A/N: Yeah, it's been awhile. Sorry, y'all. IRL issues to deal with, and then the muse departed. I return with this offering. It's big, I swear! Voluminous, if nothing else. Beware of the sexual innuendo!

Sweet holy mother of crap and all her children.

I was up to my neck in hot water, trying to boil away the stress sitting squarely between my shoulder blades when her towel came down. I was remembering, I guess. Learning to hunt for rabbits near Nashkel, out in the woods with the limping Khalid. He was like a brother to me, I guess. He taught me about basic outdoor skills, sort of helped me get on my feet for those first three months. Gorion had been the only family I had ever known- Dreppin and Hull and them had made sure I kept out of trouble for the most part, but I never had anyone but Imoen to play with.

Doesn't matter, I suppose.

What it came down to, as I sat there in the hot water, was that I knew that those who had traveled with me had raised me, or been raised with me. Like I said, brothers and sisters all. They looked out for me, bled for me, fought for (and occasionally with) me. The group was my family- and I had grown so much in the last two years, been so many places, it was hard to think of it otherwise. It seemed like we had been together forever.

And then a very naked Aerie sank into the water across from me, and all of that went right out the window.

She was blushing furiously as she sunk into the opaque water. Her arms were crossed against her chest, trying to hide something I couldn't see anyways. Small mercies, I suppose. My clerical calm and focus had been shattered already.

"H-h-hi."

"Ummm...heh...hi, Aerie. Can I ask what you're doing in my bath?"

She blushed even harder, tattoo standing out against her now-scarlet skin. The beads in her hair floated, making her hair fan out across the water's surface.

"No, really. What're you doing in my bath?"

"I-I-I...oh, I thought it w-w-would be r-r-romantic..."

"Seductive, yes."

She flashed a grin at me. My heart almost melted. This poor girl was so in love with me. What was I supposed to do?

"Aerie, I'm really...uhh...surprised that you did this for me. How did you get past Sarevok?"

"W-well, first me and Jaheira were talking. You needed time, she said. I think you need us to be here for you. Viconia said she was going to come down here and...and..."

"Do the what now?"

Well, this made things interesting. Two on one- a conspiracy of suitors.

"Well, we both think that Viconia should keep away from you. She said she was going to come down here, and have sex with you..."

"What happened to Sarevok?"

"Viconia kneed him in the groin."

Ow. My legs closed and my hardon shrank from the sympathy pains. It had to have been a hell of a blow to bring down my brother.

"So...where'd Jaheira get to?"

"I-I don't know."

I sighed. Truly,it was an epic amount of weasel's guts I kept trampling in. I don't think they actually understood how I felt. I loved each in their own way, but I couldn't simply pick one. I couldn't sit there, have time for a proper relationship because someone was trying to kill me, or because I had some task to complete. Always some quest, with untold lives and human suffering hanging in the balance. It's hard to postpone crushing a beholder cult to try to have a nice meal with the girlfriend. It's hard to have a decent drink when my sister is trapped on some godsforsaken island with a mad archmage.

"Ugh."

"W-what, dearest?"

"Just tired, Aerie."

"C-can I wash you?"

Surprises never cease. Well, I was still kinda dirty. Why not? I nodded. I turned my back, resting my elbows on the lip of bath. Closing my eyes, I tried not to think of anything too perverted. I shivered the first time the sponge touched my back. It was dead silent, save the bubbling of the water and the sad little song that Aerie kept humming. The feeling of her skin on mine was exquisite. This gorgeous woman was cleaning the blood and ichor off of me, and I couldn't help feeling guilty. I turned around.

"Thanks, Aerie."

She smiled shyly. I gestured at her wound.

"How's the arm?"

"B-better, thank you."

"Aerie, can I wash your back now?"

Who said that? Oh, wait. Me. I was a little surprised to hear those thick words come out of my mouth. She looked into my eyes, and nodded. Her eyes shuddered, a mixture of fear and desire fighting one another in there somewhere. I stroked her hair gently, and she turned her back on me. What I saw there scarred me for life.

Two pinkish lumps protruded from her back, surrounded by an incredible number of white lines. I tried not to gasp as I realized that those were the remnants of her wings. It was all scar tissue. I reached out, and began running the sponge across her shoulders.

It boggled my mind. How could someone destroy something so beautiful? I tried to concentrate on the task at hand.

"Oh, oh...my love, I am sorry..."

She tried to get up, to run away, but I got her by a slight shoulder, forced her back down into the water. Before I knew it, I was bawling with my arms around her. She sniffled, and threw her arms around me, and started bawling too. We cried for awhile, and then I left her to her bath. I had to go. I needed space, I had to think. Bed. I could be alone in bed. There, I could try to face down the guilt I was drowning in.

Of course, I was wrong.

Jaheira was waiting in my room.