Pandora gave a half-sob, half sigh of relief when Ronan walked back into room. When he offered her his handkerchief, she took it and wiped her eyes.

"Yes, clean it please." She said softly, watching him heal her knee.

She held out her hand. "Darling please... please, is there anything else? Anything that you haven't told me? Please... I can't keep doing this. I'm exhausted, I'm absolutely drained and I'm sure that it's not good for our babies. I'm not twelve weeks yet... I can't lose them... I can't."

There were no tears now, just pleading.

Ronan pressed the wash cloth against the young woman's skin gently and then poured a couple of drops of the dittany onto the cut and wiped away an excess as her skin began to heal.

He looked up as Pandora began to practically beg him about anything that he was hiding from her. Ronan shook his head. "There's nothing else. I didn't date anyone when I was abroad, not one person. You're the only person I've dated seriously since Hogwarts. You know about my parents..the only thing I'm not allowed to talk about is work." he said quietly reaching out to touch her cheek.

"I love you Pandora, and I've never loved anyone else like I've loved you. I don't mean to be so cruel, and I don't mean to hide anything from you." Ronan said sincerely as he looked into the young woman's eyes.

"I love you." he repeated throatily, letting the washcloth drop from his hand as he leaned forward to hug Pandora, enveloping her body with his arms.

Pandora listened to Ronan, and allowed herself to be wrapped up his arms but she did not soften.

"You said that you loved me when you were keeping secrets from me." She said quietly. "So how am I supposed to believe you? I've got to think of our babies Ronan. What I go through, they go through."

She pulled away from him and looked him in the eye. "I can't keep doing this. So please, please... just... don't make me any promises that you can't keep." She stood up, away from him and started to dry her hair, glancing at him in the mirror.

"Pandora, to be frank, you did the same thing to me." Ronan replied quietly. "Granted, you did tell me, and in the presence of the person that you were keeping the secret for, but you did say you loved me and kept that from me as well."

He paused not wanting to start another wave of fighting. "But we got through that, and I know how you feel and I know that you've got the babies relying on you. And I am sorry for putting you under such stress. I promise never to do it again." Ronan said looking down at the young woman. "Please, please believe me." he added.

When Pandora walked away from him, Ronan sat back down on the bed, his hands covering his face. He shook with silent sobs and then looked over to Pandora sitting at the dressing table. The young man looked at her, now his time to plead for her to believe him.

Pandora felt like he had slapped her. Fighting back the tears she told him. "I made sure that I told you about that before we were married, Ronan. Before we made our vows. Before we knew that we were going to have our babies. It's not the same, not at all."

Pandora put down her wand and her comb and turned to face her husband, her face showing the impact of the past few weeks. She did not look like a blushing bride at all, nor did she have the glow of an expectant mother. Instead she was pale, with dark circles under her eyes, the stress written large in her steely orbs.

She looked at him, sobbing and her heart melted. She rubbed her hand over her face. "This has to stop. Today, right now. We can't just keep ripping into each like this, it's not doing anyone any good. I dread to think what it might be doing to..." She broke off, not able to complete her sentence.

She stood up and walked to where he was sitting and slipped her arm around his shoulders, cradling his head against her little bump. "No more now. We love each other and that's what matters."

Ronan felt even worse for how he treated Pandora. She was right for two things--one for the issue over what she had hidden from him, and a second for the two of them fighting so much.

He couldn't stand watching her cry so chose to just look down at the floor in silence. When Pandora came and stood before him, Ronan wrapped his arms around her lower waist listening to what she had to say. His eyes closed, tears streaming down his face and he turned his head so that he could kiss Pandora's little baby bump gently, so grateful that they were able to create twins after not even knowing if they could have children at all.

Ronan thanked his lucky stars everyday that he had Pandora and the babies on the way, and he wasn't doing any good with fighting with the young woman. He stood up to his proper height and leaned forward to kiss Pandora firmly on the lips, wrapping his arms around her again.

"I-i-i am so sorry Rose." Ronan stammered out looking down into her bloodshot eyes. "I'm s-sorry." the young man repeated as he kissed Pandora firmly once again.

Pandora felt him kiss her little bump and smiled. When he stood up and kissed her properly, she finally melted into his arms. "Stop it now. We need to let go of all that stuff and be happy. We just got married and we're going to have two very beautiful babies. We should be happy." She wrapped one arm around his waist and reached up with the other to brush away his tears.

"I love you, I don't know what I'd do with out you. Don't ever let me find out, alright?"

Ronan stopped crying as Pandora wiped away his tears and rested his forehead on hers taking in deep breaths to try and calm himself.

'I love you, I don't know what I'd do with out you. Don't ever let me find out, alright?'

"'Slong as you don't let me figure that out either?" he replied in a soft tone gazing into her eyes.

"Can we go to bed now Pandora, I'm worried that you'll fall over where you stand." Ronan said beginning to guide the young woman back into bed already.

Pandora smiled softly. "You have yourself a deal there Mr Cavanaugh." She reached up on her tiptoes and kissed him again.

"Bed? Okay but I should really eat something, or at least try to. I suppose a glass of milk or a honey and banana sandwich would be okay." She mused, trying to remember what they had to eat in the house. She pulled away from him to look for her slippers so that she could go down stairs. "Why don't you have a shower and I'll go and make something, would you like anything?" She looked around the pristine room. "Have you seen what I did with my slippers?" She asked in exasperation.

Ronan relished in seeing Pandora smile and for her to kiss him again. He smiled back sweetly and listened to what she had to say.

He arched his brow at what she wanted to eat and wondered if she was starting to have random cravings, or perhaps he needed to go shopping for more food.

"Yes..shower..right." Ronan returning from his thought process and watched as she looked around the room.

'Have you seen what I did with my slippers?'

"Are they in the--?" he asked almost rhetorically as he headed over to the closet door, opening it and pulled out her slippers. "Here they are." Ronan said in an accomplished way.

Pandora took her satin slippers from Ronan looking confused. "Thank you darling, now why on earth would I put them in there?" She asked him. "I always leave them by the bed." She shook her head. "I really am losing my mind."

"Do you want anything darling? I can make you something else, you don't have to have a banana." She felt that something as healthy as a banana was probably a step too far for Ronan.

Ronan chuckled softly at Pandora's confusion. "You're not losing your mind Rose, I might've moved them when I was cleaning before work." he explained with a soft smile.

Ronan shook his head at the thought of food. "Not hungry Pandora. I'll be down in a few minutes." he said keeping with his smile.

The young man walked towards the bathroom and turned on the warm water, welcoming the steam hitting against his sore muscles and he sighed. Stepping out of the shower, Ronan washed off and finally changed into his pyjama bottoms and heading downstairs to the kitchen.

Pandora dropped her slippers onto the floor and wiggled her toes into them. "Well, I love that you want to be tidy but my slippers live by the bed." She grinned and kissed him lightly.

"Alright, I know when to concede defeat." She watched him walk towards the bathroom and then made her way through the house so that she could make herself a something to eat. "And the cupboard almost bare," she mused, misquoting a story that her mother had told her as a child. She found a banana and some bread. Smiling she took them into the kitchen and started to make a sandwich, using the last of the jar of honey that Silas had brought for her.

Suddenly she very dizzy. She gripped the work surface with her hands. After standing still for a moment, the dizziness passed. She picked up the almost empty jar of honey and suddenly, the world started to turn sideways. She wasn't aware of falling, or of hitting the York stone floor. She didn't hear the jar smash or the knife clatter to the ground. She lay there, unaware of what had happened.

Ronan walked down the stairs humming a tune and running his hands through his wet hair.

"Pandora, have you made tea as--" Ronan stopped speaking when he saw the woman on the floor, near the smashed honey jar.

"Rose!" the young man shouted rushing to her side and moving her away from the sticky substance. "Pandora, please wake up." Ronan pleaded as he held the young woman in his arms. "Please..."

Pandora felt a strong pair of arms wrap themselves around her. Her eyes fluttered open. "Oohh, my elbow." She said quietly. She blinked a few times. She looked at Ronan. "Wh-why am I on the floor?"

"I-i found you here." Ronan replied rather shakily as he lifted Pandora up into his arms. "You must have fainted when you were down here." he explained as he began to carry her back up the stairs.

"I'm putting you into bed and then I will get you something to eat." the young man said firmly as he opened the door to their bedroom and brought Pandora over to the bed, placing her down gently. Ronan kissed the top of her head and whispered, "Try not to miss me too much darling." and he walked out of the room and down the stairs.

"Oh." Was the only thing that Pandora could think to say as she clung to Ronan while he carried her through the house.

When he placed her on the bed gently she relaxed, closing her eyes when he kissed her. She watched him leave and was about to roll onto her left side when she realised that she could smell honey. She looked down and saw a small patch on her nightdress. Not wanting it to get on the sheets or to soak through to her skin, she slowly and carefully stood up, and walked to her chest of draws. She pulled one open and started to hunt for a pair of pyjamas a when again a wave of dizziness swept over her and again she fainted, onto the rug, with a loud thump.

Ronan searched kitchen for something and remembering the smashed honey jar, pointed his wand at the mess and muttered a spell that would clean it all up.

The young man went into the pantry and remembered the tart that Pandora had made earlier, deciding to get a piece for Pandora and bring it upstairs. He got out a plate and a knife to cut a decent piece of the tart and then put everything back in its rightful place before walking back up the stairs and towards the bedroom.

"Rose I--" Ronan began as he opened the door and saw the young woman laying on the floor again. He panicked and put the plate down in the first possible spot before rushing to the young woman's side.

"Pandora.." he said quietly, running his hand along her cheekbone.

"Hmphff," Pandora muttered, eyes fluttering open. "Ouch," She winced, looking up at her husband's panicked face. "I did it again, didn't I?" She mumbled. She took his hand and leaned on him to pull herself up into a sitting position. She pulled her legs up and leaned forwards, resting against her own trembling legs. "Can you help me darling, I need to change, there's honey every where."

After a few moments, she realised that she was thirsty too. "And could I have glass of water?"

Ronan let out a sigh of relief as Pandora became conscious again. He hooked his arms under the young woman's knees and upper torso bringing her over to the bed and putting her into a sitting position.

He went over to the drawer and pulled out another night gown for Pandora. "Do you need me to help you put it on Rose?" Ronan asked softly, wondering if she required his services or if he should just busy himself with getting the glass of water like she wanted.

Pandora shook her head and tried to pull her own sleeve off only to stop, sucking air over her teeth in pain. "I hurt my elbow, can you help me?"

She felt dreadful, far worse than before because she was worried about her babies. How had she landed? She tried to remember but couldn't. A tear crept down her cheek.

Ronan lifted the nightgown off of Pandora's body and whispered, "Do you want me to get you some ice for your arm?"

He panicked when he saw a tear fall from the young woman's face. Ronan reached out and brushed away the tear, and said, "It's going to be alright darling. You're alright."

Pandora blushed as he undressed her, pulling on the strappy night gown he had chosen for her with more ease than the other one had come off. "There's some bruise paste in the bathroom cupboard. That would be better." She wasn't surprised that he hadn't noticed it sitting there for weeks, he still had his little oblivious moments. She looked at her elbow, the bruise was already purpling against her alabaster skin.

She turned her head into the palm of his hand, seeking his reassurance. "H-how did I fall? Was I on my stomach?" There was a frantic panic in her eyes.

Ronan rushed to the bathroom and got the bruise paste from the bathroom. He returned hurridely back to Pandora's side and opened the container getting out some of the paste on his finger and urging the young woman to show him the bruise so he could put the paste on her injury.

"Your side, Rose." he said quietly busying himself with taking care of her. "Both times you were on your side, I expect that's how you got this nasty bruise."

Pandora held up her elbow for him to attend to it. Usually, such mollycoddling would have earned him a glare that would freeze molten lava, but not right now. Her mind was on more important matters. Two of them, to be exact.

"Are you sure? Are you absolutely sure? I couldn't have turned? O-or moved?"
With her free hand she reached across her body trying to feel for more bruises and sore spots.