~ Daenerys ~

7x07 Dragonstone Council Meeting

Dany's heart was pounding as she made her way back to the castle, excited to have confirmation that Jon felt the same way. All right, so their conversation had hardly been a wild declaration of love but it had been enough for her to understand that they'd both been holding back due to some feeling of duty and propriety and really very little else. And she had almost convinced herself that there was no real reason to stop this relationship from moving forwards now, even if Jon hadn't yet quite reached the same conclusion.

It wasn't easy staying focused during the small council meeting, especially when Jon proposed she sailed and rode with him to Winterfell instead of flying north on Drogon. Ordinarily she might not have thought much about it but, after their conversation on the cliff top and the way he looked at her once she had agreed to his suggestion, she wondered if he might be changing his mind about taking their relationship further too.

"I do hope you're not letting your feelings get in the way of sound tactical decisions," Tyrion said when the others had all left the room.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" she asked.

Her Hand shook his head. "You know exactly what it means and I think it's especially interesting that Jon Snow has only now thought to discuss the idea, despite our talking about it on the ship on the way up here."

"And is keeping his own counsel on such a matter especially out of character for him?" she asked slyly.

Tryion gave the smallest smile. "No but, all the same, I'm not sure either of you is the best influence on the other."

"Really?"

"He's a distraction, certainly."

That second bit might be true, although Dany was fairly certain Jon had been a good influence on her and it hadn't escaped her attention that his confidence seemed to have grown since being in her company. She still couldn't quite work out why Tyrion was fighting this. After all, he'd been the one to suggest a marriage alliance before they had even left Essos and yet had been remarkably quiet on the subject ever since.

Marriage?

She swallowed hard at the thought, walking out into the empty throne room and wondering if it was too late to try to catch up with Jon. The castle was bustling now, armies making preparations to head to the Kingsroad the following day, whilst her ship was being readied for the easier trip north to White Harbor and, although she did cross paths with Jon a few times that evening as they both scurried to make sure everything was ready, she was quite unable to get him alone.

"A word, if I may, my lord," she said formally when it was obvious that she was not going to be able to talk with him any other way and he nodded, following her wordlessly, whilst Dany wondered if it would be too bold to simply invite him back to her room tonight. In the end the pair ended up walking the maze of corridors until they reached the unoccupied parts of the castle and soon Jon's hand was back in hers as they continued their silent tour.

Some time later they were facing each other in a doorway, halfway up a spiral staircase, with both her hands captured in his and her heart along with it. She was now desperate for him to kiss her but he made no move forward, looking nervous and uncertain, even as she lifted her head towards him, their lips now so close she could feel his breath on her.

"Jon ... please," she begged and then, finally, he closed the remaining space between them, their lips touched and Dany melted.

It started as an exceptionally gentle kiss - numerous tentative touches, followed by a few more in quick succession - until their lips began to press together more fervently. They maintained the small distance between them, hands clasped between their bodies with fingers caressing fingers whilst lips tasted lips and Daenerys was both desperate for more whilst simultaneously not wanting this wonderful kiss to end. In her mind's eye she imagined Jon pressing her up against the stone doorway and taking her hard there, or her riding him on the dusty floor until he shouted her name but, despite these daydreams, she made no move to deepen the kiss or push herself forward.

In fact, this tender and loving kiss was making her re-evaluate all that a man and woman could share although she wasn't sure why that should surprise her. After all, before today, the simple memory of Jon's hand in hers had turned her on far more than recollections of the various sexual acts she'd engaged in across the Narrow Sea, so it seemed inevitable that this kiss would feel like the best she'd ever tasted.

When he finally, gently pulled away, her lips chased his desperately, causing her to stagger forward and he held her upper arms gently to steady her, smiling gently at her.

"I'm sorry but … there are still a few things to organise for tomorrow and ..." His eyes appeared black in the gloom, desire sparking violently across them. He licked his lips. "… and tomorrow morning we'll need to be up early and ..."

She nodded, knowing he was correct and that now was still not the right time. "Hopefully this will be easier once we're on the ship and with far less to discuss and organise?" she suggested.

His lips twitched. "Hopefully. I would like to spend more time with you."

It was such a simple, innocent sentence but his words sent a tremor through Dany's body. "As would I," she managed to reply.

~ Jon ~

The Journey to White Harbor

Sleep was slow coming that night. Jon tossed and turned, the memory of his kiss with Daenerys haunting him as he replayed her actions and their few, precious words and tried to convince himself that he had not imagined their intent. When she was in front of him, when her hand was in his or his lips against hers, he somehow knew that she wanted him as much as he needed her but now, all alone in this cabin, the doubt returned along with all the reasons why falling in love with the queen was a very bad idea.

Well, it was too late for that now. He had fallen - hard - and there was no going back as far as his own emotions were concerned. But should he really follow through?

It felt as if he'd only just fallen asleep when he was being roughly shaken awake. Davos was surprised to have to wake him as Jon was normally one of the first to rise and he apologised to the man, promising he'd be along soon and then dressing just as quickly as he was able. The castle was already busy as Jon made his way to grab a little food before setting out, keen to supervise the shipment of the Dragonglass and those weapons they'd already managed to forge. He crossed paths with Daenerys a few times that morning but both did their best to feign indifference. They needed their wits about them today.

Once the army had departed, it was back into the castle to make preparations for their own journey north and Jon was relieved that he was travelling light and had Davos to help gather all that was needed. He was now struggling on far too little sleep and was pleased when he was finally installed back in his cabin on the ship, refusing the offer of a shared meal in order to catch up with a little of his sleep.

He had only intended to dose for an hour or so but awoke to darkness and realised it was already early evening. He got up, still dressed in shirt and leather jerkin and walked to the galley to find some food before headed up on deck to look around and use his keen eyesight to get his bearings. Leaning on the railings in that way inevitably brought his thoughts back to Daenerys and he sighed, the memory of her lips on his teasing him again as numerous thoughts chased around his head.

'Perhaps we both deserve a little something for ourselves?'

Her words sounded so clearly in his head that, for a moment, Jon was convinced she was standing by his side. When he turned his head to find himself alone, he realised the decision had already been made and he spun around resolutely, marching down the stairs and towards the queen's cabin with no further thought.

It was only when he was outside of the door, staring at the dragon sigil carved onto its wood that he paused, doubts briefly returning. Then he raised his hand and knocked three times, shaking his head slightly as he did so. 'Too late now.'

The door opened and Daenerys stood before him; a picture as always. Her lips parted ever so slightly but her face showed neither annoyance or surprise on seeing him there. Jon really wanted to say something - explain himself - but no words came to mind and she didn't speak either, simply pushing the door wider; a silent invitation to enter. Still Jon's mind refused to quieten as explanations, excuses and 'what ifs' crowded his head but the way she was looking at him confirmed his earlier thought and he knew she would not be turning him away tonight. So, he closed the door and faced her, his heart hammering in his chest as he tried to work out why it was quite so difficult to formulate words around her?

They gazed at each other for several long moments and it was ultimately Dany who edged forwards, taking his hands in hers and lifting her head in much the same way as she had on that stairwell. Her breath on his lips was intoxicating, the kiss when it began, feather light and teasing, but then, finally, the spell was broken and their reserve crumbled. Dany threw her arms around his neck and Jon instantly wrapped his around her waist, pulling her close as the kiss turned passionate and hungry. The feel of her body against his sparked his desire further and he turned towards the door, pushing her up against it and pressing himself against her. She gasped, breaking the kiss briefly in order to gulp in some much needed air, before raising her right leg up against his hip and very deliberately grinding against him. Jon was stunned by the move but quickly took advantage, placing a hand underneath her thigh to raise her leg even higher and find a far better angle.

She groaned loudly, her fingers pulled ineffectively at the buckles at his shoulders.

"Off ..." was all she was able to mumble and they moved apart slightly, wrestling with the various frustrating layers which separated them.

It was taking far too long to undress but neither seemed able to move apart for long; their need for each other's lips apparently insatiable. Jon wanted to admire Dany's body as it was slowly revealed to him but, at the same time, was reluctant to have his torso scrutinised and his scars distract them from the task at hand. As such, it was a good excuse to remain close, pulling apart only as far as was absolutely necessary to remove an item before pushing her back against the door and repeating the move numerous times until there were no clothes left separating them.

This strange urge to constantly kiss her lips was also preventing Jon from exploring other parts of her body. He wanted to suckle at her breasts and kiss her between her legs but that would mean moving away from her skin and her lips, and he just couldn't bear the thought of such cruel separation. So he continued to kiss her lips whilst his hands did the exploring instead, knowing he wouldn't be able to resist making love to her for very much longer, and determined to make sure she wasn't left behind.

Not that there seemed to be any chance of that - the lightest touch of his finger between her legs causing her body to shudder violently - as she again lifted her leg high up on his hip, encouraging him to enter her here whilst they were still pressed up against the door.

"Bed ..." he mumbled, pulling away from her with great reluctance.

"Spoilsport," she retorted, moving back to kiss him as they made their slow, drunk journey across the cabin, still apparently unable to separate their lips for any signficant length of time. Finally they both fell onto the bed, Jon on his back whilst Dany scrambled half on top of him and his hands grabbed at her head, needing to taste her again. It was a gentle push and pull for a while, her hands on his stomach and waist sending sparks of fire across his body whilst she straddled his left leg, rutting against it. He had daydreamed about all the different ways he might make love to her for weeks now, but all his careful plans had disappeared now he had her in his arms. She was fire made flesh, Jon decided and, right now he was perfectly content to burn.

He had flipped her over and pushed himself deep inside her in two easy strokes before he'd fully realised it. The delightful surprise of the sensation caused him to pause, giving his body a chance to calm and his mind some time to fully come to terms with how quickly everything was happening.

Jon had finally managed to find the strength to separate his lips from hers and now all he could do was gaze at goddess below him, drowning as deeply into her soul as he was in her body. And her returning look was more than he could have hoped for; desire, surprise and, dare he say, love? His hand caressed her face and he took a couple of deep, shuddering breaths as he allowed his head to catch up with his body. Then, finally, the desperate need for her lips returned and he dropped back down to taste her once again.

~ Daenerys ~

Daenerys had learnt a long time ago how to take control of her sexual encounters, quickly discovering what she wanted from her relationships and how to ensure she always had the upper hand. But then Jon Snow had come along and forced her to re-evaluate everything.

Not that he was anything other than a gentle and generous lover but, still, she had been stunned at how easily this quiet and guarded man had managed to dictate their first encounter and even more shocked at how easily she had acquiesced.

As he rolled on top of her and she opened herself to him, Dany struggled to recall ever being in this position before; having either ridden or been ridden in most of her previous encounters. But it had to be this way for them, she realised, bodies and lips and souls merged with absolutely no space between them. As Jon pulled back to gaze at her, she was both shocked by the cruel departure of his lips from hers and fascinated by the pure love she saw within his gaze. And then he was kissing her again, gently rolling inside of her, as if the idea of drawing out too far was painful for him. He turned her slightly then and she was surprised to think he may want to separate them, even for a moment, but he was only changing the angle very slightly, testing how close she was and moving a hand between them to help push her over the edge.

She had never felt anything like this; the merging of two bodies, the intimacy, the perfect unison in which they moved. As her climax approached Dany felt the need to throw her head back and cry out but Jon was having none of it, gently encouraging her to face him until they were nose to nose, their shallow thrusts becoming faster and more desperate.

"Look at me," he gasped and she did so, drowning in his dark eyes as her whole body surrendered to him.

"Jon." She waited until the very last moment before uttering his name and, as tears stung her eyes, she knew that there was now no going back. For better or worse their fate was sealed and, if they had made the wrong decision here tonight, then the realm could be lost forever.

"Mine," he gasped as he joined her, speaking so quietly that she thought for a moment she'd imagined it. "She is mine," Jon then said a little louder and she gasped at the implication of his words.

"And I am his," she replied burying her head in his neck, both of them breathing heavily as they came down from their shared high.

They stayed in that position for some time before Jon lifted his head a little, still on top of her. "Are you all right?" he asked. "Am I hurting you?"

He was starting to feel a little heavy but Dany shook her head, wrapping both legs around his hips and shifting her weight in order to feel more comfortable. "I don't want you to move," she declared, pushing with her heels to keep him inside of her. "Not ever."

He laughed, and his closeness caused all sorts of interesting sensations to ripple through her. "Could be a bit awkward going about our daily routine in this position?"

She giggled in return, pressing gentle kisses against his neck and enjoying his reaction to her lips. "Stay here tonight. Sleep with me."

"You're expecting me to sleep after that?"

"Are you telling me I didn't tire you out?" she asked. "I'll have to do better next time."

"Dany ..."

She lifted her head and he claimed her lips again, kissing her deeply. Eventually, reluctantly, Jon rolled off her and pulled her towards him in one easy movement, still needing her close. She sighed happily, nestling against his shoulder whilst her fingers tentatively caressed the area around his largest scar. He placed his free hand on top of hers, preventing further exploration and kissing the top of her head.

"I take it back," he murmured. "I shall sleep well tonight."

"I might let you," she teased. "Or I might demand a second ride."

He chuckled slightly but she could tell from his breathing that he was falling asleep already.

"I love you." His voice was so quiet and sleepy that she wondered if he'd even realised he'd said it out loud.

She sighed as she closed her eyes, trying to remember if she had ever felt this safe and happy in her life before. She fell asleep with a smile on her face.

'Jon Snow is in love with me,' she declared.

~o~0~o~