I Have Always Loved You, Darling

Chapter One

"Saving the Princess"

~~~~~Flash Forward~~~~~

"Damnit." Narcissa quickly pulled her hand away from the stove and her fingers steamed quickly.

"Narcissa, are you okay?" Lucius can down the stairs and saw his wife's hand seemingly burning. And rushed over to her in the large kitchen and he wrapped his arms around her.

"Yes, I'm fine. Just burnt my hand. I'm fine though. And yourself?" Narcissa proceeded to bury herself in her husband's arms, while being noticeable.

"Oh, same old, same old. I can't complain, except my wife burning her hand." He brought her closer to him by turning her around and turning his arms into a hug, with seemed to very much please her as he saw her giggling.

"Mmm. Going to work today?" Narcissa wasn't sure Lucius would ever stay home for at least a day.

"I canceled work. I thought I'd spend some time with my wife. If that's okay with you." Lucius gave her a smirk that was clearly saying "I thought we'd have a little fun."

"Only if you beat me to the bedroom." Narcissa decided to play along and she took off for the stairs, Lucius trailing behind.

~~~~~End Flash Forward~~~~~

As Narcissa Black stepped into the shower stall at her home, she pulled a hair clip from her hair and shook it out under the spray of the water, her back turned to the shower head. As she sighed quietly, a loud yelling sound was heard from outside the bathroom door startling Narcissa.

"I REFUSE TO GO TO HOGWARTS! WHY CAN'T I GO TO DURMSTRANG LIKE MY FRIENDS?" As the voice faded away, Narcissa sighed. Her sister, Bellatrix, was always one to ask stupid questions like the one she had just shouted, apparently to her parents.

"Because Mother and Father have set it their personal goal to ruin your life." Narcissa and Bellatrix's sister Andromeda had stepped out of her room across from the bathroom the sisters shared to reply to Bellatrix's question. Andromeda's voice echoed through the hallway on the second floor of the four story Black Manor in Wiltshire. As Andromeda seemed to have closed the door to her bedroom, from the sound that Narcissa heard, which could have been from either of her sisters, she relaxed a bit and began to clean her hair with the most care.

"Darling, are you almost done in there?" Mrs. Black's voice was nervous as she spoke to her daughter through the door.

"Mother! I just got in! Why is it you have decided to ruin the lives of me and my sister?" Narcissa moved her head top the side of the shower curtain and poked her head through, keeping the rest of her body covered with the curtain as her mother walked into the bathroom.

"Because, my darling, Mr. Malfoy, his wife, and his son are coming to visit us in thirty minutes. I want you, Andromeda, and Bellatrix to have all gone through the shower in that time." Mrs. Black spoke harshly to her daughter and proceeded to walk out of the bathroom.

"I already took a shower Mother." Andromeda opened her bedroom door assuring Narcissa it had been her who had shut a door just a few minutes before.

"In that case, Narcissa, you have ten minutes. That way Bellatrix has ten minutes as well, and you have at least twenty minutes to ready yourself." Mrs. Black nearly flew out of the hallway and down the stairs and Andromeda came and sat on the toilet shutting the door to talk to her sister.

"Any thoughts on how to rid Mother of her liability to be annoying?" Andromeda asked and she handed the shampoo to Narcissa who had stuck her hand out.

"Not a clue." Narcissa took her face away from the hole she had made for her head and took the shampoo from her sister. As she rinsed it out of her hair, she turned off the water and Andromeda went outside the door to wait for her. As Narcissa grabbed a towel she slipped, fell, and blacked out.

*********

"Is she okay?" A voice that faintly reminded Narcissa of her mother spoke.

"I'm glad to say she is. If it wasn't for Andromeda, Bellatrix, and Mr. Malfoy here, she might have bled to death. Consider yourselves life-savers you three. Jessica, I expect she'll be coming round in no time. I wouldn't be surprised if she's waking up now." A soft, caring voice cut through Narcissa's mind, and she shot up.

"Where am I? And what are you all doing in my bedroom? Much less, what the bloody hell happened?" Narcissa glared at the people around her room. She saw her mother, Mrs. Truedao, the doctor who helped the family, Bellatrix, Andromeda, and Lucius Malfoy.

"Cissa!" Lucius nearly laughed out loud at hearing her say "Bloody hell."

"Add to that what is everyone talking about?" Narcissa was furious. Everyone was gathered in her bedroom other then her father and Lucius' parents.

"When I left the bathroom so you could get out of the bathroom, it seems you slipped on something, and never made it up yourself. Once Bellatrix heard the thud, she ran out of her room to come and help me get you out of the room. It also appears that the Malfoys arrived as soon as you fell, she Lucius excused himself and came after Bellatrix to se what was going on. He helped us get you out of the bathroom, and into your bed."

No one spoke for a minute after Andromeda spoke, until Lucius did.

"Has anyone ever-"

"Shove it Mr. Prince." Bellatrix was obviously still pissed at her parents, or she wouldn't have told Lucius to shut up. Andromeda and Narcissa gave muffled laughs and Lucius looked lost, not knowing what the girls were laughing about. Mrs. Black and Mrs. Truedao had left Narcissa's room to go and talk about caring for Narcissa during Andromeda's speech.

"What? What's so funny?" Lucius asked them.

"Er, nothing," said Narcissa. She grinned at Bellatrix who got the joke and began to laugh as well.

"What is so damn funny?" Lucius asked again. Bellatrix just hunched her shoulder and walked out of the room with Andromeda, who had seemed to find something funny in the fact she and Bellatrix were leaving Lucius and Narcissa together alone.

"I have no clue." Narcissa shrugged and glanced at Lucius giving a very embarrassed smile before muttering something that put on her clothes.

"Er, sorry about that. Also, I'm um, er-" Lucius grinned sheepishly at her.

"Oh it doesn't matter I guess. Just, thanks."

"For what?" Lucius glanced at her questioningly, before extending his arm for her.

"Nothing." Narcissa gladly took Lucius' arm, and the two strode out of her room and down the stairs to the main hallway, where Narcissa let go of his arm, smiled faintly, and went off in search of her sister Andromeda.