Since I am really tired, I'll go for a general response this time: Yes, kneeing Philip in the groin is about the best thing Hephaistion has done so far in this fic (yay!), yes, that cliff hanger was evil, sorry for disturbing your sleep (hehe) and causing such obsession (writing fanfiction on fanfiction? that is something new to me lol), and now quickly on to the next chapter so that you can finally breathe… Oh and thanks for all your quick an enthusiastic reviews! Makes the writing go twice as fast... :)

-

A hurried knock disturbed the quiet room.

"Who is there?"

"Pausanias, my lady. I have… important information."

Raising her eyebrows, Olympias rose and walked to the door with silent paces, unlatching the hatches and peering through the opening. "Oh?"

"My lady…" The heavily breathing man bowed his head. "The king is enjoying the company of your son's lover, in his bedchambers."

"Now?"

"Yes, my lady. And… he has been visiting the king's quarters for a whole week."

Olympias was silent for a moment, and Pausanias glanced up. She smiled at him. "Very well, thank you, Pausanias." With an elegant motion she slipped one of her bracelets off and laid it in his outstretched hand. She stared at him intensely, and remarked just before he dropped his gaze for hers: "Such loyalty needs to be rewarded." A feeling of triumph brought a glimmer in her eyes. "You may go."

-

Alexander stared at the text blankly. He felt bad, so bad, and angry, and worried, but he could do nothing. Hephaistion had not confided in him, not spoken to him as he should have. What was he to do now? He could not lose him. It was impossible that they could not even make it through a chance of homes, a chance of atmosphere, a chance of… everything, except who they were. They were supposed to be together forever, the gods had promised to make it so. They could not give up now.

Which did not take away that this was Hephaistion's fault, and that the other better have a very good excuse for this. Alexander sighed.

"Alexander, open the door!"

The prince's head snapped up and he frowned. "Mother?"

No one answered, and sudden nerves made their way through his body. He quickly slipped of his bed and unbolted the door. "Mother? What's wrong?"

She was already dressed for bed, but her eyes were alert and worried. "I am sorry I have to bring this news to you, Alexander…" She reached out with one hand and put it on his shoulder, squeezing gently. "But I was right about Hephaistion. He is sharing your father's bed."

Alexander's mouth dropped open, a disbelieving smile touching his lips. "What? Hephaistion…? Mother that is the worst nonse-" He stilled. Pausanias. Had come. To take him. To…

Without waiting for his mother's reaction he ran past her, through the palace, heading for his father's rooms, his vision blurry. This was not the truth. It just wasn't. He would not believe it until he had proof. Hephaistion had probably been called there to.. to what? To what? Oh, and Hephaistion had asked him to sleep with him, he had… already found out what it was like anyway… no no no... remember the look in his eyes! Hephaistion loved him…

The guards jumped up as he appeared into view, but Alexander ignored them and tried opening the door, and when it didn't work he banged loudly on it. "Father!"

Strong hands gripped his arms. He furiously tried to fight them off just as a howl of pain sounded from the inside of the room. "Hephaistion!" he yelled.

No, he realised a split second later, it had been his father's voice, what was happening in there? He needed to get in…He hardly noticed his mother tell the men holding him to release him, so focused was he on any sounds from inside. Some muffled sounds, struggling, then the heavy sound of the bolt being removed from the door and the door opening…

Hephaistion had ran past him before he even fully understood what was happening. He caught a glimpse of a unfocused eyes from under dishevelled dark hair, then his friend, wrapped in nothing but a blanket, disappeared around the corner of the corridor without so much as a sound.

"Hephaistion…" he breathed, too late for the other to hear him.

He was woken from his short reverie by his mother's mocking voice. "Philip, what is the meaning of this? Did you have no idea that he was Alexander's lover?"

Alexander's heart hardened, and with a straight face he followed her into his father's bedroom. King Philip was sitting on the edge of his large bed, bent forward and breathing loudly.

"Perhaps it is for the best Alexander has seen now that this Hephaistion was not interested in him, but in his title," Olympias continued coldly, "but I had not expected you to betray your son. You have been sleeping with him for a week."

Alexander could not think as he took in the information, in his mind still the image of the empty eyes of his friend. His mother's fingers dug in his shoulder as she gripped him, but he could do nothing but breathe. Hope that he would wake up soon.

His father sighed and spoke with a low, tired voice. "He has not shared my bed, woman. Nor is it any of your business."

"Don't lie," Olympias hissed. "He has visited your rooms the whole week. Are you telling me, are you telling Alexander, that you have just chit-chatted with him all that time? When we have just come across this? If you had been sober, you might have understood that denying it only adds to your shame."

"No." Alexander interrupted the short silence, and twisted away from his mother's hand. It had been enough. "I don't want to hear it. I hope, father, that whatever you have done, you have taken pride in it. I would not have an honourless father, cursed by the gods for his arrogance and idiocy in this drunken state. But I will trust them to make their judgement." His voice dropped further, as his unseeing eyes remained directed at his father's hunched form, and his jaw clenched. "I, however, am not interested in what you have to say, your ever lying words, from such a twisted mind. Pray, father. Pray that I will find Hephaistion and that what he will tell me is not what I fear it will be." He took another breath, but no more words could find their way to his mouth.

He diverted his gaze, and ignoring his mother, who was watching him with large eyes, and his father, who was finally attempting to stand up to no doubt shame himself further, he left the room and the two stunned guards behind.