I can't even begin to apologize for the wait on this one! Please forgive me! Creativity was totally and completely evading me despite the ample time to write. I hope you're still there and I hope you enjoy this one!

Chapter Twenty-Seven

The door to their flat closed and Charlie and Adair both slumped back into the sofa.

"Anyone you liked over the others?" Charlie asked, swiping a hand over his face.

Adair surveyed the notes she had taken on the piece of parchment she held in her hand. "Julie."

She was referring to a woman in her early fifties who had been through two interviews with her and Charlie for the position of nanny.

"I agree."

They had already solidified their night nurse who would handle the nighttime feedings after the baby was born.

"Although we may not need a nanny. I am beginning to think that I'm not pregnant and this is actually some sort of growth," Adair sighed.

Charlie splayed a huge hand over her stomach and felt the fluttering movements beneath his palm. "It's almost over," he promised.

"That's what you've been saying for weeks," she groaned.

Adair had hoped with how active she had been throughout the pregnancy, that the baby would come a little early, but that had not been the case at all. It was nearly two weeks past her due date.

"We could go for a walk," Charlie suggested. They had tried everything that Katie had suggested to get labor started; walking, bouncing on an exercise ball, spicy foods, even a glass of red wine with a few dinners. But nothing worked.

Katie had told them that there were potions Adair could take to get things started, but that they tended to make labor a little more intense and so they had opted to let their baby take their time.

"I don't want to go for a bloody walk," she huffed, trying to stand.

Irritably, she accepted Charlie's help as he pushed her to her feet with a chuckle.

ooooOoooo

"Are you sure it's alright?" Charlie asked, sitting on the sofa and lacing his boots. "You'll be okay?"

"Still no signs that your child wants to make its entrance," Adair replied, standing over him.

"It shouldn't take long once I find the poor thing," Charlie said.

Professor McGonagall had flooed Charlie early that morning saying that, whilst out looking for a particular plant in the Forbidden Forest, Neville had seen a Hippogriff from the herd that had what appeared to be a broken leg.

"I'm fine," Adair assured him once more.

Truthfully, she was looking forward to some time alone. During Charlie's summer holiday, she felt nearly suffocated with his constant presence. Of course, she found it endearing that he cared so much about her and the baby, but it was a lot to handle for someone who had once been so independent.

He stood and looked down at her. "Okay. If you're sure. If not, I'll stay."

"Charlie," Adair said firmly. "Get the hell out of here."

He pressed a kiss to her forehead and left.

When the door closed behind him, Adair made her way into the kitchen to make a cup of tea. As she stood at the stove, waiting for the kettle to heat, her stomach cramped sharply.

"Really?" she asked, pressing her hands to her stomach. She had thought that the baby had just been moving a lot throughout the night, but as her belly continued to tighten at a regular, if not yet frequent, cadence she knew that wasn't it.

When the tea was done, Adair paced the entire flat over and over again anxiously. She couldn't imagine that the contractions were false alarms as she was so far past her due date.

She continued on in much the same way for over an hour when there was a knock at the door.

"Oliver?"

Her brother came bustling over the threshold, in quite a state himself.

"What's the matter? What are you doing here?"

"I'm a nervous wreck for this Seeker Weekly cover!"

Adair shook her head. "What? You've been in that magazine a hundred times."

"I know, but it's never been the cover, never the whole feature interview!"

She noticed that he was waving a piece of parchment in his hand. "Are those the questions?"

He finally stopped moving and nodded, handing the parchment to his sister.

Adair continued to pace and look them over. "When's the interview again?" she asked, trying to mask the fact that her stomach had tightened again.

Oliver didn't notice and she was glad for it, glad for the distraction that he had brought to her.

"The day after tomorrow," he replied, plopping down on the sofa.

"Okay well these are pretty easy," she said as gently as she could so as not to offend him.

"What if I say something stupid?" he asked.

"Well that's almost a guarantee," Adair laughed. "But it's a written interview. You'll have final say of what's published."

"Will you proofread it for me?"

"Of course." She inhaled sharply, in pain for the first time all morning.

"What's the matter?" Oliver exclaimed.

"I think maybe the baby has decided to join us finally."

Oliver leapt to his feet. "Bloody hell! Why didn't you say anything?" He ran around the sofa, running his fingers through his hair. "What do I do? What do I do? Where the fuck is Charlie!?"

Adair couldn't help but laugh at him.

"What is funny? This is serious!"

"Oliver," Adair gasped, trying to catch her breath. "You know this takes a while right?"

"I'm going to go get Kaite," he said.

"No, just wait a minute. She doesn't need to be here all day and night."

"And I do?" he demanded.

"No, of course not. I'll be fine for a while."

"Well I'm not going to leave you," he said stubbornly. "But really, where is Charlie?"

"He's at the school. Something about an injured Hippogriff," Adair replied, continuing to pace and knead her back.

"In the Forbidden Forest no doubt. Impossible to get a hold of," Oliver scoffed.

"If he's not back in time, I can floo McGonagall and she'll reach him," Adair replied. "Calm down. You really don't need to stay."

"I'm not going to leave you here like this," he repeated, gesturing at her with wild hands.

"Suit yourself. I'm going to make another cup of tea. Do you want one?"

"Just sit down! I'll get it!"

Oliver bustled away to the kitchen, but Adair continued to pace. When her brother returned, she was leaning over the back of the sofa, gripping it tightly.

Throughout the morning, the contractions had gotten stronger and closer together. Adair glanced at the clock on the wall as one ended.

"Does it hurt?" Oliver asked timidly, setting the mugs of tea on the coffee table.

"I wouldn't say 'hurt' exactly," Adair replied, straightening. "Uncomfortable."

Eventually, she did lay down on the sofa to try and rest before what was coming. Though he was anxious, Oliver sat in the armchair and unfolded Charlie's copy of the Daily Prophet. He hardly got any reading done as he continued to glance at his sister, who would furrow her brow and let out a deep breath as each contraction passed.

Adair managed to slip into a less than restful sleep, but eventually she woke and the deep breathing turned into more painful noises.

"Alright, I'm sending for both of them. Charlie's been dicking around in that forest for long enough," Oliver stood and made his way to the fireplace.

His sister managed to haul herself to her feet and began pacing once more, wincing as the pains came more frequently and with more intensity.

She didn't hear what Oliver said to Katie as he floo'd her at the hospital, but she did hear him as he spoke to Professor McGonagall.

"Charlie needs to get home immediately," he said sternly.

"Is everything alright?" she asked.

"No, it's bloody not! We're having a baby over here!"

Adair bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing at her frantic brother. It wasn't funny for long as she expected her labor was taking a turn. Katie had told her that hers might be quicker than most first time mothers due to how active she was.

A wave of nausea rolled over Adair as the pains continued to get stronger. As quickly as she could, she hurried to the lavatory in the corridor and eased herself to her knees, heaving before she hit the floor.

She had never been more miserable in her life as she emptied her stomach, continuing to retch long after everything had been dispelled.

"Oh bloody hell!" Oliver exclaimed when he slid into the doorway.

Adair heard a light laugh and looked up to see her sister-in-law join Oliver. "Unfortunately, this can be part of the process. It does mean we're probably getting close though. Are you alright, Adair?"

Adair wiped the sweat from her brow and nodded.

"I think I can handle it from here," Katie said gently to her husband.

"Well I'm not bloody leaving now," he replied, crossing his arms across his burly chest.

"If that's the case, help her up," Katie said. "I'm going to set up my things and run a bath."

As his wife left him, Oliver looked at his sister, nervous to touch her, but when she reached a hand out to him, he pulled her gingerly to her feet. Before he could release her, Adair clutched at his upper arms, panting through another pain.

When it passed, Adair looked up to see that Oliver was beyond pale and his normally surly brown eyes were worried.

"I think my water just broke," she murmured.

"Katie!" Oliver yelled, fighting the urge to leap away from his sister and the mess at his feet.

A moment later she appeared.

"I think this is going really fast," Adair said weakly.

"Alright, let's get you into the tub and see what we're dealing with."

Adair, very early on, had expressed her wish for a water birth. She thought it might relax her during the most chaotic few hours of her life.

As the three headed down the corridor, Oliver supporting his sister, they all heard the front door open and Charlie came flying toward them.

"About bloody time!" Oliver exclaimed.

"Adair!" Charlie rushed to her, ignoring her brother.

"I'm alright," she assured him.

"I shouldn't have gone," he apologized profusely.

"You haven't missed much," she replied.

"Speak for yourself," Oliver muttered.

They all paused as Adair sucked in a breath and pressed her face against Charlie's chest. Instinctively, his hands went around her back and forcefully kneaded her hips as she groaned into the pain.

"How about we check on this little one and see how the warm water might feel," Katie said quietly, trying to intrude as gently as possible now that the couple was together and on the precipice of bringing their baby into the world.

Adair nodded and leaned into Charlie.

"I'll just wait here then," Oliver said quietly, letting the bedroom door close in his face. He didn't get far; only moving back to the living room to pace.

As soon as Adair crossed the threshold of their bedroom, she felt the urge to push.

"Can you lie on the bed for a minute?" Katie asked.

"No," Adair responded. "I'm not going to make it."

"Can you give her something for the pain?" Charlie demanded.

"I don't want it," Adair replied, groaning through a contraction.

Without warning she dropped to her knees. Charlie looked at Katie frantically, before kneeling next to Adair.

"I have to push," she said urgently, shoving her sweatpants to her ankles. Charlie deftly snatched them off the rest of the way.

"Bloody hell!"

Adair would've laughed at hearing her sister-in-law curse for the first time, if she hadn't retreated so far within herself.

She was on hands and knees and with the next pain she tucked her chin to her chest and pushed with everything she had.

"I already see hair," Katie said, waving her wand. Towels and a bowl of hot water came flying to her side.

Charlie was wracked with nerves as he watched his girlfriend. Even as he whispered encouragement to her, he could tell that she was lost to him. She had gone somewhere else and couldn't hear him.

Adair barely made a noise, waiting for her body to cue her on what to do. She gave several more silent pushes, attempting to catch her breath between each one.

As her hair fell into her face, Charlie gathered it back in his fist, wiping the sweat from her forehead at the same time.

She barely felt Charlie's hands and she had no sense of Katie guiding the baby into the world. Adair was wrapped up in the sensations of her own body, gasping in relief when the head of the baby was pushed free and she was clear of the burning.

"Almost there," Katie said, more to Charlie than Adair. His heart went hammering all over again, panicking at the thought of meeting and holding a child he had created, for which he would be responsible.

His attention went back to Adair, amazed at her strength and grit. She had not cried out once, but he knew she must be in incredible pain from the way her body contorted and seized. He silently wondered if all of the injuries she had sustained throughout her years of playing Quidditch had prepared her for labor, but he could tell this was much different.

"Here we go," Katie said joyously as the baby slid into her waiting hands.

Adair collapsed forward into Charlie and he maneuvered to catch her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his heaving chest. He stroked her sweat soaked hair, watching Katie intently.

With a few flicks of her wand, Katie severed the bond between mother and child and also cleaned the baby, before wrapping it in a blanket she had brought from St. Mungo's.

Charlie helped Adair so that she was sitting between his legs. They both stared mutely at the bundle in Katie's arms until she went to hand it over to Adair. "It's a girl," she said, tears in her eyes.

Adair at once began laughing and crying as she looked into the blanket, taking in the pink, scrunched up features and dark mess of hair.

"Can I come in yet?" Oliver demanded through the door.

"In just a moment," Katie yelled back, tending to Adair though the couple was quite unaware of what she was doing.

Charlie leaned forward, staring at his daughter in complete wonder. "Bloody hell," he whispered.

Adair could only nod through her tears, unsure what else to add in her awe.

"Are you ready to get off the floor?" Katie asked with a grin.

Adair nodded once more.

"Alright, Charlie, why don't you take the baby and I'll help Adair get into some clean clothes."

Adair winced as Charlie stood up. "I'm sorry," he whispered, bending over to take the baby from her arms.

As he held his daughter for the first time, a wave of love and gratitude washed over him and he had never felt anything so powerful.

Katie carefully helped Adair to her feet, handing her a fresh outfit and all the things she would need to be comfortable after giving birth, helping her into the lavatory to change and freshen up.

"I think your brother might break in that door," Katie said, a few moments later when they emerged from the lavatory. She pulled the covers back on their bed and helped as Adair eased onto it, finally relaxing against the plush pillows.

"Let him in," Adair replied, smiling. Charlie had moved so he was standing next to the bed, but his gaze never left his daughter.

Adair stared up at the pair and was not at all surprised to see that Charlie held their own child with the same competence and care that he had with all of her daughter's Weasley cousins before her. There was a different expression on his face though and Adair knew that he had been instantly besotted.

"Have I been replaced so quickly?" Adair joked.

Charlie turned his brown eyes to her and they were so full of earnest love that she nearly had to look away. "Never," he said.

Katie let Oliver in and he hurried straight to the bed.

"Well? Do I have a niece or nephew?" Without asking, he took the bundle into his arms and peered into it.

"A niece," Adair laughed, though seeing her brother do something that obviously came quite naturally to him, broke her heart at the same time she was experiencing her own tremendous joy.

"And what's her name?"

Charlie and Adair looked at each other.

"Uh…we don't know yet," Adair finally said.

It was true. They had never really discussed names, feeling it was more fitting to meet their baby and then decide.

"Oh little bairn," Oliver said in his Scottish brogue. "I'm sorry you've been given to these two who can't even name you."

Adair laughed. "We wanted to meet her first. Maybe she'll tell us her name."

Imperceptibly, Adair reached for Charlie's hand, brushing his fingers lightly with hers. He glanced down at her and saw the small, sad smile on her face.

While it was an extremely happy occasion for the two of them, it was surely bittersweet for Oliver and Katie, who was looking over her husband's shoulder at her niece.

"You made a pretty quick entrance," Oliver continued. "Maybe you'll be a Seeker."

Adair didn't correct her brother, though she thought back to the interview she'd done with Charlie and Ginny. Their daughter wouldn't play Quidditch unless she absolutely wanted to.

Against Oliver's chest, the baby began to squirm and fuss.

"I'll go and fix a bottle if that's still what you'd like to do," Katie offered.

Adair nodded.

Like many of the decisions she had made about child rearing, she had chosen not to nurse so that she would be able to go back to playing without being the one solely responsible for feeding the baby. If she had to be away for long practices or matches then someone else could care completely for her daughter.

As the baby grew more and more upset, Oliver quickly handed the bundle back to Charlie, who took her and sat on the bed next to Adair.

"Sshh, you're alright," Charlie murmured.

Adair rested her head on his shoulder and ran her fingers through the dark hair of her daughter, who settled for a moment and then went back to mewling against her father's chest.

"I'm sorry," Katie said, hustling back into the room with a bottle.

Charlie took it in his giant hand and ran the nipple along the rosebud mouth of the baby, letting her know that it was there.

"She's a natural," Katie said when the baby latched and suckled eagerly.

All four of the adults watched as the bottle was finished. Charlie deftly moved the baby so she was on his shoulder. He patted her back gently.

"We should leave the little family to it," Katie said, nudging Oliver.

Oliver stepped to his sister's side and took her face in his hands. He stamped a firm kiss to her forehead. "She's amazing. And so are you."

Adair took his hand and squeezed it. "Thank you for staying."

There was so much she wanted to say to Katie, but she would save it for when they were alone.

"I'll check on you all in the morning. Try to eat a little something tonight, Adair. Floo if you need anything."

Charlie and Adair nodded.

The pair were silent after they heard the door of the flat close and lock behind Oliver and Katie and they both seemed to let out a breath they had been holding.

Charlie carefully readjusted the baby so she was cradled against his chest once more, fast asleep. "What should we call her?" he asked.

Adair shook her head. "I have no idea," she replied.

"What about Adelaide?"

Adair quite liked the name. "We don't have to do the 'Ad' thing because of me," she said, despite thinking it was beautiful.

"But it sounds good. Charlie, Adair, and Adelaide. We could call her Adie for short."

"I love it," Adair said, tears coming to her eyes. She wiped them away as she continued to look down at her daughter.

Silently, she made a promise to the baby that her life would be different than Adair's, that she would support her in anything and everything she did, that she would be able to come to her for every little and big thing that happened in her life.

"Could her middle name be Katherine?" Adair asked, looking up at Charlie.

"Of course," he said, respecting the tribute Adair wanted to give to her sister-in-law. "Adelaide Katherine Weasley."

ooooOoooo

Mid-morning the next day, Katie returned alone to check on the new family; Oliver being off at his interview.

First, she looked over Adie, who was very vocal about being unswaddled and cold as her aunt's hands checked her joints and vitals.

"You sound like your uncle," Katie laughed as she wrapped the infant once more. "Always complaining and making himself heard."

Adair and Charlie both laughed, but as Katie went to hand the baby back to Charlie he shook his head. "I'm going to make some tea for all of us."

When the door closed behind him, Katie looked at Adair. "So how was the first night?"

"I've had better," Adair admitted. "Once the adrenaline wore off, I was in a bit of pain."

Katie nodded. "To be expected. Nothing alarming though?"

"No," Adair responded. "Just sore."

"Did any of you sleep?"

"Not really."

"You'll find a routine," Katie promised.

"And bring in a night nurse," Adair laughed.

"That too," Katie smiled. She looked down at the baby. "Did you happen to name her while you were up all night?"

"We did actually," Adair said, trying to speak around the lump in her throat. "Adelaide Katherine."

Katie looked up quickly.

"Or Adie Kay," Adair smiled at her sister-in-law.

"Oh my," Katie whispered. "You didn't have to."

"I wanted to," Adair replied. "More than anything." She paused. "Oliver told me about…your struggles. I would never have asked you to do all this if I'd known before."

"I wish he wouldn't have."

"I know, but don't be angry with him," Adair said, thinking back to how broken her brother had been when first told him she was pregnant. "You could've given me any number of excuses, but you didn't. You gave me the privacy I desperately craved even though I could understand if it broke your heart."

Katie wiped a tear from her cheek, staring down at Adie.

"There will never be anything I can do to thank you for that. I wanted to honor your sacrifice."

"It was a joy to bring her into the world," Katie said quietly.

ooooOoooo

For two more days, Charlie, Adair, and Adie remained alone in their flat besides brief visits from Katie and Oliver to check on them.

Finally, Adair had conceded that they could invite Charlie's family, in small groups, to meet the newest Weasley addition. They had, of course, written to inform them of the arrival, but Charlie had been clear that invitations would follow when they were ready for company and that no one was to rush over and storm their flat.

"The reporters will know," Charlie told her.

"I know," she replied. "But they won't see her. They can speculate all they like."

Charlie had laid Adie in her bassinet at the foot of their bed and joined Adair in the lavatory where she was sitting before the vanity, surveying her appearance.

She still looked very tired and puffy.

Charlie had worried how Adair would fare after the delivery of their daughter. He knew her body wouldn't snap back as quickly as she wanted and that he would have to be diligent in watching her so she wouldn't have a backslide to her more unhealthy habits.

"You are extraordinary," Charlie said, bending over and pressing a kiss to her cheek. "I don't think I've told you that enough."

Adair gave him a small smile in the mirror. "You've told me plenty."

"Why don't you take a shower and I'll floo my parents. I'm sure Mum has been sitting by the fireplace since she got my first letter."

Adair nodded and allowed him to help her to her , he disappeared to their sitting room.

ooooOoooo

When Adair emerged in a clean pair of sweatpants and an England Quidditch t-shirt, she found Arthur and Molly huddled on the sofa both cooing over Adie. Charlie was in the armchair across from them smiling benignly.

"Oh Adair," Molly stood up when she saw her and hugged her tightly. "You know I was so nervous at first for you three, but it looks like everything worked out."

"It did," Adair agreed with a broad smile.

"Adelaide is a beautiful name for a beautiful baby," Arthur said.

Seeing the Weasleys with her daughter was quite the endearing sight. The love that was pouring out from them, despite Adie being their eleventh grandchild, warmed Adair to them and reassured her that she had a village behind her as she endeavored down the path of motherhood.

Charlie reached a hand out and gently pulled Adair onto his lap when his mother released her. His other hand went to her knee so that she was nearly enveloped in his arms.

Adair relaxed against him. They hadn't had much time for each other since Adie's arrival and it felt so comforting to have his arms around her once more.

Adie began to fuss in Arthur's arms. "I think she's hungry, Adair," he said, holding the bundle out.

"You can feed her," Adair replied.

Charlie waved his wand and a bottle flew in from the kitchen. With another flick of his wand, it was just the right temperature for the baby. He handed the bottle to his dad who took it uncertainly.

"You aren't nursing, dear?" Molly asked, eyebrows raised.

"Mum," Charlie said, warning in his voice.

Arthur shrugged and settled back into the couch with his granddaughter, popping the bottle in her mouth.

"It's one of the things I have to do to be able to go back to playing in the fall," Adair said.

"I see," Molly replied. "And what else will make that possible?"

Charlie sighed.

"The night nurse starts in a week," Adair said. "So we can get some sleep."

"How will you bond with her?"

"Well the regular nanny won't start until I go back to school," Charlie said. "So we'll have plenty of time."

"Two nannies!" Molly exclaimed.

"I don't imagine that Adie won't know that Adair is her mother," Charlie said firmly, his grip tightening on Adair's knee.

"No of course not," Molly replied, turning her attention back to her granddaughter.

Adair was pleased to note that there was no note of sarcasm in Molly's voice and no hostile undercurrent. She supposed that Charlie's mother would always share her opinion, even after all the progress they'd made.

"You three will figure it out," Arthur said. Molly took the baby from him and placed Adie on her shoulder to burp. "We've all had to and survived."

ooooOoooo

The next night, after several more of the Weasleys had visited throughout the day, Charlie and Adair were standing over the bassinet watching their daughter sleep.

"What are you thinking?" Charlie asked, laying a heavy hand on the back of her neck and pulling her against his side.

"That I don't know how to raise a daughter. I honestly thought, until the last second, that she'd be a boy. That would've been easier. Less intimidating."

"I think you just feed her, change her, hold her, and love her with everything you've got," he replied.

Adair laughed lightly. "Simple."

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Happy reading,

Avonmora