This one-shot started out as dueling challenge between Warrose and myself on the DA forum ht tp :/www .darkstorm .co .uk/cmda. The first line was prompted by the forum administrator the rest of it both of us writing the next line. The result was this spin off from my story Mirror Images. Having two writers play off each other definitely had the story take an unexpected turn. This was a lot of fun, War. We need to do it again sometime.

"Holy eyes, I never knew I'd beg down at your feet
Hold on tight I never knew I'd know much more than this
Open sky, the wave of pain the scent of you is bliss
Hungry eyes, they stare at me I know, I know, don't go!"

The Hunger by The Distillers

Tristen turned his head and caught her with his eyes. She froze, locked by the intensity of his stare. His eyes flickered with desire as he hungrily watched the rise and fall of her creamy smooth breasts.

She backed away slowly even though his predatory gaze was making her body literally melt to the point that the cloth of her smallclothes were damp and her nipples hardened in anticipation of his touch.

He began to move towards her - stalking her the way a cheetah hunts his prey. The yearning in her eyes sent shock waves through him and he immediately felt himself harden.

She noticed the sudden bulge that was restrained within his pants and it drew her attention back to the last time it had filled her so completely and thoroughly. The mere reminder caused the dampness between her legs to leak down her thigh.

Tristen noticed her shift uncomfortably and a wicked grin spread across his face. He sprung at her, grabbed her shoulders and pushed her against the wall. He pinned her there with the weight of his body as he pressed his now throbbing arousal against her thigh. He heard a low moan escape from the back of her throat.

Sabrina tried desperately to regain control of herself, she needed to take control of their love making for once. She tried hard to fight the urge to wrap her arms around his neck, and not allow him to take her as he pleased again. No, tonight she would be the one on top calling the shots. She pushed away from him in an attempt to catch him off guard.

But before she could push him away Tristen grabbed her wrist. He brought her hand up to his lips and tantalizingly kissed her palm, then her wrist and then the crook of her arm. He brought her arm up around his neck, he leaned in and whispered, "You know it's a futile effort to resist me. I can feel your body reacting to my touch. You want me...no, you need me." The rush of his warm breath against her skin sent a fire coursing through her veins.

She bit her lip and she knew she was about to break her resolve. He was right; she did need him, she needed him badly. Yet there was something she wanted more, something she wanted from him. "You're right, I do need you. I won't lie about that, but I need you to do something first." She managed to get out the words while she tried to fight off the urge to submit to him, again.

Tristen smiled wickedly at her. Then he pressed into her as his lips sucked at her earlobe and his tongue began to twist and swirl down the side of her neck to her collar bone making her go weak in the knees. He worked his way back up and whispered, "I'm all ears, darling, but I can't make any promises that I will be able to comply to your request." He then pulled the laces of her dress open exposing her supple breasts, his lips immediately claimed her nipple and he roughly sucked on it until a guttural moan tore from her throat.

With all the strength she could muster, she spun them around and pressed him against the wall. She smashed her lips against his and took his lower lip between her teeth and sucked. She could feel him trying to free himself from her desperate hold on him. She released his lip and slowly made her way to his ear, she took the lobe and nibbled on it. "Doesn't it drive you mad? Knowing that Alistair has given me the one thing you haven't? Enduring endless torture so that I may have my pleasure while foregoing his own release?" She whispered seductively into his ear, her voice full of lust and desire.

"Oh, it's endless torture you want," he groaned as he guided her towards the bed while quickly undoing her dress and pushing her down. He lustfully stared at her before he took her foot and starting at her ankle he slowly began kissing his way up her leg to the inside of her thigh. His tongue twirled around the edges of her small clothes before she felt his hot breath against her warm wet center. Through her panties his teeth gazed tantalizingly over her swollen nub, then with her small clothes still on, his mouth closed over her as he sucked on her through the thin material. The sensation was blissful agony and she cried out as pure pleasure set her entire body ablaze.

"That's not what I meant." She managed to say in between the moans of blissful pleasure. There was a small part of her that hated this, hated being dominated. Perhaps her tactic wasn't strong enough this time, or the fact she had been pushing him away for some time and the sudden onslaught was too much for her to fight. Damn his lips and fingers as they brought her over the edge. Damn his whole body, his whole being for that matter. Damn him for being exactly what she always wanted and more. Her resolve finally broke and she tried desperately for him to take more of her.

Her fingers intertwined in his hair as his fingers slid deep inside her and she cried out again as his tongue flicked and sucked her swollen nub. She felt the pleasure race through her as it ignited a fire in her stomach that caused her toes to curl. Just as she was about to slip over the edge the bedroom door flew open. The silhouette of Alistair stood in the doorway. "What the fuck is going on here?"

She let out a cry of pleasure and disappointment as Tristen turned to glare at the intruder. He smiled wickedly at his twin and made no attempt to wipe her juices off of his face. "That's exactly what's going on here, Brother. Fucking, something I'm sure you know something about."

Alistair strolled into the room, right over to the bed. He glared at both of them. "Oh I do, and I know about fucking her better than anyone. So why don't you step aside and I will show how it's done?"

Tristen glared at his brother. He had cast this woman aside for power. Now that she had finally left him and she was in the arms of a better man and he wanted her back? What if that was what she wanted all along, to string him along so she could imagine having Alistair as a better lover?

"Perhaps, but it has been awhile since she's been with you. Maybe she doesn't wish it. That is up for her to decide." He crept up her body and brought his mouth to her ear. "What is it that you want? The endless torture I can give you, or the man that threw you away?"

Sabrina felt her cheeks flare with anger. Anger at Alistair for being such a presumptuous arse and anger at Tristen for putting her on the spot - forcing her to choose between the two of them when he knew she need time to sort this entire thing out. She pushed Tristen away, slid off the bed and grabbed her dress. She pointed at both of them, "Both of you can go fuck yourselves." She spat as she started for the door.

Tristen tried to fight the rage that boiled within his blood towards his brother. Things were going well between him and Sabrina. He wanted to heal the damaged that his bastard of a brother had done to her. As he calmed down, he knew he was wrong for putting her on the spot like that, but he couldn't just step aside and allow Alistair to touch her again. He had just liberated her from that bastard; he wouldn't allow her to be taken from him. Sabrina was his now, the fade take Alistair for thinking he could just slam back into her life. Without a word to his brother, he made his way to the door with a need to make things right between him and her. He wouldn't let Alistair appear to be the better man.

Alistair grabbed Tristen by the arm and pushed him back, "Where the hell do you think you're going?"Without even thinking Tristen drew his fist back and connected a solid punch on Alistair's jaw. His brother stumbled back, "I'm going to repair the damage you've done. Haven't you done enough to her? Haven't you caused her enough pain?" Tristen took a step closer and hissed in his brother's face, "I've seen your dreams Alistair. I know what you are capable of." Shock and then anger flickered across Alistair's face. "You have no idea what I am willing to do to get her back.""You're willing to choke the life out her before you will allow another man to touch her." Alistair stumbled backwards, rocked by the revelation that his brother knew about that night.
"Stay away from her Alistair," Tristen defiantly glared at him, "Or what?"

"I won't let her run away from me like you did. She deserves better, she deserves me." Tristen stated firmly. He had let his anger get the better of him and it caused him to lash out at Alistair. It would serve no purpose for him to beat his brother into a bloody pulp. It wouldn't prove to her that he was better than the man that forced her to stay by his side while he shared his bed with another woman. The very idea disgusted him - lying in a bed with a woman other than Sabrina. Tristen shook his head and strode out the door, hoping to leave Alistair behind.

Tristen raced to her room and knocked on the door, "Brin, please let me in." "Go away and leave me alone," she yelled through the door."Mon Soleil I'm sorry, please hear me out." A moment later he heard the lock click and the door slid open. He could see her dress discarded on the floor. She had covered herself up a satin robe. He looked into her beautiful face. Her cheeks were stained with tears and her eyes were red and pained. He stepped forward, took her hands in his and was relieved when she didn't pull away from his touch. "Brin, I am so sorry. I should have never put you on the spot like that. I allowed my own jealousy and insecurities to cloud my judgment and it caused you pain. The last thing I would ever want to do is to bring more sadness into your life. You have to believe me." Sabrina looked at him with big sad eyes. "This is too much for me to handle all at once. I loved him with all of my heart, more than I loved anyone else in my life. That's why it took me so long to leave. I kept thinking he would take me away from all of this, or I would wake up in camp still trying to end the Blight. Seeing him here, and with you being here, it's just all so confusing that I just don't know what's what anymore or who I am love." Sabrina said softly as she looked into his eyes. A tear streamed down her face and others started to well up in her eyes.

Tristen reached up with both hands to cup her face and wiped the tear away with his thumb. "I understand. I really do. I just want to take away your pain and help ease your troubled mind. Take comfort in me tonight, Brin."She shook her head and started to pull away, but he held on to her. "I'm not asking for anything from you. I just want to hold you through the night, give you comfort and keep you safe. Can I do that, Brin? Can I spend the night with you?"She nodded her compliance. He led her over to the bed and eased her under the covers. She rolled on her side as he curled up behind her. He stroked her hair and cheek until she fell into a deep sleep. He buried his head in her hair and he too eventually drifted off to to the fade with the smell of Highever jasmine inundating his scenes. The sun flooded across the bed and its warm rays caused him to stir. He stretched and reached for her. He opened his eyes to find the bed empty. Lying on the pillow was a letter in her handwriting.

Dear Tristen,
I need time to think and sort all of this out and I can't do that with both you around. I am going to Highever to spend time with Fergus. Please do not follow me and please do not tell Alistair where I have gone.
Brin

Tristen gently ran his fingers over the words of her letter, knowing that it was his actions and not Alistair's that driven her away. He sat up in bed, fighting the tears that wanted to fall from his eyes. He wanted...no, he needed her so badly that he physically ached not to be near her. His life was so mundane without her smell and presence around him that it drove him mad with desire for her. As much as he wanted to go after her, convince her that he was madly in love with her, he would be no better than Alistair. He would let her have some time for as long as he could stand it; even if being away from her now seemed to rip a hole into his very soul. He would hold out for as long as he could before the hunger for her would consume him once again and out of desperation he would run to her so that she could ease the mad craving he had for her.

After all, she was his everything.

Author's notes – I want to thank Jinx for her fantabulous beta skills with this one shot. You rock my dear!