A little bit of swearing in this one. But if you played the game, you should be used the S- bombs haha. Enjoy everyone!

Another two weeks had passed and each day that went by, the people of Kirkwall became even more restless with the presence of the Arishok and the Qunari. More and more reports of concerns poured into Aveline's office causing her patience to near an end. On a typical day, Aveline was continuously busy, staying on her feet and performing her duties to the best of her ability. But today she sat in her chair, glaring at the mountains of documents that literally covered every inch of her desk. She didn't have the strength to read each and every report. They all said the same thing: "Throw those damn Qunari on a ship and get them out of here!" or "Those beasts don't belong here. Do your job and protect the people of this city!"

Aveline pinched the bridge of her nose trying to relieve the dull pain that had been growing there for the last two days. It was bad enough that she had to deal with keeping the peace between Meredith and Orsino, but the recent activity with the Qunari was unsettling. There were several occurrences where citizens took it upon themselves to deal with the Qunari and forced their way to the Arishok. They had no idea how lucky they were to walk away with their lives and most of their body parts intact.

The Viscount and Aveline doubled their efforts to resolve each incident peacefully with the Qunari, but the Arishok grew more and more irritable each time. He became more vocal about the corruption of humans and their lack of leadership and belief. Aveline wasn't sure if they could defend the city against the beastly warriors if they suddenly turned violent, and that thought sent chills throughout her body.

"Captain," called guardsman Donnic from the doorway.

"Yes?" Aveline answered. She could use a break from all this paperwork. "What is it guardsman?"

"You have a … guest that asked specifically for you," Donnic said.

Aveline frowned. Apparently, she would miss even more time with the man of her affection. She sighed. Such is the life of the Guard Captain she supposed. "Enter," she said, staying in her chair. She hated these random calls; one could only hear so much bickering and complaining before common courtesy went out the door.

She heard light footsteps and a husky voice. "It's been a while, Aveline."

Aveline was proud that she managed to mask her surprise. She stayed rooted in her chair and her expression became stern. "Fenris," she greeted. 'You coward,' she thought. "To what do I owe this visit?"

Fenris smiled, but it lacked any hint of happiness and joy. "Straight to the point as always. That's why I like you Aveline." She waited for him to continue not bothering to give him any response until he told her why he was here. "I have a favor to ask…"

Aveline shifted in her chair, narrowing her eyes. "Depending on the favor, I may or may not be interested in helping you. But do know that I am leaning toward the latter."

Fenris nodded and placed a piece of parchment on her desk. "There is a ship that will be coming in two days. I believe that my sister will be among the passengers. I am hoping that you will be able to help me identify her and find out if she is alone… or if my meeting her will be a trap set by Danarius."

"Is this why we haven't seen you in over a month?" Aveline asked. "You were searching for your sister?"

"It is," came the simple reply.

Aveline remembered when Fenris first found out of his sister. She wasn't fond of dealing with mages, but she could not stand aside while slavers were infiltrating the city at their leisure. The hatred that seeped from Fenris when they were in the caverns almost scared her because he was completely blind to all those around him. However, the mention of living family brought him back. Aveline kept herself from saying anything, but Hadriana would have played a cruel trick on Fenris is she had been lying. Had Aveline been in Fenris' situation, she very well may have killed the mage just as he had.

Fenris was not a man she hated or disliked. He just had too dark a past that he held on to that made him poor company at times. Aveline was sympathetic to his situation, but she found herself walking away from him most of the time because it was almost impossible to talk to him once Danarius and the other slavers were brought up in conversation. How Hawke was able to handle all of Fenris' ramblings was still a mystery to her.

"Why not ask Hawke?" She knew better than to pry in these types of affairs, but Hawke was her friend as well. Sometimes loyalty to a dear friend took precedence over duty and privacy.

Immediately, Fenris' expression changed from stoic to sadness. His eyes were downcast and he turned away. "I do not deserve her help. All I want is to ask her forgiveness."

Oh Maker's sake, he was genuine and sincere. That made it difficult for her to stay angry at him. He came back to right a wrong. Watching Hawke wither away during the first few weeks of Fenris' disappearance tore at her heart. And it was so easy to blame Fenris because he wasn't there to defend himself; she was sure that if she ever saw him again, she would have a blade at his throat. But she saw him now, and she could see the misery on his face and in his stature. For his own reasons, he left Hawke, but he was suffering just as Hawke had. "Well you better hurry then," Aveline sighed, giving in. "She's spending a lot of time with Anders lately. You'll probably find her at the clinic." Whether it was wise to tell Fenris that little fact, Aveline would know soon enough. But she believed in second chances at least in the ways of rekindling friendships. "I'll also help find your sister."

Fenris was taken back by her response, but he recovered his composure. "Thank you. Her hair is similar to yours in color and she has ruby red lips. At least that's what she wrote. I owe you, Aveline," Fenris said bowing. Before he left her office, she stopped him.

"I'm still mad at you, you know. Maker help you if you pull this shit again," Aveline said.

"I know," he said and he was gone.

Aveline read the note that Fenris had left for her. The note had been from his sister and it described when her ship would be docking and how long she planned on staying in Kirkwall. She stood and made her way to the barracks. This was going to require some convert planning and execution.

XXXXXXXXXX

One advantage to being an elf walking around Darktown was that no one begged him for money. An elf was just as poor and deprived as the lowliest human in Kirkwall. But he supposed that displaying a wide broadsword on his back was also a useful deterrent. As much as he tried to deny it, he had to admit to himself that the mage's decision to help the less fortunate was… admirable at best.

Fenris walked up the steps that led to Anders' clinic and it wasn't long before he heard Hawke's voice from within. He halted. He missed her voice, her laughs, her conversation. What would he say to her? He lifted his right hand, eyeing the red cloth that he had wrapped around his wrist. He remembered when Hawke had given it to him back when they were ambushed in Danarius' mansion. She was always so selfless; she was injured and bleeding, yet she gave him the cloth instead so that he could wipe the blood from his own face. It wasn't until he left her that night that he decided to wear it as a token, as a reminder of what he gave up. Would she forgive him? He had to at least ask.

He walked up the remainder of the steps and prepared to knock on the door to the clinic even though it was slightly ajar. He stopped himself when he heard Hawke's voice again. "Thank you, Anders," she said. "Maker, I have no idea what I would do without you!"

Fenris' curiosity made him quietly move closer to the door. He peeked through the crack and saw Hawke jump up and give Anders a fierce hug. He knew he had no right to feel jealous, but he wanted to drive his sword right through the mage's body. His heart twisted and became heavy when Hawke continued.

"You've been such a great help to me the last week," she said. Her voice began to crack and she sucked in a few choked breaths. "I can never repay you."

Anders held her close, resting his chin on her shoulder. "I require nothing from you. You saved my life, you know? This is the least that I could do for you."

Her body started to tremble and she sobbed quietly. Fenris cursed at himself. What had he done? The Hawke he remembered was so strong and full of life. What other woman would willingly brave the Deep Roads and take on the inner struggles of an entire city? Now here she was, fragile and trembling, openly weeping. If Hawke could ever forgive him for breaking her heart, he wasn't sure he could forgive himself.

"Anders…" she sniffed. "Tell me that I'm strong. Tell me I'll be all right."

The mage pulled away just enough so that he could stare into her eyes. "You'll be more than all right, Hawke," he said. He wiped away her tears. "I'll be here for you." He leaned in and gently kissed her.

Fenris tore his eyes away and ran, unable to watch more. He ran into several people, knocking them over and shoving them into walls or onto the ground. He would rather receive his markings a hundred times more than to feel this pain. 'I deserve this' he kept telling himself. The image of Hawke being consoled by Anders would forever be burned in his memory and it both angered him and saddened him to great lengths. He didn't care who saw him, he just kept running.

He found his way back to Hightown. Danarius' mansion had not changed much; in fact, it looked exactly like how he left it. Not one book was moved and not one cobweb was disturbed. Strange that the residence was not looted or renovated while he was away. Surely, Hawke told her friends that he had left. It would have been logical that the Viscount reclaimed the abandoned home in hope to rebuild and sell it.

It didn't matter though. For now, he had a place to stay. He dropped to his knees and cried. He didn't think he was able to feel remorse to this degree, but that's what Hawke did to him. She awoke all of these feelings inside of him that he believed were gone and stripped away from him. She gave him life; she awakened his soul and he walked away from her because he was a coward. She deserved better. Once he resolved the matter with his supposed sister, he would move on. Hawke was the only link he had to Kirkwall, and he had lost her. There was nothing for him here, and he brought that on himself. Two days couldn't pass soon enough.