Author's Note: Hello again!

I just wanted to say: holy crap! I posted a few bits of this before work today (I work an odd shift) and I've come back to a rather full email inbox. Wow! I nearly wet my pants, people. Thank you so much.

I'd also like to thank the two people who reviewed because your positivity really made my day! Yay!

I have far more of this already written out (you can head to my profile for the reason why and to laugh at me, in fact), I just have to split it all up and upload it, so I will certainly get to work on that! I just tend to edit (over and over again) even as I'm supposed to be not-editing. I blame the obsessive compulsiveness.

To all you lurkers out there: you're officially creeping me out. As a fellow lurker, I'm watching you!

Life was hard when you were in love, a Grey Warden, a failed Templar, a bastard son, and thankfully past pubescence.

Maker, thanks for the small things, at least. I knew I was handsome enough and no longer physically awkward, only mentally. Which is honestly so much worse. Aliara never insulted me when I told her – fumbling, awkward – how grateful I was that she was her – I never said Hero out loud, how embarrassing that would be?! – that out of all the losses we'd taken, at least I had gained her. She smiled so brightly that I forgot to look away and stared outright, all other words falling from my mind, as she replied, "I feel the same way."

As if she had ever been so awkward in her life. I imagine she grew as strong and beautiful and quiet as she did, not like the rest of us, but as a flower grows from bud to bloom – it was her destiny to be as she was and she spent no time on awkwardness.

I, on the other hand, spent all my time on awkwardness. I felt like the gawky boy amongst the giggling girls again – except it wasn't capriciousness that fueled his awkwardness, but honest affection and camaraderie, understanding. Aliara was driving me crazy by being absolutely natural, beautiful, and serenely warm to me. She never openly favored me, but she looked out for me, asked my opinion before those of the others, and teased me gently, with her mouth lightly quirked to the side, a dimple that seemed only for me.

I was confoundedly smitten with her.

It didn't help when she invited Wynne to join – though I did love losing Morrigan in our small traveling party, my Hero having quietly ordered her to protect the camp with Sten. I may have stuck my tongue out at that haughty bitch, which made my fellow Warden's eyebrow rise and eyes sparkle with laughter.

Wynne, however, loved to tease me. Well, not right out the door, but still. The Circle was our first stop, as they seemed like one of the most powerful allies to have in our fight. So Wynne was always teasing me near my lady, who was either quite absorbed in our surroundings – which made sense, considering we were, oh, I don't know, fighting for our lives – or just very polite, to pretend she hadn't heard Wynne ratting me out, er…accusing me of staring at Aliara's…hindquarters. The nerve.

Once Wynne started, Leliana got in on it. I was outnumbered by feminine wiles and I couldn't win! Aliara never teased me about what they said, only giving me a gentle smile when we spoke, encouraging me to spill my guts out to her.

Which I always did, feeling distraught about venting only my pain and frustration when I just wanted to have a quality discussion with her. She always waved off my apologies, however, and offered up her own feelings, though with less uncertainty and flair than I. "I'm nervous," she admitted one night as we prepared for our next destination. "Am I doing the right thing, bringing us to all of these places in the right order and solving everyone's problems? Is that really neutrality? What would the other Grey Wardens say if they saw us now?"

I scoffed and then flailed, verbally and physically, when I saw her brief wounded look. "The Grey Wardens would undoubtedly be ridiculously proud of us; you for getting things done and me for being so witty and helpful." She punched my shoulder lightly with a laugh as I continued to speak, "I just can't imagine you being nervous. You always look as though the world changes its path just because you told it you wanted to go a different direction. I mean, that you're so certain about everything and beauti-"

I stopped, mouth still open, and she had the loveliest blush I had ever seen. My face flushed in two parts sympathy and mortification until her hand lightly brushed my arm, trailing down in a gentle caress, and she said, "Thank you, Alistair." Two dimples.

I was a goner. Two dimples were my point of no return. I was hers as strongly as Andraste was the Maker's. Well, okay, that's a bit of an exaggeration, I suppose, but that was the turning point for me, where my admiration for her went from finally being understood and accepted to a need to forever be at her side.

The problem? I had no idea how to tell her this without seeming desperate, creepy, or a combination of the two.