Hawke slammed the front door so hard it bounced back at him, and he wrestled savagely with it debating about just ripping it from its hinges before it complied with his demand. He stood there huffing at it for a few moments daring it to come back open, but it refused. He stomped angrily through the entry, where Bodahn was tiredly waiting in his normal spot. "Ah, you have returned Messere...,"

"I told you not to wait up for me anymore, I'm not a bloody child! If I need anything at this time of the night I know how to get it myself!"

"Yes, Messere."

Douglas swallowed at the dwarf, shame crossing his face over his outburst, "I'm sorry, Bodahn, I shouldn't be yelling at..."

"Douglas," his Mother's voice called him from the top of the stairs, "Why are you yelling like that?"

"YOU!" He stalked over to the bottom of the stairs jabbing a finger at his mother, "You stay out of my love life! And if you ever see Anders again, you will apologize, you and your blasted brother!"

"If? Douglas I..."

He slammed the door to the study in answer after he disappeared behind it, running his fingers through his short black hair and pacing back and forth in front of the fire.

"If huh?" Douglas looked up startled to see Isabela leaning over the railing of the loft.

"What are you doing here?"

"I drew the short stick."

"I thought Varric was the short stick."

Isabela chuckled, "I'm sure he would let that one slide in your current state of distress."

"You aren't carving obscene things in my railings again are you?"

"Of course not," sliding the dagger she was holding back into its scabbard. Douglas raised an eyebrow at her. She raised one back, "You still haven't answered my question."

"What question?"

"If your mother sees Anders again, doesn't he live here?"

"I don't remember you asking that."

"Evade, evade, evade. Good thing they sent me and not Aveline. She would be pummeling it out of you by now but I know your tricks."

"What tricks?"

"Where's Anders?"

"At home."

"And yet he isn't here."

"There are other places."

"I haven't seen him come back since I've been here, and I came straight here after Aveline told us you followed him to the docks."

Douglas walked to where the spirits were located, pouring himself a drink and slamming it back before pouring another. "If you want one, you'll have to come get it," and swallowing the second.

She held up a bottle, "I brought my own," she watched him intently, he wasn't a large drinker, which is why she brought her own bottle, and he poured himself another. "You may want to slow down big fella, I don't exactly want to see all that come back up."

He laughed, "It won't."

"Closet drinker?"

"Natural high tolerance."

"Interesting."

This profession had its perks, drinking usually being one of them, and to be able to do so without pretending and keep his head at the same time was a major bonus. Now he just had to drink fast for it to have any effect at all. Douglas asked, "So why are you here?"

"Curiosity. You know me, I have to know what's going on."

"Yet you drew the short stick... right. Want to try the next lie or just skip to the truth?"

"We were concerned."

"So you came here to what? Bug me and tell them all about it?"

"Exactly. Where's Anders?"

"I told you, he's at home."

"So I know he isn't here, which means I can safely assume he doesn't live here any longer if he is at home." Douglas didn't look at her, staring off in the distance as he poured himself another drink and swallowing it. "Is it also safe to assume that this wasn't your choice?"

"Why?"

"Most people don't yell at their mothers to stay out of their love lives and apologize to their ex if they chose to break up."

"Then yes."

"What did she do?"

He took another drink, and then laughed, "She told Anders I had to produce heirs, and then Anders told me that we, you and I we," pointing at himself and then Isabela, "should have children." He laughed again.

"Did he lose his mind?"

"That's what I said!" He laughed at the absurdity of it all before groaning and flopping himself in a chair in front of the fire. Isabela came down the stairs, and stood in front of him, topping off his glass before retreating a safe distance. He looked at her, "Are you sure the one that should be here right now?"

"Well I guess we could have sent Varric, but you know how sexy he is, I think he was scared to come in your highly emotional state."

"Good point," Douglas said sarcastically.

"I could go get Sebastian."

"Oh Maker help you if you did that."

Isabela laughed, "What, not in the mood for the Maker works in mysterious ways, trust in Him, spiel?"

"No."

She leaned against the wall, "Well I guess that leaves me then, Fenris would be too happy about all this, and Big Girl and Kitten are too clueless."

"You don't have to stay."

"And leave you here with all these defenseless doors and poor Bodahn? No, I think I'll hang around for a while."

He sighed at her, "You were right, I should have stayed in Lowtown. Now it's supposed to be my duty to have a kid to leave all this..." waving his hand around wildly, "to. And to top it all off, Anders agrees, and dumps me because of it."

"Is that what he said?"

"Something about leaving me all alone, something about me having kids with you, something about me acting like a child, something about he doesn't believe me when I say I love him, something about me not being serious and getting him locked in the Gallows, or something." The alcohol was starting to take effect and he closed his eyes.

"Why doesn't he believe you when you say you love him?"

"Oh I don't know, probably because I flirt with almost everything with a pulse, and thought I was in love with all of you."

"Were you?"

"Seriously? Could you see me with Aveline or Fenris?"

She laughed, "A mage loving rogue who can pop a lock better than I, not so much."

"Well, there you go."

There was silence for a couple minutes before Isabela asked, "And me?"

Douglas opened his eyes and looked at her, taking another drink before answering, "I thought maybe at the time I could if given the chance, but I wasn't."

"And now it's too late."

Douglas said miserably, "Well maybe not now."

Isabela snorted, "Sorry, I think I'll pass on the man who's in love with someone else."

"Probably one of your better ideas."

"So what's the plan?"

"Plan?"

"For getting him back."

"I don't know, I'm still trying to wrap my currently buzzing head around the idea he left me in the first place."

"Well what do you want? All this," Isabela waved her hand around wildly like he had, "Or him?"

"I don't want any of this. I want to be sitting in the Hanged Man with all my friends, laughing at the craziness of this blighted city and then pull Anders into my lap and while looking into his amber eyes forget for just a minute about all the pain we left in Ferelden, about my sister locked in the Gallows and that every time I turn around someone is wanting something of me because the only thing being asked of me in that moment is to love him."

"Okay I don't know whether to swoon or vomit right now."

"If you are going to vomit do it somewhere over there," he waved his hand vaguely in the direction behind his chair, "unless you want company."

"Alright well, we'll figure out something, but right now, we need to get you upstairs before you end up sleeping in that chair."

"Good idea," he stood up and his head started spinning causing him to giggle, "I forgot what this felt like." He tried to take a step before falling back into the chair, "Whoa, maybe I should just sleep here."

"Oh no, let's go. You will not be thanking me tomorrow when your head is pounding, your heart is broken and your body is stuck in weird positions if I left you here."

It took some effort, but they finally got Douglas upstairs and into his bedroom, and after he crawled into bed, he muttered a "Thanks Isabela," before passing out.

She just shook her head and left, shutting the door behind her.