Fallen Eternia Chapter 11, a he-man fanfic

Sorry I was so late with this. You see I got a job and work has been occupying my time a lot. Anyway this is a lot longer than my other chapters so hope you like it. Is it the final chapter? I'll try not to let it be, but work can get in the way. Also there is another fanfic I want to work on.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"I'll kill him," growled Many-faces for the third time as he led them through the hallway. They had both wakened up to find He-Man and Merman gone. Now Many-faces was following He-Man's scent so they could find him. Duncan rubbed his forehead as he glanced over at Many-faces. He had suspicions as to why He-Man had knocked them out. Perhaps he wanted to settle things with Skeletor alone. Duncan just hoped he could prevent a fight from breaking out when Many-faces and him finally found them.

"Many fighting among ourselves will only help Skeletor," said Duncan. He wasn't surprised when Many-faces snorted.

"Tell that to He-Man than. I don't trust him Man-at-arms. His not the same man as before," said Many-faces as they turned a corner.

"None of us are the same as we were before," stated Duncan. Secretly he feared that He-Man changed even more so than the rest of them. Even though no one knew it, He-Man was in real life an eighteen-year-old teenager when he was captured and imprisoned. Duncan was afraid his young mind might have been more affected by the long years of imprisonment compared to the rest of them. Not to mention having to suffer the knowledge that his parents were killed.

"He-Man!" roared Many-faces. Duncan was startled out of his thoughts and raised his head. Sure enough there was He-Man carrying Teela in his arms. Duncan turned pale as he saw her still form. Was she dead? Beside He-Man was Merman and… Whiplash? Duncan instantly noticed the lack of a tail. Many-faces though had his red eyes focused totally on He-Man as he stomped towards the man. His large muscles twitch and flexed as he prepared to battle.

"He-Man if she-"

"Don't worry Many, she's alive and well. She's just unconscious," said He-Man. He looked relatively calm considering Many-faces appeared ready to beat him to death.

"Good! Now hand her over to someone so I can rip you limb from limb," growled Many-faces as his hands clenched into fists. Duncan gave Merman a questionable look, wondering where Skeletor was. Wondering exactly what the hell happened. The fish man though had his eyes on the floor.

"There isn't going to be any fighting. Not until I find out exactly what happened here? Where is Skeletor?" asked Duncan as he stepped between the two. He-Man didn't say anything, but instead raised Teela forward in his arms. Duncan quickly raised his own arms to carry her. He instinctively pulled her close to his chest.

"I killed them."

Duncan stared at him, not quite understanding exactly what the champion of Grayskull was saying. Even Many-faces had snapped out of his rage to stare at He-Man surprised.

"Killed who exactly?" asked Duncan while not quite sure if he was going to like the answer.

"Skeletor, Clawful, Beastman, Lockjaw, Tri-clops, and Evil-Lyn. I came here, we fought, and then I killed them. Their bodies are back there," said He-Man as the jerked a thumb towards the doorway behind him. Then without another word he walked past Duncan and Many-faces. Whiplash had his head lowered as he began walking behind He-Man, like a loyal dog following his master.

"He-Man… He-Man come back here!" shouted Duncan with a hint of desperation in his voice. But He-Man continued walking and didn't once turn to look back. A feeling of dread came to Duncan as he slowly turned towards the doorway. He walked slowly while absently stroking Teela's cheek with his human hand. Soon he could see the outcome of He-Man's battle. Dead bodies layed across the ground of the torture chamber. As much as Duncan didn't want to admit it, he had a feeling of satisfaction at seeing Tri-clop's headless body. He quickly suppressed that feeling and turned towards Merman.

"He really did all of this?" asked Duncan. He could already read the answer in Merman's face.

"Yesss, he had me lock the door when he went inside and then I opened it once he shouted for me to," said Merman. Many-faces looked upon the carnage with pleasure.

"Couldn't have happened to a more deserving bunch," said Many-faces with a smile that showed his sharp fangs.

"I don't think Teela will agree with you," said Duncan as he looked down at the stepdaughter in his arms. The smile quickly disappeared from Many-faces when he heard those words.

"Yeah and she shouldn't have had to see this, but she didn't go through what we went through Man-at-arms. These sick bastards deserved what they got," said Many-faces as he gestured to the corpses.

"Maybe you're right Many, but I feel that they defeated us in the way that really mattered. They turned the former hero of Eternia into a killer with their own deaths. And the rest of us are now jaded and definitely not as noble as we once were," said Duncan. The torture and battles he had gone through in life made him feel twenty years older. He was growing tired and weary.

"You're forgetting Teela here. Maybe the rest of us can no longer say we have a Defender's heart, but Teela here still has one. Skeletor and his minions didn't get a chance to break her spirit," said Many-faces as he glanced affectionately at Teela's sleeping form.

"And I thank the Elders everyday for that," whispered Duncan.

In the end it turned out to be very easy to stop the Skeletroids that surrounded Snake Mountain. Duncan just used Tri-clop's wristband, which had the ability to control both the Doomseekers and Skeletroids by remote. Once he shut them all down, it was easy to escort the children out of Snake Mountain and towards Eternia palace. All except for Merman who didn't go with them. Instead he headed towards the ocean claiming that he would be bringing the escaped prisoners to the city.

Once they reached the city, all they had to do was say three words to get them to open the gates.

'Skeletor was dead.'

The combination of seeing He-Man and hearing those words caused Skeletor's human guards to drop their weapons and beg for forgiveness. People began celebrating and cheering. And to add to the cheer, Merman brought the escaped prisoners just like he said he would. Among those escaped prisoners were many former Eternia palace guards who Duncan considered both comrades and friends. Unfortunately there were no other former Defenders among them and Duncan was able to get confirmation that Stratos, Buzz-off, and Ram Man had been executed.

A healer checked on Teela and reported that she should wake up the next day. Duncan found himself in the awkward position of being in charge of the city for that day. He-Man absolutely refused to have anything to do with the attempt to help the people of Eternia. Many-faces refused to leave Teela's side even though the healer said she'd be just fine. That left Man-at-arms with the responsibility of freeing prisoners, aiding the people financial with the royal treasury, and trying to bring some sort of order to the mess that Skeletor left.

He-Man entered the damp chamber while wrinkling his nose. The smell of rotting flesh hung in the air. There just like Many-faces told him was Battle Cat his friend, companion, and pet. Battle Cat stared at He-Man and for a second he had some small hope that he recognized him. But that hope was dashed when Battle Cat gave a fierce roar and began biting at the steel bars. Hunger could be seen in his yellow eyes and he obviously figured He-Man should be his next snack.

"You knew that she wasn't Teela when I saw that illusion. I should have listened to you old friend," said He-Man with a sad smile. He mentally shook off the regret he felt. Regret would get him nothing now. All he could do now was to keep going on the path he was on. He raised the Sword of Power and pointed it at Battle Cat. The massive feline glowed with a blue aura and a bolt of blue lighting shot from the sword and struck the tiger. As soon as he was hit, Battle Cat became Cringer. But unlike several times before, Cringer didn't appear full of fear or cowardly. Instead he began roaring and growling with as much savage passion as before. And he still didn't show any sign of recognizing He-Man.

He-Man sliced through the steel bars with his sword, giving the tiger an opening from his cage. Then he dropped his sword and raised both hands to grab Cringer when he leapt for his throat. He-Man easily put him at arms difference and then held him to the ground. It would have been difficult to subdue Battle Cat, but Cringer didn't have nearly the strength required to get out of He-Man's grip. He-Man made sure not to hurt him, but just keep him on the ground while with one hand he scratched behind the green feline's left ear. It was a favorite spot that Cringer liked to have scratched. An hour passed and finally Cringer began to calm down. His growls turned into a purr as he enjoyed the scratching. Finally He-Man let him go and Cringer slowly rose up.

He-Man prepared himself for having to hold him down again, but it wasn't necessary. When Cringer turned to him, he continued purring as he rubbed against He-Man's leg.

"Cringer… do you recognize me?" asked He-Man softly as he scratched behind the tiger's ear again. Cringer bobbed his head up and down.

"I'm sorry Cringer… I'm sorry for all of this," muttered He-Man as he felt his eyes water slightly. He quickly wiped his eyes while cursing himself. He wasn't that weak Prince Adam who cried after hearing about the deaths of his parents. Prince Adam was dead, now there was only He-Man. He lived so many years as He-Man that it felt like all in his heart and mind that had been Prince Adam had simply faded away.

He heard someone open the door and soon Whiplash had walked in. He was covered with scratches and claw marks as he walked towards He-Man. Cringer raised his head and showed his sharp teeth as he snarled at Whiplash. He-Man placed his hand on Cringer's head and gave it a good rubbing.

"It's ok Cringer, Whiplash is no longer an enemy. I trust you've done what I asked," said He-Man as he glanced over at Whiplash.

"Yes, I searched for Panthor and found him in the Palace Dungeon. Skeletor fed him prisoners there it would seem. I killed him like you asked," said Whiplash. He-Man nodded and then returned his attention back to Cringer, stroking his furry back. He hadn't planned to spare Whiplash. But then he hadn't expected any of Skeletor's minions to surrender. Whiplash had offered him total loyalty and servitude. To test that loyalty he asked him to kill Panthor. Now it seemed that Whiplash was sincere in his offer of servitude, but He-Man wasn't sure what to do. He couldn't let Whiplash go free. He might very well go back to hurting innocent people. And as much as a monster as He-Man had become, he still wasn't monster enough to kill someone who would offer no defense against his attack.

Well with the exception of Evil-Lyn of course…

"Very well, you will be my servant Whiplash. And your first task is to get some food for Cringer here," said He-Man. Cringer continued to purr as he rubbed against He-Man's leg again.

Teela had been in the bed all night and early morning since they reached Eternia palace. And Many-faces hadn't left the seat he was in during that time. Man-at-arms sometimes stopped by to ask him to help with something, but Many-faces refused to leave the room. He knew he was being selfish. Poor Duncan was over his head with trying to figure out how to undo the harm that Skeletor's four years of conquest had done. But Many-faces wanted his face to be the first one that Teela saw when she woke up. No matter how disturbing that face was.

"What am I going to do?" asked Many-faces of himself. Even with his monstrous features, he still figured he had a chance to win Teela's heart before He-Man showed up. Now He-Man was once again the hero who slay Skeletor and saved her. And as much as he was itching to challenge the man to combat, he knew that even if he won it wouldn't help make his situation any better. But the urge to throttle He-Man was still strong and he would probably have fought him by now if it wasn't for the fact that He-Man never came to visit Teela. That was about to change though.

"Hello Many."

Many-faces turned to find He-Man at the doorway. The rage he felt towards the man rose with the sight of him.

"I think it's time we talked. Care to go for a walk," said He-Man with a friendly smile. He still had that golden beard that went down his chest and made him appear older. Many-faces slowly nodded and rose up from his seat. After giving Teela one last glance he turned to He-Man and followed him out in the hallway. Neither one spoke as they walked down the hallway. Soon they were outside the palace and in the garden. The various beautiful plants had died from lack of care. The sky was dark with smog that the city used to release. It would take a long time to not only heal the people, but the environment of this kingdom.

"You love her, don't you."

It wasn't a question, but simply a statement of fact. Many-faces whipped his head towards He-Man and said the first words that came to mind.

"Stay away from her."

"And why do you want me to stay away from her?" asked He-Man. He wasn't appearing hostile, but openly curious. A dozen answers came to Many-faces.

Because I don't want her to fall in love with you again. Because you'll ruin any chance I have with her. Because…

Suddenly the image of Skeletor's corpse came to Many-faces's mind.

"Because you're dangerous," said Many-faces. It was funny, but he never thought of He-Man as dangerous back during the old days. Yes He-Man was an excellent warrior, but dangerous? Skeletor and his minions had never needed to worry about He-Man chopping their heads off or even doing permanent injury to them. That is until now.

"You're right, I am dangerous Many," said He-Man and revealed something in his eyes that caused Many-faces to take a step back. Those frosty blue eyes turned cold and Many-faces found himself raising his fists to defend himself. It wasn't what he saw in those eyes that scared him, but what he didn't see. That heroic light that used to be in his eyes had died and in its place was death. For the first time, Many-faces felt certain that this man was capable of killing him.

"I bet you're worried that Teela will scorn you because of your face. That she'll think of you as a monster. But you aren't a monster Many, not a true monster. I'm what a true monster is Many. And Teela saw just how much of a killer and monster I could be back in that torture chamber. You have absolutely no reason to worry about me taking her away from you," said He-Man. His voice was stone cold and Many-faces found himself nodding his head.

"Now why don't we see how she's doing?" asked He-Man in a cheerful tone. The face of death had quickly been replaced by the expression of cheer and good humor that the old He-Man used to have. It was a mask to hide his true nature and they both knew it.

"Yeah, lets go see her," said Many-faces. They turned and began walking back inside. Even though he wasn't planning to say it out loud, Many-faces actually felt pity for the man beside him.

Teela slowly opened her eyes. She appeared to be in a bed in a room. She instantly recognized that she was in the palace. The palace rooms had a structure and architecture that she had known since she was a child. Memories came then of what happened in the torture chamber. How she was captured, how He-Man came, and how He-Man killed mercilessly.

"Oh Elders," whispered Teela as she felt emotionally shaken. He-Man wasn't supposed to kill. He-Man was supposed to be the champion of Eternia, the man who would fight for light and justice. But he was no longer that man now. Teela saw that with her very own eyes.

"Teela!"

Teela's eyes followed the source of the voice and she found Many-faces and He-Man at the doorway. Many-faces had a smile on his demonic face as he quickly approached her. Teela kept her eyes on him, not able to bring herself to look at He-Man at the moment.

"Are you feeling ok Teela?" asked Many-faces. He sounded surprising gentle, which was very different from his usual growling and snarling voice. He took Teela's hand and gave it a soft squeeze.

"I.. um yeah, why are we in the palace?" asked Teela as she gazed into Many-faces's concerned face.

"Well with Skeletor and them dead, it was easy to get out of Snake Mountain. We came back here to the Eternia palace to give the people the good news," said Many-faces.

"Mind if I talk to her alone Many?"

Teela expected Many-faces to growl out a no, but instead he simply nodded and calmly got up. Teela couldn't stop herself from staring as Many-faces left the room. Now that she didn't see coming. She slowly turned to look at He-Man.

"Did you kill Evil-Lyn?"

"Yes,"

"I see… so now what are you going to do?" asked Teela. She had come close to asking another question instead. Why? Why did you kill them? Was it the four years of imprisonment that made you decide to do it? Was it seeing them kill and hurt your friends? But she didn't ask those types of questions. She could probably end up asking 'Why?' a hundred times and never get a satisfying answer.

"I'm going to leave and travel some. That is if no one objects," said He-Man as he raised an eyebrow. She knew what he was saying, as long as she didn't object.

"No objections here," said Teela while not even trying to stop herself from giving him a glare. Maybe he had a good reason for what he had done, but the feeling of betrayal hurt too much for her to care. He-Man didn't appear the least bit surprised by her response.

"I have something else that I need to talk to you about, its about a child Evil-Lyn had named Alexander," said He-Man.

"Plan to kill him too?" asked Teela. The words were out of her mouth before it actually registered what she was saying. She quickly covered a hand over her mouth, but He-Man didn't appear hurt or insulted from the remark.

"No, I came to ask you to take care of him personally. I want someone I know is a good person to raise him," said He-Man. Teela gritted her teeth as she continued to glare at him. She didn't know much about kids. She certainly never imagined herself raising one. But she couldn't say no… In some twisted way she had a chance to save Evil-Lyn's life. If she had only been able to convince He-Man to stop somehow. Since she failed to save Evil-Lyn, the least she could do was take care of her child.

"Ok," said Teela. He-Man turned to leave and as Teela stared at his back, a thought struck her like lighting.

"WAIT!"

He-Man stopped and turned in surprise. Teela had practically shouted out the word as she jumped out of bed.

"Father… said that you would know what happened to Adam. I need to know, is he alive? And if so where can I find him?" asked Teela. She couldn't believe she had nearly lost her chance to finally find out where the prince was.

"Adam is dead Teela," said He-Man. There was no grief in his voice. Teela simply stared unable to believe for a second what she heard. Adam was dead. Her best friend was dead. She'd never get to talk to him. She'd never get to say-

"No… No…," whispered Teela as tears came down her cheeks.

Orko.. Mekaneck.. Ram Man.. all gone… and Adam.. it's too much…

She couldn't hold it in. It was just too much emotion and pain. All those people were dead and she was spared because she ran away. Teela could feel the control she had over her emotions finally break. And like a flood overflowed her with all the suffering and loss she had gone through since first stepping on this planet. Teela didn't cry, she sobbed. Her whole body convulsed as tears continued to flow down her cheeks. Her nose began to drip and spit dribbled from her mouth as she began to babble Adam's name over and over again. All in all she wasn't a pretty sight.

Large warm arms wrapped and lifted her off the ground. She couldn't see past her tears, but she felt warm flesh surround her and hold her tightly. She was rocked back and forth. Her body continued to shake as she let loose her grief. She felt soft hair touching her cheek and soaking in her tears. And she heard a heartbeat that sounded strong and loud to her. Slowly she began to calm down. A hand was stroking her head and she heard someone whispering comforting words in her ear.

"Teela.. Teela.. please stop Teela…"

The voice was soft, but sounded desperate and for one second Teela actually believed the voice belonged to Adam. But when she wiped her eyes with her sleeve, she found herself in He-Man's arms. It wasn't Adam that had comfort her of course. Adam was dead. She had been crying her eyes out in He-Man's embrace. The hair she had felt had come from his beard. He-Man gazed at her concerned and Teela hated how she had let herself become weak in front of him. She quickly pushed herself away.

"Why do you care so much about his death? He was a weak coward," said He-Man. Teela's green eyes flashed with anger as she raised a fist.

THWAP!

Teela hissed in pain as she grabbed her fist. You'd think after almost breaking her hand on his jaw the first time that she would learn her lesson.

"Teela.. I..," stuttered He-Man. For the first time he appeared uncertain and confused.

"Just shut up! SHUT UP! You don't know a fucking thing about Adam! He was a lot of things, but he wasn't weak!" shouted Teela as she rubbed her hand. He-Man's face became tense.

"Adam was a lazy, spoiled prince who was a disappointment to everyone. You've said it yourself more than once Teela before you left," said He-Man. Teela flinched from that remark, but kept her glare on him.

"I know what I said about him He-Man and you know what? I was wrong… I was very wrong. Everyone, especially me, criticized Adam. I can't count the number of times I told him he wasn't being a true prince. I can't count the number of times I scorned him for not being at a battle. And lots of other people including his own father showed disappointment, but he wasn't weak! You know why?" asked Teela.

"Why?" asked He-Man. He appeared truly curios with where she was going with this.

"Because he took it He-Man! He took all the shit me and everyone else threw at him. He didn't let our words get to him. He didn't.. he didn't run away because of what we said," said Teela with the last words coming out as a whisper. A single tear ran down her cheek. He-Man took a step towards her and she instantly backed away while wiping her face. There was no way she was going to start crying in He-Man's arms again.

"But I did run away He-Man. I made one stupid mistake and I couldn't stand the King and my father telling me how disappointed they were in me. I left He-Man! I left everyone to deal with Skeletor on their own and if I hadn't left then maybe Adam would still be alive. Maybe I could have done something to stop what happened to my home!" shouted Teela. With every word spoken her voice rose higher and higher.

"You staying wouldn't have changed anything," said He-Man. The words sounded hollow to both of them. Teela knew right then he was lying or at the very least didn't absolutely believe his own words.

"Maybe.. maybe not. I'll never know for sure if I could have prevented this. If I could have prevented Adam from being killed. Now I guess I'm never going to get some fucking closure or whatever you want to call it. Now I'll never see the person who I came here to see," said Teela. She slowly sat down on the bed. The pain and rage that had washed over her body was now gone. Now her body felt numb and tired. Like she had just been through a fight for her life and only now had a chance to recover.

"You came back to Eternia to see Adam?" asked He-Man. He actually sounded pleased as he asked the question.

"Yes," said Teela simply. She was tired of shouting. She gave He-Man an earful of just how much Adam meant to her and now she was ready to go back to sleep. Maybe in her dreams she could escape the guilt and pain that she felt. It was there like an old wound that would never heal.

"Can I do anything for you before I go?" asked He-Man. He actually sounded desperate and Teela could see guilt in his eyes. The bastard! How dare he feel guilty! He just killed several men and a mother in cold blood. He didn't even blink an eye over it. But now she cries her eyes out and suddenly he acts human. Now he acts like the old He-Man when all her faith and belief in him had been shattered. At that moment she knew exactly what she wanted.

"Yes He-Man there is something I want. I want it to be you who died and Adam who's alive, but that's really just wishful thinking," said Teela with spite. She was hoping he would flinch or at the very least appeared hurt. The only reaction she got though was a raised eyebrow.

"Is that what you really want Teela?" asked He-Man as his gaze seemed to become more intense. At that moment, Teela had the crazy urge to believe he could do it. He could grant her request. It was simply a feeling she had.

"Yes," whispered Teela. That feeling grew stronger when she saw He-Man nod. It was ridiculous of course. He-Man could do a lot of things, but he couldn't bring someone back from the dead.

"Remember that no matter what happens, you asked me to do this," said He-Man. He turned and left the room. Teela continued staring at the doorway. What did he mean by that? Dead was dead, He-Man couldn't bring Adam back. No matter how badly she wished she could see the prince.

He-Man had stood in the hallway looking at his Sword of Power for a full five minutes.

"She wants Adam," muttered He-Man to himself. It wasn't He-Man the hero she came back for, but Adam she had come to see.

But Adam is dead… At least the Adam she knew was dead… You're a cold-blooded monster with or without the Sword of Power…

"She doesn't have to know that though," said He-Man as he raised his sword. A plan had formed in his mind when Teela asked for Adam. At first he had planned to give up ever being Adam again. But why not give up being He-Man instead? He could go to Teela as Adam and she would never know what he had done. What a monster he was. They would be best friends again, maybe even more than friends. That temptation caused He-Man to speak the words. The words that would take away He-Man the man he was for four years.

"Let the power return!" shouted He-Man. There was a flash of white light and then the sound of clothing ripping apart.

Rrrrriippp!

Adam looked down to see his old clothes from four years ago rip apart against his body. He had his old clothes back, but his body wasn't the same. He still had his golden beard and still had an impressive tanned physique. He was now naked and found that he physically appeared the same.

"I was He-Man for so long that I can't change back to my old body," said Adam with shock.

"Not quite."

Adam quickly turned to see Man-at-arms at the other end of the hallway. The cyborg walked towards him.

"You know Adam you should be more careful. I came to visit Teela and spotted you changing. You're lucky Many, Teela, or some stranger didn't see you," said Duncan in a fatherly manner.

"It doesn't matter. I'm still He-Man," said Adam as he gestured to his impressive, naked body.

"Adam how old are you?"

"Twenty-two years old," said Adam while not quite sure where Duncan was going with this.

"And did you think you'd stay a scrawny teenager even when you reached adulthood," said Duncan. Adam's eyes lit up as he began to comprehend what Man-at-arms was saying.

"This is what I look like when I reach twenty-two?"

"The Sword of Power didn't just give you incredible strength and invulnerability. It changed your body so that you were a full-grown man. Now without the sword you are a full-grown man so there's no change to your physical appearance. Try to make a crack in this wall," said Duncan as he tapped a stonewall next to him. Adam rolled his eyes as he raised his fist. He could crack walls with a single finger. He punch the wall as lightly as possible and was surprised at the stinging pain he felt when his fist met cold stone.

"Ouch," muttered Adam as he grabbed his hand.

"See? The Sword of Power took back all its powers it gave you. Now you are just a normal twenty-two year old man," said Duncan as he crossed his arms. The realization finally hit Adam. He was just a normal twenty-two year old with no powers like He-Man. He was Adam again. Then another realization hit him that filled him with dread.

"There's no way I can convince Teela I'm Adam without letting her know that I was He-Man as well," muttered He-Man. Even if he could convince her that he was Adam, then she would know Adam and He-Man were the same. She would know that her best friend was that monster she hated. So much for his plan.

"I think you should tell Teela the truth."

"She hates He-Man now Duncan and she'll hate Adam as well if I show her the truth. Right now she still loves me as Adam. She even came to Eternia to see Adam. And now you want me to have her hate both my identities?" asked Adam. He could just imagine the horror she would show at finding out he was a killer.

"Exactly Adam, she came here to talk to you. If she thinks you're dead, it'll tear at her for the rest of her life. Both of you can get through whatever you've done and what you've become. It won't be easy, but I believe one day she'll forgive you. Maybe it'll take years, but it'll happen," said Duncan. Years… it would take that long before Teela would forgive what he did. But if there's one thing you learn being chained for four years, it was to be patient. He could be patient.

"Ok Duncan, but do you really think she could forgive me for what I am now," said Adam. As he spoke he stared at Duncan with cold, dead eyes. He learned a long time ago to not only control his emotions, but also kill them. To in way, simply stop that part of him that cared and loved from existing. It was a self-defense mechanism his mind developed to ignore the emotional pain that Skeletor inflicted on him. And it worked perfectly when the time had come to kill Skeletor and his minions.

He felt no regret as he killed them. The only regret he felt now was that it was hurting his relationship with Teela. He still believed though that it was the correct action. That in the end they had to die no matter what the consequences.

Duncan shivered when those dead eyes stared at him, but held his ground. He met Adam's gaze with one of his own.

"We have all changed Adam and we're still changing. Maybe one day you'll become the old Adam that Teela cared about. All I know for sure is that permanently taking away Adam from her isn't the answer," said Duncan. Adam closed his eyes and sighed. He doubted he could ever be the old, innocent Adam he once was. But maybe he could become someone that would be considered at least human. Someone that Teela could learn to be friends with.

"Alright… Give me some time alone with her," said Adam as he walked towards Teela's room.

"Adam!"

Adam turned to Duncan who shifted from foot to foot nervously.

"Could you not tell her that I knew of your secret identity? She might become angry with me even hate me and I couldn't take that. I nee-"

"Don't worry Duncan. She'll never find out from me," said Adam before he began walking again towards Teela's room. No need for her to hate both of them.

When he walked in Teela was still sitting on the bed. She raised her head and her green eyes widened. Then her cheeks began to blush as she quickly turned her face away.

"He-Man why are you walking into my room naked!" growled Teela as she shut her eyes. Adam couldn't stop himself from grinning. Four years ago the thought of being naked in front of Teela would have sent him running in embarrassment. Now though he couldn't stop himself from feeling a bit of pride at displaying his body in front of her. He knew he was an impressive sight to look upon. Adam was scrawny no more.

"Well why don't you give me the blanket on your bed so I can cover myself up," said Adam. Teela quickly stood up and grabbed her blanket with her eyes still closed.

"Fine, here!" said Teela as she thrust the blanket towards his general direction. Adam took it and tied it around his waist. After a minute Teela slowly opened one eye to peek at him. Adam found it rather cute. Once she saw he was covered, she opened both eyes.

"Why did you come back?" asked Teela. She was still blushing and refused to look him in the eyes. Adam forgot his humor as he prepared himself for what he had to say.

"Teela… I want you to look at my face," said Adam.

"He-Man I do-"

She didn't get a chance to finish before Adam walked up to her and cupped her face in his large hands. He gently raised her face to his and finally her eyes met his. Her emerald green eyes appeared surprised, but soon it was replace with anger. The fire Adam saw in those eyes tempted him to lean down and kiss her. He felt a strong urge to try to tame that fire he saw. To try to break through her defiant will and make her his. He suppressed those urges though and tried to keep focused.

"Teela have you ever noticed how me and Adam have the same blue eyes? How he has blonde hair and I have blonde hair? How we both have tan skin? How Adam was always gone when I arrived?" asked Adam. The questions at first seemed to confuse her, but then he saw realization slowly slip onto her face. She almost had the answer, now was the time to tell her and change everything.

"Teela… I'm Adam. I and He-Man are the same," whispered Adam.

Silence filled the room as Adam waited for a response.

Five minutes passed with Teela not moving a muscle…

Ten minutes passed with Teela still frozen…

"Teela? Did you hear me?" asked Adam with concern. He expected anger, outrage, and maybe even crying. He didn't expect the news to turn her into a statue.

"I need to sit down," said Teela. Her voice was so faint you could barely hear it.

"Teela you are sitting down."

"Oh… then I need to lay down," said Teela as she pulled herself out of Adam's grasp. Slowly she lowered herself to lay her head on a pillow. Her eyes never moved away from Adam the whole time.

"How did you become He-Man?" asked Teela. Adam took a deep breath before speaking.

"Well it all started when my father was kidnapped by Skeletor…"

Adam began his story then, trying to tell her as much as possible. He left out the part of how Duncan knew his secret identity though. He talked about how the Sword of Power turned him into He-Man. He told her why he had to keep it a secret. Finally he was done.

As Teela heard his story, one thought kept going through her mind.

How could I not see it? I never saw them together and there were so many clues.

A swarm of feelings and emotions warred within her. First came guilt at realizing that all those times Adam ran he was actually going to turn into He-Man. Outrage that her best friend couldn't trust her with this secret. Horror at realizing that it was Adam who became a killer. In the end it was confusion that totally won out. She had no idea what to do or how she should react. It took a few minutes for Teela to realize that Adam had stopped speaking and was waiting for a response.

"Why are you telling me this now?" asked Teela.

"Because you wanted Adam. You wished for Adam instead of He-Man. This is the closest I could come to granting that wish. I'm… different now though. I'm still that person who killed Skeletor and the others. I just wanted you to know that I was alive before I left," said Adam. Then he turned and began walking towards the doorway.

"Stop! Adam wait!" said Teela as she got up. She couldn't let him leave. Not until she could figure out whether she even wanted him to leave. She wanted him to leave when he was He-Man. But now everything was different.

Before Adam could react, Teela had her hands on his arm to stop him from moving.

"Teela do you really want anything to do with a man who can kill? You know I'd it all over again if I needed to. I'd kill Skeletor, Beastman, and even the mother of… I'd do it all over again," said Adam. His blue eyes seem to grow frosty and cold.

"I couldn't forgive He-Man for what he did Adam. I think maybe because I put so much faith into He-Man being that perfect hero. That hero who would make everything right without killing a single person. And.. and that was wrong of me," said Teela. She had Adam's full attention now. It was often that she admitted to being wrong.

"After everything you've gone through.. your parents and your friends dying, I can understand why you'd do it. I almost did it myself Adam. Back in Tri-clops lab I found a gas bomb and I thought of setting it in the lab. Setting it there so it would hopefully kill Tri-clops," said Teela while feeling that guilt again.

"You wouldn't have," said Adam with absolutely conviction. It was funny that Teela had her hands still on his arm and didn't seem the least bit disturbed that he was naked anymore.

"Really? I had that urge after being here for little over a week. What if I had been here the four years while Skeletor ruled? Can you say I wouldn't have done it?" asked Teela. Adam didn't respond, but Teela could see the answer in his face. They both knew what this hellish Eternia could do to a person. Teela took a deep breath before continuing. It was time to tell Adam what she truly wanted to say. What she wanted to say since she first stepped onto Eternia.

"My point is that I don't want you to go. And I'm sorry Adam for leaving you when you needed me most. I promised to be your bodyguard and I failed in absolutely every way possible. I ran after one mistake and now you su-hmph!"

The speed at which he had his arms around her was almost inhuman. Before she had time to react he had pulled her close to his naked body and smothered her lips with his own. By the time she realized what was happening, his passionate kisses were becoming insistent as he squeezed her. Teela didn't try to struggle or protest. His lips felt nice on her skin and to be quite frank she was too tired to give a damn.

"Adam…" moaned Teela as Adam began to nibble on her ear. That moan seemed to stop Adam and make him realize what he was doing. Reluctantly he let go and Teela honestly wasn't sure whether to be relieved or disappointed.

"Don't ever apologize to me Teela. If anything I owe you and probably all of Eternia a apology. It was my failure that caused Eternia to fall, not yours. But thanks to you we will recover from that failure," said Adam before leaving the room. Teela touched her lips as she blushed.