Fic: A Light That Never Went Out (Cara/Dahlia, Legend of the Seeker 4/?)

[fembuck]

Title: A Light That Never Went Out
Author: Janine
Fandom: Legend of the Seeker
Pairing: Cara/Dahlia
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I don't own them.
Summary: After defeating the Keeper our band of heroes heads back to D'Hara, and on the way Cara meets a familiar face.

( Part One ) ( Part Two ) ( Part Three ) 

xxx

Part 4

Cara's hand shot up as she felt fingers brush across her cheeks. Her fingers wrapped around a slim wrist and her eyes opened, blinking into the bright morning light filtering in through the parted curtains of Dahlia's bedroom window.

Cara fought the urge to sigh.

She had immensely enjoyed being in Dahlia's bed the night before, but she had not meant to fall asleep there. Dahlia had little sexual experience with women beyond her own self-explorations and some teenage fumbling with other village girls, but she was a quick and eager learner, not to mention extremely responsive, and the sex had been very satisfying, though different to what Cara was used to.

Cara had been conscious of Dahlia's softness and vulnerability in a way that she had never been with any of her previous lovers, and she had made an effort not to bruise Dahlia, use her teeth roughly enough to break skin, or to give Dahlia more fingers than she was ready for. Taking such care was strange for Cara, but to her surprise – and pleasure – she discovered that coaxing pleasure from a lover instead of taking it from them also yielded delicious and satisfying results.

When they had finally finished with each other, Dahlia had barely been able to move and Cara had been looking forward to falling into her own bed and sleeping soundly until morning, but when Cara had moved to leave the bed, Dahlia had found enough energy to reach out and grasp her hand.

Dahlia had whispered, 'please' and tugged on Cara's hand, urging her back onto the mattress, and Cara had stiffly complied. When Dahlia snuggled up against her however, Cara managed to mutter that she could not stay. Dahlia had released a soft sigh at her words and then whispered, 'can you stay until I fall asleep?' Cara's first instinct had been to say 'no' and extract herself from Dahlia's embrace, but her resolve was not as firm as it usually was when put up against Dahlia, and with another sigh Cara found herself agreeing to Dahlia's request.

Dahlia pressed her lips to Cara's collarbone when Cara relaxed against the mattress, and Cara released an irritable sound from her throat which drew a soft laugh from Dahlia before she settled against Cara once again. Dahlia's eyes closed and Cara stared up at the ceiling, ready to leave the moment Dahlia's breathing evened out, however her body had betrayed her and during the wait for Dahlia to drift off she had fallen asleep.

"You shouldn't poke a sleeping Mord'Sith," Cara rasped, voice still rough with sleep as she blinked up at Dahlia, her eyes finally adjusting to the light, allowing her to see Dahlia's face clearly for the first time since she had awoken.

The sunlight bathed Dahlia in its glow as Cara gazed up at her, lighting up her chestnut hair so that it almost seemed to be made of honey, and Cara had to consciously fight a sudden urge to flip Dahlia over, pin her to the bed and have her way with her again.

"I wasn't poking you," Dahlia breathed out, her eyes roaming over Cara's features appreciatively as she smiled down at the blonde happily.

"Close enough," Cara murmured, loosening the hold she had on Dahlia's wrist before releasing her altogether. "If I had been in a deep sleep I could have hurt you," she continued more seriously, her evergreen gaze focusing intently on Dahlia. "I'm not safe, Da," she sighed a second later, allowing her eyes to drift away from Dahlia's as the brunette's nickname fell from her lips.

Dahlia breathed in audibly and a soft, sad look came over her face as she stared down at Cara. Her eyes scanned Cara's face thoughtfully for a few seconds and then she lowered her gaze until it was focused on Cara's exposed shoulder. Dahlia's hand shifted towards Cara's skin, and as she stared at her hand she tenderly drew her thumb along the line of an old scar.

"You don't want to know the answer to whatever question is racing through that big brain of yours," Cara said cutting off the question Dahlia had still not decided whether to voice or not.

"You're probably right," Dahlia sighed, her eyes blinking shut momentarily as she tried to rein in the tears she could feel beginning to gather in her eyes. "It's just … the thought of you hurting breaks my heart."

She had tortured herself at night after Cara had been taken, imaging the different ways the Mord'Sith who had taken her were making her suffer. The terrible thoughts running through her brain kept her up at night and nearly made her physically ill with worry, but what tortured her more than anything else was the knowledge that whatever she conjured up in her mind was likely a kindness compared to Cara's reality.

"If we hurt, we live," Cara stated firmly. "Pain is who I am."

Cara could not say that she intended her words to be comforting, but she did not intend for them to distress Dahlia either, so when Dahlia's features twisted into a look of misery, Cara reached out for her and stroked her cheek as tenderly as she was capable of.

"The past is past," Cara said slowly, uncertainly, trying to think of what Kahlan would say in a situation like this in order to find the right words to soothe Dahlia. "Wounds heal. Pain fades. I'm fine now. The sun is shining and I'm in bed with a beautiful naked woman. Life is not so bad."

"Are bare breasts and some sunshine really all it takes to make your day?" Dahlia asked, a small smile touching her lips, though her eyes still shimmered precariously.

"Yes," Cara breathed out. "At least when the bare breasts are as nice as yours," she added smiling rakishly.

"Flattery will get you everywhere," Dahlia breathed out, her breath hitching slightly as Cara's hands teased up her sides, moving towards the breasts she had just praised to worship them like they deserved. "You're no good at it however, so it's a good thing you're cute."

"Careful, Da," Cara husked as she took Dahlia's full breasts into her hands. "If I can't trust you to keep a civil tongue in your mouth, I'll have to find another use for it."

"You do know that's only going to encourage me," Dahlia whispered in response, blushing at her own boldness but not being able to deny the way her body longed for Cara.

With Cara's help and a few practical demonstrations Dahlia had discovered quite a few ways to use her tongue the night before and all of them had been extremely pleasurable for her as well as Cara.

"I must confess, I did suspect," Cara responded cheekily. "Your obstinance has its advantages."

Dahlia eyes widened with indignance and Cara grinned at her and then pushed up onto her elbows so that she could lean forward and capture Dahlia's lips before the brunette could make a response. She enjoyed teasing Dahlia, but she enjoyed kissing her and touching her even more and wanted to do that some more before she had to leave town.

"Your attempt to distract me has not gone unnoticed," Dahlia whispered against Cara's lips, a soft sigh escaping from her into Cara's mouth a second later when Cara flipped them over and pinned Dahlia to the mattress with her hips.

"It doesn't matter that it's noticed, only that it works," Cara breathed out, bumping her pelvis against Dahlia suggestively. "Is it working?" Cara asked softly before she dipped her head again to lick at Dahlia's lips.

"No," Dahlia whispered thickly, her voice rough with increasing desire. "I'm completely indifferent to you," Dahlia gasped softly, "you and what your hand is doing," she sighed as her eyes fluttered closed.

"Liar," Cara murmured against Dahlia as her lips attacked the flawless skin of her neck.

"Prove it," Dahlia exhaled softly.

Cara grinned against Dahlia's flesh.

That sounded like a challenge.

She liked challenges.

xxx

When they had finally had their fill of each other's bodies, Dahlia rose from the bed and padded naked into the kitchen under Cara's watchful eye to fix something with which they could break their fast. A few minutes after she had disappeared from sight, Dahlia returned to her bedroom carrying a cloth loaded with bread, cheese and nuts and carefully crawled back onto the mattress, settling herself against Cara once again.

Cara thought about protesting. Mord'Sith did not snuggle. It was not a formal rule but it was understood and she had already disgraced herself the night before first by acquiescing to Dahlia's desire for her to stay until she had fallen asleep, and secondly by then falling asleep herself while still ensconced in bed with Dahlia. She had no desire to further shame her leathers, but the sun warming her skin, the pleasant ache in her muscles, and the combined scent of her own and Dahlia's arousal still hanging in the air relaxed Cara and with a soft sigh and a roll of her eyes she accepted the other woman into her arms once more.

When the food was gone, it was Dahlia's turn to watch Cara as she pulled on her complicated leathers. Dahlia's own dress was simple and quick to adorn herself in and once she was done she took a seat on the edge of her bed and watched Cara with a soft smile. When Cara began to tighten her belt, Dahlia stood and moved to her, lightly brushing her hands away so that she could buckle the belt herself.

When Cara was fully dressed, she stepped back from Dahlia and observed her for a moment before awkwardly leaning forward to press her lips to Dahlia's cheek. Dahlia breathed in deeply at the gentle touch and closed her eyes against the tears that began to burn them. Cara pulled back, and Dahlia fully intended to let her go, but when Cara turned her back to her, Dahlia reached out and grasped her wrist, whispering "I'll walk with you," not yet quite able to let Cara walk out of her life again.

Once they left Dahlia's cottage, Cara headed straight for the stables. Given the position of the sun in the sky she anticipated that the others would have already broken their fast at the tavern and headed to the stables to prepare the horses for their departure. When Cara arrived to find the stable empty, save the young boy who worked there, the only sign of her surprise was a slight furrowing of her brows.

"Perhaps Richard and Kahlan were delayed leaving bed this morning as well," Dahlia murmured as Cara frowned into the empty stable.

"More likely Zedd decided to have a fifth course at breakfast," Cara muttered irritably though her lips quirked up slightly and her posture relaxed when Dahlia smiled at her and chuckled softly.

"It's not such a bad little town," Dahlia murmured when Cara's brows creased again as she surveyed the empty barn once more. "Spending another candle mark or two here, wouldn't be so bad would it?"

It wasn't a bad town, but it wasn't remarkable either and it certainly wasn't the People's Palace and any delay – whether it be one candle mark or one thousand – kept them from arriving at the place where they were most needed. All of these things were on the tip of Cara's tongue when she turned to face Dahlia, but when her eyes met the deep, rich brown of Dahlia's the practical but insensitive response died on her lips. The current delay was – as so many of the delays she had suffered through while traveling with Richard – unnecessary, however as Dahlia gazed back at her with naked affection, Cara supposed that her initial assessment of the town might have been unfair. The town itself was no different than dozens she had passed through over the past year that was true, but one thing this town had that the others didn't was Dahlia, and she was worthy of note and appreciation.

"No," Cara said softly, "I suppose not," she breathed out before registering the soft tone of her voice and promptly looking away from Dahlia. "We should go to the tavern," she declared gruffly a moment later.

Dahlia nodded then turned towards the exit. Cara followed suit, and if her fingers brushed against the back of Dahlia's hand as they walked towards the stable door it was completely by accident.

To be continued ...

Comments are always welcome and greatly appreciated :D