Author's Note:

As usual, my customary THANK YOU goes out to all of my watchers/reviewers/fav-ers/lurkers, etc. You're all awesome.

Not much to say about this one, other than the fact that it's short, and a little fluff before I get back into the serious stuff again. Thought we could use a break from all the angst for a couple of installments. ;)

Enjoy!

-i.I

Disclaimer: BioWare owns it all. I own nothing. If I owned Fenris I'd run the risk of having my heart forcibly removed from my chest. I'm not quite willing to risk that.

Time Frame: Sometime late in Act III – After Fenris' apology

Dawn

A sudden jab to his ribs woke him roughly from his slumber, and his eyes opened with a start, quickly adjusting to the low tones of color in the large room as the darkness began to give way to approaching daylight. Through the window, the sky was the light grey that signified dawn was well on its way, and birds twittered from somewhere in Hightown.

A heavy, sleep-addled sigh sounded to his right, and he felt his lips tug into a smile as he turned and saw her. He rolled onto his side carefully to prevent rousing her, and propped himself up on an elbow, shaking his head lightly. No matter how close they held each other the night before, she always ended up in the same position by the time they awoke; curled into a ball on her side, with the coverlet drawn up to her chin as if it were the dead of winter, rather than the middle of the summer. It had been her knees that were jabbing him in the ribcage earlier.

He often wondered why Hawke truly needed the large four-post bed that dominated her bedroom when she took up so little space. Not that he was complaining, now that they were together. The smaller the bed, the higher the likelihood of her jabbing him in the ribs with her knees.

Her breath was relaxed and even, escaping through slightly parted lips and a rogue strand of deep red hair fell onto one of her closed eyes, subconsciously twitching in an attempt to rid itself of the offending sensation.

He lifted his hand and gently brushed the hair from her face, watching as her features calmed and settled into serenity. It was a welcome sight, nowadays. With all of the trouble with the mages and templars, and Orsino and Meredith constantly at each other's throats, sleep was really the only escape she received. Despite her constant levity and ability to find humour in every situation, it was only when she was sleeping, that the crease between her brows seemed to disappear. And yet, even then, her slumber was sometimes haunted by nightmares and memories of times long since past.

Those were the nights he held her closest.

Looking at her now, curled into the fetal position with her knees pulled to her chest, she looked oddly innocent and childlike, though that was the farthest thing from the truth, he knew. She'd seen far more death in the last decade than many could claim to have seen in their lifetime – much of it by her own hand. She was the last living member of her immediate family. She knew the ins and outs of battle and defeated the qunari Arishok in single combat. And, well, then there was what they'd been up to the night before...

He watched her for a while, simply studying the features he'd committed to memory long ago, until she finally stirred, and her eyes fluttered open, revealing those stunning emerald irises. Blinking the bleariness from her eyes, she turned her gaze up to meet his with a smile.

"Good morning." He greeted softly, brushing her hair from her face again.

"G'morning." She mumbled, her speech slurred and fatigued, "Mmmwatching me sleep?"

"I was just wondering how it is possible for you to sleep in that position."

She laughed softly, her mouth quirking into her signature half-smile, and her arms escaped the covers, reaching high above her head as she unfurled her legs and stretched, "Don't knock it 'til you try it."

"I'll pass." He replied, smirking as he took the opportunity to appreciate the view before she relaxed again and turned on her side to face him. She inched closer and he dropped from his elbow as her arm draped over his chest and he drew her to his side.

"Can we just stay in bed all day?" She asked with a groan as her fingers idly traced the markings on his chest. They flared beneath her touch, but he was not about to tell her to stop, "I'm not in the mood to help the needy today."

He breathed a quick laugh, stroking his fingers through her hair, "Didn't you say something last night about helping the dwarf investigate his brother's mansion?"

He felt her smile, more than saw it and there was a hint of mischief in her voice when she replied, "I said a lot of things last night."

"I mean before that." He felt himself smile again, "You did promise him, if I'm not mistaken."

She sighed heavily, splaying her fingers flat on his chest, sending a jolt through him that was not entirely unpleasant as her breath brushed warmly against the crook of his neck, "Right, just what I wanted to do – pick my way through a haunted mansion in search of who knows what to smash some idol that may or may not be the cause of the problem."

"Would you rather go back down into the sewers to help Anders—"

"Oh, don't remind me." She shook her head fiercely, "If I never have to think about that again, it'll be too soon. That stench will forever be burned into my memory."

He felt her shudder in his arms, and a smirk tugged his mouth to the side, "Well, if you'd prefer to stay in bed all day, I offer no complaints. Though, knowing you, you'd be up pacing restlessly after no more than a few minutes."

"Maybe," She chuckled, and then let out a sigh, "But you're right. I told Varric I would help him out, I won't back down on him now. Besides, what's a few ghosts, when you spend your days fighting demons and blood mages?"

"It does seem to be a daily occurrence, doesn't it?"

"Well, what do you expect when the two opposing leaders are more concerned with their opposition than their respective charges? Meredith's a ruthless power-monger and Orsino's too busy arguing with her to provide the guidance the Circle needs right now. They're a couple of sodding fools."

He had no arguments there.

He met her eyes with his own as she turned her face upwards to look at him, her eyes wide and hopeful, "Will you come with me today? To help Varric? We could use your help."

"Of course." He brushed his thumb across her cheekbone, "I am always at your side. For as long as you have need of me."

"What if it's not a question of need," She said carefully, "but of want?"

His gaze softened and his thumb followed the line of her jaw down to her chin, bending his neck and drawing her upwards to whisper lightly against her lips, "I am always at your side."

He felt her shiver and smile against his mouth as his hand rounded to the back of her neck and entangled itself in her hair, their lips meeting in a slow, gentle kiss that could have lead to so much more if they'd allowed it. Alas, the sun was rising and there was much to do.

That didn't stop them, however, from sneaking poorly-veiled (on his end, anyway. She was a rogue; stealth was her speciality) glances at each other when they finally did roll out of bed and began to dress for the day.

Fenris was certain she was making more of a show of it than usual, with the way she sauntered over to her bureau to collect her clothing and shimmied her hips into her breeches.

Maker, this woman would be the death of him.

Not that he was complaining, of course.