Title: Kiss

Author: Arawna

Disclaimer: Anything pertaining to Harry Potter and Co. does not belong to me, rather to JKR and anyone else who has stuck their hand into this cauldron.

Characters: Narcissa Malfoy, Lucius Malfoy

Summary-A/N: This series - well, I don't know if you'd call it a 'series' per se, more like group of random one-shots that may or may not have references to each other, but are otherwise not related - is in response to TheOriginalHufflepuff's Twelve Fics of Christmas challenge.

Kiss:

"How long has it been?" Lucius asked from his position atop his strong, dark mount. He glanced at his wife, who was riding beside him on a slightly smaller, white mare. "How long has it been since we have been out riding? Two - three years?"

Narcissa smoothed the heavy velvet of her riding dress with a gloved hand. "It's been almost four years, love."

"Ah," Lucius replied, his gaze shifting to look down the trail. He heard Narcissa mumble something, but her voice was too soft for him to hear what was said. "What was that?"

"I miss it." Her breath ghosted from her pale lips in a plume. She smiled softly. "Remember when, right after Draco was born, we would ride out and have picnics down by the river, or in a random meadow? I miss that too."

"I remember," Lucius confirmed. "I also remember Draco getting a rash from a plant."

Narcissa smiled again as her hands gripped at the reins. She didn't look at her husband. "I also remember, before Draco was born, we would go out riding just before Christmas, looking for mistletoe."

"Yes, we would," Lucius said, keeping his eyes on the trail before them.

They rode in silence for a short distance.

"You know, it's the right time to look for mistletoe." Despite that Narcissa's voice was soft, Lucius heard her. "Maybe we could find some and take it back to the Manor. Like it used to be."

"The house elves have already brought in some mistletoe." Lucius drew the cold, winter air into his lungs and let it out with a heavy sigh. It created a large cloud before him. "But if you would like to so much, I guess it wouldn't hurt, since we're already out here."

"I would like that," Narcissa answered. She glanced around the forest surrounding her and her husband. She didn't see any in the immediate area.

"Ah, there's some," Lucius said. Narcissa turned to see him pointing at a branch hanging across the trail. Clinging to the branch was a vine of mistletoe.

Narcissa reined her mare to a stand beside her husband's mount. The couple stared up at the plant.

Her husband calling her name roused Narcissa from her inner thoughts. When she turned to see what he had said her name for, Lucius leaned across the gap between their horses and kissed her.

It wasn't a deep kiss, or a passionate one. It was a light brush of lips, barely felt. But it was the first kiss that Narcissa had received from her husband in a long time. In fact, the last time he kissed her was at a political function and the media had asked for a picture of the couple kissing. For the first time in a very long time, she was happy.

When Lucius pulled away to situate himself on his mount again, Narcissa had to turn away to hide her blush.