If you go into the Thieves Refuge for any reason while this quest is active, but have only finished one or two stages, the quest goes into Complete Status and can only be turned in. I don't think it resets for any other Outlaw Refuge, just Hew's Bane.
Note this is the quest where they have you pick pocket citizens in up to 3 cities. If you do one of them, then the next city is announced in the quest tracker. It is when you go into the Refuge that it gets completed, even without talking to the quest giver. All you can do at that point is turn in a partially completed quest.
Enjoy the game, life is what you really want to be worried about.
PakKat "Everything was going well, until I died"
Gary Gravestink "I am glad you died, I needed the help"