I don't own anything to Baldur's Gate. I don't make money with it. I'm writing fanfictions because I love it. So I ask you not to sue me.

English is not my mother tongue. I don't have a beta reader. Feel free to point out mistakes to me.

I forgot to describe my Tav. She is a half-elf, warrior class and lived in Baldur's Gate.

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Many thanks to DenaraLaKant, OfLoveDarogaIAmDyingOfLove, Ravenwiccn and justinizaguirre47 for adding me to the favorites list.

And thank you to OfLoveDarogaIAmDyingOfLove, Ravenwiccn and gmjordan00 for adding me to the story alert list.

Thank you very much.

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Ladyfingers-Sandwich

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It was a wonderful, bright morning and Tav could already hear the hustle and bustle down in the tavern. People out on the streets greeted and chatted loudly. Children were running around and dogs were barking. The whole city was already on its feet.

Tav used these noises to gradually wake up. Shadowheart had already pushed the curtains aside and was washing her face. Tav, on the other hand, enjoyed the sun's rays on her skin and stretched extensively. She had slept very well. A real bed was still better than the forest floor.

"Good morning," the cleric greeted her as she dried her face.

Tav rubbed the sleep from her eyes. "Morning..."

"Don't forget that we wanted to go to the forest today. Our herbal supplies are gradually running out."

Tav grumbled in response. Her eyes were closed again and she began to sway slightly in her sitting position. Could she sleep another hour? It had been so comfortable.

"Wake up!" came a barking sound and the next moment Tav was pushed out of bed.

As she looked confusedly over the edge of the bed from the floor, she was immediately greeted by piercing yellow eyes. The Githyanki warrior was already dressed in her armor and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Your senses take too long to register your surroundings. If I had been an enemy, I could have easily slit your throat," Lae'zel scolded her disapprovingly.

However, Tav just stood up and rolled her neck to relax. Sometimes she couldn't hear it anymore. Enemies here. Enemies there. They were surrounded by enemies.

"You should really learn to relax," Tav replied, now moving her shoulder of her sword arm up and down. "Not everyone in this world is hostile to us."

"Chk!" was all the warrior said before she left the room.

Lae'zel sometimes made Tav feel like a child. These constant lectures were exhausting. Couldn't she just enjoy life for a few minutes? Had she learned nothing on their journey? She was happy when the Githyanki warrior decided to stay with them. Tav saw her as a friend... a friend she could punch in the mouth from time to time, but a friend.

Shadowheart approached her and was also ready to leave. She put a hand on her shoulder, smiling. "You have time to get ready. There's no hurry. Afterwards you can look after our sick cat."

Tav had to laugh. "Yes. I'll do that."

Although she didn't think it was entirely necessary. It had been a few days since Astarion was cursed with a cold by Gale. During this time the vampire's condition had returned to normal. If he was bitchy now, it was because of his personality. That's just how he was.

Tav stretched herself one last time and yawned heavily. She was looking forward to a new day, even if her daily task was collecting herbs. Maybe they found a bush with berries, mushrooms or a group of wild boars to eat in the evening. Hell! Her stomach growled like a dragon. She should eat breakfast first before thinking about the other meals of the day.

Her morning routine was completed quickly and in just a few minutes she was ready to embark on a completely new adventure. Tav fervently hoped that her group would stumble upon a dragon egg. She wanted her own dragon!

One step at a time, however, she reminded herself. Shadowheart had asked her to check on Astarion. So she would do that too. After all, her companion had been "very seriously" ill. ...Tav put her hand over her mouth to giggle. Men and colds.

When she knocked on the door to the boys' room, she heard nothing. No one invited her in or gestured for her to wait, so she did what she usually did. She opened the door and just walked in. Gale and Wyll were usually up early and at breakfast early enough to plan their next move. They had left their room pitch black so that their vampire wouldn't burn to ashes the next morning.

It was a shame that Astarion could no longer walk freely in the sun after their adventure, but luckily it wasn't an insurmountable obstacle either. Her vampire always complained that he had to dress like an assassin in broad daylight and no one could admire his good looks, but he didn't want to be left behind either. Gale had even been kind enough to enchant his clothes so that these acted like a protective shield. Even if someone were to rip the hood off his head, Astarion would at least have a minute before the sun would start to burn him.

Tav didn't understand why the two of them couldn't stand each other. Yes, Gale and Astarion were opposites like night and day. Despite that...

She walked over to her sleeping vampire and carefully placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Stand up, my prince," she spoke softly. She knew he had already recovered. He didn't need to pretend otherwise to her. "After breakfast, we want to go into the forest or do you just want to wait for us here?"

The next moment he grabbed her, threw her onto the bed and lay over her like a blanket. He buried his face in her neck and took a deep breath. Sometimes Tav thought he could purr like a cat if he really wanted to.

"Breakfast sounds like a very good idea," he hummed in agreement and let his fangs stroke her skin with pleasure. Tav immediately snuggled up to him. "So sensitive." And with that he bit. Tav groaned.

Damned! It shouldn't feel this good to be bitten by a vampire. These were sharp teeth that dug into the neck until blood gushed out. That hurt! Was painful! And...

Tav wrapped her arms around his shoulders and tilted her head more to the side for easier access. She couldn't suppress the deep moan. It was clear she had a sadistic side. She enjoyed the sharp pain that faded into a comfortable numbness with each pounding of her heart. The racing of her pulse, which spread this feeling bit by bit over her entire body.

The first time, Astarion had almost killed her. Too intoxicated by the taste of the blood of thinking creatures to stop on his own. But now it was a routine between them. A ritual. A connection between the two that no one else had. Something none of them wanted to give up.

She felt his tongue lick the bite and shuddered.

"Delicate," he hummed, still buried in the crook of her neck.

Tav laughed softly and stroked his silver hair. "We agreed that you can't eat until I've eaten." And for a good reason. She could already feel how everything revolved around her. "Blood loss early in the morning and that on an empty stomach is not a pleasant thing."

"Sorry, Pet." He kissed her forehead lovingly. "Being able to really taste your blood again was just too tempting. You can't imagine how just a little bite from you can revitalize me."

"At least it's morning coffee for one of us..."

Not that she particularly liked coffee, but Astarion understood her. God! Everything was spinning in her head. After breakfast she would still hit him for that. Couldn't he have waited until she at least ate a piece of bread or cheese?

"Don't look at me like that, darling," he grinned and didn't seem to make any move to get off her. "You can't deny that you liked it."

The hard, cruel truth. But nothing she would admit to anyone. Not even in front of the vampire himself, although her raised eyebrow grin was more answer than he needed. For now, he should slowly get up from her before she is tempted to push him off the bed.

Which, to their surprise, wasn't necessary, as in the next few seconds Astarion quickly jumped to the side and sought shelter from the bright sun. His short sound of pain and the smell of burnt flesh made Tav jump. She knew the curtains were closed. It was pitch black in the room.

"Tav! I need your help!" came the strong voice of the red Tiefling. "Hell! It was still really dark here!"

Karlach came in and opened the curtains. ...Karlach ...had the curtains ...in broad daylight...

"Karlach!" Tav screamed in horror and jumped off the bed. "Astarion is still in here!"

The Tiefling looked at her in confusion and then behind her, where the vampire was crouching for protection.

"OH!" she said in shock and immediately tore the curtains closed again. The muted darkness settled calmly over the room again. Only the tense silence made the atmosphere uncomfortable.

Karlach rubbed the back of her neck embarrassedly. "Sorry, Fangs!"

The vampire dared to come out of his cover again and looked anything but amused. The good mood after a "tasty breakfast" was gone. "I realize that everyone in our group wants to see me burn, but I would have judged you and Tav differently."

"A grilled vampire in the morning doesn't drive away sorrow and worries, right?" she joked in a good mood. Her guilty conscience was very limited. Their mascot was still alive. So no problem in the eyes of the red Tiefling.

Sighing, Astarion shook himself to get the burning feeling off his skin and sat down on the bed with a "Very funny!" Tav, on the other hand, remained standing, even though the little shock was a little unnerving. Empty stomach, blood loss and adrenaline. The morning wasn't starting to go well.

"What can I help you with, Karlach?" she asked in a friendly manner, after all she liked the Tiefling the most of her companions.

"Except for trying to murder me," Astarion chimed in, already lying back down on his bed. Tav gave him a disapproving look, which he only acknowledged with a shrug.

Karlach didn't let that bother her. "I want a sickness meal too!"

OK. That was... yeah... What?

"A sickness meal? Are you sick?" Tav asked confused and looked Karlach up and down. She looked energetic as ever.

"Please tell me that Gale's curse has backfired and every one of you is suffering," her vampire said hopefully.

Karlach looked at him with incomprehension and replied with a simple no, whereupon Astarion lay down on his side again, disappointed and uninterested.

"I can't get your and Wyll's story out of my head. It sounded like happy memories and I just want to have that too," the red Tiefling continued, looking really excited.

Tav scratched the back of her head. "You want to get sick?"

"Ask Gale," Astarion commented.

"No!" Karlach replied harshly. "I would also like to have a meal made just for me when I'm not feeling well."

"You've never been sick before," Tav reminded her, although she found her request kind of cute.

"Ask Gale," Astarion commented again, getting a nasty sideways look from Tav. He was still lying on his side and didn't see it, but she knew he felt it. Otherwise she would try to suffocate a vampire with a pillow.

"I know," Karlach replied a little more quietly. "It would just be nice to have something like that."

"And what do you have in mind?" Tav asked curiously. "When it comes to illnesses, you don't have that much choice. Most of the time, things are taken that are easy to digest. Oatmeal, pudding, rusks, bananas or..."

"Nothing boring!" Karlach complained and put her hands on her hips. "How about something sweet?"

This really wasn't something someone should eat when they were sick. The only thing Tav could think of was the pudding, but judging by the look on Karlach's face, that wasn't what she wanted. So what could she do to please the Tiefling? Something sweet? Only for her? Tav dug into her belt pouch and pulled out a ladyfingers.

"How many of those things do you have in there?" Astarion asked skeptically. He had turned back to them and put his arm behind his head. It was clear that he didn't like this cookie. Tav, on the other hand, looked intently at the ladyfingers and took a bite. She just remembered that she still hadn't had breakfast.

"It just reminds me of home," she replied with her mouth full, crossing her arms over her chest. Her mother had been good at creating dishes and desserts that satisfied her guests. Tav, on the other hand, was more like her father and was good at beating people up. She wasn't bad at cooking or baking, but wasn't as creative as her mother.

She took another bite of the ladyfingers and almost jumped when she saw Karlach's expectant look. The Tiefling was starving for good memories. She hoped it was a good idea. Tav thought hard. Her eyes fell on the cookie again and that she was almost starving. Couldn't they think about it after breakfast? ...Moment! Starving? ...She came up with an idea and really liked it.

"Let's do it together," Tav suggested, stuffing the remaining ladyfingers into her mouth. She really needed breakfast.

"Gladly!" beamed Karlach. "And what?"

"Let yourself be surprised! First we'll go have breakfast and then we'll collect berries in the forest!"

And with that she simply walked out of the room to finally do what she had been looking forward to all along. Breakfast!

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The day slowly started to get nice. Her stomach was full, the sun was shining and the forest smelled wonderful. Tav could have torn up trees with her enthusiasm. If it hadn't been for her second half whining.

"I look terrible."

"No one can tell what you look like," she reminded her vampire, looking him up and down. He wore a hood over his head and had a cloth wrapped around half of his face. Anyone who didn't know him well enough wouldn't recognize him.

"That's it," he complained. "I look like an assassin."

How many times have they had this discussion...

"And what's the problem?" Tav asked innocently. "That way people will at least know not to get too close to you. So it fits."

"You shouldn't have to hide good looks," Astarion countered, but at least he did what they were here for. He gathered herbs and picked berries. Their group had split into teams of two to be more productive. Of course, the team formation was always the same. Tav went with Astarion, Gale went with Shadowheart, Wyll went with Lae'zel, and Karlach was happy every time she got Scratch as a partner. ...Mmh... Somehow she could see preferences here.

"Look at it this way, when our chances in battle are against us, you can show off your radiant beauty and our opponents will sink to the ground languishing because they didn't expect it."

Tav collapsed theatrically into his arms and looked at him with exaggerated love. Astarion just stared at her for a moment. But she could see in his eyes that he was grinning mischievously.

"Too much?" she asked with a grin and stood next to him again.

The vampire laughed briefly. "You're mocking me, but I guess it's my own fault."

He knew he complained about it every day. However, his situation remained the same. It was simply a longing wish to be able to walk in the sun again. Tav understood that.

"We'll find a way. I promised you that."

She gave him a kiss on the covered mouth and they both looked each other silently in the eyes for a moment. They would both support each other in whatever way they could. That was a promise that none of them had to say out loud. However, Astarion was still not used to this affection and love, which is why he looked away with a quiet clearing of his throat and pretended to be looking for something in the forest.

"What exactly do you plan to do when we get back?" he distracted and went to a bush with berries. He picked a single one and held it between his thumb and forefinger. "What idea did you have for Karlach?"

Tav clasped her hands behind her head. "Nothing I came up with myself. I just remembered a guest who voluntarily starved."

"He starved of his own free will?" Astarion asked in surprise. "Then why was he in your tavern?"

"Starved is probably the wrong word." She put a hand to her chin and remembered. "It was more of a fast and he came to our tavern because his fast was over. He wanted to treat himself to something nice and, like Karlach, he was simply hungry for something sweet. My mother granted him his wish. So you can say the recipe came from him."

"And what was it?"

"Ladyfingers, cream, banana and chocolate. Simple, quick, delicious. The good man let me eat with him when he saw my curious face."

"Bananas?"

"Yes."

"We collect berries."

"Bananas don't grow in the forest either."

"Obviously," Astarion replied, less amused.

Tav grinned cheekily. "I'll change it up a little. I think berries go better with Karlach than bananas."

Astarion then said nothing more. He seemed to silently agree with her and simply continued with their collecting task. When they had enough, she would send him to the tavern with the others and quickly buy the remaining ingredients herself. She was already looking forward to Karlach's face. She was also looking forward to being in the kitchen with the Tiefling. She had enjoyed doing this with her mother as a child. It would be a pleasant memory with her friend.

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If Tav could say one thing, it was that Karlach was enthusiastic about the ingredients and full of enthusiasm. The owner of the tavern had no objection to her wanting to use his kitchen again and only asked for the recipe in return. That wasn't a problem. It was only fair. However, Karlach was so excited that preparing the dessert became more chaotic than expected. Even though it was easy. It shouldn't have been a problem.

In the end, they had vanilla cream stuck to their faces because Karlach had stirred the cream too vigorously and water got into the melting chocolate, which prevented it from becoming liquid. The Tiefling had still wanted to use it.

The end result looked... well... not particularly appetizing. It was out of shape, the chocolate and cream had mixed together too much and this meant the berries didn't stay where they were. All in all it looked...

"It looks like a shit sausage," Astarion expressed the thought that probably everyone in the room had. Nevertheless, everyone dared to look at the vampire angrily and reproachfully. "What?!" he replied unmoved. "Look at these little desserts and tell me you didn't think the same thing."

The looks didn't get any better, but no one responded. Which was enough for Astarion. He grinned contentedly and crossed his arms over his chest. Tav averted her gaze. She hadn't imagined it like that. It should have been easy. Her friend should have had something for herself. Instead, their attempts looked terrible. Astarion was right. It looked like Scratch had left a mess on the work table. Karlach had to be disappointed in her. Maybe they could try again and...

The bark of laughter that suddenly sounded next to her was so loud and powerful that each of them jumped. The red Tiefling held her stomach, tears already in her eyes. Her whole body shook.

Lae'zel looked as if she wanted to give her companion the coup de grace to end her madness.

Wyll had a tender smile on his lips, which was more out of embarrassment.

Shadowheart and Gale were simply shocked, while Astarion seemed almost satisfied.

Before Tav could ask her friend what was going on, she swung her strong arm around the warrior's shoulder.

"The mess looks like Scratch came by here!" When she answered, her breath hit Tav's face and her sharp teeth were clearly visible. "We better clean up before the landlord comes back."

To everyone's surprise, Karlach picked up a ladyfinger with all the melted cream and chocolate without hesitation and bit into it with relish. Her face never once lost that radiant joy. She even gave a contented sigh as she chewed and swallowed.

"This is so delicious!" she said happily and licked the cream from her fingers. Her mouth was already full of chocolate. Tav could only look at her in slight disbelief. The barbarian wasn't disappointed?

"I didn't disappoint you?" she asked before really thinking about it.

Karlach looked at her confused. "Why?" She popped another cookie into her mouth. "Thats so yummy! And this is the first time we've done something like this together. I've never been in the kitchen to cook or bake."

Tav didn't mind that Karlach spoke with her mouth full and little crumbs flew towards her. The Tiefling had one more happy memory and that was all that mattered. The dessert had failed, but they had made it together. The joy that radiated from Karlach was literally contagious and Tav didn't think much about it when she also bit into a ladyfinger. The chocolate instantly smeared around her mouth and the sweet taste of the berries made her sigh happily. Her friend was right. Despite everything, it was delicious.

Tav hadn't disappointed her friend and that was the most important thing to her. Not even Astarion could say anything to ruin the moment, as Shadowheart shoved a cookie into his mouth at the same moment he tried to open it.

"That's right!" Karlach laughed heartily. "You eat what's on the table! Even if it looks like shit. We only stop if it smells like poop!" Nobody took away her good mood.