A Lucius/Narcissa one-shot.

Disclaimer: Everything in here belongs to JKR or the Dixie Chicks.

This was a challenge fic from Written Sparks. My song was "I'm not ready to make nice" by the Dixie Chicks.

Time Heals Everything

CossetteLune

"No, Narcissa. Come back. I'm so sorry. Please forgive me?" Lucius ran out the door after his wife.

"Forgive you? How could I ever forgive you?" She turned to face him, her eyes were filled with anger and distress.

"CIssa, please. You know I love you."

"Then why, Lucius, why are you sleeping with her?" She pointed her finger to the room they just came from.

"It- It was only one tim-"

"Don't lie to me."
"Okay, it was only a few times. But... I have no excuse really, but it really did mean nothing."

"There's a line that was never used before." She turned away again.

"Cissa,"

"Don't call me Cissa, don't talk to me. We've been married for years, I'm really glad to see that means so much to you!"

"I'm sorry!" He cried after her, but she was already gone. Disappeared into the night.

-x-

"Forgive, sounds good / Forget, I'm not sure I could / They say time heals everything / But I'm still waiting"

-x-

That was almost a year ago. Narcissa still wasn't talking to Lucius, except for in public. They would pretend nothing happened, just for the sake of the media. Lucius was a politician and this couldn't get out. It would ruin both of them. So they would go out, pretend to flirt with each other or dance, if thats what the occasion called for. They would then get home and go their separate ways. Daily Lucius would ask for forgiveness and Narcissa would ignore him.

She spent her entire life putting up barriers, distancing herself from others so that she wouldn't get hurt. The moment her sister got disowned she learned that it was better to not love anyone, or else you may loose them. There were only two people in the world she would let in, Draco and Lucius. They were her world and Lucius just broke her heart. She refused to let him see how much it hurt her though. Night after night she would go to her new room, wrap her arms around her legs and silently cry herself to sleep.

Lucius felt horrible. It really didn't mean anything, he didn't even know why he did it. Every night he would think of new ways to convince her that he loved her. He left flowers or expensive jewelry outside her room multiple times a week. She would ignore the flowers until they welted and tossed the jewelry into a box without even looking at it. She hated how they were living but didn't know what else to do. Even if she did forgive him, she would never be able to trust him again.

November 1st rolled around. They both knew this day would be particularly hard to get through, it was their fifteenth wedding anniversary. She got home to find an extravagant bouquet of flowers. There were white tulips, the flower of forgiveness circling some hibiscus' (the flower of delicate beauty) and red roses. There was a single narcissus in the middle and forget-me-not's (the flower of undying love, faithfulness and remembrance) spread strategically throughout the bouquet. Although a narcissus typically means egotism, she knew that that wasn't what he meant by it. She held the flowers close to her chest and inhaled deeply, allowing the sweet scent of the flowers to overwhelm her senses. On her bedside table there was a beautiful crystal necklace. It was attached to a thin silver chain, the pendant was a dainty fairy, her wings spread wide and she was holding a charming little rabbit, Narcissa's favorite animal, in her arms. It wasn't like anythings Narcissa would usually wear, but she immediately fell in love with it. Beside the necklace was a letter, she picked it up and read;

Narcissa,

I know that you are still angry with me, and you have every right to be. But I need you to realize how sorry I am and how much I love you. I made the worst mistake of my life by doing what I did. I want you to give me another chance. I don't know what I would do without you and I can't last much longer like this. You are everything to me.

I got you some flowers, I'm sure you will understand their meaning. The necklace is crystal, which I believe is the traditional gift of a fifteenth wedding anniversary. The fairy reminded me of you, radiant and alluring, cuddling a rabbit. I've never understood why you like rabbits so much, but they have begun to grow on me because of you.

Look in your closet and you will find one more gift. I will be waiting for you at 'divine gastronomique', your favourite French restaurant. I am not telling you to show up, I am only hoping that you come and let me explain, one more time. You have no reason to forgive me, but I love you and I will never stop trying to earn your forgiveness.

With much love,

Your Lucius.

Narcissa opened the closet door and gasped. There was a strapless red gown fit for a queen. It had a low back drop and was corset cut. It flowed out at the bottom and had some simple silver flowers embroidered on. There was also a pair of dainty stiletto heels that went with it perfectly. She tried them on together and looked in the mirror. She smiled, knowing that Lucius had perfectly picked out an outfit that complemented her eyes and her long blonde hair. The necklace brought everything together perfectly. She tied half of her hair back into an elegant french braid and examined her self in the mirror one last time. She didn't see the expensive clothes or her flawless face though, all she saw was pain and hurt hidden in her eyes. She sat down and decided not to go. She wasn't ready yet. Her hands brushed against the flowers and she though about how much time Lucius put into making tonight perfect. All for her. "I guess it doesn't hurt to hear what you have to say," Narcissa said to the flowers.

-x-

"You came, and you look magnificent!" Lucius complemented her and held out the chair for her to sit in.

"Yes, I came. Thank you for everything, it's all very... thoughtful," she finished lamely.

"You deserve it, my love."

The conversation between them was forced and awkward.

"I already ordered for us both, I hope you don't mind," he said while pouring the wine. "I'm pretty sure I know what you like, I hope you haven't changed your mind at all."

"No, don't worry about it," she tried to smile but her lips wouldn't move quite right for her.

They had a very private table, way at the back of the restaurant. No one would be able to hear there conversation, so they could talk freely yet neither of them knew how to bring it up.

"Cissa?"

"I asked you not to call me that."

"Right, I'm sorry. I'm just used to it."

"Well I was used to a loyal husband, who loved me. I guess things change."

Lucius cringed at her remark but tried to push past it. "Yes, things change. People change," he hinted.

"You're right. I used to trust you and you used to be trustworthy."

Lucius wasn't used to this Narcissa, she had been this way with other people, but never with him. This was the guard she put up for people she didn't deem worthy of her affection.

"Sweetie,"

"It's Narcissa."

"Narcissa," he tried again. "Please stop this. I made a mistake. An awful, terrible mistake that I will regret for the rest of my life. I don't know why I did it, I don't think I'll ever figure it out. But I need you to understand that it really was nothing. You are the love of my life. You mean more to me than you will ever know. I am begging for your forgiveness."

"I want to forgive you," she admitted. "I just don't want to get hurt again. And I don't know that I can ever trust you again."

"You can. I would never make the same mistake twice. Just try. Try to forgive me."

"The idea sounds great. I really do want to."

"Then why can't you? We can move past this. One day this will be a forgotten memory."

"I don't think I'll ever be able to forget this, Lucius. Do you have any idea how badly that hurt? To see you two together?" Tears were threatening to fall down her cheeks.

"I can't imagine. I know if I saw you... I can't even think about it. It would break my heart. But in time... Eventually. 'Time heals everything'. We've all heard that before.

"I'm waiting for that rule to kick in. It's been nearly a year yet it still hurts just as much as the day I found out. I'm tired of all this Lucius. I'm tired of spending night after night by myself and crying until I fall asleep. But I don't know what else I can do." Lucius smiled, which was not at all what Narcissa was expecting. "What is so good about hearing all that?"

"You're closer to forgiving me than you think," he stated.

"What makes you think that?"
"You are a very proud person, Cissa. It's not a bad thing, it's just the way you are. You would never admit to anyone that you've been crying yourself to sleep. But you just told me. You're not protecting yourself from me right now."

She saw what he meant and smiled as well. "I guess you're right."

The couple ate their dinner, made small talk and went home. They slept in the same bed that night. Lucius fell asleep first and Narcissa ran her fingers through his hair, across his face and down his bare chest. She missed him. But she still couldn't trust him.

-x-

Years later she was sill having nightmares about finding him with another girl all over again. On their twenty third anniversary she lay curled up with him, his arms wrapped protectively around her in his sleep. She woke up at two o'clock in the morning because of a dream she had. A tear slipped down her face. "Time heals everything," she whispered to herself, as if saying it would make it true. She had to believe that it would. This pain couldn't go on forever. But she couldn't forget that one day, and every time she thought about it all the same emotions came rushing back to her. Time can last forever though, I can't. I need to get past this now. Time may heal everything, but I'm still waiting.

If you have read some of my other stories, you probably know that I write a lot of Snucius for my sister. That's how I got this idea. I hope you liked it. It was a nice change to write for a couple I actually like. Please review! It makes me happy.

x

CossetteLune