Just wanted to thank you all for all your reviews and all the people who favored this story and have added it to your story alerts! Thanks so much Jinx1983, Megglesnake, Zeeji, KCousland, Warrose, PheonRen, LadyCallia, jugalettePENNER, fifespice and Katrina-Irene! :D

We get a chance to look into Jinx's inner thoughts and feelings in this chapter and the dreams of her companions. There is some smut in this chapter as well, so you have been warned. Smut ahead!

Bioware owns! :)

Chapter 7 - The Fade aka Epic Fail, Part 2

She found herself dressed in her silverite armor, and was once again wielding her trusty family sword and dagger. She looked fondly at the sword and the memory of her father entrusting it to her came back, sharp and clear as the day it had happened, not six months ago.

"Here, pup. I think you should have this." Teryn Cousland said as he handed her the family sword.

She could not bring herself to speak, for a lump had risen, unbidden, in her throat, and could only stare at the sword in wonder. She raised her gaze to her father's clear blue eyes, and saw his pride for her. Tears sprang from her green ones.

"Father," she croaked out. "Are you sure about this? Fergus is the eldest and a warrior, don't -"

Her father held up his hand and then placed it on her shoulder when she had finished talking.

"My dear girl. It was Fergus himself who suggested this," he said, his eyes bright and warm.

She took it then, and felt the sword's weight, its gleaming silverite blade winking at her. The hilt had two stones encased in it. One of them, on its very tip, was a beautiful sapphire. The other, which was in the middle of the hilt, was a ruby, glowing red in the light of the room. Both stones were enchanted, she knew the whole history behind them; both going back to when Calenhad was king. The enchantments were the best feature of the sword in her opinion, granting the bearer extra stamina and precise striking.

"Thank you Father. This is...wonderful. I shall guard it with my life," she added, choking a bit on the last of her words.

"I think, dear girl, that it will be the other way round," his eyes twinkled, but she remembered how seriously those words had been spoken.

For it had certainly been that way. The sword had connected with her. And despite her running into trouble and teasing death openly, it had always been there for her, guarding and guiding her through all her battles.

She came back to the present with a start and looked around. The landscape was dream-like and utterly depressing. She knew that she had to seek out the rest of her companions to release them from their dreams or nightmares. Grimacing slightly, she squared her shoulders and moved on.

...

Leliana was on her knees, praying. She rolled her eyes at the scene. She believed in the Maker, and all that was holy, but was not really much of a religious person. In Leliana's case, her faith teetered on the brink of insanity.

"Hey, Red!" She called out fondly to the kneeling bard.

"What? Who are you?" Leliana asked, lifting her head. The Revered Mother who stood beside her was looking fixedly at Jinx.

Leliana felt something stir in her memories, deep in the darkness of her confused mind. The Revered Mother, however, made sure she did not dwell on any thoughts.

"Do not interrupt her prayers, child. Can you not see she is meditating?" The Revered Mother said, her sweet voice falling on her ears and sounding terribly fake to Jinx.

"Revered Mother, I do not know this girl," Leliana said frowning.

"What? After you talked my ears off about shoes?"Jinx shot back in disbelief.

"Shoes," Leliana repeated, a dreamy look on her face.

"Yes, much as I hate remembering that conversation," Jinx shuddered visibly. "You said you had your eyes on a pair. Have you forgotten about them already?"

"Shoes!" Leliana shouted happily.

Oh Maker! Can it get any better?

Jinx rolled her eyes. She could see this would be difficult.

"Yes, they were blue satin ones, I believe."

Leliana grinned at Jinx and Jinx blinked back at the happiness in her eyes.

"Oh! I remember now!" Then her gaze grew sad. "But I could never buy them, I had to -"

"Leliana, now is not the time nor the place. What about your prayers to the Maker?" The Revered Mother practically hissed at her, causing a smirk to appear on Jinx's face.

"Leliana," Jinx called her by her name, hoping to draw her attention to her.

It did.

"Listen, Leliana. This is not real, I promise you," Jinx said, glancing for a moment at the Revered Mother whose face was getting redder by the minute.

"Isn't real? What do you mean?" Leliana asked confused.

"I can't believe I'm actually going to say this," Jinx sighed audibly. "But...do you remember your vision? Don't you remember what you told me about the Maker?"

Leliana stared into space before the memories came flooding back into her mind.

"I remember! There was a sign! The Maker talked to me! He appeared to me in a vision..." The lilt in her voice caused Jinx to smile.

"Leliana! We've talked about this! These visions are merely sent by demons trying to take you away from the righteous path. They are lies, used to lure you, to trap you -"

"Yeah, right. You should know this very well, being a demon yourself," Jinx nearly growled at the woman who was now looking furious as she glared back at Jinx.

"Demon? What?" The redhead now looked confused, looking at Jinx and then back at the Revered Mother.

"Argh! I hate this!" Jinx gave up and unsheathed her blades quickly, lunging at the Revered Mother, who transformed into a Rage Demon before their very eyes.

Leliana backed away, gazing upon the scene with terror-filled eyes as she finally realized where she was and remembered how she had gotten there.

"A little help here," panted Jinx, who was dancing madly around the demon, trying not to get too burned and striking it repeatedly with her family sword and dagger.

Only then, did Leliana react and start to aim arrows at the demon, shooting at it repeatedly.

Within minutes, the demon had fallen, and disappeared before their very eyes.

"That was a - a -" Leliana stammered, clearly affected by it all.

"A demon, yes. Listen, Red. You have to get a grip on yourself in these situations. We could have died back there if you hadn't reacted. What I'm trying to say is that you should have reacted sooner. You have to try to control yourself," Jinx knew that she was probably hurting her feelings, but did not sugarcoat her words. She needed to drive the point across.

"I...understand," Leliana muttered, lowering her gaze.

"Good, glad to know we are on the same page, Red," Jinx grinned at her brightly.

Leliana smiled back, then added, "I believe we have much to do to get out of here, yes? Let us -" she stopped as her body started to glow. "Wait! What's happening to me? Where are you going?"

And just like that, she was gone.

Jinx found herself alone as before. Rage filled her entirely.

"Ugh! You think you are so powerful and smart, don't you? But you are just a stinking, second-class rate demon with no -"

The whole scene shifted before her and she was looking down at a clearing, where Wynne stood, weeping. She saw what Wynne was crying about and grimaced.

Lying in a circle around her were the bodies of dead mages. Jinx counted at least five.

Her eyes narrowed.

She grasped her blades in her hands and started down the slope towards Wynne.

"Here we go again," she muttered under her breath.

...

Convincing Wynne that it was all a dream and they were in the Fade had been a far easier task than she had thought. When the old mage had pulled the disappearing act on her also, Jinx found herself anticipating it.

"All right!" She muttered. "I'm on to you, you foul moronic - "

Again the shimmering, and again a different part of the fade world she was in.

"Coward!" Jinx yelled.

Then her breathing hitched as her eyes picked out a brown object lying on the ground some distance away from where she was standing. She felt a lump in her throat when she recognized the object and started to walk to it.

This demon sure did know how to play its cards.

Jinx tried to get a grip on herself, feeling a plethora of emotions threatening to overtake her. She did not like being here at all. She was a practical person who disliked giving in to her tender side, for she felt that it would show the world that she was weak, and could be easily manipulated.

Therefore, she almost never let her gentler emotions surface, keeping them well-hidden at all times in order to protect herself from the pain and hurt they would eventually bring to her. Her mother had often warned her against doing this, declaring it would only be a matter of time before the dam burst. But as she was a headstrong, stubborn girl, she did not heed her mother's words.

She then realized when she got closer that the figure was unnaturally still, and without further warning felt the tears start streaming down her cheeks and cursed.

Only when she was standing directly in front of the hound, did she see that it was alive, and let out a gasp and sigh of relief. She dropped on her knees and shook her dog gently.

Drinx opened her eyes and leapt up to her master. She immediately began to lick her face, covering it with slobbering saliva.

"Ugh! Get off me, girl. I get it, I get it! I'm happy to see you too!"

But her joy was short-lived as Drinx vanished in the same way the rest had.

She didn't even shout this time, but strode along the path, knowing that she still had to rescue two more companions: Marcus and Alistair.

The path shimmered slightly and she found herself staring at a huge bed in the distance, with two figures squirming on it. She blushed at the realization that it was either Marcus or Alistair on that bed, and found herself slightly embarrassed at barging into an intimate dream like that.

Nothing could prepare her for what she soon came across when she neared the bed, however.

Marcus was indeed making love to someone passionately, but when she saw who that somebody was, she felt her eyes start to pop out of their sockets and froze right in her tracks.

For the person on the bed that was moaning and squirming with pleasure in Marcus's arms was herself.

...

Dream-Jinx was totally in the throes of pure passion as she pulled Marcus close to her, wrapping her legs around his waist. His member quivered with the anticipation of their coupling and he kneaded her breasts once again, pinching and pulling at her nipples while his mouth hungrily devoured hers.

It felt so right, so perfect that she was there in his arms. So right, so perfect that she would finally become his. He moaned and his fingers found her nub, stroking it gently as Dream-Jinx mewled with pleasure.

Bending his head down he sought her out with his mouth, finally reaching her lips and nub and began to suck and lick it, feasting on her juices.

It was at that very moment, that Dream-Jinx's eyes met Real-Jinx's eyes and they twinkled wickedly. She enjoyed the stricken look in them, relishing the hold and complete control she had over Marcus.

Jinx felt her breath coming in short gasps, as she groped for the right words to interrupt the whole love-making scene before her. She had not been prepared for this.

Dream-Jinx laughed a short, silvery laugh as her eyes burned with desire. And the real Jinx's eyes narrowed as she felt the surge of anger overcoming her present stricken state.

"You foul thing! Get away, and begone creature!" She yelled, and Marcus lifted his head and turned around.

He looked so surprised and uncomfortable at the same time, that Jinx felt the mad desire to break down and start laughing. The expression on his face was one of the funniest she had seen so far.

"What?" He exclaimed, turning back to the Jinx he held in his arms. "How?" Was his next word.

"You're a mage, aren't you? Why don't you figure it out?" Real Jinx said, sneering at him.

"I'm in the Fade?" Marcus replied dumbly as the whole thing finally made sense to him.

Dream-Jinx laughed again, trying to pull him back into a passionate embrace, her tongue snaking around his ear lobe.

"I'm so cold, lover, please hold me," her words were inviting and the desire in them made Marcus shiver but he shut his eyes and shook his head quickly, willing himself dressed once again.

It worked. Marcus was now wearing his robes. He pushed himself off Dream Jinx, and stared back at the real one, blushing furiously.

Jinx only glared back at him, then fixed her gaze on the Desire demon.

"I'm deeply offended," she snarled. "My breasts are way better looking than yours!"

And whipping out her blades quickly, she lunged herself at the desire demon, a growl escaping her lips.

Marcus assisted with his staff at the ready, focusing on the battle immediately.

Once the desire demon had vanished, Jinx sheathed her weapons and watched as the bed disappeared as well. Pivoting on the spot, she landed a resounding slap across Marcus's left cheek.

As she watched his embarrassment and heard his mumbled apology, he vanished like those had before him and Jinx was left standing there alone and seething.

How dare he have this dream about her?

A little voice at the back of her head suddenly burst into her thoughts, and made her even angrier.

But you liked it.

...

Jinx was standing again at the top of a small hill of sorts and gazed down at Alistair, who was standing staring off into nothing, a dreamy smile on his handsome face and equally dreamy expression in his eyes, while a red haired woman hovered over a cooking pot and five children danced around playing, their laughter echoing in Jinx's brain.

She felt a sinking sensation as she regarded the scene. Alistair's dream.

Did it really mean he wished for this? A family? A chance to be away from the life he now lived? A life without ... ever having met her?

She shuddered slightly, fighting against this strong feeling.

NO! I didn't come here to feel anything! I have to get the job done, and that is that!

She went down the slope and Alistair noticed her. Jinx faltered. When he saw her, the dreamy look on his eyes intensified, his smile deepened. She felt slightly elated at this and wrestled against this feeling again.

"Hey! What a coincidence!" Alistair's happy voice drawled out. "I was just thinking about you! And here you are," he added happily.

Jinx forced her lips into an automatic smile as she stood beside him. The woman straightened and looked at her directly in the eyes. Jinx tensed. This demon was an especially intelligent one and one that would not relinquish her hold over him easily.

"Alistair," she began and he chuckled.

"What?" She flung back at him, annoyed that he could find the whole thing funny.

"You called me by my real name," he teased, his handsome face inches away from her own.

She shook her head and took a step back, fighting to keep her emotions at bay. A new surge of anger washed over her, however.

How dare he flirt with her? His wife was standing right there, wasn't she?

She immediately discovered he was in tune with what was going in her head, which made her start in amazement, for comprehension dawned in his eyes, and they looked warmly into hers with unspeaking devotion.

"Oh, how rude of me, sorry! This is my sister, Goldanna, and these," he motioned at the children running around the area, "are her children. We're one big happy family, at long last."

Alistair sighed happily as he continued to stare into her surprised eyes warmly.

She broke his gaze and focused on the demon, who was now sizing her up.

"That isn't your sister, she's a demon," she blurted out and nearly smacked her forehead afterwards.

"How can you say that about her? She is good and kind, and a loving mother, " Alistair said, his hurt eyes looking into hers.

She glanced at Goldanna, who was now smirking and her anger flared up.

"Well, dear brother, is your friend staying for supper?"

"I've had enough of this stupid charade!" Jinx growled at her, whipping her blades out and lunging herself at the demon.

Alistair shouted at her to stop, but she paid no heed to his words. Her family blade sunk directly into the side of Goldanna's neck as her dagger did the same on the other side. She pushed them both towards each other, slicing her head off easily.

By the time she turned back to Alistair, who was gazing at the whole thing with a look of sheer dumb horror on his face, the 'children' had turned into undead and begun to attack them.

Instantly, Alistair whipped out his shield and sword, and ran forward to protect her, pushing her behind him, and holding out his shield as two skeleton archers rained arrows on them from above.

"Archers and mages first, right?" He grinned behind the shield and she felt her heart skip a beat.

"On three?" She shot back, returning the grin.

He nodded, catching her meaning immediately. Still behind the shield, they inched towards the archers, reaching them in mere seconds.

"One, two...three!"

Alistair took care of one, while she dispatched the other.

A growl escaped his lips when out of the corner of his eyes, he discovered one of the undead creeping behind her, a mace lifted over its putrid face, ready to strike her down.

He bashed his shield into it, and heard the bones crashing from the impact. His grin deepened.

They fought together effortlessly, in tune with each other's movements. When the fight ended, Jinx found herself laughing as she pushed away a stray lock of hair that had fallen over her right eye.

He chuckled back, but then his expression grew serious.

"Wow. So that thing was a demon, right?"

"Sorry I attacked without warning, shattering your dream, but I knew it was going to take some time to get some sense into your head," she replied.

He looked embarrassed by this and shifted uncomfortably.

"Yeah, I know I'm a stupid oaf," he said sadly.

"Spare me the guilt trip, Blondie. We have work to do, remember?" She snapped, and his eyes flew back to her face again.

Damn! If he continued to stare at her that way, she knew she was going to lose it. She groaned inwardly and looked away.

"Um...yes, well...Just do me a favor and don't tell the others I was so easily fooled?"

Her eyes locked into his again. His eyes were twinkling.

Damn it, you impossible man!

But he started to shimmer and cried out in surprise.

"Wait! Where are you going?"

And he was gone, just like that.

"Sloth!" She screamed. "I am SO going to kill you, you miserable worm!"

...