To Annie: Thanks for your kind words, and still glad we sorted it all out. :) To everyone: No, I'm not thirteen. lol!

To lvingphai: Thanks! Just see what Alexander has to say this chap…

hephychick: Thank you sooooo much! I was actually a bit doubtful about it all, but you've convinced me that this story really is believable. And it's great I actually got you to have such a reaction, lol. Thanks again!

GaBo0: Yes, where did you get the idea;) Here's the next chap, enjoy! It's my own fav so far.

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The door opened, and after a short silence a hesitant voice asked: "Alexander?"

"Where have you been for so long?" With a smirk, the blond prince jumped from behind the door right in front of his friend.

Hephaistion stood motionless for a moment, then his bright eyes widened, and he slammed the door shut with an agitated expression on his face. "You're naked! Have you gone insane!"

Alexander frowned. What kind of a reaction was that, when your lover had waited so faithfully for you? "No, I was waiting for you. And for a rather long time, I might add."

"What if someone else had walked in! Alexander-"

"He would've had a bigger problem than me, dearest," Alexander spoke, a playful smile on his lips. Hephaistion was being stressed again – the best remedy was to just ignore it.

But in response, Hephaistion gave him a hard stare, blue eyes turned to dark and angry. Alexander carefully leaned forward and placed a kiss on his friend's stern lips. "What's wrong?"

Hephaistion turned his head away and sighed deeply, then finally gave up his irritated attitude and wrapped his arms around his younger friend's naked form. "Sorry, I'm… feeling a little strange today." Another sigh left his lips. "How was your mother?" he enquired softly.

"Fine. Phai, you think too much. Just let it go." Alexander leaned back to look in the other's eyes, then gently kissed him again. If there was anything he did not want to discuss, it was his mother. In fact, he didn't want to discuss anything. "Come." He pulled his reluctant friend along to the bed, ignoring the other's stiff movements, and kissing him again.

Hephaistion didn't respond to it, yet let himself be pulled down. Alexander settled on top of him, and then found two firm hands settling on his shoulders, two worried eyes looking up at him. "Alexander, it won't always be like this. The future will change things. You will have to take a wife…"

A twinge of fear struck Alexander's heart. "Phai!" he hissed, annoyed, "why are you so intent in spoiling our happy moments? Yes, one day I'll take a wife and you'll marry her sister, and we'll let our children play together. All will be well."

"That is an idyllic future you see in your mind's eye, Alexander." Hephaistion's voice remained soft, his eyes still full of sorrow.

Alexander looked dark. "Yes I do, if you are intent on thinking of the worst possibilities, I see it as my task to see the best. Idyllic it will be, or not, but there's no use in worrying about it now."

"Have you given up your plans of conquering the world and being a hero? No hero has such a future."

Alexander sat abruptly sat back, his eyes blazing with frustration. "And no hero's friend will ever have such a future if all he can do is worry! Hephaistion, I'm serious!"

When seeing Hephaistion's hurt eyes, he softened his gaze, and leaned forward to lean his forehead on his friend's. "Phai, what we share cannot be captured in words. You and I will have to go through a lot in our future. I will be king, with all responsibilities, and sometimes that will go against what we would have chosen otherwise. But we can face that. We'll have to do things we don't want to, for the good of our mission and visions, but we are above that. We belong together, and nothing can separate us." He tried to hide his slight trembling.

He felt a choked sob in the body beneath him, and leaned back worriedly. He had thought the other would smile at him, laugh at him even, for such serious words. This was not like Hephaistion. The other was always the strong one, the older one, the wiser one. The one who seemed to be in charge of every situation, ready to think it through and come to the right decision, yet always ready to look at the world with a smile and a wink. The one who would take him in his arms and make him forget everything else. He had not lied to his mother, Hephaistion was amazing in every way he could think of. But since they had returned…

How could he explain to Hephaistion that he could not hear his friend speak of all these doubts, because it made the fear that was waiting right outside his heart jump up in anticipation, ready to overwhelm him? To suddenly make his sure future so unsure? It was worse enough having these uncertainties in his own heart, but to have to hear them from his only one… He just wanted the world to go away again. Sometimes he hated his own ambitions, but he could not set them aside. They tore just as hard on his heart as Hephaistion did. Alexander kissed away the tears that left the watery blue eyes staring up at him. "Phai…"

"I love you."

Just as Alexander was about to state the same, Hephaistion's hand appeared from inside his pocket. Holding a phial. "Please, Alexander."

The prince held his breath in surprise, then let it slip in away slowly. "But… why? I thought…"

"No future is as idyllic as the one we planned, Alexander. Take it from me, if you don't wish to hear about it. So fine, let's do what is the best for our mission and keep loving each other."

Alexander felt a pang of guilt at the bitterness in the other's voice. "I'm sorry, Phai-"

"It's fine," the other cut him off, then wiped his tears away with a sigh. "Make love to me, Alexander."

Alexander bit his lip. "Alright."