Chapter 33
Shakily, she climbed out of bed and grabbed Aedan's shirt to cover her nakedness as she made her way to the window seat. It occurred to her that she hadn't really given much thought about her life since the accident. In the excitement of learning magic, becoming a Grey Warden, fighting darkspawn and abominations, and of course, falling in love, she'd pushed all thoughts of her previous life to one side.
However, now that she'd opened up that door, a multitude of questions bombarded her and demanded answers. She dropped her head to her bent knees and let out a sigh; answers that were very much in short supply. Her brain felt swamped and she could feel a serious headache starting above her eye. She decided to focus on one thing at a time, starting with her cat. Jess had always gotten along with her neighbour, an elderly woman who fussed over him when he wandered off into the hallway while Emma took her rubbish to the bin room. She prayed that her neighbour had taken pity on Jess when she'd been… she frowned. What had happened to her? She remembered the lightning, a flash, then waking up in Duncan's tent.
A cold sweat covered her body as she considered the possibility that she'd never been found. Was she unconscious in her chair, her body slowly deteriorating? How much time had passed? She'd lost count of the number of days she'd been in Thedas. Did time pass at the same speed in her world? If so, and she'd never been found, then she would be dead in her world by now. However, if that had happened, wouldn't that mean she would be dead in this world too? She gripped her head in both hands as frustration nudged the pain above her eye into a full-blown headache. The tears rolling down her face probably weren't helping either and she moved one hand over her mouth to muffle the sound.
If she'd never been found, then that meant Jess was… she couldn't bring herself to finish the thought, but that didn't stop the fresh flow of tears or the shaking of her shoulders as she buried her head between her curved body and bent knees. Another memory interrupted her grief, this one from a dream she'd had after they'd left Lothering. She remembered a constant beeping noise and two people talking, their sentences disjointed, then the vision of the Archdemon had intruded, and she'd woken up back in Thedas.
That annoying noise she'd heard in the dream might be the sound of a hospital monitor. Her heart lifted; if she was in a hospital, then that meant they had found Jess too, so someone would be looking after him. She might never know what had happened to her cat, and to think of anything other than a happy outcome for him would be too upsetting, so she pictured him happy and being pampered by the friendly neighbour. It was the best she could do to mollify herself.
She wondered what would happen to her flat; with no one to pay the rent, would the landlord just offer the tenancy to someone else? And if he did that, then what happened to all her possessions? Would the police store them somewhere? Blimey, this line of thought definitely wasn't helping her headache, and since she could do nothing about it, she decided to relegate that to the pile of unanswered questions.
You might return back to that world.
She lifted her head and stared out the window, watching the first blush of dawn feather across the sky. Was that something she wanted? She missed certain things from her world; chocolate for starters. Her mouth watered at the thought of biting into a chocolate-covered caramel and nougat bar. They had chocolate in Thedas, but it didn't taste the same. Then there were her toiletries; her hair was practically begging for some decent shampoo and conditioner. She really needed to have a chat with the others about what they used. Morrigan managed to keep her long hair silky; hell, even Zevran kept his golden locks shining. There was also the matter of deodorant, especially after a hard fight when sweat covered her body, but it wasn't so bad since everyone else was in the same predicament. There had been a few occasions when Aedan had carried her off to a lake or river to cool off, which of course always turned into something more fun than just washing.
At the thought of Aedan, she turned her head to watch him sleeping, and a gentle smile curved her lips. No amount of chocolate, shampoo or deodorant would make her leave this man, whom she loved with every fibre of her being. No, if she had a choice, she would stay in Thedas and adjust to the differences. She'd already gotten used to the replacement for her toothpaste and she would figure out the rest as she went along. Of course, the big problem would be whether she'd have a choice or be dragged back to her world, kicking and screaming, figuratively speaking of course. She turned back to the window, saw glints of gold lighting the edges of the clouds and smiled at the simple beauty of the morning sky.
The sound of the creaking bed alerted her that Aedan had woken, and judging from the sound of padded feet on the floorboards, he was heading towards her. His warm lips nuzzled at her neck and she leaned back into his touch. "Morning, Angel. You're up early." His hands clasped together on her stomach as he pulled her closer. She turned her head, and his face fell as he noted her red, puffy eyes. "You've been crying. Is this because of last night? Have you changed your mind?"
"What? No! Well, I mean, I have been crying, but it wasn't about last night." She turned as she spoke, twining her arms around his neck and pulling him down. He paused for a moment, his eyes searching hers but she closed the gap, desperate to have him close.
-x-
The instant their lips met, the kiss became heated and hungry. Aedan swallowed her sounds of pleasure, treasuring the soft moans as she clung to him. He slanted his mouth, taking the kiss deeper, craving the feel of her soft lips, her wet tongue, her satin skin. Her scent teased his nose and realised it was mingled with his own. He pulled back and saw she was wearing his shirt. A primal possessive need roared through his blood. Aedan growled and Emma squealed as he picked her up and carried her back to the bed.
Sometime later, they fell back on the bed, breathing heavily. "Bloody hell, you come up with some very inventive positions," Emma gasped
He chuckled. "I read a lot."
She lifted a brow, a heated look in her eyes. "I'd love to see those books."
"Oh, I think you'd enjoy them," he said, squeezing her ass. They shared a kiss and he could feel himself working up to round two until he remembered her tears before he'd carried her to bed. He rolled onto his back."So, before I got distracted, I was about to ask you why you were upset."
