A/N: I apologize for taking so long with this chapter. Life happened as well as a bit of writer's block.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. All else is owned by BioWare and EA.

Trust in Him

Chapter 4

Lexie and Alistair had found Jansen in Lowtown and convinced him that the Bone Pit was safe enough to go back to work. She also promised them more pay which helped the enthusiasm of their fellow Fereldens. Once that task was complete, they wandered over to the docks and went into an establishment that one of the city guards had recommended. Once they stepped inside of The Nautical Cove they were surprised by the quietness. The warriors made their way to the back of the watering hole after buying two pints at the bar and sat at a small table.

After taking a small sip and realizing the booze was as cheap as The Hanged Man, Lexie relaxed a bit. She watched the man across from her and felt a coil of heat in her stomach that wasn't from the ale. He was incredibly good looking. Lexie had to admit that he was more handsome than any other man she had ever met. She looked up at his face and realized he was staring back at her. "I can just imagine what Isabela would say if she were here." She quipped.

Alistair had noticed that she was looking him over and he certainly hoped she liked what she saw because he thought Alexia Hawke was beautiful. He knew she was related to Marisa Amell, his former lover but thankfully, they looked and acted nothing alike. The woman across the table from him was loving, compassionate, and loyal. He had seen that even before he joined up with her.

The Grey Warden cleared his throat as he realized his companion was waiting for him to say something. "I'm sure that whatever that pirate had to say, it would have double meaning anyway." He smirked. "Of course, if she brought Fenris along, she'd be too busy to say much to us." Alistair guessed.

Lexie blushed slightly and quickly answered, "If Merrill followed them here, and she'd just worry about missing the dirty things." She giggled, slightly embarrassed about what she had just said. When she glanced back up at Alistair, she saw him smile at her and she was struck again by how devastatingly handsome he was. Oh Maker, she thought, she was in serious trouble. This was more than a young girl's crush. She was sure that she was falling for the Ferelden warrior.

By the time they were on their third round, they were speaking of their homeland and comparing notes on a few of the places they had both been. Hawke was surprised that she had missed Alistair and his companions while they were in Lothering. That was most likely due to her family living on the outskirts of town and keeping a low profile due to her father and sister's magical status. He spoke of Leliana whom Lexie had met a few times as well as the Qunari that had been caged by the Lothering Chantry. Lexie was fascinated by all that he spoke of and she hoped that someday he would tell her about what went on between him and her cousin. She wanted to hear his side of the story.

Deciding they should leave before it became too late, the two left and made the trek to Lowtown together. When they arrived at Lexie's home, Alistair took her hand and lifted it up and kissed it. It was a gesture that warmed Hawke's heart. "Thank you, Lexie for accompanying me this evening. I enjoyed myself more than I have in a very long time." he marveled, smiling at her.

Lexie smiled back at him and responded, "I hope that we can spend more time together and I truly had wonderful night as well." She stood on tip toes and kissed his cheek before turning and going inside her house.

Alistair watched her go inside and started to walk back to The Hanged Man. He whistled an old Ferelden tune that he remembered as he strode to the pub. He was unaware of someone watching him. He had been oblivious of it earlier as well when he had been saying good night to Hawke. If he had known, he would have been surprised at the animosity directed at him. Eyes narrowed, the watcher starting plotting on how to get rid of this newest threat to his plan.

Varric shook his head and chuckled at the blushing Chantry brother. Isabela was on a roll with her latest tale of how she narrowly escaped being captured by some bloke that went by the name of Dread Pirate Roberts. She had just finished at how she had stolen his sword while only wearing her boots and nothing else. The part leading up to the theft of the fine length of steel was what had Sebastian blushing and Merrill giggling. The dwarf rolled his eyes and exclaimed, "I am quite sure that I find that story to be inconceivable, Buttercup." The pirate in question just laughed, winked at Merrill and proceeded to lead Fenris away from the table and down the stairs. Apparently she was walking the broody elf home. Sebastian got up and after saying good bye, left to head back to Hightown.

"Daisy? How about you go get some sleep? I don't want to have to worry about you walking home." Varric said. The elf sleepily nodded her head and flopped onto the cot on the other side of the room. "Good night. Wake me in the morning and I'll walk you home." The rogue placed Bianca beside his bed and slipped under the covers. His last thought was that he needed to buy some flowers for Merrill so she would stop picking them in private gardens.

Lexie had just changed into one of Carver's old shirts to sleep in when Bethany surprised her by magically lighting a candle on the nightstand. "Sister! You gave me a fright. I tried to be quiet. Sorry to have woken you." Lexie babbled.

Bethany allowed a giggle to escape and whispered, "What have you been up to, Lexie?" The mage was not as innocent as her sister and everyone else thought that she was. She had heard many stories from Isabela that had brought a blush to her cheeks as she had visualized the steamy scenes the pirate had vividly recounted. She was also aware of the attraction between her sister and the newest warrior that now accompanied their group. She hoped that he was the reason Lexie had come home so late.

Lexie sat down on the mat she used as a bed and sighed. She leaned against the wall and said, "After dealing with the bone pit, Alistair went with me on some errands. He asked me to have a drink with him so instead of going to the usual place; we went to the new place by the docks and talked." She smiled and continued, "He was in Lothering, just before the darkspawn showed up there. I'm sure that if we had lived right in town, we would have seen him. That's when Leliana joined up with him and our dear cousin." She knew that Bethany would be quite intrigued with that bit of information. Bethany always had been curious about Marisa Amell, Hero of Ferelden as she was their mother's niece as well as a mage that had left the Circle of Ferelden and become a Grey Warden. Of course, Lexie was less than impressed with her relative as she had heard some of the story about her betrayal to Alistair from Isabela.

Bethany knew that her sister wasn't as impressed with their cousin as she was but she didn't want to argue with Lexie now. She was too happy about her having a date with the handsome Ferelden. It had been entirely too long since Lexie had done anything for just herself. Even before running from Lothering, her sister had always been responsible and protective of her and to an extent, their brother Carver. Bethany just wanted Alexia to have a reason to smile and laugh and if Alistair was the reason, she would encourage it as much as possible. "You know, Lexie, if mother hears about you seeing him, she is going to be planning a wedding before long." Bethany teased.

Lexie rolled her eyes and answered, "That is why nothing is to be said, Beth. I can't handle mother playing mother of the bride right now with everything. I'm still trying to earn enough to pay Bertrand for partnering on the expedition. In fact, I don't want mother playing that role ever. Who needs that kind of pressure? Besides, we just went for drinks. He's hardly my boyfriend much less my intended." The petite warrior shook her head. "Well, we should get some sleep. I still have a lot to do tomorrow." Lexie got under the blankets and shut her eyes. After saying good night to her sister, Bethany did the same.

Alistair had gone straight to bed once he gotten to his room. He was tired but unable to fall right to sleep. He thought about his day and was glad that he had asked Lexie to go for drinks earlier. It had been even better than he thought it could. Thinking about their date, he smiled. Lexie was an amazing woman. She was intelligent and beautiful. She also had a wicked sense of humor. In short, she was perfect and someone he wanted to get closer with.

He realized that he had not truly been in love with Marisa. He had thought he was and at the time, he would have fought anyone who claimed differently but now, he recognized that he had been in no shape to really be in love. Everything that he had gone through since the massacre in Ostagar had left him an emotional wreck. His attraction to the mage was a positive in the middle of all that was negative. Coupled with losing his virginity to her, it was no wonder why he thought he was in love with her. He yawned and decided he'd better get some sleep. He was already looking forward to seeing Alexia the next day, even if it was just on another job. As long as it allowed him to be near her, he was content. Maybe he could ask her out again was his last thought for the night.

End Note: Please read and review.