Hi everybody! This is my take on what the game should have been like, as well as my Hawke/Anders relationship. As I did with Dragon Age Revisited (based on Origins), this fic will have twists and changes to the actual storyline.

I start out by describing the actual meeting between Hawke and Anders, and keep to the story rather faithfully in this chapter but this will change as the story progresses. I hope you like the changes that I make along the way in future chapters!

The story will feature all the companions, but focus mainly on Anders and Hawke.

I'd like to thank my wonderful Beta, PheonRen for her help in making this story easier to read. You rock girl! Another special thanks goes to my close friend and advisor, Lady Callia Blackhawk. You are ridiculously awesome, my dear!

As usual, my disclaimer: "Bioware owns everything, I only play with its characters!"

Dragon Age II Revisited

Chapter 1 - The Grey Warden

"Don't tell me we're going to fight a warden? We don't want any trouble with them, do we?"

The question made Varric smile slightly as he regarded Hawke for a few minutes before replying. Sapphire eyes stared back at him, twinkling slightly. If she wasn't a human, he could see himself falling for her in a flash. She was not only beautiful, but a great fighter as well, her twin blades instantly slashing through any obstacle easily, her moves deadly and quick.

Varric was very glad to be on her side.

"Let's just see what we can find out at Lirene's. The fact is that wardens know a lot about the Deep Roads, so he's just what we need," Varric said slowly, finishing the sentence off with a smile.

Faith returned the smile. She turned back to talk to Bethany and in doing so her chocolate brown hair swung around her shoulders silkily. She still hadn't gotten around to cutting it and it was becoming difficult to fight as it kept getting in her eyes. She made a mental note to buy some hair bands for it later. A pony tail would work just fine.

Bethany looked up at her from the table where she was sitting. She had been chatting with Aveline who was now staring at Hawke waiting for her to tell them what their next move was.

It did surprise her, however, when she discovered what it was that they would be doing.

"We are going to look for a Grey Warden? Here? In Kirkwall?" Aveline could not have sounded more surprised even if she wanted to.

"A Fereldan Grey Warden," Faith shot back, her voice quivering slightly with suppressed laughter. She loved Aveline; she was so prim and proper. One of her favorite things to do was tease her mercilessly. She smiled to herself as she quickly made her way out of The Hanged Man and walked up a set of stairs towards the store. Varric had explained exactly where it was.

The Fereldan refugees in the store were all complaining about the lack of jobs for Fereldans and their hunger and illnesses. Faith felt a pang of sadness before she composed herself and walked straight to the woman at the counter.

"Are you Lirene?" The direct question caused the dark-haired Fereldan to stop talking and regard the newcomer curiously.

"If you need any help, get in line. There are many who were here before you..." she started to say but Faith interrupted her with a sweet smile on her lips.

Behind her, Bethany fidgeted nervously, hoping her sister held her tongue. Lirene reminded her of the Revered Mother in Lothering.

"I hear you know where I can find a Fereldan Grey Warden."

"Only Fereldan Grey Warden I know of is now on the throne, though they don't really care about that here." Lirene's mouth formed a thin line of disapproval and Bethany fidgeted nervously once again. A Fereldan refugee interrupted their conversation.

"The Healer was once a Warden, wasn't he?" The woman was smiling and Faith returned the smile gratefully.

"Well, he isn't one anymore. And he's a good healer. I don't want to put his life in danger." The last sentence was directed at Faith and her small party. Lirene crossed her arms and a defiant look came into her eyes.

Faith looked her squarely in the eye as she did some rapid thinking. If she went ahead and replied as she really wanted to, she guessed she wouldn't get a good response from the woman. Caution urged her to be diplomatic this time around.

"Your healer is in no danger from me." The words were spoken sweetly and Lirene's eyes locked with Faith's.

Whatever she saw there was apparently enough for her demeanor instantly changed and she gave her a small smile before she spoke. "I don't want to lose him to the templars," she said softly.

"Lose him to the templars? Your healer is a mage?" Faith inquired interestedly.

"That he is. I cannot hide him from you for I see you are a fellow Fereldan. Anders helps us with no thought for coin in return. He heals us, delivers our babies, saves our lives."

"We would never turn a mage over to the templars, Mistress," Bethany chirped up.

"If he is a mage, the templars will soon find him," Aveline said sadly.

"We hope not. We try to protect him the best we can." Lirene turned to Faith. "Any refugee in Darktown knows to look for the twin lit lanterns outside his clinic. If you are in need of help, the healer will be within."

...

Darktown was dark. It was also full of bandits and thieves.

Faith cleaned her matching blades on her latest victim's leather armor. They had been attacked twice so far by mobs of rogue thieves. Coterie, by the looks of them. Around the dirty floors and littered grounds and alleyways they went. Ash from fires burning in pits flew up around them and she suddenly wished she could breathe in some fresh air.

"People actually choose to live here? Unbelievable." Aveline's voice cut through her thoughts. She went up a flight of stairs and back down again. So far she had not seen twin lit lanterns anywhere.

Faith was getting a little frustrated.

She rounded a corner and was attacked again by a coterie rogue. Gritting her teeth she jumped right at him causing him to fall back onto the ground. Bethany cast a horror spell at him and she dispatched the rogue quickly, moving on to the archer nearby while Aveline bashed her shield into the nearest thug. Behind them Varric positioned his beloved Bianca and sent out a storm of arrows that clearly won the fight for them.

Faith was looting the bodies as she always did when she saw something twinkling through the gloom. As she straightened up, she saw them. Twin lanterns brightly lit on either side of two closed doors, piercing through the ash, beckoning to her like two beacons. She smiled to herself and trotted down a flight of stairs, only to climb up another set, while her group followed closely behind.

She stopped at one of the closed doors pausing to catch her breath. She could hear no noise coming from within. Opening the door, she walked slowly into the vast room, pausing right after the threshold. The scene unfolding before her instantly reminded her of her father before he had died in Lothering. He had been teaching Bethany how to heal that day, when the templar had appeared out of nowhere. She blinked and shook her head slowly, focusing on the scene before her.

A blond mage stood with his hands outstretched over a pale boy lying on a cot. Beside him stood the boy's parents, their hands entwined as if in prayer, while the mage worked on the boy. Faith saw the blue white healing glow emanating from his hands as he passed them over the child. Then, she saw him lower his head in concentration and focus even harder. The glow grew in intensity and the light grew so bright, it lit up the entire area they were standing in.

Her mouth parted at the same time the boy's eyes fluttered open. The mother sighed with relief and scooped her son into her arms while the mage collapsed into the father's arms. He helped the healer stand and thanked him over and over again. The mage leaned against one of the wooden pillars for support, breathing heavily. Faith took in his rugged, handsome features and felt herself growing hot. Her gaze quickly traveled down the length of his slim body as she took in all the details, right down to the black leather boots he was wearing. She saw him turn and admired his back side, blushing furiously as she took in the curves of what she imagined were firm buttocks.

The man was gorgeous.

...

The boy had been dying when his parents brought him. There was no mistake in that. Anders braced himself for a long session and prayed his mana would last long enough to save him. He concentrated on finding the cause of the illness and fighting it directly, even though he knew it would only tire him faster. He knew it was the only way to save this child's life.

When the boy's eyes finally opened, Anders gave a sigh of relief. He had depleted his mana and stamina so he collapsed. The boy's father caught him just in time and started to thank him. He smiled wanly and rested for a brief moment against one of the wooden pillars in the room. He was relieved that the boy was his last patient. He needed to rest.

At that moment, he felt Justice overtaking him and 'saw' a group of four people standing at the door, even though he was not facing the door. It was enough that Justice had seen.

They were armed.

Grabbing his staff that was resting against the pillar, Anders whirled around quickly in a defensive pose and pointed it directly at the group.

"I have made this place a sanctum of healing and salvation! Why do you threaten it?"

It was then that his eyes found hers.

He'd never seen eyes like those before. They sparkled like twin sapphires, deep and velvety in color, long dark eyelashes protecting them. His eyes flickered past an adorable slightly turned-up nose, down to her full-lipped mouth and he broke out in a sweat.

Maker help him, she was beautiful!

"Strange occupation for a warden. I thought you were more about taint and death than healing and salvation," Faith retorted quickly, her eyes twinkling and her lips twitching. Anders noticed her smirk slightly in spite of the seriousness of the situation.

Wait, what? Anders blinked. Was she a warden then? He could not sense the taint in her.

"Did the Wardens send you to bring me back?" He asked as he strapped his staff onto his back. "I'm not going. Those bastards made me get rid of my cat." His eyes locked onto hers again and he started to feel a bit light-headed. "Poor Ser Pounce-a-lot. He hated the Deep Roads."

"You had a cat named Ser Pounce-a-lot? In the Deep Roads?" She asked incredulously, one of her eyebrows raising slightly in surprise.

Anders found that he was almost starting to enjoy himself.

"He was a gift. A noble beast. Almost got ripped in half by a genlock once. He swatted the bugger on the nose. Drew blood too," he finished proudly, his eyes growing dreamy as the memory flooded his brain. He saw her lips twitch and felt a grin coming on himself, before reminding himself sharply that he was thinking about his cat.

"The blighted Wardens said he 'made me too soft'. I had to give him to a friend in Amaranthine," Anders finished miserably.

His eyes traveled down the length of her body and a faint blush crept up his cheeks as he took in her curves. He quickly brought his gaze up to her eyes again uncomfortably. A couple of years ago, he would have started to flirt with her, watching her blush at his brazen remarks. He was not that man anymore, however. A haunted look came into his soft brown eyes.

"So you came to Kirkwall to escape the wardens then?" Faith asked quietly.

Anders's eyes narrowed slightly at the question. "You say that like it's a small thing." He saw the twinkle in her eyes and relaxed slightly but continued to talk seriously nevertheless. "Yes, I'm here because there's no Warden outpost, no darkspawn and a whole host of refugees to blend in with. And...some reasons of my own."

She was frowning now, and for some strange reason, he felt himself wanting to wipe the frown away. He looked deeply into her eyes and his attraction for her grew. The rest of her party were listening to their conversation silently.

Trying to control the whirlwind of emotions that threatened to overpower him, he let his eyes now roam over the people with her. His eyes quickly swept over a young girl that looked a lot like her. Her sister perhaps? Then onto a blond dwarf with a crossbow strapped on his back who had an amused expression on his face. When his eyes darted over to Aveline and he saw she was a city guardswoman, he felt himself stiffen at the stern look she had on her face.

"I heard that joining the Wardens is for life," Faith's voice cut through his thoughts, her eyes twinkling. She was smiling, and it was infectious. Anders could now feel a smile tugging at the corners of his lips and he momentarily forgot about the guardswoman and everyone else, for that matter.

"That's only partly true," he shot back, finally rewarding Faith with a smile. "The 'hopelessly tainted by the darkspawn' and 'plagued by nightmares about the Archdemon' parts don't go away. But it turns out if you hide well, you don't have to wear the uniform or go to the parties."

"I'm part of an expedition into the Deep Roads. Any information you have could save people's lives," Faith said in a rush. Her cheeks were red and Anders was taken aback.

Maker. One minute we're talking about wardens and joking and the next she throws out this expedition at me. Does she even know...?

His eyes narrowed slightly. It was ridiculous to even suspect she knew why he was really here. What he had gone through just to get here. He felt a little angry at himself. Also, a feeling of claustrophobia was threatening to overcome him, as it always did when he thought about the Deep Roads.

"I'd die a happy man if I never saw the Deep Roads again. You have no idea what I've gone through..." An idea came to his head as he saw an opportunity and he was quick to grab it. "Although, a favor for a favor. What do you say? I help you, you help me..."

She smiled sweetly at him and he had to control the urge to smile back.

"Let's get something straight. I don't do anything that involves children or animals."

He ignored her witty remark. "I have warden maps to the depths of this area, but they come with a price." Anders paused to let this sink in. Apparently it did. She was no longer smiling. "I came to Kirkwall to aid a...friend. A mage prisoner in the wretched gallows. Help me free him and you will have my maps."

Her gaze softened. "Tell me about your friend."

"His name is Karl. Karl Thekla. He was sent here from Ferelden when Kirkwall's Circle required new talent. His last letter said that the Knight Commander was turning the Circle into a prison. Mages are locked in their cells, refused appearances at court, made Tranquil for the slightest crimes. I told him I would come. This is the real reason why I'm here..."

"Are these accusations true?"

"Ask any mage in Kirkwall, if you don't believe me. Over a dozen mages were made Tranquil this year. As a matter of fact, the more people you ask, the worse the rumors become." Anders was frowning now. He could feel a surge of anger battling to surface, and he was struggling to keep it in check. If he let the anger wash over him now, it would mean Justice, and he didn't want them to see that. He didn't want herto see...

"You want to make your friend an apostate, then?" Faith asked curiously.

"That's such a weighted term!" Anders spat out and Faith's eyes widened. Once again he fought for control. "Yes, Andraste said magic should serve man, not rule him. But I have yet to see any mage that wants to rule anything. It goes against no will of the Maker for mages to live as free as other men."

Faith's eyes widened even more, but she reminded herself that this man did not know anything about her just in time. Her expression softened and when she spoke, her voice held a warmth that surprised him.

"Forcing mages into servitude is not the way to prevent the rise of another Imperium."

He could not believe what he had just heard. Was this woman for real? This time the smile he gave her was warm, inviting and genuine.

"That's not usually the response I get. Perhaps we will work together better than I expected."

"Perhaps we will," Faith purred back. Anders's heart flew to his throat. "Since that's settled then, I want to introduce you to my companions. My friend, Aveline," she pointed to the guardswoman, who nodded her head quickly. "Varric, the dwarf. His crossbow, Bianca." Varric smiled at Anders and Anders smiled back. "And that over there is my sister Bethany. She's an apostate."

Anders's eyes flew back to Faith. He realized then and there how utterly idiotic he had been. Of course she would defend the mages. It was obvious that she cared about her sister. "My name is Faith Hawke. Nearly everyone calls me Hawke. I suppose I could come up with a better name, but...oh, well..." She shrugged. Behind her Varric chuckled.

He gave her a sidelong smile and his eyes twinkled warmly at her. "You must know my name is Anders..."

"Must I?" She burst out laughing. It was the sweetest sound he'd heard in a long time and his smile deepened into a grin. "So, how do you plan to break your friend out of the Gallows?" Her brow furrowed prettily.

"I'm hoping it won't come to that. I sent Karl a message to meet me in the Chantry tonight. Maker willing, he'll be there alone. But if there are templars with him, I swear I'll free him from them. Whatever the cost."

"So, do I meet you at the Chantry tonight then?" Faith asked.

"Yes. At the Chantry tonight." Anders said quietly.

Faith nodded back at him, a smile on her face as she turned to leave.

"This means a lot to me," Anders said unexpectedly and she turned her head to look at him. He was giving her that sidelong smile again, and her eyes fixed on his lips involuntarily. She gave herself a mental shake and her eyes quickly flew up to his warm brown eyes. "Thank you."

His voice was but a whisper, but her body started to tingle, and she felt butterflies in her stomach. She smiled nervously and turned away again, this time walking out the door with the rest of her companions following her closely.

"Is it just me or did it just get very hot?" Varric's amused voice floated above the ash and darkness around them and Faith blushed all the way to the roots of her hair.

"So, that's a Grey Warden, huh?" Bethany commented cheerfully.

Faith suddenly wished she was alone.

...