He stopped after his fifth drink, but only because it wasn't helping. He had to go see the Arishok tomorrow, and if he couldn't get blind drunk, then what was the point in drinking? Isabela seemed to have no such qualms, and while he could admit that his vision was a little blurry, he doubted the way she swayed on her feet was due to his eyes.

He had to admit, however, that she was either an extremely functional drunk, or could hold her liquor better than he.

"Come on handsome, I should help you get home," he heard, and turning, looked into Isabela's eyes… all four of them?

"Ugh… Arishok… don't want to…" Hawke mumbled, which had Isabela making a tsk noise at him.

"Well, that's what you get for being so responsible all the time," she said, pulling up on his arm, and placing it around her shoulders. He grabbed at his mug, downing the contents before she could, and then allowing her to help him stand.

"How are you sweet thing?" she asked, and it took him a few moments to realize she was speaking to him.

"Feel awful," he replied, his head hanging down, and wincing as she laughed.

"From the drink, or the day?" she asked.

"Yes," he replied, and glowered at her when she laughed again. Soon they were out of the tavern, and she started leading him away. Once he finally caught on as to where she was headed, he pulled them to a stop.

"No," he said. "Mother can't see me… like this. I'll… uh, stay with Varric."

Isabela cocked an eyebrow at him. "I know a lie when I hear one. You asked me to stop you before you were drunk, and I did. Taking you back to the Hanged Man would be breaking my word."

"I forgive you, now take me back."

"Sorry handsome, but I guess you can crash at my place tonight."

He stared at her, aghast. "But… Cat… no, I need to apologize, but not like this!" he wailed dramatically, and Isabela thought he would be a very entertaining drunk.

"Kitty's not home," she said as she led him to the shack. "She's staying with Fenris."

"How do you know?" he asked.

"She usually does," she answered, and bit her lip so as not to laugh at his thunderous expression.

She opened the door and led him inside, helping him over to Cat's bed, and unceremoniously dumped him on it. She moved to step away, but his hand grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"Everyone is mad at me," Hawke pouted, closing his eyes.

Isabela wasn't the comforting type, usually she was the distracting-from-problems type, and was somewhat at a loss. "Yep."

He frowned and opened his eyes to look up at her. "You're still mad at me?" he asked.

"Yep."

"Then… then why are you helping me?" he asked, sitting up with a wince.

"Knowing Kitty… and I do… I know you hurt her feelings. She'll forgive you, in fact she probably already has," she said, as his face lit up. "But, she won't trust you like she did, not with her feelings. And those of us who care about her, don't like to see her upset, you know how it is…" she explained.

"So… then what do I do?" he asked seriously. "I want to apologize, obviously, but what else can I do?"

"What exactly are you wanting here, Hawke?" she suddenly demanded. "I mean, we're all aware you'd like to have Kitty under you and screaming your name," she said, keeping a straight face at his snarl, "but besides that?"

"Don't say that," he muttered. "I may not know what I want in the future, but she deserves better than that," he admonished her.

"Yeah, she does," she replied glaring right back at him, until he looked away. "She's not like me," she continued. "She doesn't separate sex and love, so you'd do well to understand and get used to it."

"Now," she said as she headed over to her own bed, pulling out several daggers that had him wondering how she managed to find places to hide them. "I'm going to bed."

Hawke awoke with the sun, groaning as he laid there. The night had been torturous, trying to sleep while his brain ran over everything that had happened the previous evening. Then, when he finally curled up to sleep, he smelled Cat on the pillow, and had his mind awaken to the thoughts all over again. Now with very little sleep, and a thrumming headache, he tried to face the day.

At the same time, Cat walked slowly towards home. She too, had been unsuccessful in her attempts to sleep, her mind replaying all the events that had somehow led her to where she was. She smiled humorlessly as she recalled the times that she had found herself in Hawke's arms, and berated herself for not putting the pieces together sooner.

Obviously, the man would be wanting more at some point, she told herself. A few heated moments and some almost kisses were only going to make him want more, not less.

She walked slowly, giving herself time to think. Fenris was understanding, but didn't give any helpful advice. She wanted to talk to Issy about it, but worried that she already knew what she would say. This time, she couldn't use lack of attraction as an excuse either.

She was at a loss, as this was an entirely new experience for her. With Zev, the attraction hit her at the first instant, and though the moment had passed, she would always appreciate his looks. With Steven, it had been much the same, and his attention had flattered her. They had moved so quickly in their romance that she had never had the chance to stop and think until after they were already married.

Hawke, however, had seemingly snuck up on her. True, she had always found him appealing, that much she could admit- to herself anyway. Knowing that Issy was interested, had her closing off that part of herself, only now to find that he had thrown the door wide open again.

I'm going in circles… she thought. Looking up, she smiled at the irony of finding herself heading the wrong direction. Emotionally, and literally it seems.

"Isabela, I need help here…"

She turned and set the bowl of water in front of him, handing him a washcloth as well. "I don't know what you're expecting from me Hawke," she replied, turning back to the small closet.

He glanced down at the water, and pulling off his tunic, started cleaning himself up for the day. "I don't know how to proceed here," he finally said. "I think we can both agree that just saying what I want isn't the right choice."

She smirked as she changed, and went back to her bed, and sat down. "Last night, you said you didn't know what you wanted. Perhaps finding that out is the first step."

He looked thoughtful as he leaned over and splashed water onto his face and hair. "I know that I want her…" he said as he rose up, using the cloth to wipe the water from himself. "And I was fairly sure she wanted me. Obviously, I was wrong."

She simply shrugged in response. Cat wasn't coy, and didn't string men along. If he thought she wanted him, it was most likely that she did- a part of her anyway.

Hawke sighed. "I thought, that perhaps it had simply been too long since I was with a woman… but…"

Isabela looked at him shrewdly, but he didn't turn to her. She stood and went to him, looking up into his eyes. "If that's what you're wanting, my offer still stands. You and I can have a good time, without feelings getting in the way, and everything goes back to normal."

He glanced at her, surprised to find she was completely serious. He didn't understand how she could offer, with everything that had happened with Cat. She was being honest with him, and in that moment, he decided to be honest with her.

"I'd be a fool to not be tempted," he said slowly. "I have considered it many times since you first offered…"

She questioned him with a look, but waited for him to continue. He reached a hand up, running a finger down her cheek.

"No matter how I looked at it, logically, it was the perfect choice." They focused on each other, trying to see what the other was thinking, and neither noticed the movement of the door closing.

"But?" she asked after another long pause.

He looked down, and when his eyes returned to hers, she could see the apology in them. "But,,, you're not her."

He winced as he spoke, and Isabela had trouble hiding her smirk. He must have thought he hurt my feelings, but no, not me. Would he be fun in bed? I'd put money on yes, and if Kitty ever finds out, then lucky her.

"Then, you only have one option," she said, her mind made up.

"And that is?" he asked, confused.

"Be her friend."

He frowned, expecting something different. "So I be just like all the others? Fenris, Anders, Cullen, Sebastian? That doesn't make any sense."

"Hawke, it's fairly obvious that you could seduce the pants right off her if you tried, and while she is oblivious most of the time, she is now aware of this fact, which puts you at a disadvantage. And being that I'm still mad at you about yesterday, I'm not going to spell it out for you."

"What?" he asked in dismay.

"However, since you've passed my tests, I also won't… what's the phrase Kitty uses… cock block? Yes, I won't cock block you."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he answered in confusion. "And what do you mean tests?!"

"I'm responsible for protecting her," she replied. "I wouldn't let you get this far if I thought you were just trying to get any woman into bed." She grinned at him. "You have no idea how many men I've had to sleep with to keep them away from her."

Hawke looked stunned for a moment, before throwing back his head and laughing. "Oh, I believe it," he answered between laughs. "I don't know whether to yell or thank you."

"Neither," she replied. "It's for her, not you."

"Right."

"You better get going," she said, stepping towards her weapons and beginning to outfit herself. "You'll want to go home and change before meeting with everyone."

"I do, yes." He stepped towards the door, grabbing his staff from where it was leaning against the wall. "Isabela…" he started, turning back to her.

"I know," she said with a smirk. "One more piece of advice?" she offered, and he nodded. "Kitty is always genuine. She doesn't know how to act coy or innocent. Remember that."

Fenris was brought out of his book as he heard the door slam. He marked his place and headed out into the hall, seeing Cat run into her room just as he exited his own. He walked over and looked in, seeing her flopped onto the bed, her face turned away from him.

"Cat?" he asked.

"Go away," he heard her say, though it was muffled from the pillow.

"Are you all right?"

"No," came the reply.

"What can I do?" he asked, wanting to walk over and pull her up to look at him. It was much harder to see what she was really thinking when he couldn't see her face, but privacy was something he valued dearly, and he wouldn't enter her room without an invitation. The fact that she left the door open was the only reason he was talking now.

He waited for another few moments, and was about to turn away when she sat up, and looked at him. He could see the tear tracks on her face, and his eyebrow rose in question, but he didn't voice it.

"I need to find another place to live," she said quietly. "Now. I can't go back there." She didn't elaborate, and he respected her too much to push any harder. He would be here when she was ready.

"Cat… why do you insist on living somewhere else? I have offered many times for you to just stay here."

"I can't just barge into your home and make it my own," she said with a frown.

"Is that the concern?" he asked with a smirk. "It is far too late for that."

She looked up seeing he was still standing in the doorway, and she gestured with her hand for him to come in. She moved over to give him a place to sit, and once he had, she looked at him in dismay.

"You already think I took over your house? If you didn't like the changes, you should have told me," she complained, feeling awful.

"I didn't tell you, because I liked them," he replied. "I like that you made this place an actual home instead of a decrepit mansion I was staying in. And… I like it when you are here. Why find another place, when you have already made this one? There is more than enough room for the both of us."

"But, what if you get annoyed with me, always being here?" she asked.

"You are my friend, that would not happen," he said, and she rolled her eyes. "But, on the off chance it did, there are many rooms that I could easily hide from you in," he added.

Cat smiled in spite of herself. "You really want me to stay?" she asked. He placed a hand on her shoulder and nodded. "You can change your mind at any time," she said, "for any reason, and I won't be upset."

"Very well," he replied. "Though I do not see that happening. Now, I need to head out to meet up with Hawke. Are you staying here, or are you coming?"

"Coming," she replied. "I need to speak to Corff about a long term room for Issy."

"Very well," he said again, and she smiled at him. "Perhaps, you should wash your face first, though." She rolled her eyes behind his back as he walked out of her room. "I saw that," he said, not looking back, and she shut the door behind him with a laugh.

Coming into the Hanged Man, Cat felt slightly nervous. She had Fenris with her, which helped, but everything that happened yesterday was still fresh in her mind, and after hearing Hawke and Isabela at their home this morning, she felt like a huge idiot.

The best thing she could do, she thought,is pretend that nothing happened, and not cause problems for Issy. It was all for the best after all, and I'm even glad that Hawke and Issy were able to work things out, though not as happy as I should be for some reason. Eventually, however, we'll all be able to laugh about this, and Hawke and Issy are on their way to an epic romance.

Cat followed Fenris over to where Varric was sitting, joining him for breakfast. It wasn't long before the others trickled in to join them, each of them apologizing and asking if she was all right, to which she would smile and nod, and ask that they all just forget it ever happened.

It was as if everything was back to normal, until Hawke came in. The table was quiet, and Cat could see the confusion on Aveline's face as she looked around at their companions. When Hawke came towards Cat, both Fenris and Anders stood to block him.

"Look, I only want to speak to Cat, and apologize for yesterday," he said calmly. They looked ready to refuse, but Cat just stood and agreed.

"Cat, you don't have to do this," Anders said quietly.

"Yes, I do," she replied. "We're friends, and we hear each other out. I appreciate what you are trying to do," she said, including everyone as she spoke louder, "All of you, but I'm not going to let this ruin what we all have." With that said, she walked over to Hawke and followed him to a corner of the room.

Anders sighed as he sat back down. "What was that all about?" Aveline asked.

"Hawke, may have said some things to Cat yesterday," Merrill explained tactfully. "Apparently there was a misunderstanding about her previous job at the Rose? And Hawke was trying to let Cat know that he liked her in spite of all those things she used to do, but she wasn't actually doing, because she didn't do what he thought she used to do."

Aveline brought her hand to cover her face as she shook her head. "Hawke, you didn't…" she murmured.

"It made for quite the interesting evening," Varric added, considering we were all in the same room."

"What?" Aveline asked, surprised. "He really has the worst timing, doesn't he?" she asked.

"Up until that point, it was very romantic," Merrill sighed. "He came running through that storm yesterday, knowing that Cat was afraid of storms, just to be with her, and keep her from panicking. And what you told us, about the talk with his Mum, we all thought he was ready to start courting her."

"So did I," Aveline replied. "So now what?"

"Cat's intention seems to be forgiveness," Fenris spoke, though his gaze didn't stray from the two speaking away from them. "She doesn't blame him for his assumptions, in fact, she says it was her fault for not ensuring he knew the truth."

"Which is ridiculous," Anders continued sourly. "Even if he thought it, saying it was the greater crime."

"I'm surprised that he doesn't have any wounds from the pirate," Aveline said.

"I'm sure she laid into him when she helped him home yesterday," Varric said, "though she too seemed to feel bad for him. She helped him get plenty of drinks before leaving, though now that I think of it, could have been a way of getting revenge."

They stopped their conversation as Hawke and Cat returned, both smiling. "Everyone?" Cat said, though she already had their attention. "Hawke was telling me how you all stood up for me yesterday, and told him the truth. I am sorry that this misunderstanding happened, but I wanted to thank you, for your friendship, and your care on my behalf."

They all shrugged it off, knowing that would do so again, if needed, or for any of their friends. "Also," she continued. "Hawke and I have apologized and agreed to forget the entire thing. So I want all of you to do the same," she said. "No hard feelings, all right? We're all friends, aren't we?" she added.

She looked around the table as they all nodded and smiled at her. "Good. Well, good luck with the Arishok today," she said. "I'll see you all later."

Hawke paused momentarily after she left, but seeing no anger, he took her place at the table. "Before we forget it," he started. "I wanted to say, how sorry I am. I was actually trying to tell her how much I liked her in spite of what she had been forced to do to make ends meet, and well, it came out wrong."

Varric was the first to smirk. "If that's what happens when you are trying to be diplomatic, perhaps we should have Broody or Aveline do the talking with the Arishok, or who knows what you might say."

There was a pause, before Hawke's grim face broke, and he chuckled, which set off everyone else. They all laughed heartily at the joke, and the tension was quickly dissipated.

"So, Cat forgave you, Hawke?" Merrill asked innocently. "I'm glad you two have another chance." Several of the party stiffened, including Hawke. He turned to Merrill with a smile.

"I don't know about that, Merrill," he said. "We've decided to just be friends."

"Oh," she said dejectedly. "That's… too bad."

"It is for the best," Fenris replied, though he wasn't certain as he took in the look on Hawke's face.

Over the next week, Cat kept her feelings bottled up until she was ready to explode. She even wrote to Leliana, venting most of her aggravation and hurt feelings, and then tore the letter up before she could send it.

She had meant what she said to Hawke, she wanted to forget the whole incident had ever happened, and she wanted to be friends with him. However, she was having a hard time letting go of the fact that he had gone home that same night with Isabela, and had so quickly found a different woman that would give him what he was really seeking.

She also wanted to talk to Isabela about it all, but could never seem to pin her down, and felt that she was being avoided, which just made things worse. She knew her imagination was worse than anything that could have actually happened, but she didn't have anything else to fall back on. She knew better than to talk to any of her other friends about it, as they would either tell her that she was the one who asked them to let it go, or get mad at Hawke again. So she suffered in silence.

Cat shook herself from her thoughts as she glanced around. She could have sworn she heard voices. She stood from her bed, and went out into the hallway. She moved over to Fenris' room, and peeking inside the open door, she saw Hawke sitting with his back to her, speaking to Fenris. She quickly pulled back, not wanting to interrupt them, and started away when she heard Fenris ask Hawke about how he could start over.

"It seems you've got a good start already," Hawke said with a chuckle. "A home, a woman…"

Fenris chuckled, just as Cat was ready to argue, but she stayed silent to hear his answer. "Cat is not my woman," he replied. "She's more like family."

She smiled to herself, and decided to leave before she became too much of an eavesdropper.

"What of your family before?" Hawke asked Fenris. "Are they gone?"

"I… am not certain. The earliest memory I have, is when I was given these markings," he glanced down at his arm. "The agony of it wiped everything else away. Any family I had, I no longer remember."

Hawke's face registered his surprise. "That's… terrible. So, you don't remember even who you are?"

"Fenris was the name Danarius bestowed on me… his "little wolf". Anything before that, is gone."

"I am sorry."

Fenris looked uncomfortable, speaking of this. "I don't mean to trouble you. These are my problems, not yours."

"Fenris, you are my friend. Your problems are my problems."

"Unlucky you." He stood with a sigh. "But enough of this, I am certain you are busy."

"Very well," Hawke agreed, not wanting to push. "Tomorrow, we are helping Sebastian. We're meeting in front of the chantry at mid-day."

"Should I tell Cat?" Fenris asked, and seeing Hawke's hesitation, bristled. "You want your friends, do you not?"

"Of course," Hawke agreed quickly. "Please let her know."

Hawke thought about it, on his walk from Hightown to Darktown, and was nowhere closer to any sort of answer than he was before. He walked into the clinic, seeing that there were no patients at that time, and was glad for it.

"Hawke, what a nice surprise,"Anders greeted him. Olivia glanced over, and gave him a frown. No matter what Cat had said, Olivia was not forgiving him any time soon.

"What's wrong?" Hawke asked, seeing the tension on their faces.

"Templars were checking the refugee camps earlier," Anders said quietly. "It's only a matter of time before they find us."

"All of the raids and curfews, and hiding out just to avoid being made tranquil!" Olivia added. "It's ridiculous how far the knight commander is allowed to go!"

Hawke looked back at Anders, "Is it making things difficult? With Justice, I mean."

Anders sighed heavily. "There is no concept of time in the fade, so it is nearly impossible to convince him to wait and be patient."

"Not that you were patient to begin with," Olivia said.

"True," he said with a wry smile. "But, I fear what my anger has made of my friend."

"You chose to merge with him," Hawke said kindly. "Only you can make it work."

"I am trying, but this cannot last. One day, everyone in Thedas will have to choose a side."

Hawke's eyes narrowed. "And, if they are not on your side? What then?" he asked. "They are many, including some of our own, that do not mistreat mages."

"Who knows what the future will bring?" Anders asked, and Hawke thought he had a very odd look on his face. "Anyway, did you just come to check up on us?" he asked.

"And to tell you that we are helping Sebastian tomorrow at mid-day if you can make it."

"I will see what I can do," Anders replied, looking to Olivia who shrugged.

"And…" Hawke said, though he didn't continue.

"Yes?" Anders asked.

"It's… Cat. I am not sure what to do."

"So you are done avoiding her then?" Anders asked with a roll of his eyes.

"I was trying to give her space," Hawke defended.

"Hmph," Olivia grunted, frowning at Hawke again.

"Look, I know I screwed up, okay?" he whirled on her. "I know, and you can hate me all you want, but I'm trying to make it better, and it isn't working!"

Olivia looked shocked, and then looked away, a slight blush on her face. Hawke turned to Anders, "please, I need some help here."

"Anders said you had agreed to be friends," Olivia spoke up, and both men turned to her.

"Yes, that is what she wanted, and I agreed to it," Hawke replied.

"And? How is that going?" she asked.

"Wha- ?" Hawke asked, frustrated. He turned back to Anders, to see him contemplating her words.

"I agree," Anders said finally. "You agreed to be friends, but neither of you are doing so, and it makes it awkward whenever the two of you are together."

"You don't think that's because of the stupid things I said, or the fight we had?" Hawke asked dubiously.

"We have all said stupid things to each other, and there have been many fights, and yet, we are all still friends," Anders pointed out. "I think in order to fix this, you and Cat need to make a greater effort to be friends."

"A greater effort?" Hawke asked in disbelief. "I don't… ugh," he groaned. "Look, I'm trying to get her out of my head. You really think spending more time together would be good?!"

Anders and Olivia both smirked at him, and Hawke crossed his arms in annoyance. "Perhaps not more time, but quality time," Anders said.

"Yes, find out more about her, tell her more about yourself. You'd be surprised how quickly friendship will come, especially since you both share mutual friends." Olivia reached over to pat Anders' arm. "Anders can help with conversations, it doesn't have to be just the two of you."

"That's true," he added with a smile. "We will all help. We all want the awkwardness to go away, after all."

"Okay… if you're… sure." Hawke wasn't convinced, but thought he would ask Varric to help as well. If anyone could start conversations, it was him. "Fenris is bringing her along tomorrow, so we can start then."