A/N: Well, I have no excuse except...how is it August 20th already?

Adam

I returned to the attack track and sat there for a few minutes, staring out mindlessly. That morning I had been blissfully unaware of all the changes that had occurred on Eternia in the last nine years. I had questioned where I was from, who I was, and hated living every second not knowing the answer.

That had been easy compared to this.

Coming back and finding Teela despised me so...I drew in a shuddering breath. I could think of very few possible reasons. Obviously I must have insulted or hurt her, somehow. For a few seconds I had thought she had figured out my secret, but that clearly wasn't it. I just couldn't figure out what I'd done. Not to sound arrogant, but I'm a pretty nice guy. I do my best not to hurt people, to help wherever and however I can. So what on Eternia could I have done to her to cause this reaction?

Then there was Adora. After all the build-up, I thought I was going to love her instantly. I wanted to. But she clearly didn't feel the same. Again, I didn't understand. It didn't take a rocket scientist to see that the two were related. Adora must know whatever happened, and whatever it was, it was bad enough for her to pre-judge me before we'd even met.

Not even when I was on Draedus had I been this upset over not knowing a piece of my life—and there I knew I had lost my entire childhood and formative years. Now all I was missing was a month, and it was torturing me like nothing else had.

Part of me wanted to storm back into Teela's house and demand answers, but the more logical part of me prevailed...okay, I can't lie. It wasn't logic. It was the tears on my cheeks. I had been pushed as far as I could go emotionally that day. I needed some time to absorb all the changes in my life. I could feel my mind going numb from the shock of it all; I was even having a hard time concentrating enough to think of what to tell the attack track to do next.

I noticed a white horse with a red mane and tail grazing outside of Teela's house; my mind latched onto the distraction as if in self-defense. I figured that was Adora's companion, as Cringer was mine. Idly, I wondered how it could get any bigger. The thing was huge.

Yeah…I can ride a horse, but I don't like it very much. I feel safer with tigers.

"Are we going home now, Prince Adam?" asked the attack track in its mechanical voice.

"Yes, Track," I replied wearily, wiping the tears from my face. "Let's go home. Slowly." I wanted some time to gather myself together. Downtrodden, defeated…this was not the homecoming I had imagined. Ancients knew that although I never knew where I was from, I imagined coming home often. I pictured a loving family running to embrace me, maybe even children, shy from their father's long absence. Funny how when you imagine things like that, you never imagine the tough parts.

Duncan predictably met me in the hangar. I shook my head warily as I exited the attack track, watching him closely for any sign that he was going to harbor ill will towards me for my unknown sin. "She refused to talk to me, and Adora backed her up," I said, my voice sounding hoarse and tired to my own ears. "Whatever it is, Adora knows about it."

"Adora was at Teela's cabin?" Duncan asked, sounding surprised…and maybe a bit hesitant.

"She showed up while I was there," I confirmed. I met Duncan's eye, hoping he couldn't see how awful that encounter was.

"So what did you think of your sister?" Duncan asked, his tone carefully neutral. I must have given away my feelings. Darn. I used to be better at hiding them from him, but I was out of practice.

I glanced around to confirm we were alone, then straightened up and gave him the truth. "Judgmental. Cold. Loyal."

"Cold?" Duncan repeated, one eyebrow raised. "Judgmental? Adora?"

"Towards me she is," I grunted. There were some boxes in a corner that were only partially stacked. Needing something to vent my sudden frustrations on, I strode over and started moving them around. "She basically accused me of deliberately staying away for nine years."

Duncan's mouth dropped open, I noted with some satisfaction as I lifted another box. "I couldn't even say much to defend myself, because Teela was there. Adora knows why I left, doesn't she Duncan?" I stopped and turned back to him as the question took hold. "She does know I'm He-Man, doesn't she?"

Duncan seemed dumbfounded. "Well, I never came out and told her, but I assume she knows," he said in a perplexed voice. "Even if the Sorceress didn't tell her, she's heard the story as everyone else has, that He-Man was caught by Skeletor, his memory erased, and he was sent to the Crossroads of the Universe. And that you went after him and were somehow caught up in the spell."

"Well surely Grayskull's magic wouldn't keep the secret from her," I mused, turning back and hefting yet another box. "She must know I'm He-Man."

"I know." Her voice echoed across the hangar, and I guiltily wondered how long she'd been there.

I wasn't about to let that stop me, though. I turned back to her slowly, deliberately. "Then why the attitude, Adora?" I asked quietly.

"Being He-Man doesn't make you perfect," she snapped.

"Of course not. But you must know I had no control over the situation," I objected.

"Actually, I don't know that," Adora said coolly. "What I think is that it's very possible you chose to stay away for nine years because you couldn't handle the stress or your responsibilities anymore."

"Adam would never do something like that," Duncan broke in firmly.

"Oh really?" Adora challenged. "The word about him is that he was always ready to fool around with a pretty lady. That he was lazy and irresponsible, and on the verge of being disowned by the king."

My jaw opened of its own accord. "Disowned?" I repeated numbly. Not that the thought hadn't occurred to me before, but it was one of those distant ideas that even though you think it, you don't believe it will actually happen.

Duncan glared at Adora and folded his arms. "The king never mentioned such a thing. And you shouldn't believe the rumors about Adam. I'm sorry we haven't done a better job of informing you what your brother's really like."

"Oh I know all I need to know," Adora said in a sharp tone. "And you wouldn't think so highly of him if you knew the truth."

"What truth?" I demanded. I ground my teeth together in a desperate attempt to keep a hold of my emotions, but the words that came out were still biting. "I'm glad you haven't had any problems with your dual identity, Adora, but I did. Yes, I missed meetings, was habitually late, and everyone thought I was irresponsible because of it. I took naps because He-Man's heroics sometimes left me exhausted, and often that was when Teela thought I should be training with her, because she didn't know I'd done enough training with Skeletor. None of it could be helped. That's the truth, plain and simple."

"Oh really?" she said, walking over to me with measured steps. She stopped short just in front of me. She seemed to be about Teela's height, actually, maybe half an inch shorter, and she peered up at me with crystal-clear blue eyes that still sparked with anger. "And what about what you did to Teela?"

"What did I do, Adora?" I asked desperately. She sneered at me and seemed about to turn away, but I grabbed her wrist. Everything in me that was angry just a few seconds before was now aching at the thought that I had hurt my best friend. "Please, Adora. I really don't know. Teela's like a sister to me. I can't even imagine what I did to hurt her so."

Maybe it was my imagination, but I thought her face softened just a bit. Then her harsh mask was back in place. "Teela swore me to secrecy. I can't tell you." She crossed her arms stubbornly. "I'm not sure I'd tell you anyway."

Well, that was a fat lot of help. I ground my teeth again in frustration as she turned on her heel and strode away. "Someone needs to take her attitude to the cleaners," I growled to Duncan.

For his part, Duncan seemed flabbergasted, staring after Adora with his mouth hanging half-open. As I spoke to him, he turned back to me, shaking his head in clear confusion. "I'm sorry, Adam. I had no idea she harbored such an ill opinion of you. I'll try to talk to her and sort it out."

I hesitated. Part of me wanted to sort out my own mess—she was my sister, after all. But I was afraid my emotions were too raw at the moment. His offer was tempting. Finally I shook my head. "I appreciate the offer, Duncan, but her opinion of me is low enough already. I won't reinforce it by sending you to intercede for me." I ran a hand through my hair. "She'll have to wait until tomorrow, though. I've had about enough for today."

Duncan gave me a surprised but approving glance, probably recalling my determination to see Teela. "You've matured, Adam. It used to be you didn't know when to step back and allow yourself some time to deal with things."

"I've learned a lot of patience," I admitted. "Not knowing who you are for nine years will do that to you, if only because you live daily on the hope that you'll remember. I also had to hold back in my relationships, because I didn't know if I had a wife or children already."

"That must have been difficult," Duncan noted.

"Yeah, I guess," I responded. "But like I said, it was peaceful. I had a home, a job, friends." A wistful smile touched my face. "That was my one regret, that I had to leave so quickly once I realized who I was."

Duncan sighed heavily. "I'm sorry, Adam. I wish we had found you sooner."

I shrugged. Everything still seemed so surreal to me that I couldn't seem to agree or disagree with him. I felt as if I had just woken up from a nine-year dream. "I'm going to head up to my room," I said. "Get ready for dinner." I hesitated a minute. "Dinner's still the same time and place?"

He chuckled. "Yes. That hasn't changed in the last fifty years, never mind the last nine."

I was glad. It was nice to know something had stayed the same.