A week later, during a windy evening, Kingsley was reading on the sofa in his study; an owl shot down his fireplace and dropped a note in his lap. Frowning, he picked up the note as the bird flew back up the chimney. Wondering who it was from, he opened it and inhaled deeply in sudden anxiety. Lucius. Kingsley had lulled himself into a false sense of security about his situation because Lucius and his mother had been quiet for the past week. Kingsley thought he had finally gotten through to the pair of them that a deepening of the relationship between him and Lucius was not going to happen, let alone a wedding. Kingsley signed and put his head in his hands. The note had one sentence: I'm coming to see you in five minutes. Kingsley's first thought was to run or configure his security systems so Lucius wouldn't even be able to get to his home. While Kingsley was deep in his ruminations, a blue fire roared to life in his fireplace. The man was coming by floo! He had forgotten that he had given Lucius access to his fireplace during the initial days of the crisis with Hogwarts when Lucius was head of the Commission for Wizarding Child Welfare and Safety.
Kingsley sat frozen in his seat, gripping his book of Shakespeare's works tightly. His mouth had gone dry as Lucius stepped out of the fireplace.
"Lucius, I'm busy, perhaps -" Kingsley began.
"No, you're not, and we can do this easy or hard. It doesn't matter to me." Lucius said as he took a seat on the sofa next to Kingsley. Immediately, Kingsley began to stand up and felt Lucius' iron grip on his shoulder as it pulled him back into his seat. "I said, we can do this easy or hard," Lucius said. Kingsley was about to protest, but as he looked into Lucius' steel grey eyes, he saw something that took his breath away: determination. Kingsley felt all of the strength run out of his body as he slumped back into his seat.
"Lucius, I can't. I'm sorry. Please, let me be. I can't. I just can't," Kingsley whispered.
"Do you think you have a choice in this? The Ergo Eris charm, what your - despite your claims - feelings for me are, and the wizarding public no less? Kingsley, we're both in this thing too deep to pull out now. You know this. What do you think will happen if the wizarding public doesn't get a wedding between us?" Lucius asked.
"They'll go back to living their boring, miserable lives," Kingsley said. He was angry with the Prophet and the wizarding public for reveling in and getting pleasure from what they clearly thought was an intimate relationship between the Minister of Magic and the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
"No, they won't. There will be severe disappointment and a general breakdown in your ability to maintain order and security. They'll wonder why it didn't happen and which one of us was responsible for the breakdown of what they believe is our wonderful relationship. And I guarantee you that I'll make sure that they know that you were responsible for them not getting their wedding. I don't think they'll like you much after that, Minister," Lucius said with a smirk.
"What? You can't-"Kingsley said. He heard his heart thrumming in his chest as he listened to Lucius' words. Then, in horror, Kingsley knew that the man was right.
"I can. And I will. And you know that my ability to spin a delicious tale is unmatched. As your experiences with Rita and the Prophet have demonstrated. We keep them coming back for more. We make sure the public gets their daily dose of Kingsley and Lucius via the Prophet. We can't disappoint our public. Now can we, Kingsley?" Lucius said smoothly. He saw the fear and belief in the man's green eyes, and he liked it. He pressed his advantage. "So, you see, you can agree to our relationship - and all that comes with it - or resist and things become…difficult.".
"Lucius…I don't want to make a mistake," Kingsley said.
"So, are you going to come quietly, or are we going to have to shoot it out at the OK Corral. Guns at high noon?" Lucius asked.
"A fan of muggle Westerns, are we?" Kingsley asked. Lucius chuckled. Kingsley sighed again, and he felt his resistance to Lucius fading in the sigh. Now he had to deal with acceptance, the most difficult aspect of grieving. Grieving his loss of Abbey and the life and man he thought he was supposed to have and be. Could this situation with Lucius allow him to live as the man he wanted to be and have a life that was his own and remarkable? Not perfect, no life ever is, but a good one. He hadn't dared to believe, up until this point, with Lucius looking at him with such intensity that gave him chills that he could have that type of life.
Lucius saw the shift in the man's eyes. He could barely contain his joy. He knew that Kingsley had finally gotten to acceptance. Lucius slowly slid the hand on Kingsley's shoulder around the man. He was stiff in Lucius' embrace, but he hadn't pulled away. It was a start. Lucius knew what he had to do next. Cicely had told him.
"Tell me about Abbey. She was your first wife," Lucius said. Kingsley snapped his head around and stared at Lucius. Whoops. Too fast. "What I mean is that since it appears that you and I will walk the aisle, I want to know about the person who was before me," Lucius said.
"Lucius," Kingsley said, then paused, "Yes. I'm a practical person, so I know this…this…union…this wedding will happen between you and me. So do me the favor of allowing me to process it," Kingsley said.
"Of course," Lucius said, as he tightened his grip on Kingsley as began to feel the almost imperceptible trembling of the man's body. Lucius was silent; Cicely had said to allow Kingsley to open up to him.
"Abbey was an incredible and amazing person," Kingsley began. Two hours later, Lucius held Kingsley in his arms as the man sobbed as he finished describing Abbey and what she had meant to him. Kingsley didn't flinch away from Lucius' embrace. Lucius surmised that Kingsley wasn't fully aware of his position in Lucius' embrace. While Kingsley was in the grip of his story and the emotions that came with it, Lucius had subtly reclined on the sofa while keeping his hold on the Minister of Magic. So, now, Kingsley's head rested on Lucius' chest as they both lay on the couch. Lucius has dimmed the lights and conjured up a blanket to cover them both, giving Kingsley an unconscious sense of security. Lucius grinned as he enjoyed the pressure of Kingsley's lightweight on him. Lucius had wanted Kingsley like this for so long! Of course, when Kingsley came to his senses and became aware of his position in the financier's arms, Kingsley would jump and run for the exits. But for now, Lucius enjoyed the moment of closeness with the Minister of Magic. What would the wizarding public think if they could see them now? They would be overcome with joy. This thought gave Lucius an idea. Carefully, Lucius grabbed his wand and magicked a camera out of thin air. He made sure it was set to silent and positioned it to get a good, luscious picture of himself and Kingsley in their current positions as they lay on the sofa. The photos would destroy any remnants of Kingsley's resistance, and the public would get an unexpected treat to satiate their thirst. He would hold on to the picture until the right moment presented itself. Lucius grinned as the camera silently snapped several photos. Kingsley had fallen asleep in Lucius' arms and didn't stir as the camera did its work. Lucius knew this evening had been a breakthrough, and he would let Cicely know, at the first chance he got, to rent the hall and strike up the band because all that was left was to see how well her son could dance.