A/N: Hey guys, this is my first journey into the Warhammer Series. I wrote a few stories with my OC and my boyfriend's OC out of boredom while having writer's block with some of my other stories and they were just sitting there collecting dust, so I figured I'd post the first one and if anyone likes them, I'll post the next installation and maybe write a little more of a back story for Alyssia and go into more detail with things I barely glossed over in these stories. This hasn't been edited by anyone other than myself, so feel free to correct any mistakes in spelling or grammar.

Disclaimer: I do not own Warhammer or the related themes, nor do I own Lanius Xarves.

~Starto~

Alyssia Drake, a small woman with short auburn hair, walked down a dark alleyway she frequently took on her way home from work at the large factory where she spent countless hours, day after day, seaming together armor to be worn by members of the Adepta Sororitas. As she went, she passed by a large man, drunk no doubt, who was leaning against the rough brick wall of a building. His head lulled to the side, blonde hair falling into his face as he moved his gaze to follow her, wolf whistling as he did.

She paid no mind to him, being used to this kind of thing. She was a rather attractive lady. Many a man had tried to court her, to no avail. She had the perfect man in mind already, not specifically, but a rough estimate of what she'd like to have and refused to settle for any less, even though she was very well aware it condemned her to die alone as she would never have a chance with such a man. This little lady was holding out for a big, strong Space Marine to come along and sweep her off her feet.

Suddenly, she was pulled out of her thoughts by a pair of arms wrapping far too tightly around her waist. The blonde man who whistled at her apparently didn't take too kindly to being ignored. He swung her around and slammed her against the wall. She gave a short scream, only to be cut off by his mouth crushing against hers in a harsh, aggressive kiss.

The man began tugging at her clothing, nearly ripping her shirt in two. She tried to struggle against him, but his hold on her was far stronger than she was, his large frame keeping her smaller one pinned firmly to the building behind her. His hands started wondering down her body, pawing at her soft curves against her will. She screamed again, clawing at his arms. He forced her into another kiss, this one much deeper as he used her scream to intrude her mouth with his tongue to explore inside. She bit down hard enough to draw blood, receiving a fierce blow to the face as payment. Tears welled up in her eyes as she stilled all movement, resigning herself to her fate.

He went to join their lips again, but was torn away from her and flung across the alleyway where he hit the opposite wall hard enough to crack it as a portion of it crumbled under the weight of the blow. He fell to the concrete below, unconscious, blood dripping from the back of his now cracked skull; it was possible he was dead. Alyssia looked at him from her place on the cold stone where she collapsed upon being released before turning her gaze upwards to see who had saved her. Standing with his back to her, eyes glaring at the man he'd most likely just killed, was a huge man in the red and blue armor of a Librarian of the Crimson Fists Chapter of the Adeptus Astartes. A Space Marine had come to her rescue.

She stared at him, breathlessly as her turned to face her, reaching his hand out to her. She took it and was pulled to her feet so fast she stumbled, causing him to wrap his arms around her on instinct to keep her in a standing position. He looked her over, inspecting her quickly bruising face, the bleeding scrape across her right cheek, and the claw marks left from her attacker's nails when he ripped her shirt open.

"Are you okay, m' lady? You're not breathing. How badly hurt are you?" he asked in a softer voice than she'd imagined a Space Marine having. His eyes dark eyes were full of concern as he gripped her shoulders. "Do you feel faint?"

"You saved me," she answered when she finally regained her composure. "Why would you waste the effort on somebody like me?"

"Why shouldn't I? Protecting those in need is part of my job," he tilted her head upwards so he could continue evaluating the cut on her face, trying to determine if she's need stitches. "You got a name, miss?"

"It's Alyssia Drake," she blushed slightly at his touch making him smirk broadly at her. "May I know yours?"

"Epistolary Lanius Xarves, but just Lanius will do," he takes a small step backwards, looking down at her. "You should come back to my room so I can patch you up. You don't look so good at all." Without waiting for her to respond to him, he hoisted her into his arms like a princess and carries her away, taking care to make sure he was holding her in a way that both concealed her body that was revealed by her tattered blouse and ensured he wouldn't crush her.

Before long, he kicked open the door to the hotel room he was staying in while on planet. He walked in; kicking the door shut as he went and laid her tenderly on his bed before bounding into the bathroom to grab his first aid kit, returning to her and setting to work. She watched him closely as he worked. After a moment, she spoke again.

"What made you come to my rescue?" she had wanted to ask him since she calmed down from her attack and the shock of his appearance.

"I heard your screams and thought I'd go investigate, you know, to make sure no one's being hurt. When I saw that guy forcing himself on you, I just snapped a bit. Nothing pisses me off quite as much as a man disrespecting a woman," he shrugged slightly as he stood, walking over to the dresser in the corner and pulling out a large tee shirt and offering it to her. "Here, take this. It'll be big on you, but you're welcome to it so you can cover up. I'll be in the next room, getting out of this armor if you need me."

She took the shirt, a little shyly, watching as he turned and left her there. She changed out of the ruined shirt she'd been wearing, his shirt hanging off her small body as if it were a night gown. She grabbed her bag she'd been carrying with her and rummaged inside it, pulling out a measure of ribbon and tying it around her waist, making the shirt look more natural on her, so it now looked like an actual dress on her. She took off the jeans she had on, folding them and putting them in her bag before sitting back down on the bed. In the next room, she could hear his armor clanking as he removed it. She blushed at the thought of him undressing. She had to admit, he was extremely attractive, not to mention being a Space Marine. He was exactly the kind of man she'd always dreamed of being with.

A few moments later, he knocked on the door, calling out to her. "Is it safe to come back in?"

She giggled slightly before calling back. "Yes, you can come back."

He opened the door and slipped into the room, moving over to her, smiling as she saw her in his shirt. "You have a way of making things work out for you," he observed. "You're welcome to stay here for the night if you'd like."

She nodded. "I'd appreciate it, Lanius; I'm too shaken up to want to go back out there."

"Completely understandable after what you've been through tonight," he sat down next to her, his muscular arms wrapping around her protectively. "I'll keep you safe, Alyssia. I promise."

She leaned into his grasp, smiling widely. "Thank you."

~End~

A/N: There you have it! I hope you all enjoyed this little bit of fluff and I hope I didn't mess up too much. If anyone wants to educate me more on the Warhammer realm, go ahead, but be patient with me, yeah? I'm still very new to the series.

Until Next Time. Stay Cool!

~TheFlurryofMelodiousFlames