Thank you anesor, Apollo Wings, BlessedArrow and Philliwolf5 for your fantastic reviews! I also want to thank all those of you who have put this fic on their list of favorites and are now following it! :D

My disclaimer as always: Bioware owns everything! I just play with the characters…

Chapter 15

The world had surely turned upside down. It couldn't be that this was really happening, could it? Anders rubbed his eyes quickly, just to be sure, but the scene before him was still there.

Rhianna's mother was advancing slowly, on legs that seemed wooden to him – but he knew why she was walking that way. There were stitches all over her body, showing where the monster who had done this to her had sewn all the different body parts together. He turned slightly to look at Rhianna, and her expression made it difficult for him to breathe.

Rhianna gave one bloodcurdling scream, a scream that seemed to come from the depths of her soul and then everything had turned into one unending nightmare when the dead rose from the ground and the abominations attacked them.

Everyone reacted pretty much the same without skipping a beat – they parried, slashed, burned and froze where necessary – all in unison – fighting to stay alive and protect one another, working as a team should work. Nobody paused to think – nobody even turned to look at anyone else. They worked seamlessly, effortlessly, until every single demon, shade and abomination had been sent back to the Fade where they belonged.

The silence that followed the battle was deafening to them as they stood catching their breaths. Anders had his eyes fixed on Rhianna as she threw a dagger at the last undead that attacked and then pulled the blade out from the putrid face where it had embedded itself, wheezing slightly as she sheathed it. She then took two steps back, wiping some blood off her forehead with the back of her hand as she caught her breath.

There was a shuffling noise that broke the silence in the room and not only did Rhianna turned to face the source, but the rest of her friends as well. The broken figure of Leandra Hawke advanced towards her daughter, each step more difficult than the last, until she fell forward, only to be caught by her daughter who put her arms around her.

Both daughter and mother slid to the ground and Rhianna held her gently in her lap, trying to keep her mother's mutilated body as comfortable as she could. She cradled Leandra's head in the crook of her arm with utmost care, keeping her as close as she could, away from the filthy floor. She gave a faint cry when her mother tried to touch her face lovingly, but gave up because she was too weak to raise her arm.

"There's nothing I can do," Anders mournful words tumbled out, breaking the silence of the room. "His magic was keeping her alive."

"Mother," Rhianna cried, the sobs now making her voice crack and break at intervals. "I tried to find you!"

"Shh, darling," Leandra said softly. "That man would have kept me here as a prisoner forever. Now I am free. I get to see your father again, and Carver. But you'll be here all alone…"

"I should have watched over you more closely, I should have – " Rhianna sobbed, her voice an octave higher as the tears choked her.

"I love you," Leandra whispered. "You've always made me so proud…"

Leandra Hawke's eyes dimmed, and the sweet smile on her face was the last thing Rhianna saw before she closed her eyes and her cries filled the room. Aveline made a strangled sound and walked a few steps to the right to try to compose herself, while Varric wiped a few tears from his face. Isabela stood dried-eyed and perfectly still, the sadness on her face betraying what she was truly feeling.

Anders knelt beside Rhianna, one of his arms around her shoulders, his heart breaking into a hundred little pieces as he held her close. He couldn't speak – nothing that he could say would take the pain away.

Nothing at all.

…

Fenris walked quietly into Hawke's room, hesitating slightly when he saw her.

She was sitting on the edge of her bed, looking at the floor, her tear-stained face as red and swollen as her eyes. He advanced slowly, unsure of what to say, feeling sad and forlorn – and strangely uncomfortable when she finally lifted her face to look at him.

"I don't know what to say," he admitted lamely, shifting his weight with a frown. "But I'm here."

Rhianna shrugged, her eyes now downcast, staring at one of the floor tiles intently. She didn't say anything at all for a long while and Fenris's discomfort grew as he stood there, looking down at her.

The door opened again, and Anders walked into the room. He stopped when he saw Fenris, not wanting to intrude.

"I'm sorry, Fenris." Anders's contrite voice surprised the elf, and Fenris blinked back. "I didn't know you were here and just wanted to see if she was doing alright. I'll be downstairs if you need me…"

Fenris nodded once, his dark green eyes unreadable from where Anders was standing. The mage turned to leave, but stopped at the door when Fenris spoke.

"I know she hasn't slept at all," the elf said. "And it's been two days. She hasn't eaten either. Could you help with that?"

"She's in shock," Anders turned, as he replied in a low voice. "I'll tell Orana to make some broth and will bring it up once it's done, if that's alright with you?"

"Yes. That's fine," Fenris replied, keeping his eyes on Hawke who had not moved at all, her eyes still staring blankly at the floor. "What about sleep?"

"I can help with that," Anders sighed. "After she eats something."

A few moments of silence and then, "Thank you, Anders."

Anders turned and walked out, closing the door behind him. He knew Fenris would never trust him, but it was the first time that he and the elf had been more than civil to each other.

It was also the first time he had called him 'Anders' instead of 'mage'.

Even though he was terribly worried about Hawke, Anders couldn't help but smile as he went down the stairs to look for Orana.

…

Fenris left for his mansion after both he and Anders force-fed her some of the stew. After a while, Anders cast a sleeping spell on her and told Fenris he would stay and keep watch over her.

He settled himself in the only armchair in the room, his eyes on her lovely face, watching her as she slept and dozed off after a few hours. When he woke, Rhianna was awake and had her eyes on him. Anders smiled at her as he stretched in the chair.

"Hello," she smiled back. "You look younger when you sleep."

"Are you implying I'm an old man?" Anders protested with a look of mock indignation. "I'll have you know I'm still in my prime!"

She gave a chuckle, then the smile left her face abruptly as she turned her head and stared down at the bed covers.

After a few moments, Anders broke the silence between them.

"It's alright to smile – even to laugh, you know."

She immediately looked up and held his gaze. "I don't know about that. Mother is dead."

"Yes. Your mother is dead – not you," Anders retorted a little too fast. He thought he saw something in her eyes, but couldn't tell if it was anger. "I'm sure she liked your smile," he added a few moments later.

Her eyes flicked up at him again and there was something new in them when they met and held his. Something that looked a lot like amusement, but he didn't want to spoil the moment, so he said nothing.

"I'm a bit hungry," Rhianna said slowly. "Anything solid to eat?"

"I'll bring you something," he grinned, relieved to see she was better. "Any preferences?"

"Yes, but you don't want to have sex, so food will be just fine," she shot back – the old familiar twinkle back in her eyes.

"If you continue bringing that up, then maybe next time I'll forget that I told you I don't want any sex," he murmured as he walked towards the door.

"I heard that!" she called out to him in a loud voice.

"Good."

…

As it was, when Fenris returned to the mansion later that day, he found Hawke smiling at Anders and sitting up in bed, eating a ham and cheese sandwich. Although he was happy to see the improvement, he was also jealous of the way she was looking at the mage, which led him to snarl at Anders as he asked him to leave. Rhianna protested angrily and a few moments later, Anders stood up and left anyway because the elf had started to glow and he didn't want his heart ripped out of his chest.

He didn't mind much, because he knew he would be returning later. If he was lucky, Fenris would be gone. If not, he'd just keep on trying until Rhianna was alone.

Without realizing it, he found himself at The Hanged Man. It was early and he should have gone straight to the clinic, but he felt like a drink would help him keep his emotions in check, as he was feeling rather happy that Rhianna was on the road to recovery.

"Hey, Blondie!" Varric called from one of the tables where he sat with Isabela, Merrill, and – Anders groaned when he recognized Velanna.

"Hey, Varric and company," he grinned at them as he sat, avoiding Velanna's eyes.

"Why are you here and not in the clinic? How's Hawke doing?" Varric asked a little anxiously.

Anders smiled. "She's doing so much better, I wanted to celebrate."

"That's great news!" Isabela said and Varric chuckled, nodding his head.

"Was Hawke ill?" Merrill asked with a worried frown. Velanna said nothing, merely crossing her arms, her gaze fixed on Anders.

"Really, kitten? Her mother just died!" Isabela told Merrill with a smile.

"Oh, that! I thought she was ill!" Merrill hurried to reply.

"She's eating now, and slept a little last night, so I imagine she'll be up and about soon," Anders informed the group happily, as he took a swig of the ale Norah had brought to the table for him.

"I'm glad she's on the road to recovery," Varric nodded with a grin. "Things are a bit boring without her around."

"So, why are you all here instead of in your suite, Varric?" Anders asked curiously.

Varric was spared replying to Anders because at that moment, Velanna spoke and everyone turned to look at her as if she had sprouted two heads since she hardly spoke at all.

"You run a clinic?"

Her question was valid for Anders had never said anything about running a clinic in her presence. Nevertheless, he blinked at the question for a few moments, extremely surprised that she would be interested in a clinic to begin with.

"Yes, I do. I heal the people in Darktown, but I also have patients from Lowtown and even Hightown nowadays."

"He's known as the 'awesome Kirkwall Healer'," Varric added with a grin.

"Probably because you call me that," Anders said with a shake of his head and a chuckle.

Velanna said nothing, so the rest ignored her politely and continued to tease Anders.

"Kitten," Isabela told Merrill as she brought out her cards. "Are you ready for another lesson?"

Merrill clapped her hands eagerly and her face lit up as she nodded vigorously, while Velanna sat beside her quietly, a thoughtful expression on her face. Varric counted himself in and soon the cards were dealt all around – with the exception of Velanna who shook her head and Anders, who took the present card game as a cue to leave.

"As much as I enjoy the company," he said with a smile as he finished his ale, "I have to get to the clinic and see how things are doing around there."

"See you later, Blondie," Varric waved him off. "Don't be a stranger."

…

A few days later, Rhianna stood at one of the doors to Anders's clinic. She watched him work, her heart thumping in her chest all the while. It was late, so there were enough shadows around for her to blend in easily and remain unseen, which is what she wanted at the moment.

She had been trying to deny the feelings she had for him for some time now, but realized that it was all in vain. Since her mother's death, her feelings for him had intensified. Try as she might, she could not keep the image of Anders away, and seeing him now as he worked - oblivious to her presence - made everything even harder.

When the last patient had been healed, Anders stretched and walked to the table where he kept his potions, putting away some bottles and using a cloth to clean the table afterwards. He turned to walk to the clinic door when Hawke stepped inside the room with a smile.

"Hey! I didn't see you there!" Anders called out in a cheerful voice. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm doing fine," Rhianna replied with a smile. Then her smile vanished and the look on her face puzzled Anders. "Well – no. That's a lie. I'm not fine."

Anders tilted his head, a worried look in his eyes as he stepped closer.

"What's wrong?" he asked as his eyes searched her face, a white-blue glow emanating from his hands as he made an attempt to check her for wounds.

"I have a – um…I'm feeling a – a certain 'discomfort' here," Rhianna pointed to her chest, in the general direction of her heart. "But it only happens when I see you…" she finished lamely, looking at the general direction of the floor with a slight flush.

Anders eyebrows flew up to his hairline and his eyes widened slightly, and then he felt the rush of the pleasant tingling of sparks that started in his stomach and ran up his body, causing him to tremble slightly. He had a lopsided smile on his face as he stepped closer, feeling giddy and a little dizzy.

"I see," he said, his voice a rumble. "Anything else?"

"I feel – I feel very warm and I just can't stop thinking…" Rhianna whispered with a flush.

"You can't stop thinking…" Anders echoed, now standing a mere few inches away – the heat he was feeling spreading all the way down to his groin.

"I can't sleep or think, or do anything, without yearning for you, Anders," Rhianna said, her eyes now lifting to meet and hold his, dark with desire, longing and – was that love?

Anders gave a gasp and closed the distance, capturing her lips hungrily, his arms pulling her into a tight embrace. Rhianna kissed him back fiercely, with a passion that matched his. His hands were now running up and down her back, and hers had found their way into his hair.

A moan escaped her lips and his grip tightened, one of his hands now buried in her hair at the nape of her neck. They continued to savor each other's lips as their tongues battled for dominance – their hands exploring each other desperately.

A few moments later, Rhianna broke the kiss breathing heavily and she looked deeply into his eyes.

"I want to love you back now, Anders – if you'll let me."

…