Author's Note: Heartfelt thanks to Wintryone for assisting in the rewrite of this story.

She watched from behind the crate as the Templars brought him in. His blond hair was a mess, his robes tattered and torn, his face filthy and revealing an expression of defeat. A Templar on each side held fast to his arms, while his feet dragged behind him along the floor, as if he didn't have the strength to walk himself. They took him toward the basement, where she knew the cells were, and she watched until the two large doors closed and blocked them from her sight.

Sighing, she stood up and turned toward the hall, when out of nowhere, a robed man suddenly towered over her. "What is it you're doing young apprentice?"

She staggered slightly backwards. "Nothing First Enchanter. I'm sorry, Sir. I…"

"Wanted to see the fugitive?" he asked her.

"Yes," she said quietly, lowering her head in shame.

"Let's get you back to your room," he said with a sigh, as he took her hand.

They walked down the hall soundlessly. She knew she was in trouble, and she feared what would come next. The minutes ticked by, and still he said nothing - his silence was torturous.

She had spent years with this man, learning from him, training with him, and as silly as it sounded in her head, he was like a father to her. She had been torn from her family at a very young age, only days after she had shown her first signs of magic, and brought here, to the Circle Tower of Lake Calenhad. She remembered little of her real father now that she was older, but the graying man beside her had long ago replaced him in her heart.

First Enchanter Irving was guardian to all of the mages, but he'd always shown a special interest in Elaine Amell. She was the last apprentice he'd taken under his wing fifteen years ago, and had been her mentor throughout her life in the Circle. He was always kind to her, yet stern in his discipline. Now that she'd been caught breaking the rules again, she felt the disappointment radiating from him.

When they entered her room, she sat on her bed, while Irving retrieved the chair from her desk. He placed it before her and sat down. "Elaine, haven't we talked about the way you sneak around the Tower just last week?"

"I'm sorry First Enchanter. I know it was wrong." She did her best to sound contrite.

He sighed. "And yet you did it anyway, so close to your Harrowing. Had the Templars spotted you sneaking around, they may have suspected something more heinous, and this would be a very different conversation."

Elaine laid back on her bed. "Don't you ever get bored? Stuck in this Tower, unable to go outside even to stick your feet in the lake? The recapture of that fugitive was the most exciting thing that's happened since someone stole all the underclothes from the laundry."

The First Enchanter chuckled at her explanation, knowing he never could remain upset with her for long. Irving had helped raise the young woman before him, and thought fondly of her. Keeping her out of trouble had become a tiresome chore, even though he did enjoy her curiosity. Elaine reminded him of himself, in much much earlier years.

Now, however, it was his duty to make her understand just how risky her actions had become. "Until you prove yourself tomorrow child, you need to lay low and stay under the Templar's radar. I know you're friends with some of them, but they still have a job to do, and they will do it above all else."

Elaine rolled onto her side to look at him. "Can you tell me about him? The fugitive?"

"Will it keep you in this room tonight?" he asked, hoping that satisfying at least some of her curiosity would gain her cooperation.

She sat up and nodded in agreement, excited to hear his story.

The First Enchanter smiled at her enthusiasm for the dramatic, and sat back in his chair while running his hand through his bushy gray beard. "His name is Anders. He is very much like you, when I think about it. Easy tempered, quite humorous. He's been with us awhile, and like yourself, was raised here in the Tower. A bit reckless too, acts before thinking things through. I may have lost count, but I think this was his sixth attempt to escape."

"Why does he keep running away?" Elaine asked.

"Oh, I don't know," the old man said. "Perhaps he too is bored. But as you see he is always found."

Elaine avoided his gaze. "Are they going to punish him?"

He nodded. "I believe for this attempt he'll be placed in solitary confinement, as they cannot seem to trust him with any freedoms at all."

She let out a sigh of relief. "I was afraid they'd make him Tranquil."

"Why would you think that?"

Elaine studied his eyes, searching for truth in their brown depths. "Isn't that what they do with the bad mages?"

"Not at all," he said sternly. "Tranquility is not a form of punishment. Where did you hear this?"

"No one will tell us about it," she said simply. "It's a rumor, I guess."

"I can explain it to you tomorrow, after your Harrowing," he stated.

"What is going to happen tomorrow?" she asked, her trepidation obvious.

Irving stood. "I'm afraid I can't tell you anymore than you already know. Sleep my dear, I will see you in the morning." He bent down to kiss her forehead.

Elaine watched him go and repositioned herself on her back. She gazed at the ceiling, idly counting the bricks as she'd done so many times before. By the time she reached fifty-four, she was bored again.

Despite her efforts, her thoughts continued to wander to the prisoner in the basement.

._.~`~._.*~*~*._.~`~._.

Having little else to do in a building she couldn't leave, Elaine found other ways to keep herself occupied. For years she'd make up things to do in order to stave off the constant boredom, and tonight one of those things would come in handy.

Templar watch rotation was easy to memorize; sit behind some crates long enough, and it was easy to find out who would be where, at what time, and for how long. She also knew that at this late hour, the Templar who stood watch near the basement entrance would be sound asleep, having stuffed himself with too much food after a midnight visit to the kitchen.

Elaine made her way past him easily, then carefully opened the basement door and slipped inside. Her soft footsteps on the cold stone floor made no sound as she went down the stairs and around the corner. A large door blocked her progress; she tried, but failed to open it. Down the hall to the right, and followed by a quick left, led Elaine to her goal.

A row of cells lined the wall, all empty except for the last one. The fugitive lay sleeping on the bed inside, at least she guessed he was asleep, from his slow breathing. She studied his appearance from the other side of the cell door.

He seemed to have cleaned up a bit. His sandy blond hair was long, and tied in a ponytail at his nape. He had a light dusting of stubble on his face, cheekbones were fairly high, and his chin small. The only noticeable difference between him and all the other male mages was a golden earring pierced through his right earlobe.

"Are you going to keep staring at me?" he asked with his eyes closed.

Elaine jumped back, startled. "You could've just said hi ya know," she told him defiantly.

"What, and ruin the fun of you drooling at my charming good looks? Where's the excitement in that?" He sat up on his bed and looked at her. "Well, come closer and visit the animal in the cage, if you want."

"That's not why I'm here," she said.

"Oh? Then why are you?" She couldn't think of a good explanation, and he began laughing at her. "You get lost on your way to Denerim?"

"Ugh," Elaine said, frustrated by his mocking tone.

She began to walk away when he called to her. "Oh come on now, I was only teasing. Stay for a bit? It's pretty lonely down here. I've no one to talk to except Mr. Wiggums."

"Who?"

"The cat," he said as if it were obvious. "Certainly you've seen the tabby cat prowling around the Tower? He keeps me company whenever I'm locked up."

Elaine shook her head. "No, sorry, never seen a cat."

"He'll show up eventually," Anders said with certainty. "So, mind telling me who you are? I haven't seen you in the mage quarters. I would've remembered you."

"My name's Elaine. I'm still an apprentice, well, until tomorrow."

"Well that explains it. I am Anders, mage and often wanted apostate. Welcome to my humble home." He spread his arms wide, indicating the cell. "For the next little while it seems."

She moved closer to the cell door. "They can really keep you locked up down here forever?"

"It appears so. Big day tomorrow, and you're down here with me?"

"I can't sleep," she said, and lowered herself to the floor. "So much pressure and studying and training for…oh wait, that's right, they don't tell you what the Harrowing actually is."

"I could tell you," Anders said smugly.

"Will you?"

"No, just said that I could, if I really wanted to." He smiled at her.

Elaine growled. "You are impossibly annoying."

"Oh you love it. Or at least, you don't know any better. The Harrowing isn't that big a deal. You'll be fine, I have a feeling."

"Yes, but what is it?" she asked, frustrated.

Anders' smile grew wider. "You are a little spitfire, aren't you? I'm sorry, I just can't tell you."

"You will run away from here over and over again, but you won't tell some stupid secret about the Harrowing?"

"Hey, I have morals you know. Besides, I think you'll enjoy it more if you're surprised. And afterwards we can have some fun."

"No we can't," she said frowning. "After tomorrow I'll be in the mage's quarters. I can't come down here as easily from there as I can from the apprentice wing."

Anders smiled mischievously. "If I promise you that I'll see you tomorrow without you having to come find me, you have to promise me that you won't tell anyone you've spoken to me."

Elaine stood up and rolled her eyes. "Sure, why not? Cause no way can you keep up your end."

"Oh, I can keep it up," he said, laughing.

She understood his joke and blushed, before turning to leave. "Night Anders, see you next year."

She could still hear him laughing as she exited the basement.

._.~`~._.*~*~*._.~`~._.

"Magic exists to serve man, and never to rule over him," Knight-Commander Greagoir began. "Thus spoke the prophet Andraste as she cast down the Tevinter Imperium, ruled by mages who had brought the world to the edge of ruin." Elaine looked around the Harrowing Chamber apprehensively at the five Templars, including her friend Cullen, who were here with the Knight-Commander and the First Enchanter. If she hadn't been nervous last night or this morning when she awoke, she certainly was nervous now.

Greagoir continued. "Your magic is a gift, but it is also a curse - for demons of the dream realm, the Fade, are drawn to you, and seek to use you as a gateway into this world."

Irving spoke next. "This is why the Harrowing exists. The ritual sends you into the Fade, and there you will face a demon, armed with only your will."

She dared to ask, "What happens if I cannot defeat the demon?"

Greagoir responded gruffly. "It will turn you into an abomination, and the Templars will be forced to slay you."

"Heh," she said nervously. "Is that all?"

"The Harrowing is a secret out of necessity, child," Irving told her. "Every mage must go through this trial. As we succeeded, so shall you. Keep your wits about you and remember the Fade is a realm of dreams. The spirits may rule it, but it is your own will that is real."

The Knight-Commander interrupted him. "The apprentice must go through this test alone, First Enchanter." Then Greagoir peered down at her. "You are ready," he reassured her.

She placed her hand near the pedestal of lyrium, and seconds later found herself within the Fade.

The Harrowing lived up to its name - twists and turns of spirits and demons, tricks of the mind and heart. What she at first thought was simply a lost mage turned out to be the true test, after she met a Spirit of Valor, a Spirit of Rage, and several demons. When she awoke, she was told not to discuss her experience with anyone, so Elaine couldn't be sure if it was a test set up by Irving and Greagoir that everyone goes through, or if each mage had their own unique encounter with demons. To think they'd freely allow an apprentice to enter the Fade and face unknown horrors... it was a frightening thought. What if some faced more than a few demons? How was this a fair trial of ones abilities? And what did that spirit mean when he'd said, 'True tests never end.'

Elaine pondered all of this as she packed her things. For one who had lived in the Tower for so long, she was surprised at how little she had accumulated. Of course, with no access to the outside, she reasoned, it was impossible to acquire anything of her own. Everything she stuffed into her pack was Tower issue: clothes, sheets, blankets, pillows, and a few books.

The more she thought on it, the more she understood why Anders kept trying to escape. He was already a full mage, free and clear of his Harrowing. What would come after that? When you've studied and passed, then what? More training? What for? To grow old like Irving and eventually die in this place? She suddenly realized how small the Tower felt around her, and dared, for a moment, to think of a life outside the Circle.

As Elaine made her way to her new room, the mages she encountered all seemed to be whispering. At first she thought it was her, some sort of odd, welcoming initiation as they talked about her behind her back. But as she strolled through the library, she was able to pick up a conversation on the other side of the bookshelves. Apparently there was a Grey Warden in the Tower seeking new recruits for some war in the south. Was it coincidence, she wondered, that she had just been imagining a way out of this prison, and one had presented itself? She decided she would search out the Warden after a much needed nap.

._.~`~._.*~*~*._.~`~._.

"Mrow?"

Elaine bolted upright from the noise in her ear, startling the cat and the man who held him. "Be careful, you're scaring Mr. Wiggums!"

"Anders?" She attempted to erase him from her sight by rubbing her eyes, convinced that she was still asleep.

"Shhh, not so loud if you please. I told you Mr. Wiggums was real."

Sitting up in her bed, Elaine leaned against the wall, pulled her nightshirt down over her thighs and looked at Anders and the cat. "Am I still dreaming? Is my test not over and I'm still in the Fade?"

Anders rolled his eyes. "If this was the Fade, I hope you would imagine somewhere nicer. No, I am keeping my promise to you. And, I need a favor."

She looked at him in disbelief. "I don't even know you. Well, I know a little, apostate, and you want a favor from me?"

"Hey," he said and appeared hurt. "I brought you my cat as a sign of good faith! Come on, hear me out." He pouted, and she thought again how handsome he was.

Elaine sighed. "First day as a mage, and already I'm breaking the rules."

Anders scoffed. "You did that as an apprentice, too. Why should now be any different?"

She thought about his question for a moment, realizing he was correct. "Okay, ask."

"Let me stay here with you tonight? I'm afraid I misjudged the time it would take to find you, and I can't leave until the morning."

Elaine raised an eyebrow at him. "Stay here? With me?"

"Completely innocent, I swear," he said, crossing his heart.

She shrugged. "Why not?" She got out of bed and slipped on her night robe before checking the door to make sure it was locked. Anders put Mr. Wiggums down and the cat immediately ran under her desk. "How did you get up here?"

Anders flopped onto her bed and made himself comfortable. "It was easy really; everyone seems very busy with the Warden around."

"You know about him?"

"It's all anyone is talking about," Anders replied. "He's also going to be my way out of here tomorrow. They'll be so many people coming and going, no one will notice." He seemed very pleased with his plan.

Elaine sat on her desk chair and put her feet up on the bed. "I was going to find out if they'd let me join him."

"You? Become a Grey Warden?" Anders couldn't help but laugh. "Well good luck with that."

"Why not me?" she asked, offended.

He narrowed his eyes at her. "You're too... girly."

She had to stop herself from laughing loudly. "I am not girly."

"Oh yes you are, I can tell. Your long silky hair tied up in ribbons, even when you're going to sleep." He nodded, satisfied with his observations. "Yup, girly."

"You know as much about me as I know about you," Elaine protested. "Which, I believe, is absolutely nothing."

Anders was beginning to enjoy the game. He closed his fingers around her foot and lifted it off the bed. "You even have your toenails colored. The proof is all right here."

"Well what else am I supposed to do?" Elaine finally asked, frustrated. "I'm stuck here with nothing to do but read and cast spells. I have to pass the time somehow. Why not decorate my toes and make sure my hair looks nice?"

"Fair enough," Anders responded. "But the real question is, who are you being all girly for?"

"Why does it have to be for anyone but myself?" she protested.

Anders wasn't convinced. "Come on, you can tell me, your secrets leave with me tomorrow. No late night rendezvous with another mage? Or even better, a Templar?"

"If there were, I certainly wouldn't tell you," she denied.

"Aha, so there is someone," he said, satisfied.

"There was," she finally admitted with a sigh. "Not anymore."

"Juicy. Details please."

Elaine laughed. Despite his persistent questioning, she found him charming. "Well, not much to tell really. It began with a few stolen kisses, and eventually became more... serious."

"Mage or Templar?" he pushed.

"Templar," she confirmed. "His guilt got the best of him though, and he turned himself in. He refused to tell them it was me, but I think they knew. They chose him to kill me if I'd failed my Harrowing."

"Oh, that is brutal," Anders said, shaking his head. "You're right to want to leave this place, can't even get a good romp in the hay going."

"Heh, that's for sure," Elaine agreed. "I don't get how some of these people can spend their entire lives here without some kind of intimacy. Those who want to be together must sneak around." She hopped on the bed and sat next to Anders. "See, if they would just allow relationships in here, no one would have to lie or sneak or want to escape."

"I think they worry they'd have to expand the Tower, set up a whole 'family' section," Anders assumed. "And who would want that, screaming babies and marital spats? What if two mages are together and then have a bad breakup? They could bring the place crashing down with angry fireballs."

Elaine couldn't help but laugh, almost too loudly, as Anders brought his hand up to her mouth to quiet her. She looked at him apologetically and he removed his hand. "Sorry, the mental image got the best of me."

"I think you must want to get caught with me in your bed. You know, upset your Templar boyfriend," he said, teasing her.

"Yup, you got me, that's it. I'm going to use you for sex to make him jealous."

"Who said anything about sex?" Anders asked mischievously. "I still have my clothes on. Not much scandal there."

Elaine couldn't help but smile at the man laying next to her. Suddenly, the idea of a naked Anders was very appealing to her, but she put the thought out of her mind. She barely knew him, and he'd be leaving after tomorrow, probably forever. "Do you need to rest before your big escape?"

Anders shook his head. "Not really, I slept all day. There was nothing else to do. Now, I'm too excited to sleep."

"Me too. I mean, I slept all day, too." Elaine considered her earlier thoughts. "Can you tell me something Anders?"

"Ask away," he said, and pulled a ribbon from her hair. She looked at him curiously but then realized his plan, as he leaned over her, his chest on her legs. He trailed the ribbon along the floor, trying to entice the cat out from under the desk.

"What's it like, you know, out there in the real world?"

He sat up once. Mr. Wiggums was paying attention to the ribbon, and Anders teased him with it as he answered her. "It's freedom. It's dirt under your feet and a sky over your head. Sometimes it rains and you get wet. Other times it's so hot you want to take your clothes off and jump in a lake to cool off. There are people to talk to, animals that you've only read about in books. Different smells in the air - someone's dinner cooking, or spring flowers blooming, or even the stench of garbage. As bad as it was, hiding in a filthy alleyway in some town, covered in dirt and smelling like rotten fish, it was still freedom."

She looked at the wall behind him. "And in the Tower we aren't even allowed a window."

"They're probably afraid it would tempt you, make you want to escape. Or you'd leap to your death once you realized you were stuck here."

Elaine nodded, figuring the latter was probably the truth. "I don't know why I never thought about it much until now."

"Well, that's easy," Anders responded. "The Harrowing brings up all kinds of thoughts. Once you enter the Fade, it's like somewhere in the back of your mind you have small glimpses of all those who have passed through. Lives, loves, dreams, imaginations, all within your grasp. And then when you leave the Fade, you return here. Same brick walls, same people you've seen your entire life."

She sighed. "That makes a lot of sense."

"I can do that sometimes," he said smiling at her. He allowed Mr. Wiggums to keep the ribbon as he turned to face Elaine. "I'm sorry you can't come with me."

Elaine looked at him surprised. "Do you read minds?"

Anders chuckled. "No, I've just been where you are, and that's exactly why I started escaping the Tower. They'll find you eventually, like they always find me. Damned phylactery."

Elaine had forgotten about that. "So that's how they always recapture you."

Anders nodded. "It has to be around here somewhere. I should probably spend more time searching it before I run."

"Get mine too, will ya?" she joked.

"You bet," he said. "Right after I kill the dozens of Templars that are probably guarding them. You may be onto something though, with that Warden. If he does take you, at least you won't be a prisoner here anymore."

"Assuming Irving and Greagoir let me go," Elaine said. "Or if the Warden even wants someone with so little experience."

Anders shrugged. "Stranger things have happened."

Elaine considered Anders again, as he casually sat across from her. A question suddenly came to her mind. "Do you have a girl out there Anders?"

He eyed her curiously. "Why do you ask?"

"It's only fair; you asked me earlier."

"Oh you like to play fair do you?" He smiled, a twinkle in his eye. "Well no, not really. A few I guess, but nothing serious."

"Love em and leave em," Elaine said with a smirk.

"Well, I know I'm going to get caught eventually. No point in breaking some girl's heart, now is there?"

"So even when you're free, you still can't be happy?" she wondered out loud.

"Not yet," he said. "But one day I guess, when I'm really free. Until then, it's one night adventures with women whose names I sometimes forget."

"Oh Anders, that's terrible," she teased.

"What? I have needs you know, just like anyone else. If you weren't so stuffy, I would've jumped on you already, have me a quick fling before I go."

Elaine glared at him. "Stuffy? First I'm girly and now I'm stuffy?"

"Okay," he conceded. "Maybe stuffy isn't the right word. Prudish?"

She laughed again, then put a hand to her mouth to stifle the sound. "You really know nothing about me."

"Why?" he asked, suddenly curious. "Is there something about you I should know? Related to this particular topic, I mean."

Elaine gave him no to time to prepare as she leaned forward and kissed him. He was surprised at first, but then brought his hand up behind her head and pulled her to him. Her soft lips were on his, her tongue sliding across his in a caress. He tasted a bit wild, free, and to Anders she was a fire that suddenly began to kindle inside him. She sat up and moved closer, pressing her chest against his as she continued to kiss him with months of repressed passion. They both rose to their knees and pressed tightly together, her hands pressing hard into his back, his hands buried deep within her hair. Electricity seemed to pass between them as his mouth took full possession of hers, returning her passion with his own.

She released him only long enough to remove her robe and nightshirt, and then settled herself in his lap. His arms gathered her again, cradling her. She closed her eyes as his mouth left hers and began kissing her neck, his breath on her skin sending chills up her spine. His lips were velvety soft as they kissed a trail down to her chest, and she arched her back, offering her breasts to him. His mouth greedily accepted, sucking on her hard, pink nipples as his hands moved down her back and over her hips possessively - smoothing, kneading, exploring. His fingers found her tight curls and nestled there, causing her to gasp, her body tightening in anticipation. The need was building to a terrible urgency between them both.

Anders lifted her and threw her down onto the bed, towering over her as he removed his robe. As soon as he was free of the confining fabric, Elaine pulled him down to her, circling his neck with her arms. He kissed her again, hard, as his fingers explored once more, slipping inside her with a long, caressing stroke, careful of her tightness. Her small muscles clenched around him and her body shuddered from the intensity of pleasure. Her hips pushed up against him instinctively as he withdrew one finger and then inserted two, opening her for him.

Elaine grabbed his arms in an attempt to stop him, wanting more than what he was giving her. But the kind, sweet, jovial look that had been in his eyes was gone. He withdrew the fingers that were exploring her depths to take her arms and hold them above her head. The swift action should have alarmed her, but instead of fearing him, she wanted him even more.

"Anders please, I must have you," she begged as he held her in his grasp, making her long for him.

He continued to gaze at her intently, hovering over her naked form and teasing her entrance. He purposefully danced his sex between her legs without giving into her pleas, and she squirmed and fought beneath him. Each time she'd move her hips in an attempt to get closer, he'd pull away and narrow his eyes at her.

Leaning down to kiss her cheek, he pressed his body onto hers. She could feel his need for her resting against her inner thigh; so close and yet much too far away. Anders whispered in her ear, his warm breath pebbling her flesh. "How bad do you want it Elaine?"

"Please Anders... Maker I can't stand it!"

Anders kissed her again, biting her lower lip, both of her wrists now held in one hand above her head. With his other hand he retrieved the forgotten ribbon from the floor, and used it to tie her wrists together. She said nothing as he moved over her, but she continued to arch her back toward him, needing to feel him. Once the ribbon was secured, he released his grip on her and sat up on his knees again. Strong hands trailed over her collarbone to her breasts, and he pinched both nipples at the same time. She opened her mouth to scream but he quickly placed a hand over her mouth. "I see you need to be gagged too," he said, reaching down to the floor to grab the belt from her robe. He placed it over her mouth and tied it behind her head as she looked up at him, her eyes begging and pleading.

He resumed his attention to her nipples, now both peaked from his previous touch. He could feel her liquid warmth drenching the tip of his cock where it teased her entrance each time he squeezed her nipples a little harder. She turned her head to the side, biting on the gag in her mouth and moaning softly, when she really wanted to scream her passion into the air of her little room. He continued to torment her for what seemed like hours, his fingers and his teeth torturing her breasts until her bed was soaked from the need of him.

Anders grabbed himself and teased her some more, refusing to enter her, but rubbing against her entrance over and over again. Her hips bucked wildly, until the heat building within her became unbearable. Anders leaned over her and pulled the gag from her mouth with his teeth. "Are you ready for me Elaine?"

She couldn't speak, only nodded her head and licked her lips, wanting to taste his mouth again. He responded by forcing his tongue to hers and at the same time he pushed inside her. The loud moan that escaped her was muffled by his mouth on hers as he withdrew and then slammed into her. Slowly he'd pull back, and then forcefully he'd enter, repeating this motion and teasing her beyond her wildest imaginings. His mouth seemed to mimic his actions between her legs, devouring her suddenly, and then softly breaking away from her.

Elaine closed her eyes as he continued this torment, eventually picking up speed as his excitement built. Her muscles held him tightly, each thrust bringing her closer to the edge. The faster he went, the more she moaned, sending vibrations through his tongue. His speed increased, and as he continued his thrusts and his mouth danced with hers, his hand grabbed her breast one last time. The smallest pinch of her nipple was all it took as he felt her muscles clamp down on him in orgasm. He slowed his pace slightly to allow the waves of pleasure to pass through her, and when he felt she was almost finished, he increased his speed, bringing himself to climax as well.

._.~`~._.*~*~*._.~`~._.

He had untied her some time after, she wasn't sure when, and removed the belt that had slipped to her neck. They lay together naked, pressed into each other with arms and legs intertwined. He caressed her cheek softly with his hand, and the look in his eyes was gentle and kind once again. The thought of him leaving so soon haunted the back of her mind, but she allowed nothing to come between them during this moment of peaceful bliss.

When she awoke, he was gone. Laying next to her on the pillow was Mr. Wiggums. She petted him and he purred in response. She noticed the ribbon Anders had used tied her wrists was now wrapped around the cat loosely like a collar, and hanging from the ribbon was his earring. She removed the ribbon from the cat and held it up to watch the earring swing back and forth.

In that quiet moment, she wondered if she'd ever see Anders again.