Thank Merlin it was Friday night, because if she had to go back into the office tomorrow, she might just opt to fly to another country, assume a new identity and slip into a life of anonymity.

She had been lectured by Susan when she finally did drag herself to the office and Susan threatened to quit on the spot when she found out that Hermione had left her to deal with everyone so she could fuck Lucius Malfoy, but Hermione assured her it would never happen again. Maybe. It probably would happen again.

Ron's little homewrecker had screamed at her, cried, yelled, wailed and tried to jump across the large desk and feverishly claw at her throat, but Titus, bless him, put an abrupt stop to that.

And then she had to deal with magical law enforcement asking her for her statement on the matter. Then she had to delicately and smartly talk her way through an interview with a Daily Prophet reporter.

She eventually slunk out of the office and home where she had whipped her bra off and kicked her shoes off. As she made her way to the kitchen, a mirror on the wall caught her attention and she stopped to look at it. Well. Fuck.

She looked tired. She looked old. She barely recognised herself. Her skin was pale and had her eyes dull, large bags beneath them and she sighed loudly running a hand through her tangled hair on her head and noted a large clump came out as she did so. This job was killing her. The stress of the job was enough alone but add to that the Ron saga and it was unbearable. She wouldn't be surprised if she had a heart attack if she were honest and here, she was trying to get pregnant in the midst of this whole thing… AND she was going to raise the child alone. Yeah, not her finest moment but she knew she could do it.

She padded to the kitchen, plucked a wine glass and a bottle of red wine off the counter and stopped looking critically at the glass she placed it back down. The bottle would do, and even then, she would need a few of these to deal with the day she had, and settled down at the kitchen table resting her head against the cool, hard surface and began to ponder what had actually happened to her life. Where did it all go wrong? At what point did her life take the wrong fork in the road and implode in a massive shit show.

"Rough day?" The voice of Lucius Malfoy caught her ears and drifted to her from the fireplace. She had been so deep in thought; she hadn't even heard him floo in.

"Rough doesn't begin to explain it." She didn't even move from her spot, opting to keep her head pressed heavily to the table.

"After I left you my whole day went downhill. I almost had my eyes clawed out by Ron's little harlot and then I had reporters wanting to talk to me and eventually the Aurors wanted my statement as well. It was full-on." She never even looked up. She never moved from her spot. She was too tired to move.

"And you think you will find solace at the bottom of that bottle?" His deep baritone voice met her ears as his slender fingers sunk into her tight shoulders and began to slowly massage tight, stressed muscles.

"I'm hoping it's enough to black me out till the morning at least," she confessed melting a little as his fingers worked their magic on her muscles and she wondered when their relationship had jumped from the realm of sex and nothing more to her being able to confide in him. Whenever the moment happened, it happened quickly and she wondered if he had noticed and if he did, did it bother him? It did not bother her. She was lonely and so desperate for company and companionship that she probably would have sat in a room and chatted with Voldemort himself if the chance had arisen.

If she were honest, the nights when he was there is what she looked forward to the most, even if it was just briefly. At least she got to feel the flesh of another. Taste lips. It was nice. And she wondered if that is why she desperately wanted a child, to fill that cold empty void in her life that she was experiencing of late.

"Your muscles are so tight," he spoke through gritted teeth, concentrating hard at the task on hand. Stopping only to run both hands through her hair, bunch it up and place it over her shoulder so he wasn't pulling it accidentally as he massaged.

"Lucius?" She whispered gently a few minutes later.

"Mmm?" He hummed in response getting lost in the task at hand, only just hearing her soft whispered voice.

"Do you ever just feel… lonely? Like no one else is there for you in the world and you are totally alone?"

His hands ceased moving for a moment, staring into space, his mind ticking over with deep thought. "All the time." He swooped around and sat on a chair beside her. "When Draco and Narcissa were…" he sucked in a deep shuddered breath and needed a moment to compose himself. "When they were… gone, I felt the loneliest I ever had in my life. You take things like family for granted way too much and you expect them to be there forever and then in the blink of an eye, you are all alone and questioning life. You realise possessions and money no longer make you happy and probably never did and you come to the realisation that the friends you had were only temporary and that you truly are alone in this world without your family. I'd give up every possession I own just to have my family back." He sighed forlornly trying to swallow away the hard lump that had suddenly appeared in his throat.

"I just can't help but feel alone in this world," she confessed. "Even when I had Ron, I just felt… Alone, I guess. Even when I am surrounded by people all day I feel as a large chunk of something is missing. I guess I never really had a large family. My mum and dad of course and my Aunty. Mum and dad were unfortunately privy to mind alteration that I had to do myself at the height of the war to protect them and my Aunty died not long after. I've never known any other family really. I used to feel content that Harry and Ron were my family, you know? And then slowly Harry went off and married and it left a huge hole in my heart I guess?" She smiled meekly, casting a glance towards him.

"I guess you wouldn't understand the hole Harry left but you get the sentiment I am sure. I saw him less and less until eventually I only saw him when we went to the burrow for holidays and gatherings and then it felt as if we were strangers. It was odd how we could have once been so close and then it was like exchanging pleasantries with a stranger on the street? Conversations were always awkward. Once we were so close and then we were worlds apart. It was around then I realised maybe I had loved Harry in a strange way more than I did Ron. I filled my life with so much to distract me and to take away the focus of that small empty spot in my heart that Harry once filled and it worked for a while. I forgot the loneliness I once felt. Now, Ron has done this, that small hole in my heart is now a gaping wound and I don't know if I will ever recover from it. It's weird. I never thought I would be the type to rely on others for fulfilment but here we are." She swiped feverishly at her cheeks trying to hide the tears that were free-falling down her cheeks at the rate of knots.

"So, you were in love with Harry Potter?" He asked, unsure. Reaching out a single-digit to wipe a stray tear as it slid silently down her white cheek. Tear stains marring flesh.

"I loved Harry. I loved him with my whole heart but I don't think I was in love with him? Like I loved him as someone would love their family and then when we drifted apart it killed me. No one knows that except me and now you." She sighed sadly, resting her head back on the table as if life had defeated her and the truth was, it had.

"The truth was, I liked Harry way more than Ron in certain ways but I don't think I ever thought of Harry as a potential partner or friend. We went through a lot when we went Horcrux hunting and Ron stormed off like the petulant child he is. I think that really cemented the fact how much we needed one another as support rather than romantically. I'm not sure why I chose Ron. I guess he was just there. I was young. We all were. I felt pressure I suppose from the start. The young couple full of hope and love after a devastating war. It was almost like it was expected. When we started dating, Molly was always fussing over me and telling me how much she would love to have me as her second daughter and I felt forced. Like if I didn't marry him, I would be letting her down and I hated not pleasing people at that stage of my life. I guess it's an age thing. When I was younger, I hated to offend and say no, but as I've gotten older, I've learned to say no and rarely care if I offend." She flattened her palms against the cool, smooth wood of the table and pushed herself up so she was not sitting upright again. Swiping madly at her face she tried to push away the tears once again but it was futile. It had been so long since she had talked to anyone like this and gotten the weight off her chest that the tears were inevitable.

She stood up and stretched side to side, hearing her spine pop into place rhythmically. "When I was young, I thought life was so wonderful, you know? Rainbows and puppies and unicorns. Then, as I got older, I thought the ride was a bit wild but nothing I couldn't handle and then from far-left field life runs in, knocks me over and fucks me in the arse sideways." She closed her eyes for a moment, sucking in a jagged breath and staring off into space as if thinking deeply.

"I get where you are coming from, Hermione. I've lost the love of my life and my only child. To have to bury your own wife and son is soul destroying and I didn't think I would ever come back from it. The days were dark and the nights alone darker. There were several times in the years following their deaths that I didn't want to exist anymore. I guess I just wanted to be with them. I couldn't bear the pain of living without them and one day I woke up and the pain was less. It was still there, and I didn't forget them but it lessened. And the day after that and the one after that until one day I woke up and I missed them immensely but the pain had dulled more to an annoyance. I figured they wouldn't want me to live a life of misery and cry over them daily. I get where you are coming from. Your pain is still so raw and so pure and you will try any means possible to fill it even if it means spending your nights with a prick such as myself. You loathed me beyond measure and then welcome me into your home with open arms…And legs I suppose. You were so desperate to feel the touch of another person, to feel the comfort that the closeness could bring that you totally pushed aside every terrible thing I have done to you and pushed it to the back of your mind. You were then even more desperate to fill that void long term and you agreed to bear my child and raise it. You are hurting badly, Hermione. I promise you it does get better in time but it won't happen overnight." He pushed his chair back lightly across the floor and pulled himself up to full height.

"And drinking your feelings away doesn't really work. I've been there and tried that. It numbs the pain intermittently but then you have to face it again the next day." He cast an ominous look at the unopened wine bottle on the table. "Now. Let's get you to bed, you look like death warmed up."

She released a breath she had been holding. Thank Merlin he wasn't expecting sex because if she were honest, there was no way for love nor money she could do that tonight. He guided her towards her bedroom with light fingers brushing the small of her back.

She was so tired; she couldn't even be bothered showering or changing. Instead, she pulled her shirt off and dropped it on the ground and pushed her skirt over her hips leaving her in panties only, she climbed into bed. "Lucius. Please stay the night," she whispered softly, eyes shut already as she started to drift to sleep.

He sighed. Eyes darted to the door and back to the hopelessly lonely woman on the bed begging him to stay and fill that void just for one night. He closed his eyes hard as if trying to make up his mind. He didn't want to head in this direction. They were to sleep together once a day and cut physical ties upon her pregnancy and that was it. He wasn't meant to be emotion support. He wasn't meant to be a shoulder to cry on and he wasn't meant to be filling any voids in anyone's heart.

One night, he reminded himself. Kicking off his shoes and hastily casting away his pants he pulled his shirt over his head rendering him dressed just as scantily as she were. Sliding in behind her he slid one arm beneath her and the other over her hip and pulled her close to him. He noticed she melted against him and her breathing became laboured and she was asleep within minutes.

He lay beside her holding her in the dark. Skin on skin. Her breath soft and sweet. He couldn't help but feel a small pang of sadness deep within his heart. He used to hold Narcissa like this, without a care in the world just watching her sleep.

He shut his eyes still in deep thought. He didn't want Hermione Granger for anything other than to bear him an Heir, but right now, at this exact moment in time he didn't mind being the Band-Aid to the gaping void in her heart. After all, he once too felt hurt like this and could have only wished for companionship that he was currently affording her. He mentally made a note in his mind just as he was drifting off to sleep. One. Night. Only.

A/N: Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read this story thus far. Updates are generally sporadic and have no schedule. Rest assured I will eventually complete this story within a realistic time-frame (as in, you won't be waiting six years for an ending, most of my stories average a year- a year and a half.)

-Aliasmel1