A/N: Standard I/P disclaimers.

Darktown. Its very name drew shudders from the noble elite in Hightown. The difference between the two parts of Kirkwall was much, much greater than the layer of earth that separated them. For example, in Hightown, a woman being led through the streets by a dwarf and followed by a heavily armed elf and a Dalish apostate would draw stares and whispers. Especially if all the while the woman was swearing loudly at the several arrows sticking out of her shoulder, the garishly colored fletching looking like a masochist's attempt at accessorizing. Here in Darktown, people didn't seem to think it was the slightest bit out of the ordinary. I snorted, even as my teeth were grinding against the throbbing. Maker, people were funny.

Verric hustled me through the doors of Anders' clinic. "Got a patient for you, Blondie."

Anders looked up from the book in his hand, for once having no other people waiting for his attention. The obscenely late hour probably had something to do with that. It was closer to dawn than it was to night fall. I gave him a lopsided smile that was tight from pain. "You're up late."

He stood and came over to examine the arrows sticking from my flesh. "Ever since Justice and I came together, I don't seem to sleep as much." His fingers prodded at my blood soaked armor.

"Oh, since you came together? Makes it sound like you're dating. I guess a benefit to dating yourself is never being alone on a weekend evening." My attempt at humor turned to a hiss when he poked a sensitive area.

"True, but Justice doesn't like to cuddle." Anders eyed the placement of the arrows critically. They were close together, stuck in the meat between my shoulder and collar bone. "Since you're not spitting up blood, I don't think they hit your lungs, but they have to come out before I can heal you. The armor has to come off."

I tried to undo the buckles, but it was impossible with one useless arm. "Little help please?" Anders paused and I scowled. From the time it had taken to finish off the asshole who had stuck me, then to get all the way to the clinic in Darktown, those shafts had been in my flesh for at least a half a hour. I was getting rather sick of them. Not to mention the blood had soaked the shirt underneath and it was getting cold and sticky. Oh, and they hurt. A lot. "By the Maker, someone undress me already!"

Verric laughed and stepped forward. Short blunt fingers made deft work of the buckles and it only took him a second to come to the same realization I had just had. The leather was not going to come off with the arrows in me. "Looks like we're going to have to cut it," he said practically.

I swore. I liked this armor. It had taken months to get it to fit just right. The grin on Verric's face made me swear again. "Just think of the story possibilities Hawke."

He pulled a sharp knife and carefully began cutting at the seams of the armor. "If any one of your stories about me turns into a bodice ripper," I warned softly, staying very, very still, "I will not be responsible for what I do to you."

"Ah, such sweet things you whisper."

The awful thoughts of what Verric could do with this little scene kept my mind off the fact that he was extremely close to my skin with a very sharp knife. He made short work of the leather and soon the only piece of it left was a small square pinned to me by the arrows. I looked down and immediately wished I hadn't. Blood and sweat plastered my shirt to my front. It wasn't pretty.

Anders took Verric's place, one hand bracing my wounded shoulder. "Hawke, I need you to focus on me." I nodded and he captured my grey eyes with his warm brown ones.

"You have pretty eyes," I muttered. He did actually have very pretty eyes for a male. A rich warm russet and thickly lashed. He smiled and without warning, yanked. Blinding white pain flashed through me. A scream tore at my throat and I clamped my mouth shut hard. It came out muffled and distorted. I could feel my blood flowing freely down my chest from what felt like a gaping hole until Anders pressed a clean pad over it.

When I could see again, Verric had taken the arrow from Anders and was examining it. It was wet and I could see chunks of flesh attached to it. My stomach rolled. "Andraste's flaming knickers. Those dog lords used back barbed arrows." He held it up and I could clearly see the backwards facing points on the arrow head. No wonder it hurt so badly coming out. It was designed to do extra damage if the person hit survived the attack.

"There's still one more Hawke," Anders said. "I'm sorry."

"Just get it done," I said through gritted teeth. Cool fingers entwined with my own. I glanced to see Merrill at my side. I gave her a grateful look and then nodded at Anders. "Do it."

He instructed Merrill to use her free hand to hold the bandage against the previous wound and braced me again. I shut my eyes this time and held my breath. A fresh wave of pain blasted through me. My Dalish friend didn't even whimper when I crushed her fingers with my own.

There was a wood and metallic noise as the arrow hit the ground and then warmth spread first through my chest, then through the rest of my body. I could feel my flesh knit itself back together, all the smaller injuries I had sustained healing immediately as the holes in my chest started closing. When the pain had a chance to lessen, the next annoyance came. The worst part of magical healing was for the really bad wounds, the itching and burning sensation was as bad or more so than the original injury.

My attempt to scratch at the itch got my hand batted away. I scowled, but stayed still for the several minutes it took for the wound to completely heal. An experimental shoulder shrug later and everything seemed back to working order. There was a little tenderness and the muscle seemed tight, but I had the use of my arm back. "Well," I said slowly. "That was fun."

Verric laughed and shook his head. "You're an odd one, Hawke."

Anders had an arrow back in his hand. "What were you doing going after the Coterie?"

Fenris, silent all this time, finally stepped forward, his eyes narrow. "And how do you know who did this, mage?" He had been quiet all night, especially when he saw Merrill was a mage, but he fought with us a deadly efficiency that was spectacular to behold. That's actually what I was doing when I had gotten shot. Beholding. I coughed.

Anders drew himself up to his full height, just a few inches shorter than the elf glaring at him. "I'm a healer, elf," he said the word with the same casual distain that Fenris had used for mage. "In case you missed that from what just happened. And I've seen a lot of patients with that same fletching stuck in them."

Ah, yes. That's right. Anders and Fenris couldn't stand each other, even though they had only met one time before. On Fenris' side, I think it was the fact that there was a spirit living inside the mage. For Anders… I believed the barely veiled hatred in the elf's eyes had something to do with it. While I was thinking, Verric explained to Anders what we had been doing tonight.

I was getting cold without my leathers to protect me from the underground chill. The slowly drying blood on my shirt was not making matters any better either. I tugged at the cloth and it peeled away from me with a sucking sound. Nasty. Going home covered in blood like this was going to be a nightmare. Mother was going to have hysterics. I laughed a little at myself. I had just killed several people and I was worried about my mother yelling at me. I was an adult. I shouldn't be afraid of my mother. Although… perhaps if I was really quiet, I could just sneak in without waking anyone. Or maybe I could borrow a shirt from Merrill? I eyed her slim frame then my much bustier one and mentally nixed that idea. Verric maybe? Yeah, like he would have any shirts that didn't show off his rather impressive expanse of chest hair. It was like the natural dwarven beard had just migrated south for the winter and decided it liked the warmer clime. I barely registered that Anders had just asked me a question. "Sorry, what was that?"

"You must have a bigger death with than some of the Grey Wardens I knew. Why didn't you take me with you?"

"You've been busy lately."

"Yes, but since you've been clearing out all those groups, I've only had to deal with patients with sniffles instead of sucking chest wounds. I could have come with. What would you have done if the wound was worse and you couldn't have gotten to me in time?"

"Um, died?"

"And what sort of example would that have set?"

"A good one. One that said, don't do what she just did."

Anders laughed. "You have a point there, I guess."

"You want to come with us then? I almost have enough for the expedition and your skills would be most welcome."

"I'm crushed. You just want me for my ability to keep your blood from leaking out all over the floor." He glanced at the stain under my feet from earlier. "Again. And here I thought it was my witty repartee that had you asking."

"Let's not forget the handsome package that the witty repartee comes with. I'll need something to look at besides the stalactites." I waggled my eyebrows lecherously and he laughed again.

"Hmm, avoid Darkspawn or travel with a lovely woman. You do present me with difficult choices Hawke. I swore I would never go back to the Deep Roads, it's hot and smelly and Ser Pounce-A-Lot hated it down there." At my questioning look he clarified, "My cat. The Wardens made me give him up after that. He was a fighter though. Gave a hurlock a nasty swipe on the nose. Almost got ripped in half too." He looked sad for a second. "I miss that little kitty." He rallied. "If you need me, I will come though. Someone has to keep you alive."

"Good. I like being alive. Now that that's settled, I think we should head home." I tugged again at my sticky shirt. "I for one want a bath."

We left Anders at his clinic and made our careful way out of Darktown. I felt strangely naked going through the city without my armor. If we got attacked again, I was going to be a liability, but we got Merrill home and Verric to the Hanged Man without issue. Fenris and I walked alone the short distance towards Gamlen's home. "What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Are you willing to come along on the expedition? We'll be gone a few weeks and it's the last place anyone would look for you."

I could feel his gaze on my profile, searching for what, I couldn't say. "Who is going with you, other than the mage?"

That got a snort from me. Fenris and Anders down in the deep roads with me as the only thing between them? Somehow I doubted either of them would make it out alive. Hells, I might be the one to kill them. "Verric, since it is his brother's expedition. Plus he's handy with traps and locks and whatnot. Bianca isn't too shabby either."

"Bianca?"

"His crossbow. He has a strange relationship with it." I shook my head. "Men and their weapons."

"Your brother is not going?"

I paused. "Carver and I don't see eye to eye anymore." I said at last. "Being trapped underground together is the last thing I would wish on either of us. Besides, other than Uncle Gamlen, who's no prize, he and I are all that mother has left. If something happens down there…" I trailed off. "I don't want her to be left alone."

That seemed to be a good enough answer for Fenris. "I do not like the abomination," he said warningly.

"Then you should come with and keep an eye on him. Make sure he doesn't go all demony." I wiggled my fingers at him.

"You have a strange sense of humor Hawke." I could tell he was thinking though. "I will come with you," he said finally.

"Excellent! We'll go down there, slaughter some darkspawn, loot some abandoned thaigs, make some money. It will be fun."

He rewarded that with a snort.

The silence stretched out as we walked. Chatty, Fenris wasn't. I had to break it. "That wasn't too bad tonight, was it?"

"What wasn't too bad?"

"Having people there to watch your back."

"It was… different."

I eyed him. "I get the feeling you still don't trust us."

"My first memory was that of my master infusing my flesh with lyruim. The pain of it burned away everything that came before. I was a slave for years after that. Since then, I have been hunted, day in and day out. So no, I do not trust you."

"You will, you know."

"You sound very certain."

I gave him a little smile. "Yep."

"Why is that?" He sounded curious despite himself.

"Because I will never ask anything from you that I wouldn't be willing to give if you needed."

Fenris was quiet. We had reached the door to Gamlen's hovel and my hand paused on the handle. "There's a word for that, you know."

Pale green eyes met mine. "Friends." I left him with that and went silently into the house.