"Night, Alistair. Sweet dreams." With a dazzling smile, Megan got to her feet, breathing a quick kiss on the young man's cheek before she turned to leave.

Zevran shook his head as he watched her return. What in Thedas is she playing at?

Alistair went bright red, raising his hand to touch his cheek. His eyes followed Megan, firmly fixed on her back, as if he was hypnotized by the seductive swing of her hips.

Zevran rather pitied the young man. Megan had spent a large part of the past two evenings over at the scout campfire, laughing and talking with Alistair, renewing their acquaintance. She knew him from school, she'd said, and it was nice to see a familiar face after a few weeks on the road. He could certainly understand that, but-

"Really, cara. You need to stop toying with Alistair's affections." Zevran frowned at her as they got ready for the night. "It's not like you to be so cruel."

"I'm not cruel!" Megan protested. "It's just- He's so adorably awkward when I flirt with him. I mean, have you seen him blush?"

"That is exactly what I said. Cruel." Zevran crossed his arms over his chest, giving her his most severe look. "Leave the poor boy alone. It's not fair to awaken hopes you don't intend to fulfil, no? Unless…" A thought occurred to him. "Do you actually want him?"

"Do I what?" Megan shook her head, irritation clearly written on her expressive face. "Zevran! Why would I want Alistair, of all people? Look, I've known him forever, and he's a nice guy, but that's all. I've never even considered sleeping with him."

"Why not?" Zevran shrugged. "He's handsome, kind, has a sense of humour…"

Megan made a pained noise, but he ignored her. "All I'm saying is that if you want him, I would be fine with that."

"You'd be fine with it?" Megan looked torn between anger and amusement. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"What I said." He pulled her closer. "It might be a good idea, actually. Maybe it would do you good to experiment a little."

"Maybe, yeah… But Alistair!" Megan made a moue of distaste. "And honestly, Zev? I've got you to take care of all my needs. Why would I even want anyone else?"

Moulding herself against him, she ran a hand through his hair to caress his ear, fully aware that this was a sensitive spot for him.

But Zevran wasn't ready to be distracted yet. "Or you could ask him to join us."

He had hoped to shock her, maybe to titillate her imagination a little, but the effect his words had on her was diametrically opposed to his intention. From one moment to the other, the spark in her eyes was gone and her face closed up.

"No. That kind of thing never works out." Her voice was flat, almost lifeless.

"And how would you know, carissima?" He was so surprised by her reaction that it slipped out before he could stop himself. "Considering your vast experience of, what was it? 'One guy'?"

He regretted his words immediately, expecting her to be mad at him, and with reason. But she didn't protest, didn't even seem angry. Instead, Megan looked… hurt and shaken, more so than he'd ever seen her.

"Two, actually." It was almost a whisper. "Technically, I only slept with one of them, but the three of us…" She drifted off, looking desperately unhappy.

"Megan. I'm sorry." He pulled her into his arms again, but she was stiff and distant. "I really am. And more than a little curious," he added, in a half-hearted attempt to lighten the mood.

But it was no use. "I don't want to talk about it." Megan's whole body felt tense with anger and sadness.

"And you don't have to." He sighed, stroking her back in soothing circles, relieved when she relaxed a little. "I promise I won't bother you anymore, okay?"

She sobbed a little, just once, and then she let him hold her properly, melting into his arms like she usually did. They stayed like this for a while, just cuddling, without speaking a word.

When he finally pulled back, he looked searchingly at her pale face. "Are we good?"

"Yes." She nodded, sniffling a little. "I'm sorry. I overreacted."

"No. I was an idiot." He kissed her chastely. "But there's one thing…" Taking hold of her chin, he made her look him into the eyes. "You don't have to tell me anything," he repeated. "Whatever happened, it was hurtful for you, and I don't need the details. But please, cara…" He hesitated a moment, searching for the right words. "Please don't let this one disappointment taint all your future relationships, no? Please don't assume that whatever went wrong will go wrong again. You're still very young and-"

"And you are so very old and wise yourself, grandpa." Megan's eyes were sparkling with sudden amusement.

He was glad to see she was back to teasing him, but at the same time this was too important to let her get away with levity. "Promise me." He tightened his grip on her face until she grimaced. "Yes?"

"Yeah." Her expression softened the moment he let go of her. "I promise. And, Zev?" She kissed him, just a quick peck, but her lips were soft and sweet. "Thank you."

"Any time, Megan. I'm here whenever you need me." The sincerity in his voice came as a surprise even to himself.

He wasn't in love with Megan, Zevran was sure of that. None of the pain, for one thing. But, at the same time, he was honest enough to admit that this wasn't just a fling, passionate as it might be. Even though he'd only known her for such a short time, Megan had become important to him, a good friend, and he had precious few of those. Ah, well. No use overanalyzing things.

Especially now that Megan was obviously ready to leave their discussion behind. The familiar mischievous gleam in her eyes was back as she wiggled out of her shirt and pants. She had a lovely body, trim and fit, with small round breasts that moved temptingly as she raised her arms.

"Come on, Zev. Let's do something about my sad lack of experience, shall we?"

He rolled his eyes at her words, but he didn't need to be asked twice. Pulling her in his arms, he found her lips in a long, hungry kiss.

Megan wiggled against him, making a small, happy noise when she felt him against her stomach, already more than half hard. "Ah, Zev. You're always up for more, aren't you?"

Zevran moaned as she took hold of him. "Of course." His hand came up to cup one of her breasts, pinching the nipple gently, then harder when he felt it tighten in his grip. "You have no idea how enticing you are, have you?"

She made a clucking noise with her tongue, but he could tell she was flattered. "And to think I'd expected you to lose interest in me quickly once you had what you wanted."

"Why would I lose interest in you, hmmm?" With just a few skilled touches she was wet for him. So eager. Zevran mentally shook his head. No, he wasn't jaded enough to tire of her so quickly. "Besides, I haven't even had a fraction of the things I want," he purred in her ear, relishing the shiver that ran through her. "I want you every way imaginable, Megan. I want to do things to you that you don't even know can be done. I want to spend hours caressing you, finding every spot that makes you shiver. I want to make love to you until you forget your own name, until you beg me to stop. I want-"

She stopped him with a finger on his lips. "Then do it. No more talking. Show me how you want me."

His breath caught in his throat. "With pleasure, cara."

They didn't talk much afterwards as they made themselves as comfortable as they could on one narrow mattress. It was getting colder each night. Soon, they would have to sleep inside their sleeping bags, rather than huddled together under one of them, as they had done in the past weeks. Or they would have to head north, where it was warmer.

For now, he could still enjoy a few nights like this, with Megan in his arms, listening to her breathing as she fell asleep. Their lovemaking had been more restrained this time, tender and languorous. He'd taken his time, patient and controlled, and for once, she'd seemed more than content with that.

Normally, Megan enjoyed a little roughness in bed and got impatient when his caresses got too elaborate. He'd been surprised by that at first, but not put off by it. Zevran appreciated any departure from the expected, especially in bed. It wasn't one of his finer qualities, maybe, but he knew he tended to get bored easily when the first rush of desire was over. Once routine set in and things got too predictable, it was difficult for him to feign any kind of sustained interest.

But so far, there was little danger of boredom where Megan was concerned, and the glimpse he'd gotten of her past today was a case in point. Messing around with two guys at the same time, before she'd even turned eighteen! Even Zevran was impressed.

Gently, he traced the features of her sleeping face with his fingers, wondering how many more surprises she would have in store for him. He rather looked forward to finding out.

"So, what are your plans, now that the summer is well and truly over?" Alistair scratched his neck, avoiding her gaze.

Megan couldn't really see a reason for his bashful behavior, but she had pretty much given up on finding one. That was just Alistair, awkward, but sweet. Back at school, she had never really talked to him much, but in the past few days she'd gotten to know him a little better, and she was ready to admit he was a genuinely nice guy.

"We talked about that last night, actually, me and the others. Morrigan thinks we should follow the sun, maybe even as far as Tevinter, but I don't know..." Megan shivered a little, pulling her leather jacket more tightly around her body. "Whatever we do, we can't stay here any longer. One more week maybe, but that's it."

"No." Alistair nodded in agreement. "I'm off, too. This lot here is leaving tomorrow, and they're my last troop of scouts for this year. Their parents wouldn't appreciate it if we dragged the kids out here in the cold season."

Megan had been surprised to find that Alistair was really good with children. When he was with them, he exuded a quiet competence, whether he was dealing with a broken-down tent or a homesick kid. A pity he's so shy. With his looks, he ought to have no problem finding a nice girlfriend. She'd never noticed it at school, but he was well-built and fit, and he had a pleasant, open face. And if he was a little immature, well, a lot of girls would be only too happy to help him grow up.

Not me, though. Megan really had no interest in Alistair, cute as he might be. She'd done her best to follow Zevran's advice, treating him as a friend, nothing more, and avoiding any overt flirting, but even so, she felt a tinge of guilt whenever he looked at her with those big puppy eyes, vaguely hopeful but never quite daring to make a move. Was he falling in love with her? She rather hoped not.

Either way, she enjoyed having him around. On impulse, she smiled at him. "Why don't you stay here with us for a few more days? Or do you have any other plans?"

"I… Not right away, no. I definitely have a week or so to spare." Alistair smiled shyly back. "Yeah. I think I'd like that."

"Well, then." Megan jumped to her feet. "You can move your tent over to our lot tomorrow. Look, that's Morrigan's over there, the red one between the two birches, and Sten's next to it. The big green one is Zevran's."

"And where's your tent?" Alistair cleared his throat.

"Oh, I share with Zevran." She kept her tone carefully matter-of-fact, but she was watching his face.

Alistair didn't reply, but he swallowed briefly, and his eyes looked sad. Definitely disappointed. Megan cursed inwardly, but there was nothing to be done. He would have to deal.

"Well?" She raised a questioning eyebrow. "Will you join us tomorrow?"

"I…" Alistair hesitated for a moment, but then he shook himself like a wet dog and smiled at her. "Yeah. Gladly."

"Good." Megan nodded firmly. "Welcome to the party."

Many thanks to my wonderful and awesome beta suilven. :)