Disclaimer: I do not own anything Harry Potter related nor do I make any profit from the things I write

AN: Hey guys here is another one shot brought on by my muse being inspired by Lady Antebellum…you need to listen to their song "Cold as Stone" it is what made me come up with this little drabble. Big thanks to my beta waiting4amadmanwithabox with out here I'd be lost….and I will hopefully have a new chapter of In My Darkest Hours up soon, writing this one shot has got my writing juices flowing again! Enjoy!

Cold as Stone

Lucius Malfoy stood before the Dark Lord terrified for the life of his son. The battle of Hogwarts was going on and he was stuck in the Shrieking Shack with a very unhappy Voldemort; the one place he did not want to be. Those who were in a room with an unhappy Dark Lord usually ended up writhing in pain, Lucius still sported a swollen eye and many lacerations on his face from the last time the Dark Lord was upset.

Voldemort looked up from his wand and snapped Lucius out of his musings. "Go fetch Snape." he hissed in his serpentine voice.

"Snape, m-my Lord?" Lucius asked hating how his panic showed in his once rock steady voice.

Voldemort glared at Lucius, before repeating himself like he was speaking to a dim witted child. "Snape. Now. I need him. There is a-service- I require from him. Go." He ordered.

With a quick bow Lucius hurried from the room, his concern for his son pushed to the back of his mind. Once he had exited the Shrieking Shack he ran towards the castle knowing Severus would be in there trying to protect as many students as he could without rousing suspicions. Lucius had known for a while now that Severus was not truly loyal to their master, not that Lucius blamed him, all the ideals that Voldemort had once stood for had faded to madness. At the edge of the battle Lucius stopped and grabbed a wand out of a dead Death Eaters hand, better to go in protected and the poor bastard wouldn't need it any more.

Lucius cast a quick locator spell to figure out in which direction Severus was. As Lucius made his way into the castle he thought about what the Dark Lord could want with his friend. Despite not having Voldemort's trust any longer, Lucius had been at his side continuously for the last few months. He had caught enough of some of the conversations to know that the Dark Lord was in possession of the Elder Wand, Lucius also knew that his master was not the wand's rightful owner. Lucius stopped short, hit with the sudden realization of what the dark lord wanted with Severus.

Lucius ran the rest of the way to the hallway leading to the headmasters office, giving the gargoyle the password; he ran up the spiral stair case and through the oak doors. "Severus!" he gasped in relief when he saw his friend removing memories and placing them into a pensieve.

"Lucius, what's wrong? Is it Draco?" Severus asked concerned as he closed the cabinet doors hiding the pensieve from view.

"No!" Lucius panted catching his breath. "It's you, the Dark Lord wanted me to fetch you, he wants to see you in the Shrieking Shack. You need to leave Severus, escape!" Lucius raved his eyes slightly crazed from worry and fear.

Frowning slightly, Severus walked over to the blonde and rested a hand on his shoulder to calm him. "Luc calm down, what are you so worked up about?" he asked in a soft voice he reserved for his friend.

"Severus, he knows the wand isn't working, you're the one who killed Dumbledore" Lucius said looking into the dark eyes of his best friend, those same eyes that use to pierce his heart and send shocks throughout his body.

Severus stared at the man before him as memories of their youth came back to him; he shook his head as if to push the memories away before letting out a sigh. "He means to kill me." A moment passed in silence, the words Severus spoke seemed to echo around the room. After a few seconds Severus walked over to the desk and pulled out a vial and began removing memories and placing them in the vial one by one.

Lucius watched as Severus methodically placed memories into the vial until he was done and put the stopper in. "Severus why are you still standing here, you need to flee while you can!"

Severus ignored the blonde man as he walked over to where Fawkes was sitting on his perch. "Fawkes, please take this to Harry Potter. I thank you for staying here after Albus's death, I will no longer need your help; you are free." Severus whispered to the magnificent phoenix as he gently tied the vial to Fawkes' leg. Fawkes looked at Severus and let out a short beautiful sound, as if in farewell, before he launched himself into the air and flew from the window. Severus watched as his only true companion from the last few months fly away. Once the phoenix was out of sight Severus turned around with a determined look on his face and walked over to Lucius. "Thank you my friend for warning me ahead of time, if you hadn't I would not have been able to guarantee Potter would have what he needed to win this war."

Lucius frowned; not quite sure about what had just transpired. He quickly decided that it didn't matter. "Now that you have done what you had to, let us find Draco and escape while we can!"

"And what about Narcissa? Would you leave your wife here?" Severus spat the word wife as if it left a sour taste in his mouth, his normally disciplined emotions getting the best of him.

Lucius sighed and took a step closer to the potions master, resting his hand on his forearm. "Severus, you know why I had to marry her, you know the state of our marriage, you know that the only two people in this castle that I care for are you and my son. Please do not let your hurt and anger keep you from saving yourself" Lucius pleaded, moving closer to Severus and placing his other hand on the cheek of the other man.

Severu's body acted on its own and leaned into Lucius's touch "It's been so long since he's touched me like this," he thought wistfully as he felt all the tension in his body melt away. "Lucius, I cannot run away." he whispered, as his eyes fell shut.

"You cannot run, but I cannot lose you Severus! I love you, you know that! It has always been you!" Lucius hissed his fear showing in his eyes.

Severus's eyes snapped open in shock of hearing those words, never before had Lucius said those three small words. Severus knew how the blonde felt and he felt the same, but neither had ever put the feelings into words. In all those years in school when the two were lovers, and up until the day Lucius married Narcissa neither man had ever expressed their feelings in words; they hadn't needed to. Severus frowned about to protest that love wasn't enough to keep him from his death when he felt Lucius's lips press against his. Instinctually Severus kissed the blonde man back, slowly and gently, each move of their lips showing the other man how much he loved him, missed him, longed for him. When the kiss was finally broken for air Severus stepped away from Lucius his face contorted in anger "How dare you wait until the moment before I am about to find peace to do that! I was content knowing that I would not make it through this war! All these years I've watched you with Narcissa and Draco, all these years I made myself not feel anything because of that absurd fidelity clause in your blasted marriage! You have no right to make me feel anything now! I've done what Albus bade me to do, I'm done, I can have peace! How dare you ruin that for me!" Severus shouted, his eyes blazing with all the anger and pain he had felt over the years due to his feelings for Lucius.

Lucius stared at Severus, his stomach dropping with the knowledge that Lucius loving him wasn't enough. Lucius knew Severus had his mind made up, that he was going to go to the Shrieking Shack and meet his death "Severus I can't live without you, you know that! And that fidelity clause; you know my father snuck it into the marriage contract and that I was not aware of it. If Narcissa doesn't survive this battle it won't matter, we will be able to be together!" Lucius said knowing that it wouldn't work and would only infuriate Severus more, but he had to try.

"None of that matters Lucius, I have to protect Draco" Severus muttered tired of fighting with the man.

Lucius frowned and took a step towards Severus; "What does this have to do with Draco?" he asked genuinely confused.

"I was the one who killed Dumbledore." Severus sighed before looking Lucius in the eyes; "But Draco disarmed him Luc."

Lucius stood there feeling as though the floor had dropped out from under his feet, no matter what he was going to lose one of the people he cared about most. He might still lose both, if the Dark Lord figured out that Severus's death didn't gain him the Elder Wands allegiances his next logical move would be Draco. "How can I choose between you and my son?" Lucius asked in a weak voice hardly more than a whisper.

"You don't have to Lucius." Severus said softly as he leaned in and gave the blonde a gentle kiss that lasted mere seconds before he pulled away; "I've taken the choice from you"

Lucius looked up refusing to let the tears that were building up fall, he watched as Severus walked towards the door. "Severus…" he whispered unable to move or say more but praying that Severus knew what he wanted to say "I love you.."

Severus stopped and looked back at the man he had loved most of his life, the unspoken words hung thick in the air. "And I you." Severus said softly before turning around and disappearing out the door and down the stairs.