I don't own any of these characters (save for a few personal touches on Hawke's personality, appearance, etc), some of Anders dialogue, or most of the plot. These things belong to the wonderful world of Dragon Age by BioWare. Please review. I can't improve if I get no feedback! :)

Two weeks passed without Anders making an appearance at the Hanged Man for diamondback, wicked grace, or the routine meeting their group held. Fenris, Isabella, and Aveline didn't comment on Anders's absence, they seemed to enjoy the reprieve from the mage's forced debates on the issues of magic and the Circle. At first Kali seemed to agree with them, the gatherings took on a more jovial tone and allowed everyone to fully relax. Her eyes, however, always strayed to the doorway of Varric's quarters at every sound of someone climbing the steps or moving in the hallway, looking for a blonde head of hair and a feathered coat.

At the end of the second week Varric finally pulled Kali aside after a game of diamondback. "Hey Hawke, I need a favor," Varric pulled out a bundle of letters from his desk to hand her, "take these to the clinic when you get the chance." Kali looked down at the bundle, then back up into Varric's seemingly nonchalant expression.

Raising a groomed black eyebrow, Kali responded, "And the reason you can't take these to him yourself is..."

Varric cast a practiced glance at their group of friends drinking and preparing for the next round of cards at his table, gesturing to Kali to lean down. "I've finally got Ravaini's number. The minx is keeping an extra hand in her crotch and counting cards," Varric spoke in a hushed tone as if to avoid alerting their companions to his secret. Kali studied the group as well and barely managed to keep from giggling at the sight of a stone-faced Fenris and tipsy Isabella playing footsie under the table.

She shook her head and whispered back to Varric, "So what? Everyone knows she's a cheater." Kali straightened and cheekily grinned down at him, "We also know you're not exactly an honest player."

Varric took the playful accusation in stride, "Slanderous jealousy doesn't become your loveliness Hawke." Varric turned to his desk, grabbed a canter of Dwarven ale, and began pouring into his and Kali's clay mugs. After they both sipped at the amber liquid he spoke, "Besides, my plan is to play off fingers mcbroodypants tonight. Ravaini's easier to manipulate when she's... distracted." Kali fought to keep from snarfing her ale.

Everyone in the group decided to take mercy on the budding relationship between Isabella and Fenris, for Fenris's sake more than Isabella. It was easy to see that Fenris never had a real chance for romance during his time as a slave and the experience of whatever went on between him and his lady pirate seemed to benefit him greatly. Their loyalty, however, was put to the test when Fenris and Isabella began performing a unique form of public affection. Every now and then Fenris's hand would sneak between Isabella's legs during social gatherings, while the group struggled desperately to ignore Isabella's pitiful attempts to mask her orgasm.

Kali finished her ale and nervously looked towards Fenris and Isabella. "Good luck with that I suppose," the idea of leaving soon was more appealing than a few moments ago. Kali gathered her things and waved goodbye to the table. A chorus of farewells echoed down the stairs after her. Exiting the tavern, Kali turned towards hightown, but stopped after a few steps. The bundle of letters weighed heavy in her left hand. Kali stared at them while she fingered the runes covering her staff with her right hand, pondering her sudden hesitation to return home. "This is foolish," she murmured to herself.

"Just drop off the letters and leave," Kali turned and started for the exit to darktown. She would just drop off the bundle. She wouldn't even look at him. Kali promised herself that her eyes would stay off of his wide shoulders, his flashing blue eyes, his large hands, his mouth... Kali shook her head hard to end that traitorous line of thinking. "Just drop off the letters and leave," the words failed to convince the empty air around her.

The clinic was closed by the time Kali arrived. She tried the doors, finding both locked. Kali sighed, tucked the bundle of letters and her staff under her left arm, and pulled a hair pin from her midnight locks. Isabella was a good tutor and Kali had little trouble picking the simple lock. She knew Anders would still be up, he was a night owl like her. Her assumption was proven correct as light poured out from Anders's private room at the rear of the clinic. Kali moved inside and locked the door behind her. The clinic was surprisingly empty of patients and each cot bore signs of a recent washing.

Kali knocked politely on the doorway into Anders's room, "Anders?" Poking her head into the room Kali spotted the mage at his desk. His hair was loose and swung slightly as his head turned towards her.

Anders set down his quill and leaned back in his chair to rub his temples, "Hawke, what are you doing here?" Dark circles underlined his eyes and a smudge of black ink decorated his proud nose. Kali fought the urge to soothe away the tension from his face and giggle at the mark she was sure Anders didn't know existed. Biting her lower lip to avoid smiling, Kali leaned her staff against the wall next to his and walked over to the desk with the bundle.

"Varric asked me to drop off these letters," Kali set the bundle down on the desk. Placing a hand on her hip, Kali bent closer to peer at Anders work, "What are you working on?"

Anders ran his fingers through his hair and scratched at his scalp. Anders sighed, "What I'm always working on." He leaned away from her to grab his clay mug filled with darktown spirits off the ground next to his desk. He tossed the drink down his gullet and winced slightly at the burn it left at the back of his throat. Setting his mug back down, Anders took in Kali's appearance as she delicately picked up a page of his new draft to read.

Torchlight caused her dusky skin to soften, making the skin of her face and neck look impossibly smooth. The usually tight bun her silky black hair was tied into was sagging at the base of her skull. Tiny wisps of hair framed her round face and Anders fingers twitched to tuck them behind her ear. Her face was clean, save for the black kohl she used to line her large almond shaped gray-green eyes. She wore his favorite robe – a dark purple satin bodice stretched over her firm bosom and taunt stomach; gold thread laced tightly down her back, ending in an impossibly perfect bow above the roundness of her backside; the white skirt ended at her ankles, slightly covered by the red sash she tied over it. The robe was sleeveless, she'd cut them off herself. Anders smiled at the memory of the merchant's squawking when she'd utilized his shears to make her modification. Her willowy arms were decorated with stains from henna, elegantly scripted enchantments Kali wrote to enhance her spell work.

Anders shifted uncomfortably in his chair. His study of her brought memories of his desire-filled dreams of her. He fought the fantasy of having her long limbs wrapped around him, her eyes clouded over in lust, her voice screaming his name, her drenched sex clenching down on him as he plunged himself in and out of her molten core. A scoffing sound pulled him from his thoughts. Kali dropped the page she held back onto the desk.

"I don't know who you think is going to read this Anders, let alone be convinced by it," the smug tone of superiority made Anders jaw clench and his teeth grind. This debate was an old one between the two. Countless nights witnessed them passionately debating the topic, to the annoyance of their friends. No matter their tactics, Anders staunchly supported freeing the mages from the Circle, while Kali stayed equally convinced that mages should remain locked within it. Emotions born from past arguments rose far to quickly in the both of them.

Anders rose abruptly from his chair, "I've been trying to write down my arguments. To convince someone like you that the Circle is abusive and unjust." He snatched his mug from the ground and moved towards the pile of pillows and blankets he called a bed. The wooden crate next to it served as his personal storage, he pulled a flask of darktown spirits from it and poured another shot for himself. He tossed it back and dropped the mug and flask back into the crate, before turning back to Kali.

"You're a mage! How can you not see? Mages' gifts are granted by the Maker. How is it any man can call himself a templar and set himself above us?" Anders felt the fury of Vengeance storming in his gut as he spoke. Anders gaze narrowed as Kali crossed her arms over her chest and rolled her eyes.

His hands clenched and released repeatedly, desiring nothing more than to wring the neck of the achingly beautiful and infuriating woman in front of him.

Kali would not back down, old arguments swelled up inside her. "Because a templar could not slaughter an entire village in an instant during a fit of rage! Because average men must train for years to kill in order to come close to the violent efficacy of magic!" Anger and hate bubbled over inside of her, uncontrollably rising up her throat to spit at Anders. He just stood a few steps before her, glaring at her with clenched fists.

Taking a threatening step towards Kali, Anders cut off her next point, "And what exactly is the Writ of Annulment if not a templar doing exactly what you've just said? No novice mage could produce the destructive force it would take kill so many in such small frame of time. You buy into the lies of fear and hatred even though your father is a shining example of how wrong it all is," Kali's hand striking his cheek stopped him from continuing. The right side of his face stung as Anders turned his head slowly to face Kali once more. If he had been able to think of anything besides murder, Anders would have stood in awe of Kali's current appearance. Her dusky cheeks were flushed, her plush lips parted, her erratic breathing caused her generous chest to strain against the confines of her satin robes, and her gray-green eyes blazed with scorching fire.

"You know nothing about my father," Kali forced out every word past the bubbling in her throat. Her body moved forward until she and Anders stood toe to toe, glaring at each other with looks of pure savagery. "You think there's this perfect world underneath everything, that you're the only one intelligent enough to see it. Well it doesn't exist Anders! It can never exist. Magic," Kali cursed out the wretched word, "is where it belongs! In the Circle!"

Vengeance pounded in his head in time with the rapid heartbeat that blasted in his ears, Anders all but snarled his retort, "You're everything I hate. A mage, who turns on her own kind to serve the templars." They were so close they breathed each others air, which seemed to sear their very insides.

Kali refused to back down, not even if the ceiling collapsed on top of them would she let this man budged her an inch, "You're everything I hate. A man, who believes he knows better than anyone else, regardless of how stupid his ideals are!" It was too much. The air closed in around them and Anders exploded.

His lips crashed onto her as his arms hauled her against his solid frame. Shock held her still for the first few seconds of their embrace, but when Anders bit down on her lower lip, Kali gasped and buried her fingers in his soft blonde locks. Their tongues warred in Kali's mouth. A burst of raw power erupted between them, sending shockwaves of pure bliss through them both. Anders's groan swallowed Kali's sweet whimpers. His right hand traveled south to grip the wonderful curve of her ass. His left hand traveled north, ripping the hair tie from her head.

Kali's long wavy hair cascaded down her back, filling the air with it's perfume. They stumbled, their mouths fused together by the fire of their lust, until Kali felt her back hit a wall. She ripped her mouth from his, turning her head to stare at his desk as she struggled to breathe. Anders assaulted the delicate column of her neck, nipping and sucking at the skin. She tasted of iron from the earth, salt from her sweat, and something else he couldn't place, but knew was a flavor completely her own. Every loving bite and lick at her neck corresponded with a throb from her sex. Kali moaned, tilting her head back as far as the wall allowed and rising to her tip toes to surrender more of her flesh. Her hips rocked instinctively against the hardness Anders pressed against her. The movement drew a frustrated sound from him and he moved his attentions up her neck to her ear.

"For three years you've haunted my sleep," between his heated whispers his tongue laved the tender spot on her neck beneath her ear, "I wake aching for you." He punctuated his words with a small thrust of his hips, causing Kali to shudder with need. Delicious cries escaped her throat, fueling Anders's aggressive claiming of her skin.

Her fingers tightened on his hair, pulling his head back. Kali sank her teeth into the junction of his neck and shoulders, suckling on the wound as Anders groaned loudly and cupped her ass with both hands. Her teeth were rough against his skin. She dragged her sweet tongue up the side of his neck and captured his ear lobe in her hot mouth. Anders tried to concentrate on breathing air into his starving lungs, but what her wicked mouth turned his brain to mush. "This is madness. It can only end in ruin," Maker what she was doing to his ear was driving him insane.

Kali pulled back and kissed him desperately. Lust coursed through her veins, replacing her blood with the primal need to never part from this man. Kali felt as if her soul were on fire. Whimpering wildly she broke the kiss and begged, "Don't stop Anders. Please, don't stop." Anders moaned loudly and reclaimed her mouth. His hands began to bunch up her skirts, seeking the warm supple flesh beneath them. When his hands met the velvety skin of her thighs, Kali arched her body into his and cried out to the ceiling. Anders crouched slightly to grip her legs, then stood and hauled them around his waist. Kali's arms wrapped tightly around his shoulders, breathing his name into his neck as she rocked her barely clothed pussy against his contained cock.

"Kali!" Anders stumbled backwards towards his bed. Kali's arm stretched out to prevent him from crashing into the wall. Anders knelt on the nest of sheets and pillows and bent forwards to drop Kali onto them. He sat up between her thighs, tearing at the fasteners of his coat and pants. Kali tore at the ties to her red sash and skirt, arching her hips upward to pull the fabric from beneath her. Anders watched her erotic struggles as he shrugged out of his coat and pulled his shirt over his head. Kali wasn't human anymore. She was some demon or goddess come to torment him and he would gladly worship every inch of her before he claimed her as his own.

Kali managed to toss the yards of white and red fabric away before Anders was on her once more. He braced his body on his forearms and nudged his nose against her chin to tilt her head back. One side of Kali's neck was already starting to bruise from his previous efforts, but the other side was unmarred. Anders vowed to rectify that. Kali writhed under him as bolts of pleasure shot from her abused neck to her core. Her hands eagerly traced the hard lines of Anders's chest. Kali loved how his muscles quivered as her hands passed over them, she rubbed her hands around his sides to clutch at his shoulders.

"Top off," Anders growled against her mouth. Kali tightened her grip on his shoulders and plundered his mouth. Anders slipped and arm below her and rolled them so she straddled his hips. Kali sat up, flipped her long dark hair to one side, stared directly into Anders's desire-filled eyes, and raked her blunt nails down his broad chest. Anders threw his head back and hissed through his teeth at the pain. Kali immediately began kissing and licking the angry red welts she created, making Anders thread his fingers through her hair to cradle her head and moan her name. Once every welt was throughly soothed with her tongue, Kali tormented his nipples.

The sounds she dragged from Anders made her wet. She stared up at his face as she tested her teeth on the hardened bud. Every gasp, whimper, and shuddering exhale drove her on to discover more ways to torture him. Kali kissed her way to the center of his chest and used her hair to softly caress his abused skin.

Anders could not tear his eyes away from this breath-stealing creature as she flipped her hair backwards and leaned up. Her lips were swollen from their rough kisses and her neck... sweet Maker her was completely savaged by the markings he caused. Anders settled his hands on the fullness of her hips and ground his cock into her wet heat. "Anders," Kali's eyelashes fluttered with pleasure as she breathed his name. He felt her hands moving behind her and knew she was undoing the laces that held her bodice together. Anders thrusted upwards with a teasing rhythm, using his hands to angle and move Kali's hips. Kali, knowing Anders watched her every move, smiled wickedly down at him and curled her fingers around the bottom of her bodice. She slowly peeled the bodice up over her head; revealing the divine flatness of her stomach, the subtle bumps of her ribs, and the fullness of her breasts.

Anders felt the air rush out of him as he spotted the undersides of Kali's breasts, she wore no breast band. Acting swiftly, Anders flipped them over before Kali could fully remove the bodice. Anders took a breath to view Kali as he held himself above her. Her arms were trapped next to her head, her eyes masked by the bodice's fabric. Anders kissed her deeply, his tongue mimicking the actions his cock begged to make. Kali whimpered and struggled to finish removing the garment, but his hands gripped her elbows to stop her. Anders chuckled darkly. Kali arched her back, bringing her breasts in contact with Anders's chest. Both of them moaned at the blissful sensation and Anders scooted down her body to worship her breasts.

They filled his hands. Anders couldn't help kneading them gently. His thumbs rubbed her soft nipples until they formed painfully hard peaks. When his hot mouth finally closed over one of them, Kali cried out and finished ripping the bodice off her head. Her fingers gripped his head and she begged loudly, "More Anders." He bit down hard on the tender nub and sweetly suckled the pain away. He gave the same treatment to her other nipple, alternating biting down on it and flicking it with his tongue.

Pressure build inside of Kali, growing with every flick of Anders's tongue or sharp nip. This needed to end, Kali needed so much more from Anders. Using all her strength, Kali tugged Anders's head back up to kiss him with every fiber of her being. Breaking the kiss, Kali cupped Anders face and stared deeply into his eyes, "Please take me Anders." Anders broke from her grasp, frantically shedding his boots, pants, and small clothes. Kali eased her own small clothes off. Her fingers played over her swollen clit and toyed with one of her aching nipples while she watched Anders finish disrobing.

Anders's cock twitched at the sight of Kali pleasing herself and the look of pure want she gave him as she took in his naked form. He moved between her legs, grabbing the hand she used on her own clit to suck the juices from her fingers. He positioned himself at her opening, gently thrusting at her entrance but not breaching it. He looked down at Kali to find her staring right at him, "Kali, are you ready?" At her urgent nod, Anders slammed inside her with a brutal thrust.

An inferno gripped his cock, tightly pulsating and massaging him. Anders lay himself over Kali, his elbows taking the brunt of his weight. Kali's eyes were closed. Her breathing erratic. Anders rained kisses over her face, neck, and ears. He whispered to her sweet confessions of how beautiful she was and how it felt to be inside her. Kali captured his lips with her own and rocked her hips to signal that she was fine.

Anders thrusted gently, as if trying to apologize for the primal way he entered her. Kali would have none of it. She wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his shoulders. Her lips found his ear, "Harder." Anders pressed his face into the curve of her neck and snapped his hips more and more sharply.

The clinic filled with the sounds of flesh slapping against flesh and moaning. Kali was in heaven. Every time Anders cock plunged into her it met with her cervix, causing tiny explosions of light to appear in Kali's sight. "Anders. Anders. Anders. Yes. Please," she sobbed. Each thrust drove his name from her lips. The pressure inside her was at the breaking point. She was a wild thing; thrashing, writhing, and screaming in pleasure. It had to stop, she had to find her release.

Anders, sensing that his own release was fast approaching, thrusted harder and faster into her drenched sex. Anders growled into her ear, "Come for me." The air closed in around them and Kali exploded. Throwing her head back, Kali screamed Anders's name as her orgasm fried every nerve ending in her body. Anders reached his own release a few seconds later, biting down on her neck to muffle his own cries.

They lay there, intimately joined, until their spirits rejoined their flesh. Neither one possessed the strength to move, so they stayed holding each other – terrified of what the next few moments might bring.

Please Review!