so this really should be chapter 11 1/2 because it was supposed to be a part of the last chapter but got cut off. but i wanted to post it anyway as i won't be able to add anything for a couple of weeks. so sorry so short and i will try to make up for it on the next chapter.

Andrea woke the next morning to find herself alone in Agner's room. She rubbed her eyes and squinted at the morning sun that blazed through the tall windows.

Would it kill the guy to have some curtains, she thought as she sat up and looked around the room.

It seemed even larger in the light. She saw a shirt hanging on the closet door and realized that she did not have one. A hazy memory of something tearing played in the back of her mind. Sitting alone in the large bed with in just her bra and pants with windows that had no curtains was beginning to make Andrea feel somewhat exposed so she got up and retrieved the shirt from the closet door. It was large on her but it would do.

She bent over and began to slip on her shoes when she noticed a small white flower on the floor next to them. She cupped the small pale bloom in her hand.

Belladonna.

She looked around the room and spotted a small dark berry near the trashcan and walked over to find the wreath inside, or what was left of it. It seemed to have taken some damage in the frenzy of last night. She reached down and cradled what was left of it in her hands as she walked down the hallway and into the living room. Still no Agner.

Andrea stood there for a moment unsure of what to do. She still was not sure of what had even happened. One moment he was all over her to the point that she could not even see straight and then he was gone. She walked over to where her jacket and bag hung on the back and began to dig around for a hair tie. She held the tie in her mouth as she stood up and combed her hair back with her fingers as she walked around. This was the first time she had ever been in his apartment without her host. Surely he would not fault her for looking around while she waited for a bit to see if he would return.

She could not help but notice again how there were no photos around. No images of friends or family frozen in time, no cherished memories captured in frames and hung on the wall or in a place of honor on the mantle or shelf. He had spoken before about not having any contact with his family anymore and she supposed that could happen. A falling out or conflict of some sort. But to have no photos of friends, especially with all of his travels struck Andrea as odd.

She walked past the fire place and back down the hall till she stopped at the door of the second room. She hesitated for a moment, her hand pausing on the door knob. What if he came home and found her in here? Would he be upset? He had to understand her interest in these things and besides, wouldn't he have locked the door if he did not want her going in, or at least have left a note. She turned the door knob and stepped inside.

She took in the smell of things that were old and trying to be preserved, a dry, musty sort of smell that Andrea had always liked. It meant they were cared for, paid attention to, cherished. The windows were covered in here, keeping the room dark and the precious items within protected from the damaging rays of the sun. The lights themselves were dim and created a soft glow that added to the ambiance. Many of the cases were sealed and Andrea thought several might even be air tight. She could have looked through the artifacts with in for hours or days on end and never get tired of it. But right now, at this moment her attention was pulled to a specific one.

She walked over to the case that held the dried out and flattened flowers, vacuum sealed in some sort of plastic to help preserve it. The weapons with their hypnotic swirls and designs seemed to pick up the little bit of light in the room and reflect it even brighter. She wondered how old they were. It seemed to her as if the blades could still be sharp. As her eyes followed the long curve of the blade she came upon a small case within this one. Inside of it was a piece of material. It was frayed along the edges but still held some color as the design was still visible. It seemed to Andrea as if it were a piece of some banner or perhaps a sigil or coat of arms. It also seemed familiar.

A circle within a diamond, and from the circle in the center eight rays extend like beams of light. It was a crest. It was a family crest. She did not know how she knew this. Just like how she did not know what the colors were, even though they were faded and gone. But somehow she knew they were gold, red, and pale blue. How did she know this? She has seen if before. Her heart began to race as her head felt heavy. Where had she seen this before? Her mind spun. She has seen this before. She squeezed her eyes shut as an image came to her mind.

An image of a man in armor and wild hair standing in the night, with eyes that shone with a peculiar light staring at her in pain and sadness, a banner snapping in the wind behind him …

"Andrea?"

Andrea gasped and spun around, knocking over a stand that held a vase, sending it crashing to the ground. She grabbed at the case to steady herself as hands came around her waist, helping to support her.

"Andrea?"

She looked up to see Agner staring at her with concern, his eyes shining in the dim light in a peculiar way…

"I'm … fine, I'm sorry I just … I'm fine really, I just have to … oh God the vase! I am so sorry I don't know what … I should go."

She pulled herself from his grasp and left the room.

"I am so sorry," she called back as she went down the hallway, "I just need to go. I am late. I didn't realize how late it was. I have to teach a lab today. I will call you, with the details for the weekend. Oh God that vase! I will make it up to you I promise!"

She grabbed her jacket and bag and made for the elevator, hitting the button several times.

"I am so sorry about the vase Agner, so sorry! I shouldn't have gone in there. It was stupid."

The elevator doors opened and she almost ran inside, hitting the button to close the door.

"I'll call you," she called out as the doors slid shut.

Andrea leaned back against the wall and stared at the ceiling. She had seen that symbol before of course. She had seen it many times, sometimes flying high upon a banner or being worn upon a vest that covered the armor of the man who wandered her dreams. The man who had taken on the likeness of Agner.

I am going crazy, she thought. I am going completely batshit crazy.

Aegnor never said anything as he watched Andrea run into the elevator in her haste to leave. After she was gone he turned and made his way back to the spare room and over to the case where she had been standing. He knew what was in there of course. He looked down at the items inside.

He had acquired them late in the fourth age, back when he was newly returned to this world. The world had already much changed by then with most of the exploits of he and his kin being passed into myth or legend or twisted for the purpose of some religion or following. Aegnor had found these particular items in what would be the modern day equivalent of a flea market or sale. The persons selling them having no idea of the past or the true worth of such things. But he knew their worth, and they were priceless.

She had recognized something of course, triggered some memory buried deep. Much like what happened last night. For both of them. He looked down at the broken vase, his hands becoming tight fists.

He almost did something unforgivable last night. Something that he could never take back. Something selfish and greedy. He allowed need and self-indulgent behavior dictate his actions. He would have taken her then and there, without regret or a second thought. Aegnor closed his eyes and his hands balled up even tighter. The taste and feel of her skin was still a fresh torment in his mind. For a moment he had her in his arms again, his Andreth, he held her without restraint, without fear of consequence. And when she had called out his name ….

Aegnor let out the breath he was holding and opened his eyes. But she was not Andreth, at least not entirely. And he that somehow he was projecting his desires on to this girl who looked like his Andreth. That somehow he unknowingly put these images in her mind out of his own yearning for it to be true.

He had spent the entire evening watching her, till the sun began to push back the night, the sky going from black to the soft hazy grey of morning. He sat there watching her so intently, the temptation so strong to crawl back into her arms and finish what he had begun, he had crushed the small wreath of flowers he had made for her not even realizing what he had done. He knew then that he could not let this happen again. How could he? This was a child's dream that he held onto. It was impossible. What would have happened if he had given in and taken her? He would bind himself to her without her knowledge or consent? What would make him even entertain the idea that it would end well? Did he really thing he could just walk up and tell her who he was?

No, there was only one way for it to end. Her inevitable death and his lingering on, facing the ages once more without her. He had thrown the wreath away along with any hope he had held onto. He was a fool. And what he was doing to this girl was shameful.

Aegnor knelt down and began to gather up the broken shards from the vase, gathering the larger pieces and taking them out of the room and tossing them into the trash in the kitchen. He looked at the counter and saw the coffee he had gone out for. Two cups sitting next to each other. He had almost not returned to the apartment.

But he had returned. Out of some sick need and the lie he kept telling himself, that he would end this once and for all.

Again.

Aegnor turned suddenly and grabbed his keys and headed once more out of his apartment. He began walking, just where he was not sure, but he knew he had to get out of there. The memories that were being dredged up from the dark recesses of his mind were painful and mocking. He was lost upon the ice again. He had nowhere to go but forward, he was no longer able to go back.

You should have stayed dead Aegnor.

She is not Andreth.

He would just continue to tell himself that till he finally believed it.

When he finally stopped walking, he looked up and recognized the building he stood in front of. How typical that he should end up here. But then where else did he have to go? It was not open yet but he could wait. Waiting was the one thing he could do with ease. Several hours went by till the first employee showed up and then a few more hours till they opened the doors. Aegnor went inside and sat down. Who he was looking for was not here yet or they were not coming in at all. A possibility he found quite fitting given his current state. If she did not come in then he would take it as a sign from the Valar to move once more, perhaps somewhere in Asia this time. He always did enjoy Osaka. Aegnor laughed bitterly to himself. As if he Valar gave a damn about what happens to him.

Day became evening and he watched as the shifts began to change employees. She was the last to come in, working the later shift that would go well into the night. He waited till she was able to change out her register and get situated at the bar before he approached. When he finally did she turned around and faced him as if she had always known he was there. More than likely she did. She said nothing as he stood there, her dark eyes seemed to dissect his every move. Aegnor did not let that bother him though. He supposed she had every right to be suspicious of him. Who knew what she had been told. He sat down at the bar.

"I need to speak to Carnistir."