So I kind of lied about updating a ton over break…I had every intention but between life and writers block and TRANSITIONS BETWEEN SCENES this update is finally here. Anyway, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy New Year, whatever.

Thanks to Bree for putting this story at over 100 reviews! Also to Nameless, delovlies, Miss Kaydence, mnbvcxz-xx and RunawayGirl8125 for your reviews. This chapter is dedicated to my bae delovies for reviewing every single chapter so far, with Nameless and Miss Kaydence just behind her!

I'm not sure if the ball will be next chapter or the one after, but we'll get to that. Break's not over yet! I also love reviews (don't we all)!

-shades

…

Perhaps having a group date hadn't been the best idea.

Perhaps having a Selection hadn't been the best idea.

Perhaps all of this was just a huge mistake.

Wesley set his actual teacup down as quietly as possible, but it rattled against the saucer like a bell, causing all three of his dates to look up.

Alyex met his gaze, and offered a warm smile that showed him that she was feeling just as awkward as he was. Veyra smirked at him, and flicked her black hair out of her ideas. She stirred her own tea again, but so far hadn't drank any yet. Those two acted like it was endearingly funny that he was such a klutz when it came to teacups.

Georgia, on the other hand, didn't.

The blonde fixed Wesley with a look over the brim of her own cup, raising her impeccable eyebrows and making him want to grove and beg for her forgiveness for clacking the china.

Still, to continue with the general theme of the date so far, no one said anything.

Veyra leaned back in her chair, and Wesley could see her surveying the third-floor tea room that, according to Nicole, was the perfect location for a date.

Except that it wasn't.

Due to Ethan's suggestion, Wesley had decided to go on a date with three of the girls to speed things up a bit, and to move the attention of the press off a certain clip of him screaming at his valet in downtown Los Angeles and then having a full-blown panic attack in front of fan-favorite and Angeles native Lady Iris Tanaka.

There was also the part where he nearly got hit by a car, tried to fire Joseph over shorts, and yelled at a really reallyreallyreallyreallyreally nice girl. Not to forget the honorable mention to him losing it and freaking out and crying like a little girl because he couldn't seem to keep in touch with reality anymore.

Yep.

Now recorded on video by many different people and reporters, and forever immortalized! The media had been talking of nothing else for the few days, despite his attempts to move their attention off with announcing the Victory Ball in a few days and going on dates with some of the ladies.

Because he wasn't in charge of the staff, his firing of Joseph had been overruled (thanks mom) and his valet was still picking out his clothes. Except Wesley was pretty sure that they were getting worse and worse and he had to check then for lethal injections or what have you. If looks could kill, Joseph would have already murdered him-twice.

Actually, more like a thousand times. Annoyingly, he still did his job perfectly and respectfully, and there was no good reason to fire him except that the hate was mutual.

And he was also dating Lissa, but that was-

Okay?

That was beside the point, Wesley told himself. Irrelevant.

There were three perfectly good girls sitting here in the tea room waiting for him to say something and date them up. On second thought, Georgia might be waiting to kill him or something. He remembered what Lady Vera Montgomery had said about her, and how her background just didn't add up. The poster girl of rebel propaganda who had been hailed as a national hero for spying in Yukon for the monarchy during the civil war. Vera had used the term "sketchy", but Wesley preferred "don't clink the teacups or I'll kill you with my eyebrows".

Then there was Veyra, not to be confused with Vera-the-barefoot-skirt-holder who still insisted on calling him "Old Wesley" after their encounter the other day. She wasn't here today, on account of Wesley would probably have mixed up their names every time and they would send him home.

Veyra preferred the term "secret agent", but in Wesley's mind she was a spy like Georgia. Officially, she worked for the Illean Special Reconnaissance Agency, so there wasn't any doubt about her loyalty. She had light bronze skin, dark, almond shaped eyes, wore her black hair in a sleek ponytail, her side bangs hiding her eyes that were constantly scanning the room and its occupants. She was cool, though.

They made eye contact over the table, and Veyra's smirk deepened.

"So," she began, picking up one of the many tea-cake-things that littered the table in elaborate displays, "this is nice."

Wesley hastily set his cup back down, causing Georgia to fix him with another stare. He rubbed his sweaty hands on his pants, and nodded vigorously.

"Isn't it?" His voice came out too loud and too hyper, and it seemed to echo throughout the room.

"This is good tea," Lady Alyex said. She peered at him out of wide, hooded eyes that weren't quite blue and weren't quite green. Her voice was pitched slightly deeper than the other girls and she had the same seemingly built-in ballerina grace as both of his brother's wives. Combined, this gave her a certain air of maturity. Maybe she could pull him out of this horror show of a group date.

Veyra answered around a mouthful of crumbs. "I don't really like tea, though," she said with a shrug.

"Oh, right. Coffee," Wesley stammered. "Coffee. Coffee for the spy."

This time, Georgia clacked her teacup loudly against her saucer. Wesley glanced at her. Her expression didn't change, aside from a slight further raise of her eyebrow.

"I'm not exactly a spy," Veyra corrected, casting Georgia a timid look. "Not really."

"Right. Agent. Not a spy. Right." Wesley winced at his babbling.

Veyra smiled appreciative, and as quickly as it had ended, the silence began again.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

He was just so stupid.

The ladies all kept their eyes on their tea. For someone who usually never ran out of things to say, Wesley was at a total loss for words, and the unwillingness of the rest of the party was making it worse.

Georgia was watching him again.

Her brown eyes seemed to take in his every move, and she pursed her lips slightly. The draped neckline of her wine-colored velvet dress began just off her shoulders, and fitted down her arms before ending in cloth-covered buttons below the elbow. Her fingers drummed on the table cloth.

It was like she was hunting him.

Whether she was or not, that overwhelming feeling of flight overtook Wesley.

Run. Run. Run.

Don't get caught.

Don't look back.

Elvira was telling him these things as they crouched by the door of the hanger. At the end of the runway there was a plane—one that hadn't been overrun by rebels yet.

Only between them and possible safety was an entire empty expanse of hanger and runway.

Nowhere to hide.

Just run.

It was still hard to hear after the explosion had temporarily deafened him. Louder than anything and everything the rebels were doing was the thrum of his heartbeat pounding in his head.

Elvira and Drake were silent, and that made it all the worse.

Someone should be saying something, just something.

If they were about to die, this wasn't how he wanted it to begin.

Stop.

This wasn't real. This had already happened. Wesley wasn't in the rebel attacked airport in Denbeigh or wherever the memory was.

Go away. Make it stop.

Wesley's dress shirt was starting to stick uncomfortably to his skin underneath his suit jacket as he broke out in sweat. The silence continued unabated.

He reached for his cup again, but his hands were shaking now. Wesley clenched his jaw, and picked up the teacup and saucer, demanding his hands to hold still.

It was no use. The cup jittered on the saucer, and tea sloshed over the rim, soaking his sleeves and spilling on his pants.

The hot liquid seeped through the fabric, and by then, no matter how deep of a breath he took, it was like there wasn't enough oxygen in the world.

They were running across the tarmac.

His lungs heaved in the freezing air, his heart pounded to keep up with his feet.

He was just a step behind Elvira and Drake. The cold made his ears ache and his throat sore as he sucked in lungsful of frigid air.

Like the glass windows that had shattered in the explosion, the world around them shattered.

He couldn't hear what they were saying, but he knew without a doubt they had been spotted. At first, he didn't realize what the bullets were as they smacked into the pavement around them. He didn't really have time to think anyway. There was a dim realization of Elvira and Drake shooting behind them as they ran, but it didn't occur to him to fight back.

Only to run.

No where to hide.

The air was smashed from his lungs. It was still cold.

There was some part that was warm-

His chest was on fire-

He didn't realize that he was on the ground until the cold surface met his face.

Someone grabbed his arm-

God, that hurt.

Stop. Please stop!

The next thing he knew his coat was being unbuttoned.

It hurt.

They were in the plane. Was it moving?

Drake was kneeling over him. His friend's mouth was moving, but he didn't know what he was saying. His hands were covered in blood. It covered his sleeves. Was he okay?

There was warmth seeping through the fabric of his uniform.
It hurt so much. Make it stop!
Drake? He couldn't get his voice to work.

Are you there?

Drake?

Please don't leave me!

"You're really the best, you know that?" she whispered as he grabbed her hand and tiptoed up to the third floor, creeping up the stairs like a ninja even though it was just a game of sardines.

"Yeah, I know," he said as they came to the landing. Empty.

"Shoot, they're not hiding up here." Panicking, he turned and ran down the stairs.

"It's not a matter of life or death!" she called after him, laughing.

STOP!
Wesley slammed the teacup on the table, ignoring the further spillage. He pushed the memories away, but they grabbed hold of him and seemed to pull him under.

The eyes of all three girls were all on him, looking startled.

"Let's play sardines."

They looked at him like he was crazy. Maybe he was.

"Excuse me?" Georgia finally spoke up. She arched her eyebrow up at him. Her voice was softer than he thought it might have been. Like she was genuinely confused.

"You heard me. Sardines! I'll go get the kids, it'll be fun!"

Veyra finished off her tea with a loud slurp. "I'm game!" she said, standing up. Alyex still looked a bit nervous as she stood up, smoothing her hands over her champagne lace dress.

"You guys can just leave your shoes in here, if you want. Third floor only, no bedrooms. Come on!" Wesley said so fast the words strung together.

Verya laughed excitedly, and unzipped her black ankle boots and kicked them off.

"Let's go!" she cried, nudging Alyex.

"I think Evie and Sophie might be in their lessons now, but I can get the boys," Wesley said. "Someone might have to carry Jamie, but they've been bugging me for weeks to hang out with them anyway."

Alyex was starting to blush a little, but she also shed her high heels, looking more excited at the mention of the royal kids.

"Well if they're playing I definitely have to," she laughed softly.

"What about you, Georgia?" Veyra asked, grabbing one more cookie for the road.

Then once again it was silent. They all looked at Georgia.

She was still seated, but Wesley could tell he had unsettled her. Her mouth dropped open a little, but she quickly closed it and stood up. She tilted her head in the air, and pursed her lips together.

"Fine," she said, her voice haughty. She spoke quietly, so they all had to pay more attention to hear her. But it wasn't a timid sort of speaking. It was powerful.

"I didn't imagine I'd ever be playing a game of hide and seek at the palace, but I guess you never know."

"It's not hide and seek, it's sardines. Only one person hides." Wesley corrected her as he kicked off his own uncomfortable dress shoes. "What are we waiting for?" He could still feel his heart racing in his chest, and his skin was clammy with lingering sweat, but the memories were leaving him alone for now.

Wesley didn't wait to see if the ladies followed him, he just left, running down the central hallway of the third floor in his socks, opening the doors to the rooms that weren't bedrooms or that opened to the suites of rooms of the royal family. He kidnapped Jamie and Aidan from their nannies in their bedrooms, but he avoided Evie and Sophie's nursery.

When Jamie was safely deposited with Alyex carrying him, they sent Veyra off to hide first. Georgia wasn't being subtle, still in her clacking high heels, but then again, none of them were. Aidan was designated as Wesley's sardine buddy, and the four-year old was giggling like a maniac as they raced around the third floor in pursuit of Veyra. Jamie was loudly directing Alyex where to look, and pointing and laughing as she carried him around.

In the end, it was none of them who found her, as the sound of barking drew them to the stairs down to the second floor pretty much all at the same time. Veyra was no where to be seen, but they could hear her shushing Finn and Jack, the Shreave Pups, as they announced Veyra's presences to literally everyone.

"I guess they gave me away," she said.

Wesley didn't see her right away, until he looked up. Veyra was actually dangling off the chandelier right before the stairs.

"Are you insane?" he cried, most astonished than worried. "Or do you have superpowers?"

Veyra gathered up the skirt of her knee-length black dress, and before Wesley could scream at her to stop, she was on the ground, flipping the hair off her face and doing that smirk as she saw his jaw hanging open.

As soon as her strange behavior ended, Finn and Jack started wagging their tails. Veyra petted them excitedly. "I guess they're telling me I'm not behaving appropriately," she teased.

"Okay…you are officially, like, the coolest person I've ever met," Wesley said. "Also, the bravest because that was incredibly dangerous."

Veyra playfully rolled her eyes. "Yes, it's dangerous. That's why it's fun! It would have worked too, except the dogs didn't like it very much."

"That was awesome," Wesley managed. "You have to show me how to do that sometime,"

Veyra's smile got even wider. "You're on, Shreave."

"I want to go next!" Jamie interrupted, "can the dogs play?"

"If they want to!" Wesley shrugged, and gave Jack a pat on the head. The two new furry players joined as Alyex and Jamie went off to hide.

"Hey, you know you're supposed to stay away from the other players!" Veyra taunted as Wesley and Aidan followed her around looking for Alyex.

"Yeah, well you're a secret agent!" Wesley defended. "We're picking up tips!"

She grinned, her dark eyes sparkling. "Maybe I already know exactly where they are,"

Georgia joined them, looking a bit flustered—and frowning. "Then can you tell us? This is getting boring."

Veyra flashed her a cheeky smile. "You're supposed to be having fun. That's the point."

"Thanks, I know." Georgia said, standing there like a rock.

"Since both of you were spies, you should cream me and Aidan at this round," Wesley commented.

Georgia raised both eyebrows at him, and did that lip tightening thing again. She made him feel worthless for about five seconds before leaving without a word.

"I'm an agent, Wesley!" Veyra reminded him.

Aidan tugged on his pants. "Hey, Uncle Wesley, are we playing or not?" he whined.

"Sorry, kiddo, I got distracted." Wesley grabbed his nephew's hand and they ran down the hall. He glanced over his shoulder, finding Veyra watching them, one hip cocked and that smirk on her face. Catching him looking back, she wiggled her fingers in a sassy wave.

Wesley quickly turned back towards Aidan. "Where haven't we looked yet?"

"In here," Aidan dragged him into one of the many useless sitting rooms, and then began yanking back the floor-length curtains over the windows. Wesley heard quiet, Jamie-like giggling coming from behind one of the sofas. He poked Aidan, and then jerked his head in the direction of the noise.

They approached from each end of the sofa, jumping to surprise the hiders. Alyex held her finger to her lips to tell them to be quiet as she pulled Jamie on her lap to make more room as Wesley squeezed between the sofa and the wall.

"Pull your feet in!" Alyex whispered. "They're sticking out!"

"I can't help it!" Wesley whispered back. His knees were practically in his face in the small space.

Alyex pulled him by his pant legs back, and he ended up one leg crossed over the other in basically a pretzel, with his ankles sticking out. She stifled a giggle behind her hand, her brownish-blonde hair covering her face as she leaned forward.

"We good?"

"I think so," she whispered back, on the verge of laughter at his ridiculous position.

"Shhhhh!" Aidan hissed-louder than they had been.

Alyex tapped Wesley's ankle, right on his socks.

"What is that?" She tittered.

"It's a flamingo!"

"Why does it have a mustache?" Alyex's delicate features twisted in effort to keep from bursting into laughter.

"It's just my socks!" Wesley said, louder than he intended. Aidan and Jamie hushed them again, but Alyex was beyond staying quiet, and his ridiculous socks weren't helping her stop laughing. Pretty soon, he was laughing too.

"You know, you guys aren't as quiet as you think you are," Georgia's voice sounded from the door.

"Hurry up and get back here before Veyra comes!" Wesley poked his head above the sofa. Georgia rolled her eyes, but hurried over to the hiding place. She glared at him twisted up like a pretzel and Alyex giggling until her face was red, and the boys shushing them louder than the older ones, and chose to hide behind the curtains nearby.

It took Veyra several more minutes to find them, but they could hear her looking all around for them where she had last seen Georgia, and her angry, expletive filled muttering soon had most of them cracking up, so she found them pretty easily. The boys were mad, and Georgia was still grumpy, but Wesley and Alyex were all but crying from trying not to laugh and utterly failing.

"You guys would be massacred in the ISRA," Veyra shook her head at them as they clambered from the hiding place. "They would kick you out so fast!"

"But his socks!" Alyex said, breathless for laughter, her cheeks pink. "Flamingos with mustaches!"

"I'll have you know that I'm a prince and I can wear whatever I please. Besides my valet hates them…and me."

Georgia made some noise in between a snort and a scoff and Wesley didn't have to look at her to know he was getting The Judgement Stare.

"Isn't it your turn to hide? Since you found Alyex first?" she said, tapping her foot on the floor.

"Yeah, it is. Come on, Aidan, we're going to beat these girls so bad!"

Aidan crossed his arms defiantly over his chest. "No! You laugh too much! I want to go with Lady Veyra. She's cool."

Wesley met Veyra's eyes over the head of the impatient prince. The black-haired girl grinned, and that sparkle in her eyes was back.

"Well if that's what Prince Aidan wants, that's what he gets," she said, ruffling the little boy's blond hair. "You can hang with me. I'm a professional."

"You guys are never going to find me," Wesley taunted as he ran off.

Things were getting okay again.

He remembered playing in the palace plenty of times with his siblings, usually obliging him because he was four years younger than Ethan and it went up from there with Andrew and Michelle. They had played more at Trentworth, but there were still plenty of unused spaces all over the palace.

And he knew just the spot.

There were at least three practically empty libraries on the third floor, small rooms for study or whatever. No one ever used them because they usually had something similar in their respective suites, but they were everywhere.

Wesley ducked into one of the smallest ones, the one with the domed white ceiling and the dark wood paneling. He made a beeline straight for the fireplace. Of course, they never had fires inside in Angeles, but architecturally they were nice. He ducked into the small space, and leaned his back against one side, bracing with his feet to wiggle his way out of sight. Once he got high enough, he knew from experience there was a ledge where the mantle part got skinnier that he could sit on and pull his legs up.

Not long after, he could hear the (not so quiet) sounds of his dates, nephews, and dogs looking for him. Wesley held is breath when he heard Alyex and Jamie come into the library.

"Do you think he's in here?" Alyex asked Jamie, her voice soft.

"Yeah!" the two-year old crowed. "Under the table!"

Alyex went through the process a few more times, allowing Jamie to tell her where to look. Even though Wesley couldn't see them, there was this feeling in the back of his mind that made his insides turn just a little bit mushy to hear her interact with one of the kids that way.

But he couldn't shake the way it reminded him of Lissa.

Soon they were gone, though he could hear Aidan and Veyra not too far away. After a while, his legs started to fall asleep, so he let them dangle off the edge of the ledge. It would be a while before they started giving up, and then he could slip out and hide somewhere in plain sight.

That's why he was kinda surprised when suddenly he wasn't alone in the fireplace anymore.

"Saw your socks hanging out," Georgia said, her eyes glinting in the shadows.

"How did you find me?" Wesley demanded.

"Be quiet, will you? I thought you wanted to win," Georgia whispered. "Where do I hide?"

Wesley held out his hand. "Jump, and I'll pull you up."

When they were both on the ledge, this time careful to keep their legs up out of sight. The ledge was narrow, and the space even tither, so he ended up his thigh pressed against Georgia's, and their shoulders touching.

"Nice spot," she whispered.

"I didn't even hear you come in."

"You were listening for my shoes, but I ditched them. Veyra's not the only one with tricks up her sleeve."

He might have imagined it, but Georgia sounded the tiniest bit sad about that. He turned to look at her, and found their faces very close.

Yikes.

He shifted as far away as he could, but there wasn't much room.

"You're pretty cool too. I just was under the impression you didn't like me, so I didn't want to make too many jokes."

Georgia was quiet for a moment.

"You're alright."

"Thanks."

"But isn't that what you do anyways? Make jokes?"

Wesley rested his chin on his bent-up knees. Sitting here had been a lot easier when he was a kid. A lot of things had been easier then, though.

"Not anymore."

Georgia nodded, and shifted her weight so they weren't pressed against each other's sides as much.

He didn't mean to think it.

But suddenly he remembered talking to Lady Vera, and how she had questioned Georgia's loyalty. That maybe her cover as a spy for the monarchy was just a really good lie. Maybe she was really that girl on rebel propaganda. Maybe she was here to kill him.

The feeling was back.

No matter how deep of a breath he took, it was like there wasn't enough oxygen in the world.

Sweaty and clammy all at the same time.

It wasn't Drakes's blood that was all over his hands. That was all over his coat, the floor,the cockpit. Drake wasn't the one who couldn't breathe, he was breathing just fine, shouting to Elvira. Drake wasn't the one screaming. Drake wasn't the one bleeding, because he hadn't been the one shot.

It was him.

His lungs weighed a ton. Was he even breathing? Was his heart still beating or was that where he'd been shot?

Am I going to die?

Am I already dead?

No.

Wesley pushed back at the memories, pushed them far away. Georgia was staring at him.

Yep.

Her eyebrows were doing that thing again.

"You okay?"

Wesley wanted to tell her not really. Not at all. But he just couldn't.

"I'm alright."

Georgia's face remained blank, and then her lips formed into the smallest of smiles, though her eyes remained cold as ever.

He still wasn't sure if this was one huge mistake or not.