A/N: This is a story that's been on my mind since I've read about the rescue from the Finn. I guess I craved an addition. I know many people before me did it great justice, but wanted to add my take on the moment. Home you enjoy :)

"It begins just after the end of "A rabbit for supper"

Mat disappeared into the dense forest and Thom was left alone with Moiraine.

„Sit down, my dearest Thom," she said, using the honorific that had hunted him all those months. „Is that tea in that bag?"

„It is."

„Maybe with Matrim's luck we will have something to boil water in. But right now it might serve you better to sit and rest."

The bag went back to his pocket then and Thom felt instantly foolish. There was no pot to cook any water in. They might have to wait until the next day and the Gateway they were promised. Or more, if anything happened to stall that. This he did not anticipate. None of them did. There was no way of knowing how much time has passed here on the outside when they were inside. And they might need supplies. They had nothing on them, especially now after getting out. Maybe Mat would catch something…

„My dearest Thom…" Moiraine said again. „Will you, please, sit with me?"

He saw her bare hand extended to him, outside his patched cloak. Light, he almost forgot about her sitting there this whole time. And, he reminded himself, she was bare underneath that one single garment. He was cooling down after all that has happened, all the exertion and the chill from the air starting to bite into him. She must be freezing by now.

Gathering her into his arms seemed like coming home despite this being nothing if not new, this closeness. This rightness and no problem with being seen if anyone happened to come closer. He felt giddy and couldn't conceal his smile. She was now seated between his open legs, leaning on his chest, so he couldn't see her face, when he started running his hands carefully over her front in an attempt to warm her body up as much as possible. Soon the fire would get stronger and able to do the job, but for now he had to be enough.

„We should share the warmth, Thom," she said in near whisper. „There is not much I can do now with so little wood."

He could swear he already knew how she felt only by reading into her tired tone. He made fast work of taking his cloak off of her and bending to wrap her into his own coat, before pulling the multi-coloured cloak tightly around both of them. Even if they thought to bring anything for her to wear, it might have perished inside the tower. Still, he would have liked to be able to offer her anything more."

„I can feel you thinking, my dearest. Stop."

A light touch of her hand on his brought him back to the present.

„You've already…?" he started asking, but she squeezed lightly the hand she was holding.

„No." Sha laughed. A clear sound that warmed his heart like nothing else. „We're not bonded. This is me knowing how to read you."

„Then bond me now." He surprised even himself by asking. Who would have thought he would push for something he always so despised. „I want to know how you are. I would be able to tell, right?"

There was a tension in her that he could feel even now. A coldness and distance that her remembered and which disappeared for a brief moment after they agreed to marry.

„Moiraine?" he asked after giving her a moment to collect her thoughts. „I know I was… not the most enthusiastic about…"

„About my kind?" she finished for him and he felt bad and conflicted. „I know," she said before he could figure out what to say. „I accept that you still do."

„I don't care," he said, when he finally found his voice. „I want you, Moiraine. I'm sorry I didn't see you as clearly in Tear. I wish we have left things between us different then. I wish you were sure I would come for you."

„It's enough that I know now. Wait…" she said, touching something and starting to empty one of his inside pockets. „What is that?"

He knew what she was asking about as soon as he recognized where her hand resided. It was the pocket he checked the moment they were out. An impulse, his way of making sure everything was in its place. A ritual of sorts.

Before he could reach for it, Moiraine had it in her hand. It came up from under the cloak. The delicate, worn piece of paper that brought tears to Thom's eyes. For so long this has been the only connection to Moiraine for him. He had nothing else of hers. The only hope for seeing her again.

„You've kept it…" she whispered, fingering the almost fabric like sheet. „How long?"

„Almost a year, since you've wrote it. Less for me, because it took some time to reach me."

„Why?"

Somehow he knew she wasn't asking about the road the letter took to get to him.

„I felt like you were still close as long as I kept bringing i tup. And I didn't want to forget any of your directions in case…" He stumbled with his words when the emotion got the better of him. „You have no idea how I feared Mat wouldn't ever ask about it. I was so tempted to just show it to him first. If it wasn't for your explicit instruction, well, I would."

„Then you would have failed," Moiraine stated plainly and without any emotion. A statement of simple fact. „Every possibility that started with…" She stopped when he pulled her hands back under the cloak. „I felt so selfish," she said after, „for making sure it would get to you. Just before we went to the docks I wanted to retract, to spare you the false hope that might get you killed."

„It wasn't false hope." He kissed the back of her head to remind them bot that they were here after all. He was happy that she didn't stiffen and pulled her into himself tighter. „It gave me hope. I wanted more but I was sure we would get the chance when the right time came. That I will see you again."

„I couldn't say more. It was imperative I didn't force you, that it would be your own decision. I got enough warning not to push."

„Did it," he started, then found out words caught in his throat. It was a tricky question. „The way you knew how he needed to get you out successfully, did it also tell you that we'll be getting married?"

He didn't want to ask the question too rudely, didn't want to give the impression he was somehow against the idea. But if Moiraine was willing to marry and bond him only out of some weird foretelling, he would like to know beforehand. It would change things. They still didn't really know where they stood with each other. His fears only intensified when she stiffened in his arms. He was worried she wanted to get some distance between them, but she just turned and kissed him without notice. It was delicate and sweet, far from the heated few they indulged in during the frayed time in Tear. Despite the lightness it made his heart beat harder against his ribs. It felt like a declaration. Of what – he didn't yet know, but a declaration nonetheless.

"I was curious of you in Baerlon. Rather surprised the Wheel might want us on the same path. Then, in Tear, I got intrigued."

The way she was saying this things, almost sharing a breath with him… he felt heated in no time at all.

"Ekhem!" Matrim decided to come back at that exact moment. "I've got us a supper," he said, pulling up three rabbits. "I will start making it as soon…" he smiled, showing a pot filled with water that he held in his other hand, "as we get water boiled for that tea."

"Tea." Moiraine almost mewled and her whisper put a smile to his face. They weren't bonded, but he already thought their connection has deepend. "That would be exquisite."

Thom knew after all their time together, or rather all the time he spent observing her, how much she liked and valued her tea, so he just kept her close and warm until Matrim handed her a steaming cup. He watched mesmerised as she added the bag she earlier pulled out of his inside pocket as if it was hers. Then she just kept the cup in her hands, warming them, from time to time inhaling the fragrant steam wafting up. He knew it was her favourite from before, that was why he made sure to have it on him for this quest.

With the cold breeze that made its way around them even close to the fire the tea cooled down enough to drink in no time. Thom was happy Moiraine took pleasure in this simple act. Part of him, though, envied the beverage that it could do that, warm her up while he couldn't.

"Are you strong enough to channel now?" he asked in whisper into her ear. His heartbeat got much faster when she nodded. "Bond me, then."

"You're persistent." She laughed and he couldn't help but smile again. "Patience, my dearest Thom, little more patience." One of her hands wandered back under the cloak to his thigh and his hand that still held the letter. "It can wait until we're both… at our best."

"W should be out of here tomorrow. The day after that the latest," Mat said, checking on the rabbit. Thom's stomach rumbled. "Supper will be ready soon. And in the morning we should get to where we left the supply bag. There should be some clothes there as well."

"You've grown a lot, young Matrim, since we've seen each other last."

"Well, a lot has happened since."

"Tuon for example… Well, you must have done some extraordinary deeds to catch an eye of such a persona."

"That's just my luck," Mat said with an obvious sarcasm, pulling a strip of meat from off the rabbit. "Or the Wheel being funny."

"You must have been clever enough to stay alive," Moiraine said with clear voice, ignoring the sarcasm. "You two must be well matched. Equals in what really matters. Like me and Thom." She turned to look him in the eye. "I wish the Wheel gave us more time in Tear, my dearest."

"You would have wanted me dead if we had more time."

"And you would have given as good as you got."

"I love you too, Moiraine." His answer brought an almost imperceptible smile on her face and slightly disgusted one on Mat's. "Do you think you can eat?"

"I wish I had told you before."

"The letter told me everything." He tightened his arms around her once more. "Now, supper. You need to regain some strength."

THE END