Alexander awoke first after his and Hephaestion's impromptu nap. He got up quietly and slowly, not wanting to wake his bed companion. Soon he was at the bedchamber door, and Hephaestion had not moved from his position on the bed. His right arm was crooked and raised above his head, having given Alexander a safe place to rest as he had slept against Hephaestion.

Taking this vision in before leaving the room, Alexander softened, a small smile blossoming on his mouth. Then he remembered why he was out of bed and hurried out of the room. Hand on his still nonexistant belly, Alexander walked detrminedly outside. The heat hit him like a wave, causing him to become momentarily faint and his stomach to roll.

Recovering after a moment of leaning against the palace wall, Alexander stood up straight once more, using the wall as support. He could now see why Hephaestion was so careful with him and their unborn son, and why he had forced him to rest earlier that day. But he had things to do; he was King after all.

With that in mind he made his way down the slight hill on which the palace itself stood, going to just before the forest that encircled almost half of the palace grounds. Just before the treeline, a temple was being erected. Alexander had secretly consulted the Oracle of Delphi and his son had been deified once the Pythia knew that this prince would come not from the Queen of Macedon, but the King himself, and had been created from the union of Hephaestion and himself. Their son was essentially declared a gift from the gods and that was all the reassurance Alexander needed to begin the construction of a small temple on palace grounds.

To accomplish this, Alexander had only told his most trusted Companions, other than Hephaestion, that he would soon give birth to the Prince of Macedon thanks to Hephaestion. As of right now, Ptolemy and Cleitus were up on the half formed roof, setting tiles down.

"Uncle Cleitus!" he called up when he was standing next to the temple. He smiled when the man looked down and saw him. Cleitus then worked his way carefully to the ladder that was rested against the roof and made his way down to Alexander.

"Joy to you, Alexander! And how is the little prince?" as he said this, Cleitus laid a hand on Alexander's belly, and Alexander smiled.

"He is well, if the violence with which he makes me retch is any indication."

"And how are you, my king?" Cleitus wondered, seeing how exhausted and sick Alexander looked, even in the hot sun.

Alexander sighed, running a hand through his sleep-moussed loose curls, "Tired... I came outside to see the temple's progress and nearly retched and fainted because of this damn heat."

Cleitus' features twisted in concern, "Maybe you should rest, my-"

Alexander bid him pause with a raised hand, "I've rested quite enough for today, thank you Cleitus," to turn the subject of their talk away from himself, Alexander turned and looked up at the roof of his son's temple, a hand shading his eyes, "It's beautiful, Cleitus."

"Thank-" he began.

"Alexander!"

They both turned to see a frantic Hephaestion coming toward them from atop the hill. Within a minute or so, Hephaestion was with them, his face twisted in both anger and fear. He grabbed Alexander's elbow, his nails digging into the pristine skin slightly. Cleitus noticed this and opened his mouth to say something, but Alexander was quicker.

He gasped, his breath suddenly coming in shallow gasps, "Phai... You're hurting me..."

"That's ironic, isn't it? You are hurting our son by standing out here in this heat-!" he paused in horror when Alexander took in one last shallow breath before crumpling at Hephaestion's feet, his lover stunned by this new development but reacting quickly enough to just barely keep Alexander standing, supported against his lover.

Cleitus, having stood there and watched the couple argue, shouldered his way between them and took a panting, half fainted Alexander into his arms, all to the sounds of Hephaestion's protests. He turned to face his irate comrade.

"The heat is affecting him as it is, he does not need you adding to his stress. It seems to me that you care only for the child growing inside him. If you continue in this way, you will kill him, do you understand me? Now step aside, we have to get him inside where it's cooler. Ptolemy!" The younger man had seen the commotion, and so had climbed down from the roof of thhe temple. At Cleitus' call, he ran to him, ready and willing to do whatever was needed, "The door."

The red-haired man scurried up the small hill and opened the palace door wide. With that, Cleitus began to walk that way, kissing Alexander's head and mumbling reassurances in his ear. Before they got too far, Hephaestion saw Alexander clutch Cleitus' chiton in shaking fists.

"Uncle Cleitus?" even though the inquiry was weak, it still carried over the grounds and to Hephaestion.

Cleitus' answer was a little louder but not by much, "Hush Nephew. Be still, and all will be well again soon."