Chapter 11

Max tried desperately to hide her annoyance while she waited. Layla would surely tell Mara how she was acting. It was not easy; she wanted to know what the First Enchanter had to talk to Anders about without her being there.

When he finally came out of the First Enchanter's office he walked passed her as if she wasn't even there. He hit the call button for the elevator and got on with a dazed look in his eyes.

"Anders. Anders! ANDERS!" she shouted at him to try to get his attention. When he wasn't acknowledging her she hit him with a minor force spell to try to get his attention. That seemed to knock him out of his reverie. "Anders! What the fuck happened in there?"

He finally looked at her, actually registering that she was there. "She told me there was a way to separate me and Justice and we would both survive."

"What? You're kidding! How?"

Anders shook his head, "All I really remember is that it involves someone going into the Fade, and Justice has to agree to it."

They were silent the rest of the elevator ride. Max couldn't believe it. She also couldn't believe that Mara would suggest it. They should be trying to return them in as close to the same condition as possible as they came here.

As they reached Anders apartment he turned to her. "I need some time to think about what she told me," he said.

Max was surprised. Whatever had happened in that office had really shaken him. "Ok, call me if you need anything," was all she could think to say.

Max stood there for a minute trying to collect her thoughts. As she turned to head back to the elevator she thought that Mara had to have said more than just the possibility of Anders being separated from Justice. She believed that that would have rattled him but she didn't think that it would have affected him as much as she had just seen. If anything she thought he would have been happy, excited about the prospect of having his mind back to himself. She thought she might know what it may have been and she hoped that he didn't hold it against her that she hadn't told him herself.

Varric wasn't there when Anders came back. He was glad of that; he needed some time alone to organize his thoughts on what had just happened. He and Justice could be separated. It felt as if Justice was happy at the prospect. He had seemed content while they were here. They had not encountered any injustices, not that they didn't exist just they hadn't seen them. And Anders' anger had subsided as a result of seeing the freedoms that mages here had.

Not all of you. Those words hadn't stopped swirling in Anders' head since the First Enchanter had said them. Her words didn't mean that he didn't have a history after the fall of the Chantry, just that it wasn't recorded. But why wouldn't Max have told him about that? Why would she say she knew what had happened to them all when she didn't? He felt the anger rise in him. Did she think he couldn't handle it? He had been prepared for it!

And then there was the last part about a shortage of healers. It almost seemed as if Mara wanted him to stay here. That alone seemed odd. Max talked about not making changes in history because of the ripple effect that it could have. There was no way of knowing what it could change. So why would the First Enchanter want Anders to stay. Perhaps that was why she alluded that he had no future to go back to. Perhaps she was alluding that he had chosen to stay here and that is why there are no accounts of what happened to him there. Or maybe she was just hoping that was what he decided. It wasn't as if he hadn't already considered it. The idea of living in a world where he would never have to worry about Templars, where he was free to chose where he wanted to go whenever he wanted was definitely appealing.

And then there was Max. He would be fooling himself if he tried to say she wasn't a factor in him considering staying. She was amazing. He had never known a woman like her. He had never been drawn to a woman in the way he was drawn to her.

Anders looked at the book Mara had given him. He picked it up and started flipping through it. This was one decision that was easy. He would definitely pursue the attempt to separate from Justice. It would be better for both of them that way.

Max got back to her apartment and flopped down on the big chair she had in her living room. MJ and Chris were sitting on the couch watching her copy of Sweeney Todd. When she came in MJ turned the volume down on the TV.

"How was your meeting?" she asked.

"Weird," Max replied. "Apparently there is a way to separate Anders and Justice."

"Wow, that's great! Right?" Chris said.

"I would have thought so but it was all very strange. Mara asked me to leave before she told Anders about the possibility and he acted very weird after he left her office. I think there is more to what they discussed than just separating him and Justice," Max said.

"Like what?" MJ asked.

"Well, whenever any of them have asked over the past few days how I'm sure that we find a way to return them it's because there are accounts of what happened in their lives after the fall of the Kirkwall Chantry."

"Yeah, that makes sense," MJ said.

"Well that's not strictly accurate. There are accounts of what happened to all of them…..except Anders. He just vanishes. There is nothing."

"Maybe he just goes into hiding and stays there," Chris suggests.

"I have wondered what happened to him since I was a girl. If someone had killed him they would have shouted it from the rooftops. And I could never believe that after making that big of a move he wouldn't be part of the subsequent war. It just never fit."

"Maybe he stays here," MJ said.

"That is precisely the thought I have been trying to avoid. I didn't tell him because I didn't want to entertain the thought that he might stay. I really didn't think it was possible." Max said running her fingers through her hair.

"Max, what if he does stay?"

"I don't know if I can even begin to think about that. I am afraid that if I let myself go down that path, it will be that much harder to let him go."

"Well then it's a good thing that there is a party tonight to take your mind off of these things!" Chris said.

Max had almost forgotten about the floor party tonight. It was going to be on the floor above hers and she knew there was no way out of it. That was probably a good thing. She could use the distraction right about now.

"Hey Blondie! You in here?"

Anders heard Varric calling for him from the living room. He looked at the clock, he had been reading the book the first enchanter had given him for hours. He suddenly received a loud complaint from his stomach. He realized that he hadn't eaten in a while which was extremely unusual with his Grey Warden appetite. He put down the book and walked into the other room. He saw Kyle was with Varric and they had bags of food.

"I figured that you would be hungry!" Varric grinned.

"Yeah, it was your idea," Kyle said sarcastically.

"Well I was the one who reminded you that Blondie eats like a horse."

Kyle rolled his eyes, "Fine, whatever."

"So how was your meeting Blondie?"

"Well, apparently they know how to successfully reverse spirit possessions here."

"Are you serious? You mean you could get that voice out of your head for good?" Varric asked.

"Yeah, he would return to the Fade and I would get my mind and body back. He has to agree to it though."

"Well shit, you've gotta do it!" the dwarf said enthusiastically.

"Yeah, Justice seems to favor the idea as well. After seeing everything here he seems to believe that it is best for him to return to where he belongs."

"Well I would say that that is a reason to celebrate tonight!" Kyle exclaimed. "So there will be no excuses for missing the floor party!"

"Now explain to me again, what exactly is a floor party?" Varric asked as Anders started to quiet his complaining stomach.

"Well it is going to be on the floor below this one, and essentially it is when everyone on the floor opens their apartments and people just kind of wander from one apartment to the next. There's music and drinking and dancing"

"You had me at drinking," Varric replied.

Anders had to admit, he did have reason to celebrate. He was going to have his mind back and maybe the opportunity at more…