Author's note: First of all, a huge thank you to HedgeNinja for the kind review, and to Suzzy123 and karu0792 for the story alerts - you have inspired me to carry on! Slightly shorter chapter this time, with only a couple of Hawkes, but we'll catch up with the rest next time. I should also probably explain that the Hawkes have not all come from the point in their timeline, so some of them had have had experiences that the others haven't yet, as I hope will be apparent in this chapter. The world they have all been pulled into takes place some time in Act II, after Dissent but before All That Remains.

Btw, a "cast" is one of the collective nouns for a groups of hawks, which is why I thought it made a rather cool name for the story. Hope you enjoy the next chapter - cyber eclairs to all who read and review!

Chapter Two

Alexander Hawke

Knocking on the door, he tried desperately to project an air of calm, relaxed, trustworthy-ness, rather than that of a confused and troubled blood-mage, and beamed down at Bodahn's familiar face. By the deeply suspicious look on it, he could only assume he'd failed.

"May I help you, messere?"

You don't recognise me, well, that answers one question at least – wherever I am, this is not my home.

"Er, yes, I was, er, that is, erm – may I speak with Serrah Hawke?"

"I will see if she is available, Serrah. May I ask who is calling?"

Tricky one to explain, that... "Tell her...tell her..." oh why not, it'd work on me... "Tell her I'm a lost soul in desperate need of her aid".

The dwarf muttered something under his breath about him being the third one this week, but shuffled off regardless. She! I'm a she here, Alexander thought, brushing at his robes and smoothing down his hair, in a fairly futile attempt to look his best for his female self.

Eleanor Hawke

Heaving herself up from her library chair with a sigh, Eleanor went to greet the visitor Bodahn had just announced, hefting her greatsword onto her back first, just in case. It was too much to ask that she be allowed a day off, she supposed.

Spotting the robed figure in the hall, she assumed he must be another of Anders' projects, and wondered, not for the first time, why runaway mages didn't make any attempt to look less, well, mage-like. She supposed they did need to keep their staffs, but Maker, would kill them to wear less conspicuous clothing? Dressed like that the man may as well run straight through the Gallows waving a "Templars! Get it here!" flag.

"If I were you, stranger, I'd be hoping the Templars catch up with you before Anders does, because if he finds out you've come straight to the door of our house he'll kill you himself."

The man chuckled at that, and Eleanor realised that he looked somehow familiar, though she was sure she'd never met him before.

"Er, no", he replied, "I'm not one of Anders' strays, though I can see why you might think so."

"Then who are you?"

"That's, er, that's a little difficult to explain..."

"Ellie? Who was at the door?"

Before Eleanor could respond to her mother, the strange mage, who's eyes had widened like saucers at her appearance, had dashed across the room, and for one awful moment which had her grabbing the hilt of her sword, looked to be about to sweep her into his arms - before thinking better of it and dropping to his knees before her to take her hand and exclaim: "Messere Amell. I cannot begin to tell you how good it is to see you."

"Get away from my mother" Eleanor growled as she strode across the room towards them, only to have Leandra, who was looking at the kneeling man with something akin to wonder in her eyes, swiftly dismiss her concerns.

"It's quite alright Ellie. I'm sure this young man means me no harm. I'm sorry, ser, I'm sure we must have met before, you look so familiar, but I'm afraid I don't remember your name."

Getting to his feet, but without relinquishing her hands, the mage seemed lost for words for a few moments before haltingly replying: "Er, no, we, er, haven't met, not as such. I er, I knew your husband, Malcolm. Years ago, when I was very young."

"If you knew him from his time in the Circle you must have been very young indeed, he left many years ago."

"Yes, yes, I was, a child really. He was, he was like a...a...mentor to me, I suppose. But young as I was I still knew how much he loved you."

Eleanor felt her jaw drop slightly at the sight of her mother blushing, actually blushing!

"So kind! You know, it's strange, but you even look like rather him, when he was a young man..."

And there went her jaw, dropping the rest of the way, as Eleanor realised who this strangely-familiar stranger must be...She grasped his arm and began to propel him through the house:

"Right you, my study, now."

"Eleanor!"

"I'm sorry Mother, I'll explain later, but right now me and Mage-Boy here need to have a little chat."

Pushing him through the door and into a chair, Eleanor loomed over him:

"Alright, I don't know where you've come from but I can take a guess at who you are: some sort of long-lost older brother, right?"

"Not exactl...hang on, older brother?"

"What, were you taken to the Circle before the rest of us were born, making Father all the more determined to protect the rest of us from a similar fate?"

"Before you were born? How old do you think I am?"

"Maker's breath, I've learned enough about Father's past recently, I suppose I should have expected something like this!"

"Will you please listen to me?"

"For the first time I'm glad Carver's no longer with us, I doubt his fragile little ego could cope with an older's brother shadow to get out of as well an older sister..."

"I AM NOT YOUR BROTHER!"

"No? Then who are you?"

"Well, as I said, it's a little difficult to explain..."