A/N: Sorry for the long wait, but my dad is going away and we had to help him pack. And it's just been hectic. Anyways, here is the new chapter. As always, review!

Briseis stayed away from their meeting spot for the next few days. She did want to see him, but she didn't know what to say to his proposition. She thought about it constantly, but she had been unable to reach a suitable conclusion.

The day was cloudy, how fitting, went right with her cloudy mood.

She reached for the ladle and filled her bowl with soup. The night was falling again. Another day had gone by. She was getting restless. What if he was to give up on her and start back by himself? Something told her that he wouldn't do that to her, but still that insecure thought buzzed around her head.

She imagined if he did leave her behind. She would be with her family, her friends, people that she had known, that knew her, since she was born. She would not be abandoning her country, and she would be part of the rising of the new Troy. But she would not be with him. She didn't know if she could live a life without him, knowing that she had been given a second chance, that she had the choice. If she did go with him, her people wouldn't understand. She would be seen as a traitor, a betrayer of her own country. She couldn't leave knowing that she did not have her family's blessing. She sighed. It was a paradox.

Whatever path she chose, she could not win.

Helen quietly climbed out of bed, careful not to wake those around her. The one-roomed cabin was small and bare. There was a crooked little table by the only window, and an equally crooked stool beside it. There were beds on both ends of the room, divided by the wooden door. She, Andromache, and Astyanax slept on the more spacious side, while Briseis had her own bed against the wall at the other end.

Just yesterdayBriseis was persuaded to move indoors, after waking up to a fine layer of snow outside. Even then she was reluctant. Helen couldn't understand the girl. Last week she was bright and happy as a lit candle, this week the candle seemed to be sputtering, on the verge of going out. What was the reason for her mood swings? Helen, with her unstable hormones during pregnancy, seemed more stable than the girl these days.

Just as quietly, Helen stepped into her shoes after a glance at the mother and child snuggled against each other. She smiled, she would love to be able to do that. And you would, soon, she reminded herself. She wouldn't mind having a daughter either, a Trojan princess. One of her hands settled on her stomach unconsciously while the other grabbed her cloak.

She needed to relieve herself. She could've just used the chamber pot of course, but she wanted to smell the night air. She paused at the door, fastening her cloak. All was calm.On an impulse, she glanced atBriseis' corner.

She gasped.

The moon light lit up the room just enough to see. Briseis was not there.

Just what made Briseis go that night, she wasn't sure. After all, she was still unsure of her final decision. Maybe she just wanted to see him. But then again, she did not know for sure that he would show up either. It was madness.

Walking in the shadows of the trees, she was fairly certain that she wouldn't be spotted. She walked quickly. In a few minutes she came upon their agreed meeting place. She looked around anxiously. Waited

But he didn't come.

She was disappointed, for obvious reasons. But she also felt relieved. She had nothing to tell him. Yet she hung around for another while, until she was sure that he wasn't going to show up. With a sigh she headed back, telling herself that it was all for the best.

i>Don't panic, don't panic, don't panic. /i> Helen stood in front of the small window, peering out into the darkness. There wasn't much to see. Briseis was no where to be seen.

i>She just went for a walk, she will come back soon/i> she tried telling herself. But she had been on the watch for about an hour now and still no signs of the girl. She even went outside and poked around a bit. She'd contemplated waking up Andromache, and decided against it. What if Briseis did just go out to get a bit of fresh air, just like Helen herself was going to do? Then she would have ruined the night for all of them. And she knew how tired everyone was. No, she wouldn't raise any false alarms.

So she sat down and waited by herself. Minutes slipped by.

Then the door creaked open. Helen whirled around and breathed a sigh of relief. i>Thank the Gods/i>

"Briseis!" She stood.

Briseis froze. She raised her head and saw a silhouette, a shadow against the brightness of the little window.

"Helen?"

"Briseis where have you been?" Helen walked over and pulled the girl outside, closing the door behind them.

Illuminated by the limited lighting, Helen's face appeared pale and fragile, and genuinely afraid. She looked anxiously at her cousin.

"Where were you?"

"Oh, I, I went out," Briseis was obviously unprepared to see Helen up, so she had no story ready.

"Oh? For more than an hour?" Helen raised her eyebrows.

Briseis grimaced. "I wasn't feeling well," she said. It wasn't that much of a lie, she indeed wasn't feeling that well, emotionally and mentally, just not physically.

Helen looked at her expectantly.

"And uh, I had to go outside to breath," she finished. Her story wasn't half-bad, and she had not told any direct lies so far.

"Right. And just how far did you walk? I woke up and you weren't there. So I waited for you, and you were gone for such a long while I was terrified that something had happened to you!" Helen gripped her arm.

"Don't worry, Helen, I'm fine, I just took a little walk, that's all," Briseis said reassuringly.

"Just don't go out in the middle of the night all by yourself again. Who knows what's out there!" Helen looked around them, "You gave me quite a scare!"

"Sorry," Briseis smiled ruefully, knowing that she was off the hook, for now.

As she climbed back into bed, Briseis frowned at the opposite side of the cabin, where the others lay. She knew something like this would happen, and she was just relieved that it was Helen who had caught her, and not Andromache. The older woman wouldn't have left her alone without a proper explanation. But still, Briseis did not expect the confrontation. Helen did not suspect anything, of that she was pretty certain. But it did prove that she was going to have a tough time slipping out next time. And what of Achilles then? He wouldn't know about it. She must get a word to him. But how?

She tossed and turned all night in a fitful slumber, dreaming unpleasant dreams.