Dislaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters unfortuantely. The credit for anything Harry Potter goes to J.K. And the song is by Blake Shelton.
"I can't do this anymore, Ronald!" Hermione was in tears on the floor. "We fight ALL the time and you're never here anyway. Why is your work so much more important to you than me?"
Hermione and Ron had been married for about two years. They were madly in love with each other, and they decided they wanted to get married after the war ended.
"My work isn't more important than you! You're everything to me. Please don't go. I promise you that it will get better. I promise that this case is almost over and I won't be at work as often!" Ron was going into a hysterical fit. He knew he hadn't been there lately and he hated himself for making her cry. He hated himself for not being there for her.
"I don't think that's how it works, Ron. The ministry is just going to give you something else after this. You're always going to be gone. You're always going to put your work one notch above me. And I deserve better than that." She was yelling at him, but then she fell onto the couch and whispered, "I can't do this anymore."
"Hermione, please don't say that to me. We can work this out. I will do anything to make you stay, even if I have to quit my job." He was flat out sobbing now. "We can work it out, we can. I promise. Please."
"I'm sorry Ronald. I need some time for myself. I'm sorry. I have to go."
She left without leavin' a number
Said she needed to clear her mind
He figured she'd gone back to Austin
'Cause she talked about it all the time
One week later:
Ron hadn't left his house since she walked out the door.
He had gotten multiple calls from the Ministry, Harry, Ginny, and his mom. None of them came from the woman he wanted to hear from. He wanted her to call him. To tell him it was all a joke. And mostly to be in his arms again. He didn't want to be without her he couldn't.
Someone was calling again. Of course he didn't answer. He didn't even know where his phone was. The answering machine came on and his sister was yelling at him, just like all the other calls.
"RONALD BILIUS WEASLEY! ANSWER YOUR FRIGGING PHONE RIGHT NOW! I KNOW THAT YOU'RE AT YOUR HOUSE. IT'S BEEN A GODDAMN WEEK! YOU KNOW DAMN WELL THAT MY WEDDING IS TOMORROW! IT'S FRIGGING TOMORROW! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU! YOUR BEST FRIEND IS REALLY PISSED OFF AT YOU AND SO AM I! IF YOU DON'T ANSWER THIS DAMN PHONE WE'RE COMING OVER THERE TODAY! YOUR ASS IS GOING TO BE AT OUR WEDDING!" In the background you could here Harry trying to make her calm down. And she pulled the phone away and said "No Harry! I WILL NOT calm down. This is our damn day. He can get over himself. He's going to be there." Then she put the phone back to her mouth and yelled "FINE RONALD! WE'RE COMING OVER THERE! WE'LL BE THERE IN ABOUT A MINUTE!"
They really did come. Both of them just stood, mouths gaping at the sight before them. "Good god, Ron! Did a tornado go through your house? How does it look like this after just a week?" Harry was still shocked at the state of his living room.
"Well let's look back shall we. A week ago my pregnant wife decided that she didn't want to be with me. She left me here because she said that my work was more important to me. I think that you would act this way, too. I don't even know where she went. Do either of you know where she went?" Ron looked horrible. He hadn't shaved in the week that he'd been here and it didn't look like he'd changed his clothes either. Upon closer inspection, it didn't smell like he'd taken a shower either.
"No Ronald, we don't know where she is either. But you really need to get yourself cleaned up. I want you to be at my wedding tomorrow. We'll start to clean up this mess for you. And I'm sorry that I yelled at you on the phone, but seriously Ronald, you need to get out of this house. And I wouldn't be surprised if the Ministry fires you."
Ron kind of mumbled on his way to the bathroom, "Good I hope they do. It's there damn fault."
The next day, Ron was all cleaned up and at the wedding, thanks to Harry and Ginny. He was waiting at the alter talking to Harry. You could tell that Harry was nervous and Ron was trying to calm him down. "Harry, mate, you've got to calm down. It'll be all right I promise. Just picture all these people in their underwear. That's what I did. You'll get a good laugh out of that. Or just pretend that they aren't here and it's just you and Ginny."
"Thanks, Ron. You're a good friend. And I'm glad that you are actually here. I think that I need all the support I can get right now."
A while later, the ceremony ended and they were all at the reception. Ginny and Harry were absolutely beaming. They were married now and they were so excited.
Ron, however, was sitting at the bar drinking away. That was another thing he'd been doing the past week. He drank more in the past week than he had his entire life. He couldn't help but be jealous that Harry and Ginny had what they wanted. They were both so happy and he just lost his happiness.
He finally decided to go home, because he was so drunk he couldn't see straight. He got into his house and in his bedroom and then passed out and was asleep for a while.
It was almost a year before she called him up
Three rings and an answering machine is what she got
If you're callin' 'bout the car I sold it
If this is Tuesday night I'm bowling
If you've got somethin' to sell, you're wastin' your time, I'm not buyin'
If it's anybody else, wait for the tone,
You know what to do
And P.S. if this is Austin, I still love you
It had been another three months, and Ron was still moping about. He still drank all the time, but Harry somehow was able to get him to go out almost every night. Tonight he was being forced to go to a Chudley Cannons game. If this were any other time, he would have been ecstatic. Harry had box seats to this game and he picked Ron to go.
That still didn't stop Ron from thinking about her the whole game. He wondered where she was. He figured she probably went back to Venice because she loved it so much there. She once told him that in her perfect world, they would move to Venice because it was the most perfect place on Earth.
He wished that she would call him and he checked his cell phone about every five minutes. He always thought that maybe she had called him but it always turned out to be nothing.
Harry and Ginny always noticed these things. They saw him checking his phone all the time. They also noticed that he always had big bags under his eyes and that he was most always either drunk or hung over.
Harry felt so sorry for him. Why would Hermione do something like that to him? That wasn't like her at all. And she knew that Ron would act like he was. And she was pregnant to top it all off!
Ginny also wanted to know why Hermione had left. She was pregnant too and she couldn't imagine leaving Harry. That would be the most ridiculous thing ever! He helped her with everything. And she was sure that Ron helped her do everything even before she left.
None of them expected her to leave and they always made sure to check if she called. The only problem was that they weren't home when she actually did.
The telephone fell to the counter
She heard but she couldn't believe
What kind of man would hang on that long
What kind of love that must be
At his house:
The phone was ringing but Ron wasn't there to pick it up. The answering machine picked up and the message said,
"I'm off at the Chudley Cannons game. If you're anybody that wants to sell me something bugger off. Otherwise leave me a message and I'll get back to you soon. And if this is Hermione, I love you so much. Please, come back to me."
She hung up the phone after she heard that. Her heart was pounding. She was too scared to say anything. And she was definitely in shock over what his message said. He hadn't heard from her in about six months. She thought that maybe he would be mad at her but she wasn't expecting that. She had wanted to call him for a while but she just didn't have the nerve to do it. She needed him. She was all alone in a hotel in Venice and she was eight months pregnant. She wanted him to be there with her. She decided that maybe she would try again later.
When Harry brought Ron back home that night, the first thing Ron did was check his answering machine. There wasn't anything there, the same as always. He said his good bye to Harry. Harry frowned at him and said, "Ron she'll come around. Please be careful and take care of yourself. Just owl me and Gin if you need anything."
Ron looked at his friend and smiled a little, "Thanks, mate. Don't worry, I'll be fine."
Ron went into his room and stood in front of the mirror. He said, "What is wrong with me? I can't keep going on like this. If she came back now, she'd surely just leave again. I'm a mess." After that, he went to bed and fell asleep almost immediately.
The next day he just stayed at his house and watched television. When they first moved into the house, Hermione insisted that they have a television and telephones. Of course, at the time, he had no idea what they were. But now, they came in really handy. He had nothing else to do today, because Harry and Ginny had an appointment today. Harry was always talking about how excited he was to be a dad. He would always rant on and Ron would just zone him out. He didn't want to hear about that. He had a pregnant wife somewhere too, but he couldn't be excited like Harry was. She didn't want him to be with her anymore.
So, for the rest of the day he dozed through the day and watched the television. The next day though, Harry was making him go out again. There was a ball for Ministry employees. Ron really didn't want to go to this because he wasn't going to have a date. But, he went with Harry and Ginny anyway.
People talked to him and asked how he was doing the whole night. He would always just reply, "I'm fine," then would listen to them talk some more.
Yet again, he wasn't there to answer the phone when she called.
She waited three days, and then she tried again
She didn't know what she'd say,
But she heard three rings and then
If it's Friday night, I'm at the ballgame
And first thing Saturday, if it don't rain
I'm headed out to the lake
And I'll be gone, all weekend long
But I'll call you back when I get home
On Sunday afternoon
And P.S. If this is Austin, I still love you
Well, this time she left her number
But not another word
The answering machine picked up again, but this time she heard,
"I'm going to be at a ball for the Ministry tonight. Then tomorrow I have to run some errands. But, if you want to leave me a message, I'll get back to you as soon as I come back on Sunday. And Hermione, if you're listening to this I love you. Please, come back to me."
This time, she didn't hang up. She wanted him to call her. She wanted to hear his voice. And she wanted to tell him how much she loved and missed him. So, when the phone beeped, she said, "Please call, 596-5381."
She thought that he'd get the point. She didn't know if he'd hear that it was her. But maybe he'd call.
Ron got home from the ball so late and he was so tired that he didn't even check his answering machine. He went straight to bed.
The next day, he couldn't check his machine either. He had to go baby shopping with Harry and Ginny. He couldn't believe that they had the audacity to take him bloody baby shopping. He wanted to smack them both.
Throughout the day, Harry would look at him apologetically but Ron knew he wasn't going to let him leave. Ginny would ask his opinion on everything and he would just stare at her and either say, "Whatever," or, "Yeah, sure. It's fine." Ginny and Harry knew that he didn't want to be here. But he needed to be a part of it since he was going to be the godfather.
They finally got done with baby shopping and went back to Ron's house. Ginny decided that she was going to make them supper there and they would stay and chat a while. Ron didn't want to check anything in front of Harry and Ginny. He just decided to sit in the living room and watch TV with Harry.
After they had supper, Harry, Ginny and him talked for a good two hours. They talked about anything and everything to keep Ron's mind off of Hermione, even if it was for a short time. It started to get late and Ginny told Harry that she was tired. They said their good byes to Ron and left to go back to their flat.
Ron was finally alone. He ran over to his answering machine. He looked at that little flashing light a glimmer of hope floated through him. He pushed play and what he heard almost sent him into hysterics. "Please call, 596-5381." He ran to find the phone in his room and dialed the number. It rang and rang and he thought that maybe she wasn't going to answer. But then he heard, "I should have listened to you more. I should have known that you weren't more concerned with your work. I know you were only trying to help us. And I shouldn't have ever left you. I'm so sorry, Ron. I love you so much. And I'm going to come home." He could hear her crying on her end of the line. He was also crying. He was so excited to hear what he'd wanted to hear for almost six months. He thought that it might have just been a dream. But when he opened his eyes, she was still on the phone.
He laughed and said, "Okay. When are you going to come?"
He heard her say, "Right now. Turn around." And there she was. She was really standing in front of him. He dropped the phone on the ground. He ran over to her, grabbed her, and kissed her. He had wanted to kiss her for so long. He let go of her and buried his head in her hair.
"Thank you for coming back. I was going insane without you. Harry and Ginny made me go out every night. And they made me go baby shopping with them." She laughed a little and then said,
"Wait, they're having a baby?" Ron just shook his head yes. He didn't want to let go of her because he was afraid she'd disappear. He picked her up and carried her to their room.
After she had fallen asleep, he couldn't help but stare at her. She had been gone so long and now she was just here. Now he knew that he'd be there when she had the baby. And he'd definitely make sure she didn't think work came first.
Then she waited by the phone on Sunday evenin'
And this is what he heard
If you're callin' 'bout my heart
It's still yours
I should've listened to it a little more
Then it wouldn't have taken me so long to know where I belong
And by the way, boy, this is no machine you're talkin' to
Can't you tell, this is Austin, and I still love you
The next month went by blissfully. Ron was so glad that she was back with him and Hermione was glad she came back when she did. She wanted him to be there when she had the baby. She had wanted him to be there with her throughout her pregnancy but she was stupid and left him.
One rainy night, Hermione shot up and was in a lot of pain. Then she noticed that her water had broken. She woke Ron up and said, "Ronald, I think that it's time to have this baby. My water just broke." That news woke him up. He got up out of bed and gathered all the things they needed to take with them. He wrote a note quickly to Harry and Ginny and his mother.
Then, he took Hermione in his arms and the floo'd to St. Mungo's.
After a long day filled with pain, screaming, and crying, they heard the piercing cry of their new baby. The nurse looked at them and smiled. She said, "Say hello to your new daughter."
Hermione was in tears and Ron was in awe. After all this time of being apart and fighting, they had a little baby girl and they were even more in love with each other.
Ron looked at her and said, "Crap, what are we going to name her. We didn't really get to talk about that."
Hermione just smiled and looked at him and said, "I want to name her Rose."
Ron smiled and said, "How about Rose Molly Weasley." Hermione smiled and said, "That's a lovely name." They both stared at their daughter in complete awe.
Then Ron said, "Hermione, I love you so much. And I always will." Hermione had tears in her eyes and she said, "I love you, too."
I still love you
END
