CHAPTER TWENTY NINE: ROCK A BYE BABY 

It had been about a week since Claudia had held the positive pregnancy test in her hands, a week of which she had been trying to work out what she was going to do about the entire prediciment, what she was going to do to tell Ron. And it turned out she would no longer be able to avoid him in trying to come up with an answer. Or a plan, for Ron had enough of her avoiding him to do so. 

Ron had decided something was up with Claudia a few days ago. He had confirmed his suspicions were indeed true when he had tried to find her at work only to find that she had not only managed to finish on time, for once, but also leave the building as one of the first members of the legal team to head home. Claudia hadn't done that for months now seeming to either finish late because she never wanted to take any work home with her, or hanging about a bit afterwards almost as if she was waiting for him to come and find her. 

Therefore, he had to go and find her wherever she had ended up. And his best bet was her two bedroom house. Therefore, he found himself stood outside knocking upon her front door. At first he felt the desire to do the multiple knocks like most other doors he would knock upon. But he recalled the way she would do one single strong knock upon his own front door to inform her it was him and therefore, decided to do the same back. A single strong knock resounded as he anxiously waited on the door to open. It would take only a matter of seconds for the door to be opened, and a familiar face to pop around from the inside. 

"Hey Claude."

"Ronald, come in." Claudia might have been inviting but he could easily tell something was up, her attitude didn't seem like the normal version of her, she seemed almost immediately anxious to see him something she had never been beforehand. She had always seemed so confident and relaxed this was completely different, he didn't like it and wanted to get to the bottom of whatever was going on. 

Nothing inside of the house seemed to have changed, the photos on the wall remained the same, the decorations seemed pretty neutral. Ron tried to look for anything that could give away what was going on, but his mind drew and blank as he came to realise he was just going to have to ask. Be straightforward about it and ask. He had quickly worked out that this was the best way to communicate with Claudia anyways, the pair of them worked best when their communication was open and honest. Rather he took a seat on the sofa waiting for her to join him. 

"How are you?" Claudia questioned, clearly trying to make the conversation not about whatever was going on. But he wasn't going to allow that. 

"I'm doing okay. You're not though." Ron responded waiting to see what reaction she would have to his words. He expected a little bit of surprise maybe, Hermione had always seemed surprised when he noticed something about her emotions. But this was another stark reminder that he needed to stop comparing this relationship to his last. For Claudia did not seemed shocked at all at his words, rather just a little bit guilty, it seemed whatever was affecting her it was big. 

"Sometimes Ronald I wish you were a little less observant." Claudia replied and he could see it on her face as she tried to work out just what she was going to say to him. It was almost as if he was watching the cogs turn as they tried to piece together the best way to share whatever was troubling her. "I really don't know how to tell you this."

"Whatever it is Claude, we can work through it. Nothing will change my perception of you." Ron tried to comfort but his words brought a grimace to the face of the once incredibly stoic younger woman. 

"I'm pregnant Ron." At Claudia's words he felt his ears begin to ring. He wasn't stupid he knew the risks that sleeping together brought, he knew every encounter had the chance. And he had no doubt that this baby was his. 

"What do you want to do?" He chose to ask, knowing that he would support her with whatever decision she came to. Claudia sighed at his words. 

"I really don't know, it's the reason I haven't told you this last week or so. I just don't know." Claudia sounded dejected something he didn't like. And therefore, Ron moved to pull her into his embrace hoping that he could provide some support that way. "What do you want to do."

"I'd support you either way Claudia, but maybe we could keep this baby, raise them together." Ron hadn't exactly imagined having a baby this way. Part of him didn't see children so early in his life, the original life he had planned out anyways. But he knew that if Claudia too wanted this, he could do it with her. He could make things work with her. He wanted a baby with her. 

"You would?"

"Yeah Claudia. I'd be more than happy to have this baby with you." Ron confirmed the more he thought on it, the more he wanted it. "I know the situation isn't exactly ideal but there's no-one else I'd rather do this with." He added on.

"I think together we can do this." Claudia mumbled from where she had pressed her head into his chest. Moving to tighten her own arms around him. Ron could not help the little smile that broke out onto his face at this moment in time. He bent down slightly to place a kiss to the crown of her head. A warm gentle feeling settling in his chest. 

"I'm going to be a dad." His words were no louder than a whisper but the glee in them bounced around the room. 

And Claudia knew, then and there, that she had found a good one. She had found the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. Raise their children together. And she knew then that her decision had been made.