Chapter 69

The glow subsided, but for a split second, Emma hesitated, worried about what she would see. She gulped and pried open her tightly clenched eyes to see her hands pressed to the ground - her completely fur-free hands. She let out a shout of happiness and jumped to her feet. Standing next to her, a young elven woman with long brown hair and pale blue eyes clapped her hands and squealed with delight. Upon seeing Emma, she pulled her into a hug. "Thank you! You saved my life! Because of you, I will get to see my husband again."
Emma managed to return the hug before her friends surrounded her. She held onto them, smiling at their welcoming words, but her eyes searched for Aedan.

-x-

He watched the ex-werewolves scurry from the room then turned to look for Emma, and his breath caught in his throat. Her face glowed as she laughed and talked, her green eyes sparkling with joy - she looked breathtaking! He knew he'd fucked up big time and for the life of him, he couldn't think of how to get over that hurdle. The familiar fear rose inside him once more; what if he said the wrong thing and ruined any chance he had with Emma? Or what if he'd already screwed up so much that she wouldn't take him back? He should say something, do something… but his mind had gone blank and his feet felt like two blocks of ice frozen to the ground.

-x-

As the crowd dispersed from around Emma, she finally managed to catch sight of him watching her, and her heart fluttered with hope, but as the seconds passed and he failed to make a move or say a word, the brief flicker of optimism died. Dredging up a smile, she grabbed her pack which Leliana had returned. "I guess we should get back to the Dalish and let them know what's happened." Seeing Aedan still standing near the exit, Emma slowed. Why didn't he leave? They had nothing left to say. She couldn't walk past him, not now when she felt so vulnerable with her fragile hope dashed. It would be too painful, and she'd probably do something stupid like cry, or, God forbid, hug him. No, she was a strong female who could walk past him without becoming a hysterical wreck. She glanced in his direction, the coward in her hoping he'd left, but no such luck. He was staring at his feet. Damn it! She hefted her pack on her shoulder and prepared to storm past him but then noticed his hand rubbing the back of his neck. She knew he only did this when anxious. She took a few tentative steps closer and saw a tremor run through his other hand.
Enlightenment dawned! The silly bugger was too nervous to say anything. She wanted to kick herself for not realising sooner, and then kick him for being an ass.

"Aedan?" She brushed her fingers against his hand.
His head shot up, nearly colliding with hers. For a moment his mouth moved but nothing came out, then he croaked, "Emma, I wanted... I mean I have to tell you..." His Adam's apple bobbed up and down. Taking pity on him, she cupped his firm jaw, stroking her thumb over the rough stubble. He sighed, leaned briefly into her touch, and then roughly hugged her. "Maker, I'm such an idiot. I love you, Emma, and I should never have let you deal with what you're going through alone. I'm sorry. I'm so..." His voice cracked and she dropped her bag and wrapped him in her arms.
"I love you, too, Aedan."
Tears coursed down her face as she melted in his embrace. He pressed a gentle kiss to her tear-stained cheeks. "Forgive me, Emma, for making you cry, for causing you pain, for wasting the time we have together, no matter how long it lasts."
She held him harder. "I've missed you so much."
His lips found hers with a soft caress, which she readily accepted. Soon the kiss progressed into one of passionate love and desire. They broke apart, gasping. He leaned his forehead against hers. "Come on, the sooner we wrap this up with the Dalish, the sooner I can get you in my tent."
Emma grinned. "That sounds fun."
"Don't get any funny ideas, love, I'm going to check you for fleas. Obviously, that means removing every stitch of clothing and checking every..." He nibbled on her neck. "Single inch..." He kissed her warm lips. "Of your skin."

Leliana's head popped around the side of the door. "Ah, I wondered where you two were." She smiled. "It's lovely to see you together again, back in each other's arms, exactly where you're supposed to be." She left them and Emma laughed as she heard Leliana's parting words. "Damn it, I need to tell Wynne to get the earplugs back out."

They returned to the Dalish camp, received Lanaya's support to fight the Blight, and completed the rest of the side quests. Emma went to say goodbye to Danyla and Arthas and found them in a very emotional embrace. She cleared her throat and they grudgingly moved apart. However, upon seeing Emma, Arthas shook her hand. "You saved her life, a priceless gift to me, and yet I can only offer you a pendant. It's a poor recompense."
Emma shook her head. "It cost me nothing to help Danyla, so there is no charge. I'm happy it all worked out."
Danyla pulled Emma into a tight hug. "You and the blue-eyed human look much happier so I'm guessing you'll be having a bath together after all?"
"Oh yeah, he's already promised to do a very thorough flea check on me, "Emma said with a wink.
Danyla snorted with laughter. "I'm telling Arthas about that!"

With their goodbyes said, they left the camp and soon found a clearing to make camp. As the evening drew in, everyone started making their way to the campfire for dinner. Emma stared into the twisting flames as she lifted the spoon of stew to her mouth; all three main quests were completed and they were coming up to the final stretch of the story. She chewed on a particularly tough piece of… something - she didn't want to dwell on what she was eating – and contemplated on what life would be like after they'd defeated the Archdemon. They would probably move onto Amaranthine to fight the Mother, and possibly the Architect; she always had trouble with the decision as to whether to let him live or not. Ah well, something to worry about in the future; for now, they were preparing for a trip back to Redcliffe to have a chat with Arl Eamon.

All of a sudden, she felt a scratchy sensation at the back of her skull; she raked at the spot, thinking one of the damn fleas had stuck with her, when she caught sight of Aedan and Alistair, both looking twitchy; their eyes met and it suddenly dawned on them.
"Darkspawn!" the three Grey Wardens shouted in sync.
Everyone jumped to their feet and grabbed their weapons just as a couple of shades materialised in their midst; with an ear-piercing wail they charged and the fight began. Emma cursed when she realised they were making little progress; with each darkspawn slain, another took its place. However, eventually, the head of the last remaining shade rolled across the ground; everyone waited with bated breath to see if more would come. When nothing else attacked them after a minute or so, they relaxed. After dumping the bodies away from their camp, they returned to the fire.
"I guess the Archdemon knows about us, now," Alistair said, as sat and picked up his bowl of stew. Aedan nodded, a grim expression on his face. "Yeah, it seems we've got his attention."

Shortly afterwards, the group broke up for the night and headed to their tents. Emma stood, and out of habit moved towards her own sleeping quarters; a pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist. "Are you planning on sleeping alone tonight, Angel?"
She blinked, half asleep. "No, why do you… Oh, damn it! I'm going the wrong way." She rubbed a hand over her tired eyes. "Sorry, I'm not really with it." A deep chuckle emanated from Aedan and he lifted her into his arms. "Understandable, it's been quite the day." He pressed a kiss to her lips and carried her back to his tent… their tent. Once inside, he put her down and she looked around, surprised to see all her gear in there too.
"When did you get a chance to do this?" She asked as she turned towards him.
"While you were sitting over by the fire. I had a bit of help from Bodahn and Sandal, so we got everything moved over quite quickly."
She pulled him close and kissed him softly, touched by his thoughtful gesture. He lowered her to the bedroll, their lips and tongues still exploring each other, and began to undress her. "It's so good to have you back, Angel."
"Mhm, feels great to be back too, so nice and warm…"

He pressed a kiss to her sternum as he removed her top, and slowly worked his way down her body, sliding off her skirt and laying another light kiss on her stomach. However, instead of a moan, he heard a light snore. With her head turned slightly to the side, her lips parted and turned up in a small smile, she did indeed look like an angel. He stripped down and pulled her into his arms, sighing at how well she fitted against his body. He pulled the blankets around them and smiled as she burrowed deeper into its warmth. Dropping a kiss on the crown of her head, he fell into a peaceful sleep for the first time in weeks.