Grace of the Devil
Part Twenty-Two:
Lucius sat back in his chair, breathing hard. Grace had never stood up to him like that before. What had she been THINKING? A Weasley! And for so many years, without telling him! He sat back and closed his eyes, until he heard the sound of someone clearing their throat. He opened them to see that disgusting piece of trash standing in the doorway.
"Is Grace alright? I thought I heard her go upstairs."
"I'm going to have to ask you to leave," Lucius said coldly. "My daughter and I have a lot to talk about."
"I'm not leaving," Micheal said, coming into the room. "I have to have a word with you."
"What," Lucius said with a sneer, "could you POSSIBLY have to say to me?"
"It's about Grace."
"Yes," Lucius said, "I must speak with you about her, too. You have to stay away from her."
"Excuse me?"
Lucius nodded. "I think it would be best if you stayed away from her. She's under a lot of emotional stress, and-"
"Any stress she's under is YOUR fault."
"I think you've misunderstood me," Lucius said in a soft, cold voice. "So allow me to rephrase so there's no confusion. You are to leave this place, now, and never speak to my daughter again. You'll do this, or I will kill you."
"Why do you think you can do this?" Micheal demanded, advancing on the older man. "You think you can just treat her like some doll, some toy, and tell her what to do-"
"STOP!" Lucius cried. "How dare you, come to our home and critisize us-"
"Don't you see what you've DONE to her?" Micheal cried. "You don't know how much you've hurt her."
"I've done nothing of the sort," Lucius said quietly. But a strange fear was filling him. "Now, go."
But the young man ignored the order. "As much as you think she's broken your heart, you've hurt her thrice as much, at least."
"How DARE-"
"You've never seen her," Micheal cried. "After going to see you, she'd come home and cry on my shoulder. Because you make her lie. Because you control her. Gods, you don't know how afraid of you she is."
He'd struck a chord there. Grace...AFRAID of me? Lucius thought. But how can that BE? I've always been so good to her! Lucius stared at the young man, who was trembling with anger, standing before him. He shook off his thoughts. "You don't know what you're talking about."
"I DO," the young man insisted. "You've broken her spirit, don't you see? That glint in her eye, the one that made me fall in love with her...it's faded. Not all the way, but-"
"Faded?" This frightened Lucius more then anything he'd heard that evening.
Micheal nodded. "Don't you see it? With all your controlling...not letting her play Quidditch, making her become a Healer instead of an Auror, making her keep our us a secret...and other things. Mr. Malfoy, I don't mean to be disrespectful-"
"Then you wouldn't have opened your mouth," Lucius snapped. He was taking this all very personally. Controlling? Broken spirit? None of this had ever accured to him before. He'd only wanted what was best for his baby, his little girl. And I've hurt more then helped, Lucius thought sadly. Gods, what's wrong with me.
"Mr. Malfoy?" Lucius was snapped from his thoughts and he looked at the young man again. "Sir, I probably shouldn't be telling you this, but...Grace is pregnant."
"Pregnant." Lucius stared at the young man for a moment. "I see..."
"We want to get married, and keep the baby. But she won't do it without your blessing."
Lucius nodded. "I understand." He rose from his chair at last, and leaned on his cane. "You're welcome to stay," he said softly. "A guest room has been prepared for you, no doubt. I must speak with Grace alone."
"Please, don't be hard-"
"I won't," Lucius snapped, and with that, he left the room. Getting up the stairs was an effort for the aging man, but he made it, and he went all the way down the hall to Grace's room. Standing outside the door, he could hear her sniffle and sob. He tapped the door with the head of his cane. "Gracie?"
"Go away," she snapped. Lucius sighed and tapped again.
"Darling, I want to speak with you."
"Fine," she snapped. Lucius opened the door and went in. The room was lit with candles, and Grace sat up in her bed. Her black curls were a mess, and her eyes were bloodshot. "What do you want now? I just want some privacy...unless I'm not even allowed THAT now."
"Grace, please." Lucius sat next to her in the bed. "I've just spoken with your boyfriend. He put a few things into perspective."
"Oh, Gods," Grace cried, sobbing again and putting a hand over her eyes. Lucius put his arms around her and held her close.
"There there, Darling," Lucius whispered. "He told me that...you're having a baby."
Grace slowly removed her hand from her face. "Are you upset?"
Lucius smiled. "No, my dear. You want this baby, right?"
"Yes, Daddy."
"Then if you're happy, I'm happy," Lucius said softly. "That's all I've ever wanted for you, Grace. Happiness."
"I know, Daddy."
Lucius sighed. "I messed up, though, didn't I? I had no idea that I was...that I was...being so..."
"Controlling?"
"It just never happened on me," Lucius sighed. "I thought I was doing right, that I was helping you. But I was hurting you all this time, wasn't I?"
Grace squirmed a bit. "You had good intentions."
"I did," Lucius said bitterly, "but good intentions don't get you what you need. I wish you'd have spoken to me about this, though."
"I was so afraid," Grace admitted. "I thought...you would stop loving me."
"Gracie!" Lucius cried. "Oh, my poor dear! I would never do that! I love you so much, don't you know that?" He hugged her closer. "I could never not love you, my dear. You're my entire world, you know."
"Yes, Daddy," Grace whispered. "I love you, too."
"I didn't want you to love anyone eles," Lucius said with a sigh. "I was so jealous when I thought of...but you and Micheal are in love, aren't you?"
"Very much," Grace admitted, almost sounding ashamed. Lucius smiled and kissed the top of her curly head.
"Good, darling," Lucius whispered. "I want you to be happy, remember."
"We want to marry."
"Then I shall help you," Lucius said. "We'll do this quickly, as soon as we can."
"A small wedding," Grace said softly. "Family only."
"Then you'll only be able to invite half of his, if you want it to be small."
"Daddy!" Grace cried, but Lucius smiled again.
"I'm joking, darling, of course. I suppose I'll have to learn to get along with the Weasleys, if you are to become one."
Grace laughed, a little. "It may help."
"You must come and live here again."
"But Daddy-"
"No, listen," Lucius said, firmly but gently. "You and your husband and children will live at Malfoy Manor. Since you'll be married, the house is rightfully yours. And besides," Lucius said, smiling again, "who's going to take care of this senile, eccentric old man?"
"Trixie isn't a bad caretaker," Grace said.
"Ah, but she's growing old herself," Lucius commented. "She's ready to die."
"Poor thing."
Lucius kissed his daughter's head again. "So, you and your Weasleys will swarm the Malfoy Manor. A house of little red-headed people. And, God help me, maybe I'll love them."
"I know you will, you sweet old man." Grace kissed his cheek. "Thank you, Daddy. You don't know what your approval means to me. Thank you."
Lucius held his little girl in his arms. She was no longer a little girl, he knew. She was now a young woman, a soon-to-be bride and mother.
But she'd always be his little girl.
Part Twenty-Two:
Lucius sat back in his chair, breathing hard. Grace had never stood up to him like that before. What had she been THINKING? A Weasley! And for so many years, without telling him! He sat back and closed his eyes, until he heard the sound of someone clearing their throat. He opened them to see that disgusting piece of trash standing in the doorway.
"Is Grace alright? I thought I heard her go upstairs."
"I'm going to have to ask you to leave," Lucius said coldly. "My daughter and I have a lot to talk about."
"I'm not leaving," Micheal said, coming into the room. "I have to have a word with you."
"What," Lucius said with a sneer, "could you POSSIBLY have to say to me?"
"It's about Grace."
"Yes," Lucius said, "I must speak with you about her, too. You have to stay away from her."
"Excuse me?"
Lucius nodded. "I think it would be best if you stayed away from her. She's under a lot of emotional stress, and-"
"Any stress she's under is YOUR fault."
"I think you've misunderstood me," Lucius said in a soft, cold voice. "So allow me to rephrase so there's no confusion. You are to leave this place, now, and never speak to my daughter again. You'll do this, or I will kill you."
"Why do you think you can do this?" Micheal demanded, advancing on the older man. "You think you can just treat her like some doll, some toy, and tell her what to do-"
"STOP!" Lucius cried. "How dare you, come to our home and critisize us-"
"Don't you see what you've DONE to her?" Micheal cried. "You don't know how much you've hurt her."
"I've done nothing of the sort," Lucius said quietly. But a strange fear was filling him. "Now, go."
But the young man ignored the order. "As much as you think she's broken your heart, you've hurt her thrice as much, at least."
"How DARE-"
"You've never seen her," Micheal cried. "After going to see you, she'd come home and cry on my shoulder. Because you make her lie. Because you control her. Gods, you don't know how afraid of you she is."
He'd struck a chord there. Grace...AFRAID of me? Lucius thought. But how can that BE? I've always been so good to her! Lucius stared at the young man, who was trembling with anger, standing before him. He shook off his thoughts. "You don't know what you're talking about."
"I DO," the young man insisted. "You've broken her spirit, don't you see? That glint in her eye, the one that made me fall in love with her...it's faded. Not all the way, but-"
"Faded?" This frightened Lucius more then anything he'd heard that evening.
Micheal nodded. "Don't you see it? With all your controlling...not letting her play Quidditch, making her become a Healer instead of an Auror, making her keep our us a secret...and other things. Mr. Malfoy, I don't mean to be disrespectful-"
"Then you wouldn't have opened your mouth," Lucius snapped. He was taking this all very personally. Controlling? Broken spirit? None of this had ever accured to him before. He'd only wanted what was best for his baby, his little girl. And I've hurt more then helped, Lucius thought sadly. Gods, what's wrong with me.
"Mr. Malfoy?" Lucius was snapped from his thoughts and he looked at the young man again. "Sir, I probably shouldn't be telling you this, but...Grace is pregnant."
"Pregnant." Lucius stared at the young man for a moment. "I see..."
"We want to get married, and keep the baby. But she won't do it without your blessing."
Lucius nodded. "I understand." He rose from his chair at last, and leaned on his cane. "You're welcome to stay," he said softly. "A guest room has been prepared for you, no doubt. I must speak with Grace alone."
"Please, don't be hard-"
"I won't," Lucius snapped, and with that, he left the room. Getting up the stairs was an effort for the aging man, but he made it, and he went all the way down the hall to Grace's room. Standing outside the door, he could hear her sniffle and sob. He tapped the door with the head of his cane. "Gracie?"
"Go away," she snapped. Lucius sighed and tapped again.
"Darling, I want to speak with you."
"Fine," she snapped. Lucius opened the door and went in. The room was lit with candles, and Grace sat up in her bed. Her black curls were a mess, and her eyes were bloodshot. "What do you want now? I just want some privacy...unless I'm not even allowed THAT now."
"Grace, please." Lucius sat next to her in the bed. "I've just spoken with your boyfriend. He put a few things into perspective."
"Oh, Gods," Grace cried, sobbing again and putting a hand over her eyes. Lucius put his arms around her and held her close.
"There there, Darling," Lucius whispered. "He told me that...you're having a baby."
Grace slowly removed her hand from her face. "Are you upset?"
Lucius smiled. "No, my dear. You want this baby, right?"
"Yes, Daddy."
"Then if you're happy, I'm happy," Lucius said softly. "That's all I've ever wanted for you, Grace. Happiness."
"I know, Daddy."
Lucius sighed. "I messed up, though, didn't I? I had no idea that I was...that I was...being so..."
"Controlling?"
"It just never happened on me," Lucius sighed. "I thought I was doing right, that I was helping you. But I was hurting you all this time, wasn't I?"
Grace squirmed a bit. "You had good intentions."
"I did," Lucius said bitterly, "but good intentions don't get you what you need. I wish you'd have spoken to me about this, though."
"I was so afraid," Grace admitted. "I thought...you would stop loving me."
"Gracie!" Lucius cried. "Oh, my poor dear! I would never do that! I love you so much, don't you know that?" He hugged her closer. "I could never not love you, my dear. You're my entire world, you know."
"Yes, Daddy," Grace whispered. "I love you, too."
"I didn't want you to love anyone eles," Lucius said with a sigh. "I was so jealous when I thought of...but you and Micheal are in love, aren't you?"
"Very much," Grace admitted, almost sounding ashamed. Lucius smiled and kissed the top of her curly head.
"Good, darling," Lucius whispered. "I want you to be happy, remember."
"We want to marry."
"Then I shall help you," Lucius said. "We'll do this quickly, as soon as we can."
"A small wedding," Grace said softly. "Family only."
"Then you'll only be able to invite half of his, if you want it to be small."
"Daddy!" Grace cried, but Lucius smiled again.
"I'm joking, darling, of course. I suppose I'll have to learn to get along with the Weasleys, if you are to become one."
Grace laughed, a little. "It may help."
"You must come and live here again."
"But Daddy-"
"No, listen," Lucius said, firmly but gently. "You and your husband and children will live at Malfoy Manor. Since you'll be married, the house is rightfully yours. And besides," Lucius said, smiling again, "who's going to take care of this senile, eccentric old man?"
"Trixie isn't a bad caretaker," Grace said.
"Ah, but she's growing old herself," Lucius commented. "She's ready to die."
"Poor thing."
Lucius kissed his daughter's head again. "So, you and your Weasleys will swarm the Malfoy Manor. A house of little red-headed people. And, God help me, maybe I'll love them."
"I know you will, you sweet old man." Grace kissed his cheek. "Thank you, Daddy. You don't know what your approval means to me. Thank you."
Lucius held his little girl in his arms. She was no longer a little girl, he knew. She was now a young woman, a soon-to-be bride and mother.
But she'd always be his little girl.