AN: Meh...

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Thea swallowed nervously, standing before the door that lead into Grey’s life. She’d been standing there for almost five minutes before she’d had enough nerve to raise her hand to knock.

Would he care? He’d said that if she did become with child after their one night together, that he would want to know. But, would he really care?

It was another five minutes before she actually knocked on the door. She heard several voices calling to each other, but couldn’t understand the words through the door.

Then the door opened to someone other than Grey. Her heart resumed beating now that she wasn’t facing him. Then she bit her lip, realizing that this had only put off the meeting. She sighed as the young man smiled at her.

“Hallo,” he said in a thick foreign accent.

“Um, is Grey here?”

The fair-haired man frowned a moment, then his polite smile returned. “No, he’s out for the day. Maybe I can help you?”

“Oh, no, it’s a personal matter.”

The man’s pure green eyes suddenly widened. “Oh! You’re her!”

Thea blinked at him. He motioned for her to enter. “Come in, come in. I know why you’re here.”

She allowed herself to be swept forward into the massive townhouse, her head spinning. “He told you about me?”

He smiled at her over his shoulder as he led her through a richly decorated hall. “There are no secrets between Grey and I.”

Thea stumbled over her own two feet. “What?”

The blonde stopped in the doorway to a sitting room. He blinked at her several times before he finally spoke. “You don’t know,” he said unnecessarily. “Come, sit with me and I will explain all.”

Thea stood nervously. She had just planned on coming here to tell Grey Tounu about the child and be on her way. Now... things were not going to plan. Who was this beautiful boy? He smiled at her and she felt so inadequate.

Slumping her shoulders, she entered the room.

“My name is Eriol Feng. And you are Thea,” he smiled again, reaching for a picture of tea sitting in the sun shining through a window. “Please, sit.”

She sat. “He really did tell you everything, didn’t he.”

Eriol filled two cups of tea, placed them on the table before Thea’s seat and knelt before her.

“Grey and I are together.”

Realization his like bolt of lightening. She shot to her feet. “Dar forgive me! I’m so sorry! When he spoke of you it sounded as if you had passed on.”

Eriol grinned. “Why does that not surprise me?” He stood and assumed a seat next to her, his head tilted to one side. “You... you remind me of someone.”

Thea smiled shyly. “Likewise.”

---

Grey met Shuno at the front door. They entered the house together, neither speaking. As one, they froze upon hearing a woman’s laughter coming from down the hall.

“That’s not Eli,” Shuno said.

“Lady.”

“What?”

“Lady Eli.”

Shuno rolled his eyes. “Get off.” He walked to the sitting room, Grey hot on his heels. Halfway down the hall, a servant begged Shuno’s attention. Grey waited merely a moment before stepping rudely between the two with a small grin at Shuno’s frown.

He froze upon entering the sitting room.

Eriol, his chosen mate, and Thea, his indiscretion, were sitting together with their heads close together, laughing as if they were the oldest of chums. Shuno finally peeked over Grey’s shoulder. He gasped in surprise, rudely pushed Grey out of his way, and entered with a welcoming smile.

“Eriol! You must tell me, who is this vision of Tharônian loveliness and what did we do to convince her to enter this humble establishment?”

Both lifted their heads in unison and blinked two pairs of identical green eyes at Shuno. He froze, a creepy feeling dripping down his back.

Thea’s gaze drifted over Shuno’s shoulder and widened at the sight of Grey. She stood on shaky legs.

“I got her pregnant.”

Shuno slowly turned to face Grey, a look of disbelief covering his face. He blinked at him before he spat out from between clenched teeth. “I could very well hate you.”

Grey spared him only a glance before he trained his blue gaze on Eriol. Eriol smiled placidly, giving none of his emotions away. How Grey hated this control Eriol had over his expressions. He could never tell what his lover was thinking. Briefly, he wished for the same Eriol that lived before, the one he had first fallen in love with. Wistful thinking, that.

“Shuno,” Eriol said, drawing the man’s attention. He shook his head, still wearing his bland smile. “We have come to an understanding, Grey and I.” His shoulders straitened, “I think, maybe, the three of us should speak in private?” His smile turned pleading, and Shuno was powerless to resist Eriol’s request.

“Of course, ser,” he responded with a slight bow to the young king. Spinning on his heel, he glowered at Grey until the door closed behind him.

For a moment, the three stood unsure, then Eriol took control. “Sit, Thea. Grey,” he pointed to a chair opposite where he and Thea sat. Still, neither spoke, merely staring at each other. Eriol glanced between the two then sighed.

“I am, by all rights, a king,” he finally said.

Blinking, Thea turned to him. “That was a obvious subject change.” They shared a grin and it was Grey’s turn to stare at each in turn. They were too alike, by far.

“Not quite. You see, I will never have children... for obvious reasons,” he said with a slight nod in Grey’s direction while his eyes never left Thea. “So... I would like to adopt your child as mine own,” he said in a rush. He held up a hand to stall Grey’s interruption as Thea placed a hand over her still-flat stomach. “Your child, while without a kingdom, will be the next in line to inherit my family title and throne, eh, if Cannen doesn’t have any children.” He glanced at Grey. “He doesn’t have any children as of yet, and he is getting up there in age.”

“May I speak?” Grey asked with false sweetness.

Eriol blinked at him, smiling a little. “I’m not stopping you.” He grinned at Grey’s scowl.

“The child is still of me.”

Thea bit her lip. At least he didn’t say it was his.

Eriol’s eyes widened innocently. “Of course, I just... I just have to make sure my family line goes on. Not so much the blood line, but the name. If anything... if the name continues, I have done my duty to my family,” he finished with a whisper, his verdant eyes downcast.

Thea’s brow curved. She liked Eriol, she really did. Grey... not at much. Shuno seemed quite nice. Her child would be safe here, maybe even well loved. But that was months away. “I suppose you will want me to live here.”

Eriol’s gaze had shot to her when she spoke. Grey nodded, his eyes narrowing. Thea looked between the two, unsure.

“I haven’t... lived in a house since...”

Eriol suddenly tensed, his lips tightening and his shoulders stiffening. “How old were you?”

She blinked at him. “Huh? How did you know?”

He smiled tightly, a deep pain shining in his eye that he couldn’t hide. Grey stared at his lover, lost, again left out of Eriol’s thoughts.

“What am I missing?”

Eriol suddenly snapped back into the room. He turned to Grey. “She ran away from her parents’ home.” Thea’s eyes widened.

“And how do you know that,” Grey asked after glancing at Thea.

“In good time.” Eriol again pressed his question.

“I was ten when I was finally able to leave for good. I had tried many times before, but never in earnest until then.”

“You were older than me...” he murmured more to himself.

Grey’s eyes were centered upon Eriol. “What? You, too, ran away as a child?”

“I was seven when I left my parents to live on my own. Ever wonder why Great Grandfather had to send a bounty hunter to find his heir? He didn’t know where I was, much less what I looked like.”

Grey stared, why would a child run away at such a young age? Blue eyes turned to Thea. And her, too?

“It is our way,” Eriol finally said. His eyes had slid closed and he slowly releasing the tension in his body. After a few calming breaths, his eyes opened and he again turned to Thea. “Yes?”

She stared at him. Somehow... somehow he was familiar to her. His eyes, Grey had said so, looked so much like hers. The way he held his body, the way he moved seemed all so familiar. She saw herself in him.

“Who are you?”

“I am Eriol Feng.” His lips curled and his eyes tilted with his smile. “I am the incarnation of the planet Eggak. And you are the same as me. Once, nineteen years ago, you were me.”

Thea felt her jaw drop, but couldn’t bring herself to close it. What he said... was incredible, and yet, she felt, deep in her bones, it was true. That didn’t stop her from denying it.

Shaking her head, she got to her feet. “No, no, that’s not possible.”

Eriol stood with her. “You are close to nature. You would rather live in the woods than anywhere near humans. You make friends with elves and Linnko and the fire sprites of this planet, but not the humans. You are tempted by magic, yet avoid sorcerers like the plage. Somehow, the trails you pick are always easy to tread. If you’re lost, you only need to travel east to find a village within the day. When you are around humans, it never fails that trouble follows you. You have trouble being in your own body, always tripping and stumbling over your own feet. Am I right?”

As he spoke, Thea backed away, shaking her head. What he said...

It was all true.

“How?” Her voice cracked, coming out barely above a whisper.

Eriol backed off. He had been giving her the impression of a man possessed, and now he returned to the calm young man she had first met. “I merely described my life.”