This story follows the characters and world of Elirezara Surana and Anders from "The First Sunrise" and "Sink or Swim". It's not necessary to read those, but it might give you some insight into their behaviours, and what has come before.

This one kind of got away from me…a little more sickly sweet than I had planned, and definitely longer, but I'm happy with it anyhow. Hope you enjoy!

[insert standard disclaimer here]

Easy as Pie

If anyone would have walked by the Circle Tower kitchens that day, they'd have assumed someone in charge had gone mad. After all, why would they let someone so inexperienced in the field of baking alone to fend for themselves? Elirezara had begged and pleaded with First Enchanter Irving for a whole week to allow her access to the main kitchen. Her request was odd, but considering the circumstances, he'd have never denied it. Despite the concerned look on the face of Greagoir, Irving said he would take full responsibility for any potential damage the young elf caused, so long as she agreed to clean up the mess she made.

In light of recent events concerning the young apprentice Anders, perhaps this was the best thing that could be done for him.

Elirezara toiled away over a large mixing bowl, stirring with a wooden spoon that looked as though it had a paddle the size of her face. The wet ingredients – curds wrung free from whey, whites of the eggs that had been plucked from beneath the Tower's hens that morn, and sweet rosewater – were mixed with sugar from the cane imported from Antiva and dried elderflowers harvested by some Nevarran farmer. The problem lay not in the filling, but in the crust. The elf had only once baked bread and even then, it was a group effort. Creating one's own pastry crust for the sambocade was a different beast altogether. The freshly churned butter and egg yolks were mixed without incident, but her attempts to add the flour quickly morphed into a disastrous set of affairs.

"Oh sod it!" the elf cried out in disgust as the flour exploded from her bowl, covering her hair in a fine dust.

Throwing down the spoon onto the wooden prep table, she heard a chuckle behind her. She spun around to see Marcus, one of the baker's apprentices leaning against the pantry door.

"Why, Miss Surana," he said with a smile, "I might have expected this would be the scene I'd be walking in to see today."

"I'm sorry to have made such a mess," she sighed emphatically. "Whoever coined the phrase 'easy as pie' truly deserves to be thrown in the deepest, darkest of dungeons and flogged with wet noodles."

Marcus laughed heartily. "I still don't understand the saying myself. Pie, the crust especially, is easily one of the most difficult parts of baking to perfect."

She smiled shyly back at him as he approached the table and peered into her bowls.

"Well?" she asked. "Is there hope for my creation?"

He nodded. "You're doing fine by the looks of it. In fact, the filling smells wonderful. Just as it is supposed to. So what's the occasion?"

"It is my friend's birthday," she replied. "He hasn't had much to celebrate lately."

"Ah, I see," he replied. "It sounds as if he is indeed lucky to have you as a friend."

"Well, I'm not certain of that," she said, frowning. "If this doesn't turn out, it will have been all for naught."

"Why don't I help you out a little?" Marcus said, circling the table towards her. When he reached her, he ruffled her dark hair, creating a cloud of flour dust around her head. She smiled at him, wondering why she related better to the staff of the Tower than the residents themselves.

"Thank you Marcus," she said. She was happy to have all the help she could get. It had been a very long time since she had seen Anders. In fact, it had been a very long time since anyone had seen him. She merely wanted her small gift to him to be perfect.

It would have to do double duty. It was his birthday, that wasn't a lie. But following his fourth escape attempt, the templars decided to not only beat him repeatedly, but lock him in the dungeon cells for a quarter of a year. They threatened that there had better not be a next time; for it would be a year he would be locked away, if he wasn't made Tranquil first. She knew it from the rumours that flew back and forth over breakfast, and the threats that the templar recruits hurled at the youngest of apprentices. So the baked pie was also meant to be her celebration of his freedom from his bout in captivity.

She wondered if perhaps she shouldn't. If the pastry would only remind him of his experience. If it would mock his inability to obtain his freedom yet again. But she couldn't sit by and do nothing for her friend. No, she would present the gift to him, and he would know. He would understand where she was coming from, for despite her own lack of attempts to remove herself from the situation, the two were in the same boat – stuck in the Circle Tower for simply existing. Or, at least, for existing with the magic that coursed through their veins.

As the pie was placed into the small fire-heated oven to bake, she began to clean up the mess she had made with the flour. Marcus had been instrumental in ensuring that the dough for the crust was just so, and she was no longer worried that the gift for Anders would be a disaster. She had shooed him off to allow her to take care of the dishes she had dirtied and he tended to his own duties in the pantry, checking the inventory to ensure sufficient supplies for the upcoming meals. When the elf had finished cleaning up the mess, she flopped down in a chair in the corner of the kitchen and waited for the pie to finish baking.

Her thoughts turned to Anders' previous escape attempt – she hated him for it, but her anger quickly turned to sympathy when he was returned to the Tower bloodied from an overzealous templar. She remembered her words to him when they had finally spoken to each other; she admitted how difficult it was for her to be the one he sought out upon his return. She was always afraid of how he'd appear to her; and not just his physical appearance, but how broken his spirit would be. Sure, he'd bounce back in time, but it hurt her to see him as a shell of the boy he truly was.

Elirezara was terrified of what she'd see that night when she presented her gift to him.

Irving had been sympathetic towards her, and advised her that while Anders would be escorted by a templar, they would be allowed a private room to have dinner in that night, rather than forcing him immediately back into the public setting of the mess hall. She had spoken to Irving on his behalf repeatedly.

"How can you force him back into the horrible group so soon?" she had asked him, her face pained. And he knew she was right – his fellow apprentices would have figuratively torn him limb from limb, bullying him and teasing him mercilessly about his failed escape attempt and subsequent punishment. No, Irving would not allow that to happen. The man had wondered why the small elf found solace in such a hopeless relationship with the boy, but knew that support came from the oddest of places in the Tower, and perhaps the two had shared more than he realized in their years together.

More memories flooded Elirezara's head – the confusing feelings that overpowered her as Anders stood in front of her in the library that day. They had never been so close, and really, hadn't been again since. She had wondered if her uncertainty frightened him off from pursuing the spark of attraction they had both discovered then. She was mostly relieved that she had not been forced into confronting those feelings again, as she really had no idea what they meant. But she did know that when Anders had disappeared once again those few months ago, she felt as though her life had become incomplete. She put it down to her friendship with him, but deep down knew better. She felt something more for him; a yearning for his touch and the sound of his voice saying her name. She felt guilty over the happiness that came to her upon his return to the Circle, but was devastated when he had been locked away for so many months. Would he ever be the same?

"Miss Surana?"

She looked across the kitchen, finding Marcus standing at the oven with a thick rag in his hand. The pie had finished baking.

"Oh," she cried in surprise as her thoughts were interrupted. "Is it ready?"

"Yes," he replied, nodding. "Why don't you go ahead and get yourself ready for your dinner? I'll make sure this is delivered to you at the correct time."

She smiled at him and rose from the chair. She hadn't realized just how much Marcus had found out about what she had planned to do, but regardless, he seemed to approve. She also hadn't realized how many of the kitchen workers had arrived to begin preparations for dinner that night. As she hurried out of their way, she sniffed the pie in Marcus' hands and raised her eyebrows. He winked at her and scooted her out of the kitchen.

Tonight was going to be perfect for her friend. She just knew it.

It had been seven hours since he was removed from the solitary cell in the basement of the Tower, but Anders still could not raise himself from his bunk in the apprentice quarters. He was thankful for his bed being in the corner farthest from one of the main doors, for he certainly would not have been up for facing any of the random passersby that the dorms tended to get. There was no view of the corridors from where he was situated, and so he merely balled himself up under his bed cover and stared at the stone wall.

Three months, he thought to himself. I've been in that bloody hole for three months. Suddenly his stomach ached even stronger at the thought of Elirezara seeing him in this state. He had barely eaten while in the Tower's dungeon cell; worse still, he had been completely removed from the Fade during that time. He was weak from lack of nutrition, and denial of his natural abilities. He had not seen his own reflection for some time, and had no idea what awaited him. He would have been happy to simply remain under the covers completely for the rest of his existence.

"Oye! Apprentice!"

Anders shrunk into his bunk as far as possible at the sound of the approaching templar. He cringed at the man's voice, fearful of what punishment was coming to him. He felt the bed shake as the man kicked the post hard with his booted foot.

"Get up boy!" the templar growled. "For some reason, you're being allowed to eat on your own tonight."

"Not hungry," he mumbled from beneath the cover.

The templar pulled the cover back from Anders' grip and roughly grabbed his arm. An unnatural scream sprang from his throat and he squeezed back tears that threatened to form in his eyes.

"Don't touch me!"

The templar released his arm quickly. "Listen boy…I've been given orders to bring you to where you'll be dining tonight. I couldn't give a shit if you don't eat. But you're going to that room if I have to drag you there."

Anders looked at the man with terrified eyes. He slowly pushed himself up to get off of the bed. He was not about to argue with the man, especially since the templar appeared to be willing to allow him to move about without pushing and pulling him where he was to go.

"Can…can I…" he began timidly.

"Spit it out, boy!"

"I…need to…change my clothes," he finally managed to say.

"Fine. You do look a mess," the templar admitted, looking over him. "I'll be out in the corridor. But hurry up."

Anders nodded and the templar left him to get ready. He stood up from his bed, taking in his surroundings. Nothing had changed since he left. He didn't know why he had expected things would look different, but perhaps it was ill-placed hope. He took a deep breath and knelt down before his footlocker. He opened it up, dug around to find some clean robes and a chunk of soap. Tossing the robes on the bed, he made his way to the common bathing area in the apprentice quarters and found a wash basin. It had conveniently been filled with water and he began to wash his face and hands. He looked into the mirror at his reflection; he was pale and gaunt. His eyes were drawn and his skin stretched. He looked much older than the eighteen years he would soon be celebrating.

Celebrating, he scoffed. Not much to celebrate living here…

At least the bruises on his face had healed over – the beatings hadn't continued past the first two months.

When he had finished making himself look presentable, if not living, he returned to his bunk and changed into the fresh robes he had found. He supposed he would likely be running into some of the templars who had taken pleasure in delivering blows to his face and body, and he didn't want to give any of them the satisfaction of knowing just how broken he had become. He pulled his hair – now shoulder length from lack of grooming while in the dungeon – back into a pony tail and held it in place with a hair tie he found near the basins.

As he exited the apprentice quarters, the templar who had pulled him out of his bed nodded and pointed in the direction he was to head. He did not want to speak to the man, but his curiosity got the better of him.

"Where am I going?" he asked. "I mean, why am I not going to the main hall to eat dinner?"

"Don't know," the man answered abruptly. "Just told to bring you there."

Anders shrugged and continued walking the rest of the way in silence. They approached a small room off of the main hall and the templar opened the door. The apprentice entered the room and spotted a small table with several chairs set at it. Aside from a wall hanging, the room was unremarkable. He looked at the templar cynically.

"Just go on in there and wait. Your dinner will be here soon," he said. "And don't try anything funny. I'll be right outside this door."

A look of confusion crossed Anders' face. What was funny that could be tried in this room? There was no other door…no windows to escape from. No ingredients for potions or grenades. Just the table and chairs. He slumped down into one of the chairs facing away from the door and waited.

A short time later, he heard the door opening behind him. The scent of roast beef wafted in through the door and into his nostrils. He wasn't sure if he should be sick or ecstatic over the possibilities that solid food like this presented. He had eaten so little of the slop that was sent to him while imprisoned yet wasn't sure if he would be able to stomach a full meal now. The food did smell wonderful though, and he considered that he would at least make an attempt.

One of the Tower's kitchen servers strode past him and placed a plate in front of him, and another next to it. Anders looked down at the plates and saw the roast beef, smothered in rich thick gravy, alongside mashed potatoes, peas, carrots and a large roll. Several eating utensils were placed in the middle of the table as well. As the man retreated from beside him, he looked up to him.

"So, who's this for?" he asked, pointing at the second plate. The man looked towards the door and nodded. He continued on his way out of the room as Anders turned to look towards the door. As the man passed through the door, his guest entered.

"Eli!"

He jumped up out of his chair and hurried to greet her. She rushed towards him, almost dropping the two glasses of water she carried before quickly placing them on the table. Almost immediately, he scooped her up into his arms, hugging her tightly. Had it not been for how weak he was, he'd have spun her around in his arms. Still though, feeling her small body against him, her arms around his waist, almost made it worth being back in the Tower. Despite everything, he had missed her dearly – but he hadn't fully realized it until the moment he laid eyes on her again.

When he pulled back from her embrace, he placed his hands on her cheeks and held her there in front of him. She smiled sheepishly in the awkward position, but he did not let her go. He drank in her image – the one familiar thing in the Circle that allowed him to feel like he was worth something.

"Eli, I..." he started to say.

"Anders, I've missed you so much!" she cried out, interrupting him. "I was so afraid that I would never see you again!" She pulled herself back into him and he instinctively returned the embrace again.

"Oh Eli…" he said. He felt to be almost on the verge of tears, but shook his head while out of her view, and regained his composure. Her voice sounded desperate in her admission, more than that of a friend should. He considered their encounter from almost half a year prior when he began to wonder if there wasn't something more that existed between them. The realization that he was feeling something that wasn't quite friendship for the elf hit him out of the blue. He'd had no idea how to deal with it then, considering most of his 'relationships' were based on lust, and certainly not love or any inkling of it. When he stood so close to her, his breath upon her ear, he second guessed himself, wondering if he should be that close. They were friends after all, but what was it that was happening?

"Anders?"

He broke his thoughts out of the past and looked down at the girl in front of him. She looked…different.

"Eli…you don't look the way I remember," he said.

She frowned in response. "What do you mean?"

He reached out and brushed his hand through her hair gently. "Your hair is longer…and wavier than I remember. And you…wait, are you wearing make up?" His eyes widened.

She pulled away from him and hurried past him to sit down, hiding her face with her long dark hair.

"No!" she exclaimed. "Why would I…?"

He spun around to get another look at her as she sat down quickly. "You are! You're wearing make up and you styled your hair differently!" He thought about what it could me that she had done so. He could see her cheeks tinge with a brighter red than the blush she had stained them with. "Eli, don't be embarrassed."

"No…it's silly," she said.

He sat down at the table and reached across to her face, lifting her chin up so their eyes met. "You look really pretty."

Her eyes flickered for a moment, but then broke away from his. "Thank you," she said quietly. She looked back up at him. "You look different too. Your hair…it's much longer now. I like it. You look…"

"Roguish?" he said.

"Something like that."

"So…this meal. Your idea I suppose?" he asked.

She smiled at him shyly. "Guilty as charged," she replied. She felt slightly relieved that he seemed in good spirits considering the circumstances. "Consider it your official welcome back from me."

His face dropped slightly, but then returned to normal. He knew that she would never do something like this to spite him, and that her reasons were genuine.

"Well, as much as I would prefer to be free and living the high life somewhere that wasn't the Tower, I'm glad that if I'm back here, my first real meal is with you."

She smiled for a moment and then motioned towards the food. "Speaking of which, we should perhaps eat before this meal goes cold."

The two settled themselves into old familiar chatter, idly discussing some of the goings on at the Tower while Anders was away – as if his 'disappearance' had anything to do with being away for vacation. It felt better for both of them to treat his being away as something that was by choice, rather than a forced incarceration. As they chatted, fingers accidentally brushed across knuckles…eyes lingered on lips longer than they were meant to. It was as if the time apart had accelerated the push of their friendship towards something beyond what it once was.

And neither seemed to mind.

When they had finished their dinner, Elirezara quickly got up from her seat, and collected the plates, placing them into a small bin. She brought the bin to the door and knocked. It opened slowly and she told the templar outside that they were ready.

As she returned to her seat, Anders looked over at her. "What are we ready for?" he asked.

"You'll see," she said, winking at him.

"Oh, a surprise then?"

She nodded. A few minutes later, the door opened, and the kitchen worker that had brought their dinner entered with the dessert she had prepared earlier in the day. He placed the pie on the table with two plates for them. Just as soon as he arrived, the man disappeared from the room.

"And what is this?" he asked with a sly grin. "It smells amazing!"

"I found the recipe stashed in one of the books I borrowed from the library one day," she said. "I thought it would be something you might like to try."

He looked at her in surprise. "You…made this?"

When she nodded, he raised an eyebrow and eagerly grabbed one of the plates. He cut a piece for himself and one for her as well. She watched expectantly as he forked off a small bite and took a taste. He chewed the mouthful a few times and swallowed. She waited for his reaction, and when he smiled, so did she.

"It's delicious!" he declared. "Are you sure you made this?"

She punched his arm. "Hey!"

"I'm just kidding Eli!" he cried out. "Ouch…that hurt!"

"Serves you right for teasing," she said, scrunching up her face.

"Really though," he said, "if this whole Circle mage thing doesn't work out for you, you could have a career in baking."

"Well, I did have some help," she admitted. "But only with the crust. That was really tough. I had flour all over me."

"I'd have paid good coin to see that," he said. "You…always so pristine and clean…covered in flour."

"Anders," she growled in warning.

"Oh Eli, you always take everything so seriously."

"I know. I'm sorry. I don't mean to all the time," she confessed.

"You just need to loosen up a bit," he said. "In fact, I think you have a little bit. The Eli I knew before would never have attempted to bake me a pie."

She shrugged. "I guess you're right. I'm just glad that it turned out. And that you like it. You do like it, don't you Anders?"

"Yes, I really do," he said, nodding. "You've outdone yourself."

"I just wanted to make sure you knew that people do care about you here," she said. "And of course…happy birthday!"

"Ah yes," he said. "My birthday is coming up, isn't it?"

"I wanted to do something special for you, but I couldn't get anything for you," she said. "So I just thought, maybe this would be nice. The dinner…and of course the pie."

"It is, Eli," he said. "More than you know."

She looked at him, sensing the sadness he was burying inside. "Anders," she said. "If…if you need to talk about…anything. About what happened…or…you know. You can talk to me about any of it."

"I'd rather not," he said. Her face drooped and he felt slightly guilty for his knee-jerk reaction. "It's not that I wouldn't…talk to you, I mean. I just…I don't want to talk about it."

"I know," she said, placing her hand on his as it rested on the table. "I just wanted you to know that…I'm here if you need me."

He looked at her for a moment, then down at the small hand that was attempting to comfort him. She saw his gaze upon her hand, and pulled it back quickly. Her reaction to any out-of-the-ordinary, more-than-friendship displays between them had been to run away from it. She hadn't realized that she had absentmindedly let her hand linger upon his. As she attempted to recover from the horrified look that had found its way to her face, she noticed that he had begun to look amused at what she had just done.

"Why are you looking at me that way?" she wondered aloud.

"It's cute when you get embarrassed like that," he said.

"I'm not embarrassed!" she insisted. "I'm just…I should just probably get back to the dorm. I should really be studying."

"I'm glad that you took time out of your busy schedule to have dinner with me then," he said.

"Anders, that's not what I meant," she said. "I just…"

"And you're cute when you get flustered."

"I'm not…" she started.

"In fact, now that I think about it…you're really just cute altogether."

Elirezara's cheeks began to burn, and she was more than certain that they glowed a bright red. Why was Anders saying these things? She thought that they had put the silly 'attraction' that she was sure might have existed for a moment behind them. But his words suggested otherwise. Unless he was just kidding around with her. He was just kidding around with her, wasn't he? They weren't ever going to be anything more than friends. Couldn't be. But why? Did she really need to fight the feelings that seemingly were going to keep coming back until something eventually happened. But what could happen? She could have never prepared herself for what was about to happen…

"You know, Eli. The pie is wonderful. And this dinner is really nice too," he said. "But being away from you all that time…wondering if I'd ever get to see you again, it really hurt. I was scared. I don't…get scared that often."

"What are you saying?" she asked, unsure of where he was taking her.

"I guess that it made me think about things that I would have regretted had I never come out of that cell," he said, shrugging. "Things like not getting to see the sun again. Or being able to smell a flower outside again. Or even regretting things that I hadn't done yet."

"Like what?"

"Like this." As if jumping in with two feet, he quickly leaned forward and kissed the elf's lips softly. She was initially unresponsive, as if frozen in fear or more likely, shock. Though she quickly realized what was happening and instead of fighting back or running away, gave in to his advance. Her eyelids closed gently, and she found herself returning the kiss…bringing her hand up to lightly touch his cheek. The two remained locked together for what felt like an eternity, though when it ended, Elirezara believed it didn't last long enough. She had never kissed a boy before…never felt so electric. The way she felt inside, Anders must have done something to her…some sort of spell. But as he pulled back from her, there was no lingering magic in the air – only the fluttering of her heart as it skipped two and three beats at a time. Her eyes remained shut for some time after, and when she opened them, they were met with Anders staring at her.

Her mouth parted slightly as she attempted to come to grips with what had just transpired between them. Though no matter what she tried to say, nothing seemed to formulate into a full thought that her vocal chords would process into an audible sound.

"I thought about you every day down there," he said quietly. "You were the only reason I didn't give in."

"I…was?"

"I thought about how mad you were going to be that I escaped again," he said smirking.

"Anders…stop…" she said, her eyes pleading with him to be serious. She so desperately wanted him to be serious for once.

He laughed a little, but then did as she requested. "Well, there was that. But thinking about you got me through…some of the rough patches." She was pleased that he was beginning to open up about what had happened, but was afraid of these feelings that he was revealing to her. There was a delicate line being ridden at the moment that she hoped they would not waver from. Venturing too far into the realm of feelings would likely have sent her reeling, though she had not wanted to scare him off from opening up to her in the future either. His face changed…became darker. "They…beat me every day for…three weeks straight. It didn't…hurt after the first few days. I became numb to it I suppose. It was more painful to be cut off…from my magic…from the Fade…from dreaming. Dreaming is like breathing for us."

She nodded. She could not comprehend not being able to dream. To be severed from her magic in that way would be devastating. She wondered how he had not broken simply based upon that alone.

As if hearing her thoughts in her head, he continued. "But that didn't stop me from being able to daydream. Being able to see you in my mind. I thought often of all the time we've spent together. Something as simple as studying with you in the library. Or remember that time we were practicing elementals and I accidentally froze your hand? It was memories like those that helped."

Elirezara relaxed a little at the thought of the fond memories that the two apprentices shared.

"But," he started, placing his hand over hers, "some days were harder than others. I spent the worst of days remembering how your eyes sparkle near firelight…the feel of your skin…your smell…"

"My…smell?" she questioned nervously, hoping to throw him off.

"You smell like…apples and cinnamon…and fresh flowers…"

"I don't!" she said, taking the opportunity to pull her hand away. She sniffed at the back of it, and didn't know what Anders was talking about.

He smiled as he reached for her hand again and took it back into his own. "You smell like everything sweet in the world." She shifted uncomfortably in her chair…almost in her own skin… "And on the worst days of all, I replayed in my mind over and over what it would be like to kiss you. Turns out even in my most imaginative state, I could never get it right."

Her eyes darted from left to right…unsure of where to look. But the more she looked around, the closer he came to her face, until she realized he was coming in for another kiss. The tension that developed in her shoulders melted as his lips touched hers again. She felt his hands brush her cheeks and neck lightly as she sensed herself giving into him completely. In those moments, she'd have bent to his every whim.

But when they had pulled apart once again, she froze.

"That could get me through another thousand horrible days," he said as he looked into her eyes.

Every fiber in her body told her to run.

"Anders…I…"

And so she did.

Elirezara jumped out of her seat and headed for the door, not daring to look back, and certainly not heeding the calls of the heartbroken apprentice behind her. The second she was out of the room, she ran as fast as she could through the crowded dining hall towards the place she felt most comfortable.

The templar guarding the door entered the room and confronted Anders.

"What did you do, boy?" he demanded to know.

"I didn't…I…" he protested, as the templar grabbed his wrist and began to drag him out of the room. He did not fight as the man pulled him through the corridors back to the apprentice dorms. When they arrived, he slumped on to his bunk, a bit bewildered over what had transpired.

He'd never been so outright rejected before. Would he ever be able to face her again? What would he say to her? He would certainly have to apologize for kissing her. But still…it didn't seem…right. She had kissed him back. She didn't push him away. So why did she run? If this was what it meant to fall in love with someone, he thought perhaps it best to return to simply loving and leaving. He was finding it difficult to understand the whirlwind of emotions that were flowing through his mind. Was it any wonder he so frequently plotted escapes from the Tower?

Anders drew his knees up to his chest and curled up on his side. His thoughts were muddied and confusing as he replayed the past couple of hours in his mind. He didn't understand what had happened to make her run off, but he would have to wait until the light of day to make amends.

He was tired. So very tired.

Several hours later, Anders awoke to complete darkness. He could hear an apprentice somewhere in the dorm snoring. He wondered what it was that woke him, as he was always quite a light sleeper. He learned it from the short periods of time on the run, but it was becoming harder to stay soundly asleep the older he got. He was getting closer to the time he would be pulled from his bunk in the middle of the night for his Harrowing, and every little crook and creek caused him unrest.

He saw a brief flicker of light from the far wall where the door to the dorm was situated. Did the door just open and close? Who had entered the room? He pulled his cover tightly down over him and hoped it wasn't the templars come to steal him in the night. He let his eyes adjust to the almost non-existent light in the room and he sensed movement. A small shadow was flitting through the room between the bunks and chests. And it was headed directly towards him.

He closed his eyes tight, believing that his mind was simply playing tricks on him. After all, he had been in isolation for so long. So many shadows…so many sounds…

"Anders…"

He flinched at the sound of the voice – which was directly to the side of his bed. He opened his eyes to see the outline of Elirezara kneeling next to him. He jumped up in a seated position.

"Eli!" he whispered harshly. "What are you doing here?"

She shushed him immediately. "Move over."

Anders complied without question, despite raising an eyebrow in the darkness. As he moved back towards the wall, he could see her small form crawling into the bunk in front of him. He moved back further to make room for her, and as she was preparing to lie down in front of him, he stretched back out on the small bed on his side.

"What are you doing here?" he asked her again.

Without turning to face back to him, she answered his question. "I was wrong to run away. I'm sorry I took so long to figure that out. I'm sure I made you question your actions and what you were feeling, and I never should have done that." He felt her scoot closer to him, curling her body into his and pulling the cover up over them both. He wasn't sure what he did to deserve this change of heart, but he was happy to have it.

"Thank you for coming back Eli," he said as he wrapped an arm protectively around her. "You're my best friend. And I love you."

"I love you too Anders," she whispered back. Though both of them were uncertain of what that profession of love meant, there was comfort there that night. She felt safe and warm and wanted in his arms. And he felt like he was home again. They both hoped things would be fine from that moment on.

"Eli?"

"Yes, Anders?"

"You smell like pie."

Yes. Things were going to be just fine.