LIFE AFTER DEATH

Part Four: Elizabeth.

As Ginny opened her eyelids lazily, she saw that the sky outside was a mixture of purple and pinks, as though it were a very large painting, and she realised that it was early morning, the sun was just beginning to rise. She had been doing that a lot lately, waking up early. Ginny supposed it was because the baby was going to be born soon, and that she had become restless in her sleep since her back had been killing her, and although she had been given a potion to dull the ache, the baby would not still, she was moving with much more fervour than before. Tom had confined her to their sleeping quarters because of this; he sensed it too, the long-awaited arrival, and somewhere deep within his stomach, he felt nervous. What if something happened to Ginny, or the baby? A doctor had been kept within close proximity because of this too.

She pushed herself up slowly, sitting on the edge of the bed for a short time to wake herself up a bit more. Ginny laid a hand on her stomach, and sighed. "Oh… when will you be born, little one? Mummy's tired…." She felt an authoritive hand on her slender shoulder, and she covered it with her own small one. Ginny felt him touch her stomach with his free hand, and kiss her neck once. "How long have you been awake?" she whispered, not wanting to unsettle the calm scene.

"Before you," he replied quietly. "I had my hand on the baby, and she began moving…" he trailed off, as if he couldn't be bothered to speak anymore, and was content to just sit with Ginny like this in silence. They just ignored the beautiful scene of the sunrise, the pinks becoming yellows, and the purples becoming blues, and paid all their attention to Ginny's large stomach.

The slight movements kept their full attention for some time, until Ginny suddenly sharply inhaled, and winced. "What?" Tom said with a frown, and Ginny groaned in reply. "What is it!" he said urgently, standing swiftly from the bed.

"I… I think it's…the baby," she finally got out; she held out her hand for him to take, she needed someone now, and he was the best candidate. Last time, she'd had nobody to hold her hand, she hadn't wanted anyone to hold her hand, but it was different now. She felt him take it with a sense of calmness, and control. "I think… ohh… the baby's coming."

Tom touched her stomach with his free hand, and helped her lay back down, propping the pillows behind her head, and Ginny watched him do this with an air of gratification. He called for a house-elf to retrieve the doctor, and her nurses. It seemed as though everything was going unnaturally fast, just like when she had given birth to Leo, it all seemed quick, and though it was painful, it was over before she knew it. Ginny could only hope for that same leeway this time.

He sat dutifully beside her; his face was a mask of absolute tranquillity despite his over-protectiveness of her previously. It annoyed her, why the hell was he so calm when she had to endure pain that he had deliberately caused? When she felt a contraction rush through her she cried out, and squeezed his hand a bit harder than she needed too, yet he still sat calmly, smiling reassuringly at her.

Tom watched everything unfold around him as it was time for Ginny to start pushing, and panting; he found he couldn't soothe her when she cried so suddenly, and began to shout at him, blaming him, telling him that it was his fault. He couldn't believe what she was saying, and it wasn't until one of the nurses had told him that lots of women say things like that in the midst of pain and exhaustion that he could return to his settled state. Tom vaguely wondered if Ginny really meant it.

Tom stared cautiously down at the small baby; she was just lying there, staring up at him from her crib. He wondered what it felt like to suddenly be thrust out into a completely different setting, and to have all that room to move around in compared to a somewhat squashed environment previously. It was difficult to comprehend.

The nurses had placed her in a pink blanket as soon as they had finished checking over everything, making sure that Ginny was OK, along with the baby. They had also placed a white baby bonnet on her head to keep it warm.

Ginny was asleep, exhausted from endless pushing. He smiled then, the baby was so small, yet it had caused such a furore. Already causing chaos as soon as her life was beginning; he liked her instantly.

"Is she still awake?" he heard a tired voice say.

"Very much so," he replied, "she's been staring at me for hours."

"Maybe because you're staring at her," Ginny pointed out, her voice groggy from sleep. "I want to see her," she said gently, pushing herself up, "can you show me her, Tom?" Tom reached down, and picked the baby up, much to Ginny's dismay since he was no good at holding babies, but he gave her to Ginny quickly, without any fuss, who held her expertly. "She's beautiful," she whispered, and then she smirked, "much like me, of course," she said jokingly. "Has Leo come here at all?" She questioned as she adjusted the cotton bonnet.

"Earlier on," he muttered, more interested in the baby girl, "he tried waking you up, but I told him off."

"You told him off?" she said, looking up at him.

"Yes, he needs a good telling off, he needs a slap from time to time as well," Tom replied, still trying to see the baby better, although he had seen her non-stop for hours on end. "You treat him too delicately, Ginny, how can I expect him to become a powerful wizard?"

"I don't know," she muttered, too tired to argue.

"Yes, well…" he trailed off, and pulled the bonnet back slightly to reveal the girl's head; it had tiny dark red curls on it, like Ginny's, and he smirked. "I suppose she is like you, Ginevra, but, her personality… that may be a little different." He pushed the bonnet back up, not wanting her head to become cold. "I want to name her Elizabeth," he muttered absentmindedly.

"Why Elizabeth?" Ginny said, frowning lightly, she had wanted to name her Sienna… but she supposed it was only fair that he get to name his daughter, since he had been unable to name his son.

"Because I want to," he replied in a firm voice, "it is the name I chose, and so it shall be the name she will have. Unless, of course, you wanted to name her Leona," he said sarcastically.

"I just wanted to know why," she said quietly, looking down at the small baby, who had fallen asleep to the sound of her parents' voices. Ginny wondered whether this was her duty in life; to bear the Dark Lord's children, because she certainly had not been prepared for it, nor had she been prepared for this Tom. How many more would she have to give birth to? She wondered tiredly. "It's not that bad…."

"Of course it isn't," he said clearly, "it's better than 'Leo', what possessed you to name him that anyway?"

"I'll tell you some other time," she said gently, not wanting to divulge the inspiration for his son's name. "I'm feeling rather tired again," despite saying this, she was reluctant to pass the baby back to Tom, who simply held the baby under her arms, and not protectively against his chest like he should have; Ginny resolved that she would have to show him how to hold a baby properly if she was to ever rest easily again.

"Sleep well, Ginevra…" she heard him say, and it was the last thing she heard before falling into a deep slumber.

A/N: OK, I am so, so sorry for the long wait, and all I could produce is this short thing, but it was meant to be longer, it's just that I wanted to keep the calmness separate from the manipulation and cunning that will hopefully be in the next chapter.

Sapphire Crystal: You will soon get the info on Ron and Hermione in the next chapter, and see how Ginny pushes her requests even further, but will Tom accommodate them? We'll have to wait and see….

SailorHecate: Of course he'll spoil her! He'll get her little frilly dresses and white bows for her dark red hair. Awww! I'm squealing just thinking about it!

Blonde-gym-chick: Nice way of putting it! And Ginny wasn't naturally manipulating, it sort of developed in the first story, if you remember, and I like that about her character too, it gives her immense power over Tom.

Dracoandme: You really hate Tom, don't you? Well, it is the point, but I'm trying to get you to sympathise with him here. Come on, guys, he was a poor little boy in an orphanage who just so happened to kill cute little bunny rabbits.

Snow White Tan: I wish there was such a thing as a 'snow white tan'. Anyway, it can be healthy, as long as you keep reviewing that is.

Thanks to all you other reviewers out there, I deeply appreciate them, so please keep reviewing, and, again, I am really, really sorry about the short chapter. So unprofessional….