They reached the Keep at close to four in the morning, slipping quietly into the courtyard, and unsaddling their mounts in a half-asleep haze. Garrett knew that the moment he found his bed he was going to sleep like the dead. His gaze wandered from companion to companion until it fell upon the lady Inquisitor. The rogue's fingers were still swollen from the intense fighting they had faced at the Shrine, hands trembling slightly as she separated her saddlebags from their ties.

"Let me get that for you." Tara had just tucked her hands beneath either end of her saddle, silently willing herself to have the strength to remove it from her mount's sweaty back, when Garrett Hawke's deep voice rumbled behind her. She gave a small start, her emerald eyes flickering back over her shoulder to meet with his deep blue. "You should go find your advisor, give your report…or perhaps go straight to bed. We all need some rest."

"Thank you Garrett," the petite woman said with a sad smile. "Make sure you get some rest yourself."

He intended to, he thought to himself as he set about putting away the tack and brushing down his and Tara's horses. He saw to it that they were fed and watered, praising the animals in a hushed tone for their stamina and bravery. A few moments he wondered if he wasn't also talking to himself. The Shrine had been and abominable place, just as bad as the Fade, or perhaps worse in that none of the horrors they had witnessed had been mere dreams.

The big mage stumbled his way up into the Keep and down the long hallway to his chambers. Knowing that Dorian would most likely be asleep within he entered as quietly as he could. He had to swallow his shout of surprise when he stepped into the room and a silhouette that was definitely not his lover sat up on his bed. In a heartbeat the embers of the near dead fire flickered to life, illuminating the room, and Garrett let out his breath in a low hiss of amazement.

"Mar?"

"Hello Garrett," the warrior said as she deftly slipped from her place on the bed, rubbing at her eyes as she strode towards him. "It's good that you are back," the eldest Hawke added as she wrapped her younger brother in a hug. "And all in one piece I see?"

"I'll be having some strange dreams I believe," the big mage said in a hollow voice, "but terrors aside, yes, we all made it through just fine. How were things here?"

"We shall talk more in the morning," Marian said and instantly she could feel tension rolling off of her brother.

"What happened? Is it your arm?"

"No," the warrior whispered as she lifted her still somewhat sore right limb and twirled her fingers. "It is much better thanks to Dorian…he had a run in with some fresh Templar recruits yesterday. He is fine, as you can see, sleeping like a babe. So please don't go making a huge fuss about it?"

"What do you mean when you say had a run in Sis?" Marian sighed long and low. "You aren't going to let this up until I tell you are you? …I thought it might end up like this," she muttered through her teeth. "Fine, I shall tell you what happened, but you must promise to keep yourself in check and I shall preface by letting you know that everything has been taken care of."

"The way you are talking you make it sound like what you really mean to say is 'don't rush off to kill anyone because they're already dead'."

"That's…another way to put it I guess…"

"Mar, tell me," Garrett growled, his weariness forgotten, and in its place boiled protective anger. Marian reached out to pat her brother's hand as she began to recount the events of the previous day. When she got to the part about the tranquil brand, the flames of the fireplace flared dangerously, but to his credit Garrett did not begin shouting his rage or breaking things, though if the look in his eyes was any indication he very much wanted to do both.

"I killed them, all of them, it took perhaps seconds to end their collective worthless lives, and when Cullen was informed of what happened he tore through Skyhold like some force of nature. Anyone who even blinked wrong during his lecture was stripped of all rank. He made sure that the Inquisition's stance regarding their mages was heard loud and clear. It's just as well, if he had not reacted in such a volatile manner I would have taken the matter into my own, renewed and capable hands."

"He must have fallen asleep once the shock wore off," Garrett whispered, his gaze falling onto the slumbering form of his lover.

"Actually no," Marian said catching the big mage off guard. "Dorian is not like…once the danger was passed and dealt with, he snapped back very quickly. The last we spoke he said he was alright and that the only thing bothering him was your absence." The warrior's last few words made Garrett's anger rush out of him in a clean wave.

"He missed me?"

"Of course," Marian hissed with a smile, slapping her brother lightly. "Now, I am going to my own chamber, and you are going to climb into that bed and cuddle him. He deserves it after the last month he's spent, not hearing even one word from anyone. It was driving him mad not knowing if you were at least safe. Good night my dear brother."

Once Marian had gone, shutting and locking the door behind her with a soft click, Garrett striped off his sweat stained robes and armor letting the whole mess fall into a pile. He then moved carefully to the bed, slipping between the covers as gently as he could considering his mass. Then he wrapped an arm around Dorian's waist and pulled the slightly smaller Tevinter mage back up against his own body.

Instantly grey eyes flew open as the tanned mage twisted around to find his lover smiling down at him. "You're back," the mustached mage cried out happily a moment before he threw his arms around Garrett's neck and dragged the big mage down for a thorough kiss. The hulking Ferelden was only too happy to oblige, his large hands restlessly roaming over his lover's still clothed body.

"Marian is in her room now, you don't need these mo chuisle."

"Mo chuisle," Dorian gasped as Garrett began to undress him, lips pressing against each inch of freshly exposed flesh. "That phrase, what does that mean," the grey eyed mage asked as he shuddered pleasantly beneath his lover's heated attention. Garrett gently moved back so that his eyes could lock with Dorian's, a thumb moving along the handsome mage's jawline as he said firmly.

"My pulse."

Tara was very close to losing her temper. She was tired, her entire body felt as if it were made of patchwork bruises and blisters, it was four in the morning for Maker's sake! She had been gone for nearly a month, fighting demons and abominations day and night, and her fucking Spymaster was now yelling at her, because she had dared to release an innocent man from a fate worse than death.

"He could 'ave been useful," Leliana spewed, her face a mask of fresh rage, while Tara's was slowly settling into a look of unbridled contempt. "He could 'ave helped us get to Calpernia, understand how she works! And you just let 'im go!"

"LELIANA!" Even the crows halted their cawing as Tara's shout faded away. The Spymaster whirled to face the Inquisitor, her eyes blazing with anger, but now there was also a hint of something else. Hesitation, fear, it did not matter to the equally enraged marked woman. "I did what was right. I do not care one bit if you see it as stupid, I came to inform you of what happened at the Shrine, not to debate my decisions there. If you had wanted him alive, trapped, a prisoner of the most abhorrent concoction of magic I have ever seen you should have gone yourself and never told me what you did or found there."

The red head paused, uncertain what to do or say, so stunned was she by the Inquisitor's brisk speech. "Now," Tara continued, "I am going to bed. Figure out what to do with what you have gained from my venture. And if you ever dare to question me again about this I shall see to it that you remember your place." With that said Tara turned on her heel and marched out of the room. Her stride lengthened, each foot pounding into the earth as she moved out into the courtyard. Beneath the light of the moon some of her anger faded, leaving behind the same crawling uncertainty she had felt the moment she had been made to choose the Magister's fate.

She paused, her gaze moving to the pale sliver hanging in the sky, then falling over to the tower that housed Cullen Rutherford. Light flickered from behind the window that faced the yard below, and like a moth to a flame, Tara was drawn. She practically bounded up the flight of stairs leading to the battlements, managing to slow her pace as she approached the Commander's office door. For a moment she hesitated, her right hand lifted in clenched fist just inches from the wooden barrier. Perhaps Cullen was asleep, and she did not wish to wake him, knowing how precious little sleep the man got.

She never got the chance to decide. The door abruptly swung open, Cullen's armor-less form filling the space before her. "Tara." He breathed her name in such a way that it shivered down the rogue's spine.

"Hello Cull…!" Before she could even speak his name, the tall Commander had looped one strong arm down around her waist and dragged her forward. She barely noticed the door closing behind her, as Cullen pressed his face forward to lock his lips against her own. The kiss reverberated down Tara's body, settled in the pit of her stomach, and then spread like a slow burning flame.

"You're back," the Commander breathed against her lips as he pulled back to survey her face. "All went well I take it?"

"Yes," Tara replied in a shaky tone, "everyone is alive and well…though Leliana is rather upset with me…"

"Why?" The petite rogue let out a frustrated sigh and slipped under the large blonde's right arm to begin pacing the room. After several laps Tara moved to lean back against the edge of Cullen's desk, chewing her bottom lip.

"There was a man…a mage, who happened to be Calpernia's former master, at the shrine. He was captured by Corypheus and being held in a magical binding spell…it forced him to tell the truth and prevented him from killing himself. He was a great scholar and he could have been very useful to the Inquisition, but I could not… let him remain in such a state. I disrupted the barrier and granted him peace. Leliana disagrees with my course of action and I don't give a damn what she thinks I should have done. I know I did what was right!"

Tara impassioned speech was met with silence, that had her thoughts scrambling until Cullen moved to stand directly in front of her. One large hand moved up to cup her chin between strong fingers, moving her gaze upwards until it met with his own. Carmel and chocolate fire greeted her, sparking excitement. "I love that about you, you know. Your iron will to do what is right, not what is most strategic. There are too many people here wanting victory at any cost, I would not be able to serve under anyone who did not act as nobly as you do…Maker's breath you are a wonder Tara."

That said Cullen leaned in and began pressing soft little kisses against the Inquisitor's lips as he continued to murmur his thoughts to her. "You make me believe that we can do this, that there is a better day coming, and soon. You make me think that I can become the man I have always wanted to be…that there may be a future past all of this evil and fighting. You are a light in the shadowy corners of this world. That you are mine is a blessing I can never understand deserving."

"You say the sweetest things, you really are a romantic at heart aren't you," Tara giggled as she shifted her hands across the desk behind her. Her wrist clipped the edge of an ink bottle, sending it careening to the floor with a semi-loud crash. Two sets of eyes bolted down to the shattered remains then the Inquisitor turned back to apologize. Her words died on her lips as she caught sight of the absolutely gleeful mischievous look glinting in the Commander's eyes.

With one sweep of his right arm Cullen sent the remaining contents of his desk flying to the floor. Papers, quills, missives, maps, all of it collected in a splayed heap around them. The burly warrior then lifted Tara's small frame up onto the now bared desk top, his own harder body following suite. He settled against her, kissing her as he ground their hips together. "I know that you have just returned…that you need rest, but I don't want you to leave again so soon…stay with me tonight," Cullen asked even as he began to divulge Tara of her armor.

The petite rogue's blood began pumping through her body faster and faster until she thought she might explode. "Take me to bed Cullen," Tara whispered as she tenderly bit his lower lip. The big warrior easily slid back to stand on the floor, lifting the Inquisitor easily into his arms, holding her against his chest even as he scaled the ladder leading to his bed. He continued to undress her and she him until they were both in just their underwear, at which point they promptly fell back onto the bed.

They laughed as they became tangled in the covers, then snuggled close, hands and mouths roaming leisurely as they settled back against the mattress and one another. Cullen wanted to kiss every inch of skin he could, beginning with Tara's sensitive ears and then continuing downwards. He had just mustered the courage to place a hot open mouthed kiss upon the Inquisitor's inner thigh when he heard her deep even breathing. Slightly startled, the Commander looked up. A slow smile spread across the handsome blonde's face as he moved back up to curl himself around a very asleep Tara.

Something told him that the rogue would be upset with herself for falling asleep like this, so Cullen made himself and her a promise right then. No matter what the next day brought them, he was going to make sure that they had some time to themselves