Fred rolled over, shading his eyes against the hazy morning sunshine; the sound of retching reached his ears and he nearly cursed. Had he drunk himself into a stupor again, had he fallen asleep at the Hog's Head? Running his hand over the blanket he suddenly sat bolt upright, MILLICENT! It hadn't been a dream! He had really held her in his arms, made love to her. Even though he was naked, he didn't care, he rushed into the bathroom where his wife was hunched over the toilet, red-faced and exhausted. "Oh Millie," He said, kneeling beside her, "What can I do for you?"

This morning, just like every morning, was spent retching. The mediwitch she was seeing at St. Mungo's had told it that it should abate soon, but she hadn't found any signs of that happening yet. Although, in another two weeks if she was still getting ill they'd give her a potion to at least curb the sickness. Resting her head against the cool porcelain, she looked over at Fred who was blissfully naked. "There's a box of crackers in my bag, could you get them, please?"

Nodding, he left her side to grab a box of what looked like muggle crackers. Shrugging, he walked back into the bathroom and held them out to her. He couldn't imagine why she would want to eat but then he'd never been pregnant, he wasn't sure what was normal. "Here," he said gently and took a seat next to her. Damn! The tile was freezing and he found that in his state of undress, it was extremely drafty. Pulling a towel from the rack he wrapped it around himself. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," She said, opening the box and nibbling on the corner of the cracker. "I'm used to this by now, it's been happening just about every day since our wedding." Running her hand through her tousled hair, she smiled weakly at him, "You did a good job getting me knocked up, Fred."

Fred almost apologized until he realized that she was laughing softly, "Well, I do strive for excellence." He said, feigning smugness. Reaching over, he gently rubbed his thumb over her hair, "Are you happy about this, Millicent?" He realized that he'd never asked her how she felt; it had been about him from the very beginning.

The question caught Millicent off guard, "Of course I'm happy about this, Fred." She said fervently, "Even though I knew that this would change our relationship forever, I wanted this baby. I wanted all three of us to be a family, to be like your family." A dull movement in her abdomen caused her to gasp; she grabbed Fred's hand and brought it to her belly again, "Do you feel that?"

For a moment he thought that she was hurt; he nearly jumped out of his skin with fear. When she pulled his hand to her rounded belly, he gave her a funny look, "I'm sorry Millie, I don't feel anything…" his voice trailed off as he felt a gentle fluttering beneath her skin, "Wait! I do feel it," He said, scooting closer to her. Leaning down, he pressed his cheek against the movement, smiling "I love you."

Millicent ran her fingers through his hair and smiled down at him, "I love you too." She felt inordinately better now but she was slightly worried as well…in the book she had bought on witches' pregnancy, she shouldn't be feeling the baby for almost another month. Was something wrong? She couldn't any more pregnant than the first time she and Fred made love…she had been a virgin then. Since she was feeling fine, she decided to wait it out. She'd meet with the vampire coven tonight and be home by the next day; St. Mungo's could wait.

Sitting up, he drew her into his arms, "What do you say we get some breakfast and do some shopping?" Laughing, he patted her belly, "Looks like you might need some new robes soon." He leaned in to kiss her and then pulled back, "Maybe a teeth cleaning charm first."

Blushing, she chuckled, "I'll freshen up and you go get dressed." She gave him a short spank on the bottom and stood up. Fred got up to change and with a few short cleaning spells, she felt as good as new. He was right though, she was quickly growing out of her robes…the roundness of her belly was not reticent of most pregnancies. Although, every pregnancy was a little bit different; there was no such thing as "normal".

After several minutes, Fred was dressed and ready to go. Slipping his hand in hers, they made their way out into the warm spring morning. Everywhere snow was melting, flowers were beginning to bloom, and everything was fresh and clean—much like his relationship. They were starting over, making amends; Millicent and he were going to be having a baby, who also a clean slate.

Strolling down the street where shops were just beginning to open their doors for the day, Millicent couldn't help but smile. Wales was a beautiful place, filled with history and beauty. They made their way down to a tiny Bistro that served handmade delicacies; she chose a cup of hot tea, a croissant served with scrambled eggs, sausage and a hearty serving of potatoes.

Fred had been surprised at how much Millicent packed away; he had merely eaten a cup of coffee and a bagel with butter and jam. He knew that she was eating for two, but still…she had always been such a light eater before. Then again, he wanted her to be healthy, to feed their child and to be strong for the delivery. "Do you want anything more, love?"

Laughing, she shook her head, "Oh no, I'm full." Everything was going so well, not just breakfast, but their reconciliation. Fred seemed to have changed his entire outlook on life! It made her deliriously happy but she was still wary; he still had to prove his love and loyalty to her. Although, with the way he was going, he was starting off very well…very well indeed.

Millicent's face was plastered all over the wizarding world, not only as the author of an exposé on the Vampire Coven, but also as the woman who came to an agreement with them. Their meeting had started simple enough, her asking questions about their morals, goals and hopes; it had ended with her contacting Minister Bones with a couple of very simple demands that would end the tension between the vampires and the rest of the world.

Actually, it was probably the easiest story she'd ever done; it practically wrote itself! The vampires merely wanted to have their own council restored on the Isle of Mann that, while they still followed the laws of the land, they kept tabs on vampires in their area. Basically, they stopped any rogue vampire from getting out of control and ravaging the muggle population. Truly, that was all they wanted: peace to rule their vampires. With a few smiles, handshakes, and signatures all seemed right with the world again.

The paper sold millions of papers, proclaiming international journalist Millicent Weasley had accomplished what the world's diplomats had not. With order and peace restored to the wizarding world, Fred and Millicent returned triumphant heroes of the Daily Prophet. Fabian had been so impressed that he gave them both two-thousand galleon bonuses! With the money that was pouring in from outside investors and new patrons, he could afford to be generous.

After collecting all of her things from Malfoy Manor and a quick chat with Ginny, Millicent returned back to her apartment with her meager belongings in hand. She found Fred waiting next to the floo with a smile on his face. Reaching up, she kissed him, "I've missed this place."

When Millicent had left, he wasn't sure that he'd ever see her home again, in their home; he felt his heart sing when she kissed him. "I'm glad you're home," He said, grabbing her bag from her. "I flooed St. Mungo's and we can floo over now for a quick checkup."

"Great," Millicent said, glad that he was taking the initiative when it came to this pregnancy, "Let me use the loo and then we'll go." Her morning sickness had begun to abate but it still stung her at random times during the day and, now that she was getting bigger, her belly itched madly. It was a little uncomfortable to say the least.

It hurt Fred that she had taken so very little when she left; he hadn't meant to drive her out of her own home. The only consolation he had was that Millicent forgave him and was home. As she came out of the bathroom, he stopped to take a good look at her. She was beautiful, radiant, glowing with happiness...pregnancy definitely suited her. Taking her hand, he was careful to hold her tightly as they flooed over to the hospital.

Millicent smiled, the Maternity ward was rather slow today; the receptionist that had first been rude and obnoxious to her and Fred after Fleur's delivery seemed cheery and bright today. She led Fred and Millicent into a small exam room and forced Millicent to change into a blue and white hospital gown, "Good afternoon, Missus Weasley, Healer Hunter will be in shortly!"

Fred's eyes followed her as she left, "Women, I don't bloody understand them."

Chuckling, she laid down on the examination table, "I don't understand that woman either." She answered. As promised, Healer Hunter bustled right in, her frizzy blonde hair tied up in a bun.

"Good afternoon, Millicent," the woman exclaimed, "I'm so glad to see you brought along your husband this time!" Smiling, she shook Fred's hand vigorously, "I'm Healer Hunter."

This woman was bloody nuts, Fred thought; but she was friendly and she seemed to know exactly what she was doing as she let go of his hand and placed it over Millicent's abdomen. He felt nervous, and it wasn't even his belly that was being prodded.

A look of deep concentration bloomed on her face as she felt around and then, without warning, she broke into a smile, "Everything feels fine! They told me you were a little worried about the baby?" She placed her wand on the counter, "Have you had any bleeding or pain? Has the morning sickness gotten any better?"

Millicent shook her head, "No bleeding or pain and the morning sickness has been getting a little better." Biting her lip, she looked over at Fred, "It was just that when we were in Wales, I started feeling the baby move. I read in a book that's not supposed to happen until the second trimester."

"Well," The woman began, picking up her wand again, "Any chance you conceived before the end of November?"

Fred shook his head, "Millie was a virgin when we began…err…having relations." His face suffused with color that would put a beet to shame.

Folding her arms, she thought about it for a moment before her face broke into a smile. Placing the tip of her wand on Millicent's belly, she whispered an incantation that left Millicent's belly bathed in blue light. Clasping her hands together, she laughed, "Well! Congratulations, it seems that you'll be the proud parent of twins!"

Millicent felt her head swim, "Twins?" Fred was a twin, wasn't twinning supposed to skip a generation? Sitting up, she looked over at Fred who was smiling like a maniac; he was actually happy about this, it seemed. "Thank you, Healer Hunter." She said, still reeling from the shock of finding out that there were two babies inside of her instead of one.

"I'll give you two some time," She patted Millicent's shoulder before making her way out of the room.

Fred stood, he felt as if his face would crack in half from how wide he was smiling, "Millie, that's wonderful news!" Reaching down, he placed his hand on her swollen belly and kissed her. "Are you happy?"

Was she happy? She was still reeling…but, of course she was happy. She loved this…these babies more than anything. "Of course, Fred," She said, sitting up slowly. Everything seemed to be moving so fast now; one day she found out she was pregnant and that same day Fred had pretty much thrown her aside. Now, she was sitting in a hospital room, pregnant with twins and a supportive husband by her side. Maybe it was too much at once; she felt tired, overwhelmed. "Can we go home now, Fred?"

Nodding, he helped her up off the bed and had the decency to only peek a couple of times as she changed into one of the robes he had bought for her. Her old ones barely fit and they were getting to be much too small, especially with twins on the way. Percy had told Fred once how big Molly had been in the last month of pregnancy; she couldn't lift herself off the couch without all of them helping her, she waddled when she could walk and her belly was the size of a giant pumpkin. Even knowing all of this, Fred wasn't afraid, she was having his babies and that was more important than anything else.

Her thighs swished together as Fred and she made it to the floo and then back to their apartment. With a huff, she sat back on the couch, "Well, I guess that explains a lot." She pressed a hand to her belly, feeling the roundness there. "You know, we're not going to be able to hide this for very much longer."

Taking a seat next to her, he smiled, "Why hide it? Mum has insisted we come to dinner with the family tomorrow, newlywed or not." His hand rested over hers on her belly, "She'll be so excited, Millie."

It had to be done; the family had to be told. Besides, she was already showing…that wouldn't get past Molly's watchful eye. Still, Millicent felt a little nervous about it. "I know, Fred, they'll all be excited." Kissing his cheek, she stood up, "I'm going to take a little nap. I'm exhausted from all this excitement!"

He did notice that she was looking a haggard and worn, "Enjoy your nap, love. I'm going to work on some tricks for Zonko's." His eyes followed her as she made her way into the bedroom; it was strange how much he wanted her like that. Pregnancy was said to have an effect on witches' hormones, but it seemed to be affecting his too! Every time their eyes met he wanted to press her against the bed and show her just how much he loved her. Blast, now he would never be able to concentrate on jokes! All he thought about was Millicent…

Stripping down to her skivvies, Millicent crawled into bed and sighed. She was ecstatically happy about her career, Fred, her babies…everything was going her way. And that was also what scared her the most. Things were never this perfect; there was always something that could cause her happiness to come crashing down. She hated this, the 'waiting for the other shoe to drop' mentality. She wanted pure, unadulterated happiness…she didn't want to think about everything that could go wrong. And yet, as soon as she closed her eyes, that's all she saw. She dreamed of sick babies, of Fred becoming disgusted by her large shape, of death and destruction; it was horrible, all of it. Eyes snapped open and she rolled onto her side, gently rubbing little circles over her womb, "It'll be okay," she whispered, "It has to be."

Rolling over, Fred wasn't surprised that Millicent had already gotten up for the morning. It always seemed that she was up before him and making him breakfast or coffee; when he sat up, though, he found that she was sitting by the window, staring at the sunrise. It was going to be a beautiful day, according to the Daily Prophet, warm and sunny. For February, it certainly was balmy; although, with the ways of the world, they'd most likely be expecting snow by the end of the week. Sitting up, he smiled, "Morning, love."

The night had seemed very long to Millicent. Fred had woken her up for her nap to go out to dinner and discuss a few things. As expected, all he'd wanted to talk about were the babies…it was starting to become overwhelming. At least now that she had Fred at her side, he could share in some of the anxiety and struggle.

Rosy orange and pink rays lit up the skies, the sun slowly rising in the Eastern sky. Millicent hadn't expected Fred up for hours yet and his voice startled her, "Oh, good morning," She said, smiling over at him. She loved this time of morning when everything was fresh and clean; almost anything seemed possible when the morning looked like this. "I was just going to start breakfast," She stood but Fred's arms encircled her.

"How about I make breakfast this morning?" He questioned, kissing the side of her neck. "You just sit back, relax and I'll make some pancakes. I'll show you just how good my chocolate chip pancakes are." Fred knew he wasn't that great a cook but he certainly could whip up a few dishes, mostly breakfast foods.

Something that he'd never offered to do before was cook and Millicent found herself smiling, "Sure, I'll take a bath and clean up around here." Kissing him softly, she gathered up the sheets from the bed and threw them in the hamper before making her way to the shower. She'd have to do the wash eventually, she'd been relying heavily on cleaning charms since she found out she was pregnant but there was nothing that compared to actually washing out their clothes with soap and water; once she found the time, she'd do it.

Fred slogged into the kitchen, his bathrobe wrapped around him. For some reason, he was humming a tune, something he vaguely recalled his father singing to him as a baby. He didn't know the name of it and he was pretty sure it was a muggle tune, but it seemed to be plaguing his mind this morning. He was careful to add all the ingredients in the right quantities while heating up the stove; he wanted this meal to be delicious, Millicent deserved it.

Blissful, was all Millicent could think of. With the hot water up to her navel, she felt wonderfully relaxed. She had added some of the raspberry scented salts that Luna had sent her for her wedding; as strange as that woman was, she seemed to have excellent insight into people and what they liked. It had much to do with the fact that Luna was a seer, just like Bridget. A thought struck Millicent, was her anxiety and fear being caused by her being a sensitive? She'd heard of sensitives gaining seers' powers while going through emotionally draining times…pregnancy, for example. She was so happy about these children…so why, then, did she feel about to crawl out of her skin or burst into tears? She'd have to talk to a mediwitch soon, and perhaps Luna Lovegood.

With several pancakes cooking up on the griddle, Fred went about setting the table. If Millicent had to drink milk, he would too and he'd put on a smile while doing it. With all the trimmings on the table, he set about putting sausages on. From what he'd read in a pamphlet Millicent's healer gave him, she needed to be eating well-rounded meals that included fruits, vegetables starch, protein, fat and dairy. Even though he wanted this, all of this, he was extremely frightened of what could happen to her. The birth of one baby was hard enough but two? Every fear he'd ever had seemed to double every time he thought about the 'what ifs'.

Stepping from the tub, Millicent changed into a loose pair of jade green robes that Fred had bought for her in Wales. Her belly seemed to be growing larger each and every day, but these robes would fit her for some time to come. Her hair seemed to have gotten a lot longer and thicker as well, it fell down to her shoulder blades and she ended up tying it into a loose ponytail to keep it out of her face. Padding into the kitchen she smiled as Fred flipped two of the pancakes onto a plate, put several sausages around the side and handed it to her, "Thank you, it looks delicious."

Taking a seat beside her, he did a quick stasis charm to keep the pancakes warm while they ate. He waited while she took a few tentative bites and then dug in; laughing, he took a bite, "I told you they were good."

Chewing thoughtfully, she smirked, "I think Bridget was right, though, mine are better." They were delicious though, she found, and she was becoming hungrier as the weeks passed and the nausea had begun to subside. It was a deep, stomach-rumbling hunger that she couldn't ignore…it seemed she was destined to be the size of a hippogriff by the time she gave birth. "Really, thank you Fred," she smiled.

He wasn't altogether comfortable with her thanking him; reaching over, he took her hand in his, "You don't have to thank me, Millie. You're my wife; I want to do things for you, to make you happy… the same as you do for me." Brushing his thumb across her knuckles, he let her eyes meet his, "I love you."

She never got sick of hearing him say it; the feeling of love never stopped bubbling up within her when he said it. "I love you too, Fred. And thank you again." This time she blushed, "I just want to be everything for you."

Fred furrowed his eyebrows, "Millicent, you are everything to me." Setting down his fork, he stood and took both of her hands in his. "I've noticed you've been quiet lately. Are you alright?"

"No," Millicent answered, looking away, "I've been having dreams, Fred. Awful, horrible dreams about the babies being sick or you leaving me because you didn't think I was pretty anymore or you dying." A single tear dripped down her nose, "I don't know why it's happening…all I know, Fred, is that sometimes when sensitives go through emotional times they start to pick up on other people's fears and desires and hopes."

Shock coursed through Fred as he looked over at his wife; she had been picking up on everything he'd ever feared about her and these children. He swallowed the piece of sausage he had been chewing and looked down at his hands, "Millie, I…I think I know why you've been feeling that way." He'd been hurting her, just by being afraid, "I'm so afraid that something will happen to me or that I won't be a good father or, Merlin forbid, something happens to you or the babies."

His honesty was heartbreaking; it made sense that he was afraid, of course. Percy had been a big part of his life and he had died, leaving Penelope desolate and pregnant. Fred didn't want that, it was his greatest fear, his deepest sorrow, "Fred, I know you're afraid," She whispered. With a little grunt, she stood up and wrapped her arms around him, "But I'm fine, you're fine and our babies are fine." Holding him tighter, she ran her hand over his red hair as if he were a young child, "I love you, Fred, and all we can do is have faith in one another."

Tears pricked in his eyes as she wrapped her arms around him; she smelled wonderful, like raspberry and something that was only her. She calmed him the way no other person seemed able to. His arms went around her, inordinately gentle as he caressed the place where his children were growing inside of her. "I love you, Millie, and I'll try," he pulled back and looked deep into her hazel eyes, "I can't promise I won't worry, but I can promise you that I have faith in us."

Maybe that was enough, Millicent already felt like the vise around her heart had loosened somewhat. Smiling softly, she let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding, "Go take a bath and relax, I'll clean up here. I've got to get some of the wash done before we go to the Burrow for dinner." Picking up their plates, she set them in the sink and did a quick spell to start them washing. "Luna sent us some bath salts; they really helped me relax this morning."

Screwing up his face, he gave her a quick peck on the cheek, "I'm not going to my mums smelling like a girl," he teased, "Although you, my love, smell delicious."

Chuckling, she gave him a soft pat on the butt, "Go!" She went about wrapping up the leftovers and washing the dishes before she made her way into the bedroom. With a few flicks of her wand, she replaced the sheets on the bed, started the clothes washing and dusted the entire apartment. By the time she finished, she was exhausted. Sitting back on the couch, she rested her head against the pillow there. Within moments, she was dead to the world, asleep in dreamland.

Fred had taken his time in the bath, letting the hot water knead away the tension in his shoulders and back. He even took the time to comb out his hair that, admittedly, had become much longer. It suited him, though, it certainly wasn't as long as Bill's, but fell down his neck a little below his ears. When he finally finished donning his robes and going to check on Millie, he found her sleeping peacefully on the couch. He smiled as he pulled a blanket up over her and went about finishing the laundry she had going.

They had several hours yet until Molly would be expecting them for dinner and he decided that it would be better if he let her nap. After all, pregnancy was known to take a lot out of a woman and Healer Hunter had told her to take it easy. Besides, it promised to be a long afternoon, Molly would gush for hours, give well-intentioned (although often embarrassing) advice and start planning the baby shower. Oh, and Molly certainly would be ecstatic…he could barely contain his excitement or his nerves.