Here's my apology for the last chapter taking so long! This one is a little shorter than the rest, but I hope you all still enjoy it!

Read and review, thanks!

Draco Malfoy nearly cussed as the door swung open to reveal a stuttering house-elf. The little thing was shaking, soaked from the rain, "M-m-mister Malfoy!" It squeaked, "Visitor!" He stood up, grasping his wand as he saw a dark figure moving behind the house-elf. Raising his wand, he pointed it, "Stand and deliver!"

Millicent burst into a fresh set of tears as she pulled her rain-soaked cloak off, "I'm not too far off from that." She hiccupped. Her eyes were red from crying and she was literally shaking on her feet.

"Bloody hell, Millie," Draco leapt toward her and grasped her. "What happened? Is it Fred, did he hurt you?" He held her at arm's length, "I swear, if he hurt you, I'll rip his bloody head off, brother in law or not."

Shaking her head, she swiped at her tears, "He didn't hit me, Draco." She was shaking so hard that her knees nearly buckled. She ended up half-leaning, half-falling onto Draco as he set her down on his chair.

"Well he did something to you!" Draco roared and then turned to the frightened house-elf, "Rosie, get Millicent a cup of tea and summon the mediwitch, NOW!" The little thing scampered off and he knelt in front of her. "That bloody bastard, I'll kill him!"

"No, Draco," Millicent said through the tears. "He didn't hurt me, not like that, or anything like you're thinking." She grasped his shoulders and closed her eyes. "I'm pregnant, Draco."

Of all the things Draco had been expecting, that wasn't it. "That's great news, Millie. Why are you crying then?" He'd never seen Millicent cry, ever. She was tough as nails, harder than stone…she'd been hurt, beaten, scarred by men and women alike and never cracked.

Taking a deep, shuddering breath, she leaned back in the chair, "Fred doesn't want it. He doesn't want us," she said softly. "He never did."

Draco felt his heart break for her, "The fucking wanker." He breathed. Rosie came bustling back in with the tea and an assurance that the mediwitch was on her way. Sighing, he looked back over at Millicent, "What do you want me to do, Millie? I'll do anything; I've told you my home is your home."

"Thank you," She whispered and let the tea warm her, body and soul. "You've been more of a friend to me than anyone I've ever known, Draco. Even back at Hogwarts, you were a friend to me when no one else was." She gave him a bleary-eyed smile, "I won't infringe long. I don't want to cause tensions between you and Ginny, of course."

A voice echoed from the door, "I'll bloody kill the fucking wanker myself." Ginny Malfoy snapped. Striding through the door, she sighed, "I love my brother. I do wish that the two of you could work it out but I'm not going to stop you from staying here. I rather would like it if you did stay."

Millicent had been surprised by Ginny's appearance…and even more surprised that the woman was on her side. She had fully expected Ginny to be on her brother's side through all of this, "I had suspected that I was pregnant for a little while and the mediwitch finally confirmed it today." She felt her breath hitch but she was determined not to cry again, "I told Fred and…oh God," She wrapped her arms around her waist, "He was so angry. He started screaming at me in the restaurant about how this was my fault and he never wanted to marry me. He just did it to appease his family."

Ginny gasped and Draco turned a notch redder with anger. His fist was clenched, "I'll kill him." Ginny nodded her assent, "I'd agree with you but I think Fred will come around." She put up her hand to stop either from speaking, "I know Fred better than anyone. I know how he looks at you, Millie," she placed her hand on her newest sister-in-law's shoulder, "even if he hasn't figured it out for himself, he cares for you. And I think he'll come around."

"God, I hope so," Millicent said, pressing a hand to her abdomen. "I don't know if I can raise this child by myself." Everything was changing, moving too fast. She didn't know what to do, "I left Fred a letter and I told him that I still love him but not to try and contact me unless he's serious about this family." Closing her eyes, she shook her head, "I don't want this child to grow up like I did, in a loveless home."

Draco placed his hand on her other shoulder, "Millicent, Ginny and I are both here for you. You don't have to worry about going through this alone. And you could never recreate what your parents did to you," he said softly, "You're a wonderful, loving person. Your parents were monsters. You're not like them."

"I know," Millicent said softly, "But I want him or her to grow up in a house like the Weasleys. A loving, stable, happy home," She finished. Wiping the tears from her face, she just rested there, feeling nothing but numb. "Is that wrong?"

Ginny felt her heart go out to Millicent; no, she hadn't liked her in school. Millie had been a bully then but…she'd never really been mean to her. Not to mention that she wasn't that girl anymore, "It's not wrong, Millie. We lived very happily at the Burrow and the fact that you want that shows me that you really will be the very best mother to this child."

"Thank you," Millicent said, her eyes filling with tears again. Sobering, she took off her wet, rain-soaked cloak. "I'd appreciate if you didn't tell Fred I'm here."

Draco nodded immediately but Ginny looked more conflicted. "I don't want to keep anything from Fred," She began, biting her lip, "But I understand why you might want to stay underground for a while."

"I'll still see Fred at work," She took a deep breath, "Which is going to be terribly difficult for me. But if he admits to himself that he wants me or," her voice tightened with pain, "decides that he doesn't want to be together anymore. Until he makes his choice, I'd rather keep contact to a minimum." The words burned her; she had never felt pain as deeply as this.

The mediwitch bustled in, shaking off a giant umbrella, "Mister Malfoy, sorry it took me so long to get here."

Draco waved away her petty excuses and left Ginny and Millicent alone with the mediwitch. It didn't seem appropriate for him to stay while the mediwitch examined her and made sure the baby was alright. Besides, he had to get a room made up for her; somewhere close to his and Ginny's room, he had decided. If she needed anything, he wanted to make sure it was all okay. Damn Fred and his self-absorption! If the man knew everything Millicent had been through, why was he doing this to her now? It was the ultimate betrayal to Draco and he knew that Millicent would see it that way too…how many times had her parents pushed her to get pregnant? She never would've gone into pregnancy lightly and Fred had to pull this shit.

Ginny didn't understand why Fred was doing this. What was it helping to push Millicent away? This was everything Ginny had ever hoped for…she knew that Millicent was the one for Fred and the one who could heal his broken heart. Now, he was acting like a belligerent child! She was going to be having some words with him and soon; she loved him to death, but he was a blind wanker sometimes.

The mediwitch stepped back, giving Millicent a firm nod, "Both mother and baby are doing fine though this stress isn't good for you." She sheathed her wand in her pocket and folded her arms, "I'm worried that if this continues you might raise your blood pressure too much which can result in a miscarriage or harm to the baby. It's not an issue at this point but take it easy, don't do any heavy lifting or the like and everything should be splendid."

Millicent nodded, "Thank you." She sat up, looking over at Ginny. "And thank you for staying," She swallowed and stood up off the table that had been transfigured for the purposes of the examination.

"It's the least I can do," Ginny said. "Are you hungry or thirsty, anything I can do for you?"

Suddenly Millicent's stomach let out a loud growl; she laughed, "I think baby is hungry. I could do with something to eat."

Striding out the door, she led Millicent down to the kitchens, "Rosie, heat Millicent up whatever she wants and bring a dessert service to the drawing room." Turning back to Millie, she winked, "We had a beef brisket for dinner tonight that was die for."

"I'll have that, please. Leftovers will be just fine," She said. She knew how house-elves thought. They'd cook an entire cow and find the finest brisket if she'd asked. But she didn't want difficult or anything; she wanted to eat fast and some good food. As a matter of fact, by the time she and Ginny made it to the drawing room, the steaming food was sitting at a little table, "That smells amazing."

Ginny smiled as Millicent dug in. She sat down across from her and poured them both some tea, "So, what's the plan here, Millicent?"

Looking up, Millicent swallowed a bite of beef, "What do you mean?" She wiped her hands on a napkin provided her and look a sip of the tea before her.

"Getting Fred to come around, I mean," She said gently. "I know it hurts right now but I truly believe that he'll come around. I think you need to make the first move."

Millicent took another bite as she thought about it, "I want to fight for him, Ginny. It's just a matter of if he let's me do it or not. I want to be his wife, bear his child, be with him until there's nobody left on earth that has ever known us apart. I want to have him and hold him until I die."

"That's why we have to cook up a very sly plot," Ginny answered with a smirk. She leaned in, whispering conspiratorially. Millicent looked shocked at first but then threw her head back and laughed.

This could work; it just took the Weasley Women to cook up a plot that couldn't fail. Fred didn't stand a chance! And Millicent was counting on it.

There was absolutely no doubt in Fred's mind: he was undeniably and unequivocally a giant prat. After he had left Harvest Moon and come home to what seemed to be a goodbye note, he had searched up and down for Millicent. He had gone to the Daily Prophet offices to search for her, he'd checked at Fortune's Café before stopping at the Hog's Head to see if she had gone to the inn. After a while, he headed back to the apartment with the false hope that she might have changed her mind and come home. He considered flooing the Burrow…but he didn't want to alert his mum and dad, well, ever.

Instead, he flooed over to the only place he knew he'd be welcome at half past midnight. Stepping through the floo, he was caught off guard by a voice, "Fred, eez that you?" Fleur asked, adjusting the shoulder of her robe to cover her exposed breast. Lila was halfway through her midnight feeding; it wasn't exactly a time for company…but by the look on Fred's face, she knew that her young brother-in-law needed help. "Would you like to see Bill?"

Fred sighed heavily, "Actually, Fleur I…well, I wanted to talk to you." He looked down at his hands, avoiding the sight of the suckling baby, "But I'll come back at a better time. I don't want to bother you."

Surprise spread over Fleur's delicate features, "No, of course not, Fred. Sit, sit," she urged and patted the seat across from her. "Eez something wrong," she queried, "Eez it Millicent?"

"Yes," Fred answered softly and took the seat offered. Sighing, he shook his head, "Fleur I'm a bloody moron," He wanted to cry, not only from sadness but also from joy; his wife was pregnant with his child. His first born! Euphoria wasn't something he expected to feel, but it was still there, making his heart sing. "But I have to ask that you don't share this with Bill."

Fleur didn't like the idea of keeping anything from Bill; they always shared everything, it made their marriage strong. "Fred, zees must be very bad if you don't want to tell Bill, non?"

"Its worse," Fred sighed dejectedly, "Fleur, Millicent's pregnant."

A smile broke out across her face, "Zees is wonderful news! Why would you keep zees from Bill?" She had been about to hug him when he saw the pain etched in his features, "Was zees not planned?"

"This whole thing wasn't planned, Fleur," Fred said. In a voice barely above a whisper, he launched into the entire story of Fred and Millicent from the very beginning. He divulged their first date, the fact that Millicent had lied, how much he cared for her, the fake marriage, their real marriage and his actions this very night. When he finished, he felt a giant weight lifted off his shoulders. "I really think I love her, Fleur," he said softly, "I've never felt anything close to this about a woman. I'd die for her; I'd give up everything to make her happy."

The story had shocked her to the core. Fred and Millicent had tried to tell them that they weren't really married…but everyone, including her, had jumped to conclusions. It had caused a chain of events that led them to where they were now. Setting Lila down into her bassinet, Fleur took his hand in hers, "Fred." Her voice was soft, "What does zees woman mean to you?"

He barely breathed, "Everything." The answer came as natural as anything he'd ever said before. Why had it taken him losing her to make him see it? There was no logic, no reason for why he had to do things the hard way. "I love her, I do. She thinks I don't…" Burying his head in his hands, he let out a strangled laugh, "On our wedding night she told me she loved me. I told her I didn't know what I felt and she took it with grace! She smiled, she enjoyed the wedding…we both did."

Fleur felt her heart go out to him, "You know, Fred, zat Bill and I did not have an easy time in zee beginning." Smiling softly, she patted his hand as she looked over at Lila, "All eet took was some persistence and patience. Now we have four of zee prettiest girls in zee world and a happy family."

Looking up at her, Fred saw that she truly believed in them. "I love her Fleur, but I also had a bloody temper tantrum in the middle of a restaurant." He had said a lot of hurtful things, things that Millicent wasn't likely to get over quickly. But he hadn't meant them… that was the worst part! The horror on her face and the tears streaming down her face…he wished someone would Avada him on the spot!

"We all have our problems, Fred," Fleur said gently. "You have intimacy issues, zees is not uncommon in men." She wanted this to stick and so she cupped his face, making sure his eyes were looking into hers, "You did a very bad thing to zees woman you love, but true love overcomes everything zat you may do wrong. You must give zees girl a chance to mend her heart but not fade into zee background. Be there for her, but give her space."

Nodding, he hoped it would work, "And she'll come back to me?"

Fleur hesitated, "I know zat Millie loves you very much. You can see eet in her eyes when she looks at you, Fred." Sighing, she had to tell him the truth, "I cannot promise zat everything will work out but I know zat you love her, and she loves you. It is enough, I think; I have faith in both of you."

It had to work. Fred had to make it work. He'd give her space but make it very clear that he wanted her and only her. It could be a difficult road but he had to do it, for him, for her and for their baby. "Thank you, Fleur," He said, giving her a brief hug. "I'll never forget this."

Smiling, Fleur stood, "Zees is what sisters in law are for, Fred. Next time, though, come during zee day." And with that, she kissed him gently on the cheek and made her way back to where Bill was sound asleep.

Fred knew what he had to do to save his marriage and his life.