There and Back Again Ch. 085-086

She laughed. "'Twas fine. Putting up with the Orlesian fawning over that hairless bunny-creature was a trial, and the insipid Circle mage insisted on performing every do-gooder task she could find, but compared to being trapped in the Deep Roads with broodmothers, I do not feel I should complain."

I chuckled. "That bad, hey? I hoped...perhaps you might come to appreciate each other a little while we were gone."

She tossed her head, her hair down for once and somewhat wild around her face. "I suppose the mage has some merits; she taught me a new spell. It may prove useful against the darkspawn -- or amusing against Anders, should he bother either of us again." She smirked. "And Leliana did offer me this in return for helping her keep the nug safe as we left Dust Town." She fingered a beautiful golden bracelet on her wrist briefly. I knew it was the closest she'd come to admitting she liked someone.

I admired the bracelet appropriately, and then looked at her speculatively. "Did you need something from me?"

"No, no. I..." she looked uncomfortable, but then steeled herself, drawing up to her full height with a sniff. "I merely meant to tell you I am happy you are back." She paused, looking away and flushing slightly as she realised how that must sound. "Because it means we will be leaving soon, of course. I am tired of this underground city."

"Of course," I murmured, squeezing her hand once, lightly. I knew she meant she was happy to see me safe, though she would never admit to such a mundane feeling. It made me feel warm and fuzzy, though I knew she would be mortified if I made anything of it. I resisted the urge to hug her.

She took her leave awkwardly, and I watched her walk away with a bemused smile.

I slipped into my room to find Alistair pacing impatiently. He looked acutely uncomfortable, and I instinctively wrapped my arms around his waist, tucking my nose into his neck and inhaling deeply. He smelled like soap and man and that smell that was all Alistair, with not even a whiff of the miasma of the Deep Roads, and he felt like sunshine in my veins. I sniffed again appreciatively. Just his scent is making me wet. Maker, it's been too long. He settled his arms around me and rested his head on mine with a sigh.

"I don't like it here," he complained. "After everything...it's too dark, too close..."

"I know. Me too. I think that's why we all ended up in the library last night. Being together keeps the scariness at bay."

"I want to see the sky."

"Yeah, that would be good. At least I get the feel of sunshine on my face; you don't even get that."

He pulled back and grinned at me. "Happy to oblige, ma'am." The Starkhaven accent was back, and his grin turned into a smirk as I moaned softly.

I reached up, grabbing a handful of sandy hair, and dragged him down for a needy, open-mouthed kiss. His arms tightened around me, hands clenching in the fabric of the nighty I still wore; I wriggled against his chest, which felt hot and hard through the thin cloth.

Easing off, he gentled the kiss and softly stroked my back. I sniffed in irritation.

"Alistair?"

"Yes, love?"

"Make me forget?" Forget the Deep Roads and Branka's horrible death gurgle and the broodmother and the fact that very soon, one way or the other, we were going to lose the only father either of us has ever known...I tugged his hair, taking advantage of his gasp to sweep my tongue into his open mouth, enjoying the taste of him, strong and sweet and heady.

He pulled my nighty up, lifting me to wrap my legs around his waist. Pressing me against the wall, he released me with one hand and I felt him fumble with his trousers. I tugged at his tunic, pulling it up over his head while he ditched his pants.

His erection was warm and leaking against my skin. I gasped as he adjusted us and slid into my tight channel, clinging to him and sucking his lower lip with abandon. He stumbled back until he fell onto the bed, still buried deep inside me, and I was suddenly riding him, cowgirl style.

His hands cupped my breasts, kneading and tweaking; breaking the kiss, he pulled me to him and nipped at my neck. "I'm not..." he paused, groaning, as I started to ride him, hard and fast, "I'm not going to last. It's been too long..."

"Me either. Shut up and don't stop," I gasped.

He chuckled darkly, moving his hands from my breasts to my waist, then one of them dipped down further to find my hard, swollen pearl. I picked up the pace, slamming myself down again and again as he massaged it in time. I felt him shudder, knew he was close; I leaned back, pulling away from his hungry mouth, letting his length stretch and press into that delicious spot inside me. He thrust with his hips once, twice, and then on the third, pinched my clit between his fingers; I stiffened and came, writhing and undulating as he emptied himself inside me.

I collapsed down on his chest, panting, and he held me while we recovered. I rolled to one side and snuggled up against him, resting my head on his shoulder, and we held each other and talked and giggled like something out of a romance movie. Before long, he had other ideas, and his hands began to stray as he captured my lips in a soft, loving kiss.

We made love again, this time slow and soft, teasing and touching, drawing it out; when I came, with him buried inside me, pinning my hips to the bed, he gasped my name and came apart, his shallow thrusts prolonging my orgasm until I had to either stop and breathe, or pass out. We fell asleep, then, tangled together, sweaty, and sated.

When I woke, I had no idea how much time had passed, but I was hungry, so that was a good indication that it was probably at least lunchtime. I disentangled myself from Alistair, pulling my nighty on over my now-chilled body, and poked my head out our door, hoping to see someone who had stone sense and could tell me the time. No one was there, but a covered tray sat on a small table outside our door. Mistress Leta strikes again, I assume. I grabbed it and brought it inside.

"Oh, you brought food? Excellent."

I jumped, startled, and then giggled at Alistair's chuckle. "Not I. I'm assuming Mistress Leta. I wonder what time it is?"

"I really wish they had Chantry candles in Orzammar."

"What're Chantry candles?"

"Oh, you know, the ones with hours marked off on them. You can tell what time it is by which mark the candle's burned down to. They have a real name, but I can never remember it." He sat up, swinging his long legs over the side of the bed, and looking around for trousers.

I shook my head, pushing him back to sit against the headboard, still naked. I set the tray beside him and pulled off my own nighty, climbing up to straddle his legs. And then, also naked, with the evidence of his arousal growing between my thighs, I fed both of us, slowly, allowing the anticipation to build, while making small talk, and generally driving Alistair insane. By the time the last bite on the tray had been eaten, and I had meticulously wiped both of our mouths with the napkin, I was desperate. I couldn't even say what I'd eaten; it didn't matter, as his hazel eyes, pupils blown wide with desire, raked over my body. Before I could even respond, he'd lifted me off him, placing me down on the bed, and lowered his face to my core.

He brought me to one orgasm and then another with his questing tongue and dexterous fingers, but instead of sated, I was steadily becoming more and more desperate. I pulled his hair, tried to drag him up so he would take me, but he resisted. Finally, I pulled away and turned over onto my hands and knees, rear end in the air, face on the pillow, and hoped I looked irresistible.

"Please, Alistair." I shuddered in anticipation and arousal, feeling my own juices coat my upper thighs.

His answering growl was feral, and he gripped my hip with one hand, lining himself up with the other, and entered me in one smooth stroke. I clenched the pillow with both hands and wailed my satisfaction as he filled me. I felt one hand on my shoulder, and he pulled me up to press my back against his muscular chest. His hips stilled, but he reached around and tweaked a nipple with his fingers, and I gasped.

"Is this what you wanted, little minx?"

I nodded and writhed in his arms, trying to grind myself against his erection. He circled my waist with his arm, holding me still, and I huffed my objection. He chuckled, his breath gusting past my ear.

"You tease me through that entire meal, make me want you, make me wait, and now you expect to be given what you want?" He flicked my nipple again for emphasis, and I twitched.

I'd have been frightened, if his tone hadn't been smug; I could hear him grinning. Two can play at this game, buddy.

I reached up, draping my arms up behind myself, one hand caressing his neck, the other fisting in his hair, and stretched, making my breasts jut forward proudly; I felt him throb inside me at the sight. And then I pulled out the big guns, and used my internal muscles to massage his hard length rhythmically.

He groaned and his hands gripped me tighter, and then he began thrusting, finally giving me what I wanted. Losing his patience, he picked up the pace, driving into me relentlessly, and I thrust back against him as well as I was able. Releasing his grip around my waist, he stroked a thick finger over my slightly-chafed clit; I squealed and came, twitching and shuddering in his arms, and with a growl he released himself, filling me yet again.

After recovering from our exertions, we lay, sweaty and dishevelled, his head resting on my belly. I stroked his hair, much longer than I was used to -- apparently Leli and the scissors hadn't caught up to him yet -- and he practically purred.

"I suppose we should get up and see what's going on."

"I suppose." I sighed. "Need a bath first, though."

He climbed to his feet and offered me a hand, which I took, groaning under my breath from the sore muscles we hadn't used in a while. He quickly dressed while I hunted for some clean clothes, finding a pair of panties and a linen dress. I took the opportunity while he was distracted to down one of the little bottles of healing potion I kept just for that reason, when I suddenly realised things were too quiet. I looked up to see Alistair watching me, eyes dark, a scowl on his face.

"What's that for?"

I tried for nonchalant. "Nothing." I shrugged.

"You expect me to believe you're taking a healing potion for no reason? Last I heard they weren't addictive, and you haven't been injured in a while..."

"Don't worry about it. I'm fine." I pulled the dress over my head to avoid making eye contact.

"Don't even try it, Sierra. I hurt you." The self-recrimination in his tone was obvious, and I sighed and turned to look at him.

"No, you didn't." I held my hand up to forestall his objection. "I just get...a little chafed, I suppose. I want you, need you -- I swear the taint makes me insatiable -- but it leaves me a little worn out, after. That's not your fault, and from what Zevran says, it's normal and it gets better with regular, ah, performances."

"You talked about this with the assassin?" His tone was irritated, and I sighed. He'd stopped calling Zevran that for the most part.

"No. He just...in Denerim, without me even saying anything, he gave me a potion after. So after a few days of that, I asked. He assures me it's completely normal to be a bit stiff and sore. Especially because of your Grey Warden stamina. And I actually like the feeling, but I don't want Aedan to notice. Because reasons. So I take a small potion just to ease the stiffness a bit."

He turned away, shoulders stiff, tension radiating out every pore. I sighed, and walked up behind him to press my face to his back and wrap my arms around him. After a few minutes, he finally relaxed a little and covered my hands with his own. "Never again," he whispered.

I pulled away. "Never again?" My eyes were wide in horror.

He turned. "Not like that. I'm just never going to hurt you again."

"Alistair, I am not some delicate flower. I'm perfectly capable of telling you if you go too far, or if something hurts."

"I'm not taking the chance. I can...I can be gentler. I will be."

I scowled. "Don't bother. Because if you're going to treat me like some porcelain doll, despite my assurances that I'm fine, then I'm not going to bed with you. You're either with me all the way, like I am with you, or not at all. I thought we were past this condescending bullshit."

I grabbed my toiletries and turned to storm out the door.

"Sierra...wait." He grabbed my arm before I could leave.

I glared down at his hand, then up at his face. He's making puppy dog eyes at me, damn him. "Let go of me."

"Not until you listen. Just for one second."

I pulled my arm out of his grasp. "I'll give you five. Better make it good." I crossed my arms under my breasts, shoulders hunched protectively.

"Look, I'm stronger than you. I don't want to hurt you, especially by accident, but I can't help it when I know you won't tell me."

"I'll tell you when -- if -- it's a problem, I can promise you that."

"And by then it'll have been too late, and I'll already have hurt you."

"Okay, let's just say that it's even possible you'll do something to hurt me eventually. Which I doubt very much, by the way. Is it going to be worse than breaking my leg? How about the Joining -- will it be worse than that? Worse than a smite? I can deal with a little pain, if we somehow get too crazy."

He was still scowling, still upset. I sighed.

"You think you're so much stronger than me?" He nodded, looking confused. "You think strength in your arms is all that matters? Fine." I dropped my bath supplies, instead reaching for my spare armour. I stripped out of my dress and started pulling it on, piece by piece. "I'll make you a deal, then. If you soundly trounce me in a sparring match, you win and you can treat me like a porcelain doll for the rest of our lives. But if I can hold my own -- not win, but make a real fight of it -- then you drop this, right then and there, and I never hear about it again."

"I...if I'm trying not to hurt you, I am certainly not going to fight you, Sierra. Not for real."

"Put up or shut up, Alistair." I fixed him with a grim glare. He cowered back, and I sighed. "Fine, if it worries you, you may name a champion, coward."

"I'm not going to get someone else to try to fight you either!"

"Then I guess when you said 'never again', you really meant it."

"No, I-"

"I'm going to find us somewhere to spar. I expect you, in your armour, in ten minutes." I turned and walked out the door, slamming it behind me.