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Something's Gotta Give
Mei Queen
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Authoress' Note: So this chapter won't be very quickly moving. I didn't think the decision would be that easy. Also, this is the last chapter of the actual story. I will post again, but it will be an epilogue. K, well I hope you enjoy it, and please don't forget to review! Happy Thanksgiving!
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Mood Music: "Crack the Shutters"-Snow Patrol (my all-time favorite band). The lyrics featured in this chapter are from this amazing song (and fabulous new CD, "A Hundred Million Suns"). Other big contributors are "Addicted"- Saving Abel and "Whatever You Like"- T.I.
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RECAP:
As Draco relayed all this information to her, Ginny felt her head go light again as if she'd drunk too much champagne. But this time, this was real. Those butterflies in her stomach were the nervousness that came with a life-changing possibility. But how should she choose?
Draco leaned closer, caressing her bare side gently as he did so. Then, in a sweet, soft whisper, he asked, "So…will you come with me?"
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Chapter 16: The Answer
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Crack the shutters open wide, I wanna bathe you in the light of day
And just watch you as the rays tangle up around your face and body
I could sit for hours finding new ways to be awed each minute
Cuz' the daylight seems to want you just as much as I want you
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Ginny opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Her throat was dry. Her pulse was beating in overdrive.
Draco looked at her expectantly, catching her nervous chocolate ones with his assured grey. "Ginny? What do you think?"
She looked back at him, dazed. What a possibility. Jet-setting around the world with Draco…whoa. She'd never been much of a risk-taker- after all, Harry and Ron had seen to that. But if she was going to start taking risks, shouldn't she do baby-steps, like wearing open-toe heels in London autumn? Ginny twirled a strand of her long red hair around her slender fingers. Well, it looked like the universe wanted her to jump straight into the deep end with the whole risk-taking venture: jet around the world for a whole year with a man she deeply cared about but really didn't know all that well, or, quite possibly, lose him forever.
Not great odds, really.
She cocked her head nervously to the side while she processed the situation. Inside, she was dying to say yes. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't. But there was also the deep, nagging part of her brain telling her that if she wanted a relationship to work-really work-then jumping straight into the deep end might not be the best idea. Didn't all those stupid talk shows like Tea with Tina talk about how important it is to take it slow in the early phases of a relationship?
Ginny snorted. Tea with Tina had really done so well for her in the past; the damn show almost made her late for her date with Draco…back when she didn't even know SecretDragon was Draco. She tried to remember what that feeling felt like- the excitement of not knowing who SecretDragon was.
Ginny found she couldn't even remember it. SecretDragon was Draco. Instead, Ginny found that when she looked back on those months of not knowing who SecretDragon was, she must have been extremely dense not to figure it out. After all, SecretDragon, all of it, it was just so Draco. Come on. Those long meetings, the fact that he wasn't afraid to tease her, their banter-how could it have been anyone but him?
She smiled to herself slightly before getting up and wrapping herself in one of the hotel bathrobes. She walked to the window and opened the curtains, bathing the whole room in gentle moonlight. Then Ginny walked over to the kettle, plugged it in, and sat down to look out the window and wait patiently for the kettle to boil.
Draco looked at the thoughtful redhead across the room from him with trepidation. What in the world is she thinking about? She's been silent for bloody ages! For Merlin's sake, if she doesn't say an answer soon, I'll just say 'never mind' and count my bloody losses, shall I?
His eyes eagerly raked in her long red curls, her cheek that dimpled when she was deep in thought, and the bit of leg peeking out of her robe. This was the woman he loved. What in the world would he do if she said no?
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The kettle began to whistle. Ginny got up from her perch on the hotel chair to switch it off, pouring herself a cup. She looked to the bed, her eyes meeting Draco's obviously nervous ones. "You want?" she asked, holding the kettle.
He shrugged. "Might as well, I s'pose."
She poured him a cup and handed it to him before retreating to her chair by the window. Draco lifted his mug in an imaginary toast. "Cheers."
Ginny's mouth quirked upward in a grin. "What are we toasting to?"
"To you," he replied automatically. Then after a few moments passed by, he added as an afterthought, "And me." He raised his mug again. "Here's hoping I didn't just buy a bloody jet for nothing."
She raised her glass in amusement before her expression turned more serious. "I haven't made any decisions yet, you know."
"I know," he replied with a sigh. "That's what's driving me mad."
Ginny took a soothing sip of tea before looking Draco in the eye. "I don't want to make any decisions I'll regret, one way or the other."
"What do you mean, one way or the other? You either regret it or you don't. It's that simple."
"Not really," the redhead argued. "I could regret it because I go but then something doesn't work out. We break up or the like. Then what? What will I do for the rest of my tour? I'll have to rebook my plane ticket, not to mention the hotels…"
Draco opened his mouth to interrupt, but Ginny shook her head. She wasn't finished.
"Draco, everyone says to take relationships slow in the beginning, feel out the territory, stuff like that. If we're stuck together nonstop for a year, well…there's nothing slow about that."
"I know," Draco replied, grinning cheekily.
"Oh, shut up. Anyway. There's also the other possibility: I don't go. Then I travel alone around the world, wondering what I missed out on by not going."
Draco raised his eyebrow. "That one sounds terrible."
"I agree."
He leaned forward slightly, hanging on her every word. "So… you'll come with me?"
Ginny looked at the clock on the bedside table. It was 3:40 in the morning. She had a few hours until she needed to get ready to go to the airport-though her flight didn't leave until after twelve, the stupid restrictions on flights out of the country nowadays required her to be there much earlier than she'd like. Ginny looked over at Draco, coming to a decision.
"I'm going to my room to pack…and have a think. I'll let you know my decision before dawn."
Draco watched Ginny close the door behind her, unable to remember a time when he had felt so utterly helpless. What was he going to do? What would she decide? He sipped his tea for a few moments before the silence got to be too much.
For lack of anything better to do, he reached for his mobile on the bedside table.
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Hermione Granger had just got back to a peaceful sleep. She'd been woken up not an hour ago by her mate Ginny Weasley, not that Hermione minded. Hermione made it her business to be a good best mate. But Ginny's problem had been settled, so Hermione was settling back in to Harry Potter's bed. She'd just gotten the covers where she liked them, and the blankets (and Harry) were starting to warm her shaking body. She was relaxed, and her eyes began to close with happy satisfaction.
Then her bloody mobile began to vibrate.
"Oh, for the love of Merlin," she muttered, looking over at the mobile to see if the vibration would stop. Two short bursts of vibration-a text message. Ginny again? Hermione thought exhaustedly, looking to the phone to see if it would buzz again. Maybe if she doesn't write back, it isn't important, she thought hopefully, settling further back into the covers.
The mobile buzzed again. Hermione looked at the clock on Harry's nightstand. 3:56.
If this isn't life or death, someone's going to be getting a very strong jinx tomorrow, Hermione thought crossly, reaching her warm hands out into the cold night air. She quickly grabbed her phone and brought it under the warm covers. Checking quickly over to make sure Harry was still asleep (he was), Hermione read her messages.
Message from MALFOY:
Oh, of all the bloody people to be texting me in the middle of the night, Hermione thought irritably, jamming her finger down on the button to open the message.
<Bought a jet. Asked Gin to tour with me.>
Message from MALFOY:
<May have cocked things up. Sry if I woke u.>
Hermione raised an eyebrow. Malfoy bought a jet? Wow. It looked like he was taking his pursuit of Ginny seriously, after all.
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Draco waited for ten minutes in silence. Maybe Hermione didn't hear it. I probably woke her up…maybe she just doesn't want to reply. Well…it is 4 in the morning; most people don't feel like replying to text messages at this time.
Then his phone beeped.
Scrambling to look at the screen, he read:
Message from GRANGER:
<What did she say?>
Message from DRACO:
<She didn't. She's in her room packing right now.>
Message from GRANGER:
<Ugh. Hold on.>
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Hermione exited out of her current messages screen and got out of Harry's bed. She grabbed a robe off the wall hook and wrapped herself in it, cinching the belt tight. Rooting blindly around Harry's floor for a few moments produced what Hermione was looking for-a pair of slippers. She put them on, opened the door to the hallway, and padded toward the kitchen.
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Ginny was trying to get everything back into her suitcase. She'd taken out a lot of her necessities to make sure she looked her best for Jim and Rebecca's wedding, but now she had to figure out how to get all those necessities back into the suitcase. She sighed heavily, eyeing the overflowing piece of luggage on her bed with annoyance. She was just pondering calling Draco over to zip up the bloody thing while she sat on it when her phone rang.
Picking up the mobile, she glanced quickly at the ID: Hermione. What in the world was Hermione doing calling her at this hour?
Ginny flipped the phone open. "Hello?"
"Hi," Hermione said curtly. "Guess who I've been talking to."
The redhead rolled her eyes. "Draco."
"Yup. Do you know what he's saying?"
Ginny sighed, sitting down on the bed. "Probably something about how he's waiting on my indecisive arse."
"Essentially. So what are you going to do, Gin?"
"I don't know," she replied in exasperation. "That's why you're talking to me, 'Mione. I need your advice."
"Advice, sure, but I can't tell you what to do here, Gin-girl. This decision is all you. If Luna or I make it for you, you'll regret it."
"I'm fairly sure I'll regret it no matter what, 'Mione," Ginny replied sulkily. "If I take the risk and go with him, I'm leaving so much to chance. It's a new relationship. Sure, we've known each other a long time, but this kind of togetherness…would we be ready for that? Together, 24/7, everyday-each other's British anchors in foreign society. Could Draco Malfoy ever truly be my anchor to the real world?"
"Never mind that thought for now," Hermione replied dismissively. "Imagine you pass this up. Imagine you go on your world tour all alone. You and Draco lose contact. Then what?"
"I'm miserable," Ginny whispered, her voice cracking slightly at the thought. "The idea of life without Draco because I chose to give him up…that's horrible."
Hermione smiled slightly. "Well, I think you have your answer."
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As more and more light flooded into Ginny's room, she packed all her suitcases, drank several cups of tea, and thought carefully about everything Hermione had said to her. Finally, she could wait no longer.
She hesitated in front of Room 407. Her stomach was churning. Her hands were shaking slightly. She nervously reached out her right arm to deliver a quiet knock. It was only a few moments before Draco opened the door, and he looked terrible. It was obvious that he hadn't slept all night. Ginny hadn't looked in a mirror over the past few hours, but she was sure she probably looked even worse than Draco.
"Come in," he murmured, flattening himself against the beige wallpaper to let Ginny through.
She walked in and sat on the bed.
"So…have you made a decision?" Draco asked, walking over to sit next to her.
Ginny looked up, meeting Draco's eyes with her own. "Yes."
His heart sped up slightly. "Wait. Yes, you've made a decision, or yes, you want to go with me?"
She grinned wryly. "Both."
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"What about my car?" Ginny protested, allowing Draco to help her with her bags ('helping her' being a major understatement. She was only carrying her toiletry case; he had the four suitcases).
"Don't worry about it, Red," he grunted, trying to balance all the suitcases on each other and communicate with the concierge that he needed a black cab all at the same time. "Didn't I tell you I covered all my bases?"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means," he replied patiently, "that I prepared for both you going with me and you not. That means I took the liberty of making sure there was someone to drive your car home. It was unsafe of you to drive it to the airport anyway. What were you going to do, leave it there all year?"
"I dunno," she replied uncertainly. "Truth told, I hadn't really thought."
He shook his head. He was going to have his work cut out, looking after her in foreign countries for a year. Draco watched, bemused, as Ginny walked down the hotel steps and slipped on a puddle, nearly falling on her arse. Thank Merlin for the helpful doorman-he'd be getting a sizable tip on the way out.
Draco shook his head toward the heavens. Yes, it was definitely going to be a long year.
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Ginny's stomach started flipping with nervous butterflies when she saw Heathrow Airport in the distance. Though she was far more comfortable with flying by plane than Apparition, she was even more comfortable than plane flying on her good old broomstick from the Burrow. Planes weren't as bad as Apparition, though, not nearly-she'd almost thrown up when she tried that. But plane flying still gave her this nervous, helpless feeling-if they were going to crash, there was nothing she could do. Her safety wasn't in her power, like broom-flying or even, to an extent, Apparition.
Well, that… and the bloody turbulence made her queasy.
The redhead exhaled a nervous breath as the cab pulled to a stop on the airport tarmac. Draco looked over at her, obviously unsure. He knew that Ginny was upset, but he wasn't quite sure why. He was only fervently hoping it wasn't because the thought of spending a year alone with him was that terrible a notion.
"Ready, Red?" he asked softly, noticing how she hesitated in the cab. She wasn't getting up to open the door. No matter, he figured, getting out of his side before walking over to open hers. Her reluctance actually gives me a chance to be a gentleman. Ha! There's a change…
Draco still had a slight smirk on his face when Ginny exited the cab. She looked at him questioningly for a moment before turning her gaze behind him, to the massive jet on the tarmac. "Oh...Merlin. That thing is huge."
"Thanks," he replied, still smirking. "Do you like it?"
Ginny nodded immediately, but really what was going through her mind was something more like- I'd like the bloody thing a lot more if it just stayed on solid ground. Then I'd love it.
Draco sighed impatiently as he noticed Ginny's lack of movement. "What is with you, Red? Do you honestly not like it? If not, I mean…it'd be expensive, but I could buy you another plane ticket for a chartered line or something. Seems silly, though. These jets are basically safer than those planes anyway…plus, you're obviously going to be a first-priority passenger, as far as safety (and everything else, really) is concerned. But… it's up to you."
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He trailed off, quite put out with Ginny's reaction to his jet. He'd really thought she would like this idea, and her reluctance to it was starting to make him rather annoyed. He'd worked so hard to try to win her over, to make her happy, and all he got out of it was a redhead statue on an airport tarmac.
Draco looked up at the sky in exasperation, Ginny's heavy luggage still hanging from his arms.
"Draco."
He looked down, and the petite redhead was right in front of him, taking one of his hands with hers. "I want to go with you," she said, choosing her words carefully. "I…oh, this is going to seem so ridiculous."
"Nothing you could say would seem ridiculous to me," he replied fiercely. It was true. After all the silly things he'd heard from her already, he didn't think there was much else the girl could surprise him with.
She looked at the ground. "It's rather embarrassing, actually."
"Sounds intriguing," he replied with a grin, wrapping his arms around her. "Now you have to tell me, since you've peaked my interest."
"I…" she trailed off. Ginny took a deep breath before saying what she needed to say. "I'm… afraid of flying."
He looked down at her and regarded her carefully for a few moments. "Right. Well, you're mental then. Onto the jet, Red."
"That's it? You're not even going to consider my fears here?" she shrieked, irritated that Draco was now herding her onto his precious jet.
He stopped for a moment, looking up, thinking carefully. "Right. Thought about it, and still think you're mental. Onto the plane, little one."
She turned to face him. "Don't make fun of my height."
"Then don't be ridiculous. This jet is perfectly safe, arguably more safe than that old broom you flew in Quidditch ever was. Just get on there, and I'll have our captain show you exactly how safe the bloody thing is, alright?"
She conceded silently (and sullenly), and walked up the stairs to RavishingRed.
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"This is our captain, Andy," Draco said, gesturing the kind-looking older man in the cockpit.
"Hi, Andy," Ginny replied, her cheeks reddening slightly. She knew what was coming.
"Ginny here is bizarrely afraid of flying in my jet, Andy. Can you please show her why this fear is completely absurd?"
Andy grinned. "Don't worry about it, Ginny. I used to be scared of flying, too. Now look at me! Life's full of funny things like that."
Ginny's eyes met with Draco's briefly. They grinned. They knew all too well about life's little twists-their relationship was a twist in itself.
Andy coughed politely, breaking the charged silence. Draco and Ginny broke eye contact, instead looking at the captain who would be their traveling companion for the next year. Draco smiled. "I'll leave you to it, Andy. I trust she's in capable hands."
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"Did you know we have parachutes on here? And one of those inflatable slides in case of a water evacuation? We even have those masks for hyperventilating people. I have my own hyperventilating mask!" Ginny informed Draco, obviously excited with her findings of the past few minutes. After Andy's show-and-tell of the jet, he'd even sat down with Ginny and informed her of her safety on the average airplane versus RavishingRed. Ginny felt much more comfortable now, though she vowed never to fly coach ever again.
Draco rolled his eyes. "I told you it was safe. Besides, if you're that panicked and we're crashing or summat, I'll just save you through Side-Along Apparition."
"But what about Andy? And that nice stewardess, Lucille? I don't want them just left to die," the redhead replied, obviously quite upset by the idea.
"Andy's a wizard," Draco replied simply. "He's done very well on his OWLS, and he's a master at Apparition. He just likes Muggle objects, like your dad does. Lucille, too. She was Head Girl a few years ago. Very brilliant, and also a whiz at Apparition. I tried to do the best I could when selecting staff. Besides, I want the freedom to use magic if I really want authentic fish and chips, and we're stuck in bloody Jamaica."
Ginny nodded. This seemed very logical to her. Now that her safety was no longer an immediate concern, she began to look around the cabin, taking it all in. The jet was absolutely beautiful. There was wood-grain paneling on the walls, and the seats were plush grey leather. She sat down in one, feeling extremely satisfied as she sank down into the cushions. "Mmm," she murmured, allowing her eyes to close slightly.
Draco nodded to Lucille. He'd been waiting for Ginny to relax for the past hour. This seemed like the best time to convince her that this next year, well…it might actually be fun. Lucille came over with two drinks-a pint for Draco, and some pink girly thing with an umbrella in it for Ginny.
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Ginny took a sip of her drink and smiled. "Yummy."
"I'm glad you like it," Draco replied, his heart warming slightly seeing Ginny so clearly happy. "You haven't even tried to recline in the seats yet, Red. I'm disappointed-I at least expected you to be jumping on the bed by now."
Ginny, who was now reclining in the seats (they went all the way back, naturally), looked up, suddenly alert. "There's a bed?!"
"Of course," he replied, smirking. "Like I'd travel this far without a guaranteed mattress, Red…for me or you."
She smiled, her cheeks reddening. She was used to Draco thinking of his needs, but this uncharacteristic thoughtfulness for her…it made her embarrassed, but in a good way. She wondered briefly if this sweetness was just the tip of the iceberg-after all, a bed on a jet may be nice, but how would he act tomorrow in Paris, the most romantic city in the world?
Finally, Ginny's thoughts returned to the bed. "Can I see it?"
Draco nodded, motioning with his drink toward the end of the cabin.
Ginny got up and walked down the cabin aisle. It took a couple wrong doors (the bathroom and the kitchen) before she figured out that the door at the end was the bedroom. She opened the door and gasped.
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"That bed is ridiculous, Draco."
And it truly was. The bed took up almost the entire room. Ginny's luggage was piled haphazardly in the corner, but there was hardly room for anything else but the enormous bed.
"Well," he murmured, suddenly right behind her, wrapping his arms tenderly around her waist. "I figured we'd be using it quite often."
He craned his neck downward to leave a trail of kisses on her exposed neck. When he spoke again, it was in a quiet whisper by her ear that set her nerves buzzing. "I'd love to use it right now, actually, but we're supposed to be buckled in during turbulence."
She turned in his arms, grinning up at him cheekily. "Meet you in here after the 'Seat Belt' sign turns off?"
Draco grinned back at her. "It's a date."
He craned his neck downward, capturing her lips with his own. Draco was unable to believe his luck-he'd be able to kiss her like this any time he wanted for the next year, and, possibly, for much longer than that. The next year had countless possibilities in store for them. He had all the time in the world with Ginny, and he couldn't wait to start enjoying it.
Ginny moaned softly, deepening the kiss. She was thrilled to be going with him. After all they'd been through-meeting on Chat, learning each other's identities, the mix-up with Harry, the fight over Daphne…it felt so good to finally just be together, to make up, and to get over it. As he gently nibbled on her bottom lip and her heartbeat escalated in response, Ginny couldn't help thinking- There's something I need to tell him.
And as they pulled away from each other, Draco's eyes full of as much tenderness and caring as she was sure her own were, she did tell him. Ginny smiled and stood on her tiptoes so Draco could hear her better.
When she spoke, it was a delicate whisper, but he definitely heard it.
"I love you."
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Authoress' Note: This chapter ends the actual story. The next one will be something of an epilogue. Thanks for reading, and please review!! =)