I wish SO BAD that Fenris and Anders had a relationship more like this in the games... Like a grudging friendship where they still rag on each other but they respect each other. :( Maybe one day I'll write it. I crave it...

A Little Family

Isabela blew into the tiny cottage like the storm that had carried her ship into port the previous afternoon. She immediately threw her arms around Hawke and Anders – though not before Anders could balance Bethany in one arm before she got stuck somewhere in the middle.

"You both look wonderful!" She squeezed them tighter. "Well, considering everything."

"Good to see you too, Bela," Hawke said, her voice muffled by a cloud of black hair.

Merrill, only a few steps behind, was quick to join the group hug.

"We all missed you!" she squealed. "Even Fenris! You should have seen the look on his face when we heard from Carver that you were all safe and sound! And had a baby!"

The elf in question grunted from somewhere behind them – Anders couldn't see him around all the bodies.

Isabela finally released them and swept the captain's hat from her head. "Well?" she asked Anders, opening her arms. "May I hold her, or are you the overly protective type?"

"Not quite yet," Anders said as he slipped Bethany into her waiting hands. The baby stared curiously and quietly at the group surrounding her – thank the Maker, he thought. She'd spent half the night fussing again after he'd woken from another nightmare.

"Thank you again for making the journey out here. We appreciate it," Hawke said as she pulled a stack of letters from one of her pockets and placed them in Merrill's hands. "I wish we were able to deliver these ourselves, but... You know how it is."

"Of course! We've been meaning to stop back in Kirkwall, so this is the perfect excuse," Isabela said. "I haven't played a good game of Wicked Grace in ages."

Anders crossed his arms over his chest. "You haven't happened to hear anything from..."

"Sebastian?" Fenris finished. "Just that he's trying to amass forces for an attack, but it's taking longer than expected."

Hawke breathed a small sigh of relief. "That should keep him busy for a while. Not that I'm glad he's still set on Kirkwall, mind, but..."

"Aveline will have something figured out. She always does," Merrill said with a smile.

"I can't wait to see them. Varric is going to be so jealous when he hears we got to see you first," Isabela said as she nuzzled Bethany.

Merrill was at her side in an instant, bouncing on the tips of her toes like she couldn't possibly contain her excitement. "Oh, Hawke, she's so cute! Fenris, don't you want to see her?"

"I can see her from here."

"Fenris-"

"Oh, it's fine," Isabela said. "He's afraid he's going to break the baby and Anders will be mad at him."

Fenris all but pouted. "I don't care if the mage is upset with me. When isn't he? It's Hawke I wouldn't want to disappoint."

"It's fine, Fenris," Hawke said. "We trust you. Right, Anders?"

They all looked to the man in question, who rolled his eyes. "At least he isn't wearing those pointy gauntlets anymore."

"Some of us have more sense than to wear the same things for Maker knows how many years," Fenris said, pointing to the black-feathered pauldrons on Anders' shoulders.

"This is the only part of the outfit I've kept!"

Bethany interrupted them with a cry.

"Look what you've gone and done! Hush now, sweetheart, did the boys make you upset?" Isabela said to the fussing baby in her arms. Hawke ushered them into the adjacent room – but not before fixing a pointed glare in Anders' direction. He wanted to throw his hands up in the air. Like this was his fault! Fenris was only goading him on, as he'd always done.

...And, of course, with the three of them gone, that left him with alone with the aforementioned elf. Anders cursed his luck. Fenris seemed to be doing the same, judging by the angry tilt of his mouth.

"So..." Anders fished desperately for a topic and came up with nothing.

"So? I haven't seen you since you blew up the Chantry and that's all you can come up with?"

"So, how is... hunting slavers? Sailing? It's not like you send many letters."

"We never have a chance to. Isabela likes to keep on the move."

"Understandably."

Fenris grunted his agreement. "It's been fine, though. More than fine. I rather enjoy the direction my life has taken."

"You never struck me as a sailor."

"And you never struck me as a family man."

Anders sneaked another glance in Fenris's direction. The elf was looking back at him with a wry grin on his face.

"It is good to see the three of you again. I'm glad you could come and meet Bethy."

"Of course. You should have heard the shriek Isabela let out when she heard the two of you had a baby. I've never seen her change course so fast."

Anders snorted. "And Merrill?"

"I thought we were going to have to tie her down to keep her from flying off the deck, she was so excited."

This time, Anders' laughter was loud enough that Hawke and the others stopped talking. He met her eyes and saw an approving smile on her face. It took everything in his power not to stick out his tongue.

"Anyway..." Fenris gestured to the fledgling patch of elfroot out the nearby kitchen window. "I never took you for a gardener," he said – and was that admiration Anders could detect in his tone? "Are you growing all of this for another clinic?"

"Andraste, no. Too risky. Marian's estate didn't have a lot of room to garden, and I'd always wanted one since..."

Since the Circle wouldn't let me tend to theirs after I ran away enough times, was what he couldn't bring himself to say. Fenris seemed to understand, and nodded appreciatively.

"I'm no expert, but it looks... healthy."

Anders tried not to snort again. "Thank you."

They slipped into a more companionable silence this time as they watched Hawke and the others coo over baby Bethany. Fenris leaned back against the counters, a curious smile on his face. He seemed content; Anders couldn't remember the last time he'd seen him like that. Maybe during one of their last games of Wicked Grace in the Hanged Man, before everything went to shit?

Anders sighed. There was no use dwelling on the past – not when he was here, in the present, surrounded by his old friends and their smiles and laughter. It was almost enough to make him forget about his nightmares.

That, and Merrill was suddenly at their side, baby in tow. She stopped beside Fenris, who was already shaking his head.

"Hawke says Bethany has to go down for a nap soon, and you haven't had a chance to hold her. She's wonderful."

"Merrill, I don't... I'm not sure if Anders would let me-"

"It's fine," Anders said, and Merrill was quick to slip a sleepy Bethany into Fenris's arms.

Fenris froze for a moment, a deer caught in the lamplight. But he adjusted quickly, and with a gentleness that Anders had never seen in him before.

"I... don't think I've ever held a baby this small," he said, watching her with wide eyes.

Isabela smiled. "Lovely little thing, isn't she?"

"Very. That must be the Hawke genes."

His comment earned a playful smack from the pirate and a scowl from Anders.