Lucius stepped gloomily into the Manor and stood there, staring at his home. There was nothing that really gave it a welcoming feel. There never really had been, but after today, after seeing Eily again, he had a sudden longing for a small, cozy house.
Narcissa was sitting in the parlor by a fire, curled up on a chair and reading a book. She didn't glance up as Lucius walked numbly into the room. "How did it go?"
"I'm not sure," Lucius admitted, sitting on the floor in front of his wife. He heard her set the book down, and she began caressing his hair. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back. "I'm exhausted."
Narcissa smiled faintly. "I bet you are. Do you want something to eat?"
"You should have seen her, Cissa. I've never seen a more pitiful sight. I wanted to hug her and tell her everything would be all right in the end, and..." He buried his head in his hands. "I shouldn't have gone."
Narcissa wrapped her arms around her husband's chest. "I love you, Lucius," she said gently. "You did the right thing."
He sighed. "I told her I'd go back and visit some time. But now I'm thinking that I shouldn't."
"You made a promise," Narcissa pointed out. "You've never gone back on your word, and you'd better not start now."
Lucius nodded and stood up. "I should go report in to the Dark Lord. Undoubtedly he'll want us out on raids tonight."
"Draco wants to exactly what's going on between you and Eily," Narcissa told him. "What do you want me to tell him?"
"That I love you both more than ever," Lucius replied. "I don't think I'll be out too late tonight, but I'm going to miss dinner." He kissed her on the forehead, then Disapparated.
When Lucius finally returned around midnight, he glanced into Draco's room and found his son fast asleep. He smiled faintly and closed the door quietly, then crept into bed. Narcissa stirred when he kissed her cheek, but other than that she didn't show any signs of acknowledging his return.
He lay awake long past sunrise, staring at the ceiling. His heart hadn't been in the night's raiding; he was too busy thinking about Eily. Only Snape seemed to pick up on Lucius' dour mood, and Snape had more than happily taken over Lucius' role torturing the Muggles.
Lucius had been too busy remembering happy times spent with Eily, too busy remembering their shy relationship, how they'd started out so uncertainly and evolved into a strong team. That's what they were back then, a team.
Now that she was thrust back into his life, he realized he'd never really gotten over her. He had suppressed any thoughts about her and pretended to himself and to Narcissa that he had moved on in his life. But Eily was a wound that cut far too deeply for him to simply forget.