Author's Note: Bet you guys didn't expect to see me back so soon, huh?

Soo... about that LydiiaxMarkus ;)

Enjoy

Lydia

I look down at the map in my lap as I eat the rest of my stew dinner. The campfire burns steadily as we all are gathered around it. I've felt Vex's gaze on me all night; not a glare necessarily, but just a hollow stare, like she doesn't even realize she's doing it.

I know it has something to do with Markus, but then, what doesn't have something to do with Markus these days?

Markus is laying back on the ground to my left, laughing and talking to Brynjolf, who is seated across the fire from us. "I see your taste for dramatic entrances has not yet left you, lad." He says in a low chuckle. "Ulfric looked as if he'd faint for a moment."

Markus chuckles from his spot leaning on his elbows, "Well, I'm kind of a big deal, making scenes is what I do." He says smugly. He looks up to the sky and bites his lip at the heat lightning that has grown closer. "Looks like the storm's about to hit," he says with a heavy sigh.

"Aye," Brynjolf agrees as he pushes himself off the ground, "I think I'll take my leave while it's still clear out." He looks around the fire at all of us, "'Till the morning comes," he says with a bow of his head before turning and walking towards his tent on the far side of the camp.

"Night, Bryn," Markus called after him. Only moments later, Vex stood as well.

"I think I'll do the same." Vex said as she quickly retreated to her own tent, leaving no time for a goodbye. Dyerean stares at the flames in silence for several minutes before he finally rises and leaves without a word.

"Aren't you tired?" I ask Markus as he lays back, folding his arms beneath his head as he watches the heat lightning above us as it grows brighter in the night sky.

"Not really," he says. I know it's a lie. That much is obvious. His eyes have bags under them, and his face seems heavier than usual, and his body is clearly tense. "It'll rain soon," he looks at me with a smile on his face, "my tent still has a hole in the top."

"You sound far too excited about that." I say as I laugh and lightly shove his head to the side. I place my dishes beside the fire pit to be washed out by the rain. I roll up the map and look down at Markus. "You'll come to sleep soon?" I ask, allowing just a faint amount of worry into my voice.

He smiles at me, his green eyes shining in the fire, and his tanned skin practically glowing under the golden light. He pushes himself up on his elbow again and puts his other hand on my cheek, leading me down into a kiss.

It's slow, and soft, and over all too soon.

He pulls back and gives me a wink as he twirls a strand of my hair in his fingers. "You go ahead and get some sleep, I need some time to think." I nod and push myself up from the ground as he settles back into his spot laying back on the grass.

"Don't stay out here too long, the storm will be here soon." He chuckles a bit.

"Mmmhhmm," he mumbles as I make my way to my tent.

I step inside the tent, giving one last look back at Markus. He's still lying there, staring up at the sky that lights up with the promise of a rain and thunder and lightning.

He's biting his lip in the way that means he's thinking.

His plan to dismantle the Thalmor and allow Talos worship is brilliant. Whether or not it will actually work is another matter.

He's probably wondering how he's going to make it all come together, how he'll somehow convince the empire to drop the Thalmor and instead take him as an ally, and how he'll have to from this life to the life of a soldier. Or maybe he's thinking of Mephala, and why she hasn't shown herself since she gave him the markings on his arm.

More than likely, though, he's probably thinking of Draener, and his half-brother.

From what I could tell, the boy was clearly a full fledge Nord; but I suppose that's to be expected here in Skyrim. Draener wouldn't dare reveal the fact that he had a child with an elf, it would make him seem unreliable.

What I don't get is why Markus didn't just tell them himself about Draener, though I suppose they wouldn't have believed him anyway.

Thunder rumbles angrily in the distance, and the sky is for one moment made as bright as day with the strike of lightning.

I finally close the flap on my tent and begin to unbuckle the straps of my armor, letting each piece fall to the ground as I go. When I've gotten all the pieces of my armor off, the rain is patting steadily against the tent's hide roof.

I change undershirts and pull on some more comfortable hide pants. As the rain pelts down heavier than before, I look out of the tent, only to see Markus still lying in the same exact place. The fire had been extinguished, leaving him in the dark save for the occasional lightning strike.

I almost opened my mouth to call out to him when he sat up and rolled up his sleeve, exposing his marked arm. He reached up above him, and his arm glowed a crystal blue as the rain in the area began to swirl around his arm.

I shake my head before turning back into the tent and settling into my sleeping bag.

Normally, I'd go out there and demand that he come in, if only to ensure the idiot doesn't get struck by lightning. But I remember how he said that in Valenwood it rained nearly every day, and I decide that if he wants to sit out in the rain, then it's best to let him.

That doesn't stop me from worrying, though.

These days all I seem to do is worry, about everything. About the war, Mephala, the Thalmor, the return of the dragons, Skyrim's seemingly bleak future, but most of all, I worry about Markus. He certainly gives me plenty of reasons to worry.

I just lay here for what seems like forever, my eyes closed in a futile attempt at sleep. The rain continues to fall, and the thunder grows unnervingly close. My tent is completely illuminated at times, with the lightning's cold light cutting through the hide easily.

My tent is lit up once again in pale light, and only moments later it returns to darkness, with an earth-shaking grumble in suit. I sit up in my sleeping bag, my worry getting the best of me. I make a move to push myself out of the bag, but lightning strikes again, and a shadow is cast on the outside of the tent.

A moment later, Markus pushes the flap out of the way and leans down to fit through it. Water drips steadily from him, though that's hardly shocking. He looks at me with an almost surprised look.

"Sorry," he says, "I thought you'd be asleep by now."

I shake my head and push myself up, "You and me both," I step forward and try to find the buckles of his armor, "let's get you out of this," I lace my arm between him and his arm and find one of the straps behind his back that keeps the leather chest piece tight against his lean frame. I unbuckle it and his armor comes loose.

He lets out a small huff, and I look up to see him looking down at me, his eyes dark and calm. I let my arms fall from him, and we stand in silence. Water drips from his chin, falling down onto his soaking armor and disappearing onto its surface.

Without speaking, he reaches up to his left shoulder with his right hand, and releases another buckle before duplicating his action over his right shoulder. His arms reach down to the knife sheathed on his right leg, and it falls to the ground a moment later.

"Do you think we can actually do this?" he asks, his voice unsure and his eyes seeking assurance.

"We're gonna have to," I say with a small smile on my face. He lets out another huff, this one with the faintest hint of humor on it.

His arm winds around my waist, pulling me closer to him. "Thank you," he says into my ear as he wraps me into an embrace. His armor is cold and wet against me, but I don't mind. Hot breath brushes over my neck, and I'm all but lost in his arms.

"For what?" I ask absentmindedly.

He pulls back slowly and looks down at me, the dark look back in his eyes is back. He ignores my question and once again captures my lips in his kiss.

It's a faster pace than last time, more hurried; more needy.

As the kiss deepens, so does the intensity of it, our breathing becomes ragged as his earthy scent and soft lips envelop my senses. Our bodies are pressed almost painfully tight and I long to be closer to him still. We both draw back, needing a breath of air.

His lips find my neck as the tent is illuminated once more. The ground shakes with a loud rumble of thunder as I let out a moan as he sucks at my neck and his hand snakes down to grab my ass roughly.

I lace my fingers through his hair and tear his head away from my neck, instead pulling him in for another kiss.

He leans down for a quick moment, running his hands down the backs of my lips before hoisting me up so I'm sitting on his hips with my legs wrapped tightly around him. His tongue pushes its way into my mouth, and for now I let him have control.

In another moment, I'm laying back on the sleeping bag, though I didn't even feel him move. He thrusts against me as he once again diverts his attention to my neck, but then leans back and reaches for the bottom hem of his armor piece.

I help him pull it over his head and he tosses it aside. I lean forward, running my hands along his lean muscles as he leans back down and kisses me deeply before his hands lace themselves beneath my blue undershirt.

His fingers are cool, and I shiver against him. He pulls back, and looks at me as if asking permission. I grab the shirt's hem and pull it over my head. He takes my shirt in his hand and tosses it carelessly aside beside his armor.

For a moment that seems to last forever, he just stares down at me, his lips hanging open slightly. I fight the urge to cross my arms over my bare chest as he looks me over.

His eyes meet mine, and his fingers encircle my chin, guiding me to a light kiss, "You're beautiful," he whispers against my lips. I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him down as I lay back on the sleeping bag.

His lips trail down my jaw and as he moves lower, I reach between us and feel my way to his belt buckle. My finger fumble around it and Markus chuckles into my neck as he grabs my hands and pulls them away. He laces his fingers through mine and pins them on either side of my head as he leans back to look down at me with a smile on his face.

"You're not very patient, are you?" he asks. I just stare up at him nervously. His eyes lose their humor and realization sets in, "Lydia, you've never…?" his voice trails off.

"No," I say, wishing that he'd let go of my hands so I can cover up.

He loosens his hold on my hands and gives me a questioning look, "Are you sure-"

"Yes," I say, breaking his hold and once again dragging him back down into a kiss. He hesitates at first before giving in with a low grumble in his throat. His hands drop to my waist, and he kisses his way down my neck, to my collarbone, and from there, to my breasts.

Thunder rumbles just as he takes my one nipple into his mouth, caressing it with his tongue as his fingers tease the other. I bite my lip hard, trying to muffle another moan. I can feel him smile against my skin when he tries to pull back, only to be held in place by my fingers that have laced themselves through his raven black hair.

I let go and blush as I try to compose myself. "You're too tense," he says, kissing his way down my stomach. He sits up on his knees by my legs, placing his hands on my kneecaps, rubbing them lightly. "Lyd," he says, some humor in his voice, "relax," he slides my legs further apart, suddenly I realize I've been squeezing my legs together the lower his kisses had gone. The lightning flashes, casting light on his face as he reaches on the sides of my ass and tries to pull down my pants.

I practically slap his hands away, "What?" he asks in a panic.

"You first." I say, my voice reminiscent of a whiney child. He smiles down at me.

He reaches for his belt and I hear a heavy thud as he tosses it aside. "You're such a virgin," he says jokingly as he stands and kicks off his boots.

"Some people have a sense of morality," I say defensively. As he pushes his pants off his hips I sit up and flat out stare at him as he kicks his pants off.

I've seen a grand total of two naked men in my life, both of them were drunk and neither of them were this big. Markus kneels back down, his hands once again coming to my hips and sneaking his fingers under the hide material.

I lift myself up, allowing him to finally pull them down. He finishes slipping my legs out of them as I bite my lip nervously. It's supposed to hurt the first time, or so I've been told. Like, really hurt.

"You're tensing up again," he says, as he comes to hover over my face while leaning on his arm. He leans back into my neck, spreading his hot breath over my skin. I close my eyes and force myself to relax as his lips dust over my skin. "Are you nervous?" he asks faintly.

"A little," I answer, keeping my eyes closed.

"Scared?" he asks before his lips enclose on my skin and he sucks gently at the junction of my neck to my shoulder.

"A little more," I answer, biting my lip. He leans back, and his hand brushes the hair from my face, tucking it neatly behind my ear. His emerald eyes stare down at me kindly.

"We don't have to-"

"I want to," I say. We only recently started showing our feelings for each other, and I'm not going to risk screwing it up now.

His green eyes stare down at me, still not quite convinced. "If you ever want me to stop," he says, his voice a concerned whisper, "just say so." His head dips low, and he once again kisses his way down my body, stopping at the hem of my underwear. "I'm gonna take care of you, Lyd."

He hooks his fingers inside my underwear, and before I know it, they've been discarded just like everything else.

I focus on the sound of the rain slapping against the tent to distract myself from the pain that's undoubtedly about to come. He rubs my thighs, trying to get me to relax. I force myself to do so, and spread my legs wider, keeping my eyes squeezed shut.

I feel his lips brush over my thigh, diving lower and lower; my breathing stops when his lips reach my core and I bite my lip so hard I can taste blood. His arms wrap themselves under my legs and drag me forward, helping himself to an easier angle.

His fingers spread me open, exposing me further to his tongue's assault. I grab at my hair, my legs, his hair, and finally, I dig my fingers into his shoulder blades in my attempt to find something- anything- to keep me grounded. My breathing comes out ragged and quick, as do quick, short moans. The thunder is insanely loud and for that, I'm thankful because I'm not doing a great job keeping quiet.

Markus laughs as I let out another moan and dig my nails further into his skin, probably drawing blood. His laugh sends vibrations into me, making me whimper.

My eyes roll back and my hips grind against his lips, begging for more. He slips a finger in me, and begins moving in tandem with his tongue. I throw my head back against the bedroll, and try to hold back as he slips a second finger inside me.

Next thing I know, his face is right above mine, looking down at me with a wicked smile as his fingers speed up. I breathe in his breaths as I arch my back towards my climax.

As soon as it hits, his lips are on mine, silencing me with a deep kiss.

My breathing is ragged and short, he just smiles down at me, watching appreciatively as I struggle to regain myself. "Markus," I whimper against him as he nips at my jaw.

A warm hum ebbs from my core, hungry for more, and yet satisfied even still. Amongst his kisses, he says, "This is gonna hurt," I wrap my hand around his head, holding him close, "are you ready?"

I swallow and keep my eyes closed, a white flash penetrates the darkness as I nod and answer, "Yes," it's barely more than a whisper, but he heard me.

His body shifts over me, and his lips crush into mine as an invasive pain rips through me. I bite down on his lip, trying to keep a scream inside as the pain threatens to rip me in half.

He doesn't move, just keeps perfectly still as I choke on the pain. I've bitten on his lips so hard, I'm sure it's his blood I'm tasting now. "Lyd?" he asks, in a concerned voice that's somewhat strained.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I manage to grind out despite the numerous curse words that come to mind.

His right hand brushes over my leg, "Bend your knees," he says, "I'm told that helps," I do as he says, but no relief comes of it. "Lyd?" I keep my eyes kept shut and my lips lock together in pain. "Lyd?" he asks again, "I can pull-" he makes a move back, but my nails dig once again into his shoulder.

"Don't you dare," I say in a near growl. "Just," I swallow hard, "just keep going."

"Lydia, I'm not-" he begins to argue.

"I said, just keep going." he lets out a small breath.

"If you need me to stop,"

"I'll tell you," I finish for him.

He hesitates for a moment, before he snakes his arm underneath my head and uses his left hand to hook my leg across the small of his back. I grimace as his hips begin moving against mine, and again I feel like I'm being ripped in half with each gentle thrust he makes.

I keep the sounds of pain inside, and the pain fades slowly. His pace grows faster, as does his breathing. He rests his forehead against mine as my hips rise to meet his, finding a natural rhythm quickly.

I begin to feel the pleasure of it finally, and as the storm outside crashes and cracks and pours, we're sheltered together, and his arms hold me steady as we ourselves crash into each other.

As the thunder rumbles we both reach our end, and once again, Markus crushes his lips against mine, this time to silence us both as we moan against the other's lips.

He hovers over me for a few moments, kissing me deeply, and holding me close. When he rolls off to the side, I lay my head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat as it steadies and slows. His arm rubs my hair, and he breathes in the scent of my hair. My hand lies on his chest, and he holds it close with his other hand.

Amongst the storm, we find our calm, and we both drift off to sleep as the lightning strikes and the rain pelts down.

Author's Note: I did say there'd be more LydiaxMarkus this chapter, and I came through. ^_^ I figured 30 chapters was a long enough wait, sorry about that.