Chapter 37

Alec tried to push away as much as he could the 'first dates' with the Elites. Having this own family on his back all the time was one thing: he could deal with them, or the Press… But the Elite's families? It was entirely different. What if he did or said something wrong, and the wrath of the protective brothers and fathers descended upon him? Alec felt a chill run down his spine. He needed to get out of here and take a ride.

But as he thought about it, he grinned. There was someone he needed to take with him. He located her on his Contacts and followed the directions to her room. Please let her be alone. Please let her be alone… he silently prayed. He didn't want to face her family, just yet.

He stopped in front of her door and froze just before his knuckles touched the door. Of course. There was another voice with hers. Her brother's. Alec rolled his eyes, but squared his shoulders and knocked.

"Alec?" Eryn said with a grin when she opened the door. "What are you doing here?"

The Prince chuckled as Ezra, her twin, came up behind her. "I, um…" he took the big helmet from behind his back. "You owe me a return match," he said slyly.

Eryn grinned. "Yep, I do. Now?"

"I was hoping…" Alec trailed off.

"No way," Ezra said. "You're not going on a motor bike."

"Why not?" Eryn said, crossing her arms. "You're not my dad, remember?"

"No, I'm your brother, your other half, and this is too dangerous."

Alec raised an eyebrow, amused. "You do realize, Ezra, that the moment Eryn marries me- I mean when she married someone, you won't be her other half anymore, right?"

Ezra opened his mouth to say something but he was cut short by Eryn's loud laugh.

"So you better start getting used to it," Alec finished. "Shall we?" he asked Eryn, offering her his arm.

"With pleasure, Your Highness," she replied, maliciously. "See you later, alligator," she said to Ezra, who was left alone in her room, gaping in horror as the Prince whisked his beloved sister away.

"Oh my God," Eryn said when they were in the Vacuum. "I've never seen my brother speechless like that. How did you do that?"

"Well, maybe he didn't want to be rude to the Prince?"

She laughed. "I don't think he would care about that," he replied. "But… what you said, about me marrying…" she trailed off, not wanting to say it out loud for fear of it being true, or entirely not true.

Alec smiled and silently pushed a stray strand of hair behind her hair. "What about it?"

Eryn's cheeks started burning, but just then the doors to the Vacuum opened and they stepped out of the elevator into the giant Hangar.

"Take your pick," Alec said.

Eryn chuckled, embarrassed. "I've never ridden a bike like that before."

"It's just like jet ski," Alec said, "only on dry land. I know just a place for you to practice."

"Okay. Um, which one's the easiest to ride?"

The Prince chuckled and went to the other side of the Hangar, Eryn following close behind. "This one."

Eryn raised an eyebrow. "Okay, if you say so."

"But first, you need to wear this," he said, handing her a black Nano-Tech leather suit. "You can change in the office, over there."

Eryn took the suit and went to the office to change. Alec changed in the Hangar in his own suit and was zipping it to his neck when she joined him.

"What a sexy pair we are," she said sarcastically. "I feel like Catwoman."

"You looklike Catwoman."

"Shut up," she said, pushing him playfully. "If I'm Catwoman, then you are Batman."

"I'm fine with that," he said, pulling her close to him and kissing her cheek. "Now, get on the bike. There are a few things I need to show you before we leave."

Eryn obeyed and Alec told her everything there was to know of the bike. She was staring at him. "Hey, are you even listening to me?" he said. "What did I just say?"

"You asked me if I was listening," she said with a sly grin.

Alec rolled his eyes. "Eryn, this is important. We're going to go on the road, and falling on the hard ground is different than falling in the water."

Eryn snorted. "Clearly you've never fallen at 70 km/h on the water. It's like landing on ice. So, yes, I know how it's like. And yes, I have been listening."

Alec sighed. "Fine. Make it start," he ordered. Eryn managed to make the bike start after a few tries. "Good," Alec said. "Now you see that door over there? Ride through there and wait for me."

Eryn nodded and slowly drove around the other bikes towards the door and waited for Alec who joined her a couple minutes later with his own bike. "This is the training field," he said. "But when we're finished here and you know how to drive it, we can go outside." He didn't want to put her in any danger once outside. Riding a bike was risky and dangerous when you didn't know how to properly do it. For two hours, Alec taught Eryn how to ride. It normally took a whole day for a person to learn, but Eryn caught on quickly.

"You've got that in your blood," Alec said. "I've never seen someone learn so fast. But you're ready to go outside."

Eryn grinned. "Finally!"

"Just one moment," he said. "I just need to get something. I'll be right back." He half ran, half walked to the Vacuum. Next to it was a Vacuum Box, just like the one in his room. He pressed the Intercom to the Kitchen.

"Yes?"

"Mr. Blythe," Alec said. "Do you have what I asked you for earlier?"

"Yes, ready to be sent," the cook said. "Sending it right away. The hangar?"

"Yes, thank you." A minute later, a black bag appeared in the box and Alec carried it back to his bike, where Eryn was waiting for him. He divided the contents in his two saddle bags and they both put on their helmets.

"Ready?" he asked, his voice resonating in her own helmet.

"Wow, is there a mike, in here?"

"Yeah," Alec said. "Our helmets are linked so we can talk while on the road." He climbed on his own bike. "Follow me, okay? I'll try not to go too fast. But we shouldn't be encountering others on the road. Most transports are HovoTransports, around here.

"Okay," she said.

They rode for thirty minutes, and both Eryn and Alec didn't talk during that ride, only when necessary – "we're gonna turn left if a few minutes" or "we're gonna be out of the 'Dome, soon" – because they were both enjoying the ride. At some point, when they arrived at the top of some cliffs, Alec stopped his bike and dismounted. He put his helmet on the Harley and ran his fingers through his long hair to untangle them after the helmet.

"You know, I'm kind of jealous," Eryn said coming behind him.

"Jealous of what?"

"Your hair." They both laughed. "Seriously. You have better hair than me!"

Alec shook his head. "That's not true. You have lovely hair, Eryn. Soft, brown like chocolate, and wavy like grass in the wind."

Eryn rolled her eyes to fight the blush creeping up her cheeks. "Whatever," she said.

Alec chuckled. "You're hungry?"

"Yeah, kinda."

"Good." Alec went back to his bike and took the picnic from his saddle bags. "I asked the cook to prepare some lunch for us," he said. "Hope you like sandwiches?"

She laughed. "Everyone loves sandwiches, Alec." She quickly tied her hair up in a messy ponytail because of the wind.

"I never noticed your bee Inktat," Alec said, tracing the little bee behind her left ear. "It's an inanimate Inktat."

Eryn smiled shyly. "Yeah, well. A real animated Inktat was way too expensive. And I always managed to keep my hair down or something."

"Why?"

She shrugged. "I was afraid a tattooed Selected wouldn't be chosen as Empress," she said softly, not looking at him.

"You think a tattooed Prince would make a good Emperor, then?"

She looked up at him. "You have an Inktat? Where? What is it?"

Alec took off the sleeves of his suit and rolled up his t-shirt sleeve underneath. "An eagle. Touch it," he said, and Eryn obeyed. She lightly touched his skin and the eagle came to life, slowly flapping his mighty wings. Eryn stared at the eagle in awe.

"How come I never saw it when we were on the boat?"

Alec chuckled, and gave her a sandwich. "Because I used a special Bio-Tech creme to hide it. I didn't want my mother and the Press to see it in the feeds I sent back."

"Wait. Your mother doesn't know?"

"No, I don't think so," he said, thinking back to the possible brain quant she had. After that, they ate in silence, breathing in the salty Ocean air and listening to the waves crashing on the rocks below them. They were comfortable together, not forced to talk or fill the silence.

"Did you know that these cliffs where not always here?" Alec suddenly said, looking at the horizon.

"Really?"

"600 years ago, this was one of the most populated beaches of Angeles. But during the Dark Years, there was a huge earth quake and the ocean floor dropped down a hundred meters. And the lapping of the waves hasn't helped."

"Wow," Eryn said. "So we would be having our feet in the water, right here?"

"Yep. Crazy, huh?"

"Yeah. Well not that much. Where I live, there were tons and tons of ice and snow. Now it's a beach resort. The water is still a bit chilly, but people like to come there because It's not as hot as in the south."

They talked some more of the changes they knew about and then Alec said it was time for their return match. They rode back and forth on the cliffs, making speed races. Alec then took her to an old lacey road in the mountains, and they drove to the top, where they had a whole view of the city under the PlexiDome, the Ocean, and the sky above them.

"It's so much better to be out of the 'Dome," Eryn said. "Why are the 'Domes still up since the air is free of radiation, now?"

"Good question," Alec said, wrapping his arms around Eryn from behind. "I guess people don't like change. They've been living with Ad's and a controlled weather for a couple centuries. I'm not sure they would want to end that."

"Maybe you're right," Eryn said, snuggling against him. "But maybe one 'Dome at a time. You could give Illéa its former glory, instead of looking like a giant pimpled face."

Alec barked out a laugh. "I'll think about it," he said. They looked at the view for a few more moments, until it was time to go back. But Alec didn't want to go back. He felt good, here, with Eryn. If only he didn't have to be Emperor. He could do that every day. He could even buy a house on the cliffs and stay away from the Palace. But of course, he couldn't.

Before Alec let go of Eryn and told her they needed to head back home, she turned around in his arms, her face inches from his. They stared in each other's blue eyes. Alec's heart stopped the moment she pressed her lips against his and kissed him. He kissed her back. But then she broke the kiss.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that," she said talking a step back.

Alec quickly took her hands and pulled her to him. "No, you definitely should have done that," he said, and then kissed her again. "Don't ever apologize for something like that," he continued, kissing her again.

-x-

The next day, after lunch, Alec went to the roof to get a whole bunch of pink roses. He went back to his room and put them all in a vase, but one. He took that single rose and headed to one of the Elite, a grin on his face. He knocked on her door and she opened a few seconds later.

"Alec!" Korina exclaimed with a smile. "What are you doing here?" she asked just as her mother, Lealone Kirk, came up behind her.

"Good afternoon, Korina. Mrs. Kirk," he added in his dashing smile. "Do you mind if I borrow your daughter for a little while?"

Lealone nodded. "Of course, Your Highness."

"Please call me Alec," he said. He then showed Korina the rose he was hiding behind his back. "For you, Mylady," he said.

Korina blushed and took the rose. "Thanks," she said shyly.

"I'll go look for a vase," her mother said. "Go ahead," she added, smiling to her daughter.

Alec and Korina both went to the third floor with the Vacuum.

"What are we doing on the gaming level?" Korina asked. "Are we going to play a VR game?"

"Nope," he said. "Something a little bit older," he answered mysteriously. "Come on." He took her hand and led her to a small room where there was a wall full of shelves containing board games. "My grand-father and his father before him have been collecting old board games over the years. They would look up in old shops or antique shops. It's been years since we haven't bought any new game."

"What's your favorite?" Korina asked, looking at all those boxes.

"This one," he said, talking a small blue box. "We used to play for hours with my brother. It's called BattleShip."

Korina raised an eyebrow. "You know there is a VR game with the same name, right? Why do we play an old board game, then?"

"Because what would be the fun in it? Don't you want to try something new?"

Korina chuckled. "Okay. Let's do this, then."

Alec explained the game, and they played a round. When it was done, he didn't ask for a rematch, but instead, walked her back to her room. Her mother wasn't there, and it was good, or she would have thought he was crazy. Because five minutes later, Alec knocked on her door again.

"Alec?" Korina said. "Did you forget something?"

Alec chuckled and gave her a second pink rose. "Can I borrow you for a little while?"

"Uh… sure," she said taking the rose and putting it in the vase her mother had found.

"Excellent," Alec said. They went to the Vacuum and down to the third floor, again. And again, Alec went to that same room with the wall covered in board games.

"My favorite one is this one," he said, taking the blue box, and trying not to laugh. "It's called BattleShip. I used to play with Austin when we were kids. You wanna play?"

Korina raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Uh… yeah?"

"Good." He opened the game and explained the rules again; and again, they played, together.

"I won this time," Korina said.

"What do you mean, 'this time'?" Alec said. "We only played this once."

This time, Korina was really confused. "No, I- We played like an hour ago."

"Maybe I should bring you back to your room. You don't seem to feel well. Come on." He put the game away and walked her back to her room. Korina was still confused. When he came back five minutes later, again with a pink rose to offer her, she crossed her arms.

"Alec, this is not funny, anymore. What are you playing at?"

At this point, Alec couldn't stay serious anymore and burst out laughing. He showed her the whole rose bouquet he was hiding behind his back. "Have you heard about the HoloVid Groundhog Day?It came out a few years ago…"

Korina rolled her eyes and chuckled. "Of course, I did. Who didn't see it." She laughed again, taking the whole bouquet.

"I was wondering if I could borrow you for a couple hours?"

Korina sighed and smiled slyly. "Of course," she said. "Where are we going?"

"Level Three."

"Oh come on," she said. "I'm not playing a third game of BattleShip."

Alec shook his head. "Nah, me neither. But trust me." He offered her his hand.

"Fine," she replied, taking it, and off they went again, to the third floor. But this time, instead of going to a game room, Alec opened the room to the HoloCinema and ordered cold drinks and popcorn. They spent the afternoon watchingGroundhog Day, and laughing at how silly it was, and how silly Alec had been.

After walking her back to her room, he saw her mother gazing out a window in a corridor. When she heard steps behind her, she turned around and saw the Prince.

"Your Highness," she said, curtsying. "I hope you spent a good afternoon with Korina."

"I did. Thank you for letting me borrow her."

Lealone smiled. "I must thank you for keeping my daughter for as long as you have," she said. "Though I'm not surprised. My dear Korina is beautiful, intelligent and caring…" she trailed off. Alec as about to say how true this all was, when she continued. "But you must understand. I love my daughter dearly. So much so that I made her into something that she hated. I haven't seen her this happy in a while." She paused just long enough to breath, not letting Alec say anything. "This is why it pains me to say this, but you must eliminate her. She isn't the best choice for an Empress. She can't be what people need and if her secret is revealed to the public, you will have a scandal on your hands."

"Mrs. Kirk," Alec said, trying to conceal the coldness in his voice. "Thank you for your concern about your daughter and for sharing it with me. I assure you she is in good hands, and it is my choice, and mine alone to eliminate her or not. And let me assure you, too, that if she does become my wife, I will do everything in my power to give her her own body back." Alec gritted his teeth. "Good afternoon," he said and walked away to his own room.

Who was she to tell him what he had to do? It would be something Korina and him would decide if it went that far. And certainly not her mother.

He went to the window and saw a couple talking on the ninth-floor terrace, outside. Grayson and Thalia seemed to be having a good time. But he hadn't kept Thalia for Grayson. What was he doing? Had Alec seen something else? He thought Katia was the one for Grayson, not Thalia? Because Thalia also had a place in his heart.

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, thinking of something to do about this, but he didn't know what, yet.

Heeyyy! thanks for your reviews and for reading this chapter! the story just passed 92.5K words, and wow! and wouldn't have gotten this far with you guys!

thanks also to Sylva and Chilly Ice for these "first date" as Elite ideas ;) if you have ideas for your girls, too, just send them in vis PM! thanks to those who already did it ;)

And I would have another question for the 8 remaining authors: The Elite will have to present a project on a report, a Project that would show what kind of Empress they would be... And maybe something to sway Alec? If you have an idea, please send it in (you can use the PM where you sent your character)! thanks!

I hope you liked these 2 dates, and that more mysteries are on the way^^ See you soon!