This is the first time we have Draco telling us what he's feeling. (Like what I usually do in italics for Hermione.) This first one is obviously Hermione's POV, but the second grouping of italics (which I'm sure is also obvious) is Draco's POV. This chapter was basically my way of showing what they were thinking and feeling at this point in the story (and because I'm a little bit stuck in a rut). So I hope you still enjoy it anyway, R&R please. (:

It had been a week since we'd brought Rosie home. Draco and I had talked to Harry about the weird situation with nurse Nadia, but he hadn't found anything out yet. I still felt like I was looking over my shoulder every time we went outside, but I couldn't be happier that Rose was better. She was still tired a lot of the time, but James, Lily, and everybody else's kids came over and spent time with her.

Although James was the one who seemed to always be here. They watched movies in her room, played games, or just fell asleep together. It was adorable, although Draco said that if 'Potter's kid touches my daughter I'm going to kill him'. I'd just laughed and told him to calm down. They were only five and six years old after all.

With all the stress going around it was really nice to still have Draco staying with us. I kept on trying to find a way to ask him to move in for real instead of just until Rose was completely better again, but I felt like he would say something if he wanted to...right? I mean it's not like he'd been shy before.

Everything seemed different now. Ever since Rose was hospitalized I'd decided that I would hold off on starting my bakery. I mean as much as I wanted to redecorate and set everything up, Rose was more important. Luckily Kyle was really understanding and was letting me work from home until she was better.

Draco was still trying to convince me that I needed to open the bakery, because I was trying to use Rose as a reason to not have to face the fact that my bakery might not work out.

And part of that was true. I was afraid that my business wouldn't work, and maybe Rose was an easy way to put it off, but that wasn't the only reason. I felt like I needed to be at home taking care of her like a mother should.

I know that I'm going to open this bakery, I know it. I'm so incredibly grateful that Draco spent all that money to buy the perfect place, and I wasn't going to let him down. I wasn't going to let Rose down. And most importantly, I wasn't going to let myself down.

HPOV

Rose was asleep and I was sitting on the couch curled up with Draco watching some scary movie that he'd picked out. His arm was draped around my waist, my head was on his shoulder, and one of my hands rested on his thigh.

"It seems like Rose is doing better." he said.

I nodded, "Yeah, it's great right?" I looked up at him and the second I did I knew something was up.

"Yeah, it's great."

"What's wrong?"

He shook his head and smiled, but it seemed a bit forced, "Nothing, it is great that Rose is better."

"But..."

"But I'm going to miss being able to see her everyday."

"Oh.." Of course he'd miss his daughter. Of course she would be the reason for him to stay, understandably.

"...you too."

"What?"

He sighed and looked over at me, a slight smile on his face, "I'll miss seeing you too."

I took a sharp intake of breath and just stared at him. I knew that I really needed to open my mouth and tell him that I would miss him too if he left, but before I could regain control of my mouth he was speaking again.

"But I get that you need your space, and I agreed to stay until she was better, and-"

"I want you to stay."

His eyes widened in shock, but soon after he was smiling. "Are you serious?"

I couldn't help but smile too, "Yes, I'm serious."

He leaned down and kissed me, pushing me back onto the couch so that he was hovering over me.

I couldn't help but laugh at how happy he seemed.

"What?" he asked, still above me.

I brought my hand up to trail over his cheek and said, "I'm just glad you said yes."

He chuckled, "Like I could say no to you."

It was a gut reaction to bring up the fact that he had indeed said no to me before when he went off to marry Astoria, but I realized that it didn't hurt as much anymore.

Is this what forgiveness feels like?

He leaned down again and kissed me softly, his lips lingering on mine before he pulled back slightly.

"I was thinking..."

"About what?" I asked as he sat up, allowing me to lie down with my head on his lap.

"I want to take you and Rose somewhere. I know she'll love it, and I think you will too."

I smiled, liking the idea already. "Where is this place?"

"In Wiltshire."

"I've actually always wanted to go there, but I never really got around to it with work and Rose." I said, excited. "When did you want to go?"

"This weekend. I figure we'll both be off work and Rose should be completely okay by then...and after that I arranged for Potter to look after Rose while I took you to dinner. If that's okay with you."

I smirked, "You actually had a conversation with Harry? I'm surprised."

He rolled his eyes, "Shut it Granger. Are we going or not?"

I smiled, "Of course."

He smiled too and pressed a kiss to my temple. I felt myself drifting off shortly after that, curled into his side again.

But before I drifted off to sleep I could've sworn I heard Draco's voice.

"Merlin...I don't know what I did to deserve them, but thank the Gods that I have them."

I had everything set up. Dinner reservations were made, the little cottage in Wiltshire was ready, Potter knew what time we'd be dropping Rose off when we got back...everything was perfect.

But I was bloody nervous. Me. Draco fucking Malfoy. My dad would probably, scratch that, he would die of a heart attack.

I was surprised that she had been the one to ask me to move in, because I had intended on bringing it up that night. Either way I'm glad I'm staying there now.

I love being able to see Rose every day. We've spent quite a bit of time together and she's so much like Hermione it is insane. But sometimes there'd be a spark in her eye, or she'd be doing something mischievous like stealing a cookie out of the jar, and I'd see myself.

It was the simple things that I loved the most. Like the mornings, when Hermione was curled up next to me and I could watch her without her always smirking when she caught me. She always looked so peaceful and calm and worry free. It was, in a way, calming to me.

Another thing I loved was cooking breakfast for them. It never failed that Rose would want chocolate chip pancakes and Hermione would eat an omelet. Hermione usually helped when she could, but I liked it when she would play with Rose or tell her stories. It was pretty fucking amazing to see the relationship she had with her.

But I think what I loved the most was being able to just spend time with them as a family. I never had the whole family thing, so it was bloody perfect now that I had a family of my own that actually wanted me around.

The thing is, I really don't know how I deserve any of the amazing things that are happening to me, because I really haven't done anything that great in my life. At least nothing that really overshadows the whole Death Eater, tried to kill Dumbledore, bigoted, arsehole thing...

But I had all those amazing things, and there was no way that I was going to let go of them. Not now, and not ever.

DPOV

"Rosie be careful!"

Hermione had gone into work today to handle some last minute things before we went to the cottage tomorrow, so I had decided to take Rosie to the park. I hadn't ever done this by myself so I was...nervous to say the least.

"Daddyyyy," she said, rolling her eyes, "It's just a slide."

I sighed and waved my hand, telling her to go on. She climbed to the top and started talking to some red-headed kid at the top.

"Draco Malfoy, what a surprise."

I knew who it was before I even turned my head. We'd seen a lot of her back in Hogwarts, and she was always in everbody's business.

"Rita Skeeter, I would say it's a pleasure, but I'd hate to lie."

She ignored the comment and asked, "Beautiful little girl you've got there."

I didn't respond. I had no idea how I was supposed to handle this sort of situation. I didn't know if Hermione would want the entire Wizarding World to know that she'd had a child with me.

"What are you doing in Muggle London?"

"Keeping tabs on you of course." she said.

"Why?"

"Because one of my co-workers said that they spotted you in Muggle London, so I started thinking. You had just divorced Astoria, and it's obvious your father is less than pleased considering how he feels about this place. So I decided to come and see what exactly was bringing you here."

I kept my attention on Rose, hoping that if I just didn't respond, she'd go away. But no such luck, she was still there, and she was talking again.

"I think your father would be pleased you had a child, except for the small little detail of Hermione Granger being the mother. How did she manage to keep this from you for what...four, five years?"

I let out a frustrated sigh and look at her, "What's it going to take for you to go away Skeeter?"

She laughed, "Please, you really think you can pay me to not run this story? This is the biggest thing that I've ever reported on, and there's no way that I'm not going to publish it."

"Then why the hell did you come here?" I snapped.

"Well," she said, looking over at Rose for a moment before turning back to me, "Consider this a heads up. I mean I'm pretty sure that Lucius doesn't already know, and when he finds out he's going to be anything but supportive of your newly found family. Am I right?"

I saw Rose walking over to us, so I faced Rita and said, "If you're still here when my daughter gets here, trust me you won't be running this story, or any story for a really long time."

She seemed to be be contemplating if I meant it or not, but when she looked to Rose she quickly walked away. Stupid Rita Skeeter.

How was I going to tell Hermione about this?

"Who was that daddy?"

I smiled and picked her up, "She's just a very annoying woman."

Rose laughed and started playing with my hair as I started walking back towards the flat.

"Did you have fun?"

She nodded, "Can we get ice cream before we go back home?"

I smiled, "Of course we can."