Summary:

Alistair makes it to the precinct and is met with an unexpected sight.
Rylen gets a look at Alistair's aura; and finally, Dorian graces them with his presence.

Notes:

Happy 2018! At least, I hope it will be a happy one for you.

Have another chapter moving us forward in our investigation. This is the last filler as we gather our cast, next chapter we'll get to see how Cullen and Dorian work together. And then? STUFF!
I can't give away all the secrets just yet!

We're counting down to a few surprises and I'll see if I can squeeze in a little more intimate time between our boys.
(They've been through a lot-with more to come-I think they've earned it). ;)

All recognizable content belongs to Bioware/EA Games
All twisted perversions therein, are all on me ~ You're welcome!

Cocktails & Cheese

Cullen and Alistair - A Modern Day AU

Chapter 37

Secrets and Salvation Part 11

Alistair ambled his way from the chantry to the precinct. His heart much lighter after his talk with Mother Natalie, his mind clearer, he was ready to to find out how Cullen's meeting with Morrigan went.

Entering the building, he immediately registered the more focused feel of the usually boisterous group. Their playful banter was conspicuously absent, as was the light camaraderie that Alistair came to associate with this little office family. Stopping at the vacant front desk, he looked around and nodded a polite greeting to those he recognized. Each smile was returned in kind, but their attention was immediately diverted back to their tasks at hand.

He checked his watch, then looked at Cullen's office door. It was slightly ajar, which normally meant it was okay to go inside. He was a few minutes early, however, and didn't want to go in if Morrigan was still present. Though they'd had many confrontations over the years, Alistair wanted her to have this time with Cullen unencumbered by their mutual combativeness. He owed her that, and knew that Cullen would be better equipped to find Kieran if he had Morrigan's undivided attention.

Officer Jim suddenly shouted into his phone, "I don't care whose authority you think you need for this to happen, the Commander wants that picture circulated today!" He slammed the receiver down and took a deep breath. Meeting Alistair's gaze with a sheepish smile, he approached wearily. "Sorry about that, Mr. Theirin. We're just trying to… well, I'm sure you know what we're all doing. Welcome back, by the way."

"Thank you, Jim." Alistair looked around the room again and it finally occurred to him why everyone looked so serious in their work. Cullen already had everyone on the case. His case; to find Kieran. Clearing his throat, he tried to stave off the heavy emotions suddenly welling there. "Is uh… is he still in his meeting?"

"No, Sir. It's just the Lieutenant in there with him now."

He nodded his thanks and started to walk away when a tentative hand landed on his shoulder. Glancing at the hand, then back at Jim, Alistair quirked an eyebrow in question.

"For what it's worth, Sir, we are all working our hardest to find Kieran. The Commander gave us our marching orders, but… if you need anything, all you have to do is ask."

"Thank you, Jim. I appreciate it."

With a small tug at the corner of his mouth, Jim added conspiratorially, "I saw him smile today for the first time in two weeks; I don't know what happened between you, and I don't need to, but... I wanted you to know that we're all happy you're back." He removed his hand slowly from Alistair's shoulder while glancing at the office door. "He would move mountains for you, Mr. Theirin. I fear anyone who tries to get in his way when it comes to finding your son. He won't stop until he's home safe."

With a grim smile, Alistair patted Jim's arm. "That makes two of us."

Taking a deep breath, Alistair headed for the office door, pausing briefly to look inside. A soft smile splayed on his face as he knocked softly and walked in.

Cullen and Rylen were gesticulating at the interactive link-chart, when Alistair entered.

Their conversation halted immediately and Cullen's whole face lit up as he came over to wrap his arms around Alistair. "There you are. I'm glad you made it."

Cupping Cullen's face, Alistair placed a tender kiss on his lips. "You know I wouldn't miss this. It was hard enough to stay away this morning. Was your meeting productive?"

"It was. I'm surprised you were able to stay away, I was half expecting you to come in early."

Alistair shrugged one shoulder. "I knew you'd get more done if I wasn't here to get in the way. Finding Kieran is more important than my ego, and anyway…" he looked deep into Cullen's eyes. "I trust you with this."

"Truly?"

"Truly. There's no one better suited. Morrigan was right." Alistair snickered. "Just don't tell her I said so." Alistair leaned his forehead on Cullen's shoulder with a sigh. "I should have called you sooner. I should have let you in, then maybe Kieran wouldn't have been taken."

Cullen tightened his embrace. "Alistair, don't. We can't change the past, but we sure as hell can affect the future. We'll find him. That, I promise you."

"I believe you. Thank you, by the way."

"For?"

"For last night, for breakfast, for… everything actually." Alistair waved vaguely toward the busy office outside.

Cullen's eyes softened. "You are more than welcome." He brushed his thumb gently under Alistair's eye. "You look better today-more rested."

"Well, I did get to spend a few blissful hours wrapped in your arms before you left for work," Alistair whispered quietly. "I wish you could have stayed longer, though. You look like you need the sleep just as much as I did."

"I'll be all right. I've survived on less for longer." At Alistair's concerned expression, he added. "Tell ya what, Dorian will be staying at my apartment tonight, why don't I join you at the loft and you can make sure I get plenty of rest?"

"I'm not sure that's going to get you more sleep, but I certainly wouldn't argue the distraction." Alistair grinned mischievously.

Cullen chuckled. "What am I going to do with you, huh?"

"I can think of a few things."

"I bet you could; later though." He winked, kissing Alistair on the nose. "How about, while we wait for Dorian to join us, you tell me about your morning?"

Alistair dipped his head apologetically. "Wellll… Your apartment, may be a bit cleaner than when you left this morning."

Cullen shook his head, amused. "It wasn't messy."

"No, it wasn't, but I was feeling antsy and needed something to do. When I ran out of distractions there, I went to visit the chantry."

"Did you clean that too?"

Alistair laughed. "No, but Mother Natalie sends her love. She says she's glad that we're working this out."

"I am too." Cullen smiled affectionately. "Sounds like you had a full morning."

"Probably not as full as yours. So… are you going to tell me what you found out?"

"In time."

Alistair narrowed his eyes. "You're seriously going to make me wait, aren't you?"

"For the details? Yes, but it won't be for much longer; I promise you." Cullen pulled Alistair in for another kiss, which started to deepen when Rylen cleared his throat next to them.

Cheeks tinged with embarrassment, Alistair looked over to apologize to Rylen but the words dissipated before they could be uttered.

Rylen looked at them with his head tilted to one side; his expression drifting on the edges of confusion and intrigue.

"Rylen? You okay over there?" Alistair asked instead.

Snapping back to attention, Rylen stammered, "I-It's been… a very eye opening morning, Alistair." His gaze flicked between them, then he tilted his head again, his eyes going wide and unfocused.

Alistair looked to Cullen, concerned.

Releasing Alistair from his embrace, Cullen stepped over and gently gripped Rylen's shoulders. "Hey, I need you to focus, Rylen. What are you seeing? More auras?"

"Sir, your colors… they're—interacting." He waved, indicating the two of them, then looked directly at Alistair—reading him—while still reporting to Cullen. "His are deep blue: solid, steady, safe? I'm not sure that's the right word; but, it's laced with white, almost like yours: bright and blinding, but his blue is soothing." He shook his head and closed his eyes tightly.

Cullen gently guided Rylen to one of the chairs and helped him to sit. "I don't think I've ever heard about auras combining before, but then again, I've never seen anyone take to their sight like you have either. What can you tell me about them?"

Rylen took a few steadying breaths. "I can tell you that Alistair's colors are deep blue, silvery white, tinged with pink and… a little orange? No—golden yellow. But with him, I'm not just seeing, I… feel too—safe. I used that word already." He says absently, working through it out loud. "Guarded, protected, warded… Warden! You said he's a Warden. Warden's are real. That makes sense then. Hmmm."

Alistair watched Rylen with interest.

"The colors I'm starting to understand. But yours…" Rylen opened his eyes and looked at Cullen. "…are too bright to tell what they are. They're intense, painfully so, until…" Rylen looked over at Alistair. "...until you hugged each other. He calms you, Cullen; grounds you, brings you into focus. Alistair, can you…?" He gestured for Alistair to get closer to Cullen.

Alistair took Cullen's hand in his own.

Rylen shook his head. "Not enough."

Alistair wrapped both arms around Cullen's waist and laid his head on his shoulder, all the while, watching Rylen intently. The smile he received in return was beatific.

With a relieved sigh, Rylen relaxed as he stared at the two of them together. "Golden light, softer now—like an old incandescent light-bulb. I can see your other colors now, so many, obfuscated by your faith: purple, green, orange, brown, red, flecks of pink—" Rylen stood up suddenly and walked a circle around the two of them.

"Rylen?" Cullen asked. "What have you worked out?"

"Well…" he hesitated, "I've been trying to figure out what all the colors mean. Some, I've been feeling, like you do. But then you said, most people only see one or maybe two colors at the most. Not only am I seeing multiple colors on everyone—solid, or two equal colors swirling together—but I also see flecks and flashes of other colors mixed in. So far, all of you have had flecks of pink and I wasn't sure what that meant. But, with Alistair dampening your radiance, I see your flecks of pink as well and they're… mingling with each other. The more you touch, the brighter they get and the faster their dance."

Rylen giggled excitedly looking at them both. "It's obvious, now that I think about it, pink is your affection for one another; or love, if you want to put it simply. The fact that your auras interact is simply amazing. It's like, you are… two parts of the same whole; yet separate—there is nothing missing. I don't… it's dizzying. Worse than the swirling around the mages; brighter, more intense, just… more." Rylen's eyes flicked to Alistair's, a note of apology written in them.

"Cullen?" Alistair asked. "Is this normal? I've never seen anything like this before. The Warden joining is much different-providing you survive at all, but I still… Wow, I've never seen someone so aware after such a short period of time."

Cullen nodded. "His awakening went better than we expected. I've never seen anything like this either. His sight is wide open; all aspects of it, as far as we can tell. Lana wants to work with him to help dampen down the effects, help him mitigate—"

"Lana was here?" Alistair interrupted.

"Did you think she'd let Morrigan come by herself?"

"Yeah, I guess that's a thing with her; always has her hand in the cookie jar." He smiled affectionately. "I'm glad she was here… especially with—" Alistair smiled reassuringly at Rylen. "If anyone can help you with mitigating input overload, Rylen, Lana can."

Rylen shrugged, "So far, it hasn't been that bad, but honestly, I haven't left the office yet. Come to think of it, I have already encountered: a True-Templar, some mythological Wardens, and a couple of Mages; I can't imagine it getting more bizarre than you guys." He laughed.

"We are kind of a unique group. Talk about throwing you into the thick of things." Alistair chuckled. "Thankfully, we're the good weird on this side of the veil. The rest will come in time and we'll be there to help you get through the transition. I'm sure Cullen has already warned you against approaching anything from the other side without one of us there."

"He did and I've got both of your numbers-as well as Lana's-on speed dial, just in case."

Alistair nodded. "That's good. How are you feeling now? You seem to be acclimating okay."

He grinned at Alistair. "As long as you don't let him go, I can focus." He winked at Cullen. "Not that you needed my help in getting his arms wrapped around you, Sir, but you don't seem to be complaining either."

Cullen draped an arm over Alistair's shoulders. "If this is all I have to do to keep you on task, I think I can manage to take one for the team—as terrible as it is."

Alistair grinned, poking Cullen in the ribs. "Hey, be nice! So… when are you going to tell me about your meeting?"

"As soon as…"

Dorian rapped quickly on the door then swaggered into the room. "Did I miss anything fun? Please tell me you haven't brought out the good toys yet; you know how I loathe to miss it when you polish your sword."

Cullen's cheeks turned pink and he coughed uncomfortably. "We were waiting on you—as always. You certainly know how to make an entrance."

"I do, don't I? But now that my beauty has brightened up this dreary office, perhaps we can get started? If I remember correctly, you promised me lunch. But by the looks of you two all wrapped around each other, perhaps we're jumping straight to the dessert course?"

Alistair dropped his arms, but clasped onto Cullen's hand, leaving his whole flank pressed up against Cullen's. "Still okay, Rylen?"

He nodded. "It's not as good, but enough to dampen it for now. I'll be all right." Rylen assured him.

Cullen addressed Dorian, "Lunch it is. Mr. Chen is waiting for us."

"Ooooh, Chinese! What are we waiting for?" Dorian's grin was contagious.

Rylen looked even more worried, though. "Are you sure you want me to go? I don't know if I'm ready for that kind of an outing."

"You need to eat sometime, Rylen. It'll be better to experience your new sight when you're surrounded by those who understand than when you're alone, don't you think?"

Dorian's face went from cocky to concerned. "Newly awakened? Rylen, what have they done to you?"

"Nothing I didn't explicitly ask for, I assure you. Granted, I didn't realize life would be so… colorful now." He relaxed visibly, looking Dorian over from head to toe. "So far, nothing has been too overwhelming. As long as Alistair keeps a tight grip on Cullen for me, I should be okay."

"Fascinating! Simply fascinating. I can't wait to learn more." Dorian looked like he wanted to put Rylen under a microscope.

Cullen laughed. "Okay, Doc. You can psychoanalyze him while we explain over lunch. There is a lot for us to discuss and Mr. Chen is holding our table. We should go."

"Oh, I just love a good awakening story, and this one proves to be exciting so far." Dorian turned his gaze on Cullen. "Don't get too comfortable with your public displays of affection either, the more you touch, the more ammunition I have for later." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Cullen rolled his eyes. "You're going to make me regret this later, aren't you?"

"Would you expect anything less from me, Amatus?" Dorian snickered, handing Rylen his coat. His expression softened at the Lieutenant's trepidation. "C'mon Rylen, we've got you. Let's go eat."

End Notes:

Thank you for continuing to follow me on this little journey of mine. I hope you've enjoyed this latest chapter and I appreciate your patience as I took a couple weeks off to write other stuff and spend the holidays with my family.

If you haven't seen it yet - please go check out Chapter 11 of my Cocktails and Cheese One-Shots. It goes hand in hand with this chapter. (well sorta - it's Alistair's thoughts when he pauses at the door before entering Cullen's office, and explains the tenderness of the kiss when he greeted him).
I knew this chapter wasn't ready to post last week, and I was feeling kinda fluffy - so there ya go.

As always, I want to thank the amazing Ponticle for giving me a second set of eyes on this. She keeps me honest, concise, and makes sure my writing doesn't look like my kids wrote it. (She's a damn miracle worker!)