Note: This is a very Jorah/Daenerys-centric fic. The story starts during Season 7 – "Eastwatch" and then more or less follows the rest of the season. I am sure you'll get the hang of it.

Currently the story has more than 15,000 words.

Enjoy and let me know what you think.

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Dragonstone

There was a knock on his door. Jorah had already retired to bed. He quickly wrapped his cloak around himself against the cold and went to the door. He wasn't really surprised to see who was standing in the hallway. After their reunion out on the cliffs they hadn't had a chance to talk, at least not alone.

"May I come in?"

"Of course, Khaleesi."

Daenerys entered and looked around. A fire was burning, but about to go out. Otherwise the room was dark, no candles were lit. "I am sorry, did I wake you?"

"I wasn't asleep yet." It was still early. But it had been a long and strenuous journey. Jorah had made as much distance as possible each day and even during the night whenever the moon and terrain had allowed it. The closer he had gotten to Dragonstone, the less he had slept.

"Are you unwell?" Daenerys asked with obvious concern. She was worried that he hadn't completely recovered yet. Just the thought of it pained her.

"I am completely healed. But I traveled long distances. I didn't sleep very much the last few nights."

"I see." She smiled. "We can talk tomorrow. I will leave so you can get your well-deserved rest."

"No, please." Jorah motioned to the armchairs in front of the fire. "Have a seat."

She looked at him for a moment, contemplating if he meant it or if he was just being polite. He did look tired, but his invitation seemed sincere. Besides, Daenerys didn't want to leave.

Jorah put two more logs onto the fire and sat down in the chair next to her, facing her, waiting for her to say whatever she had to say.

Daenerys put her hand over his. She needed to feel that he was really there. Until now she had not even admitted it to herself, but she had been afraid to never see him again. She hadn't doubted his resourcefulness or his devotion to her. But greyscale was a vicious disease. It was an opponent one couldn't simply kill with a sword. Daenerys hadn't let on that she had missed him. She hadn't even mentioned him once during his absence, not even to Missandei. She didn't have the luxury to dwell on something that was beyond her control. She didn't allow herself to think about anything else than that Jorah would succeed and come back to her. But now that he was back, very deep inside her, the relief she felt shocked her, as did the force with which it hit her.

"I-"

"What brings-" They both started at the same time. Jorah nodded, giving her the opportunity to speak first.

"I missed you," she said and squeezed his hand. "I thought… I feared…"

"I am back. I am fully healed. You don't have to burden yourself with such thoughts anymore." Jorah was moved that she did think of him while he was away.

Daenerys looked into the fire, which had started to burn with renewed strength. "Are these quarters to your liking?"

"Very much, thank you. Much better than my stay at the Citadel."

She looked at him intently. "Tell me about it."

Jorah told her about his time at the Citadel and about how Sam had risked everything to treat him. "He dared try what nobody else was willing to do, even though he wasn't allowed to. He will become a great maester one day."

"He sounds very courageous." She would be forever grateful to this man, a man who had risked so much when others, much more experienced maesters, had refused to even try to heal Jorah. She felt anger rise in her, but refused to let it get the better of her tonight. Daenerys chose to focus on more cheerful aspects of his account instead. "And you seriously told the maester it was the climate that cured you?" she asked amused.

"He didn't believe it. But I had to try."

"I didn't know you had it in you." He was always so serious. "Tell me more about the treatment. Was it painful?" she asked apprehensively.

Jorah stood up and put another log onto the fire. Sparks flew. Sitting back down, he continued. "It was painful. He cut the greyscale off bit by bit and put an ointment on it. I wanted to scream, but I couldn't or the others would have found out. It made me dizzy. At one point I was sure I would pass out. Sam asked me if I wanted a break. But we had to do it all at once. We would not have gotten a second chance." He watched her reaction closely. When she didn't seem to be put off, he went on. "I wasn't sure if I would survive it. I was lucky. If the greyscale had progressed much further, I am not sure the treatment would have been an option."

Daenerys stood up and moved closer to the fire. Once in a while, the fire gave off a crackling sound and produced several sparks.

"Careful."

"The fire can't hurt me."

"But it can burn your dress."

She turned around and smiled at him, remembering the last two times she had walked out of the fire unharmed. He had been there both times. Motioning towards his arm, she said "Show me."

Jorah stood up and took off his cloak. He rolled up his left sleeve and held his arm out to her so that she could inspect it.

Gently she took his hand and studied the scars that covered his lower arm. "Does it hurt?"

"No. Not anymore."

She touched the scars, letting her fingers run over them lightly.

"With the greyscale it was a numb feeling, like it wasn't really my skin. After it was removed, the skin was raw and painful for quite a while. Now it's a combination of new skin, which is still sensitive, but also scar tissue. I doubt the scars will ever disappear completely."

Daenerys' hand had reached his elbow and the scar tissue disappeared beneath his shirt. She noticed the scars that were partly visible beneath his loosely fastened shirt. She gently placed her hand on his chest. She looked up into his eyes. "May I?"

Jorah nodded.

She started undoing the strings that held the upper part of his shirt together.

"It is not a pretty sight," he warned.

She continued unfazed. When she was done she pushed the shirt apart. The scars covered his chest all the way up to his neck. "How far did it spread?"

"Just the left arm, the chest and the back."

"I don't care what it looks like. I am just thankful you are alive." Daenerys pressed a gentle kiss to the scars on his chest. She could hear his intake of breath. Her action had definitely surprised him. She looked up at him with a mischievous smile. "That didn't hurt, did it?"

"No." He smiled back at her, relishing her every touch, but not sure where this was going or what her motive was.

Daenerys looked into his eyes. They were open and unguarded. There was strength and calmness in his eyes. And somehow she found herself there. She could be herself with him. She didn't have to be strong. He was strong for her, whenever she needed him to be. He was always there, building her confidence, supporting her without asking anything in return. She didn't have to put on an act to earn his respect. She had it anyway, because of who she truly was, not because of what she tried to be.

Jorah didn't dare speak. But suddenly, without warning, her smile vanished and her eyes became misty. "Khaleesi?"

She averted her eyes. Seeing his concern for her made her feel even weaker than she already felt. But she decided for once, here with him, she could indulge in it. She rested her forehead against his chest. "I missed you so much," she whispered. "I was afraid I would have to do this without you."

"You have many capable men at your side. Tyrion, Greyworm, Jon Snow."

"Jon Snow has his own agenda."

"I am sure you will win him over," Jorah said with confidence.

She looked at him, seemingly annoyed and her voice emphasized that. "I didn't come here to talk about Jon Snow. Tyrion is already doing more than enough of that."

He smirked at her. "Then what did bring you here?"

Putting her hand behind his neck Daenerys pulled herself up and kissed him. At first, Jorah was caught by surprise but then he eagerly returned her kiss. He expected her to end the kiss any moment, but when she deepened it instead Jorah put his arms around her, pulling her up against him even more. He knew this couldn't go anywhere. But he would enjoy every second of it.

Gradually the kiss became more tender, both of them breathing hard. Jorah loosened his hold on her and he couldn't help but place one more kiss on her forehead. Resting his hands lightly on her hips, he said, "I missed you too, Khaleesi."

"Parting from you after you told me you loved me, not being able to even touch you..." The memory brought tears to her eyes. After Jorah's departure, she barely tolerated Daario's touch. She thought it would take her mind off Jorah. But it only reminded her of what she had lost. "I already lost Drogo…"

Jorah gently stroked her cheek. He had missed touching her too. And that she would compare him to Khal Drogo was unexpected. Did that mean she had feelings for him too?

Slowly but firmly Daenerys pushed him backwards until his legs made contact with the bed and he had to sit down. She stood between his legs and bent down to kiss him again. When she started to push him down on the bed, Jorah stopped her. "My queen, you know my feelings for you. And my absence hasn't changed a thing, on the contrary. But this isn't a wise decision."

Daenerys looked at him annoyed and put her hands on her hips. "Tyrion did talk to you about Jon, didn't he?"

"No. Tyrion told me that you left Daario behind in order to be able to form alliances. And that was a wise decision." Before she could protest, he went on, "I do believe you will sit on the Iron Throne. But you need every advantage you can get."

"And three dragons aren't enough?" she asked sarcastically.

"If you want to rule with fear." He knew fear was only something she resorted to when she had no other choice. "In the East, the cities and the Dothraki were all fighting for themselves. There were no alliances you had to deal with. On their own, they were weak. Here you have to deal with alliances forged over decades, even centuries."

"Alliances that have betrayed each other again and again," Daenerys said with contempt.

"True, houses may change alliances. But you can't rule the Seven Kingdoms without any of them. And Jon Snow would be a powerful ally."

"You are not Daario. You are the rightful head of House Mormont."

"No. My cousin is. And I hear she is doing a fine job. A better job than I could ever do. I had my chance and I made the wrong decisions. I brought shame and disgrace to my house. I am a liability."

"That was a long time ago. You have proven your worth and loyalty many times over."

"You will remember that not quite so long ago I made more errors which forced you to banish me. Twice."

Daenerys didn't like to dwell on those memories. His betrayal had been terribly painful, but only because she had trusted him implicitly. "It's behind us. And we are stronger because of it. Even though you did betray me, I know you would never do it again."

He sighed. "Never."

She could tell he was exhausted. His eyes looked beyond tired by now. She should have been more considerate. Daenerys took his face between her hands and placed a soft kiss on his cheek. "Sleep." She let go of him, sat down in the chair and took off her shoes and then her coat.

"Kahleesi?"

She went back to the bed, standing before him. "I don't want to be alone tonight. I will wake up in the middle of the night and wonder if your return was just a dream. Please don't send me away."

"How could I?"

"Well, so far you've been pretty good at denying me tonight."

Jorah laughed. He couldn't believe it himself.

"I always get what I want," she said and winked at him.

"Or you feed me to your dragons?"

"Maybe." She climbed onto the bed and under the covers, pulling him down next to her.

A bit unsure of what exactly she expected of him, Jorah lay still and waited what she would do. Daenerys made herself comfortable against his chest, using his shoulder as a pillow and placing her arm over his waist. Jorah's eyelids were heavy and no matter how badly he wanted to stay awake and relish every moment with her he had hardly slept at all the last few nights and the lack of sleep was now taking its toll.

Daenerys could tell he tried to stay awake. "Sleep. You are back. Everything else can wait until tomorrow," she said in a soft voice. Only moments later she felt his breathing become more even and his hold on her relaxed. He must have been really exhausted. He had most likely slept out in the cold on his journey back to her. This was probably the first time in weeks he slept in a real bed. And from what he had told her about the Citadel, the accommodations there sounded more like a cell.

Daenerys lay awake for a long time, relishing his arms around her and feeling completely safe with him. She didn't feel like a queen in his arms. She felt normal. It felt somewhat unfamiliar but good. With Daario she had never let down her guard completely. First and foremost she had been his queen and she had consciously upheld the distance her position had created between them, even in the bedroom. With Drogo she had always been expected to show strength as his khaleesi. Vulnerability was despised as weakness by the Dothraki. With Jorah she could just be herself. It was liberating. She watched the light and shadows flicker across the room. When the fire finally died down she also couldn't fight sleep any longer.

She did dream during the night, of him battling the disease, screaming as it was cut from his body. She woke with a start, breathless, wondering if he was dead. But the warm body next to her brought her back to reality. Daenerys forced herself to keep still as not to wake him. But Jorah hadn't even stirred. Carefully she placed her head back on his chest and let his strong heartbeat reassure her and lull her back to sleep.