sorry it took so long to update. life is demanding sometimes. thank you for all the kind reviews! feel free to leave more!

~oOo~

Andrea rubbed at her eyes as she looked up at the clock on the wall. She was done at three and it was a quarter till. Good enough for her. She reached down and set her bag on the desk so she could set her things inside.

She was exhausted. She had left Agner's with the intention to return to her apartment for a quick shower and change only to find that she did not have the time. She ended up coming straight to the study lab in the same clothes she had on last night and no coffee.

No. Coffee.

She had been a rather sad excuse of a resource instructor at the study lab today. Spending almost her entire shift with earbuds in but no music as a ruse to portray the appearance of being occupied. In reality she simply wanted be left alone. She had managed to refrain from telling anyone to use Google though so she did not feel that she was a total loss.

She finished gathering her things and then locked up the room. She just wanted to get home and crash into her bed. The memory of last night and the events of this morning still weighed heavy in her mind. She teetered back and forth between giddiness and confusion when she thought about it. There was no doubt now as to how he felt about her. How could there be? If he had not pulled away from her she would have given everything.

But he had pulled away. And Andrea did not understand why.

Maybe it was as Kate had said. Maybe he was the type who took his time, who wanted to be sure. Truth be told, she should probably be doing the same thing. But this did not feel wrong to her. In fact nothing had ever felt so right and she found herself wondering if this is what being in love felt like. There was a want there that Andrea had never felt before. A need that only seemed to be sated when she was with him. So much so that she was willing to throw her usual caution to the wind and force her way through his hesitation.

Of course the reason he was hesitant could be that she was sneaking into his rooms and breaking his things. His very valuable, priceless things.

What had happened in there? This was becoming a bit of a habit for her now and Andrea wondered if she should go to a doctor and get check out. But then, what would she say? That she is having random moments of déjà vu that caused dizziness and light headedness and bouts of clumsiness?

It was the damn dreams. It had to be. She was unable to get a decent night's sleep because of them. And they had become far more vivid in the last few weeks, almost feeling like memories in a bizarre way. What was even more unsettling was that Agner had become a regular focal point of all of them. It was not exactly Agner of course, it couldn't be. But what had once been a faceless figure had taken on his appearance. The hair was longer and the clothes different but it was most certainly him. There were others that appeared as well, but they still maintained some anonymity, although more details seem to come out the more she had the dreams. In one dream she watched herself have a conversation with a man who looked like Agner but was not. But that one was hazy and vague and not nearly as frequent as the others. It still did not explain her reaction to the banner though. Andrea knew she had seen it in her dreams but she could not remember if she had dreamt it first or if somehow she had seen it in passing, when she was first taken through the room. It was a frustrating nagging feeling that gnawed at her conscience. She knew it was a sigil, some sort of a family crest, but how? How did she know? How could she be so sure? It was so clear in her mind now. She could see it waving on banners, emblazoned on armor or embroidered in to clothing. It almost made her dizzy again just thinking about it.

Andrea stopped outside the door to her apartment. If it had not been for her overwhelming lack of sleep and the severe case of caffeine depravation she would have almost thought it were more of a true memory than just a shadowy dream.

That was ridiculous of course. God I need to sleep, she thought irritably. And coffee, a whole lotta coffe.

She unlocked the door and stepped into her apartment to find her roommate Katherine spread out on their small sofa, a smug smile splitting her face.

"Well hello," Kate practically purred with satisfaction.

"Don't even start –" interrupted Andrea.

"What? All I said –"

" – because I am not in the mood and –"

" – was hello so there is –"

" – it is not what you said but –"

" – no reason to be rude."

" – how you said it. So don't. Even. Start."

"I beg your pardon!" Kate shouted with mock indignation. "It was merely a simple greeting. For you to react so defensively is completely unnecessary … unlesssssss,"Kate leaned forward and rested her elbows on her knees and cupped her chin in her hands as her eyes narrowed in a deviant manner, "there is some reason for you to be so defensive? Hmmmm?"

Andrea gave Kate a flat look as she closed the door behind her and then crossed to the sofa to drop her things and flop down next to her roommate. Kate leaned back across the sofa, her eyes never leaving Andrea.

"You are still wearing the same thing you had on last night," she observed, "minus one pale pink tee, size small." She reached across and tugged at the t-shirt Andrea was wearing. "That is not pink nor a size small."

"Thank you captain obvious," Andrea sighed. "I could really use some coffee."

"Details please."

"Coffee."

Kate leaned in closer to Andrea. "Details."

"Ugh, God Kate," Andrea sighed, "nothing happened. I just want some coffee."

Kate gave her an incredulous look.

"Nothing happened," she scoffed. "Nothing happened?! You go out and don't get home till the following morning, still wearing what you had on last night minus your shirt and the only thing you have to say is "Nothing happened"? You are going to have to do way better than that my dear."

Andrea looked at her roommate from half lidded eyes for a moment before a small reluctant smile spread across her face.

"Okay, so maybe it was a little more than nothing," she said as she rose from the sofa and headed to the kitchen area. Kate jumped up from the sofa with a squeal and followed close behind her.

"I knew it!" Kate shouted as she clapped her hands eagerly. "So? Did you? Huh? Did you? You know! Did you check out all of his "artifacts"? And by artifacts I mean penis! Did you? Did you?"

Andrea rolled her eyes and gave Kate a disgusted look as she grabbed a mug from the cabinet.

"OMG Kate, really?"

"You're not answering the question!" Kate bounced up and down.

"No," Andrea sighed, "I didn't check out his "artifacts", ok?"

"Oh," Kate said, not even trying to hide her disappointment. "Really?"

"Yes really. Sorry. We just kissed."

"Kissed? That's it?"

"That's it."

Kate stood there for a moment, consternation furrowed her brow and her bottom lip seemed to protrude slightly. One eyebrow kicked up as she looked at Andrea.

"Was it a … good kiss?" she asked.

Andrea placed her mug in the Keurig and snapped down the top as the machine began to brew up. She turned and looked back at Kate, her arms folded across her chest.

"It was a very good kiss," she answered grinning widely.

The conversation devolved into fits of laughter after that, and for Andrea the release felt good. By the time she had finished telling her Kate everything, they had made their way to Andrea's room. Kate sat at the end of the bed with her chin resting on her knees while Andrea lay on her back looking up at the ceiling as she spoke.

"It was perfect," she said, "well, almost perfect. Up till the point when I smashed an urn that was, I am sure centuries old and just as valuable. I think that I may need to go to the doctor or something. I have been feeling just … weird or something, I don't know. What do you think? Kate?"

Kate just sat there, hugging her knees as a wry little grin pulled at the corners of her mouth.

"You like this one. Oh yes, you like this one a lot."

Andrea grabbed a pillow and threw it. Kate easily caught the pillow and jumped on top Andrea.

"You loooove him! You're going to marry him! And then you're going to sleep with him and have precious little pointy eared babies!"

"Oh my God you didn't!" Andrea laughed as she pushed Kate off of her. "And nobody said anything about love or marriage. I mean, how many dates have we been on and last night was the first night anything happened? And nothing happened really, you know? So we kissed and our shirts came off, oooh scandal! He still stopped."

Andrea flopped back down on the bed and looked up at the ceiling as she hugged the pillow. Kate lay down on her stomach next to her.

"So you would have …" Kate left the question unfinished, hanging in the air.

"Yeah I would've. Right there. I mean that's stupid right?" Andrea sat up and looked down at Kate. "I mean, when it comes down to it I hardly know him. He never talks about himself or his family or anything. But there are times when I am with him when it feels like … it feels so … I don't know, familiar maybe? I know that sounds ridiculous and cliché and all but … ugh," she collapsed back against the pillows behind her, "I have no clue about this guy and yet it feels like … like, oh I don't know."

Andrea raked her fingers through her hair in frustration but Kate just laughed.

"Of course it seems corny and cliché Andrea, you like the guy," Kate said with a grin. "Sometimes things aren't that complicated. Girl meets boy, girl likes boy, and if he is lucky girl hooks up with boy. And if they are both lucky they get to repeat the last part again and again. You have to stop dissecting this and looking for problems. Just go with it." Kate sat up as she spoke. "So he's shy, taking his time, making sure it is right. You have never been one to rush into anything either, well, except for this that is."

Andrea rolled her eyes.

"Are you going to see him tonight?" Kate asked.

"I don't know, maybe."

"Well if you do, why don't you have him come here? You know, get the home field advantage?"

Andrea gave her a skeptical look. "And you will be where?"

"Hiding in the closet. Out silly," she said with a playful swat, "I'll go to Gabe's."

"Oh, so he does have his own place," Andrea muttered.

"Hey! Watch it," Kate warned as she stood up, "As I was saying, see if he wants to come here. This way you can reestablish some balance of power that you seem to so desperately want. Maybe this time you can uh, work through his shyness. But first take a nap and a shower. You look like shit."

Kate jumped through the doorway of the bedroom with a squeak as she dodged the pillow that was thrown at her. Andrea leaned back against the bed with a sigh. It was not some simple need for an upper hand. There was something else. Something beneath the surface within herself that Andrea could not quite put her finger on. She rubbed at her eyes. For all she knew he may not even want to come over after her little display this morning.

She would have to think about it later. She grabbed her phone and sent out a quick text and then lay back down. Her eyes had begun to feel heavy. She would just close them for a moment and take a quick shower. She set the alarm on her phone and placed it on the pillow next to her head. If he called or sent a text she would know and if not, she would get up and shower anyway. Right now she was too tired. She would close them only for a second.

~oOo~

He kneels before her, clinging desperately, his face buried against her chest. His arms wrap around her waist so tight she can barely breathe. She says nothing though, so grateful she is for this contact. For any contact. Her own fingers lace their way through his hair and she embraces him back wither own gentle and tender need. Her hair dances about her face as the wind causes it to mix with his. Her dark locks almost seem to grasp at his gold. He is pressed so closely against her. She can feel the rhythmic pounding of his heart, the warmth of his skin through her clothes, the rise and fall of his chest as he takes each ragged breath. It is then that she realizes he is weeping.

~oOo~

Aegnor awoke with a start. Had he been sleeping? He had returned to his apartment that night, after seeing Carnistir, and went to the roof as he often did. He could not see the stars from there but perhaps that was for the best, there was no comfort in their light. They seemed aloof now, mocking him with the memories they brought forth.

But he did enjoy the feel of the air on his skin, the sounds of the city in his ears. Sometimes he would open himself up and listen to the lives that were bustling in a rushed frenzy down below. He would stand there with his eyes closed and take in the mad rush of life around him. It was something he did often in his youth. He would stand outside under the stars, his eyes closed, the wind would move around him as he would become one with his surroundings. He could lose himself sometimes for days this way. And while the world had much changed from when he was young, the effects were still much the same. Soothing, calm, serene.

At least it used to be.

He stood as he always did, silent, motionless, opening himself to the world around him. Perhaps it was the way the wind caused his hair to brush against his face, perhaps it was due to the fact that he had just spent the better part of the evening speaking in a language that was long forgotten with a ghost that should have been even longer dead, or perhaps the experience of having her in his arms, his mouth against her skin, her body pressed to his was still to fresh in his mind.

No matter what the reason, the dream had come upon him quite suddenly.

No, it was not right to call it a dream. To call it a dream would lessen it somehow, writing it off as a fantasy or delusion. No, this was no fabrication, no invention of a wandering mind.

This had happened. It was real.

Aegnor squinted up at the sky. The sun was high above. It had been dark when he had come out. He made his way down the ladder and to the window into his bedroom. He walked over to where he had set down his things from the night before and retrieved his phone and froze. There were several missed calls, a few messages, a text and voicemail from Andrea, but that is not what caused him to pause. It had been Monday evening when he had seen Carnistir and the early hours of Tuesday morning when he had taken his reverie on the roof. It was late Thursday afternoon now.

He had lost two days.

He looked at his messages. Two short texts from Andrea, one asking him if he would like to come over and the other asking him if he was still alive, punctuated with a lol that he was certain was not sincere. He went to his voice mail and pressed play.

"Hey, so, just calling to see if … to say hello and um, to see if, to see what's up. I hadn't heard from you in a while, I mean a couple of days isn't a while, I mean it is but, I don't … ok so I just need to know if you are still interested in coming with me upstate this weekend. If you are I am leaving tomorrow around eight. If you aren't, well … either way I am leaving at eight, with or without you. If you can, cool. If not, no big deal. Ok bye."

Aegnor sat down at the foot of his bed. She was not happy. The finality of her message told him very clearly that if he did not show he would not see her again. She would turn away from him. Write him off as just another wasted moment, another disappoint to walk away from. She would move on.

Aegnor could not help but wonder if that was such a bad thing.

He also could not help but wonder if perhaps Carnistir was right. Perhaps he did enjoy making himself miserable.

He set the phone down, stood up and walked out of the room.

~oOo~

Andrea brought the last of her bags towards the door and set them down. She went over her list once more in her mind. Sleeping bag, tent, clean underwear, plastic bags, toilet paper. It was a full day's drive upstate to Bloomingdale and then up route 3 to the cabin. She would have to stop and get the trailer hitch if she wanted to do any riding while up there. She would of course. She had already called ahead to the stables and asked Mr. Carter to have the trailer ready, surprising him when she asked that he not only have Lilly ready but Victor as well.

Of course that may no longer be necessary.

She had not heard from Agner all week. She had sent a text asking him if he would like to come over for a change. When she did not hear anything she had called only to hang up when it went to voicemail. So she sent a second text asking if he were still alive and to let her know if he wanted to come over. She even threw in a lol at the end in some sad desperate attempt to make it sound casual. When she still did not hear anything she had called once more only to hang up yet again when it went to voicemail. She tried two more times before she became truly angry. It would show that she had called on his phone. He had to have seen it. He had to have known she was trying to reach him.

It was really only a matter of time before she lost all patience.

It was not like she could not take a hint, although she did not understand why he had to be an ass and ghost her this way. He could have simply just sent a text with some pathetic excuse, anything would have been better than this. She just could not understand what had happened.

And so, whether out of some pitiful last attempt at reaching him, or some feeble chance for him to redeem himself she called one more time, this time leaving a voicemail. If he did not contact her after that, if he did not show or acknowledge her in some way, then she was done. It would not be the first relationship that had ended this way and she was certain it would not be the last. She just could not understand why it had to be him.

Andrea looked at the clock in the kitchen. Ten minutes till eight.

Kate walked up next to her where she stood at the door and began to help her pick up her things to take down stairs.

"Are you sure you don't want me to come?" she asked as she slung a bag over her shoulder. Andrea shook her head.

"No, it's okay. I would prefer to be alone anyway. Really, I'm fine. I promise."

Kate did not argue with her. She had gotten up at the same time as Andrea this morning, prepared to keep her promise to go with her if Agner did not come. But Andrea knew Kate hated camping almost as much as she hated waking up early in the morning. She would make her friend come. There was no reason to have two miserable women on this trip.

They headed down stairs and outside into the cool damp grey of morning. They set down the bags next to the front steps of the building where Kate would wait with her things while Andrea walked around to the next block to the parking garage where she kept her jeep. Everything requires rent in this city.

Andrea cranked the engine to life and let it warm up. She closed her eyes and took a breath. She was not going to let this define her. She would let it hurt, she could not stop that, but it would not alter her perception of herself. Rejection is a part of life. She knew the risk. Had she not have taken the leap she would have always wondered. Now she knew.

He's an asshole.

She opened her eyes, threw the little jeep in reverse and pulled out of the garage. She made her way around the block and came around to the front of her building only to have her chest tighten as her eyes went wide and her pulse quickened.

Kate stood in front of the building with her things, just as Andrea had left her except for one glaring difference. Next to her, with a small bag strapped across his back stood Agner.

Andrea pulled up to the front of the building and slowed to a stop. She sat there for a moment and looked at the two figures before her. Kate stood perfectly still and looked directly at Andrea, eyes wide with disbelief. Agner stood about a step behind her roommate with his hands in his pockets as if his being there were the most normal thing in the world. Kate walked up and opened the passenger door.

"He just showed up! What do you want me to do? Do you want me to spit at him? Do you want me to go bitch mode? Do you want me to call Gabe? I could tell him to beat him up! Do you want me to be nice? What do I do?!" she blurted in a hushed whisper.

Andrea sat there for a second. She had no idea what to tell Kate to do since she herself had no idea what she should do. She looked at her roommate.

"I got this," was all she said. That seemed to satisfy Kate who got out of the jeep and began to gather Andrea's things. Andrea walked around to where Agner stood.

"Whats up?"

I am a pathetic idiot.

"I was hoping the invitation for this weekend still stands."

"I don't know," Andrea shrugged. "I mean I never heard anything from you."

"Your message said to show at eight in the morning."

"Yeah, well that was before. You never bothered to answer me at all so now Kate was going to go with me. She really wants to go."

A noise from behind Andrea told her that Kate had dropped some of her things as she spoke. Andrea ignored her.

"Ah yes, of course," he said looking down, "it would make sense that you had made other plans."

"I didn't make other plans. I was always going, with or without you."

"I understand," Agner replied and began to turn away.

"Where are you going," Andrea demanded. Agner turned and gave her a confused look.

"I was leaving," he answered slowly.

"Why?"

"Because, I am no longer invited?" he questioned.

"Who said that? Did I say that? I never said that."

Agner stood stock still. The line he walked had become even more perilous, if that were possible.

"So then," he said hesitantly, "what did you say."

"I said Kate wants to come, not that she was. I said I was going to go on this trip whether you were going to go or not so …" she paused, looking at him.

Agner looked over at Kate who was busying herself furiously with loading the jeep.

"So …" he replied.

Andrea's mouth pressed into a tight, thin, frustrated line. She did not like playing games like this. She hated when women did things like this to men. She found the whole fishing for answers to be a sad feeble thing to do. But she need to hear it from him. She needed to hear him say what he wanted. She desperately needed to know. She looked him in the eye as she spoke.

"So do you want to go or not."

Agner stared back at Andrea and for a moment that strange and yet familiar feeling came over her again, causing her to almost sway under the intensity of his gaze. It seemed to her as if the strange light that reflected in his eyes flared briefly as he spoke.

"Very much Andrea. There is only one thing I want more."

"And what's that?" she asked.

"To kiss you."

Andrea blinked as Kate stopped moving behind her and stared as well. If he noticed Kate he did not show it though. His eyes were locked on Andrea's

"Oh," she answered softly, "okay. Well, put your stuff in the back and let's go."

Agner said nothing as he did as he was told. It was probably a good thing. Andrea looked at Kate who stared wide eyed back at her, grinning stupidly. She mouthed the words "good luck" as Andrea walked around to the driver's side of the car.