A/N: Holy Canoli! I'm so glad you guys are enjoying the story so far. I was shooting for "pass-able" so when I saw that some of you have marked my story as either your "Favorite" or "Follow", I was astonished. Thanks to all of you who read as well as all of you who read and review. You're keeping me motivated. :-D

Chapter 3

There was a soft knock at the door. Lifting his head, in the darkness he could just make out the slumbering lump on the floor which was now snoring. The great cat had a habit of slipping off into oblivion – loudly – when he felt content.

The prince slipped out of bed and into his sitting room. He was neither alarmed nor concerned as he and Teela had often snuck into each other's rooms at night to talk. Past midnight was prime time as the maids were long since done for the evening and the guards would move to the far end of the corridor, the entrance to the Palace Royal Wing, for overnight detail.

Turning the knob gingerly and opening the door, his eyes widened in surprise.

"I need to talk to you, Adam," David quickly explained.

"Sure, come in," Adam gestured with his arm opening the door wider to allow his good friend entrance. Adam led David to the couch as he himself sat in the oversized chair beside it.

"What's wrong? Are your parents okay?"

"No, all is well with my family, my friend. Thank you. I simply have a question about…" David looked at his hands for a moment clearly uncomfortable with his next choice of words.

"About?" Adam encouraged.

"About…Teela."

The prince blinked. "Teela?" he repeated.

"Yes…" David ventured.

"What about Teela? Something wrong?"

"No," the young duke replied. "It's just…" he paused to gather his thoughts. "She's different than most girls."

Adam's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean, 'different'?" Hit with a sudden urge to protect, he felt his hackles rise a bit.

"Well, I never see her with anyone but us. She doesn't do girly things like shop for dresses or go to the salon," David searched for the next word. "She's like…a tomboy."

"And?" Adam quirked an eyebrow, clearly annoyed at not knowing where this conversation was going.

"Please don't get me wrong, Adam. Teela is quite beautiful. I'm just wondering if she's, you know, interested in boys right now."

Adam's eyes widened. His stomach did a somersault. "Um, well, no….I mean, I don't know. If she is, she never told me. Then again, I suppose she has a right to privacy. I mean, it wouldn't be any of my business or anything." The prince rubbed the back of his neck, uncomfortable at the awkward turn the conversation had taken.

"I just figured you'd know since you guys seem to be so close, like brother and sister. I've only known you two for several years, but you guys grew up together. Didn't your parents used to put you in the same crib?"

A slight flush crept across Adam's face. "Well, yeah," he cleared his throat. "But it's different when you're dealing with, um, matters of the heart and all. People tend to be uncomfortable about sharing that stuff with others, best friend or no," he replied. He blinked. "Why the sudden interest in Teela's love life?"

"No reason. Just wondering," David's gaze shifted down to the rug on the floor. "I um…I'd better go. Sorry to disturb you my friend. Good night Adam."

They stood and clasped arms. "Goodnight to you, too, David." He walked his good friend to the door and closed it quietly behind him. Adam didn't know exactly what to make of the brief surprise visit, but his gut feeling confirmed what his mind didn't want to acknowledge: David had feelings for Teela.

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Adam and Teela reclined on a blanket that was spread beneath them. A large picnic basket containing seasonal fruits, cheeses, baguettes, chocolates, and chilled beverages sat at the corner of the blanket. They lay on their backs, talking and enjoying each other's company. As the setting sun cast a warm rosy glow on the horizon, Teela suddenly turned to Adam, leaned over, and partially draped her body over his. In shock, Adam froze as Teela whispered huskily into his ear, "Finally…I'm glad my first kiss is with you." She then playfully touched her nose to his before leaning in for a passionate kiss that sent shockwaves through both of their bodies. Their kisses became more heated as they embraced, their hands exploring the other, Teela caressing Adam's muscular chest and abdomen as Adam ran his fingers through Teela's hair. Then…

"Cringer!"

Adam awoke to his pet tiger sloppily licking his cheek. The cat had jumped onto his master's bed and begun licking with a frenzy.

"Cringer, stop that! Get off of me!"

"You w-weren't waking up and I got scared. I thought you were d-dead, Adam," Cringer explained.

Annoyed, Adam sat up. "What time is it?"

"It's almost time f-for your meeting with your f-father, remember?"

Adam paled. "Ohh shhh—". He bounced out of bed and into his bathing chambers. "I forgot all about that," he yelled through the door.

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Teela gasped and sat up in bed. She had the strangest dream. Already, morning amnesia was threatening to remove the remnants of the dream, but she fought for recall. She remembered a picnic basket, flowers, and someone next to her. Her groggy mind struggled to focus as the figure began to partially materialize in her mind's eye.

"Blonde hair?" she muttered. She blushed as she recalled attacking whoever this was and kissing him with abandon. He was an excellent kisser whoever the mystery man was in her dream. She clutched her comforter and rubbed her eyes. Shrugging, she checked the timepiece on her nightstand and realized it was time to start her day.

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The King paced back and forth as he came to the end of his long lecture on the importance of punctuality. The prince secretly rolled his eyes in frustration as he sat in the king's study.

"Adam, over the last few weeks you've seemed distracted. You were late last night for dinner and again this morning. This is out of character for you. I understand the reason for your tardiness last night, but what happened this morning? Did you oversleep?" The King had stopped and was now studying his son's features, waiting for an answer.

Adam opened his mouth to reply when the king cut him off resuming his interrogation and pacing once again. "Or, do you think that the Summit of Kingdoms is not important enough in your 15 year old universe?"

The young prince winced at the remark and sighed. "Of course it's important, Father. I simply forgot to set the timer. My apologies. Things have been a little hectic lately…" Adam trailed off seemingly deep in thought.

The King exhaled slowly. "Son, I just want you to learn all you can about Eternia's rich history and the rulers of each region. We have much to go over. Please stay focused."

"I will, Father."

Randor squeezed his son's shoulder. "All right, then. Let's get back to work."

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"Where's Adam? Teela inquired as they all sat down to breakfast.

"He's meeting with his father today, dear," Queen Marlena replied. "They're finishing the preparations for the Summit next week. They'll have a working breakfast in the King's study. And, by the way, good morning, child." Marlena grinned.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Teela blushed as she glanced at her father. "Good morning, your Majesty."

Duncan, Teela, and Marlena began chatting about the day when the Duke and Duchess of Aberra arrived with their son.

"Gwendolyn, Arthur, please join us," the queen motioned to them.

"Thank you, your Majesty. We were delighted to receive your invitation to breakfast."

As they made their way to the dining table, David glanced at Teela under his lashes. He sat beside her as his parents sat to the queen's right. Teela smiled at her friend as the conversation resumed.

"Hi, David. What's on the agenda today?" Teela asked cheerfully as she bit into a sweet roll.

"Not much. Mother and Father will be meeting with the nobles to prepare for the summit. Of course, school is on break for the rest of the month so I'm just planning on reading a book today."

"Nonsense," Teela replied. "After breakfast we can go to the lake. The weather is supposed to be nice today. School this week has been tough."

David's eyes brightened. "Hey, that's a great idea!"

Just then, a red rocket shot through the room and hovered over the chair across from Duncan. Panting, it began to speak.

"Hey guys!" Orko greeted breathlessly. "I'm sorry I'm late. Uncle Montourk sends his love. I returned from Trolla last night but materialized somewhere in the Evergreen Forest," he explained. "Uncle Montourk wanted to use his magic to send me back home, but I begged him to let me try. Guess I shoulda let him do it, huh?" The little jester shrugged his shoulders.

Duncan snorted. "Next time, Orko, let your uncle help you. Who knows what tragedy could have occurred. You could have materialized underneath that mountain of laundry that's sitting on your bedroom floor," he smirked.

Orko blinked. "Hey, you're right Man-At-Arms. I might never have made it back alive!"

The table erupted in laughter as the meal continued.

Orko glanced around then ducked underneath the table. "Where's Cringer?"

"Adam is having a meeting with the King. Cringer is waiting in the hallway for him", the Queen replied.

"Oh, okay. I missed them, too."

The conversation turned towards the summit while Teela and David chatted excitedly about swimming at the lake.

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They had taken the Trak to Lake Crystaline along with blankets, towels, and food the Queen and the Duchess insisted they take along. The mothers in their overzealousness provided them with enough supplies to last them a month. They spread a large blanket on the thick verdant grass and set the picnic basket at its corner. After talking for a few minutes, each of them took turns changing privately into their swimsuits inside the Trak. With glee, they charged the lake, each jumping into the pristine waters cold turkey. A chill ran through each of them as they surfaced.

"This is what I call living," Teela cooed. "Sometimes I wish we didn't have to worry about studies and chores," she complained as they tread water.

"Me, too," David agreed as he brushed the excess water out of his eyes slicking his drenched blonde locks away from his face. "If I could, I would give up becoming a Duke."

Teela gasped. "Why? Aren't you proud of your heritage?"

"Yes I am, Teela, but it is a heavy responsibility. It's more than just pomp and pageantry, waving to crowds and attending royal functions. Someday I will be responsible for entire regions. The lives of my people will be in my hands," he furrowed his brow. "I will be expected to govern whole cities and make decisions that will impact their lives, their families, and our culture."

She studied the water's crystal blue surface for a moment. "I never thought of it in those terms, David. Honestly, I thought royal life was all about flaunting how important you are. I mean, Adam and his family never behave as such, but some of the nobles of the court do."

David looked pensive. "I sincerely do not know how Adam handles it. He's the heir to the throne of the entire planet. Imagine what pressures he's under from not only the nobles but being expected by the populace to walk in his father's footsteps, to take the reins and to have the troubles, concerns, judgments, kingdom disputes and future prospects land squarely on his shoulders?" he shuddered. "That is pressure."

Teela blushed as she recalled the crack about the royal privileged life she made to Adam yesterday. "Very true." She slowly swam to the shore and toweled off. Perplexed, David followed her.

Noticing her change in mood, David worriedly asked, "Forgive me. Was it something I said?"

She reclined on the blanket as David followed her down. "No, my friend. I was just thinking about what I said to Adam yesterday. I said it in anger and he didn't respond in kind. I feel awful."

The young Duke searched her features, worried about the remorse he saw there. "What did you say to him?"

Teela related the private conversation she had with the prince after Aurellius' fight yesterday.

"I apologized last night, but after what you said, I still feel terrible. Sometimes I'm surprised that he still considers me his friend," she laid on her back and draped an arm over her eyes as David propped himself on an elbow.

"Don't worry, Teela," he comforted. "You two are good friends—closer than any brother or sister. Nothing you could say would ever permanently scar that friendship." He smiled as he gazed down at her.

Teela removed her arm to look at David. Suddenly, a memory flashed across her mind. She was here before: picnic basket, blanket, flowers on a nearby hill. Teela blinked at David unable to speak for a few moments. Struggling to understand the strong sense of déjà vu, she finally realized what she was remembering. The picnic. His kisses so passionate and tender….

"Teela?" David was watching her. Teela had been staring at him for a full minute.

Blinking, she began to regain her composure.

"Where did you go just now?"

"Forgive me, David," she cleared her throat. "I just remembered that I forgot to do something at the Palace. I'll take care of it when we get home," she recovered.