Chapter 6

'No...No...No...No...Kitty! Stop! I don't want to hear about Garrett's skills in bed. I've told you once, I've told you twice, I've even told you four times. It. Is. Weird.' Amelie states putting her hands over her ears as she shakes her head. Breakfast had been a rather quiet affair, Garrett wasn't very talkative in the mornings and Fenris, well he was Fenris. Catherine hadn't shut up until Amelie literally muted her, for the sake of her growing headache. A minor spell that lasted about fifteen minutes. Her use of magic hadn't gone down well with the company she had, but it brought some peace that they were all thankful for.

'But the thing is, he does this thing with his tongue-' Catherine continues, her smile broad across her face. She proceeds to mime the action, sticking out her tongue and waggling it about. They were currently walking to Fenris' mansion and Amelie; as much as she begged not to, was getting a step by step of what happened last night. Fenris and Garrett were only a few feet back, talking occasionally. Amelie groaned and wrapped her arms around her head in a desperate bid to block it out.

'Does it not bother you that the woman is telling the street about what you have done together?' Fenris asks Hawke, unfortunately due to his hearing he was also getting a run through, albeit unintentional. He shifted his sword on his back, moving the weight to a more comfortable place. Without trying to be too obvious, he glanced over at Amelie and mentally sighed. She was still limping, but it seemed to be getting better. Why he was concerned he didn't know.

Garrett shrugged. 'Na, why would it? You would hear worse at the Blooming Rose and actually most of what she's saying is rubbish. She's just doing it to wind Amelie up,' he reveals. It makes Fenris feel a little better for a moment. 'Well, I say it's rubbish. I mean it's true, but the order is all wrong,' Garrett laughs, Fenris winces and rubs his eyes.

'I did not need to know that,' he mutters grumpily.

'Oh lighten up, maybe if you actually got laid once in a while you wouldn't be so against hearing this sort of thing,' Garrett teases, punching his friend lightly and daring death in doing so. Fenris bared his teeth in annoyance and rolls his eyes. Garrett had been trying to get him to lie with a woman for years. It hadn't worked.

'I do not feel the need to simply hunt easy, carnal pleasure,' he states simply, for the life of him he concentrated on his feet and tried not to look at the auburn haired woman in front of them.

'I do not feel the need to simply hunt easy, carnal pleasure,' Hawke said in an incredibly bad imitation of Fenris. 'Fuck me, no wonder you're not getting laid. Could you be more depressing of you tried? I mean, I know Varric calls you Broody for a reason, but I thought he was taking the piss. Now I see that he was simply giving an incredibly accurate description. Maker, have you been talking to Sebastian lately? Sounds like something he'd say. But at least he used to get laid,' he adds grinning. Fenris growls under his breath and refuses to retaliate. He rolled his eyes again and simply tuned Garrett out, listening to the women instead.

'Catherine! Enough! I really have no interest about how big his cock is! Or the fact that he can make you orgasm!' Amelie snapped loudly at her friend, before slapping her hand over her mouth. Her face going inferno red as she realised that she had yelled it out in the middle of the city. Catherine gaped before breaking down into spasms of laughter, buckled over, hands resting on her knees. Amelie looked like she could die of embarrassment. She leant against the wall and buried her head in her hands. 'Oh maker I can't believe I just said that,' she mumbles, pushing Catherine away when she got too close. Garrett laughs lightly to himself and as they get closer, wraps his arm around Catherine's waist.

'Come on, woman. Enough teasing for one morning,' he says softly to her as he pulls her away. Catherine wipes her eyes as she's lead from her friend, giggles still breaking from her lips. Fenris pauses next to Amelie who looked like she had managed to decrease in size.

'If it is any consolation, I have no interest either,' Fenris says quietly to her. Amelie looks up at him in shock before giggling lightly. It made referral to their previous conversation where she was convinced he was gay. Amelie rubbed her hands over her face in a sigh.

'Oh maker, sometimes I really need to think before I speak,' she says smiling weakly. 'Or at least remember that I hold the ability to mute the woman. Not that I can really use magic out here,' she reminds herself.

'It is not advised,' Fenris says, his friendly demeanour from moments ago, switching off at the mention of magic and he turns stoic again. Amelie scolds herself mentally as he walks off without another word. A clear example that she needs to think before she speaks. She literally just proved that to herself. She sighs and follows the elf, wishing she could stick her mute spell on herself.

…

They had all congregated in Fenris' upstairs lobby so to speak. It had the largest fireplace and held several seats that weren't broken. Fenris stood by the fireplace, his sword leaning against the marble next to him. Catherine sat next to Garrett on a bench like chair and Amelie perched on the edge of an armchair. It was awkward to say the least.

'So.' Amelie began, aware that she was the major problem in the room. 'Are you inclined to believe the alternate universe story or have I got to hire Varric to come up with something more believable?' She jokes lightly but she's deadly serious. Catherine looks at Garrett who realises that he's now in a very bad place to be.

'Uh,' he says rubbing the back of his head with his hand. 'I mean, it's far fetched but I...' he says nervously. Catherine's piercing and not to be taken lightly stare, drilling into him. She looked like she was going to set him on fire and drag his arse to a forge if he for one moment disagreed. He'd got a little more than he bargained for. Fenris rolled his eyes, Amelie just looked nervous that was all, she didn't know what would happen to her if Garrett didn't believe. He was the leader and the others would stand by his decision. 'How, how about having this conversation over a drink? Make a little more uh, friendly?' He suggests in vain. Catherine narrows her eyes but then brightens. She couldn't pass up having a drink. Amelie sighed, there was a reason for her headache and that was the amount she had drank recently.

'I know. Fenris, why don't you take Ami to go get a few bottles while I talk to Garrett,' Catherine says grinning. Hawke looked worried and Fenris didn't feel any compassion towards him, what with his earlier teasing. Hawke made his bed, now it was time for him to sleep in it. Amelie rolls her eyes but gets up, Catherine would help, she hoped. Fenris didn't say a word as he lead her downstairs, waiting at the bottom for her to catch up. He didn't say anything until they reached the cellar, where he locked the door behind him.

Amelie spun around at the noise and went to protest, but she was stopped, he placed his fingers over her mouth and pushed her against the wall. She could feel her heart thundering in her chest. There was only one light in the cellar, a candle flickering by the door. She looked at Fenris in panic. She didn't know what was going on. His hair fell over his eyes, no expression was clear in the green irises that stared at her. If she used magic against him, it could be the worst thing she ever did. Her chest rose heavily with her panicked breaths as she tried to regain her composure, he tilted his head as he stared. The minutes that passed only made Amelie's anxiety grow. He didn't remove his fingers from her mouth and his other hand was on the wall beside her head.

'You will tell me what you know about Hadriana, why you know her name and how,' Fenris states simply. Amelie frowns. So, he was trying to scare her into telling him. Bastard! She went to speak but he continued. 'Tell me this and I will help you. I will do what I can to convince Hawke you are not lying. Prove it to me that you are who you say you are,' he says softly taking his hand from her mouth. She wanted to scream at him for doing this to her. She was determined not to fuck anything up while she was here, but having Fenris on her side could really benefit her. It took a lot to gain this elf's trust and she really should. She wasn't going to be able to get him to trust her until she gave him something he could base it on. She sighed and nodded.

'Whatever I tell you, it stays between you and I. Also, I will not tell you locations or anything like that,' she adds. His face begins to frown but she holds up her finger. 'I will tell you what my Fenris told me about her and how that made him feel. Don't forget this is an alternate universe, so some things may not ring true,' she also says as the thought hits her.

Fenris sighs, that hadn't occurred to him at all. Typical. She had an escape clause if everything she said was rubbish to him. Typical mage. 'Just. Tell me what you know,' he says simply in the end. Amelie frowns but begins to tell the elf about the woman that made his slave life hell. She couldn't help her emotions as she spoke, her hair became slightly charged and tears welled up in her eyes as she revealed what she knew. Fenris' expression didn't change the whole time she spoke and it was clear that she cared about this other Fenris a lot. When she stopped talking he simply looked at her for a while, still in the same pose, leaning over her. Eventually he moved and rubbed his eyes. Most things, unfortunately, most of it rung too true to home. A few minor differences. Hadriana was blonde in her world, a little younger as well. But that was about it. Unless he really wanted to pick what she said apart. Which he was tempted to do, but he wouldn't. Instead he turned on his foot and picked a few bottles of wine to take upstairs with him. Amelie tilted her head wondering what he was thinking. She couldn't read what was going through his mind. She settled for just following him, grabbing a couple random bottles as well. When they got to the room Catherine and Garrett were in full discussion. Their heated voices fell silent as Fenris entered the room. He placed a bottle of wine in front of each of them with a click on the table. Amelie followed, half loitering in the door half in the room. He uncorks a bottle, taking a swig before looking Hawke straight in the eyes.

'I believe her,' he says simply taking another hefty drink. Hawke sighed and looked at his friend who didn't back down or repeat himself.

'Okay, okay,' he says simply. 'Fucking hell. I've got it from everyone now.' He says in another sigh. 'Okay, okay. Though I doubt.. Kitten. I said doubt, not that I refuse it would,' he says looking at Catherine who looked like she was about to spit fire onto him. 'I doubt that it would ever happen, but like I said yesterday, stranger things have happened. You are my alternate self,' he says simply. 'Question is, how do you get you back? Also, do you even want to go back?' He asks.

Amelie sank onto the armchair and pulled the cork out of the bottle that she was holding, putting the other one at her feet. She shrugs and takes a sip. 'I honestly have no fucking idea,' she says simply. There was a lot happening in her universe. But then again, there was a lot happening here as well. Garrett tilts his head and looks at Catherine.

'Would you want to go back if you could?' He asks quietly. Catherine shrugs and copies Amelie and Fenris, removing a cork and taking a drink.

'Not fussed either way. I go where Ami goes,' she says simply. Amelie winces, a bit cold towards Garrett there, she thinks to herself. But, Catherine adds a little more. 'Besides, I do prefer here. It's a lot more fun,' she says softly taking the harshness out her previous words. Fenris wasn't really listening to what Hawke or the others were saying. He'd said his part. Held his end of the bargain like she had hers. Now he was reflecting on what that really meant. He couldn't get the thought of his hand pressed against her mouth out of his head. His mind kept going back to the light that reflected from her eyes and the soft skin of her lips on his palm. He shook his head grumpily. Mage tricks. Manipulation. Looking into the fire he took a large drink of wine to try and distract himself.

'A bit early in the day to be drinking,' Amelie reflected as she looked at the wine bottle in her hand.

'It's six in the evening somewhere, also got nothing else to do today and why not?' Catherine said smiling. Amelie laughed and shook her head. Garrett took the bottle from Catherine and helped her empty it. Seconds later he had produced a set of cards, much to Catherine's delight. Amelie smiled at her friend and then looked over to the fourth of their party. He was quieter than usual and staring into the fire. She pulled a thoughtful face, maybe she shouldn't have told him as much as she had. He took it well, but then again, not. She couldn't help herself as she watched him. Subtle things were different to the Fenris she knew. The way he held himself was more dominant and confident. His hair flicked this way instead of that. His eyes were a darker green and his voice more accented than the elf she knew. Even his smell was different, bolder, harsher and swamped her senses whenever she was near him. Surprising that someone so identical to someone else, could be so different. He turned to look at her, aware that she was looking at him, and instead of hiding her face and trying to disguise that she had been staring, she smiled softly. It threw him off guard a little and he coughed into his hand and drank some wine to shake the feeling.

'So to loosen the mood, why not play a card game?' Hawke says simply and quite pointedly at Fenris. The elf scowled at his friend. Seemed he was determined to get him to socialise. Fenris really didn't want to. All he wanted to do was go back a few minutes where he was in the cellar, and had Amelie pressed against the wall. He wanted to know all that she did. The fact that his mind kept wandering across the fact that he found himself attracted to her had nothing to do with it. That's what he told himself anyway.

'I'm not very good at card games,' Amelie says quietly looking at the unopened bottle in her hands.

'It's true. She sucks at them, even though I keep telling her to just cheat and use her magicky thing.' Catherine laughs. The men look at her blankly and she laughs more lightly. 'You know the thing, surely Anders and Merrill do it?' Fenris raised a brow and looked over at Amelie who was staring daggers at her friend. Clearly she didn't want Catherine to keep talking. Catherine scoffs looking between the men. 'You know, where she reads your mind. She can even see through your eyes-'

'Read minds?' Fenris said in a deathly quiet voice. Hawke sat up straighter and his face fell. Amelie looked terrified as she got up walking away with a slight skip from her limp.

'It's not like that,' Amelie says simply and quietly. Fenris glares at her, clenching the bottle in his hand until it shatters. Amelie winces and her blood pressure raises a few notches. Ignoring the deep, stinging wound on his palm he reaches for his weapon. So, she was just a mage looking for protection, or even worse. She was here on Hadriana's orders to gather information for her and this was all a ploy. A trap.

'So that is how you knew all about me,' he said angrily. Amelie shook her head, Garrett stood up as well. Catherine realising her mistake grabbed his hand and pulled him away from her best friend. She was speaking to him quickly and quietly. He kept his eyes trained on Amelie but nodded at Catherine's words.

'No, no Fenris, it doesn't work like th-' She began but screamed as Fenris swung his sword at her. He was furious. She was just like the rest. Manipulating him for her own benefit. He was a fool to think otherwise. She jumped back and bumped into the door frame, she stumbled tripping over the hem of her robe as she panicked falling heavily to the floor. A high pitched yelp broke from her lips as she landed on her wrist in an awkward way. Fenris advanced on her blade raised.

'Tell me the truth!' He shouted at her. He couldn't decide who he was more furious at, himself or her. Amelie shook her head and held up her good hand to protect herself. Fenris stood over her, his hands shaking where he gripped his blade tightly. His breathing racked through his chest, making him look like he was shaking. He could practically taste her fear and he wondered why she hadn't tried to stop him with her powers. He didn't move as she slowly and painfully rose to her feet, her hand still held in front of her, the other pressed against her chest. Then without warning, she vanished.