Leliana's footsteps were eerily silent as she paced back and forth. Her finger fidgeted quickly with her favored pocket knife. Her breathing was measured but harsh. Her eyes flicked rapidly to every separate piece of information their surveillance room could offer.

4 hours. It had been 4 hours since anyone had seen hide or hair of Skylar. Leliana had fully expected her to pull some sort of stunt when she'd seen Josephine's schedule, but this? No way she had planned this. Skylar was many things—most of them derogatory—but she wouldn't do this. She would have sooner drowned herself than cause Leliana—and by extension, the entire intelligence department—all this stress.

No activity within her apartment. No activity with her phone. She couldn't find her way out of her own neighborhood if her map app didn't tell her how to. Nothing about this situation comforted her in the least bit. Leliana's agents had already scoured the woods and the mountain paths over and over again. To send out yet another search party would draw too much attention. Something was wrong, Leliana was sure of it. And nothing Cullen was saying did anything to comfort her. Of course he'd support his friend, regardless of the circumstance. His input was tainted, biased. She couldn't trust him anymore than that damn Templar.

Perhaps she had misjudged him. Unlikely, but possible. He passed her extensive background check, even despite his familial ties. He seemed decent, honorable, trustworthy. But his parents had proven to be a different story altogether. Perhaps this was all part of the plan. Maybe he was meant to draw her away from the safety of Haven so she could be easily disposed of. It was a bit of a conspiracy, given all that she had observed of him so far, she had to admit…but that tiny clip of footage and the actions his parents had taken this afternoon had incriminated him as far as she was concerned. Ser Barris left Haven with Skylar in tow, that much they knew. Maker help his soul if he dared to return without her.

She already had narrowed it down to three preferred ways to eliminate him. Each slower and more painful than the last. Should the worst come to pass, she would not allow herself to grieve. She'd act without remorse. Deliver the justice Skylar would deserve. Her own atonement would have to come later…if at all. If it even mattered…

Her hyper-vigilant gaze snapped to the clock again. 5 hours now. It was enough to push her over the edge. To decide to make the choice that had always been blacklisted. Only in the most dire of circumstances…it wasn't just about Skylar, she told herself. It wasn't just about her guilt over the matter. If Skylar were truly gone, all of Thedas might soon follow…

She waited for Cullen to become distracted before making her move. He likely wouldn't have noticed her machinations, given his typical oblivious nature, but she couldn't afford to take any chances right now. She swiftly made her way to the roof, taking every precaution to ensure no one so much as caught a glimpse of her. The rooftop seemed the only "safe" place for this. If anyone overheard her, she might have to eliminate them too.

She absently reminded herself to cash in on this particular favor soon, having kept this secret for so long…she hoped beyond reason that Ashalle wouldn't blame her for this…

Hesitation and doubts were forced away from her as she slipped her phone from her pocket. The call began to ring before the first blast of that cold, mountain air hit her face. She secured the door behind her, hoping that the simple deadbolt lock would buy her enough time—if it came to that. She only absently realized that she wasn't even sure what she was planning for in that immediate moment.

The second rang came and went. The anticipation and frustration grew in equal measure. She cautiously crept to the ledge, looking over Haven from her considerable vantage point. Her scouts still patrolled discreetly around the town. No success yet. Of course not.

The third ring cut off prematurely. A familiarly smooth voice greeted her warmly. "To what do I owe the pleasure, Nightingale?"

"It's time."

He was silent. She could practically see the shock on his face. "You're sure?"

Leliana took in a fortifying breath. "I'm sure, Zev."

The humor returned to his voice, but the hollowness of it was overly apparent to her. "Sure enough to drop the subterfuge it seems…"

"Skylar is gone."

"Missing?" He asked, cautiously.

"Hopefully."

"I…see…" His own measured breath flooded the speaker for a moment. "I just have to—you know you can't take this back?"

"We can't afford to wait for a better outcome."

He paused again. For a moment Leliana was worried he'd bailed on her. "I'll take care of it…be careful, my friend."

"No promises."

She heard him chuckle half-heartedly before the line went dead.

The weight of her decision fell on her like a slab of concrete. She had to do it. There was no other recourse. Every other option had catastrophic consequences. Killian was the only option. She just hoped that spending the last 8 years in Aeonar hadn't changed him too drastically. The Killian she knew would stop at nothing to save his beloved little sister—and that was putting it mildly. He wasn't called the "Butcher of Denerim" for nothing…Maker, but she hoped she did the right thing…

Leliana suddenly spotted one of her agents briskly walking straight for the Chantry. Charter knew better than to appear as rattled as she did. She was looking for her, no doubt. Coming in to give a report in person, she assumed. Something too important to trust to a text or call. It unnerved Leliana enough to make her break her own rules.

She made her way back to the surveillance room as quickly as she could manage. She met Charter in the hallway, neither of them communicating with more than a couple of curt nods until they got behind the thick, reinforced door. Going from the brightly lit hallway to the dark, cold room was always a jarring experience, but Leliana had no time to wait for the luxury of adjusting to it.

"What is it?"

"We found her, my lady." There was a sense of relief in her agent's voice that greatly put Leliana at ease. "She's safe."

Leliana exhaled a breath that she wasn't aware she was holding. She'd have to scold herself for that later, she quickly schooled herself back into the typical emotionless demeanor that her job all but required. A dreadful pit formed in her stomach over the realization that she had released Killian pre-maturely…if she'd only waited…Maker, what had she done… "Where is she now, Charter?"

"Ser Barris appears to be walking her back to her apartment, my lady. Should I have them re-directed?"

"I'll handle it myself. Ensure the Ambassador is informed." Leliana grabbed her coat from the nearby rack harshly. She had half a mind to hang Skylar out to dry, but she needed to interrogate that damn templar first. Maker help him if she so much as got a hint that Skylar was in any way unhappy with their little outing…

A quick glance around the room reassured Leliana that the situation was well controlled now. Cullen gave her a calm, acknowledging nod. Most of the buzz and hype had died down considerably. She shot a quick glance to Charter, giving her one final command before she left swiftly. "You're in charge until I return."

She was unconcerned about the perception she was giving off, the demeanor she portrayed. Her anger overlapped it all. Her high-heeled boots hit the pavement with purpose. She crossed the few blocks to Skylar's apartment in record time. The cool, autumn evening and the fresh air did nothing to calm her, like it usually would. She wasn't sure if she was going to rip that templar's head off or scold Skylar into the void itself, though she was easily ready for either outcome.

But as she rounded that last corner, all of the rage that had motivated her suddenly died on the spot. Skylar was smiling, laughing even. She was…happy, genuinely happy. Leliana searched her memory but she was certain she'd never seen Skylar like that before…And it seemed that the damn templar was the culprit…Perhaps he'd get to keep his head after all.

She studied each of them carefully as she slowly approached them, keeping an eye out for any sign of distress. But even her most intensive observations gave her nothing to be suspicious about. Confusion, maybe, but not suspicion. Really, it was a wonder they hadn't kissed yet. They weren't even holding hands. Maker, this was going to be painful to watch.

"You know," Leliana grew a mischievous smirk as they suddenly noticed her and immediately became awkward. "You could have told me you were on a date."

Skylar chuckled nervously. "We were on a date? Damn, you should have told me."

Barris shifted uncomfortably, rubbing the back of his neck. "It—well, if that were a date, I would have made more of an effort…"

Leliana huffed a disgusted noise as she watched Skylar blush furiously. "Maker's Breath, you two are terrible." She tapped their shoulders, simultaneously prompting them in separate directions. "Go home, lovebirds."

Skylar shot her an annoyed look but reluctantly shuffled backwards towards her building. She grew a giddy smile as she looked back at him. "I had fun today…"

His expression lit up like a lightbulb, he almost seemed breathless as he spoke. "I—me too! Is there, um—maybe we could…?"

Leliana poked his chest pointedly. "Go. Home. Don't make me stab you."

Skylar flashed him an apologetic look. "Text me when you get home?"

"Home, Skylar. Now."

She threw a thoroughly rude gesture to Leliana before she disappeared behind the door to her building. Barris smiled at her antics as he turned to leave but stopped when he noticed Leliana staring him down. "What?"

"I've known that girl for 12 years. I've never seen her that…happy before."

"She…what?" Barris seemed genuinely surprised. He was likely expecting her to actually stab him, rather that voice an observational compliment.

She narrowed her eyes at him, unwilling to allow him any real sentiment over the suspicion she was still clinging to. "For your sake, I hope you don't fuck this up."

He turned slowly towards her, his smile fading quickly into a scowl. "Or I'll have to deal with you, I imagine."

A mocking laugh came from her before she could stop it. "I truly hope you never have to find out."

Barris shot her a serious look, clearly ignoring or outright disregarding her threat. "That local station was talking about the meetings a few hours ago, when we were in the car…Is it true?"

"About your parents?" She didn't wait for an affirmation; the implication was painfully obvious. "Whatever you've heard is likely true. They've aligned with the Divine Commander and this False Herald movement. They've declared war with us."

He looked away, his gaze growing distant. "I see."

Leliana studied his reaction for a moment, giving him a stern look. "I nearly ordered your assassination tonight."

"I don't blame you." He mumbled. "Whatever it takes to prove my loyalty, I'll do it."

The seasoned spymaster noticed movement in her peripheral vision. She looked up to see Skylar glaring down at her from her balcony. Her apartment was far too high up to hold a conversation, or for her to overhear them for that matter; but the expression on her face and the faint hint of ice between her fingers said enough for her.

Barris flashed her a warm smile as he waved at her, he gave Leliana a curt nod before walking away. Leliana didn't bother with the distanced pleasantries. It had been a long, stressful day and there was clearly nothing more to be gained at this point. She took the long way back to her own apartment, making a silent prayer to Andraste as she went. She truly hoped that putting a little faith into that damn templar wouldn't come back to bite her.