"Well, there's only one thing we can do."
Lucius raises a brow, but says nothing. His blue-grey eyes look tired… Desperate. Only a few feet away, an issue of the Daily Prophet, emblazoned with "Malfoy's Mistress?" and a picture of Astoria dodging cameras as she leaves Malfoy Manor, glares up at them. Only moments ago, he'd crumpled it up and thrown it into the wall with as much force as he could muster. Now, it lay at his feet in a ball. He hadn't even bothered to kick it away on the rebound.
"We have to leave England."
Lucius' eyes, practically bleary only moments ago, are fully focused. His lips part, as if he's going to speak. Instead, he laughs.
"Astoria, darling. Your creativity and wild imagination are qualities I admire," he says at long last. "But running away…"
He's done so much running away in his life that he knows what he's talking about. If there is anything Lucius Malfoy fears nowadays, it's running away. It has never served him well.
"Lucius, do you love me?"
"Of course. You know I do."
"Do you have a better solution?"
He sputters. No coherent thoughts escape his lips. Astoria finally quiets him with a swift kiss.
"They don't understand us. The reporters, our families…"
He only winces slightly at the mention of families. He and Narcissa have been divorced for three years, but Draco was still family… And it was true. He didn't understand. And he never would.
"As long as we're here, everybody watches us. Judges us. Lucius, I will run to the ends of the earth to be with you."
He frowns. "This shouldn't be so complicated."
"It's always going to be complicated. At least, until we get away from England."
His frown deepens for a moment, then, he sighs and smiles. She's the one person he cannot resist. "So, where are we going?"
Astoria shrugs and pulls in close to him. "I'll run with you wherever you want to go. "
He kisses her tenderly. His smile doesn't fade when he pulls away.
"Pack your bags, Astoria. That is, if you don't object to a holiday in the Riviera."
Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to JK Rowling. "Take Me Away" belongs to FeFe Dobson.