Morrigan scoffed and threw aside the book she had been trying to read. Her heart was not in it and thus she was unable to concentrate on her research. Her link with Aedan, normally delegated to the back of her mind while he was off in the west, was blazing in her head as she felt him draw closer. He was still days away, and despite herself she found that she was anxiously awaiting his return.

Did he succeed in his quest? Was the question most at the forefront of her mind. Morrigan found that she was truly nervous about the outcome. Many times she had tried to convince herself that she would be okay if he did not return, or if he had failed in his quest. But deep in her heart she knew that not to be the case.

She would have to tell him about the Well of Sorrows, about Flemeth, about the Old God Soul. If nothing else he would be overjoyed to know that Kieran was free of the Urthemiel's soul. He never said anything, but Morrigan knew that he felt guilty about every nightmare that Kieran suffered under the Old God's influence. There were times that he looked at his son and she knew a small part of him wished he was a normal child. But that part was impossibly small, if nothing else Morrigan had never known that anyone could be so proud of their offspring. Once she had thought that children were not worth the time and effort they demanded. But if her own experiences bearing and giving birth to Kieran had not changed her mind on the matter, seeing the love in Aedan's eyes the first time he beheld his son, and every time after that, made the tribulations worth it.

—-

He was within a day's journey of Skyhold. He had stopped moving for the night and should be arriving tomorrow. Morrigan had not told anyone besides Kieran, wishing to keep the knowledge as their family's little secret for now. She would let Leliana know tomorrow morning, so the Spymaster could prepare properly for her Aedan's arrival.

Her lover's presence was now a bright beacon in her mind. As she lay in bed it seemed as if his nearby presence filled her with with warmth, and if she closed her eyes she could almost imagine that he was laying there next to her. But when she would reach out to him she find the other side of the bed cold and empty.

Morrigan groaned. She did not consider herself a needy woman, but knowing that he was so near and yet not right next to her was driving her mad.

This is what I was afraid of all those years ago, she thought. Even when he is not here he drives me mad!

Ah, but what sweet madness it was. Her entire world had been flipped since meeting Aedan in the Cocari wilds more than ten years ago. In all their time together he had remained a passionate and proficient lover, and their sex life would be the envy of all if they only knew. And yet it was not his lovemaking that she missed, as mad as the thought seemed to her even now. His presence alone was what she craved, and all the little quirks that made him the man she loved.

But most importantly she missed how Kieran's eyes would light up, how he would smile, when showing his father a new spell he had learned, or sharing a new bit of knowledge. She missed watching as Aedan taught Kieran how to properly wield a sword—a skill Morrigan found unimportant, but it brought Aedan so much joy to teach his skills to his son.

She missed how Aedan would smile at his son, and then at Morrigan, who would find herself unable to keep the flush from her cheeks upon seeing the pure gratitude towards her for the family she had given him.

Family. It had never meant anything to her, having grown up just with her mother. She knew that to Aedan it meant everything, and he would use the word whenever he could. While she herself still had trouble wrapping her mind around the concept.

"After I come back," he had said before leaving upon his quest. "We should take Kieran and introduce him to Fergus."

"Why?" Morrigan had asked. "What would be the purpose. Kieran has us, he has no need for anyone else."

"I just," Aedan had tried to and failed to cover the flash of hurt in his eyes upon Morrigan's response. "I thought Kieran should meet his uncle. And Fergus has the right to meet his nephew."

Morrigan was skeptical, but where once she would have pressed her argument she relented. "I do not see the purpose," she said. "But if it is important to you, then I see no reason not to."

She supposed, Corypheus was no longer a threat, and the only reason Morrigan still resided at Skyhold was to make it easier for Aedan to find her and Kieran. She could go to meet him, but better to stay put and let him come to them, since he knew exactly where they were.

With a sigh Morrigan rolled onto her side, closed her eyes and tried her very best to imagine that his arms were wrapping around her as she drifted off to sleep.

—-

He was almost at the gate now, she could sense through their connection, but she remained seating in the garden. Morrigan refused to go rushing into his arms like some desperate woman. She ached to feel him, but there was no reason to let him, or anyone else in Skyhold, know that.

We are neither of us so weak we would die of loneliness, Morrigan had said and she intended to stick to her statement. And for the years he had been gone that statement had been true, but the stronger their connection became as he traveled closer to her, suddenly years worth of loneliness and want came crashing down on her. She had a reputation to maintain, that much was true; but more than anything she knew that she could not be trusted to control herself once she saw him. She half thought to wait for him in her room, but she knew then there would be no stopping it. So better the garden, where there were enough eyes on them to keep from ravishing him where he stood, but not so many eyes that she would embarrass herself should her control slip just a little.

Her foot twitched, shaking the pages of the book she was failing to read. Surely by now he was already in the castle. So what was keeping him?

He should be greeting Kieran now, her son had no problems with whether anyone knew how much he loved his father, and so he was waiting at the gates for Aedan to arrive. Morrigan wondered how many were thinking of her as a heartless woman for not being there. Better they thought that than knowing the truth. She knew precisely what people thought of her, and that impression of her was far too valuable to throw away, no matter how badly she wished to throw herself in Aedan's arms for all to see.

Open displays of lust were one thing, but what she truly feared was to allow anyone else to see her very real affection for the man she had more and more begun to consider as her husband.

The book was set aside. He should be greeting the Inquisitor now, most likely holding Kieran in his arms while doing so. He would hug Leliana in greeting—Morrigan's eye twitched at that thought—and make polite conversation with the others. He would not wonder where Morrigan was, he knew her far to well to expect her to come running into his arms. Just as she knew that he would never let her hear the end of it were she to do so.

He was delaying, she knew he was! So, it was to be a game then? She remained seated on her bench, the wood was hard and becoming more uncomfortable, but she resisted the urge to stand.

Perhaps Kieran was leading him to the small suite the Inquisitor had given them for the duration of their stay. Aedan would undoubtedly be wearing his armor, he would want to remove it first, before coming to see her.

Morrigan hissed and stood. She rushed to the doorway leading out of the gardens. They had not seen each other in years, and he was taking his sweet time to…

The wall of metal appeared out of nowhere. It took Morrigan a moment to realize, as she steadied herself that it was no wall, rather she had run into a man wearing a suit of armor. Grey Warden armor she noted.

"Missed me so much you couldn't wait to throw yourself into my arms I see," Aedan said as he wrapped his broad arms around her slender waist.

"Not so," said Morrigan, ignoring the warmth building in her chest as she looked up at his handsome features. His hair and beard were longer, that would need to be remedied, and his normally pale skin was tanned from over-exposure to the sun. She reached up to feel his face, to be certain he was real. "I had merely forgotten a piece of necessary research in my rooms. I was in a hurry to retrieve it." Her words belied the smile she could not resist forming on her face.

He was grinning as they fell into their comfortable banter. "But you did miss me?" His hands, freed from their gauntlets, were running across her back and sides, remembering familiar textures. She leaned into his embrace with a contented sigh.

"I missed parts of you," she said.

Aedan laughed. "Only parts?"

"Most of them," Morrigan said. "Well, all of them actually."

Kieran giggled, oblivious to the deeper meaning of his parents' remarks, but enjoying the loving familiarity they so easily found themselves in. Morrigan tousled his hair as he stood next to his father. She looked up at Aedan.

"Did you bring me anything?" She asked in her most winsome tone, that she knew drove Aedan crazy.

Aedan smirked, reaching up to cup her face in both hands, leaning in for a kiss. It was deep, intense, and full of years of longing. Morrigan felt her knees give way, she reached up to steady herself against his armor. She pulled herself together, matching Aedan's intensity, saying with her passion what she could not speak out loud.

Finally they parted. Aedan's eyes were a storm of longing, love, lust, and joy, matching what she knew must be in her own eyes.

"That was nice," she said. "But I was hoping for something shinier."

Barking out a laugh Aedan tightened his arms around her. "I've missed you so much, woman," he said, his voice thick with emotion. Morrigan leaned against his chest.

"I missed you too," she whispered. He did not react, but she knew he heard her. "I love you."

His mouth was by her ear. "I love you too," he whispered. Then he straightened up, releasing Morrigan from his embrace. With Kieran in one arm and Morrigan in the other he smiled. "We have a lot to talk about," he said.

"Yes," Morrigan said, with a pang of guilt as she thought of the Well of Sorrows. "But perhaps someplace more…private."

Aedan nodded. "Good idea."

"I can show you to our rooms, father!" Kieran said, enthusiastically taking the lead. The two followed their son out of the courtyard, while the boy told Aedan everything that had happened since he had left.