Chapter 18

'Oh great, you've not gone in yet,' Garrett says returning. Amelie drops Fenris' hand gently as she saw her alternate self. Hawke walked towards them both, 'sorry I was speaking to Aveline. Right, she wants me to talk to him first, see what's going on,' he says rubbing his eyes. 'Maker this night gets longer and longer. Right, stay put and I'll call you over when needed,' Garrett says ignoring anything that he may have seen between the two. He didn't even want to open that bag of rabid nugs, he shook his head to wash away any sleep that was beginning to feel heavy around his eyes. Amelie leaned against the wall and felt the familiar presence of Fenris behind her, without any worry she leant back into him, trying to get comfortable. Garrett took off his sword and gave his daggers to Amelie, he didn't want to risk arming the stranger. 'If he steps out this cell before me, kill him,' he states simply. Amelie rolls her eyes and knows that Fenris nodded behind her. Garrett walks forward into the eyeline of the occupant in the cell, the elf inside stood up. He'd been told that if he left the cell he'd be shot and killed, and from the look in that ginger woman's eyes, he believed her.

'You are not alone,' Fenris says simply. Garrett could pick out the small differences between this world's elf and Amelie's. Even his tattoos were slightly different, more curved and delicate. Not that it made the elf any less intimidating.

'No, I am not. I am going to come in, but be warned that if you try anything-'

'I will be killed,' he replies dryly. Amelie sighed, it was so like Fenris to be antagonising in the face of imprisonment. She wasn't surprised at all, though she ached to see him. She refused to look back and see what this was doing to the elf behind her. She couldn't worry about him at the moment, she had bigger things to worry about, like how was she supposed to get her Fenris back into the original timeline he came from? She wasn't even sure she could get herself home, let alone anyone else. Not that she even knew if she wanted to go back.

'Bluntly yes. Now, I just want to clear a few things up for you. My name really is Hawke,' Garrett said, ignoring the snort of disbelief. 'This isn't your world, somehow you've been dropped into an alternate timeline,' he says rubbing his eyes again.

'And you expect me to believe this? As if you are not just some mage trying to trick me? As if this isn't some ploy where you've captured Aveline and paid off a few guards in order to trap me here,' he replies leaning against the wall, rolling his eyes. 'When the real Hawke finds out, she is not going to be happy,' he says a little sadly.

'Where is the ''real Hawke'' Fenris?' Garrett asks wondering what he'll say about her.

'She is... Otherwise incapacited at the moment,' the elf replies not catching Garrett's eye. Amelie's heart almost shattered when she heard the break in his voice.

'Is she dead?' Garrett asked simply.

Fenris' tattoos flashed in anger as he thumped the wall beside his head. 'No!' He snapped. 'She is not dead. She can not be,' he half tells himself. Garrett allows himself a small smile, any doubts that he might have had over Amelie vanished the moment this alternate elf appeared. Fenris snarled in anger and began to pace around, wringing his hands in fury. 'She is not dead. She will return and when she does, there will be nothing to protect you.'

'Why don't you do something then, break out? Kill me? Find her?' Garrett suggests. Amelie bites her thumbnail, he really shouldn't be winding him up, her Fenris had learnt self control but there were limits. Garrett held up a hand holding Amelie in place when he heard her take a step forward.

'Do you not think I have tried?' He growls. 'I cannot waste my life before I... Well, I need to tell her something. Not that it is any of your business,' he says simply as he turns towards the wall. Garrett opened his mouth to reply but Fenris wasn't having any of it. 'Your questioning is done. Please leave,' he mutters, his head was slumped and he hid his eyes with his hair and a hand. Garrett nodded and walked out the cell closing the door behind him.

'Garrett, I... Please,' Amelie said in a hushed whisper as she moved closer to him.

'It's okay, go explain things to him,' he said softly as he patted her shoulder. 'I'll go clear things up with Aveline, make sure that the charges are dropped. Fenris are you going to stay?' He asked as Amelie walked over to the door of the cell. His friend wore an expression he couldn't define and that was worrying. 'I know this is strange and that Amelie-'

'No. I do not want to hear it,' Fenris replied simply, his eyes watching Amelie as she disappeared into the cell. Garrett closed his mouth and sighed with a slight tip of the head to show that he had heard. Taking back his weapons from the elf he went to go figure something out with the Guard captain. Amelie closed the door behind her and turned to face him.

'And who are you? I heard voices, I wondered when you would next show yourselves,' he says looking up at the hooded figure. He raised a brow and wondered why she were staying silent. He could tell it was a woman, she was strangely familiar. His heart dropped as she looked up at him, he couldn't see her face but he caught sight of her hair flowing from the hood. 'A-Am...Amelie?' He says weakly. 'Is that you?' He whispers.

'Hello Fenris,' Amelie mumbles as she takes down the hood. He takes a step forward towards her, before pausing.

'Are you playing a cruel joke on me?' He says softly, his voice tense.

Amelie shook her head and quickly made her way over to him. 'Maker, of course not!' She protests taking his hands, 'Fenris this is all real, this really is an alternate timeline. I got trapped her... I'm so sorry,' she started to cry, this was the most emotionally open Fenris had been towards her in a while. Before he distanced himself after their botched attempt to connect minds.

'I thought you were dead. I searched and searched,' he says bringing her closer so he could hug her. 'Venhedis, Amelie, I thought... the last thing I said to you,' he mumbles. 'All that time I pushed you away and then you vanished,' he sighs rubbing his eyes. He holds her tightly and buries his head into her hair. He feels her tears drop onto his shoulder, he bends down slightly and cups her face, wiping away her tears with his thumbs. 'No, do not cry. I am just glad that you are alive,' he says softly.

'I'm sorry, I just...I'm so happy. I didn't realise how much I missed you,' Amelie admits, overcome by her emotions. Unaware of the fact that Fenris was watching her with the alternate elf, and every moment tore at him and his insecurities. 'Are you okay? I mean, you didn't get hurt?' Amelie asks looking him over.

'I could ask you the same, you have a black eye, split lip and I can tell you are bruised,' he says concerned. Amelie shrugs in reply.

'Oh just some fucked up events in this timeline. Stuff that didn't happen last time,' Amelie laughs a little. She leans back and wipes her eyes. 'Oh, I'm such an idiot,' she says slapping herself gently on the forehead. 'There's someone you should meet. You gotta be careful, um, he's only just reunited with Hadriana,' Amelie warned, Fenris nodded, understanding not to reveal anything. Though the thought of meeting an alternate version of himself wasn't high on his list of priorities. Especially as he felt the wave of emotion that flooded from Amelie when she mentioned him. He nodded again and braced himself, he wasn't really ready for this. Amelie turned to see this world's Fenris staring at her, she blushed and motioned for him to come in. He stiffened his jaw but indeed walked in. 'Oh shit, this is going to get confusing,' not that it hadn't already. 'Um Fenris this is... Fenr-'

'Call me Leto,' the newcomer said simply. Amelie looked at him and raised a brow.

'Are you sure?' She asked knowing where and what that name meant to him.

'It will avoid confusion,' he replies simply.

'Okay, Fenris, meet Leto. Leto, this is... Fenris. This world's you, he's been kind enough to let me stay with him so I can avoid any trouble,' she says with half a smile. Fenris didn't look happy, she realised that Leto still had a hand on her shoulder, protective almost. Fenris crossed his arms, looking him up and down, clearly sizing him up. Amelie felt like she was trapped between two wolves and she was the deer.

'He is a lot younger than I,' Leto says with a small teasing tone, making Amelie smile, much to Fenris' ever growing hatred.

'Well different timelines, he's still older than me,' she says. Fuck me sideways this is so awkward. I think Fenris is pissed at something. Leto seems to be taking this in his stride now that he knows I'm alive; Although he was talking about the last time we truly spoke. That was a long time ago... I'm glad I get to see him again and we can sort things out. Amelie smiles softly at them both and grabs Leto's hand. 'We're going to have so much fun and time to catch up, you can relax and tell me everything that's happened in our world-'

'I will leave you to it,' Fenris says simply. 'I will let Hawke know you are in no danger here,' he mutters. Amelie goes to says something but Leto cuts in over the top of her.

'Yes, she will be perfectly safe with me, not that I can say the same for you,' Leto snaps. 'She was in your care and look at her,' he says pushing her behind him slightly. 'I feel that while I am here, you will not be needed,' he states simply. Amelie opens her mouth to protest his sudden protective actions but Fenris snapped.

'Enough. You may look like me and share similarities, but you have no right to decide what is best for her. You did nothing but push her away for years, without a care about how you were hurting her and you dare to tell me how to keep her safe?' He shouts back at Leto. Amelie squeezes out from behind Leto and stands in between them.

'Both of you shut the fuck up. Fenris, please, calm down. Leto, don't. This world isn't like ours and I attract trouble like a storm. It's not like I've tried to stay safe,' she points out. She breathed in deeply and watched them both carefully, they were poised to fight but it was Leto who relaxed first.

'Very well,' he says simply. 'I await to find out the Guard Captain's decision.' Amelie sighs and smiles at Leto, thankful that he was able to control his temper. Fenris on the other hand, he was shaking with anger and in order to stop any bloodshed, he turned on his heel and left the cell.