Sleep did not come to the Champion that night. Not while Isabela lingered in every corner of her mind. After several hours, Kianna gave up trying, deciding instead to go to the Hanged Man.
In the pre-dawn darkness, she made her way back to Lowtown, standing for several minutes before the tavern's doors, trying to summon the courage needed to face the rogue.
Finally, strength summoned, she pushed the heavy wooden door open, her eyes immediately scanning the bar, searching for Isabela. When she was not to be seen, Kianna made her way up the stairs to the room Isabela rented. She found the door wide open and the room empty of both the pirate and her few possessions. Panic began to creep its way into the warrior's mind. She turned out of the room and dashed down the hall to Varric's suite.
"Varric!" She called in a hushed voice as she entered the room.
"Hawke," came the dwarf's terse reply. He was sitting at the end of the table, nursing a pint of ale. He looked half asleep.
"Varric, where is she?" Kianna asked, worry etched onto her every feature.
"Isabela? No idea," he said flatly.
"Varric!"
"Hawke! I really have no idea. But even if I did, I'm not so sure I'd tell you," Varric said, clearly upset.
"What?"
"All I know is a few hours ago she stormed in here, packed up her things, and then left. Sobbing the whole time. I tried to talk to her, but she just brushed past me." He looked up and down the human analytically. Seeing her exhaustion and worry he softened. "What happened?" he asked a little more gently.
"I've made a terrible mistake," was all that Kianna muttered. "I have to find her."
"Well, if I were Rivaini, I'd probably be heading toward the docks."
Kianna's eyes lit up. "Yes! Thank you, Varric!" In a flurry of motion she turned and was out of the room.
Very soon she found herself at the docks. The sun was just beginning to peak up over the horizon, the sky was pink, and a thick fog hung over the harbor. Through it Kianna could make out the shapes of people beginning their day's work. Forms lifted crates onto and off of ships, moved cargo from dock to warehouse and back again. There was a line of people at one dock, all waiting to board a ship. Kianna recognized one of the figures. It was unmistakably Isabela. Kianna's chest tightened.
"Isabela!" she called out as her feet moved her forward. "Isabela!"
The figure looked immediately, but, upon recognizing Kianna, turned to face the other way.
"Isabela," Kianna breathed as she finally closed the gap. "Wait. Please. Can we talk?"
"We've nothing left to talk about," Isabela said icily, slipping a hand over her stomach for a moment before dropping it back down to her side.
"Please," Kianna repeated, "just...for a minute."
Isabela cast a narrow glance over her shoulder at the warrior. "A minute."
Kianna nodded. "I'm sorry that -"
"You're going to have to do a lot better than that."
"Isabela, really. Truly, I am. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I never should have said what I did," Kianna said, forcing her eyes to remain on the rogue despite their urge to turn downward. "I was angry, and hurt," she hesitated, but pushed on, "and scared. And I lashed out. And I'm so sorry. It doesn't make it right, I know. Words never do. But, if you stay, I'd like to try and make it work. Make us work."
Isabela was silent for a long moment. "Is there room for three in this 'us'?"
Kianna only nodded.
Isabela's eyes searched over Kianna's face as if she could glean the warrior's true intent from some little breath or twitch. "Hawke," she started, then stalled, at a loss for words. She looked away.
"Isabela, please? Just give me one more chance. Give us one more chance." On instinct her hand moved toward Isabela's, but she caught it and pulled it back. "Don't run."
A deep sigh escaped Isabela's lips. "Fine," she finally shrugged. "I'll stay."
Kianna breathed a sigh of relief and a smile crept it's way back onto her face. "Thank the Maker," she whispered as she stepped forward and wrapped Isabela in a tight hug. A hug that was not returned. After a moment, Kianna stepped back, a confused look on her face.
"Are we...ok?" the warrior asked sheepishly.
"Nowhere near," Isabela said, brushing past Kianna.
"Isabela, wait."
The rogue turned.
"I love you. And I want to always be there for you. That will never change. But if I'm going to be there for this child, if we're going to be...whatever we're going to be, then you can't -"
"I'm sorry, ok?" Isabela blurted.
Kianna stalled. "I, uh, -"
"Just let me -" Isabela caught her anger, took a breath, then continued. "I won't lie about it," she said, resting her hand on her stomach for a moment. "I won't tell you it was just this one time. I can't even promise that it will never happen again," Isabela said as she walked the few paces back to Kianna. "What I can promise is that it doesn't mean anything. Not with them. Not like it does with you."
"Isabela -"
"Hawke," Isabela warned, "I'm not good at this stuff so just let me get it all out!" She took a deep breath. "I love you, Kianna," she paused after the admission like she was waiting for something terrible. When nothing transpired, she pushed on. "I love you more than I've ever loved anyone else. And that scares me. You wanting to be there for me, for this baby," again a hand ghosted across her stomach, "scares the piss out of me. But I'm willing to try this anyway." She fought back tears as she continued. "I just can't - I won't stop being who I am. Not for you. Not for anyone. So I hope that you can accept me as I am. Just know that I'll always come back to you, and that my heart will always be yours, and only yours. This child," she reached out, took Kianna's hand, and placed it on her stomach, "is ours. And nothing will ever change that. I want to do this with you."
"I do, too," Kianna whispered.
"Good. Then we can stop all this nonsense," she said wiping an errant tear from her cheek.
Kianna nodded, picking up the small bag of Isabela's possessions.
"Back to the Hanged Man," Isabela pointed, "before that bastard Corff rents out my room to someone else."
"I don't think so," Kianna smiled. "You're moving in with me."
"What, in Hightown?"
Kianna nodded. "Now you get to find out what we nobels do behind our locked doors," she smirked.
"Oh, I already have a fairly good idea, sweet thing," Isabela purred. "But why don't you show me again. Just for shits and giggles."
