CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Her eyes immediately snapped to the door where Lucius stood, framed by the light coming in from the hallway. She instinctively moved to cover herself when she realized that she was naked in the bath. Lucius scoffed, Draco smirked, and Hermione demanded they both leave the room so that she could get properly cleaned and dressed. They did, and she stood up, changing her bath for a shower. After she'd washed and rinsed herself, she dried her body, wrapped her hair up in her towel, and put on her robe. She padded out to her kitchen just in time to see Draco haul off and clock his father.

'I mean it,' he said. 'You may be my father, but if you hurt her again, you will never see any of your grandchildren.'

'I understand.'

'I don't think you do. This woman means the world to me. She gave me my life back and I owe her everything. Had I thought it would have worked out, I would have married her long before I met Astoria again.' Draco moved right into his father's face. 'Do. Not. Fuck. This. Up. She and I might be better off as friends, but I will not hesitate to defend her like a lover.'

Hermione was gobsmacked, and it must have shown on her face because when Draco turned and walked up to her, he took her in his arms. He held her tight and told her that he meant every word. Then Draco kissed her on the corner of her mouth before tucking a loose strand of hair back up into her towel.

'I'm headed home. Don't let him give you any shit, love. You know how to find me if you need an alibi.'

She laughed and walked Draco to the floo. With one last hug, she watched him spin out of sight in a flash of green flames before she closed the floo and returned to the kitchen. Looking at Lucius, she noticed that he had a bruise forming below his left eye. She pulled her wand to fix it but he stopped her.

'Just leave it. I deserved worse.'

He let her apply a bag of ice to his cheek before they sat on opposite sides of the table. 'Did you really interrupt his honeymoon?' she asked him.

'I couldn't find you. My owls were coming back to me and I couldn't very well ask your friends Potter or Weasley for your whereabouts without raising suspicions I was certain you wished to avoid.'

'It's a conversation long overdue.'

'Well, you're obviously not prepared to have it, or you would have done already. Am I right?' She nodded. 'The only way to ascertain your whereabouts was to find Draco. Since I knew exactly where he was, it was the easiest means to the end I wished for: you.'

'Lucius…'

'I was scared, my love. I still am. I've no idea what a beautiful thing like yourself ever saw in me. You're genuinely a good person, caring and kind. I've always been a hateful and bigoted man, selfish to a fault, and yet you allowed me to get close to you. You gave me a gift I was completely unworthy of. Even knowing who I was to become you still freely gave yourself to me. I will never be able to repay your kindness.' He got to his feet and walked around the table, falling to one knee in front of where she sat. 'But if you'll have me, I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to you.'

She didn't know what to say. There had been a time, back when she was in the past, where she dreamed of this moment. She'd hoped that, if she would have had to stay in the 1970's, they would have found a way out of his contract with Narcissa and been married. It would never have happened, never have worked without completely destroying history as the world now knew it, but it was a dream of hers nonetheless. And now here he was, kneeling before her with the most perfect solitaire round-cut diamond she'd ever seen.

'It's only one carat, but I've never taken you for the type of woman who desired gaudy jewels. Should you desire something larger, I can alw-'

He was cut off when he found himself with arms full of witch. She fell into his embrace, knocking both of them over so that she ended up on top of him on her kitchen floor. She looked down into his eyes, closed the distance between them, and kissed him. She was timid at first, not sure how he would react, wondering if his kiss would still be the same after all the years that had passed between the last time they'd kissed and now, but she needn't have worried. He let her take the lead, deepening the kiss when she realized that the love they shared before still existed between them. This was the man who completed her, the man she was destined to end up with, though she didn't believe in fate or destiny.

'Hermione,' he breathed between kisses.

'Hmm?'

'Are you wearing anything under that robe?'

She pulled back and stared down at him, her blush speaking the truth and causing his eyes to become molten pools of lust. He rolled her over and sat back on his heels, allowing his eyes to travel over the bits of her skin that were bared to him beneath the robe. He could just make out the swell of her breasts, the creamy skin of her inner thighs. Standing, he reached a hand down and helped her to her feet.

'I will not make love with you on a kitchen floor. It's been too long for us and I'm not as young as I used to be.'

Hermione chuckled and allowed him to lead her toward the hallway. Then she moved in front of him and led the way to her bedroom.

He kicked the door closed and used his wand to cast a few charms to deter anyone who would possibly come into Hermione's flat. Turning his attention back to her, it was obvious that she was both anxious and nervous. He walked closer, approaching her in a way that wouldn't scare her off, but made clear his intentions. At the last moment before the hands that were now on her shoulders removed the robe, he stopped himself.

'How long has it been?' he enquired.

'Years.'

'No, love. Not since us. How long has it been since you've last been intimate with a man?'

Her eyes cast down to the floor, her face coloring in shame and mortification. 'I… I haven't…'

'That's… That's not possible. I know you've been in relationships. The Weasley boy. The Bulgarian Quidditch player. Potter.'

'Harry and I were never together. Ron and I never got past kissing. And Viktor was always too timid to do more than hold my hand.'

Lucius was in awe. 'I don't deserve you.'

'Yes, you do.'

She brought her hands to her waist and untied the belt on her robe. Before she thought too much about it, she leaned up on her toes and kissed him. Her hands found the place where his tee shirt was tucked into the waistband of his trousers. In one continuous move, she broke the kiss and pulled his shirt from his body. She then went to work on his belt as he kissed all thought from her mind. When she leaned away from him to catch her breath, his mouth moved to her shoulder, following the trail of where her robe fell from her frame. Hermione grabbed his face and brought him up for another kiss. He pressed himself against her now naked form, walking her backwards until her knees met the edge of her bed.

'Lay down, my love.'

And she did. She watched with eager eyes as he kicked off his shoes, toed off his socks, and removed his trousers. She was surprised to see that he was wearing boxer briefs under his pants and raised her eyebrows at the simple white undergarment. He muttered something about functionality before divesting himself of the offending piece of fabric.

Lucius climbed onto the bed and hovered over her, seemingly content to stare into her eyes. He leaned down and kissed her, rocking his hips up toward her center so that she could feel just how ready he was for this encounter. She threaded her fingers through his blond locks, holding his head while their tongues met in a sensual dance. His weight shifted ever so slightly and then his fingers were there. She gasped into his mouth as first one, then two fingers slid easily inside of her. His hand moved in tandem with his tongue, promises of pleasure evident in every motion.

Every nerve was beginning to stand on end. She could feel the tension building inside of her, but suddenly his hand and mouth were gone from her. Not understanding what was going on, she watched in horror as he moved down her body, kissing his way to her core. When his lips attached to her clit, she was lost, screaming out her orgasm as he tasted her. When she caught her breath, she opened her eyes to find Lucius smiling down at her.

'That was amazing,' she breathed. 'I'm almost afraid to ask where you learned to do that.'

He chuckled. 'I've learned a great many things since last we were together. Marry me and we can explore them together. Marry me and we can discover more.'

She sat up a bit and kissed him, tasting herself on his tongue. He groaned into her mouth as he moved between her open thighs. Breaking the kiss, his eyes met hers as he lined himself up and thrust into her, noting with satisfaction that she was even tighter than he remembered. She breathed deeply as he held himself still, allowing her body to adjust to take him. When he felt her relax a bit, he began thrusting. The pull and push of his cock inside of her was more intense than she recalled. She felt so terribly full, but at the same time, she pulled him closer with her heels, needing to feel more of him. They'd been apart for so long. So many years. Not just from when he was young and all the years that he'd had to endure without her, but the ones since she returned, the ones since she left him in that bed in the Slytherin dungeons.

She vowed in that moment to never leave him again.

They made love into the wee hours of the morning, falling asleep in each other's arms. When they woke just before the sun came up, they began to kiss and touch for a bit before Lucius rolled Hermione on top of him, helping her to learn what brought her pleasure. He guided her down onto his shaft, allowing her time to adjust, and then directed her hips into a few different motions before she found one that gave her the most intense sensations. When she took up the pace on her own, he left her to it for a while before he wrapped his arms around her. He pulled her down so that he could latch onto her breasts while she moved against him. She tried to pull back, claiming it was too much, but he was unrelenting. Instinct overtook her, and soon she was grinding against him as he alternated which nipple he would suck into his mouth.

He came with a shout, her name on his lips as he tried to hold himself inside of her while she searched for the friction she needed to come. Knowing she was close, he flopped back on the bed and reached a hand between them. Her head was thrown back as ecstasy filled her being. She screamed his name, shouting her love for him toward the heavens. Hermione collapsed onto his chest, breathing heavily and slick with sweat. The couple laid together in silence for about a half hour, breathing each other in, and enjoying the simple feel of being in each others arms again. Then he rolled her off of him, slipping out of her in the process, and moved to grab his wand.

'What are you doing?' she asked, putting her hand over his on his wand.

'Well, first I was going to clean us up a bit. Then I was going to cast a contraceptive charm.'

'Why?'

'I'm not all knowing, despite what I'd like you to believe,' he joked. 'Had I known that this was how our meeting last night was going to end, I would have just taken the potion. However…'

Hermione paused and lowered her eyes. 'Well, I don't know how you feel about children, but if we're to be married, you should know that I want at least two.'

Lucius was silent, causing doubt to settle into her stomach over her sudden proclamation. After a few moments of continued silence, she opened her mouth as if to recant her statement, but was instead pulled close to a laughing man. Raising her eyes to his, she noted his joyous expression and a hint of tears in his eyes.

'So that's a yes?' he asked her.

She smiled. 'Yes.'

He kissed her hard, every ounce of his happiness poured into his kiss. He moved over her and before she knew what was happening, he was inside of her again. He was harder than she thought he'd been before, moving against her at a furious pace. She quickly caught his rhythm, though she struggled to keep up. As they moved together, he whispered harshly into her hair how much he loved her, how much he missed her, how he'd wished for this every single day since the moment he'd awoken to find her gone from his bed and his life. When he came, he made sure she came with him, playing her body with an expertise she couldn't wait to explore further.

After they'd cleaned up, she donned her robe again and he pulled on his underwear. They went into her kitchen where she fixed them both breakfast. And after he picked up the ring from where it had fallen on the table the night before, he got down on one knee and did a proper proposal, sliding the one-carat solitaire onto the third finger of her left hand when she gave him an enthusiastic yes in reply. They ate quietly, stealing glances at one another. When the food was gone, she looked up at him.

'So, this is a reality now. We're really getting married.'

'Who said it wasn't a reality before? I love you more than anything in the world and nothing is ever going to stop me from marrying you.'

'That sure of yourself?' she joked before adding, 'I love you too. I just can't believe this is really happening. I'm afraid I'm going to suddenly wake up and realize this is just another dream.'

'Don't worry. You're definitely not dreaming.' He took her left hand in his and played with the ring, his ring, which now adorned her slim finger. 'I would have waited forever for you if it meant I would get to keep you for my own in the end.'

'Lucius…'

'I've told you before I'm a selfish man. And now that you're mine…'

'I was always yours, love. And I always will be.'

END

Notes: And that's it, my friends. This story is the accumulation of many hours of work, a few years of writing on and off... Writers block would hit more often than I care to admit. I would write bits, skip ahead what would be a few chapters, write more, go back... This was NOT a story written in order, but rather started in the middle and written around it. When I contacted my beta reader, GaeilgeRua, in regards to this story, I only had the beginning to share with her. Everything else was bits and pieces that were more snippets than chapters. She encouraged me, stayed with me, and offered so much concrit... I'm forever in her debt. (she even suffered my complaints when I couldn't stop thinking in rhymes after writing the Sorting Hat song!) I want to say thank you to all of you who gave this story a chance. I know that I'm not the greatest writer out there, that my plot has some holes in it, and that my responses to your fabulous (mostly) reviews has been spotty, but you're still here! My appreciation for you knows no bounds! I love you all! One last thing: if you've enjoyed this story, you'll be happy to read that I'm working on a followup to this! It won't be published any time soon, but it will happen. I've got two challenge fics I'm working on, along with a Hermione Granger Big Bang coming up! (that story is NOTHING like this one. mwahahaha) Have a fantastical day and thank you for reading! *muah*