three: calm

adj.

free from excitement or passion; tranquil

"You know, I honestly thought that once I reached adulthood that I would not have to deal with this mindless gossip."

Ginny smiled adoringly at her husband as he continued to pace back and forth around their bedroom. It was almost endearing to see him so flustered and with such a worrisome face. She loved when he was broken down and demonstrating the fact that he – like most humans – had some semblance of self-doubt, rather than the calm and bitterly cool exterior that he chose to wear most often.

She got off their bed and wandered towards him, placing a hand on his shoulder to halt his impatient pacing that was sure to burn a hole in their carpet. "Darling, it's all right," she said.

Draco smirked at her and Ginny smiled in response, knowing exactly what it was that he found so amusing. Somehow, their roles had been switched. Normally it was Ginny who would get worked up about every little thing and he who would tell her she was being ridiculous. But when Draco needed it the most, Ginny was there to tell him that he needn't worry.

"I'm surprised that you're so calm about this, Gin," Draco said after a moment, refilling the moment with tension. "You know the press loves to eat up any chance at making our marriage look like a sham, but I can't help but wonder why rumors that I am having an affair with one of my exes doesn't seem to faze you in the slightest."

At that, Ginny narrowed her eyes and looked up at her husband through her thick eyelashes, a look of absolute smugness reigning through as her predominant expression. Gently, she guided him back towards their bed, giving him one hard shove to knock him onto his back. He propped himself on his elbows, watching her with unabashed curiosity.

Slowly and gracefully, Ginny removed her shoes and began unbuttoning her blouse, all the while looking at Draco with an absolute wantonness that she knew he'd recognize in an instant. Once her blouse was almost halfway undone, she sauntered to the bed, straddling his legs as she finished with her shirt.

"First of all," she began, pulling the garment over her arms before running her hands upwards over his arms and around to his chest, slowly reciprocating the action she had just finished on herself, "I know better than to believe anything I read in the society papers."

Ginny planted several kisses on his mouth, trailing down over his jawbone and down to his neck, grinning to herself as a shudder resonated through him when her lips brushed his sensitive spots.

"Second, I know that that tart, Astoria, has her eyes on another poor soul."

Her hands trailed into his sleeves, pushing them all the way off his arms, before proceeding to fling his perfectly pressed work shirt onto their bedroom floor. She guided him all the way onto his back as his hands went to her slender waist.

"And lastly," she began, as her hands finally went to the buttons of his trousers, "I know that you know that if you were ever unfaithful to me, that I would absolutely castrate you." She batted her eyelashes sweetly. "You know that, don't you, dear?"

With an absolutely feral growl, Draco turned the tables on Ginny, flipping them over and pinning her against the bed as his mouth began hungrily attacking her lips. Her hands tangled in his hair, and she gasped as his hands began to wander over the bare flesh of her stomach and up to her breasts.

He pulled back, his grey eyes filled with lust.

"And I also know that there's no one in the world who you love like me," she added, her voice quieter and almost uncertain. "Is there, Draco?"

It was obvious that he could sense that shred of doubt hidden behind her calm façade that questioned whether or not there was any truth to those rumors. She didn't believe them – not really – and she knew that they had a wonderful marriage, filled with passion and understanding and mutual feelings of love, but there was always the chance that she could be wrong, wasn't there?

He cocked his head to the side before leaning in and planting an impossibly sweet kiss on her swollen pink lips.

"There could never be anyone else."

She nodded once, telling him wordlessly that she trusted him and that she really did believe that there was no truth to the rumors.

He planted one more kiss on her lips before they slid up to the head of their bed, pulling back the covers and tucking themselves in. His arms were wrapped around her as she let her head rest against his chest, listening to the sound of his muffled heartbeat.

In truth, Ginny had not been completely honest in saying that she knew Draco hadn't been unfaithful. She knew that he loved her and that he was completely devoted to her, but no matter what, there was still a lingering shred of uncertainty that she couldn't shake. But that was one of the reasons why Draco loved Ginny. She trusted him, even when she had reason not to.

They fell asleep soundly, both knowing that tomorrow they would put everything behind them.

A/N: This entry was also written for Lia's Gossip challenge on the DG Forum. Also, big thanks to Sam (MissingMommy) for the lightning-fast beta! Hope you enjoyed this!