Author's Note: Just a short chapter today. Also, I will definitely write the bumbling/nervous Cullen that we all so love, but he has clearly experienced a lot in life. The way I will write him he will have had experiences with women and just a tad bit more confidence in himself around the Inquisitor.

Chapter 2

He was in so much trouble. So much trouble. He kept picturing her face, her smile, the way the cold wind blew the hair around her neck. The way she just looked at him. He laid in bed with the window of his small house open. While he should have closed it to keep the heat from the fire in, thinking of Nadia made him feel warm and hot and not necessarily in a temperature way. He chastised himself.

She's too young for you. She's probably early twenties at the most. You're an old thirty-two year old man compared to her.

She screamed innocence. It was impossible to get her off his mind. When he heard that she had woken up, he was surprised at the feeling of relief it invoked inside him. He had barely spoken two words to her at the time other than meeting her when she was heading up the mountain to try and close the breach. But she called to him. Even now when he imagined her lying down in her own bed sleeping, he wanted to walk in and cover himself with her and breathe her scent in and damn it.

He looked down to see an unfortunate problem. Taking care of it while thinking of her was not an option. If he let himself that indulgence, he probably wouldn't be able to look at her.

And he so enjoyed looking at her. Tomorrow she was off to the Hinterlands with no set day for coming back. Over the past two days, he managed to talk to her a few times when she passed by him to ask Cassandra a question or to go to the smith to work on her new armor. He hoped that she walked by so frequently because she wanted to maybe talk to him.

They were able to briefly get to know a little bit more about each other. Aside from his personal feelings, he was curious about the Herald and what kind of person she could be for the Inquisition. She asked about the Templars but he wasn't really in a place to talk about that time. Not with her, not yet at least. He wanted her to admire him, to like him, not fear or be disgusted by his past actions. He realized sleep wasn't going to come soon tonight. He lit the candles next to his bed and took his Chantry book, marked with his favorite hymns and verses and tried to clear his mind of the beautiful rogue.

He woke up early and breakfasted quickly to make sure he saw Nadia before she left. He started walking towards the Chantry, reading the reports in his hands and not paying much attention. He turned quickly to go up the stairs when he ran into a small body. A sweet vanilla scent filled his nose, one he had been dreaming about last night.

"Nadia, I mean, Herald, I mean...I'm so sorry, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going." He was so flustered and making a fool of himself. He felt like this was his natural state around her.

"Cullen" she said. "Don't worry, I wasn't really paying attention either. I have a lot on my mind about this trip."

She was suited in her rogue armor, soft brown leather with silver trimmings. She had two daggers slung on her back and leather gloves on. While she was barely over a hundred pounds she looked fearsome in her armor and weapons. He knew she was a capable fighter, but yet looking at her at now he just wanted to take her back into his house and keep her safe.

"I'm sure you will be fine Nadia. Just stay on your toes."

"Well I'm not really worried about the fighting. I more worried about...I mean…I'm Dalish, we really have stayed in the Free Marches and I've never been out of that area until now. I just don't really know if I'm capable…ahhh. Sorry, I feel like every time I'm talking to you I'm complaining."

"I think of all the people here you have a right to complain a little."

She giggled. She had dimples on her cheeks when she smiled. They were adorable. God I'm in so much fucking trouble.

"Well don't have too much fun without me Cullen. Varric was talking about taking you to get "sloshed" when we get back, or that's how he put it."

He laughed. "He's always trying to put me in situations I rather not be in."

She got quiet and looked down at her feet. She looked back up me in that shy smile that complemented her so well.

"Well, I best get going. They are waiting for me outside the gate." She looked at me with those striking green eyes and started to turn away. Before he could stop himself, he grabbed her wrist. She turned back to him.

"Please be careful", he whispered. He moved his hand down her arm and lightly grasped her fingers and before he got the urge to grab her and never let her leave his sight he turned away and headed for the war room.

I hope everyone has had a wonderful weekend. And if you live somewhere where it's warm or near a beach, on behalf of all the cold Midwesterners in the States, we hate you. Reviews are appreciated.