About a week later, Lucius and Hermione returned to Salem late one night after a night on the town. They'd spent the evening in New York City, first having dinner, then seeing Verdi's Aida at the Metropolitan Opera. Lucius had surprised Hermione with the opera tickets, as a way to celebrate the completion of her first book. Lucius was also near completion with his book about his proposed changes in early wizarding education and orientation of muggleborns into the wizarding world, so he'd thought it a perfect time for a bit of celebration.
After they'd apparated back to their Massachusetts home, Hermione yawned loudly as she headed to the stairs on the way to their bedroom. "I'm completely knackered," she said as she shed clothing along the way. "I had a wonderful time, but all I want to do now is go to sleep."
"That's all you want to do?" Lucius drawled suggestively, his clothes following Hermione's onto the floor, leading a path to the bedroom. Neither of them worried about the mess as they knew that one of the elves would attend to their clothing and they'd find them freshly washed and pressed by morning.
"Oh, Lucius, you're incorrigible!" Hermione giggled as he grabbed her at the top of the stairs, then spun her around to give her a hard kiss as he leaned her back against the wall, both now completely naked.
"I do try," he admitted with a wry smile, now intent on steering her to the bedroom.
Forgetting her fatigue, Hermione responded eagerly to him, never having been able to resist his seductions.
Lucius growled in anticipation as he scooped Hermione up into his arms and deposited her on the bed, eager to possess her yet again.
But as he was looming over her, about to mount her and get down to business, a loud knock came at the door.
"Not now!" Lucius thundered at whatever hapless elf stood on the other side of the door. "I'm busy!"
"Perhaps you'd better see what it is," Hermione told him reluctantly "Something might be wrong with Lucia."
Realizing she was right, he exhaled an frustrated sigh, then moved to lie down beside Hermione, drawing the covers over them. "Come in!" he barked impatiently.
Noddy entered the room hesitantly, cowering in the corner after closing the door behind him.
"What is it, Noddy?" Lucius demanded, displeased with the nervous elf.
"Begging Master's pardon," the elf stammered, wishing to be anywhere else than in the Master's bedroom at the moment. "But Mistress Andromeda Tonks is in the library floo wanting to talk to Master Lucius immediately. She says it's very important and cannot wait until later."
His anger immediately dissipating, Lucius said, "Have the call transferred in here," he said, rising to throw a robe over his naked body. Calculating the time distance, he knew it was not quite sunrise back in England, and knew that his sister in law wouldn't be calling at this time, unless something was very wrong.
A moment later, his sister in law's face appeared in the flames.
"Lucius?" she said, looking nervously around the room for him.
"I'm here, Andromeda," he said, his voiced strained with worry, as he moved to stand directly in front of the fireplace. "What's wrong?"
"It's Narcissa," she said, without preamble. "She didn't feel well all of yesterday, and she hasn't slept much tonight. I've tried to get her to go to St Mungo's to be checked out, to make sure the baby is all right, but she won't go, telling me that she's fine. She'd probably not be wanting me to call you about this, but I really think you need to come home and get her to go to see the healer. I'm afraid that she might end up having a miscarriage."
"I'm on my way," Lucius said, his lips pressed together tightly as he threw off his robe, oblivious to his sister in law seeing him stark naked.
Averting her eyes, Andromeda said, "I'll be waiting for you in the library and I'll have tea ready when you get here."
"I'll be along very shortly," Lucius said, as he hurriedly began to dress.
After Andromeda had faded from the fireplace, Hermione said resolutely, "I'm going with you. We were about to come home in a few days, anyway."
"You should sleep for a few hours first," he told her. "No need to come right away. And it would be better for Lucia if you came back at a decent hour."
"You're right, of course," Hermione conceded. "And I am knackered."
Now completely dressed, he leaned over to give her a kiss. "Get some rest and I'll see you later on today."
"Give Narcissa my best," Hermione said, giving him a reassuring hug.
"I will," he said, then headed straight to the door to go use the international floo in the library fireplace. He made a brief stop in Lucia's room to give his baby daughter a feather light kiss on the top of her head before heading downstairs.
A few moments later, he stepped through the floo into Malfoy Manor, where Andromeda sat waiting for him.
"There you are," Andromeda said calmly. "Have some tea. Narcissa finally fell asleep a short time ago, and maybe we should let her sleep awhile before taking her to the healer. I've told the house elves to notify me if she awakens."
Lucius sat reluctantly, accepting a cup of tea from his sister in law. "How long has she been feeling ill?" he asked.
"Since yesterday morning," the witch reported. "She's been having periodic stomach pains, nausea, and dizziness, along with insomnia."
"You should have called me sooner," he told her, irritated.
"You're right," she said, helplessly. "But I believed Narcissa at first, when she explained it all away as being merely indigestion."
"Narcissa never has been one to complain about her health," Lucius conceded, exhaling loudly.
"It's the way we were brought up," Andromeda said with a sigh. "I can just hear my mother now saying, 'well bred witches do not complain about their aches and pains'."
"Have you called Draco yet?" Lucius demanded.
"No, I thought it best to call you first," she said. "And I didn't want to worry him needlessly."
At that moment, a female houe elf entered the room. "Mistress Narcissa is awake," the elf announced. "She is asking for Mistress Andromeda."
Lucius jumped up, swept out of the room without a word, with Andromeda at his heels.
He found his wife a moment later sitting by the side of the bed, clutching at her stomach, doubled over in pain.
"Narcissa!" he called out and was at her side in an instant.
"Lucius," she said, pausing as a wave of pain hit her. Reaching out for him, she whispered, "I'll be all right. You needn't have cut your trip short."
"Nonsense," he growled, kneeling down beside her, taking her hands in his. "You're my heart. When you hurt, I hurt. This is where I belong right now."
"Oh, Lucius!" she murmured, moving one hand up to caress his face, falling in love with him yet again.
"Come on now, love," he coaxed. "You need to go to St Mungo's and get checked out as a precaution."
"I'll be fine," she said doggedly. "All I need is a good night's sleep."
"Do it for me," he insisted gently. "I won't be able to rest until I know that you and our baby are safe."
"All right," she said, giving him a brave smile.
"Are you feeling well enough to go?" he asked. "I could have the healer come here to see you."
"I can make it," she told him. "It will probably do me some good to get out of the house for awhile, anyway."
"Excellent," he beamed. Pointing his wand at her, he turned her nightclothes into a loose fitting day robe. "I believe we'll floo; apparating or portkeying will probably unsettle your stomach."
"All right," she said weakly.
As they headed to the door, Lucius found Andromeda waiting outside in the hall. "Contact Draco and tell him to meet us at St Mungo's right away," he murmured to her. "Hermione should be returning in a few hours. If we're not back by then, tell her where I am."
Andromeda nodded wordlessly, knowing she had to stay behind to watch Teddy.
When the long-married couple arrived at St Mungo's a short time later, Narcissa was immediately rushed into an examining room and Lucius was directed to the waiting room.
Twenty minutes later, Draco, followed by a very pregnant Luna, found Lucius alone in the waiting room, pacing anxiously.
"Father!" the young wizard called out. "We came as quickly as we could. What's wrong with mother? Is the baby all right?"
"The healers think she might be in premature labour," he told them with a look of anguish on his face. "She's having quite a hard time of it."
Putting a gentle hand on her father in law's shoulder, Luna leaned down and murmured, "Don't worry, Father. I know my new sister in law will be just fine. She's just eager to greet the world."
Looking up at his son's quirky wife, Lucius gave her a wan smile and said, "I certainly hope that you're correct."
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