Arianna, thank you for following along with this story! I know it's not a huge fandom, so it's nice someone is reading it ;) Thanks for the reviews!

I struggled so much with this chapter. I had so much fun writing it, but Quinn and Amelia's intimacy scene felt too lewd, so i rewrote it and rewrote it, and I finally think I got it to a place where, while still steamy, is more romantic than... well, you'll have to see. Intimacy warning!

CHAPTER 14

Quinn was at his room door. He put his hands on his lower back and pushed, little pops going all the way up his spine. The dust from the crumbled rock in the tunnels had settled in his hair, and he shook his head watching the debris float around him to the ground. All he could think about was grabbing a towel and heading straight downstairs to the showers to let the hot water flow over him.

He opened the door and a pair of arms wrapped around his neck before he even walked in.

"Jesus Christ Amelia!" he cried jumping.

"Sorry, did I scare you?" she laughed.

"No," he said reluctantly, his arms coming around her waist. He walked her backward into the room and kicked the door closed behind him.

"Liar," she said.

"Why the attack?" he asked looking down into her smiling face. "Not that I'm complaining."

"I just… I dunno, I guess I missed you," she said.

"You missed me, eh?" he asked, pulling her closer.

"Does that sound childish?" she asked.

"No," he said bending to kiss her. "It sounds sweet."

She grinned. "So, what are we going to do tonight?" she asked.

"Do?" he repeated.

"Yeah. It's our night off. No plans, no theater, no chess games or babysitting."

He sighed. "Honestly, I can't think of anything until I have a hot shower and a meal."

"Hot shower, eh?" she said, lowering her head to gaze at him from under her lashes. "Too bad I can't join you." That would have given people an eyeful as their showers were communal and split into men and women.

Quinn groaned. "You do make it hard on me," he said, cupping her rear. She responded by raking her nails underneath his hair and he shivered.

"Tell you what," she said in a sultry voice and cocking her head to one side. "You take a shower; I'll grab us some supper and bring it back up here. And when we're done, we'll move my things in and then I'll give you a long massage." She reached under his arms to press her fingers into his shoulders and pulled them down his back. He groaned again.

"You're too good for this world," he said kissing her.

She pulled away and turned him around. "Scoot!" she said, taking a page out of Simone's book and slapping him on the arse.

He jumped and hurried to the door, then turned. "Towel?" he said, and she picked it up by the foot of his bed and tossed it to him. He took a long look at her smiling and closed the door.

He threw the towel around his neck, and flew down the stone steps, now thinking only about Amelia's hands working the knots out of his back, when he ran into Creedy.

"Hey, I was just coming to see you! Everything ok with her?"

"Yeah, we worked it out."

"Like worked it out?" asked Creedy elbowing him.

"Christ…"

"You dog!"

"Oh for God's sake."

"Good plan with those flowers you charmer. Hey! After supper, you and Lia want to join us for a game of cards?"

Quinn ran his hand through his hair. "You would ruin my night," he said.

"Ruin!" exclaimed Creedy offended. "I think you mean improve it!"

"It's just we're moving Lia's things in tonight."

"No problem! I'll help you right now. Shouldn't take but a minute," said Creedy eagerly.

Quinn harumphed.

"What?" asked Creedy.

"Then after, she was going… we were…"

"What?"

"She was going to give me a massage…" he trailed off quietly.

Creedy's eyes filled with understanding, "Oh ho ho! Sounds sexy. Hm, Maybe I could convince Simone to give me one… 'Course you could always do that after our game."

"Let me shower you bloody bastard," said Quinn taking his towel off and snapping it at Creedy.

"Ok, fine. Simone made me ask, and now I've asked. Enjoy your massage you animal." He air-quoted massage and slapped Quinn on the back as he bounded up the steps.

Quinn finally made it down to the showers, and turned on the water, letting out a yipe as it changed from cold to hot. He let the water pour over him as he rubbed his face contemplating. On his way down, he'd seen Eddie, Michael and Rachel talking in the corner of the mess hall until they spied him and dispersed.

He didn't like this at all, but he would deal with it tomorrow. Right now, he had a beautiful woman waiting for him with food upstairs, deft fingers and lips he was feeling ready to devour. He finished up and ran back up the stairs.

…

After Quinn and Amelia ate, they discovered they had no desire to haul anything up three flights of stone and metal steps, so they skipped right to the massage.

"On your stomach," ordered Amelia pointing, and Quinn let his plate clatter to the floor. He ripped off his shirt, and jumped onto his bed, the springs squeaking loudly. His puppy dog look was back, his hair still a little damp from his shower, and he clutched his pillow underneath his chest with eager eyes.

The sight made her heart flutter. She climbed on his back straddling him and leaned forward to start at his neck. He groaned loudly and felt his body transition from tension to liquidity.

"Jesus," he said. "I don't think anything's ever felt so good." He hesitated, a wicked grin spreading across his face. "Besides being in your pussy."

Amelia gasped scandalized and playfully slapped at his back as he laughed. "You are naughty Quinn Abercromby!" she exclaimed. "But I'm glad I can bring you pleasure both ways." She worked at his stiff back for several minutes until her fingers tired. She gave them a rest and ground her elbow into a huge knot next to his spine.

"Lord," he cried out, feeling it loosen for the first time in years. "I'm going to keep you and take you away from here."

"What?" she asked still pushing on the knot.

"Sit up on your knees," he said, and he rolled over underneath her, so their groins were touching, though barriers of clothes were still between them.

"If I had my way," he said, "I'd take you away from here." He said, running his hands down her arms.

She stopped breathing.

"Where would we go?" she asked quietly.

He reached up and started stroking her arms. "I'd build us a cottage," he said. "You'd have a proper garden, and you'd paint all day. I'd plant us an orchard and make love to you every night."

Amelia's stomach flipped. "Quinn…" she said, not helping the smile widening on her face. He was saying he wanted to be with her forever. And it was him who was bringing it up. She smiled joining in his reverie. "I'd make you meat pies, and treacle tarts. Remember them?" she asked lowering herself to settle onto his chest. She stroked his beard with the tips of her fingers.

"We'd have five children," he said. "Three boys and two girls."

Oh my God. And now he was putting children on the table.

"Five!" she said incredulously. "I think you mean seven." She laughed trying to play off how much this joking meant to her.

"Right," he said. "Sorry, ten. Five for each."

They giggled a little and he brought her head down to rest on his shoulder.

"I know we're joking, but I am serious. I think about it every day now, even before you jumped me."

"Really…" she laughed. "Did you though? With me?"

He nodded, and she nuzzled into his neck.

"I want to keep us all alive so we can have a future. But in my fantasy future, you're there in our house. No dragons, no drafty castles. No one for me to answer to but you."

Was this "I love you"? It still wasn't the words though. "You do know how to make a girl swoon," she said.

He ran his hand across her back, and she could tell he was far away. "Sometimes I can't take the pressure of this place."

"What do you mean?" she asked tenderly, curling her fingers against his chest.

"I saw Eddie, Rachel and Michael talking about me downstairs. I know I'm not popular all the time. I can bear it most days. Just put my head down and carry on. But I dunno. I guess it just got to me this time."

Amelia's blood boiled at the thought of anyone gossiping about the sturdy but surprisingly sensitive man beneath her, and she growled. "They're numpty fuckwits," she said.

Quinn, caught off guard, laughed through his nose as his arms tightened around her. "Ok Creedy," he joked.

"I'm serious Quinn. They're grumbling, miserable half-wits who wouldn't know a good idea if it bit them on the arse. I don't know why Lin is with Michael, honestly."

He grinned again. "I like you like this," he said kissing her nose. "I should let you in on my thought process though. Especially now that we're together."

They sat up, and he took her hand.

"I've been training Jared up. Someday, maybe in a few years' time, I want him to take over from me."

Amelia furrowed her eyebrows. "Why?" she asked.

"Because he's the best of us. And I never asked for this job. It came to me, and I took it gladly. But I can't do it forever, it takes its toll. I'm better at running projects in the background. That's where I'm suited, helping and planning."

"That's not true!" she said. "You were born to lead."

"Lia…" he said.

"But Quinn, we'd be lost without you."

He sighed. "I appreciate that, I do," he said squeezing her hand. "But it's not what I want. Especially now. I have us to think about now."

Amelia looked at her hands. "I don't want you to deny who you are just for me," she said quietly.

"That's just it," he said. "If I didn't pass this on, I would be."

"But Quinn…" Amelia started again.

"Lia," he interrupted. "Do you care for me, or my position more?"

He'd asked tenderly, but it hit her like a ton of bricks.

She took his face in her hands. "I love you Quinn Abercromby. Just you."

He smiled and leaned forward to kiss her, drawing her closer.

She knew what was coming as Quinn began to pull at her shirt hem. But his words stuck in her brain. Do you care for me, or my position more? She didn't want to leave him in doubt. She crawled off the bed and motioned for him to stay sitting when he tried to get up.

She undressed for him slowly, allowing him to search her with his eyes after each article of clothing was removed. His hands shook a little, and the light in his eyes kindled. She pulled him up onto his feet, and helped him take off his clothes, sitting him back down on the mattress. She got on her knees.

"Lia," he said with a mixture of excitement and foreboding.

"Let me show you, not just tell you," she said.

He watched rapt, as she slid her tongue up and down. He gripped the sheets, helpless but eager. "Lia, if this is weird, or if you don't want to…"

"Why are you so nervous?" she asked, running her finger over him.

"It's just… this doesn't demean you or anything right?"

"Why would it?" she said and kissed it.

He closed his eyes. "I dunno. It's… intimate."

"You're just used to doing everything for everyone. Let me do this for you."

She gazed into his bewildered face before putting the head to her lips and slowly moving over it to take about half of its girth into her mouth. He threw his head back.

There was no way she was going to fit all of him without gagging, she soon realized. Maybe this was a mistake. But he had done the same to her without trepidation.

He looked down at her as she stopped. "Show me," she said.

"You're doing a fine job so far," he said shakily. Still, he took her right hand and curled her fingers around the base and took her other to place farther under. She moved her fingers and his breath hitched.

"Like that?" she asked,

"Mm," was all he could get out, and put his hand to her hair. She teased him for several minutes until he was sufficiently moaning.

"I love you," she whispered, and put her mouth on him again.

Coordinating was difficult to do with two hands, but it didn't seem to matter too much. He let out a grunt of warning and said, "You can stop now."

"Mm-mm," she said denying the request. The vibration from her throat and the confidence that she could take him was all the encouragement he needed. He saw stars, drowning in their depth, plunging deeper and deeper until he couldn't breathe. He fell back, his head hitting the mattress, shuddering, finally coming up for air.

Amelia reached over and wiped her mouth on the towel he'd discarded from his shower earlier and crawled over his limp and satiated body, straddling his stomach. He was panting and grinning, shaking his head.

"Wow," was all he could say.

Amelia laughed. "Not bad for a first timer," she said smiling.

He nodded in agreement.

"Give me a second, and I'll do you," he said, his hand on her cheek, but his head lolled sleepily on the bed.

"Uh-uh." Amelia shook her head and placed her hands at his neck, massaging the long muscles there with her fingers. "I'm about you right now." She rolled off, and they crawled under the covers, and he pulled her to him spooning her.

"You're not getting off that easy," he whispered, lips at her ear and his hands sliding up to her breasts.

She pressed her head back into his shoulder. "But we're even now," she said, her breath catching.

"Not to me," he said and slid his left hand down her stomach to go between her legs.

She gasped, as he started to stroke her, his fingers moving in and out.

"Who am I to argue," she said, her hand going behind him to hold him closer. She came fairly quickly, as making Quinn writhe in pleasure had turned her on immeasurably.

"Now, we're even," he breathed as he kissed her earlobe.

Her heartbeat was steady, syncing with his. If they could keep everything like this, their lives just like this, she could survive anything.