A/N - sorry for the slow updates. between raiding and other gaming I'm finding motivation is fincky. Of course, reviews would help get me in the gear to write more :D

Don't own nothing but the rogue.

Alistair wrinkled his nose as he finished tying up his second fur coat as he stepped out of Ironforge. Rose had laughed back at her house when he didn't pack any warm clothes and threw some in for him. She had gave him a sly wink and told him he would thank her later for it.

Rose laughed as she and her tiger walked passed him. She pulled on a thick coat that looked a bit thinner than his two coats. He could still feel the cold in his legs. He groaned quietly to himself and pulled his horse forward to catch up to Rose.

"You'd think you would have gotten use to the cold in Icecrown." Rose laughed. Alistair groaned as he slowed in step with her.

"It's not as cold there as it is here." Alistair complained. Rose laughed harder.

"Whatever makes you feel better." Rose said as she jumped up on Aisha's back and the tiger took off down the mountain slope. Alistair grumbled under his breath, mounted his horse and took off after them.

Alistair, despite the fact he was miserable, felt more comfortable around Rose. After all the crying she had done the other day, she seemed to have warmed up to him and pushed aside whatever had been bothering her. Granted she had seemed to pick up the habit of picking on him instead of feeling sorry for herself, but whatever kept her smiling. He just had to figure out a way to keep himself from being a constant shade of red.

"So not much for snow are ya?" Rose asked as his horse caught up with Aisha. Alistair shook his head.

"Never really snowed in Theramore or the Plaguelands. How is it that you're use to it?" Alistair asked. Rose shrugged.

"Spent a few months out in the Storm Peaks and the mountains in Grizzly Hills. I've done some odd jobs around here as well. Helped soothe the heat of my anger." Rose answered. Alistair nodded and they continued for awhile in silence.

After awhile, Rose started to notice she was pulling on Aisha's reigns hard to keep the tiger on the path. The tiger's eyes darted back and forth, like she was tracking something in the bushes along side the road they were on. Rose was about to start questioning the tiger's sanity when a rabbit darted across the road and Aisha tried to make a run for it. Rose groaned and patted the tiger on her shoulder.

"Fine, I'll let you play just make sure you save one for me." Rose whispered to the tiger. She turned to look over at Alistair. "Aisha is apparently hungry and feels the rabbits are taunting her. So we'll stop and rest for a bit before we head through the North Gate."

"You know these parts better than I do." Alistair said as he watched Rose struggle with Aisha's reigns and tried not to laugh. Rose scoffed and got off the tiger. She quickly removed the saddle and pack and smacked the tiger on her backside.

"Go on then, you impatient thing. Don't forget to bring back one." Rose yelled as the tiger jumped into the bushes. Alistair jumped down from his horse and picked up the saddle as Rose picked up her pack. As they both stood up, they knocked their heads together. Alistair was quick to shift the saddle and reach out to keep Rose from falling.

"Not exactly the way I wanted to knock you off your feet." Alistair whispered under his breath. Rose caught it and blushed slightly. Alistair managed to hide the shock on his face when he noticed she had heard him. He stood up straight and cleared his throat as he carried her saddle to his horse. Rose lead him to a clearing just off the road where she started to build a fire, hoping Aisha would bring back a rabbit or two. Suddenly three headless rabbits flew into the air and landed next to Rose. Rose crinkled up her nose and glared out into the bushes.

"Thanks for the headless bunnies. No need to send the heads." Rose yelled. There was a soft growl that sounded like laughter. Rose shook her head and started to skin the rabbits. Alistair tied his horse to a tree and sat down next to Rose. He watched her skin the rabbits.

"Is it always like this?" Alistair asked, breaking the silent awkwardness that had come between them after his little whisper. Rose shrugged.

"It's different than when I would travel alone. Then again, she tends to chase after squirrels in Dalaran." Rose said with a slight laugh. "We're got a few days before we need to be at Chillwind, so we can afford to stop and indugle a bit."

"Dalaran? Where have you not been?" Alistair asked. Rose laughed as she went to gather some sticks to use for cooking the rabbits.

"Well, I think Thunderbluff and the Black Temple in the Outlands. I had a bad case of wonderlust a few years ago when Varian went missing. Being a rogue does help get into places that most Alliance people don't get to see. Well I did get caught in Orgrimmar, but Jaina was invisiting and convinced Thrall I didn't mean any harm." Rose explained as she set the rabbits on the sticks and put them on the fire.

"Wow, how did they catch you?" Alistair asked. Rose laughed.

"I accidently fell onto the table where Jaina and Thrall were having their meeting at." Rose said with a huge smile on her face.

"And he didn't attack you?" Alistair asked. Rose started to laugh harder as she realized he didn't know what she was talking about.

"Well, it wasn't really a table as much as it was a bed. I was trying to see if I pilfer some trinkets from the Grommash Hold and didn't realize I was in someone's bedroom." Rose said. Alistair blushed furiously as it dawned on him what she was saying. She laughed and she turned her back to him so he couldn't see what she was doing.

"What are you doing?" Alistair asked, though he was afraid to find out. Rose laughed and turned her head towards him, smiling devilishly at him.

"Just something to help cool you down before you melt all the snow." Rose said. Alistair frowned and was about to ask her what she meant when something cold and frozen hit his face.

"What in the..." Alistair started but something hit him again. He cleared off his face and saw snow in his hands. Rose laughed and he noticed she had a small snow ball in her hand.

"See, it cooled you down." Rose said. Alistair shot her a look and Rose took off running barely escaping the lunge Alistair made towards her. He quickly pushed himself out of the snow and took off after her.

"I'll give you something cold." Alistair laughed as he gathered up his own snowball, but Rose threw another one at him before he finished. He saw her sitting directly in front of him, gathering more snow, when he just lunged at her and laid her flat on her back. Rose managed to wiggle herself free and before he could grab her again, she stealthed.

"Now try to catch me." Rose said. Alistair tried to follow her voice or even her footsteps but she was good at hiding her tracks. Alistair knew he would just have to wait. He had worked with enough rogues to know they eventually get impatient and bored with a target they're trying to gode. She would make a mistake and he was waiting for it. Rose didn't know where this playful mood of hers came from, maybe his dislike for the cold snow had started it. She was having fun until he just stopped chasing her and stood there. It was like he wasn't even trying to find her. She balled up another ball of snow, stood right in front of him and threw it at him. As soon as Alistair saw the snow coming toward him, he jumped in the direction it was coming from and landed on top of Rose.

"Cheater." Rose grumbled as the two of them struggled against each other.

"I'm just playing your game, Rose. Don't get mad at me when I play to win." Alistair said with a smug look on his face. Rose frowned and threw snow in his face and managed to break free from him. She managed to get to her knees when Alistair jumped at her and grabbed her waist. Soon, Alistair had her pinned under him, holding her gently to into the snow in hopes not to hurt or scare her.

"Not fair that you've worked with rogues before." Rose whispered as she noticed how close he was. Alistair oddly felt young again, like the young man that had been in the plaguelands all those years ago and he was his lady rogue. Without thinking clearly, Alistair brushed his lips against hers softly at first, but the electricity that seemed to pass between their lips caused him to roughly push down further. His hands released her wrists and pulled at the long braided bun that sat on the back of her head. Rose found her hands quickly in his hair, deepening the kiss.

After a few minutes, Aisha returned to the small fire to find the two of them on each other. The tiger looked curiously at them as they breathed heavily through their noses as they kissed. Aisha hadn't been around Rose when Rose still socialized in a way that she and Alistair were. They started to moan and their hands started to wander down the others body when Aisha's curiousity got the best of her. Alistair soon found himself knocked off Rose, with his back in the snow and Aisha pinning him to the ground, licking his face.

"Aisha, what are you doing?" Alistair laughed as the cardboard like tongue licked his whole face. Her tongue reminded him of another tongue he had just been in close contact with and looked over to where Rose was. Unfortunately for him, she appeared to have stealthed. Alistair blushed deeply and hoped Rose was not angry at him. Aisha continued to lick him until he groaned and pushed her off of him. Aisha looked at him sadly and he laughed and placed a kiss on her furry cheek.

"The food's ready if you are done making out with my tiger." Rose said quietly. Alistair looked over at Rose by the fire. She didn't appear to be upset but she didn't appear to be anything. It was almost as if she was hiding her emotions. Alistair stood up and joined Rose by the fire.

"Look, about earlier, I just want to say..." Alistair started by Rose shook her head as Aisha curled up next to her.

"It was a heat of the moment thing. Nothing happened so don't worry about it." Rose said sadly. Alistair frowned as he took one of the rabbits that had been cooking. She was wrong, something had happened. Granted the heat of the moment might have brought it out, but there was something between them.

"Rose, please let me..." Alistair started again. Rose put her hand up.

"I don't want to hear it, Alistair. We're partners whether we like it or not. I'm too old to cling to a glimmer of hope. I'd rather just live in denial. Now drop it." Rose said. Alistair nodded and began to eat. Rose had felt the spark between them, but just didn't want to build it into a fire only for him to douse it out as soon as it was ablaze. They had a job to do and heart ache would only make things worst.

"There's something about all this that feels so right. If I have to bide my time, I will. I gave up on one rogue, I won't give up on you, Rose." Alistair thought. As he said to her before, if they were meant to be, then there would be another time for them.