Ok, where to start. It's been a difficult week for me I guess so don't expect much from this chapter... It rambles on a bit and I think I could have done it better, but I just don't have the energy to care at this point in time. (maybe I'll rewrite it later)

Anyway, In this chapter Anders kind of reveals that he has feelings for James but like so many people usually do, he runs away from it. Isabela is MIA after the whole sex thing so... she wont appear for a while.

Also, James starts looking like himself again... I struggled with explaining how he looks but maybe if you could just take the basic features that I give and form your own 'James'... I don't know.

Anyway, thanks for all the alerts and the ocassional review, I really appreciate it.

The path that Anders led him by was confusing. James remembered that they had entered an alleyway quite close to the Hanged Man but from there on in he couldn't tell left from right. After a few minutes of trekking through the slums the walls became stony and wet, taking on the appearance of a cave rather than a city back passage. Soon the path curved downwards, taking the pair of mages down underground. Torches appeared in large brackets, conveniently showing them the way.

The spoke little, both of them lost in their own thoughts, James thinking about his encounter with Isabela a few days before. Anders walked a few steps ahead of him, but the echo created by the walls made it sound as if he was breathing right in his ear. The thought of the other mage being that close sent an involuntary shiver down his spine, causing him to almost drop his staff. Anders must have sensed this somehow because he glanced back briefly, flashing James a small smile. James noticed that there were bags under his eyes and a few more lines on his face. Even though he wore a smile it was obvious that he was exhausted.

The dark haired man smiled back, trying to appear as if he hadn't noticed. It seemed to work because Anders simply turned away and continued forward. They walked on for a while, making a few comments here and there about recent activities and such.

'So, I haven't seen Isabela in a while... Any idea where she's run of to?' Anders asked, trying to start a conversation after a moment of silence. James froze at the mention of her name and really dropped his staff this time. It hit the floor with a loud clatter. Anders stopped at the sound and turned back to look for the cause.

James realized then that he must appear quite strange, judging by the look that Anders was giving him. He blushed profusely and scrambled to retrieve his staff which had rolled down the passage a bit. Anders tilted his head to the side showing obvious confusion.

'I... haven't seen her...' James said slowly as he straightened, staff in hand. Anders narrowed his eyes, examining James's face.

'You, my friend, are not a very good liar. That blush on your face tells a different story.'

James tried to come up with a snippy reply, but he found that he was at a loss for words.

'Did something happen? Between the two of you, I mean?' Anders asked cautiously. A picture was slowly starting to form in his mind and he found that he didn't like where it was going, but he didn't want to voice his suspicions just yet.

'James?' he asked again when he didn't receive a reply.

James closed his eyes and sighed. 'It's complicated...'

Anders frowned, he definitely didn't like this. In recent days he had started to look at the young mage in a different light. Well, maybe he had always felt this way, but he only started to notice it the day James had shown him the music. He was sure that he had never liked Garrett in that way, but James was different.

Each day, no matter how busy the healer was with his patients or researching ways to further the plight of the mages, no matter how tired he was from lack of sleep due to his worries and nightmares, he always found his mind dwindling to the man most knew as Hawke. About a month ago James had been shot in the shoulder by a rogue archer and had come to Anders for healing even though he was quite adept at healing magic himself. The blond had instructed him to remove his shirt so that he could, quite logically, get to the wound, but when he laid eyes on the naked upper body of the young man he suddenly felt very weak and had to fight to keep his knees from bucking. The perfectly toned muscles graced here and there with faded scars and lightly dusted with hair proved to be more than he could handle, making him go as red as a tomato. He also felt some stirrings in certain places as he took in the sight. Thankfully James hadn't noticed any of these reactions, sparing the healer from embarrassment. Anders treated the wound as quickly as possible and sent the man on his way, however, later that day as he was working he spilled some elfroot potion on his boots while in deep thought about his companion. His assistant shot him an angry glare and bumped him on the shoulder, causing the blond to grin sheepishly as he tried to clean up. He was never this distracted before... It was slightly unnerving, especially since Justice didn't approve of this at all.

'She...We...' James stuttered, snapping Anders back to the present. He could see that James was struggling to tell him something '...We kind of... had sex.' He finished.

Anders didn't react immediately but suddenly there was a surge of jealousy and rage that shot through his body. The light produced by the torches that dotted the walls flickered and danced as if a strong wind had just swept past. He had suspected for a long time that there was an attraction between Hawke and Isabela but he hadn't imagined it would ever go that far. He was also slightly disappointed in James. No offence to Isabela, but he had thought that the man had some standards at least.

'Anders? Anders?' James asked, his face still blood red, when the blond simply stared at the far wall. 'Did you hear what I said?'

Oh, he heard you loud and clear. Just look at his face, he's obviously struggling with the thought of you two in a passionate embrace. Garret sniggered. I think he is jealous...

James was about to reply to the voice when he looked over at Anders and saw the brief flicker of pain on his face. His eyes widened as he realized that Anders was actually hurting at the news. Confusion played across his face as he tried to make sense of what was happening.

Images of when he had just arrived in this world danced before his eyes, some of them being scenes from the kinky dreams he used to have of the other mage, while others showed the two of the talking about their supposed kiss. James frowned as he recalled Anders stating that there was no attraction between the two and that it was simply Garrett being a nuisance.

Honestly...? Are you really that dense? This happened three years ago... It's obvious that things have changed.

James shook his head, trying to silence the ever present Garrett, but to no avail. The man kept on talking, even as James started speaking to Anders again. He walked closer, placing his hand on the healers shoulder.

'Hey? You ok? You seem a bit-' he began but was cut off by Anders.

'I'm perfectly fine!' he said a bit too loudly. The blond straightened and flashed a big smile. 'Just a bit tired is all, let's get going.' He said, spinning round and walking further at a rather brisk pace.

'Anders! Wait!' James called and sprang after him. It was obvious that the man was trying to hide his emotions and James couldn't stand it. 'Anders-'

'Shhhh!' Anders commanded suddenly, 'We're here.' He said and pushed open a door carved into the wall. A long, rickety walkway stretched across a deep chasm and ended in a sort of courtyard. 'After you.' he said and gestured for James to enter.

Light spilled in from high above through a large hole in the cave ceiling. Roots dangled down low, creating a strange atmosphere in the room. It seemed oddly surreal.

Random trinkets and junk dotted the area, ranging from large jars to ancient pieces of armour to nude statues to large boxes and tables strewn with objects. It reminded James of an antique store he once visited. Slowly he stepped forward, only to be startled by a wheezing cough that came from the centre of the room. He looked over to see what had made the sound.

There, in a large glass display case sat a horrifically disfigured corpse. It was from it that the wheezing was coming from. James turned back to look at Anders but the mage was gone. Sudden fear gripped at his insides but soon it was replaced by anger. He was about to storm back out of the strange store when the 'corpse' spoke.

'A customer!' it cried, coughing violently. 'Urchin, sweep the floors and dust off the merchandise!' it commanded and for the first time James noticed the little boy standing in the corner next to a rather imposing stone giant. In a flash the boy moved about, sweeping and dusting everything he passed. The giant merely grunted but it didn't move.

'Feel free to look around!' the voice cried again, 'There is plenty to be found in the Black Emporium!'

James stood still, considering his next move. How could Anders just leave him like this? Especially since they had quite a lot to talk about. Rage boiled up again but soon he felt a flare of guilt as he recalled the pain he had seen in Anders's eyes.

James sighed loudly.

'Is there a problem, serrah?' the thing asked him in its horrible voice.

'I- I came looking for some kind of mirror.' James began, deciding that he might as well check into this magic mirror thing while he was there and because Garrett urged him to do it, being a little curious as well. 'It supposedly changes your appearance.'

'Aahh! I know of the mirror you seek! It is right there against that wall.' It cried out in dramatic fashion, coughing all the way, one of its fingers snapping to point James in the right direction.

The mage turned to see a tall, ornate mirror leaning against a far wall. He stepped forward to get a closer look at it.

'Don't stare at it for too long though!' the voice warned, 'Or on second thought, please do!' it added before bursting into a fit of wheezes and cackles.

James glanced back at the rather strange shopkeeper before turning his attention to the mirror again. The surface seemed rather dull and scratched, barely even showing him a proper reflection.

He frowned in confusion and was about to ask for help when the image in the mirror shifted. Slowly his face appeared very clearly on the scratched surface. He got a small fright because the face looking back at him wasn't the face he had been wearing for the past few years, it was HIS face.

He raised his hands, noticing that they were a few shades lighter but still slightly tanned, resembling his original skin colour. He moved to touch his face, feeling the same stubble on his chin that had been there this morning, yet the jaw line felt different. It was slightly less round and a bit more angular. His cheekbones were more prominent than before and his brow not as prominent as it had been. He leaned closer and saw that his eyes were a bit smaller, more almond shaped and a bright green instead of red-ish brown. Nose was now a bit smaller, no longer crooked and his lips were a shade darker but still just as full. His hair was just as long as it had been before but instead of having a slight wave it now fell straight down to his shoulders. The pitch black was replaced by a dark brown.

He sighed and stepped back from the strange mirror. 'How does it do that?' he asked the shopkeeper.

'The mirror has a mind of its own... It knows what the user wants.' The thing whispered.

James frowned but nodded. 'So, it's permanent?'

'That depends on you.' The shopkeep said, 'As long as you want to look like this, you will but if you want to change again, you have to come back here to do so.'

James nodded again. 'And the thing about being able to control who sees me for me... Is that true?' He asked tentatively.

The man or whatever wheezed and coughed before answering, making James a bit nervous.

'Of course, being a mage you should have no trouble in that area. Your perception is part of the magic that enables the change.'

James sighed with relief. He was suddenly so excited to show himself to his friends, when he remembered his little situation. 'Um, thank you for this.' He said softly, glancing back at his reflection, glad to see his old face again. He smiled as he walked to the door but stopped suddenly. 'I suppose there is a price to pay for using the mirror, right?'

The old creature gave a cackle. 'No, the use of the mirror is free of charge. No payment is required.'

'So, you don't want any money or whatever it is that you need?' James asked, still unsure.

'No payment is required.' It repeated.

'Well, ok then.' James said and made for the door. 'Thank you again, this means a lot.'

'Happy to serve.' The pruned thing said, sounding quite noble.

James walked carefully back across the walkway and exited through the door. On the other side he threw down his staff and sank to the floor, leaning against the wall and hugged himself. He had felt so happy on his way there up until his awkward moment with Anders. Right now he was in a state of inner turmoil as he sat there in the flickering light of the torches, being unable to decide whether he was angry at Anders for running away or guilty about hurting him or even if he was a bit... happy to learn that the mage had feelings for him.

He sighed and closed his eyes.

'First Isabela and now Anders...' he whispered to himself. 'So fucking stupid!' he said loudly before rising, kicking a pebble across the passage. He had to do something about this...

He retrieved his staff before starting the climb back up to the surface, already thinking on ways to fix his problems. He smiled as an idea popped into his head and took off in a run.

*Sigh*

It's going to get better, I promise! I'm introducing the baddy for the next couple of chapters soon, so don't go away!

Also, the next chap will be an Anders POV, so I'm hoping that will be interesting.

Thanks for the read! R&R!