Disclaimer: I do not own anything but the story line...sadly. JKR owns everything - including the characters, spells, and the entire world of Harry Potter. I wonder if I could buy it from her for a dollar?
Thanks to my wonderful, wonderful beta - dragonsangel68.
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Chapter 12
After leaving the Burrow, Draco had taken Ginny back to the Manor.
"Draco, I don't want to have this discussion with your Mum and all the house elves fluttering about our heads."
"It's just a stop-over, Gin. I have to pick something up."
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Ginny was shocked. She hadn't ever expected something so large. A change of clothes, an extra pair of socks, possibly a shaving kit, but nothing this sleek and bold.
"Mr. Malfoy, I'm shocked you own something so obviously Muggle."
"It's just a car, Gin. Driving is soothing when you don't have to do it all the time. Muggles aren't all bad, apparently and they really do have some top-notch novelties."
"So you expect me to get into this contraption and let you, of all people, drive me about all day?"
"Yes, I do expect that. I'd like to take you into Muggle London and I'd be much happier driving than I would trying to find safe Apparation points."
He did have a point. She knew he did. So with a reluctant air she climbed into the passenger side of the car. Draco climbed in the driver's side and adjusted the mirrors and seats. He noted how amusing it was that Ginny looked completely uncomfortable.
"Gin, there are buttons on the side of the seat in between the seat and the door. You can adjust it, you know. There is also a lever that makes the seat tilt back. If you need more foot room, there is a lever underneath the seat near the console."
Ginny found the buttons and the lever, but she had only managed to become sandwiched against the dashboard when she tried to adjust the seat. Her proximity to the dashboard at this point was nothing short of intimate and she was getting more irritated at this by the second. Draco's stifled laughter wasn't helping one bit.
"Draco, fix it this instant or I'm going back to the Burrow."
He leaned over her and grabbed the back of the seat while searching for the lever to fix her predicament. He pulled the lever and pushed the seat back with a smug smile on his face.
"You have to pull it and push the seat back at the same time."
"You could have told me that ahead of time. I've never been in a car with so many conveniences," she said in a tone tainted with malice.
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London was a bit of a trip from Malfoy Manor. The rainy, murky day seemed to fit the mood of the couple in the car. So far, neither had spoken a word. Ginny had kicked off her shoes and placed her feet on the dashboard. Draco smiled at the thought of her footprints being etched in the finish of the wax-covered material. He reached over and snaked his hand beneath her ponytail to massage the base of her skull. She leaned into his hand as her eyes shut and a contented sigh crossed her lips.
Draco's hand slid from her hair and back to the steering wheel. "Better, love?"
"Yes, much. You don't realize how much tension is wound up in your muscles until it's gone."
"Are you hungry?"
"Yes, but I'd rather wait until we're in London. I do have to pee though."
Draco nodded and pulled into the next establishment they passed where the lavatory would be of an acceptable quality.
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The rain had let up a bit. Draco was leaning up against the side of the car getting his bum suitably moist while waiting for Ginny to return. He was picking at his fingernails when he looked up to see her walking towards him. Clad in comfortable, form-hiding clothes, she still had a grace about her. She wore her favorite, all-purpose overalls and a white t-shirt covered with a thick, cable-knit, muted green sweater. Simple wide-laced, rubber-toed sneakers had been replaced on her feet when she'd exited the car.
Draco stood up from the side of the car as she walked up to him.
"I'd like something to drink," she said.
His hand rose to push a stray lock of hair from her eyes. "Alright, let me go in with you. I could use something as well."
They walked into the store, selected their drinks and Draco paid the man at the cash register. He held the door open for Ginny and led her out of the store with a hand on the small of her back. Ginny smiled. She loved it when he did that.
They walked back to the car, but as Ginny began walking over to her side of the vehicle, Draco stopped her with a hand on her arm. She turned as Draco wrapped his arms around her. He embraced for just a few moments, but to Ginny it felt like a lifetime. Too soon, the embrace was broken with a kiss to the top of her head. Draco took Ginny's hand and led her to her side of the car. He held the door open for her and shut it once she was safely inside. Draco got back into the car and the rest of the ride to London was as silent as the first stretch of the trip had been.
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They arrived in London and found a tiny bistro that suited both their palates. They ordered and received their meals in record time. They ate in silence. When the server returned to refresh their drinks and clear their plates, Ginny broke the silence.
"Silence isn't going to help us fix our problems."
Draco locked eyes with her and replied, "I know."
"What do you suggest?"
"I don't know."
"What was that hug earlier about?"
Draco looked down at the table. "I don't know how to explain it without sounding like a ridiculous hero out of a romance novel."
"You don't love me." It was a statement not a question that crossed her lips.
"No, not in the sense of being in love with you I don't."
"I don't love you either."
"I didn't expect as much."
"I don't hate you."
"I don't hate you either."
"Alright."
"What else?" Draco asked.
"Let's leave and go somewhere else. The rain is clearing. I'd rather be outside."
Draco summoned the waiter and requested the check. He tossed the appropriate amount of Muggle money on the table and they left the restaurant. They walked down the street in silence and found a park. While they were holding hands, it seemed both had been rendered incapable of speech. He stroked the inside of her hand with his thumb continuously and that sensation was the only thing that reminded Ginny she wasn't in a never-ending dream.
"What do you want from us?"
Draco stopped walking and turned to look at her. The newly exposed sunlight was kissing the gold strands of her hair and the light breeze had freed several strands of hair from their ponytail-prison.
"What do you mean what do I want from you?"
"I mean, what do you want from us? Do you plan on coming and going as you please while expecting me to sit around and raise your child? What do you want from us?"
Draco looked at Ginny closely. He could see the tension returning to her neck and the blush creeping into her cheeks. He could also see the fire in her eyes warning him to tread carefully. She'd grown up considerably in the past few months. She was now very sure of herself and he knew she wasn't going to sit around waiting for him to make a decision again.
Ginny broke the silence again. "I refuse to have my son affected by his father's negligence. If you want to be around, then be around. How much is up to you, but I must stress this point to you: You'll be around regularly or you won't be around at all. I'm not having any of this visiting on the holidays bullshit. You're going to be a part of his life or you aren't."
"I understand. I'd like to be a part of his life."
"Alright, now how do you plan on doing that?"
"I'd like to start taking him to the park on Sundays again. I'd also like it if the two of you moved back into the house."
"No, I'm moving back into the Burrow. I'm going back to work and Mum is going to take care of him while I'm there. I'd rather have her do it than a nanny."
"Oh. Well, then I'd like it if the two of you came and stayed at the house a few nights a week."
"You'd like it if we came and stayed at the house? Why? Why can't you just take Jayden?"
"I like waking up with you and my son. I don't know why, I just do."
"I like it too, but it complicates an already difficult situation. It's only going to affect Jayden negatively in the end."
"How is it going to affect Jayden negatively? He wakes up next to both of his parents and that's a bad thing?"
"It's not that. I want him growing up having a healthy idea of love. I want him to realize that there is hope for him to find someone that he loves and cares about. I want him to realize the situation that brought him into this world wasn't typical."
"Right now he doesn't know the difference. When he starts asking questions about it or it starts affecting him in an adverse way, we'll discuss it. As for now, I'd really like both of you to spend a couple of nights a week at the house. It's our home. Will you please listen to reason?"
"I reserve the right to change my mind at any given time."
"Fine, but we'll make it work, Gin."
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Draco and Ginny arrived at the house the following day to transfer some their belongings back to the house.
Ginny was aghast. "What happened here?"
Draco looked at the floor cursing himself for forgetting to have the house elves clean up after his rather embarrassing tantrum. "I had a bit of a fit when you left."
"Did you now?" Ginny turned to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. The air of amusement that had taken residence in her features did not please him in the slightest.
"Yes I did, woman. No need to dwell on it." He extricated himself from her grasp and began flicking his wand rapidly to repair the damage.
She began laughing heartily. "Did someone take your favorite toy away?"
"No, some evil bint took my son and I wanted him back." The second the words were out of his mouth, he knew he'd pay for them. Without turning around, he knew he'd crossed the line and what the expression on Ginny's face looked like at that very moment. It was a regular feature in his ongoing nightmares.
"Well, if my son's father hadn't been out shagging nearly every air-headed twit in all of Britain, maybe I wouldn't have left."
Draco stilled his movements. This had to be handled with the proper amount of tact or he wouldn't emerge alive. With his arms out in an apologetic gesture, he turned ready to pacify the hopping mad witch behind him. The words never got a chance to grace her ears.
"Silencio!" Ginny's wand made the proper movements to quiet Draco's convoluted apology
before he had a chance to present it. She stepped up to him and stared directly into his face. Her voice was deadly
calm. "If you ever dare speak to me like that again it'll be the last time I ever allow myself or my
son to be in your vicinity. You will never again insinuate that I didn't have proper reason to do what I
did and you will never again insinuate that it wasn't your fault I reacted the way that I did. For months,
I waited here for you to come home and do things in the proper manner. For months, I sat here waiting for you
to stop appearing on the society pages with another tart on your arm." Her voice continued to escalate.
"FOR MONTHS, I sat here and waited for you to take an interest in your son, and for months I waited for
you to acknowledge us. So, the next time you feel like delving out an insult to heal your bruised ego, remember that I
left you once and I'll do it again. Only the next time, it'll be permanent. Remember that I could give a shit
about what you went through or what my actions did to you. I could give a shit about your ego. What you went through
was nothing compared to what I went through. I suggest you think about that before you open your
mouth again."
Ginny removed the spell and placed her hands on her hips. Her glare still deadly.
"Now, you'll apologize or I'll leave until you're ready to apologize."
"I'm sorry."
"Not good enough."
"Gin, I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have said it."
"Still not good enough."
"Damn it! Bloody hell, woman, what do you want me to say? That I'm sorry for shagging all those women? That I'm sorry for leaving you here alone with our child? That I'm sorry for how I treated you and that I'm sorry there wasn't a full-page spread in The Daily Prophet announcing our son's birth? What exactly is it you want me to say? Tell me what it is and I'll say it!"
"That'll do, but say it again with a little more feeling."
Draco rubbed his hands furiously over his face in exasperation. He pushed Ginny over to the newly cleared sofa and knelt down between her knees. Grabbing both of her hands, he began to speak. "Ginny, I'm sorry for the way I treated you. I'm doubly sorry that you were here by yourself while I was out shagging to my heart's content. I know I was wrong and I'm terribly sorry for it. I'm trying to be better to you and to our son, but you have to understand that this isn't a natural state for me. When you realize that, you'll realize how hard I'm trying to make this work. I want to help raise our son and I want to be a real father to him. I'm sorry, Gin." He dropped her hands, stood up and offered her his hand. She took it and looked up into his face.
"Apology accepted, you wanker."
"Thank you."
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