Well guys, this is certainly evolving rapidly, so I will be changing the title and description of the fic. I originally wrote this as a one-shot, but it doesn't look like I'll be stopping any time soon. As always, I am grateful to those who have stopped by for a read.

Fenris felt no remorse as he cut them down one by one. His body moved of its own free will, driven by one thought: to kill. The more that fell by his side, the greater the chance for freedom he was giving to runaway slaves. The hunters had charged the second level, cutting them off from escape, and he wouldn't have it any other way. None of them were leaving the mansion alive.

Hawke killed three men quickly. Her skill was far above that of a common hireling; she moved swiftly and each strike was deadly. He saw the mage throw two balls of fire at Hawke, catching her off guard. One effectively knocked her sword from her hands and the second collided into her body, pushing her off the second level balcony. She landed on her back, and it enraged Fenris when he saw that she was not moving.

If one did not possess magical abilities, there was only way to defend against magic. Kill the mage. But the mage was experienced and he was preparing another spell. Fenris was too far away to intervene. "Hawke!" he shouted, taking off in a sprint down the stairs, but he was cut off by two other hunters. There was a sudden jolt of fear that cut in Fenris; he was unable to help Hawke. There was no way he could get to her in time. "Hawke!" he yelled again, swinging his broadsword at the hunters.

He saw the mage summon a spell of ice. A large crystal dagger appeared in front of the mage, and he fired it at Hawke.

"No!"

Fenris didn't see what came first. When the second hunter fell, he ran to Hawke, but she was already shielded from harm, quite literally. Aveline stood in front of Hawke's body, shield in hand. The ice dagger had collided into the shield, shattering into hundreds of pieces. When Fenris looked back at the mage, he found that the man was now on his knees then fell on his side, a single arrow protruding from his chest.

"Aveline…" Fenris breathed. He physically felt relief spread throughout his entire body, never before was he so glad to see the guard captain. Not far from her was Varric. The dwarf had Bianca aimed high. No longer would Fenris doubt that when Bianca sang her song, she would hit her target.

"You're one lucky elf," Varric said, shouldering Bianca. He knelt next to Hawke, gently rousing her. "How ya doing, kid?" he asked.

Hawke groaned, but her eyes fluttered open. "You may be older, Varric, but I'm taller…" she said. She brought her hand to her forehead and winced. Slowly, she pushed herself onto her elbows, and with Aveline's help, she managed to get on her feet. "When this is over, I'm going to the Hanged Man."

"Atta girl," Varric laughed. "A head injury and a hangover is always a great mix."

Fenris approached Hawke, feeling a pang of guilt in his heart when he saw trickles of blood running down the side of Hawke's face. "Are you all right?" he asked, wanting to reach out and touch her face.

"Never better," she managed a smile. She reached into her pack and pulled out a red cloth. To his surprise, she wrapped a corner of the cloth around her fingers and dabbed his face. "Looks like they got you pretty good too."

"Thank you…" he said, forgetting that they were surrounded by at least a dozen corpses. Hawke handed him the cloth, so that he could clean the rest himself. She turned to Aveline and Varric.

"Your timing couldn't have been better," Hawke admitted. "Thanks to you both, I'll only have a large knot on the back of my head. Not that I am ungrateful, but what are you two doing here?"

Aveline sheathed her sword and returned her shield to its rightful place. "I came on my own. Even though I've managed to "modify" some of the patrols around this mansion, that doesn't mean I was going to leave the streets completely without protection. There have been stirrings in the area, and I feared the worst considering Fenris'… history. It was only confirmed when I saw men breaking through the door."

Varric shrugged. "Blondie told me that you and Fenris entered the Fade. There was no way I was going to pass up good material. And besides, I heard some rumors about the recent increase of bounty hunters in the area. I decided to follow up on a lead. Looks like my hunch was right."

"You were… worried about me?" Fenris asked skeptically. The words were strange to him; no one had ever cared for his well being except for himself. Maybe this is what it is like to have friends. It was a foreign concept to him, but he did not immediately turn it aside as he did with many other ideas that he viewed as weaknesses. "I… thank you."

Varric gave him a light punch on the forearm. "Hey, we're all pretty much one dysfunctional family now. And really, I wanted to find out about the woman I'm assuming you scorned back in the old days. I'm thinking you were quite the ladies' man."

Fenris blinked. "Woman?"

"The word is that some woman named Hadriana was behind the bounties-"

Fenris wasted no time. He turned his back on Varric, not caring that he rudely interrupted him. He went from corpse to corpse, checking their pockets and their packs. Hadriana! he thought with vengeance. The very thought of the woman stirred his blood and made him itch with anger. It wasn't until he checked the mage's possessions that he found a note. He was too agitated to read the words on the note. If he took his time, he may have been able to figure out the patterns of letters, but right now he had very little patience. He could not identify most of the strokes and slants that covered the parchment. "… caves… north…." He let out a frustrated sigh and handed the note to Hawke. "I… can't read it without your help…" he said. He barely noted that Aveline and Varric exchanged knowing glances.

Hawke took the note and read the note aloud. "Bring elf slave to the caves north of the city. Take extra care that he is either bound or beaten to the point where he cannot fight back. I do not care which. I and your reward will be waiting."

"Hadriana, my master's apprentice," Fenris growled. He hands tightened into fists, and he wished that he was crushing Hadriana's heart instead. "She would sell her own children if it made Danarius happy. I remember her well. She tortured me, starved me and used me as a target for new spells she learned. If she's here, it's at his bidding."

"Well, she's expecting you, so let's pay her a visit," Hawke said. She retrieved her weapon and looked prepared to leave at a moment's notice. "I will not stand for this. Just say the word." She was too kind to him.

"Don't leave me out," Aveline said, crossing her arms. "It's my job to ensure the safety of the citizens of Kirkwall. I can't have slavers and their bounty hunters coming and going as they please. I'm sure you'll be happy to know that the prison is full, so I do not have any intentions on making arrests."

"Bianca and I are ready and waiting, elf," Varric said proudly.

If there really was a Maker, Fenris had no idea what he did to deserve such loyalty. He didn't always get along with them, but they were closer to them than any one person he came across in his travels. He didn't think it was at all possible. He wondered if he had friends before he received his markings. He found himself staring into Hawke's eyes. They had a strong power over him, and he always felt that she would be by his side. Why she had chosen him as a companion was something he could never understand even if she explained it to him. But she was here with him, willing to help rid him of his horrific past. And with her was another human and a dwarf, and they genuinely wanted to stay by his side as … family would. "We head north," he said.