Final Fantasy XII 1. one

**Disclaimer: **Don't own them, wish I did! All characters belong to Square Enix.

**Introduction:** A mostly sweet (hopefully!) story about Penelo and Basch. Might be some M rated content in later chapters, but for now, its T! Set during the game; loosely follows events after Raithwell's tomb, but doesn't stick directly to the plot of the game!

**Author's Note: **I'd love it if you'd leave a review after you've read; its been forever since I've written any fan fiction and this is my first time writing an FF12 fan fic. 3

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_ A Beginning_

Penelo drummed her heels against the wooden crate on which she sat. She felt as if she had been waiting for hours. She glanced to her right at Basch who stood with his back against the wall, arms folded across his chest.

"Think they'll be much longer?" She asked, nodding towards the closed door ahead of them, "I'm getting bored!"

"I'm sure lady Ashe has her reasons for keeping us waiting" Basch replied, a small frown crossing his face briefly.

"It bothers you, doesn't it?" Penelo asked, watching Basch intently, "that she took Vaan with her to see Old Dalan and not you".

"Vossler's betrayal is still fresh in her mind". Basch replied. He shifted slightly, staring past Penelo down the dark and dingy hallway that comprised one of Lowtown's side streets, "as it is mine."

"I wonder how they stand it" he murmured, watching a group of young children run past the end of the alleyway. "Down here in the dark all the time."

"They're not trapped or anything you know." Penelo snapped. "I grew up down here and I turned out just fine!"

"I did not mean to cause offence Penelo. I simply feel for Rabanastre's people, kept down here like...like...I just don't feel it fair." Basch finished lamely, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

Penelo glared at Basch for a minute before looking away, the familiar sounds and smells of Lowtown washing over her; it felt like an age since they had been in Rabanastre and Penelo found it comforting to be back home. She'd been waiting outside Old Dalan's house with Basch for several hours now. Ashe had refused to accept Basch's offer to accompany her, insisting instead that Vaan join her. As had become routine when they stopped for more than a few hours at a time, Balthier and Fran had slipped away on some private mission, the details of which they did not deign to share with the group. Penelo was bored. It wasn't that she disliked Basch or his company, but it was, as company went, lacking. He took his role as Ashe's protector so seriously, always watching and guarding, there was never any chance to have a proper conversation or a joke like there was with Balthier or Vaan. She tried to think of something to say, something that Basch would be interested in.

"She's not in any danger, you know". Penelo announced suddenly, pulling her knee up to her chest and hugging it tightly. Basch merely looked at her, a sceptical frown on his face.

"No one in Lowtown would harm Ashe, 'specially not while she's with Vaan and Old Dalan" Penelo continued, resting her head on her knee and watching Basch intently.

"Never the less, my duty is to act as her guardian." Basch relaxed slightly, turning to face Penelo. "It's the least I can do". A hunted look crossed Basch's rugged face. Penelo thought it looked rather like a cloud blotting out the sun on a summer's day.

"She has forgiven you" Penelo stated simply, smiling confidently at Basch.

"I fear that her words she utters do not reflect those in her heart." Basch answered, failing to return Penelo's smile.

"She'll get there, I'm sure of it. I mean, you've more than proved yourself to her and guarded her so well and everything." Penelo's smile lost some of its confidence and she looked away from Basch.

Basch took a step towards, letting his arms drop towards his sides as he did so.

"Your faith in others is admirable Penelo", he smiled shyly. As he spoke, he reached out and rested his hand on Penelo's bare arm, gently cupping her elbow. Penelo felt a curious feeling spread down her arm as his hand made contact with her skin.

"Never lose that faith in people, promise me." He stated his blue eyes intense as they sought her gaze. It seemed almost as if in his gentle touch and intense stare, Basch hoped to reinforce his words and make his point understood.

"I...I won't" Penelo stammered, feeling a blush rise in her cheeks as he continued to look into her eyes. She tried to look away but felt herself unable to. She could not recall ever looking at Basch so intently before, looking beyond the beard and old scar above his eye. She noticed for the first time the faint freckles on his cheeks; they looked out of place and childish on his serious face. His eyelashes were long, far longer than Penelo would have expected and cast smudgy dark shadows on his face in the low light.

"It is a very admirable quality, faith in others" Basch continued, his hand still resting on her elbow. "I only wish that I possessed such optimism and hope."

Penelo opened her mouth to respond, but before she could speak, the door to Old Dalan's house was thrown open to reveal Vaan, stretching and yawning as he exited the gloomy building.

"Well that was a whole waste of time" He stated loudly, looking back towards Ashe and grinning as he spoke. Ashe did not return his grin, simply pressing her lips together and frowning. At the sight of Vaan and the princess, Basch's hand dropped quickly from Penelo's arm, leaving her with a lingering feeling of disappointment that she couldn't quite place.

"Your orders, Majesty?" Basch asked, looking at Ashe.

"We leave for the Giza Plains tonight." Ashe replied, turning away slightly as if to avoid Basch's gaze. "Now where are Balthier and Fran? We must make ready to leave." With that, Ashe turned on her heels and walked quickly towards the nearest flight of stairs, Vaan trotting after her, chattering away as they walked.

"Shall we?" Basch asked, holding out his hand to help Penelo down from the crate on which she sat. Hesitating for just the briefest of moments, Penelo accepted his hand and pushed herself off the crate, landing lightly on the floor.

"Th...thanks" she mumbled, moving to pull her hand from Basch's grip. He maintained his hold on her for a little longer than was strictly necessary and Penelo felt the gentle pressure as his rough, calloused hand squeezed her own slightly before he released his grasp on her.

"After you then" he gestured for Penelo to follow Vaan and Ashe, stepping to one side to allow her to pass. Penelo felt herself beginning to blush again and kept her head lowered as she moved past Basch, pressing her back against the dark stone wall as if to put as much distance between the two of them as possible. She felt as if some new feeling had awoken inside her, leaving her with a vague sense of longing and more than a hint of discomfort as she shot Basch a sidelong glance.


	2. two

Penelo sat on the edge of a small cliff, her legs dangling beneath her and stared out across the Nebra. Their journey through the desert had not gone well; intent on heading for the Giza Plains, they had become lost in a sandstorm and stumbled around blindly for hours, fighting vicious fiends and struggling not to lose each other in the swirling mists. When the storm finally abated, they had found themselves on the banks of the Nebra, having wandered in the wrong direction for a considerable distance. Fran had suggested making camp on the rivers banks and resuming their journey the next morning and no one had the strength to disagree. They made camp in a small gully close to the river's edge, taking advantage of the natural rock walls that offered protection from the wind as well as hiding them from the casual observer or prowling fiend.

Vaan had fallen asleep before the sun even set, curled up next to the fire. Penelo couldn't really blame him; he'd been badly injured by a wolf they had encountered and it was only Fran's quick spell work that had saved him. They had discussed watch arrangements, with Penelo offering to go first, to get it out of the way. To her surprise, no one questioned this. She had beamed to herself, up until now, no one had trusted her to stand watch on her own, encouraging her to take watch with Ashe or Fran.

She heard the crackle of the fire behind her, its logs falling into gentle embers, sending up sparks to the darkening sky as they did so. Penelo felt very peaceful at that time, listening to the crackle of the fire behind her and the gentle noises of the river in front of her. She sat with her chin resting on her hand, staring down the river as the sun neared the horizon when she heard a noise behind her.

"You're very lucky I wasn't a fiend" Basch stated, picking up her dagger from the ground beside her and looking at it; even in the half light, Penelo could see he was not impressed.

"I could tell your clunking great boots from a fiend any day" She replied defiantly, surprised when Basch let out a throaty, low chuckle.

"Is that so?" He asked, handing her back her dagger. Penelo nodded, a confident smile on her face.

"It's not time to switch watches yet, is it?" Penelo asked, looking up at him. "The sun isn't even set yet."

"I could not sleep." Basch replied, sitting down beside her. He smelled of wood smoke and leather. Penelo was acutely aware of his presence; even though he sat some inches away from her, she felt as though she could feel the heat radiating off him. "I thought I could relieve you of your post, we've got a long journey ahead of us."

"Its fine" Penelo replied, frowning suddenly. "Wait. Are you checking up on me?" She asked, an accusatory tone in her voice.

"Why doesn't anyone think I can stand watch on my own?" She asked him, her voice a plaintive moan; as she spoke she realised how childish and petulant she sounded but glared at him anyway. Basch shushed her, and shook his head.

"I believe you're entirely capable." He replied, yawning as he spoke and rubbing his chin. Penelo looked at him and smiled, pleased to know that at least one of her companions believed that she could hold her own in a fight. "You should rest." He stated, tilting his head towards the camp.

"Not tired" Penelo replied, stretching her arms out behind herself and leaning back to watch the rapidly darkening sky. "I'll come and find you when it's your turn to stand watch" she suggested half heartedly. She hoped he would stay; sitting beside him in the dusk made her feel safe, peaceful, as if nothing in all of Ivalice could harm her.

"If you'll allow it, I'll sit here with you" he replied, "we would be changing watch before long anyway." Penelo smiled to herself, hoping that he wouldn't notice the faint blush that crept across her cheeks.

"It'll be nice to have some company". She tilted her head backwards, staring up at the stars, twinkling brightly against the navy blue sky to their left. To their right, the sun began its final journey below the horizon. They sat in comfortable silence for some time, and it wasn't until the sun had finally disappeared, its red glow swallowed up by the night that she spoke.

"I love looking at the stars" she stated. "It reminds me of being little."

"Was there much chance to see the stars in Rabanastre?" Basch enquired, turning to look at her.

"Well not often." She conceded. "But sometimes, when my parents went away, my brothers would sneak out into the desert at night and I'd go with them. They used to get cross with me for staring at the stars all the time and getting myself in danger, but they still used to take me with them". She smiled wistfully and lowered her gaze.

"I hate the war." She suddenly stated, the anger in her voice shocking Basch. "It took everything from us, from all of us and now it's all going to happen again." She felt a tear run down her cheek and quickly reached up to wipe it away, hoping that Basch wouldn't notice.

"I am sorry." He replied, his voice almost a whisper, "for the part I played in it."

"Well don't be! You shouldn't be, it wasn't you that...that killed the king...that took Reks away."

"But I should have done more, made more of an attempt to stop Gabranth." His voice was melancholy and he looked away from her, staring out at the dark waters ahead. "Then perhaps all this needless death and misery could have been avoided."

They both sat in silence for some time, lost in their own thoughts of friends and family lost to the war. Penelo was crying freely now, silent tears trickling down her cheek as she thought of her brother and Reks standing in their small house in Lowtown, so proud in their Dalmascan armour, so proud to be fighting for their country. She thought of her parents, killed in the battle that had spread into the city, a loud sob shaking her shoulders as she thought back to that day, the day when she and Vaan had been forced to grow up and join the swelling ranks of orphans left in Lowtown.

"Penelo?" Basch's voice was gently, questioning. To her surprise, he moved closer to her, a strong arm reaching round her shoulder to hold and comfort her, although his arm was stiff, as though he were scared to touch her. Penelo let her head drop to his shoulder, resting her face against the smooth, cool leather of his vest. Her tears continued, her shoulders shaking as he held her. She sniffled slightly, and lifted her hand, moving to wipe away the tears.

"You shouldn't cry" He whispered, reaching across and wiping the tears from her damp cheeks with his thumb. Her skin felt hot to the touch; he stroked her cheek gently, marvelling at how smooth and soft it felt. "I do not like to see you sad."

Penelo couldn't speak, didn't trust herself to. She felt her breath catch in her chest and her heart flutter as he held her and stroked her cheek. Part of her wanted to pull away from him, embarrassed to have cried in front of him. Another part of her wanted to sit there with him, feeling the warmth of his body as he held her and relishing the surprisingly light touch of his rough, calloused fingers against her cheek. Her tears stopped, her sad thoughts chased away by his comforting touch. Basch withdrew his hand from her cheek, but continued to hold her close to him.

"Do you feel better now?" He asked; Penelo could feel his warm breath on her hair and nodded. A cold feeling stirred in her stomach. Would he leave now her tears had ceased?

"Good." He squeezed her to him tightly and then pulled his arm from her shoulders, leaving Penelo feeling cold and disappointed. "You should go back to the camp and rest". He continued, looking away from her.

"But...I..." Penelo could not conceal the shock on her face. The jerk! One minute he was sitting there holding her and drying her tears, the next he was dismissing her like some troublesome child! Penelo could feel hot tears of anger forming and got to her feet before he noticed.

"Good night then." She muttered, her voice flat. She turned on her heel and walked away towards the camp before he could respond, forcing herself not to look back as her tears began to fall again.

Basch sat and glowered at the dark river, listening to Penelo walk away. He longed to follow her, but felt as if he couldn't move. The feeling of her slim shoulders beneath his arm had awoken something inside of him, something that left him with feelings of confusion. He raised his thumb to his mouth, tasting her salty tears. He sighed deeply; he knew it was not appropriate for him to be thinking of her in this way. He was twice her age, a disgraced and ruined man. And yet he could not seem to stop thinking what it would be like to hold her again, to feel her soft skin beneath his fingers again, perhaps even to kiss her.

"No!" he exclaimed, shaking his head to try and rid himself of these thoughts. His task on this mission was to protect Lady Ashe, and he couldn't allow himself to be sidetracked, distracted. He sighed deeply and rubbed his weary eyes. He knew he should be focused on standing watch over the group, but try as he might, the thought of Penelo in his arms kept coming back to him, sneaking into his thoughts. He sighed again; this was going to be a long night.


	3. three

**Author's note: **Thanks for the reviews, it really means a lot to me to know that people are enjoying my writing! Enjoy! :)

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"Wait up Vaan!" Penelo called laughingly, chasing after him, her feet kicking up small clouds of sand as she ran. The group were finally making their way across the Giza Plains having lost two days wandering the Estersand after becoming disorientated during a sandstorm. They were making their way towards Jahara to seek knowledge from the Garif regarding the stone Ashe carried in her pocket.

"How do they stand the heat?" Balthier asked, wiping sweat from his brow and watching as Vaan allowed Penelo to catch up with him, laughing loudly as she grabbed hold of his arm.

"I've no idea" Ashe's face was flushed and she blew her damp hair out of her face as spoke. "I suppose growing up in the desert has its advantages."

"You grew up in Rabanastre too." Balthier pointed out.

"Yes, well. The palace was never like this. I feel as though I'm in an oven." Ashe frowned.

"Perhaps we should make camp" Basch suggested, shielding his eyes from the dazzling sun and looking towards a cluster of tents just visible on the horizon. "Unless my eyes deceive me, the nomad's village lies ahead of us. Perhaps this would be a good opportunity to stop and rest" he finished, looking towards Ashe for approval.

Ashe pursed her lips for a minute; it was apparent that she did not want to stop so soon, eager to reach the Garif's village of Jahara to get the answers she so desperately sought.

"We really ought to keep moving..." a half hearted suggestion, she knew.

"Oh yes, we'll get there so much quicker as sun bleached skeletons!" Balthier snapped. "Basch is right, we should stop. If we rest now, we could journey through the night instead."

Ashe pursed her lips again but it was clear to her companions that she was as eager to stop as they.

"VAAN!" Balthier bellowed, waving his arm above his head to draw Vaan's attention. Vaan trotted back towards the group, Penelo trailing behind him.

"We stop at the nomad village, make use of yourself and scamper on ahead to let them know." Balthier flapped his hand at Vaan as if to shoo him away.

"Come on Pen!" He reached for her arm, an eager look on his face. He was clearly pleased to be running an errand for Balthier. Penelo wrinkled her nose and pulled her wrist from Vaan's grip.

"I'll catch you up." She watched as Vaan ran off, his white-blonde hair glinting in the sunlight. She slowed her pace, allowing Basch and Fran to draw level with her, falling in step with them.

"So...if we're camping with the nomads, does this mean we don't have to stand watch tonight?" She asked, looking towards Fran. The viera did not reply, simply shrugging her shoulders.

"It won't be necessary. The fiends learned long ago to avoid the nomad village." Basch kept his eyes fixed firmly on Ashe and Balthier who walked a small distance ahead of them.

"Oh. That's good." Penelo smiled, swinging her arms back and forth. "It'll be nice not to have to worry about fiends for a night." Basch said nothing, a non-committal grunt his only response to her comment.

Penelo bit her lip and frowned. She already knew from their few weeks travelling as a group that Basch was pretty non-syllabic and difficult to draw into conversation but this felt different and she couldn't help but think that his attitude towards her had something to do with their encounter on the banks of the Nebra the night before. She opened her mouth to say something, paused and closed her mouth again. Before she realised what she was doing, she reached out and put her hand on Basch's arm. He stopped dead in his tracks, and she was certain she felt him flinch slightly as she touched him.

Fran stalked on ahead without a backwards glance at them. Penelo watched her until she was out of earshot before turning back to look at Basch.

"Are you being awkward with me because of the other night?" She asked, her words tumbling from her mouth in a rush as she stared at his feet.

"What do you mean?" Basch asked; he avoided her gaze, looking almost shifty.

"You know, when we talked the other night and I cried. Did I make you uncomfortable?" She toyed with her bracelets and kicked at the sand in front of her, waiting for his response. She heard Basch sigh as she stared at the ground, heard the clank of his sword against his armour as he shifted position.

"You did not make me uncomfortable" he muttered, folding his arms across his broad chest. "I do not like to see any one upset, least of all you."

"Why least of all me?"

"Because you're so young and suffered so much already. It saddened me to see you hurting. And I fear for your future and what it holds. I would not like to see you suffer further."

Penelo looked up at him and was surprised to see a slight smile on his face, although his eyes were full of sadness. Before she could speak he turned on his heel and began walking quickly in the direction of the nomad village. Penelo had to run to keep up with him, taking two steps to every one of his, turning his words over and over in her head.


	4. four

**Author's Notes: **As the last one was quite short (by my standards!) I thought I'd upload another chapter tonight. I'd be thrilled if you could R&R! :)

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They settled around their small campfire that night, a little distance from the nomads living in the village who had graciously offered them food; curious wizened potatoes, plump beans and, to Penelo's horror, cockatrice meat. She had politely refused the meat when Balthier had offered it; fancying himself something of a chef, he had taken charge of the cooking and was once again barking orders at Vaan, chiding him when he over-stoked the fire, burning several of the potatoes to a crisp. Penelo felt she could not sit and eat the cockatrice meat while its companions clucked and purred in their enclosure close by. She felt as if she was being judged by the chubby birds.

After they had eaten, Balthier began telling them stories of his previous adventures, earning himself a look of disgust from Ashe when he recalled looting long forgotten tombs in Archadia. Penelo looked at Vaan, his attention focused fully on Balthier, hanging on his every word. She knew Balthier was enjoying the attention; not just Vaan's eager looks, but Ashe's tuts and frowns as well. Penelo was pleased to see Vaan looking to happy, as he listened to Balthier's stories. It had been a long time since she'd seen that look of admiration in his eyes; not since the day Reks had left to serve in the army in fact.

Pulling her knees up to her chest and hugging them tightly, she leaned her head against her arms and looked over the low flames at Fran who sat fashioning cockatrice feathers into flights for her arrows, watching as her mouth flickered slightly into something of a smile, evidently amused by something Balthier had said.

Penelo shuffled back from the fire slightly; she had removed her boots some time ago and her bare feet felt too warm from being so close to the flames. She dug her toes into the cool sand, enjoying the relief it brought.

"I think I might get some sleep" She stated, attempting to stifle a yawn and failing. She stretched gracefully as she stood and turned to walk away from the group.

"Sleep well." Basch's voice was low, almost a whisper. She turned back to look at him, his face was illuminated by the dancing flames of the fire, his long hair falling around his face.

"Uhh...thanks." She smiled. As she turned again to leave, she caught her left foot with her right, causing her to stumble. She heard a stifled snigger, no doubt from Balthier or Vaan and hurried away into the darkness, her face hot as she blushed.

"Stupid clumsy idiot!" she muttered to herself as she walked, hoping that Basch hadn't noticed her trip. Walking to their tents, located on the outskirts of the village meant passing the cockatrice enclosure. Penelo felt guilty as she leaned on the crude wooden fence that kept them captive, hoping they would understand that she had declined to eat their friend. A fat juvenile came waddling up to the fence, its downy feathers nearly gone. It tilted its head on one side and fixed a beady eye on her.

"I hope they didn't eat anyone you knew" Penelo told it, squatting down and reaching through the fence to scratch it on the head. The cockatrice purred and ruffled its feathers at her, leaning heavily against her hand.

"I think it likes you." A voice came from behind her, shocking Penelo. She stood quickly, not noticing the fat cockatrice wobble, nearly falling on its side as she withdrew her hand. It clicked its beak loudly at her and waddled back to the other side of its enclosure. A fire outside a nearby tent was enough for her to see Basch standing few feet away from her, his arms folded. She couldn't see the expression on his face in the poor light.

"That's because I didn't eat his family and friends." She replied. She was thrilled to hear Basch laugh his low chuckle again, and watched with trepidation as he moved to stand next to her. He leant on the fence in front of them and stared ahead, seemingly at the cockatrices. She stood next to him, resting her hands on the rough wooden stakes. Shyly and subtly, she stepped slightly closer to him.

"Don't sleep for long." He turned to look at her as he spoke, looking slightly surprised to see her standing so close. "We leave in a few hours while it is still cool."

"It won't matter." Penelo replied. "Can't you smell it on the air? The rains are coming; the villagers say they'll be on us by tomorrow evening."

"All the more reason to leave early, before we get trapped in a maze of rivers and streams. Have you ever crossed the plains in the rain?"

Penelo shook her head in response. She recalled suddenly the one time she and her brother's had strayed as far as the nomad's village, more than a day's travel from Rabanastre. Her brothers had expected their parents to be gone far longer and they received a terrific shock when their father had appeared, mounted on a chocobo no less, his face a picture of anger. There had been relief too though, when he realised his children were safe.

"I've only ever been here when it's been dry. Is it bad? In the rain?"

"It's not pleasant," Basch conceded, "the fiends make their presence felt. They take advantage of the lack of people on the plains; the mist in the storms feeds them. They'll be far stronger than anything you've fought before." Penelo gulped nervously, hoping her spell work skills were up to the task.

"You should not fear, I will not allow any harm to come to you."

"And I you!" She teased, grinning at the seriousness on his face. "Don't forget it was my healing spell that saved your arm from those nasty cactoid needles two days ago!"

"Yes. Well. Vaan should have known better than to provoke it. Wretched little creature." Penelo laughed, not quite sure if he was referring to Vaan or the cactoid as a 'wretched little creature'.

"Allow me to walk you to your tent?" Basch asking suddenly, stepping away from the cockatrice enclosure. Penelo paused briefly before nodding her agreement. She followed him through the dark village, keeping one or two steps behind him as they walked. All too soon they reached the tents, and she watched as Basch turned to face her.

"Good night." He gestured towards the tent she was to share with Ashe. Penelo wasn't sure what made her do it; before Basch could move, she had reached up, placing a hand on his cheek, fully intending to give him a friendly kiss on the cheek, as she had done to Vaan a million times before, but he turned her head as she stood on tip toes to reach him, her kiss landing not on his stubbly cheek but on the edge of his mouth. She watched as his eyes went wide in shock; he put both hands on her shoulders, gently pushing her away from him before pivoting on his heel and striding away into the darkness.

Penelo stooped to enter her tent, throwing herself down on her bed roll. For the second time in two days, hot angry tears stung her eyes. How did he manage to make her feel so happy one minute and so stupid the next? She lay on her front, face buried in her pillow, not even bothering to remove her clothes before falling into a fitful sleep.

Basch walked away from the tents, away from the village entirely, rubbing his forehead. He felt almost as if he were drunk. Did she know the thoughts that had troubled him the previous night? For a brief minute he entertained the idea that she may be able to read his mind, may already know that he was beginning to care about her in a way that went beyond a desire to protect her as a companion of Ashe. He dismissed the thought almost as soon as it had arrived; it was stupid. More likely, he thought gloomily, that her kiss was nothing more than thanks. After all, he reasoned, he had seen her do the same thing to Vaan countless times, even to Balthier on a handful of occasions, although she had stopped after he made lewd remarks about her. He smiled slightly to himself, touching the spot where her lips had brushed his before quickly dropping his hand, feeling embarrassed by his behaviour. Looking out across the pitch black desert, he could just make out the lights of Rabanastre twinkling faintly on the horizon. He thought about the long journey ahead of them and resolved to avoid her as best he could, hoping that these inappropriate feelings would leave him soon.


	5. five

**Author's Notes: **Thanks again for the reviews, they mean a lot too me :) Hope people aren't finding this story too slow moving...can't exactly imagine Basch rushing into anything though! ;) R&R if you feel like it, and enjoy! x.

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"Wake up Penelo." She was sure she had only just lay down and closed her eyes; why was Ashe shaking her awake already?

"It's time to go, come on." Penelo sat up, rubbing her eyes and blinking at Ashe.

"Already?" She asked. Ashe merely nodded and exited the tent. Penelo hastily shoved her belongings into her pack, cursing herself for not doing so earlier. She stepped out into the pre-dawn light. The sun was not yet up but already the night was beginning to face, the sky becoming more blue by the minute. Looking around the camp, Penelo felt a slight twinge of jealousy when she noticed Basch and Fran were pouring over a map, their heads close together as they spoke. Ashe was standing some distance away, clearly eager to move on towards Jahara.

Penelo walked over to Vaan who sat on top of his pack, yawning widely and rubbing sleep from his eyes.

"Is everyone waiting for me?" She whispered anxiously, leaning down so her mouth was level with Vaan's ear. He laughed, an unnecessarily loud noise in the quiet, still dawn, drawing a disapproving look from Ashe.

"Not even. We're still waiting on Balthier."

"A leading man needs his beauty sleep." Balthier stated, stepping out from a tent behind Vaan. "You'd do well to remember that Vaan. No more keeping me awake all night with incessant questions about my ship."

"Whatever," Vaan grinned, leaping to his feet. He rushed off to join Ashe before anyone else could reply.

The day's journey was relatively uneventful; they crossed the plains with little bother from fiends and easily dispatched those they did encounter. All too soon the sun was high in the sky again, beating down on them and causing the group to flag. Before long they reached a little oasis, its stubby trees offering welcome respite from the sun's constant heat.

"This seems as good as place as any to stop." Balthier announced, throwing his pack down at the roots of tree before sitting down to lounge against the smooth bark of the tree.

"We'll never make it at this rate." Ashe grumbled, although something in her voice suggested that she was also keen to take a break from the merciless heat of the desert and she hesitated only a minute before sitting down in the shade of a tree and shrugging off her pack.

"That's the spirit." Balthier drawled, leaning back with his arms behind his head.

"We ought to set up the tents," Basch stated, "to provide us with some more shade." He looked around at his companions. Balthier's eyes were closed, the hint of a smug smile on his face. He showed no indication of helping with the menial task of erecting tents.

"I'll help." Penelo smiled. She was slightly annoyed to see Basch frown slightly, as if he were considering telling her no. The heat and lack of enthusiasm from the others evidently won, he shrugged and wordlessly handed her a roll of canvas and poles before walking away from the small group and throwing his own tent down on the ground. Penelo sighed and followed him, the lumpy roll of canvas heavy in her arms.

Fifteen minutes later, Penelo stood back, her hands on her hips. She tilted her head to one side and glared at the tent in front of her. It leaned awkwardly to the left, its poles sticking up at awkward angles.

"I think I've done something wrong..." She stated glumly. "You should have got Vaan to help."

"The poles aren't upright." Basch replied; the disapproving look on his face was plain to see. "Were they too heavy for you?"

"No." Penelo lied, annoyed that it was obvious that she was not strong enough to lift the tent poles and thick canvas alone. She was glad that the rest of the group were on the other side of the little oasis, too far away to hear this brief exchange of words. Basch wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand and crossed to the lopsided tent. He held open the flap, and ushered Penelo inside.

"Hold that pole steady." He instructed, kicking and pushing the other pole into a vertical position. Basch kept his back turned on Penelo, taking more time than was strictly necessary to right the wooden pole. In the cramped, warm space of the tent, he was acutely aware of her, standing less than three feet away from him. Finally, when he could no longer convincingly pretend that he was still correcting the poorly erected tent, he turned to her.

"Can you manage now?" He asked, watching as Penelo struggled to move the cumbersome pole into position. After a few minutes, she shook her head and gave up, a cross look on her face. In two quick steps, Basch was standing next to her, his strong hands grabbing hold of the tent pole and lifting it into place. He was surprised when she did not step away from the pole, her hands sliding as he lifted it. He felt her fingers brush his and inwardly cursed himself as his breath caught in his throat; he hoped Penelo had not noticed. He forced himself to look at her and was embarrassed to see her brows furrowed in concern. He let go off the tent pole, and took a step backwards towards the tent door.

"Basch, wait." Penelo stepped towards him, laying her hand on his arm. She took a deep breath, as if steeling herself.

"Why are you being weird around me?" He could hear the hurt in her voice and had to force himself to look at her hazel eyes, looking up at him, full of confusion.

"I do not understand." He lied.

"You've been weird with me ever since we camped by the Nebra and we talked." Basch said nothing; he looked away from her, unable to meet her gaze any longer.

"I don't want you to feel weird around me because I cried or whatever." Penelo continued. "I said I was sorry for that. I don't like you being weird with me."

"We discussed this yesterday, Penelo. I do not feel awkward around you; it merely saddened me to see you upset." He could feel Penelo's quizzical gaze on him, but still did not meet her eyes.

"Well...ok." She replied after a second's pause. "I really don't mean to make you feel uncomfortable or anything, you know. I like you and it would be terrible if you felt uncomfortable around me."

"You...you like me?" Basch asked, stunned.

"Of course I do!" Penelo replied, her voice light and happy. "It's been so great meeting all of you and being part of this adventure." She looked shyly at him, hoping he would meet her eye.

Basch felt suddenly foolish and was annoyed to feel himself blushing. Of course that was all she had meant. He was painfully aware that her hand still rested on his arm and wondered how he could shrug it off without causing her offence. He wanted to be out of this tent and away from the uncomfortable feelings she caused him. The longer he spent alone with her, the more he wanted to hold her again, feel her small, slim body in his arms. Before he could move, he felt her remove her hand from his arm; his relief soon turned to shock again as she raised her hand to his face. He knew she was going to kiss his cheek again.

"Penelo, don't." He muttered quietly, firmly but gently grabbing her wrist and pushing her away from him.

"What's wrong?" She asked. He cringed at the hurt tone in her voice.

"It is not appropriate." He let go of her wrist and frowned at her. "You should not do such things."

"'Such things?'" She mimicked, sounding angry now. "I was only going to kiss your stupid cheek. I do that to Vaan and Balthier all the time and they don't complain." She folded her arms and glared at him.

"Nevertheless, it is not appropriate." Without waiting for her to reply, he strode from the tent, brushing past her as he left, but not looking at her. Penelo dropped to the floor, and buried her face in her hands. She made no attempt to hide her tears this time, and simply sat crying, angry with herself for trying to kiss him again, angry with him for pushing her away. What had she hoped to achieve by trying to kiss his cheek again? She wondered. She felt nauseated as she thought about the look on his face as he had pushed her away from her; like she disgusted him. She felt her tears begin to flow faster and curled up on the floor of the tent, not caring that Fran or Ashe could walk in on her at any minute. All she could think about was the small, hot ball of embarrassment that sat in her stomach and the tears rolling down her face.


	6. six

**Author's Notes: **Thanks again for reading! Hope you enjoy this next chapter :) x

* * *

Basch sat some distance from the rest of the group, acutely aware that Penelo had not joined them. He looked over towards the two tents; he knew she was still inside one of them, probably furious with him for walking away from her again. He sighed to himself, toying with the idea of going to apologise to her. He could not bring himself to do so; he had seen the angry, hurt expression on her face when he had left her and knew that any attempt to speak to her now would likely result in an argument. Basch felt it was not fitting for a knight, all be it a presently disgraced knight, to be drawn in to an argument with a teenage girl.

The heavy swish of canvas made him look up; he could see Penelo walking quickly away from the tents, away from the group. He glanced around at his companions; no one else seemed to have noticed that Penelo was hurriedly making her way into the desert alone. He wondered if he ought to alert them, or at least ask Vaan to go after her. He stood up, intending to ask Vaan to follow her, but noticed that he was deep in conversation with Ashe, an unusually serious look on his face.

Fastening his sword to his belt, he followed her across the sand, steeling himself for the inevitable argument that would follow when he caught up with her. He squinted and shielded his eyes, scanning the desert. On the horizon the first dark clouds were starting to gather, piling up on one another; the rains would likely hit the group within a few hours. A glint of metal caught his eye and he saw Penelo slip between two thorny bushes.

"Penelo!" he called out, jogging to catch up with her. Pushing his way between the bushes, he found himself on a dry riverbed. Penelo stood some distance from him, looking up at the steep rock wall that formed the opposite bank of the river bed and had halted her progress.

"Why are you following me?" She snapped, wheeling around to face him.

"It's not safe for you to be wandering the desert on your own. You ought to come back to the camp with me."

"I don't want to." Penelo folded her arms across her chest and scowled at him.

"Please, Penelo. It is not safe for you to be out here by yourself. The rain will be upon us soon."

"Like you care." She pouted. Basch looked crestfallen.

"Why would you say that?" He asked, looking away from her. "I would not want to see you hurt."

"See me hurt?" Penelo sneered. "You're the one that hurt me, you know." He could feel her angry gaze on him, but could not bring himself to respond.

"Why are you all nice to me one minute and mean the next?" She asked, taking a step towards him.

"I never intended to upset you," He mumbled "I just do not feel it is appropriate for you to kiss me." His heart sank as he said this; part of him wanted her to try and kiss him again, to feel her close to him.

"It's not inappropriate." She argued.

"Yes, Penelo, it is. I'm more than twice your age."

"So? I just wanted to say thank you, is all. Next time I won't bother, I obviously disgust you or something." Her petulant and argumentative tone was beginning to annoy Basch slightly. He felt as if she was pushing him, trying to trick him into admitting the one thing he could not tell her. She narrowed her eyes at him and stared at him in silence. High above them, dark grey clouds began to creep across the sky, a distance rumble of thunder warning them of the approaching rain.

"You do not disgust me." He mumbled, looking down at his feet.

"So why are you being like this? Tell me the truth." She demanded. Basch rubbed his eyes; how could he explain to her that the reason he was pushing her away was because he didn't trust himself around her, that he wanted to hold her in his arms and feel her lips against his. He stared at the ground, lost in his own thoughts and unable to speak. A drop of rain on his arm stirred him, and he glanced up to see her staring at him. She no longer looked angry; her arms hung loosely by her sides and there was a dejected look on her face.

"I'm going back to the camp." She mumbled. Basch watched her as she walked past him; in an impulsive move that shocked him almost as much as it shocked Penelo, he reached out and took hold of her wrist.

"Wait."

Penelo did not turn to look at him, merely stood facing away from him, her head bowed. Basch took a deep breath, trying to work up the nerve to speak. Infrequent drops of rain were beginning to fall on them now and he knew that they should really start making their way back to the camp.

"You truly wish to know why I have been uncomfortable around you?" he asked. After a moment's hesitation, Penelo nodded.

"You confuse me. It has been a long time since I have enjoyed the company of women, particularly one as vivacious as you. I worry that I may have read more into a simple, friendly gesture." Basch admitted. "That was foolish of me; I understand that a young girl like yourself would never harbour feelings for someone of my age and poor standing. I feel angry with myself now for even thinking such things and causing you upset."

The rain was falling more insistently now, dampening their hair and beginning to soak into their clothes, but neither of them noticed. He studied her face; she looked as if she were about to cry.

"Thanks, I guess." Penelo mumbled, not meeting his gaze. Her cheeks were wet and he could not tell if this was from tears, the rain or both. His heart began to beat faster as he looked at her; she looked so dejected and vulnerable. He wanted nothing more than to reach out and hold her. What did he have to lose if he did he wondered. Maybe she would just see this as nothing more than a gesture of comfort. Taking a deep breath, he extended his free arm, resting his hand on her shoulder. He could feel her tense at his touch. As if she had read his mind, she stepped closer to him suddenly, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Sorry I confused you." She muttered, her forehead resting against his leather vest. He moved his arms around her shoulders, returning her embrace. He felt like a hypocrite, having implied that he thought she had feelings for him when he was painfully aware that he was harbouring feelings for her.

"May be we should go back to the camp now?" She suggested, lifting her head and looking up at him. "The others will wonder where we've gone." As she spoke, she became aware that he was not quite meeting her gaze, his eyes fixed on her lips.

"Basch?" She asked, leaning back slightly to get a better look at his face. Basch couldn't stop looking at her full lips in the rapidly dwindling light. She shifted uncomfortable in his arms and he could feel her start to pull away from him slightly. He reached up and stroked her wet cheek, resting his hand on her neck. He felt her tense again as his fingers caressed her cheek. She stared up into his eyes, looking bewildered. Basch could feel her warm breath against his own cheek as she looked up at him, their faces just a few inches apart.

Without a moment's pause, he suddenly, recklessly lowered his head, his lips brushing hers in a delicate kiss, his eyes closing at he did so. Penelo's heart leapt as she felt his warm, full lips against her own.

"I'm...I'm sorry." He muttered, his eyes springing open. "That was inappropriate of me." He removed his arms from her shoulders, expecting her to move away from him and was surprised when her arms tightened around his waist.

"Don't be sorry." She whispered. The ever more insistent rain was soaking her blonde hair; her thick braids hung damply to her shoulders, her fringe plastered to her forehead. "Kiss me again?"

Basch blinked rain water from his eyes. Had he heard her correctly? Had she just asked him to kiss her again? Lost in the moment, he cautiously put his arms around her shoulders once more, pulling her closer to him. She smiled up at him, rain drops splashing on her face. He could feel himself shaking slightly as he leant down to place a gentle kiss on her lips. Penelo's eyes closed as she returned his kiss, He felt her open her mouth slightly as he kissed her, and returned the gesture, feeling her tongue flicker against his own.

Basch moaned quietly as they kissed; the feeling of Penelo's tongue caressing his was incredible and he tightened his arms around her shoulders. As they kissed with ever increasing urgency, he stepped forward, until her back was pressed against the rock wall of the river bed. She moved her arms, slipping her hands under his vest and shirt, her fingertips tracing small circles on his back.

He lowered one hand to the small of her back; the other was pressed against the rock on which they leant to steady himself. As her tongue explored his mouth, he pulled her closer to him, all thoughts of inappropriate feelings long forgotten. Penelo broke their kiss, leaning her head against his shoulder.

"We should go back to the camp." She whispered, her voice breathy, planting small kisses on his neck and jaw as she spoke. "The others will think something has happened to us." Basch tilted his head back slightly, focusing on nothing but the feeling of her light kisses and the warm tickle of her breath against his skin. Thoughts of the rest of their companions had been completely chased from his mind as he raised his hand to her chin, tilting her head up towards him before drawing her into another passionate kiss.


	7. seven

**Author's Notes: **Yet another update! Thank you to those people who kindly left me reviews :]

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A deafening rumble of thunder made them both jump, pulling away from each other. Penelo was surprised that it was almost completely dark now, the heavy rain clouds had blotted out the sun, and only a faint glow on the horizon suggested that it was still early evening. She felt dizzy and light headed, her heart beating quickly in her chest. She met Basch's gaze as he looked down at her, his breathing rapid as if he had just run a great distance.

"We really should go back." She sighed, burying her head against his chest and hugging him tightly. She shivered, suddenly aware that she was soaked to the bone from the heavy rain. Basch stroked her wet hair away from her face, kissing her gently as he did so.

"I suppose we should." His arms tightened around her briefly before he stepped away, running his hand through his long hair. They made their way back up the river bed, Basch reaching out and grabbing her hand when she slipped on the muddy banks. She fully expected him to let go of her hand and was pleasantly surprised when he did not. He kept hold of her hand until the camp came in to view, giving it one last squeeze before letting go. Penelo began to feel nervous as they walked into the camp. How would they explain their absence to the rest of the group?

"Where on earth have you been?" Ashe's voice was angry and accusatory. Penelo glanced at Basch, her eyes wide with fear.

"A fiend attempted to attack Penelo." Basch stated, walking past Ashe towards his tent. Penelo watched him walk away, feeling worried.

"Is that true?" Ashe turned to Penelo, who looked down at her feet.

"Yes." She muttered. "I went for a walk and something tried to attack me."

"You should be more careful," Balthier chided "the good captain may not always be there to rescue you." The tone of his voice made Penelo think that he did not believe their story and she hurried away to the tent before Balthier could make comment further.

Pushing aside the heavy canvas, she was pleased to see that someone had placed her pack in the tent and dug around in it, pulling out a thin blanket and wrapping it around her shoulders in an attempt to warm herself up.

"You ok Penelo?" Vaan stuck his head through the tent door, a look of concern on his face. She nodded, not looking up at him.

"You're all muddy you know." Vaan pointed out, sitting down next to her on the floor of the tent. "So what was it that attacked you? Is that how you got muddy?"

"I don't know what it was, it was too dark to see."

"Good job Basch was there to save you, huh?" Vaan laughed and grinned at her. The expression on his face suddenly became serious, his voice losing its mocking tone. "Feels weird thinking of him as a good guy all of a sudden, doesn't it?"

Penelo looked up at him. He didn't need to say what was on his mind, she already knew; Reks. Vaan looked away from her, rubbing hastily at his eyes. Penelo smiled sadly, it had been some time since she had seen Vaan shed tears for Reks.

"What do you think _he'd_ make of all this?" Vaan asked, still not looking at Penelo.

"He'd probably be mad that you're putting yourself in danger and hanging around with sky pirates." She suggested, resting her head on his shoulder. A brief smile crossed her face as she thought of all the times she had seen Reks angry with Vaan for getting himself involved in stupid, and often dangerous situations. Both Penelo and Vaan had always known that Reks could never be angry with Vaan for long; he loved his little brother and wanted nothing more than to protect what was left of their dwindling family from harm.

"I guess so." Vaan replied sadly. "He'd be mad at you too, I bet. Running off and having to get saved by Basch."

Penelo said nothing, looking down at her hands. Part of her wanted to tell Vaan what had really happened with Basch, to share her feelings of confusion with her best friend but she kept quiet. She knew how protective Vaan could be of her, and did not think he would react well to hearing that she had kissed a man twice her age. She remembered the time he had lost his temper with Reks after he found out that he and Penelo had shared a kiss. She vividly remembered sitting on a flight of steps in Lowtown while Vaan shouted and raged at his brother for "taking advantage". No, thought Penelo, it would not be a good idea to tell Vaan about Basch. She hated keeping secrets from Vaan, although past experience had taught that any secret shared with Vaan would remain would not remain secret for long.

"Penelo?" Vaan's voice roused her from her thoughts, she glanced up at him, as much as she was able to in her current position. Vaan was staring at the floor of the tent, fiddling with one of the buckles on his boot, his expression serious and downcast.

"Yes?"

He paused for a moment, but then shook his head. He looked so uncertain and troubled that Penelo couldn't help but wonder if Vaan was keeping secrets from her as well. Running his hand through his hair, he looked down at Penelo, pressing his cheek against her wet hair.

"Think Ashe would go for me when all this is over?" He asked, grinning widely, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"As if!" Penelo laughed, punching him on the arm. "You're way too young for her!" She cringed as she said this, after all, wasn't she way too young for Basch?

"Why 'd you have to ruin my fantasy?" His voice was full of mock hurt and injustice.

Vaan yawned hugely, stretching his arms and dislodging her from his shoulder. He ruffled her now damp hair as he stood, bidding her goodnight as he left the tent. Penelo lay down on the tent floor, resting her head on her pack. She felt more confused than ever after her encounter with Basch; kissing him had been amazing, but he had then walked away from her once they returned to the camp without so much as a backwards glance. She hoped that she would be able to speak to him the following day, maybe even kiss him again. She grinned to herself, her cheeks burning red as she ran her fingers over her lips, recalling the wonderful feeling of him kissing her. The gentle patter of rain on the tent soon lulled her to sleep, pleasant memories of Basch's strong arms holding her running through her mind. As she drifted off, she idly wondered if she would meet him in her dreams that night.


	8. eight

The next few days were spent trudging miserably across the wet plains, their boots sinking deep into the thick, clinging mud. Making camp was a dismal affair; their belongings were saturated from the constant rain and try as they might, they were unable to get a comforting fire started. The mood in the camp was tense, small squabbles breaking out over the most trivial of things.

Penelo sat quietly in the tent, pointedly avoid conversation with Ashe and Fran, pleased that this was their last night crossing the Giza Plains; they had sighted the foothills of the rolling Ozmone Plain late that evening and it would take less than a day's journey to reach them, and hopefully find relief for the endless rain.

Penelo hoped that once they reached the Ozmone Plain, the mood of the group would improve; she was certain that ever since _that _night, the first night of the rains, Basch had been avoiding her and dodging any attempt she made to speak to him. She had heard Balthier questioning him as they left camp the morning after they had kissed, asking Basch why he had not attended to his sword after he had slain a fiend. Basch had pulled a face at this remark; they all knew that he would never leave his blade soiled with blood, having seen him lovingly tending to his sword each night, a true knight through and through. Penelo was certain that Balthier suspected more about that night that he was letting on and she had caught the look of amusement on his face when he saw that he had riled Basch.

The sky was beginning to lighten as they walked, the clouds thinning out above them. Penelo held her hand out, palm upwards.

"I think the rain's stopping!" She grinned, feeling her previously dour mood beginning to lift. The promise of the drier land ahead seemed to spur the small group on and within a few hours, the rain had stopped all together. Soon the waterlogged ground beneath their feet gave way to springy grass; they had finally reached the Ozmone plains. Penelo was thrilled to feel way warm rays of the sun on her skin once more, and hugged herself tightly, twirling around. She caught Basch's eye as she fell back into step with the rest of the group, surprised to see him shoot her a small smile. He looked away before she could return the gesture.

"Ah!" The loud exclamation made them all look round; Balthier was crouched on the ground, an enormous snake towering above him. He clutched his arm against his stomach; Penelo could already see scarlet blood staining his shirt as it flowed from two deep puncture wounds. The group sprung into action, weapons drawn. Hardly pausing to breath, Fran had already fired two arrows at the huge creature, one sinking deep into its eye. Penelo unsheathed her dagger with shaky fingers, watching at Ashe and Vaan rushed at the creature, swords drawn. She felt paralyzed by fear and try as she might, could not move to assist her stricken comrade. A slithering noise behind her caused her to spin around; another snake appeared in the long grass, rearing up above her and hissing loudly, its ugly head weaving from side to side. Penelo tried to run, but tripped as she turned, falling to the floor and landing heavily on her back. She could only look up in terror as the creature hissed loudly again, its movements become more threatening by the second. Fear overwhelmed her completely and she screamed, a terrible, ear piercing sound.

Basch's head whipped around as he heard her scream. Without a second thought he turned and ran, covering the ground at an impossible speed.

"Penelo!" He roared, watching with horror as the snake drew back its head to strike. Finally he was at her side, leaping in front of her as the snake's head whipped towards her. Basch gave a grunt of pain as the snake's huge fang pierced his wrist, felt the hot blood spilling down his hand and onto the hilt of his sword. In one quick movement he spun, lifting the blade and severing the creatures head. Its body dropped to the floor, staining the grass red with its blood.

Penelo looked up at him; his shoulders were heaving as he caught his breath and there was a look of fury on his face. His expression softened immediately as he turned to look at her, sinking his sword into the ground and extending his hand to help her up. Penelo stared at the blood that ran down his wrist for a moment before accepting his hand, his blood felt sticky and warm on her hand as he pulled her to her feet.

"Thank you." She said softly, maintaining her hold on his hand and smiling gratefully at him. Basch stroked the back of her hand with his thumb. He winced slightly as a fresh trickle of blood ran from the wound on his wrist.

"Saving the little girl again, Captain?" Basch quickly let go of Penelo's hand as Balthier spoke, walking over to where they stood, his bloody arm cradled in his good. Basch narrowed his eyes and glared at Balthier. "Where was my help?"

"I'd have thought a sky pirate such as yourself would have been adept at protecting himself from danger, Balthier," Basch replied, "rather than relying on young Vaan to rescue you." The two men stared at each other for longer than was strictly necessary, Balthier's expression mocking, Basch's angry. After a minute, Basch looked away, stooping to pull his sword from the ground.

"We stop and make camp here." He stated brusquely, stalking away from the group.

"Ever so touchy, isn't he." Balthier asked, turning to look at Penelo, a smug smirk on his face. "Whatever could make him so angry about saving your skin once more, I wonder."

"Vaan, fetch me my things." Balthier called, gesturing to his wounded arm as he walked away from Penelo. She rolled her eyes as she watched Vaan practically tripping over himself to gather up Balthier's belongings, trailing after the older man.

Penelo returned to where she had thrown her own pack carelessly to the ground mere minutes before and followed the rest of the group, glaring at the back of Balthier's head.


	9. nine

**Author's Notes:** Thanks to everyone who is still reading! Hope people are still enjoying this, leave me a review and let me know if you are! :]

* * *

They had set up a small camp at the base of a high cliff wall, and despite the sun still hanging in the sky, they had lit a small, cheerful fire, as if to make up for all the nights and days on the Giza plains when a fire had been impossible.

Penelo sat hugging her knees to her chest, watching the dancing flames. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Basch standing above the others, his arms folded across his chest. The low hanging sun painted everything with a golden light; Penelo put her head on one side and looked shyly at Basch, admiring the way his long blonde hair shone in the low light.

"These fiends are far more dangerous than anything we have faced so far." She heard Basch state. "I believe it would be foolish to stand watch alone."

"I agree," Balthier drawled, "just look at the mess that thing made of my shirt." Fran had quickly stopped the wound on his arm from bleeding with a potion, and fresh, pink scars were all the suggested anything untoward had happened. Balthier's usually neat white shirt was another story though; its sleeve hung torn and tattered from where the snake's fangs had ripped it and large reddish brown stains had blossomed all over fabric.

"I shall take first watch." Fran stated in her unusual clipped tones, standing up and walking away from the others before they could argue.

"Guess she didn't get the "don't stand watch alone" part." Vaan laughed, leaning back against the cliff face, his hands behind his head. He yawned loudly, making no attempt to cover his mouth. "Anyway, I'm not joining her, I need sleep."

"As do I." Ashe commented.

"Very well. Balthier, you take this watch with Fran. Penelo and I shall relieve you and Vaan and Lady Ashe will take last watch." Basch commanded. Penelo's ears pricked up as he said her name. As she looked up, he caught her eye, but his expression was unreadable.

"Protecting the damsel in distress again?" Balthier asked as he strolled away to join Fran, smirking at Basch.

Penelo was curled up close to the fire, her blanket wrapped tightly around her. Basch crouched beside her, watching her shoulders rose and fell as she slept. She looked so peaceful that he did not want to wake her, and toyed with the idea of letting her sleep while he stood watch solo. He sighed, and reached out towards her.

Penelo stirred slightly as he laid his hand on her arm, shaking her gently. He whispered her name and shook her arm again, slightly harder this time.

"Basch?" She asked, her voice drowsy and confused. She rubbed sleep from her eyes and sat up to look at him.

"It's our turn to stand watch." He whispered, getting to his feet and watching her as she stifled a yawn and stretched.

"Already?" Asked Penelo, yawning again as she got to her feet. "I'm sure I only just fell asleep."

"I can stand watch alone," Basch began, "if you wish to stay here."

"No, no, it's ok!" Penelo replied hurriedly. She hoped that the next couple of hours would give her a chance to speak to him about that night in Giza. They walked a little distance away from the comforting light of the fire; Penelo attaching her dagger to her belt as they went. Basch had apparently left his sword at the camp in favour of a heavy looking axe which swung in his hand as they walked.

Ahead of her, she could see Balthier sitting at the bottom of a large rock, elbows resting on his bent knees. Fran was nowhere to be seen; a sudden glint of metal in the moonlight made Penelo look up as Fran dropped down from the top of the rock, landing silently beside Balthier.

"Don't let the beasties get you." Balthier taunted as he walked past Penelo, looking relieved to be heading back towards the camp.

Penelo watched as the darkness swallowed up Fran and Balthier. The low embers of the fire seemed a long way from where she and Basch now stood. She looked nervously at him; her hair hung loose, released from its braids, and swung forward to hide her face. She sat at the base of the large rock, staring at her feet.

"How's your arm now?" She asked, her voice catching in her throat slightly as she spoke. She knew his wrist had been healed as she herself had performed the spell, but she did not know what else to say to him. After all, she reasoned, he had so obviously been avoiding her while they were still crossing the Giza plains, he clearly didn't want to talk about what had happened between them.

"Better. You have my thanks." He crouched briefly beside her, leaning back against the rough rock, before sliding down to sit next to her on the grass. "Your white magicks are getting better by the day." Basch rubbed his wrist with his other hand.

"Can I look?"

"It's dark..."

"The moon is full." Without waiting for an answer, Penelo reached out and gently took hold of his wrist, feeling his arm tense at her touch. She ran her fingers over the smooth, freshly healed skin, the scar barely visible in the moonlight. A barely audible moan made her look up; Basch's eyes were closed, a half smile on his face as she lightly ran her fingers along the inside of his forearm.

Feeling slightly daring, and spurned on by his look of contentment, Penelo lowered her head, placing a gentle kiss on his wrist, her lips brushing the fresh scar. Basch arm tensed once more, his nails digging into the palm of his hand. He whispered her name, but she ignored him, trailing delicate kisses along his forearm. His fingers uncurled as she continued, caressing her cheek and winding into her hair.

She held his hand tense again and looked up at him; he sat bolt upright, staring intently into the darkness.

"Stay here, and stay quiet." He hissed, pulling his arm from Penelo's grip and standing up, hefting his axe. Penelo's heart started beating faster, a sudden fear gripping her. She stood quickly, watching Basch disappear into the dark, pulling her dagger from her belt and holding it ready.

The swish and thud of Basch axe came from close by and Penelo's grip tightened on her dagger. She strained her ears, listening for any sound that would suggest Basch was in trouble. She could hear something moving in the long grass and stifled a small scream when Basch suddenly appeared in front of her, his axe in one hand and a dead rabbit in the other.

"I fear I was overly cautious." Basch threw the animal's carcass to the ground beside Penelo, leaning his axe against the rock.

"You're shaking." His voice was full of concern, and he moved closer to her.

"I thought something might have happened to you." Penelo mumbled, looking away from him in embarrassment. Basch said nothing, but reached out and laid a comforting hand on her upper arm for a moment.

"I just don't like seeing you get hurt." She said quietly, her eyes fixed firmly on the floor. Basch's face was in shadow, but she could just make out his slight smile.

"You should not worry about me, Penelo."

"Well I'm going to." She whispered, stepping closer to him. Basch moved his hand from her arm, stroking her hair. Penelo slide her arms around his waist, pressing her lips against his bare shoulder and breathing in his increasingly familiar scent.

"Thank you." He muttered into her hair, wrapping his strong arms around her. Neither of them spoke, content to just hold each other. They only broke their embrace when they heard voices approaching them in the darkness, Vaan's whining plaintively, Ashe's restrained. Basch kissed the top of her head gently as his arms slipped away from her, stooping to retrieve his axe and dead rabbit.


	10. ten

**Author's Notes: **Sorry, its a long one! Enjoy :]

* * *

Crossing the Ozmone Plain proved more difficult than any of them had expected and fights with fiends frequently left them exhausted and injured. Ashe had sustained a nasty wound to the stomach, gored by a mesmenir, and it had taken both Fran and Penelo's white magick skills to heal her.

On their fourth day on the Ozmone Plain, they saw a Garif warrior in the distance, dispatching fiends and followed his tracks to Jahara village.

Penelo was so relieved when they at last reached Jahara, welcomed warily into the village by the Garif. Their war chief had offered the six weary travellers a large tent to use and it was in here that Penelo waited for the others to return. She was feeling a little sorry for herself; Basch had once more returned to awkwardly avoiding her and had resisted all her attempts to spend time alone with him.

"Penelo! It is so good to see you again." She looked up at the sound of the vaguely familiar voice.

Larsa Solidor stood in the entrance to their tent, smiling at Penelo.

"Hi Larsa!" She smiled, getting to her feet and crossing to give him a brief, friendly hug, wondering as she did so if it was proper to hug a future emperor. Larsa readily returned the hug, for slightly longer than Penelo was comfortable with.

"Lady Ashe has agreed to allow me to accompany you to Bur-Omisace." Larsa smiled.

"Bur-Omisace? We're going up the mountain?" Penelo asked, eyes wide. "Why?"

"I rather think that Lady Ashe should explain that to you. Now, tell me, how have you fared since our last meeting?" Larsa smiled at her and she couldn't help but notice the way his eyes flickered briefly as he glanced at her breasts. Penelo frowned, certain that Larsa wasn't simply enquiring out of politeness.

* * *

Later that night, the group joined their Garif hosts around a large fire. Penelo had finally managed to shake off Larsa by drawing Balthier into a discussion about the morals of sky piracy and then sneaking away under the guise of needing to fetch something from their tent. Larsa had barely noticed her leave as he argued with Balthier.

She had returned to the tent and sat now just outside its doorway, far away enough from the fire that she was unlikely to be bothered by anyone else, but close enough to still feel its heat. She hugged her knees against her chest, resting her head on her arms and watching with interest as several Garif passed a long pipe between them; its thick blue smoke smelt sweet and exotic. As she observed them, she became aware that someone was standing beside her, and looked up, hoping that it would not be Larsa. She was surprised to see that it was not Larsa, but Basch that stood over her.

"May I?" He asked, gesturing at the ground next to her. Penelo shrugged her shoulders, turning her attention back to the fire. Basch sat, keeping some distance between the two of them. She could smell the sweet smoke of the Garif's pipe more strongly now and suspected he had been sharing a pipe with members of the tribe.

"Lord Larsa certainly seems fond of you." Was that jealousy she could hear in his voice?

Penelo angrily sat upright, letting go of her knees and turning to look at him. She was surprised to see that he had removed the few pieces of armour he normally wore and had apparently divested himself of his axe and sword. He looked half asleep and Penelo wondered what affect the smoke from the Garif's pipe was having on him.

"At least some one is." She replied wearily.

"Penelo, I..." Basch voice trailed off as he looked at her. He looked away again, pulling a wicked looking knife from his belt, scratching at the dirt with it. She looked expectantly at him, waiting for him to speak again, however he said nothing more and simply sat frowning at the fire in front of them.

"Umm..." She looked down at the ground in front of her. "Are we ever going to talk about...you know..." She picked at a pebble as she spoke, heard the creak of Basch's leather vest as he shifted uncomfortably beside her.

"I do not know what there is to say." Basch whispered, conscious that their companions were not far away. "I enjoy your company immensely, but I do not feel it would be wise for us to continue down that path."

"Oh."

"Please understand Penelo, it is not because I do not wish to feel you close to me again. The truth is, I would eagerly welcome another chance to hold you but I do not feel it would be right for me to do so." His voice was still a low whisper and he glanced around him as he spoke, clearly worried that someone would overhear him.

"But what about what I think?" She asked in a small voice; her chest felt empty and cold. She had hoped they would talk, but had not expected him to tell her he was no longer interested.

"Penelo, the facts remain the same. I am more than twice your age, considered by most to be a dead man, a king slayer. I can offer you nothing."

"What if I don't care about any of that? What if I don't want you to offer me anything but yourself?" Penelo asked, turning to face him. "It's not like I have anything to offer you either."

She shuffled slightly nearer to him, her knee brushing against his linen breeches and laid her hand on his thigh. He looked away, uncomfortable.

"Please, Basch."

He rubbed his eyes, sighing.

"Find me at the river's edge shortly." He leant close to her as he whispered these words and stood quickly, pushing her hand from his leg. Penelo watched as he walked away, pausing briefly to exchange words with Fran. She sat in silent contemplation for some time before getting to her feet and walking away from the fire, unnoticed by her companions.

The night air was cool this far from the fire, and she wrapped her arms around herself as she walked to keep warm. This was it then, she thought as she walked, Basch would make it clear to her that he didn't want to continue whatever it was they had between them. She steeled herself, anticipating the rejection, telling herself that she would not cry when it came.

The wide wooden bridge came into view, but she did not cross it, slipping down the narrow path to its left instead. She slowed as he came into view, his back to her. He must have heard her approaching as he turned suddenly. The light of the moon hanging high above the bridge nearby cast shadows on his face, but she could see the brief smile he gave her.

"Let us walk a little further." He suggested, turning away from her again. Penelo followed, a few feet behind him, staring at the ground as she walked.

"This will do." He stopped so abruptly in front of her that she nearly walked into him. They could no longer see the bridge from where they stood and Penelo suspected that they could not be seen from the village either.

"So..." She folded her arms across her chest and stood looking at him, her eyes growing accustomed to the darkness. He ran his hand through his hair, an oddly Vaan-like gesture.

"I know what you're going to say." She stated, glaring at him. "You didn't need to drag me all the way down here."

"And what was it that I was to say?" He asked, taking a step closer to her.

"That I'm too young and you have 'nothing to offer' and blah blah blah." She scowled at him.

"You are young, much younger than I." Basch agreed, taking another step towards her and put his hand on her shoulder. She glanced at it and then back up at him. She could still detect the smell of the Garif's pipe smoke clinging to his hair and clothing and she thought she recognised the look on his face in the darkness; the quiet, still look that passed, in him, for happiness. She tried to ignore the feeling of his hand resting on her shoulder, and concentrated on his face. To her surprise, he moved forward suddenly and kissed her. Her eyes widened in shock, before closing as she returned the kiss. As he gently parted her lips with his, she opened her eyes again and with great effort broke away from his kiss, pushing him from her.

"Don't do that." She snapped. "I can't do this anymore."

"You cannot kiss me?" Basch asked, a note of embarrassment in his voice.

"Not that. _This_. Whatever this is between us. I can't deal with you kissing me one moment and ignoring me the next. It's too confusing. It hurts."

"Forgive me Penelo, I did not mean to hurt you."

"But you do. How can you go from holding me for hours like you did after you killed that rabbit to barely saying two words to me? Why are you doing this to me?"

"You think this easy for me? That I want to behave this way?" Basch sounded angry now. "You think that this does not hurt me too?"

"How is it hurting you?" She exclaimed.

"I know what you want of me, but I cannot give you what you want. And yet I am weak, for I cannot resist you and I know these moments of weakness hurt you and that hurts me, hurts me more than any torture laid on me in Nalbina."

Penelo stared at her feet; looking him in the eye would have proved too difficult.

"You must not forget, I have an oath-sworn duty to protect Princess Ashe." Basch told her. "I fear any distraction that would keep me from my duty. And you, Penelo, you are most certainly a distraction." He smiled as he said this, and reached out to stroke her cheek.

"I cannot deny that I avoid you. I avoid you because if I were not to, I do not think I could trust myself. I would have you be close to me, regardless of the audience or situation, but alas, I cannot do this, and so I keep my distance." He pulled his hand away from her face and watched her expectantly.

She stepped closer to him, taking hold of his face in her small hands, his beard rough under her fingertips. Standing on tip toes, she gently kissed him, lips brushing his briefly before moving away from him again.

"I'm sorry I distract you so." She smiled. "I want only as much from you as you can give. But please stop avoiding me, I'm sure you'll be able to control yourself!"

"I would not be so sure." Basch gave her a wry smile, pulling her to him and kissing her passionately. After several long moments, he pulled away.

"Is this you exercising control?" Penelo asked, grinning at him. "Or are you going to tell me we should return to the village?"

"You know me well." Basch replied with a low chuckle. They walked back towards the bridge in easy silence. As it came into view, Basch stopped suddenly, holding his arm out to stop Penelo. Looking round his shoulder, she saw figures on the bridge ahead of them. She squinted and realised it was Vaan and Ashe.

"They do not look as though they wish to be disturbed." Basch whispered to her. Penelo moved closer to him, wrapping arms around his waist and kissing the back of his shoulder. He moaned as she ran her fingers over his torso, tracing the outline of his stomach muscles with a fingertip. She continued kissing his shoulder, enjoying how warm and smooth his skin was, save for a scar that crept out from under his leather vest.

"How am I to control myself if you persist in teasing me so?" He asked, his voice light and slightly mocking. He grasped her hands in his, putting an end to her explorations, pulling her close to him.

As they watched, Ashe and Vaan moved from the bridge, returning to the village.

"Time to go." Basch muttered, squeezing her hands briefly. She planted one more kiss on his shoulder before releasing her grip on him.


	11. eleven

**Author's Notes:** Enjoy! I'm certainly enjoying writing it :]

* * *

As they walked up into the village, they went their separate ways in unspoken agreement. Penelo reached the tent before he did, pushing aside the heavy animal skins that covered the entranceway. Large though the tent was, there were four people already asleep in there with little room left for anyone else. Penelo snuggled down in the pile of furs the Garif had provided them, her eyes fixed on the tent door. A few minutes later, Basch stepped into the tent, the animal skins falling back into place behind him and cutting off any light.

"Basch!" She whispered, reaching out and tapping his leg to get his attention.

"They've left us precious little room." He muttered, crouching beside her. "Perhaps I should sleep outside the tent."

"Don't be silly." She whispered back, grabbing hold of his wrist. "No one will think anything of you sleeping near me, if that's what you're afraid of. There's no space anywhere else, after all." She heard him sigh, and hesitate for a moment before settling himself on the tent floor close by.

She stretched her arm out under a fur and smiled to herself in the dark as he did the same, their fingers entwined and hidden from view under the soft furs.

* * *

Basch's eyes sprung open, his heart beating fast. His hand was caught in something and he pulled away hard; in his semi-conscious state he was convinced he was still in Nalbina, his arm restrained. It was only when Penelo sleepily mumbled his name that he remembered where he was. He slid his hand back under the furs and found her hand again, clutching it tight. He was not sure what time it was, but the pale grey light creeping into the tent suggested that dawn was on its way. He moved slightly, partly to make himself more comfortable, partly to look at Penelo, her face just visible in the dim light.

Was he doing the right thing, he wondered as he watched her. He felt as though he was taking advantage of her in some way by refusing to acknowledge his feelings for her save for when they were alone. He gently stroked her thumb with his own, watching as she smiled in her sleep.

She opened her eyes drowsily and smiled shyly when she noticed him looking at her.

"Hi." She mouthed, still smiling contentedly at him. Her smile was so innocent and sweet it almost hurt him. As he held her gaze, he wondered, not for the first time, why she wanted him, what it was that attracted her to him. Whatever it was, he could not see it and sceptically wondered if she would have been attracted to him if they had not been thrown together in these circumstances.

The sound of movement came from the other side of the circular tent; with great reluctance, he pulled his hand from hers and rolled onto his back.

"No screaming in your sleep, Captain?" Propping himself up on his elbows he could see Balthier sitting on the other side of the tent, carefully combing back his hair. "That's a first."

"You ought hold your tongue, Balthier, lest I remove it for you." Basch snapped, getting to his feet and walking from the tent, grabbing his axe as he passed. He was certain he heard Balthier snigger as he left the tent.

The village outside was bathed in mist and Basch shivered slightly in the damp air. He was angry with himself for rising to Balthier's taunts once more. He was certain that Balthier suspected that there was more between he and Penelo than they wished the others to know and knew it was unwise to provoke the pirate further if he wished their secret to remain just that.


	12. twelve

**Author's Notes: **Two short chapters today! Next one will hopefully be a little longer. Enjoy!

* * *

"Does Basch really scream in his sleep?" Penelo asked Vaan as they traipsed back across the Ozmone Plain, heading for the Golmore Jungle. Larsa had attempted to engage her in conversation a few times, but her mono-syllabic replies had caused him to chase after Ashe instead. It wasn't that Penelo disliked Larsa, but Basch's comment about him being fond of her had made her uncomfortable around him; he certainly did seem to want to spend a lot of time talking to her. Penelo felt that her life was complicated enough without having a twelve year old mooning around after her.

"Sometimes, yeah. It's really annoying! I guess that's why he likes standing watch so much, maybe he doesn't want me and Balthier listening to what he's screaming." Vaan paused to look at her suspiciously.

"What's the deal with you and Basch all of a sudden?" He asked. Penelo blanched; how did Vaan know? She wondered if he had spotted them by the river the night before.

"What do you mean?" She cringed at the tone of her voice; too high pitched and accusatory.

"You know," Vaan shrugged, frowning at her "I saw the two of you sitting by the fire last night, looked like you were having a pretty serious talk. And don't forget all those times you stood watch with him."

"I stood watch with him once, Vaan! You stand watch with Ashe all the time, what does that say about you!" She teased, punching him on the arm. He shot her a look of mock hurt before falling silent. She glanced sideways at him; he looked older all of a sudden and Penelo couldn't help but noticed his arms and shoulders were becoming more muscular, making him look less like the scrawny boy she had grown accustomed to and more like a young man. She felt suddenly far away from her best friend, and knew that the secret she was keeping from him only served to increase this gulf.

Looking up, she saw Larsa walking back towards them and grabbed hold of Vaan's arm.

"Ow! What are you doing?" Vaan grumbled, shaking her off him.

"Vaan, distract him, please!" She begged, grabbing hold of his arm again and stopping him. "He keeps trying to talk to me and follow me around!" Vaan snorted in laughter, rolling his eyes at her, but ran forward to intercept Larsa none the less.

"Boy troubles?" A voice asked behind her. Her heart leapt as she turned to see Basch standing behind her, hand resting on the hilt of his sword, his mouth turning up slightly at the corners.

"Oh shut up!" She grinned as he fell in step beside her. "I just want Larsa to stop trailing around after me!"

"He'll become emperor of Archadia one day," Basch commented, "would you not wish to be empress?" She was sure she could see a hint of amusement in Basch's eyes.

"Ergh. I don't like Larsa like that, and even if I did, he's only 12! He's way too young!" Basch did not reply, but raised an eyebrow at her. She blushed.

"We're...that's different." She muttered, looking away from him.

"For you, perhaps."

"You think I'm too young?" She demanded, raising her voice slightly.

"You know your age concerns me."He glanced at the backs of their companions, further along the plains. "I do not think this is the time or place to discuss this though."

"It didn't seem to concern you all that much last night." She teased, stepping closer to him and nudging him in the arm.

"May be you distracted me again." He very briefly caught hold of her index finger with his own, a gesture that would go entirely unnoticed by their companions, but meant the world to Penelo.

"Be cautious around Balthier." Basch lowered his voice. "I believe he suspects us."

"I will be."

"Good girl." Basch smiled down at her.


	13. thirteen

**Author's Notes:** Ok, so its a bit lazy of me to write off Golmore and the Henne Mines but I hated those bits of the game! Leave me a review and let me know what you think :) x

* * *

The next few weeks passed quickly; the Golmore Jungle was a dark, confusing blur, and Penelo had encountered her first ever Marlboro, falling victim to its terrifying blinding attack. She was not sure what had been more surprising, her vision suddenly disappearing or finding that it was Balthier who had sprung to her aid, roughly pulling her head back by her braid and forcing the healing liquid into her eyes while the others fought off a particularly vicious coeurl .

Penelo remembered little about their journey to either the Eruyt Village or the Henne mines, attributing this to the sheer physical exhaustion they were experiencing on a day to day basis. It wasn't until they reached the snowy slopes of Mount Bur-Omisace that they felt able to relax a little; although the fiends on the mountain were fierce, they were far fewer and the encounters they did have were quickly over.

* * *

Both Penelo and Vaan had been fascinated by the snow, much to the amusement of their companions, having never encountered it before in Rabanastre. Penelo hated the cold on the mountain, but loved the feel of the snow when she touched it, loved watching flakes melt as they landed on her skin.

"Do you not feel the cold?" Basch asked her one day as they sat just outside the entrance to their tent, watching as she plunged her hand deep into the snow, packing a handful into a ball. Penelo had laughed, throwing the snowball away and shaking her head. A small fire was burning in front of them while waiting for the others to return. Balthier had convinced Vaan and Larsa to accompany him and Fran back to an old tomb they had passed an hour or so before, presumably intent on looting it. Looking back through tent doorway, Penelo could see Ashe, her hands in her lap, focused on what she was holding. Penelo assumed it was the dawn shard; Ashe been pulling it from her pocket, turning the nethicite over and over in her hands, as if it would answer some of her questions if only she stared at it long enough.

Penelo shivered suddenly as a strong wind blew across the white expanse in front of them, stinging her bare arms with crystals of ice. Getting to her feet, she turned to enter the tent, hoping to find a blanket to wrap herself in. Basch smiled up at her as she passed him; he seemed to be smiling far more often, she thought and each time he smiled at her, a small tingle of happiness would flood through her.

Pushing aside the canvas that covered the door, Penelo made a bee line for her pack, dumped on the left hand side of the tent. A quiet sniffle made her look up from her pack. Ashe was sitting in the far corner of the tent, her head bowed, the dawn shard clasped in her hands.

"Ashe?" Penelo asked, approaching timidly with her blanket in hand. "Are you alright?"

Ashe looked up; her cheeks were flushed and damp with tears. She clutched the dawn shard tightly, her knuckles white.

"It's nothing." Ashe replied, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand. She smiled; although it seemed to Penelo that the smile didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Are you sure?" She asked, crouching down next to Ashe who looked slightly taken aback by this. Ashe smiled her sad smile again, looking from Penelo to the dawn shard.

""I did not expect it to be this hard." She looked up to see Penelo frowning at her. "Finding the truth." She clarified.

"But that's why you've got all of us," Penelo smiled. "To help you along, help you find the truth."

""Thank you." Ashe replied, gracefully. Her expression was still sad and she sat silently for a few minutes. Feeling increasingly uncomfortable in Ashe's silent presence, Penelo stood to leave, picking up her blanket and hugging the bundle to her chest.

"Balthier...he took my wedding ring." Penelo turned again as Ashe spoke. Fresh tears rolled down Ashe's cheeks and she made no attempt to wipe them away. "He agreed only to accompany us to the mountain for a price, a price I could only pay with my ring." Penelo dropped to her knees beside Ashe, hesitating for a moment before putting her arm around Ashe's shoulder.

"I miss Rasler." Ashe whispered, her head bowed. "I miss him so much and now, now Balthier has the one thing I had left of him." Dropping the dawn shard to the floor in front of her, she sobbed heavily, covering her face with her hands. Penelo held her awkwardly as she cried. Ashe losing control like this had shocked her; she was normally so calm and reserved in front of them. How could Balthier do that to her? Penelo wondered. After a few minutes, Ashe's sobbing gradually ceased and she raised her head to smile weakly at Penelo.

"I'm sorry, Penelo," she sighed, "I did not mean to burden you with my problems."

"It's ok, Ashe. Why would Balthier do that to you? He must realise what that ring means to you."

"I could not say." She stared down at her hand. "I feel incomplete without it, the ring was my one last connection to Rasler. I only hope that Rasler understands."

"I'm sure he would." Penelo replied. It sounded as though Ashe was talking about Rasler as if he were still alive. "He'd loved you after all, he understand why you had to do it." She smiled at Ashe, giving her shoulder a comforting squeeze.

"Yes, I suppose so." Ashe sighed deeply, wiping her cheeks with the flats of her fingers. "I wondered, not long after...after he died" her voice faltered briefly but she carried on, "If I would stop loving him with time, if by not seeing him anymore those feelings would desert me."

"But they didn't?"

"No. I still love him as much as the day we married." Ashe smiled, a distant look in her eyes. "Have you ever been in love?" She asked, turning suddenly to look at Penelo.

Penelo went pale and; she glanced towards the tent door, thinking of Basch. Was it love that she felt for him, she wondered. Sometimes she thought that it was, but resigned herself to the fact that she could never tell him this. She suspected that even if she were to tell him, he would not reciprocate the feelings.

"Maybe; once." She finally replied, blushing furiously. She pulled her arm away from Ashe's shoulders, reaching up absent mindedly to fiddle with one of her braids.

"And did he feel the same?" Ashe continued to stare intently at Penelo.

"I don't know. I don't think so." In her more recent dreams, Basch had frequently professed his love for her, in increasingly elaborate and dramatic ways. Penelo always felt a little embarrassed after one of these dreams; even if Basch did feel the same way about her, he certainly wouldn't announce it with an all singing, all dancing Moogle quartet.

"Did you ever tell him?"

"No."

"The last time I saw Rasler, I did not tell him I loved him. I did not want him to accompany Basch to Nabudis, selfish of me really; had the situation been reversed, I would have left for Rabanastre without a moment's hesitation. In my selfish moment I refused to tell him what he wanted to hear, and then there was never a chance to tell him again."

Penelo looked down at the blanket she had dropped on the floor some time before, wondering how she would feel if she were never able to see Basch again. The thought alone made her want to cry.

"If you are ever lucky enough to find yourself in love again do not allow yourself to make the stupid mistakes I made. Do not let stupidity and pride stop you from telling someone you love them." Ashe laid a hand imploringly on Penelo's arm as she spoke.

"I...I won't." Penelo replied, feeling awkward.

"Good." Ashe yawned suddenly, covering her mouth delicately with her hand. "Would you mind leaving me? I feel I need some time alone."

Penelo shook her head, jumping to her feet and gathering up her blanket once more, pleased that she did not have to think up an excuse to leave the tent. She looked over her shoulder at Ashe as she left; she had retrieved the dawn shard from where it lay and began turning it over in her hands again, staring down at it intently.


	14. fourteen

**Author's Notes: **Sorry its only a short one! Next couple of chapters will be long though! R&R please :)

* * *

Penelo sat crossed legged at the edge of the path; Mt Bur-Omisace tumbled away below her. The evening air was clear and she stared in wonderment at what seemed like all of Ivalice, spread out before her. A wave of sadness caught her as she gazed out at the world below her. Tomorrow they would depart from the mountain, leaving Larsa behind. Penelo thought sadly of the way his face had crumpled when Al-Cid informed him of his father's death; Penelo had wanted to comfort him, tell him she knew just how he felt, but there had never been a chance and now Larsa had locked himself in one of the rooms in the temple, refusing to leave until his escort from Archades arrived to take him home.

Penelo smiled as she heard footsteps behind her, heard the familiar creaking sound of Basch's leather vest, the clink of his armour as he came to a halt.

"Hi Basch." She didn't turn around, watching as far below, continents she didn't know the names of turned golden under the light of the setting sun.

"I thought I would find you here."

"It's just so amazing!" Penelo gestured, spreading her arms wide to indicate the view in front of her. "I've never seen anything so beautiful!"

"I have." She jumped at the feel of his hand on the back of her head, stroking her hair. She had not noticed him drawing so close and blushed furiously when she realised what he meant.

"Doesn't it make you happy, looking at all of this?"

"I suppose. It certainly makes me dizzy." Basch eyed the edge of the path warily; despite having spent much time in Bhujerba, he had always had a healthy respect for heights and did not feel comfortable standing on the high levels and paths of Mt. Bur-Omisace, with nothing to stop him tumbling down thousands of feet of mountain.

"When do we leave for the Stilshrine?" Penelo asked, leaning back on her hands and tilting her head upwards to look at him.

"First light. More cold confounded mountain to cross. You would not have to come, you realise. Larsa would gladly take you back to Archades with him." Basch suggested.

"Why on earth would I go to Archades, with Larsa, no less?" She laughed, getting to her feet. "I'm coming to the Stilshrine!"

"But you would not have to..." Basch watched her intently.

"But I want to! Anyway, I can't exactly leave Vaan on his own!"

"Is Vaan the only reason you stay?"

"No! I want Ashe to be happy as well and to rule Dalmasca again. I want our lives to go back to how they were."

"Oh." Basch turned from her feeling slighted.

"And you of course." He felt Penelo's arms slide around his waist as she spoke, hugging him tight.

"You stay for me?"

"Of course I do! I thought you would have worked that out by now. Aren't you knights meant to be clever?" She giggled and felt him begin to turn and let go of his waist.

"I fear in some respects I am a very foolish man." He muttered, his hand moving to her lower back as he pulled her to him. With his other hand he raised her chin slightly, leaning down to kiss her. She sighed contentedly as he broke the kiss, leaning against his chest, her arms around his waist once more. Basch raised his head for a moment to look once more at the spectacular view beneath them.

"It is not looking at Ivalice below that makes me happy." He whispered, leaning close to her, his breath tickling her ear. "It is you."


	15. fifteen

**Author's Notes: **So...I'm stuck in a dilemma - the next chapter I've written gets pretty M rated and I'm not sure whether to change the rating of this story and include it, or leave it out and upload it separately...Thoughts anyone? x

* * *

Basch could not recall the return journey from the Stilshrine to Bur-Omisace. What he would always remember was the look of horror on Penelo's face when she saw the bodies on the mountainside. Basch had seen death and destruction many times before during the war, but even he was not prepared for the scene that greeted them. He'd watched sadly as Balthier caught her as she crumpled to the ground in tears, wishing that it was he who held her as she sobbed,

He stood stoically as Ashe announced her intentions to proceed to Archades. The idea of traipsing into Imperial territory where they could encounter Gabranth at any moment chilled him to the bone but he knew he would follow Ashe to the ends of the earth to protect her, whether that meant facing Gabranth or not.

* * *

Penelo sat on the floor, her back against a low wall. Her face was red and tearstained as she stared blankly at the rain clouds that hung around the mountain top. She had watched helplessly as the Nu Mou had healed those who had survived the Imperial attack and quietly moved the bodies of those who did not. She'd broken down in tears as she watched one of the refugees writhing in pain, his arm torn off by the Imperial blast, begging the Nu Mou acolyte who healed him to end his pain.

Penelo had run wildly away after this, ignoring the shouts of her companions, running with no sense of purpose or direction. She eventually found herself standing on one of the open paths, trying to ignore the large crater that had been gouged from the stone.

"I thought it best to give you some time." She looked up to see Basch standing nearby and rubbed roughly at the tears still streaming down her cheeks. He approached her cautiously and sat down on the wall against which she leant, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees.

"Are you alright?" Basch's voice shocked her out of her reverie.

"No, not really." She paused for a moment, fiddling with the buckle of her boot. "Did...Is this how my brothers died?" She asked, looking up at him, her eyes filled with tears again. "Alone and in pain and begging someone to kill them just to stop the hurt?" Basch sighed deeply and looked away from her.

"Possibly, yes."

Her loud sobs cut him to the bone and he scolded himself for being so blunt with her. She covered her face with her hands, her shoulders shaking as she cried. Basch scrambled off the wall, dropping to one knee in front of her.

"I'm sorry Penelo. I did not mean to be so callous."

"It's...it's ok." She replied, looking up at him and wiping tears from her cheeks.

"No, it is not and I apologise." He cautiously rested his hand on her crossed leg.

"Did you know my brothers?" She asked suddenly. Basch shook his head. He had been anticipating this question for some weeks now, surprised it had taken her so long to ask.

"No; Vossler did however."

"He did?"

"We discussed it some time ago; he knew all three of them."

"Why were you talking to Vossler about my brothers?" She asked.

"I overheard Vaan telling Balthier that you have...had...brothers; he mentioned the name Miko and I asked Vossler if he was knew any soldiers with that name. Miko and your other brothers' all served under Vossler."

"Miko joined up when Reks did. My older brothers, Adano and Laith, were already gone by then." Penelo muttered sadly, pulling one of her braids forward over her shoulder and toying with it. "Miko and Reks were best friends, but don't ever tell Vaan that. He thinks he was Reks' best friend." She laughed humourlessly, letting go of her hair.

"I miss them all so much," she mumbled, looking down at his hand on her leg. "I hate thinking of them being in pain like the people up there." She nodded towards the temple as she spoke. "I mean it was all for nothing in the end, wasn't it."

"Perhaps." Basch murmured, his head lowered, rain water dripping from the ends of his hair, wondering if he agreed with her or not.

"Miko and Reks thought they were going to be heroes."

"They were. They fought for their country, to protect the people they loved."

"Being dead isn't heroic."

"Their actions were heroic."

Penelo looked away from him, glaring at the grey clouds ahead. She took a deep breath and wiped the tears and rain from her face.

"Let's not talk about this anymore," She mumbled, "Its making me sad." Basch looked at her, studying her face for a moment before getting to his feet. Holding out his hand, he pulled Penelo to her feet.

"I'm not like you said that day in Lowtown," She told him, looking at her feet. "Optimistic and positive and stuff. I get sad about lots of things." Basch smiled at her, pulling her into a hug.

"That is understandable." He told her quietly. He felt her shivering as he held her and realised that her clothes were soaking wet from the rain.

"Penelo? Basch?" Vaan's voice made them both jump and Basch quickly let go of her. Vaan walked up to them with a confused look on his face. "What's going on?"

"Penelo was upset." Basch replied, folding his arms.

"You ok Pen?" Vaan pushed past Basch and grabbed hold of her arm.

"I'm fine now Vaan." She replied, shaking him off her.

"Well everyone is looking for you. We were all really worried when you ran off. You should come back to the temple, we're going to leave soon."

"Vaan, we cannot leave now, it is nearly nightfall. It would be far too dangerous to attempt to travel back down the mountain in the dark."

"Yeah but I've got this." Vaan looked up at Basch defiantly, opening his hand to reveal an orange gem, glittering even in the gloomy evening light.

"A teleportation stone? Where did you get that?" Basch asked, reaching out to take the gem; Vaan closed his fingers tightly around the stone again.

"Bergan dropped it. I thought it might be worth something. Ashe thinks we should use it to go back to Rabanastre before heading to Archades and she wants to leave soon."

Vaan turned away from them, running back up the way he had come.

"We should hurry up, I guess." Penelo smiled at him. "Thanks for coming to find me." She slipped one hand round the back of his neck, pulling him down to kiss him. Basch turn away before her lips could find his, leaving her to awkwardly kiss his cheek. She quickly let go of him, a hurt look on her face.

"I'll see you at the temple then." She turned away from him and hurried away up the path. Basch pushed his wet hair out of his face as he watched her walk away. Vaan catching them in an embrace had unnerved him; whatever his feelings were for Penelo, he did not want their companions to know. He sighed to himself and began walking back towards the temple.

* * *

Basch found the rest of the group standing outside of the temple waiting for him.

"What kept you, Captain?" Balthier enquired. "We've been ready to depart for some time now."

"My apologies." He glanced at Penelo; she scowled at him briefly before pointedly looking away. He watched as Vaan handed the teleportation stone to Fran, listening as she muttered incantations under her breath, her long finger nails tracing patterns in the air.

"It's time." She looked up at her companions, her long white hair blowing around her. "Hold on to each other." She instructed. Basch frowned as Penelo squeeze in between Balthier and Vaan, grasping their hands tightly. He felt Ashe slip her hand into his left hand and reluctantly grabbed hold of Balthier's with his right. He had travelled by teleportation on several occasions and hated the feeling of travelling hundreds of miles in a matter of seconds. He closed his eyes as he felt the unnatural pull from the teleportation stone, a hot magickal breeze whipping around them.

He opened his eyes again as they slammed into the ground, the hot still air suggesting they had made it back to Rabanastre in one piece. He quickly let go of Ashe and Balthier's hands, watching as Vaan stumbled and fell.

"That was weird!" Vaan laughed, getting to his feet. "Come on Pen, let's go see Migelo and everyone!"

"I think I'm going to be sick." Penelo mumbled. She was crouched next to Vaan, her arms wrapped around her shins and her face hidden.

"You'll be fine! Come on, get up!" He pulled at her arm, trying to encourage her to stand, but she waved him away.

"Go and see your Migelo, Vaan. I'll stay with her and make sure she is ok." Basch suggested, watching as Balthier and Fran walked away towards the city.

"That ok with you Penelo?" Vaan asked, bending down to look at her. She shrugged noncommittally, her face still hidden.

"You coming then Ashe?" Vaan called as he walked away. Ashe hesitated for a moment, looking from Basch to Vaan before following him.

"Meet us at the Sandsea!" Vaan's voice travelled back towards them across the sand.

Basch knelt down beside Penelo. He reached out tentatively and rubbed her back.

"How are you feeling?"

"Are you sure you care?" She snapped. Basch sighed but did not remove his hand from her back.

"Of course I care."

"Didn't seem like it before." She muttered, turning her head slightly to look at him. "Why wouldn't you let me kiss you?"

"Vaan finding us embracing made me uncomfortable." He admitted. "I am not ready for our companions to know that there is something between us. I fear it could compromise my ability to protect Lady Ashe."

"Oh." She turned away from him again, hiding her face against her arms.

"I thought you understood that?" He asked, feeling slightly impatient.

"I do," her voice was muffled, "it doesn't mean I have to like it though." He pulled his hand away from her back and stood up.

"Are you coming?" He asked, looking down at her. Penelo shook her head, still crouched on the ground. She pushed him away when he reached out for her, moving to sit cross legged on the sand, her elbows on her knees, chin in hands. She narrowed her eyes as she glared up at him.

"I don't intend to stay here all evening watching you sulk, Penelo." He told her. "I will be in the Sandsea with the others when you decide to stop being childish."

Penelo felt like she had been slapped in the face as she watched him walk away towards Rabanastre without a backwards glance.


	16. sixteen

**Author's Notes: **Thanks to everyone that left reviews/comments :] Not going to change the rating of the whole story just yet I don't think, but I have somehow managed to write another two short-ish chapters to go before the M-rated stuff! Enjoy and let me know what you think! x

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Basch glowered at the grimy tabletop in front of him, nursing a glass of serpentwyne, wincing slightly as the thick, oily liquid burnt the back of his throat. He was aware of the others speaking over and around him but ignored every attempt they made to draw him into conversation.

"Tomaj!" Even over the noise of the inn's other patron's, Penelo voice was clear. Basch looked up from his glass, watching as she stood on tip toes to lean across the sticky bar to kiss the barkeeper on both cheeks. They exchanged words for several minutes before he passed her something from under the bar. Basch watched as she turned and walked to where they all sat, taking a swig from a squarish green bottle as she approached. She flopped down on a bench next to Vaan, nudging him in the ribs and passing him the bottle, her eyes flicking briefly towards Basch.

"Tomaj gave you madhu?" He asked, grinning as he took the bottle from her. "Nice!"

"So how long are we staying in Rabanastre for?" Penelo asked, looking at Ashe.

"Three nights, I suppose. I think we all need time to recuperate and make sure we are ready for the journey ahead." Ashe replied, wrinkling her nose in distaste as Penelo and Vaan passed the green bottle between each other.

"Good gods, is this proper Bhujerban?" Balthier had taken the bottle from Vaan, sniffing delicately at its mouth and pulling a face.

"Yes! And it's ours!" Penelo snapped, reaching across the table and snatching the bottle back from the pirate.

"Keep it." He replied, holding up his hands. "Rotten stuff. I don't know how you can stomach it."

"It's not that strong." Penelo grinned at him as she took another swig, her eyes fixed on Basch.

He watched sullenly as Penelo and Vaan got steadily more drunk, their heads close together as they laughed over shared jokes, largely ignoring their companions. He held his glass out pointedly to the barmaid, gesturing that she keep on pouring until the serpentwyne was nearly at the top of the glass. He glared across the table at Balthier as he watched the man raise an eyebrow at him. Surely the pirate did not disapprove of him getting drunk?

"Ahh! Stop it Vaan!" He looked up to see her giggling and grabbing at Vaan's blonde hair as the boy laughed, his arms around her shoulders, kissing her on the neck in a playful manner. He wondered if she sensed him looking at her for she suddenly met his gaze, her hazel eyes fierce. He shook his head sadly at her before looking back down at his glass.

He watched out of the corner of his eye as she slammed the nearly empty bottle against Vaan's chest, what little liquid that was left sloshing loudly and got up from the table. She grabbed Tomaj round the waist as she walked between tables, spinning the barkeeper round and laughing as he ruffled her hair before she grabbed hold of his face with both hands and planted a kiss on the corner of his mouth. Basch wondered if she was deliberately trying to antagonise him and frowned as she threw open the door to inn, slipping out in the warm night beyond.

"Should you not go after her?" He asked Vaan. The boy lay back on the bench, one foot on the seat, his knee bent.

"She'll be fine." Vaan replied, his arm covering his face. "She always goes wandering around when she's drunk."

"It is not safe for her to be 'wandering' if she is drunk." Basch countered, slamming his glass down on the table.

"There's nothing stopping you from checking up on her, is there Captain?" Balthier smirked. "We know how you like to rescue her so." Basch stood suddenly, pushing the table away from him as he did so. He felt a small flicker of satisfaction as Balthier's glass toppled over, staining the pirate's sleeve with dark red liquid.

"Try by the Westgate," Vaan's voice called as Basch stalked from the inn "That's where she normally goes."

The night air was cool, Rabanastre's dusty streets lit by torchlight. He felt light headed as he walked, cursing himself for drinking so much serpentwyne. He hurried away from the inn, cutting through the southern plaza. He saw her seated at the top of the stairs, her back to him. He slowed to a halt, in two minds whether to approach her or turn away.

"I know you're there, Basch." She turned her head slightly to look over her shoulder at him. "What do you want?"

"I came to see if you were alright." He muttered, walking closer to her. "You drank rather a lot in the tavern."

"I'm fine. You can go away now."

"Is this you being less childish?" He asked, sitting down beside her. She was surprised that he did not sound angry, but worn out. "Drinking too much and flirting with the bartender?"

"I'm not being childish." She muttered, glaring down the stairs. "And Tomaj is a friend, that wasn't flirting."

"I'm not interested in arguing with you again." He moved closer to her, wondering what she would do if he reached for her hand.

"What if I'm interested in arguing?" She asked, turning to frown at him.

"I hope that you are not. I came to apologise."

"For which part?" Penelo demanded. He sighed, rubbing his chin. She certainly didn't want to make this easy for him.

"For all of it. I treated you poorly and I apologise." He cautiously reached out, resting his hand on her lower back. When she didn't push him away, he moved closer again, his arm encircling her waist as he pulled her against him. "I truly am sorry Penelo." After a moment he felt her head drop to his shoulder.

"I'm sorry too." She whispered, looking up at him. He was surprised to see that her eyes were wide open and focused; he'd expected her to be half asleep after the amount she'd drunk. She moved her hand to his leg, tracing patterns on his knee through the fabric. "You make me so crazy sometimes."

"How so?"

"Because I want to kiss you all the time and I can't. And then when I finally get a chance to, stupid Vaan comes along and distracts us."

"You think I do not feel the same?" He felt her shrug. "You're intoxicating," he commented as she nestled closer to him, her forehead hot against his neck. "I feel as though I can focus on nothing else when you are around me."

"I really, really like you, you know." He felt her skin grow hotter against his as she spoke and wondered if she was blushing.

"I know. I am very fond of you too." He told her, kissing the top of her head. He heard her sigh quietly. He suspected that these were not quite the words she wanted to hear and knew deep down that these were not the words he had really wanted to say to her. He moved his hand slightly, reaching up to stroke her hair, mussing up her short fringe.

"Will you walk me back to the Sandsea." She asked, her voice suddenly sleepy.

"Of course." He stood, holding out his hand to her and helping her to her feet. He lowered his head and kissed her on the cheek as she put her hand against his arm to steady herself.

"That was an impressive amount of madhu you and Vaan drunk tonight." He commented as they walked slowly back through Rabanastre, her arm linked through his. "I've seen grown men pass out from drinking less."

She laughed, loud and clear in the still night.

"Told you I was tougher than I look." She grinned.


	17. seventeen

**Author's Notes: **Thanks to all those who left reviews :] Enjoy! x

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"I saw you here once." Penelo told him as she jumped lightly onto the edge of the fountain, arms outstretched to keep her balance. Basch looked at her quizzically. They were walking through Rabanastre's Southern Plaza, on their way to the Muthru Bazaar to purchase supplies before beginning the long journey to Archades. Penelo crouched down on the low wall of the fountain, trailing her fingers through the water. Basch watched her, wondering how she looked so awake and cheerful after drinking so much the night before.

"It was just before the plague. I was sitting right there with my friends, messing around in the fountain and you walked past. I just stopped talking and stared at you. They were laughing at me and asking me what the matter was. I told them I thought you were beautiful and they laughed even more. Oona, she was one of my friends, she told my brothers. They wouldn't let it go for weeks!" Penelo laughed, standing up again, flicking water from her fingers.

"Beautiful?" Basch raised an eyebrow at her. "I've been called many things in my time, but I cannot say I have ever been called beautiful." Penelo grinned at him, hopping off the fountain wall and falling back in step with him.

"Well, I was only young." She laughed, hugging herself. She skipped lightly down the steps to the Muthru Bazaar, turning to watch as Basch followed her at a more dignified pace.

"Come and see this." She grinned, reaching for his arm as he came down the stairs. Basch instinctively pulled his arm back out of her reach, glancing around them. Penelo rolled her eyes at him and beckoned for him to follow her. Basch watched in confusion as she suddenly slipped down a narrow ginnel between two buildings. He glanced around again before following her down the alleyway.

At the end of the alleyway was a small courtyard made gloomy by the buildings looming above it.

"What is this?" Basch asked. Penelo leant back against a wall and smiled at him.

"Me and Vaan used to hide here. Or at least I used to hide here when Vaan went stealing things in the bazaar. It was like our own secret place that no one else ever knew about. It's weird, isn't it; none of the buildings have any windows or anything. It's like they just forgot about this little bit when they were building them." He looked up as she spoke, noting that there were indeed no windows or openings of any kind on the buildings above. The upper floors leant closely together, allowing little sunlight to filter down to where they stood. Basch was not overly impressed with the space; the lack of daylight and closeness of the walls reminded him all too much of a prison cell.

"I like it in here," Penelo continued, "You could be in here all day and no one would ever know. I don't think they even notice the alleyway anymore." She lowered her eyes as she said this, toying with her bracelet.

"We should be purchasing supplies..." He muttered, watching her as she spun her bracelet round and round her wrist. Penelo looked up suddenly, a mischievous smile on her face.

"We probably should." She replied, reaching out and grabbing the front of his vest with one hand. "Though I think the bazaar will still be there in a little while." Still holding tight to him, she stepped closer, pushing aside the collar of his vest to kiss his neck. Basch stood still for a moment; a vague thought of their companions waiting for them crossing his mind. These thoughts were quickly driven away as Penelo continued kissing his neck and collar bone. He smiled to himself as he put his arms around her; purchasing supplies could wait.

"Mmm." Her teeth grazed his neck making him shiver.

"Sorry." She whispered, looking up at him, mischievous smile still on her face. "You're right, we should be buying supplies right now."

"Supplies can wait." Basch replied, leaning down to kiss her.

"Are you sure?" She teased, breaking away from his kiss. Basch nodded, pulling her close to him again. He leant in to kiss her again, watching as her eyes closed. He still marvelled at the soft fullness of her lips every time he kissed her and this time was no exception. He shivered again slightly as he felt her hands slide beneath his vest and shirt, her fingernails lightly scratching his back.

His hands moving as the tips of their tongues brushed, coming to rest tentatively on her lower back. She pressed herself harder against him, her breasts crushed against his hard chest. As her tongue explored his, she stood on tip toe suddenly, forcing his hands to slide from her back to her bottom. He tensed briefly, as if waiting to see what her reaction would be. She dug her fingernails into his shoulder blades, kissing him harder and felt him gently squeeze her buttocks. An intense wave of pleasure ran through her as he caressed her through the fabric of her shorts and she whimpered softly.

He reluctantly pulled away from the kiss without moving his hands. Her cheeks were flushed, her breathing heavy as she looked at him.

"Why'd you stop?" She asked, disappointment etched on her face.

"I fear our absence will be noted if we do not return to the Sandsea soon," he stated, "but believe me, were it not for our companions, I would gladly stay here with you all day." He leant down and kissed her cheek, removing his hands from her backside.

"Come on." He encouraged, reaching round behind himself and pulling her arms away from him.

"And you accused me of teasing you!" Penelo frowned as they turned to leave the courtyard. "You made me go all tingly, you know." A blush crossed her face as she said this; the feeling of him touching her buttocks had not just caused a little tingle of pleasure, but a pull of lust deep within her. The feeling of his hands on her body had left her wanting more than just kisses from him.


	18. eighteen

**PLEASE NOTE - THIS CHAPTER IS RATED M!**

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**Author's Notes:** So thank you everyone that has been reading and leaving ratings! Here's the more M rated chapter I keep going on about! Let me know what you think; its the first time I've written anything properly M rated - had some M rated stuff on my old account but that was more implied than this! Anyway, enjoy, R&R and all that! x

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Penelo feigned a yawn as she walked from the room, acutely aware that Basch's eyes were fixed on her. He'd been watching her throughout the evening when he thought the others wouldn't notice. Penelo hugged her arms around herself and shot a quick look over her shoulder as she left the room; she met Basch's gaze and smiled shyly at him, blushing slightly when he returned her smile before looking away.

She pushed open the door to the bedroom, pleased that they were still staying in the Sandsea, rather than camping out in the desert again. Not that she had disliked the nights under the stars and the kisses she and Basch had stolen when they thought the others were not around. Penelo felt her cheeks flush when she remembered the feeling of Basch's lips on hers, his rough hand gently caressing her cheek. She busied herself looking through the leather pack in front of her, pulling out a crumpled white shirt.

She slipped out of her clothes, shivering slightly in the cool air. She pulled the shirt on, the long sleeves hanging past her hands. Penelo hugged herself tightly, enjoying the faint scent of sweat and leather that lingered on the cloth. Blowing out all but one of the candles, Penelo sat down on the edge of the bed, pulling her hair from its braids and allowing it to fall loosely around her face. Crossing her legs demurely, she leaned back, hoping that she wouldn't be waiting too long.

Down in the bar, Basch drained the last of his serpentwyne, setting the glass down in front of him and rising from his seat. He considered bidding good night to his companions, but Balthier was regaling Vaan and Ashe with tales of sky piracy once more, and held their full attention. Fran stared out of the dark window, her chin resting on her hand. The look on her face suggested she had heard Balthier's stories far too many times before.

A creak of the floor boards in the corridor outside made Penelo jump; she had been absent mindedly been running her fingers through her hair, thinking about the first time Basch had kissed her, pressed up against a rock as the heavy rains of the Giza Plains soaked through their clothes and neither of them noticing as they were so lost in the moment.

"Penelo?" Basch whispered, standing in the door way, a surprised look on his face. He stepped into the room, closing the door quietly behind him. "What are you doing here?"

"Waiting for you." Penelo replied, rising from the bed and crossing to where he stood. She stopped a foot away from him, her head slightly bowed. Basch smiled his wry half smile at her as he slipped out of his leather vest, letting it drop to the floor behind him.

"That's my shirt" he reached out and caught hold of the front of it, pulling her towards him. A tiny part of his brain told him he should be concerned about their companions sitting downstairs in the bar, but these concerns soon evaporated as he looked down at her.

"I could take it off" Penelo smiled sweetly, her fingers moving to undo the top button of the shirt.

"Leave it, I like it on you." Basch replied, wrapping his arms around her and drawing her into a passionate kiss. Penelo's eyelids fluttered shut as she slid her hands behind his neck, winding her fingers in to his long hair. Without breaking their kiss, Basch turned and took a step towards the bed, sinking down onto the soft mattress, pulling Penelo down on top of him. They broke off briefly to move further up the bed, Basch's arm beneath her neck, his fingers lightly stroking her upper arm and shoulder. Penelo pulled away from him slightly, resting her head against his shoulder.

"This is nice." She whispered, reaching down to unbutton his shirt, pushing the fabric aside to expose his taut stomach. She traced the scars on his chest, smiling as she saw goose bumps form on his skin. Basch took her hand in his, raising her fingers to his lips and kissing them.

"Aye" Basch replied, his blue grey eyes looking longingly into hers. He placed a chaste kiss on her lips and released her fingers. His eyes never leaving hers, he ran his hand down her side, enjoying her sharp intake of breath as his fingers brushed the swell of her breast and let his hand come to rest on her hip.

Penelo reached up and placed her hands on either side of his face, pressing her lips against his. Basch moaned softly as Penelo slipped her tongue into his mouth and tightened his hold on her hip. Penelo felt as though the room was spinning as they kissed and she slid her hands up into his hair, holding tightly to him as if not to slip away from him as he kissed her with ever increasing urgency.

Basch slowly pulled away from her, his face inches from hers and moved his hand up and undid the first two buttons of the shirt she wore, watching her as she bit her lip in anticipation. He lowered his head slightly, relishing in the feel of her finger nails lightly scratching his scalp as he moved.

Penelo felt her heart beating faster as Basch trailed kisses down her neck and collar bone his hand moving slowly to the open shirt, sliding it beneath the worn fabric to caress her breast, gently brushing her nipple with his calloused thumb. Penelo's breath caught in her chest as his questing fingers continued to move, pinching and teasing her nipple ever so slightly before moving to caress the delicate skin of her breast. Penelo could feel a familiar tingling sensation growing within her as he touched her and she moved slightly, pressing her shoulder blades into the mattress, pushing her breasts nearer to him.

Basch couldn't believe how soft her skin felt against his hand, and wondered from a minute if his hands were too rough, and causing her pain when she whimpered. He stopped kissing her neck to look up at her, a questioning look in his eyes.

"Is this ok?" He asked, his breath warm against her skin. He withdrew his hand from her shirt, allowing it to rest on her ribs and looked at her in the candlelight. Her pale blonde hair shone in the candlelight; he loved the way it fell loose around her face, framing her against the pillow. He was surprised by how beautiful she looked wearing nothing but his shirt.

"Why did you stop?" She asked unable to hide the disappointment in her voice.

"I was worried I may be hurting you" Basch mumbled, resting his forehead on her shoulder, his skin warm against hers.

"You weren't." Penelo whispered, planting a kiss on the top of his head. "It felt wonderful." She hoped that Basch would slide his hand back under her shirt and continue his gentle explorations. He unbuttoned the shirt further, pushing the fabric aside to expose her breasts. Penelo felt her face flush as he admired her body, an almost hungry look in his eyes.

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry I'm so small" she whispered, looking away from him, her cheeks burning with embarrassment. He reached up and stroked her cheek as he leaned in to kiss her delicately, his lips barely brushing hers.

"You're perfect, Penelo" He replied, his hand trembling slightly as he moved it back towards her pale breasts. "You certainly have nothing to apologise for." He kissed her deeply, parting her lips with his and caressing her tongue with his own. His hand gently cupped her breast again, and Penelo moaned as he once again teased her nipple with his rough fingers. She still couldn't help but notice that the small swell of her breast barely filled his hand. Basch's hand moved suddenly to her ribs, holding her tightly as he pulled away from her lips, his mouth moving confidently down her neck and collarbone. Penelo felt a warmness spreading through her as his kisses reached her breasts, his beard tickling her skin. Her eyes closed and she moaned again as he took her nipple in his mouth, his warm tongue flicking and teasing her.

She reached out, pushing his open shirt from his shoulders. Basch took the hint and sat up suddenly, withdrawing his arm from behind her neck and shrugging off his shirt before throwing it to the floor. He gazed down at her, drinking in the sight of her pale skin, admiring the rosy pinkness of her small, erect nipples. He longed to run his hands all over her lithe body, to feel the softness of her against him. He lay back down, encircling her with his strong arms and pulling her hard against his chest. Her mouth sought his and they kissed for a long, dizzying time, her fingernails scratching lightly over his shoulder blades and back, tracing the lines of the scars that covered his shoulders. Basch's skin tingled at her touch, as if her fingertips were electrified, and he could feel his arousal growing as they embraced, each small whimper of pleasure she made increasing his desire to have her.

He broke their kiss, but did not move away from her, gazing deeply into her eyes as his hand skimmed her back and side, coming to rest on the warm, smooth skin of her thigh, his fingers tracing the edge of the shirt that covered her. He slowly allowed his fingers to move beneath the hem of the shirt, but was surprised to feel her stiffen and tense in his arms.

"What is it?" He asked, staring into her eyes, his own full of concern.

"I'm...I'm scared" She whispered. Her eyes glistened slightly and he feared for a minute that she may cry.

"Of me?" He asked, his fingers still resting lightly on her slim thigh. Penelo bit her lip and then nodded slightly, burying her head against his shoulder so she did not have to meet his gaze. He pressed his face against her hair and reluctantly removed his hand from her leg, wrapping his arm around her lower back and holding her close.

"Penelo, am I your first?" He asked, his voice low and tinged with just a hint of embarrassment.

"Would you think less of me if I said no?" She replied, her face still hidden against his shoulder, her words slightly muffled. He brought his hand up to her chin, gently pulling her away from his shoulder, forcing her to look at him.

"Truthfully? No." He replied, watching her hazel eyes. "All that matters is that you are here with me now". He kissed her, sweetly. Penelo hesitated for just a moment before returning the kiss.

"So why are you scared?" He asked, his strong fingers running through her wavy blonde hair. He felt Penelo shrug slightly and look away from him. "Please, Penelo. I don't want you to feel scared."

"It's the way you look at me" she murmured, her warm breath tickling his cheek. "Like...I'm beautiful." Her face flushed again, her cheeks burning crimson. "No one's ever looked at me like that before".

"But you are beautiful" He responded, sounding confused. "I look at you because you are beautiful, because I want you, need you and because I love you" he finished, his heart beating faster as the words he had longed to say finally escaped his lips. He held his breath while she looked intently at him, as if she couldn't quite believe what she was hearing.

"You love me?" her voice was small and timid.

"Yes" Basch stated simply, resting his forehead against hers. He closed his eyes and heard her sigh happily, felt her lips pressing gently against his. She pulled away very slightly, and her lips tickled his as she whispered "good", before leaning back in to kiss him.

Penelo's head was swimming. Basch loved her? She was shocked; she had worried that the feeling had been one sided, too scared to say anything to him, resigned to having her secret intense kisses with him and expected no more. She felt as if she were going to burst with happiness and began to kiss him with more urgency, feeling as though her lips were bruised and not caring, not wanting anything more than to kiss him, to feel his tongue in her mouth, his arms holding her tightly. Basch responded in kind, returning her kisses with a hitherto unknown ferocity. His hand moved south again, his fingers moving across her breasts, where they teased her and stoked the fires of her passion.

Penelo felt she could stand this no longer, and pulled away from his hungry kisses, allowing her teeth to lightly graze his neck. She was thrilled to hear a low moan escape his lips and gently bit his neck, reaching for his hand as she did so. She guided his hand still further down her body, allowing him to run his fingers across her thigh once again and felt her heart flutter.

"You're sure?" he asked, moving his head slightly to meet her gaze. Penelo nodded and buried her face against his neck, drinking in the scent of his skin.

Basch's fingers trembled slightly as they crept beneath the fabric of her shirt. He heard her catch her breath and paused briefly, his fingers tracing circles on her skin. He felt her relax again, and moved his hand upwards, his fingertips brushing against her hip bone. He was surprised to find that she wore nothing under the shirt and could feel his own arousal growing as he traced the curve of her hip bone, allowing his hand to come to rest on her thigh, enjoying the feel of her warm breath against his neck as she moaned softly. He moved his hand ever so slightly, amazed at the impossible softness of her inner thigh and again heard her catch her breath as his fingers stroked her and moved closer towards their goal.

Penelo clung tightly to him, her mouth pressed against his neck as his questing fingers reached her most private area, a soft "oh!" escaping her lips as he gently began to stroke her, sending waves of pleasure crashing through her.

Basch stroked her in slow, lazy movements, teasing her and allowing a finger to slip briefly inside her. He loved the feel of her against his fingers, the slick wetness of her and the incredible warmth he felt. He could feel his own excitement growing ever more, straining against his breeches as he pleasured her with his fingers.

"I want you," He heard her whisper, biting his neck. Each brush of her teeth sent little shocks of pleasure through him, and felt her hand reach for his breeches, pushing beneath the waistband to trail her fingers along his length. "Please" she whispered again, wrapping her small hand around him and stroking him. Basch pulled away from their embrace, his fingers slick with her desire and removed his breeches. He watched as her eyes opened wide, staring with eager anticipation at his erect manhood. He lay back next to her, undoing the last of the buttons that kept her shirt covering her and pulled the fabric aside, admiring ever inch of her.

"You're sure?" He asked again as she reached for him, her fingers gripping him softly as she began to stroke him. A moan of pleasure escaped his lips, and he lowered his head to kiss and fondle her breasts again, his other hand moving back between her legs to experience her exquisite wetness. Again he allowed himself to slip a finger inside her, holding still as she ground against him.

"Please" she begged, moving slightly so her legs fell open invitingly. Her hand slipped from his shaft and moved to his neck, pulling him down into a kiss. She felt him move as they kissed, his knees pushing her legs further open, the weight of his body pressing against her. Basch broke their kiss to take his weight on one elbow, his other hand reaching down between them to guide himself inside of her. He heard a gasp of shock as he moved slowly, marvelling at her tightness around him.

"Are you alright?" He asked, his face millimetres from her own, his breathing slightly laboured.

"Yes" she gasped, her hips moving to accommodate him "You're just bigger than I expected." She closed her eyes as her head lolled back in pleasure.

Basch began to move slowly, teasing both her and himself, pulling back to the point of withdrawal before slowly sliding into her again. Penelo moaned, her back arching and hips rising slightly to meet his thrusts. She wrapped her legs around his lower back, pulling him in and raised her head slightly to kiss and nibble his neck. Penelo could feel a sense of overwhelming pleasure where their bodies met and bucked her hips hard against him, encouraging him to go faster.

"Patience." Basch whispered in her ear, gently biting her ear lobe and using his free hand to hold her hips still. It had been several years since he had been with a woman and he wanted to take his time and prolong his enjoyment for as long as possible. He gazed down at Penelo, her face and chest flushed with excitement, moaning softly as he slowly penetrated her and did not know just how long he could delay the inevitable.

"Please Basch." she whimpered as he lowered his head, capturing an erect nipple in his mouth and grazing it lightly with his teeth. The sense of pleasure was overwhelming; Penelo tightened her grip on Basch with her legs, her fingernails digging into his shoulder blades and he kept up his maddeningly slow pace. "Please, I need you to go faster" she whispered, her voice shaky with anticipation.

Basch quickened his movements slightly and continued to tease her breasts, planting small kisses all over them and flicking his tongue across her nipple before taking it in his mouth and sucking gently. Penelo's moans became more insistent, and she sunk her teeth into Basch's bare shoulder, unable to focus on anything but the feeling of him inside her, bringing her more pleasure than she had ever thought possible. She felt as though she might cry if she did not get some kind of release soon.

The feeling of Penelo biting hard on his shoulder caused Basch to cry out and forget about his desire to prolong the experience. He began to thrust harder against her, focusing on the wonderful wet tightness of her as she pulled him deeper with her legs, his excitement growing at the base of his manhood with every thrust. As he moved, he heard Penelo's moans turn to small cries of surprise, felt her body beginning to tremble beneath him.

Penelo dug her fingernails hard into his back, and bit down on the firm muscle of his shoulder once more. She could not trust herself to do anything else, could barely focus on anything other than the incredible feeling deep within her. Her breathing became more ragged and she wrapped her arms tightly around him, trying to pull him ever more close to her. She could stand it no longer; shock waves of pleasure crashed through her and she cried out before burying her face against his tanned skin as the orgasm took her.

The sound of her cry as his movements pushed her over the edge was too much for Basch and he moaned loudly as he erupted inside her. Penelo felt his body spasm twice, three times, before he lay still, his body heavy on top of hers. She planted gentle kisses on his jaw, her fingers stroking the wispy hair at the nape of his neck. He moved slightly, withdrawing from her and rolling off her. Penelo felt suddenly empty but comforted and rested her head on his chest, his skin damp with perspiration. He sighed happily, wrapping his arms around her, content to just lie with her, wishing he could stop time and stay in the moment forever.


	19. nineteen

**Author's Notes:** No comments or anything for the last chapter? Hope that means people liked it rather than disliked it? Anyway, heres the next chapter, enjoy! x

* * *

Weak sunlight filtered through the curtain into the room; dawn was breaking over Rabanastre. Penelo stirred and lifted her head, looking around the room in confusion. Turning over, she saw Basch asleep next to her. Panic gripped her; was it really morning already? She hadn't meant to fall asleep in his room, didn't want anyone to notice her absence.

"Basch!" She hissed, reaching out and shaking his shoulder, pulling the sheet up to cover herself. Basch moaned in his sleep and she shook him again, harder.

"Morning." He smiled as he finally awoke.

"Basch, it is the morning! I must have fallen asleep after...you know." She blushed furiously, pulling the sheet more tightly about her. Basch yawned and stretched languidly. Penelo bit her lip as the sheet slid down to reveal his bare chest. "What if someone notices I wasn't in my room all night?"

"Tell them you simply went out early." Basch yawned, pushing his tousled hair back from his face and smiling sleepily at her. A scowl briefly crossed her face before being replaced by a sheepish grin. She sat upright, clutching the sheet tightly to her chest.

"Last night was wonderful."

"Aye." Basch put his arm around her, resting his hand on her lower back. Penelo shivered at the feel of him gently stroking her back as he smiled at her. His arm tightened around her as she leant down to kiss him, a kiss he eagerly returned. Her hands worked their way into his hair once more, all thoughts of modesty long forgotten as she allowed the sheet to fall away from her. As his hand moved up her side, his fingers trailing gently along her bare skin, they were interrupted by a loud knocking at the door.

Penelo froze, grasping at the sheet and pulling it up over her chest again.

"Basch?" Came a voice from the other side of the door.

"Is that Ashe?" Penelo mouthed, looking frantically around the room for her clothes. Basch shrugged, pushing the sheet off himself and getting up from the bed. Penelo blushed furiously, realising he was completely naked. Basch seemed unfazed, lazily pulling on his breeches and crossing to the door, pulling it open as the knocking came again.

"Lady Ashe?" Basch pulled the door ajar, standing so that she would not be able to see past him into the room.

"Have you seen Penelo? We ought to be leaving soon and no one can find her."

"Perhaps she left early." Basch lied. "To bid farewell to friends or some such."

"Hmm," came Ashe's response from the other side of the door."If you see her, tell her we must leave shortly." Basch nodded in response, closing the door before Ashe had even walked away. He crossed back to the bed and stood in front of her.

"I suppose it best you leave." He smiled sadly, reaching down to stroke her cheek.

"Ok." Penelo replied in a small voice. She held the sheet tight around her chest, pinning it in place with her arms. She looked desperately at her clothes, dumped on the floor some feet away. She waited for Basch to turn around but he didn't.

"Could...could you pass me my clothes?" She asked, feeling a blush creeping across her face. Basch smiled at her, stooping to pick up her clothes and sitting down next to her on the bed as he passed them to her. She felt awkward dressing in front of him, aware that he was watching her as she pulled her shirt on, revealing her breasts as she did so.

"You are uncomfortable around me." Basch commented.

"No I'm not!" Penelo blushed. "I just feel a bit weird with you watching me put my clothes on."

"You're sure that is the only reason?"

Penelo nodded, standing up from the bed. She gave him a confused look, biting her fingernail as she watched him.

"Did you...um...did you mean, you know, what you said?" She folded her arms across her chest protectively. Basch stood up also, drawing her close to him. He stroked a strand of hair away from her cheek.

"I would not have said it if I did not mean it." Penelo uncrossed her arms, laying her hands flat against his bare chest and standing on tip toes to kiss him, feeling as though she may burst with happiness. Basch wrapped his arms around her waist and hugged her tightly. He sighed, kissing the top of her head.

"I guess I should go back to my room." Penelo muttered, pressing her lips against his chest. "I...uh...I do too, you know." She whispered, her face hidden from him.

"You do what?"

"You know. I love you too." Her cheeks burned crimson as she spoke.

"I am glad." Basch murmured into her hair.


	20. twenty

**Author's Notes: Thanks to everyone who is still reading! Sorry its taken so long to get this chapter up...mad times at work! Enjoy, and leave me a review to let me know what you think! x.**

* * *

"Hardly the Strahl, is she." Balthier paced around the sky saloon uncomfortably, glaring out of the airship's large windows.

"Would you rather walk?" Basch stood a short distance from Balthier, his arms folded across his chest.

"Not particularly." Balthier slumped down in a seat next to Fran. "But still, five hours to fly to Nalbina? It's ridiculous."

Basch said nothing as he turned and walked from the sky saloon, slamming the door against the wall as he left. He had been feeling tense ever since leaving the Sandsea that morning, the thought of returning to Nalbina weighing heavily on his mind. He paused at the moment of the stairs for a moment, trying to decide whether to go up onto the air deck or lock himself away in a cabin until they arrived. A need for fresh air got the better of him.

Stepping out onto the air deck, he immediately noticed Penelo and Vaan at the airship's prow. Before he could turn away, Vaan had spotted him, waving and beckoning for him to come over. Penelo met his gaze and smiled shyly at him as he approached, her cheeks flushing slightly.

"What is it, Vaan?" He asked, frowning. Vaan was perched onto of the air deck's railing, apparently unconcerned by the thousand feet drop behind him. For what seemed like the hundredth time since he had met the youth, Basch wondered why Vaan felt the need to climb up everything the second he got the chance.

"So, going back to Nalbina, huh?" Vaan asked, taking one hand off the railing and scratching at the back of his head. "Bet you're not too happy about that, right?"

"Vaan!" Penelo hissed, punching him hard in the side. "Shut up!"

"I was just asking! Me and Balthier and Fran were only there for a few days and I don't want to go anywhere near the place!"

"You're such an idiot Vaan!" Penelo scolded as she watched Basch walk away. She punched him again, causing him to wobble dangerously on the railing and ran after Basch. She could hear Vaan shouting after her but ignored him.

She slipped on the stairs as she ran, but managed to grab the banister and keep her footing.

"Miss, are you alright?" Penelo looked up to see the docent looking at her with concern.

"Yes, thanks. Did you see a man come this way? With blonde hair?"

"He went to his cabin miss."

"Which one?"

"I'm not allowed to give out that information miss."

"It's important! He's a...friend of mine. Please!"

"Cabin A-41 miss." The docent replied after a moment's hesitation. Penelo thanked her and ran down the corridor, counting down the doors as she went. She finally reached A-41 and paused for a minute to catch her breath.

"Basch!" She called, knocking on the door. "I know you're in there. Let me in." The door remained firmly shut so she knocked again, louder and harder this time. After several minutes, the door was wrenched open. Penelo recoiled slightly when she saw the angry look on Basch's face.

"What is it?" He demanded.

"Can...can I come in?" She asked nervously. Basch frowned at her for a moment but then sighed and stood aside to allow her into the cabin. She stood uncertainly with her back against the wall, watching Basch pace around the small room.

"What's wrong?" She asked as he passed her. He said nothing but continued to pace, keeping his eyes firmly fixed on the floor. "Basch, please talk to me. Is it about what Vaan said? He doesn't realise what he's saying half the time, he can be such an idiot." She reached out and grabbed hold of his arm as he passed her again. He turned to look at her, his eyes glistening as though he were about to cry. He sat down heavily on the end of the narrow bed, his head bowed.

"The thought of flying into Nalbina terrifies me." He admitted, pushing his hair away from his face. "Just the name of the place unsettles me." She took a step closer to him, standing directly in front of him and put her hands on his shoulders.

"Why didn't you tell Ashe that?" She asked as he moved his hands to her hips. "We could have found another way to the Highwaste."

"And have her think me weak?" Basch sighed, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her closer to him. "I am, despite everything, a knight; it would not be fitting for me to admit such weakness."

"You've just admitted it to me though."

"You seem to have that affect on me."

"What affect is that?" She cocked her head to one side, looking at him curiously.

"I feel as though I could admit any weakness to you and you would still be here with me." He looked up at her, watching as she smiled and nodded at him.

"Is this from Nalbina?" She asked tentatively, lightly tracing her fingers along the scar above his eye.

"Gabranth's work." He replied; letting go of her and pulling aside his vest and shirt to reveal a deep scar on his side. "As was this. The rest, courtesy of Archades finest." He sneered as he finished.

"I'm sorry." Penelo didn't know what else to say. She relaxed as his arms encircled her slim waist once more, her fingers absent mindedly toying with a strand of his hair.

"It's in the past now." Basch sighed. "I only hope we do not linger in Nalbina once we dock. The sooner we are away from that ill-fated place, the better."

"We won't stay there long, I'm sure of it."

"I only hope you are right." He looked up at her, tracing a seam on the back of her clothes. "Will you stay here with me until we reach Nalbina?" He asked, almost shyly.

She nodded, "of course."

"My thanks." He whispered. "Even the threat of Nalbina seems less when I am with you." She bent down and gently kissed his cheek before pulling away from him and walking to the porthole to look out at the sky.

"I could get used to flying." She grinned after several minutes, turning back to look at him, her hands clasped behind her back. She tilted her head to one side again watching intently as he rubbed his eyes. She crossed back to the bed and sat down behind him, running her hand lightly over his shoulder.

"Will you show me?" She asked; he could feel her following the scar the crept out from under his leather vest and stiffened slightly.

"Show you what?" He stalled, feeling uncomfortable.

"Your scars."

"Did you not see enough last night?"

"That was different. Please Basch."

"Why are you so interested?"

"I don't know, I just am." Her fingers slid under the sleeve of his vest, her gentle touch making him shiver. He sighed but eventually shrugged off his vest, throwing it to the floor. His shirt followed and he soon sat topless in front of her, feeling awkward and uncomfortable. No, not awkward, he corrected himself; vulnerable. He heard her gasp as she gazed at the thick network of scars that covered his shoulders and back, felt himself flush with embarrassment.

He felt her rest her head against his shoulder, her fingers running across his back. He shifted uncomfortably, wishing she would stop. Penelo looked on sadly as she traced the scar that ran from shoulder blade to shoulder blade; she could tell from his posture that he was not comfortable with her touching him in this way but she couldn't seem to stop herself. She felt him flinch and stiffen as she moved her head slightly, delicately kissing the angry looking marks.

"Don't." He tried to pull away from her, but she held onto his shoulders, her grip surprisingly strong.

"Why?" She whispered between kisses. He frowned, wishing that he could tell her that her inquisitive looks were making him feel exposed, her gentle touch on his back serving as a stark reminder of the two years of hell he went through in Nalbina. She moved slightly behind him, one arm snaking under his arm and around his chest, the other stroking his hair to one side as she knelt up to kiss his neck.

"Better?" She asked, her lips close to his ear. He nodded, relaxing slightly now her attention had moved away from his scars and letting himself enjoy the feeling of her kisses, her lips hot against his neck. He knew she was trying to make him forget about Nalbina but no matter how much he tried he couldn't shake off his fears completely.


	21. twenty one

**Author's Notes: Little short one! Enjoy! :) x**

* * *

"You could at least pretend you are standing watch." Basch reprimanded. He was leaning against the cliff face watching Penelo as she did handstands, a full moon turning everything a faint shade of silver.

"I'm bored though. We haven't seen any fiends for days." She commented as she stood upright again, brushing dirt from her hands. Several days journey had brought them to the Mosphoran Highwastes; they had set up camp that night in a small gorge at the base of a cliff, a metre wide gouge in the rock the only entrance. Basch and Penelo were currently situated at the entrance to the gorge standing watch. Balthier had questioned why they needed to situate themselves so far from the rest of the group as they had walked away; night vision, Basch had countered, staying near the light of the fire destroyed his night vision, making it harder to see any fiends that may approach.

"That does not mean there are none. It would not harm you to show a little more caution."

"I am being cautious." She leant backwards as she spoke, hands flat on the floor and her back arching gracefully as she kicked her legs upwards. "I can do handstands and be cautious at the same time." She smiled playfully at him in the moonlight. He rolled his eyes and looked away from her, but not before she caught the half smile that flickered across his face.

"You agree with me, don't you?" She teased as she righted herself, walking across to him and poking him in the chest. Basch swatted her finger away, folding his arms across his chest,

"Oh stop being such a solider! There's nothing here! When was the last time we saw a fiend?!"

"Does it not concern you that we have not seen a fiend for days?" He asked.

"Not really. If they want to stay away then that suits me just fine!"

"There may be something keeping them away..." He started

"You know what does bother me?" She asked, giving no indication that she had heard him, "That you haven't kissed me for two days now!"

"Is this really the time or place?" He asked half heartedly, looking over his shoulder at the dark gorge. "What if one of the others were to wake early for their watch..."

"Oh yes, because Vaan and Balthier are known for being early for anything." She laughed as she did another handstand. "You could just say if you don't want to kiss me you know."

"You know that is not the case," He muttered, looking over his shoulder again. "I do not trust Balthier. I am sure he knows that we are..." He trailed off as she looked intently at him.

"We're what?"

"That there is something between us." He finished lamely.

"If he knew, don't you think he'd have said something by now?"

"Not if it benefitted him somehow." Basch frowned. Penelo shrugged, taking a step closer to him.

"How exactly would it benefit him?" She asked. He looked down at her, watched as she bit her lower lip, wondering why he was stalling when all he wanted to do was kiss her.

"I do not know; I just know I do not trust the man."

"Basch?"

"Yes?"

"Shut up and kiss me."

He laughed as he readily obliged, her arms around his neck, eyes closing as she pulled him down into a passionate kiss.


	22. twenty two

**Author's Notes: **So, I'm now caught up to where I'd written to, so my updates might slow down a bit now, plus I'm in the middle of writing something distinctly Vaan&Balthier flavoured which has been distracting me from this story - sorry! Anyway, enjoy and let me know what you think! x

* * *

"Is it just me or does Basch seem like he's happy recently." Penelo's ears pricked up at Vaan's comment: they were passing through the Salikawood, heading ever onwards towards Archades. She watched as Ashe looked from Vaan to Basch, several feet ahead of them on the wide wooden walkways that hung between the trees.

"I had not noticed." Ashe finally replied. "But now that you bring it to my attention, he does appear happier of late."

"Wonder why..." Vaan pondered, absent mindedly hacking at hanging vines with his sword. Penelo looked away, smiling to herself.

* * *

"'Bout time we stopped!" Vaan had complained as he threw himself to the floor in an undignified manner and digging in his pack for some food. "I thought I was going to starve to death for a moment!"

They had stopped early that day, while the sun was still high in the sky, making use of the little round tree houses that the craft moogles sometimes used. Penelo sat with her back to the others, legs dangling over the side of the path, letting the usual bickering about watch arrangements wash over her.

"Why do I always have to go first?" Vaan complained loudly.

"Because otherwise you fall asleep and leave someone else to stand watch in your absence." Balthier countered. "You'll stand first watch and like it." Penelo smiled to herself; she didn't need to look at Vaan to know that he would be scowling and pouting after being told what to do by Balthier.

"When did it become your role to plan watch arrangements?" Ashe quibbled.

"Since the good captain disappeared an hour ago." Balthier snapped. "Where the hells is that man anyway?"

"I shall search for him." Penelo heard Fran's heels clicking against the soft wood of the walkways, presumably as she got to her feet.

"There are things I need to discuss with you." Balthier stated quickly; Penelo assumed his comment was directed at Fran. "Penelo isn't doing anything, she can look for him." She scrambled to her feet quickly, turning to glare at the pirate.

"Why do I have to go?" She asked, hands on her hips.

"Why not?" A smug smirk played across Balthier's face as he watched Penelo, holding her stare until she looked away, resigned.

"Fine. I'll go traipsing round the woods on my own then." She turned on her heel again and made to walk away from their little camp.

"Uhh, Penelo?" She turned back at the sound of Vaan's voice, feeling embarrassed when she saw he held her dagger in his left hand. She stalked back and snatched the weapon from him, ignoring his sniggers and kicking him hard in the leg before walking away again.

* * *

Penelo wandered away from the camp wondering how she was meant to find Basch in the confusing maze of paths that hung between the trees. A little part of her also wondered why Balthier had volunteered her for the task when it would have been far easier for Fran to locate Basch. Up ahead of her the path split in three, winding off in different directions. She flopped down onto the weathered planks in exasperation.

"He'll have to walk past here sometime." She muttered to herself, crossing her legs. The wood was very peaceful, away from the others she thought, lying back on the path, her arm beneath her head. She was watching the leaves high above her moving slightly in the breeze when she heard a noise behind her.

She tilted her head back, stifling a scream as she jumped to her feet. An Antares loomed over her, waving its vicious claws in a threatening manner. Penelo gripped her dagger tightly, looking wildly around her. She knew she was too far from the camp to scream for help and didn't fancy trying to outrun the creature. She backed away as the fiend advanced on her, crouching low as she felt her legs brush against a low hanging branch. The Antares thrust a claw at her but she was ready for it, spinning away out of its reach, driving her dagger into its side as she did so. The creature shrieked, lumbering around to face her again. She ducked to the left as it lunged at her, screaming in pain as its sharp claw raked across her ribs and stomach, tearing her clothes. She lashed out wildly with her dagger, recoiling in horror as she severed one of the creature's claws.

She backed out of its reach once more, watching as its remaining claw went limp, its legs dragging slightly as it turned. Penelo relaxed slightly; the creature was obviously tiring and she felt sure she would be able to out run it soon. She danced out of striking distance keeping her eyes fixed on the fiend the whole time, hoping to tire it out but to her horror caught her foot in a trailing vine and fell heavily to the floor. She tried frantically to untangle her foot as the creature moved slowly towards her, its one remaining claw waving in small circles, a low hissing noise escaping its maw. She muttered under her breath as she desperately tried to recall the fire spell Ashe had taught her several days ago, hoping to at least distract the creature but the words wouldn't come.

The feeling of a strong hand roughly grasping her upper arm and dragging her backwards made her scream. Her heart leapt when she saw Basch crouching over her, axe in hand as the Antares stumbled towards them. His expression was grim and he kept his eyes fixed on the fiend as he hefted his axe in anticipation. The insect clacked its claw menacingly at Basch, having apparently forgotten about Penelo and skittered towards him. Basch swung his axe as it approached, bring it down heavily onto the creature's head, splitting it in two. Its body crashed to the floor, twitching violently. Basch kicked the remains from the high path before turning to look at Penelo, an angry look on his face.

"What were you thinking, wandering these woods on your own?" He snapped, stepping closer to her as she scrambled to her feet. "You could have been killed."

"I came to look for you..." Her voice trailed off as he glared at her.

"On your own? Unarmed?"

"I'm not unarmed!" She waved her dagger at him, growing annoyed at the patronising tone of his voice.

"A child's toy of a weapon. What good would that be against a fiend?"

"I was doing just fine before you turned up!" She shouted, her cheeks flushing angrily.

"Just fine? It did not look that way to me." He reached out and lightly touched the cut that ran across her torso. Penelo recoiled and gasped in pain. "That wound does not look 'just fine'. That creature could have gutted you, you realise."

"Well it didn't!"

"And if I had not been here, how do you think that fight would have ended? You need to be more careful, these woods are too dangerous for you to wander on your own." He grasped both her shoulders as he spoke, as if to re-enforce his point. "There will not always be someone there to save you."

"Why do you think I need saving?" She shouted, twisting out of his grip. "I'm not some delicate little thing that needs your 'protection' you know!" She glared at him, her breathing quickened from anger and adrenaline from the fight.

"Are you sure of that?" Basch asked in the same patronising tone as before.

"Oh shut up!" Penelo narrowed her eyes at him. "I only came to look for you, not to get a lecture off you."

"You ought be more careful. You may end up seriously injured one day if you are not."

Penelo ignored him, looking down at the cut that ran across her ribs and stomach. She winced in pain as she wiped away the blood; the wound was not deep but hurt none the less. She knew Basch was right but the condescending way in which he was speaking to her did not give her much of an incentive to admit that.

"You agree, do you not?" Basch asked, watching her intently. Penelo scowled at him, wishing that he would be quiet. Without thinking, drew back her arm and went to punch him in the side, hoping to shock him into silence. Basch caught her fist easily before it could connect.

"That might work with Vaan but it will not with me." He told her, her fist still clutched tightly in his hand. He took several steps forward, forcing her to move until her back was up against a huge tree trunk. She looked up at him, biting her lip nervously.

"If you wanted to silence me," He moved his other hand to rest against the tree trunk beside her, maintaining his grasp on her fist. "There are more effective ways to do so." He leant down and kissed her hungrily, his tongue invading her mouth. She managed to wrench her fist out of his hand and reached out for the collar of his vest, pulling him closer to her until his body crushed hers against the tree.

He moaned as she bit his lower lip, and pulled away from her slightly. She was breathing hard as she watched him. He grabbed her wrists, forcing her to let go of his vest and pinned her arms against the tree, watching her intently, half expecting her to object. She smiled coyly at him, leaning forward to try and kiss him again but he moved out of her reach. She made a small noise of disappointment and moved towards him again.

"Why won't you kiss me?" She pouted. Basch said nothing but briefly let go of her wrist, flicking open the buttons at the neck of her shirt and pushing the fabric aside to reveal her bare neck. He grabbed hold of her arm again before she could move, lowering his head to kiss her neck, feeling her pulse against his lips. She whimpered as his teeth grazed her neck, rolling her hips forward to brush against him, smiling as she felt his excitement, hard against her stomach. He moaned softly, biting harder on her neck, releasing his grasp on her left wrist and running his hand up her side.

Penelo gasped and dug her fingernails into Basch's bicep as he trailed his tongue along her collarbone, his free hand moving upwards to gently cup her breast. She closed her eyes, burying her face in his hair, biting her lip as he continued to caress her. Her face still hidden, she gingerly moved her hand, reaching down to stroke him through the fabric of his breeches. She heard him moan again, his mouth hot against her neck. He pulled away to look at her, his grey-blue eyes intense.

"This may not be such a good idea..." He whispered; he continued to run his thumb over the hard nub of her nipple as he spoke, his other hand moving to her hip.

"You're probably right..." She replied, leaning forward to kiss him again.

"The others could come to look for us at any moment..."

"Yeah..." They paused for a minute, both breathing heavily and staring into each other's eyes. Her fingers continued to trace his hardness through his shorts, a demure smile on her face. "Are you sure you want me to stop?" She whispered, feeling him twitch slightly beneath her fingers. Basch pushed her back against the tree trunk roughly, his mouth moving back to her neck. She reached for his sword belt, unbuckling it to free his shirt. Basch caught it before it could crash to the floor, his mouth never leaving her neck as he lowered his belt and axe to the ground.

As she unbuttoned his shirt, she felt his hand move, tracing the hem of her shorts where it met her thigh. She fidgeted slightly at his touch, raising her head to look along the path in the direction of the camp. An involuntary gasp escaped her mouth as Basch's fingers moved between her legs, a delicious shiver of desire running through her. She slowly ran her fingertips across his stomach, pausing briefly at the waistband of his breeches before sliding her hand beneath the fabric and wrapping her hand gently around him. He pulled away from her neck to look at her, smiling slightly at the disappointed noise she made as his kisses ceased.

"Should we be doing this?" She asked, continuing to stroke him, feeling him growing ever harder under her hand.

"It may not be wise to continue..." He murmured, his hand still between her legs, stroking her lightly through the fabric of her shorts. She leant up to kiss him, nibbling on his lower lip. She felt his hands move to her back, fumbling with the zip on the back of her overalls.

"So what are you doing then?" She asked him jokingly between kisses.

"You do not wish to?" He stopped fiddling with her zip, resting his hands on the tree trunk on either side of her hips.

"I didn't say that." She replied breathily, still stroking him, her eyes glittering with lust. He smiled at her before kissing her hard, his hands roaming all over her body. She felt him tugging on the zip between her shoulder blades again.

"Don't need to undo that," she gasped as he kissed her. "Buttons." She bent over slightly, undoing the buttons between her legs and unbuckling the straps around her thighs. He moved his hand to her face as she straightened up again, lightly stroking her cheek and kissing her gently.

She shuddered slightly as he moved his hand back between her legs. Basch watched her as he kissed her neck, feeling her pulse quicken as he traced her wetness. Her back arched as he gently slipped a finger inside her, smiling to himself when he heard her whimper, burying her head against his shoulder. He bit back a gasp of his own as she pulled at the laces that held his breeches closed, loosening them enough to expose him to the cool air of the forest.

"You're too tall." She complained as his hardness brushed against her stomach.

"Put your arms around my neck." He whispered, withdrawing his finger and moving his hands to her backside, pushing her suit up slightly. In one fluid movement, he lifted her and buried himself deep inside her as he did so. Penelo instinctively wrapped her legs around his hips as he pushed her back against the tree, crying out as he thrust roughly. His metal bracers were digging into the backs of her thighs but she did not care. She bit down on her knuckles, wincing slightly at the dull ache deep inside as he filled her completely, an ache that soon gave way to pleasure as Basch found his rhythm.

The sex was quick and intense, a world apart from their first time together. Penelo was briefly grateful that she still had her clothes on as the tree bark was rough against the back of her arms. She quickly forgot about this as Basch began to thrust harder, his breath hot against her chest as he leant his head on her shoulder.

They both peaked at the same time, Penelo's gasps catching in her throat as she felt the warmth of Basch's orgasm deep inside her. He dropped his hands, letting her slide to the floor and turned away as she refastened buttons and buckles, her legs shaking slightly as she smoothed down her overalls.

"That was foolish." Basch muttered, his back still to Penelo as he bent to retrieve his sword belt.

"What?" She gasped, slipping round to stand in front of him, watching as he refastened his belt.

"We could easily have been discovered. I do not know what came over me."

"Sorry." She mumbled, looking down at her feet.

"Do not be sorry." He replied, smiling kindly at her as he reached out to hug her. "I merely feel we should exercise a little more caution in future." She wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, his bare chest warm against her cheek. He sighed contentedly, twisting one of her braids around his fingers.

"You started it anyway." She teased. He laughed quietly, kissing her hair as he let go of her.

"Why did you disappear earlier anyway?" She asked as they walked back towards the camp. "Not that I'm complaining, 'cause if you hadn't, I wouldn't have had to come and find you, and well..." She trailed off, grinning sheepishly at him. As she watched, he stooped, picking up three wyrdhare carcasses.

"Dinner." He explained simply, gesturing at her with the dead animals.

"I wish you'd stop killing bunnies." She frowned, following him along the path.

"Would you rather eat Marlboro?" He called over his shoulder.


	23. twenty three

**Author's Notes: **I don't really have any notes to write! Just wanted to say a big thanks to everyone who has left me reviews, it means a lot that people like my stuff! Enjoy!

_GR x_

* * *

"Oh! It's so blue!" Penelo exclaimed as the narrow path they were walking down opened out to reveal their first glimpse of the Phon Coast, turquoise waves lapping gently at the beach.

"It certainly is very pretty." Ashe conceded, shading her eyes against the bright sunlight to take in the view. "We should stop here for a little while."

Within minutes Vaan had shrugged off his vest and boots and was tearing towards the water, Penelo following him at a slightly more reasonable pace. Basch sat down on the sand, leaning against a large boulder, watching in surprise as Ashe hesitated for a moment before pulling off her own boots and began to walk towards where Vaan and Penelo splashed in the shallows. He closed his eyes against the brilliant light, listening as the sound of Vaan, Penelo and Ashe's laughter was carried across the sand on the sea breeze.

"Hardly fitting behaviour for a princess." Basch opened an eye and saw Balthier seated a few feet from him, adjusting his shirt sleeves.

Basch glanced at the shoreline to see Ashe ducking behind Penelo as Vaan kicked water at the pair of them.

"She is happy, they all are. They've all three had little happiness in their lives for some time. Surely you will not begrudge them a little inappropriate behaviour?"

"I'm sure you know all about inappropriate behaviour, captain." Balthier smirked, watching Basch keenly, still fiddling with his cuffs.

"What exactly is it that you think you know, Balthier." Basch snarled, looking around. Fran was nowhere to be seen and their younger companions were too far away to hear anything.

"Oh, nothing." Balthier began, looking away, the same smug look still fixed on his face. Before Basch could challenge him further, they were distracted by a loud scream from the water. Basch looked round in time to see Vaan tackle Ashe, throwing her into the waves. A painfully long moment of silence followed as they all waited to see how Ashe would react. Basch was amazed when she emerged from the surf laughing, all regal poise and grace forgotten as she lunged at Vaan, attempting to trip him and send him flying into the water.

After a few minutes, Penelo wandered back up the beach to where Basch and Balthier sat, flopping down on the sand between them and crossing her legs.

"Had enough of playtime already?" Balthier asked her, watching as she pulled out her braids, running her fingers through her damp hair.

"I got the feeling I wasn't really wanted." She grinned, looking back at Ashe and Vaan who were still fighting playfully in the shallow water. She glanced sideways at Basch, her smile faltering when she saw the grim look on his face. She frowned quizzically at him when he met her gaze, looking more confused when he shook his head, sending a fleeting look towards Balthier. Penelo looked down at the sand, resting her chin on her hand and glaring at the water.

"Gripping as this conversation is," Balthier commented sarcastically, "I really ought to find Fran." With that he got to his feet, walking away down the beach.

"Do you think Vaan could be any more obvious?" Penelo asked, watching as in the distance, Vaan made to grab hold of Ashe again, stumbling and falling in the shallows as she slipped easily out of his reach. She rolled her eyes when Basch did not reply and began drawing patterns in the sand with her index finger.

The sound of approaching laughter made them both look up; Ashe and Vaan were walking towards them, both of them soaking wet. Basch watched as Penelo hurriedly ran her hand back and forth across the sand, obliterating what she had been writing; he was sure he caught a glimpse of a heart and the letter B before she wiped everything away. He certainly noticed the light pink blush that covered her cheeks when she saw him watching her.

* * *

"Now who's ignoring watch." Penelo grinned. Basch sat a few feet away from her, back against a palm tree, his legs extended in front of him. When he didn't respond, she crossed to where he sat and kicked the sole of his boot; he looked up at her but still did not speak.

"So what's the matter with you today?" She moved suddenly, straddling his legs. She dropped to her knees, taking him by surprise as she sat on his lap. "Come on, you've been weird all day." She continued, leaning forward to kiss him.

"Balthier knows." He muttered, turning away before her lips could meet his.

"What do you mean he knows?" Penelo asked, feeling her insides grow cold. "How does he know?" Basch shrugged, moving his hands to her hips and attempting to push her off his legs. She refused to move, grabbing hold of his shoulders and repeating her question.

"I cannot say how he knows, just that he knows." Basch replied at last, looking past her. He removed his hands from her hips, running his fingers through the spiky grass that surrounded the palm tree.

"And now you're going to tell me that you think we should end this?" Penelo murmured, dropping her hands to her lap.

"You know that is not what I want." He whispered, stroking her cheek briefly. "But I also do not feel comfortable with Balthier knowing about us."

"So did he actually tell you that he knows what we have been doing?" She asked suddenly, keeping her eyes fixed on her hands.

"Not directly." He admitted. He began to shift uncomfortably but stopped abruptly as this encouraged her to move closer, rocking her hips against his.

"So maybe he doesn't really know." She suggested, looking up at him. "Maybe he just thinks he knows something because you're being all shifty."

"Shifty?"

"You know, all twitchy and weird, like you've got something to hide. He's not stupid, after all. Maybe he was just trying to provoke you." She watched him inquisitively. Basch did not reply, feeling suddenly foolish. He wondered if she was right, if Balthier had been trying to trick him into admitting something rather than implying he knew the specifics of his involvement with Penelo.

"I still do not feel comfortable with him knowing, or suspecting." He mumbled.

"Why are you so bothered if he knows?"

"Because I do not trust him. I fear he would find some way to use the information against us."

"Don't you think you're being a little bit silly? What's the worst that he can do? Tell everyone that he thinks we're...well, whatever? It's not like we're doing anything wrong."

"You think that anyone else will see it that way? That we're doing nothing wrong?"

"You're the one that doesn't want anyone to know, not me." She pouted, getting to her feet and walking away from him. "It's you that's all ashamed about this."

"Why would I be ashamed?" He asked.

"I don't know. Because I'm too young, or because I'm from Lowtown. How should I know, it's you that's scared of anyone finding out."

"You think I would be ashamed of you because you grew up in Lowtown?" Basch asked, sounding offended. Penelo looked away towards the sand dunes, shrugging in response.

"Well, yes. 'Cause you're important; you're a knight after all."

"Hardly a knight anymore. I'm a dead man to Dalmasca now, a ghost. It is you who should be ashamed of me. I would not wish the others to find out for your sake, not mine. What sort of future could you hope for with me if we survive this journey?"

"What if I don't care about any of that? You make me happy, Basch. That's all that matters to me. Why do we have to worry about what might or might not happen and let that spoil things?"

"You do not think about the future?"

"Not really. What's the point? There isn't anything we can do about it. Mostly I just think about how I'm going to keep Vaan out of trouble!" She smiled at him as he walked towards her.

"So what do we do about Balthier?" She asked as he took her hand. "I mean, if he does know, he's not going to keep quiet forever."

"Are you suggesting we tell them ourselves?" Basch asked.

"I don't know. I suppose it's a choice of telling them or ending things..." She watched him nervously.

"I'd rather not end what we have." He began, squeezing her hand tight. "But I worry about the way in which you would be treated if people found out you had been involved in a relationship with me."

"I don't really care what anyone else thinks. 'Cept maybe Vaan; he's the closest thing I've got to family now after all."

"So you have not told him?"

"What do you think? I know he's going to lose it if I tell him. He's kinda overprotective sometimes." She grinned at him, "Trust me, if I'd told Vaan you'd know about it!"

"So do we tell them?"

"What do you want to do? I know I don't want things to end and I really don't care what anyone might say..." She trailed off, a hopeful expression on her face.

"Then I suggest we tell them." Basch stated after a long pause. "I suspect telling them will not make things easier though."

"I guess. When do we do it then? It's going to be really hard to tell them..."

"Something we will have to deal with. Perhaps we should inform them before we reach Archades?"

"Why before Archades? Isn't it going to take us ages to get there?"

"To give you time to change your mind if you wish. I'm not sure you fully understand the implications of admitting to others that you are involved with me. I would not begrudge you the opportunity to change your mind."

"I'm not going to you know. I don't think you understand that no one much cares what orphans from Lowtown get up to!"

"Before Archades then." He pulled her close to him, releasing her hand and wrapping his arms around her shoulders.

"Yep. It's kind of scary to think about, don't you think? I'll be able to do this whenever I want..." She stood on tip toes and kissed him, smiling as she pulled away.

"If you do not change your mind..."

"I'm not going to you know, so stop saying it."


	24. twenty four

**Author's Note: **Enjoy, R&R, all that jazz!

* * *

"It's so weird though, don't you think." Vaan commented as he hacked at a palm tree with his sword, the blade swishing through the darkness. "Like all this time he's been Balthier to us and really he's Ffamran. It's crazy." He swung his sword at the palm leaves once more before wedging it in the ground and flopping down beside Penelo, showering her with sand. They were standing watch together, an arrangement that had come as a surprise to both of them; it seemed to have become a habit since the beginning of their journey for them to be separated for watch duty, as though the others did not trust them to behave themselves.

"I guess."

"Poor Balthier, imagine having a crazy person like Doctor Cid as your dad." Vaan pondered aloud.

"It's not really that different to Basch." Penelo replied, brushing sand off her knees. "Imagine having a brother like Gabranth."

"It's not really the same though, is it? From what they were all saying, Cid is really mad. No wonder Balthier ran away." She could hear the anger in Vaan's voice and knew that the mention of Gabranth had upset him.

"I still think it's pretty similar. At least Balthier got to run away, no one locked him up for two years for something he didn't do."

"Yeah, but Balthier..." Vaan began.

"Oh stop talking about Balthier! Anyone would think you were in love with him!" Penelo teased.

"What does that say about you then?" He countered at last. "You keep sticking up for Basch. Are you in love with him?"

"Don't be silly. I'm just saying it's kind of similar. Seems like everyone has secrets these days."

"What's yours then?" Vaan asked, lying back on the sand.

Penelo watched him for a few minutes, picking up a handful of sand and letting the grains run between her fingers, wondering if she should tell Vaan about Basch. "I don't have any secrets." She replied at last, throwing the remaining sand across Vaan's stomach. "And even if I did, do you really think I'd tell you?"

"You should, I'm your best friend!"

"Vaan, you can't keep a secret to save your life! Remember when you told everyone that I liked Tomaj?"

"That was one thing! And anyway, Tomaj is way too old for you."

"One thing?! You always blab everyone's secrets. You couldn't keep your mouth shut if someone paid you!"

"Maybe you should have paid me!" He propped himself up on his elbows, his grin barely visible in the darkness. "Maybe it would have saved you loads of embarrassment."

"Or you could just not gossip about your friends. Seriously Vaan, have you ever been able to keep a secret for more than ten minutes?"

"Of course I have."

"Like what?"

"Wouldn't be a secret if I told you, would it?" He laughed triumphantly. She smiled back at him, feeling guilty. She wanted to tell Vaan about her and Basch but didn't know how to. She wondered if he would be angry with her when he finally did find out.

"It's weird standing watch with you." Vaan commented suddenly. "I'd got kinda used to being with Ashe or Balthier."

"Ooh, missing Balthier are you?" She teased.

"Shut up! I was trying to be nice!"

"Sorry."

"Yeah, well you should be! It seems like ages since it was just the two of us. And it's kind of neat that they all think we're good enough to be on watch on our own now!"

"You know why they trusted us to stand watch alone, don't you?" She asked. "There's a hunter's camp around here somewhere. The chances of any fiends actually attacking us are really low!"

"Oh." Vaan looked a little deflated. "How do you know that anyway?"

"Basch told me."

"Of course he did! Wonder what they do at a hunter's camp anyway."

"Hunt stuff I suppose." Penelo replied as Vaan yawned sleepily. She threw another handful of sand in his direction. "Don't you fall asleep on me! I'm not sitting here on my own while you snore your head off!"

"I'm tired though! Shouldn't Ashe and Balthier be here by now?" Vaan yawned again and sat up. "It must be well past time to change watch."

"They'll be here soon, stop being so impatient."

"Think she's talking to him about being Ffamran?"

"Think that's any of your business?" They both turned guiltily to see Balthier and Ashe standing behind him. Penelo could hear the tired anger in the pirate's voice, and was surprised to see Ashe reach out and lay a comforting hand on his arm.

"Maybe you two should go." Ashe suggested; Penelo didn't need telling twice and scrambled to her feet, dragging Vaan back towards the camp.

* * *

Vaan disappeared into his tent once they reached the camp, not even stopping to bid her goodnight. Penelo wasn't surprised to see Basch seated by the fire, apparently lost in his own thoughts as he stared at the low flames.

"Can't you sleep?" She asked as she walked passed, smiling when he started suddenly at the sound of her voice. He shook his head, watching her as she pushed aside the tent door.

She sat down on the floor or the tent, pulling off her boots. She watched Fran for several minutes, waiting for her eyes to become accustomed to the dark interior of the tent. When she was satisfied Fran was asleep, she grabbed her blanket and ducked back out into the cool night.

"You are not going to sleep?" Basch asked as she sat down beside him, wrapping her blanket around her shoulders.

"I'm not really tired yet." She replied, moving her feet closer to the fire to keep her toes warm. "Why are you awake anyway?"

"Balthier woke me as he left." He smiled at her as she moved closer to him, but shot a nervous glance towards the tents when she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Fran's asleep already and Vaan'll be dead to the world by now." She told him, turning her head slightly to kiss his shoulder.

"Do you ever sleep?" She asked him as he shifted slightly, taking her hand in his. He looked back at the fire, nodding.

"I do not care for the darkness." He muttered after several minutes. "It reminds me of places I'd rather forget."

"Like Nalbina?"

"Aye. I may have escaped physically but it seems my mind continues to be drawn back there." He bowed his head, letting his hair fall over his face and tightened his grip on her hand.

"I'm sorry." She whispered sadly.

"Do not be. The first time I slept the entire night untroubled by thoughts of that place was in Rabanastre, with you." He looked up and smiled shyly at her. She blushed, and looked away from him, feeling slightly embarrassed.

"How come?" She asked, keeping her gaze fixed on her knees.

"I could not say. I have missed it though." He reached across with his free hand, stroking her hair away from her face and tilting her head back slightly so he could kiss her.

"That was nice." She whispered when he pulled away, smiling contentedly at him. "And I'm glad I make you feel better." She pulled her hand from his, letting her blanket fall forgotten to the ground, moving round in front of him to kneel between his legs. Leaning forward, she put her hands on either side of his face and gently kissed him.

"I nearly told Vaan about us tonight." She told him between kisses, stroking his beard.

"Why did you not?" He asked, moving his hands to her hips.

"I don't know. I thought he'd be really angry with me. You know, for keeping it a secret."

"You could still change your mind about telling the others, if you wanted to..."

"Don't start that again! I'm not going to change my mind! Are you sure you don't want to change your mind? You're the one that keeps bringing it up."

"Not in the slightest." He leant forward and kissed her deeply, enjoying her soft moan as his tongue met hers. He moved his hands from her hips to her lower back, pulling her closer to him, shivering slightly as her hands worked their way up into his hair.

"I love you." He broke their kiss, watching her intently.

"I love you too." She whispered, looking down at her knees. He was sure she was blushing, but could not be certain in the low light from the fire.

"You seem uncomfortable." He suggested.

"I suppose I am a little bit. You look like you really mean it when you say that, it's a bit scary."

"Scary? Why?"

"No one's ever told me that before. Well, at least not the way you mean it. I like it." She looked up at him, smiling. "You make me really happy you know."

"Good." He watched as she raised her hand to hide a yawn. "You should sleep."

"But I want to stay here with you. I don't like to think of you sat out here on your own all night"

"Dawn will be upon us shortly, you need not worry about me." Seeing that she was about to argue, he leant forward, kissing her to silence her. "Please Penelo. It would not do for both of us to be tired come morning."

"You're not going to give in, are you?" She sighed, resting her forehead against his, smiling when she heard his low chuckle.

"No."

"Fine." She gave him a peck on the cheek before getting to her feet, brushing sand and grass from her shorts. "You're nearly as stubborn as Vaan, you know."

Basch gave a quick laugh, watching as she stooped to retrieve her blanket before heading back towards her tent.


	25. twenty five

**Author's Notes: **Sorry to everyone still reading for not updating for a while! Having a crazy busy time with work and a touch of writer's block...not a good combination! :[ Hoping to spend this weekend getting lots of words down! Enjoy!

_GR x_

* * *

Since reaching the Phon coast, they hadn't met another soul, and Penelo had grown so used to it just being the six of them that the bustling camp below them came as something of a shock. They skidded and slipped their way down the large sand dune that separated them from the hunter's below; Penelo was unable to restrain her laughter as Balthier fell, sliding for several feet.

"Did I ever mention," the pirate asked, struggling to his feet, a furious scowl on his face, "how much I hate sand?"

They fanned out as they reached the bottom of the sand dune; Vaan rushed off as soon as he spotted the hunt board, leaving Penelo alone. Sighing to herself, she wandered towards a hut at the water's edge, trying to ignore the little niggle of jealousy she had felt when she watched Basch walk away with Ashe. Displayed on the deck of the hut were hundreds of coloured glass bottles, shimmering in the brilliant sunshine. Penelo was thinking idly that she should replenish their potion supply when she caught sight of the row of weapons further along the deck, laid out on black cloth. Replacing the remedy she had been looking at, she hurried across to the weapons; she loved her small, worn dagger that had once belonged to her eldest brother, Adano, but now every time she drew the weapon, she could hear Basch's derisive comment about it being useless.

She ran her fingers over the hilt of a short sword, frowning at the pitted blade, conscious that the stall holder was watching her with interest, clearly eager to make a sale.

"Looking for a sword, sweet?" The girl running the stall took a step closer to Penelo.

"Uh, yeah, I guess. I'm not really sure what I want though."

"Well you just holler if you need any help, hon." The girl smiled again and turned away to continue her conversation with a bangaa that stood nearby. Penelo looked down at the array of weaponry again, drawn to a curved sword with an unusual blue metal hilt. She picked up the sword, surprised by how light it was, and gave it an experimental swing.

"Excuse me?" She beckoned the girl over. "How much is this?"

"8500 gil, hon. You want it?"Penelo sighed sadly; she had a fair bit of money, but certainly not enough for the sword.

"I can't really afford that."

"Sorry hon, can't give any discounts." The stall holder smiled awkwardly watching as Penelo replaced the sword. She ran her fingers over the hilt once more, feeling extremely disappointed; the sword had felt right in her hand, in a way no other weapon ever had.

"You are replacing your dagger?" Penelo turned at the sound of Basch's voice.

"I was thinking about it, but I can't afford the one I want." She pointed to the curved blade.

"How much do you need?" Basch reached for his money pouch.

"I wasn't asking for money." Penelo frowned. "Anyway, it wouldn't matter, I probably wouldn't be able to use it."

"How much can you give me for this?" Basch turned to the girl, pulling his sword from his belt and offering it to her.

"Basch! You can't sell your sword!" She tugged on his arm, trying to drag him away from the stall.

"I much prefer my axe." He smiled, refusing to move. "How much?" The girl took the sword from him, running her fingers along the flat of the blade and swinging it a few times.

"6000."

"How much more for that?" Basch gestured to the sword Penelo had just set down.

"2500." He reached for his coin again but was stopped when Penelo grabbed hold of his wrist.

"At least let me pay the rest if you're giving up your sword." She scowled, tipping the heavy coins from her own money pouch. Basch smiled at her and picked up the sword as she passed the money to the stall holder.

"Have you ever used a katana before?" He asked her, handing her the sword as they walked away.

"Not as such." She pulled a face.

"I could show you, if you like. I do not profess to be the best swordsman, but could teach you the basics."

"Yes please." She smiled happily at him. "Thank you so much for this. I wish you hadn't had to sell your own sword though."

"Do not worry about that. As I told you, I much prefer my axe. I need to speak with her majesty further; but come and find me later so I may show you how to use that." He nodded at her sword, before lightly squeezing her arm.

"Thank you again!" She called happily as he walked away.

"Thank you for what?" She spun around to see Vaan standing behind her.

"I got a new sword. Basch is going to teach me how to use it." Penelo felt she didn't need to let Vaan know that Basch had also paid for the majority of the sword.

"Why'd you buy a sword you don't know how to use?" Vaan asked, grabbing the weapon from her before she could protest. "It's a bit flimsy, isn't it." He added, swinging the katana several times and pulling a face.

"For you maybe! I like it though." She tried to snatch the blade back from him, but he moved quickly, dodging out of her reach.

"I bet I could teach you how to use this. You don't need Basch to show you."

"Yeah, but I want to learn how to use it properly, not just stab rats with it." She lunged at him again, managing to grasp the hilt of the sword.

"Hey, I've come a long way from hunting rats! You should come check out that hunt board with me, there's loads of marks I'm going to hunt down! Maybe once you've learnt how to use this you could help me!" He released his grip on her sword, grinning at her. "Come on, come and look at the hunt board." He reached for her free hand, dragging her behind him towards the large board, chattering keenly about the marks he intended to hunt.


End file.

Final Fantasy XII, Angst, Romance