A/N: My special wholehearted thanks to all of you lurkers, reviewers and readers. You all make me jump for joy on a daily basis, doing all kinds of flirty things, dreaming up jolly purple dragons and all sorts of fun, just to display my endless happiness. You all rock.

I have recently ask one of my very talented friends, Erynnar, if it would be okay for me to adopt her shout outs for awesome stories. She most graciously said yes, and therefore I will be doing it too from now on. So please stop by, say hi and drop a review or two if you can. You all know that everyone loves reviews just like Sten loves cookies.

Shout outs for this chapter go to:

Erynnar (Soulmates, Whispering Sighs Of The Blade and The First Cut Is The Deepest) All awesome stories, which I highly recommend. Erynnar is on her 98th chapter of Soulmates so far and the story keeps getting better and better.

Megglesnake (A Consequence For Every Action, Royal Consequences and Time Warp) Meg has recently taken up my challenge of writing a Dragon Age AU story with added oomph. And I am very pleased to say that she is really exceeding all my expectations with the chapters she has posted so far. So check out her newest fic Time Warp. It is action packed, fast paced and it will definitely have you asking for more.

Pinoko K (The Rose of Highever, The Rose and The Prince, Valentine's day and Another Time, Another Life) Rose of Highever was one of the first stories that I read here on FF, and it will always be one of my favorites. So check it out and join the very strong and courageous Samantha Cousland on her journey to defend Ferelden from the Blight and rescue a very awesome Alistair from his lonely past.

Warrose (A Purpose and What Could Have Been) My smutty, cheeky and witty best friend has written one of the most awesome tales I have ever come across here on FF. It is full of action packed adventure and has a very witty and bitchy heroine called Serene. I just love her to bits. Do yourself a fav and check it out.


BioWare owns Ali...

Chapter 3

Frankie woke with a start the next morning, her eyes were swollen and sore from crying herself to sleep, the events of the previous night had taken it's toll. She didn't know what to do, all the pain and suffering she had tried to bury for so long had begun to resurface. All the hurt and anger she thought she'd locked away threatened to drive her crazy. Somehow that shocking, yet alluring kiss that she and Alistair shared had stirred something deep within her to make all these feelings come rushing back. She desperately didn't want to think about it, had tried to deny those feelings for the longest time, but try as she might, she'd always found herself crying herself to sleep. Eventually she'd managed to reach a level where it wasn't affecting her daily, but it was always there, always in the back of her mind and the previous night's kiss somehow opened the flood gates for all those memories to come back.

As she laid back down on her bed she curled herself into a ball and hugged her pillow as hard as she could, every memory that had broken her heart and shattered her soul playing over and over in her head, torturing her endlessly.

A year ago she had been so happy, she thought that her life was perfect. She and Joey had just got engaged and they were planning their wedding and the rest of their lives together. She was skeptical at first because her own parents had given her the worst example of married life. Actually that would be an understatement considering that they had married and divorced each other three times during her childhood. But she had thought that maybe, just maybe, things would be different for her. But that turned out to be an illusion too. In the beginning he was so sweet to her, they always had fun together, laughed and joked together. Shared their lives, their hearts and their minds. That was true in Frankie's case at least.

It was only one month after their engagement that things started going wrong in the worst way possible. He started treating her differently, degrading her every chance he got. And she took it because she thought that it was only a passing phase or maybe his job was adding a lot of pressure to his state of mind. She loved him endlessly and would do anything for him. So she endured months of verbal abuse and he got his way no matter the consequences or what it cost her in the end. She was already walking a fine line in her own career, she almost got reported and fired because she took out all the anger and unhappiness out on the random lowlifes she apprehended. But it just kept getting worse.

The final straw came the day Frankie found out that she was six weeks pregnant and she couldn't have been happier about it. The thought of a child thrilled her to no end and she was already thinking of the wonderful life she would have. Starry eyed, she thought that this baby would help her and Joey's relationship get back to where it had been. On her way home from her shift, she was thinking of baby names and combining them to Joey's last name just to see how they would fit. Smiling as she walked into the house, she saw that Joey was watching T.V. and drinking a beer. Frankie knew he wasn't drunk, he knew how to hold his liquor. She practically hopped over to him and sat in his lap. Frankie wrapped her arms around him, kissing him passionately. She told him how much she loved him but his only reply was to comment that she was blocking his view of the T.V. and she should please lift her ass and go get him another beer. Swallowing her disappointment as she had with everything else, she got up, walked into the kitchen and got him his beer. Handing it to him she'd sat in the chair beside him. She started to think about the happy news that she still had to share with him and it made her smile. She waited for him to finish watching his movie before turning to him and taking his hand in hers.

She looked at him for the longest moment, still thinking about what a wonderful life they would have. And then she told him about her not feeling well for the past couple of weeks and her visit to the doctor. At first, his reaction was very casual. As if it wasn't a big deal if she was sick. But when she told him she was pregnant, his reaction rocked her to to her core. Joey flew up, out of his chair and started screaming at her. Asking her how she could be so stupid and why she hadn't taken precautions so this wouldn't have happened. Frankie didn't know what to say because he knew full well that she had taken precautions since he never would, but accidents still happen and it wasn't as if she had planned this pregnancy. She was still happy about it and feeling blessed that the great miracle of life was now growing inside her. Her heart was completely shattered when he told her that she only had two options. Have an abortion or give the child up for adoption.

At that moment, Frankie attempted to take a stand for the first time in their relationship. She was not going to let this happen, she was not going to abort or give the child away, no matter what the situation. She loved the child already and she would do anything to protect it. She'd told him that she wouldn't do either, that she was not the type of person that just runs away from her responsibility. They got into a huge fight and she failed to keep control of her emotions a few times throughout it all. Joey had finally gotten so angry that she wouldn't just give in, he smacked her right across the face. She stood there stunned and shocked to the core before she realized her eyes were now wide open to who, and what he really was and she completely flipped. She grabbed his hand and spun him around, holding his arm in a vicious lock behind his back, not caring when she felt the joint give and he screamed out in pain. She forced him to the door, got it open and then shoved him through as he continued to moan. She forcefully told him that if he ever came near her again she would not only arrest him but kick his ass into the next world and back. Then throwing the deadbolt so he couldn't use his key, she ran straight to their room, collapsing on the bed and cried endlessly. She wondered how such a good day could go wrong so quickly. She wondered how she was going to get his crap out of her apartment without having to see his sorry ass again and how in hell she was going to explain this to her Nonna. Knowing Tess, she would go after Joey with a skillet and smack him upside the head for daring to touch her. Frankie felt as if she was living in a nightmare that was only going to get worse.

Frankie shuddered and pulled herself out of her thoughts immediately, before they went too far, she knew that if she didn't, they would destroy her, just like they did back then. She threw her hands up in the air and let out a huge groan, inwardly cursing herself for letting her memories get the better of her. She scrambled out of bed and walked over to her closet, getting dressed in a pair of blue jeans and her favorite Bon Jovi t-shirt. Her old but still favorite pair of Nike sneakers were always waiting for her whenever she stayed over. She brushed her hair and decided to just let it hang loose around her shoulders, instead of fastening it in her usual ponytail. She thought for a moment. How the hell am I going to get through this day, never mind the week, month or rest of the year. Why do these memories have to return now of all times?

Her thoughts drifted to the stranger asleep in the next room. Alistair reminded her of someone, but she couldn't put her finger on who. It was almost like she knew him from somewhere, but that was crazy, how could she have, she had just met him under the most peculiar circumstances ever. And that kiss? Wow! That was so incredibly hot! But what the hell was that all about? Why did he do that? And why did he call her Abby? Who the hell was Abby? In spite of herself she had to admit he was gorgeous and had a body that would make any girl's head spin. Those strong arms, the way he grabbed her, held her, she had never felt that safe and secure before... Stop it, Frankie, pull yourself together! Now is not the time at all. He is a man, and he will break you if you let him in, just like Joey. You know the only man who won't, doesn't really exist and he can only break your heart if you make the choice for him to do so. Unless you become his Queen, but that is also your choice at the end of that tale. So stop dreaming about men that don't exist and get your head back into reality, you silly woman.

She groaned inwardly as she looked herself over in the mirror. She looked so pale, a small shred of female pride made her apply a little bit of lip gloss to give herself some color…not that she was trying to impress anyone. She stood there and thought of a way to get herself focusing on something else, so she walked to the door fully intent to go sit in front of her computer and play Dragon Age for a while, because it always had a way of calming her and it had helped her forget in the past, so she was sure that it would again. She turned the doorknob and walked out of her room towards the living room.

xxXxx

Alistair woke up feeling extremely groggy and the worst headache ever. It felt as if someone had hit him with a ten pound hammer. His memories of the previous night suddenly made it through the pain and he remembered that he'd dreamt about a girl called Abby, a man called Loghain, an old woman with a staff of some sort, loads of hideous dead creatures scattered all over and a huge dragon that was called an Archdemon. He remembered the dream, and that he thought he'd loved this girl called Abby, but he still struggled to see the whole story behind it. How could he feel something for this girl that had only appeared in one dream. It was all so blurry and very unclear to him. Then he thought back and remembered why his head was hurting, it had been Frankie. He'd kissed her while thinking she was this Abby person and she'd punched him. It surprised him how much he had enjoyed that kiss, however brief it was and was actually impressed with the force the girl had hit him with and the fact that it had knocked him out. He worried about Frankie though and what effect it would have on the two of them. They were not best friends by any account, they had practically just met and their interactions so far hadn't exactly been good. She is beautiful, bright and funny and has the most strikingly gorgeous green eyes I have ever seen, at least that I think I've ever seen. And wow can she pack a punch. He knew she didn't trust him, and with good reason. He was a stranger to her, a stranger in her grandmother's house. Those thoughts brought his situation back and were almost his undoing. Why couldn't he remember? Why was everything so unclear? Would he ever remember, would it all come back to him somehow. It was like living in a nightmare of uncertainty and it was driving him crazy.

He forced himself out of bed and into yesterday's clothes from where he'd left them on the floor. He got to the bathroom and proceeded to fill the bathtub with water, still marveling at the genius of the idea of running water on demand, he stripped again and got into the tub and laid back in it to try and relax for a while. Just before the water was completely cold, he gave himself a good scrub and got out, watching the water drain away with fascination. Wrapping a towel around himself, he realized that he didn't have any clean clothes and didn't really want to put the dirty ones on again. He opened the door a little bit and peeked out into the hall to make sure no one was there.

He ran towards Tess' room while holding the towel in place and knocked on the door softly in the hopes that Frankie wasn't close enough to hear him. Tess opened her door and a huge grin spread across her face.

"Ah, I take it, you had a nice hot bath and discovered you had no clean clothes. So you thought to come and ask ol'Tess if she has any more for you, right?" She said with a smile.

"Uhm...ha...Yes..I mean I was hoping you might. I wouldn't exactly want Frankie to see me in my current state of undress" Alistair stumbled trying to make a coherent sentence.

"Ha ha, I see, you're thinking she might see your chiseled chest and go gaga for you, or are you afraid she might see your little general?" She said with an amused chuckle.

Alistair blushed three shades of red before replying. "No, no, I wouldn't want either of those things, really, uhm.., do you perhaps have something else I could wear so that I could wash the other clothes you gave me. I know I'm taking advantage of your more than gracious hospitality, but I would be eternally grateful if you can help me."

Tess just chuckled as she went to the closet in her room and called Alistair over to help her get a box down from one of the top shelves for her. The box contained an assortment of folded clothes and she looked at them a moment before commenting, "These all belonged to my son, the two of you had a similar build, so take this to your room and wear them until we can go out and buy you new clothes of your own... He was a good boy, my son. But that is in the past and I don't want to talk about it now "

Alistair hesitated for a moment before he took the clothes and softly said, "I'm sorry Tess". He cleared his throat and continued "Thank you so much Tess, I really really appreciate it and all the help you've given me." Alistair said as he picked up the box and made his way to his room with it.

Peeking around the corner to make sure the coast was clear, Alistair rushed to get to his room as quickly as he could when he ran right into Frankie. The collision caused him to drop the box and as she almost went flying, he reached to steady her while trying not to drop his towel while he did so. Her hand came to rest on his bare chest as she attempted to keep her balance and the feel of her fingertips on his skin caused a tremor to pass through his body and he had the oddest urge to pull her into a more intimate embrace.

She was obviously in a state of shock as far as he could tell from the expression on her face and they just stared at each other for a few heartbeats. As she shuffled out of his arms as quickly as she could; he heard her mumble, "Oh, sorry.. I..I..was just on my way to the bathroom."

And before he could get a word in edgewise, she bolted into the bathroom and slammed the door behind her. Alistair picked up the box of clothes again, while shaking his head. That's just great. The very last thing that I wanted to happen today just happened. How am I going to look her in the eye now? He walked back and into his room, shut the door and sighed. Walking over to the bed he sorted through the box of clothes. He found a black shirt and pants and started to get dressed. When he was fully clothed again he walked over to the mirror and looked at himself. All his shaving scars were almost completely gone now so he didn't look like had been mauled by a bear, thankfully. Not knowing what to do now and knew he couldn't hide in his room all day he took a deep breath and reluctantly made his way towards the living room.

As he entered, he saw Frankie sitting on the couch with a funny shiny thing that looked like it could have been a combination between a book and one of those T.V. things on her lap. She was looking at it while pressing a few buttons on it vigorously. He could see that she was concentrating very hard for some reason. Before he could say a word, she lifted a finger in his direction and said, "I'm not a morning person so if you don't want to lose a limb don't talk to me until I've had at least one cup of coffee." and to that he could only reply. "Good to know"

As he said it, Alistair could hear a voice coming out of the box on Frankie's lap saying the exact same thing as he did, at exactly the same time. Both Alistair and Frankie froze with shocked expressions on their faces. He looked at Frankie, who was staring blankly at the screen before she slowly looked at him and said. "Tell me what I think just happened, actually did just happen. Did you just say 'Good to know' at the exact same time and in the exact same way, with the exact same voice as my Dragon Age Alistair? Or was I just imagining it?"

Alistair stared at Frankie in confusion, feeling his frustration at everything he couldn't remember rising.

"I honestly don't know what you are talking about, really. How did you do that? How.. my voice, from that box.. Do you know something about me? About where I came from?"

"Oh, don't give me that, 'I don't know' bullshit again, how did you do that, how did you know about my Dragon Age game and what Alistair would say, how did you manage to say the same thing at the same time? Did Joey just send you to ridicule me about this game because it is the only thing that has kept me going since...since.
Oh damn it.."

Feeling attacked for no apparent reason, he tried to keep a rein on his temper. "How would I know about anything you just said? I don't know this Dragon Age" he paused for a moment and said thoughtfully "The year.. the year was the Dragon Age" He looked up at Frankie and he couldn't stop the floodgate opening. "You know SOMETHING, you have to tell me Frankie, please!"

"I don't know anything about you, aside from the fact that you just showed up here and quite coincidentally became best friends with my Nonna, you look like Alistair from the game, you're built like him, you even have the same accent now that I think about it. If I was a real fool, I would actually think you were the real Alistair. That is if I didn't already know that you must be an actor. Nobody could just pull a stunt like that out of their ass and make it look that real without being a very good actor..."

"Maker's breath, I AM ALISTAIR, that IS my name. I have no idea who you are, what you are talking about or who you think sent me here. Is this Joey person a powerful mage? What have I gotten myself into here and are you ALWAYS this much of a bitch?"

"That's rich, you're calling me a bitch? Really! Well, are you always this much of an asshole? Yeah I guess you are if you are any sort of friend of Joey's. He is the biggest asshole I ever met, only an asshole would stoop so low as to send their friends over to their ex-fiance's house to torment her over decisions she made that he didn't like. Not to mention the fact that she knocked him on his ass when he hit her, that makes you no better than him. You're a real piece of work. Did you really think you could pull one on me by acting all kinds of stupid, talking about mages, the Maker and you being the real ALISTAIR. Don't expect me to believe that bullshit for one minute. Alistair is a damn game character NOT a REAL PERSON"

Alistair grabbed her hand and held it against his chest and glared at her "I AM a real person. I don't know what a game character means but I know I am me. I have done NOTHING to you and you shout at me anyway. I'm being an asshole? LOOK IN THE MIRROR! I don't know who the hell you think I am but I know I'm not him, of that, I am certain."

Frankie started to storm towards the door. "Oh fuck this, I have had enough, I don't need this in my life too, I have sacrificed and lost enough already, I don't need anymore. I'm outta here"

Alistair started after her, suddenly concerned "Frankie wait... I didn't mean..."

Frankie just swore as she ran out of the room and slammed the door behind her. Alistair ran his hands through his hair in frustration and followed her. Moving at lightning speed and before he could stop her, she jumped onto her motorbike and sped away like a bat out of hell.


You thought I'd forget the part where I get to make the two of you blush and look for hidey blankets, huh?...NO WAYS...

A Very Huge and Spectacular Thanks to my awesome friends and beta's RandomWittering (Impossible Dreams, A Little Rod and The Rose) and Isabella Monroe (Mirror Images, The Count of Monte Antivo and A Girl in King Alistair's Court). I really appreciate your awesome skills and endless patience with me. For always being there and being my best buds. You two are amazing, wowtastic, awesomelicious, spanktastic, fabulicious, and the bestest friends this smutty minx could ever ask for. So thank you my nearest and dearest, you will always have your own private boxes in this heart of mine. And I love ya lots.

;-)