Disclaimer: I do not own these characters; I am simply playing around in a world already created by J.K. Rowling.

Chapter 5: Enough is Enough

Hermione opened her eyes to find herself in the center of her childhood home. Her heart began to beat frantically with panic as she realized what she had just done.

"Oh shit!" she yelled, "Shit, shit, shit, shit!"

She pulled at her hair and walked in tight circles around her parent's living room. "Fuck!" she screamed out, just as her mother was getting the courage to round the corner with a frying pan in hand.

"AEEEK!" her mother screamed, dropping her weapon, as a disgruntled Hermione again yelled out a profanity.

Hearing her mother scream she turned to her. "What am I doing here!" she screamed.

"Trying to kill me I'm sure!" her mother yelled back.

Hermione, realizing she was being absurd, stared at her mother, and then began choking on air. She couldn't take a breath, and the room around her began to spin, images she couldn't comprehend or think about clouded her head. She saw Ron's face while they were fighting, and the next moment she saw the expression on his face when she leapt into his arms.

She began full-fledged hyperventilating, and her mother, assessing the situation shoved her daughter down into a nearby armchair by pushing on her shoulders.

"Come now, breathe Hermione, its okay," she soothed.

She left the room for a second to retrieve a paper bag, and thrust it into her daughter's hands.

Hermione immediately started breathing into it, becoming more hysterical and letting out a laugh.

"I forgot muggles did this!" she yelled, holding the paper bag above her head in mad amusement. Then again started breathing into it.

Her mother, petite like Hermione sank into the chair with her, so she could hold her daughter and stroke her hair. Hermione continued breathing into the bag, and was rocking back and forth, pushing her mother along with her.

"Shhh, just breath, its okay."

Her brain was moving a mile a minute. She had heard about people doing what she just did. Apparating without a clear destination, and ending up somewhere you didn't realize you even wanted to go. It made sense now, as her mother smoothed down her hair, that she would come here. Deep down the idea was there, and when that tray of food bounced onto her lap, it surfaced.

Slowly, she pulled the bag away from her face, and looked at her mother, "Mum, I've done something stupid," she choked, tears filling her eyes again.

"I mean really stupid, I've messed things up real bad."

As she was engulfed in a hug, she felt even more immense guilt and pain. Every pat on the back, every gesture of comfort broke her a little more. Here she was being consoled, and what was Ron doing? What did he do when he realized she left? Who was there for him?

Was it wrong of her to leave? She kept playing the possible scenarios in her head of how things would have gone down. Either they would have pretended like nothing was going on, and tried to make the best of the moment. Or another fight would ensue. At this point, even if Ron caved, and told her he was fine with not having children, she didn't know if she could really accept it.

Because despite everything, she loved Ron more than life, she wanted him to have everything he's ever wanted. Isn't that what love is about, isn't that what he wants for her?

"I don't deserve him," she moaned.

"Don't be ridiculous, you are perfect for each other," her mother crooned.

"I don't, I don't. I messed up. I'm the one who sprung on him I didn't want to have kids. It's not like I didn't know he wanted them. I did. I was so selfish I didn't tell him,

"Then he's the one sleeping on couches, buying me gifts, making me meals..."

Hermione's Mum observed her panic stricken daughter for a second to long. Her daughter looked up to her, waiting for the words of comfort she needed.

"Hermione, I get it. We all get it. Your career is important to you, but what makes you think every other mother in the world didn't think her job was important? You of all people could handle multi tasking."

Hermione was holding her breath and shaking her head. She let out the breath shakily and looked off into nothing, "That's not what he wants though, he wants' someone like his own mum. Not someone like you or I."

"He's not stupid; he knew he wasn't marrying his mother. You're being absurd," her mother announced in an air of finality. Now go home, apologize, beg if you have to, and fix this. Be a grown up. Compromise Hermione."

Hermione realized she was getting the boot from her salvage and promptly stood up to do exactly as her mother suggested. She would apparate home and beg Ron for forgiveness. What else could she do?

She clutched her wand tightly in her hand, making her knuckles turn white, and turned on the spot to go home. She smelled she had arrived before she saw her surroundings. Keeping her eyes shut tightly she loosened the grip on her wand, then slowly peaked one eye open. She half expected him to be waiting for her with his arms crossed. But she was wrong of course. Living room was all clear. She began to wander the house looking for him and listening for him, but he had left. She was too late.

She didn't waste a moment before deciding she would search for him. Her first stop would be Harry's and if he wasn't there, she would just work her way down his siblings and friends. She turned to apparate, more confidently this time, to Harry and Ginny's. But no one was home there either.

"Of all the rotten luck," she murmured to herself. She would try George's next, but she could already feel her hope and confidence dwindling. She would give anything to take back fleeing earlier, to be in Ron's arms right now.

Taking a deep breathes she apparated to George's, and with a glance around his home, she knew. She wasn't going to find Ron. This house too was empty. Her eyes swept the room one more time out of habit, and she pulled up short at something hung up on the wall in the kitchen.

Curiosity moved her feet to the muggle calendar, and she stared at it blankly for what felt like forever. Then suddenly it dawned on her, and she felt as though someone had hit her with a stunning curse right in the stomach. She had to grab hold of the counter for support.

It was Sunday. Of course, everyone was at the Weasley's for the monthly get together dinner. She had completely forgotten about it with everything that was going on. To be honest, until this moment she wasn't sure what day it even was. So Ron was there, alone, for the very first time. She had accompanied him every third Sunday of the month, for years, since before they were married.

She felt dizzy with comprehension; Ron was the bigger person in their relationship. She supposed she always knew, but this solidified it. He was facing his family alone tonight, and they would all know now just how deep in shit they were. He would put on a brave face and take their pitying glances and fulfill his obligations.

Pulling herself together she came up with a third plan. She would go home and wait for him and do everything in her power to make things right, she knew now that it wasn't a matter of if she could live with an addition to their family, but she could not live without him.

Meanwhile, Ron was busying himself entertaining little Teddy. When he had arrived at his childhood home, sans his wife, he had never felt such a rush of pity directed at him. It was sickening, he felt as though it stripped him of his manhood. It was a feeling he was very reluctant to get accustomed to, but if he and Hermione didn't resolve this soon, he was sure it would get a lot worse.

"Uncle Ron, I've got you!" Teddy shouted, exasperated.

"Oh right," Ron replied, remembering he wasn't playing his part. He started doing a jig as though he were hit with Jelly Legs Jinx.

Teddy rolled his eyes. "I've stunned you actually, so I win," he said throwing his stick to the ground.

"I give up," Ron replied holding his hands in the air, dropping his own fake wand.

"How can a stunned person surrender, shouldn't you be lying on the ground or something?" Teddy asked with his forehead wrinkled in confusion. "I swear that's how grandma says it works."

"It does!" Ron quickly shouted, "I'm sorry I just had lost my head for a second, you got it right."

As he finished he walked over to sling his arm around Teddy and ruffle his hair. "Green today huh?"

Teddy shrugged his shoulders, "I thought it would give me an edge while we were dueling, you know like camoflag."

"You mean camouflage," Ron corrected him.

"Right! That's it," he replied snapping his fingers. "Harry showed me his invisibility cloak, and I told him how much I wanted one –" Ron snorted, and Teddy seemed to not notice and go on, " But he said I had something more unique and I could practice blending in with my surroundings so if I ever had to duel I would have an edge." He finished by doing air quotes around the word edge.

"I suppose he's right, but lets just hope you aren't getting into any fights okay?"

"But I plan to be a great auror!" Teddy exclaimed, jumping out of Ron's arm, and holding out an invisible wand as if to vanquish the enemy.

"Just like you and Harry," he added smiling.

"That sounds great kid," Ron said smiling sadly. Would he never have a son of his own to follow in his footsteps? He considered little Teddy family, but it isn't the same as if his own kin had said it. But then again maybe a son of his would have no interest in what he does, it's not like him or his brothers went into the muggle business like their dad. He laughed as he pictured any of his siblings having a garage full of plugs and toasters.

"What's so funny?" Teddy asked, looking up at Ron.

"Nothing," Ron said shaking his head, "Lets go get some grub," and he scooped down and threw Teddy over his shoulder for a half second before it turned into a full on wrestling match.

Back at his house Hermione was in a tizzy trying to figure out what she should be doing with herself when Ron came home. Their home was cleaner than it has been in 8 months, and she was left now fidgeting trying to figure out what to wear. She had tried on everything in her closet it seemed; she wished she could consult Ginny. Does she wear something sexy? Should she be feigning sleeping when he came in? Should her hair be up? Should she leave the lights on?

As it was she was laying on her back on top of their bed in a bathrobe he had gotten for her 2 Christmas' ago. She had make up on, something she didn't always bother with, she had even shaped her eyebrows. She used a sleeking potion on her hair and was also wearing a perfume he had purchased for her 3 Valentines days ago. She had on all of her favorite jewelry he had bought her as well, anything to get off on the right foot.

Well, almost all her favorite jewelry she thought as she glanced at the velvet box that still sat ominously on the night stand. She had not opened it, but she had the feeling something exquisite was inside. She had been afraid to even move it to dust for fear he would notice. He was totally within right to never give the gift to her after how she behaved.

She was running a finger over the box, almost indulging in her curiosity when she heard a soft pop from downstairs in the kitchen, Ron had returned home after all. She had almost forgotten about her fear that he would never come back, which was a real possibility.

She leapt off the bed and dashed over to their closet and frantically flipped through the hangers. This was how Ron found her, "Hello, Hermione."