43

Isabela crept into Hawke's bedroom, her powers of stealth still as adept as ever. Hawke was sleeping on her side, naked, her torso exposed. Isabela felt guilty for looking, and even worse when she caught sight of the huge scar that reached from the bottom of Hawke's breast, to underneath her shoulder blade. The Arishok's blade had cut deep.

Isabela knelt beside the bed, and touched the side of the mage's cheek. Hawke responded immediately, her eyes flew open and she sat bolt upright, throwing Isabela to the other side of the room and pinning her up against the wall with magic. It took a second for Hawke to focus on her.

"Shit, Isabela!" she cursed, lowering Isabela from the spell, "I didn't realise it was you! You frightened the Void out of me."

Isabela stood and dusted herself off. Hawke became aware of her nakedness, and pulled a sheet over herself.

"I have seen it all before, Hawke" Isabela said, moving towards the bed.

"That was then…" Hawke said curtly. "How did you even get in? I was sure I enchanted the locks tonight."

"You did. One of the windows in the attic was unlocked. Very sloppy. Imagine if I was here to assassinate you?"

Hawke looked at her suspiciously. "What are you here for? I thought you would've taken off for the horizon in your new boat."

Isabela took a seat on the bed, facing Hawke. "We need to talk. Well, I need to talk, and you need to listen. If I don't say this now, it will never be said."

"Well then, speak…" Hawke said impatiently.

Isabela swallowed hard, suddenly finding the speech she'd prepared had fled from her mind. "I... think I've fallen for you, Hawke…"

Hawke paused for a moment, and then let out a bitter laugh. "What is this? What do you want now?"

Isabela shook her head. "Nothing. I… have feelings for you. And I think that you have feelings for me."

Hawke shook her head. "No. You don't get to come in here and say that. You told me yourself, love isn't for you. I was nothing to you, remember? It was always about what you could get out of me."

"That's not true, Hawke. You were… special to me. You still are. I said those things because I thought it would make it easier."

"Easier?! Ha! You absolutely destroyed me. Did you know that? Did you even care? Just get away from me, Isabela, you're poison."

Isabela reached out , but Hawke slapped her away. Her hand stung from the impact, but she refused to give up. This was her last chance. "Hawke, you told me once, that you would wait for me to be ready… Well, I am ready. For this. You and I. I'm really ready."

Hawke looked at her, confusion colouring every feature. "You can't be serious? I said that more than four years ago. You really expected me to sit around and wait patiently, while you ran off and fucked half of Thedas? Get out of my house."

"No, I'm not leaving. Not until you admit that you still care for me."

"Admit it? I never denied it! And I lost you because of it. The way I felt for you… it was insanity, and I've never been able to shake it. Does that make you happy? Is your ego boosted by that? Because if we're done, then you need to get the fuck out."

"No, we're not done…" Isabela said, moving forward.

Hawke held her ground, glaring at Isabela defiantly. "Don't touch me, Isabela." There was anger in her eyes, but something else. Desire.

Isabela got close and Hawke pushed her away. Isabela leaned in again. "Please… just let me kiss you. If you want me to leave after that, I will."

She knew there were a dozen different ways that Hawke could kill her without even laying a hand on her, but she wasn't afraid of her. Hawke loved her, and Isabela was determined to remind her of it.

Isabela took Hawke's face into her hands and gently drew her in. Their lips met softly, and Hawke's body tensed at the sensation, but her mouth stayed relaxed and supple as she let Isabela kiss her. Isabela glided her tongue across Hawke's bottom lip and into her mouth. Hawke began to respond, kissing Isabela back and running her hands through her thick hair.

Isabela guided Hawke back onto the bed and lay beside her, keeping their mouths connected so that Hawke could offer no protest. She pulled the sheet down and exposed Hawke's body, and she ran her hands over the smooth skin of the mage's breasts, still perfect handfuls.

Hawke's hands traveled over the long lost curves of Isabela's body. Isabela climbed on top of Hawke and started her downward descent. She kissed both of Hawke's breasts, producing heavy breathing and prickled skin as she took the mage's nipple into her mouth. Isabela continued her trail down Hawke's stomach watching in the pale moonlight as the mage began to writhe with pleasure.

When she got between Hawke's thighs, the mage was already shaking with anticipation. Isabela started off slow, using her lips and tongue to lick and stroke in a way that produced various soft moans and gasps from her partner. In all the years apart, she'd never forgotten the sweet, soapy taste of Hawke's flesh, and experiencing it again felt like coming home.

She used her fingers to stimulate Hawke's inner depths, working in harmony with her mouth. As she settled into a rhythm, Hawke's body jolted at every twirl of Isabela's tongue and plunge of her fingers. Isabela used the trick with her lip stud, and Hawke bucked so wildly that Isabela had to pin her hips down. As Hawke reached her crescendo, she called out Isabela's name and gripped the sheets so hard that her knuckles turned white.

Hawke's body slowly relaxed as Isabela finished off with a few light kisses. She lay back down next to Hawke, who now had her hands over her face.

"Are you okay?" Isabela ventured into the stony silence.

"No, I'm not. I don't know why I keep letting this happen. I must be a masochist." She sat up and put her back to Isabela. "I'll save you the trouble of telling me that you don't want to stay. Just give me a moment to get dressed and I'll walk you home."

"I… want to stay, Hawke."

Hawke looked over her shoulder at Isabela. "You want to stay? Here? The whole night… with me?"

Isabela sat up and wrapped her arms around Hawke's waist, resting her chin on Hawke's shoulder. "Yes. If you'll let me?"


HAWKE

Hawke watched over Isabela as she finally fell asleep. If she hadn't seen it for herself, she'd hardly believe that the woman slept at all.

Watching her rest was unnatural, like sitting in the eye of a storm. She was a force of nature; strong, destructive and completely unpredictable. You could either get out of her way, or be caught in the chaos. And although Hawke loved her, she had simply grown too tired to chase the wind.

Hawke wrapped her arms around Isabela's naked waist and breathed in the scent of the woman. This was probably the only time she would ever get to sleep side by side with somebody she loved.

The moonlight provided the perfect clarity. Hawke was as solid and enduring as the mountains, while Isabela was as wild and fluid as the ocean itself. Hawke had been wrong to try to tame her all those years ago, she could see that now. Asking Isabela to stay in one place was like asking the sun not to rise, or the rain not to fall.

Hawke lay her head down, allowing sleep to take her. Isabela would be gone by the time she awoke, and as Hawke started to drift off, she promised herself that she would be okay. The world would continue to spin, and she still had so many things left to do.