A/N: If you don't like Lex or the Pairing Lex/Methredhel then I assume you know what to do. Otherwise have fun with this little one-shot.

I changed Lex' room a little by the way.

Disclaimer: I don't own Oblivion or any of its characters.

Night Visitors

Methredhel was excited. Today, Isleif the Open-Handed had given her a note that said she was supposed to meet Armand in the garden of Dareloth tonight. He had a contract for her and all she knew was it involved Lex, she had made sure of that, and that made it worth giving it a shot.

She meandered through the small alleys between the shacks and continued her way over the ankle-high, dry grass that crunched under her every step. Good thing she wasn't trying to prevent attracting attention just yet, otherwise she'd clearly have failed.

Soon, she approached a certain Redguard who held a torch in his left hand, illuminating the small area he stood in, which was encircled by low stone walls. Even in this sparse light she could spot the affectionate smile on his lips that grew with every inch she came closer. It made her feel a tad uncomfortable, for she knew that he held a soft spot for her. But she didn't care.

"Methredhel, it is so good to see you.", he greeted her, his voice's fond tone slicing through the silent, pitch black night.

"The pleasure's on my side. Now, what do you have for me?", the Bosmer asked quickly but excited, avoiding further trivial conversation.

"As you may have noticed, Lex has yet again collected taxes from the waterfront people. I'd like you to return those taxes plus the tax records to figure out how many coins we must return to whom."

Mehredhel nodded thoughtfully. "Where are the targets?"

"In Lex' office, most likely somewhere in a desk of his. This won't be easy and I suppose you're in the need of some time to prepare your burglary."

The Elf shook her head determinedly. "All I need are my deft fingers and feet. I'll be done with it even tonight."

Armand nodded understandingly, not trying to fight his friend's ambition. "Be careful.", he replied with a serious frankness. "And shadows hide you."

"Thank you.", she simply responded and turned around to walk off.

She made her way through the great archway, along the harbor, around the lighthouse and into the Temple District where she turned right and headed for the South Watch Tower that the captain slept in on the second floor. Fortunately, Methredhel didn't have to dig through the crowds of guards inside the tower to reach the ladders that led to his room. No, she was an excellent climber and the bricks that were messily set upon each other, leaving deep gashes in-between them, were no serious challenge for the skilled Bosmer.

She tucked the delicate but strong fingers of her right hand about ten inches above her head into the first gash, simultaneously placing her left foot the same height over the ground into another. With her two other limbs she repeated the process a tad higher than the first time, slowly overcoming the distance that separated her curvy, feminine form, coated by the dark of the night, from the medium-sized window leading to her enemy's quarters. She was wearing a dark brown leather armor that didn't ballast her light body too much. The thief peeked through the stained glass and found the captain sleeping in his bed, blanket only pulled up to his waist.

She quickly opened the window with a lock pick and swung herself over the ledge, landing deftly on the ground with a barely audible thud. Before she payed attention to her actual mission, though, she stepped over towards the sleeping figure. He was lying on his left side, face turned to the plain wall and breathing evenly in his sleep. His left hand was placed underneath his head and the other one lay formed into a slightly opened fist next to his stomach on the wrinkled bed sheet. Methredhel stood a few moments, observing the man. He was dressed in a plain, dark green shirt that, in her opinion, wasn't worth to be worn by a man of his caliber. She couldn't see his trousers, though, but hoped they were comfortable. His light brown, shoulder length hair that normally was tied together in a loose pony tail was now freely scattered over his right shoulder and the sheet behind his head. It was slightly tousled which didn't fit to Lex at all, for he always made sure it would be in perfect shape when he left his quarters. He cared a lot about his looks, although Methredhel thought that he would still look stunning after living somewhere in the sewers for a whole month. It were his eyes, however, that fascinated her the most. Those crystal blue eyes that gleamed with passion and determination every time she looked into those glistening diamonds of his. She had found herself being compelled to stare into them some times already, just to blush when Lex caught her doing so. But she couldn't help it. They had a control over her she couldn't fight and most certainly had never experienced before, with anyone.

Methredhel felt her fingers twitch as they required to touch his skin, to feel the warmth beneath them that would emanate from his immaculate face. She wanted to touch his soft, now barely parted, perfectly shaped lips with hers, entangling their tongues together in a moment of flooding sensation and utter peace. But that remained a dream as long as she executed these jobs for which she was here in the first place.

She kept her gaze locked on his still form a little while longer before turning and sneaking towards his desk. She carefully opened one of the drawers and found both the gold and records in it. She chuckled inwardly. Lex was so assessable, she even knew where he would put those taxes without having seen it. Well, maybe it was because she was observing his every move while he patrolled the city. People were already talking but she didn't care. Not if that meant that she wouldn't see Lex as often as she did now. She knew his whole schedule by heart and waited every morning on the same spot to watch him stride out of the tower, clad in his usual glorious, radiant armor, his hazel hair, which shined in the sunlight, perfectly combed backwards and tied together in a small pony tail, determination, youthfulness and zealousness fully present in his vivid, sparkling eyes, ready for a new opportunity to pursue his goal. Methredhel admired that about him. He never gave up and let nothing come in his way. He knew what he wanted and was ambitious to follow his rooted conviction.

In the evening, when he returned to the tower, Methredhel's heart would always ache at the sight of his exhausted expression. The spark in his eyes would be vanished and disappointment would take its place. The worst part about all that was that Methredhel herself was the source of that emotion, for she was the one on the other side of the law, opponent to the man of her affections. But if she stopped now and turned her back on her friends she'd be utterly alone. Lex wasn't in love with her, he wasn't sharing any of the feelings she felt towards him and therefore she wouldn't get what she'd have left the guild for. Then, her life would have been destroyed, by the one man she ever felt attracted to. If only she was more to him than some stain of dirt on his armored boots.

She quickly grabbed the parchment and coins and tucked them into her pocket, noiselessly closing the drawer again. Carefully, she turned around and skulked towards the bed once more.

But Lex didn't look peaceful anymore, as he did a couple seconds ago. In fact, as Methredhel leaned closer over his body like a shadow, she could see that his face was painfully contorted in what looked like anger, disappointment and sorrow. He stirred slightly in his sleep, his muscles tensing. Small droplets of sweat started to form on his forehead while he was mumbling unintelligibly. It appeared that he had an unpleasant dream. Methredhel wanted nothing more than to wrap her arms around him and tell him that everything was going to be okay because she was here and would look out for him, ready to fight everything and everyone that only so much as thought about laying a hand on him.

She stretched out her right arm and gently stroke a strand of hair, that had fallen on his face during the process of wincing, back to place. Her delicate fingertips trailed over his smooth skin and the touch sent a comfortable sensation through her whole body, warming her heart and soul. She kept carefully moving her hand over his cheek, enjoying every moment. He seemed to subtly relax under her touch which filled her body with more joy and made her feel helpful to him.

She hesitantly drew her hand back before slowly lowering her head towards his face, slightly bending her legs and crouching down, after tucking her reddish hair behind her pointed ears. She closed her eyes and gently pressed her lips against his soft skin, causing flashes of thrilling sensation to shoot through her excited form. She remained like that for a couple seconds before reluctantly pulling back, opening her eyes and upholding her head just above his, her warm breath caressing his tense skin, causing his muscles to become a tad more relaxed. Her eyes wandered over his perfect features, from the eyelids that covered the sapphire portals to his soul, down to his smooth, appealing lips. Methredhel bit her own lip while her fingers once again twitched impatiently, waiting for her to give in to the urge to touch his mouth. She gingerly let her hand glide closer to its target and flinched slightly as they reached it, the tip of her index finger stroking along the length of the pink flesh that was his bottom lip which was just as soft as she had expected. His warm, soothing breath now caressed her skin, causing pleasant shudders to run down her spine. Her finger kept following the line and when she reached its end she cautiously lifted the limb away from him, feeling the urge to kiss those lips even more present than ever before. But she decided that she already had gone way too far and should simply drop that temptation. It would, however, stay in the back of her mind for as long as she lived, always hoping for the day to come that her dreams would be fulfilled.

She noiselessly raised her body and stood upright, her gaze never leaving the side that was visible of the young man's face. He seemed more at ease after Methredhel's tender caressing and that caused a smile to form on her lips. When Lex was content, she was, too. She was bound to him somehow, although he could apparently not feel it.

A cool breeze blew through the room, making the Bosmer shiver. Lex, as well, slightly stirred in his sleep again, barely curling up to warm himself. Methredhel bowed over and carefully tugged the blanket up to the captain's shoulders, intentionally letting the back of her hand stroke over his smooth hair once more before she drew her hand back.

The thief let her gaze shift to his lips one last time before she turned to climb back out of the window. She hopped over the ledge again and held on to the sill, glancing back towards her sleeping love.

"Good night, Captain.", she breathed, the air absorbing her whisper into the depths of its darkness.

Methredhel gently closed the window and climbed down the tower, jumping down some inches above the ground and racing off, only leaving the thick cloak of the night behind her.

When she returned to the garden of Dareloth, Armand still stood there, waiting for her, barely having moved.

The younger thief hauled out her loot and handed it over to her superior who accepted it with a smile.

"Were there any incidents?", he inquired.

"No.", Methredhel responded with a bitter smile. "No incidents at all."