A/N: Okay, here is the next chapter. This one is dedicated to DarkRocketX for helping me decide that Lucien needed to survive.

As they walked along the darkened streets of Anvil, Verity realized that Lucien was leading her not to the inn, but to the large Benirus Manor. She balked as they approached, and Lucien faced her.

"What's wrong?" he asked, his arm drawing her close.

"It's haunted." She whimpered, staring at the imposing house. For nearly seventy years, the children of Anvil had told each other the stories of how old man Benirus had been attacked by the Mages Guild and the place had been haunted ever since. The story was cemented by the fact that wails could be heard from inside at night. Lucien laughed softly, brushing her hair out of her face gently.

"Not anymore. Although, it did take a trip to the Imperial City to scrounge up the sneaky fetcher that sold the place to me to break the curse." He said. Verity looked up at him, eyebrow raised.

"The fearsome Lucien Lachance, was conned?" she asked, a teasing lilt in her voice. Lucien pulled her into the house as he gave off a low growl. Once inside, Lucien pressed her against the wall, his mouth crashing onto hers hungrily. Verity moaned with pleasure as his hands deftly undid the clasps of her robes and belt. With a sudden burst of agility, she slipped behind him and hurried up the stairs to the master bedroom. Lucien reached her just as she stepped into the room, sweeping her into his arms. She threw her head back and laughed, a silken sound that trailed down his spine like water. Moving blindly, he felt his knees hit the edge of the bed and they toppled onto it, lost in a sea of blood red satin and black robes. His lips found hers again, and her fingers found the clasp of his robes, puling them over his shoulders. He pulled back and gazed down at her.

"My dear Listener. Beloved Silencer. Sweet Verity." He breathed. With a flick of his fingers, her robes were pushed open, and his mouth was upon her. Verity gasped and arched her back, pressing her body against his. Desire shot through his body, and he groaned as she ground her hips against him.

"I wish you could have seen Bellemont's final moments. He took such a long time to die. I paid him in kind for every wound he gave you. The Night Mother was very pleased with the show." Verity said as she rolled into Lucien's arms. He pulled her close, freeing her from the last of her clothes.

"Let's not speak of the traitor. For now, all that matters is you and me." He whispered, pressing against her. She ran her hands against his broad chest and nodded.

"How did you know about the meeting between the guilds?" she asked.

"The Gray Fox is not the only one who utilizes the information that the beggars are privy to. I have been here since you were named Speaker after my apparent death. The beggars network began whispering of a plot to frame the Brotherhood for the deaths of the guild leaders. So I did the only thing I could think of." Lucien ran a hand up and down her bare arm.

"What did you do?" she asked, leaning closer and pressing a kiss to his throat. He smiled slightly.

"I prayed to the Night Mother, and told her of the Morag Tong plot. She came to me herself, just as she did before the Black Hand ambush." He replied. Verity propped herself up on her elbow and looked him in the eye.

"How did you do it? How did you fool the Hand into believing you dead?" she asked quietly. Lucien's hand drifted down to her side, to the scar that curved along her hip.

"Do you remember your first contract?" he asked. She frowned at the memory, and nodded.

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Getting into the ship had been easier than she had thought. Just slip into an open crate and let them load her into the cargo hold. After the crew had gone to bed, she slipped silently through the decks, thanking the Night Mother that the spells she bought from that idiot M'raaj-Dar had sold her had not fizzled. Reaching the door of the captain's cabin, she slipped free her lockpick and went to work. The lock was flimsy, and opened with minimal effort. Slowly, she eased open the door and crept up to the bed where the snoring drunkard lay. Carefully, almost reverently, she drew her dagger, and slipped it between the pirate's ribs. His eyes snapped open in surprise, and she smiled coldly.

"Say hello to Sithis for me." She hissed, shoving the blade farther in. A groan escaped his lips, and his body convulsed, an arm and leg slamming against the wall. Cursing under her breath, Verity pulled her hood over her hair and swiftly removed any valuables from the body and moved to the door to the balcony. It was here that her luck seemed to run out. The lock was rusted shut, and the key would not turn. Letting loose a stream of curses that she had learned from the crew of Rolan Vissette's ship, she kicked the door viciously. The wood creaked, but held fast. A pounding at the door to the ship made her freeze for a moment.

"Captain? Captain, we heard a noise, are you alright?" a voice from the other side called. Swearing again, she threw a disintegrate spell at the lock and kicked again, the metal cracking this time. Two more well placed kicks, and the lock was destroyed. Just as she wrenched the door open, she heard the inner door burst open.

"Assassin! Stop him!" the first mate's vice cried. Verity leapt onto the balcony, and her luck fumbled again. One of the pirates had drawn his bow, and the arrow found a gap in her armor. Crying out in pain, she fell into the dark water of Lake Rumare. Thinking quickly, she reached down and broke off the shaft of the arrow, leaving about an inch near her skin. She also pressed a water breathing spell to her own chest, letting all the air in her lungs escape, hopefully making the pirates think she was dead. Kciking forward, she swam along the bottom of the lake to the far shore. When she finally broke the surface, she was exhausted. Crawling up the bank, she sat back on her heels, reaching blindly for the arrow. Gripping tightly, she yanked hard, the arrowhead wrenching free with a sickening noise. She barely swallowed the scream that rose in her throat, and fell forward. Rolling onto her back, she gazed up at the twin moons and took a slow breath. The damage was bad, and Verity had never learned enough Restoration magicka to heal the wound. As her vision began to grow fuzzy, a black hooded figure appeared in her view.

"Was a single pirate too much for you?" he asked in a teasing tone. Drawing up the last of her energy, she grinned cheekily at him.

"Bite me, Lucien." She whispered, slipping into blackness. When she next awoke, she lay in a small tent, with a crackling fire outside. Slowly, she sat up, the rough blanket sliding along her skin. She looked down and realized she was naked. With a little gasp she pulled the blanket back up, pressing it to her chest just above her breasts. Lucien's face appeared in the opening of the tent.

"How are you feeling?" he asked softly. She looked around for her armor.

"Confused." She whispered, her voice husky with sleep. He smiled slightly.

"I had to remove your armor to treat your wounds. I never would have thought you had a tattoo." He said, grinning a little. Verity's face burned crimson as her fingers found the small tattoo of her birthsign, the Thief, near her heart. She and her sister had gotten them for their eighteenth birthday.

"It was my sister's idea. Teslina always could talk me into anything." She chuckled at the thought of her sister, purple hair bobbing as she pleaded with Verity.

"Do you miss her?" Lucien asked suddenly. Verity nodded, looking down at the ground.

"She is my twin. Though she would do better in the Thieves Guild. I could see her running that guild very quickly." She replied. Lucien reached over and lifted the blanket slightly, causing her to jump.

"I have to check your wound. I've been a gentleman so far. Have a little faith." He said, brown eyes meeting green. She shifted, allowing him to check her wound. The bandage was stained red.

"You made it a little worse when you yanked the arrow out. This will hurt." He said. Verity stared him in the eye.

"Just do it." She snapped, gritting her teeth. Lucien smirked a little, and pressed his lips to hers fiercely. She was so surprised she dropped the blanket, her hands sliding up his chest. Lucien pulled the bandage away quickly, a healing spell on his fingertips easing the hurt. The entire time, their lips never parted. Verity found herself kissing him back, her hands at his neck and pulling him closer. Lucien's hands wrapped around her waist, pulling her to him as he rolled onto his back. Heated kisses led to heated embraces, and hours later they lay in a haze of pleasurable exhaustion. Verity lay her head on his chest, her fingers tracing patterns on his skin.

"Why were you here?" she whispered. Lucien's arm tightened around her.

"Someone has been targeting the members of our sanctuary, past and present. I was worried that you would be next. So I watched as you traveled to the city. It seems luck was on your side tonight." He replied. Verity tightened her grip on him.

"Whoever it is, they are in serious trouble if they try to take me out. My best friend is a powerful mage, and she taught me some really good spells." Verity replied smugly. Lucien sat up, pulling her upright.

"The Night Mother speaks to our Listener, but sometimes, she deigns to whisper in the ear of her favored children. That night we met, she called to me, told me where to find you. You and I are meant to bring the Brotherhood to a new era. You must promise me that if ever you find yourself alone, if the traitor seems to have taken all of us from you, never lose hope. Have faith that I will return to you. The Night Mother guides our actions, and she will decide when the time is right." He said. Verity never noticed the spell that Lucien pressed into her skin, draining the energy from her. Her eyes closed and she fell against Lucien's chest. He pressed a kiss to her hair.

"Sleep well, sweet Verity."

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"I swore then that I would return to you. It's amazing, the kind of glamours one can get away with when people want to see what you show them. A silenced bandit was my stand in that night. A rather clever ruse, if a bit simplistic." He said, capturing one of her curls between his fingers.

"Indeed. I can't wait to see the look on Arquen's face when you and I stroll into the sanctuary." Verity said, grinning wickedly. Lucien returned the smile, and rolled over, pinning the young Listener to the bed.

"Maybe in a few days." He growled.

A/N: Grrrr, I just can't write smut! So, this will have to do. Now I know that Lucien is a little OOC, but it's hard to determine his character from the four short conversations you have with him. So, I guessed. Tell me what you think, and I might add some fluff for Teslina and Karis too.