Chapter 46: The Morning After

I fell asleep again, I assume, because when I woke up I was being very gently washed. Alistair knelt on the bed beside me, an intense look of concentration on his face. Seeing that I was awake, he encouraged me to roll onto my back and spread my thighs, and he wiped away our combined secretions from first my thighs, then even more gently from my groin. I watched his face, admiring how beautiful he was, wishing I could show him what he looked like from my perspective.

His eyes went wide, and his absorbed look was suddenly replaced with a frightened expression.

"Alistair, what's wrong?"

"I ... you..." He gestured helplessly at the cloth he was holding, and I looked down to see traces of blood staining the fabric. "You told me I didn't hurt you." Self-recrimination was obvious in his voice.

"It's okay. I'm not injured, Alistair. It's just that ... well, you know that I have a different body, back where I came from, right?"

He nodded, still frowning.

"Well, it was that body that had sex before. Not this one. It's normal for a woman to bleed a small amount after the first time."

His frown lifted, and he finally met my eyes, seeming to judge the truth of my words.

"I'm not in pain, love. A bit stiff, I have to admit, but nothing like what I would feel if you had hurt me."

He relaxed, finally. "Maybe we should have Wynne check you out, just in case?"

"Again, what would I say? I fell down the stairs, could you see why I'm bleeding from the-"

"Okay, okay!"

"Are you that embarrassed by the word?"

His expression became evasive. "What word?"

"Vagina."

Evasive gave way to beet red. "Ah! Don't say that."

"Really? You're perfectly willing to play with it, but you can't say it?" I giggled. "Vagina. Vagina vagina vagina."

He put his hands over his ears, and started humming to himself. "La la la, not listening!"

I cracked up, and he finally joined in with a small chuckle when he saw I was laughing too hard to keep saying the word. "Remind me to talk dirty next time we're-"

He leapt out of bed, talking over me in a desperate attempt to block out what I was saying and change the subject. "So I suppose we should get dressed, I bet Aedan is waiting for us downstairs."

I giggled, but let the subject change stand. Getting up, I realised I was quite a bit more stiff than I'd let on, but determined not to let it show. Stretching triggered an appreciative groan from Alistair, and I ignored it, picking through my clothes and chose a shirt and pair of pants. I got distracted watching Alistair shimmy into his own pants, blushing and hurrying to slip into mine when he caught me staring. When I grabbed my bra, I had to stop and show Alistair how the clasps and the elastic worked; he was fascinated by the garment. Finally putting it on, I felt the need to run my hands over his strong chest one more time before he got his shirt in place, and he blushed.

Going down stairs proved to be quite uncomfortable on my hips and groin muscles, and I bit my cheek to keep from grunting in pain. Happily the stairs were narrow, so Alistair had to descend in front of me and couldn't see my face. We found most of our companions at a round table in the corner already stuffing their faces; the place was otherwise nearly deserted. Leliana looked at us suspiciously, breaking out into a full smile when she saw me grinning; Aedan refused to make eye contact, and Wynne greeted us absent-mindedly, her nose still in her book. Zevran was across the room talking to someone, nodding as the other man gestured. He was tall, at least by comparison to the elf, but his features were obscured by a hood. Zevran was the only one in armour; everyone else wore simple clothing. I shrugged and sat, Alistair on one side, a gap and then Aedan on the other.

Aedan waved at Sanga and she nodded, I assumed understanding she was to bring us out plates as well. There were something that looked like scones, jam, sausages, and even pancakes; I was suddenly starving. Too much exercise last night... I heaped my plate full when it was presented to me, triggering a peal of laughter from Leliana, and an irritated grunt from Aedan. I couldn't figure out what his problem was, until I noticed his ears were red and a vein pulsing in his forehead. He must have guessed what happened with Alistair and I last night... I wondered if he'd come to knock on the door at an inconvenient time or something. I decided to ignore it and hope he got over it.

When Zevran returned, he sat beside me with a flourish, taking my hand and kissing it ostentatiously, like he hadn't done since shortly after we first met, calling me his 'beautiful dove'. Alistair didn't even stiffen – I guess his confidence is in better shape than I thought! - but I was confused, until I felt something being firmly pressed into my hand. When Zev released me, I had a small bottle in my grasp. I held it down, between him and me, and glanced at it surreptitiously, only to realise it was a healing potion like he'd given me after my tattoo, like the ones Wayne used to give me after training to treat pulled muscles, only empty. I raised my eyebrows at him, but he just smiled innocently and nodded toward my mug. I hadn't even seen him dose my drink!

Does everyone know we had sex? I sighed, but took a big sip of whatever it was. It tasted horrible, but I wasn't sure if it was the watered ale or the potion causing the problem. I covered my gag and slammed the rest of the contents back. Within a couple of minutes, my stiffness eased off, and some stinging I hadn't even noticed disappeared. I grinned at Zev, and he grinned back.

Once everyone had eaten, we started discussing plans for the day. Leliana claimed me for some shopping; Aedan wanted Zev, Alistair, Wynne, Prince, and himself to go find themselves some work, though he was a bit vague on what they would do. I mentioned Sergeant Kylon, and he nodded; they also thought they'd try the Chanter's board. While they were out, they were going to scope out the street where Marjolaine was staying, and Leli and I had strict orders to stay well away. We decided that Leliana could go as my bodyguard, and therefore wear her helmet, much to the bard's dismay, but we figured it was safe enough for my face to be seen – Loghain knew nothing about me.

Alistair, Aedan, Leliana, and Wynne headed up to their respective rooms to gear up, while Zevran and I stayed in the common room and chatted for a while since he was already in armour, and I was in no rush; I'd need another bath before I could possibly pass as a Ferelden noblewoman. As soon as everyone cleared the room, I turned to Zev, determined to get some answers.

"Okay, so what was that all about last night with Alistair? What did you give him?"

Zevran's eyes sparkled mischievously. "Our beloved Warden merely asked me if I knew of anything to improve his performance in the bedroom, bella donna. He was nervous that he might not be able to please you. And it worked, did it not? You certainly look ... pleased, yes?"

I stared at him for a moment, still startled beyond compare that Alistair would have gone to the assassin for sex advice. And then the rest of what he said filtered in, and I face-palmed.

I hissed under my breath, not wanting anyone to hear my response. "You gave him Viagra? Are you kidding me? Six times, Zevran. I had six orgasms in about four hours! I was pretty sure I'd have a stroke, at one point in there. You could have at least given him a half-dose, for the love of God."

"Ah, but cara mia, you misunderstand me. He asked for something to improve performance. I did not give him such a thing. I am well-familiar with Grey Warden stamina, my dove. I knew he needed nothing to boost performance except for possibly some confidence. So I gave him some harmless elfroot extract, which at best would have taken care of any minor discomforts he had, and I took the liberty of adding in a ... well, it wouldn't do to have a child during a blight, no? I told him it would ensure he was able to perform to the best of his ability, and let him assume the rest. It was not precisely a lie, was it? And I'd say it turned out rather well."

My mouth fell open and I stammered uselessly for a moment before collecting myself again. "You gave him a placebo, and birth control?" I contemplated Zevran's rather thoughtful gesture. A pregnancy definitely wasn't in any of our best interests. But he didn't know that I had an IUD, back on Earth, so we didn't need the contraceptive. Although, that's a different body ... maybe we do? But I haven't had my period, since I came here... My head threatened to explode, and I concentrated on Zevran's words.

"I do not know this word, placebo. But if you mean I told him it was medicinal when it wasn't, exactly, then yes. I did."

"And he still ... six times?"

"Grey Wardens are marvelous, are they not?"

"Well, at least I know how you knew we had sex last night."

"Ah, well, I hate to disagree with a beautiful woman such as yourself, but bella donna ... I am certain that everyone within three blocks of this establishment knows you were, shall we say, busy, last night. You are not precisely ... quiet."

My face felt hot, and I buried it in my hands, rocking in agitation. "I ... we ... were that loud?"

I risked a glance at his face, and he gave me a wicked smile. I groaned. "No wonder Aedan was so weird at breakfast!"

"Hmm? Oh, yes, well, that was one reason, I suppose."

"One reason?"

"I rather think he was concerned about running into a certain lusty pirate queen."

"Where is Isabela this morning, anyway?"

"I imagine she crept into her own room to try to catch a little bit of sleep."

Something in his voice made me suspicious, and I turned to look at Zevran, puzzled. "She was awake all night?" He nodded, his expression, if possible, even more smug than normal. My eyes widened in horror. "You didn't. Zevran! Please tell me you did not debauch my brother with Isabela."

His grin widened slightly, and then his innocent look slipped into place. "I did not. Your brother was three sheets to the wind, and he and Isabela managed to... 'debauch' ... all on their own, really. I mostly watched – the first time, anyway." The glint in his eye belied his Chantry-goer expression.