A heavy sigh came out of Quinn's lungs as she exited the King's council room. She had just been questioned about the days she went missing, how she had survived, and what happened to her. A doctor had made a report to Jarvan too, explaining her wound had been tended to, and she was out of trouble for now. A few people had asked curiously who had helped her, but Quinn had blantantly lied. She had said she healed herself with what she found, and that she barely made it.

The King obviously was encline to believing her, but still expressed his doubts over her surviving alone for so long. Quinn made up small lie after small lie, even though she didn't have the heart for it. Every word she uttered made her want to vomit, she felt disgusting lying to her king. But she had to. Quinn feared being considered a traitor, and loosing her place as an elite Demacian scout. No one could know.

And Talon... It hurt her too much to think about him, but the least she could do for him was not to speak of him at all. For herself, and for him. Quinn had secretely sworn to herself, though it brought her great shame, to protect him at all costs. She feared her loyalty to Talon was above anything else, even above her loyalty to the King. For now Quinn did not go there. It stirred something in her that made her want to bury herself forever.

The last thing the King had remarked was her tired expression, and he suggested she had some rest. Quinn had tilted her head slowly in agreement. But the truth was, she was not only tired. Quinn was exhausted, but couldn't rest. Whenever she tried to sleep, her night was filled with nightmares and she woke up every hour at least. She woke up covered with sweat and with her heart pounding against her ribcage.

Her mind was filled with images she wanted to push away: hawk eyes, scarred skin... And a sharp blade. Every time she thought about Talon, she felt her heart tear apart. She played over and over the moment he left her, and felt truly helpless.

Quinn knew that Talon had no choice but to leave. It had all happened so fast, but she understood. Talon would have died, or worse, been imprisoned then tortured by the Demacian guard for information. She knew their method too well with Noxian enemies.

Quinn's surroundings had noticed her lack of enthusiam at her return. Garen and Lux could barely reach her through their usual conversations, and shared worried looks when she passed by. Even Jarvan IV, who had very little time on his hands, shared with them his worries about the scout. Quinn barely ate, and got slightly thinner. The dark circles under her eyes were beginning to show, and she couldn't hide them.

"Leave me alone!" Quinn once said angrily to Lux.

The blonde woman had pushed her too far, telling her about her concerns. Quinn felt guilty about her outburst, but couldn't bear speaking anymore. She wanted to be with him, only.

Quinn woke up panting and covered in sweat. She tried to calm her erratic breathing by controling her heaving chest, but it was of no use. Quinn slept in her tower chamber at the castle: it was far away from the other chambers and allowed an easy access for Valor. She had left her window open because she felt too hot, but that wasn't enough. Quinn now shivered from the sheen of sweat being refreshed by the air.

She grabbed her knees and shivered, still panting. Her eyes stared at the dark stones of the wall. Quinn wondered how she could get back to sleep, but quickly concluded she couldn't.

Quinn slowly stood up from her bed, laying her bare feet on the fresh stone floor. She made her way to the open large window. The soft wind on her face made her feel slightly better. Her eyes quickly accustomed themselves to the darkness, as the moon was casting a frail light on the castle's walls and on the forest. The wind lightly shook the branches and the leaves, creating a background rustling.

The scout didn't count how long she absent-mindedly stared in the darkness and simply relished the sounds. Then, her eye caught a faint shimmer that immediateluy disappeared. Her heart began to pound again, and she frantically searched for that metallic glint in the night. But she saw nothing.

A disappointed sigh formed itself on her lips. How could she even believe she would see him again... That glimmer of hope didn't want to extinguish itself, no matter how hard she tried. Quinn continued to stare in the darkness for a long time.

Despite her restlessness, her bed was calling her. Quinn returned to it, forcing herself not to look into the shadows of the night. She closed her eyes and curled in her light, soft sheet. She didn't need to cover herself, but holding the fabric in her balled fists soothed her slightly. Quinn also disliked the nightgown she was sleeping in. Despite it being a nice intention, Lux's present really wasn't her style. This gown was light, too light, and not opaque enough for her taste. Lux had embroidered bird patterns herself, but the sewing threads were not well trimmed, and made her skin itch.

Everything seemed to keep her from sleeping, even though she desperately needed to. The itch of the gown, the open window, her own thoughts... What dream was she going back to? Her fist clenched the sheet stronger: she knew exactly who her thoughts were filled with.

Slowly, her thoughts began to melt in the silence. The light wind and its ruffling soothed her breathing, and this lasted for a long moment.

"Quinn."

That voice. Husky, deep. Almost a whisper.

Quinn jerked from her sleeping position, all her muscles taut and ready. Then, she saw. He was there, on the window sill. His haunched form, draped in his so recognizable cloak, looked at her from above.

Quinn's mouth didn't work anymore. Not a word could be uttered by her lips and vocal chords, her eyes were fixed on him, and the beating of her heart invaded her veins and ears with its thumping. Deep inside, she was afraid of moving or speaking, for she could break a very pleasant dream.

After a moment of staring at each other, Quinn finally spoke.

"Talon... How did you..." she stopped there.

Talon slowly stepped down from the window sill, taking his hood off in the process. One step on the stone floor, two steps. Quinn engraved them in her memory, the sound of his feet on the stone proving her even more that he was there for real.

Talon moved like a curious animal: careful and painfully slow. Quinn deducted he ignored if people were in the proximity, for he was careful not to produce any sound that could reveal his presence. She squirmed from the back of her bed, lowering the sheet from her knees, then remembering too late that Lux had chosen a rather short gown for her.

"We're alone in that tower." she uttered.

Talon nodded, then came closer. Quinn's heart lurched in her chest in an almost painful manner. Talon sat on the edge of her bed, careful not to come too close. Now Quinn could see his face, and he could see hers too more clearly. A satisfied smirk that belonged to him only was adorning his thin lips. Quinn knew, very few people in the world might have seen this smile.

"I wouldn't let my guard down, if I were you."

Quinn had missed this low voice so much.

Talon didn't speak in a high volume, his tones were always hushed and private. But Quinn could feel the power in his chest and in his vocal chords, it made her own body vibrate with his words each time he spoke. She loved it, when he spoke like he didn't want to be heard.

"I can't believe you're here..." she whispered. "Will you tell me what happened?"

"Later." said Talon.

His eyes were reflecting what little light there was, in the same way his blades were glinting. And they were fixed on her own.

"May I"? He asked.

Quinn nodded, unsure of what he was asking for. It was not in his nature to ask, for he was a man used to getting what he wanted. Was he scared to lose the moment? He held out his hand slowly, approaching it from her. He laid it in her nape, the contact sending a surge of electricity and warmth through her. His thumb brushed against her hair, and his eyes were deeper than ever.

He gently pulled her in his embrace, displacing her from her spot at the back of the bed. Quinn opposed no resistance: like a wave from the sea, she willingly came crashing against his solid body. Her legs were half sprawled out on the bed, and her arms had snaked their way under his cloak. Talon buried his nose in Quinn's neck and breathed in her scent.

Quinn felt his hands slowly moving against her, painfully aware of the skin on skin contact. Like her clenching the sheet earlier, his hands seemed to prove him that indeed, she was there. Quinn's cheek was resting against his torso: she inhaled, and recognized various smells. Pine tree, moss, earth after the rain. Talon smelled of the forests he had traveled to get back to her. Quinn was familiar with those smells since they had surrounded her all her life.

"This is you."

Talon's voice rumbled in his chest, against Quinn's ear. From the moment she had seen him at the window, the heat level of her body had only but risen. Now it had reached an alarming level, Quinn was scared Talon would notice it at some point.

The hand that was at her nape rubbed her skin gently one last time, then explored her shoulder, her shoulderblade, and finally the crook of her back. Having his hand there made Quinn dizzy, his fingers sending waves of heat and something else through her. Talon pressed her body against his more, carefully filling his lungs with her intoxicating scent. His mouth was dangerously close to her neck, and when he spoke again his lips moved under Quinn's overly sensitive skin.

"I missed you, Quinn."

His words went through her in one great force, engraving themselves in her very bones.

"Talon... I thought..."

Quinn didn't finish her sentence. They both knew. And they had both hated the possibility of never seeing the other again. Their bodies pressed into each other stronger, as if to crush this thought. Quinn's shame was slowly getting lost in the turmoil of mightier emotions, and her usually hated vulnerability when in front of others was equally fading.

Where the nightgown had seemed to short and too thin before, the only rampart between her skin and Talon's, it was now a disliked limitation. The memories of their last encounter began to swarm in Quinn's mind. And Talon's mouth. Talon's mouth was against her neck, and she felt every twitch of his muscles, every breath, every warmth that came from him.

Quinn didn't know how long their respectful embrace lasted. To her, it seemed like an eternity of sensations. But from this time, Talon didn't need to ask anything anymore. He laid a gentle kiss in her neck, igniting the nerves there. One kiss after the other, he trailed along her neck, her jaw, and ended with her mouth. After a quick brush of his lips against hers, his tongue seeked entrance in her mouth and caressed her warm insides.

An almost imperceptible whimper escaped Quinn's mouth, but it was caught in their kiss. The softness and depth with which he was claiming her made her lose all control over her limbs. Her skin was too sensitive now, she knew anywhere he touched her, she would be at his mercy.

With a heavy clink, Talon's cloak thumped on the floor. His hair fell over their faces in curtains, and Quinn felt it pleasantly tickle her cheek. Her hands roamed Talon's body: he wore light leather clothing, useful for traveling fast. He had had no intention of fighting before coming here, probably counting on his loyal blades more than anything.

A restrained growl escaped from Talon's throat when Quinn began to freely touch him. He pulled Quinn's bottom in his lap and made her straddle him, still touching her lower back. Talon's hand caught her thigh to adjust her weight in his lap, but he gripped her higher. He hadn't expected finding bare skin there, skin softer than he could ever have imagined.

"Shit," he muttered.

Quinn's heart almost burst out of her chest, she hadn't expected him to touch her there. It ignited a fire in the lower part of her body, spreading from his touch, and concentrating down between her legs. Now his hand was clasped there, under her fluttering gown. Talon couldn't help but gently knead at the silken flesh. Quinn felt unstoppable heat build up in Talon, his eyes darkening more and more. He breathed strongly against her skin, and soon began to move from her mouth down to her adored neck, then to her shoulder...

The trail of kisses he left there sent shivers in Quinn's skin. But he didn't stop there: his other hand rose, and removed the fragile strap holding her gown on her left shoulder. His thumb rubbed her collarbone. Talon's mouth was now dangerously close to her bosom, and with a small movement from his thumb, the fabric fell down.

After having painfully dreamt of this for countless nights, Quinn knew it was real. She hoped this night would have no end.

[A/N] : This is the first time I'm adding author notes in this story. I just wanted to say that this chapter will be in two parts, it doesn't end there.