A/N: After more than a decade of radio silence on this story, Anders crawled into my bed and whispered in my ear for the past week, and this chapter was the result. It's been so long since I've written anything, I scarcely remembered how to go about it! I don't even know if anyone will read this, but hey, I enjoyed writing it, so that's something, I guess. Now, if all my other stories would start speaking to me again, that would be great. Much love, friends. :)

VERY M-rated chapter ahead, it's all Anders' fault!

Chapter Six

Marian and Anders sat close together on the split log that served as a rustic bench, with nothing to distract them from the argument Daylen was having with the leader of the Templars, except the occasional loud belch from the dwarf. He had grunted that his name was Oghren before he sat down with them, and apparently, that was the limit of his interest in being social.

Tense and ready to have to fight for her life at any moment, Marian sat stiffly, rubbing her thumb absently over the smooth wood of her staff, discreetly examining the knights critically, assessing them and working on her strategy of which of the Templars to kill first to give them the greatest advantage. She wondered if her newly discovered cousin would stand with them, but thought it unlikely since it had nothing to do with darkspawn, and Grey Wardens were supposedly neutral.

Anders' hand covered her fidgeting one and squeezed gently. She glanced at him from under her lashes and caught his cheeky smile of understanding…and a flash of something else that made sudden arousal course through her like chain lightning. His low, whispered words tickled her ear when he pressed closer.

"You are vibrating with so much magic right now, it's got me incredibly hot for you and I'm pretty damn close to throwing you down and ravishing you in front of all these Templars, and they really don't deserve to watch such a treat. Now, you wouldn't want to push me to lose control like that, would you, or at least not with all these people around, hmm?"

She laughed softly, the wild magic singing in her veins quieting somewhat with the slight release of tension. "I don't know," she said with a facetious smile, "would I?"

The clank of armor drew their attention, the man leading the Templars was glaring at Hawke and Anders and looked ready to spit nails. "You haven't heard the last from us, Warden!" He barked an order at his knights and they began to march away.

Daylen sauntered over, looking smug, and they stood to meet him.

"Well?" Anders prompted. "What happened? Does their leaving mean there's something else more pressing on their agenda than hanging us today?"

The Warden shook his head and smiled. "They've been outmaneuvered. I told them if they have a problem with Grey Wardens conscripting apostates, they can take it up with King Alistair. It won't do them any good, as he's already upheld the Wardens right to conscript as we see fit, but at least it gets them out of my hair. Since it's so late, I think we'll have to camp here for the night and head for the Keep in the morning."

Anders stepped forward and nodded to Daylen. "Thanks for that. I didn't expect it, but it's nice to know we mages can still help each other out."

Looking down, the smile faded from Daylen's face and a hardness glinted in his eyes as he glanced at Marian. "You may not thank me when it comes time for your joining," he said quietly, "but it's the best I could offer. I really do need able fighters, which you both seem to be. For what it's worth, I'm sorry."

He moved off to give orders to his men and Anders frowned over his cryptic words while Marian hid her apprehension. She knew from what her Anders had told her that the joining either killed you outright or turned you into a darkspawn detector, and more often than not, it killed. Anders had survived his joining, but there was no guarantee she would survive it, and the fear in her gut seemed to be a warning, which she fully intended to heed.

Sorry, Cousin Daylen, but you're going to have to find your Grey Warden conscripts elsewhere.

Pressing her lips together as her mind buzzed with a plan, Hawke followed Anders to retrieve their belongings from where they had left them in the woods. Both of them needing a wash and a change of clothes before they did anything else.

Night came on quickly, and the cluster of Grey Wardens, Anders and Hawke, along with the young lady Anders had flirted with, and her farmer father, all sat around the outdoor fire. Another fire burned further out on the edge of the farm, where the Wardens had piled the darkspawn and set them alight. Fire being the only way to deal with the corruption from the tainted creatures.

The Farmer, Thom, had killed a pig and roasted it over the large fire as thanks to them all for saving his family and his farm from the darkspawn. He had also rolled out a barrel of hard cider and tapped it for their pleasure. There was a general celebratory air to the evening, and everyone seemed to be partaking of the strong drink freely. All except Hawke, who only pretended to drink.

Anders seemed to immediately catch on to her ruse and go with it, sitting as to block her from the others, so when she dumped it out on the ground from time to time, no one was the wiser, and they frequently swapped mugs, so he ended up drinking no more than she did. They both flirted with one another outrageously, and as it got later she became bolder with her attention and touch, and he did the same. It was almost disconcerting how attuned with her he seemed to be, far more than her Anders had been. Glancing around the fire, Hawke decided it was time for the next step of the plan.

Tugging him to his feet and leading him some distance from the fire and those around it, but still remaining within their sight, she smiled up into his smirking face when he pulled her to a halt. Putting his back to everyone, Anders drew her against him and dipped his head, brushing his nose against hers. "Your devious mind is busy plotting, milady. I hope I have played my part to your satisfaction, thus far," he whispered.

"You have," she breathed against his mouth, "to perfection, in fact, so don't stop now."

"I have no intention of stopping, not anytime soon."

He caught her lips against his, sweeping his tongue into her mouth and moaning his approval when she sucked on it. He kissed his way across her cheek, tonguing her earlobe, causing her to shudder when he ground his erection into her. Marian's nipples tingled while her core throbbed and ached with desire. She wouldn't be able to push him away this time, nor did she want to. They could die tomorrow if things went wrong. There would be no regrets for her, she had too many already, she would seize this chance while it lay within her grasp.

"If we were truly alone, Anders, I would be on my knees right now, showing my appreciation."

Anders made a pained noise deep in his throat, his warm, honey-brown eyes intense with desire. "Oh, I don't think so, sweetheart. As much as I would enjoy your mouth on me, I have a far more pressing need to satisfy first."

Intrigued, Marian tilted her head. "Very well. Tell me what you need so urgently and I'll see if I can help you out." Her eyes closed in pleasure when he started kissing her neck, one of his hands burying itself in her hair and pulling her head back so all of her throat was bared to him.

"I need to make you come," he said in a low, fervent tone. "So desperately, I am near mad with it. Never have I wanted another person's pleasure so much more than my own, but this is what you do to me. I can't think of anything else but what you will look like in the grip of ecstasy. Give me this, Mari, please...it's all I ask."

Astonished, she met his gaze, which was filled with an undeniable, ardent yearning that made her heart swell with longing and tender emotion. Her Anders had never expressed any such thing, and she was suddenly more aroused than she had ever been in her life. Was this yet another example of how much the wretched spirit had changed him?

"I…"

She was stopped from speaking further by someone clearing their throat loudly. They both turned to see Daylen regarding them with an amused smile from a dozen feet away. "Sorry to interrupt, but I thought you might like to know that we set up a tent for you both, over there." He pointed to the far side of the yard, well away from the other tents and in the shadow of a cluster of trees. "Some of us would like to get a bit of sleep tonight, hence the location we chose for your tent.."

Turning back toward the fire and the others, he called over his shoulder. "Enjoy yourself, Anders, you lucky bastard." Daylen stopped again and looked at Marian, his sudden, wide grin teasing. "But if he fails to perform adequately for a woman of your caliber, Marian, I'm happy to offer my services to you, Grey Warden stamina, and all. I'm sure we're distant cousins, so there should be no issue with us...interacting."

"Oh, fuck off, Daylen," Anders said in exasperation. Marian reached for his hand and squeezed, then smiled at Daylen, but her gaze was cool.

"I'm flattered by your offer, cousin, but there isn't another man in Thedas that could take Anders' place in my affections, or my bed. And if you must know, his performance is always magnificent and leaves me begging him for more. No woman could ever possibly wish for any other, regardless of her caliber."

Daylen held up his hands in a placating manner and laughed. "Alright, cousin, message received. Damn, I've had mabari bites that stung less."

Oghren guffawed. "Shit, you just got spanked hard by that little spitfire, Warden."

"Thanks for the tent," she finished in a bright tone, winking at Anders who was giving her a big, shit-eating grin while quickly leading her to the dark tent. As soon as they stepped inside, he summoned a spell wisp for illumination and tied the flaps of the opening securely shut. Yanking his ill-fitting tunic over his head she had scrounged for him to replace the ruined one, he dropped it on the ground, then reached for hers. His intense gaze flicked up to hold hers.

"I have never before been so valiantly defended by a woman, I think I could get used to you singing my praises. I only hope I do not disappoint once you actually sample what I have to offer," he quipped, with false modesty. His expression made it clear that he had no doubt that he would be well able to satisfy her. Was it arrogance or confidence born of success? Perhaps a bit of both, but she found his manner charming nonetheless.

Suppressing an amused smile, she turned her focus to the pleasing sight before her, deciding to play along. "You won't disappoint me, I've seen, remember?" Mesmerized by his bare chest, she slid both hands over the firm ridges of muscle, sighing in appreciation over his form and the heat of his skin.

When her tunic dropped to join his on the ground, he froze, his breath coming faster while he stared at her topless form. "By the Maker, you are beautiful, Mari. But I need more than just looking at you…"

She gasped when he stroked her breasts with both hands, thumbs brushing her nipples. "Wait, Anders…"

His hands stilled on her breasts, his eyes meeting hers, looking uncertain. Swallowing, she tried to get the words out quickly, before speaking intelligently was beyond her. She dropped her voice to a mere whisper of sound. "I need to know if you will still have the necessary energy and strength to escape if we fully indulge ourselves now. Good sex is very tiring, after all. We must get away tonight, it is of the utmost importance, we can't fall asleep after."

Anders pulled her flush against him, both of them shuddering at the feeling. He lowered his mouth to her ear and replied just as quietly. "Give yourself to me tonight, and I can do anything you require for our escape. Let me taste you and I won't even need sleep, I'll be your devoted slave."

Turning her head, she kissed him, her body on fire from his touch and his words. "Do whatever you wish to me, Anders, I'm yours for the next several hours, until they all fall asleep."

His eyes flashed darkly with triumph and anticipation. After urging her to lie across their bedrolls, he stripped her of her remaining clothing, then took off his own. They both spent a silent moment looking their fill and appreciating each others nude bodies.

"I am going to worship you tonight, Marian Hawke," he murmured, leaning over her to kiss her lips, then start his journey down her body. He kissed, nibbled and licked his way across her breasts, sucking one nipple and then the other softly, then back to the first, pulling with strong suction while his fingers parted her, two fingers entering her slick channel while he circled her clit with his thumb.

A loud, affected moan spilled from her, her hand anchoring in his hair, tugging lightly on the silky strands. He looked up at her and shook his head, appearing slightly dazed. "I can't….I can't wait any longer, I'm dying to taste you and I need you to come on my tongue the first time."

Grabbing some of their discarded clothing, he rolled it into a bundle and placed it under her head like a pillow, smirking. "I need to see your face while I'm ruining you for any other lover." He settled his broad shoulders between her thighs, pushing them further apart, his mouth dropping open when he closed his eyes, inhaling the scent of her drenched sex. His eyes opened again, his gaze colliding with hers as it darkened with a look of pure lust. Continuing to hold her gaze, he lowered his head and drew his tongue through her wet folds and across her clit before sucking it into his mouth, then fluttered his tongue across it fast, then more slowly again, varying his caresses, trying to drive her out of her mind.

"Anders…" His name was like a prayer of gratitude on her lips, she had nearly forgotten the perfection of his touch. She pushed one hand into his hair again, anchoring herself there and lightly pulling his hair as he had always liked. "More," she breathed, "Please, more."

His loud groan in response sent vibrations through her that set off a chain reaction of tremors through her core, pushing her over the edge, making her wail her release while he licked her through it, their gazes still holding through it all. She pushed lightly against his head when the sensations became too much, too sensitive as she always was immediately post-climax. He lifted his head up when she released his hair and gave her a slow, seductive smile. "I hope it doesn't take you too long to recover, because I really need to do that again, now. I can't believe how quickly you came, that was barely a taste for me, and you taste...Maker, better than all my fantasies come to life."

"I'm going to need a few minutes." She sat up, smiling when he frowned and sat up too.

"Hey, where are you going? You know I'm not done with you yet."

Wrapping a hand around his hard length, she pumped him once, grinning at his sharp intake of breath. "I'm going to suck this beautiful cock first, then you can do as you like again."

Anders gave her a crooked smile, leaning back to give her space. "I suppose if you really want to, but it's probably only going to take you about ten seconds to bring me. I'm more turned on right now than I've ever been before."

Licking across her bottom lip, she winked at him. "I think I can probably get more than ten seconds out of you."

When she leaned over and licked a circle around the broad head of his cock, he watched her avidly, his breath coming faster when she took him deep. He groaned loudly when she pulled back, using strong suction before he hit the back of her throat again. He felt the beginning of the powerful tingles that signaled his impending orgasm when she stilled and squeezed the base of his cock tightly and the feeling quickly faded. He gave her an impressed look when she twisted enough to meet his eyes, looking smug, then she started the process again. When she did it for the third time, he brushed her hair back out of her eyes, beginning to feel an edge of desperation.

"Sweet Marian, are you going to let me come, or do I need to beg first?"

She glanced up with laughing eyes and went for it all at once, bobbing up and down faster as she sucked him hard, the hum from her throat sending the pleasure blasting through him like fire and lightning, making him howl. It felt like his climax went on and on.

"Fuuuuuuuuuuuck, Marian, fuuuuuuuuck!"

After sucking him dry, she gently released him from her mouth, smiling when he flopped onto his back with an astonished look on his face. She watched him until he drew a shaky breath and shook his head. "This isn't a shag, it's a religious experience, a bloody revelation. Andraste who? From now on, it's blessed Marian, for me: come to her and she shall embrace you. In her arms lies eternity. Her divine mouth too."

She laughed, resting her hand on his chest, over his beating heart. "I like pleasing you, Anders, no worship is required." He covered her hand with his, his eyes again moving hungrily across her body.

"But I enjoy worshiping you, love." He smirked. "Be a good girl now and come sit on my face, I'm already starving for you again." A shiver of anticipation shot through her while she straddled him, allowing him to situate her above him to his satisfaction.

He took his time looking up at her, smiling darkly, thinking about what he was about to do again, and how much he would relish it. Savor watching her shatter for him, while he reveled in her pleasure. He needed to give it to her more than he needed his next breath. It was strange to feel the way he did about her, so strongly, but he couldn't stop it even if he wanted to, and he definitely didn't want to stop. Dare he name what he was feeling? He wanted all of her, or as much as she would give him. Anders rested his hands at her waist, using his hold to bring her just a bit closer to his mouth.

"Every man that has ever fantasized about bedding you, would envy me this glorious view, but it's mine, alone. Just for me, isn't it, Marian?"

"Yes….AHHH! Anders, fuck!"

His hot breath flowed over her from his gloating laughter, his tongue delving confidently into her, then fluttering over her clitoris, just as he had before, playing her body like an instrument, and he, the master musician. He might be lying beneath her, but there was no doubt in her mind he was the one fully in control; he was the wind blowing her in whichever direction he chose. He had told her he would ruin her for any other, but he didn't know she was already ruined, for him and by him. His touch was her lyrium, and this Anders affected her even more than the other, Vengeance/Justice-corrupted version. This is who he should have been all along, dammit.

"Touch yourself, sweetheart, pinch your nipples for me."

How did he know that was what she always liked when he went down on her? Biting her lip, her head tilted back, her eyes closed while she pinched her nipples and her peak neared.

He paused again. "Open your eyes, love, I want to see you."

When she obeyed, staring down into eyes that burned hot enough to scorch her soul, he resumed licking her, feasting on her, relentless until she shook with release again, her body turning liquid and boneless as the orgasm slowly faded away. It was too much, staring into those eyes she loved so dearly, wishing she could tell him what was in her heart, the truth, that she couldn't live without him. Didn't even want to try. Tears rose in her eyes and she rolled off of him and away, trying to regain control of her ragged emotions.

"Hey, come here," he whispered, following her and pulling her into his arms, lifting her chin so he could see her eyes. She let it all show, exactly what she was feeling, waiting to see what he would do, if anything at all, more tears flowing silently. His gaze jumping between her eyes and the tears on her cheeks, his brows furrowed while he stroked a hand across her cheek, a thumb over her lips, his gaze thoughtful. The silence was anything but, thoughts and feelings seemed to float in the very air around them, the conversation unspoken but no less real.

Inhaling a long breath, his eyes slowly regained their intensity. With jaw clenched, he lifted her to straddle him. His lips hovered in front of hers while she slowly sheathed him inside her body, then wrapped her legs around him, resting her hands atop his shoulders. His expression was stark, free of all pretense when he pushed more fully in, completely enveloped by her; she knew her own countenance was equally bared to him. There would be no hiding or withdrawing from this, for either of them. It was as close and intimate as two people could ever get, staring into the eyes of your lover, your bodies locked together, baring your soul while they bared theirs…

"This is the only joining I have ever wanted to undertake, and only with you, Anders, just you. I don't want to frighten you away, but I always knew how it would be between us; intense, honest, necessary...inevitable," she whispered, dropping her eyes to his chest, uncertain how he would take her declaration but needing to finally say some of it aloud.

"Please don't try to hide what you're feeling, from me." He lifted her chin, capturing her focus again, smiling while he guided her body with his, thrusting deep, never breaking his steady rhythm. "I can't make love to you if I can't see your beautiful blue eyes, so expressive." He tilted his head, his smile fading into seriousness when he suddenly stilled, stopping all movement. His hands came to rest on her backside, squeezing gently.

"I'm drowning in you, sweet Marian, sinking deeper every minute and in every way, since the night we met. But...here's my truth- I'm happy to drown, I don't need air to live, I just need you. I've never felt this way for another person before, never knew I could, but now that I have I can't live without it. Will you think me completely mad if I offer up my heart to you, and beg you for yours in return?"

Tearing up again, she smiled radiantly, carding her fingers into his hair. "My heart is already yours, Anders, even from before the night we met in Amaranthine. Now, which of us is the mad one?"

Anders dipped his head to capture her lips with his. Their kiss was long and slow, full of tenderness and the new understanding they shared. Never having felt such joy previously, Anders laughed aloud, rolling her under him, pushing one of her legs up while he kissed her again with passion, their tongues tangling.

Drawing back, he smirked. "Now that we've sorted out the really important bits, would you mind terribly if I fucked you properly? And by properly, I mean hard. It would be the crowning glory to this perfect night."

"Yes, please," she purred in anticipation, squeezing him with her inner muscles.

"Minx," he grunted, thrusting into her vigorously, muscles flexing with effort. "You can't finish me that easily, I'm just getting started here. You're going to come on my cock at least twice, I'm determined."

A loud, feminine wail woke Daylen, making him punch his pillow and roll over irritably, seeking a comfortable position. "Lucky bastard," he muttered under his breath, before drifting off again.