Chapter 9: Nice Wake Up Call You Got there

Notes: Please note that I rated this Chapter an M as lets face it, waking up to a half naked Fenris...wow! Not too much but I hope you like, my first attempt at writing a scene like this, but if you don't like this sort of thing please don't read. Also, thank you for the follows and favourites - reviews are most welcome too! Enjoy.

He was warm, much too warm, and his head felt like it had been pommelled for several hours.

As Fenris started to wake from a pleasantly empty slumber, his senses slowly started to come to life too. Among them was surprise, that he was sleeping on a soft mattress instead of the harder floor of his usual resting place in front of the fire at his home, the bed being long since used for firewood - not that he would have touched that bed - he becomes aware of familiar legs entwined with his own.

Trying as he may his eyes wouldn't open fully, perhaps subconsciously knowing that light would hurt, he takes a deep breath, noticing with some surprise that there was no feeling of sickness.

As he breathed in his nose captured the fresh scent of verbena, the sweet and sharp aroma invading his senses and suddenly he is very sure of where he is.

Forcing his eyes open aginst the dim light, still too bright even with the drapes closed, he glances down to see one sleeping black haired woman clinging to him like a barnacle to the hull of a ship. He has discovered the reason for being overly warm.

If his head didn't hurt so much he would be able to think more clearly, but as it is he couldn't for the life of him remember how he ended up waking pressed up against Hawke, not that his present situation was in any way alarming, quite the opposite in fact.

The last thing he does remember is talking with Sebastian with himself drinking mugs of that petty excuse for an ale at The Hanged Man.

He blushes deeply at the idiotic ramblings he couldn't prevent falling from his alcohol loosened lips and fervently hoped that he did not speak plainly enough for his friend to have understood anything.

He blinks once, then twice and all of a sudden yesterdays events rush back into his mind and his arms tighten around Hawke - hes going to be a father! He smiles fleetingly at the recent revelation.

However the small smile dims as he thinks back, remembering in vivid colour the events that followed after Hawke had informed him of her condition. He left her, like a coward and as he had done already.

After all they had been through, after all he had promised, the one time she needed him he left her. His arms tighten against her a second time and the movement is enough to disturb her from her sleep but not enough to wake her.

"How could I have done that to her again?" He mentally berates himself, Hawke is his life, without her he is nothing, when will he ever learn? He had spent so long looking over his shoulder and had been running for too long, the reaction to flee seemed to be his natural instinct now, but no more - he was a free man but he didn't want to be anywhere else but by Hawkes side.

At least he found his way back to her, Sebastian must have helped him return, Maker help the poor sod. He must remember to thank him but later as there were more important things to consider, such as the need to apologise to Hawke, he dearly hoped that she would forgive him.

The subject of his inner brooding shifts in her sleep and softly nuzzles the skin at the base of his throat making his heart thump that little bit faster and increases the temperature of his already heated body.

He gulps and thinks for a moment deciding whether to try to settle down back to sleep as it was still quite early, or to try and wake Hawke up to apologise or beg for forgiveness and again broach the subject of yesterdays conversation they had yet, in his mind, to finish.

As he pondered this he freezes as he feels butterfly soft kisses at his throat.

"Mmmm. Hi. Good. Morning!" Hawke punctuates her words with the light kisses to his neck. "Not a bad wake up call eh?" How's the head?" Looking up at him with a yawn following her questions, her eyes clear and twinkling with light hearted mischief.

"Ah, good morning...my head is a little sore but I will live - I think - but more to the point, are you well?" He looks down at her sleep filled face with his heart in his mouth, apprehension coils in his stomach.

"I should be asking you that, the condition in which you came home last night!" She smiles up at him letting him know she harboured no ill feelings towards him, instead poking a little fun at his sore head.

He swallows again and starts to make an apology "'Talia, forgive me. I know that my leaving has hurt you, but I had not been thinking - "

Hawke interrupts his apology by shuffling up the bed, up his body so they were eye to eye and brought her lips to his in a gentle kiss.

She tilts her head back and meets his confused gaze. "Fenris, you don't need to apologise to me - there's nothing to forgive!" Rubbing her nose against his she continues. "Besides, I trusted you when you said you'd return - maybe not drunk or if so, not that pissed - but you said you'd be back and I believed you."

He closes his eyes suddenly filled with immense gladness and presses her close against him. "I - that is...I cannot say that I know how to be a father - but if you still wish...if you will still have me, I would like the opportunity to be. His expression lightens in response to the beaming smile that Natalia gives him, the shadow of worry leaving his eyes.

"I know that you are afraid, but I am also. Please...let me explain - I need to tell you why." Giving a small pause. "As a slave I had never given any consideration to being a parent - a father...it has always been unnatainable to me."

"The only way I was to sire a child would have been at the behest of Danarius, but he was too covetous of any other owning me or even a part of me, plus I believe he did not want me to have the knowledge that my line would continue. He did not want to give me any semblance of a normal life, or joy it seemed." He sighes heavily, and is given a reassuring squeeze too caught up in his musings to see the sadness in her eyes.

"I had also thought that the lyrium in my markings had affected my body in ways I could not begin to imagine, that maybe I was poisoned and fatherhood would never be an option to me. However when I heard you tell me you were pregnant, it was overwhelming and a belief I had held true for so many years was obviously a falsehood."

The small kisses she continues to keep giving him as he talks, proves too much of a distraction, as he tries to concentrate, but with those delightful caresses, along with her soft body pushed against his, is too much. He stops talking and moves his arm, trailing his fingers slowly up her back, over her shoulders tickling her slightly and she shivers. Brushing his fingers against her cheek he cups her face, pulling her mouth slowly to meet his, meeting her gaze with fierce longing.

The kiss deepens the instant Hawke touches his lips with her tongue and they can do nothing but give into the heat that surges between them. His own tongue meeting hers with bold, long strokes, both relishing the taste of one another, each demanding more with breathy moans. Dragging in heavy breaths, panting and flushed they break away from the drugging kisses.

After a while, calming and having caught her breath, aware that he needs to hear her reply and not wanting to delay any further despite very much enjoying the interlude, Hawke responds.

"My dear, daft, loveable" - at his disbelieving look she arches her brow at him and continues - "Fenris, I had no idea you felt like that and I'm sure it was a shock to you when I told you. That bastard, I'd kill him if he weren't already dead, I hate him for all he did to you. I'm so thankful he can never hurt you again. No wonder you had a few - and I use that term loosely here - drinks. As I said before I trusted that you would return. Where else would I want you to be but by my side?"

Suddenly feeling a little emotional, she looks to him. "No matter what you think you will be a terrific father, and hey, I can't say that I'll be a great mother, but together we will try our bloody best so we should be able to bring up a half decent human - elf - being. We will make mistakes, but we'll learn from them, like anything in life. As long as you don't feel the need to leave, just talk to me - we can get through anything. I love you, you exasperating elf!" Moisture collecting in her blue gaze as she tries to get her feelings across.

"I truly do not deserve you." At her words he too feels the depth of her emotions as it is what he feels reflected in his own heart. His eyes reveal his relief and happiness that things are at last reconciled between them.

His breath quickens again as Hawke traces her fingers over his chest trailing the path of his markings, as she had done when he was sleeping. This time when she bends forward and follows the trail with her mouth, he shudders and moves his own hands over her body, pulling her back up towards him .

Slipping under the thin nightgown that has somehow ridden up to mid-thigh, his hands find the curve of her hips caresses her gently and his other hand moves up the line of her body he knows so well, feeling her muscles contract at his touch. He glides up her stomach and palms the soft globe of her breast through her underwear and as his thumb skims over her nipple, she arches closer to him in reaction.

With the pregnancy even this early on, there are slight changes to her body, as it readies her for the baby, her breasts becoming sensitive. As Fenris rolled her nipple softly between his thumb and index finger she felt it through the material as if it didn't exist, gasping as a tremor runs through her, zapping straight to her groin like lightening as he continues to tease. He replaces his hand with his mouth, pushing her nightgown and breast band aside to give him more access, his lips and tongue worship the budding nipple, teasing her mercilessly.

"No fair!" She whispers in frustration as the lust spikes in her belly. She moves her own hand from his chest down to his stomach, her fingernails dragging feather light over his markings, not to cause pain but pleasure. The pressure applied makes Fenris moan harshly, his eyes black pools. He finishes his ministrations leaving the moistened nipple exposed to the cooling air which adds to her arousal. Hitching up her clothes again he moves to the other breast and starts to gently suckle her.

She cannot stop herself from arching into him moaning loudly this time, moving her hands to his head and running her fingers through his hair, clinging to him. Using his teeth lightly against her he continues for a few minutes with abandoned delight and lets the elongated bud go with a small pop. Her throaty moans heighten his own arousal which show in his darkened cheeks and blush tipped ears. He again claims her mouth.

She removes her hands from his hair and back to his chest, she starts to move them lower and he growls as their eyes meet, hazy desire mirrored in each others gaze. "Too many clothes!" he manages to get out between gritted teeth. Hawke sits up and pulls the nightgown over her head, throwing it carelessly on the floor - "Better it be on the floor than torn." Thinking to herself, knowing how Fenris can get carried away, this one happened to be one of her favourites and she wanted to keep it.

Fenris struggles to remove his breeches, made difficult by his prominent arousal and his trembling fingers and she quickly moves to assist, her hand brushing against his groin in her haste and he stifles a moan at the contact.

"Sorry!" She whispers grinning and moves to "help" him again but he stops her with a small grunt "Please, not again or I may not last!" Instead she moves her hands to his waist with another grin. Neither of their fingers are co-operating well as they both quake with need, it takes them what feels like a frustratingly long age to remove them even with their combined effort.

After what seems forever, the only barrier now are her smalls, Fenris wastes no more time and deftly takes off her already loose breast band, the sight before him causing him to stall, he never tires of seeing her like this.

Her body is not that of a muscled warrior, but she trains well so is toned but remains curvy. So very beautiful, several small angry red scars highlighted by her soft pale skin, the largest one over her stomach being silvery in colour, this one had earned her the title of Champion, a reminder that she is a fighter. That she would give herself to him freely is always a cause of wonder, but then again she feels the same about him and has told him so.

The first time they had made love she had shared with a bright blush that she had never lain with another before, he had looked at her in disbelief, surely a woman as beautiful as her would have had at least one lover he had said.

Her explanation that life as an apostate she could not truly trust anyone. She had told him she did have suitors but felt that any connection she would have had with them would have been too fleeting, with travelling around too much and that is not who she is - when she loved it would have been completely and a brief affair was not something she had wanted. Besides she had been treated badly by a farm hand in Lothering who she had thought she'd been in love with and that he had loved her.

She had been seeing him for a few weeks and they had been getting a little physical, touching and kissing but when she told him she wasn't ready to sleep with him, that she needed a little time, he had became angry and violent, grabbing her lewdly and shouting horrid names. He hadn't loved her, not really, she later found out that he and his friends had made a wager that he would be the first to have sex with the new girl in town. If it hadn't been for Carver hearing the commotion Maker knows what could have happened. After getting her heart broken she had shied away from getting too involved with men - until Fenris of course.

Yet, for her to still trust him with her body and affections after hurting her so deeply was astounding to him, but he had her now and would not let her go.

He pulls her back down beside him on the bed and his hand ghosts over her still flat stomach, a look of wonder in his eyes, he smiles "To think that we have created life, and that it is growing here, that we are a family, or will be one - it is beyond my highest hopes." Still smiling as Hawke covers his hand with her own, entwining their fingers.

"I know, its difficult to believe isn't it? Though there's plenty of time to get used to it, and to decide names, do up the nursery, buy all sorts of baby things too."

"One thing at a time eh...um..." His green eyes flick to hers with a questioning look. "Are you sure it is safe for us to do this...?"

His blush is so adorable Hawke chuckles and replies with a swift kiss and a whispered "Oh, yes!" She quickly shimmies out of her smalls and at last they are both gloriously unclothed.

Edging closer towards her, he wraps their joined hands around her waist so she is enveloped by his body, his heat and the skin to skin contact causes her head to spin with desire. Reaching low into the tight space between them she gently grips his silky hard length and at his gasp, she runs her hand lightly down his impressive girth, applying more pressure and moving her thumb in low circles as she approaches his base.

His deep grunts echo the need coursing through her own body and he pulls away lest he spends himself then and there and at her questioning smirk pulls her back to him again.

He could never get enough of the taste of her mouth, of her body, he feels the heated core of her as the blunted tip of his manhood nudges ever closer and she whimpers in frustration as it is not close enough, he knows the feeling.

He moves over her and with one deep thrust at last they are joined, both moaning in ecstasy, their movements still at the feeling, taking time to savour the closeness and, changing the tempo, he begins to move.

The morning fades away as they lose themselves in each others bodies and amidst the soft moans, heavy sighs and sweat slicked skin, their gently uttered words of mutual love and adoration is an echo of the morning birdsong being sung in the world outside their window, dawning a new day, which caught up in each other they have temporarily forgotten.