Amaranthine

"You know…" Sigrun took a large bite from her chocolate muffin, chewed and swallowed and then gave Megan a happy grin. "I'm still not fully convinced you're doing the right thing, but I am definitely glad to have you back here with us."

"It's good to be back." Deliberately ignoring the first part of her friend's statement, Megan stretched her legs and reached for her coffee. "I have to admit I hadn't expected to find this place still open."

The Smuggler's Cove had been their favourite café when they were still at school, and it hadn't changed a bit since then. There were a few new drinks on the menu, such as the green chai latte Sigrun had ordered (It's better than decaf, hon.), but the vaguely pirate-y décor was still the same, and the tables were just as crowded as six years ago. Megan smiled indulgently at a bunch of giggling schoolgirls at the adjacent table. Gosh, I feel old.

"This is Amaranthine, not Denerim or Val Royeaux." Sigrun shrugged. "Things don't change as quickly around here."

Megan nodded. It was weird to be back in her hometown, to be quite honest. Weird to see her parents once a week for dinner, weird to run into her old teachers while shopping in town. And while she appreciated reconnecting with her friends, some small part of her missed the adventures she used to have.

"Are you bored here?" Maker, Sigrun still knew her too well. Megan had been so sure none of her thoughts had shown on her face.

She shook her head, putting on her most determined expression. "Nope. I'm good. Besides…" She smiled, as a thought occurred to her. "I can always sneak off to Orlais or Antiva for a week or so." Plane tickets weren't too expensive, after all, and there were plenty of good friends who'd be willing to put her up for a few nights.

"Lucky you." Sigrun sighed, envy written clearly on her face. "I can't see us travelling anywhere. At least not for the foreseeable future."

She sounded so dejected that Megan felt a flash of worry. "What about you then? Any regrets?"

Megan knew Sigrun's life had changed drastically with the birth of her twins a few months ago. But she'd always assumed her friend was happy with her choices.

Sigrun snorted. "Wrong question. I don't regret having kids. You can't love your kids and regret that they exist at the same time. But sometimes…" She hesitated, searching for the right words. "It's just hard sometimes, you know. When you haven't had any sleep for a week and they won't stop crying, and you start to wonder whether you'll ever have a normal life again. Thorin is a big help, but-" She broke off. "Sorry. I'll stop whining now. You probably don't want to hear about this."

"Hey, it's okay." Megan took her hand and squeezed it hard. "That's what friends are for, right? And for what it's worth, I'll gladly babysit them for you now and then."

"Careful." Sigrun's tone was dry. "I might just take you up on the offer, and then what will you do?"

"I'm serious." Megan was a little offended. "Just give me a call when you need me. It will be fun."

She meant it, too. Megan liked kids well enough, as long as she could hand them back to their parents in the evening. And she knew how to handle babies, too. She had spent lots of time watching Kieran for Morrigan, and before that, she'd often taken care of her nephew, Oren.

Sigrun looked at her searchingly for a moment, still with a wary twist to her mouth, but then she relaxed visibly. "Sorry. I shouldn't have assumed-"

"Hey, it's okay." Megan had never been one to hold a grudge. "Look, I'll freely admit that having kids is not on my agenda, at least not yet. Maker knows, I've got enough on my plate without adding a baby to the mix."

"True. I bet the guys keep you busy." Sigrun grinned widely, and for a moment, it was just like old times. But she quickly grew serious again. "Meg… Are you really sure it's going to work out better this time? With you and Nate and Carver, I mean?"

"Why shouldn't it?" Megan felt her irritation return. Sigrun had always been supportive of her more unconventional life choices, and it wasn't like her to be so stuffy. Had she really changed so much? "It's different. We're not kids anymore."

"True, but…" Sigrun clearly didn't know when to leave a topic well alone. "If I remember correctly, you told me about a hundred times that you didn't want that kind of complication in your life anymore." She painted tiny air quotes between them with her hand. "'Too messy', in your own words."

"Yeah, well…" Megan did her best to hide her growing annoyance. "I've changed my mind, I guess."

"Hey, don't be mad." Sigrun raised a hand in a pacifying gesture. "I'm just saying there were reasons why it didn't work back then. But if you're really sure…" She trailed off, an expectant expression on her cute little face.

And suddenly Megan realized what Sigrun was doing. She wasn't trying to talk Megan out of it. She was playing devil's advocate to figure out how serious Megan was.

"Don't worry." On impulse, she embraced her friend, hugging her tightly. "I know what I'm doing. And I love my boys, I really do." Just then, her phone alarm beeped insistently, reminding her that she had to be on her way. "Look, I'm sorry, but I have to go." Quickly, she reached for her bag. "I'll see you on Saturday, right?"


"Great party." Anders' smile was genuine, if a little wistful. Raising his wine glass, he met Nate's eyes without flinching. "Here's to a happy future for the three of you!"

"Thank you." Nate smiled back, then let his gaze wander all around the room.

Everyone seemed to be having a good time at their housewarming party. Sigrun was happily chatting with Carver. Thorin had offered to take care of the twins at home and she was enjoying her free evening to the fullest. A few people were dancing already, while the majority were still busy sampling the delicacies from the buffet. Megan's parents had insisted on footing the caterer's bill, overjoyed to finally have their daughter close to home again, even if they were having a hard time adjusting to her domestic arrangements.

"Don't worry, guys. Dad will come around." After their first dinner with Megan's parents – a stiff, uncomfortable affair with lots of sighing on her mother's part and lots of dark looks on her father's – Megan had been undaunted. "He simply can't stay mad at me for more than a few weeks. Just you wait. And my mom will do whatever he says."

She'd been right, of course. The Couslands were far too fond of their little girl to keep up their disapproving stance.

Nate's own mother hadn't been a problem either. "As long as you're happy." She'd embraced him tightly. "That's all that matters."

And his father had actually seemed impressed, though not in a good way. Nate was still trying to get over the phone call he'd received from Rendon Howe last week. "The Cousland girl, eh? Well, at least you have half of her attention. Better than nothing, I guess."

Ignoring his protests, Rendon had then proceeded to invite him and Megan to their house, provided Carver stayed away. Nate had politely declined the invitation, but he was still fuming inside at the memory.

Anders' low whistle tore him out of his thoughts. "Andraste at the stake, who is that?" His gaze was firmly fixed on the doorway, where a man had just appeared. "Who is he, Nate?"

Nate just barely resisted the temptation to roll his eyes. "That's Zevran. He's one of Meg's friends."

Megan had insisted on inviting Zevran, much to Nate's dismay. He still had a hard time keeping his jealousy in check where the Antivan was concerned.

"Hmmm." Anders cocked his head thoughtfully. "A friend or a friend?"

"Both, to be honest." Nate sighed. "Not anymore, obviously," he hastened to add, when he saw Anders' eyebrows fly up.

"Yeah, well. I guessed as much." Anders' tone was dry, but he looked disappointed. "Well, it can't be helped. Just my luck."

"Don't give up hope just yet." Nate elbowed him lightly in the ribs. "From what Meg said, he's open to all kinds of fun."

"Really?" Anders visibly perked up at his words. "Think you could introduce me?" He laughed breathlessly. "Maker, he is gorgeous!"

"Sure." Nate smiled to himself as they made their way across the room and he caught Anders sneak a quick glance at the mirror to make sure he looked good. Anders tended to be a bit cocky, and that little flash of insecurity was really rather endearing.

Not that there was a reason for him to worry. Anders was looking good these days, still tall and lanky, with slim hips and long, gangly limbs, but happy and healthy and at peace with himself. His light brown eyes were full of warmth and humor and his smile was as sweet as ever. It was obvious that he was thriving in his chosen career as a junior physician at the local hospital, for all he was complaining about long hours and lack of sleep. And he probably had a number of willing lovers lined up at any given time. Nothing serious so far, but hey, they were all still young.

Zevran greeted them with a wide, cat-like smile, and he and Anders hit it off right away. By the time Nate had organized a drink for Zevran, they were already deep in conversation, and Nate decided to leave them alone. Anders' face was flushed with excitement, and Zevran's posture was unmistakably flirty. They'll be fine.

He found Megan, who immediately dragged him off to the dance floor, and they spent a very agreeable hour dancing cheek to cheek to some soft, sensual music until Carver hijacked the CD player and the loud beats of his favourite band chased them off. By midnight, the party was still going strong, and it was almost three o'clock when the last guests said their goodbyes.

"Damn, I'm knackered." Megan leaned back against the door with a deep sigh. Her face was flushed with happiness, though. "But where's Zev?"

The plan had been for Zevran to spend the night on their couch before heading to Val Royeaux in the morning, where he had a photo shoot lined up. But much to Nate's relief, things had turned out differently.

"He left with Anders." Nate didn't bother to hide his satisfied smirk. "They got along really well."

"Did they, now?" Judging from Carver's smug grin, he wasn't unhappy about the development either.

"Oh." Megan chewed her lower lip for a moment, but then clearly decided that she didn't mind. "Well, good for them. Hope they have fun."

"Lots of cleaning up to do." Carver tilted his head toward the living room, where half-empty plates and glasses cluttered every available surface.

"Yeah, well. Not tonight." With a huge yawn, Megan headed for the master bedroom. "I need my beauty sleep, and so do you. Come on, guys. Cleaning up can wait."


Carver woke first, as usual, but his head felt fuzzy, and he was in no mood for his usual morning run. Quietly, he slipped out of bed and headed for the kitchen to make coffee. The strong aroma rising from the pot helped clear his head, and the view of the ocean from the window made him smile, like every morning. It promised to be a really nice day.

As he reached for the mugs, his eyes fell on a bundle of envelopes tucked into the shelf below them. Quickly, he retrieved them, but he was a tad annoyed. Just like Megan to stuff the mail into any old place until she was ready to deal with it. There were three letters altogether, one for each of them. When he saw the clinic's stamp on the back, he decided to take them with him to the bedroom.

The other two were still half asleep, but they eagerly reached for their mugs. Carver tossed one of the envelopes at Nate, and sat down to open the other one, addressed to himself.

"What have you got there?" Megan squinted at the letter. "Oh. You found them. I meant to tell you yesterday, but what with the party and all…" She reached for her own letter, tearing it open and quickly scanning it.

Carver followed suit. There wasn't much to see, just a long column of test results. Negative, negative, negative. He looked up to meet Nate's gaze. "Seems I'm as clean as I can be."

"Same here." Nate grinned back. "Told you so."

"Me, too." Megan thoughtfully chewed her lower lip. "No need to worry then." She'd gotten on birth control a few weeks ago, and they had all decided to get tested then, to be on the safe side. And now…

Carver swallowed. He'd never had sex without protection before. The thought hadn't occurred to him – it was simply too much of a risk outside a committed relationship. But now things were different.

He cleared his throat, glancing at Megan. "So… Do you think we could…"

She seemed just as uncertain as he was, but at the same time, there was a gleam in her eyes that promised good things. "Yeah, I guess we could. I mean there's no good reason why not."

Nate hadn't said anything, but he'd grown tense and Carver realized that this was kind of a big deal for him, too. He took another deep sip from his coffee and then put the mug aside. "Right. When-"

"Now's as good as ever." Megan's familiar grin was back in place. "If you want to, that is."

"You bet I do." Nate's voice was hoarse, and the look in his eyes was intent. "Come here."

Pulling Megan in his arms, he kissed her deeply. Megan responded with a happy moan, and Carver shivered all over at the sight. There was no way he was going to be a mere spectator. Moving closer, he embraced her from behind, running his hands all over her trim, taut body. When their kiss ended, Megan twisted around to meet Carver's lips, while Nate's eager mouth found her breasts. And she tasted so good, so sweet, and Carver loved the feel of her body in his arms, writhing with pleasure, her skin so soft and warm.

Within minutes, all three of them were panting with need, unable to get enough of each other. All Carver knew was that he wanted more. More kisses, more touches, more loving. Nate's hands were on his body now, firm and sure, trailing down his stomach to find his hardening cock, while Megan's lips closed around his right nipple and her teeth grazed his flesh. Carver closed his eyes, abandoning himself completely to their caresses. His own hands weren't idle either, parting Megan's legs to find her heat, and he could feel how ready she was for him, how soft, how open, how wet.

"Meg, please." He almost whined, because he wanted her so badly.

"Shhh." She was already there, straddling him, clinging to his shoulders.

Slowly, she lowered herself down onto his cock, so slowly that it took all his control not to grab her hips and pull her down. But he let her set the pace, and when he was all the way inside her, it felt so good. Nothing had prepared him for how wonderful this would be, so close, so intense, and how amazing she would feel, hot and slick and perfect. There was no way he was going to last long like this, and when Megan attempted to push herself upward again, he whimpered helplessly.

Nate was watching his face, drinking in his reaction with a mixture of amusement and arousal. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Just let me…" Taking hold of Megan's hips, he made her stop for a moment, burying his face against her neck. "Just…"

He did his best to distract himself, mentally rattling off a list of all the intricacies of Amaranthine tax law he'd memorized in his college classes. It helped a little, though not much. Eventually, he took a deep breath and raised his head. "All right. Go on."


Megan would never have admitted it, but she was glad for the brief pause, glad for the chance to adjust to the intensity of the sensation. Carver felt amazing inside her, thick and hot, and the skin of his cock was so silky soft. Condoms had never bothered her much, to be honest, and she knew that she'd go back to using them in a heartbeat if the need should arise, but yeah, this was nice. Very nice.

And it got even better once she started to move. Nate was close behind her, his breath hot on her neck, his cock hard and insistent against her back, a promise of what was to come, and it drove her crazy.

"Meg." Nate was panting so hard that he had trouble forming the words. "Does it feel good?"

"Maker, yes. So good." She let her head sink back against his shoulder and closed her eyes, so she could focus on feeling, Carver's hot skin against hers, his cock sliding in and out of her in a steady rhythm, Nate's hands on her stomach, sliding lower, between her legs until he found her clit and touched her, so gently she wanted to cry.

They were relentless, both of them, taking her higher and higher, cradling her between them in a firm embrace. And it was good that they were holding her so tightly, because when her orgasm finally hit her, she was falling, tumbling down from the heights of ecstasy, and they caught her, safe and warm, in their arms. Yes. Megan could have cried with sheer bliss.

"Sweet Andraste, Megan." Carver was trembling all over.

"Carver. I love you." Carefully, she braced herself on his shoulders to lift herself off him. She felt him slide out of her, and then a soft warm trickle down her thighs. Ugh. Megan made a face. That was definitely something she could have done without.

Nate, on the other hand, inhaled sharply, his hand tightening on her flanks. "Damn it, Megan." He swallowed hard, staring down at her legs. "I'm sorry if I go all caveman on you, but do you have any idea how hot this is?"

"Yeah, well." She barely refrained from rolling her eyes. "As far as I'm concerned, it's a huge mess."

"Well…" Nate hummed pensively. "That can be fixed. Want me to clean you up?"

"You mean-" It was her turn to swallow. "Um. Feel free, I guess."

Nate didn't have to be asked twice. In a heartbeat, he had her on her back, her legs spread wide, and he was staring down at her with such unadulterated hunger that her heart skipped a beat. With a low growl, he lowered his head. And then his mouth was on her, and he was greedy, hungry, ravenous, his tongue tracing every fold, licking and sucking every trace of Carver from her flesh. It took him no time at all to make her come again, and when she arched up in his hold, crying out her release, he chuckled softly.

"You know, you taste much better without the latex." His tone was light, but Megan wasn't fooled.

Nate's whole body was buzzing with want, his control hanging by a thread. And as soon as she opened her eyes again, he was on her, pushing inside her with a fierce determination that made her gasp. Megan was still sensitive from her own orgasm, every sense heightened to the point of pain and she felt him inside her like she'd never had before. Nothing between them, their bodies joined as closely as could be, melting into each other, all boundaries blurred.

She almost blacked out then, and it was only Carver's calming hand on her cheek that kept her grounded, his touch, and the soft murmur of his voice whispering endearments. He was there with her, with them, all the time, while Nate took her to yet another overwhelming climax, he held her, he kissed her, drinking her cries from her lips.

Afterwards, they stayed in bed for a little longer, cuddling and holding each other tight. When they finally got up and headed for the shower, Megan glanced back at the bed with a small sigh. The sheets were a mess and would need to get changed. And yet… It had been so damn good, and she didn't have it in her to regret anything.

"Meg. I love you." Nate pulled her into a loose embrace, breathing a kiss on her head. "So very much."

"I love you too. Both of you," she added with a smile in Carver's direction.

Sigrun had been right. Her life had gotten messier, in a lot of ways. She could no longer just sail along, without attachments and regrets, free and unencumbered. There was no comfortable distance with Nate and Carver, none of her usual safeguards in place. If they couldn't make this relationship work, it would hurt, and that thought scared her.

But at the same time, she was determined not to let her fear rule her. Because this here, being with them, loving them, was worth a little risk.

Tossing back her hair, Megan followed Nate into the bathroom where Carver was already waiting under the shower. They pulled her in between them, and Megan closed her eyes in bliss when the hot spray hit her and they started to soap her up.

Oh yes. Definitely worth it.


And that's it, folks. Thank you all for reading and reviewing, and I hope you enjoyed the final chapter (I'm toying with the idea of having one more, but it's not written yet, so I'm not making any promises). As always, extra special hugs to my amazing beta suilven. :)