Uncle Carver time!

A Little Family

"I can't believe you two idiots went and did this," Carver said. The fact that he was smiling at his niece took some of the harshness out of his words, but Hawke could still see Anders glaring at him from the other side of the room. She slipped between the two with an effortless smile.

"Don't tell me you already regret being Uncle Carver?" she asked. "Do you want to hold her?"

"I... Well... Are you sure?"

"You're not going to drop her, are you?" Anders said before Hawke could stop him.

It was Carver's turn to glare. "What are you insinuating, mage ?"

"Both of you, stop it. Here." She slipped baby Bethany into her brother's arms before he could protest. "Hold your niece. Right there... You've got it. Support her head, she can't quite hold it up yet."

"She's so tiny," Carver marveled.

"She really does look like Bethany, doesn't she?"

"I wouldn't know. I was a baby too."

"She has my eyes," Anders interjected, a proud grin on his face.

"Well, thank the Maker she got the rest of the Hawke looks, at least."

Anders opened his mouth, but a quick look from Hawke forced him to close it again and focus his attention on sheaf of papers he'd arrayed across the table. A re-draft of his manifesto, Hawke thought; she hadn't had a chance to ask him about it yet, given how busy she'd been with the baby and her brother's recent arrival.

"Aside from this little one, what have the two of you been up to?" Carver suddenly asked, wrenching her attention away from Anders and his work. "It looks like you've settled in nicely here."

"We have, surprisingly. Did you see our little garden out front? Anders set up the elfroot patches, and in summer we're going to start growing our own vegetables."

"Are you sure this is safe?"

Hawke faltered, the pride that was just bursting in her chest suddenly gone. Of course it is, she wanted to say. They'd worked too hard, run for so long, they knew how to be careful, knew what the signs were when it was time for them to leave. But she looked down at the baby in her brother's arms and stopped. He wasn't trying to start an argument; he was only looking out for them.

"I've been keeping a close eye on things. We're far enough from the village that we haven't attracted any attention," she said. "We want a normal life for Bethy. As normal as we can, at least."

"I know. It's just... I don't know... Listen, Marian, don't get upset, but doesn't having a baby seem like a bad idea for you two right now? Given everything that's happened?"

"It's a little late for that, isn't it?" Anders suddenly said. He'd set his manifesto aside and came to stand beside Hawke, his arms folded over his chest. It looked like it was taking everything in his power to not grab Bethany away from her uncle.

"Oh, come off it. You can't just blow up a chantry and expect to live happily ever after for the rest of your life."

"Would you prefer we go traipsing about Thedas with a three-month-old in our arms? Fighting off bandits and Templars and Maker knows what else?"

"Maybe that's something you should have thought of before you went and got my sister pregnant."

"You know just as well as I do how difficult the taint makes it to have children. You think I just woke up one morning and decided, 'Oh, Marian, wouldn't it be a wonderful idea to start a family? To-'"

"All right, that's enough," Hawke said. "Anders, let's... not go into that aspect of our lives with my brother. And Carver, I know you're not trying to offend – well, not offend me at least – but we really do have this under control. Anders and I are completely capable of defending ourselves and Bethy if it comes down to it."

Carver looked like he wanted to say more – but he only sighed and shrugged his shoulders. The baby in his arms was starting to fuss.

"It would break my heart if I got word back from Varric or someone else that the three of you were tracked down and killed," he said. "There are rumors that Sebastian is winding up his army to march on Kirkwall."

"It will be okay. We're nowhere near Kirkwall. The only ones still in the city are Aveline and Varric, and I trust them with my life."

"So do I, but..." He trailed off, sighed again. "I know you're the Champion of Kirkwall and all, but is it so wrong for me to worry about my big sister? And her idiot boyfriend and my sweet little niece, of course."

Anders scoffed from somewhere over her shoulder, but Hawke couldn't help but smile. She put an arm around her brother's shoulders and pulled him into a gentle hug. Bethany cooed between them.

"Would it make you feel better if I wrote you a little more often?"

"Of course it would."

"Fine. Easily arranged."

Carver finally grinned. He looked back down at his niece, and the smile turned just a bit wicked.

"Bethy, did you know your mama was an oops-baby too?"

"Carver!"

But Hawke was laughing, and, much to her amusement and relief, so was Anders.