This chapter is set after Cullen and the Inquisitor's first kiss. Please read and review!

Marie shivered as she leaned on the battlements, looking out over the snowy mountains surrounding Skyhold. The nightgown and robe she had worn were not exactly the warmest items, but she had been too lazy to change. Marie had gotten back to Skyhold that evening, returning after 2 weeks in the Western Approach. The Champion of Kirkwall and Alistair Theirin, a Grey Warden, had asked Marie to meet them there to address concerns with the calling that all Grey Wardens were hearing. What they discovered had been far worse than they'd realized. Corypheus had manipulated the Grey Wardens and was using a Tevinter Magister to trick them into becoming his army.

Marie sighed and ran a hand through her long, blonde hair. Every part of her body ached. She had hoped the hot bath would loosen her muscles, but it hadn't. She had likely sprained her ankle when she dodged that damn demon. Unable to sleep, Marie had opted to take a walk on the battlements. She had also hoped to bump into Cullen. She bit her lip gently as she remembered the last time she stood here. Cullen had kissed her, really kissed her. She could remember the way he gripped her waist, pulling her close. How his lips, warm and insistent, pressed into hers. The soft sighs he made as their kissing intensified. After Cullen had apologized for kissing her, they'd made out uninterrupted for about 5 minutes. She had replayed those 5 minutes in her head over and over again over the last 2 weeks.

The sound of a door opening interrupted her thoughts and she spun around to see who it was. Cullen strode through the door, the heels of his hands pressed into his forehead before he tugged on his hair. Marie sighed. Lyrium withdrawal. Cullen had told her just before she left that he'd stopped taking lyrium. Marie had been scared for him, but Cullen was determined and she admired that. He was going through something so painful, so dangerous, to free himself from his past. She did not know the details of his past, but being free from this addiction was important to him. Cullen dropped his hands and immediately paused, a flash of surprise crossing his pained features.

"Inquis... Marie," he corrected himself. He attempted to hide his pain, by Marie could see how tense he was. Or, was he tense because of her?

"Hi," was all that Marie would muster at the moment. She was so unsure of his sudden change. They hadn't spoken much since the kiss, but she had left the next morning for the Western Approach. Maybe he'd changed his mind, decided that being with a mage was wrong. They stood in silence for a moment, neither one sure of what to say or do. Marie felt the sudden urge to say something, anything to break this silence. "I couldn't sleep."

"Me either," Cullen replied, his jaw tensing up. Marie looked over his features, trying to assess why he was so tense. Beads of sweat were dotting the sides of Cullen's forehead. Clearly he was not feeling well.

"Are... are you feeling well?" Marie's voice was soft and low, hoping that Cullen would open up to her. Any time anyone had asked how he'd felt, he would reply with a short remark and cut off the conversation.

"No," Cullen sighed, letting his shoulders slump and rubbing the back of his neck roughly. Hesitantly, Marie stepped closer to Cullen. His golden eyes gazed into her lavender ones, his eyes revealing the severity of his pain.

"Fever? Headache?" Marie probed.

"Both," Cullen barely breathed out, his quiet voice sounding slightly strangled.

"May I?" Marie asked, lifting her right hand towards his forehead and waiting. She knew healing magic, and she knew exactly what would alleviate some of his discomfort. Marie felt that Cullen's decision would decide if their kiss was more than just a kiss. He'd said he trusted her and this would test if he really did. The few seconds he took to decide seemed like an eternity to Marie.

"Please," he whispered, closing his eyes. Marie felt her heart flutter and a pull in her stomach. He trusted her. Marie's hand glowed a soft white as she gently pressed her hand to his forehead, staving off his fever and diminishing the pain of his migraine. After a few seconds, she lowered her hand from his forehead to his cheek and Cullen sighed, placing his gloved hand over hers on his cheek. His eyes slowly opened, the pain that was etched in them moments before nearly gone. "Thank you."

"I can't cast this spell all the time, otherwise you'll become immune to it, but when it's really bad..." she trailed off, getting lost in the warmth of his golden gaze. They stood there in silence for a moment and Marie took the opportunity to memorize the features of Cullen's handsome face. Since it was late, his stubble had grown in, highlighting his strong jawline. Her gaze followed his jaw up to his lips, heat pooling low in her belly as she took in his lips; the scar above his upper lip making her ache with desire. When her eyes met with Cullen's again, she saw that he was taking her in with the same intensity and desire in his expression.

"I'm glad you made it back safely," he softly stated, breaking the silence.

"Me too." Marie was unsure of what to do. She wanted nothing more than to kiss Cullen, but she was afraid to make the first move. His reluctance with trusting mages was hindering her confidence in his feelings for her. She watched as his gaze drifted down her face and to her chest. The robe was hanging open and her nightgown fit her breasts tightly, showing a fair amount of cleavage. Cullen swallowed, his adam's apple bobbing as he did. Her cheeks flushed under his gaze and she shivered.

"Cold?" Cullen asked, removing his cloak and not waiting for her answer. Marie simply smiled as he pulled his cloak around her shoulders, pulling her close and wrapping his arms around her mid-back. Marie gazed up into his eyes, the palms of her hands resting gently on his chest. Cullen sighed contently before leaning down and pressing a soft kiss to Marie's lips. Tender and warm, Marie melted into Cullen, parting her lips as his tongue teased them open. His hand splayed across her lower back, gently pressing her close to him. One of Marie's hands slid up Cullen's chest and into the hair at the nape of his neck, pulling gently as she gripped him tighter. A quiet groan escaped Cullen's mouth as his kisses became more insistent. Marie could tell that he had missed her, just as she had missed him.

After a minute, Cullen slowly broke the kiss, nearly panting with desire. Resting his forehead against Marie's, he let a small smile spread across his lips. Marie opened her eyes and looked up into his golden ones. Part of her desperately wanted to ask him up to her room so that he could take her in her bed, but part of her hesitated, not wanting to rush whatever this was. Whatever this thing between her and Cullen was, it was definitely good. She wasn't willing to risk it.

"How's your headache?" Marie wanted to change the subject, mainly so that she wouldn't be tempted to ask him up.

"Tolerable," Cullen replied. Marie frowned at that. She had hoped that his headache hadn't been that bad and that the fever had made it worse. Knowing that Cullen was in pain most of the time was incredibly upsetting for Marie. It was something that she couldn't fix permanently.

"You should get some rest," Marie suggested, knowing that Cullen struggled with sleep. He sighed as he looked out over the mountains, still holding her close.

"Would it be too much to say I've missed your company?" Cullen asked her honestly. In the moonlight she almost missed the flush of red spreading across his cheeks.

"No, because I've missed yours, too," Marie admitted. Cullen smiled and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. "Shall we take a walk?"

"Lead the way, my lady."