What About the Fire Pit?

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the Elder scroll series, I simply like to play around with the characters a bit. :) Jenna is mine, Vilkas... Not so much, oh but how I wish!

"Can I keep her?"

"... What?"

"Lucia; Can I keep her?"

"By Ysmir, Jenna! She is not some stray mutt!"

"I know that Vilkas!... So can I keep her?"

Vilkas rubbed his face with exasperation slightly smearing his face paint. "I'm not even sure what we are talking about here woman. What do you mean, 'can you keep her'?"

"You know; adopt her maybe? She is sleeping behind the Bannered Mare and is taking survival advice from Brenuin. I just thought it would be nice, it could be fun having a kid around."

Jenna looked uncharacteristically nervous about the whole thing, uncertain if Vilkas even liked children. This however had been weighing on her for some time now, it wasn't until today that she realized just how bad Lucia really had it. Sure, she had always seen the girl by the Gildegreen asking for gold, but she had never really thought anything of it. That all changed this morning while taking a much needed walk around Whiterun. Seeing the little girl curled up in a ball behind the inn had broken her heart, Lucia's tiny form was shivering, as winter was just around the corner. That was all it took and Jenna knew she wanted the girl; snuggled in a bed, dressed in clean clothes, and stomach full of food. She had never really considered children before, never thought she would live long enough to have them, let alone take one in. Then again, she never really saw herself as the marrying type either, that was until she met Vilkas of course.

Vilkas looked at her, or glared, she could rarely ever tell when he had his war paint on.

"She is the orphan that wanders around the town?" He asked.

Jenna nodded, so Vilkas questioned further "Why wasn't she taken to Riften?"

At this Jenna snorted, "Oh yes, why wasn't she taken to that sorry excuse of an orphanage? Have you seen that place? It's disgusting! Not only that, but it's Riften, do you really think that is the best place for a child?"

"For how often you go over there, I would have assumed that you yourself enjoyed it love."

Jenna scowled at him, daring him to bring up her other occupation. Vilkas cleared his throat and shifted a bit.

"Why do you want to take her in so much, and where would we put her? This isn't exactly a place for children. Where would she sleep? With the whelps?"

"This place seemed just fine for you and Farkas to grow up in. Look at the two of you; strong, handsome men of honor, you are." Jenna purred, batting her eyelashes at him.

At that Vilkas simply rolled his eyes and stared up at the ceiling. She did have a point, he had Farkas had managed to do just fine being raised in Jorrvaskr. They were strong capable warriors now, any child would benefit from the training here. But he couldn't help but look at all of the sharp pointy objects that hung on the walls, he thought of the fire pit upstairs, some one so small could fall right into it! Then there were the whelps, who insisted on sparring every five minutes, what if then accidentally trampled on the child or hit them by mistake? His mind was going over all of the dangers that dwelt within the halls of Jorrvaskr and began to question how on Nirn he and Farkas had survived living here at all? Let alone a little girl!

"Jenna, love, this place is no place for a young girl, its not really the safest environment."

She glared at him, "What about out there in the cold, with an old drunk as her companion? Is that a safe environment?"

"No it is not, but think clearly woman. When would you even have the time to care for her? Between your work here as well as abroad, how would you see to her needs?"

Jenna cursed, she knew he had a point and she hated it. But if there was one thing that Jenna Bad-Wolf was, it was a fighter. She was not giving this up.

"Then why don't we take her on as a whelp?"

"What?!" Vilkas stared at her as though she had just sprouted a dragon's head from her neck.

"You heard me. What if instead of adopting her, we train her as a companion?"

"By Ysmir woman! Have you taken leave of your senses?!" He was up and pacing now, "We are talking about a little girl here, not some sell-sword off the road! How do you even know she would have the ability to even lift a sword, let alone want to? For all you know she loathes violence all together!"

Jenna watched him pace, he looked like a caged animal, why was this such a big deal? There was something she was missing here.

"Why are you so against this Vilkas? What has you so worked up?"

Vilkas stopped. He looked to her and opened his mouth and then stopped again. Why was he so against this? He thought back to the dangers, but that really wasn't a problem was it? He thought about a little girl holding a sword... His mind froze, it wasn't the little girl with brown hair he had seen wandering Whiterun in his mind's eye. He could see a wee one with light pinkish braids holding a wooden sword, stubborn silver eyes glaring at a practice dummy. Jenna smiling softly, watching from the steps, as Vilkas himself helped the girl from behind swing the weapon properly. That was the little girl he wanted here in Jorrvaskr, that's why he was so against this, she wouldn't be his, and if there would be a child, he wanted it to be their pup. Vilkas snapped his eyes back to Jenna, who was staring up at him curiously. How could he tell her?

"Jenna..."

"Yes?"

"...I- That is..."

"What is it?"

"S-she wouldn't be ours..."

Jenna looked at him shocked, "What?" she whispered.

Vilkas took a breath, "She wouldn't be ours love. Even if we took her in, even if she called us 'Ma' and 'Pa', she wouldn't be ours. Not really."

She went to protest, but he kept going.

"She wouldn't have come from our love, she wouldn't have been birthed from your womb. She would not have nursed from your breast, or taken her first steps in our arms." Vilkas' eyes showed so much heat in that moment, it made Jenna shiver as he continued.

"She wouldn't have your hair, your nose, your smile. She wouldn't have my eyes, she wouldn't have all the things that would come from us. She wouldn't and could never be ours."

He had walked over to her, knelt at her feet and held her hands in his. She was trembling, tears welled up in her eyes. He had said theirs, he wanted a babe with her, of their own. Jenna had no idea what to say, she hadn't even thought about that, about why Lucia would have affected her so. But the image that Vilkas had now planted in her mind was overwhelming.

They sat like that for awhile, staring into each others eyes. Everything else in the world disappeared, in that moment it was the two of them and the image of a little light-haired silver eyed child that would come from their union.

Jenna broke the silence first, her voice husky from the emotions she was feeling. "Y-you, you would want me to bare your child?"

He smiled softly, "Aye."

She smiled back, her heart feeling as though it was going to burst.

"I would love that as well Vilkas, to give you a child," She frowned then, "But what about what you said? About my adventuring? You were right, I'm always on the go-"

He kissed her, silencing her. She hummed and he growled before he pulled away.

"Would you really not take a step back for awhile and let the world run itself so that we could have a family together?"

Jenna shook her head, still reeling from the kiss, only to be taken in by another one. This time she moaned. Vilkas' hand reached up and cupped the side of her neck, deepening the kiss. After a few breathless moments he pulled away again, Jenna leaning forward to keep their lips connected caused him to give a throaty chuckle, which in turn caused Jenna to shiver.

As Vilkas leaned back in, only to lower to her neck, Jenna purred eyes closing in pleasure. She tried to push past the haze he was drowning her in, to continue the conversation, but she was beginning to forget what they were even talking about.

"W-what about *gasp* what about Lu-Lucia?" By this time, Jenna was practically a puddle as Vilkas' other hand was now traveling along her waist pulling her forward in the chair towards him.

Vilkas growled again and he nipped her just below her ear causing her to gasp out, he pulled her out of the chair and into his lap. With that all thoughts were completely abandon. Anyone who passed by their door knew from the sounds coming from within, it was not a good time to bother the Harbinger or her mate.

It was several hours later that the two lovers finally pulled away from each other, laying in a heap on their bed, hair clinging to their foreheads from sweat. They were breathing heavily, but both had grins that would put a jester to shame.

Jenna giggled breathlessly, "You know, that has to be the best distraction I have ever had."

Vilkas grunted in return, knowing she was no longer distracted.

She rolled over to face him, wiping the sweat from his head. He looked delicious laying there, but they still had things to discuss.

"Now" She started, Vilkas groaned, "I for one am pleased that you want children and more than happy to give them, with what just happened several times it's safe to say we may have gotten a head start on that." They both chuckled.

"There is still the matter of Lucia. You are right, she would not be ours, but she is still out there on the street, cold, tired and alone. I can't just leave her like that."

Vilkas frowned, still breathing a bit heavily, thinking of what they could do without taking her in themselves when a thought struck him. Didn't he see a flier earlier that day?... Yes!

Very casually, Vilkas rolled over taking his wife into his arms, pulling her to him and whispered, "I believe that the War Maiden is looking for an apprentice, do you think that little Lucia would be up for the task? Or that you might convince Adrianne that she would be a fast learner?"

Jenna stopped breathing for a second and then began to laugh, "Oh love!" She kissed his head and then leapt up out of the bed, throwing on clothes over her sweat covered skin.

Vilkas sat up watching her struggle with a day dress. He chuckled as she managed to get it on catching the back so that her hind quarters were still hanging out, which she didn't seems to notice. Vilkas got up as she about made it to the door, grabbing her around the waist and kissing her gently on a mark her left on her neck. She wiggled but he held her there still chuckling.

"What's so funny? Let me go! I've got a war maiden to bribe!"

Vilkas chuckled again and then whispered very lovingly into her ear, "Aye, by all means my love, but I would prefer it if you bribed her with gold rather than your naked arse." With that he smacked her butt and sauntered back to the bed laughing loudly now.

Jenna blushed then scowled at him, quickly adjusting the back of her dress.

"You just wait until I get back, and then we'll see whose arse will be hanging out for all to see! But for right now, there is a little girl who is about to get off the street!" With that she practically skipped out of the room.

Vilkas laid back still chuckling, he covered his face with his arm and smiled. Soon there would indeed be a little one running around Jorrvaskr, and she would be as beautiful as her mother.

"Now how can I block off the fire pit so that they can't crawl right into the flames?" Were his last thoughts as he drifted off into sleep.

He would have exactly nine months to figure it out...