Chapter Thirty Five

A/N: No reviewers.

Narcissa laid her hand on her stomach, delighting in the faint fluttering she felt against her hand. Every once in a while, she wondered if the spell might have been mistaken, but her child was quick to reassure her that they were not going anywhere.

It was not only her new baby she was bonding well with. Ever since he had first been told the news, Draco had spent every spare moment lying across his mother's lap, seeing if he could hear the baby talking to him. A few days ago, the boy had been so convinced that his new sibling had spoken their love for him, she did not have the heart to explain the impossibility of the gesture.

Lucius, unfortunately, had been working longer hours than ever, determined to clear the stack of paperwork that had amassed on his desk. He wanted to spend more time with her as she progressed through her pregnancy, to help her when things became too difficult, but it would be no good for him to be fired for doing so. It was simply a small hurdle they would have to work through, and Merlin knew they had faced greater problems than work schedules.

The distant sound of one of the elves chattering at the doorway brought a smile to Narcissa's face, and it grew wider with each rushing footstep she heard sound against the staircase. The woman pulled herself to her feet, all but running towards the door, just as Lucius stepped through it.

Immediately, Narcissa relaxed into his open arms, relishing the warmth of his embrace. True, she had accepted the situation and enjoyed spending time with her son, but it did get awfully lonely sometimes, with Lucius away for so long. She had to take advantage of the time he was here.

"I am so very glad to be home." Lucius sighed, running a leather-gloved hand over her hair. "The office begins to look somewhat like a prison when you've sat there for twelve hours straight."

Narcissa chuckled. "Well, they're hardly the same. In prison, there are no chirping assistants offering you a tenth cup of coffee."

"No, you're right." the man agreed, pretending to be deep in thought for a moment. "Perhaps prison would be preferable."

Lucius laughed at his own joke, laughing even louder when his wife landed a playful blow to his arm. It was good to joke about such things; it meant they were no longer a reality.

The two settled down together among the thousands of cushions that seemed to now be strewn across the settee. Narcissa spent much of her day in the sitting room, reading or playing with her son, and she had become excessively determined to make the area more comfortable.

Lucius surveyed the room silently, his eyebrow raised in that signature expression of his. The coffee table was strewn with crayons and piles of parchment, some blank and some covered with images that the man could not quite describe. "I imagine Draco has spent quite a bit of time in here with you?"

"Oh, I'm sorry about the mess." Narcissa sighed, sitting forward to survey the room herself. "I've spent so much time in this room, the house-elves haven't been able to come near it. Besides, every time they do, Draco arrives the next morning and musses it again."

"There is no reason to apologise." Lucius assured her, pulling her back down to rest beside him. "Draco is a handful at the best of times, and you must take care of yourself. If we must live with a little mess for a while, then so be it."

"I'd never thought you to be such a peacemaker, darling." Narcissa laughed, barely able to hide her surprise.

Lucius hummed in agreement. "Family life does strange things to a man."

His voice had been light and joyful, but the moment the words were spoken, Lucius fell flat, as if the air had been let out of a balloon. It was the slightest of changes, but Narcissa noticed it instantly. Lucius was not the most open of men when it came to his feelings, particularly negatives, and she had become rather used to watching him.

"Lucius, what's the matter?" she asked. It was a little too direct to prompt a truthful answer from her husband, but she thought it worth a try. The silence lasted thirty seconds more before she continued, her voice soft and yet firm. "You're lost in thought and, judging by your posture, not a good one. Come along, out with it."

Another minute or so went by before Lucius sighed in defeat. "I've always thought that being a father made me a better man. Draco is the light of my life. I would die for him, or for you."

"I've never doubted that, Lucius." she assured him, but it did not smooth the wrinkles in his forehead.

"My father worked at the Ministry, dawn until dusk, from the day I was born. My mother always said that he doted on me as a child, but I hardly ever saw him." Narcissa's features softened, as she realised the heart of the issue. He was raised an only son, heir to a great family, just as her son was now. Of course he would fear their stories would run similar. "Now look at us. He couldn't give a damn."

"Lucius, you are not your father. You are a better man than he could ever hope to be." She had thought the words a thousand times, though she had never spoken them before. In all the time she had known Lucius, his wife could count the mentions of Abraxas Malfoy on one hand. He and Lucius' mother had moved to Calais shortly after the wedding and, bar one brief visit after Draco's birth, they had not laid eyes on him since. Narcissa thought of the distant future, when their own grandchildren came into the world; she could not imagine going to visit them alone, as Annietta Malfoy so often had.

"But what if it's only a matter of time?" Lucius could not speak any further, for Narcissa was quick to press her lips to his. They lingered in their sweet embrace for minutes on end and when Lucius finally pulled away, he was smiling.

"I love you, Lucius, and I always will." Narcissa sighed, her palm gentle against his cheek. "So long as you value your family above all else, and never forsake me or our children, I will never doubt you. I promise."

A/N: Sweet moment, but there's a bit of evil foreshadowing in there! Please review!