This one is a little bit of filler so nothing too exciting I'm afraid, but the next chapter is going to be full of battle and gore!

MoonPriestess30: I thought that the Flemeth bit was really obvious. Most of the time I'm very predictable, it's nice to know that it came as a surprise. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 25

'Is he going to be okay?' Catherine asked as she stood by Garrett who had been forced to sit in an armchair. Anders smiled and nodded as he healed the warrior, they were superficial wounds at most but there was one that needed a little more care than the others. The battle with the Arishok had been a rough one, Amelie had been able to give Hawke some pointers on the fight and what to look out for. She didn't have the mana to help him in the confrontation but she had sent Fenris and Leto with him and knew that Aveline would be up there to help. The elves weren't happy about being lumped together but Amelie wouldn't hear it.

'He's going to be fine,' Amelie stated as she threw a towel at her best friend, 'it's you who I'm annoyed at! What the hell did you think you were doing going down to the forge like that! One moment you say you're going to the hanged man and the next thing I know there's a massive crowd of people running past and you've disappeared!' She breathed heavily, the smoke had done a number on her lungs and she hadn't been healed yet. Catherine had the decency to look ashamed with herself as she dried her hair.

'I thought I could save Damien, I remember how scared I was. I didn't want him to go through the same thing,' she mumbles. Amelie sighs and looks at her with sympathy.

'If it weren't for Leto finding me, I might not have been able to save you,' the mage said as she glanced over at one of her eldest friends who stood by the fire. They had all squeezed into Catherine and Amelie's shared house, Varric was at the Hanged man looking out for Isabela, Aveline at the Keep sorting out the mess of the day. Fenris stood in the doorway of the kitchen, as far away from Anders and Leto as possible. He had been quiet, strangely so, Amelie knew that she would have to talk to him later and figure out what the issue was. 'Catherine... I almost lost you,' Amelie said feeling her eyes well up. 'Please, don't do anything like that again,' she said as the Smith hugged her tightly.

'I won't. I promise,' she nodded as she gripped Amelie tightly and hid her tears in her hair. 'Thank you for keeping your word,' Catherine said quietly. Amelie nodded and they parted. Anders finished tending to Garrett's more obtrusive discomforts and then checks over Catherine. 'I'm fine honestly,' she protests.

'Your blood oxygen is low. I suggest you take it easy this evening, no... exercise. Your lungs are a little damaged and there's only so much a healing can do,' Anders says as he completes his diagnosis. 'Come Amelie, I'm afraid I don't have much mana left but I can ease your discomfort,' he motions her over. Amelie really doesn't want to but her throat hurts quite badly and she's been having dizzy moments. She watches this reality's Anders, he was quite different from her version. He still had his agenda but there was an air of humour to him as well. He made her sit in the chair as he looked for injury. 'Hmm, well your barrier didn't protect you as much as you would have liked, you have some tissue damage on your arms and hands, and especially your legs, there's a patch on your thigh that's-'

Fenris had moved over to where Amelie sat and there was an air about him, he clearly didn't like the close proximity between the two mages. 'Fenris, it's okay,' Amelie says rolling her eyes. 'Sorry, Anders, please continue,' she smiles.

'Yes, well seeing as the animal has finished marking his territory he might realise that that I'm a professional,' Anders says simply not looking at the elf. Fenris wants to hit the man but Amelie rests her hand on his arm and he refrains from saying any more. 'Speaking as a professional, are you on any type of birth control?' He asks quietly as he stands having finished healing. 'I mean I am going to assume the rumours are true from the way he's acting. It would be wise to come have a conversation with me at my clinic in the near future.'

Amelie goes bright red and stand up quickly. 'Okay! Yes! Thank you!' She babbles as Garrett and Catherine snigger at them. 'I will talk to you later! Thank you for healing me!'

Leto walks over not really amused by the conversation topic, 'I will escort you to your clinic,' he says simply. Anders is surprised but after a glance at Garrett he nods, the doctor begins to gather his things as Leto says goodbye. 'Ami,' he smiles softly as she walks up to him. 'I am glad that you and Catherine are safe. I will ask for Anders to heal me once I am at his clinic, do not worry,' he mentions as he sees her eyebrows furrow.

'Thank you Leto, today would have been very different if it weren't for you,' Amelie said as she hugged him. She knew that he suspected that she was keeping something a secret from the way that he looked at her. 'I will tell you later I promise,' she whispered. 'It's nothing bad,' she adds. She had planned to tell everyone about Flemeth, but not just yet.

Leto pulls away and strokes her face, 'till then, Ami,' he smiles. He accepts a hug from Catherine as he walks past to the mage who was waiting for him. Amelie smiled, Leto didn't get on with the Anders in their reality but this one seemed to bear no ill will against the elf, maybe it's because Leto didn't go out his way to antagonise him. Amelie smiled as they left and shut the door behind the pair with a wave. She breathed out heavily, today had been a long day.

'Right,' Garrett said simply as he rolled his shoulders. 'It's been a long fucking day. I'm going to bed. Woman, you are coming with me, I'm not happy with you either, you dozy mare. Running into a forge under attack, I mean honestly the things I put up with,' Garrett says as Catherine sheepishly crosses the room to be embraced by his outstretched arm as they walked up the stairs. Amelie smiles to herself as she continues to hear Hawke chastise her friend as they retire to their bedroom.

She checks that the door is locked and then walks over to the kitchen doorway. 'Do you want something to eat? Or a cup of tea?' She asks as she wanders into the room where she finds Jess in her basket. She bends down to stroke the Mabari before putting the kettle onto the hot plate to boil. She turned to see him as she heard him walk onto the tiles. She registers his expression. 'Fenris. What's the matter?' She asks. He doesn't move and refuses to look at her, she feels a stab in her heart as she moves over to him. 'Fenris?' She questions touching his chest lightly.

He grabs her hand, a little too tightly at first but he quickly loosens his grip. 'I... I am having trouble,' he admits. 'I am trying to stay calm... trying to accept but I am not doing well,' the elf says still not looking at her.

Amelie is a little confused about what he's talking about but it sounds like he's bothered by something. She leads him to the table and makes him sit down as she sits next to him, still holding his hand. 'Tell me,' she smiles softly.

He rubbed his eyes with his spare hand and after a moment he sighs. 'I... saw Leto kiss you,' he murmurs as he looks across the room. If he looks at her, he feels it would make it a hundred times harder to talk. 'And then... you looked me dead in the eye before walking into an inferno, knowing that I could not follow. The smell of death swamped that building and yet you did not even hesitate.'

Amelie looked at the floor as she gripped his hand with both of hers. 'I had do...' she said in a quiet voice. 'It was Catherine,' she says already knowing that he knew. 'I had to try,' she adds as he pulls his hand from hers. She wanted to cry, she didn't like this one bit.

Fenris finally looked over at her. 'I know you did. I do. I just... I am having trouble accepting that you will do things like that. I could have lost you, Amelie. Before that I saw Leto kiss you-'

'But you know he doesn't feel like that towards me, Fenris! I can't keep telling you this!' Amelie is trying not to get angry, she didn't want this to be a problem in their relationship. 'Please Fenris, you've got to find a way to cope with this-' she turns in her seat and leans her elbows on the table as she props up her head, staring at the table not caring that her hair completely hides her face. She breathes in deeply trying to keep herself calm, she can feel that her hair is beginning to get all static and the last thing she wants to do is cause a shock. How many times have I got to have this fucking conversation before he gets it? I mean I know he has issues but Maker almighty this one is drawing across my last nerve. She feels his hand slide across her back, she sits up and look at him as she pffs her hair out her face. He wears an expression she can't figure out. After a second or two he reaches down and sharply pulls her chair closer to him before wrapping his arms around her waist as he leans into her, resting his head on her shoulder. Her anger bubbles away as she feels him breathing against her skin. 'Silly fool,' she whispers as she puts her arms around the back of his neck and lets her head sink into them.

'I do not like him,' Fenris said simply.

'I know,' Amelie replies.

'I should be the only one who gets to kiss you,' he says petulantly. Amelie giggles a little and rolls her eyes. He raises his head and looks at her, 'Amelie,' he says softly in a tone that made her lean back just enough so that she could see him clearly.

'Yes?' She couldn't bear the silence, it was killing her though it only lasted a couple of seconds.

'I...' he began. Oh maker is he about to say what I think he's about to say? Amelie screamed in her head while trying to keep a poker face. I've already said it to him, like months ago, before we even got together. Is he finally going to say it? Her inner emotions screamed in glee and to stop herself from smiling she bit her lip. Fenris sat up a little more and cupped her face, 'I...' he repeated but something in him faltered. '….I can not lose you,' he said pressing his forehead to hers. It wasn't what he wanted to say but those words seemed to just strap the strength from him. To admit to her how he felt was to make his fear about losing her to a fight or Danarius, real.

Amelie took it in her stride as she kissed him sweetly. 'You won't. Just... stay by my side and I couldn't be safer,' she reassures. 'You can get upset and have negative feelings, Fenris,' Amelie adds as she forces him to look at her by pulling on his hair a little playfully. 'You're allowed, you're a person. You can bring these feelings to me and tell me that something is bothering you, that's why I'm here. You can't let those feelings fester though, you've got to accept them and work through them' she says softly as she touches his chest. 'Don't let the poison sink in.'

He nods and holds her hand against his chest. 'Amelie,' he says trying to pull her closer so that he can kiss her. She smiles as she obliges moving towards him. Their lips almost touch before he speaks. 'I love you,' he whispers. Amelie didn't even get a chance to register what he said before he kissed her deeply, pulling her onto his lap. 'My Amelie.'