Once

So this will be the last chapter of this story. I'll be starting a new story called '9 months' tonight or tomorrow. It'll cover her whole pregnancy. After that I plan on writing a series of stories covering the lives of their kids.

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Severus couldn't believe what he was hearing. Hermione was finally pregnant. After nearly seven years of trying she had finally gotten pregnant. The fact she was pregnant with twins was hard to swallow. He knew the test was right but the thought of caring for twins scared him a bit and he knew it scared Hermione. They had been praying for one baby but two seemed like a little too much.

Whenever Hermione had come bouncing into their room and started kissing him too death he knew then. He knew she had found out she was pregnant. The potion had worked.

Severus lay in bed next to his sleeping wife thinking it all over. He wasn't sure he was going to be a good parent. After all he didn't know what good parents were supposed to do. His parents hadn't been the best in the world. What would his kids think of him when they learned of his past? Would they push him away?

He hadn't given any of those negative things any thought. They had started to hit him all of a sudden. He knew that he shouldn't think on it too much. He knew that he was just being silly. His children would love him no matter what.

Even though Hermione was fast asleep she could tell something was bothering him. Her eyes snapped open and she rolled over to look at him.

"I'm sorry," he said. "Did I wake you up?"

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I've been doing some thinking," he confessed. "I'm not sure I'll be a good father."

"Of course you will," Hermione said in the most positive voice she could muster. "What makes you think you'd be a bad father."

"I've never really talked about this with anyone Hermione," he said rolling around from her. "but I didn't come from the best family."

Hermione nodded. She knew a tiny amount about the home he had come from.

"Your parents yelled a lot huh?" she asked.

"It was more than yelling," Severus explained. "It was more than fighting. It was a hell I couldn't escape."

Hermione didn't say anything. She didn't know what to say. Severus had never opened up to her about his past.

"I'm worried I'll act the way I was conditioned to act," he stated. "I've already hit my wife once."

Hermione pressed her lips together at the memory of that.

"You aren't to blame for that," she said putting a hand on his shoulder. "We were both to blame for that. You would normally never take a hand to me."

"You sound like my mother," Severus said in a tense tone.

Hermione didn't know how to take that. Just judging by his tone she knew it wasn't a good thing.

"She wasn't an angel herself but she always made excuses for him," he explained. "Please don't do that."

"What do you want me to do?" Hermione asked.

"I want you to make me a promise," Severus said. "I want you to promise that if I ever hit you again or turn on the kids that you'll leave. Promise me you'll take the kids and run."

Hermione didn't really want to make that promise. She knew Severus would never hurt her. And she knew he would never hurt a little child.

"Severus...I...I can't do that," Hermione stammered.

"You have to," he said. "I need to know that you won't stay and take it if I turn on you."

"I promise," Hermione said. "I know you won't do it but it hurts me to think you will."

"I know how I am," he said rolling to face her. "And I am terrified I might hurt you or the kids one day."

"Oh Severus," she said kissing him. "Let's not talk about that anymore. I love you and I want us to have a long and happy marriage."

"I love you too Hermione," he said nuzzling her. "And I only want the best life for you and kids."

"Let's sleep Severus," she said closing her eyes. "I'm tired and I'm sure you are."

Without another word the happy couple curled up with against each other and drifted off to sleep.