this one felt a little rushed but i am working on 2 stories at the same time. meant to get it out sooner but you know how it goes. And now season 3 of castlevania is coming out so even more distractions!i will be working my other story For Love next so be patient with me please please please. Feel free to review! thanks for the wonderful feedback

The ride back to the city seemed to take an eternity for Aegnor. It seemed to him that they could not move fast enough. He had plugged his phone into the charger as soon as they hit the road but Andrea had yet to answer his calls or respond to any of his texts. It did not bode well. He knew she had received his messages. Aegnor had had turned to their bond almost immediately in a selfish attempt to gage her feelings at finally hearing from him. It did not bode well for Aegnor at all.

What had happened? What exactly were those beings? They were not of Man, at least not Tom anyway, but they were not one of the Eldar either. And yet both were as, if not more, powerful than any Maiar he had ever known. Perhaps more powerful than several of the Vala as well. How was than even possible. Could he be one of the Valar, gone rogue as Carnistir believes? Is that even possible? But then Melkor had strayed from the path of Eru, taking several Maiar with him. Could he be of the same mind? Aegnor did not believe that Tom or his wife were evil. There was no malice that came from their being. The light of infinite knowledge is in Tom's eyes, but there was almost a childlike quality about them as well, untouched by evil. He was unfazed by the black blade as well. Anguirel, he had called it. He seemed to be able to silent it, as if he had soothed it to sleep. No, Aegnor did not feel as if Tom and the lady Goldberrry were malcontents. But then again, Aegnor had no idea as to what they are.

Carnistir was completely nonplussed with the entire situation. Instead, he chirped brightly as he drove, discussing the events that had happened and what he could glean from them ... whatever that may be. Aegnor was left with far more questions than answers. But that did not seem to stop Carnistir.

"Beruthiel," Carnistir said thoughtfully. "I do not know this name. She must be from after our time. Much later. He said the sword will do, but not the way we think. Now what the hell could that mean? Instead of stabbing her in the heart, we cut somewhere else? Maybe the ankle? You know, like Achilles. Did you know that he was of Nùmenórean descent? Or so it was said, although they did not realize they were saying it. That is were most of myths of ancient gods came from. Leftovers from the second and third ages. Could she be one of these, I wonder ..."

On and on Carnistir went, but Aegnor barely acknowledged him. His thought were occupied elsewhere. More specifically on just exactly how he was going to explain this to Andrea.

Carnistir became mercifully quiet the closer they came to the city. So much so that by the time they pulled up to Aegnor's building, he had glanced at his is cousin only to find him frowning up at the windows of Aegnor's apartment.

"I'm coming up too ..." He did not even wait for Aegnor to respond. He simply got out of the car and headed for the brownstone's door. But Aegnor did not really care at the moment. He knew that Andrea was not there. She was back at her apartment, purposefully avoiding him. He sighed as he grabbed his back from the back of the car and walked into the building.

Upon opening the door, Carnistir blew past him and headed straight to the elevator. Aegnor felt a slight stir of annoyance as he approached behind his cousin, only for it to turn into concern when he looked at him. Carnistir stood with his arms folded across his chest, eyes pensive, his mouth tight.

"Is something wrong," Aegnor asked as the elevator doors slowly closed before them.

"Something is definitely not right," Carnistir answered cryptically.

Aegnor felt his heart quicken and he reached into his bag for the black blade.

Carnistir made a clicking sound with his tongue. "We are not in danger," he tsked, "at least, not that kind anyway."

"How reassuring," Aegnor muttered.

The elevator pinged and the doors opened. Carnistir stepped out first and slowly walked inside, heading straight for the main living area. Aegnor followed somewhat more cautiously, still debating as to whether or not he should draw the sword. At first glance the apartment looked completely normal. Nothing seemed to be in disarray or out of place. But as Aegnor's eyes swept across the room they landed on what had Carnistir so on edge. At the far end of the living room, lounging in the exact same chair Aegnor had discovered Carnistir in all those months ago, sat Hayley. She scratched at the chin of the little tuxedo kitten. It had been nothing more than a mewling ball of fluff the last time he saw it, now it was all paws and gangly legs, pushing its head against her hand for attention.

"Well, well," she said without looking up, "look who's finally back."

Aegnor looked to Carnistir who stood motionless, his expression guarded. He then glanced around the apartment. Andrea was not here. He knew she was not here. But for a fleeting moment he had hoped. Hayley set the little tuxedo kitten gently down on the floor as she stood up with a sigh.

"She's not here," she said as she gave the kitten one more scratch between the ears. "Andrea, she's not here. She's at her place ... but then you already knew that, didn't you ..."

Aegnor slowly set his bag down. Of course she was not here. She was so upset that she had someone else staying here so she could avoid him. "Is ... is she alright?" He felt shame for asking.

"I want you to know," Hayley said, her eyes locking with his as she began to walk over to where he stood, "that I don't blame you for the whole disappearance thing. It wasn't entirely your fault. I mean, you should have known to get more details, especially when dealing with this one," she gestured with a thumb over her should at Carnistir as she came to a stop before him, "but you seem like the trusting type, so I understand this mistake. I'm afraid there's something that I do blame you for though. But first I want to apologize."

Aegnor shot a questioning glance in Carnistir's direction, but he was no help. He was too busy giving Hayley a sideways look of his own, his eyes narrowed as she spoke. Aegnor in the process of turning back towards her to ask what she meant when he realized he could not. For some reason his ears were ringing. It was not until his eyes came back into focus that he realized she had struck him.

"You son of a bitch, you bonded her," her voice low and threatening, "you fucking bonded her without her knowing, you selfish son of a bitch. She's been going fucking crazy from worry over you. I'm guessing you cut yourself off while the two of you were on your little adventure so she wouldn't know. You never even thought what that might do to her, did you? Well asshole, did you?! I'll tell you what it did," she poked a finger at his chest so hard Aegnor winced, "it causes anxiety. It caused panic attacks fucker. It's fine to do that for a day, but you were gone eight fucking weeks. Going that long can drive her insane. You know that something is missing, but you don't know what. You're incomplete. It's out there, but you don't know where and there's nothing you can do to relieve it. A constant fucking itch that you can't fucking scratch," Hayley emphasized each word with a sharp poke of her finger into his chest, "and you left her like that. With no idea what was wrong, you just fucking left her! Without a thought of the repercussions of what you've done! I oughta fucking punch you."

For a moment Aegnor thought she was going to but for Carnistir stepping in and catching her wrist with his hand.

"That is enough," Carnistir said, "you have made your point."

"And you," Hayley spat, rounding on Carnistir, "you knew about this shit! You fucking knew and didn't tell me."

"It is not mine to tell," Carnistir replied coolly.

"Oh well, isn't that convenient. You sure as hell don't mind telling me everything else."

"This is not our concern Hayley -"

""Not our concern? You are telling me what to is and isn't my concern now? This was wrong and you know it -"

They continued to argue but Aegnor was no longer listening. Her words had done their work. He had been shocked at first when she slapped him. He had even felt a quick rush of anger build only to be squelched by what she said. She was right. He knew she was right. He had not thought of her, or of anything that she could potentially be put through from being bonded unknowingly. Not to mention the fact that she was of Men. Who knew how the bond would affect her.

But Hayley knew. Of course she knew. She had experienced it before. Through countless lifetimes no less. She understood better than anyone in this existence or the last what was at stake here.

He deserved everything she was saying and more.

"- so don't even try to think you can tell me what to do," Hayley snapped at Carnistir. She turned back to Aegnor. "Forty-eight hours," she glowered at him, "you have forty-eight hours to make this right and come clean. Tell her everything, you understand? Everything ... or I will." She turned back to Carnistir. "You can find somewhere else to sleep tonight because it won't be with me."

"Now you listen here woman," Carnistir shouted as he chased her into the elevator, "that is my apartment as well. You can't just think tha-"

The elevator closed on their conversation, leaving Aegnor alone in the deafening quiet. He walked over to the sofa and collapsed, leaning forward with is head in his hands and elbows resting on his knees. What had he done? The bond, something that had been so magical, so beautiful once, now seemed tainted with his sin. Filthy and black, brought on by lust and selfishness. He had imprisoned her in a way. Against her will. And now she was paying the price for his transgressions. He did not deserve her. He was not worthy of her love. He leaned back against the sofa, his head resting back so he looked up at the ceiling. He knew what he had to do. He had to find her. He had to make her listen. He would sit outside her apartment all night if need be, no matter the cost. But just what would be the cost?

A sudden noise from the window caused Aegnor to turn his head slightly. Carnistir sat, leaning against he window sill, his arms folded across his chest as he glowered down at the street.

"That woman could drive Námo to drink," he muttered under his breath. He looked up at Aegnor with a sigh. "So, I was thinking I might crash here for a bit."

Andrea glared at her laptop. The screen was blank. She had no idea why she had even bothered opening it, other than to run down the battery. Andrea hunched over her keyboard sullenly, the blank screen reminding her of just how little she had been able to accomplish.

She wish she did not want to answer the phone, she really did. She was angry, she really was. He had disappeared for almost two months. Two damn months with out a word. Not even a text or a call. When the weekend had passed and he had not returned home, Andrea had simply passed it off that they had lost track of time. They were bonding, becoming family again. It was a good thing.

But then that first week went by and Andrea started to become a little concerned. She had tried to call him several times but his phone had simply rang until it went to voice mail. Eventually his phone stopped ringing altogether, going straight to voicemail. Had something happened? Had they gotten lost? Or perhaps they had some sort of car trouble on the way to the cabin. It was not long before Andrea could feel her that her concern was beginning to border on panic. But Andrea did not want to panic. No. She was not going to be that girl. The type that would freak out when she was not checked in with regularly. She had briefly considered bringing her roommate with her to stay a couple of nights, but quickly thought better of the idea. She loved Kate to death, but Kate had a tendency to make herself a little too comfortable at times, and the last thing Andrea wanted was to find Gabe lounging on Agner's sofa with his phone. Besides, Kate was enjoying having their apartment to herself so she could play house with him. So instead, she puttered around Agner's apartment, played with the kittens, and waited.

But the second week Andrea was ready to call the cops. Perhaps it was because she had grown so used to his presence and that was why she was panicking this way. There were almost uncontrollable moments of anxiety where she could not shake the feeling that he was lost to her. She had expressed as much to Kate who, surprisingly had a very logical response.

"Have you talked to Hayley? I mean, you said she was dating his cousin right? Maybe she's heard from him?"

Andrea had sat there stunned for several seconds. Of course! Hayley! Why had she not thought of that. Hayley had been seeing this Cirian guy for a while now, surely she had heard from them. But calling Hayley had not made Andrea feel much better. In fact, she had been left with more questions than answers as Hayley would not go into very many details. Frustrating Andrea when she could not or would not tell her where they were. Hayley swore she did not know exactly where they were but that she knew they were fine. Cirian had taken them out to find someone he knew and that it would take a while. But that was all she knew.

"Listen," Hayley paused, Andrea could hear her let out a deep breath, "don't call the cops, they're fine. And you know what? You should be pissed, like really, really pissed. He should have known better than to take anything Cirian says at face value. And there are things he needs to tell you, Andrea. A lot of things. Things you should've been told awhile ago."

"Like what," Andrea had asked, her voiced might have sounded a bit more pitched than intended. "Are they in trouble? Is Agner in trouble? Oh my God, am I in trouble?"

"No, no, no," Hayley broke in, "ugh! I am going to kill them ... look ... I think Agner is a really good ... guy. In all seriousness Andrea, I believe he really and truly loves you and only wants to be with you. The fact that I believe that is the only reason why I'm giving him the chance to talk to you first. But I'm telling you right now, if he doesn't come clean, the very moment he sees you, I'm going to tell you everything I know. And I mean everything, I swear to God."

Hayley had tried to reassure her again and again that they were not in any trouble. That their being gone for so long was not even Agner's fault. She had lay the blame for that completely at Cirian's feet. She said she was going to have some words with him as well. More specifically, she said she was going to rip him a new asshole. She said that Andrea should feel free to do the same.

"I am kinda pissed about this," Andrea sighed.

"You should be," Hayley agreed. "Look, if you start to feel anxious again, let me know. I know a really nice yoga studio, not too vegan-crazy at all. They got some great meditation techniques that can calm that anxiety shit right down. I can help out with his apartment and taking care of the kittens and all too, if you want. Just let me know."

"Thanks, although I wouldn't say I'm having anxiety attacks or anything," Andrea laughed as she lied. She made a mental note to try to control her voice better. "I'm not freaking out or anything."

"Oh I know," Hayley replied, "I didn't mean to sound like you were. I just ... it just helps, you know, with life in general. I'll call you when I hear something."

No, the conversation had not helped to ease Andrea's mind at all.

She did or want to believe that she was being ghosted. He had just asked to move in with him after all. Andrea did not think he was so upset about her refusal that he would just disappear from her life. But why would he not call? Not even a text? Who would do that?

But he did give her the keys to his place. He told her to stay while he was gone, to use the place as if it were her own. Who would do something like that and then just never speak to her again. He had to come home sometime.

Of course, this was not the first time he just vanished from the grid either. He had also promised he would never do that again. The scenarios in Andreas head were starting to make her dizzy.

There was one thing that Hayley suggested that did stick though, Andrea was pissed.

She continued with her regular routine. Going to class, teaching labs, and then she would head to Agner's in the evening. She made sure the kittens were fine, cleaned the litter and filled their bowls. She had even managed to find homes for two of them. Sheba went to one of her coworkers while Pharoh found a family in the Bronx where the children promptly renamed him Tigger. Only Ralph remained.

Andrea continued to stay at Agner's apartment. She told herself it was because did not feel right about leaving little Ralph on his own. She could not bring him to her place so she had to stay. That is what she continued to tell herself. The reality was that she kept hoping he would walk in the door. Or at least call. Neither happened.

And then, one morning she woke up and found herself strangely ... aware of him. She had woken up early after one of those dreams again. She had been having several of those of Agner lately. Sometimes the two of them were sitting next to a fire talking. Sometimes they were riding horses through a field. Or perhaps they were dancing, it was hard to recall. The dreams became faint in the way dreams do upon waking. But on this particular morning, the dream she had was just as vivid as though it had been real. In it, Agner stood before her, his eyes filled with so much sadness. But as she reached to comfort him, he turned away, leaving her with her own tears, inconsolable. And she would stare at his back as she grew old and grey, eventually becoming nothing but dust. She had awoke with a start after that one and knew, somehow she just knew, he was back. The feeling was so strong that she had thought he was in the room with her. She had even gotten up and looked around the apartment, as if he were hiding somewhere inside.

The phone calls came shortly after that. The first one came from a number she did not recognize, so naturally she did not answer it. He had left an almost panic sounding message, apologizing for not contacting her and that they were back but his phone was dead and would call her again soon.

She had called Kate almost immediately.

"Did you call him back?" Kate asked after Andrea told her of the message.

"No, not yet."

"Good. Don't."

"What?"

"Andrea," Kate sighed, "this guy disappears for what? Six weeks?"

"Eight."

"Eight!" Kate exclaimed. "This guy ghosts you for eight weeks and then, out of the blue just calls you with the lame ass excuse that his phone ran out of battery? For eight weeks! And here you are, ready to drop everything to run out and see him. Knowing you, you are probably on your way to the garage to get the Jeep and go get him or something! Seriously girl, he is going to have to do way better than that. You need to get your ass to class and put that phone to silent."

"Kate ... I can't do-"

"The hell you can't!" Kate interrupted. "I have watched you wreck yourself for the past month over this guy. What he did was shitty. He needs to do some explaining but on your terms, you know? Let him sweat this out for a bit for a change. Turn the phone off, give yourself a good twenty-four hours to get yourself together and then, if you still want to, call him."

Andrea had sat in that Jeep for what felt like hours, staring at her phone. And she was not in the Jeep to go find Agner, despite what Kate had said. She was in the Jeep because she had planned on driving to class from his apartment.

But, his behavior had left her confused and hurt. And Hayley had swore up and down that they were fine. How could she of known that unless Cirian had contacted her? And if Cirian could find the time to contact Hayley, then why the hell could Agner not find the time to call her? Those were the facts of the matter, as her father would say. The fact that he would assume that he could treat her in this way, with such a massive lack of respect, especially after all the things he had said to her, made it all the more infuriating. And now, after weeks with no word from him, he thinks he can just call her and everything will be fine?

Andrea did turn her phone off. But not before sending Hayley a text, asking her if she would not mind going by Agner's apartment to check on little Ralph. She was not going to see him, no matter how much it pulled at her.

And pull at her it did. In an almost literal way. There were times throughout the day that she felt almost compelled to find him. A need that became increasingly urgent as the day progressed. Like a line to her core that threatened to draw her in against her will. She had managed to stay away, to ignore his calls all day, but it had been painful. Even now, it felt so strong it was almost as if he were in the room.

Andrea snapped her laptop shut. Working was pointless. It was late, and staying up was getting her nowhere. She might as well make an attempt at sleep. She grabbed her cup and walked to the kitchen to place it in the sink. Kate was out making a late night food run, but Gabe was here as usual. He stood looking out the open window, smoking a cigarette. Andrea was just to emotionally exhausted to care.

"What the fuck. That guy is still out there ..." he muttered.

Normally Andrea would have ignored him, but for some reason she found herself pulled towards the window. She walked over to where he stood and looked out.

At the end of the walkway, out by the street, stood Agner. Her phone buzzed again.

"He's been out there for hours," Gabe said, taking a drag from his cigarette. "Katie didn't want me to tell you. She didn't want you to get upset." He tilted his head slightly and looked at her. "If you want me to run him off, just say the word."

Andrea thought about it for several seconds. The line pulled at her core again in an almost pleading way.

"No," she said as she turned and grabbed her coat to head out the door, "I got this."