Title: Home Again

Author name: Gemmika and Ham

DISCLAIMER: We wrote this, not for the love of money we could make, but for the love of life, and of true love. We'll let Jo take credit for Harry and Ginny, and Gem take credit for Natalie. Our own plot and situation.

Summary: When two souls are reunited after an unbearable separation... no words need to be spoken.

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Home Again

- by Gemmika and Ham

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Ginny pulled out her key for the small flat that she, Harry and Natalie shared. The door swung open silently, exactly the way Ginny wanted it to be. She closed it with a small click and hung her key on the peg by the door.

It was well after midnight and she knew her husband and daughter were sleeping. She hadn't known when she would be free to go home, and so her family had not had any word of her arrival. It had been two weeks, a fortnight since she had left them, and to her it felt like an eternity. She hadn't been able to sing her daughter to sleep, or kiss her aches away. She hadn't been able to fall asleep in her husband's arms, or tease and talk to him whenever she felt like it. It had been Hell. A Hell made by the isolation of someone who loved so deeply that they were incomplete without the ones they loved.

She walked quietly up the stairs, trying hard to keep her presence a secret. She wanted to surprise her family, see Natalie's reaction when she came down to breakfast in the morning. She wanted to see Harry's reaction when he woke to her in his arms. Her heart was beating painfully as she remembered the heartache and loneliness of her absence.

As an Auror she had to go wherever she was needed. Dark Wizards didn't only live in Britain, and Ginny knew that there would be many more trips like this if she kept her current profession. In the past two weeks she had discovered why most Aurors weren't married with families. It was too hard to leave all those you loved. Even letters weren't sufficient when all you wanted to do was reach out and touch the one you loved. They actually made it worse, reminding you of what you have… and can't have.

Her assignment had been terrible. She went for days at a time with no more than an hour of sleep, and little to no food. She and four others had been stuck in a safe house while a war waged in the city around them. The ministry had forbid them to interfere in the muggle war; their mission was strictly to take out the dark wizards who were interspersed with the muggles. It had been difficult, as the wizards had gotten very talented at blending in with their muggle comrades.

Ginny shook her head of the memory; it was something she didn't want to remember. The ministry didn't allow memory charms for Aurors, in the slight chance that their minds could be damaged if the spell went wrong. Her medicine, her healing would come from her husband's arms. Only Harry could hold her tight enough to make her forget the pain she saw as an Auror, only he could make her memories of the past disappear with a touch or a caress. She needed to get into his arms.

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Emerald green eyes watched the door intently. It would be soon… she would come through the door any minute now.

He had found out about her return easily enough. He wasn't an Unspeakable for nothing.

The seconds ticked by slowly… each seeming like an hour. The wait was unbearable.

Two weeks… she had been gone two weeks. Only he knew how those two weeks had gone by.

Food didn't taste the same anymore, everything tasted like cardboard. Every night he tossed and turned on their bed… the large empty bed that almost mocked him.

He had almost been counting each minute, each hour that she had been gone. Every second that passed got her return closer and it was what kept him going.

Ofcourse, Natalie had helped too. It was amazing how much mischief a seven year old could get into. And it didn't help that her favourite Uncles were a certain Fred and George Weasley. Work helped too, and he threw himself wholeheartedly into it, trying not to think about it, about her.

The nights were the problem though… because at night there was nothing but the memories… of the sweet hours spent in each others arms… of the whispered words of love… of the sweet kisses and caresses.

He could still smell her perfume on her pillow… still feel her warm breath on his cheek. The few broken hours of sleep he got were mostly interrupted by nightmares of the war. She had always been able to drive them away. But with she gone they came back in full force.

He had lost count of the nights he had blindly reached out for her for comfort… finding only emptiness.

And she was coming back today…

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Ginny opened the door quietly and stepped inside. It was dark, she assumed Harry was asleep as she closed it behind her. She turned back to look at the bed, their bed, and saw a pair of emerald green eyes looking at her. A candle lit up next to him, and then another and another. Suddenly the room was filled with candles glowing all over the room.

She could see her husband clearly now, his eyes locking with her own. Instantly a hunger flared between them, a love that burned brighter and sweeter than any fire in the world. She slowly crossed the room to him, kneeling beside him.

She couldn't take her eyes off him, he was a sight for sore eyes. When all she had seen was death, war, and hunger... her husband was the most beautiful sight she had ever seen. Tears filled her eyes as she took him in. It felt like an eternity since she had been with him last. A long lonely eternity, but she was here now. The man she loved was in front of her, and she could breathe again.

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The door opened noiselessly and his breath hitched. She was here.

He made out a pale silhouette of her in the dark and his heart pounded fiercely. He saw or rather felt her looking at him.

He waved his hand and a single candle illuminated near the armoire by the door. It bathed her face in soft light and he saw her flinch in reaction to it.

In the dim light he hungrily took in her slim form. Her fiery red hair that hung down to her waist, her pale creamy skin that was scattered with freckles, her soft pink lips, her soft womanly curves.

He hungrily drank her in.

He waved his hand again and more candles lit up all around the room. She slowly opened her eyes and as he looked into them a fierce hunger began to build within him.

He saw the same hunger in her eyes and he desperately wanted her near him… to touch her. Almost as if she was reading his thoughts she crossed the room in a flash and was kneeling by him.

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She couldn't help herself, she reached out and touched his face tenderly.

The feeling of his skin beneath her fingers made her feel like she was waking up from a long dream. He turned his face into her palm and kissed it gently.

A small cry was wrenched from her throat, and she moved her hand over his face. He was covered in several days stubble, even darker against the paleness of his face. She saw that his eyes were ringed with dark circles, as if he hadn't slept in days. Tears welled up in her eyes at the thought of her husband tossing and turning without her to hold him. To keep him from having his nightmares.

Ginny removed her black auror robe and walked around to the other side of the bed to crawl in next to him. She was pulled into his arms, her face pressed tightly against his chest. She loved being in his arms more than anywhere in the world. She snuggled up close to him, feeling the beating of his heart.

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The first touch of her hand on his face was almost too much pleasure. He closed his eyes and pushed his face into her palm, kissing it gently. Her sweet gasp made his blood boil.

He felt her eyes roving over him and it was almost like a caress by itself.

When she suddenly got up his eyes shot open, alarm on his face. Had it been a dream?

It wasn't. He saw her remove her Auror robe, revealing her tight, faded jeans and green jumper. The clothes hugged her skim figure and emphasized all her curves. His mouth went dry.

She was so beautiful!

He saw her walking to the other side of the bed and held up the covers for her to get into. A moment later she was in his arms and hugging him tightly.

He felt complete for the first time in two weeks.

He kissed her forehead softly, breathing in the perfume of her hair. How he had missed it!

She slowly looked up and met his eyes. There was raw desire in their depths, along with a desperate plea… a plea that she never leave him again.

All the pain of their separation was present in them. His eyes glittered with tears making them shine even more brilliantly green.

He could tell that Ginny saw his pain, for her own eyes were welling up with tears. They were shimmering liquid brown, and in them was a promise that she would never again leave him. He knew it had to have been just as painful for her as it was for him when they were parted.

At least he had had Natalie for comfort... a part of Ginny to hold. Ginny had missed them both, had been away from them both.

Suddenly he had an urgent need to feel her skin against his… to bury the pain they both had felt in the past two weeks in each other.

He quickly began to pull off her clothes and Ginny helped him as best as she could.

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She could sense the urgency in him, the need to feel his skin pressed to hers. The need to fit herself against him.

Her need and his were mingled in her mind, she couldn't tell them apart. She wanted everything that he wanted.

After minutes of struggling to get her out of her clothing, she was pressed against him. Their skin warmed by the nearness of each other.

The tears finally poured down her cheeks, the dam was opened. She held him tightly as the tears continued to fall down her face.

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With her help all her clothes were soon off and she slipped back into his arms.

The first touch of her cool skin against his was like heaven. He had missed this so much.

He held her tightly and he felt her lift up her face and press her soft lips against his in a heated kiss.

He kissed her back equally urgently, devouring her sweet mouth with an insatiable hunger.

He sucked on her lower lip gently and she parted her lips to give him access to her mouth. He quickly took advantage of this and slipped his tongue inside.

The moan wrenched out of her was like sweet claws digging into his flesh.

He ran his hands over her back, holding her tightly too him. He needed to be closer to her… he could never be close enough to her.

He closed his eyes as he felt her small hands roving over him and his desire for her grew to unbearable heights.

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She pressed herself closer... molding her body tightly to his. She deepened the kiss, drinking him in like she hadn't done in a fortnight.

The tears on her lips made the kiss bittersweet and beautiful.

She tightened her hold on him, her breath coming in ragged gasps.

Her heart was beating furiously, and with every beat she heard the words, "I love you," pounding against her chest.

It was her body's way of saying to him what she wasn't able to utter. She wasn't able to speak yet, but her body knew what it wanted... him.

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His hands gently moved over her, learning her body again as he kissed her fiercely.

The small moans and gasps she made were like music to him.

He quickly rolled over, moving her with him until she was lying beneath him.

He felt her hands on his shoulders, pulling him urgently, bringing him closer to her. Her eyes were closed and breath coming in gasps and her skin was flushed with arousal.

Her fiery hair was framing her face and lay spread around her body. It looked even more silky and beautiful against the white sheets and the soft glow from the candles.

Harry waved his hand absently and all the candles were extinguished, bathing them in darkness.

He felt her pulling him ever closer to her. He moaned helplessly as her tiny hands gripped him and teased him.

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Her body was on fire from his soft caresses and teasing lips. She had dreamed of her homecoming since her departure, but this reality had blown away all of her dreams and fantasies. The reality of her and Harry, of their love... was something that no dream could compare to.

She kissed him again, hard and passionate.

She gasped into his mouth as they became one. She shivered, holding him tighter.

They both lost themselves in the passion. Bodies moved as one, hands caressed each other feverishly, lips whispered words of love.

When they finally reached it felt like they had fallen for miles.

She lay under him, breath coming in gasps, body covered in a thin sheen of sweat, and a soft smile on her face

She placed hundreds of soft, moist kisses on his face, neck and shoulders.

They looked into each others eyes and finally said the words that each craved to hear... I love you.

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A/N: This fic is a special one, as it is the first one we have written together. We hope you enjoy reading it... because we enjoyed writing it.

Dedicated to all those who have suffered painful separations... and reveled in the glory and beauty of the homecoming.