Chapter 6: Fireworks

Caitlin and her companions made their way back to the surface without taking the time for a rest. It was a tense and hurried march up through the tunnels. There was little danger of losing their way as long as they kept to the main tunnel, but the journey seemed longer than they remembered and they kept throwing back nervous glances.

The five skeletons bursting from a half-hidden side tunnel took them completely by surprise. They beat them off easily, but every one of them was acutely aware of the time they lost fighting off the monsters. As soon as the last one went to the ground, they rushed onward. They were all tired from the big battle, with little or no reserves to draw upon, and more than once Caitlin questioned the wisdom of their course of action.

But they made it. After endless hours of darkness, they finally saw a tiny pinpoint of light far ahead that rapidly grew bigger. One by one, they stumbled through the doors, blinded by the sun, but utterly grateful to breathe the warm, fragrant surface air again.

"What do we do now?" Bethany put down her backpack with a sigh of relief and sank down on the soft grass, too exhausted to move. The sun was high up in the sky and it was pleasantly warm. They had lost all sense of time underground, but at a rough guess, they hadn't slept in more than a day.

Anders shrugged. "We wait."

Nothing happened. Almost an hour passed with them staring at the tunnel entrance, waiting for the explosion. Sigrun was pacing up and down nervously. "What if it didn't work?"

Dworkin snorted. "My bombs always work. I don't know about that fancy spell, though. You'll have to ask the mage about it."

Anders pouted. "Hey, I'm right here. And I'll have you know there've been no complaints about my spell-casting abilities so far."

To everyone's surprise Fenris spoke up, his deep voice firm and carrying. "Anders deserves our trust. I don't doubt him for a moment."

Anders' head flew up. "Thank you, Fenris." His voice was shaky with emotion.

Caitlin smiled at both for a moment, her eyes shining, then she grew serious again. "Anders, what was that... thing down there? Some kind of Fade monster?"

The mage shook his head. "No, I... don't know. I have never encountered anything like this in the Fade. I have a feeling it came from some other place, far beyond. There are portals into other worlds. Who knows what dwells there?" He took in their pale, drawn faces and shook himself, trying to dispel the mood. "Now, don't get upset, everyone."

Oghren scoffed. "Upset? I don't get upset, I get drunk! And so should you." From the depths of his backpack, he produced a little black flask and offered it to each of the companions in turn. Sigrun made a face but took a deep draught. The others each had a sip as well, sputtering and cursing as they did so.

"Really, Oghren!" Caitlin wiped her mouth, staring at the bottle. "What in Andraste's name is this made of? Demonic ichor and a dash of spider venom?"

Oghren grinned. "Close. But I won't tell you my secret ingredient, so don't bother badgering me."

Then they heard it. A low rumble starting far down below, followed by a muffled thump. The whole hillside seemed to tremble. They jumped back from the entrance as sparks and dust clouds emanated from the tunnel mouth. The commotion seemed to go on for hours, the shaking earth, the muffled noise, like a huge animal roaring and growling underground.

When it finally stopped, they looked at each other, shaken but relieved. Dworkin and Oghren went down into the tunnel but returned within minutes. "No one is going down there again any time soon. The whole tunnel system is unstable now." Oghren sounded sober.

Anders let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. "Good. Now for those doors."

Mumbling and fussing, Dworkin set up another set of explosives at the tunnel entrance. With a huge groan of effort, they wedged the huge metal doors shut as far as they could, then ducked into hiding behind some rocks. The blast nearly deafened them, sparks flew and the metal creaked in the heat. When they dared to look, the huge doors were welded shut, with hardly a gap between them.

Caitlin sighed. "I guess this is all we can do. Let's find a good place and make camp. Tomorrow we'll make our way home."

Sigrun had gone ahead scouting and had announced their return, so everyone was out in the courtyard to greet them when they arrived back at the manor house. Rhianna squeaked at the sight of Fenris and jumped directly into his arms, unmindful of the prickly spikes of his armour. Caitlin watched the two of them kiss and cuddle, and she basked in the pure, innocent joy and love on their faces. Her heart constricted at the thought of what had nearly happened in the Deep Roads. How would she ever have explained to the little one that her beloved daddy would never come home again? When Fenris handed Rhianna over to her, she hid her face in the child's red bush of hair and inhaled that special honey-sweet scent. My baby. Anders smiled at her blissful expression.

They spent a happy evening together, feasting and relaxing. Rhianna refused to let go of her parents, clinging to them as if afraid they would leave again. When she finally fell asleep on Caitlin's lap, still holding on fast to a strand of her mother's hair, Fenris freed the little hand tenderly and carried her up to her room.

Caitlin got up and stretched, hands pressed to her aching back. "Maker, I need a bath and a bed," she yawned. "Orana, would you?" The elf scuttled away with a smile, making sure a filled tub would await them in the little bathing chamber next to their bedroom. When all goodnights had been said, Caitlin walked up and, stripping off her tunic, went into the steam-filled little room.

Fenris had undressed already and was testing the water with his hands. She let her gaze travel appreciatively over his naked body. Since they had become parents, seeing him walk around in the nude had become a rare occurrence, much to her regret. His long lean body was as beautiful as ever, his stomach taut, his shoulders broad and strong. Muscles rippled across his back and his tattoos formed interesting patterns on his smooth golden skin as he turned around to smile at her. "Hurry up, love, it's nice and warm."

Caitlin quickly stripped off her remaining clothes and followed him into the large wooden tub. With a happy sigh, she settled between his legs and leaned back into his embrace. Fenris fished a sponge from the soapy, sudsy water and gently began to wash her body, then her hair, his long dexterous fingers massaging her scalp with just the right amount of pressure. It was utterly relaxing, and she sighed happily.

"It's good to be home." His deep voice sent pleasant vibrations down her spine, and she turned around, kneeling between his legs to use the sponge on him.

Her fingers traced the fresh scars on his body, and her face grew serious. "Fen, we can't do this kind of thing anymore. When that demon bitch knocked you down, I thought-"

"Shhhh!" Fenris cut her off. "I know." He pulled her close and kissed her, comforting her, trying to lighten the mood. "Everything turned out alright, Cait, just like it always does. Besides, we are fighters, not farmers." He smiled at the thought of her excited face when they went into battle. "And I wouldn't have you any other way."

Caitlin shook her head. "I mean it, Fen. We can't go on tempting fate like this. Rhi needs us both. From now on, it's about defending ourselves and our home only. Anders will have to find someone else to help him out."

He kissed her again, deeper this time. "Let's talk about this later, love. I've got... other things on my mind now." His voice had become dark, his tone demanding, and the gentle caresses they shared quickly turned into something more intense, more heated. He lifted her higher, and his lips found her nipples, began to tease them, nibble at them before he sucked hard enough to make her moan out loud.

"Fen..." Her hands wandered down and took hold of his already hardening length, massaging him, stroking him. His hips pushed up involuntarily, pressing him into her hand, and her grip got firmer. Fenris' head sank back on the rim of the tube, and he sighed deeply with enjoyment. Letting go of him, she slid down between his legs. Only the tip of his cock was above the water, but that was all she needed. She took him between her lips and began to lick, swirl her tongue around the crown, drawing another sigh from him. Caitlin smiled inwardly at the pleased noises coming from his mouth as she intensified her ministrations, gently sucking now.

Fenris was torn between letting her go on and stopping her now, before it was too late. Her mouth felt so good, her tongue was so incredibly talented, but he wanted more, wanted to be inside her, to feel her all around him. The water was getting cold too... He made up his mind and pulled her up into a kiss. "Bed, love." He got up and helped her out of the tub, pulling her close to his long, wet body.

They didn't bother with towels. Their bed was beckoning in the room next door, and they couldn't wait. As soon as the door fell shut behind them, they were kissing again, hungry and impatient. Fenris pushed Caitlin down onto the soft cushions, sinking down on top of her, his hands and lips greedily playing with her breasts, and she felt a hot surge of lust at her core.

"Fen, please, I can't wait." She wrapped her legs around him, pulling him close, begging him to enter her. This would have to be quick; they would have time for more later. When he thrust inside her, she closed her eyes, marvelling at the feel of his body against hers, his hands on her back. She felt him tense almost immediately, his movements jerky and erratic, as if he was hanging on to his control by the thinnest of threads. A smile played around her lips, and the next time he was deep inside her, she stretched out her long legs under him, trapping his hard length inside her body.

Fenris' body tautened like a bowstring, and his face contorted at the intensity of the sensation. Suddenly she was impossibly tight, impossibly hot around him and stars were sparkling behind his closed eyelids. Every shred of willpower left him, and he groaned, unable to stop himself from moving. His pace quickened, his breath became ragged, and with a few hard thrusts, he came, cursing violently in Arcanum. Shivering and spent, he sank down on top of her, eyes closed, gasping for air. "Damn it, Cait, what are you doing to me?"

Her triumphant laugh made his eyes fly open again. She was grinning like a cat, her tongue dashing out to lick her lips. "You are going to pay for this, woman," he growled, an absolute promise in his voice. Without leaving her time to answer, he slid down between her legs, grabbed her by the hips and positioned her on a cushion. Caitlin sighed a long happy sigh that soon turned into a whimper when he began to work her mercilessly with his lips and tongue.

"Fen, oh Fen, yes!" She was rapidly losing the ability to talk coherently as he took her through a series of short violent peaks, each one increasing in intensity until she finally arched up against him with a hoarse cry. "Fen!" Her hands tightened in his hair, yanking at the soft silver strands. "Oh Fen, don't stop, never stop, please!" Her body shook all over with a pleasure so consuming, so complete that she nearly cried. Oh Maker, this is so good!

He chuckled and grinned up at her smugly. "I told you I would have my revenge." His eyes darkened and he moved up between her legs, claiming her mouth in another long kiss. "No less than you deserve."

Caitlin's legs felt like jelly, her whole body tingling with the aftershocks of her orgasm, and she knew she wouldn't be able to get up if she tried. Not that she wanted to. With a contented sigh, she curled up and felt him at her back, his arms around her, his presence warm and reassuring. They both drifted off to sleep within minutes. Happy, safe, together.

Finally at home.

A/N: Originally I meant for the story to end here, but all your comments made me realize there are a few more things I want to say, so there will be a seventh chapter. Watch our for a special guest appearance of one of my favourite Origins characters.

As usual, hugs and thanks to zevgirl. You are such a big help.