Tia could still feel Diego's lip imprints on hers.

"Me!" she squeaked, shocked that at what Diego just did.

"Yes. I wanted to tell you. You don't know how badly I wanted to tell you but it just didn't seem that you wanted to hear it," he stretched his long limbs.

"I...I..." Tia stuttered through shock.

"Shhh, if you don't want my love, you don't have to take it. No matter what; I'll always be your friend," he said kindly, disappointedly, shushing her lips.

"Diego...I...I..." She couldn't spit the words out.

"Don't speak. I've always loved you but if you think it's bad for our friendship...I won't anymore," he said sadly.

Tia couldn't let that happen, she swung her arms around his neck and kissed him. After a moment of surprise, he deepened the kiss and pulled her closer into him.

-------------------------------

Dallas lay on the ground holding his poor junk that had been kicked.

Tamera tapped her foot impatiently, waiting for him to get up and stop being a baby.

"Would you hurry up?" she said exasperated.

"You...can't just expect...a...ughhh...guy to recover from THAT kind of assault...ehhh...so fast," he groaned, trying his best to roll over.

"Hey, I won at least," Tamera objected.

"There can't be a cheaper shot than the one you pulled," he agreed.

"Here," Tamera got fed up and held out her arm for him to use.

"Thank you m'lady," he said and shakily stood. "OH HOLY SAKES!"

"What?" Tamera asked startled.

"IT HURTS LIKE A MOTHER!" he yelled and fell back over. Biting his lip and blowing air out rapidly.

Tamera knew that he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon, so she casually strolled over to some low-hanging twigs and broke them off.

"Mother fucker, mother fucker, mother fucker!" Dallas rolled around , writhing in pain while venting.

She watched him drop F-bombs and other profanities while tying four twigs together with a vine-like stem. It was quite comical, even though she felt bad.

After the framework was done, she gathered big leaves and attached them over the twigs with tree sap.

Dallas was still groaning by the time she was done.

"Here, get on," she said.

Dallas stopped writhing and looked at what she was pointing to. She had made a stretcher. He limply scooted to the stretcher and laid on it.

"Tally-ho!" she shouted cheerily, glad to move on. Dragging the stretcher behind her.

"Ahhh!" Dallas whimpered as they hit a small bump.

-------------------------------

Tia laid in Diego's arms as the sun's setting rays drifted through the pines.

"So who is this 'Dallas'?" Diego asked.

"He's a Royal. I met him at Chaiha Heights and he sorta attached himself to me," Tia shrugged, remembering how she actually did have a good time with him at Glass Lake. "What about Tamera?"

"You know how my looks get me into trouble..." he grinned.

"Keep going..." she smiled wryly, wanting to hear his excuse.

"Well, I was serving her and she smiled at me. I got distracted and spilled some tulip wine on her and one of her yuppies started ragging on me. That's not all though...earlier she came up to talk to me because she thought I was a Royal," he laughed. Tia laughed also.

He was so glad to be with her, so he leaned down and kissed her again.

"Ow! Watch it woman!" they heard Dallas shout.

"Sorry!" Tamera squeaked.

Their heads quickly unattached and they looked around innocently as Tamera and Dallas appeared.

"Hey Di...I mean 'Heath'!" Tamera breathed with relief but shot a questionable glance at Tia.

"Tamera..." Diego nodded, standing. He helped Tia up and Tamera frowned.

"Dallas? What happened?" Tia asked going over to the stretcher.

"Ehhh," he grumbled, not wanting to tell her the embarrassing story.

"I kicked him in his balls," Tamera said for him and dropped the part she was holding to get to Diego.

"OW!" Dallas yelled.

Tia helped him stand, but he stood with a sort of squat. "Why?"

Tamera turned around to Tia with a disapproving face. "He tried to kill Shylie and beat me up."

"Nuh-uh!" Dallas retorted, still seeing if his junk was in tact.

"Yuh-huh!" Tamera mimicked.

Diego was getting annoyed with them so he flipped Tamera around and kissed her to make her shut-up.

Tia's face crashed into bitter disappointment. His eyes were closed so tight, there was no way he could have faked a feeling like that.

"Let's go back to the palace, Tia?" Dallas said leading her away.

"Goodbye," she mumbled and turned away to leave. Diego cracked open a honey-hazel eye and saw her go.

Tamera suddenly pulled away, "You left me at the grotto!" she remembered angrily and made a pathetic attempt to hurt him by push-slapping his broad shoulders.

"I did? Oh...yeah. What was that stuff I drank...Blue Isle? It totally made me whack out and this Aquatic fairiette just sort of lead me out. I had no idea I was leaving you," he said, trying to remember.

Tamera bit her lip guiltily. It was her that gave him the Blue Isle. So technically she should have been mad at herself.

"I forgive you," she said and tapped him on the nose.

-------------------------------

Dallas had to sit on Janti a bit weirder than normal because of his 'injury'. Tia had to help him on the bird.

"Did you ever catch Shylie?" she wondered.

"No because Tamera cut me off and started...being difficult," he said. There was no way he'd admit to being beat up by a girl.

They flew away from the woodland grove and back to the palace. The sun was just about gone, just behind the mountain the palace was carved into.

Tia sighed, thinking of Diego.

"So...what were you and 'Heath' doing?" he asked looking behind at her with a raised eyebrow.

"We talked," she shrugged, omitting most parts of the conversation.

Dallas nodded and they flew into the bird hanger. Janti bobbed over to her perch. Dallas slid off and leant on her for support, Tia dismounted also.

Dallas then leant on her for support. They walked into the great hall. Some Royals were lounging about. Not many were there because it wasn't dinner yet. They went to Dallas's chamber and he sat on his bed of furs.

He sucked in a sharp breath and cringed.

"You really should have a healer take a look at that," Tia said, seeing how much pain he was in.

He cocked his head to one side, "Are you kidding? I'm not going to have some healer look at my junk."

"If you don't, your 'junk'..." she giggled at the term, "might get permanently damaged and you'll never get to love again." She sat down next to him and slid her hand underneath his covering.

A shrewd grin swept across his lightly freckled face. "You can be my healer any day." and his eyes rolled back into his head with great pleasure. "Eheh..eh…not there."