As the prologue is so much like FaA, I thought I'd give you another chapter tonight. Hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Fable or the characters contained in the Fable universe or any of the lyrics used. All rights go to their respective owners.

Oh, but that one night

was more than just right

I didn't leave you

'cause I was all through

Oh, I was overwhelmed

and frankly scared as hell

Because I really fell for you

Drive By - Train

Chapter 1

Ben couldn't help but feel completely dejected when he left the queen's quarters. When he landed at the Bowerstone dock, his mind was filled with possibilities. For some insane reason, he'd hoped that everything would return to normal.

Of course he knew she'd be furious with him for leaving and he didn't expect her to welcome him with a smile and an embrace, but he'd at least hoped that he could get a chance to fix his mistakes.

She looked exactly the same as he remembered, except for a few new wrinkles around her eyes and her forehead. She still had the same beautiful hazel eyes, curly dark-brown hair and almost angelic features. Even after bearing two children, she also still had her Heroic figure.

She was still perfect, at least to him.

On some subconscious level, he'd always known that he'd hurt her. It was just who he was. He'd enjoy himself for a while and move on once he started to get bored or did something stupid. Or, in this case, got so scared by his feelings for her and decided to run. That and fate had a penchant for screwing him over on a whole new level. However, he had no idea how much it would hurt him to leave.

The first few years of traveling were fun. He'd sailed around to Samarkand, enjoyed the sights of Aurora and made a stop in Bloodstone. The whole time, however, he couldn't get rid of the nagging feeling that something was missing. He'd avoided the very obvious answer by owing it to the insatiable wanderlust that he suffered from.

It wasn't until he saw a woman that looked exactly like Erica from behind in Bloodstone that he fully realised how much he missed her. He was so happy to see her doppelganger that he almost ran up to her and kissed her right there before he realised that it wasn't her.

After that, he'd started to see her everywhere. In the shopkeeper's daughter who shared her amber eyes. In the prostitute whose hair curled in the same way. In the feisty adventurer who shared her walk and smile.

For the first time in his life, Ben Finn was haunted by a woman.

Finally, these look-alikes weren't enough to sate his longing. Well, that and the fact that the aforementioned shopkeeper caught him with his daughter and chased him out of town.

It took a long time and a rather embarrassing streak through a very conservative village, but he finally realised that he'd made an enormous mistake by leaving her. When he came to the realisation, however, he already knew that it was too late, but, being the eternal optimist that he was, he clutched to some shred of hope that he could somehow rectify the mistake.

And now it's too bloody late to fix it, he thought darkly as he wandered through the streets of Industrial. He had been extremely naïve to believe that she wouldn't move on. Ben still couldn't believe that she was getting married. Or that she had two children for that matter.

Ben never thought that he would be the type to want to ever want children. Though he didn't deny the possibility that there might be more than a few Finns running around Albion due to his previous…ahem…infractions, he never considered settling down to raise them. He still wasn't comfortable with the idea, but seeing those twins, some part of him, a very small part, though, suddenly opened up to being a father. Maybe it had to do with the fact that he was five years older or that they were Erica's children.

With another loud sigh, he trudged to the door that led to the old Resistance hideout. Even though it was highly unlikely that anyone was still there, he might as well give it a shot.

Sure enough, despite all evidence to the contrary, he found Page sitting at her desk as if no time had passed at all. She even wore the exact same frown that she'd worn during the Revolution. For a moment, his bad mood disappeared at the sight of what could be considered an old friend.

"Hello there, Page! Fancy seeing you here," he drawled as he sauntered into the room. "I would have thought that you'd be done with all of this by now."

"Ben Finn. What wild animal dragged you to Bowerstone?" she asked, her tone icy as she barely lifted her gaze from the paper in front of her.

"Oh, dear Page, you haven't changed at all," he laughed as he flopped down onto the chair and propped his feet on the corner of her desk. It always did annoy her immensely when he did that.

As if on cue, her dark gaze flickered to where his feet rested and her frown deepened even further. "Well, you now have the weathered face of an old man. The years haven't been kind at all, have they?" she countered sharply. "Why are you back? I'd have thought that the world would be big enough that I'd never have to see your ugly mug again."

"You wound me, my lady!" he cried, clutching his chest melodramatically. "I'd thought that you'd be overjoyed to see such a devilishly handsome adventurer such as myself again!" His practiced eye discreetly took in the naked ring finger of her left hand. "It doesn't exactly look as if you found someone to replace me."

By now, her eyes were positively blazing with fury. "Yes. Contrary to popular belief, there isn't anyone that has proved idiotic enough to take your position as "person that irritates the living hell out of me"."

"I've always been special," he shrugged, smirking widely.

A dark eyebrow rose in what he guessed was cruel amusement. "Really? The only reason why you're down here in the sewers and not currently tousled in the queen's sheets must mean that you've been replaced there too. You couldn't have been that special then, could you?"

"Please, don't kick a man when he's down," he grumbled, his sour mood returning almost instantaneously. "Who is that bloke anyway?"

"As if I would tell you. You got her pregnant, snuck out of her bed in the middle of the night and attempted to leave without so much as a goodbye. In my book, that's sufficient grounds to never want to speak to you again."

"I didn't know the two of you were so close."

The expression that she currently wore would have reduced lesser men to ashes. "Thanks to you and your departure, I'm the only person left from the Revolution that she could talk to. It was strange at first, but you could say that we bonded over hatred of you."

Well, it comes to no surprise that she hates me. Nice to gets some confirmation, though. "Is she happy?" he asked reservedly after a moment of silence.

Page looked taken aback at the quiet question, but she quickly shook it off. "I think so. In the past few years, this is the happiest I've ever seen her. You know how I feel about nobles, but the bloke isn't so bad as they go. He takes care of her in a way that you never did."

He felt like screaming at that moment. Yes, he understood the situation quite well. He made a mistake. It might have been the biggest mistake of his life. But instead of constantly pointing it out, could someone tell him how to fix it instead?!

A strange look glinted in Page's eyes. Was that pity he saw?

All at once he yanked his thoughts out of the pit of despair where they'd be residing for the past few hours. No one pities Benjamin Finn, least of all himself. It was time to stop wallowing and do something about it.

Yes, Erica might be happier with a run-of-the-mill noble than with him and yes, it wasn't likely that she was going to forgive him anytime soon, but he could try to be friends at least. After all, Albion is his home too.

He plastered a wide smirk on his face and got to his feet. "Well, I should be going. Enjoy furthering this dead cause of yours, Page."

"Wait! Are you leaving again?"

He shot her another smirk over his shoulder. "Not even the most stubborn or most stupid donkey hits his head on the same branch twice, dear Page." With that, he sauntered out of the sewers, a plan already forming in his mind.

oOoOoOo

"Are you well, my lady? You seem a bit distracted."

Erica looked up at the man next to her and forced a smile onto her face. She was still a bit rattled after her encounter with Ben the previous day, but she'd thought that she'd hidden it better. "Yes, I'm fine. I apologize. It has been a long week. What were you saying before?"

Sebastian regarded her curiously before looking ahead of him once more. He'd invited her to take a stroll through the gardens to discuss a few wedding plans. "Oh, I was commenting on how much I've been enjoying your company," he said smoothly, a sincere smile on his handsome face.

"I've been enjoying your company as well, Sebastian," she said in reply, still smiling. They continued walking and Erica couldn't help but appraise him out of the corner of her eye. Sebastian was what most women would consider a perfect specimen of masculinity. He had a face that artists would clamour to sculpt, even rows of white teeth and a full head of auburn hair. His physique was also kept in check through rigorous sword training and he was well-spoken and thoroughly educated, as well as humble and sincere. The perfect man to become Albion's king.

He had agreed to the purely political match on his own accord, but yet, Erica couldn't help but feel guilty that she had arranged to be wed to this man while her heart didn't fully belong to him. She enjoyed his company and if they weren't betrothed, she might have been close friends with him. Still, she had no romantic feelings toward him, though she had come to notice that he might feel that way towards her.

I'll come to love him, she kept telling herself. He's the right man to marry.

When they reached the terrace overlooking the army's training grounds, she was quickly pulled out of her thoughts when she saw a familiar blond head among the others.

"You have to be jesting," she muttered under her breath as she tightened her hold on Sebastian's arm involuntarily.

"Is something wrong, Erica?" he asked, clearly concerned.

"It's nothing that can't be fixed with a swift kick to the arse," she replied tersely. "Sebastian, I'll see you tonight at dinner. There's just someone I need to take care of before then." She didn't even wait for a reply before gathering her skirts and making her way to the lower terrace.

"Your Majesty! What are you doing here?" one of the guards called when she approached them.

"Good day, Private. Who is that blond man over by the rifle range?" she asked through gritted teeth. He's supposed to be gone by now!

A huge smile split over his young face. "Oh, that's Captain Finn! He came back to train us," he said, clearly unable to mask his excitement. "He's travelled over the world and now he's going to teach us all the techniques he's learned."

"Believe me, the only techniques he's learned is how to drink and screw women over," she muttered. "Thank you, Private. Can you go and call him for me?"

"Of course, Majesty!" He signed off a swift salute before trotting away. She had barely managed to get her breathing and heart rate under control when Ben sauntered into her direction, annoying smirk already plastered onto his face.

"Majesty! What are you doing here?" he asked jovially.

"Ben, can we talk in private?" she asked quietly.

"Of course. Follow me." He led her to a small clearing away from the other soldiers. "If you wanted to get me alone to kiss me, love-"

"Shut up, Ben," she snapped. "Why are you still here?"

"You said that that the army would take me back and I decided that it would be a good idea to sign up again. The training standard had become quite embarrassing, really," he said with a shrug.

"But why? You said that you'd leave!"

A blond eyebrow rose in clear amusement. "Then why did you suggest joining the army?"

"Because I thought you were planning on leaving anyway!" She was close to tears by now and hurriedly looked away.

"I was, but then I realised that there wasn't anything better to do now that I've seen the world, so I decided to stay here."

I thought that I'd finally put this part of my past behind me! she thought desperately. Seeing Ben and talking to him had finally given her closure and she'd though that he was out of her life once and for all.

"Don't worry," he said, holding his hands up in a placating gesture. "I'm not here to cause any trouble for you and that other bloke. I'm just here to rejoin the army."

She couldn't help but sigh in exasperation. "Ben, you cause trouble wherever you go. But it's not as if I can banish you from Albion."

"I could always give you reason to," he joked with a wink before turning serious. "There is one more thing…Could I be introduced to Daniel and Elizabeth? I just want to see if I managed to get something right for once. I don't expect you to tell them that I'm their father…I just want to meet them."

As much as she wanted to, it wasn't as if she could stop him from seeing his own children. "Very well. You can join us for dinner tonight. We dine at seven."

"I'll see you then. And, Rica? I promise you that I'm not going to try and get you back, if that's what you're wondering."

"Excuse me if I don't believe you entirely," she said dryly, rolling her eyes.

"Well, then I just have to convince you. But if you'll excuse me, I still have a few drills to run the recruits through before the end of the day."

"Of course." She quickly turned on her heel and headed back to the castle, all the way feeling Ben's burning gaze at her back.

Not here to cause problems, my arse, she thought dryly.

oOoOoOo