Their Worst Nightmare

I edited this just a bit since I first posted it, since we learned about the possibility of Leliana freeing mages if she becomes Divine after Inquisition (which happens in my canon).

Olivia awoke with a start, jerking upright, unconsciously summoning a ball of flames in her hand as she scanned the dark room around her. Her heartbeat thumped in her ears, breaths frantic as she tried to assess what had woken her up.

She heard another set of panicked breaths beside her, and she turned her attention to Anders, her conjured flames fizzing away when she saw the terrified look on his face.

He reached for her, his eyes wide, a layer of sweat covering his skin, and she let him pull her into a tight hug. He held her desperately, as if he were afraid she was going to disappear any second, his face buried in her neck as he whimpered. Olivia rubbed his back and ran her fingers through his unbound hair, whispering words of love and comfort to try and soothe him.

Anders relaxed a little, though he was still on edge when he pulled back from her. She held either side of his face, gently rubbing her thumbs over his cheeks as she met his gaze.

"Love, what happened?" she asked softly.

"The Templars… they… they took you," he muttered, his hands shakily coming up to cover hers.

"No one's taken me," she murmured, resting her forehead against his, nuzzling his face. "I'm right here, Anders. I'm not going anywhere."

He nodded, closing his eyes as he tried to take deep, steady breaths. "I know," he finally breathed, meeting her gaze again. "They didn't just take you… The twins, all three of you… you were…"

"Tranquil," she finished, her voice eerily quiet. Anders nodded and she swallowed hard, trying to ignore the sick feeling settling in her gut. They had both experienced nightmares where the other had been made Tranquil before, but to imagine the twins like that… their children… the thought scared her to death, despite the improbability it would ever happen. Mages were officially free now, but when one lived on the run for as long as they did, fearing capture and Tranquility... well, those fears were hard to shake.

Olivia pulled Anders into another hug, cradling his head against her chest to comfort him and herself. It was a long time until his raging pulse had calmed, his breaths eventually steadying as well.

"Do you want to go check on them?" she whispered.

"Yes," Anders replied, giving her a squeeze before sitting up again. They walked the short distance to where the twins slept, smiles starting to light up their faces at the sight of their children.

Bethany lay on her back, arms spread beside her and a foot peeking out from the blankets, drool spilling from the corner of her lips. Karl lay beside her, curled up into a ball, his stuffed mabari tightly clutched in his arms.

Anders went over to Bethany, brushing her hair from her face before tucking her foot back under the blankets. He slipped into the bed beside her and she groaned in her sleep, rolling over on top of him. Olivia pressed a kiss to Karl's forehead before sliding in beside him, both twins sandwiched between their parents.

"I love you all so much," Anders muttered, his voice strained with emotion. "If something were to happen to any of you…"

"Shhh, love," Olivia whispered, taking his hand and lacing their fingers together. "We're safe. No one can hurt us anymore." He sighed, giving her a light nod before holding Bethany closer to him, Olivia doing the same with Karl. "And Anders?"

"Hmm?"

She smiled softly at him. "The twins and I love you, too."

He smiled back at her, holding her gaze before closing his eyes, sleep settling over him. She stayed awake until she was sure he and the twins were sleeping soundly, and only then did she allow herself to descend into darkness beside them.