A/N: people please read and review! Thanks so much!

It's a bit confusing for these two here. Haha.

Enjoy!

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Chapter 9

"Who are you?"

Who are you? Who are you? Who are you?

The question kept ticking in Achilles' head, like a time bomb getting ready to explode.

And it did.

The question completely blew up in Achilles' face and he felt his heart shattering into a thousand sharp pieces. The question stung. So much.

Never mind the fact the look of fear that registered in her eyes when she woke up. He knew she tried to hide it but he could see past that. Never mind the fact the blank and fearful look she had in her face or the pale and panting reactions she had when she had awakened. Never mind the fact that she had been screaming in her sleep that causing Achilles to almost go mad with concern and worry. No.

Who are you?

And suddenly Achilles was angry. He did his best to not show it. He resurfaced the blank and cryptic stare he would always give her before. Were the gods really so cruel? To give her back to him, only to not remember him? His insides were aching so much. He was trying his best to control his shaking hands.

He did not want her to see him like this.

Why didn't she remember him? Why? Why?!

It was so unfair. How Fate always played with him and her like this. Moments like these, Achilles had to wonder how Briseis managed to keep a strong faith in the gods and in her beliefs. They didn't deserve such loyalty at all.

A sob escaped from the woman's lips and Achilles saw she buried herself in her hands. His anger dissipating as quickly as it came. No matter what, he did not like seeing her like this. He did not like hearing her sob or cry. When he had come back to his tent after dragging Hector's body all over the beach, the first thing he heard was that same sob and the look she had in her eyes now. Achilles remembered the moment he entered his tent, saw her and instantly regretted what he did.

She was muttering something and Achilles had a hard time trying to figure it out but after awhile he heard it.

"Troy…Troy…" She repeated over and over again.

Didn't she remember that too? Did she completely forget everything that had transpired in that once beautiful and now fallen city?

More than anything he wanted to comfort her put his arms around her and wash away her tears. But he couldn't. In her eyes, he was a stranger. Probably even thought he'd harm her. No wonder she was frightened to death. Whoever it was out there in the woods really wanted to finish her off and Achilles vowed to himself once again that whoever it was that tried to harm her, he'd kill without mercy.

"Troy is gone." She looked up at him suddenly, tears glistening in her eyes, soaking her beautiful face and one look at her and his breath was taken away. Even when she cried, she still remained dazzling and breathtakingly beautiful beyond words.

"What?" Briseis murmured so softly in disbelief, Achilles almost missed it.

"Troy has fallen." He hated to be the bearer of bad news, but she deserved to know, to be told of once again. "Don't you remember? You were there. Agamemnon had breached Troy's walls and by nightfall, slaughtered all the Trojan people he could see and burned the city to the grounds." He tried to explain as gently as possible.

Briseis sniffed and her eyebrows knitted in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"Troy. The city has fallen. It has been a year now." Achilles replied softly.

Briseis instantly got that they weren't talking about the same Troy.

"I'm not talking about that."

It was Achilles' turn to be confused.

"My brother. My twin brother. Troy." She said desperately. "I need to find him. I dreamt he was in danger and –" She couldn't continue for she choked on a sob.

Achilles was more confused now more than ever. He had known Briseis well enough to know that she did not ever have a brother. Much more a twin brother named right after the perished city. He knew she had three cousins, Hector, Paris and Cassandra, a sister-in-law, Andromache, a respected and faithful uncle, King Priam and a nephew baby Astynax. He knew she was the single daughter of her late parents, who died when she was at an early age. And so he knew well enough that she did not have any twin brother.

"Who are you?" the woman with the face of his beloved asked him once again. Amongst her sobbing and despair, she had noticed that her wounds had been tended to and were clean, that here clothes were drying in the small fireplace at the corner, that she wore a clean dark blue robe, something she had never worn or seen before. Clearly, the man had been her savior. And so the dream was true. This made her dread the fate of Troy and Patroclus and Gabriella all the more.

Achilles stared hard at the woman before him, trying to break through her, trying to penetrate her soul. But he could see, she really did not know. And finally, the hard, cold realization dawned upon him like rocks falling all over his head and crushing his skull.

She is not the Briseis I knew and love. But someone else entirely. They had the same face, its true. But it was not her.

"Achilles." He finally answered after what seemed like centuries. "Son of Peleus."

He watched her reaction carefully, and he noticed her eyes widen visibly and her face pale considerably. He didn't know if his heart could break any further or if his anger would resurface again.

She is not Briseis. She is not Briseis. He made the words repeat in his mind over a million more times. It seemed to be his only comfort now.

"What did you say?" She drawled out slowly, almost in disbelief.

It was like their first meeting back in Troy, only now they had reversed roles and he wasn't giving her an accusation of some sort. You killed Apollo's priests. She had said back then. Oh! How Fate loved to play with them now.

"Did you not hear me?" He uttered these words to her once upon a time. He didn't know what came over him. He cursed himself for being so cold once again.

Oh Briseis heard right and she wasn't sure if she was going to faint or choke. Could she do both? If the moment weren't so serious, she would've been laughing right now.

She suddenly remembered the flashing blue light so blinding it hurt her eyes. She remembered Gabriella's screams. And Ryan's curious gaze at the shadows. And now here she was, in front of the man they were currently discussing in her World History class, in the flesh, in his Greek clothes, here. With her. No wonder they weren't in the same level awhile ago.

Troy. The city has fallen. It has been a year now. His words were drumming in her skull over and over. It's been a year since Troy fell. She started to calm herself by breathing slowly. Troy. The fallen city. 1 year has passed. It was the city they were learning in History class. Inhale. She was in history in the flesh now. Exhale. She was not with her friends or Troy. They were nowhere in sight. Inhale. She was sitting in front of the man she had been writing essays about for the past month. She never imagined him to be so concerned. Kind but cold. Quiet and distant. Beautiful and whole. The books never said how he had blue eyes nor did the books say how his golden hair shone in the darkness. Exhale. Oh my god. She was in Greece. Not just Greece, but Ancient Greece. She was really here. And worse, she wasn't dreaming anymore.

She remembered her school. Her students, her teachers, her friends, her family all the way back in the future. Who was going to take her place now?

And suddenly it hit her like a ton of bricks.

Someone really plotted against them all, leading them right into the trap. At that moment those people who were deemed highly important in the school were there in that same room. Sharpay and Ryan, the Superstars. Gabriella, for her relations with Troy, who was the captain of the basketball team, a popular and very influential guy as well. The scene in the cafeteria proved that. Briseis, who was the President of the entire school, loved and respected by her fellow students. All that, plus the fact that the most important events were all scheduled for next week. It was the perfect plan. To send them away forever so that the evil culprits would get their glory. Only their plan was really sick and it probably took years of planning and genius.

Who could it be?

Who was next in line to the throne?

And Briseis wanted to throw up when the name came up.

Priscilla Nevalo.

She could do it. She had all the money, the influence, the lust for power plus in the future, with all the technologies up, scientists had been claiming that traveling in time could be made possible. She would do it. Priscilla had succeeded.

And Briseis felt betrayed. How could she? I trusted her! With Priscilla as the new Queen, how would her school fair? What is happening there now? Would anyone discover that they were gone? Find out where they were? Figure it out? Try to save them? All thoughts pointed to a big fat NO. And there was no way of going back. To send them to a time where everything was manually done and everything was in harsh ruins. It was perfect. It would ensure they never get back.

That skank bitch.

"Oh my god." Briseis looked up to her warrior companion in horror. She didn't know what to do anymore. "Oh my god."

Meanwhile, Achilles was oblivious to Briseis' new discoveries. When she had finally spoken and looked at him with horror, he had thought that his name merely frightened her.

"You don't need to fear me girl. I will not harm you." He said these words to her once upon a time.

"What?" She closed her eyes and Achilles could see she was trying to get a grip on herself. He pitied her. She looked so lost. "No. No." She shook her head. "It's not that."

What else could it be? Achilles thought, clearly confused. "Then what is it?"

Briseis looked at the warrior's blue eyes and thought she was falling even love with them. Wait. Stop. No. Her and the warrior? The greatest of all warriors? Was that even legal? Focus Briseis! She had to make choice now. She needed help. She didn't know Greece. She didn't know anything except historical facts. But that wasn't going to be enough. She needed to find her friends. She needed to find her brother and figure out some sort of way out of this mess. She needed this man, Achilles, to help her.

God give me the strength and courage now. She closed her eyes, making a short prayer in her mind and made the Sign of the Cross, Achilles watching the peculiar action, intrigued. God protect me. Send me your angels please. I need guidance. Help me, Father.

She opened her eyes to meet a pair of blue ones. Father, lead us not into temptation. Please… She breathed deeply before she spoke.

"My name is Briseis Bolton." Briseis started slowly, the shock in his eyes did not go unnoticed by her. She gulped. Guide me Lord. Please. "This…I'm not from here…Well I'm not from this timeline really." The spotlight is all on her now. She had all of his attention. God give me courage. "I'm from the future and my friends and brother, we're all lost. We're separated. And I don't know where they are. I don't know how to find them. I don't know Greece." Lord I need You now. "I need you to help me. You're the only one I can turn to now." Lord I turn to You for guidance.

And Achilles was left dumb-founded and thunderstruck. Briseis always had that ability, that same effect on him. From future or not. He didn't know what to say. But he knew she was not lying or pulling up on a practical joke. He didn't know how it was possible for the future to come to the past. But it seemed to make perfect sense. The clothes, the handbag, and the way she didn't recognize him at first sight.

He couldn't sit down anymore and so he stood up started pacing around the small cabin, deep in thought while Briseis just watched him silently.

They even have the same name. No matter what Fate was still playing sticks and stones with them. The same face. Maybe she's a descendant.

It was possible. Though Briseis may not have lived and he not wishing to lay with any other women anymore, Andromache had a son from Hector, and Paris and Helen would have an offspring as well. Or maybe one of the Trojan survivors. Her ancestors could be traced all the way to them. It even showed in her brother's name. Troy. They must be descendants of the royal family.

"You don't believe me." She suddenly stated, making Achilles stop pacing and look at her. "I know. It's hard to grasp. I'm having a hard time believing it too. But it's true. And believe me, this wasn't any accident."

That stirred the warrior's curiosity. "What do you mean?"

Briseis sighed. "You see, in my school, East High I'm sort of like the President of it all." Seeing the warrior's puzzled look, she suppressed a frustrated grunt. "Like, the highest leader in a land here. Like... a... Queen!" That's it. Greek-style language.

Achilles was of course surprised at the new information given to him, though he should've known better. Of course, in her past life she was a princess, it was only right to make her a Queen in the future. It fit right.

"You mean royalty." Achilles stated.

"No." She smiled at him. The first smile she'd given him. He almost forgotten the fact that this wasn't the same Briseis. He just missed the smiles she used to give him when she lived. "I don't really like to call it that. More like…a politician."

Achilles nodded in understanding. She was always so modest too.

"Well, I care for my people, my students and I do my best to serve them. Being leader is not all about power, sometimes you have to go down your level to reach the people, so that they can listen to you and so that you can listen to them."

To say that Achilles was taken aback was an understatement. He had heard similar lines coming from the wise King Odysseus and he felt a newfound respect from the woman sitting across him. She'd make a fine Queen.

"But you see, not all people think that way." And Achilles comprehended instantly, knowing her words to be true. "And so, to cut the story short, my second in line to the throne decided to build a time machine and warp us back here, in this timeline…"

"…Ensuring that you will never come back so that he could take all your power." Achilles finished. It was a sick and cruel plot, but successful nonetheless.

"More like a she." Briseis muttered under her breath.

"And what of your friends? Your brother?" Achilles inquired.

"Well they have high positions too. Just in different fields. I'm sure you get the picture."

Achilles nodded once. "But even if you find them, how can you get back?" He knew that this Ancient World wouldn't have the materials to build a machine that could make people travel through time. He had a feeling Briseis knew too.

"I just need to ensure they are safe." She began voicing her thoughts. "I don't think anyone will discover this… I mean Priscilla – my second in line to the throne – would say someone kidnapped us or I don't know, make up some fabricated story and the whole student body will believe it!" She gave him a look of despair. "I don't think she is concerned really about the people. She doesn't care. How will they fair without a leader who cares? It will be chaos!"

The first thought that came in the great warrior's mind was how they, Greece, needed more Kings and leaders like this woman before him. Her compassion towards others was beyond words for Achilles. He knew, if given a choice of life and death, she would gladly choose death just to ensure the safety of her people. Of her friends and family and loved ones. Just like how my beloved had done for me. And pushed the painful thought in back of his mind. Now was not the time.

Achilles remained silent as she continued on, "Nobody would know. No one will wonder. No will think something was wrong-" She stopped abruptly and Achilles had to wonder what she had suddenly thought.

"Patroclus!" Briseis suddenly jolted from the bed and was on her feet. "Oh Patroclus…"

The warrior's eyes filled with pain once again, one he couldn't hide. But thank the gods Briseis didn't notice.

"He will wonder!" She continued ecstatically. "He will know something fishy was up. He wouldn't believe the fabricated lies. And he wouldn't rest till he gets to the bottom of it. I know. I'm his cousin."

He froze. Oh how Fate really loved to play him. Maybe he committed too many atrocities and so maybe he deserved this. Why must this always happen? The future seemed interesting for Achilles. For everyone who he knew dead was all present and alive there. Except roles have been reversed immensely. What's next? Hector as her father? He sighed inwardly.

Briseis seemed to notice the expression on her companion's face for she gave a concerned look at his direction.

"Is something wrong?" She asked softly.

Achilles seemed to snap out of his trance. He shook his head. "No. Nothing." But with the look that she gave him, he felt the urge to tell her. "My cousin who passed away almost a year ago has the same name as your cousin."

Briseis felt her heart go to the man before her and wanted so badly to comfort him. War always brought the worst in everything.

"I'm sorry." She walked up to him, so close Achilles fought hard with his inner demons inside. "I just remembered that Patroclus, my cousin, was named after yours." She reached up to touch his cheek and caress his hair, Achilles fought the urge to back away. "He even looks like you too."

And everything came back to Achilles. All the memories, all the words, all the events. Everything seemed to play in his mind for one minute. The woman who stood in front of him now, even had the same scent of his angel, the same voice. Everything. It was like she never died.

And he couldn't help himself anymore.

He kissed her.

He kissed her with all the love and passion and sorrow and joy he had in him.

What surprised him though, was that she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him back with the same passion and fire he had.

They broke away, staring at each other, panting. Blue orbs meeting brown chocolate ones. The fire still not ebbing away. It was different now, there was no war. Yet it seemed all the more complicated. This was not the same Briseis he knew and loved and still loved. She was from the future and he from the past. It was not possible.

Meanwhile, Briseis didn't know what had gotten over her. Something went in her that she didn't understand. It was like two people were living inside her now. Whose soul possessed her now to make her feel the urge to kiss him, hold him and never let him go? Was it an old lover who passed away as well? Who was it inside of her making her heart beat rapidly at the closeness of him, her body tingle with unexplained delight and joy?

Two souls were in her now. One that was hers and one that was another. Two souls becoming one in her and she didn't understand.

And because she didn't understand, she chose to ignore it. To pretend that it was just figment of her imagination. In time she would believe it. She and the warrior can never be.

She finally broke away from his intense gaze. "I'm sorry."

Achilles was in turmoil now. How could Briseis be here yet not be here? The woman had his beloved's face and voice and compassion and name yet it was still not really Briseis. The Briseis he still loved so deeply and so fiercely. He just missed her so much and that's why he ended up kissing this stranger now.

He felt as if he had betrayed his angel and torrent guilt washed over him, once again making his heart ache.

Will his heart ever start aching? He wondered.

He bolted out of the cabin. He needed some time alone. By now the rain had stopped and the full moon shone high above him.

Achilles looked up, tears in his eyes once again.

Forgive me, my love.

He could've sworn the moon smiled down at him in response. It was like a symbol that his love from above has forgiven him before he could even utter his apologies.

That's impossible.

Anything is possible these days though.