It was late before she finally fell asleep, but Lucius watched Narcissa carefully until her eyes finally fluttered shut and her breath came out heavy. He had carefully taken off the silver dress from her, sliding it down her slender shoulders and down her thin body. He could feel her skin trembling slightly at his touch, but she hadn't said a word. Next, he had dressed her in one of his own shirts, the material swamping her body. He would have thought she looked beautiful dressed in his clothing, but Narcissa had sunk down, sitting on the bed with a defeated and vacant look.

Lucius had gently tucked her into his own bed next, pulling his blanket around her. She stared off into the corner of his room, not registering him at all. Lucius sighed, but kissed her forehead gently and laid beside her.

She was asleep now and even in the dark, Lucius could make out the troubled expression on her face. He would kill Rookwood for this. He would slit his throat and watch the blood drain from him. Rookwood had hurt his Narcissa. He had bruised his Narcissa. Touched her. He would kill him.

On top of this anger, Lucius felt a fear growing in his stomach. Narcissa was supposed to meet his parents this week, to dazzle them so that Lucius could inform his father and mother that he had found the girl he was going to marry. But Narcissa had been so despondent since coming back from the ball. What if she couldn't recover from this? Lucius wouldn't be able to explain to his parents the situation. He needed her to win them over, to show them what he saw in her. She was perfect for him, and just because he had failed her in this one moment, he was worried that it would cost them everything.

Lucius reaches out and gently traces her hair, letting the golden tendrils slide through his fingers. This was the first night she had slept in his bed and Lucius loved seeing her there, in his bed, in his shirt, his. If only things had gone as planned tonight. She really had looked beautiful. Narcissa was one of the few girls who truly blossomed in grandeur. The dress had accentuated her natural talents of grace and poise and made her look a perfect thing. Veela would have been jealous of her beauty and her ability to captivate anyone who glanced at her.

Lucius lets out a long sigh, wrapping an arm around her and holding her close. The last time they had slept besides each other had been that first night in the astrology tower under the stars. He wanted to give her another night like that, but his anger and jealousy had gotten in the way. Well, that, and bloody August Rookwood. Lucius nestles against Narcissa, kissing her shoulder and causing her to stir. He should have let her sleep, but he couldn't help but wanting to kiss her, to soothe her.

"That feels wonderful," Narcissa says softly, waking with the feel of his lips. Lucius lets out a relieved breath to hear her words. She sounded far less distanced and perturbed. Lucius wraps his arms around her, pulling her closer.

"Are you alright, Cissa?" he whispers quietly to her. "Did he hurt you too terribly?"

"He was awful," she admits, rolling over so that she can face him. She reaches up and touches Lucius's face softly, letting the tips of her fingers graze his face. "But you came."

"Of course I came," he says protectively, his hands slide down her back, feeling the soft fabric of his own shirt. "You're mine, Cissa. I'd never let him touch you like he was."

Narcissa shudders, the distanced look crossing his face again. "You don't hate me, do you?"

"Hate you?"

"Because I was so angry, because I didn't listen to you, because… because he touched me…?"

Lucius leans in and kisses her, his lips gentle and restrained, trying to calm her without alarming her. "I could never hate you," he assures you. "In fact, I'm going to take you to meet my parents this next week."

"You are?" she asks him softly, wrapping her arms around him in return and snuggling close to him.

"I am. I need their approval."

"Approval?"

"Oh, come now Cissa," he chides softly. "You know I'll need my parent's permission before I can speak with your father."

Narcissa pulls back, looking up at Lucius, her eyes wide. "Speak to my- but Lucius, we've only dated for a few months, surely you don't mean…?"
"You'll have me, won't you?" He kisses her forehead.

Narcissa sits upright, looking down at Lucius, her expression incredulous. "You best not be proposing to me right now, Lucius Malfoy," she says forcefully. "Not now, when my makeup is smeared and there's this terrible bruise under my eye and after I've ruined what should have been a wonderful night."

"Don't be absurd," Lucius says, taking her hand and bringing it to his lips. "I don't plan on proposing until next Christmas Eve. A year from now. The entire night will be dreadfully romantic, I assure you. It'll be at my parent's Christmas Eve dinner and everything will be beautiful. Snow everywhere. You'll wear a dark red dress and you'll look the picture of perfection. Not a hair out of place. We'll spend the night dancing, twirling around the ballroom floor without a care for anyone else. And then I'll take you out to one of our balconies to show you Malfoy Manor in the snow. Then I'll kneel down and pull out my Mother's ring and I'll tell you that I love you and that I want you to be my wife, and you'll throw your arms around me and cry that yes, yes, you'll be my wife, and we'll go back into the dinner, the dazzling ring on your beautiful finger, and all eyes and congratulations will be on us for the rest of the night."

"Oh, Lucius," Narcissa softens, a beautiful smile spreading across her face, lightening it up even in the dark.

"But there's work we have to get out of the way before I can propose. I have to get my Father's permission, and yours. We'll have to work out arrangements, and I'm sure my Father will want to talk to yours for months before everything is settled. So the very first step is introducing you to Mother and Father and letting you dazzle them."

"You really want to marry me?" she asks. "Even though we haven't dated for that long?"
"Yes," he says assuredly. "I've always known what I've wanted, and it's you, Cissa. Besides, we've always moved quickly. It's our style. There's no point in wasting time. I love you. You love me. You're perfect. Let's get married."

"Okay," Narcissa breathes out, leaning down and kissing him. "Okay, let's do it."
"Mm, that's not quite right. You're getting the wording wrong."

Narcissa laughs, straddling Lucius and leaning back down to him, her hair falling to the side of his face. "Yes," she whispers, just an inch away from his lips. "Yes, Lucius, I'll be your wife."

"Better," he says, leaning up and kissing her. "Much better."

"I love you," Narcissa says gently, kissing him again. "I'll be a good wife, Lucius. The best wife. I promise you that."

"Are you really okay after tonight?" Lucius asks her sincerely, reaching up and taking a strand of her hair, tucking it behind her ear. "After… August?"

"No," Narcissa admits softly. "I was scared, Lucius… Terrified. I don't think I've ever felt so vulnerable in my life… But this news… It's the best news in the entire world. In fact, I think it might shock the world. The notorious playboy, Lucius Malfoy, settling down. Those poor girls always staring at you longingly are going to have their hearts broken."

"All for the best," he tells her, reaching up and tracing the locks of hair that frame her face. "The world should know I'm taken. And more importantly, they should know that you're mine, that they can't have you. You're mine." He sits up to kiss her gently, propping himself up on his elbows.

"Yours," she promises, breathing the word out into his lips. She wraps her arms around his neck, resting her forehead against his. "I'm yours, Lucius Malfoy, and you are mine."

Lucius catches her lips with his, kissing her again. "Mrs. Narcissa Malfoy," he tells her. "It has a lovely ring to it."

"I love it," Narcissa says, settling into his arms and kissing his jaw. "Oh, Lucius… I feel like there's so many things we have to talk about now. Your parents. I'll need to know everything about them. Have you ever introduced a girl to them before? What will they be expecting? Have you written to them about me? Oh, I'll have to find the perfect outfit to wear… I've written to mama about you, I must admit it."

"Mm, and what did you say?" Lucius asks languidly, keeping her on his chest and kissing the top of her head.

"That you were handsome and wonderful and an excellent seeker, even if you are terribly distracted during your games."

Lucius laughs softly. "Only when my beautiful girlfriend is in the stands."

"Fiance," she reminds him.

"Fiance," he affirms.

"Now tell me about your parents," she demands, her finger tracing circles around his chest. "I'll need to know everything."

"Well, they're much like you'd expect," he tells her. "Father is demanding. Mother has the finest tastes. They'll both adore you of course, but Father won't let it show. He's under the discipline that a man doesn't show his emotions out in the open. Mother's been anxious for me to find a girl, she's always trying to trap me into meeting the daughters of her friends. I've set her straight, however. Told her that subpar wouldn't do for me. I had to have the best. Father just wants me to find a girl from a good name with a family whose bank account could only add to ours."

"Oh? Is that why you're going to marry me? For papa's money?"

"No," Lucius says, biting her nose playfully. "I'm marrying you for your family's name, of course. Your father's wealth is just a plus."

"Lucius!" she says, hitting his chest.

Lucius laughs. Narcissa was lightening. She seemed miles better than when he had tucked her into his bed. "I'm marrying you because I love you, Cissa. And because you're perfect. Father will be glad that you meet his requirements, however. Mother will be happy that you're beautiful and you're charming. She's always wanted a daughter."

"How do I impress her?" Narcissa asks. "What does your mother like?"

"Mum is a collector," Lucius says, twining his hand between her fingers. "She's got an expansive garden filled with all sorts of flowers. Hires dozens of gardeners to prune and water them. Her wine collection, too, is extravagant. She'll love your knowledge of wines. It's quite a hobby of hers. What she's most proud of, however, are her horses."
"Your mother keeps horses?" Narcissa asks brightly. Lucius can hear the smile crossing her face.

"Beautiful ones. Stallions. Arabians. Exotic creatures from all around the world. Mum tells me endlessly she wanted to race horses when she was young. She actually did race for a few years, and was quite good at it. That's how my father met her. He saw her and fell immediately in love. Went to her parents that night and asked for her hand. Mother hadn't even met him yet when my grandparents arranged the whole thing between them."

"Do they love each other, your parents?" Narcissa asks.

"Dearly," Lucius says, kissing the corner of her forehead. "They match each other well. Mother, of course, claims that she resented Father for the first year of their marriage for taking her away from racing, but Father bought her her stables when she was pregnant with me and Mother has told me thousands of times that once she saw those stables, she fell deeply and madly in love with my Father and has been ever since."

Narcissa laughs softly and Lucius can feel her body vibrating against his. "How wonderful. I can't wait to see those stables. They must be beautiful."

Lucius smiles and nods. "Father buys her a new horse every year. It's getting obscene, but my Mother just adores it. She spends hours every day riding her horses. She won't let anyone else brush them, either, insisting she does it herself."

"How many children do you want, Lucius?" Narcissa asks, kissing the space of his chest that shows from where the top button of his pajamas are undone.

"Dozens," he tells her, smiling as she kisses his chest again.

"I'll give you a whole army of them," she promises, kissing his jaw next. Her lips were delicate and teasing along his skin. "Handsome little boys that all look like you."

Lucius grins, wrapping his arms around her and holding her to him. "God, I love you, you beautiful thing."

"I love you, too," Narcissa says softly, gently. She leans in and kisses him tenderly. "I told you, didn't I, that Andi read my tea leaves about my future husband?"

"What did they say, little star?"

"That my husband will be handsome," she says, pecking his jaw, "and wickedly wealthy."

Lucius laughs, his chest rippling. "Oh, so it's you who's only marrying for money, then."

"I'm only telling you what Andi saw," she laughs. "She did try to warn me about you, though. She said there was something terrible about you or about our future, but I wouldn't hear a word about it."

"Something terrible?" Lucius asks, intrigued.

Narcissa shrugs. "I wouldn't listen to her," she admits. "It's heresy to accuse my darling Lucius Malfoy of doing anything terrible."

He smiles and kisses her again. "You were right not to listen to her," he says. "Our future will be wonderful."

"I know," Narcissa agrees, wrapping her arms tightly around him.

"I can't wait until you're mine," he tells her softly, gently. "And then I really can keep you safe. I promise you now, Cissa. I'm going to protect you. I'll give you everything in this world. Everything."

"Promise me that you'll put us first, Lucius," Narcissa asks him softly, twining her pinky finger around his. "Promise me that you'll always put us first. Our relationship. Our family. Whatever children we might have. Tell me we'll be the priority."

"I promise," he says sincerely, squeezing her pinky finger and bringing their conjoined fingers to his lips so that he can seal the promise with a kiss. "Nothing in this world will ever be more important to me than you."

Narcissa pulls the blanket up around them, yawning softly. "You've kept me up," she complains.

"Go to sleep, then, little star. I'll watch over you."

She rests against his chest. She looked so perfect there in his arms. He would keep his promise. Lucius had vowed it to her, but now he vowed it to himself. Narcissa would always come first in his heart. He loved her. He genuinely loved her. He could feel it in his entire body, in every inch and crevice of his being. It was true they had moved fast, had cycled through a typical romance at a speed that few would attempt, but Lucius had no regrets on that front. It merely meant that he had more time now to spend with this girl. They could spend years and years together. There would be so many more nights like this, with Narcissa falling asleep in his arms. They'd have a dozen children together, and Lucius looked forward to the conception of those children as well as the raising of them.

Narcissa would never doubt his love of her, he promises to himself. Those were the two vows he made. Cissa would always come first in his heart and he would always make sure that she knew it. He smiles as Narcissa falls asleep in his arms. Lucius was certain that as much as Narcissa loved him, she didn't realize the deep extent of his feelings for her. He'd show her. He'd show her just how much he cared.