"Hermione," Fred called to her, "we're staying at the flat tonight. Do you want to come?"

"To th-the flat?" she stuttered. "What about your mum?"

"I'll talk to her, she'll be fine. I'd really like you to stay there with me. No lying or sneaking around this time," he added.

She looked into his eyes and couldn't have stopped the words from tumbling out if she had wanted to, "Yes, I'll stay with you." She watched his eyes light up along with his entire face when he smiled at her. She felt that grin mirrored on her own face. "Fred?"

"Yes?"

"You never finished telling me about the results of your daydream charm." She felt shy asking him to reveal his dream, knowing he would ask about hers in return.

"Oh, that," he said as a blush crept up his neck to his ears. "I'll, uh, I'll tell you when we get to my place." She smiled and nodded to him.

Several minutes later found Hermione holding Teddy while Harry shook out his tired arms.

"I never would've thought a baby that tiny could be so heavy," Harry sounded awed as he headed for the bathroom.

Hermione chuckled at him and the baby started to cry. Her eyes widened; she didn't have much experience with infants, just a distant cousin that had come to visit a time or two. "Harry? Harry! What do I do?" She felt a tad bit of panic when the baby continued to scream. She looked desperately around the room but none of the others seemed inclined to help her.

"Here," Fred said, dropping down to sit beside her, flicking his hair out of his face. He tried to hand her the baby bottle. However, she was using both hands to make sure Teddy didn't flop out of her arms. She looked at Fred when she heard him laugh. "Like this." He manipulated her arms until she was holding the sobbing infant comfortably and safely snug to her body with one arm. He put the bottle of formula into her free hand and made sure she held it upright enough that the little boy wouldn't get too much air. "You're a natural."

Hermione still felt nervous holding such a small helpless being but Fred's steady arms around her eased most of the tension. She heard him sigh and enjoyed the feel of his lips as he pressed them softly to her temple. Fred's large hand reached forward to stroke the baby's cheek. Hermione dared a glance at her guy and found him looking quite content, which both thrilled her and scared her senseless.

They stayed at the Burrow for another hour before Mrs. Weasley announced it was time for bed. "Mum, could I have a word?" Fred directed his mother into the kitchen, and Hermione couldn't resist the urge to spy on them just a little bit.

Fred had his back to her, but she could clearly see Mrs. Weasley's face. Her expression started out stern and disapproving. However, as Hermione watched, the frown gradually disappeared and the older woman wiped a tear away from her cheek. Mrs. Weasley nodded to her son and pulled him into a tight hug. Hermione lifted her eyebrows wondering what on earth he could have said to convince her so easily. When his mother finally released him, Fred turned back to Hermione and grinned at her shocked look.

"Let's go, pet." Fred winked at her and headed towards the floo, George and Verity right in front of him. Hermione let him steer her by the elbow to the fireplace. He grabbed a handful of floo powder and joined her on the short dizzying trip to his flat.

"Well, kids," George began, Verity flung over his shoulder giggling, "We'll see you in the morning." He winked at Hermione and slapped his girlfriend's bum lightly.

"George!" she squealed, scandalized, but she ruined the effect by breaking into loud peals of laughter.

"Well aren't they…friendly," Hermione said with a small chuckle.

"The friendliest," Fred confirmed. "You tired?"

"No," she yawned, "Yes."

He chuckled at her and held her hand leading her to his bedroom. "Here we are," he announced shutting the door.

Hermione swallowed thickly looking at the bed. "Here we are," she echoed softly.

"Hermione, you know I'm not expecting anything from you, right? I quite literally got off my death bed just a couple days ago. I'm in no rush for you to put me back in it."

She snorted at him and shook her head. "Fred, I-" she took a deep breath, "You remember that day at Shell Cottage?"

"Of course. How could I forget?" His voice deepened and he ran a hand down her arm.

"I thought maybe we could pick up where we left off." She reached up and placed soft open mouthed kisses along his neck.

Fred tipped his head back to enjoy the feel of Hermione's lips on his neck. She worked her way up to his mouth and the kiss turned deep and passionate. Hardly aware of what he was doing, Fred walked her backwards until she bumped into the bed.

"Aaahh!" she yelled as she ungracefully flopped backwards, Fred landing heavily on top of her.

"Got to watch that last step," he mumbled into her neck. He kissed and licked his way up the column of her throat. He sucked lightly just a little below her ear, causing her to moan softly. He felt her squirm beneath him, and he pulled back to see her sliding slowly but surely off of the edge of the bed. When he lifted his weight from her, gravity pulled her down quickly to her arse with a thump. He chuckled when she rubbed her bum. "Can I help you with that?" He reached a hand down to help her up.

Fred tugged her to her feet and started to rub her bum. "Fred," she laughed, "Stop!" She smiled at him and grabbed the front of his shirt.

"What'd I do?" he asked her, pulling an innocent face. He laughed when she shook him gently by his shirt. "Forgive me?" She grinned again and nodded. She pulled him roughly to her and covered his mouth with hers. His eyebrows shot up in surprise. He soon forgot all about teasing her and lost himself in the feel of her tongue sliding against his. He ran his hands down her sides, gripped the edge of her shirt and pulled it over her head, tossing it behind him. He took a moment to feel her breasts through her light blue bra before he unsnapped it and threw it into the semi-darkness. He nearly yelped when Hermione yanked his shirt off, taking him by complete surprise. "In a hurry?"

"You bet I am," she laughed. He chuckled wrapping his arms around her and drawing their bare chests together. She sighed, "That feels wonderful." She slowly drug her hands up his spine.

"Mmmm," he hummed into her ear where he sucked gently. He lowered his hands to the waist of her skirt and slowly pushed it down and off along with her blue cotton knickers. He kissed his way back up her body, enjoying the little mews of pleasure that fell from her lips. When he stood before her again she grinned and ducked back from his kiss. His heart raced out of control when she licked her lips and reached for the button on his pants.

She mimicked his removal of her bottoms, kissing and licking. His breath came in hard pants while she teased him. Just when he thought he was going to have to stop her, she kissed her way back up to his mouth. He kissed her hungrily and lifted her into his arms with ease. Never breaking the connection, he made his way back to the bed and set her down gently before covering her body with his own.

He stroked her tongue with his and added light caresses with gentle squeezes to her breasts. He slowly slid against her, eliciting a sharp cry from Hermione. "You sure about this?" he asked, recognizing the strain in his voice.

"Yes, please, yes," she begged, lifting her hips to him.

He swallowed thickly at her pleas, forcing himself to calm down. Taking a deep breath, he gave in to her request, his brow furrowed when his girl's face scrunched up. He kissed her softly, stilling his movements. He rested his forehead against hers and waited for a sign for him to continue. He didn't have to wait long for the girl to nod. He began his slow progress again. He felt her tense up beneath him. "Relax, love." She nodded but held the tension. Not sure what to do about it, he enveloped her in a series of deep penetrating kisses.

He felt her body loosen up and he continued. Her cry of pain was muffled by his mouth and he held completely still. He backed off the kiss and opted for soft pecks on her face and neck. A single tear slipped out of the corner of her eye, and he brushed his lips down her to her temple, following its trail. He lifted his eyes to hers and found her watching him. He offered her a small smile which he hoped she understood meant he would wait until she was ready. They held still looking into each others eyes until she let out an amused breath.

"You're arm's shaking," she whispered.

"Yeah, well, I'm a heavy guy," he tried to keep his voice steady; weight had nothing to do with his shaking. He felt her squirm and she offered him a small smile. Slowly, he began to to move again. It took every ounce of self control he possessed to not let his instincts take over. She was his, and he had to be careful with her.

He saw the change in her features and felt it in her body, when the pain released its hold on her and she started to enjoy the sensations he was providing her with. He started to move faster and moaned loudly when she lifted her hips in time with his. When her body clamped down on him, he grunted loudly and found his release.

His arms felt like jelly and he barely caught his exhausted body before he crushed her. He rolled off of her and pulled her so that she was cradled to his chest, both of them gasping for breath. They lay in silence for several minutes before Fred found the energy to pull the sheet over them.

He thought Hermione was asleep until he heard her whisper, "You never did tell me about that dream."

He puffed out an amused breath. "Tomorrow, pet. I promise." He stroked her hair as they fell asleep in each other's arms.

2 months later

"Hermione, come in here for a minute!" Fred hollered from the pantry. Hermione and Verity had both moved in the previous month and the twins had been forced to expand their flat magically. They altered it until it was something resembling a condo but with a shared kitchen and family room. Their mum had hinted them that their girlfriends would probably appreciate having their own homes. The boys however were reluctant to separate. Hermione had assured him only a few days ago that she liked sharing a home with George and Verity and had no intentions of persuading him otherwise.

"What do you need, Fred? I'm helping Verity with her hair." Hermione bustled into the room looking harassed.

"What's she doing to it?"

"Curling it and trying to fix it into some style she saw in Witch Weekly."

"Why?"

"George told her he had something special planned for today and she wants to look her best." She shrugged.

"Oh," he said as he turned and handed her an armful of boxes, "could you hold those for a minute?" She started to protest when he shot her a pleading look.

"Fine," she huffed.

"Thanks." He paused, turning toward the shelf. "Hey, could you try and find a box that would fit this?" He turned back to her and held the small diamond ring up for inspection. "I can't seem to find the right size."

Her mouth dropped open as she looked over the simple yet elegant ring. "He's proposing?"

"Yes, he is," Fred said, dropping to a knee.

"Wait," she sounded confused, "you're proposing?"

"Yes, I am." He reached out and held her slim hand in his own. "Hermione, I love you more than anything. And I can't imagine anything that would make me happier than having you as my wife."

"Oh, Fred," she dropped to the floor beside him and kissed him soundly.

"Is that a yes?"

"Yes, I suppose it is." He slipped the ring onto her finger then stood them both up.

Before either Verity or Hermione could say anything more, the twins shouted through the flat to each other, "She said yes!"

The end.

A/N: Thank you oh, wonderful and mighty WeasleyForMe for the spectacular beta job. Thank you to everyone who read, reviewed, alerted, and favourited this fic. And an extra special thank you to WeasleyforMe, JackMyles, and Taylor5795 who were with me from the beginning. You guys have all been really awesome! Thanks one last time! Don't forget one last review!

Wow, for poll results, I'll leave the results up if you want to check them out. There were a lot of spread out answers, very cool guys.