A/N: This is again written for the One Hour Challenge (yes I have a problem) with the prompt 'understand' and the pairing Lucissa. This is also written for the Favourite House Boot Camp with the prompt 'what if' the Pairing Diversity Boot Camp with the prompt 'dangerous' and the Favourite Family Boot Camp with the prompt 'foundation'.

)o(

Narcissa's clear blue eyes were critical and calculating as she tilted her head and examined the room behind her. The curtains around the bed and around the window bay were pushed back; the silk folded perfectly against each other and lightly brushing the soft carpet. Each candle was lit placed in the exact middle of the bed side tables and every speck of dust was absent.

The room was flawless and so would she be as she lifted her sponge lined with foundation and spread it against her cheek. It was cooler than the air, but it was pleasant to watch the very few less than perfect marks on her skin disappear.

She always enjoyed this part of her life. She enjoyed ensuring everything was flawless, especially her appearance. There was nothing more pleasing than looking into a mirror and finding that she was nothing less than a masterpiece that no one else could compare to.

Despite the fact she was married, her feelings were the same. She was aware that some assumed that, since she and Lucius had only been married for a few months they were firmly in the so called 'honeymoon' period and so there was still that heightened level of desire to impress her new husband. However, she knew that would never matter. She knew Lucius loved her, but it would not stop her from always ensuring she looked perfect for him.

Placing her sponge back into its container, she carefully screwed the lid back on guarantying no hint of the makeup marred her desk. She leaned down about to pick up her eye liner when the door behind her opened.

The hint of platinum hair was enough to have her standing and for her cheeks to glow despite the fact she had yet to add any blush to the skin. Her eyes sparkled and her lips twisted into a genuine smile at the sight of her husband.

"Your home early," she commented cheerily stepping towards him and waiting for him to meet her in the middle and embrace.

He did not. He moved slowly and awkwardly closing the door behind him and it was then that she noticed something was not quite right. His pose was not straight backed and he was staggering slightly, his face was grey and his right arm was clutching at his right shoulder.

"Lucius," she gasped her good mood forgotten as she rushed towards him. "Merlin what's wrong?"

She reached for his shoulder, but he edged it away from her his nails digging deeper into the material of his robes. "Cissy please don't." His voice was soft, more so than usual and she detected a level of vulnerability and sadness. "You don't have to. It's fine."

It was not often that she disagreed with Lucius. They normally had such similar opinions on most things, but on this case she could not agree. Wrapping her hands around the grip on his wound, she pried off his fingers and looked at the injury.

The warm sticky substance on her fingers made her fingers lurch and a whimper escape her throat. Lucius tried to shift away, but, despite the unpleasantness and bile that had formed in her throat, she had to do this. What had happened to Lucius? What had happened to her husband? Who had hurt him?

"Sit down, please," she murmured her voice shaky as she tried and failed to compose herself. "Please, Lucius. Please let me help you."

He must have been in pain because it was a strange occurrence for Lucius to accept help from someone, but he did slowly backing away and perching on the stool she had been in only a few minutes before.

Pulling her wand from her robes, he only knew a few basic healing spells, but she had to help. Her stomach rolled with sickness, but she did not pull away raising her wand to his wound and hoping the spells she knew could be effective.

"What happened?" she said her voce hushed as she worked trying to alleviate her panic and to not focus on the blood coating her fingers. "Who hurt you?"

"You know what I do, Cissy." Her teeth gritted together in memory of the knowledge of his tasks he did for the Dark Lord as the skin around his shoulder started to knit back together. "It is dangerous. It was just another raid. One of the Aurors just had better aim today."

Despite the wound closing and the blood stopping from flowing she whimpered quietly as a terrible thought ran through her. "But what if they used a killing curse? What if they killed you? What would I do?"

She did not mean to say the last sentence but it just escaped her as she kneeled in front of him the first of her tears trailing down her face and smearing the makeup she had applied.

"Cissy," Lucius whispered sliding off the chair and kneeling beside her, his arms curling around her waist. She leaned her hand on his shoulder trying to get as close as possible to him. "It will be alright. I'm still here."

"But next time you might not be! It is dangerous! I can't lose you."

"And I understand that, but it is important. You have to understand how we need this world to be a better place. We need to build a world that is a right for our children to live in."

She lifted her head slightly to kiss him softly on the cheek. She knew the theory. She knew that the Death Eaters were doing the right thing from pushing mudbloods aside and putting purebloods in their rightful place, but she could not lose Lucius.

"It is still dangerous."

"I know, but I will be alright."

"Promise me," she murmured again looking him directly in the eye. "Promise me it will be alright. Promise me I'll never lose you."

Lucius smiled, but she noticed it did not meet his eye as his lips brushed against her forehead.

"I promise it will be alright."