A/N: Sorry it's been so long since my last update…my computer crashed a while ago, and I lost all of my files, including the endings of all my fanfics. I'd like to give a special thanks to TwilightEmmett for reviewing and inspiring me to actually finish this story!! Now…on with the final chapter…hope you enjoy it!
Hermione awoke rather abruptly the next morning to find that Ron was already out of bed. This was very un-characteristic of him, given the early hour. She rolled slowly out of his warm bed and slipped on her dressing gown. Nervously, she made her way down the winding stairs of the Burrow to the kitchen.
He was standing with his back to her and she could easily see the toned muscles of his shoulders and arms through his plain white shirt. She felt her heart swell at the very sight of him. Biting her lip, she quietly crept up behind him. He was staring out the window, watching the sun rise, calmly stirring a mug of tea. Hermione stretched up onto her tip-toes and into his ear, she whispered, "Good morning, love."
Quicker than she would have believed possible, Ron spun around, his wand already in his hand, his eyes blazing. She had seen that look in his eye once before, in Malfoy Manor. She shrunk back, frightened for a fraction of a second. When he realized it was Hermione who had snuck up on him, he lowered his wand and let out a sigh of relief. "Merlin, Hermione. You nearly gave me heart failure."
Still shocked at his reaction, she squeaked, "Sorry. I- er…I didn't mean to…"
He smiled and slowly shook his head. Without giving her much warning, he bent down and scooped her into his arms. Slightly surprised at the fact that he could carry her around so easily, Hermione's face broke into a wide grin as she wrapped her arms around his neck and softly kissed him. "I love you, you know…I really do."
He simply nodded as he carried her out into the back garden of the burrow. Conjuring a blanket, he slowly lowered her to the ground in a secluded area of the yard that Hermione had never seen before. He sat down next to her, the rising sun giving his hair a marvelous copper tone. She rested her head on his shoulder. He softly said, "Sorry about my reaction in the kitchen…you snuck up on me…"
"I was just surprised you were still so on guard, is all…It seems everyone else has just accepted the completely rubbish belief that we're all safe now," she paused, waiting to se see if he would speak. He didn't, so she continued on, "That's why I'm so afraid Ron. No one's safe. There are still so many supporters of Voldemort out there…People are just assuming that they're safe now Voldemort's been defeated, but they're not. We're not."
He pulled her closer to him. "This is why you said no, isn't it?"
Tears were now silently falling from her eyes. She took in a shaky breath and whispered, "Yes." Standing up, she wandered over to a large tree a few feet from the blanket, and leaned against it. "Everyday, I think about everyone we lost in the war. There are so many death eaters still on the loose and I can't help but imagine what it would be like if I…if I lost you to one of them. When you asked me to marry you, I- I freaked out. Ron, I saw the look on Tonks' face when she heard Remus was off dueling Dolohov during the battle. I can't even begin to imagine how she must have felt…to not know if the one you love is safe or not… They had so little time together before they were torn apart. I just…I just don't want that to happen to you and me…"
Ron slowly walked to stand in front of her and he placed one hand on either side of her, pinning her to the tree and forcing her to look him in the eye. "I will never let anything happen to us, Hermione. Ever since Malfoy Manor…I've known I can't live without you. I will do whatever it takes to make you feel safe again. Think about it, when we met, we were just two clueless midgets, completely unaware of this bloody unbelievable journey Harry freaking Potter was going to bring us on. I could never have dreamt all the crap we were going to have to go through. But now…here we are…alive and healthy, at the beginning again."
She gave him a watery smile and whispered, "You know…you definitely have the emotional range of more than a teaspoon…maybe even an entire soup spoon full." At this, they both laughed, each remembering the days before the war. Quietly, she continued, "And…if a certain red-haired boy were to ask me to marry him again…I might have a different answer…"
Grinning, he looked down into her reddened eyes and once again asked the timeless words, "Hermione Granger, will you marry me?"
A shy smile appeared on Hermione's face as she whispered back the word that Ron was most eager to hear, "Yes."
Ron blushed slightly and licked his lips, gently sliding one hand behind her neck, pulling her up against him. "Thank Merlin," he joked, pressing his lips softly to hers. She kissed him back, feeling her heart speed up and her body respond. His hand slowly made its way to her unruly brown hair as she pressed her hands to his broad chest. He placed his other hand on her bum, slowly lifting her up. Carefully, without breaking the kiss, he brought them back to the blanket.
As soon as he set her down, Hermione pulled back. Gasping for breath, she managed a single word, "Wow."
Smiling widely at his fiancée, Ron replied, "Yeah…and think…that was just the beginning…"