Hey everyone! Sorry this update took so long. I've been busy with probably everything but writing recently. Been working hard on this all day to get this done for you all. Hope you all enjoy, and I hope I'll have the next chapter up soon. :)

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"Today I saw my hero fall apart, the one who taught me to be strong. On the outside, I look fine, but on the inside, I'm dying." –Do Or Die, Papa Roach

            Audrey sat awkwardly on the couch in the living room of her mother's home. It had been a long time since she had visited, and the girl really wished that this trip wasn't just to reveal her pregnancy. Her mother, Fianna, sat across from her on the love seat, taking a sip of what Audrey assumed was coffee. Her mother gently set down her cup before turning to speak to her.

            "Well I must say, I wasn't expecting a visit from you so soon after your graduation," she stated. "I thought you would stay away for a bit longer before coming home."

            "I thought since you couldn't get the day off of work, I would stop by," Audrey came up with a cover up. Her parents, being Aurors, had both been unable to get the day off to attend the brief graduation ceremony. Audrey wasn't unduly bothered by it, honestly, but she needed something to delay what she had actually come home for.

            "Of course, darling," Fianna assured. "Although I was expecting Draco to come along with you. Why didn't he come as well?"

            Audrey shrugged. She knew very well why Draco wanted to avoid her family, and it was the same reason she wanted to as well. Audrey was terribly lucky when she had decided what day to come over, as her father, Lorcan, was still working, meaning he wouldn't be there to raise the hell that he had the last few times Audrey had seen him. The last time Audrey had seen her father was when he tried to retrieve her from the Weasleys', and it was then that the girl essentially cut ties with him. Lorcan had never been fond of Draco, and that was one thing that irritated her to no end. He wouldn't even give the boy a chance to prove himself, and now that there was a child involved, Audrey was sure that things weren't going to improve on that front.

            "I think he wanted to spend time with his family today," Audrey improvised. "They haven't been able to spend a lot of time together recently, due to school and all that jazz."

            Fianna nodded. "Understandable," she said quietly. "Although today would've been the day for him to tag along since your father shouldn't be home for a few more hours."

            "I take it dad still hates him?" Audrey asked, although she was sure of the answer she was going to receive.

            Her mother sighed, pushing some of her blond hair from her face. "Unfortunately. I've been trying to get him to change his mind, but you know how stubborn he is."

            "And he wonders why I'm so stubborn," Audrey muttered.

            "Indeed," Fianna agreed. "At any rate, I've been trying to get him to see that Draco isn't a terrible person, and that you made the right decision in marrying him. Yet, every time I try, he goes off on some tangent about Death Eaters and the like."

            "Well, as I'm sure the whole planet knows by now, they're supposedly back," Audrey added. "And I'm thinking that Draco and I will become targets, since he quit and all that." She took a deep breath, contemplating her next few words carefully. "I'm worried we'll have to be on the run before too much longer."

            Fianna sat in silence for a few moments, studying her daughter's expression. "You both are young and capable; why would you be worried about handling yourself?"

            "It's not that I doubt our abilities. I'm just trying to think of where we could even go that wasn't vulnerable," Audrey explained. "The Death Eaters know where Malfoy Manor is, they obviously know where you guys live, the Weasleys aren't any better off, and if Pansy is working with them, they know where Artemis lives too."

            "Artemis?" Fianna raised an eyebrow at the name. "You haven't mentioned an Artemis before."

            "Artemis is Draco's cousin," Audrey elaborated. "Artemis' mother is Draco's father's sister. Anyways... Artemis has been letting us stay with his family in Ireland. And when we came home from the honeymoon, we were attacked by this stupid psycho ex-girlfriend of Draco's, and now apparently she's joined up with the remaining Death Eaters."

            Fianna shook her head. "Well hopefully they leave you alone so you don't have to worry about finding somewhere safe to stay," she sighed.

            "I hope so too, but considering my luck as of recently, I don't think that's possible," Audrey admitted, half laughing at the recent turn of events.

            "I understand you're worried, darling, but you just have to relax a bit," Fianna cautioned. "Stressing out about what may or may not happen is not good for your health."

            "Yea... tell me something I don't already know," Audrey mumbled.

            Fianna raised an eyebrow, becoming curious about her daughter's behavior. Audrey realized it was too late to try to correct her behavior when Fianna asked, "Is there something else troubling you?"

            Audrey took a deep breath, preparing herself for whatever reaction her mother was going to give her. "Well mom... I'm incredibly nervous," she started. "There's... something new in my life and I'm not quite sure how to handle it yet."

            "What do you mean?" Fianna inquired.

            The brunette bit her tongue for a moment before saying, "Mom... I'm two months pregnant."

            Had Fianna been drinking anything, Audrey was sure she would've spit it out. Her mother's eyes were wide, obviously in shock from what she had just revealed to her. Audrey honestly couldn't figure out if her mother was happy about it or not, judging on her reaction so far. When Fianna hadn't said anything after a few minutes, Audrey spoke again.

            "I take it you're not thrilled about it?" the girl sighed, looking down at her feet.

            "No, darling, it's not that. I'm happy for you," Fianna answered quickly. "It's just a bit shocking. I wasn't expecting a grandchild so soon. I was thinking you were going to wait a few more years."

            Audrey frowned slightly. "You think I planned this? I'm freaking out right now! Have been since I found out... That's why I'm worried about the stupid Death Eaters. If something happens to Draco, or me..."

            The girl's voice trailed off, tears beginning to fill her eyes at the mere thought of losing her small family. Without even thinking, Audrey's face fell to her hands, tears flowing through her eyes unchecked. There was no doubt about it; the girl was afraid of what was going to happen to them once the Death Eaters initiated their revenge. Within moments, Audrey felt two arms wrap around her, pulling her into a tight embrace. She opened her eyes to see her mother wiping away a few of her tears.

            "Shh... everything is going to be okay, love," Fianna attempted to calm her. "Nothing is going to happen to you or Draco. Your father and I, along with the rest of the Ministry, are working on rounding up the remaining Death Eaters as we speak. Every day, the world is getting safer. And this new threat will be diminished quickly."

            "They said they have a new leader," Audrey stammered.

            "We'll figure out who they are, and stop them before this gets out of control," Fianna assured. "Right now, you don't need to be stressed out. You need to be relaxing. You're in a delicate condition, love."

            Audrey rested her head against her mother's shoulder, hugging her back in the process. For the first time in almost a year, Audrey had found comfort in her mother's embrace, and felt safe there. And for once, she wasn't going to hold back what was on her mind. "Mom, I'm scared," she whispered.

            "Don't be afraid, darling," Fianna said back. "You have an amazing group of people protecting you- Draco, his family, your friends, your father and I- and we would never let anything happen to you." Fianna pulled away from her daughter slightly, just enough to lift Audrey's chin to look into her eyes as she spoke again. "I promise."

            Audrey hugged her mother tightly again, glad she had her back with everything, and, of course, happy that she was excited about being a grandmother. Perhaps everything was going to work out okay after all. But before Audrey could say anything else to her mother, the girl heard a loud crack! and had a feeling that she wasn't out of the woods yet...