A/N: I don't own Dragon Age.

Alive.

Isabella was up and running. She hurled over the Pride Demon corpse as Aveline withdrew her blade and looked across the devastated Dock area to Carver with a weary smile. Isabella sprinted past Fenris who struggled to pull himself up and towards the water with a resolute expression. Isabella dived off the edge of the dock, her body swallowed by waves that felt like shards of ice in the cold winter night. Hands hunting in the dark swathes of water, Isabella searched with her hands until her fingers came into contact with one limp bare wrist. Pale skin in the dark, Isabella heaved the body up until both broke through the surface. Hands were reaching down towards Isabella and Fen' Harel. They hauled two shivering bodies from the water and finally took the time to address the damage.

Fenris was still in a bad state; even though the fatal wounds had been healed open scars had been left to heal when there was time. Anders choked and vomited a vile black substance, his hands gently massaging the skin of his neck which was still lacquered with black lines pulsing at an increasingly slower speed. Aveline and Carver looked ready to drop with exhaustion with their armour smashed and crumpled in on itself, while Isabella was covered in bruises. Hawke, Varric and Merrill however seemed to be more or less unharmed bar a few scratches and bruises. Fen' Harel's condition however remained a mystery as the group waited for her to shake off unconsciousness.

"Should we wake her?" Merrill whispered.

"I'm not sure," Hawke rubbed at his chin, "We can't predict how she'll react."

"I think its best you start healing everyone Hawke and she'll come round eventually," Aveline suggested.

Carver especially seemed impressed with this idea and promptly sat himself in front of Hawke and looked up at him expectantly.

Fen' Harel's POV:

Groan.

My brain pounded against the cage of my skull with vicious enthusiasm. My throat felt as if it had been sand papered thin. A film of icy shivering water clung to my body. But my eyes remained closed. My eyelids were weighted and the only thing it felt that I could move were my fingertips but I felt fine here in the darkness pretending that the real world didn't exist for a moment.

I had expected some excitement. At being alive but there was nothing but maybe weariness. I was tired, please just let me sleep. Voices came floating into my ears and through my brain.

"Just try to whack it back into place or something," Carver mumbled.

"Hold still," Aveline commanded.

There was a dull, heavy thud as boots made contact with steel.

"Ow, you hit that harder than was needed."

"It's straight now isn't it?"
"But I swear you were out to hurt me?"

Carver was answered by an unashamed awkward silence.

"See, I knew it," Carver scowled.

I laughed weakly.

"Wait," I heard shuffling as what I supposed was Carver came forward. I felt thick, quilted material brush my fingers.

"Did she just laugh or am I going insane?"Carver asked.

"Do you seriously want me to answer that question," Fenris spoke drily.

"Quiet you," Carver snapped.

"Hey, Fen' Harel," a breath of hot air hit my face as Carver spoke in more hushed, gentle tones, "Fen' Harel are you awake."

"Maybe she can't hear you? You should scream in her ear," Anders rasped. Maker, what had happened to his voice?

"FEN'..!" Carver began, I winced, but he was quickly silenced with a sharp slapping sound.

"Don't you dare," Fenris warned, "or I'll get Aveline straighten the rest of your armour."

"He's like an old woman," Merrill giggled, "Grandma Fenris."

"In what way exactly blood mage?" Fenris challenged.

"A scary, tattooed old woman," I breathed.

There was a silence.

"See I'm not crazy," Carver said.

"C'mon Fen' Harel," Carver began to pry my weary eyes open. I caught a blurry image of the night sky and blobs of faces, "open your eyes let us know you're alive."

"Get of her," Fenris slapped his hands away again.

I chuckled.

"Is she fine? What's going on?" Hawke sounded worried.

"I'm not sure yet she just keeps laughing at me," Carver said grumpily.

"It sounds like she's fine," Varric chuckled.

I laughed.

"C'mon princess stop lying around," Varric said.

"Quiet dwarf I'm sleeping," I smirked but I was already drawing myself up on aching arms. My head hung heavy towards my chest as I tried to stop the nauseous dizziness from spinning around my head.

Hands suddenly began to paw and pull me up.

"Get off me," I snapped, "give me a moment."

My eyes creaked open. Carver and Fenris looked down at me with anxious expressions with Merrill peering down at me with the same worry. Maker I'd missed them. I could feel a smile creeping across my face. But just as all those memories came in a flood so did others. Ones that involved a cold, dead table and so much pain that it felt as though I died a thousand times over. I felt my mood darken and grow bitter.

"Are you alright?" Fenris asked.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine," I smiled.

"Are you sure? Do you need me to get Hawke?" Merrill began to chatter with nervous concern.

"I'm fine Merrill, seriously," I sighed.

"It won't take me a moment to check you over you must have had some damage. You don't look fine," Merrill's hands snaked out to pull me up.

"I said I'm fine!" I snapped, slapping her hands away.

I managed to stand shakily, giving anyone who moved to help me the evil eye.

"There you go princess," Varric winked, "but I must admit I preferred you unconscious."

"And I prefer you drunk. Speaking of which after this ordeal I believe the next rounds on me," I smiled lop-sidedly.

"I don't think you should drink in your condition," Anders rasped.

"Ah," I waved him off, "I've drank in worse conditions."

"No Fen' Harel you're...er..." Carver mumbled.

"Pregnant," Anders finished.

Oh Maker I couldn't deal with this right now. I refused to soak up this information instead shoving it from my mind brutally. A baby. A child. And myself. They didn't seem to work. Not together.

"Can we just avoid this?" I said, "Just pretend you didn't say anything for the moment at least. I just need time to sort everything out in my head."

Straightening I lifted my face into a beaming smile which I hoped betrayed the confusing mass of thoughts that clashed around in my head, "right now if there's no more problems. To the hanged man!"

"Actually we need to storm the Gallows," Carver pointed out.

"For what reason?" I frowned.

"Well...anders blew up the chantry," he whispered.

"Pardon? I couldn't hear you?"

"Anders blew up the chantry."

I cocked my head towards Carver in a hope to better hear him.

"Anders...kinda blew up...the chantry."

"He did what?"

"Maker don't make me repeat myself again," Carver sighed.

"Why would you do that? Were you bored or something?" I fumed at Anders.

"Look we haven't time for this," Hawke came between us, "right now we need to keep moving."

"Agreed," Aveline chimed already jumping down into the last boat in the Docks that wasn't aflame and drifting across the dark water.

"Fen' Harel," Fenris caught my arm as I followed the others, "can I just speak to you for a moment."

He smiled sheepishly up at me with reproachful even nervous eyes. It was clear that he was more than happy to see me but he seemed for the first time... shy apposed to the usual uncomfortable and prickly barricade he posed when he felt awkward. Roughly I yanked my arm from his grasp.

"I'd rather not," I whispered through gritted teeth.

A/N:

Everyone's alive :D I was seriously considering killing someone off at this point probably Anders but decided against it. Especially when there's such a big battle coming up. Anyway I hoped you enjoyed it. Reviews would be welcome =3

THANKS FOR READING :)