Chapter Thirty

The next morning, Orlando paced the floor and wrung his hands nervously. During the night, he had come to a decision about Teresa and her family. Now all he needed to do was tell her. He would not let her leave her family without peace between them. She could not abandon them again. He heard Teresa moving about, and knew she was awake, but he continued to pace. When she entered, she knew something was wrong. "What is it?" she asked quietly as he turned toward her.

"We have to talk," he said simply and she didn't like his foreboding tone.

"About what?" she asked uneasily as she sat down in a nearby chair and clasped her hands in her lap.

He went to her then and knelt and as he took her hands in his, her heart leapt into her throat. "Teresa," he said heavily as he gazed up into her eyes searchingly. "I cannot take you back with me…"

Teresa jerked her hands free as though she had been burned, and quickly rose to her feet. "What?" she cried. "What about Legolas? Are you condemning him to a fate his father chose? I thought you loved me? What do you mean you can't take me back?"

Orlando watched her as she started to pace. "Teresa," he said gently. "I was not finished. Will you please hear me out? What I have to say is not as bad as you think. Will you please sit down?" Teresa looked at him doubtfully, but nodded slightly and wrung her hands as she resumed her seat. Orlando took her hands once more in an effort to reassure her and they stilled at his touch.

"I love you Teresa, you know that," he said as he gazed up into her eyes once more. "Yet I cannot bear to cause a rift between you and your family." She started to protest but he silenced her by placing a finger to her lips. "I cannot take you back with me unless you and Michael come to an understanding. This is the first time you have been here in six months. I have had you to myself long enough. I have done the job Dr. Jackson has asked of me, and I will continue to be there for you, as well as Legolas. But, I cannot take you back with me unless your family understands why."

"Why?" she asked incredulously. "If they knew why we would both be locked up."

Orlando shook his head slowly. "That isn't what I meant, love," he said with a smile. "I mean, perhaps Michael feels like you abandon him and your family. You must rebuild the bridge between you before we leave. Just talk with him, I will be there with you if you need me to but, I don't think it would be wise. He needs to know how you feel, that Adrian is in your heart and that you aren't trying to replace him with me. Will you at least attempt to talk with him?" Teresa sighed heavily but nodded.

After phoning her parents, Teresa found that Adrian's parents had come into their apartment, and had taken Adrian's things when she was in the hospital. Later that day, Teresa drove to their home, and asked to talk with Michael a while. When he saw her there, he seemed angry, but detached. "Can we talk?" she asked quietly and after a few moments of studying her he nodded curtly.

She felt like a stranger as she looked around her in-laws home and saw many of Adrian's belongings. "I suppose you want it all packed," Michael said hotly as he watched her run her finger down the smooth side of a silver frame that held a picture of her and Adrian.

"No," Teresa answered in an almost inaudible whisper. As memories filled her mind and tears filled her eyes, she closed them tight and fought to keep them unshed. She had promised herself that she was not going to let Michael make her feel guilty. She picked up the picture and turned to face him slowly. "I want you to keep it, Michael," she said and handed the photograph to him with a shaky hand.

Michael looked at her in confusion. "What?" he asked in disbelief as he slowly reached out for the frame.

"Michael," Teresa said as she wiped a tear from her eye. "I loved Adrian very much. Perhaps more than I should have. It is no secret that we had problems in our private life; I closed myself to him in an effort to protect us both from heartache. James was a blessing, and I didn't think we would be so lucky again. We had tried for so long before James came, I didn't want us to hurt anymore. After James was born, I never let Adrian touch me again. I was afraid, Michael. I was afraid of building our hopes up and then living with another disappointment, but I never stopped loving him."

Michael stood there dumbstruck. His sister-in-law had never been so open with him before. Not quite to this measure at least. "Why did you leave then? After James and Adrian were gone?" he asked, and his voice was filled with pain.

Teresa's heart went out to him. Then a thought crept into her mind, a way to tell then exactly why she left without seeming crazy. "Do you believe in God, Michael?" she asked curiously. He looked at her confused, but then nodded slowly. "Me too. I think God sent me away to heal. I was in so much pain after loosing them that I believe he took pity on me, and temporarily wiped everything from my memory. Everything except the one other person that had truly brought joy in my life…"

" Orlando," Michael said, and Teresa nodded as she placed her hand on his arm.

"Michael," Teresa said. "Do you think Adrian would want me to continue to grieve for him, and never feel happy again?" Michael shook his head.

"Tell me something," Michael said. "Are the two of you involved?" He felt guilty after asking, but he had to know.

Teresa smiled at him warmly, and didn't seem bothered by his question. "We are friends. I stayed at his house like I said the other day, but never once did he touch me except to hold me in his arms when I needed comfort. There was nothing sexual involved. Yet, I believe I can tell you that we want to be involved." She noticed when she said this Michael's face became clouded. "I could never replace Adrian, Michael," she continued. " Orlando does not want to be a wedge in our family, and you are still my family, Michael. Please understand though that I cannot live in the past. I have done my grieving for Adrian as well as for James, and I know in my heart they want me to be happy now. Orlando is my chance for that."

"But what about us?" Michael asked in pain. Confused by Teresa's words.

"I want you to keep Adrian's things," Teresa said quietly. "I don't need them to remember him by. He and James will live forever in my heart. I will always keep lines of communication open with you; you are my family. We can even visit each other," Teresa said with a smile. "Would you be angry with me if I went with Orlando?"

Michael thought on this a moment and Teresa waited in suspense. "No," he said finally and smiled. "I wouldn't. I would be very happy for you."

Teresa beamed and hugged Michael tightly. "Thank you," she whispered and tears of relief rolled down her cheeks.

Orlando had stayed at the hotel while Teresa had gone to talk with Michael. She had been gone for over an hour. Orlando lay stretched out on the bed and flipped through the channels on the TV, his mind not on what he was watching. Twenty minutes ago, he had paced the floor nervously. 'Is she alright?' he wondered to himself. Just then, he heard the door to their room unlock and he jumped as she entered. "Is everything ok?" he asked as he dropped the remote and rushed to her. She smiled and nodded as he took her in his arms and kissed her gently.

"Everything's fine," she answered as she laced her fingers together behind his back as she held him to her. "He understands now and is happy that I have found happiness with you, though I think he still fears you will replace Adrian in my heart."

"I could never do that," Orlando said quietly. "Nor would I try. He has nothing to fear from me."

"I know," Teresa said. "He still sees me as his sister, and I think in time, he will see you as a second brother. In your own right, not replacing Adrian."

Orlando sighed contentedly as he squeezed her gently in a hug. "I am just glad that we have his blessing," he said as he bent and kissed her lightly. "The rest will come in time." That night Teresa felt better than she had since she had lost Adrian and James. Her heart was at peace.

The next day, they had the hotel pack them a picnic-style lunch, and they stopped at a sporting goods store for backpacks. After everything was ready, Teresa and Orlando drove to the mountains for a hike. "I'm glad you and Michael talked yesterday," Orlando said as they walked into a small clearing with a small waterfall that ran into a pool on one side. "Ah," Orlando said with a sigh. "Perfect. Want to go for a swim?"

Teresa threw back her head and laughed. "I have no swimsuit," she said with a smile. Orlando smiled at her as he shrugged out of his pack and she saw the gleam of mischief in his eyes.

"Neither do I," he said as he started to undress and she laughed as she shrugged out of her own pack. Once they were both down to their underwear, they jumped into the pool and swam for a while. The water felt so refreshing after the long hike. Orlando swam toward her and she laughed as she backed away toward the waterfall. Mischief shone in Orlando's chocolate colored eyes and he pursued her. He chased her around the pool and back over to the waterfall.

"Gotcha!" he cried as he wrapped his arms around her and she relented as the water from the falls splashed over them. Gasping for breath after their run about the pool, Orlando closed the small distance between them, and his heart beat loudly. Neither of them spoke for a long while as they gazed into each other's eyes. Their breath mingled making both of them feel lightheaded. Orlando knew now as he looked into Teresa's deep blue eyes that if they had met under normal circumstances without any supernatural intervention, he would fall for her just the same. Here was the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

He bent his head then and claimed her lips in a tender kiss. "Teresa," he said softly but she quieted him by placing her fingers to his lips. Leaning down he scooped her into his arms, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. Holding her close to him, she was so warm she felt like she was on fire. Wherever their skin touched he felt scorched by a flame, yet he needed her heat to live, he couldn't let her go. Bending his head, he claimed her lips hungrily. It had been a week since he had truly tasted her lips and he felt as though it had starved him.

A little later, starving for food rather than affection, they climbed out of the pool and dressed then spread out a blanket and had their picnic. Afterward, they returned to the hotel where they each showered before they went to bed, exhausted from the day's activity. The next morning they were leaving for London and had to be at the airport by ten AM after returning the rental car.