Hello everyone. This is the last chapter for this story. As of me writing this, there are over 6,000 views for this story. I just wanted to say thank you to everyone that read, faved, and reviewed this story of ours.

As I said in the last chapter, I will be gone for a while. Kiwi and I plan to write snippets when we're both available in the future. That being said, please enjoy this chapter. It's been a long time coming.

"Normal speech."

[ Ghost speech. ]

Disclaimer: We own nothing but our characters and this story

"What's that?"

"What do you think it is?"

"A skull, obviously. Animal of sorts, most likely. Any particular kind?"

"I've forgotten the name, but I remember hunting it. A few thousand years ago, I went on a hunting trip. The creature eluded me for some time. But I'm stubborn and I continued to try to find it. Eventually I found it. It put up a great fight."

"And in the end, you were successful." She grins, moving over to stand near him. Gold unbuttons her cloak and drapes it somewhere nearby.

"Yes and no. As it turned out, there were more of them nearby." Quoris pauses for effect. "To this day, I have no clue how I managed to make it out in one piece."

She frowns briefly, rubbing his bicep quietly with her gloved palm. "Well, you're here. That's the good part of the story."

"True."

"So, any other interesting stories you'd like to share?"

"What do you know of the Ahamkara?"

"That most Guardians recycle their bones for armor pieces." Sarcasm included.

"I'm not surprised that you Guardians do that. But how much do you know of the Ahamkara of lore?"

"Unfortunately, no. Not much is written publicly."

"They're like the dragons of legend for humans. They're tricksters and wise, selfish and giving. Your city hunted them to supposed extinction some time ago. Your city weren't the first to hunt them, though. In my earlier years, the Awoken people hunted some of the Ahamkara."

"-Huh." Gold huffs briefly before sitting down on the edge of the bed next to him. A brief smile spreads on her lips. "So, you participated in the hunts? I never known you were one to do that."

"There was a time when hunting the Ahamkara was needed. You wouldn't believe what some of them wanted to do to us 'lesser beings.'"

"Mmmm." Gold hums, revealing a frown. It seems her curiosity got the best of her, eyes still staring over at the skull. "I rather not. Sounds too gruesome."

"Gruesome to you, maybe. When you live as long as I have, you tend to see things. And before you ask, no, we didn't hunt them to extinction. They may be tricksters, but they're not unreasonable. Most of them, anyways."

"Ah."

"What about you? Have you done much hunting? As a guardian or otherwise?"

"Not as much 'hunting,' but I have killed some enemies on my own. Not sure if you can call it hunting." She chuckles, shaking her head.

"We're both hunters here. It stands to reason that hunting entails many things. It can be as simple as following an animal for food or trophy, to as complex as following the trail of an enemy. The only difference is the prey. And keeping that in mind, what has been your greatest prey?"

"Hm." She pauses, looking off to the side. She had to think on it for a moment of silence before looking up at Quoris once again. "Well. At one point, I'm not sure how long ago it was, but being in a sticky situation - I did face a King's Archon alone. It was… Intimidating, but in the end after we practically chased each other, were at each other's throats more than once - I did kill him. It was an honorable fight. No dirty tactic. It felt like he was testing me… and himself."

"That's a logical assumption. From my personal experiences with the Eliksni, they are an honorable bunch, most of the time. Even the dirtiest pirate out there, in some form, retains honor. They're still dirty pirates, but you get my point."

"Yeah. Honorable enough until they start firing a swarm of bullets at you." A chuckle escapes from her.

Quoris chuckles. "Too true. But enough of talking about pirates. Why is it that we're scouring the Cosmodrome again?"

"You must've been asleep when Cayde called." She smiles, shaking her head. "With Crota's defeat, Hive have dwindled in certain areas of the Cosmodrome, in places we weren't able to touch before. Now that there is a lack of an enemy there, we can explore further. Our job is to set up more transmat beacons for other Guardians."

"I can't help that I was tired. It makes sense that with Crota gone, the inevitable power vacuum with drastically affect the Hive. That being said, the Hive forces on Earth will still be vicious, so we shouldn't be too careless. I recommend we search buildings first."

"We should search everywhere, really. It's not just about transmat zones, either. Information is still lost, which our exploring, we might be able to retrieve some things. So we should search everywhere."

"No sense wasting time. Roth, where should we start searching?"

[ There is an unlocked area outside of the Rocketyards. From the Hive and Fallen fighting there, it seems they did some damage. Guardians scouted and found a route that was once blocked off, now accessible. Yet no one has gone far. We should start there first, see where the area leads. ]

"From the sounds of that, it's awfully close to the Devils' lair. I know some guardians did a number on their leadership some time ago, but I have no doubt that they're still a threat. They won't be a problem for us, I hope?"

"Last time I heard, a fireteam took out the Devils' servitor. That made a dent on their numbers. But near the Rocketyards, there's the Kings. They're deadlier than the Devils; more precise, quick-witted. I'd rather keep a safe distance from them, especially if they outnumber us."

"Smart plan. So all we have to do is sneak inside and hope we don't get much resistance?"

"Correct."

[ By Roth's source, the area that he mentioned is an underground highway that leads off past the space station, stretching further west in the Cosmodrome's military base. Where ever that tunnel leads, that's where we need to be for the first beacon. ] Lazarus hums, floating near Gold's shoulder.

"For once, you're talkative." She looks over at him with curiosity.

[ You know me. Observe more than speak unless necessary. … Standardly. ]

"In all these months that Gold and I have had our 'thing,'" Quoris gestures with air quotes dramatically, "you've never really been one to have a conversation. If I know anything about ghosts, you were most likely analyzing some piece of info. What could have been that fascinating to keep you busy that much?"

[ I analyze everything. ] Lazarus' tone is soft, almost a sigh of static coming from him. [ You do realize she now is not 'alone' anymore, right? I've been the only one with her since her revival. ]

"... He's not wrong." Gold quietly comments, glancing away.

"For what it's worth, I know the feeling. Sure, I've had Roth for a while, and some friends, but I still felt 'alone,' you know? Helping people just didn't fill the gap."

She frowns heavily, reaching over to take his hand into hers, giving his palm a squeeze. "I know…"

He glides his thumb over the back of her hand. "Yeah… we both found something in each other." He glances over to the ghosts, noticing that they look uncomfortable. "As much as I enjoy having deep conversations with you, I think we should let our ghosts be comfortable again. All these organic feelings must be confusing to them."

[ Aren't you a sucker for feelings. ] If you listen closely, you can hear the optic node twist and produce a mechanical twitch. Similar to an eye roll on Lazarus, which made Gold chuckle.

"Not only that," she hums, standing up and looking down at Quoris, "we have a job to do." She leans and presses a kiss to his lips, smiling wide. "We can have more sappy conversations out on the field, but for now - let's go."

[ "A'ight, Gold. I have a nice job for you, that you're going to like. - No, it's not lame scouting missions. … Okay, it 'may' be a scouting mission, but hear me out. Since Crota is dead - thank the Traveler - and the Devil's Servitor? Sepiks Prime? Dead, too. Double thanking, the Cosmodrome has been eerily quiet. Hive and Fallen have done some hard damage in a recent feud out in the Rocketyards, and one of my inside sources has told me that there is a revealed underground highway that was hidden by box carts in that section. Most likely it's linked to the main broken highways you see out on the Divide, but that's not the point. My point is, I want you and your Awoken boyfriend - Quoris, right? Right. - I want you both to scout those tunnels, see where it leads. I'll supply transmat beacons for you. - Also, when you can, who knows what is out there, so I want you to scout for info. Any information worthy to know of, Rahool and the Cryptarchs will be pleased, too. Good luck, Hunter! Cayde-6 out." ]

"... Did he really just call me your boyfriend." Quoris made a face of mock confusion.

"Well, he's not wrong." She shrugs, looking over at him with a teasing grin on her lips, walking through the Rocketyard Tunnels. Her gun at her side, all was quiet. "You were present when I submitted my report about the Black Garden, so he assumed such. Why, are you offended?"

"No, I'm not offended. Though I do wonder what Zavala will think about your relationship with me."

"He'll probably laugh. Call me lucky. I mean, I am lucky as it is. Having a devilishly handsome Awoken for a boyfriend, who is also a mighty Titan. Living the dream, all right."

"You know how earlier I said that both of us were hunters? I wasn't being symbolic. Well, not entirely. You may have noticed that unlike other titans, I actually have a hood. For Awoken, the three 'classes' are more of a formality than anything else. I, for example, am a 'titan' in title, but also employ many 'hunter' techniques. Also, how do you think the bubble shield came about? Titans wondering why they kept getting shot up? No, we looked at defensive warlock magics."

"So you're a Titan with a fashion sense." She's teasing of course, listening to what he had to say about the matter. She takes longer strides in steps to move over debris, looking around curiously as they continue with their scouting in the dark tunnels. "You're quite passionate about this subject, aren't you?"

"Well I have to be passionate about something. Besides, it worked, didn't it? Even Cayde thinks that we're romantically involved."

"Well, aren't we?" She almost sounds offended by the comment, stopping to stare at him.

"Of course we are. I'm just saying that either we're bad at hiding it, or Cayde is really good at spotting things. Maybe both."

"Both. More the latter, really. But why hide it at this point? Who cares? Cayde surely doesn't. Last time I reported to him when you were away on the Reef, he did ask how 'your Titan' is. I did mention you, and he did respect the fact that I liked you. - Mind you, this was before the Black Garden." She comments, frowning. "That's when he asked 'all' the questions… I won't get into that."

"Well at least he's kind about it. No, I'm more worried about the guardians that strongly dislike my people. I know you can handle yourself, but just imagine how they might react to us. Besides, I really don't want our relationship to be a super public thing."

"That's the thing. I don't care what they think or how they react to us. The only thing that matters is that I love you, and the fact you're still here, with me. You are all that matters." Her tone is sharp, but there is emotional stress bound to her words, glancing at him. "I love you. Screw 'em."

He laughs, pulling her close. "I can get behind that. But getting back to the task at hand, how close are we? It feels like we've been walking for ages already."

[ We're almost a mile and a half out from the station… Hopefully it shouldn't be too long. ] Lazarus interrupts, looking around as his nodes stretch out, scanning the environment. [ Around the bend, the ground elevation increases, must be the exit. ]

"Why couldn't we have used our sparrows? And don't tell me that 'there wasn't enough space.' We're in a surprisingly clear tunnel. There's a lot of space here!"

[ Yes, a lot of space in a blackened, underground tunnel filled with rusted cars that have skeletons withered away in the driver seats. That's not the reason, either. We don't have orbital access under here, on top of it all we are also too far away from the sparrow link out in the Mothyards to maintain a clear connection. We'll have to apply a sparrow orbital link in a nearby building with the transmat beacon so we can use our sparrows out here. ]

"Alright, fine. Why didn't we just summon our sparrows before we went into this tunnel? If I had known that I'd be in a long dark tunnel I would have thought ahead. Can't do anything about it now. I'll remember for future reference. We always end up in long pathways without sparrows for some reason."

[ You must really hate walking. ]

"It's not that I hate walking, it's just that we always end up walking long distances in situations where a sparrow would be better suited. I blame the Vanguard for neglecting to bring sparrows."

"I rather not drive my sparrow into a deep, dark tunnel where anything could happen. But that's just me." Gold comments, turning the corner to see the opening exit, smiling briefly. "Besides, we were only walking for not even a half an hour."

"Oh sure it's easy to look back on it positively. And have you heard what people do with their sparrows? Falling off into dark pits, somehow managing to dance on them while driving… It amazes me sometimes. I'm still waiting for sparrows to allow for a passenger seat."

"I'm sure modifying the back seat as an extension, you can make it a two-seater. No, my thing is this: why haven't we made races? There's so much opportunity."

"Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if that happened. I've actually had a few races while patrolling on Mars. It's… different."

"Agreed." She shifts, looking up and around curiously, seeing Lazarus scanning the area.

[ No sight of Fallen or Hive. We're about a mile east of the Rocket Yards. This area is a section of the military base. There may be useful information in the main buildings still untouched over the years. ]

"Good to know. Let's search this place then."

[ "Hey, Goldy-locks. Just got the beacon functional for transmatting and the link for sparrows all up and ready. Good job. If you can scout around to see if there is anything useful before heading back, that'd be awesome. Cryptarch is itching for something." ]

"Yes, sir."

[ "Don't stay out too long. See you soon, Gold. Cayde out." ]

"Well, let's wander. Maybe we can find something useful to bring back." She comments, twirling her Last Word in hand every second or so.

After some time, they did indeed find some information to bring back. Scouting through the main military bases out where they can see and reach, it was a success. A small archive was discovered underground, allowing the Cryptarchs access on all the information available that was not corrupted.

Just as the sun was beginning to wander down into the horizon past their sight, they approached the transmat they set down earlier on in the day. To which of her knowledge, seeing how large the building was that they linked their sparrow in on comms, they never explored it.

"We should at least check this building, we forgot about it. Looks like an outpost." Gold hints, looking over at Quoris.

"Agreed." Quoris comments, resting his weapon at his shoulder, moving into the building they were just in for the sparrow linking. It certainly was an outpost. A large one, at fact. Ornate logos of old military is noticeable on the old, cracked walls, the floor littered with debris and broken glass everywhere they stepped. The only available light was what shined through cracks and old broken off bits, illuminating the halls enough - as well as the console link to the sparrow in the security room they first stepped in when they immediately walked into the building. He was surprised it was not untouched by enemy forces at this point.

The two make their way around, making sure to look in every nook and cranny of rooms within the confines of the building. Majority of them were classrooms of sorts, armories that were raided, now empty. Some other rooms were bunkers, old clothes folded, still untouched on chests and beds covered in dust. The hallways were long, as well as the flights going higher into the large building. Up ramps that were illuminated by peeking sunlight through shattered window, to large chunks of debris that came from shattered support pillars and rooftop shingles. It was eerie, quiet. Not a single enemy in sight.

As Quoris and Gold continued their way through the maze of hallways, something felt off to her. He had continued on forward at his standard pace, and yet Gold had slowed down to almost a complete stop. Her mind had drifted away, looking off at one of the rooms they have not bothered to walk in - being barricaded by debris.

"You alright, Gold?" Quoris asks, breaking the silence.

"Yeah, I'm… fine… We missed a room."

"Debris is too heavy, I doubt we can get past it."

"Doesn't hurt to try." She comments, putting away her gun to the holster, advancing to the door.

She doesn't ask for help, when Quoris reaches out to assist her. With enough strength, they push the debris out of the way of the entrance. Once the dust settles over shifted equipment, Gold advances past Quoris in silence, entering the large room. Monitors stretched the room, large pillars were draped with old beige and red banners of some sort of animal. Her eyes were drawn from the banners to the opening of the room. Chairs from the tables were scattered, not too much debris. The thick glass that was partially cracked and broken off, stretched the wall above the monitors showed the upcoming sunset outside. Quoris looks over to see her fascinated with the room, as if she found something that was missing for so long.

"Are you alright, Gold?"

"..." Gold ignores his question and continues with what she was doing, what she was focused so sharply on. Her hand reaches out to the keyboards, looking down at the equipment. Old, but not destroyed. She looks around, seeing Lazarus caught something. Twisting her palm to be up, she lets him out of the safety of her armor, nudging him forward to look around. Scans were performed on the monitors, Roth retreating from Quoris' armor as well to perform scans, digging for information.

Everything went silent, Lazarus' voice echoing in the stilled room. [ This is a scout's outpost. ]

"For the military?" Quoris asks, approaching near Gold.

[ No. ]

"Who, then?"

[ - Six Coyotes. ]

"... Six Coyotes?" He asks carefully, seeing that Gold removes her helmet, placing it down onto the desk, eyes focused sharply at a draped banner of the red and beige creature. Until his eyes wander off to her shoulder, down her cloak. … Her cloak.

[ They were the legendary scouts that scouted outside the Cosmodrome walls successfully during the Collapse. At those times, outside the walls were off limits, being clawed by whatever was trying to get in. Fallen, Hive, who knows. They helped the population within the Cosmodrome retreat to orbit and to the Last City. ]

"... Fascinating." His eyes were still focused on the vibrant, old cloak that Gold worn. She hasn't worn anything for as long as he knows of her. In fact, he hasn't seen any other specific cloak draped in her ship, for as many times as he been in there - snuck around, looking at all the things she had. Not one cloak besides the one she has on now. A frown settled behind his helmet. "- Gold?"

"... Yes?"

"How long have you had that cloak?"

"..." She doesn't answer. Her head sharply turning as her attention draws to her thoughts. Lips parting with a confused sound, brows furrowed down, "Since I've been ressurected. I had it day one."

[ … You might not like this, Gold. I found a lot of information that is not destroyed. Dossiers. ]

"Of the Hunters?"

[ You look like one of them. Extremely accurate. ]

"How." Her voice snaps, resting her hand on the desk, staring at Lazarus with a confused look.

Lazarus flinches in the nodes, stopping his scans. With a swift nudge, he pushes himself and vanishes into the consoles. On the glass that acted like monitors - with enough power he gave to the consoles, he begins to pull up files. Unlocking each file, one by one. Dossiers of the Hunters. All six of them showed on screen, then beginning to space them out evenly. In the center of it was one of the women. Short, cropped brunette hair - uneven lengths on both sides of her face. Tired, silver eyes that were sharp in the camera that took her photo. A broad jawline, strong shoulders as well. [ Her name is Emilia Robertson. One of the last Coyotes to fall outside the Cosmodrome. ]

"That ...looks like you." Quoris quietly comments to her, taking off his own helmet to get a better examination of the photo expanded above on the glass in its holographic form. "It really does."

"I… don't know."

[ My scans are never false, Gold. You know this. ]

"Y-Yes, but… I doubt I'm one of them, right? That's one in a million, right?"

[ - Audio files match, too. ]

"E-Excuse me?"

Lazarus doesn't even hesitate to dig further into the files. Gold's expression shifts from shock to almost disgust. Disgust with herself. As audio plays of the last files created by Emilia, her fists clench tightly at her sides - staring down at the floor. He had played back a portion of the audio, as well as the questions she had asked him. It was a perfect match between vocals. A pain swells in her chest, squeezing her eyes shut.

"... I think we may have found your origins, Gold. You always told me you wished you knew who you were." Quoris moves closer to her, taking her hands into his - his free hand tilting her chin up so he can get a better look at her. "So, here you are. We found you."

"I… no." She hesitates, her breath in a shake. "How? Why?"

[ Emilia died west of the Cosmodrome, outside the wall. I did find you near that location, you know. ] Lazarus' voice settles into a quiet tone, gathering all the information as much as possible. He shuts off the monitors, zipping out of them as he approaches his Guardian. The top node raising with a sudden sadness at her reaction. [ It's not impossible, Gold. You look and sound like her. You even still have an original cloak from them. It's you… Emilia. ]

The sudden sound of the name makes her flinch, eyes darting to him. She had reacted to it, and soon realized - now frowning heavily. Eyes began to glass over, her cheeks beginning to burn pink as she is overwhelmed with old thoughts. Thoughts that did not feel like hers. Another person felt in battle with her mind to take over. A hand raising to clutch her head, shutting her eyes. It alerted Lazarus as he inches closer, but she speaks nothing in the moment.

"What happened to them, in the end. Did they succeed?"

[ … ] Lazarus lets out a sound of static that resembled a sigh, the optic twitching and blinking several times, digging into the files again for any reports. [ All non-military families and personnel that lived within the walls of the Cosmodrome successfully retreated to safety of orbit and the City. The Coyotes did their job successfully. ]

"..." There was a sudden sense of relief in her. A heavy burden was still clinging to her chest painfully. Quoris held onto her hand tightly, pulling her close when her sigh of relief is let out. His hand reaches to rub at her shoulder, focused silently on her. As she speaks, "What happened in the end?"

[ The last report was their tenth successful scout outside the Wall for resources, checking for damage on the outer wall. They were ambushed, one by one. The results if they survived, are unknown. Most likely, they did not. ]

"... I want to leave. I'll… make a copy of all their files. I want to keep it… read it over before handing it over to the Vanguard. See if I can… remember anything."

[ As you wish, Gold. ]

"Let's leave. Please. It's getting dark out."

"How are you feeling, truthfully?"

Her head was tilted into her hand, sitting at the workbench in the ship. Her eyes were focused on a data pad clutched in her ungloved hand - dazed out. She almost didn't catch his question until he asks her again. Gold snaps out of it, jerking her head up, looking at him. "Huh? Sorry, I… didn't catch what you said."

"I was wondering how you're holding up."

"Yeah?" She blinks, then draws a blank as she stares for a moment. She catches herself before rolling her shoulders with a frown, looking down at the datapad again. "I'm… fine. I guess. Headache is pretty rough right now on me."

"If you need anything, I'm here for you, Emilia." He places a hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her."

She flinches at the name, frowning hard. Brows furrow downward, glancing away. "... Already using that name, huh?"

"It's who you are. I would understand if you wish to move on from your past. But now that we know you past, I don't want to call you 'Gold' anymore. It isn't your name. Not anymore." He embraces her, his chin resting on her shoulder.

She scoffed quietly, laying the datapad down on the workbench next to her gun. Her head turns to look him over, raising her hand to grasp at his own. "It's just… weird. Being called that. I lived with being called 'Gold' for so long…" her voice trails off, not bothering to end her sentence.

"What's in a name? You're still you, in the end. I don't care which name you choose, I still love you for you."

Cheeks shift to a color of pink, shaking her head. "It feels like I'm carrying another identity, now."

"That's certainly understandable. But why don't we get you mind off things and relax. It'll do more good than talking about it in-depth will right now." With that he guides her to the bed, lying down. "How about we just lie down for a while?"

"A-Ah, fine… fine." She sighs in defeat to his reasoning, being guided over to the bed as she sits down on the edge of it. Soon after thinking it over, she scoots further in before letting her whole weight of her body flop down hard, her head resting on the pillow. The frown still fresh on her face. "It's crazy…"

"Think of it this way: if things weren't crazy, we'd have nothing to do! Besides, I like crazy." He moves her around so that they're spooning face-to-face.

Gold - Emilia - grunts at the movement brought upon her by Quoris, watching him lay down beside her, face-to-face. Listening to him carefully, the frown shifts into a weak, tired smile. Moving about, she rests her forehead against his, snuggling closer against his form. "I'm surprised you like that kind of stuff."

"You're surprised that I like crazy? Believe me, crazy is the way to go."

"Uh-huh."

Quoris looks down at her with a small smile on his face. Arms draped over her to hold her close. Of course, at one point, he surprises her by sneaking his cold hands up her shirt, grabbing her waist and back. To which she almost lets out a squeak, jolting.

"A-Ah, cold hands- Quoris-"

"You're warm. Really warm."

"Y-Yes, but… warning, next time." She scoffs a 'gah' under her breath, squirming up against him as she attempts to get herself comfortable again, "Jerk."

"You know you love the attention. Don't deny it."

"Mmmm… Maybe."

He uses his now warm hands to rub her back. Quoris leans down to press a kiss to her temple, soon letting his lips trail down her cheek and to her lips. Kiss after kiss, running his hand up her waist as one is removed from under her shirt to cradle her face in the moment. It felt different even if his enthusiasm was obvious about the newly revealed information about her origins, he did feel a tinge of doubt. He felt stress more than relief in her muscles. All he could do at this point was comfort her. Rather than stepping forward for what he wanted, he decided against it. Quoris moves and pulls the covers over them, wrapping his arms into a full embrace around her - keeping the kiss fresh, soft on her lips.

She felt tense throughout the affection. Almost distant, if that was a proper word for the meaning. Her mind felt shattered, too tired to have effort in staying awake. Regardless, Emilia was here to stay, it seems. Quoris wanted no different. Now that she knows more about herself, the gap in the bridge was beginning to construct. It would just take some time for her to accept it all.

For now, sleep is what she needed. Already dozing off in his kisses, snuggling up against him as they part them - giving him a lazy smile.

"How did the appointment go? Nothing bad, I hope."

"Hm? Ah." She goes quiet, carefully placing her bag down. She's almost pale at the time, slowly shrugging. Her hand is pressed idly to her stomach, looking over at Quoris' direction. "Seems like I have a nasty flu."

"Is it serious? Did they give you any medication?"

"I'm on some antibiotics. Hopefully they work. For right now, it's… rough to keep down food."

"I'm sorry to hear that, hun." Quoris moves over to her side, frowning. A hand raises up carefully to feel her forehead. She wasn't at all too warm, but still held concern for the sudden sickness. "You want to lay down?"

"Yeah… I'm a little tired."

He nods carefully, taking her hand into his. With a tender squeeze, he raises her hand to plant a kiss on her knuckle - guiding her over to the bed. Quoris makes her sit down, deciding to lift her leg up to take off her boots. Along with other equipment she wore, along with the cloak. He sets them down to the side and tucks her into the bed, soon following to lay next to her. A hand rests on her hip, kissing at her temple. "- Side note, excluding this sudden flu you have: you've been getting more confident lately. You know that?"

"Not sure what you mean."

"I've been thinking about it recently, and it hadn't dawned onto me until now. Usually I start things off. Lately you've been the one to start undressing. Not that I mind, of course."

"- Was about to say, if it makes you that uncomfortable, I'll totally stop." Sarcasm included.

"No, no, I like the new you." He lightly strokes her hips under the covers. "Before I know it you'll be pushing me onto the bed and taking charge. That would be a sight to see."

Her brow raises lazily, adjusting her head on the pillow as she opens one eye. A frown settled in the comment of 'new'. "New me? There is nothing new here. Still the same, Quoris."

"Then let me rephrase. You've come a long way since we met."

"Of course. I mean, back then you weren't screwing my brains out." A soft roll of the eyes follows a weak smile, rolling over to face him, snuggling closer against his frame.

"True enough. And when I did start to 'screw your brains out,' as you so eloquently stated it, you certainly seemed to enjoy it. I'd like to think that I've helped you gain confidence in many ways, including the bedroom."

"I was never a 'people person' until you arrived."

"Well it's a good thing that I came along. People aren't that bad."

"Some."

"Surely you must have some friends out there."

"... Hardly."

"Give it time. There'll be people that you'll want to get to know and just… relax with. And always remember, I'm here for you." He leans his head down, their foreheads touching.

"I doubt it, but good to know." She shuts her eyes, nuzzling against him.

"They'll come along. Just give it time."

"You're looking a little bloated today. Sick, again?"

"Yeah… shouldn't of ate that breakfast. Stupid me." She huffs with a heavy frown, glancing off to the side.

He frowns, walking up and holding her close. "That's no good. You go lie down in bed, I'll make you some soup and tea."

"Ah, Quoris, you don't have to." She smiles weakly up at him, rubbing his arm carefully as she moves to go sit down on the bed. Her palms grip her knees tightly, watching him walk off to gather food and tea. In the meanwhile, Emilia looks away with a harsh frown, unsure on what to say at this point. There was a sense of vulnerability in her. Not to mention nausea beginning to rise once again within minutes. She takes off her boots and scoots back into the bed, easing against the headboard to lean back, watching him carefully.

Well, this was unusual. In all the time that Quoris had known Emilia, she had never really gotten sick. It's been happening more and more frequently, and his concern grew more by the day. He was just glad that she didn't catch anything serious. He finished making the soup and tea, bringing it to the bed where she lay sitting and staring at her feet.

"I think some soup and tea might help." He says as he sets the tray on the bed. "You know, when I was younger and got sick, my mother would make soup for me. I enjoyed the contents, but couldn't stand the broth, amusingly enough."

"Your mother, huh?"

"Yeah. She took good care of me growing up. She made the best pot roast. Sure it took hours to make, but it was so good."

"That sounds delicious." She smiles, carefully eating the soup one spoon at a time - her nerves were on edge, and so was her stomach. "Do you have any other family?"

"Yeah. My parents live in a different district in the Reef. I haven't visited them in a few hundred years, though."

A small smile shifts on her cheeks. "Why not?"

"It just never occurred to me that I should visit so soon. Since we have longer lifespans, visiting family isn't as frequent as you might think."

"... How do you think they'd feel if they met me?"

"They wouldn't hate you right away. I'm sure they would love you. But… what about you? Do you have any family?"

There was a long pause, deciding to finish up the soup first. Her eyes travel across the room to see he was cleaning up the food he made. A simple shake of the head. "No family. Not that I know of, unfortunately. I looked through all those files of her- … myself, and I didn't find any family background."

"Hmmm. We'll see what the future brings. You never know, something might happen. Maybe we'll be able to make a family, one day."

Emilia goes dead quiet, eyes drifting up to look at him again. Seeing that he was focused on cleaning, she decides to quietly get up from the bed. She treads over in silent steps to nearby, resting the bowel and tray on the counter. Arms fold loosely over her front, her posture slacking as she lets out a sigh, "'One day' will actually… be sooner than you expected, Quoris."

He turns around, not entirely understanding what she meant. He chuckles, "What do you mean by that?"

Seeing that it didn't dawn on to him quicker, Emilia moves over to his side, hands tracing down his arm to grab his hand and wrist carefully. She tilts her head down in a shy manner, reaching him forward to press his palm flat against her stomach, he once thought was bloated. Once she feels Quoris tense up, she lifts her head up to look at his reaction, giving him a small smile. "What do you think I mean?"

To say he was surprised was an understatement. Truthfully, he didn't know how to react. "When did you find out?"

"I'm about six weeks in." The grin widens, tilting her head.

"No wonder you weren't feeling well. Well at least we know what's going on now. Have I told you how much I love you today?"

"No, actually." She hums, letting go of his hand, folding her arms. "I'm surprised you aren't in a shell-shock of a surprise. This is your doing, you know."

"Ah ha, but we both know that it's a two-person job."

"Well, it's no longer a job… It's a journey."

That was something Quoris can agree on. With a brief nod towards her, he leans over and presses a kiss to her forehead. Once giving enough attention in affection, he brings her close to cradle her head in his hands, leaning down to give soft kisses to her lips. They leave the moment with silence, resting their foreheads together. He brings himself to let out a content sigh, his thumb stroking over the side of her jawline.

"So… any names you can think of, darling?"

"Let's not go that far, yet."

This story may be over, but Quoris and Emilia's is just beginning.

Once again, thank you to everyone who read and supported this story. -ManLion and Kiwi