Wow, I wasn't expecting you guys to respond so quickly. I haven't been on the net for a few days since I had stuff to do (like going to the races. I won nothing but got nice and tipsy on wine. My friends and I all look fabulous but by the end of it half of us including myself were cursing the invention of heels.) and when I checked my emails it was like . . . whoa! Anyways, now you get to find out why Riven asked that completely, stupid question and get a bit of an insight into what's going on in that messed up head of his.

Oh, and I forgot to say that I own nothing except for a painful pair of heels.

Chapter Two

"I don't know how you always get yourself into these messes," Helia commented calmly when Riven had finished telling him what had happened earlier that night.

"It's a special talent," Riven mumbled, his head resting on the workbench he was sitting at. After Musa had stormed out on him, Riven had stood staring at his front door for an unknown amount of time, trying to digest what had just happened. The new information his wife had just given him still wasn't settling well, so as soon as he was able to break himself out of his trance, Riven had headed straight for Helia and Flora's place to seek their calm, non-judgmental advice. Flora had been out when Riven had shown up, which Riven was more than fine with. He had grown to adore Flora over the years, so he really hated it whenever he saw even the slightest flicker of disappointment in her green eyes. Helia, however, was used to Riven's disappointments.

Riven had found his old friend on the roof of his apartment. Helia and Flora's flat had private access to the roof so they had transformed it to their own private garden. The glasshouse, which housed Flora's special and newly sprouted plants, also doubled as an outdoor art studio for Helia, who spent just as many hours locked away in the greenhouse as he did in his larger art studio that they had in their penthouse apartment. Despite the fact that the sun had already set, Helia was still working on one of his newest paintings, but after years of painting while Flora worked with her plants, Helia had learnt how to focus on his art and hold a conversation at the same time.

"I don't know why you're freaking out about this," Helia said, cleaning one of his paintbrushes on a rag. "Parenthood can be scary, but I think it's the best thing Flora and I have ever done."

"Yeah, but that's you and Flora," Riven reminded him, lifting his head off of Flora's workbench. One of her magical plants whose pot was next to Riven reached across with one of its arm-like vines and patted him on the back in a comforting manner, cooing in a strange plant language that Riven didn't understand. Nonetheless, he got the message and wondered just how pathetic he must be to be receiving sympathy from foliage. "Musa and I aren't that perfect. Nothing ever goes smoothly for us and I know it's all because of me."

"Riven, wallowing in self-pity never helped anyone."

"I'm not wallowing in anything but the truth," Riven said bluntly and he honestly believed it. His relationship with Musa had never run smoothly. It had started off with him jerking her around and pushing her away to the point where he had ended up in the arms of Darcy instead of her. And that was all before they were officially a couple. It had taken Riven years to break out of his old habits of keeping everyone at a distance and bottling up his emotions, and even now he still had tendencies to slip back into them.

"Well, there's another truth I know of; the fact that you love Musa and you don't want to lose her. Isn't that why you asked her to marry you?"

"Argh, don't remind me of that night," Riven groaned, burying his face in his arms again. The night Riven proposed to Musa was a legendary story that their friends never tried of hearing, though Riven hated whenever someone told it because, to him, all it did was highlight what a massive screw up he was.

The night had been well thought out since it had taken several months for him to work up the courage to even set a date for the proposal let alone ask her. But after a truckload of encouragement from his friends and several death threats from Brandon, Riven finally booked the date.

It seemed simple enough. Riven would take her to a dinner and show in the Harmonic Nebular central park and ask her over dessert while one of her favourite orchestras performed on an outdoor stage. Except Riven (being Riven) had made some stupid comment that Musa took offence to over their main coarse, resulting in her walking out on their date halfway through the night. She was so angry with him that she had magically barricaded her house when he followed her home. Riven ended up blurting out his proposal over the phone when he had called her up on his cell to try and straighten everything out and ended up coping an earful of insults instead. Musa had dropped the lock out barrier immediately and had opened the door to find a sheepish looking Riven on her doorstep with a velvet ring case in his hand.

Everyone had howled with mirth when Musa had told them all the story of what had happened that night. Stella had actually collapsed onto the ground she was laughing so hard, gasping out between deep breaths and giggles how that was 'so typical Riven and Musa'. Riven could remember that comment vividly because it had made him feel very troubled and uneasy.

Were fights and mistakes really typical Riven and Musa?

Their wedding day had not gone any smoother. Riven, overcome with nerves and fear of commitment, had seriously contemplated bolting for it. It was Brandon who had suggest that Riven have a small drink of bourbon to try and calm his nerves and for a time it seemed to work. However, when his friends failed to watch a freaked out Riven as closely as they should have, they soon found themselves with a half empty bottle of bourbon and a smashed groom who was due at the altar in a matter of minutes. Luckily, Stella had perfected a sobering spell after her graduation celebrations and had stepped in to clean up their mess, or else the heroes would have had a whole bunch of fairies hunting them down with the intent to maim them.

"I think you're being foolish," Helia said, putting his paintbrushes away for the night.

"I agree," a voice said from somewhere amongst Flora's plants and from out of the foliage stepped Nabu.

"Is Musa at your place?" Riven asked as Nabu made his way over to the other two men, treading carefully so he didn't step on any of Flora's plants. Nabu nodded and Riven really wasn't surprised to hear that. Every time Musa and he had a fight that resulted in her storming out on him, she'd always run to Layla's for a 'we hate Riven' bitch session. This happened more times that Riven cared to admit, but he and Nabu had adapted a routine that worked to Riven's benefit. Nabu would hang around long enough to hear Musa's side of the fight and why she was so upset and then he'd report to Riven so that they could figure out a way to patch things up with her. Riven hated to admit that he relied on these little bits of information save his marriage, but as long as it kept Musa with him he was willing to go though with it. "How is she?"

"Upset and I really can't blame her," Nabu told his friend bluntly. "'Are you sure it's mine'? Are you kidding? What possessed you to even ask that?"

"Do you have any reason to suspect that it wouldn't be?" Helia asked seriously.

"No," Riven answered without hesitation. He knew that Musa loved him ever since high school and there was absolutely no chance that she would ever betray him like that. "I just . . . I didn't mean it the way it sounded."

"Then why ask?"

"Because . . . Because . . ." Riven stammered, pulling at his hair. Sighing deeply, Riven stared at the bench in front of him. He couldn't look at his friends while he said this. It was just too humiliating. "Because I'm a complete and total screw up. Every good or important thing in my life I end up messing up. I don't even know why Musa's been with me as long as she has after all the times I've let her down. Everything just goes wrong for me."

"And that's why you're so freaked out?" Nabu asked, sliding in to sit beside Riven at Flora's workbench. "Because you're afraid of messing it up?"

"What if it's hereditary?" Riven pondered. "What if I screw this kid's entire life just because it has my genes?"

"I don't think it works that way."

"Maybe, but that doesn't mean I won't mess it up some other way. I mean, let's face it; my family does not exactly have a good track record in this particular field. What if I accidentally . . . break it?"

"Riven, as a parent, you're always going to be afraid that you'll break the baby. That's a given," Helia assured his friend. "But you can't let a little bit of fear stand in the way of something as wonderful and rewarding as having a child. As a parent myself, I promise you that no matter how terrifying it might seem, it's all totally worth it."

"Really?" Riven asked, hoping that what Helia was saying was true.

"Of course. I was a nervous wreck when Flora first told me she was pregnant, but when I held that little girl in my arms for the first time, I fell in love with her. And to be honest, now I can't picture my life without her," Helia confessed, smiling a warm, soft smile at the memory. "The things that seem scary and hard are usually the things that you value and love most."

Riven let his friend's words sink in, but his face still looked rather trouble and there was still a trace of panic in those violet eyes. Nabu was going to comment on it, but before he could say a word, a tiny, longhaired figure dressed in pink pajamas came running into the glasshouse with a delighted squeal. Not slowing despite the risk of all the potted plants and vines that covered the floor, the little girl ran over to Helia and wrapped her little arms around his legs, a bright smile beaming up at him.

"Daddy!"

"There's my favourite girl," Helia cooed, lifting his daughter up into his arms and hugging her tightly. She had been out much later than her normal bedtime tonight, but Flora had wanted to take her to see the Luna Gardens like her mother had done with her when she was the same age, which is why Helia had agreed to stay home to give them some private mother-daughter time. The Luna Gardens only occurred once every five years and was a breath-taking display when the rare stardust flower would open its glowing, pale white flowers and eject its shinning golden pollen into the air to germinate and continue its species. The Luna Gardens had spread over the years to cover several acres so it was really a sight to behold. It also had a special place in Flora's heart because, not only was the stardust flower one of her favourite plants, but it had also been the place where Helia had proposed to her. "Did you have fun tonight?"

"Uh-huh. They were so pretty," the little girl told him in her gorgeous little voice of hers. At three years old, the child was absolutely adorable. Her hair was dark brown and very long, and her green eyes always glowed with happiness. Flora and Helia had called her Mansi, which meant 'plucked flower' and even at a young age, everyone could tell that she had inherited the kind and loving nature of her parents.

"And now it's time for bed," a sweet voice said from the door to the glasshouse and the three men look over to see the always lovely Flora standing there with a soft smile on her face as she watched her husband with their daughter. Her smile didn't fade when she shifted her gaze off her family to the two other men who were sitting at her workbench. "Hello. I didn't know you two would be here."

"It all kind of happened spontaneously," Helia informed his wife.

"Oh, okay," Flora said. Whether or not she could tell that Riven was there seeking refuge from another fight with Musa – which she most probably did since this had happened several times in the past – Flora showed no outwards signs of judgment or even curiosity. She was just the same sweet, caring person that she was in high school. "Will you be staying the night?"

"No, I better get back before Layla decides that all men are useless and changes the locks," Nabu grinned.

"I should get going too," Riven mumbled.

"You sure?" Helia asked, shifting Mansi's weight in his arms.

"Yeah," Riven answered simply. He knew it was unlikely, but he wanted to be there in case Musa came home. He really needed to talk to her and also he needed some time alone to think.

"Well, you know you're welcome here anytime," Flora reminded them. Riven grunted in response, getting up off the stool so he could begin his journey back to his townhouse in the Harmonic Nebular. In Helia's arms, Mansi started to squirm until her father put her down. As soon as her feet touched the ground, the little girl dashed through the greenhouse and threw her arms around Riven's leg.

"Bye Uncle 'iven," she gushed. Even through she had quite an impressive vocabulary for a three year old, she had never been able to put the R on the start of Riven's name. Not that Riven really cared. Mansi was cute enough to get away with anything. "I love you."

Riven's shoulders shifted tensely for a second but he forced himself to regain control in front of the others. He was a lot better with dealing with intimate emotions than he was in high school, but Mansi timing couldn't have been more difficult for him. Here was one child telling him how much she loved him while he still wasn't sure about the idea of having his own. It was enough to make his brain start to hurt. As stressed as he was, however, he did not want to upset Mansi after she had had such a fantastic night at the Luna Gardens. Forcing a soft smile, Riven gently patted her brunette head. "Love you too, little one. I'll see you later, okay?"

"Kay!" Mansi squealed, squeezing his leg again. And with that, Riven left for home where he would spend a sleepless night running things over in his mind.

According to one of those baby name web sites, the girl's name Mansi is of Hopi Indian origin, and its meaning is "plucked flower". I thought it was a cute little name that blended Flora's flower persona with the Native American vibe I kind of get out of Helia when you see the way he decorated his room at Red Fountain and the earthly way he acts.

Anyways, TBC . . .