Summary: Cara must tell her long time friends about Fenris. The two old hands have been like family to her so she decides honesty is the way to go.


Fenris woke to a warm body curled against him. The fire had burned too low to warm the cave and Cara had moved closer seeking warmth, nothing more. At least he tried to tell his body this as it reacted to her touch and scent. Cara was restless. She spoke mumbled words in her sleep some he heard clear enough sounded elven.

He thought of waking her, but she looked exhausted earlier. She struggled to stay awake after they had eaten, she hadn't lasted long. Not surprising, considering the work they had been doing for the past month. A person could only work at the pace she set for so long before it took its toll.

With a free hand, he placed another log on the fire and reached for the poker to stir the coals beneath it. When the log caught fire, he added two more. The small cave would warm quickly. She sighed and snuggled closer. He knew he should wake her or move her back to her own bedroll. He had to be crazy to let her stay pressed against him. Instead, he pulled her closer.

Memories of her kiss and the feel of her skin under his hands stirred his desire for her. He wanted her to remember him differently. He hated how she flinched and jerked away from him, as if burned, anytime his hand brushed hers while they worked close together.

He brushed the loose hair from her cheek and tucked it behind her ear. She always hid them; said they were too big. He traced the outer edge with his finger and leaned over to kiss the slight point.

She stirred and opened her eyes. He kissed her temple and then the corner of her mouth. Her heart rate sped up and her eyes darkened. He found the edge of her loose shirt and slid his hand up her side to tease one of her breasts. She held her breath and stilled under his hand.

"Cara, I want you," he murmured against her lips. "If you want me to stop I will." He rolled the end of her breast between his fingers and tugged as his tongue traced her lips. "Let me make love to you."

She arched into his touch. "Don't stop." Her tongue licked along her bottom lip where his had just traced.

"Are you certain?" he hesitated enough for her to take it back.

"Yes."

With a soft growl, he rolled on top of her. He would take his time tonight. Show her how it should have been between them.

Fenris lifted her loose shirt over her head. She shivered as the cool air touched her skin. He took a moment to admire her in the firelight. Her cheeks darkened and she tried to cover herself.

He gently took her wrists and lifted them over her head and held them with one hand.

"You're beautiful, don't hide yourself."

She bit her lip and shook her head. "I know I'm not, so don't lie to me."

He released her wrists and caressed a hand down her arm. She sucked in a breath.

"You are beautiful. I'm sorry if I made you feel otherwise." He caught a tear with a kiss. "Shhh, let me show you how it should have been."

He nipped along her jaw and down her throat. When he found and sucked at the hollow of her throat above her collarbone, she moaned and arched into his touch.

He breathed in the musky scent of her. It mixed with the perfume or soap she used. He fought to keep control. It had been over too quickly the first time.


Cara woke and stretched. It took a moment to remember she and Fenris were snowed in. Last night had been better than any dream. She sat up and looked for him but the cave was empty. Only the crackle of fire over burning logs filled the cave. She dressed quickly in the cool air and was slipping into her coat when the canvas curtain was pushed aside.

"I didn't mean to wake you."

"You didn't."

"You should rest."

Cara smiled. "I am rested, and I think I slept in. The horses need tending."

"I've just returned from tending them. The storm stopped sometime last night."

"Then we should return to the ranch. With the snow, it will take longer than half a day."


Jess stood at the barn door watching the two riders come in. The new hand rode Scout while Cara rode the black Arabian three-year-old, Gypsy.

From under the hood of the coat he wore, Jess could see white hair, but he thought Cara said he was a young man. As they got closer he made out the bright green of his eyes. Which wasn't hard to do since they were larger eyes than most people tended to have. Cara had large eyes too, they gave her an innocent youthful look, but the young man's dark slashing brows gave him a very serious expression. There was something oddly familiar about him. Jess never forgot a face. He might not remember names, and often took a while to remember where he had seen someone before, but he would eventually put it together.

The man riding up was definitely familiar. Or Jess thought he was was until he saw the strange markings along his chin and throat. He looked at Cara and her cheeks darkened. Jess pushed his hat back a bit and scratched his forehead.

"Miss Cara, welcome back."

"Thanks, Jess. Would you mind taking care of the horses and then bring Harris to the house?"

"Happy to. Who is this?"

"I want to talk to you both, and it's best if I explain and show you a few things while I tell you who he is."

Jess took the reins she held out and nodded. "Ok, sure. We'll be over in a bit."

Cara nodded and turned toward the house. The young man inclined his head and then followed. Jess watched them as they walked away. At the door, the man opened it and let her enter first. Jess couldn't help but grin. When was the last time Cara had let a man open a door for her? If she trusted the man, he could hold off judgment for a while.


"I trust you, but are you certain they will understand?" Fenris asked.

"Understand yes, believe the whole story? Well, that I don't know."

Cara opened the cabinet to the computer. Beside the monitor was the notebook she had kept since the dreams started. The computer held all of the information, she'd typed everything from the notebook into word documents to save them.

Her background picture was Fenris in a battle stance, sword drawn, markings glowing. She glanced back at him and saw the smirk on his face. She knew she should have changed her background to something other than his picture. He would think it meant something.

She opened a folder Grace had created. Inside were screen shots of her Dragon Age games. The only game Grace hadn't completed was Inquisition; she passed away before she could finish.

Her Dragon Age 2 folder had more than enough screenshots of all the companions. Grace was Team Anders, Cara had been, and always would be, Team Fenris, even if she disagreed with his view of mages.

"I know you've seen the books but these are new to you. My daughter spent her free time playing through and taking pictures and recording. She used to upload videos for other fans." Cara felt her cheeks warm. She had been the one Grace made the Fenris videos for. She opened the folder with his name on it.

"I still don't know the connection between our worlds. Obviously, there is something common between them."

"You said these were stories?"

"Yes, the kind where different choices can be made. Though, the ending doesn't change much. Hawke could have supported the mages or the Templars and would be forced from Kirkwall eventually."

"Hawke aided the mages. She and Anders left Kirkwall after the defeat of Meredith. She should have stopped Anders, his actions started this war."

"Anders would have still blown up the Chantry. Even if Hawke had known, there was no way to stop Anders," Cara said. "What about Sebastian?"

"He vowed to level Kirkwall to find Anders. He doesn't believe they have been gone for nearly four years."

"Helping other circles, I imagine."

"Foolish and irresponsible. The mage has influenced her."

"In all those years did you never once think they might be right? Magic might be dangerous, but so is ignorance. My world faced many wars over the oppression of others, as well as ignorance and intolerance of different cultures. The only ones who benefit are those already in power. The innocent suffer and ultimately pay the cost of war through loss of life or taxes."

"You have no idea the damage one mage can do. Even a child can kill with magic. Demons prey on weak minds, tormenting and torturing all around them before they are stopped."

"So all mages are evil, cursed to live as prisoners because they can't be trusted? Ever think the lack of trust might be part of the problem?"

"Until you have witnessed the carnage first hand you cannot understand," he snapped.

Cara opened the folder for Dragon Age Origins and clicked on the folder marked Redcliffe. She started the video of the battle with the undead.

Fenris watched the scene, a frown deepened the creases on his forehead, his lip twisted up in a near snarl.

"I know what happened in Ferelden and Kirkwall. I know the dangers of magic. I may not have seen it first hand, but I do understand the deaths and torment caused by the boy Conner and the Desire demon who tried to possess him during the Fifth Blight. This happened in Redcliffe. It happened because his mother was afraid of losing her son. If the Circle's worked, families wouldn't try to hide their children to protect them."

Before he could respond someone knocked on the kitchen door.


"Jess, Harris, come in. I froze a stew before I left if you're hungry."

"Always hungry for one of your meals, Miss Cara," Jess said.

Jess and Harris sat at the table while Cara pulled the container from the freezer. She transferred it to a pot and into the wood stove's oven; adding a few more logs to raise the temperature of the fire.

The other man stared at Cara's computer, a frown furrowed his brow and made him look fierce. The man looked behind him to find Cara watching him. Her cheeks darkened and she looked away.

"Okay, this is going to sound crazy, but he's not from here," Cara said.

Jess looked from Cara to Harris, and then the other man.

"I didn't think so. Not with those ears. So what's going on? I'm beginning to think Tolkien didn't just imagine Middle Earth," Harris said.

Jess chuckled. Leave it to Harris to break the ice.

"He may have been on to something, but Fenris isn't from one of Tolkien's stories."

"Fenris? Isn't that someone from the Dragon game Miss Grace loved so much?" Harris asked.

Jess saw the truth of it now. Though, the truth might still be a stretch. Grace had talked about the games for years. She'd been so excited to get her mother to join her love of the games. Cara had been drawn in by the lore. The woman was like that with well fleshed out fantasy worlds. She knew history better than anyone and had a love of fantasy novels. Hadn't he and Harris given her a leather-bound special edition of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings for her birthday when she was 16? She'd loved them every bit as much as the horse her parents had given her four years before.

"You serious, Miss Cara? It's not just some prank by a friend who knows you like the games?"

"The only one who'd know would have been Sean or Grace, and I doubt either of them would pull something this elaborate."

"I assure you, this is no prank." Fenris sat at the table.

Harris let out a whistle and shook his head. "Son, you are so out of place. No way to disguise you is there?"

"From what I've seen, I agree. This world is nothing like home, and yet, many things are similar."

"Damn, so now what?"

"You two have certainly taken this without question. Why?"

"When have you ever lied to anyone? Even if it meant your grandfather would have switched your backside, you always told the truth."

"I was going to say he was from Seattle," Cara grinned.

Jess and Harris hooted with laughter. "Seattle. I would have bought it. I hear them kids dress up and act out games and movies. I would have thought it just a costume. Would be strange to still wear it, but there are strange people out there," Harris said.

"I thought he was in character when I found him. I didn't believe him at first," Cara said.

"Nor I. When she told me this was not Thedas, I believed she had lied."

Jess rubbed his chin. "So how did you get here? Do we have to worry about others showing up?" He shook his head. "Damn, another world. A fictional place is actually real."

"I still find it hard to believe," Cara said.

"Imagine finding yourself in a world you'd never heard of," Fenris said.

"I can't even imagine what I would do if it had been the other way around. If I landed in Thedas I'd be pretty freaked out," Cara said.

"Did you tell him about your dreams?" Jess asked.

Cara narrowed her eyes at him. "No. I didn't. There wasn't any reason to. They were just dreams."

"I think it's more than that. Him being here should tell you they are more than just dreams."

"What dreams?" Fenris asked.

"Nothing." "Cara dreams of Thedas. But from before. She dreams of the past there and here."

"Grace told you?" Cara and Jess spoke at the same time.

"You used to dream of the past when you were younger." Harris ran a hand through his thinning silver hair. "You told wonderful stories about elves and castles in the clouds, crystal spires, wolves, dragons, and griffins."

"Those were just from the over-active imagination of a child."

"Are they? Grace said you started having dreams again three years ago."

"So I dream of things that interest me. I used to dream of historical events too, but that doesn't mean anything."

"You had a dream last night, you spoke elven in your sleep," Fenris said.

"I did?" Cara's brow furrowed and she grew quiet a moment. "I don't remember a dream last night. Do you remember what I said?"

"Ir abelas, Banal'ras. Dareth shiral, vhenan," Fenris said. "There were others too mumbled to understand, but I know they were elven."

Jess and Harris waited while Cara set out bowls.

"Well, what does it mean?" Jess asked after everyone had bowl of steaming stew in front of them. He noticed the deep color in her cheeks.

"It's an apology and a goodbye. I've had that dream before. More than a few times. It seems I have it more often than I realized."

"I didn't realize it at first, but I was fortunate to have come here. You seem to understand what might have happened," Fenris

"So how did he get here?"

"Some kind of electrical storm. About six weeks ago. We had that warm spell and a got rain early April. The storm woke me it was so close and so loud. Even Remus was upset about the storm. I found Fenris injured and hiding in the barn."

"I remember a battle and a flashing light; but little else," Fenris said.

"So how does he get home?" Harris asked. "Or maybe you don't want to. Jess and me could have gone home, but this became home. We just vacation where it's warm in the winter."

"I don't know. So far we have a storm, that's it. Is it more than just a single event?" Cara answered.

"There has to be a connection, right? You have dreams, the storm was on your ranch, it means something? Right?" Harris asked.

"You watch too much X-Files, Harris. It doesn't mean anything," Jess said.

"Hey, the X-Files are real, man. They just want you to think it's science fiction. He's from another world; if that ain't X-Files I don't know what is."

A strike of lightning in the yard and a roll of thunder startled them all. The electricity went out and the house grew dark and silent. An eerie green light glowed in the distance for a few moments before the rain began.

"Did you see that?" Cara asked Fenris.

"The green light? I did. Is that significant?"

"I thought I saw that same green light six weeks ago."

"Where's your flashlight? Same drawer?" Jess asked as he moved across the kitchen.

"It won't work. There is a candle by the sink."

Jess lit the candle and moved it to the center of the table.

"Why won't the flashlight work?" Harris asked.

"I don't know. The last storm did the same thing, anything that ran on batteries or electricity didn't work."

Another strike of lightning lit up the room. Remus paced in front of the door growling lowly in his throat. He had reacted the same way the night Fenris had landed on her ranch.

A hand wrapped around hers. Fenris stood beside her. His markings faintly glowed in the dim evening light.

"Just like that night," Cara said. "The storm is the same."

"Yes. I can feel the Fade," Fenris said.

"I suppose there is no faking the glowing," Harris said. "Jesus, they're everywhere!"

The markings glowed enough that each was easily seen through his clothes, even through the jeans, and boots he wore. Cara gripped his hand tighter.

Cara shivered and rubbed her arm. "Do you hear anything? Besides the thunder?" she asked.

"No." His hand tightened around hers.

Cara held her breath and listened. Whispers carried on the wind. She was certain of it. The same odd sensation she had felt that night crawled along her skin. Cara rolled her shoulders to shrug away the feeling. Fenris had mentioned the Fade and Magic. He'd told her this world still had remnants of magic. He'd even accused her of being a mage. Was he right?

"You feel the Fade?"

"The markings. Lyrium is a source of magic, the markings react to nearby magical energies on their own."

"What does it feel like?" Something was odd about the air around her. She'd dismissed the feeling during the first storm, but it had made the hair on her arms stand up. She felt the same thing now. Faint, but there was an energy to the air she didn't think was entirely electrical.

"I feel as though I walked into a spider's web, and the air around me feels heavier but Mages claim they feel energy dance against their skin."

"I don't feel anything," Harris said.

With a final flash of lightning, the storm ended as quickly as it began. The lights came back on along with the quiet hum of the refrigerator.

"I'm tellin' ya, the X-Files are real," Harris said breaking the silence.