Sometimes you need a bit of fluff to get through the darker times. I'm sure that Hawke and Anders would have spent many moments like this…but curse game pacing for not allowing us to experience all of them.

Bioware - owns - Dragon Age universe; Me - obsessed - Dragon Age universe

Healing Rain

The day is glorious. A warm breeze blows in through the windows of Anders' Darktown clinic, and he can taste salt water from the sea. Only a few more people are milling about, looking for assistance at the end of this long day. Then he would be off to the estate to see his love. Things certainly had changed since he moved in with her. He felt safer, for one thing. For whatever reason, the amnesty she had been granted by the templars prior to being "the savior of Kirkwall against the impending tyranny of the Qunari" – if he recalled correctly the seneschal's words – was extended in perpetuity. And it seemed to also blanket her friends, for both he and Merrill were able to rest a little more easily. At least for now.

The minutes tick away, ever so slowly. He was tiring from exerting his healing magic on the many poor and underprivileged who took advantage of his services. He was happy to help though – it was often the only time that Justice kept to the back of his mind. And these days, that was all he could ask for. Now, if only the next hour or so would just pass, he could be on his way home.

Finally the last patient is on his way out of the clinic. Anders quickly reorganizes his supplies, noting what is needed in preparation for the next day. He knows that she would not be home for a few hours, as she ventured outside of the city to meet with some of the miners at the Bone Pit. How she ever got involved with such a venture, Anders never understood – but she, like he, was a helper. She saw the mistreatment of the miners, and when she was offered part ownership in the venture, she didn't hesitate. He remembers the last time she travelled out to the mine, and knew it might be late evening by the time she returned. He would have plenty of time to prepare his surprise.

He smiles just thinking about her reaction. It was something that he had been privately working on for some time. It was the culmination of their relationship that had allowed him to develop this new spell. He had been assisting her to further develop her healing talents, just as she was teaching him to embrace the elemental aspects of magic. She always joked with him about how he had to clean up her mess – she was the destructive one, and he repaired the damage. He insisted that her elementals could be used for good, but she was adamant that could not be. He took it as a challenge. After months of working on honing the spell, he was positive it was ready to present to her. To prove that their contradictory styles of magic could blend into one beautifully harmonic piece – a poetic symbol for their own troubled bond.

Anders will certainly take advantage of this stunning day. He squints in the bright sunlight as he emerges from the bowels of Darktown. He saunters towards the Hightown market, hopeful that one of the vendors will have restocked their lyrium potion supplies by now. He was thankful to Lirene for her regular donations to his clinic, though insisted that he was doing well enough now that he was living with the Champion of Kirkwall. She always scoffed at his newfound social standing, reminding him that the two of them were just a couple of apostates, and eventually the world would come crashing down around them. He supposed that was her way of keeping him grounded – always on the ready for trouble. He knew she was right.

Shaking his head to clear away the dark thoughts, he continues towards the merchants, lining the walls of the sunken vendors' area. A few swift purchases, and he is on his way. The walk through Hightown at this time of day was usually a difficult one, with many people – and templars – cluttering the passages and pathways. Today, however, it feels as though nothing could get in his way to change his mood. He felt carefree for the first time in a long time. Normally he didn't ever dare step foot through the streets without a companion at least, for fear of the templars, but Hawke changed all that. Hawke…why did he insist on calling her that? He suspected it was appropriate, for she was always swooping down to someone's rescue, just like the mighty bird her family was named for. Of course, hawks usually only swooped down to grab a tasty morsel of a meal from the ground…but that was beside the point. Oh, why did he argue with himself over such trivial matters? He speculates that is the influence of Justice, and so ignores the thoughts and carries on. The length of his internal quarrel ends up placing him at the steps of the estate, and he glances back at the shadows beginning to form on the cobblestone streets. He notices across the square that there are two templars posted, glaring in his general direction. He shudders for a moment, but recognizing that they must be under orders not to apprehend him, shrugs at them and turns to enter the home. There is no way his mood would be ruined by their surveillance.

Upon entering the estate, he hears shuffling from inside the main hall and sees a small head pop into the doorway. It is Sandal, whose face lights up at the sight of him. As he enters the hall, Bodahn is also there to greet him.

"Good evening Master Anders. Mistress Hawke has not yet returned from her outing. Could I perhaps get you some tea?" he prompts.

"Bodahn, I've told you, there is no need to wait on me," Anders replies. "I am quite capable of fetching my own tea."

"Tsk," he snubbs, and hurries off to prepare the beverage.

Anders sighs, rolling his eyes a little at the dwarf's incessant need to be involved with everyone's well-being. He knows he means well, but it can be overbearing.

"Whatcha got planned for tonight, Master Anders?" Sandal asks excitedly.

"Well, Sandal," he replies, "I will be testing out a new bit of magic I've been working on. But you mustn't tell Mistress Hawke when she arrives. This is a surprise for her."

Sandal jumps up and down, clapping. "I love surprises!"

Anders just smiles and tosses Sandal a bright red apple that he picked up for him on the way home.

"Ooooh, shiny!" the dwarf remarks, and Anders heads upstairs.

Several hours pass with no sign of her. What is keeping her? Anders wonders. I hope nothing has happened. His stomach flips at the thought of harm coming to her without him there to protect her. Ha! Protect her…as if she's the one needing protection… He continues to work on his manuscript to keep his mind off of the ticking minutes.

Staring at the words he has written, his eyes start to grow weary and his head heavy. He devoted far too much of himself to healing today, and keeping himself awake any longer had become a chore. His head begins to droop bit by bit, and soon he is asleep at the writing desk.

Barking noises jolt him from his slumber. He sits upright and wipes his eyes. He looks down at his manuscript to see sleep had overtaken him midsentence. The once steaming mug of tea that Bodahn brought to him was now cold.

"We have a perfectly good bed for napping in, you know."

He jumps at the sound of her voice and spins in the direction it came from. She was sitting on the edge of the bed, removing the tall leather boot from her right foot. Dark ash covers the left side of her clothing, and a portion of her hair looks singed. Dirt and blood coat her face. She had been through an ordeal that day.

Anders rises and walks towards the bed. He kneels in front of her and begins to unbuckle the other boot. She shifts uncomfortably and grimaces when she moves.

"You look terrible," he says.

"Never have been one for subtlety," she replies, trying to smirk to hide the obvious pain she is in.

"That's me. Ser Obvious," he jokes, gently stretching the leather from her skin. As he slides her pantleg up and pulls the boot down, he notices a large slice running from her outer thigh to her calf, at the back of her leg. He pulls the boot off and looks carefully at the back, but cannot see any damage to it. "How? How did you get such an injury with your boots on?"

She turns her leg outwards slightly and looks down at the wound. "Oh that? It's kind of a funny story…" she trails off.

"Not so funny," he replies as he goes to the wardrobe for some clean rags to mop up the blood around the injury. "What happened to you out there?"

Her bright eyes lock with his for a moment and then immediately break away and look down. "Dragonlings this time," she says, scowling.

Anders dampens the rags and dabs her leg softly.

"You really ought to distance yourself from that place. Every time you've been out there to check in with the miners, you've come back with some injury by Maker knows what."

She nods reluctantly.

He stands up and reaches out to touch the pieces of hair that were scorched away.

"You're lucky this wasn't your ear," he says.

"I've been meaning to cut my hair anyway," she jokes.

Anders places a hand on his hip and assumes an authoritative stance.

"I will not stand by as you repeatedly attempt death by all manner of creature, love," he says sternly.

She giggles. "Oh stop. You're just jealous that you weren't there this time." She pushes him away playfully and immediately regrets the action. She grabs her side, doubling over in agony. She winces with every movement.

"I'm serious. You've been pushing things a little too hard these past couple of years. I'm afraid for you when you leave me behind. It is torture not knowing if I'll see you again," he proclaims. His face transforms to a look full of melancholy. She truly did not seem to grasp how reckless she had come to act. "Are the others alright?"

She nods. "Fenris will likely be holed up in that mansion of his for the next few days, but it's nothing he won't recover from. I'd say I got the worst of it."

"All this being said and I do not wish that this would have happened," he says, "but it really has presented me with the perfect opportunity."

"Opportunity for what?" she asks.

"I've done it," he declares with excitement. "Do you remember when I told you I would find a way to merge what we've been teaching each other?"

She nods, puzzled at what was coming.

"Well, I've done it. I've figured out a way to…wait. Let me just show you." In one fluid motion, he scoops her up from the bed and begins to carry her towards the bathing room. She is quite injured, for as gentle as he can be, she still flinches at every step he takes, as if the vibration through his feet touching the floor acts as a hammer on her body. Still, she nuzzles her head into his chest, feeling the warmth of his omnipresent magic. Despite the pain, she reaches her fingertips to his cheek. His eyelids flutter closed at her touch, a sweet smile spreading across his lips. He looks down at her, and in that moment, all is forgiven, and they are alone in the world. There are no mages. No templars. No dragonlings to cause pain. Just Anders and his love.

He lowers her to her feet beside the large tub, which Bodahn thankfully filled with warm water upon her return as requested. She looks at him expectantly, wondering what exactly he has planned.

He smiles at her. "This isn't perfect yet, so I do need to have some water present or it won't work. But once you see this, perhaps you can help me figure out the rest."

Still unsure of what to do, Anders spins her to face away from him. "You're going to need to remove all this," he says, tugging lightly on her coat. She turns her head to look at him, with a smirk. "I'm serious!" he insists. Shaking her head in disbelief of what she is positive is merely an attempt to get her naked, she begins to unfasten the coat. When the clasps are unhooked, she feels his arms reach around under her own and grasp the coat edges, pulling it from her. He tosses it behind him, and quickly returns to help her remove her robe. As he lifts it up over her head, he notices abrasions and cuts litter the skin on her back. He runs his fingers over her shoulders, careful not to cause any pain. She shudders at his touch, but it is without sting.

He crouches down and his hands find the waist of her pants. As he unfastens the belt, he tenderly kisses the small of her back. She freezes, clutched by some unseen force as a sly smile appears on her face, though Anders cannot see it. He feels it though, in the electricity that transfers from her skin to his lips as they brush up her spine while he stands up. He carefully removes the pants from her long legs, slowly to avoid further aggravating her wounds. She feels the magic flowing from his hands, but they are not healing her and she is mystified. Still, she is not displeased, and she savors his every touch.

Anders wraps his arms around her, holding her close for a moment. She can feel his heart beating through his clothing on her back. She feels his breath on her neck as he moves in to place more gentle kisses there. She melts. He releases her and takes her hand. She looks back at him and he motions for her to step into the tub of water. She complies and places one foot into the water, then the second. He steps back and watches her. Despite all her cuts and bruises, she is the most beautiful creature he has laid eyes on. He is enchanted by the softness of her curves, which provide such contrast to her devastation as a warrior mage.

"As much as I enjoy feeling your eyes on my bottom, I suspect you're meant to be doing something other than letting your eyes linger."

She interrupts his thoughts, mercilessly, but it is well deserved. He would be entranced by her visage for days unnumbered if she let him.

"Forgive me, love. You are…difficult to work with in this state," he says to her, smiling coyly. "Now just…stand there for a moment. This shouldn't take me long."

He backs up and closes his eyes. She stands there in anticipation of what is to come. A swirl of energy swishes in front of her face, but she still feels nothing. She is about to turn to face him and wonder what is supposed to be happening, but suddenly stops as she feels a drop of water on her cheek. And then another hits her shoulder. Within moments, there is a gentle shower of water droplets falling all over her. And she can feel every one of them. As they wash over her skin, they glow a subtle blue. She watches as a drop lands on her arm and one of the cuts from the day's battles begins to close and heal. Other scratches and bruises are also starting to disappear from her body. The large wound on her leg has already begun to close. She spins round to face Anders and smiles widely. His eyes are now open, looking fairly exhausted, but satisfied.

"You did do it!" she exclaims breathlessly. "I can't believe it! This is incredible!"

He smiles at her jubilation, knowing what the excitement really means. If offensive elemental magic can be used to heal like this, perhaps there is hope for his amalgamation with Justice after all. She closes her eyes and leans her head back, wiping the water from her face and through her hair. She looks angelic as the healing rain washes away dirt, pain and dilemma. He is tempted beyond measure to pull her towards himself…to be an impatient lover. But he waits and allows the water to flow over her injured body, healing her wounds, both physical and emotional. She experiences the true ecstasy of their ethereal union.

Her eyes open and lock with his. Without a motion or sound, she beckons for him to join her. There is no hesitation. He removes his clothing and steps into the tub where the rain is still falling on her. She cups his face in her hands and kisses him.

"This moment is perfection," she says to him, and he knows she has no idea just how truthful of a statement that is. He has never felt more restored. And perhaps one day, their love will shower a healing rain over all of Kirkwall. He holds her tightly as the water continues to drop on their naked embrace. This is the moment where he realizes that no matter what happens from this point forward, he has known true serenity. He has found peace in her arms, and no templar could take that from him.