A light breeze sent a dry leaf skittering across the path leading out of Kirkwall. It was well into the night now. The sky was clear, the stars shining, and the air sharp and cold due to the onset of autumn. Anders followed the path down a bank and between some trees. It was good to get away from the city, away from the people crammed together in Darktown and all begging for his help. The route he took was familiar to him; he often came here when he needed to clear his head. It had been about year since he had returned with Hawke and Varric from the Deep Roads. He hadn't wanted to go, he hated it there, but if he hadn't been there…

"Who's that?" a voice came suddenly from the dark, jolting him from his thoughts. He froze for a moment, carefully watching the female figure that had appeared at the end of the trail, but relaxed when he recognised who it was.

"Oh, Anders," the woman said, walking up the path to meet him. Her black hair was tied back into a loose ponytail, as usual, with stray strands dangling in front of those not-quite-blue but not-quite-grey eyes of hers.

"Hawke," he replied, "What're you doing out here?"

She smiled, "Well, I could ask you the same thing." She was close enough for him to see her properly now and he noticed that she was no longer wearing the red neckerchief she usually wore. And the way her nose wrinkled when she smiled. "And how many times to I have to ask you to call me Rain?" she added.

"Well, one more, at least," Anders said with a smile, and sighed, "I just needed to get out of Kirkwall for a bit."

"I know how you feel."

There was an awkward moment of silence.

"Um, heading anywhere in particular?" Rain asked, smiling again, her nose wrinkling. He loved that about her smiles.

"Not really," he said, shrugging, "Just…walking."

"Come with me then; I'd like to show you something."

He was about to say something about the dangers of wandering off in the dark, but Rain had already hooked her arm around his and was leading him away from the path through some trees.

A few minutes of more awkward silence and being led by the arm along what appeared to be a completely random route, Rain let Anders go and stood right in front of him. She placed her hands on his chest, making him stop dead in his tracks.

"Before we go any further," she said, "You have to promise not to tell anyone."

"Tell anyone about what?" He questioned, growing increasingly aware of her hands pressing against his chest and just how close she suddenly was to him. He could see goosebumps all over her bare shoulders. He was surprised that she'd come out in just a lace up top and leggings on a night as cold as this.

"Just promise," Rain demanded. He could tell that she was trying her hardest to ignore the cold, but every so often a shiver ran through her body. She had always been skinny, but since the Deep Roads she had lost even more weight, making her appear fragile. There were dark rings under her eyes.

He sighed, "I promise."

Rain smiled and took Anders' hand, leading him past another line of trees. The trees suddenly gave way to a grass covered cliff side, overlooking the sea. Letting go of his hand, Rain walked out into the grass. She looked over her shoulder at him.

"This is my secret place," she told him, "It's where I come when I'm…feeling sad." Turning away, she wrapped her arms around herself.

Anders walked out onto the grass and stood next to her. "You're having trouble sleeping, aren't you?" he asked, but it was said more like a statement. He watched as another shiver shook her small frame, and all he wanted to do was to put his arms around her, to keep her warm, to make her feel safe. To make her smile. But he didn't. He couldn't; he had no idea how she would react, not after he had put down her attempts at flirting. She seemed to have taken his warnings since then.

"No," she shook her head, staring down at a flower at her feet. It was a small white flower, with delicate petals. "Andraste's Grace," Rain said, nodding at the flower. "I planted it here when I first found this place." She smiled, but this time her nose didn't wrinkle. "Bethany loved them."

"You're not wearing her neckerchief anymore."

"I've still got it with me," she drew the red piece of fabric from her pocket. Rain gazed at the neckerchief for a moment and then looked at him. She was fighting back tears.

"Today marks two years since she died. I thought it was time I said a proper goodbye." Her voice shook as she spoke. Each tremble tugged at his heart.

Rain had hardly said anything about her sister beyond her being a mage and a good person.

"How did she die?" Anders asked, immediately regretting it and adding, "You don't have to say if you don't want to, of course."

Rain looked away, a scowl crossing her face. "When we were fleeing Lothering, an Ogre killed her."

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked." He could see that this was hard for her, even if Bethany's death had been years ago. He had never seen her like this. Rain was always so calm and composed, always ready with a witty remark or word of support for her friends and for anyone who needed it.

"It's alright," she replied, lifting the neckerchief up in front of her, "I just wish I could have done something."

Rain began walking towards the edge of the cliff. She stopped up onto a rock, a spark coming from her hand as she magically ignited the neckerchief. The wind pushed her closer to the edge, closer than Anders would like. He almost ran as she let the neckerchief go in the wind and teetered precariously over the sheer drop.

He grabbed her arm, pulling her down and away from the edge.

"Maker, are you trying to give me a heart attack?" he asked, as she looked up at him with a startled expression. He only realised now that in his effort to get her away from danger, he had pulled her into a very tight embrace. Her body was pressed against him, her hands on his chest again.

"So this is what I have to do to get a hug from you, is it?" she smiled, one hand fiddling with the small chain that was attached to his coat, just below his neck.

Anders' heart was pounding. Even more so because he knew she could feel it. Rain sighed.

"Thank you," she said.

"What for?"

"For coming with me to the Deep Roads. I know you didn't want to, that you only came because I asked you to, but if you hadn't been there, Carver would have…" she paused and stared at his chest. He felt a sob wrack her body. She took a deep breath, "Well, I'd be an only child now."

"I…" Anders struggled for words. What could he say? Carver may have been saved from the taint by becoming a Grey Warden, but it had been forced upon him. And being a Warden wasn't easy, or pleasant. But he was alive, and that was all that seemed to matter to Rain. A gust of wind blew across the grassy cliff, and Rain moved closer to him. He could feel her chest pushing against him, as she slipped her arms under his coat and around his middle. She rested her head on his chest.

"Anders?" Rain spoke, after a long silence.

"Hm?" He felt himself growing hot the more he thought about how close he was holding her. He didn't want to let go, but he had already told her, told himself, that this kind of thing was a bad idea for both of them.

"Take me home. It's cold."

Finally breaking the embrace, Anders let Rain loop her arm around his again as he led her back to Kirkwall. He couldn't quite remember the way out of the trees, but heading forward brought them to the path again. They followed it up and into the city, Anders making sure that they took the route he had found safest. The last thing they needed was a fight with one of those gangs. Lowtown was noisy, as usual, but once they reached Hightown everything grew quiet. They reached the top of the street's steps and stopped outside the door of the mansion Rain had recently bought.

Rain let go of his arm to open the door and paused in the doorway. She looked back at him,

"Would you come in?" she asked, adding, "Please?"

Normally he would have said no, but the way her eyes were begging made him step inside. She closed the door behind them and walked into the front room. It was empty; Bodahn, Sandal and Rain's mother were all asleep by now. Anders followed her up the stairs and stopped in the doorway as she entered her bedroom. She sat on her bed and sighed heavily.

"Are you all right, Rain?" She had been quiet all the way back and seemed so… sad. He had only seen her in a similar state once before, and that had been when Carver had revealed that he had the taint in the Deep Roads. The look on her face was heart breaking.

Rain nodded, "I'm… just going to try and get some sleep."

"All right. I'll…go," he turned to leave, but stopped as she spoke again.

"Don't go."

'I really should go,' was what he knew he should have said, but instead he found himself sitting next to her on her bed.

"Just… stay. Please," she asked, sliding her boots off her feet, "Until I fall asleep."

"If… that's what you want," Anders replied, not adding that he was thinking 'I'll stay forever, if you want me to'.

"Thank you," she smiled, hesitated, and then kissed him on the cheek, before lying down and curling up on her bed and closed her eyes.

Anders watched as her breathing eventually fell into the regular pattern of someone sleeping, still a little stunned by the kiss. He told himself that it was nothing, that wanting more of it was a bad idea, that it was just her way of saying thank you. Sighing, he lay down next to her, watching her eyelashes flutter as she dreamed. He gradually felt his eyes grow heavy and let himself fall asleep next to her.

A/N: Thanks to Eva Galana for correcting me on my timeline.