A/N: so hello. i have returned. that took a while, yeah? yeah.

enjoy

-oxy

"EVA WEI, DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW WORRIED I WAS?"

"I mean, yes, I have an idea. Sorry about that."

"'SORRY'?! SORRY IS NOT GOING TO CUT IT THIS TIME, YOUNG LADY!"

"I am twenty-five years old, Dad. I can make my own decisions and live my own life. And please, stop calling me 'young lady' like you have control over what I do."

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU SOMETIMES! YOU HAND RICK A GUN AND YOU JUST LEAVE THE HOUSE AND GO OFF ON AN ADVENTURE - WHERE DID YOU EVEN GET A GUN-?"

"I'll be home soon, Dad. Feel free to lecture me later," Eva replied, and hit the 'End Call' button on her phone.

Aikka looked at her with his eyebrows pulled together, "If I have caused any trouble for you or for your family, I do apologize."

Eva waved him off casually, "He's always up in arms about something, I swear. Overreaction might as well be in his job description."

At Aikka's wary look, Eva continued, "I promise, Aikka, no matter what he says about my 'adventure' this evening, I'm very, very happy to see you again."

"I am very happy to see you again, also," Aikka said, reaching across the short distance between his bench seat and hers and laying a hand on Eva's knee.

Eva stared down at the point of contact and frowned a little, her mouth opening and closing slightly when she couldn't bring herself to say the words she wanted to. Aikka retracted his hand with a worried and questioning look.

"Aikka…" Eva took a deep breath and worked up the courage to say what was on her mind, "When I didn't hear from you for so long, I felt like you didn't want to talk to me. Or see me. And I realize that you must have been busy - you are royalty, and have many duties, after all - but it also made me feel very...I'm not quite sure. But it didn't feel... good."

The prince peered at her with concern and something like sorrow.

"I am sorry, Eva. Hurting you was not and has never been my intention. To be very honest, once a cycle on my planet had passed, I remembered that our 'years' are much longer than yours. I assumed that because you had not reached out to me by then, I had missed my window of opportunity, and you no longer wanted to associate with me," Aikka confessed, staring at the floor of the car.

Eva wanted to comfort the prince. What came out was a bitter chuckle of realization. Ten years. Ten years explained away in a few sentences. Somehow, it didn't seem good enough. Somehow, she'd expected more. The truth was disappointing, almost. The bitterness and anger seeped out and when it was gone, Eva felt empty.

"Looks like we both broke a leg jumping to conclusions, huh?" Eva gave a wry smile.

"I suppose we did," Aikka agreed.

The two sat for a while, the gentle thrum of the car's engine through the floor and the centripetal force of a slight curve every now and then the only things that affected them.

"It would be really nice to talk to you once in a while, Aikka," said Eva.

"And I would enjoy contacting you," Aikka said, "so I suppose the two of us will just have to make it happen."

"I suppose we will," Eva said, and smiled.

Aikka smiled right back.

Eva had grown, Aikka noticed.

Taller by a small margin, yes, but also in confidence. She no longer seemed the frightened, hesitant girl from the race. She stood taller in more ways than one. Eva seemed as if she had come into her own.

Eva said that she turned twenty-five years old, that her birthday had been the day before. She said she'd gone to school to educate herself, to make something of herself. Regardless of whether it was expected of Earthlings by society, it was Eva's choice that guided her life through additional schooling.

Aikka was loathe to admit it, but he was envious of Eva's ability to choose.

One cannot choose the circumstances of one's own birth, and being the crowned prince was an awesome and wonderful responsibility, but there were many an occasion when Aikka wished he did not need to put his kingdom's future before his own.

Twenty-five years old, Aikka marveled as he locked eyes with Eva. He wondered what she thought of him, nineteen years old and by the standards of his people, still a child. Eva's people matured much more quickly than Aikka's.

Eva had already accomplished so much, gone to such lengths to better herself. Ten years had passed on Earth, while only four had passed on Nourasia.

The obscene amount of time that had gone by spurred a darker, more disturbing thought.

She likely has found a partner and started a family already.

It felt similar to being thrown into a pillar by a Crog, only worse.

There just didn't seem to be much to say, if Eva was honest.

The ride to her home had passed in the blink of an eye, and it was as if she and Aikka hadn't spoken at all.

Time flies.

She wondered if it was because she suddenly felt exhausted. How long had she been awake? She'd gotten up at five the previous day, and now it was two in the morning…

Pulling up to her home felt surreal - her Nourasian friend was in a car with her in front of her house on Earth.

Suddenly, the back door of the vehicle was opening and a man in a black suit was offering her a hand out into the evening air. She climbed outside and breathed in fresh air, happy to see the stars still out.

There were lights on in her house, but she assumed that the majority of her guests had gone to bed already. Eva suspected only her father would be sitting up for her, if he was even still awake.

The agent drew her attention again.

"Miss Wei, I've been instructed to give you this," said the agent, and he pressed a communicator into her palm. "This device will allow you to contact Prince Aikka for the duration of his stay on Earth."

"How long is that supposed to be, by the way?" Eva asked, trying not to sound as insecure as she felt. She clenched the communicator.

"The Nourasian envoy will be on Earth for a minimum of two weeks. If necessary, the stay will be extended. I hope that answers your question," the man said through his teeth.

The poor agent seemed so uncomfortable providing highly-classified information to someone like Eva. Eva grinned.

"Yes, thank you," said Eva.

"Eva."

Eva turned to see Aikka standing rather close behind her. She raised a brow at him.

Aikka showed her a matching communicator to the one she held in her hand, "These work both ways. I have to return to my party for now, but I'll be in contact, I promise."

"Oh, you promise, do you?" Eva teased, and held out her fist in a mimic of the gesture they'd used before their first race against one another.

"I do," Aikka said, and touched his fist lightly to hers.

Eva yanked the prince into a hug, "I'm glad you're okay. I really was worried earlier when G'dar showed up…"

Aikka tried very hard to suppress the warm feeling that grew in his chest.

"I am fine. Thank you very much for your concern," said the prince.

"I'll talk to you later," said Eva, releasing her friend and making a move toward her house.

"I look forward to it," Aikka replied, and allowed himself to be ushered into the back of the car once more.

Eva stood in front of her house until the car pulled away, waving a couple times as it disappeared around a tree-lined bend.

Upon entering her house, Eva found her father slumped forward on the kitchen counter, asleep. His hair, now entirely gray was messy. He drooled in an unsightly manner across the granite.

Eva sighed and retrieved a blanket from the living room couch and draped it over his shoulders.

Let the stubborn bastard be sore in the morning.

She left him a note right in front of his face in thick, black marker, stating she was home safe and sound and that he should only enter her bedroom on penalty of death.

It took her hours to unpack all that'd happened. She stared at the shadowy ceiling of her bedroom and breathed in the comforting and familiar smell of her laundry detergent while pulling her sheets up to her chin.

Aikka had come to visit Earth. G'dar had sought Eva out for SOME reason - she refused to believe it was coincidence. Aikka had put to rest her fears of being abandoned. They'd picked up like they'd seen each other yesterday, not ten years ago.

The galaxy was peaceful, but Eva's thoughts and emotions were tumultuous.

It was hard to get to sleep, but she managed.

She always managed.