Febs had curled into herself, drawn her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, crying freely into her skirts. She couldn't look at him, couldn't imagine the look on his face right now. What else could she say that would possibly get him to change his mind?

The feeling of his hands on hers startled her into looking at him, breath caught in her throat. "I know, I know." She could see it, in his eyes, in his expression, mirrored in her own. "It's not what I want either, but what can we do? I couldn't live with myself if you lost your job. I won't be able to handle the looks and the gossip." Not so much for her, she didn't care what other people thought about her; but for him, for the child, for her mother for crying out loud. "We can't force this to work out nice and neatly." No matter how hard they tried.

It would be a lie to say her choice would be easy, not for her, not by a long shot, but it was the only thing she could think of. She couldn't stay, but he wouldn't let her go, what could she possibly do?

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He would not—could not—live his life knowing February Lynch was roaming some small village something with his babe, probably hungry and most certainly all alone. He knew very little of her family outside what she'd told him, but her mother didn't exactly sound like the most understanding of women, especially in regards to her daughter's misbehavior. Hands grasping hers tightly, he tugged her towards him and into his arms.

"I can't tell you how we're going to solve this problem," he murmured, his arms moving to wrap around her smaller, trembling frame. "The only promise I can make is that I won't leave you alone if there's a child in there. A man who protects his his position over his - his family - is no man at all."

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   February Umbridge

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— set by MJ! —

Allowing herself to be pulled in, Febs softened into him easily, tears still a steady stream down her cheeks. She felt no more settled on the matter, couldn't decide if knowing how he felt was a blessing or a burden, but in the moment it was what she needed, she realized. His promise to stand by her was what she'd wanted to hear, but it would be less messy if he wouldn't. Febs was torn between feeling so head over heels in love with him and frustrated by his stubbornness she could only nod.

Of course they'd be sitting in limbo for a couple of weeks and that wait would be terrifying. There was so much riding on this; at best it was a giant wake up call, at worst it was a life-changing decision that impacted far more than she wanted it to. "I'm so sorry." There was a lot to be sorry for. She was sorry for upsetting him; for bringing it up before she even knew for sure; for letting it get to this point. As foolish as it would sound to anyone else, she blamed herself for this far more than she blamed him.

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He held her close, the presence of her tears being perhaps the only reason his weren't making an appearance. He was always taught to be strong, but this was a situation he couldn't logic himself out of. This was a mess of emotions and ethics—a total "damned if he did and damned if he didn't" type of situation.

"It's not your fault. Not just your fault at least," he murmured, smoothing her hair against her head. "If I hadn't let my lust for you overcome my love, we wouldn't be here." He'd never suggested they use protection or anything, and in hindsight, he wasn't sure what'd been going through his mind.

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— set by MJ! —

Febs managed a weak chuckle. They were both to blame in that respect, she supposed. "I suppose I shouldn't have tried so hard to seduce you." Merlin they were a pair. A pair possibly in big trouble, but a pair nevertheless. As determined as she'd been to do this on her own, it was a huge relief to know she didn't have to.

Blowing out a shakey breath, she managed to get the sobbing under control, mopping up the last of the tears, before wrapping her arms around him. Febs nuzzled in, emotionally exhausted. "Why are we always such a mess?"

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His chest shook with silent laughter at her words, and he buried his face into her neck as she nuzzled into him. A mess they certainly were, but it was a mess he was happy to live with. They were never going to society's ideal couple—starting from the very first right hook to his jaw—and that was okay; they just needed to be a tad less reckless than they'd been, if only to ensure that they could continue forward as a pair.

"Mmm, I'm an affection-starved man and you're a woman who loves me for some reason," he murmured into her ear before turning his head to press a kiss to her jaw. "You give me one taste and suddenly I'm addicted. I should have treated all of this more carefully, though; I'm the older, more experienced one. I shouldn't have given into my urges without proper protection methods."

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— set by MJ! —

"Do I ever." She let out a breathless laugh. In every vision she'd had of telling him this, she supposed, was one of the best possible outcomes. It was far from perfect, but at least he'd fought for her. She hadn't doubted that he would, but for it to be the reality of the situation had her heart swelling in affection for him.

The feeling of his lips on her jaw brought a smile to her own lips. That was what had them in this predicament in the first place. "Speaking of," She'd heard him, acknowldged the fact that he took equal responsibility and that there were options in the future. She also realized things were going to have to be different from here on out, pregnant or not. Wiping away the last remnants of tears on her already damp sleeve, Febs took a deep breath and leaned back just enough to look him right in the eyes.

"Since we've decided we're stuck with one another," She smiled softly to show she was just teasing, bringing one hand up gently to his cheek. "I need you to stop doubting my faithfulness. I will never, ever leave you for someone else. Leaving you for your own good is one thing, but I meant it when I said there will never be anyone else but you."

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Despite their shared tone of affection, there was no denying that there was a lingering sense of uncertainly still in the air. Despite his attempts to call and reassure her, he still had no idea what he was going to do if she was with child. Marry her? Have their cottage by the sea built for her and the babe while he sent enough for the them to live comfortably? He wasn't sure, and he wouldn't be sure until he was faced with that ultimatum.

"When I say that," he said with a sigh, turning his head to brush his lips against the side of her hand. "I speak more of my own insecurities than your character. I mean - there aren't a lot of people who have...stayed. I just always assume the worst," he explained, the regret evident in his tone. There hadn't bee many in his life to stay to begin with, but many of them had moved on with their lives—and the most important of people had never really been there at all. After years of bottling it up, expressing it was difficult to say the least.

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— set by MJ! —

Febs needed to not think about the future for a few minutes. She desperately wanted to live in the moment for just a little while longer. She watched him carefully as he spoke, a frown tugging the corners of her lips downward. Relieved though she was, that he wasn't exactly having second thoughts about her, it pained her to know he'd been let down so significantly in his life.

Gently she brushed his hair from his face and brought her other hand up to frame his face, eyes on his once more. "Edric, you're worth staying for, no matter what happens." It had taken her a little too long, in her panic, to realize that, but if she'd learned anything tonight, it was that she'd been so wrong about being able to leave him.

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   Edric Umbridge

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Her words made his heart swell, and he sincerely wanted to believe them. In fact, in that moment, he told himself he would believe them, at least until she gave him a reason not to. He leaned forward and hungrily pressed his lips to hers, holding her cheeks in his palms, though pulled back before proved—once again—that he had no control.

"If you need anything, be it a bed or money or anything, you only need to ask. I'm here for you—sometimes even overbearingly so," he chuckled, taking hold of her arm so he could help her stand up. "I won't pretend like I know what's best of for you, but I know that being honest is what's best for us."

He kissed her again, more gently this time, and then grabbed her hand.

"Come on, then. Back to the couch," he said, the corner of his lips tugging up into a tired smile.

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— set by MJ! —

Letting her lashes flutter closed as he kissed her, Febs felt that familiar dizzy drop in her stomach, but it was over before she could get too caught up in it. Probably for the better. Feeling the weight of his promises pressing down on her, she could only smile in return, a nod in acknowledgement was all she could give him as he pulled her up off the floor. She agreed with him, wholeheartedly, but she was still terrified.

The second kiss was slower, softer, much more her speed at the moment. Her smile mirrored his own as he tugged her back toward the couch. That damn couch. "Bed, I need your bed. I'm over these emotional whirlwinds, they're exhausting." She teased, pulling slightly against him in the opposite direction. She needed out of everything that wasn't her chemise and to curl up next to him and sleep until he had to take her home.

After that they would play the waiting game.

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   Edric Umbridge

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