How Long Am I to Wait?

Chapter 6 - How Long Am I to Wait

Lucius paced his study after Narcissa departed to see to preparations for dinner. Why was she so suspicious? Why was she so against the use of potions? After all, she claimed that she too wanted nothing more than to have another child. Those two questions had been bothering him for some time now, and he still had no answer. Even after more than twenty years of marriage, he still did not understand women.

Neither of them was getting any younger, though he knew it was more important for her to get pregnant as soon as possible, especially if the child ended up being a girl. He shuddered at that thought, realizing that his previous tactic of terminating the girls would not work this time. To that end, he had been taking a potion that Severus had developed which would improve his chances of having a son. But it was by no means perfect.

During their discussion, Severus had suggested that Lucius hire a private Healer from the Continent to help her deal with her grief and reservations. That was exactly what Lucius wanted to do, but Narcissa had been adamant about not involving outsiders.

What Lucius really wanted was to kick a house-elf, to hear the satisfying scream of something in pain, but he knew that wasn't an option just now. He needed to present a caring and loving exterior to Narcissa.

Reaching into his pocket, he stared at the vial of milky liquid and grinned mischievously. Well, if Narcissa wouldn't seek help, he would bring it to her. It had taken Severus months, but he had finally developed a topical conception aid. Lucius would purchase her an expensive new facial cream, imported from Paris, mix this in with it, and present it to her as a gift. While it was untested, Severus was reasonably certain that it should not take more than a few months for it to work. Slipping it back into his pocket, Lucius patted the vial protectively.

He was amazed at what he would do for love. The old, pre-war Lucius would have moved on to someone other than Narcissa by now. The new, post-war Lucius was doing everything in his power to hold onto her. He marveled at how important she had become to him.

*********

A few days later, Lucius presented Narcissa with a small box. She eyed him suspiciously as she took the gift and unwrapped it. He sat beside her, wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

Her eyes lit up as she saw what was in the box, a very exclusive facial cream from Paris. "Lucius, darling, however did you get it?"

"I still have friends who owe me favors. One was in Paris and agreed to pick it up for me. I do hope you like it." He smiled sincerely at her, truly happy to have done something to regain her trust.

Unscrewing the lid, she inhaled deeply to test the fragrance. "Of course I do. It's marvelous." Setting the jar down, she turned and gave him a deep kiss.

Momentarily, he was caught off guard, not expecting such a spontaneous show of affection, but he soon regained his composure and hungrily returned her kiss. After all, she had not been speaking to him the last few days; she had been acting very suspicious of him again ever since his latest meeting with Severus.

Carefully, he twisted around so that she was beneath him on the sofa. "That is an excellent 'thank you', my love."

Smiling playfully, she ran her finger down his nose and replied, "It's more of an 'I'm sorry'. I know you love me, and yet I've been treating you so horribly. Forgive me?"

"Of course, darling," he replied before capturing her mouth in another passionate kiss. As they kissed, his hand explored her body, hoping to ignite her passion. His actions were rewarded as he felt her hands caressing him. This was indeed turning out to be a very rewarding day.

**********

Two months after giving Narcissa the cream, Lucius remained quite pleased with her increased libido, but highly disappointed that there were still no other apparent results. He was now waiting for Severus at a Muggle establishment and doing his best not to fidget in the uncomfortable Muggle clothing.

"It's about time," he growled as Severus slid into the booth and took a seat across the table from him.

"I am on time. I cannot help it if you arrive early and then become impatient. Unlike you, I do have outside responsibilities."

He scowled at Severus' brusque manner, but decided to ignore the rudeness, at least for now. "Why isn't your potion working? After all, you are the Potions master," he asked sarcastically.

Severus replied in an equally quiet voice, "I cautioned you that it was not a topical potion. It was meant to be ingested, and I warned you that I could not vouch for its efficacy if delivered topically. Why not just use a more traditional potion and put it in her food?"

"Because a number of the house-elves belonged to the Black family and would tell her that I had been tampering with her food. Refine the potion," he ordered.

"Are you sure that the difficulty does not lie with you?" Severus asked in a condescending manner.

Lucius was not willing to share the details, but he had subjected himself to poking and prodding by a Muggle physician to ensure just that. "I am positive," he replied forcefully.

Severus leaned back in the booth. "I'll see what I can do when I have the time. You know there are easier ways to accomplish your goal."

Lucius knew exactly what Severus was implying. "I will do it this way. And if any harm comes to her, I will see that you are held responsible."

Severus arched an eyebrow. "And do you really think anyone would believe you? Need I remind you that you are not the most credible person in the wizarding world at the moment?"

Lucius leaned forward and said in a menacing voice, "If you do anything to discredit me, be warned that I have plenty of incriminating information on you also. Information you would most definitely not want the Ministry to have. Refine the potion, and you will be rewarded for your troubles." He threw enough Muggle money on the table to cover their drinks and stormed out of the establishment, eager to be home and back in his proper clothes.

************

More than a year had passed since the end of the war. Lucius was growing more and more disconcerted by the fact that Narcissa was still not pregnant. And that she would still not agree to see a Healer. He had even offered to take her to a Muggle physician, but she had declined. It was becoming more difficult for him to maintain his patience with her. He knew that she had to understand the gravity of the situation, and thus he could not imagine why she was willing to do nothing to resolve it. A part of him was beginning to wonder if she knew that she could not have more children and was trying to prolong the inevitable.

He wanted to have a family with her. It was what he had wanted since he was fourteen. She was his perfect mate. But if it did not happen soon, he would be forced to do something, something he did not want to contemplate.

Looking across the table, he noticed that she was shoving her food around her plate, but had barely eaten anything. "Narcissa, my love, is something wrong?"

"No, nothing at all," she replied sullenly.

"Are you sure? You're not ill, are you?"

"No. I'm fine." She set her fork down, indicating she was finished with her meal.

Placing his napkin next to his plate, a small smile spread across his face. Rising from his chair, he moved to kneel next to her and took her hand in his. "Darling, could you possibly be...?" He knew that if she were not ill, there was only one thing that would cause her to lose her appetite that badly.

"I could be, but I didn't want to get your hopes up." Even though she tried to fight back the smile, she did not succeed.

Pulling her into an embrace, he said, "I believe a call to a Healer is warranted. We should confirm this news as soon as possible."

"I believe you may be right."

*************

Lucius paced nervously outside the room. Narcissa had asked for privacy during the examination, but he thought it was taking far too long. Finally, the door opened and the Healer slipped out. "Well?" Lucius demanded.

A broad grin spread across the Healer's face. "Congratulations. You are going to be a father."

Lucius could feel his anxiety level dropping. One very large hurdle had been passed. "Boy or girl?"

"It's a girl," the Healer announced simply.

"Are you sure?"

"Mr. Malfoy, I have been doing this for longer than you have been alive. Of course I am sure."

While he was pleased that Narcissa was pregnant, he couldn't hide his disappointment that he would be having a daughter rather than the son he so desperately wanted. "Thank you, Healer."

"My pleasure, Mr. Malfoy. I have given her a great deal of advice to make this as easy as possible for her. I'll be back next month to check on them, but I don't anticipate any complications. She is a very healthy woman."

Once he was left alone, Lucius pondered his options. Truthfully, he had but one. Unless this pregnancy was successful, he knew that the chances of her agreeing to try again were nearly non-existent.

Finally, he composed himself enough to enter the room. Slowly, he opened the door. "Darling?"

"Come in," came her reply. Once he was inside the room, she wrapped her arms around him in a smothering embrace. "It's wonderful news, isn't it?"

"The best news I have received in a long time," he replied, wrapping his arms around his beautiful wife.

*************

A/N: Well, there should be one more chapter after this one. A great big thank you to nota for her loyal work as my beta. :D If the muses are willing, I should be able to have the final chapter to her tomorrow. It's a bowl game day, and J wants to sit at home and watch football. That is generally a great activity for me writing since it doesn't require much in the way of attention from me.

I'd also like to thank all those that have hung with me and left reviews. Your feedback is incredibly meaningful to me.

Sorry there was no poetry this time. I'm too beat to find something.