All right, so I think the reason this went so long without being updated was because the honeymoon left me museless and ... well, sort of at a block. And I spent ages trying to write scenes for that, but none of them worked. So, we've moved ahead to a spot that was more comfortable to write. Anyway. Hopefully I can keep this up and going again! Thanks, as always, for the continuous support I get from you guys! :))

"Lucius, I think your wife will slaughter you if you put a dent in her new floorboards."

Bellatrix rolled her eyes dramatically from her current position in front of the bookshelf, where she was picking at all the little figurines that Narcissa had set up for the arrival of her new baby. It was about bloody time too. Her sister had continued to simply get fat over the past few months, and after Bellatrix returned from her honeymoon, the woman was quite intolerable. Although one could argue that Bella was not a patient woman, she did her best for Narcissa... but as the due date grew closer, she made whatever excuse she could to get out of the ruddy house. In fact, it seemed like lately she had spent more time at the Malfoy Manor in Wiltshire than she had at home with Rodolphus. Not that that was a terrible thing, seeing as he too usually drove her mad, but he could be the lesser of the two evils, shockingly.

Things were changing in this world. It was the summer of 1980, just at the start of June, and already England was piping hot. The Ministry was on high alert for Death Eaters, and they were each growing bolder with their moves. Bellatrix assumed it was because some felt like they were untouchable with the Dark Lord being so mindful of his servants, but Bella knew the truth. He'd kill all of them in a heartbeat should they ever displease him to the point of idiocy. So far, Bella had avoided doing that. In fact, she had a feeling she was impressing him. Whenever a new assignment came up, regardless of what it was, Bella was one of the first people to volunteer her services. Naturally, there were other ambitious sods running around trying to earn his favour, but she was very sure that the Dark Lord knew perfectly well she never did anything to climb the hierarchy or fall into his good graces. She did it because it pleased him, and it pleased her to make him happy, even if it was only for a split second. It was that split second that let her see into his eyes a flicker of contentment that made her know that she was still at the top of his list when it came to his servants, and to be honest, it made her feel ridiculously smug.

Her Dark Lord, on the other hand, was also changing. She noticed it in his appearance, probably more than the others. His face was... sullen, as of late, and his skin was a slightly unhealthy pale tone with a twinge of yellow. His eyes were changing too. While they were once dark and mysterious, they now had a smattering of red in them. Frightening how one could change their appearance so much in just a few short months, but it must have had something to do with the grand scheme. Naturally, he was much more terrifying now than before with his new look, and if that was what it took to get things done and scare the shit out of people, then Bellatrix was all on board. Was it strange that she was still ridiculously attracted to him? It pained her that he didn't come out on assignments anymore. He used to at least lead group attacks, like the alpha wolf steering his pack on, but it seemed he was too preoccupied as of late, and took to delegation over participation.

Her own dark eyes flickered toward her brother-in-law as he ignored Rodolphus and continued pacing across Draco's new room. Yes, that was what they had planned to name the brat once it was born... Draco. A proud enough name, to be sure, but it left a strange taste in her mouth. Regardless, it wasn't her concern. She was going to be his godmother, though she was extremely put off by the man they had chosen to be his godfather. Severus Snape. Why, she had no idea. Narcissa seemed to take a fancy to him from way back in their school days, and requested it before Lucius could suggest Rodolphus, and apparently it was a "good fit". They had found out what they thought was going to be a girl was actually a boy - incompetent medi-witches - and had to rush about changing everything in the baby's new room a few weeks earlier. Everything had been changed from pink to blue, but Bella had to admit, it was tastefully done. Narcissa would see to that, no doubt.

"He's anxious," Severus stated from his seat beside the one of a kind crib they had crafted just for the boy, "so let him be anxious."

"There's nothing to be bloody anxious about!" Bellatrix snapped, rolling her eyes once again as she picked up a little plastic dragon figurine and tossed it between her hands, "I mean, his wife is finally going to look attractive again-"

"Bella-"

"And we can stop walking around on eggshells around her-"

"Bella-"

"And- Shut up Rodolphus! ... And, you'll have a new baby to scream and keep you up all night and smell horrid at any given point. Isn't that the whole point of this?"

"Glad to see your romantic notions of having a child remain intact, Bellatrix," Severus purred, his eyebrows flicking up briefly when she glared at him. Honestly, he was such a snarky pain to have around! She was going to have a serious talk with Narcissa was she had finished giving birth to this boy... Bellatrix was not going to pose in pictures and act as one half of the godparent duo with Severus Tobias Snape.

"It's not that," Lucius remarked quietly after a tense moment of staring between the two. Bellatrix was the first to break the eye contact, regrettably, and looked at the blond man, her eyes traveling over his dishevelled appearances. There was an odd cry of pain from the next room over, but they had almost started to ignore it. Narcissa had been in there, after all, for almost seven hours, and apparently she still had quite a way to go, according to the family midwife.

"It's just... what if she loses the baby?"

Her eyebrows furrowed, "What? What sort of stupid idea is that, Malfoy? Women from my family have always had strapping boys and the like..."

She noticed Rodolphus shoot her a look out of the former of her eye, and she planted her hands on her hips, shooting him a rather fierce glare of her own, "What, Rodolphus? Would you like to bring up the fact that I can't-"

"I don't want children," he said quickly, holding up both hands in a sign of an early surrender. Pleased, she stuck her nose in the air and turned her focus back to Lucius, "You have nothing to worry about."

"Andromeda lost her child."

There was a sudden silence in the room, and Bellatrix could literally feel her blood boil, "What?"

"Your ex-sister," Lucius snapped abruptly, flourishing his hand at her, "Narcissa still gets letters from her."

"And she reads them?!"

"After she reads them she burns them without replying," he argued back, no doubt trying to defend her sister's odd act of subtle betrayal, "but she lost her second child... and apparently it was devastating. I don't want that to happen to Narcissa!"

She pursed her lips, unable to speak coherently for the moment as her mind fumed over the fact that Narcissa was still in touch with that harlot of a woman. Instead, Severus piped up again, offering his infinite wisdom to the conversation, "Lucius, I'm sure Narcissa is frightened too. Therefore, she needs you to keep being the strong part of the pair until everything sorts itself out."

"I suppose."

"It will be fine."

"Do you think?"

"Yes."

"Oh, why don't you girls take that somewhere else?" Bellatrix growled, tossing the little dragon in her hand back on the shelf. Her husband released a snort.

Ugh. Snape looked triumphant. He was such an annoying bastard when he looked like he had won something against her. She just wanted to pick up the baby book beside him and beat his head in with it. It was doable, you know? Bella had done it. She grinned devilishly at the memory, but tucked it away, seeing as it was neither here nor now. The woman stole a quick glance at her husband, who was currently sitting on an oversized teddy bear - literally four feet tall, white, and probably terrifying for a child - and he seemed oddly comfortable. Stupid git. She... could stand him. The sex was good, and they were a great tag team when they were out on assignments because he had an uncanny ability to properly read her without her having to say anything, but she still didn't love him. Her love went to one man, and it would probably stay with that one man for the rest of her life.

There was a rather loud shriek from the next room over, and while Bella was tempted to ask if they could place a silencing charm on the door (or something!), she restrained, only because Lucius looked haggard enough to slap her if she suggested it. She sighed, then moved across the room to stand by Rodolphus. Placing a hand on his head, she began to slide her slim fingers between his rather thick locks of hair. He seemed to enjoy it, though she only did it long enough until she could get a single strand between her fingers, and gave it a sharp tug. He flinched, and glared up at her, "Bella!"

She had given up on telling him not to call her that. It wasn't going to stop anytime soon, unfortunately.

"What?" she remarked innocently, cocking her head to the side as she gazed down at him, "Something the matter, darling?"

He gave his head a little rub, then nudged her away with his arm, "Yes. Save pulling my hair out for sex."

With a smirk, she noticed Severus looked mildly uncomfortable at the mention of sex. Or maybe it was sex between Rodolphus and Bella that made him awkward. Either way, it was nice to see that smug look go from his face. Suddenly, it seemed as though there was an eruption of commotion from the next room over. Lucius looked up from his pacing in alarm, and Bellatrix merely sighed, assuming that perhaps the baby was going to come sooner than the midwife expected. Poor Cissy. From all the stories, it seemed so painful. Although she would admit, Bella had a strange liking for pain, but this certainly wasn't her cup of tea. The horrific shouting and crying went on for another good half an hour, and by the end of it, Lucius was a complete wreck. For a split second, Bella almost pitied him.

Almost. It was still Lucius they were talking about.

Several more very long minutes passed with silence from the other room, until suddenly the door opened, and out quickly popped a rather flustered, but proud, looking midwife. She arched an eyebrow at Lucius, nodding back inside the room, which was connected via the doorway, "Your wife is rather tired, but she's given birth to a healthy boy."

"Thank Merlin," Lucius muttered, a large smile spreading across his lips as he crossed the room and hastily shook her hand before scuttling into the room. Bella sighed; he was fretting for nothing. It was Narcissa that was giving birth, and Narcissa hardly ever failed at anything that was important to her. Bella quickly sauntered across the room, pushing Severus out of the doorway so that she could get in first - obviously. Her dark eyes traveled across the room to the small bed. It was a plain room, probably one for either parent to sit and tend to the baby, should he need it. A smile graced her face when she saw the sheer and utter devotion on her sister's face as she looked down at the small bundle in her arms. Although she looked like an absolute mess - sweaty, hair stuck to her face, eyes reddened from crying - she had never seemed so dearly in love. Bella almost felt like she was stepping in on a moment that was supposed to be private between a man, wife and first-born. Lucius was kneeling next to her, carefully reaching out and stroking her hair with one hand, and gingerly touching the baby with the other.

Should she leave? She could feel Severus and Rodolphus standing nearby, both of whom were probably feeling the same emotions that she felt. Turning on her heel, she began ushering the two out until she heard, "Oh, Bella, he's just beautiful! Come see! Come and meet your nephew and godson!"

Never mind. Rodolphus arched an eyebrow as a look of excitement passed across her face, to which she hid swiftly. Ignoring his grin, Bellatrix ambled across the room, the other two men in tow, and stopped beside her sister. She placed a hand on her head affectionately, and took in the newest member of the Malfoy family. She wrinkled her nose; he was an ugly little bugger, wasn't he?

"Er, yes," she started, meeting her husband's eye as he stood behind Lucius across from her, "Narcissa, he's just... a gem."

Weren't babies supposed to be cute? This thing was all red and splotchy and wrinkly. Narcissa, however, barely seemed to notice. She simply stared down at the little thing, sniffling every so often, "He's absolutely perfect. My little Draco..."

She shot an expectant look to Rodolphus and Severus, who had still said nothing about the baby, and they both instantly prattled on about whatever would soothe her. They told her he was brilliant, just swell, handsome, going to drive all the girls crazy... You know, the usual sort. Cissy must have known that she would extract much from Bella. After all, her sister had this theory that Bellatrix would be terribly emotional due to the fact that she couldn't have children, and therefore seeing Draco would turn her into a mess on the spot.

However, Bellatrix was distracted by something else. Someone else, one could say. Her eyes were currently transfixed on the man standing silently at the back of the room. He looked so... so ordinary. He wasn't dressed in dark robes and surrounded by foul thoughts today. Bella swallowed thickly as his eyes bore back into hers, almost bored, and he continued to keep a deadpan expression. It seemed like Rodolphus was the next to notice their master's presence, and he suddenly straightened up, "My lord."

The rest followed suit, and she noticed Narcissa absently trying to fix her hair, although there was nothing that could really be done. Lucius was quick to get across the room and greet the man with a deep bow, "My lord, I didn't see you, I apologize for not welcoming you sooner-"

He was silenced with a wave of a hand, an action that made Bella's stomach knot in an excited way. There was a flicker of a smile that touched his seemingly dead lips, and the Dark Lord took further steps into the room, "Severus told me you were due today, Narcissa. I came to offer my congratulations."

"Oh," Narcissa breathed, her cheeks tinting slightly at the personal touch he offered with the use of her name, "I... Thank you, my Lord."

"May I present to you my son, Draco?" Lucius inquired, a proud gleam on his slightly pale features as he guided their master toward the bed. Narcissa sat up a little straighter, showing the baby off as Bella stepped aside, offering him more room. It was murder, having him stand so close. She could literally feel his energy radiating from his being to hers, and it was pure torture. Even in a plain brown suit, he was probably the most attractive man she had laid eyes on.

She watched him examine Draco from a distance, and he leaned in closer for a moment, making Narcissa shift uncomfortably in place. He then reached out and touched a cheek to the baby's head, causing him to stir. The corners of the man's lip twitched upward, and he looked back to Lucius, who was just swelling, "You must be proud, Lucius."

"Very," the man stated, nodding several times, "and he will be a servant to you one day, I promise."

"A bold promise to make," the Dark Lord murmured, eyeing Lucius with a scrutinizing eye, one that made nearly everyone behind a mask shrivel away, "but I will hold you to it."

"Of course."

Bellatrix bowed with the rest of them as he departed, his shoes making the only sounds in the room aside from Draco's gurgling. She couldn't stand it. She hadn't seen him in such informal settings for what seemed like months now, and the dark-haired witch wasn't about to let that slip through her fingers.

"Cissy," Bellatrix cooed, glancing at her sister, "why don't I fetch you some water?"

"Thank you, Bella, but a house elf-"

"It'll only take a moment."

She ignored the looks Rodolphus was giving her as she hastily departed from the room, her heart pounding a mile a minute. After going down a few corridors, Bella spotted him on the staircase. Speeding up, she managed to catch him before he got too far down, "You're leaving so soon?"

He came to a halt, and slowly turned back to her. Bellatrix leaned over the railing, gazing at him longingly. It was clear that her emotions were an open book to him, and she just wanted him to take the time to read them. With a sigh, he took two steps up, closing the distance between them somewhat and allowing her to get a good look at his features. He seemed... tired. There were bags under his eyes, his cheeks were sunken a hint, and his skin seemed as waxy as ever. And yet... There she was, right in front of that changing face, so desperate to have him love her as much as she loved him.

"I thought it would be rude to impose on a family moment, Lestrange."

"Bella," she whispered forcefully, her eyes gazing into his, "and Snape's doing it... I'd rather have you there than him."

A hand came up and she felt fingers fiddle with a few locks of hair. It was... brilliant. She leaned into his touch, though the moment her cheek touched his fingers he let go, drawing his hand back, yet the gaze lingered still. She couldn't help herself. Bella eased herself forward, finally closing the gap between them once and for all with a kiss. It was something that she had wanted so desperately for so long now, and even the mere contact of her lips to his - which felt different, oddly enough - was a tantalizing release. It started harmlessly enough. For a moment or so it was just touching, the sensation more than enough to last her the next lifetime. A thought passed through her mind that he would shove her away, but he didn't. He stayed, standing there as though this was something worthwhile. With that, she hesitantly reached out and placed her hand on his shoulder, sliding it up to the crook of his neck as he suddenly kissed her back, his own hand coming up to her hair.

Bella wanted to melt. Shrink away and drag him with her, and just savour the moment forever. Why couldn't they do this? Wasn't it so clear that they were meant for this? She pushed on, trying to deepen the kiss, invoke passion, until he suddenly pulled away. A small gasp of air slipped past her lips, but she remained close. He smirked for the briefest of seconds, then sighed, and as though he was a professor scolding a pupil stated, "Bella, behave yourself."

It was much softer than what she had expected. All of his past reactions had been so... volatile and harsh. This was like a breath of fresh air, at last. Shaking her head, she leaned in again, her forehead touching his, "I can't. I can't with you, and you know why."

There was a sudden pain in her chin as he forcefully clasped it and pushed her back, holding her so that she wouldn't stumble, "Enough of this, Bellatrix-"

"Please-"

"You know my rules," he continued sharply, yet there was something to his tone that she couldn't quite place, "and I will not bend them for you anymore."

"But this is nothing," she murmured somewhat awkwardly, her own hands coming up to tenderly stroke his wrist. "It's just a kiss."

"Is it?"

She shuddered, and with that he released her, turned on his heel, and continued marching down the stairs and out of sight. Her hands clutched the banister weakly, and for some time, she simply waited for him to return, because deep in her heart, she knew that he felt something for her. All she needed to be was patient.