Author Note: I hope you're all doing well and keeping safe during these difficult times! Here's the second chapter of this double update (ch 28 was uploaded at the same time as well, so make sure to check that out first for context)! I might be uploading another chapter at the end of this week, too. But we'll see how quickly I can write it out. Like I said, trying not to leave you all hanging! Plus, I'm a bit too excited to start writing the upcoming chapters. Enjoy! :)

HAWKE

"Serena!" I call after her again. She's still sprinting toward Hightown at full speed, making it difficult for me to keep up.

I chased after her all the way from Lowtown on instinct. Something in my gut told me I had to—that I must. But she won't bloody listen.

"Serena, wait!" I yell, as she hurries through the chantry courtyard, up the nearby steps, leading to the Hightown estates. "Blasted, stubborn elf," I grumble.

How did she even get so fast?

I sprint up the steps two at a time, the breath almost knocked out of me from pushing it so hard while still wearing armor.

At the top, I catch a glimpse of her storming into Fenris' mansion just before she slams the door shut behind her.

I run up to it and try to burst my way inside after her, but the door hardly budges. It's like she's sitting propped up against it, blocking the entrance from the other side.

"Serena . . .?" I whisper.

Silence.

My heart races. I don't know what to say, what to do, but I know I have to say something. And it might as well be that something. That something I've been avoiding, keeping hidden within, to evade a situation identical to this.

"Serena, listen. I—"

"Stop! Stop right there, Hawke!" she snaps, and I flinch.

She really must be sitting in front of the door. Her voice sounds far too low to the ground otherwise.

"I'm-I'm fine," she stutters, but her words sound wobbly, weak, as if she's fighting back tears. "Really. I just . . . I have a lot going through my mind right now," she persists. "But I'm-I'm happy for you. And Isabela. Really. She's a good person, deep down. I know it."

"Serena, are you . . . ? Are you crying?" I ask.

But I already know she must be. There's no point in trying to deny it. Not when her voice is shaking like that.

"What? No! Of course not. I'm fine. I'm—"

I force the door open with everything I got.

Serena falls forward, letting a quiet yelp.

She looks up at me with rivers of tears streaking down her face, new buds still forming in the corners of her eyes. "H-Hawke . . ."

She tries to scoot away from me.

My heart throbs. I fight the urge to lean down and hug her, to squeeze her with my full strength.

"I'm in love with you," I whisper, squatting down in front of her. "I have been for the past three years, since the first moment we met—"

I reach out to touch her cheek.

Serena recoils from my touch. "Wait, Hawke. Stop. Don't. I can't. I—" She shakes her head. She gawps up at me with fearful, watery eyes, the teal depths lost in a turbulent storm. "I can't."

"Why?" I ask. My lungs constrict. "Is it . . . because of Fenris?"

"No! Yes! I don't know!" She buries one hand in her roots. "This is all so . . . so complicated. And confusing. I just—" She curls up tight into a ball, hiding her face from my view. "I just want some peace in my life. Just a bit. Is that so much to ask?"

"Of course not," I whisper.

Serena snaps up again. She unwinds a bit from her death-clenching hold on herself. However, it'd be a lie to say she looked any more at ease.

"I also wish to have some more peace in my life," I continue. "Maker knows we never seem to have enough of it. But that doesn't mean we can't seek that out together."

Serena relaxes a bit more—the internal storm slowly quelling, dissipating.

"You don't need to do everything on your own, Serena," I whisper, tilting my head at her. "I'm not asking anything of you. I only wished to tell you how I feel, so we could put this all behind us. But please, let me still stand by your side. We can work through whatever's bothering you together."

"Can we?" she asks, but her question almost comes out like a plea. A plea for mercy, a plea for answers, a plea for an escape. "I don't think it will be that simple."

"Our lives are never simple," I joke. "But we can at least try."

Serena hesitates. She bites down on her bottom lip and looks away. "I'm sorry, Hawke," she whispers. "I-I need some time. To think about this. All of it."

"I understand." I pat her on the head. "Take all the time you need. But tell me . . . Do you . . . not feel anything for me at all? Can you at least indulge me that much?"

Serena's eyes widen with noticeable worry. "What? No, I—" She looks away again. A slight blush blooms at the top of her cheeks. "I do care for you, Hawke," she whispers, "as much as I might not want to. But things—my life—it's . . . a total mess. And I . . . I need to figure some things out. On my own. I need to reflect, both on how I feel as well as some things involving my past."

I notice her fists clench around a half-obscured necklace at her chest.

She sits up straight and lowers her head. "I know I haven't told you much about it," she whispers. "But . . . I've lost several important people in my life. Ones I cared for and trusted in deeply. A lot. And I . . . I still grieve those losses. More than you or anyone else knows. They haunt me, both in my dreams and while I'm awake. And because of that I . . . It's difficult for me to seek out . . . happiness. Alone or otherwise. It's something I've been struggling to work on for years. And I still need some more time, it seems."

So, that's why she keeps us at a distance. At least that explains one thing on the list of unanswered questions.

"It's good that time is just about infinite then, right?" I tease.

Serena glimpses up at me.

Her uncertain gaze reminds me more and more of a scolded mabari pup. But honestly, she puts Titan to shame.

Though, I might be a tad biased.

"Look." I force a smile. "Take all the time you need. I'm not going to rush you, and I'm certain Fenris feels the same. You need to do what's best for you. And if you need to talk in the meantime, I'll be here for you. Nothing has to change overnight."

Serena pauses. She seems to consider and weigh my words carefully.

She then looks up and flashes me a brief half-smile. "Thank you, Hawke," she whispers, bowing her head. "I mean it."

I suppress a faint chuckle and rise to my feet.

Upon turning to face the door, however, another thought occurs to me.

"To clarify one more thing," I mutter and rub at the back of my neck. "At the market a few weeks ago. Were you . . . glaring at me? On purpose? Or was I reading too much into that?"

"Glaring at you?" Serena raises an eyebrow at me. "When?"

"In front of that fruit stand. When I—"

I stop. She stares at me with a blank expression.

A fresh heat wells up in my face, in my chest. "Oh, forget about it. I guess it really was nothing," I mutter and turn away again.

"Were you bothered by that all this time?" she asks.

I spin toward her. "What? So, you did know?"

"I-I wasn't glaring at you," she stammers. "I guess I was . . . glaring at myself?"

I narrow my eyes at her and cross my arms. "Alright. You've lost me."

"I think I lost myself." She laughs.

I grin and help her back onto her feet. Her small hand feels so fragile and delicate to the touch, but I know that's not the case. Her emotional state, however, remains another matter.

"Go get some rest," I insist. "I'll high tail it back to Lowtown. Hopefully I can catch Isabela before they start to gossip. But that might be a bit of a stretch."

I hurry to make my way out the door.

Serena tugs at the back of my armor. "Wait," she stops me.

I peek over my shoulder at her.

She avoids looking directly at me, as though shy, embarrassed. "Is there . . . Is there anything going on between you and . . . Isabela?" she asks.

Pride and elation swell within me. "Would that bother you?" I smirk.

Serena's jaw drops. If I didn't know any better, I'd think it landed in the Deep Roads somewhere.

"I jest! I jest!" I laugh. "No, there's nothing going on between Isabela and me. We're just friends. Though, she can be a bit . . . touchy-feely sometimes. But none more so than with everyone else."

Serena's shoulders relax. "Oh. Okay. That's good to know."

I can't resist giving her a playful grin. "Jealous, were we?" I tease.

Serena jolts. "What? No! Of course not!" she scoffs. She pivots away and crosses her arms. "Me? Jealous? Who do you take me for, Hawke?" She huffs while shaking her head. "Jealous . . ." she mutters.

Her nose crinkles up at the word.

The action makes my spirits soar more than I ever thought possible. It's as though I'm floating on clouds, observing a bright star, glimmering on the horizon. A star that's full of hope, potential, and a promise that I may not be out of the game just yet.

"You were jealous. Just admit it," I persist, loving how the topic keeps riling her up.

Serena rolls her eyes and glares at me. "I was not jealous!" she snaps, dropping her arms by her sides again.

"Alright! Alright! Whatever you say!" I laugh, and I hold my hands up in a defensive position. Maker forbid she decides to fight me over it. I doubt even in my current sober state I'd stand much of a chance. Not with her lightning fast reflexes. And forget it if she used magic.

I lower my hands once she visibly relaxes again, and I feel my own expression soften.

"For the record, though, I've been jealous," I whisper. "I'm happy to hear . . . No, I'm relieved to hear that you might've felt the same."

Serena glimpses up at me.

A tense silence lingers in the air between us.

I turn back toward the door again, taking that as my cue to leave before I could possibly ruin whatever good vibes we've already formed between us.

"Goodnight. Get some rest," I insist.

"I'll . . . really think about it all. I promise," she calls out after me.

"I know." I smile at her.

"Goodnight," she whispers, smiling back.

"Goodnight," I answer.

And then I exit out into the frosty chill of Hightown and shut the door behind me.