Nathaniel spent the remainder of the evening alone in the tavern, sitting in the shadows as he watched the patrons of the inn and bar come and go. Keenan's wife and her lover had come and gone a few times, oblivious to the watchful eyes of the Warden who sat tucked away in a small corner booth. Several other customers, some that he recognized from his childhood, some who had been acquaintances of his parents, came and went during the course of the evening, but none of them even noticed Nathaniel. In fact, the only person in the bar who seemed remotely aware of his presence was the young tavern maid who brought his drinks and dinner, but Nathaniel preferred it that way. He wasn't there to socialize anyway. The only person in the city he had any desire to see was Delilah, but visiting her meant leaving Eriana alone, and deep down, he know that wasn't a good idea, not tonight anyway. He felt bad enough about allowing her to retreat to her room alone, but she had insisted, pushing him away and refusing his company. If she wanted to be alone, who was he to intrude? But leaving her completely alone, in the volatile state she was in, Nathaniel had a feeling that that simply wouldn't be a wise decision. She had looked like she was on the verge of a breakdown when she disappeared into her room earlier that evening. The encounter with the Dark Wolf seemed to have shaken her for reasons he couldn't even begin to comprehend, and though she hadn't explained the situation to him, he had a gut feeling that somehow it all came back to Zevran. So he had spent the evening there, close enough to his commander that he could be there if she needed him, but far enough away to give her the distance she seemed to need.

As the bustle of the tavern began to quiet down and the patrons began to make their way home or up to their rooms, Nathaniel decided it was time for him to turn in. Leaving some silver on the table, the young rogue disappeared up the stairs to the room Eriana had gotten for him. He paused briefly for a moment at her door, listening carefully for any signs of distress, but all was quiet inside. After giving the door handle a quick test, making sure sure she had remembered to lock it, Nathaniel made his way into his room, the one right beside hers. He tucked his weapons carefully away beside his bed, just within arm's reach, before crawling into bed and falling asleep.

-0-

Eriana's eye's fluttered open, and it took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the dim light of the room, so she wasn't completely sure what she was actually seeing. Warm, honeyed eyes stared down at her, as a tender, but callused hand gently caressed the curves of her face. "Zevran?" she asked softly, as her trembling hand reached up to trace the tattoos on his cheek. He smiled and nodded as he turned his head slightly, cradling her hand in his as he began lightly kissing the soft skin of her wrist. "But how did you…where were…but I thought you…Oh, Zev, I've missed you so much," she said, throwing her arms around his neck and pulling him close, savoring the warm, familiar smell of leather and the comforting feel of his body against hers.

Zevran chuckled lightly in her ear as his lips danced down her jaw line before finding her lips and capturing them in a long sensual kiss. His tongue lightly traced her bottom lip before making its way into her open and willing mouth. Their tongues danced over each other as her fingers knotted in his long, silky hair. "Mi amora," he whispered to her, after breaking the long kiss, but without taking his lips from her soft skin. "How could I ever leave you, leave this? Don't you know me at all?"

She pulled back and looked up at him. "But you left; I mean, you left me without even saying good bye. I woke up and you were gone, and all that you had left behind was a note, with some lame excuse about leaving because of the Crows. Why did you do that? How could you do that to me?" she said, her voice rising.

"Shh," Zevran said, putting a finger to her lips as he looked lovingly down at her, "I know I hurt you, amora, but please, allow me to explain. When the Crows attacked, I knew had to lead them away from you, so I let you believe that I had left for Antiva. Instead, I came here so that I could watch over you while you dealt with these darkspawn problems. I had intended to stay away just long enough for the Crows to believe that I was really gone. That was until I heard rumors that your nobles were planning to kill you, and I knew I had to contact you. That's why I sent the invitation from the Dark Wolf."

"Wait, that was you," she said, suddenly confused. "But, I met with the Dark Wolf, and you weren't there. I went thinking it would be you, but it wasn't."

Zevran smiled down at her, "I couldn't just blow my cover, now could I, showing myself so brazenly in the city. Had you been alone, perhaps, but I couldn't risk it. So, I hired that man to work with me as the Dark Wolf so that I could remain hidden, but when I saw your reaction, I had to come, I had to see you, to let you know I was still here."

"So you never left me?"

Zevran lightly kissed her lips, "No, mi amora, I never left; how could I leave you after all that we have been through, after all you've done for me? I did what I had to in order to protect you, to keep the Crows away from you. It tore me apart to deceive you as I did, to leave you, but the Crows had to believe that I had left for Antiva and that meant lying to you. But I never left you, my love, and I never will."

"But the Crows?"

"We will worry about them later; once all this is over, we will go to Antiva together and deal with them."

Eriana smiled up at him, her Zevran, her lover, her life, "You mean it? You're not going to leave me again?"

"Never, my beautiful Warden; I'm afraid you're quite stuck with me," Zevran said, wrapping his arms around her, turning them so that she was resting on his chest. "Can you ever forgive me for hurting you as I did?"

"As long as you don't leave me again," she said, running her fingers through his long, blonde hair.

He took her head and pulled her face down to his, "I don't plan to." He captured her mouth in his, and all the tension she had been feeling for the past month evaporated. She felt his hands move gently down her back as his nimble fingers found the hem of her tunic. Somehow, in one fluid move, Zevran pulled off her shirt and moved so that he was back on top of her, his hands tracing her curves as his mouth hungrily devoured hers. Eriana's hips thrust up, grinding against growing hardness in his trousers, eliciting a low moan from him.

"Patience, mi amora," he whispered to her as he began making his way down her body with his lips. Taking her breasts, he gently massaged them, his callused fingers making her shiver with anticipation. Then his lips and tongue joined his fingers, and it was Eriana's turn to moan as his tongue joined in, gently caressing her exposed nipple. Her moan quickly turned into a gasp of pain when he began to nip the smooth, sensitive skin of her stomach. He chucked softly as he began to alternate between kissing, suckling, and biting her warm skin, leaving a small red mark behind. A warm, familiar feeling began to stir in Eriana's stomach as Zevran's lips began to move lower, his hands reaching between her legs, gently pushing them apart. She couldn't take it any longer.

"Zev," she breathed his name, taking his head in her hands and guiding his face up to meet hers. "Forget patience. We will have all the time in the world for this later, but right now, I need you. I've been without you for so long; I just need you, now."

Zevran smiled down at her. "Are you quite sure?" he asked as he hooked his thumbs on the waistband of her trousers. "Well, my Lady needs only to command," he said, and with one smooth motion he pulled the rest of her clothes off, tossing them on the floor beside the bed. His trousers and smalls soon followed, and Eriana groaned in anticipation when she felt his length brush against her thigh as he settled back between her legs. She eagerly wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him close and drawing him close to her entrance. Zevran grinned and kissed her softly before gently easing into her. Eriana's head fell back as she simply savored to warm, familiar feeling of having him inside her, part of her again. Zevran smiled and took advantage of her exposed neck, his lips moving over her warm, tan skin; Maker how she had missed the feel of his lips. She had to summon all her discipline to fight the urge to move too quickly; the last thing she wanted was for this to be over soon. She just needed to feel him inside of her again, to smell the familiar musky sent of him, to feel his body entwined with hers. Slowly she began to move her hips against him, and he joined eagerly, whispering to her softly in Antivan as he gradually began to bring her to the peak of pleasure.

As the fire inside her began to build, Zevran shifted, sitting up and pulling her with him so that her back rested on his legs, his hands firmly holding her hips, keeping her pinned to the bed as he entered her completely. Eriana bit her lip as she felt the warmth beginning to build in her stomach, spreading slowly over her entire body; then he reached between them and began to stroke her nub in time with his thrusts, and she tumbled over the edge.

Wave after wave of pleasure washed over her and she closed her eyes, reveling in the sensation of finally being whole again. All the pain and heartache was suddenly a thing of the past, washed away by the ecstasy of sweet release. "Sweet Maker, oh, I love you, you're amazing…" she gasped, pulling Zevran down into another kiss.

"Commander, you have no idea how long I have waited for you to say that."

"Commander? Why is he calling me Commander?" Eriana's slightly idled brain wondered. She opened her eyes to look up at her assassin and her stomach gave a sudden lurch when she realized it was not Zevran's honey colored eyes she was looking into, but the warm chocolate eyes of Anders that were looking down at her.

Frightened and confused, she desperately tried to push him away begging him to stop, but it was as if all her strength was suddenly and unexplainably gone as the mage continued to make love to her. It was as if she had suddenly lost all control of her body as Anders strong, but loving hands held her down. He moaned her name one final time before collapsing on top of her, pinning her body to the bed. Frantically, Eriana looked around the room, trying hard to figure out what was going on. There, across the room, stood Zevran, leaning casually against the door dressed in his leather armor, his bag on his shoulder, watching them with a dark smile that clouded his perfect features. He simply stood there for a moment, taking in the scene with cool callousness before he turned as if he was going to leave. Suddenly, she was able to move again. "Wait," she called out, reaching out for him from beneath the exhausted mage, "please, don't go, don't leave me again."

Zevran turned back and looked at her, "And why not; what is there to keep me here in this dull, backwater country that smells of wet dog when my own lovely home land is calling me back to her? What do I have to hold me here?"

Eriana looked up at him, "Me, Zev, you have me, us."

"You? Ha, don't be ridiculous."

"Please, Zevran, what do you mean? I thought you were happy here; I thought you loved me."

"Love? Really, Warden, I thought you were smarter than that." Eriana's eyes narrowed in confusion. "Oh, you weren't, how sad," he said with a derisive laugh. "You truly believed I loved you, how quaint." He smiled down at her and shook his head. "I'm an assassin, Eriana; what could I ever know of love? I take my pleasures where I can find them; you know this. I told you as much when we first met, and yet, you allowed yourself believe I actually loved you. You convinced yourself that I was capable of love, that you had changed me." Zevran's eyes narrowed as he looked at her. "Well, I never changed, and I think, deep down, you always knew that."

"No, Zevran, no; that's not true. I know you loved me; all those times you said it, they couldn't all be lies."

Zevran chuckled, "And why would they not be, I'm a liar and a murder, after all. Yes, you were a pleasant diversion for a time, but that's all you were, a diversion, a temporary distraction. Don't get me wrong, you were a lovely distraction, a very pleasurable one, but a distraction all the same." He took a step toward her and looked down to where she lay. "Yes, we had our fun, and you were quite helpful in keeping the Crows off my back for a time. But that's over now; the Crows have returned, and so you are no longer useful."

"So it was a lie, then, all of it?" Eriana said, tears streaming down her cheeks. "You never loved me at all then?"

"Come now, you say that as if I was even capable of real love. You know that I am not. Why would you think that could suddenly change?"

"I just thought maybe you…but the earring. What about that? Those things you said."

"It's amazing how a sweet little story can make a mere bauble seem like something more important than it really was; in a way, it is kind of like you. Give you a title and sing your praises for a while, and suddenly you seem like more than some back-alley street rat; perhaps it's appropriate that you still wear that thing in your ear."

Eriana gasped as his words stung her to the very core. His insults echoed back every doubt, every fear, every insecurity she had ever had. Unbidden, her hand moved to her ear to trace the diamond solitaire that she wore there. He was right of course; she was a nobody, a nothing, a broken little elf who had managed to crawl out of the muck, but had never really managed to wash it all away. An unimportant, insignificant nobody, apparently even to Zevran. "So all this…all we ever had…"

"Was nothing," he finished for her, his eyes cool and harsh. "Besides, even if I ever was to allow myself to fall for someone, why would I settle for you, a diseased, blighted little tart when I could get a woman who could give me anything I desired? An cultured, educated Antivan woman, who isn't burdened with your particular limitations." His eyes narrowed as he laughed at her, "Face it, Eriana, you are weak; you are insignificant; and you are no longer worthy of me."

"No, please don't, Zevran, please.." she cried out, trying desperately to get to him, to stop him before he walked out of the room and out of her life again, but a taloned hand stopped her. Turning back, he found herself not looking up at Anders, but looking up at the diseased face of the Architect, his razor-sharp teach bared in a grim grin. Eriana began to thrash about, frantically trying to shake the darkspawn emissary off of her, still shouting desperate pleas to Zevran. Then the Architect simply chuckled as he lowered himself onto her.

Eriana started to scream.

-0-

In the room next door, Nathaniel sat straight up in bed, suddenly jarred from his sleep by the strange sounds coming from his Commander's room next door. For a moment, he thought he had heard Eriana crying for help and asking someone to stop, but it was muffled, so he couldn't be completely sure what he had heard. He waited for a little while, but didn't hear anything else. For a moment, he thought, perhaps he had been hearing things in his sleep, and for a while, all was silent. Then he heard Eriana gasp and heard her shout at someone to leave her alone.

That was all the conformation he needed. Nathaniel didn't think; he immediately grabbed his weapons and his lock picks and ran for the door, pulling his shirt over his head as he went. He was at her door in only a few heartbeats, his hands quickly working the lock, trying to get it open. The sounds of struggle on the other side of the door began to intensify; then he heard Eriana begin to scream in earnest, the sounds of her screams echoing down the silent hallways. Nathaniel heard shouts and the sounds of footsteps storming up the stairs just as the locking mechanism on the door gave way. He jerked the door open, flooding the room with light, and stormed inside, followed by a pair of guards who had come running up from the tavern.

His eyes carefully scanned the room, searching for signs of an attacker, but the only thing he saw was Eriana, thrashing violently on the bed, screaming in terror. Nathaniel sighed in relief and sheathed his weapons; signaling for the other men to wait by the door, he crossed the room and knelt by the bed, noticing the empty liquor bottle sitting on the night stand. He gently nudged her trying to wake her but to startle her too much, the last thing he wanted was to scare her and risk meeting the pointy end of her daggers that were certainly hidden close by. "Ana," he said, gently nudging her, "Ana, dear, I need you to wake up, please."

Eriana screamed once more before she shot straight up, her eyes wide open. Nathaniel reached for her, but she scrambled to the back corner of the bed, just out of reach, her eyes wild with terror. "Hey, hey, Ana, it's okay…you're okay. It's just me; it's just Nathaniel. I'm not going to hurt you."

"Nathaniel?" she whimpered, her voice shaking nearly as much as she seemed to be. "Is that really you?" Nathaniel nodded, sitting on the edge of the bed, holding his hands out in front of him in an expression he hoped was disarming. "Oh, Nathaniel," she whispered, throwing herself into his arms, crying and clinging to him. He hesitated for a moment before wrapping his arms around her and cradling the tiny elf to his chest. The smell of whiskey was strong around her.

"Ser," one of the men by the door said, poking his head in the door, "we'll be down stairs if you need us." Nathaniel nodded, and turned his full attention to the crying woman in his arms.

He wasn't sure how long they stayed like that, him sitting on the edge of her bed and her clinging to him, trying desperately to still her erratic breathing. "Darkspawn nightmare?" he asked, gently stroking her back and her hair.

She shook her head, tilting her head in a way that he found himself staring into her glistening blue eyes. "No, not really," she whispered. "This one was way more cruel than your average darkspawn nightmare." She sighed and rested her head against his chest, wrapping her arms around his waist and snuggling up beside him. He reached down to her upturned face and lightly brushed away the tears that still lingered on her cheeks.

"Well, would you like to talk about it?" he asked her. "It may make you feel better if you just get it out."

Eriana sat up and turned to look at him, "Are you sure? It's kind of a long story."

Nathaniel smiled and leaned back against the pillows, stretching his legs out in front of him on the bed, "I've got plenty of time, Eriana." He patted the bed beside him, "Here, talk." Eriana took a deep breath and crawled up to where he was sitting and leaned back against him, resting her head on his chest. Nathaniel's arms encircled the small woman as she began to talk. He listened as the whole story of her relationship with Zevran began to spill out. She told him how they met and eventually came to be together, how they worked under the pseudonym the Dark Wolf as they committed crimes during the Blight, how they had planned to marry once they reached Amaranthine, and how that had all fallen apart when he unexpectedly left for Antiva. Nathaniel nodded, listening carefully as the missing pieces of her life finally began to fall into place.

"So that was why you were so disappointed today when we met with the Dark Wolf; you were expecting Zevran to be there."

Eriana sighed and looked down, "Yes, but in my defense, it was a logical assumption to make; I mean, what else was I to think? I just got my hopes up." She turned over, curling up beneath Nathaniel's arm, resting her head on his chest. "I guess I believed that he still might love me, that he still cared." Nathaniel sighed and ran his hand up and down her smooth arm as she went on to tell him about her nightmare. He cringed as she began to cry again while she told him about her nightmare, explaining the cruel way Zevran had dismissed her so casually.

"Wow, I have to say, Ana, your dream Zevran is kind of mean."

Eriana chuckled, "No, that wasn't Zevran; he has never, ever said anything like that. Those were just my own worries, my own subconscious fears. Deep down, part of me thought that he used that Crow attack as an excuse to leave me because he didn't want to be with me any longer, that he felt trapped here with me and was eager to leave. And he was right, well, I was right. There are so many things I could never give him, things he may come to want eventually." She sighed, "He deserved someone better than me."

Nathaniel shook his head, "So where do you think he would be able to find someone better than you? Because, I think, that trying to top you would be a pretty tall order." Eriana tilted her head up to look at him. "I mean, let's see the list of things she'd have to be just to be even with you."

"Nathaniel…"

"No, no," he said, gently hushing her, "I'm thinking here. Well, first off, she'd have to be a national hero, one who saved the nation from civil war and an army of monsters, that shouldn't be too difficult to find. Next, she'd have to be compassionate and understanding with a willingness to help random strangers with trivial things. She'd have to possess a personality that compels everyone around her to want to protect her. She'd have to be funny, intelligent, and be able to talk to animals. And on top of all that, she'd have to be pretty." He glanced down at her, "Yeah, that about covers it."

Eriana looked up at him, new tears forming in her eyes. "Thank you," she whispered quietly before she started crying again, her face buried in his shirt.

Nathaniel pulled her close, holding her so tightly that she was nearly in his lap, allowing her to cry again. Once it seemed like she had calmed down, he tried to cheer her up. "I do have one question for you though, if you don't mind."

"No, of course," she said, wiping tears away, "anything, Nathaniel."

"Well, you said that half way through your dream, Zevran disappeared and you found yourself with Anders." Eriana glanced up at him and nodded. "Really?" he said with mock indignation. "Anders, really? Considering all the people you could dream of, you dream of Anders." Eriana glanced up at him again, like she was trying to decipher his expression. He gave her a sly grin, and she began to giggle, a genuine smile crossing her face.

"Aww, Nate, you aren't jealous are you?"

He grinned again, "Maybe, I mean, come on, your subconscious has to have better taste than that skirt wearing wannabe pirate." Eriana continued to laugh, burying her face in Nathaniel's shirt. "If anything, it should have been…"

"You?"

"I was thinking Oghren, actually."

Eriana laughed again, hitting him lightly in the chest, "No you weren't." She sighed, meeting his eye again. "Thank you, Nathaniel," she said, hugging him tightly. "You have no idea how much I needed this."

"Any time Eriana," he said, looking down at her. "Do you think you could get some sleep now?"

Eriana shook her head furiously. "No, I'm pretty sure I'd have another one of those dreams, and I honestly don't think I can handle it." She glanced up at him for a moment, nervously. "Nathaniel," she said softly, biting her lip, "I know this is probably totally inappropriate, and feel free to run away screaming once I ask this, but…" she took a deep breath before continuing, "do you think you could you say here tonight? It doesn't have to be anything, you know…well, you know; I just don't think I could bear waking up tomorrow alone."

Nathaniel looked down at her. She seemed so vulnerable, so broken, so desperate; he had never before seen this side of her. In a way, she had always seemed unshakable and strong, like nothing could ever break her. It was hard to see this side of her, to see what Zevran had reduced her to. He found himself getting angry at this man he had never met; how could he knowingly and intentionally hurt her in such a callous manner? She didn't deserve this; she deserved so much more.

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to his side. "Of course, Ana." He brushed her hair back off her face, "Just let me run next door and tell that bar maid to go home for the evening."

Eriana grinned and shoved him off the bed. "I'll be right back," he said, giving her a quick kiss on the forehead as he went back to his room to secure his things. In the back of his mind, he wondered if this was such a wise idea, but he knew that she needed this, she needed him, and he would be there for her. Locking his door behind him, he made his way back into her room. Eriana was still sitting on the bed where he had left her, staring down at something that she was rolling around in her hand.

"What's that," he asked, getting into the bed beside her. She held out her hand, revealing the diamond earring that she usually wore in her left ear.

She looked down at it sadly. "It's nothing, I guess," she muttered, putting it back in her ear before crawling over to him. "This isn't going to be awkward; is it?"

Nathaniel didn't say anything. He merely turned down the bedside lamp and put his arms around her, pulling her close to his side. She sighed happily, and he felt her entire body relax as she snuggled up next to him, her head resting lightly on his chest. Nathaniel simply held her until she fell asleep, doing his best to drive away the dreams and fears that still threatened to haunt her. He couldn't make her pain go away, but he could make it less, if only for tonight. With that thought in his mind, Nathaniel, too, drifted off to sleep.

-0-

Okay, so here it is, and I'm interested on what you all think about this one. Eriana has been barely holding it together, and I figured a letdown like this might just push her over the edge. And now, she has to head into the deeproads, poor girl doesn't get a break.

Anyway, let me know what you all think. Thank you to Warrose, Judy, Eva Galanda, CyderJenn, and Danyal for your reviews!