A/N: Harry Potter universe belongs to JK Rowling, and definately not me.

Close Proximity - 1970

It was mid-afternoon in Wiltshire, and the house was only just beginning to stir. New Years Day was always slow when the Malfoy family held their New Years bash. Every respectable pureblood in the area had been invited, and the alcohol had been flowing freely.

Narcissa had just gotten up. Bella and Andie were still asleep in the bed, so Narcissa jumped at the chance to have first bath. Her head was throbbing from all the champagne she'd drank the night before, and she could think of nothing better than soaking in a hot bath.

She'd filled the bath, stripped and gotten in within two minutes of her entering the bathroom. Her mind started drifting back to the night before, as she soaked in the tub.

Her memory was a bit hazy in parts, but she remembered most of the night. At least, she thought she did.

She'd danced so much last night, and her feet were aching. She had a feeling that Lucius had instructed every boy there to dance with her at least once. She hadn't a spare moment to sit down. She hadn't even a spare moment to get a drink, but somehow she was never without one.

She couldn't remember how many times she danced with Lucius, but she was pretty sure the number was high. At least in comparison to everyone else.

And then she remembered.

They kissed.

They went out into the topiary garden for a walk. Narcissa was feeling a little woozy, and she needed the fresh air. They walked, and walked, and walked. It seemed a little strange that she was trying to walk off the drunkenness, as Lucius had a bottle of champagne in his free hand, but she wasn't complaining. She liked the drunk feeling. Well, she liked it, until she tripped over her own feet. Not only did she fall to the ground, but she took Lucius with her. She ended up lying underneath Lucius. Thankfully, the bottle of champagne was still intact.

They needed to make a rule. There was to be no circumstances where their faces came that close. The inevitable happened. Lucius kissed Narcissa, and she didn't mind, so she kissed him back. They were both drunk, and sometimes these things were just unavoidable. It was the third time that they'd kissed. Sure, the first time didn't really count because it had just been them experimenting, but still. That had to mean something, right?

Narcissa inspected her hands. Yes, they were all wrinkly, which meant it was time for her to get out of the bath. She thought she'd heard the bedroom door open, but then she didn't hear anything else, so she pulled the plug out and stood up, ready to get out of the bath.

It was just then that the bathroom door opened. Narcissa was facing the opposite way, and she just assumed that it was one of her sisters. The gurgle from the water rushing down the drain drowned out most of the noise.

"Ah! That breeze is freezing. Come in and shut the door already!"

She heard the door shut as she reached for a towel. She started wiping herself off as she turned around to see which one of her sisters had walked in. She almost dropped her towel when she saw Lucius standing there. Lucius looked just as stunned as she did.

She wrapped her towel around her quickly, cheeks flaming.

"Lucius. I, ah, I thought you were one of my sisters."

She let out a nervous giggle. It only made Lucius look more uncomfortable than he already was.

"Oh. Well, I just came to, uh, apologise about last night…and the garden."

Narcissa went to step out of the bath, to find that Lucius had appeared there in a flash, and was holding out his hand, to steady her with.

She took his hand, and stepped out of the tub gingerly, onto the mat below.

"Thanks Luch," she whispered, stretching up to kiss Lucius on the cheek. Once she was up there, she couldn't help herself, and it seemed that neither could he. His free hand came down to wrap around her waist and pull her closer, as he lent in to kiss her. Narcissa's free hand curled around his neck, playing with strands of his hair.

Just then, the bathroom door opened again. Lucius and Narcissa broke apart to find Andromeda standing at the door, looking quite like Narcissa and Lucius had looked just a few moments again.

"Uh, sorry, I'll just…go," Andromeda stammered, before shutting the door again. Lucius and Narcissa turned their gaze from the door, back to each other. This was about the time they realised how close they were to each other again.

Narcissa let her hand slip from Lucius' neck.

"We really need to stop doing this," she whispered, stepping away from Lucius.

Lucius nodded, stepping back as well.

"Yes…I'll talk to you when you're, uh, dressed."

Lucius retreated rather quickly after that statement, closing the door quietly behind him. Narcissa couldn't help but burst into peels of laughter.

Once she'd calmed down sufficiently, she left the bathroom in search of clothes. She found her sisters wide awake, still lying in bed, obviously waiting for her to come out.

"Narcissa! What on earth was Lucius doing in the bathroom?!" Bellatrix never had any trouble tackling problems head on. "Mother would be appalled if she knew. You-"

"But she's not going to know," Narcissa cut Bellatrix off, as she dressed herself. "Lucius came to apologise after last night, and he just happened to walk in at an inopportune time. It's not his fault that he walked in on me naked."

"He what!?"

Andromeda's mouth was hanging right open now, and Bellatrix had now been rendered speechless.

Narcissa grinned, now fully clothed, and left the room without another word.

"Narcissa? You can't just leave like that! Narcissa?"