Summary: What happens between Anders and Aria is for nobody's eyes but their own. Some lemons, mainly drabbles of various types. Chapter 2 onward.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the unsated desire for more skin in DA2.

Queen's Quornor: I finally decided to give in and slap all my Anders/Aria oneshots into one story. The only theme is going to be their love, and the various ways it manifests. Honestly, these two are talking to me a lot more right now than Sebastian and Kilaen. Might as well follow where the muses take me!

A Slightly Awkward Conversation

Anders heaved a sigh as he latched the door behind him. It was a relief to be home, considering the day he had just had. Three babies, five cases of advanced illness, two broken arms, one boy with a dislocated shoulder, and one seneschal suffering from crotch-pox. It had been unbelievably hectic, especially without Aria there to help. She was a decent healer, though nowhere near his calibur. He had sorely missed her today.

But his partner had been called away to the Keep this morning. The message had come from Aveline, who apparently wanted her help in something outside the guard's scope. Anders wondered if she was still there or had returned to the estate yet. All he wanted to do was eat and spend some time with her, just relaxing.

Bodahn greeted him as he entered the main hall, and he went to ask the dwarf if Aria was back. "No, messere. Mistress Hawke's been gone all day. Only came back a few hours ago to leave her dog." He nodded to Boudicca, in her customary place before the fire.

"She's been out since then?" Anders inquired. He wasn't entirely surprised. Aria hated staying in the estate when there was so much to do.

"Apparently she arranged something for Mistress Vallen at the Hanged Man."

"Then she could be out all night." He let out a sigh as his shoulders slumped. It sounded like falling asleep with her in his arms was out of the question tonight. "Is there any dinner left?"

"Orana left some stew for you and Mistress Hawke, messere. It's on the table." Bodahn bowed slightly and returned to gathering runes into a box. A certain young savant had been hard at work again, it seemed.

Orana had already retired, but the stewpot remained hot thanks to a rune Sandal had inscribed on the kitchen table. Anders fetched a bowl and removed the pot lid, feeling his mouth water at the savory scent of beef and vegetables. He dipped a healthy serving from the pot and replaced the lid, taking a seat at the table once he grabbed a spoon. Eagerly the mage filled the utensil and brought it to his lips.

"Anders, may I have a word?"

His stomach growled in protest, but Anders lowered the spoon back into the bowl and looked to the doorway. Leandra stood just inside the portal, her hands folded demurely before her. "Of course. What's on your mind?" he asked. The gnawing hunger in his gut could wait.

The older lady went to the chair nearest him and sat down, giving him the appraising look he used to receive so often from her daughter. It was a moment before she spoke.

"What exactly are your intentions towards my daughter?"

"I'm not going to leave her in the middle of the night, if that's what you're asking," the mage replied, trying not to fidget. No man enjoyed having this conversation, even his lover's mother was not going to rip him a new one.

Leandra fixed him with a steady stare. "I already knew that. I've seen the way you look at her, and it's the same expression my husband would wear while we were courting. What I would like to know is your plans. Do you intend to merely live under the same roof? Or do you forsee yourself marrying my daughter and taking her name?" A small jab, since Anders had long since abandoned his family name.

Anders thought about his reply, wondering how to express his fears to a woman who had been in a similar situation decades before. "I want the best for Aria, more than anything. Her love means the world to me. Yet if it came to a choice between her safety and my happiness, I would put her first. So while I would certainly be open to the concept of marriage, I'm not sure it's entirely wise for us, at least for the time being. We are both known apostates. The Chantry would never agree to a formal union." He stirred his stew around, watching the candlelight shimmer in the broth. "Living together is enough of a stretch for us both right now. We'll risk more later, if we can."

Leandra's soft laughter drew his attention away from his troubles, making him raise his brows at his partner's mother. "What's so funny?"

"Forgive me, Anders," she chuckled, putting a hand over her mouth. "It's just that you sound so much like Malcolm. He used to say that it was enough just to know that I loved him, even if we couldn't be together." She smiled wistfully, her eyes distant. "But eventually, it wasn't enough. He asked me to run away with him to Ferelden, so we could be together in exile. We were able to marry there, and spent most of our life together on the road. My children were all born in inns, not actual houses. But it was fine, because we were together."

"Where was Aria born?" Anders interrupted. "Do you remember?"

"I do." Leandra's lips curved, her countenance softening in memory. "She drew her first breath at a small inn by Lake Calenhad, just a stone's throw from Kinloch Hold. I was in labor for nearly two days; Malcolm said it was because I wouldn't calm down. There was an off-duty templar in the common room downstairs, and I was terrified that he would realize my husband was an apostate and drag him to the Circle before our first child was even born. I didn't deliver until that knight finally left."

The Spoiled Princess. It used to have a different name, but the inn itself had been there for decades. Anders had often looked at it from the Tower's grounds when he was younger. It was strange to think that he had been watching the same building that had witnessed the birth of his partner.

"Were you ever captured?" Hearing Leandra's story made him think that maybe it was possible, for him and Aria to be happy and free on the road. How had Malcolm done it? How had he kept not only himself, but his two magically-gifted daughters safe from templars for all those years?

She shook her head. "There was one time when Bethany almost got caught. We had stopped for the night, and I was making supper while the children were playing on the road beside the wagon. Her magic was only just emerging, and as you probably know she didn't have much control over it. A pair of templars came by, bound for the nearby village. Bethany waved at them, and something popped under the younger man's foot. It gave him quite a fright. It wasn't flashy, just noisy, and the templars didn't investigate us, but it terrified me all the same. Malcolm started training her alongside Aria the next day."

Anders cocked his head at her. "You know, that's the first time I've heard you use her first name. I thought I was the only one to call her that."

"There's not much need to use her name if I'm speaking to her," the lady demurred.

"Point taken." He looked down at his cooling stew.

Leandra reached out and patted his hand companionably. "I'm happy the two of you found each other. Aria was so unhappy before she met you, and since Varric introduced you she's been in better spirits than ever. If you ever decide to chance marriage with my daughter, know that you have my blessing."

Anders felt his chest tighten. He had told himself that he would love Aria regardless of what other people thought, but a part of him had hungered for Leandra's approval. It was good to know that she liked him. "Thank you," he replied quietly. "That means a lot, especially considering what I am."

She gave him one of her kind, matronly smiles. "You're a good man, Anders, and you are one of the best things to happen to my daughter in years. Maker willing, you'll also be a good father, in time."

He stilled, unable to face her now. Barring some extremely potent fertility tonics or rituals, there was little chance he could give Aria children. That was part of the price he had paid to become a Grey Warden four years ago. It had not mattered at the time, but now the loss provided a constant dull ache in his heart. Perhaps, if Justice ever let him live for himself, he and Aria could adopt. It wasn't the same, but it was something. Natural children would always be the one thing Anders could not give his partner, unaided.

"Do you think otherwise?" Leandra asked.

"I'm not sure that I can." Anders blew a sigh. "Grey Wardens are not known for being fruitful. If you want a family, you must start it before you join the order, because your chances are dramatically decreased afterward."

"How many Wardens are actually married, or manage to take lovers?" she queried. "Pregnancies are not easy to get, even for a fertile couple. But even if you and my daughter don't have children, I could still have grandchildren. Templars are not required to lead celibate lives. Carver could still meet somebody and start a family."

"From what I understand, that's not so far-fetched. He seems quite popular with the ladies." Anders hid his smile, remembering the night he, Aria, and Isabela had gone to the Blooming Rose on an investigation and found Carver in a rather compromising situation with Idunna, the woman they had been given as a lead.

"So long as it's not a girl like that Peaches, I'm happy," Leandra muttered. "I thought he had better taste than that slattern. But after that letter she sent, I discovered I was quite wrong."

The mage shrugged. He and Carver had never gotten along, particularly after the boy joined the templars. A few days after moving in with his lover, Anders had received a visit from Aria's little brother and been threatened with a severe ass-kicking if he ever hurt her. Thankfully, that had been the only templar visit he had suffered. Carver knew what his sister would do to him if he ever turned in her man.

"I think being in the Order has introduced him to a number of suitable ladies," he finally allowed. "Maybe you'll have some grandchildren sooner than you think."

Leandra smiled and rose from the table. "I don't know, Anders. But I will keep praying for your and my daughter's happiness. You both deserve all the joy in the world, considering what you've already been through." They both looked to the entrance as a door slammed and Boudicca barked, answered by Aria's mirthful voice. "Well, I should be getting to bed now. Just do an old lady a favor and keep the noise down? A thumping headboard is not conducive to a good night's rest, you know."

Anders felt his eyebrows shoot into his hairline and he stared as the aging noblewoman left the kitchen. Moments later Aria burst through the door, a grin illuminating her pretty face. She grabbed a bowl and spoon of her own before he had a chance to greet her.

"You'll never guess what Aveline wanted!" she proclaimed, ladling some stew for herself. "You'll also have to thank her for wasting my night at the Hanged Man, drinking with Donnic. Because of her, he thinks I have a thing for him!"

Anders listened to his partner's chatter, finally dipping into his stew. Leandra's comments gave him something to consider, especially the hints about children. He had never thought of himself as a father before meeting Aria, but now he couldn't help imagining what sort of offspring they might produce.

He watched her gesticulate, describing some gift Aveline had wanted given to Donnic, and hurriedly finished his dinner. That done, he got up and went to her seat. His love squealed in surprise as he swept her into his arms and headed for the stairs, kicking the kitchen door shut behind him.

If they couldn't have children, it certainly wouldn't be for lack of trying.