Chapter 10

"Hawke? Hawke," Varric stood over Hawke's head as she slowly came around. "Hiya, pal. Thought you were gone for a moment, there" Varric smiled, eyes still filled with worry.

"Varric? Where's…" Hawke tried to sit up, she was pushed immediately back down by Carver.

"I'm here, sister. And so is Aveline. Merrill is at her home, resting. She's tired from doing what she could to sustain you until we got to a safe place" Carver was sitting by his sister's side, visibly worried.

"Hawke, what happened?" Aveline asked, standing by the door.

"I-I-I cannot remember… Where are we?" Alice rubbed her head, trying to gain full focus.

"At my clinic. You had a lucky escape there. Good thing your Blood Magic friend was so obscene or you may have not been able to be saved." Anders was busy washing his hands, he went immediately back to healing Alice's side, which is when Alice noticed that she was drenched in blood.

"… Someone tell me this is a dream. Or that we went blackberry picking…" Hawke looked down at herself, and although she saw a wound, she felt nothing.

"Sister, someone tried to assassinate you" Carver started "Did you not feel them stab you?"

Hawke could neither reply nor make any sort of gestures. The only thing the woman could do was look down at the crimson liquid in shock. Finding it hard to comprehend that she was stabbed so critically and not be able to feel it at all. I didn't feel a thing… The Archer thought to herself.

"Reason you didn't, is because they had a mixture of Elfroot, Dragon's Fang, Spider's Eggs and a drop of a Mage's Blood coated on their… Dagger… by the looks of things" Anders looked at the wound after moving Hawke's shirt, inspecting to see if his judgment was correct.

"They used an instant numbing potion… Those bastards" Aveline was still standing at the door of the clinic. "And to top this off, there's a group of Slavers that keep going in and out of this bloomin' door next to the clinic. If Anders gets seen…"

"Wait… You said Slavers?" Hawke looked through the door.

"Yeah, why?" Aveline questioned her friend dismissively.

"Carver…" Alice pulled the key to the Amell Mansion out of her pouch, placing it in her brother's hand.

"I know what to do" Carver walked through the doors, gesturing that Aveline and Varric followed suit. They did just that. As Hawke watched them walk away and up the stairs, she sighed. She wanted to do that job with Bethany. And now both of them cannot do it at all at this present moment.

Hawke laid there as she watched Anders heal her with his hands, his hands glowing a multitude of colours as they hovered over her chest , head and side. She found it almost mesmerising that such a power can be a blessing and a burden, watching the mage's hands work their magic.

"Any longer, you would've died" Anders mumbled.

"Is there a switch to turn you up louder?" Hawke looked the man in his eyes as she laid there, watching him.

"I said" He sighed, almost frustrated at the comment "Any longer and your brother would have lost a sister" Anders sat back, admiring the healing work he had done on to Alice.

"Oh, I see. Thank you. I appreciate all that you have done for me… I hope it was not much trouble" The future Champion looked at the mage healing her, smirking.

"It wasn't trouble per se… Just… A little inconvenient. But it's okay. What I was going to do was a little futile anyway. Saved myself the trouble"

"So, tell me, Magic Touch, what was it that made little me inconvenience you?" Hawke tried sitting up again. Anders rose his hand, implying she should stop and lay back down. The woman rolled her eyes and laid back down, huffing as she did so.

"I was supposed to be meeting my friend, Karl. He was made Tranquil by Ser Alrik…"

"So why was your meeting destined to failure?" Hawke, again, tried sitting up; this time, with Anders pushing her shoulder back down.

"It was a failure because… What? Don't look at me like that. You need to rest until your brother returns… Because… He was Tranquil. I wanted to save him. I thought- I didn't- I wasn't told... But I was recently told by Aveline that he was made Tranquil. So me going there to meet him would have held no use… I'm sorry, Karl. I'm sorry I could not have saved you…"

"I'm sorry…" Hawke was unsure if she should say something polite or a little rude. "I never thought we could get such attractive men around here, where have you been hiding, anyway?" She went with the witty option. Hoping that it didn't upset the man ahead of her too much.

Anders looked at Hawke, blankly staring at her, unable to figure out exactly how to react. He stared into her eyes and after a moment of thinking, he begun to blush, just a little. Alice Hawke laid there, staring at the man that had just healed her. She realised he was much more attractive than she first gave him credit for, her complete focus subject to nothing but his face. Her complete attention almost spotlighting every slight change in his visage.

His now tinged pink cheeks puffed out as Anders took a subtle breath. Hawke watched as Anders' cheeks rose and fell as he pursed his lips. The Archer's eyes trailed to The Mage's lips; shaded pink. His lips slightly parted as he licked them, making Hawke feel herself getting slightly hotter as she watched his lips gently glisten from his saliva. Hawke's eyes continued to trail, down to his Adams' apple; the little lump briefly disappearing as he swallowed air. Hawke looked at Anders, her eyes meeting with his; again, this feeling of complete consumption encompassing the two of them.

Hawke slowly rose herself up and rested on her elbow, eyes still locked with Anders'. The Mage put his hand on Hawke's shoulder, attempting to stop her; however, the female placed her hand on top of the Mage's which caused the mage to stop pushing her back and, in turn, lean in closer.

As the two drew closer, Anders felt his entire body radiate heat. The two eventually were less than breathing distance; so close, they could hear one another's' heartbeat. Hawke placed her free hand upon Anders's neck, allowing herself to feel his pulse through her palm. Parting her lips, Hawke drew Anders closer; hearing The Mage's lips slightly smack as he parted his own. At the moment their lips were about to touch, Anders' name was called by someone outside of the clinic and Anders bolted up as his eyes shone blue, his body emancipating a sapphire hue once again.