband and wife. If you were wondering to what my answer would be to your question, you shouldn't wonder at all. You know my answer." Draco said seeing Jade flicker her eyes back to the water again. He moved until he was on top of her, standing on his knees between her legs.

"Will you forgive me?" Draco asked, taking her head in his hands. Jade smiled and wrapped her arms around him. He moved his head and kissed her gently, feeling her impatiently seek his tongue with hers.

"I love you." Jade told him. She pulled his wet shirt over his head and tossed it to the side. She went to reach for his pants but he stopped her.

"Wait I have something in there." Draco said seeing Jade roll her eyes.

"Just take it off and-" Jade stopped seeing him pull a wet velvet box from his pocket.

"I told you I was serious about this. Now…will you marry me?" Draco asked looking at Jade who was truly surprised.

"Yeah…sure…why not?" Jade asked hearing him chuckle and slip in the beautiful princess cut diamond ring on her finger.

"How did you get the time to get this made?" Jade asked marveling at the exquisite ring.

"I rang in one of my closest acquaintances for it. I had my eye on this ring for a while and he noticed so he kept it and never sold it. To my surprise when I walked in and asked for the most ridiculously priced ring available. Do you like it?" Draco asked drying off his hair. It was the most fun he ever had whenever he took a shower or bathed with Jade. It was special this time around.

"Do I like it? I'm…in love with it. It's so beautiful and old fashioned." Jade said adoring the ring.

"I knew you'd love it." He said kissing her.

Jade groaned and hung her head. "What happened?" Draco asked.

"Nessie's going to go nuts about this." Jade told him.

Going nuts was an understatement for Nessie Stewart. Jade avoided the extremely happy Nessie who immediately started to ask about the theme about the wedding.

"Before the theme, can't we figure out a date for the wedding?" Draco asked.

"What day do you have in mind?" Nessie asked.

Jade looked at Jenita and realized how big she was getting. Her 1st birthday was only 4 months away. A small light bulb went off in her head and Jade looked up to see Nessie and Draco. "May 13th." Jade said.

Draco and Nessie turned to Jade. "But that's Jenita's birthday." Draco said.

"So? Wouldn't it be something special if her first birthday be the day her parents tied the knot?" Jade asked.

"I think it's a wonderful idea." Nessie said.

"But would we have 4 months to plan a wedding?" Draco asked.

"How many people are we inviting?" Jade asked.

"I want a small wedding but it's impossible to do so because I have to invite the people I do business with." Draco said.

"I want nothing fancy and-"

"You stay quiet. This is the first time you're getting married, do it in a way you'll never regret. I'm going to call the top wedding specialists in this world to make yours the best. I have to start getting your fittings Jade for the wedding gown." Nessie said getting up.

Jade turned to Draco and gave him a horrified look and Draco shot Jade a grin in return. "Nessie make sure it's not black and she doesn't cartwheel her way down the aisle." Draco said giving Nessie a wink.

"Don't you worry Draco. Come on Jade, we don't have all day!" Nessie said grabbing Jade's hand.

"Where are we going?" Jade asked.

"To New York. I need to take your measurements and make out a sketch for the wedding gown." Nessie said.

"Cripes." Jade said. Draco got up and kissed Jade goodbye.