AN: Bioware owns everything...damn it.

"Mama…" There was no answer…just the steady echoes of the earlier combat against the stone walls of the hell they were in.

"Mama…" She shook her mother…then shook her harder.

"Mother…you cannot leave me!" She screamed. Her mother was the only one left…the only one left who understood…who cared…no matter what magic she possessed.

Strong hands clasped her shoulders, "She's gone Hawke…" Aveline's soft voice flowed like ice water through her being.

"No! She is not gone!" It was a wail, pitiful and fragile…becoming shriller as it reverberated off the walls. Meanwhile her mother's body was growing cold in her arms…

"Mother…don't leave me alone…no one else cares…please…" She begged the lifeless face, beautiful even with the obvious desecration.

He was there…but it was not his arms around her. She wanted more than anything to throw herself into his embrace…to bury her face in his neck and breathe in the smell of foreign spices and Tevinter leather…but Fenris would more likely shove her away in disgust, and her heart would not be able to take that.

"Hawke…" Aveline tucked her head under her chin, rocking her slightly. Imoen felt her body slacken under her mother's corpse…

"Don't leave me Mama…" She sobbed before leaning forward and burying her face in her mother's shoulder.

. . .

She didn't sleep…refused to eat, and reveled in her body's newfound weakness. She was not meant to be a fighter…no matter what the others said.

"Hawke…please, we're all begging you…please eat." Anders begged. He had been a good friend and a great comfort, but he was not enough. The person who was happened to be conveniently absent from this intervention of sorts and Imoen would be stubborn until her last breath if she had to.

. . .

Hawke wiped her face against her pillow. She hadn't left her bed for weeks…her ribs had begun to show, and her face had started to become gaunt. She was looking more like a ghost with each passing day.

There was a soft padding noise…the quietest of footsteps, and then the bed registered a change in weight. The smell hit her and she instantly stiffened.

"I…do not know what to say but I am here." His voice thundered through her, like an earthquake, causing a slight tremor to wrack her slim form.

"Come to gloat?" She spat.

"Why would I gloat?" He seemed genuinely confused.

She turned over, her quicksilver eyes meeting his dark green…

"A blood mage took my mother, haven't you been ranting and raving ever since I met you on how mages can never be trusted? How I was asking for something like this to happen? Maker I bet I should consider myself lucky that some other mage got her before I myself became corrupted." She hissed, though her final words turned into a half choked sob.

Fenris frowned, his eyes holding what could almost be interpreted as an ancient sadness, "I did not come here to gloat or to make you angry…"

Hawke turned away from him, clutching her pillow closer to her, "Than why the hell are you here?"

She felt warm hands caress her sides, before encircling her waist, his hands resting against her lower abdomen. She felt soft lips press against the back of her neck before his sigh whispered across her skin, "I came to offer any comfort I could…"

She bit her lip, trying to stifle the sobs that threatened to spill out as she turned into his arms, "I want her back…" She whimpered as Fenris clutched her closer to him, kissing the top of her head as she curled up against his body.

Fenris was unaccustomed to losing family members. He'd never held an individual in such a light. Hawke was the closest he'd ever gotten to another being and though he knew the right thing would be to leave yet again, or more accurately to never have gone to her in the first place, he stayed in her arms. He was determined to be there for her, though he knew this wasn't permanent…it couldn't be. The hunters would come for him eventually and he'd be damned if he was going to endanger her even more. She already had a bright red target painted across her back just from associating with him…if they lived together? She'd get killed…without a doubt.

No, being with her was out of the question, but here he was…in her bed once again. He couldn't really leave her. He'd tried…Maker had he tried, even getting as far as the gates leading out of the city once…but every time he set out to leave he'd see something, nothing big just little things here and there that reminded him of her. Then the red scarf would scratch against his skin and he'd glance at it and feel the invisible shackles around his wrists pull him back to the mansion…back to her.

He wasn't free; he'd simply traded one master for another.

Hawke's silver eyes slid open, brighter than the moon visible from her bedroom windows, "I miss you." She whispered; her face so close their noses were touching.

Fenris closed his eyes, pressing his forehead against hers as he brought a hand up to caress her face, the one with the red scarf around its wrist, "And I you."

He re-opened his eyes to find hers wide with confusion. He shouldn't have said anything…he should have kept silent.

"Then…why?"

"Hawke…please…" She would never understand…or worse, she'd talk him into staying.

Her lips trembled as her eyes filled with tears, "Its cause I'm a mage isn't it…"

"Shh!" He hissed before pressing his lips to hers for a brief moment, "Don't ever say that again."

"I just…"

"Hawke" He was begging her now…

"Alright."

Her hands ran up his arms until they were cradling his face, "How are the markings?"

He stifled a shudder at the sting her contact brought to his skin, "No worse than ever."

She saw through the tough act, they were hurting him and badly.

She turned him away from her, until she was facing his back, she heard him sigh softly as she slid his leather vest from him, exposing his torso. Once the vest was removed he felt her gathering energy, seeing a white light glowing against the wall he faced right before her healing hands caressed his back.

All the tension in his body, all the pain and stress melted instantly as she ran her hands over him. She had only done this for him once before and he had to bite the edge of his pillow to keep from moaning.

As a spirit healer, especially since Anders had begun to tutor her, she was especially skilled at healing burns. She had wondered for the longest time whether the spell would help with Fenris's markings or not…finally convincing him to let her try several months back. It ended up erasing all pain, as if he'd never been branded. Sadly, the effect didn't last long…but the small break from the agony was miracle enough for the elf.

"Thank you" He whispered hoarsely.

"Anytime love…" He heard her murmur.

He turned back to face her, pulling her close. Her warm breath tickled his skin as she pressed her face against his neck, her leg moving to lay over his hip almost possessively as she nuzzled his shoulder. He caressed her back, tracing invisible patters down her spine as he kissed her neck just below her ear. It had been ages since he'd been with her…and knowing he had to leave again made the whole situation bittersweet. He was going to regret this later, he knew it.

"Fenris" She breathed against his shoulder, her lips were soft as she pressed a kiss to his skin, nipping gently as she moved up his shoulder to his neck, before finally stopping at his ear.

"Imoen" He responded gruffly, he was doomed…Sweet blood of Andraste he was so doomed.

"Thank you for being here for me." She whispered, ghosting her lips over his before falling asleep.

. . .

When she woke the next morning he was already gone. Her disappointment evaporated though, as she realized the good-bye would have been much more painful.

"Hawke?" Anders's face peered around the door as he hesitantly entered, not sure whether she was decent or not. The healer had stayed over while she grieved, always at hand whenever she broke down. Imoen couldn't have asked for a better friend.

"Hey" She greeted him softly.

"Hawke, are you feeling any better today? Sweetheart you really should eat something…you're going to get sick if you don't."

His face was tight with concern as he reached out for her hand. Anders was the brother she never got to have in Carver and she knew she'd never be able to repay his kindness.

"Actually…yea, I am a little hungry."

His whiskey colored eyes widened in surprise, "R-really?"

"Yes" She smiled, Anders mirroring the expression before stepping forward to give her a hug.

"What can I get you?" He asked into her shoulder.

"Mmm…muffins. Cinnamon muffins please." She felt more than heard him chuckle before kissing her forehead and moving towards the door.

"An excellent choice if I do say so myself, I'll see what Orana can do." He winked at her before leaving.

Imoen smiled as she turned to the pillow beside hers. It still had an indent in the middle and she briefly pressed her face into it, inhaling deeply. It still smelled of him…Maker she couldn't get enough of his smell.

She pulled back from the pillow, smiling at the sunlight streaming in from the window before slipping out of bed and moving to her dresser to grab her clothes, it was going to be a busy day.