Alistair
Three months had passed since he crash landed in her living room, and his head was so full he felt it was about to burst. She had taught him everything from how to use the computer on his own, to turning on the microwave. She had taught him all the slang she knew to help him blend in such as 'Broseph, Sweet baby Jesus and calm your tits' the last one always made him laugh, because he never knew that breasts needed calming!
She had told him about the main religion here, Christianity and he decided he kind of liked it. Their God and Jesus were meant to be loving deities who never left the side of their people and cared for all equally. It sounded a hell of a lot better than the Chantry, that's for sure. She even went to work during the week, leaving him alone during the day to do whatever he pleased.
She had ordered him a thing called 'pizza' and had given him the money to pay for it and he took the flat box gladly before closing the door and sitting down on the couch. The pizza smelled wonderful and he figured he could watch some news (brilliant that you find out what's happening so quickly here!) while he ate. He turned on the TV and his stomach dropped, the news reporter was talking about reports of attacks on family homes near Sedro Woolley and Mount Vernon. Men were stabbed and mutilated and the women were taken.
He knew the signs of darkspawn raids when he saw them and he immediately called Serena, "Hello? You're lucky you caught me on my lunch break. Not feeling too lonely I hope."
He could hear her smile through the phone and almost laughed before he remembered why he called, "No, actually you need to come home now. I think the darkspawn have come to this world. I'm watching the news and there have been murders, gruesome murders. Men were killed, and from what the reporter is saying, it also looks as if someone were feeding off their flesh. The Women were taken, just gone without a trace. And I can feel them Serena, I hadn't sensed any darkspawn here since I arrived, but I sense them now. Come home where it's safe, please."
He sat on edge while waiting for her response, after what seemed a lifetime she said, "Ok, I'll get my things and tell them something to get out of work. When I get home we will do more research on this to see if anywhere else has had these attacks. I really hope that you're wrong, but I have the feeling you're not. I'll see you in half an hour. Bye."
She hung up and he heaved a sigh of relief, he certainly hoped he was wrong too, but he knew he wasn't. His Warden senses never failed him, and at that moment, those senses were tingling.
SERENA
She ran out of her work like her hair was on fire, hoping against all hope that this was all just a nightmare. That she'd wake up and there would only be Alistair and no darkspawn. Ah, Alistair. The tension between the two of them was more than she could stand; every hug, every brush of fingers against her skin, the fact that he liked to sleep without a shirt on! She wanted him, and he knew it. He also wanted her too, she felt it in the way he hugged her just a tad bit longer than most would, the way she caught him looking at her body like he were a lion and she the helpless gazelle. Whether it was chivalry, or nervousness she didn't know but he hadn't even kissed her. Three months she'd been living with the hottest man on the planet, had set up his bedroom, taught him all she could about her world and he still didn't even kiss her. "Just my luck! Pffft men!" she exclaimed before getting into her car.
She started to turn the key when a vision stopped her dead. There was blood and fire, she was running for her life, as far as she could go until a female voice called her name. She turned and saw a small figure walk through the flames. When she saw the figures face she gasped, "Sereda! Why are you here?"
The little rogue pulled out her daggers pointing one at Serena, "I will not let you take him from me!" Then she snapped back into reality. She took a second to calm her nerves and make sense of what she saw. Sereda wanted to kill her! How did she end up in our world? So much blood, so much death.
She put her head on the steering wheel and tried to breathe. After several minutes she finally felt alright enough to drive home, thinking of a way to tell Alistair what she saw.
When she walked through the door Alistair immediately drew her into a near crushing hug, "I'm so glad you're safe! I was afraid that something had happened to you."
"I'm…fine...can't...breathe," she choked out, she set her down quickly and gave her a moment to catch her breath, "Alistair I had a vision, they've started again."
He gave her a questioning look, and so she clarified, "There was blood and fire, I was running and running until I heard someone call my name, I turned around and...and Sereda was there. She tried to kill me, said she wasn't going to let me take you from her."
His expression turned from worry to fear, and then longing at the mention of Sereda. It was clear he still wasn't over her, and Serena couldn't fault him for that. They had been through so much together in only a year, and she was his first love. Though it made her heart ache, she knew that he would never truly have that look of longing directed at her.
She walked past him and sat down on her couch, opening her laptop. After a moment he joined her and asked, "So what are we going to do now?"
She put on her best mask of indifference to hide the hurt she was feeling. "I am going to look for any other signs of darkspawn, or anything else that could tell us that the worlds are bleeding together. You are going to polish your armor, chances are we're going to war."
ALISTAIR
Well, this was awkward. Sereda tried to kill Serena over him in a vision that may or may not happen in the near future. To hear Sereda's name after 3 months of being gone stung a bit, he had thought she had moved on, or he hoped she had. His feelings for Serena had been growing from attraction to a deep caring, it wasn't love. Not yet, but he would be lying if he said he didn't imagine what it would be like to kiss her, to feel her soft skin under his hands, to make her writhe beneath him and cry out his name in ecstasy. He took things like this seriously though, and he didn't want to spoil their friendship and trust with a one night tumble. If he was going to lay with her, he wanted to be sure that they each felt the same way. He knew she cared for him, it was written all over her face. Whether she felt as strongly as he did was what he'd been unable to figure out. He tried telling her how he felt before, but he panicked and instead of saying, "I've come to care for you a great deal." It came out, "I like your shirt!" He spent that night kicking himself for not having the guts to tell her how he felt about her.
He went to the closet in his bedroom where his armor sat and began cleaning and polishing his chest plate. She looked so sad when she came home, and he wanted to do something to cheer her up, and find a way to express how he felt. She had gotten him his very own laptop as a way to keep him entertained and he dropped his armor and picked it up, after searching through the songs she had downloaded for him he'd finally found the perfect way to do both.
SERENA
"Hey See! Could you close your eyes for a bit, I want you to hear something but it needs your eyes closed so you can really listen."
Alistair had his laptop tucked under his arm, and he looked quite nervous. "Is everything ok?" she asked, eyeing the laptop sceptically.
He ran his hand through his hair. "Yes, everything is fine. It's just...I have something to say to you, and whenever I try I mess it up, so I was hoping this could do the talking for me. So please just close your eyes and listen."
She smiled and closed her eyes, the anticipation of what he was about to show her building in her stomach. After a few clicks a song played and she listened carefully:
Gimme your, gimme your attention, baby.
Gotta tell you a little something about yourself.
You're wonderful, flawless, oh you a sexy lady, but you walk around here like you wanna be someone else.
Oh, woah. I know that you don't know it but your fine so fine
Oh woah. Oh girl I'm gonna show you when you're mine all mine.
Treasure. That is what you are.
Honey you're my golden star.
I know you can make my wish come true, if you let me treasure you.
If you let me treasure you.
Pretty girl, pretty girl you should be smiling. A girl like you should never look so blue.
You're everything I see in my dreams.
I wouldn't say that to you if it wasn't true.
Oh woah, I know that you don't know it but you're fine so fine.
Oh woah I know I'm gonna show you when you're mine all mine.
Treasure, that is what you are.
Honey, you're my golden star.
I know you can make my wish come true, if you let me treasure you.
Oh if you let me treasure you.
By the time the song was over she had tears in her eyes, she opened them to look at a hopeful Alistair with a nervous smile on his face. Without a second thought she leapt onto him, her lips crashing into his with all the emotions she's been trying to hold back since he crashed into her life. She wrapped her legs around his waist as one of his hands moved to her back to support her, the other tangled into her hair.
All the pent up affection and frustration pouring into that one glorious kiss. Her skin felt as if it was on fire, and she didn't care in the slightest if she got burned. She pulled away, gasping for breath, only to kiss him again between pants.
"You sweet, sexy, clever, amazing man," she whispered into his ear, voice thick with desire.
"So I take it you like the song?" He chuckled before kissing her forehead.
She nodded before reality came back to slap her for being a wishful thinker. "What about Sereda? I know I look like her, but I'm not. I'm not her, and I won't be her replacement."
He carried her over to the couch and sat her down, cleared his throat. "I am not looking for a replacement, or a one night roll in the hay for the sake of fun. I want you, you Serena Elizabeth McAllister. I want your light, and your laughter, your smile. I want you, if you'll have me. If we do this though, we take things slowly. Or as slowly as we can whilst living in the same place. I don't want to rush; I want to show you that you deserve to be loved, to be treasured. Will you let me treasure you?"
She had thought about that for a moment. Was she really getting this sweet, caring and gorgeous man all for her own? No lookalike exes to stand in the way? Pfft why was she weighing pros and cons when she could be kissing those sweet lips?
"Of course," she said while climbing into his lap, "yes, yes I will." She claimed his lips again, slowly this time. Taking every moment possible to savor that tingling feeling that this wonderful man caused.
He ran his tongue across her lower lip and she gasped, allowing him to slide his tongue inside to explore her mouth. Her tongue danced with his and when she gently nipped at the tip of his tongue; a delicious groan escaped his chest and he fisted his hands into her hair. When they came up for air the only thing they both managed to say was 'Wow'.
He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her in for another kiss when the apartment started to shake. Alistair quickly moved in front of Serena to protect her but then with a deep roar, black smoke appeared before them and a figure began materializing.
"Well, well. Much as I expected. I only knew it was a matter of time. Destiny and all that." The figure stepped out of the smoke and both Alistair and Serena looked at each other then to the figure. They both spoke at the same time, surprise and anger laces the word, "Flemeth."
Authors note: The song Alistair plays for Serena is 'Treasure' by Bruno Mars. I chose it because it wasn't a purely lovey dovey song, and it fits Alistair's train of thought. Many thanks to Enchantm3nt for being my beta! She rocks!