"I hated leaving you last night," Draco murmurs quietly in my ear as we follow Astoria up the hospital corridor. "The both of you."

I silently will him to stop, not wanting Astoria to turn around and see her husband being intimate with me.

I was scared that she would somehow work out that Draco had shared a special moment with their unborn child against her wishes.

But I felt I couldn't deny Draco of the bonding process. It wasn't fair on him, not when he clearly loved the baby so much already.

As we near the sonogram department, he goes to grab my hand, and I quickly snatch it away. This appointment is for him and Astoria and I didn't want him ruining it for her.

I see the flicker of hurt in his eyes, but he gets the message and falls a step behind me.

"Welcome back," the same young sonographer says as we enter the room. "And how are mother and baby?"

"Oh, you know how it is," Astoria says, fanning her face as she flops into one of the visitor chairs, "such an exciting time. I couldn't sleep last night for apprehension about seeing my baby again."

The poor sonographer looks a little taken aback.

"He was talking to Harper," Draco grits. "You know, the actual mother."

Astoria's face falls, and she immediately looks terribly flustered. "Oh, sorry! Of course you were. Harper's been amazing, haven't you?" She turns to me, her smile not quite reaching her eyes. "Truly glowing, aren't you, darling?"

"Um, yes," I say awkwardly as I try and get onto the bed, struggling thanks to my big belly.

"Here, let me," Draco says.

And before I can object, he wraps a strong arm around my waist and effortlessly lifts me up onto it.

My face instantly flames and I cannot look at Astoria, embarrassed by Draco's gesture.

Unbothered, Draco strides around the bed and takes the chair on the other side. I half expect him to reach up and hold my hand with the way he is being so unabashedly touchy feely with me.

But thankfully, he doesn't.

"Okay," the sonographer says, consulting his notes. "So, I see you're twenty weeks. Congratulations on reaching the halfway mark!"

Ugh, how is it only halfway? This pregnancy is going on for fucking ever. How can I possibly get any bigger?

"Is your baby making visible movements yet?"

To my mortification, Draco says 'yes' at the exact same time Astoria says 'no'.

Astoria, angry, looks at Draco. "How would you even know? You haven't been around!"

"That's because you won't let me, Astoria," Draco sneers. "Believe me, it's not through choice."

The sonographer looks at me, an eyebrow raised.

"Um, yes," I say nodding my head, trying to ignore Astoria's protests. "Last night, I felt the baby kick for the first time."

I hear Draco suck in a sharp breath. I know why. I hadn't actually told him that was the first time I felt the baby move.

"You didn't say!" Astoria gasps, "why didn't you tell me?"

I feel my face go hot. "Um- I forgot."

"But how does he know?"

I panic, not knowing what to say, but Draco gets in first. "I just guessed, Astoria. You're not the only who has been reading up on pregnancy timelines."

Astoria seems somewhat mollified by this answer, sitting back in her chair. "You will tell me next time it happens, won't you, Harper? I would like to feel my baby move."

I nod, trying to stem the guilt swirling in my stomach. Or is it the baby? I don't fucking know anymore.

"Well," the sonographer says, clearly uncomfortable with the atmosphere we have created here today. "Let's get started, shall we?"

This time I'm prepared for the cold jelly being smeared on my stomach.

"Would you like to know the sex?" The sonographer asks.

"Yes," Astoria says at once.

The sonographer looks to Draco who simply shrugs. "She's clearly the boss," he mutters under his breath.

"Okie dokie, then," the sonographer says, placing the scanner against my bump.

We all look expectantly at the monitor. This time, when the image appears, it clearly is a baby as it seems to wave on screen, kicking it's little legs around as though trying to get comfortable.

"Oh-" I breathe, feeling my heart unexpectedly constrict.

A hand clasps mine. Draco's. I steal a nervous glance at Astoria but she's transfixed by the monitor. I look back up at Draco, who is also staring at the screen, but he gives my hand a gentle squeeze in acknowledgment.

"Okay guys," the sonographer says in a cheery voice, "it looks to me as though you have a very healthy looking boy growing there."

This time I find myself squeezing Draco's hand as my heart does an even bigger unexpected twist.

A little baby boy. Draco's son.

However, Astoria's reaction is quite different.

"Are you quite sure?" She says, sounding panicked. "Take another look. We were rather hoping for a girl, you see."

"Ma'am," the sonographer says, trying to sound patient but failing, "I'm ninety nine point nine percent certain this baby has male organs. And the only reason I'm not saying one hundred percent is because I'm legally not allowed."

"But it was going to be a mini Harper." Astoria says with disappointment. "It's what I was dreaming of. She was supposed to have long raven hair."

"It still could be that way," the sonographer said somewhat nervously. "But this little boy is his own person. He might have either his mother's or father's hair. It all depends on which genes he has inherited."

"Oh. I suppose so." Astoria sits back in her chair, visibly disheartened by the whole experience.

"My son," Draco murmurs, placing his other hand against the side of my bump which isn't covered in jelly. His eyes meet mine. "Our son."

Astoria, noticing, suddenly sits up, her face full of alarm. "You mean our son?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I said," Draco says, unperturbed.

"And are you including me in that 'our'?" She challenges him.

Draco finally lifts his gaze from my stomach, a fierceness in his eyes as he glares up at Astoria.

"Well, I don't recall you being there during conception."

I snatch my hand out of Draco's, shocked by the cruelness of his words.

Astoria stands up, her whole body visibly shaking as she raises an arm and points to the door. "GET OUT! GET OUT, GET OUT, GET OUT!"

"Um-" the sonographer says, tugging his collar away from his neck. "I think we should all calm down here-"

"I'm not going anywhere unless you want me to," Draco says, looking at me.

My mind races, I can't keep up with all these emotions and hormones raging though my body.

In the end, I come to a firm decision. Looking at Astoria, I give her a nod. "Please, do you mind if I have a moment alone with Draco?"

Her face is crestfallen. But she doesn't argue and stands up and leaves without a word.

The sonographer quickly makes his own excuses and scarpers out the door behind her.

My heart thudding, I turn to Draco. It makes it worse that he's looking relieved as though he thinks my decision is the one he wants to hear.

"Oh, Harper," he says, reaching out to clasp my hand.

I quickly snatch it away again.

"You need to leave me alone," I say, my voice shaking. "You're just making everything more difficult. You knew the deal. This was a surrogacy. You keep complicating things and I don't know why you constantly insist on going against my wishes. If you loved me like you say you do, Draco, then you would let me go. I don't want this baby. I've promised it to Astoria from the start, and you had sex with me knowing the deal. You are the one who has changed their mind. Not me, and not Astoria."

His face crumples. "But I love you."

"Then let me go! I never wanted a baby. Falling for you wasn't part of the plan. But that's for me to deal with, no one else. I've been blinded by my feelings for you. But I know what I want and that is for everything to go back to normal after this baby is born. I will Obliviate my mind if that's what it takes. I will remove any feelings I have for you because they aren't even fucking real!"

Draco shakes his head, still refusing to believe. "But our son-"

"Your son! Yours and Astoria's. If you don't want to be with her anymore then that's up to you to deal with. Divorce her if you must. But any arrangements you make for your son's care is nothing to do with me. If you love me, you'll sign those adoption papers when the time comes and let me go."

Finally, finally, my words seem to get through to him.

His eyes steel over, his demeanor completely changed. "As you wish, Snow." He says coldly, getting to his feet. "You won't have to see me again. Once my son is born I'll sign the papers and you can have your fucking gold as per the arrangement. I hope you will be very happy with your riches."

I look him right in the eye and steel myself for my next words, thinking of my father.

"I'm a Snow. Of course I fucking will."

*****