A/N

One name... David Garrett (for Kashmir) You're very welcome!

\A/

When Liona woke up the next morning, she wasn't entirely surprised to find the bed empty. With a desolate sigh, she gathered her limbs and dragged herself from bed. After a quick shower, she couldn't find anything clean to wear, except for the faded gray jumpsuit she'd been wearing the evening of her rescue. When she was dressed, she squared her shoulders and jutted her up chin as she descended the stairs.

She found String sitting in his chair near the fireplace, his cello resting between his legs, his right hand idly holding the bow. When he looked up at her, she sucked in a sharp breath, seeing that awful dark scowl on his face again.

Back to square one, she thought and she held his gaze as she approached him.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he suddenly asked her, the accusation in his voice instantly deflating her.

"What?"

"You looked cold earlier. I went to cover ya with one of the blankets. There was blood on it."

For a moment Liona had no idea what he was talking about and she glanced at the, now soaked, bandage around her arm.

"Not what I'm talkin' about. You were a virgin. Why didn't you tell me that?"

"I'm not sure why I should have told you something that should be very obvious in the first place. I've been held prisoner for years, that didn't leave much time for romance."

If possible, String's look became even darker. "Perhaps not romance, but there must have been moments you got… curious."

Liona could feel her skin prickle. "Curious, yes, but without being in the position to do anything about it. And I sure as hell wasn't curious enough to just throw myself at one of the guards. Or Dumaine."

"You still should have told me! I would have…" String raked his free hand through his hair. "Dammit, I would have been gentler!"

Aha. He wasn't actually angry with her, but with himself. The realization made her relax a bit. "There wasn't really a good moment to discuss my virginity after you… started."

"You could have damn well tried! Why the hell did you even let me? After the way I acted! Or did you think it was as good a time as any to satisfy your curiosity?"

That comment sent anger pulsing through her veins. "I let you, because I wanted you to! And curiosity? Is that really what you think it was? Last night too?"

String flinched, but his eyes grew even harder. "Can you tell me it wasn't?"

"Can you tell me last night wasn't simply lust?" Liona shot back.

Calmly, String rose to his feet and he placed his cello and bow back in the stand just shy off the fireplace. "I can tell you a lot of things. One of them bein' that if you were just curious, then it wasn't more than lust either. And it won't happen again."

Utterly incredulous, Liona shook her head from side to side. "Just like that?"

String's features hardened to stone. "Just like that."

Tears burned her eyes, but she refused to shed them.

"Damn you, Hawke," – She was so angry with him she couldn't bring herself to use his first name. – "I'm tired of you treating me like a yoyo. You pull me in and you push me away. Make up your damn mind, will you? Because you are making me dizzy!"

She waited… and waited… but String offered her nothing but an unfathomable look. Liona's shoulders drooped and suddenly she felt very tired. "Fine," she said, her voice thick with tears, "curiosity and lust it was then."

In a vain attempt to master her emotions, Liona jutted up her chin and turned around with every intention to walk right out of the cabin. She started to pull the door open, but after just a few inches it suddenly slammed shut again. She yelped when she was roughly spun around, her back thrown against the door.

String's face, twisted with a black scowl, was hovering a mere inch away. "Last night was not just lust, dammit! And you know it! Now you tell me last night wasn't just curiosity either!"

His gaze delved into her heart, earnest, a little afraid. The sight of that shadow of fear that sprang from his eyes and darted across his features made Liona forget she was angry with him. "Last night was not just c-"

Before she could finish her sentence, String seized her face with both hands, tilting it up to meet his descending mouth, crushing her lips beneath his. It was a new kind of kiss for her, with a burning intensity, urgency, recklessness... but more like that of a drowning man than an angry one.

By the time he pulled back, Liona was sure she would have collapsed against him, if he'd not been holding her upright.

"Sorry," he mumbled, "Dom does always say I have a bit of a temper."

"A bit?" Liona snorted.

His lips curved into a shadow of a smile and Liona could feel her heart skip a beat.

"Why don't we try this again? Good mornin', Lio."

She was still leaning against him and she wouldn't have minded at all to remain there for the rest of the day. "Lio?"

"It grew on me."

Now that his mood had improved exponentially, Liona felt it was safe enough to venture a question, or a suggestion actually. "If you really do want to try this again… I do believe you were about to play something. On the cello?"

A brief look of surprise flickered in his eyes at the note of hope in her voice. She simply couldn't help it. Her violin had not been rescued along with her and, cheap and of low quality it might have been, she missed playing as if she were missing a limb! The chance to at least hear someone play…
He held her gaze for a moment, as though he were trying to listen to her very thoughts.

Then simply inclined his head. "I believe I was." With that he walked over to the large beautiful instrument and took it back from its stand.

"Why do you keep it out in the open like that?" Liona asked as String settled himself in the chair, cello comfortable between his legs.

"Easier access. Don't worry. I keep a close eye on the humidity level here and in that corner," – String pointed to the recessed wall niche – "the temperature stays pretty constant. Even with the fireplace on."

She nodded at the bow he held between his fingers. "You really shouldn't put away your bow like that, leaving it tight I mean. You'll stretch out the hairs and that pretty wooden bow will lose it's camber."

String played with the bow and looked up at her from beneath his lashes. "You seem to know a lot about the care for stringed instruments."

Liona gulped as she sat down on the stone hearth. Tet instantly joined her. "I guess I do."

Though she could see the question in his eyes, she decided to leave it at that. A sudden weight on her knee made her look down and she found herself staring into the eyes of her big buddy who always seemed to understand her mood. Liona lowered herself to the floor so she could lean against Tet.

String did not seem too happy with her brief reply, but he let it go for the moment. The moment he first drew the bow across the strings, her eyes filled with tears. He played beautifully. Masterfully.

The song was familiar, plaintive, an airy tapestry of words and melody that captured the poignancy, the pain and pleasure, of first love and the excellently executed vibrato caused her tears to flow freely right on top of Tet's head.

Suddenly he stopped and Liona raised her tearful eyes to his. "Why did you stop?" she asked, her voice hoarse from the lump in her throat.

"You're cryin'."

"It's not very gentlemanly to point that out."

String merely shrugged his shoulders. "I don't think I've done anythin' to make you believe I'm a gentleman."

A tiny smile tugged at her lips. It was true. He had never made any false claims about his character.

"Will you not play some more?" Liona asked him softly.

He shook his head. "Not if it's gonna make you cry."

"I can't help it. I miss playing myself terribly."

Perhaps aiming to please, String started to play an achingly sweet melody, before he abruptly stopped. "You play?" he asked her out of the blue. "How come your fingers aren't callused?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "It's not exactly a mandatory consequence of violin playing."

There was an eagerness in his eyes that she couldn't quite place. "Violin?"

When she simply nodded, he smiled at her. It was a kind, warm smile. Designed to make her feel at ease perhaps? To make up for his previous behavior?

"It's a beautiful instrument." He gave her a grin. "I tried it myself, but never could get used to the way you have twist your hand and wrist to hold it."

He suddenly tensed, then picked up the cello and put it in its place. He left the bow on the chair. "Just… wait..." he said. For a moment it seemed as if he wanted to say more, then he turned on his heels and disappeared up to the sleeping loft.

He wasn't gone long and when he returned, Liona's eyes riveted on what he was carrying. It was a violin case. Her mouth ran dry when he walked right up to her. Her first instinct was to clutch Tet even closer to her body. Poor thing just let her without whining about it. For that she decided he was welcome to peek under her skirts as much as he liked, if she ever wore any.

"This was St. John's. At least, it was supposed to be his. You can play it, if you like."

A deep yearning bloomed inside of her and before she could stop herself, Liona was already reaching out to the weathered violin case. Gently she placed the case on her knees and she released the clasps. When she gave String a nervous smile, she noticed he was giving her a boyish grin. Wondering what he was up to now, Liona raised the lid and her breath caught seeing the beautiful instrument, lovingly embedded in its red velvet case. She allowed her fingers to gently glide over the smooth surface and then curl around the neck.

"Come on," String urged her, "take her out. See how she feels and plays."

Liona carefully lifted the violin and her eyes fell on the faded label she could see through the f-hole.

Antonius Stradivarius Cremonensis

Faciebat Anno 1720

Though the last digit was very unclear. It could also say '1729'.

Only the first 1 in the date was printed. The last numbers handwritten. Liona could feel the blood leech from her face. When her eyes sought String's, his grin had broadened to a full-blown smile, transforming his usual somber face into a very handsome one. Not that he wasn't handsome when he was in one of his sullen moods, but… "It's not real. It can't be," she stammered, utterly confused and overwhelmed.

"It is. Just like the cello."

"Are you telling me you have two Strads? Real, authentic Strads?"

He chuckled a bit and Liona decided she really liked the sound. And a warmth bloomed in her chest because she knew that this time, she was the one who'd made him do that.

"Yeah," he said, "they're real. The paintings are real too. My grandfather collected them for my grandmother. She loved art. Most of the paintings were gifts, or inherited like the Strads. He could have sold them for a fortune, but he held on to them just for her."

String then cocked his head a bit and gave her a curious look. "When did you learn to play?"

Liona picked up the bow, tightened it and gave it a vigorous rosin treatment. It kept her mind in the here and now of the moment. "I was taking lessons before… before Dumaine got to me. After I was captured I was allowed to study and practice violin, but only if…"

She couldn't bring herself to admit that she'd allowed Dumaine to develop and use her other 'skill set' in return for a few violin lessons. It made her feel cheap. Especially considering the bad quality violin she'd been forced to use.

"If what?"

Instead of simply telling String that she'd had to use her skills to barter for any favor coming her way, Liona felt some context was needed, to defend her actions.

"At first I was only used as leverage. To make sure my dad did what he was ordered to do. Every time Dumaine promised my release but there was always that one bit of extra information Dad had to get him. And he did. Weeks passed, months… then years. I'd always been pretty good with electronics and one day I accidentally gave myself away."

String slowly picked up his bow and he lowered himself into the chair near the fireplace again.

A scowl appeared on his face, but now Liona felt it was not really directed at her.

"What do you mean? I thought Dumaine only held you captive because of your dad?"

"At first, yes. I was captured because my dad had easy access to specific classified information. He was a plain man. Never drew attention to himself, but he was great at what he did. Somehow he got on Dumaine's radar. I'm sorry to say that my dad was probably responsible for turning over a lot of classified information and secret details. All to keep me safe."

"What changed?"

"Like I said, I gave myself away. I thought I was more clever than them. I studied their routines, found a way to corrupt their internal system. One day I went for it and I tried to escape. I actually got outside, saw the sun and the blue sky for the first time in four years. Then they got to me.

"Turned out I had triggered an alarm the very first time I gained access. Dumaine was curious about what I could do and let me think I was succeeding in escaping."

"You did all that at such a young age?"

Liona nodded released an unsteady breath.

"He never planned to release you," String stated, "no matter how much information your dad would have given him. That was just a bonus. He already had his goose with the golden eggs."

It was hard to talk about it. She'd felt like such a failure at the time and kept thinking that her amazing dad would never have made such a rookie mistake.

String seemed to catch on and tried to steer the conversation to its previous topic. "Where do the violin lessons come in?"

"Can't you guess?" Liona asked him softly. "Dumaine knew I'd never voluntarily work for him. Private tutors were hired to teach me everything there was to know under the sun about computers and programming. But, from that moment on I had to trade for even the basic necessities. If I wanted to eat, I had to study. If I wanted to shower, I had to overhaul an outdated computer system."

"If you wanted to play the violin…"

"I had to write a program that would give him access to computer servers undetected. If, of course, he could find a victim he could pressure into installing it on the target system."

It was not easy to admit one's faults and Liona considered this to be her greatest flaw… weakness. "My dad worked for him to protect me," she softly said, tears again brimming in her eyes. "I worked for him so I could play violin."

"Hey!" String snapped. His outburst startled her and the angry look that blazed in his eyes made her cringe. Seeing her reaction seemed to take the edge away and he leaned forward to place a hand on her shoulder. "Hey," he said again, much softer this time, "you were a kid and you did what you had to do to survive. No one blames you for that."

"I do," she whispered.

"Then stop. There was nothin' you could have done." His voice crackled with emotion and he quickly averted his eyes. "There was nothin' I could've done either. Maybe- Maybe we should both accept that."

Liona had a feeling he was talking about what happened with his brother, but she wasn't certain. She was certain though that he was not in the mood to elaborate.

His expression suddenly changed and the boyish charm was back. It was strange to see him so… easy-going.

From the moment she'd met him she had hardly seen him other than brooding, grumpy or angry, except for maybe a few times… Like when she saw String laughing with Sarah LeBow. Had that been the moment then? That brief glimpse of the man he used to be, to make her fall in love with him? Liona remembered how she'd never she felt so vulnerable – as if every secret were his for the taking, every corner of her soul revealed to this man who managed to imprison her heart with no more than a smile. Right before he crushed it. And yet it had taken him all but one lopsided grin to win her over again. That and everything else she could see in his eyes.

The way she responded to him made her feel flustered and what was worse, he only seemed to take pleasure in it. As if he knew how his mere presence confused her senses.

Thankfully String dialed back the intensity of his charm offensive and he leaned back, easily switching back to his casual mode. "Now, come on, I'd like to hear you play somethin'."

For a moment Liona simply stared at the priceless instrument she was holding in her hands. Playing… For her it meant losing herself in the music, being completely consumed by it the moment she created it. It could get very intense and very… intimate. She wasn't entirely sure if she was up to it to show anyone. Yet… the lure of the Stradivarius was calling to her. If she was ever going to feel free enough to play, really play, her style, then it was probably better if String knew what he was dealing with beforehand.

Her fingers moved by themselves as she placed the violin under her chin. "Can you give me a G please?"

The moment he gave her that smile, she knew he'd been testing her. That Strad was definitely not tuned! "Sure," he said with a grin, taking out his cello from the stand again. He gave her a flawless G and quickly Liona moved the bow over the strings, adjusting the pegs when she needed until she was satisfied with the sound. String seemed satisfied as well as he gave her an approving look. Still, Liona did not start to play.

"Well?"

She smiled at his impatience and decided to just go for it. "Do you know 'Kashmir'?" she asked hopefully, longing to hear the reverberating low notes of Strings cello, with its gorgeous deep timbre.

"Kashmir?" Now he looked taken aback. "Yeah, I know it. Why?"

A slow smile spread on her lips. Excellent! Feeling rather provocative, Liona deliberately locked eyes with him. "Show me what you've got, Flyboy." Then she got the satisfaction of seeing him as flustered as she'd felt before. He quickly composed himself though and he met her stare. He kept his eyes fixed on her when he swiftly drew his bow across the strings and gave her the first chords that had Liona wetting her lips. When he repeated the notes, he upped the intensity, lifting a brow at her, inviting her to jump in.

The moment Liona did join in with the melody, she felt close to ecstatic at the sound of the violin and the shock that registered on String's face. She gave him an elated smile when he faltered for one brief moment.

Soon they were playing with each other, against each other, challenging each other, silently communicating in a language they both understood. The low chords of his cello only made the high notes on the violin more compelling and arousing. The sounds they created met, mingled and made love as the song progressed. The moment she upped the speed and intensified, String easily followed her and even forced her to climb higher… and higher. All the while they played, both lost in the music, they kept their eyes locked. It was… exhilarating. She'd never been able to challenge someone else before who pushed back as aggressively as she did. At one point she even saw him slam the bow against the strings creating a sound that made her shiver.

By the time 'Kasmir' reached its crescendo, Liona felt that she knew String on a level that no one ever would, or even could, just as he now knew her. They'd briefly touched each others souls.