He was floating in a black abyss...

No light anywhere...

Unable to even see his own hand in front of his face, and yet he was aware of every sound...every scent...every touch.

This is how Jak felt every time he "went dark".

It hasn't happened in a while...he thought he was getting better, and yet once again he lost control. Even worse...it was in front of the person he wished would never find out about this side of him.

As if Torn needed another reason to hate him...as if he needed another reason to mistrust him.

What was he doing to Torn right now?

He couldn't see, but he felt...warm. His mouth filled with a salty and sweet taste, like salted caramel with an organic tang. It was wonderful...

There was a loud voice, he couldn't make it out over the pitch of his own growls.

But there was no anger...

This had never happened before.

Going dark always meant anger...it always meant destruction...and sometimes, it meant death.

So why was he so calm right now? Why did he feel so good?

He never wanted to wake up...he wanted to bask in this feeling of soft, warm, and good.

The light shining in through the window was the first thing that hit Jak's eyes as he woke.

The second was Torn's hand.

"WAKE THE FUCK UP YOU PRICK!"

Jak dazedly touched his throbbing cheek as he blinked the sleep from his eyes. When he was finally focused, he looked up at a very angry Torn.

No... saying he was angry was an understatement...he was livid.

Torn's glare could melt ice. He was practically seething as he growled, "You have so much fucking explaining to do, brat!" He was sitting with his back pressed up against Jak's headboard, knees drawn up, looking ready to kick him at any second.

He acted as if he were fending off a wild animal.

And if what Jak thought was true...he pretty much was...

"Um, Torn...what-"

"STAY THERE!" Torn grabbed at the nearest item, which happened to be a pillow, and held it up, looking prepared to find a way to bludgeon jak with the soft object.

Jak held up his hands, "Torn...please let me explain-" He made to move a bit closer to Torn but immidiatly got a face full of pillow...which to Torn's credit hurt more than it should've.

"I SAID STAY THERE!" Torn screamed as he scrambled off the bed and grabbed the lamp off Jak's nightstand, brandishing it as a weapon. Jak decided to remain still until Torn calmed down.

Torn on the other hand was trying to calm himself so he wouldn't release more pheromones than he already did. That seemed to trigger whatever Jak turned into, and Torn really did not want to endure that again. He may have gotten lucky last night by being aggressively cuddled and necked, but he didn't want to chance it in case the thing no longer had an interest in him and decided to entertain itself in a more violent way.

"Torn, can you please stop freaking out and just listen-"

"Oh YOU'RE one to talk about FREAKING OUT!" He pointed accusingly with the lamp, "What the FUCK was that last night?! You turned into some kind of demon and attacked me!"

"I have no idea what you-"

"DON'T EVEN START WITH THAT SHIT!" Torn growled loud enough to make Jak flinch, "I know what I saw last night. Stop fucking lying to me!" He gave another frustrated growl as he rubbed his temple with his free hand, trying to stave off a rapidly growing headache, "Just...do me a favor and stay there until I can clear out my scent a bit, that seemed to be the trigger and if you turn into that...that thing again-"

Jak let out an irritated sigh, deciding the situation was too out of control to even attempt to keep his secret, "I won't...or rather I cant. It's a limited thing...can't do it again this soon"

That seemed to calm Torn down slightly, given that he lowered the lamp, "You sure about that?"

"Um...Pretty sure?"

"That's not reassuring!"

"Will you just put the lamp down so we can talk this out?!"

Torn still looked skeptical, but eventually he set the lamp back on Jak's nightstand with a sigh, "Fine...but you better tell me everything, and I mean everything!" Torn crossed his arms, making a point that he was going to stand right where he was, within range of the lamp should he need it.

Jak sighed and rubbed the heel of his palm against his still sleep-tired eyes, "First, did I...hurt you? I can't really remember things when I...change."

Torn flushed at memories from the night before, "Take a look, and then tell me what you think the answer is." He grabbed the hem of his shirt and yanked the collar down a bit while tilting his head, exposing the damage Jak had done.

If Jak's face could get any redder he could be mistaken for a tomato.

There were dark red and purple marks all up and down Torn's neck, with the majority being around where his scent gland was. He looked like he lost a very intimate fight with a colony of leeches.

"...did I?"

"You fucking did!" Torn glared at him, though the light blush of his cheeks made him look slightly less threatening.

Jak winced, sheepishly looking away from Torn, "Sorry, wasn't my intention..." That was kind of a lie, and also kind of the truth. Yes, he wanted to mark Torn in his deepest darkest thoughts, but he never actually intended to do it. Turns out his sexual restraint also goes out the window when he goes dark.

"Sorry isn't good enough." Torn narrowed his eyes, "I want answers, now."

"And what if I don't want to?" Jak looked up at Torn defiantly.

"Then I'll go to your father and ask him. And I won't leave out any details of how rude you've been toward me."

Jak gaped, "RUDE?! I've been nothing but nice!"

"Tell that to my neck!" He jabbed a finger towards his heavily bruised neck, and Jak deflated slightly. He did somewhat force himself on Torn that night when the older man was just trying to help him out...

...but damn it...why must he have to relive that horrible memory to atone?

"Look..." He started, pausing briefly to decide how to explain it, "It's not an easy story to tell...I don't want to think about it." He withdrew slightly, memories resurfacing.

The kids body language told Torn that whatever story attached to this secret was a traumatic one for him. As much as he wanted to know about Jak's crazy power, he truly didn't want to bring up painful memories...

...Torn knew all too well about those...

"Ok, so just tell me the basics. No need to go into detail." Torn remained standing as he moved closer to Jak.

The prince let out a shaky breath before speaking, "It...it happened when I was `12...Marauders kidnapped me and brought me to some sort of hidden laboratory. They..." he felt his chest go tight. If the eco in his blood hadn't recently been used, he would feel it start to bubble.

Jak closed his eyes, trying not to remember the pain of needles injecting dark eco inside him. The agony he felt as he rolled around the cold stone floor of a prison cell.

The feeling of her cold lifeless arms circling him as he tried to seek some comfort in them...

"Never mind, none of that even matters right now. The point is I change whenever I get really, really angry. Or...at least that's what I thought. And the weird thing is I wasn't angry when I changed this time...I was..." he blushed, looking away.

Torn finished his statement, "You were aroused. So I guess that's just as much of a trigger as anger." Torn was quiet after the statement.

"Great, as if I needed another trigger..." Jak glanced back up at Torn, "Are you...do you not want to do this anymore? The therapy thing?"

"When did I say that I didn't wanna continue?" Torn raised a brow, "Just because you have some freakish ability to transform into an incredibly clingy and horny eco demon doesn't mean I want nothing to do with you."

Jak's expression turned from timid to shocked. It honestly wasn't what he expected to happen, though he was glad Torn still wanted to continue their...friendship?

Wait...were they even friends at this point?

Jak still had no idea where he stood with the older man. It seems that every time they get closer, something happens and the divide between them gets wider. And Torn isn't making things clearer. He acts as if Jak is a mere annoyance to him, or some small child he has to indulge...and yet, there are moments like this, where the older Omega seems to genuinely care about him and his well-being.

It was all too confusing...

"I...didn't think you'd act like this. I was so sure you'd pack your bags as soon as I was done talking."

Torn laughed softly, "I may still be considering that." he then took a more serious tone, "So, is that the whole story? Because it didn't explain how you are able to transform."

Torn really was perceptive. Jak knew he would have to learn how to lie better, or he would be literally dragged around by the balls for the rest of his life. Still, Torn deserved to know the full story...

...but...

"I...I don't want to..." Jak hated how small his voice sounded, "It's too much for me to talk about..."

Torn furrowed his brow, "You already started, so why not finish the story?"

"Yeah well, I don't wanna keep fucking talking about it!" His voice was louder than he intended, but his anxiety was slowly building up the longer they dwelled on this topic. "If you really wanna know that badly, go ask my dad! I think I'm done talking about the worst fucking moment of my life, thank you very much." Jak turned his body away from Torn, laying on his side.

"Oh? Is this your way of giving me permission?"

"This is me telling you that you're digging for a landmine, and if you don't want an explosion, you should dig somewhere else." With that, he shut down completely.

Torn was slightly irked at being brushed off, but he technically just got permission to find out the details Jak was keeping from him. "Don't mind if I do." With that, he turned and left the room, leaving the Alpha alone with nothing but his slowly receding memories.

"So, my team managed to sweep the southern caves for a nest, but so far nothin's come up." Sig swiped his finger across his com before continuing his report, "We haven't started on the Western caves yet, but I got a bad feeling about those caves. I can't believe I'm suggesting this, but I think we should consider asking Haven for assistance."

Damas nodded as he held his chin in thought, "I'd have to agree. Due to the pressure from both the Metal heads and the Marauders, our numbers are dwindling." He sighed and rubbed his tired eyes, "I don't want any more of my people to die while Haven's army stays fat and happy behind their walls."

"At least they've been helping out these past few years. Granted they probably really wanted that treaty, but I think they'd be open to lending their forces to us to deal with this threat." Sig closed his datapad and gave the King a knowing smirk, "I think we both know who to thank for that."

The doors suddenly opened to reveal Torn, "Excuse me your high-...er...Damas... I need to speak with you."

Damas raised a brow at Sig and muttered to him, "Speak of the devil." He then turned to Torn and smiled warmly, "Please, it's been a while since we had a conversation outside of meals."

"Forgive me, but I don't recall us ever having a conversation outside of the dining room." Torn made it to the stone steps and paused before ascending them to stand in front of the throne.

"An error I hope we can rectify." The king leaned forward, "So, what can I do for you this morning?"

Torn didn't know where the hell to even begin.

So he started at the beginning.

"Jak and I have been...attempting to get closer this past week." He shifted slightly on his feet before continuing, "We've hit a few roadblocks along the way, but we finally started to make progress. At least, I think so..." he paused once more, considering how he should state this next part.

The king listened intently, motioning for Torn to continue...so he did.

"Jak's been having issues with exposure to my pheromones. He didn't like how they made him feel, so I offered to help him grow a tolerance to them through exposure therapy." He took in a deep breath and continued, "I miscalculated...I exposed him to a very high potency of pheromones, and I found out something I was probably not meant to."

Damas's eyes went wide, "No...did he..."

Torn nodded, "Yeah...he couldn't handle the exposure and...changed."

Sig cursed under his breath and Damas's face darkened. The King stood and closed the distance between him and Torn, "I sincerely apologize for any harm he's done to you."

"Well, he didn't exactly...harm me, per say." Torn felt his face heat up a bit, "He just...scented me a bit."

This seemed to shock both Sig and Damas, "He didn't attack you?!"

Torn shook his head, "No...I think he just reacted a bit too strongly to my pheromones and didn't know how to control himself. All things considered, it could've been worse."

Damas shook his head, "No, no...I meant he didn't change because he was angry?!"

"Um...no, he didn't." Torn remembered what Jak said about the change happening exclusively when he became too angry.

Damas silently processed the information before musing, "Well, you are truly more special than I first anticipated." he smiled softly and gently placed a hand on Torn's shoulder, "You managed to survive something no one else has. Even Daxter and I were met with violence when he changed near us."

"In that case...do you think you could tell me what exactly happened to Jak? He told me a little bit, but I felt that he was keeping a lot from me."

The king's face fell as a wash of sadness overtook his features, "That story...is the greatest regret of my life." He sighed and closed his eyes, "I don't blame Jak for being reluctant to share it with you. I'm quite hesitant myself...but..." He looked back at Torn, "If you are to be part of our family, you deserve to know the truth." He proceeded to the steps and continued, "Why don't we take this somewhere more...private?"

The king began walking to the throne entrance and Sig came up behind Torn, placing a hand on his shoulder and whispering, "You may wanna mentally get ready, Cherry...this is gonna be one hell of a bomb."

It was almost sunset when Torn finally got the courage to walk to Jak's room. He stood outside the door, wondering if he should confront the Prince with what he learned or let him calm himself a bit more.

Now that he knew why Jak didn't want to tell him the rest, he was sure bringing it up again would end poorly.

However, this was something he felt they needed to address if they wanted this arrangement to work.

He tested the doorknob to see if it was locked, and was relieved to find that it wasn't. He opened the door and peeked inside, seeing Jak sitting out on the balcony of his room, staring out at the ocean. The blonde alpha didn't seem to notice him yet, so Torn took the opportunity to gently close the door and pad over to him.

Jak finally noticed him when he stepped out on the small balcony. His face was blank, but his eyes were slightly wet and red, like he'd been trying not to cry. Jak wiped at his eyes and growled, "The fuck do you want now?"

"Nothing..." Torn approached him cautiously, "Can I sit?"

Jak didn't answer him, instead he simply motioned to the seat next to him. Torn took that as an invitation and sat down in a small cushioned chair next to Jak.

Torn didn't speak immediately, only stared out at the landscape with Jak. They were overlooking the city as well as the Ocean. Torn's room didn't have as nice of a view as Jak's, and he had to admit that Spargus was strangely beautiful from this point of view.

"I talked to your father." Torn waited for Jak to reply, and when there was none, he continued, "He told me the rest of the story." He heard Jak shift and glanced over at him, seeing that he'd bought his knees up against his chest and was resting his chin on top. His body language was closed off and defensive, but he didn't look angry.

"Yeah?" Jak muttered, "You want a medal or somethin?"

Torn let the snide remark go in favor of getting this conversation going, "I can see why you didn't want to tell me..." He let out a sigh, his face softening in empathy, "It was a lot worse than I thought..."

"Congratulations! You now know the most horrible thing I've gone through, now please shut up and never mention it again." Jak moved to get up but Torn grabbed his arm.

"If you want...you can talk to me about this Jak. I'm more than willing to listen-" He tightened his grip slightly.

"I don't give a fuck if you're 'willing to listen' to me!" Jak yanked his wrist out of Torn's grip harshly and glared at him, "I don't want your fucking pity!" He folded his arms, almost folding in on himself as he ranted, "Yeah, something shitty happened to me, and yeah I get dangerous when I can't control myself, but It's been YEARS!" He clenched his fists, remembering the soft and sad looks people gave him even 5 years after the incident. "I'm not that same little kid...I don't need anyone telling me how sorry they are for me, or how brave I am. I'm so sick of everyone treating me like a grenade without a pin! I DON'T need it from you too!"

Jak turned and stomped back into his room. Torn stood as well and went after him, "Is that what you think I'm doing?!" Jak stopped but didn't turn around to face him, so Torn continued, "Look, I get it...having people treat you with kid gloves because you went through something horrible sucks...and it hurts more than it helps. But still, not talking about it is just as bad!"

"Can it Torn, I heard all that shit from my therapist already." Jak turned to face him, his eyes narrowed, and mouth set in a snarl, "And no, you don't fucking get it! Noone could possibly understand what I went through!"

Torn took a step towards Jak, "You're right...I don't know what it's like to be experimented on...to be kept in a cold filthy cell and beaten every day by scientists trying to make me angry." He took another step towards the increasingly panicked teen, but he pressed on.

"I don't know how it feels to have dark eco siphoned into my body..."

"Stop..." Jak's fists started shaking.

"And I don't know how you felt when your mother died in front of you in that cell."

Torn almost lost his footing from the suddenness of Jak grabbing him by his shirt, fisting the fabric. Torn met his eyes, seeing the blue start to turned black as the young Alpha began growling.

But he wasn't afraid this time.

He knew Jak wasn't going to hurt him.

"I won't say any more...You don't have to talk about it right now." Torn placed a hand on Jak's shoulder and gave it a squeeze, "I already know everything, and I don't think any less of you. I don't pity you. I just wanted you to know that you can talk to me. I'm offering to be the one person who won't baby you because of past wounds."

"Why do you even care?" Jak's grip lessened a little, "We aren't friends, we aren't lovers, and as far as I know you still want nothing to do with me!"

"Thats not true..."

Jak's grip went slack as Torn pulled back a bit. The older man met his eyes and said, "I do consider us friends Jak. I really do. I don't think we can be more than that, but you are one of the few people I've met who I can actually tolerate."

This made Jak pause.

"You consider us friends?" Jak slowly restated,

"Unless you don't want to be?" Torn raised a brow, "Which I would be very shocked to learn if that was the case, seeing how you've been reacting to me lately."

Jak let out a shaky breath as he began to relax a bit, the anxiety beginning to dull. Torn took it as an opportunity to sit on Jak's bed. He pat the spot beside him and Jak took the hint, plopping down next to him.

After a while Torn let out a sigh, "For the record, I do kinda know how you feel. Something bad happened to me when I was your age, and I hated it when my brothers would treat me like I was made of glass. I know how that feels, and I won't ever treat you like that unless that's what you need."

Jak's interest was piqued as he asked, "What happened to you?"

Torn tensed up slightly, "Sorry kid, you haven't earned that story yet."

Jak frowned, "You literally just found out the worst thing about my past. I think I deserve a story in return."

Torn raised a brow before letting out a soft laugh, "Guess you got me there...fine, but I'm only giving you as much information you gave me."

"Thats not fair! You went and got the rest of the story from my father." Jak glowered slightly.

"And if you ever meet one of my acquaintances who knows the story, feel free to ask them. But, until that happens, this is all you'll get." Torn took in a breath as he ordered his thoughts...it'd been a while since he'd thought about the one time where he was actually truly scared.

...

"Once, I was sexually assaulted by a male Alpha...and he almost raped me."

...

The silence in the room became deafening as Jak absorbed the information Torn just dropped on him.

Jak was the first to speak again after a while, "Um...that's...that's pretty bad..."

Torn shrugged, "Still not as bad as yours, but yeah...still shitty."

"That's not the whole story though...is it?" Jak could tell there was more to it, but Torn shook his head and stated, "Like I said, I'm only giving you what you gave me. You can find out the rest from someone else."

"But noone in Spargus knows you!"

"Then I guess you're shit outta luck, kid."

Jak rolled his eyes, "Good to know I'm going to be married to a liar AND a cheater."

Torn smirked at him, "Your Dad sure knows how to pick em."

That ended with a playful punch to Torn's bicep as Jak flopped back against his bed.

They stayed like that for a minute before Jak whispered, "Torn...I'm sorry."

"For what?" Torn turned to look down at him.

"For scenting you...and touching you without your permission."

"Hey," There was a slight growl to Torn's voice, "Didn't we just agree that being pitied sucks?"

"It's not pity! I just still feel bad about it."

"Uh-huh," Torn wasn't convinced, "And you just so happen to apologize for non-consensual touching after I admit to being a victim of sexual assault?"

"I didn't mean it like that..."Jak sighed.

Torn made a slight humming noise as he thought for a moment, "Well, since we're apologizing, I'm sorry I came at you full force with my pheromones." He shifted a bit on the bed before resuming, "And also for pressing the whole 'traumatic memories' talk in the first place."

"You don't have to apologize for that." Jak stared up at the canopy covering of his bed, "I'm actually glad we talked. It's nice to have someone treat me the same after knowing my secret." He looked up at Torn, "So, I figure this means the bet is over, since you no longer need to know about my dark eco power?"

"Over?" Torn smirked evilly, "The bet is still on, pup. I said I could stop you from being a scent-hungry mongrel in three days, and I meant it. I'll just have to think of some other questions to ask you. Preferably something extremely embarrassing."

Jak cheekily grinned, "I think I'm going to ask you if you've ever slicked yourself in public."

"Pervert till the end huh? You get to ask any question and you go with the horny one."

"I am still a teenager, you know."

"Precursors, don't remind me." Torn's nose wrinkled in mild disgust.

"How old are you anyway?" Jak was honestly curious.

"I'm 27. I'll be turning 28 in 6 months."

Jak's eyes widdened slightly, "Wow...that's not what I expected."

Torn raised a brow, "Oh? You thought I was younger?"

"Opposite actually, I thought you were in your 40's-"

Jak was interrupted by a pillow coming down hard on his head by a very pissed omega. If it weren't for the laughing, one would think this were a murder attempt.

Two days had passed since the first scenting session gone awry.

Yesterday, Torn led Jak through a light scenting session to get him used to his scent at its lowest level. They managed to work their way up to a higher scent by the end of the day.

Today, they once again were attempting the scent therapy, this time at a higher level than the previous day.

"Stop being a pussy and just come over here." Torn sat on Jak's bed with his legs spread and his back against the headboard. He motioned for Jak to straddle his lap, but the Alpha was still stalling.

Jak was already flushed from the dosage of pheromones he received. He didn't pop a boner yet, which was great, but he was certain getting close to Torn would be his undoing, "I think I'm good over here, actually."

Torn rolled his eyes, "Will you just trust me? I think you can handle this."

"And I think the second I sit on our lap it'll be erection city."

"Stop bitching and get your skinny ass over here." Torn let out a slight growl which gave Jak the final push he needed to timidly crawl over to him and kneel in between Torn's open legs.

Torn quickly grabbed Jak and pulled him closer, tilting his still hickey littered neck, "There we go, just relax and breathe, like yesterday."

Easy for you to say, Jak thought bitterly. However, he did as Torn asked and closed his eyes, breathing in Torn's pheromones. After a while, he felt his body become calm and subconsciously moved closer to Torn, ending with his face pressed up against Torn's neck.

He really did have such a great smell.

Jak bit back the temptation to lick along the source of the scent, knowing Torn would probably kick his ass if he tried it.

"Better?" Torn whispered as he brought one hand up to cup the back of Jak's head. He wrapped his free arm around Jak's waist, pulling his body flush against him.

Jak shifted into a more comfortable position and hummed lowly against Torn's neck, "Yeah...'s nice..." His words slurred a bit as if he were drunk, but Jak didn't care at all.

"And look at that, you're not hard." Torn smirked and Jak lifted his head, lazily glancing down at his own crotch to see that Torn was in fact correct, "Holy shit!" jak's eyes widened a bit.

"I told you," Torn smiled, "You just needed a little exposure." Torn closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the backboard, "If we continue scenting daily, eventually you'll be able to resist my pheromones even during my heat."

"Would you want that though?" Jak looked up at him, "Isn't that the point of Omega pheromones? To attract an alpha and get them horny enough to fuck?"

Torn froze.

He reminded himself that Jak didn't mean it that way...

...Jak still didn't know his full assault story, so he did not mean it that way.

"Actually, that's only a minor aspect." Torn couldn't hold back the slight growl that lingered in his voice, "Omega pheromones are designed to calm others. For example, a mother would use her pheromones to calm a crying child. Or, a commander could use his pheromones to relax and inspire his troops before a battle."

Jak raised his eyebrows in wonder, "Is that what you did?"

"Sometimes," Torn admitted, "If we were going into a rough fight, I would visit the soldiers who were nervous and calm them. None of them were ever aroused by it."

"Thats amazing!" Jak smiled, "I wish I could do that! Alpha pheromones usually are meant to scare away or piss off other people."

"Again, that's only one aspect. Alpha pheromones can be used to calm someone." Torn sat up a bit as Jak began moving off his lap, "Usually their Omega. Apparently during a heat, an Alpha's pheromones can stop cramping, lesson painful slick secretions, or allegedly cause orgasms." he rolled his eyes, "I personally think it's a bunch of bullshit."

The few times Jinx helped him through a painful heat, Torn always found his presence to be more intimidating than calming. Jinx was kind and gentle towards him, only going as far as Torn wanted and even letting him take the reins. Even so, Torn never felt calm or less agonized with Jinx there.

Then again, Tear always said the opposite.

Maybe there was some truth to an Alpha's pheromones being calming...but only when love was involved?

"I hope I can help you through your heats then."

Torn whipped his head to stare wide-eyed at Jak.

The blonde Alpha sheepishly smiled at him before continuing, "You've helped me so much...I want to return the favor."

"That's not necessary." Torn frowned, feeling anxiety beginning to bloom as he imagined being at Jak's mercy during his heat, "I can get through my heats alone, so you don't have to worry about needing to comfort me during them."

"You sure?" Jak deflated a bit, "I wouldn't mind helping."

"Oh I'm sure you wouldn't." Torn said darkly, "But I don't like spending my heats with a partner." He crossed his arms and huffed, "Don't worry, you'll get a piece of this eventually. I still have to provide you with an heir remember?"

Jak frowned, "That's not what I meant. I'm not having sex with someone who doesn't want me. That's a fucked up thing to even consider."

"I don't need to want you to provide you an heir. It's literally the only reason I'm here." He folded his legs before continuing, "Listen, this is going to happen whether we want it to or not. When the time comes, we'll do what needs to be done." He sighed and let his arms fall to his sides, "Look, for what it's worth...if I have to be bred by someone...I'm glad it's you."

Jak straightened up and flushed. He smiled softly, "Really? That's...I'm glad you feel that way." He mirrored Torn's pose, crossing his legs as he sat in front of him, "But I'm serious about not sleeping with you. I don't want to do anything that you don't want to do. Besides, we don't have to worry about that for a while, right?" He gave a reassuring grin and Torn felt his chest flutter a bit, as if there was a butterfly flitting around.

"Right..." Torn glance out the window, seeing the sparkling blue ocean beyond the balcony, "We have time..."

They had a luxury that Torn thought would not be available to him...time to get to know each other...time to become more comfortable with each other...and time to gain the courage to take the plunge into carrying on the family name.