The first half of this chapter takes place one month prior to the events at the end of last chapter. The second half resumes where the last chapter left off. Putting this here for clarification in case it's confusing.

At first, Quinn couldn't remember what had happened. She'd been doing her mandatory training, running faster than usual for some reason. And then everything went fuzzy, her mind unable to recall what had come next.

She sat up to take in her surroundings, noticing that the area seemed vaguely familiar. There had never been a time she'd needed to go to the infirmary, but she could remember Jarvan showing it to her when giving her a tour of the castle grounds. It was decently sized, able to fit a dozen or so patients. All the beds were empty and neatly made, aside from the one she occupied. Glancing down, Quinn noticed that she'd been changed into a plain medical robe and had a bandage wrapped around her arm. What had warranted the bandage? She assumed that she must've passed out, but that wouldn't require any type of physical aid.

"You're awake."

Quinn nearly jumped out of the bed at the sudden voice, whipping her head around to find Jarvan IV standing at her bedside. Had he been there the whole time? Surely not, but when had he snuck in without her noticing? Perhaps she really was sick if her senses were this dull.

"Forgive me, Your Highness," she said, "But I don't really remember how I got here."

Something was different about him. He was usually so friendly with her, always treating her as an equal rather than a subordinate. But now his face was cold, his arms folded across his chest almost defensively.

"You overexerted yourself and ended up passing out."

The tone to his voice was just as cold as his expression. Something must've happened, she just couldn't remember what. It had to be rather severe for him to be acting this way.

She shifted awkwardly in the bed, trying her best to nonchalantly avoid his piercing gaze.

"I'm sorry," she replied, "I… I don't know why that would've happened."

Jarvan sighed heavily, closing his eyes in thought.

"Neither did I. That's why I had the doctor run some blood tests, to see if we could find an answer."

So that explained the bandage on her arm at least. She appreciated his thoughtfulness and concern, but that didn't answer why he was acting so distant. Had the tests revealed something he didn't want to tell her?

"And?" she asked, "Did they find anything?"

Jarvan opened his eyes again and stood up straight, a tower looming over her bedside.

"Quinn."

Her stomach flipped nervously. His voice was stern, as if he was speaking to an enemy rather than a friend. He'd never spoken to her this way before.

"I usually avoid prying into the personal lives of my soldiers," he said, "At least, under normal circumstances…"

The scout tilted her head in confusion. It was true; Jarvan had asked her the typical questions about her past, where she grew up, but he'd never tried to delve any deeper than that. Something was wrong.

"I'm afraid I don't understand…"

"Where did you get this?"

Jarvan extended a fist, slowly opening his hand to reveal a familiar ring.

Quinn's hand flew her neck, mortified to find it bare. Everything rushed back to her in an instant. Talon. He was waiting for her in Noxus, that's what had made her push herself so hard. She'd been racing to get to him.

"Where did you get this?" Jarvan repeated.

Her fingers danced at her throat nervously, as if that would somehow make the necklace return.

"It was a gift," she answered weakly.

The answer seemed to anger Jarvan, causing him to sneer and clench his fist around the ring again. Quinn desperately wanted to reach out and take it back, but his fiery glare kept her paralyzed, her hand trembling as it fell to rest against her chest.

"From a lover I presume?" he hissed.

Quinn felt her throat tighten. She trusted Jarvan, but she knew that she could never tell him about Talon. He wouldn't understand. She looked for the words to explain herself but they never came.

"The stone is set in a metal used in the building of Noxtorra," Jarvan continued, "It's not easy to come by… Only nobles and wealthy Noxians could get their hands on something like this."

"Jarvan I –"

The resounding smack that filled the room was deafening in Quinn's ears, so much so that she hardly felt the sting of his hand colliding with her face. Tears were quick to find their way to her eyes, though they were not from the pain of Jarvan's slap.

"I trusted you," he snapped, "How could you betray Demacia like this?"

"Never!" she gasped.

Jarvan raised a brow at the sudden conviction in her voice. The tears had begun to fall, though she made no attempt to hold them back.

"I would never betray Demacia!" she exclaimed, "You don't know him! He –"

"You carry his child, Quinn!"

The words knocked the wind out of her.

She fell back against the head of the bed, her tears coming to an abrupt halt as she tried to remember how to breathe. Her hands wandered to her stomach absentmindedly, her eyes staring blankly ahead at the emptiness before her.

Carried his child? She was pregnant? How could this happen?

Jarvan sighed, his face softening upon seeing her shocked reaction.

"I understand that this wasn't planned," he said, "But the fact of the matter is that you've been sleeping with the enemy. A Noxian noble for that matter. Who knows how much sensitive information you could've leaked to him?"

Quinn's head snapped back to Jarvan, the vacantness in her eyes replaced with a fierce determination.

"I would never do such a thing," she answered, "I would never betray Demacia."

He sighed again, running a hand through his hair, clearly torn about the situation.

"I want to believe you, Quinn, I truly do. But you've lied this much, I don't know how I can trust you."

She didn't bother to protest; she knew he was right. He had no reason to believe anything she said at this point. Everything she'd worked for until now was for nothing, she'd thrown away it all just for love. And yet, a warmth bubbled in her core, one that spread through her body and enveloped her entirely.

She loved Talon. Without a doubt, she loved him and she wouldn't change that for anything. This child was proof of that. Jarvan had to understand that.

His face had become slightly sad, his brows pulled together as he sighed.

"This isn't something I can just let go and ignore," he said, "But… if you help me, I'll make sure you avoid punishment."

Quinn's face lit up at his words. She knew that he'd understand; he was a good and wise prince after all.

"Yes, Your Highness!" she breathed, "I understand your suspicions, but my loyalty to Demacia would never waver."

A small smile played at Jarvan's lips, happy to hear her words of devotion.

"I'm glad to hear that," he replied, "Now… who is the father?"

Quinn hesitated. She wanted to believe that he only wanted to know so that he could reunite them, but there was a gnawing suspicion that kept her from telling him immediately.

"…Why do you want to know?" she asked warily.

Jarvan's face hardened ever so slightly, but it was enough to keep Quinn on edge.

"You're under suspicion of treason, Quinn. You're not in the position to be asking questions."

The acid in his voice sent a chill down her spine. But she remained steadfast, digging deep within herself to find the strength to sit up straight under his glare.

"I want to know why you're asking," she said, her voice shaking only slightly.

She didn't even see him move, but the next thing Quinn knew, Jarvan had wrapped a hand around her arm, his grip not particularly gentle.

"Please."

There was a desperation in his voice that Quinn was unfamiliar with and she found herself shaking.

"I want to believe you," he continued, "That you wouldn't betray Demacia… betray me. Just tell me who he is and I will make sure this all goes away. I'll give you a clean slate."

It all became clear to Quinn, her face paling at the realization.

"You're going to kill him."

Jarvan clenched his jaw and Quinn immediately tried to break free from his grasp, but his hold was firm.

"I don't know what you've told him," Jarvan hissed, "He could know information vital to this kingdom's security. He is a threat and must be eliminated immediately."

"I haven't told him anything!" she pleaded, "Jarvan, listen to me!"

"I am not betting the safety of this kingdom on the word of a woman who would stoop so low as to sleep with a Noxian! Now tell me his name!"

"…No."

His grip on her arm tightened and she was able to see that his knuckles were beginning to turn white.

"Dammit, Quinn! I'm trying to help you! Why are you protecting him?"

The tears had found their way back to her eyes, one escaping as she took a deep breath.

"I love him."

Jarvan's eyes widened and for a moment, there was nothing. No words, no tears, no anger. Just silence.

After what felt like years, he released her to stand up straight. Without a word, he extended his other hand out over her and dropped the ring onto her lap. Quinn was quick to grab it, pressing it lovingly against her chest, grateful that the one piece of him she had was returned.

"You'll be tried for treason, you know," Jarvan murmured.

She glanced up and saw the sadness in his eyes, his shoulders slumped in defeat.

"I have done nothing wrong," she answered, "Unless falling in love is a crime."

"It is when it's a Noxian… it pains me to see how much he's tainted your mind."

Quinn scowled.

"I love him, Jarvan."

"But does he love you?"

The silence returned, a painful, heavy weight against Quinn's chest. Talon had never officially reciprocated her feelings. He'd told her that he wanted to speak with her about something, but she couldn't be sure that it was about love. Perhaps he really did feel nothing at all.

"You're under arrest, Quinn," Jarvan sighed heavily, "On suspicion of treason. I'm not so heartless as to imprison you in your current state, so you will be placed under house arrest until… the child arrives. After that, you will be at the mercy of a judge… I trusted you, Quinn. I thought that this kingdom… that I meant something to you."

His words were cold and harsh as he left, piercing Quinn's heart as the door closed behind him.

Quinn's hand found her stomach and she pressed against it gently, the warmth seeming to have faded slightly. Unable to control herself, Quinn burst into tears. Tears for Jarvan, for Talon, for her unborn child. For herself. For the first time since she'd met Valor, she felt utterly alone.

Talon stared at her, frozen in place as he hovered over her. Nothing could have prepared him for this; hell, it probably would've been easier if she'd just betrayed him like he thought. But that wasn't true. Quinn was pregnant with his child. After a tense moment of silence, Quinn watching him carefully to make sure he didn't raise his weapon again, he sighed.

"Fuck."

It wasn't exactly what Quinn had been wanting to hear, but she was relieved to notice that the former hostility in his voice had disappeared.

Talon removed his hand from her stomach, eyeing it as he climbed off of the bed. Quinn sat up straight, her lip between her teeth as she looked down sheepishly.

"I wanted to tell you," she explained, "But Jarvan's had me under house arrest…"

"You told him?" he asked incredulously.

Quinn shook her head.

"It's a long story… but he found out and knows that the father is a Noxian… I didn't tell him it was you because I knew he'd try to kill you."

Talon nodded, though he was only half-listening. He was still in shock about the news himself. Talon was many things, but he was definitely not father material. How could he have been so careless?

"Talon?"

Her voice snapped him out of his thoughts and he was able to focus on her again. Gods, she was beautiful. It had been so long since he'd seen her, he felt as if he were seeing her for the first time all over again. Those damn feelings of his began to well inside him and he had to shake them away before they got any stronger. He needed to talk to her about all of this, to sort all of these feelings out. And he certainly couldn't do that here.

"We need to go," he said.

Quinn didn't understand as he moved across the room, grabbing her rucksack and rummaging through her drawers to acquire clothes and other belongings. She thought he would've had a more extreme reaction to the pregnancy news, but it almost seemed that he hadn't heard.

"Talon," she protested, "I'm… I'm under house arrest."

"Do you want to stay here?" he asked.

"I –"

"Man down! Someone call for help, we have men down!"

The panicked voice came from down the hall, and Quinn was suddenly aware of the two dead guards in her doorway. New men must have come to relieve them, she thought.

But before she could react, Talon had already thrown the rucksack down and darted to the doorway, flinging a blade through the air. A strangled gasp was soon followed by a thump as the new guard fell to the floor, unable to cry for help.

Quinn's mouth hung open as Talon ran back into the room, picking up the rucksack and running to her side.

"We gotta go now, the whole damn castle probably heard him," he hissed.

"I can't just run away!" she cried, "They'll come after me, after you!"

"Then we better get a head start."

She tried to protest, but her words fell on deaf ears as Talon lifted her from the bed, carrying her back to the balcony. He set her down, more gingerly than she'd expected, and leapt over the railing with ease, breaking his fall with a roll. Once he stood up, he outstretched his arms to Quinn, waiting impatiently.

"I'll catch you," he assured, "Come on!"

Quinn glanced down the balcony nervously. This was all happening so fast. She'd finally been reunited with Talon and now he wanted her to run away with him to who knew where. Jarvan would be furious and he'd definitely try to find her again, and if he did he wouldn't be as lenient as he had been before. She cast a glance back into her bedroom, noticing that it had become quite a mess after the storm that was Talon had gone through. The bodies of the guards remained motionless and reminded Quinn that she wasn't the only one in danger anymore.

She took a deep breath and jumped down, cursing herself for being so foolish. Talon's arms were strong and secure around her, and he showed no sign of letting her down as he began to make a dash for the trees where his horse waited.

Quinn could hear voices booming behind her, demanding that the area be scouted immediately. She closed her eyes tightly as the voices faded away, worried that they would be caught at any moment.

But Talon was quick and made it to the horse before anyone had even gotten to her window, ensuring that no one would've seen them escape. The ride back to Noxus would have to be the fastest he'd ever made, as he had to keep Quinn safe. She felt so small and fragile in his arms, making sure to keep a tight hold on her even as they rode off through the woods. Thoughts swirled through Talon's mind, a loud buzzing in his head. Only one thing was certain: he had no idea what he was doing.

Author's Note: Surprise, bitch. Bet you thought you'd seen the last of me? Sorry this took so long, I went through a pretty severe personal crisis (depression's a bitch) so I didn't really have the motivation/will to write. I'm honestly not 100% happy with this chapter, or at least the second half anyway, but I feel like an ass making you all wait so long so here you go. I may or may not come back and edit this later since I know it could be better, but I hope this satisfies you for now. Also, a huge thank you to xXxlithiumxXx for leaving the most wonderful, in-depth review I've ever received. That was honestly one of the main reasons I forced myself to keep writing this instead of just giving it all up. Your words truly meant so much and I can't thank you enough. But yeah, not sure how long the next chapter will take as I'm not sure if I'll touch this one up first or not, but please bear with me! All of your love and support truly does push me to move forward, so thank you for that. Until next time!