Chapter Thirty-Four
He was moving faster than he ever had in his life, but still he feared it wasn't fast enough. He didn't know why he had to get there, only that he must, or something terrible would happen. A distant shriek, was it of fear or joy? urged him forward. As he closed the gap between himself and whatever it was that he so desperate had to reach, he began to relax. He was going to make it… But a scream, this time of definite horror, shattered his hope. No, it was too late… But it couldn't be! Another image flashed before him. A bloody, rusty set of keys-
Lucius sat up with a start, breathing hard. His gazed flicked immediately to the figure beside him. When he was sure Narcissa still slept, he allowed himself to think about the strange dream. While he normally would have dismissed it as a childish nightmare, the keys at the end made him stop to consider it. Hadn't Narcissa said something about the keys to the Quidditch shed? As he pondered this, it was quite by accident that his eyes happened to fall beside him, away from where Narcissa lay. When he did, he gave a yelp surprise.
"Jahzara!" He hissed, still determined not to wake up Narcissa. "What the hell are you doing in here?" The girl stared at him blankly, eyes large and black. Black? He thought her eyes were brown. She blinked and they were.
"Good night, Lucius." Jahzara whispered sweetly, before turning to leave. After the door closed behind her with a soft click, he frowned. How had she gotten in? He knew that hotel doors automatically locked, so he must have left it open. But he didn't think that he had.
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The following morning, a loud pounding on their door woke Lucius and Narcissa.
"I told the concierge that you were to be up by seven this morning! It's nearly eight! Lucius Duane Malfoy, I know you're awake and can hear me! Open this door before I have the staff come and open it for me! And if I have to do that-" The door opened.
"Stop it! We're up!" Caliva pushed past him into their room.
"First you come home at an obscenely late hour, now you're lounging around until noon… We're taking the boat out today, and the tides-"
"Give us five minutes." He held the door open and waited. As she left the room, Caliva couldn't help but notice that the blankets were only disturbed on one bed; clearly only one had been slept in.
A half hour later, Lucius and Narcissa met Caliva in lobby.
"That was longer than five minutes." She hissed as the left and began to walk along a path beside the ocean.
"What it really?" Lucius ask with counterfeit shock. "You don't say." Beside him, Narcissa turned pink. That had been her fault. But Caliva didn't press the matter. They finally arrived at a dock where a large, gleaming sailboat bobbed peacefully.
"Here we are. The Maria Antonia." Caliva said the name of the ship as if it left a bitter taste in her mouth. Narcissa thought she heard her whisper some profanity under her breath, but wasn't sure. "All aboard." As Caliva walked up the gangplank to the ship, Narcissa and Lucius followed behind at a fair distance.
"Who's 'Maria Antonia'?" Narcissa whispered once out of earshot.
"She's someone who used to be a… friend of my fathers. Needless to say, my mother wasn't so fond of her." They climbed onto the deck, and Narcissa took a moment to orient herself to the sway of the boat, and the snapping of the sails above her. Abraxas stood at the far end of the deck, and Caliva approached him, clearly unwilling. After they spoke for a few moments, they both went below deck. When Narcissa felt the boat begin to draw away for the dock, she gasped and grabbed Lucius's arm for support. "Oh, don't tell me you're a hydrophobic too." She raised an eyebrow.
"'Too'? What other kind of phobic am I?"
"You're an acrophobic. Completely terrified of heights."
"Well, maybe, but I'm not afraid of water. I just have poor balance." He grinned.
"And you don't get seasick, do you?"
"… I don't think so…" Lucius teasingly stepped back. "But who's steering the ship?" Narcissa asked, eyeing the self-turning wheel warily. Lucius rolled his eyes.
"Are you sure you're a witch? Because you've given me considerable evidence to sincerely doubt it…" He pulled out his wand. "Can you tell me what this is?"
"Don't treat me like I'm stupid!" She exclaimed indignantly. After a moment, she said "Anyone can see that's just a stick." Lucius laughed, and the sound startled Narcissa. It wasn't a short clipped laugh, there was no underlying bitterness as there so often was. She tried to think of another time, any other time he'd laughed like that… But found she couldn't. And soon she was laughing too. His happiness, rare as it was, was infectious. And even while she appreciated his laughter, she didn't fully realize how truly lucky she was to hear it. Perhaps one of the two in the past ten years. The other was Severus. His mother, of course, had heard his babyish giggles, but had never gotten much more than a smile since. He pulled her in to an affectionate hug, still chuckling.
"Narcissa," He said softly, brushing his fingertips across her cheek, "What am I going to do with you?"
"I hope not throw me overboard," She teased, but instantly regretted it when his eyes took on a more familiar gleam.
"Now that you mention it…"
"Oh no, Lucius, don't, no… No!" Ignoring her protests, he lifted her effortlessly, and carried her over to the edge of the deck.
"Deep breath, darling."
"No! Lucius! Don't you dare!" She screamed, waving her arms frantically. But he ignored her still, and, without a moments hesitation, tossed her into the ocean with languid ease. Her scream was cut short as she hit the water. Lucius paused only to change the boat back to manual to prevent it from sailing off, kick off his shoes and socks, and pull off his shirt before diving in him self. Narcissa's head broke the surface seconds before his.
"Lucius!" She half scolded, half laughed as he appeared beside her.
"Water's lovely, isn't it?" Asked lightly, floating onto his back. "I could stay out her for hours." Narcissa narrowed her eyes.
"Funny. How do I get back up?" Lucius considered telling her about the ladder on the back, but decided against it.
"You can't until I let you." She made a sound of frustration, and splashed him. He was immediately upright again, grinning. "You're going to regret that, doll." Before she could reply, a wave hit her in the face.
"Lucius!" She spluttered after coughing up what seemed like a lungful of water. "Are you trying to drown me?"
"Drown you? No. But I've heard there are dangerous sea creatures out here, so you may want to be careful." He was joking of course, they both knew that, but the possibility gave Narcissa a small twinge of fear.
"No there aren't," She said with much less conviction than she had intended.
"You don't believe-" She saw Lucius's eyes widened for a split second before he disappeared below surface. Narcissa scowled.
"I'm not falling for it Lucius!" Her own voice echoed back at her from the hull of the ship. "You can't hold your breath forever! And when you come back up, I'll still be waiting." She began counting, knowing he couldn't be under for much more than a minute. By the time she'd reached one hundred forty-two, she had lost most of her confidence. "Er… Lucius? You can come up now." Nothing. "Really Lucius, this isn't funny any more!" Still no response. "Lucius!" Suddenly, something curled around her ankle. Quite reasonably, she screamed. What ever had her easily dragged her down, leaving her blind, deaf, and mute. She fought, but it was pointless. I'm going to die... Something else grasped her same leg, but it had a very human like quality. So did, she realized, what ever had a hold of her ankle. It was… A hand. Lucius! The second hand began to slide slowly up the side of her leg, outside her waterlogged robes. She felt it move over her thigh, hip, and waist before the other hold on her ankle loosened. The hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her up. She emerged, gasping for breath. Lucius, who'd been underwater for over two minutes, didn't even seem winded.
"Scared you, didn't I?" He smirked.
"You… You… You…"
"What were you doing!" They both looked up in surprise to see Caliva and Abraxas leaning over the railing of the ship.
"Just going for a swim!" Lucius called back up cheerfully.
"Get up here this instant!" Lucius rolled his eyes.
"C'mon." He muttered to Narcissa, and began swimming with long, sure strokes towards the back of the ship. She followed, and though the she was a good swimmer, Lucius was already on deck with a towel by the time she had reached the ladder. She climbed it guiltily, and couldn't quite bring herself to meet the adults' eyes. Her cheeks burned with humiliation. Now they'd hate her, they'd send her home and never be allowed to visit or see Lucius again. They thought she was a stupid, irresponsible little girl, someone not good enough for their son-
"Here's a towel, dear." Caliva smiled as she handed a fluffy white towel to Narcissa. "Go inside and dry off." She followed the shivering girl, closing the door securely behind her, unaware that Lucius was already taking precautions to keep Narcissa from overhearing the fight that was about to ensue.
"Explain." Abraxas demanded quietly, arms crossed, glaring at his son. Lucius glared right back in a chillingly similar fashion.
"Explain what, exactly?" He relied haughtily, knowing the consequences if her continued like this, but not caring.
"We hear her screaming, come up here, don't see either of you, then we find you trying to drown the girl-"
"I wasn't trying to drown her." He snapped.
"Than what, pray tell, were you trying to accomplish by holding her underwater?"
"We were… Swimming."
"And what possessed you to do that? Her idea or yours? Should she be the one I'm telling this to?" Abraxas hissed. Lucius picked up the threat immediately.
"No. It wasn't her idea. It wasn't even her choice. She didn't even know there was a ladder to get back up in, or I'm sure she would have." He said quickly. There was no way he was going to let Narcissa get involved.
"So, it wasn't her choice? How did that happen?" Abraxas ask coolly. Lucius hesitated.
"I… Threw her in." He said quietly. Abraxas was not longer quietly mad, he was in one of his full furies, and he looked murderous. Perhaps he was.
"And you claim you weren't trying to drown her?" He roared. "You stupid boy!" His hard fist made contact with the side of Lucius's head, but Lucius scarcely flinched. "I will not have you messing this arrangement up! You're trying to ruin a perfectly good match! Black blood is second only to ours, you know that! You're nothing but a selfish blood traitor!" Lucius's wand was out, aimed at his father.
"Call me that again." He hissed. Abraxas sneered.
"Idiot child, you know you wouldn't dare-" Before he could finish, aloud bang emitted from Lucius's wand, and Abraxas was thrown ten feet in the air, and fell painfully back to the deck. He was on his feet instantly, his own wand out, more surprised than hurt, a surprise that soon escalated into rage.
"Crucio!" The force of the Unforgivable Curse flung Lucius against the railing of the ship, where he stayed. While he struggled and writhed in effort to fight the agonizing feeling ripping at his body, he remained silent. He knew what his father wanted, and he would not give it to him. Invisible, white-hot daggers slashed him, needles stabbed deep into his eyes and beneath his fingernails, claws shredded him from the inside, each one of his bones snapped, he was twisted and stretched in ways not human could possibly imitate, and yet he gritted his teeth and refused to make as sound. He couldn't breathe, if he did, the pain would surely kill him. The relief of unconsciousness would certainly overtake him at any moment…
With a jerk of his wand, Abraxas watched his son double over anguish, yet make no noise. "Give up Lucius." He hissed, making a piercing motion in the air. A low moan escaped Lucius's lips, but no more. It wasn't good enough; he wouldn't stop until the boy was begging him between screams to kill him, then perhaps he'd release the boy from his suffering. But Lucius wouldn't beg, he wouldn't scream.
Surely I can still be alive? Why am I not dead yet? Blackness was beginning to dim the corners of his mind. Ah, finally…
Only when he was positive Lucius was unconscious did Abraxas lift the curse from the spasming form of his son. He lay completely still, as if dead, his skin even paler than usual, white against the pine surface of the deck. He decided to leave him there as he turned to head below deck.
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"There's a bathroom over there, why don't you give me your wet clothes, and I'll have Hemma dry them." Caliva said smilingly to Narcissa, who nodded nervously. She was worried about Lucius up there, worried that perhaps his father was being too harsh; it had, after all, being completely in good fun. After her clothes were dried out, Caliva disappeared into a different room, but soon reappeared with a hairbrush. "May I?" Narcissa nodded and sat in a chair while Caliva brushed Narcissa's hair with a maternal tenderness.
"You have such lovely hair, dear," She said noting the silky texture and beautiful golden colour with its natural highlights from the sun. Narcissa couldn't help but grin.
"Lucius likes it too." She didn't mention, however, the way he so often ran his fingers through it while he kissed her, or how, when they sat in the common room beside each other, he could barely stop touching it, stroking it as he read, wrote essays for numerous classes, and had conversations, either with her or anyone else. She didn't tell how she often tried to provoke him by playing with her hair or shaking it out when he was doing something that required both hands, or right as she left the room. It made her laugh when he stopped what he was doing to either run his fingers through it, just once, or tie it behind her so she'd stop distracting him with it. She couldn't explain his fascination, but she loved the attention he gave to her because of it. These things she couldn't tell Mrs. Malfoy; she worried about what her reaction might be. Perhaps she wouldn't approve. She didn't know that if she had told her, Caliva would have laughed, smiled, loved the thought that the son she was afraid was too much like his father had a more tender side.
Just as she finished, the door opened and Abraxas entered, a hard, smug look in his eyes. "Narcissa," That tone that turned her blood to ice.
"Y-yes?" She managed to squeak.
"You may go back up now." She forced her self to walk out instead of running. The sunlight on the deck and breath of fresh air were lovely indeed, but when she looked around, she didn't see Lucius.
"Lucius?" No reply. Her first instinct was panic. What happened to him? Where could he have gone? The only thing around them was the sea… Then something caught her eye. Lucius, white back facing her, was on his knees, forehead resting against the top bar of the railing, his hands holding it for support. Narcissa gasped on ran over, reaching him just as he pulled himself into a standing position. "Lucius! What happened to you?" He didn't reply immediately, or couldn't. She wasn't sure.
"Nothing happened." He said quietly, gazing out over the ocean. "I just… Slipped. And fell. I'm fine." He was lying. They both knew it, and Narcissa knew Lucius knew she knew it. But he wouldn't tell her. What she mistook as mistrust was an attempt to protect her. However, it would take years before she learned the truth wasn't always the best choice.
Narcissa was torn. Part of her wanted to be angry at him for so obviously lying, for throwing her off the boat, for pulling her underwater and scaring her half to death… But the other part of her wanted to hold him, wanted to help, make him smile again. The second part of her was far stronger. "Lucius," She said softly, gently placing her hand on his shoulder. He felt cold.
"I'm fine." He repeated, carefully easing himself around so he faced her. He made a grim sort of face she supposed was meant to resemble a smile. But Narcissa noticed his almost imperceptible wince as he looked away. And she noticed his hand still gripped the steel railing of the ship to stay upright. He was in pain, but he didn't want her to see. Silently, she wrapped her arms around his middle, and rested her head on his chest. She wanted to say something, do anything that could possibly make it better. She felt guilty, as though it was her fault that his father was heartless, as though it was her fault Lucius had been hurt.
Almost instinctively, Lucius wrapped one arm around Narcissa and pulled her close. He shifted as discreetly as possible, hoping she wouldn't realize he was shifting their weight to rest almost entirely on the handrail. His entire body ached and throbbed, the pain afterwards was nowhere near as bad as the curse itself, but that didn't help much. His skin seemed to be burning, and Narcissa's light touch was cool and soothing. He reached for her hair, which seemed cool as well, and held a soft lock to his cheek. He waited for several more moments until he was sure he could walk steadily before pulling her back.
"I'm fine, see?" He said smiling, sounding already like his old self again. He walked across the deck, and only someone who spent as much time with him as Narcissa did would notice is wasn't his natural stride. He retrieved his shirt from where he'd tossed it before jumping into the water after Narcissa and pulled over his head with slightly stiff movements, but Lucius was grateful that he was already feeling so much better. The soreness had lasted minutes, not hours, as Lucius had worried that it might. He walked over to the stern of the boat, and sat on a long cushioned bench that ran along the back of the ship. He motioned for Narcissa to join him.
"So, are we going anywhere in particular, or just sailing?" She asked as he pulled her closer.
"Probably going to stop somewhere, but I assume well be back at the resort by nightfall." He paused. "As a matter of fact, look over there." She did, craning her neck to see where he pointed.
"An island!"
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The island was beautiful, tropical, and they spent an enjoyable enough afternoon on the beach. Narcissa especially loved feeding the brightly coloured birds. By the time they were on the way back, the sun had set. As they stepped back onto the boat, Lucius felt her sudden tension and she paused.
"Lucius, I can't see anything."
"Really? You don't have night vision? Pity."
"Shouldn't there be… Lights or something? So we can see where we're going?"
"Magic, Narcissa." But he still held her just the tinniest bit tighter, reassuring her. It was so like him to tease her about her fears, laugh when she was scared, yet at the same time be the one who made her feel that everything was alright. He led her across the darkened deck back to the bench where they'd sat earlier. "Lay down." She did as she was told, felt Lucius lift her head, and then rest it on a pillow in his lap. "Look up." She did as she was told, and gave a small sigh.
"The stars are beautiful. I never understood why I was the only one of my sisters who wasn't named after them. Even Sirius and Reggy are named after stars. And I'm stuck with a name that makes sound like a vain flower." Lucius chuckled softly.
"I like that. My vain little flower. Sister of the 'Female Warrior' star, cousin of… Regulus, that's part of Leo the Lion, right? And Sirius the Dog Star, and Andromeda…" He stopped. "Anyway, there's Ursa Major, with the Big Dipper, and Orion… Scorpius…" He pointed as he spoke, his other hand twisting in Narcissa's hair. "And… That big shiny one…" Narcissa giggled.
"I think that's the North Star. But you're a Scorpio, right?"
"No, I'm a Malfoy."
"You know what I mean." She smiled.
"I always know what you mean. And yes, I suppose I am a Scorpio. But do you really believe the month you're born in can determine your personality?"
"Well, I'm a Sagittarius, and they're supposedly affectionate and honest. Do you think that sounds like me?" Lucius was quiet for a moment.
"Coincidence. That can be said about half the population." Narcissa nestled against him.
"Maybe. But I like to think it does." She tired to stifle a yawn as she turned her attention back up to the skies. "But it's still so pretty." He nodded but said nothing. Slowly, lulled by the gentle rocking of the sea, Narcissa drifted into a peaceful sleep. Lucius watched as her eyes slowly shut, the small smile still on her lips. When he was positive she was asleep, he gently placed his finger on the tip of her nose. She twitched. So innocent. He ran his finger up along the bridge of her nose, over her dark blonde, finely shaped eyebrows, a down high, delicate cheekbone and cheek, still slightly rounded with youth, and came to rest on full rosebud lips. Anyone would call her a classic beauty, and any person with so much as a drop of Veela blood would be naturally spectacular. But there was something about the youngest Black girl, the little blonde girl, which stood out from her sisters. Her oldest sister was comparatively plain, still pretty, but not when compared to the younger girls. Bellatrix wasn't quite as attractive as Narcissa, but she was much more conscious of the beauty she did have, and used that to her full advantage. But Lucius found Narcissa's unpretentiousness much more appealing…
He rested his hand on her cheek and, even while sleeping, she leaned into his touch smilingly. He felt himself begin to smile as well, and it quickly vanished.
You're getting too attached, Lucius. A logical voice warned in his head. A second challenged it. So what? You're going to be attached to her the rest of your life. Why not like it? The first voice had a quick reply. You're involved in things far too dangerous to get attached to her, or anyone else for that matter. She could end up dead. The response was defensive. No, she won't! I won't let her. Besides, the Dark Lord himself gave his approval… Doubtfully, the first voice said, Just because he approves doesn't mean anything. Nothing's guaranteed… The second voice wheedled, But just look at her! How can you say no to that? Lucius stared at the peacefully sleeping face of the girl in his lap, completely oblivious to the internal conflict she was causing. Well, maybe if you make sure it doesn't go too far…
"Lucius dear?" He hadn't heard his mother coming. "You should wake her up; we're back to the resort." Lucius nodded.
"We'll be there in a moment. You should go." Caliva had clearly been intending to anyway. Abraxas appeared behind her.
"Caliva, come!" He snarled.
"I am!" She replied sharply, earning a threatening glare.
"You will watch your tone with me, or thoroughly regret your impudence." She bowed her head.
"Of course." She muttered submissively. They both left. If I ever, ever turn Narcissa into that… He slid his arms beneath her shoulders and knees and carried off the boat, and through the lobby of the hotel. Some stared curiously but he ignored them, heading straight to their room. He laid Narcissa carefully on her bed, and went to shower. Afterwards, he came out to find she was still fast asleep. Lucius sat down at the foot of the bed, feeling as if he shouldn't just leave her as she was. He immediately removed her sandals and necklace, and then paused. He really shouldn't… But who wanted to sleep in salty robes that they'd worn all day? But she was so easily embarrassed… Deciding to leave her be, he pulled back the blankets, climbed in beside her, and made sure the sheet covered her completely up to her chin. He wrapped one arm around her and again she responded, snuggled closer and giving a small contented sigh.
"Good night, my little flower." Her murmured before drifting off to sleep.
(A/N: Okay, this chapter to forever for a reason. I wanted to save it until today, October 4th, because it's this story's 1st birthday! I think it needed a chapter to celebrate that. You know the drill: Read, review, tell it happy birthday! And I'm also thrilled to thank all who've reviewed: 150! I feel special! (Blows kisses) hope you enjoyed! Oh, I was doing some research on Horoscopes, and get this: According to http/ Scorpios are: Intense, determined, forceful, emotional, intuitive, exciting, magnetic, powerful, passionate, jealous, resentful, secretive, obstinate, and obsessive. Sound like anyone we know? And the sign for Scorpio looks like an 'M'!
Whisperer-of-the-shadow-people: Yes, well, as preoccupying as school may be, this WAS a very long update and I appoligize. And while dear little Jahzzy may seem a bit freaky, she MEANS well. Skye: Yes, FINALLY an update! I guess you're twelve jillion messages paid off… Or NOT! Jeez, harassment much? Jk, congrats on v-ball, and on the reference of 'Megalina', Daniel has started doing that cheek tapping thing again… Remember at your party when I had to kiss his cheek? (Seems I did a lot of kissing at that party…) And he claimed he was obsessive compulsive (not, of course, making fun of anyone I know) and anything I did to on side I had to do to the other? He remembered that in geometry today, but no one else got it. So I had to tell you so someone else would laugh too. SeraphAngel: Mysterious indeed… lol, thanks for reviewing! Narcy: Oh absolutely, who wouldn't kill for a guy like Lucius? Except… He's not PERFECT… Not quite… You'll see… And no, I've never heard "Pretty Girl", but I'll try to find it on iTunes… Except, of course, I'll only hear 30 seconds, since I'm broke… How about I look up the lyrics? Horseluver13: Yes, totally freakish house, for strange, evil people only, lol! And while, no, Lucius would never choose to be like his father or Li, it's in his blood and, well, the Dark Lord has astounding influence over his Death Eaters… And please, ask away! I will happily answer any questions I can without ruining the ending (meaning future, the ending's a while off), and I'll partially answer the one's I can't! I want to make my characters and plots as descriptive as possible, and I want everyone to know everyone to know the characters' idiosyncrasies as well as I do! And as for Lucius's arm and Jahzzy… Well, anyone who knows anything about Death Eaters should guess that one! And I'm glad you enjoyed my fluffball little chappie, and you liked the two before that.