Chapter 20

Talon's hand hesitated as he reached for the door. It had been easy to tell his sisters that he would handle the situation, that he'd speak with Quinn and figure everything out. But now that he was here, a door his only obstacle, he realized how unprepared he was.

There were a lot of things Talon was: a killer, a criminal, a monster. A father was not one of them. Nor was a lover.

Three knocks on the door. A brief pause before a soft "Come in." It was now or never.

She sat on the edge of the oversized bed, looking out the window at the rain that never seemed to stop pouring in Noxus. Hearing the door open she turned to look at him, a weak smile forming on her face. Her body looked small in the oversized fur robe that she wore, courtesy of the guest suite he was sure, and even when she stood she still seemed tiny, more fragile than he remembered.

"Talon…"

Her eyes were so bright he couldn't bear to look at them. How could she still look at him like that, after everything he'd done to her? He turned his gaze to the side, trying to remember what he was going to say to her. There was so much he needed to tell her, where did he even begin?

A sudden hand on his face caught him off guard and he reluctantly turned his head back to see Quinn, her hand cradling his jaw as she gently scratched at the stubble that he'd begun to grow. He'd neglected to take good care of himself over the near two months it'd been since he'd seen her – he probably looked a mess.

If he did, Quinn didn't seem to mind. She just looked into his eyes, smiling a bit when he finally returned her gaze. Her thumb ran against the corner of his mouth, over the scar she'd pointed out so long ago when their affair had first begun.

He needed to say something, anything. This silence was unbearable. Her eyes had entranced him and he couldn't look away, despite the rush of guilt that overwhelmed him. He'd figured that he wouldn't love her anymore after what he had thought been her betrayal, that his mind would rationalize everything out and he'd forget the stupid feelings that put him here in the first place. But he was wrong.

"I've missed you," she breathed.

Her voice sent a chill up his spine and suddenly he was undone, no longer able to control himself. His hands were around her waist in a flash and he had to restrain himself from squeezing too hard out of fear he might snap her in half.

Quinn gasped in surprise but quickly followed, throwing her arms around his neck and pulling him down closer to her, burying her face in the crook of his neck as the tears began to escape. She wound her fingers into his hair, clinging for dear life as though he might disappear into thin air if she didn't.

"Quinn, I –"

The Demacian lifted her head, allowing her hands to slide to his face, holding it gently as she shushed him.

"No words," she whispered, "Not yet. Just hold me… please."

The pleading look she gave him was enough to silence him. After everything he'd done to her, who was he to deny her this moment? It was the least he could do.

Pressing his lips together he gave her a small nod, allowing a hand to unwind from her waist to come up and wipe some of the tears away. A slight whimper from Quinn and both of his hands were on her face, her skin just as smooth as he remembered.

Her eyes fell shut as she leaned into one hand, rubbing her cheek against his palm as she tried to hide her sobs behind weak coughs.

Free from her gaze, Talon was able to recall what he was supposed to be doing. He needed to get her out of Noxus, it wasn't safe here. That was his mission: to escort her out of this kingdom, get her somewhere safe. Somewhere she could raise their child in peace… alone.

"Quinn, we need to leave."

He was surprised when she let out a choked laugh, her eyes opening to look at him again and damn, it wasn't fair how easily they pierced into his soul.

"I see you're still not a very good listener," she teased, reaching up to place a hand on his wrist.

"This is serious, it's not safe –"

"Come sit with me."

Talon sighed in frustration, but allowed Quinn to pull him to the bed where they sat side by side, a bit further apart than he wanted, but he needed to focus and be serious. Her life was at stake; his feelings were nothing in comparison to that.

He took her hands in his, looking down at them so he could avoid her eyes that seemed to be a greater distraction than he'd remembered.

"Quinn," he started, "I need you to –"

"Why won't you look at me?"

Talon tightened his grip on her hands, trying not to let his frustration take over. He knew this was going to be difficult, but he hadn't expected her to act like this. If anything, he thought she would've avoided or ignored him completely. Yet here she was, seemingly still in love with him and desperate for his affection. And that made it so much harder.

He struggled to find the right words, unsure of how to go about this without hurting her any more than he already had.

While it was true that her gaze made him weak, that was hardly an excuse to ignore her. Besides, there was more to it than that. He might as well be honest about it.

Taking a deep breath, he allowed himself to meet her gaze again, unable to stop himself from wincing at the pain it seemed to cause.

"I can't bear to see my reflection in your eyes," he admitted, "The face of this… this monster who has torn your life apart. I can't stand it."

Her eyes seemed to shine even brighter, full of sympathy and love that he didn't deserve. A hand came up to cradle his cheek, her thumb gently tracing that same scar as before.

"Talon, I love –"

"Don't say it."

He squeezed his eyes shut, unable to bear it any longer. The guilt was too much.

"After everything I've done," he continued with his eyes screwed shut, "How can you look at me so sweetly? Say that you love me? I nearly killed you yet…"

The words trailed off as his lips were met with hers, a gentle press that sent a familiar warmth across his body. She paused for a moment, seemingly to allow him the chance to finish his sentence. A beat of silence passed and she kissed him again, a bit firmer this time. Talon sat there still, unable to pull away but not able to return the kiss either.

"Talon," she breathed.

Another kiss.

"I don't care what you say…"

Another.

"… I love you. And nothing you say will change that."

He could hear her fighting back the sobs as she spoke.

"Talon, please. Talk to me. I'm with you."

For some reason, that seemed to get through to him. His eyes opened just slightly; his lids heavy as he leaned forward to rest his forehead against hers.

"I'm afraid," he said softly, "I don't want to see you get hurt because of me."

"You won't hurt me," she assured, "It's alright. We can stick together and get through this. I've got your back."

As if to emphasize this, she let her free arm wrap around him and gently rubbed his back up and down, her other hand still tending to the scar by his lip.

Sure, this wasn't planned, but now that they were back together Quinn knew they would be able to figure things out. She wasn't exactly sure how, but it would be okay. It had to be. He was all she had left.

"But how?" he asked, "I don't understand…"

"I love you," she said simply, "That's all there is to understand."

Hearing her say it again, so sure of herself as if it was a universal knowledge, Talon broke free from his restraints.

His hands found her face and he was kissing her tenderly, gently, the taste of her lips a familiar comfort. Quinn allowed a sigh of relief as she wrapped her arms around his neck, returning the kiss fervently. It had been far too long. They'd needed this more than they had anticipated.

As the kiss deepened, Talon's stubble scratched against Quinn's mouth, a sensation she was not used to. She could discuss it with him later though; right now, she just needed his touch, his lips on hers, the soft sounds of pleasure he made with every caress.

They made love for hours, occasionally taking breaks in between to catch their breath before throwing themselves on top of one another again. It was all very slow and gentle, which Quinn suspected was due to Talon's wariness of her pregnancy. While she wouldn't have minded a bit of rough-housing, she had to admit that there was something special about it this time. Talon was so careful with her, always watching her to make sure she was comfortable, asking if she needed anything from him and holding her as close as possible.

She briefly wondered if maybe it was because he loved her. It was something she'd been thinking about since they'd last seen each other; he'd mentioned wanting to discuss something when she returned and there was a small part of her that had hoped he'd come to reciprocate her feelings.

Even if that wasn't it, she didn't care. He was here with her now, and his arms were so strong around her. She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt so safe.

Eventually, the love making came to an end. An exhausted Quinn laid comfortably in Talon's arms, her consciousness quickly fading.

"I love you, Talon," she breathed.

The Noxian merely nodded his head and watched her as she drifted into sleep.

"Quinn?"

When she didn't respond, he knew that she had certainly passed out and hopefully faded into sweet dreams. Knowing that she couldn't hear him, he allowed himself to admit what he'd been trying to deny for so long.

"I love you, too."

Author's Note: Still alive. Not sure how much more I'll write of this, but I'm doing my best.