A/N: Random Anders/F!Hawke drabble...enjoy...
Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize.
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She reaches forward, and he steps back. They struggle with this game of tug of war. Neither are willing to back down.
He says no. Giving in to temptation is not an option. He will not subject her to the life he must live. He simply cannot give in.
She accepts this answer for now, but she has not change her mind either. She'll pretend he isn't interested when they both know that that is a lie.
Three year of this game, and he is slowly wearing down. His resolve crumbling with each day that passes by. His dreams are filled with longing. His heart is filled with hope, even as his mission keeps reminding him of his foolishness.
Eventually, he simply cannot stop himself.
His arm is around her, his other hand pressed against her blushing cheek. Her lips are soft, warm, and inviting. It is like a slice of the Maker's paradise in this tormented hell of a life he is living. She's responding just as hungerly.
For one moment, he is himself again, and it's just him and her. Damn the mission.
But the moment fades, and with it reality sets in. So he explains to her the life they would live, and despite their feelings, it will not be the happy one they want. He will be hunted, and there will never be any peace without the fear that claws at him every single day.
She doesn't care.
He shows up, bags set at the door, and she seems relieved he hasn't changed his mind. He's terrified that she will change hers. Neither do.
Hope bursts through. He's clinging to her and she does not let go.
Another three years. She is consumed with grief. Her mother, her anchor in this chaotic world, is gone. Her purpose is dwindling by a thread of what use to be. She is suffering, and he grows angery as the seconds tick by.
When will it stop? When will it end?
It is needless violence, and hatred on both sides. Outside their home, the world is full of torment and injustice.
But she closes the door, and she clings to him, and they find solace in one another.
And that is enough for him. For now.
He knows, though, that this world, the one behind the closed door will only last so long.
The end arrives. She is horrified.
What has he done?
The hope she dared to have is crumbling like the walls of their salvation. Dust and rubble litter the street, and he is pacing, mumbling some speach that he truly believes in. That what he has done is what needed to be done.
No compromise.
Her thoughts are scattered, like the ashs in the wind, but her heart is sinking with every word he speaks.
She cannot stop it. She cannot change it. She cannot fight it.
She cannot accept it.
There can be no compromise.
Blade unsheathed, her grip is tight around the hilt. Her arm is shaking. Her heart is shattering. Her eyes burn. No air makes it in her lungs.
I'm so sorry...
The blade sinks in with sickening ease, and she feels his life drain away before her eyes. She squeezes them shut but the image stays with her. A soft thud as he lands on the ground to join the bodies that already scatter the streets.
He had been right.
There can be no compromise.
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A/N: Sad I know...Review please?