A/N - I just want to say a special thank you to Jinx1983 and Isabella Monroe for keeping me throughly distracted the past few days. Jinx's Ridiculously Awesome Authors Forum is overly distracting with all the crazy monkeys running amuck.. well at least I'm running amuck. Isabella's new story Mirror Images has me going completely crazy... in a good way. Check out the forums and the story, trust me!

Thank you to all that have been reading and reviewing. If you get a chance, check out my companion story, What Could Have Been. The story of what life would have been if Serene had been born in Thedas.


To say that Fiona was a little shocked to see Maric sitting next to Serene's bed while cooing at the baby in his arms was an understatement. At first she thought the damn woman's craziness had taken a hold of her and she was seeing fade demon's as well. Slowly her mind acknowledged reality and she wanted to cry, thinking that it could have been that way for her. Having Maric sit by her bedside while holding Alistair in his arms, it would have been perfect and maybe they would have been better for it.

Fiona started to cry tears of regret and sorrow, maybe things would have been different has she come to Maric when she was pregnant. Perhaps Alistair would have lived a better life. As the thought crossed her mind, Fiona's tears turned to those of fury. She wanted Alistair to live a free and happy life, not be some dirty secret hidden in Eamon's stables. That was almost as bad as the noble that bought her as a child.

Before Anders had a chance to open the door, the door splintered into a thousand pieces as it exploded. Fiona pushed pass him and fled back to her room, leaving everyone with a fearfully shocked look on their faces. Fortunately, Anders was able to put up a barrier before any splinters could hurt anyone.

Anders and Brieanna made their way through the gap in the wall where the door use to be to see Maric looking completely shocked, a wide awake and angry Serene and Duncan wailing away in Maric's arms. Brieanna sighed and walked into the room, plucking Duncan from Maric's arms.

"Shush, baby. Grammy is just a little spit fire toddler when she's pissed. Just like your daddy when he doesn't get his way." Brieanna said as she tried to calm Duncan down.

"Brie!" Serene said sternly.

"What, its not like he doesn't know. I bet he even knows what was happening when he was conceived. Don't you Duncan? Just don't do that creepy thing like Bella did after a few days, okay?" Brieanna commented. Serene rolled her eyes and sighed. She was about to say something when Matthew stuck his head in the room.

"What in the fade happened here? I thought I told you to stop destroying my keep, woman." Matthew snapped. Serene glared at him.

"This is why I'm taking Fiona with me. That woman has a worst temper than me. She blew the door off the hinges." Serene said.

"And what exactly pissed her off like that. I haven't seen her that mad since she came back from Fereldan the last time." Matthew said.

"Gee, I wonder why." Serene and Brieanna said as they both looked straight at Maric. Matthew looked at the man sitting next to the bed and glared at him. This was definitely not a warden and he didn't remember Aiden telling him about this man.

"This is Maric. He kinda stumbled upon Serene the other day." Brieanna said. Matthew shrugged.

"Should make him replace the door, but seeing as he's got a bit of resemblance to these damn spawn that keep popping out of you, I'll see if I can't get one of the warden's to bring one." Matthew said. He nodded towards Serene and then walked away.

"Well, I think the three of us should go see how Fiona is. Or at least figure out how to defuse her before she blows up again." Brieanna said. Serene nodded and glanced over at Maric.

"Pretty sure why she did, and I don't blame her. Let her hold Duncan for awhile, maybe let her feed him. If she starts getting misty eyed, take him away and run." Serene said. Brieanna nodded and pulled Anders with her as they walked out of the room.

"I guess Fiona hasn't been able to reign in her temper." Maric said quietly.

"I don't see why she would have to. She had every right to be pissed of. I'm just glad that Duncan didn't get hurt in the process." Serene said.

"So Duncan really is my grandson?" Maric asked.

"Yes he is. I'm sorry I was a bit snippy earlier, but you try pushing out a ten pound baby through your vagina and see how pleasant you are." Serene pointed out.

"I wasn't there when Rowan had Cailan. I can see why the midwives suggest the men be somewhere else." Maric said.

"Not that you would have been in there anyway, huh?" Serene asked. Maric sighed and nodded.

"I guess you've heard about my relationship with my son." Maric said.

"Sons. You have, or rather, had two sons. Unless you know of another woman, Anders looks a lot like you as well." Serene pointed out.

"I haven't been with a woman since Fiona really. Wait, had two? What happened?" Maric asked.

"Perhaps I'd better start from the beginning and its going to be a long story." Serene said. Maric nodded and sat patiently as Serene started to tell him the story starting from when she awoke in Ostagar.

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Anders slipped around Brieanna's waist from behind and placed his chin on her shoulder, looking down at Duncan. The baby looked so natural in her arms. Anders watched Duncan look up at him and he knew that was the moment.

"Brie, I wanna ask you something." Anders whispered. Brieanna nodded and went to lay Duncan down, but Anders stopped her. He shook his head and pulled the two of them out of Fiona's room, where the woman was resting from tantrum earlier.

"What is it that you want, Anders?" Brieanna asked.

"I want this, you just like this." Anders said.

"Um, you have me just like this. Unless you mean that you wanna go at it right here." Brieanna said.

"No, I want this. You, me and a baby." Anders said.

"You want to have a baby with me?" Brieanna asked. Anders shook his head.

"I want more than that, Brie. I want a family. I want you and a baby." Anders said.

"What are you asking me?" Brieanna asked.

"Will you marry me? Be my wife and have dozens of little babies with me?" Anders asked. Brieanna smiled and nodded.

"I don't know about dozens, but we'll see about maybe keeping up with Serene." Brieanna said. Anders took her face into his hands and kissed her passionately, or at least as much as he could without causing Brieanna to drop Duncan.

"I never thought I would feel this way, about anyone. Never thought I would be in one place for so long of my own free will with just one woman. You've changed me, Brie." Anders said. Brieanna giggled.

"I honestly think you stuck around this long hoping Serene would convince you to join me and her. I did that too you know. Tried to convince Alistair to sleep with me so I could sleep with her." Brieanna pointed out. Anders laughed and shook his head.

"Perhaps at first, but after awhile I was just following her because you were. I love you, Brieanna Cousland." Anders said.

"I love you too, Anders." Brieanna said.

"So I guess I have to ask Brandon and Fergus about this?" Anders asked. Brieanna nodded and looked down at Duncan.

"We just need to bring this one and Bella with us, along with Serene. Fergus has a soft spot for Serene and Brandon will probably be too scared to try anything with Serene glaring at him." Brieanna pointed out. Anders nodded and watched as Duncan fell asleep in Brieanna's arms.

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"That is a lot to process, Serene. I wanted to go on the maiden voyage of our first naval ship and I come back to a shattered country?" Maric said in disbelief.

"Well, Brandon and Anora aren't doing too bad of a job. From what I hear, much better than when Cailan was king. I'm a bit bias though." Serene pointed out.

"How so?" Maric asked.

"Well, I'm in love with the better Theirin man and he did try several times to get into my pants, quite literally, when we were at Ostagar." Serene explained. Maric sat back in his chair and sighed.

"I couldn't do right by either of them." Maric said sadly. Serene shrugged.

"Maybe, or maybe not. Cailan was trying too hard to be like you and Alistair tried his damnest not to let you be a shadow on his life. From what I've heard from Brieanna, Alistair is very much like you were during the occupation. Reluctantly having to lead an army to save Fereldan. He was going to be king before I screwed everything up." Serene said.

"I guess we have a lot to make up for when it comes to Alistair." Maric said.

"I can understand your intentions, its what Fiona asked you to do. I just think maybe there was someone better to watch over him. Though it could have been worst, he could have been raised by Loghain." Serene pointed out.

"I should have listened to Flemeth and not Loghain. I should have given Alistair to Bryce or something with children." Maric mumbled. Serene shrugged.

"And I should have slapped my mother in the face after she stumbled back into my life after twenty years, but I didn't. I can't worry about the mistakes that I've made, no matter how much they've affected my life. I have to try not to repeat them so that my children don't live with a shell of a parent. It's mine fault they will grow up without a father for awhile. Poor Bella had to watch me stumble around drunk for almost two years. I almost jumped off the battlements of Vigil's Keep because a fade demon told me to." Serene said.

"How did you managed to get free of that?" Maric asked, remembering his encounter with a fade demon.

"Nathaniel Howe knocked me back." Serene said.

"You seem to think everyone deserves a second chance, even those that have wronged you." Maric pointed out.

"Well, those that deserve it. I spared Loghain because I didn't want Alistair to die and leave me all alone. Nor did I want to take the only other family Brieanna had left. Damn bastard didn't even live long enough to see the archdemon fly." Serene said.

"Would you give Alistair a second chance?" Maric asked.

"I've come to terms that both of us handled that situation wrong. The rumors about me and my children have probably reached him by now. The guilt will kill him and he will come back. When he does, there will be nothing to forgive, its all I want." Serene said.

"Do you think he would ever forgive me?" Maric asked hesitantly.

"That is a hard question, Maric. He's been through a lot because for the decision you and Fiona made. You could have gone against her wishes and raised Alistair as your son, giving him the one thing he's lived without for most of his life, a family. The same thing with her. It kills her to know that if she just fought a little harder, maybe should could have kept Alistair and raised him on her own. We'll just have to wait and see. I think Alistair is the least of your concerns right now, though he did get her temper." Serene answered.

"What do you mean?" Maric asked as he frowned.

"I was sleeping peacefully, as was Duncan until she blew up the door. As I remember, you had Duncan curled up in your arms. He does look a lot like his father and it was probably a scene plucked from her deep desire. She hates herself for not fighting like I have for my children. She hates that she didn't come to you when she was pregnant. She's afraid of what Alistair will say to her when he meets her. I highly doubt she will hear anything worst from him than she's heard from me." Serene pointed out.

"I screwed everything up, didn't I?" Maric asked himself aloud.

"Maybe, but sometimes we're not strong enough to correct our mistakes by ourselves. We need others to help us be strong. I was alone for such a long time, but Alistair made me realize how much I needed him. When we arrive back at Vigil's Keep, I'm sure you'll figure that out too." Serene said.

"What? You want me to come back with you?" Maric asked.

"Of course, unless you plan on hiding here in Weisshaupt for the rest of your life while the remainder of your family lives happily together, or do you plan on causing a huge uproar in Denerim? Fereldan is doing quite well now with Brandon and Anora on the throne. You'll be able to live like you want, love who you want." Serene pointed out.

"Why would you do this for me? You hardly know me aside from stories you've heard." Maric wondered.

"You have that same goofy ass grin and you reek of cheese. Plus I've always wanted to be part of a family and Alistair as well. Since I don't have parents of my own, I will just have to settle with his. Besides, don't you want to see your grandchildren grow up? All you'll have to do is sit back while I do the hard work and you come along and spoil them." Serene said as she laughed.

"That sounds almost normal. Something new for a change." Maric laughed.

"Then its settled. As soon as I'm cleared to travel, we're heading back to Amaranthine. Though you should really look into getting some armor while your here, probably enchanted to withstand lightning." Serene said.

"Why?" Maric asked, wondering what exactly she was going on about.

"Were you not frightened awake by the door exploding? If I'm going to bring you back with me, I'm hoping to do it in one piece." Serene pointed out. Maric chuckled and then sighed. It had been fifteen years since he was last in Fereldan. With all the stories Serene had told him about the Blight and all, he wasn't so sure that he was ready to go back. Yet the look she was giving him told him that he was going back whether he liked it or not. One thing was certain, the Maker had blessed his son when he met this fiery woman that gave him two beautiful children.