Anders and Hawke were the first to arrive back at the Hanged Man, and Hawke bought them both a pint while they waited for Varric, Bethany and possibly Fenris to return. Hawke could tell that Anders was not pleased at the thought of the elf joining them on their latest escapade, and decided to have it out with his friend.

"Anders, like it or not, Fenris is going to be working with us from now on; well, at least I think he will. I did ask him and he didn't seem opposed to the idea. Are we going to have problems?"

"Why are you asking me, Hawke? You're bringing along someone who hates mages to help look for an apostate who is quite possibly possessed? If there are going to be any problems, they'll come from him, not me."

Hawke leaned forward and fixed his eyes on Anders. "I think there's room for give-and-take on both sides. I'll be speaking to Fenris, as well…"

"Oh, so it's only partly my fault that, because his master was a mage, then every other mage in Thedas must be just as cruel and evil? That's perfectly reasonable, isn't it?"

Hawke sat back in his chair and supped at his pint before putting it down on the table. "Merrill," he said simply.

"Merrill? What about her?" Anders asked, clearly confused.

"You're telling me your reaction to her was 'perfectly reasonable', Anders?"

"She's a bl…!" he glanced around and lowered his voice. "She's a blood mage, in case you'd forgotten!"

"And what's wrong with that?"

Anders nearly choked on his pint. "Are you insane? Did you hear about what happened at the Circle in Ferelden?"

"Yes, I did. The mages were led by one blood mage, who was insane, and his followers were a mixture of the gullible and the witless. Blood magic had nothing to do with that. All right, granted, they were able to summon demons and turn people into abominations, but any mage is capable of staging a coup or losing their marbles."

"So you're saying it's all right that they summoned demons and such like?"

"No, Anders, I'm not saying that at all; I'm just saying that there are good and bad in all walks of life. Could you really see Merrill doing something like that? She's scared of her own shadow."

Anders shook his head vigorously. "It's still not right," he insisted. "Blood magic is used at the pleasure of a demon, a demon that the mage has actually conversed with and offered something in return for that knowledge. We may not be able to see the demon, but it's always there."

"Anders…don't you think you're being a bit hypocritical?" asked Hawke with a furrowed brow. "I've seen you do things that you couldn't possibly do without Justice. Sometimes he uses magic through you that I've never seen before, and which certainly wouldn't be sanctioned by the Chantry. What's the difference between that and blood magic?"

"Justice is not a demon! That's the difference, Hawke!" Anders pointed out, his eyes hardening at Hawke's unconvinced expression.

"Well, I've met benevolent spirits of the fade before, and they certainly wouldn't have done what he did to those templars at the chantry when we went to rescue Karl."

"They deserved it!" spat Anders.

"Deserved to be turned inside out? What for? Doing their jobs?" demanded Hawke.

Anders didn't even try to hide his astonishment. "I can't believe that you of all people are defending the Templars! If they'd succeeded, I would now be tranquil and you and your sister would be locked up in The Gallows!"

"I know that, Anders, and I know they attacked us; I'm not arguing with you there, but Justice reduced them to piles of bloody, quivering goo! Are you telling me they deserved that for doing their duty?"

"Look," said Anders impatiently, "obviously you didn't see what went on at the Circle Tower, but…"

"Precisely; I didn't. That event has coloured your perceptions of blood magic, Anders, just as Fenris's enslavement has coloured his perceptions of mages."

Anders rolled his eyes and folded his arms tightly. "Now I see. I was wondering why you'd brought this up out of the blue."

"Aren't I right, though, Anders? You have your prejudices, as does Fenris, and all because of a single person or event. I'm not necessarily advocating blood magic, but what I'm trying to say is that not all blood mages are evil incarnate, and I will be having a similar discussion with Fenris to convince him that you are not evil incarnate just because you're host to a spirit."

Anders finished his pint off and regarded Hawke sceptically as he continued.

"There are enough mages running around Kirkwall giving the rest of us a bad name, Anders. Let us be the ones who set an example to others. Show Fenris, and everyone else, that we're good people who just happen to have unique abilities."

"All right, Hawke, I'll give it a try," Anders agreed with a sigh, "but what if the elf doesn't agree?"

"Then that's up to him, Anders. If he wants to let bitterness rule him, that's his choice and nothing to do with us." He offered his hand to Anders. "We mages must stick together."

Anders shook Hawke's hand and grinned. "Agreed. I'll do my part, for you, but if he's unreasonable, or keeps calling me an abomination…"

"Then at least you can say you tried."

Anders nodded and stood up, a lop-sided grin on his face. "You should have been a politician. Another?" he offered, pointing to the bar.

"Not for me, thanks, Anders; I had a bit of wine earlier on. Well, a lot, actually."

Anders wandered over to the bar to order his second pint, and Hawke watched the entrance to the pub carefully. Varric and Bethany should be arriving soon, and hopefully, Fenris would also be with them. The thought of Fenris being stuck on his own in that creepy mansion was as disturbing to Hawke as was the thought of Anders living in the rat-infested shit pit that was Darktown. He hoped, albeit somewhat optimistically, that Anders and Fenris would become friends, and resolved to do his best to make that happen.

No sooner had Anders joined him back at the table, than Varric and Bethany arrived with Fenris in tow. Hawke stood and invited them all to sit, pulling out the chair next to Anders for the elf. Fenris looked uncomfortable for a moment before taking a seat, not wishing to appear rude. Hawke called for some wine to be brought over and took his own seat.

"Thank you for coming, Fenris; I appreciate it was short notice, but something urgent has come up." Fenris nodded once and Hawke leaned across the table, lowering his voice. "We've been asked to locate a young boy who's gone missing. Normally, I wouldn't get involved in anything like this, but…well, these are special circumstances."

"The dwarf explained these…circumstances," Fenris began, and Anders shifted in his seat, but took a deep breath and kept quiet. "It is my understanding that the boy may be possessed. If that is so, he must be neutralised immediately."

"Neutralised?" Anders cut in. "What do you…"

"Our main priority is to locate the boy and ascertain his status," Hawke interjected. "Only then can we decide what is to be done."

"There is only one thing to be done," insisted Fenris. "This must be brought to the attention of the Templar Order. It is they who should decide the best course of action, not us."

Anders' mouth fell open. "The best course of action? Those bastards will make him tranquil first, and ask questions later!"

"That would be prudent," said Fenris.

Anders swivelled round to face Fenris, his face red, but was silenced when Hawke grabbed his arm. "There are special reasons for not involving the Templars," said Hawke, keeping a tight grip on Anders' sleeve. "The boy would run a mile from them, but may respond better to fellow mages."

"Fellow apostates, you mean," replied Fenris.

"That's right," Hawke answered, holding Fenris' gaze. "Are you in, or not?"

"I insisted upon being 'in' as soon as I was apprised of the situation. At least with me here, any actions you take might not be completely one-sided, and tempered with common sense."

"Good," answered Hawke, speaking quickly to pre-empt an outburst from Anders. "This is what needs to be done: Anders and I managed to speak to the boy's father before he closed shop for the night. He told us that a former templar named Samson would have information. I need the two of you," he glanced at Fenris and Varric, "to speak to him and learn what you can. He sounds a bit shady though, so watch yourselves."

"You will not be accompanying us?" asked Fenris.

"As you so adroitly pointed out, we're apostates," Anders said, rolling his eyes. "Why would we make ourselves known to a templar, former or otherwise?"

"And from what I hear," Varric added, "this guy would sell his own mother for a pinch of lyrium dust, so we can't be too careful, can we, Sunshine?" he asked with a glance at Bethany, who shook her head and smiled at him.

"The Templars have already tried to lay a trap for Anders," she explained. "They're crafty, and we don't trust any of them."

Fenris nodded but looked puzzled. "If they are after you," he said to Anders, "why do they not simply arrest you, and be done with it?"

"We don't think any of the templars who were after me in the first place survived," Anders answered.

Fenris sat upright in his chair. "You…killed them?"

"We had no choice," answered Hawke. "They were ready and waiting for us and had used one of Anders's friends as a lure."

"They'd made him tranquil for no reason whatsoever other than to lure us there!" Anders added heatedly.

Fenris raised a slightly sceptical eyebrow. "Your so-called friend aided the templars, then?"

Anders shot to his feet and Hawke followed. "Anders…"

"He had no choice but to aid them! They took a decent man and turned him into one of their puppets!"

"Fenris, whatever your feelings are about mages," Hawke added, "the templars broke the law by making him tranquil. He was no blood mage, no abomination. He was a harrowed mage who happened to be friends with Anders."

"So, you released him once the templars were defeated?" asked Fenris.

Anders pulled out a small knife from inside his coat and pointed it at Fenris. "No. I killed him. With this knife."

"You killed your friend?" Fenris asked in horror.

"He begged me to!" protested Anders, his voice trembling. "I would rather be dead than be made tranquil! I don't expect you to understand that, Elf." The knife clattered noisily on the table as Anders threw it down and stormed out of the pub.

"He's still upset about it," Bethany said quietly.

"Clearly," Fenris said pithily.

Hawke cleared his throat. "Excuse me."

He found Anders outside, leaning against a wall with his arms folded. Hawke stopped a few feet away and leaned on the wall beside him. For a few moments, neither spoke.

"So much for 'Anders being nice to Fenris', eh?" Anders said with a slightly bitter laugh.

"Oh, I don't know," replied Hawke. "You could have thrown the knife at him, but instead you threw it at the table. There's hope, yet!"

Anders turned to him and half-smiled. "Always the optimist, eh, Hawke?" His smile faded and he moved a little closer to Hawke. "Are you sure about this, Hawke? Sending him to talk to an ex-templar? He could turn us all in, you know."

"He could, couldn't he?" answered Hawke with a waggle of his eyebrows.

"Is this why you're bringing him along with us? To test him?"

"I can't work with someone I don't trust, Anders. I trust Varric and I sort of trust you," he joked, and Anders laughed. "This ex-templar's a complete wreck by the sound of it; he's the best chance we have to prove that Fenris won't betray us. After we've spoken to the templar, we can have him tracked to see if he tries anything; I doubt he'll even notice. I just want you to know that, although I do want Fenris to work with us, I'm not ignoring your concerns."

"Thanks, Hawke. I'm glad you listen to at least some of the things I say."

"Some," Hawke replied with a wink at his friend. "Fuck me, Anders, my head hurts," he said, clutching his forehead. "You know, you should make friends with Fenris for his wine, if nothing else. He gave me a bottle earlier. Nearly took my bloody head off, it did."

Anders shook his head. "It usually does if you drink it all in one go, Hawke."

"I take exception to that remark," said Hawke airily.

"Well, you can still form cogent sentences; you're not too far gone, yet."

A lull took the conversation once again, and Hawke ventured a sideways glance at Anders. "You know something, Anders? You were right. Those templars deserved everything they got. Maybe Justice was a bit heavy-handed, but…"

"Eh? I thought you said they were only doing their duty?"

"They weren't though, were they?" Hawke answered with a sigh. "They abused their position and turned an innocent mage tranquil. I'm sorry, Anders; I forgot about poor Karl, and how much he meant to you."

A soft smile graced Anders' face, and he sighed. "Yes, poor Karl. He was a good friend."

"You know what we need?" asked Hawke. "A good night out. How about tomorrow we dig into our funds a little and treat ourselves?"

"Treat ourselves?" Anders asked amusedly. "I take it you're not planning on a night at The Hanged Man, then?"

"Absolutely not," Hawke replied with a knowing wink.

"You're on!" Anders agreed.

At that moment, Varric exited the pub and made a beeline for the two mages. "There you both are. Listen, I just heard something that may interest the two of you; there could be money in it, as well."

"I'm all ears," said Hawke.

"Well, apparently some templar recruits have been going missing; about half a dozen so far. The Templars are at a loss to explain it."

Hawke and Anders exchanged a puzzled glance. "Why would we care about disappearing templars, Varric?" asked Anders. "The fewer of them around, the better!"

Varric lowered his voice. "Look; it's a poorly-kept secret in Kirkwall that certain templars know of certain apostates who do certain things for them. I've known a couple of mages over the years that've done work for the templars, and the Chantry has deep pockets."

Hawke shook his head. "If you're suggesting that we work against mages…"

"How are you working against mages, here? You could do a service for the templars, they pay you, and they keep you 'in mind' for another time. What that means in real terms is that they might stop knocking on Blondie's door, and that the two of you and Sunshine could relax a little."

"He has a point, Anders," Hawke agreed. "What do you think?"

Anders folded his arms. "I have no problem taking money from the Chantry, but I won't go against my own kind to do so."

"Neither will I," insisted Hawke.

"Great!" Varric chirped. "How about this: after we've spoken to that Samson guy, I take the elf across to The Gallows, see what we can find out, and the three of you follow up on the missing kid. Whad'ya say?"

"Sounds like a fine plan," Hawke said, shaking Varric's hand.

~o~O~o~

The three mages stayed at The Hanged Man while Varric and Fenris went to see Samson, returning a short time later.

Varric leaned casually against a table, cleaning his nails with a dagger. "Our boy's looking for a way out of the Free Marches, but didn't have enough coin to book passage. That templar put him in touch with some people who may be able to smuggle him out for free."

"I have heard of such operations before," Fenris added with a scowl. "The victims are promised safe passage to a destination of their choosing, and are then sold into slavery. There can be no further delay in locating the boy."

"Oh, I'm heartened to see you take such an interest in his welfare all of a sudden!" sniped Anders. "Aren't you forgetting something? He's an abomination and must be neutralised."

"All right! That's enough out of you two!" demanded Hawke. "Whatever the reasons, we need to find him fast. Any leads, Varric?"

"Yeah. There's an abandoned warehouse at the docks which is being used as a staging area."

"The docks?" Hawke asked dubiously. "That's nowhere near The Gallows, is it?"

Varric shrugged. "It could be a load of horsecrap for all I know. I think the guy would have told us anything for some lyrium."

Anders laughed. "Hey! You should have offered to let him lick Fenris!"

Fenris's top lip curled in disgust and he positioned himself directly in front of Anders. "Any who attempt it will expire before they reach the ground, Mage."

"Anyway, we're headed for the docks as well, Hawke," chortled Varric. "Don't worry; we'll protect you from the bad templar men, Hawke."

"Kiss my hairy arse, Dwarf," Hawke said in reply, and they set off for the docks in good spirits, all except Fenris, who shook his head and muttered under his breath as they left.

~o~O~o~

While Hawke and his magi companions investigated the warehouse, Fenris and Varric took the boat over to The Gallows, which looked even more ominous than usual, its silhouette thrown into sharp relief against the golds and violets of the setting sun behind it.

"So, this is where the mages reside," remarked Fenris as they disembarked. "Well, most of them, anyway."

"Yeah, not very homely, is it? Could do with a splash of colour here and there," offered Varric.

"It is the best place for them."

Varric frowned. "Come on, Elf; that's a little harsh, don't you think?"

Fenris shook his head gravely. "You would agree, had you seen the things I have."

"This is not the Imperium, buddy," Varric stated, "and the mages here are not Magisters."

"But there are apostates, blood mages," Fenris argued. "The one who travels with you, the one you call 'Blondie', is possessed!"

"Blondie? Possessed? Don't make me laugh!" chuckled Varric. "He's a little mixed up, sure, but that kid's as soft as putty." He glanced around. "Just don't mention the Templars, that's all."

As if on cue, two templars approached them and blocked their path. "What's your business at The Gallows, Dwarf, Elf?" asked one of them.

"Well, Human, Human," replied Varric, looking them up and down, "we're here to trade with some of your tranquil merchants."

"At this hour?"

"Oh, I'm sorry; have they all gone to beddy-byes?"

The templar on the left folded his arms. "All right, smart mouth. Be quick, though, and don't get distracting the recruits. I've seen you here before; you could talk the hind legs off a donkey."

Varric flashed his most charming smile. "I think you'll find the word is ass."

Fenris turned away and started coughing.

"Go on through, then," said the templar.

"Come on, Elf; hey, are you ok?"

"I am, Dwarf," he answered, and, as he turned to join Varric, his lips quivered slightly.

"So, that's how elves laugh, huh?"

"Laugh? As you insult an authority figure? Certainly not."

"So, he has a sense of humour, after all!" Varric paused as they approached one of the stalls and turned to Fenris, his expression becoming more serious. "Listen, Elf. Hawke, Blondie and Sunshine? They're friends of mine. You seem like a good guy and all, but I need to know now if you intend to rat them out to the Templars."

Fenris looked at Varric thoughtfully. "I assume by 'ratting them out' you mean will I inform the Templars of their status as apostates?"

"That's exactly what I mean." Varric's voice was steady, but his expression was hard.

Fenris shook his head. "It is not my place."

"Good answer, Elf," said Varric, and, without thinking, he slapped Fenris's back. Fenris stiffened and stopped for a moment, then continued walking.

"Sorry, did I startle you?"

"No, it's all right."

Varric grinned to himself, and, looking around to make sure none of the other templars were watching, he approached a small group of recruits who stood chatting in a corner.

~o~O~o~

Later that evening, the five met up yet again at the Hanged Man as previously arranged, and exchanged information.

Hawke produced a slip of paper he'd found at the warehouse and placed it down on their table. "I'm afraid your suspicions were correct, Fenris." He pushed the document toward the elf, who glanced at it briefly.

"So I see," said Fenris, looking uncomfortable.

Hawke's gaze lingered on him for a moment and he frowned, before he took the document back. "Well, erm, as it says on here, money has changed hands for 'cargo', namely one blond, half-elven youth. As Fenris predicted, the boy has been sold into slavery." He ran his finger down to the bottom of the document. "This bill of sale originated from a den in Darktown; that's our next stop."

"We found this, as well," said Bethany, producing a handwritten letter. "We came across a poor girl who was being attacked by some men. She turned into an abomination and we were forced to kill her."

"Poor girl?" Fenris commented derisively. "She turns into an abomination and attacks you, and you feel pity for her?"

"Why, yes," Bethany answered. "She was obviously desperate to resort to that."

"The letter is addressed to her father," Hawke cut in. "A templar at The Gallows named Thrask."

Fenris shook his head and laughed mockingly. "It gets better and better! A man who is charged with protecting the public conceals the fact his own daughter is one of the creatures he is meant to hunt down! The hypocrisy is staggering."

Anders leaned across the table and bristled. "What in the Maker's name is wrong with you? We've got to tell the poor man his daughter is dead! Don't you care about that?"

Hawke narrowed his eyes at Fenris. "Well, obviously we won't be asking you to deliver the news. Varric, can I leave that to you?"

"Sure thing, Hawke," Varric replied, pocketing the letter with a sigh.

"What did you learn about the templar recruits?" Hawke asked.

A small smirk crossed Varric's lips. "Well, almost every one of them is a regular patron at the Blooming Rose…"

Hawke and Anders exchanged a glance and sniggered.

"…I see you boys are already familiar with that particular establishment," Varric noted.

"What's the Blooming Rose?" Bethany asked innocently.

"A club of sorts, my dear," Varric answered. "Not the kind of place for you to visit."

"That's right," Hawke concurred sternly.

"Hmph. I see," Fenris commented as Bethany's brow wrinkled in confusion.

"Anyway," continued Varric, "the latest recruit to go missing is a young kid named Keran. Apparently even the knight-captain has had no joy getting any information, but we might have more luck, being as none of us are templars. I guess I won't need to ask for volunteers?" he asked drily.

"Actually, Anders and I were, erm, planning to visit…Hightown tomorrow night," Hawke said helpfully. "It's a bit of a bind, but we could bring our plans forward, you know, to help the poor templars out."

"Anything to help the poor templars!" Anders chirped, already rising from his seat.

"Disgraceful," Fenris spat.

"I know, but what can you do?" laughed Hawke as he followed Anders out. "You're welcome to join us, Fenris; my treat!"

Fenris didn't need to reply: his expression spoke a thousand words, each one of them biting.

"So, I guess we'll check out Darktown, then?" Varric called after them.

"Oh, would you?" asked Hawke, as Anders's hand grabbed his arm and yanked him through the door. "…Thank you!"

~o~O~o~

Fenris, his spirits buoyed after slaughtering several slavers in Darktown, waited outside the Blooming Rose with Varric and Bethany after finding no sign of Hawke or Anders at The Hanged Man.

"What's taking them so long in there?" Bethany asked impatiently.

"They're obviously conducting a thorough investigation," Fenris surmised sourly through gritted teeth.

"Hold up; I'll go get them," Varric offered, and he entered the building, leaving Fenris and Bethany to share an awkward silence.

"Excuse me, Miss," said a gruff voice from behind them, and Bethany stepped aside to let the man pass.

"Uncle!" she exclaimed.

"Bethany!" spluttered Gamlen, his eyes almost bulging out of his head. "I, erm…what-what brings you here?"

"We're waiting for Fletcher and Anders. What are you doing here?"

"I, um, I just fancied a walk, that's all."

"At midnight?" Fenris sneered, arching an eyebrow.

"Y-yes, well, there are fewer people about," Gamlen claimed.

"You are a strange one, Uncle," Bethany commented as the doors to the Blooming Rose flew open, and a giggling Anders and Hawke spilled out.

"Like fucking udders they were, Varric!" Anders said loudly, making a 'squeezing' gesture with his hands. "I gave them a good milk…Bethany!" Anders's face dropped as he spotted Hawke's sister. "I-I…I'm sorry, Bethany." Varric folded his arms and shook his head.

"Uncle!" Hawke blundered over to Gamlen and swallowed him in a hug. Gamlen pushed him away and wrinkled his nose.

"You're drunk!" he accused. "Whatever would your mother say?"

"I'm sure she'd be delighted to hear that her family are out on the town together," Hawke said pointedly. "At the same place."

"As I explained to your sister, I was out for a stroll."

Anders and Hawke fell about laughing at his preposterous claim.

"And I suppose you were in there just for a friendly drink?" snapped Gamlen.

"Me, Uncle? No, I went in there for a quick fuck."

"Brother, really!" Bethany huffed, her face reddening.

"Come on, Hawke; there are ladies present," Varric scolded.

"Yes, I'm sorry, Sister," said Hawke with an appealing look at Bethany, who rolled her eyes. "Well, Uncle Gamlen, don't let us keep you from your…stroll."

Gamlen cleared his throat and straightened his posture, his eyes flitting towards the door. "Yes, well…don't you have somewhere to be?"

"No."

"Fine," growled Gamlen as he stomped away.

"Oh, Uncle?" Hawke called after him. "The next time you go for a stroll, I highly recommend Angus as a walking companion. He's very…flexible."

"And he'll go as far as you like! On your stroll, that is," Anders joined in. Gamlen shot them one final withering glance, and headed toward Lowtown.

"Ok, fellas," Varric said to the still-laughing pair. "What did you find out about the missing templars?"

In unison, their faces fell and they stopped laughing. "Erm…about that…" Hawke began, scratching his head. "We were going to, but the funniest thing happened…"

"You didn't even ask, did you?" Fenris bit out. "I've heard enough. I shall find out." He pushed past Hawke and entered the brothel, letting the door slam behind him.

"I blame myself," Varric said quietly. "I should never have let the two of you loose in there! I'm going to have to confiscate your money, next time."

"Sorry Dad," Hawke said ruefully, and he and Anders once again started sniggering.

"Are you two in any state to help rescue that kid? We know where he is now, and the elf insists that we go as soon as possible."

"Of course!" Anders said indignantly. "I feel like walking on air!"

"And I'll go anywhere with you, dear friend." Hawke wrapped an arm around Varric's shoulders, who groaned in defeat. "Just don't ask me to sit down for a while, that's all."

A short time later the door to the Blooming Rose was flung open, and Fenris stalked out. "Darktown," he said bluntly.

"What about Darktown?" asked Hawke.

"That is where we need to go."

"And who told you that?"

"A whore. She attempted to use a mind control technique on me. She did not succeed," he said with a cold smile.

"What?" asked Anders, his eyes darting between Fenris and Hawke.

"She was a blood mage," Fenris explained haughtily. "But no more."

Anders lurched forward. "You can't just…!"

Varric grabbed Anders by the arm and began to pull him away. "Perhaps we'd better make skedaddle plans, Blondie, before somebody finds her?"

"You killed her?" Hawke asked Fenris in dismay, suddenly feeling quite sober.

"I did, before she killed me," Fenris answered calmly as he walked away.

"Did she even try to kill you?" asked Hawke accusingly.

"Yes," answered Fenris in a scathing tone. "I do not simply go around murdering mages, despite what you and your friends may think."

"Nobody suggested that, Fenris," said Bethany.

"I did!" Anders barked at the elf, before being pushed along by Varric.

"Enough pissing around! Let's go!" ordered Varric.

Hawke stood still for a moment with his head in his hands. Bethany placed a hand on his shoulder, giving it a squeeze. "I don't think those two are ever going to get on, Brother. It was a nice thought, though."

Hawke uncovered his face and took one of Bethany's hands in his. "Don't ever change, Sister. At least let there be one normal person in our little group."

"I promise," she said with a smile, which quickly faded as she glanced down at her hand. "Fletcher…you did wash your hands before you left, didn't you?"

"I don't remember," he said in a sly tone. "I have had a few, you know."

"Fletcher!" She tried to remove her hand from his, but he tightened his grip.

"My hand appears to be stuck to yours, Sister. For some reason."

"You're a terrible man!" she squealed, and tried to extricate herself by running ahead, but Hawke jogged alongside her, both of them laughing, and Bethany squirming, as they caught up to the others.