The ride to Noxus was terribly quiet, neither of them willing to say a word. Quinn felt Talon's chest against her back, firm and unmoving, his arms tight around her as he guided the horse forward. It seemed as if he was trying to protect her from something, despite not having encountered any threats on their journey. A light rain began to fall as they entered Noxus, prompting Talon to lean further forward in an attempt to shield her.

She wanted nothing more than to speak to him. To know what he was thinking. He hadn't reacted how she'd expected upon hearing of her pregnancy, and she could only imagine he'd been bottling up his true feelings.

"Talon…"

He shushed her immediately, squeezing her between his arms as he glanced to the side. They were deep inside Noxus now, where the walls had ears and a lone Demacian made easy prey. A few eyes wandered their way, Talon pulling Quinn closer to his chest and hunching over her to deter the suspicious watchers.

Quinn took his cue and stayed silent as the rain dripped down, trickling down Talon's chin to fall on top of her head. She thought briefly of Demacia and wondered if she'd ever be able to return. The thought brought more pain than she'd anticipated, and she found herself unable to tell whether the water running down her face was from the sky or her own eyes.

By the time they reached Du Couteau Manor, the rain had begun to pour and Quinn couldn't help but notice how Talon had begun to shiver against her. He hopped off the horse with ease and Quinn was finally able to see his face for the first time in hours. Despite the hood of his cloak being up, she could still see that his hair was soaked, clinging to the sides of his face that looked paler than she remembered.

Before she could comment on his appearance, he'd extended his arms and taken her in them, lifting her from the horse and cradling her against his chest. She gasped in surprise, quickly wrapping her arms around his neck to help hold herself up, keenly aware that he still trembled.

"Talon, I can walk," she breathed.

He either didn't hear her or didn't care, remaining silent as he began to carry her up the stairs of the mansion. For the first time, his arms weren't sturdy as she remembered, and she worried that he might drop her.

"Talon –"

She was met with a grunt as he kicked the door to the manor open, stumbling inside rather ungracefully. A few servants glanced over in surprise and, upon seeing Talon so disheveled, quickly ran to his side. They eyed Quinn suspiciously as he finally set her down on her feet, the exhaustion that overcame him forcing to lean against her for support.

"Talon!" she cried.

He shushed her again, raising his head to rest his forehead against hers.

"I'm fine," he muttered, "You're…"

Quinn felt one of his hands press against her stomach, still trembling from the cold. It was true; he hadn't imagined the small bump earlier, or the warmth that spread through his nerves at the touch. His eyes found hers and she saw something in them she'd never seen before: fear.

"What's going on here?"

The Demacian turned to the source of the voice to see a less than pleased Katarina entering the foyer, her green eyes narrowing at the sight of Quinn.

"And here I thought you were finished with her," she sighed, "A shame."

Talon seemed to regain his strength upon seeing his sister, standing up straight to pull Quinn to his side protectively.

"Not now, Kat," he grumbled, "This is none of your concern."

Katarina wrinkled her nose when Talon pulled the Demacian close, unashamed of her visible disgust.

"That's where you're wrong," she replied, "I told you not to bring her here. We can't have a Demacian this deep inside Noxus –"

"It's complicated."

Talon was quick to cut her off, obviously not in the mood to deal with her. He nudged Quinn towards one of the servants, who seemed just as annoyed about the situation as Katarina.

"Draw her a bath," he said curtly, "She'll be staying with us for a while."

That seemed to set something off in Katarina, whose eyes now burned with anger. She drew her blades and thrust one in Talon's direction menacingly. He sidestepped it with ease, much to his sister's frustration.

"Like hell she is!" she hissed.

"Kat –"

"If you think I'm going to let your little whore stay here another minute, then –"

The room went silent as all eyes watched Talon lunge forward with impressive speed to wrap his hand around Katarina's throat, a move that even caught the redhead off guard, startling her enough to make her drop one of her blades.

Quinn couldn't see Talon's face from this angle, but hearing his voice sent a chill down her spine.

"Never call her that again, or I will remove your tongue with my blade."

All of the servants looked on in horror, clearly unaccustomed to such violence between the two. From what Quinn knew, Talon didn't always get along with his sisters, but he'd never dare to lay a hand on one.

As if to prove it, Katarina spit into Talon's face, a horrified gasp escaping one of the younger servants. Talon didn't reply, releasing his hold on his sister to wipe away the spit that now trickled down his cheek.

"Ungrateful street rat," she snapped, "How dare you –"

"I must speak with my sister alone."

Talon spoke more to the servants than to Katarina herself, his eyes settling on a rather terrified Quinn. The Demacian couldn't help but notice the redhead's eyes boring into her as well, forcing her to look down at her feet sheepishly.

"Leave us," Talon continued, "And draw her a damn bath already."

Afraid to upset him any further, the servants scrambled to escape the room and avoid his wrath. One of the female servants took Quinn by the arm and began to drag her away. The Demacian protested, struggling to break free and return to Talon's side.

"Go," he insisted, "I'll see you in a bit."

He waited until Quinn and the servants had left before heaving a sigh, glancing over at Katarina. Her arms were folded across her chest, a scowl on her normally relaxed face.

"I hate it when you pull shit like that," she grumbled.

"I had to get them out of here quickly," he replied, "Needed to talk to you alone."

"About the girl, I assume."

Talon nodded and Katarina waited expectantly for him to explain himself. There wasn't exactly an easy way to do so, he realized. A shiver rippled down his spine, an unwelcome reminder that he was still soaking wet from the rain.

"You should probably get out of those clothes," Kat huffed, "You're gonna catch a cold and –"

"She's pregnant."

He couldn't say he was surprised when she snorted in response, allowing a laugh to escape her lips. That was the last thing she'd expect to hear from him and, on another occasion, he might've said something similar as a prank. But this was all too real.

"Talon, please," she said through her laughter, "After that dramatic shit you just pulled, now is hardly the time for jokes."

"I'm not joking."

The laughter fell from her lips as she saw the intensity in Talon's eyes for a brief moment, only for him to look away in what she could only imagine was shame. Her mouth opened to speak, but she found herself in the rare situation of being speechless.

Thoughts ran through Talon's mind as what felt like years passed in silence. He'd considered not telling her, trying to keep Quinn a secret, but the thought became too overwhelming when he realized he had no idea what to do. Kat had always been there for him, sometimes in her own unusual way, but she was one of the few people that understood him. So maybe, just maybe, she'd be able to help. If not…

"Go take a bath."

He glanced up at her confused.

"Excuse me?" he asked.

Katarina rolled her eyes as she repeated herself.

"We have a lot to talk about," she explained, "And I don't need you freezing to death in the middle of our conversation."

She reached out to brush away some of the wet hair that still clung to his face, reminding him that he was in fact still drenched from the rain. Talon jerked his head back instinctively, never one to be fond of such close touching (except from perhaps Quinn). The redhead rolled her eyes again, playfully shoving his face away as she walked past him.

"I'll meet you in the study," she called over her shoulder, "And… don't bring the girl. This is a Du Couteau matter."

Quinn stared up at the ceiling helplessly, her hands resting atop her stomach as she soaked in the oversized bath she'd been escorted to. The servants hadn't said a word to her, merely led her to the room and started the water, their eyes creased in suspicion the whole time. It was quite large for a guest room, even more lavish than the one she'd had in the citadel, though she supposed that was because they needed to keep them modest in order to fit so many for all the Vanguard members.

She thought she heard a sound and sat up to glance at the door. When no one entered or spoke, she sunk back into the water with a heavy sigh.

All she wanted was to speak with Talon. He'd hardly said a word to her on the ride here, even though she'd told him of her situation. She had assumed he'd have at least some kind of reaction, whether it was to lecture her or congratulate her. She wasn't prepared for this horrible, unending nothingness.

The whole time she'd been stuck under house arrest she'd thought of him. Wondering what he was doing, hoping that he would somehow understand why she couldn't return to him, praying that he would forgive her. Without Talon…

A tear rolled down her cheek, but she didn't bother to wipe it away.

Demacia had shunned her; she would never be able to return to her home, to see the few friends she had, her parents, Valor…

Talon was all she had left.

There was a knock, one she didn't imagine, and she sat up again, rubbing the back of her hand against her cheek to wash away her sadness.

"Yes?" she called out in a voice she could hardly recognize as her own.

Had she always sounded so pitiful?

"It's me."

Quinn was caught off guard at the sound of his voice, but she didn't ignore the small wave of relief that coursed over her body.

"Come in."

The door creaked open and Talon entered, closing it behind him more gently than she'd expected. It looked as if he'd taken a bath, as his hair was now only damp and he'd changed into plain clothes. How long had she been in this tub, she wondered, for him to have finished before her?

He stayed close to the door to Quinn's disappointment, almost as if he was afraid of getting too close to her. They locked eyes for a moment, only to both glance away embarrassed, as if it was the first time they'd been alone together. An unsure beat of silence passed before Talon cleared his throat.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

Quinn looked back at him, trying to turn the sobs that were trying to escape into some kind of forced laughter.

"I suppose… I'm alive at least."

Talon furrowed his brows in concern and opened his mouth to reply, only to shut it before the words could spill out. Another uncomfortable pause went by before he was able to decide on what he wanted to say.

"If there's anything you need, don't hesitate to ask. You're a guest here."

"I don't think Katarina will let me stay…" she began to protest.

"I'm going to speak with her now," he explained, "I just wanted to… make sure you're okay."

And that was enough to make Quinn's heart flutter. The familiar concern, as distant as it was, reminded her just how deeply she cared for him and how much she'd missed him.

"Talon, I…"

"We'll talk later. Take it easy, alright?"

The sudden emotion in her voice had unnerved him and he knew he had to escape quickly before he fell apart at her feet. Quinn just nodded in response, watching him until the door had closed behind him completely.

The tears returned, more freely this time as she began to sink deeper into the water, bringing her head under the surface to completely submerge herself. She spoke to no one in particular, not caring that she couldn't be heard beneath the water.

"What am I going to do?"

"What's she doing here?"

Talon's voice was less than amused as he entered the study, still trying to regain his nerves after seeing Quinn so vulnerable. He'd only been expecting Katarina, but instead there were two women waiting for him, a nasty grin forming on the other as he entered the room.

"I told you it's a Du Couteau matter," Kat answered, "Of course she is going to be here."

Hey guys, guess what? I'm not dead! Sorry it's taken me so long to update this, a lot of stuff has been going on in life and things were crazy. I honestly didn't want to publish this chapter as it is now, as I feel I can add more to it, but I'm tired of making you all wait. So I decided to end at this point for now, just to give you guys at least something for staying with me so long. I will admit, my creative juices aren't really flowing for this fic right now, so I can't say when I'll update again, but I'll try not to make you wait too long. Thank you all so much for your kind words and support, it really means a lot. I hope to see you again soon! Please feel free to leave a review as well, they really do mean the world to me.