A/N: Hey everyone...some of you have sent me ideas for the story via reviews or private messages. I'm sensing some frustration that I haven't used some of those ideas. I just want you all to know that I always appreciate hearing your plot bunnies; it's a lot of fun to see the different ideas folks come up with. However, it very rarely changes what I have in mind for the story. If your idea has added to the story or changed something, I will thank you either via a PM or in the author's notes. For ideas I don't use, or those I already had in mind for the story direction, I try to respond, but sometimes don't get a chance to do so. It doesn't mean I don't appreciate the time you take to send your ideas. It's just getting more difficult to carve time out for this particular hobby, and when I do have a few minutes to focus on it, I am writing or editing or posting because I figure that's what y'all would rather I do. :-) Thank you all for your support-for reading the stories, for reviewing, for ideas, for PMs...for everything. God bless.

Teela had finished her morning training with the guardsmen, showered, and changed. Technically she wasn't supposed to be at that training as the king had extended her leave of absence, but she had needed the regularity of the training session. It had helped clear her mind. Now it was time to deal with her personal life. She sat on her bed, staring off into the air without really seeing anything. She had successfully managed to avoid her father the rest of the day before, and had merely stayed away from Grayskull to evade her mother and Adam. She had dodged even the risk of seeing her father or anyone in the royal family by grabbing some food in the kitchen instead of eating at the banquet table this morning. But avoiding problems was not her way.

She had slowly come to the conclusion that Adam and her father had behaved as she would have expected: they had kept a confidence. Their integrity was something she admired about both men, and now that she had had a little time to adjust to the fact that they had kept this secret, she found she was no longer angry with them. She felt she might even be ready to listen to explanations now. But she couldn't seem to figure out where to start. Especially not with Adam.

There was a screech outside her window. Teela's head jerked up in surprise as the originator of the noise, a blue, orange, and white falcon, landed gently on her windowsill. Her eyes narrowed. It looked so familiar…

'Yes, Teela, it is I,' the Sorceress' voice echoed in her mind.

Teela shook her head, not liking the feeling of someone being in it, particularly not her mother, with whom she still felt angry. "You mean you're speaking through the falcon?" she asked.

'No. I mean I am the falcon,' replied her mother. With that, the falcon flapped its wings and rose into the air inside the bedroom. It hovered for a moment, then shimmered, slowly taking the shape of a human until the Sorceress stood before her.

Teela stared at her uncertainly for a long moment. "What do you want?" she finally asked in a flat tone. She crossed her arms tightly.

"You are still angry," the Sorceress observed, her voice sounding a bit sad.

Teela bit her tongue to hold back the sarcastic response that leapt to her mind."I'm trying not to be," she said tightly.

Her mother raised an eyebrow. "But why? It is a perfectly natural response, Teela."

Teela bit her lip and looked away. Her eye caught her open bathroom door, through which she could see her mess that still remained. She felt a flash of embarrassment that her mother might notice, followed by irritation and the thought that her mother had no right to judge her housekeeping habits anyway. "I spent my entire life wanting to know who you were," she said. "I don't want to waste more time being angry." But obviously she wasn't succeeding in moving past it. She had thought she was ready, but just seeing the Sorceress before her infuriated her all over again.

"Give yourself time, Teela," her mother urged her gently.

"If you think I should be patient with my own feelings, then what are you doing here?" Teela asked, trying unsuccessfully to keep her resentment from coloring her words. She looked back at the Sorceress. With the morning light shining in behind her, she reminded Teela of the angels Queen Marlena used to tell stories about. The way in which she always watched out for others even seemed to correspond with the idea.

"He-Man would like to see you," the Sorceress replied, her eyes searching Teela's face.

Teela stood and crossed the room to the window so her back was to her mother again. "I'm not sure I want to see him," she answered lowly. She was confused beyond reason after their kiss and subsequent arguments. He had escorted her to the palace the other night in silence. Neither of them had really known what more to say.

"He took a great risk in going out to find you the other night and then leaving you at the palace to return to Grayskull," the Sorceress said, her voice gentle and kind, as it always had been. It was as if the revelation that she was Teela's mother had not happened. "He is better today, but I would feel more comfortable if someone he trusts would escort him-"

"How do you do that?" Teela demanded, interrupting her. She whirled around and stepped towards the Sorceress, whose eyes widened in surprise. "How do you act as if nothing has changed between us?"

There was a short silence. "Because unless you choose to forgive me and allow a relationship between us to develop, nothing has changed," the Sorceress said. She swallowed hard, and Teela thought she saw a glimpse of yearning enter the older woman's eyes. "You now know a truth. But until that truth is acted upon, it changes nothing." She stepped around Teela, closer to the window, then glanced sideways at her daughter. "I am sorry, Teela. I did what I thought was best."

"The road to Hell is paved with good intentions," Teela muttered, quoting one of the many Earth lines she had learned from Marlena.

"That is true," the Sorceress said sadly. She squared her shoulders and turned to Teela. "And my intention in coming here today was not to cause you more distress, but to let you know that He-Man needs you."

"Needs me?" Teela asked, slightly alarmed. "I thought you said he just wanted to see me."

"As I tried to tell you earlier," the Sorceress responded with a mild reprimand in her voice, "I do not think it is safe for him to be out of Grayskull alone. He would like to come home for dinner tonight with his family, and I told him he had to have Battle Cat, Orko, and someone else he trusts with him. He said nothing, but I could read his mind."

"Isn't that an invasion of privacy?" Teela asked with a slight sneer. She really did not want to be mean to her mother, but part of her wanted to strike out. The part of her that wanted to be nice was starting to lose.

Apparently the Sorceress realized it, as she took a small step backwards and kept her voice calm. "Normally he is able to shield his mind, Teela. Adam actually has some limited magical abilities of his own. Right now, of course, it is hard for him to use them properly. And right now, you and Orko are the two he trusts the most. Orko will be there to help shield his mind outside Grayskull in case of an attack. But you will need to be there to help counter any instinctive reactions he has."

"You mean like killing Skeletor?" Teela asked dryly.

The Sorceress nodded, not cracking a smile. "Exactly."

Teela realized the Sorceress was dead serious. And it made her shudder to think how unprotected they had left He-Man the other night. They had indeed been very lucky that Skeletor had not attacked. "All right," she muttered. "I'll go."

Teela wandered into the wind raider bay, knowing full well her father would be there tinkering. He was always working on something or another, but when he was troubled, as he was bound to be now, he went back to the basics of checking over the wind raiders. And in fact she found his feet sticking out from under the oldest one. She could hear him grumbling words that became clearer as she approached.

"…confounded machine, I don't know why I keep it around. It's bound to fall out of the sky one day. Now where did I put those blasted pliers?"

Teela spotted the accursed pliers on the stone floor near his right knee. She bent down, picked it up and handed it to him wordlessly.

"Thanks," he grunted, taking it and finishing the repair he'd been making. He scooted out on the roller to see who had helped him out. His eyes widened when he saw Teela. She merely handed him the wrench she knew he would need next. Her father always worked on the wind raider repairs in the same order.

Taking her lead, he said nothing but went back to work. For the next half-hour, they maintained a semi-comfortable silence as Duncan finished the upgrades and repairs on the old wind raider. Teela went through the motions automatically, her mind winding back to times when she and her father would do this and talk about her dreams, her worries, schoolwork…whatever came to mind. Sometimes Adam had sat beside her. They had both received a lot of wisdom sitting in this bay, talking with Man-at-Arms.

"This thing is as old as I am," Teela finally observed as Duncan stepped back and started wiping his greasy hands on a rag.

"Actually, it's older. I brought you home in this 'thing,'" Duncan replied gruffly.

"Is that why you keep it around?" she asked curiously.

"Now Teela, you know I'm not that sentimental," he protested mildly. "It's a good machine. It's been through a lot and kept going. I have to do my part to keep it that way."

He turned to put some tools away as a small smile played about Teela's lips. Her father was being truthful; he wasn't a sentimental man. However, this might be an exception.

"I guess I owe you an apology for going off on you. I'm sorry for giving you such a hard time yesterday," Teela said softly. Not that she felt she had been wrong, but he was her father. She felt as if she had been disrespectful.

Duncan turned back to her, his eyes meeting hers. "I hope you understand, Teela. I have been asked to keep many secrets over the years. It does not mean that truth is not important. It simply means not everyone is privy to the truth. Just as you must keep secrets from your guardsmen, I had to keep some secrets from you for your safety and the safety of others. You might not like it, you might not agree with it, but we must all do what we believe to be right based on the information we have."

"I know," Teela replied. She looked down, then back up. "I'm not sure I do agree with it, Father, but I do understand that you and Adam did what you thought was best."

"And your mother?" he asked quietly.

Teela shook her head. "All these secrets originated with her. She kept herself hidden from me all these years…I want to forgive her, I don't want to be angry, but…I'm not there yet, Father." Her cheeks reddened.

"You will be," Duncan assured her, a proud look on his face. His chin went up, a gleam appearing in his eyes. "I know you, my daughter. I know you will find it in your heart to forgive her."

Teela nodded, then impulsively hugged him hard. He returned the hug tightly, and Teela felt a small part of her world slip back into place.

"Sorceress, I'm fine," He-Man said for the third time. "Really." He crossed his arms and stared hard at her, silently urging her to stop worrying so much about his willpower. "I swear, I can even think of Skeletor without wanting to mash his boney face in."

The Sorceress let out an exasperated breath. "Close your eyes."

He glared at her, wondering if she was trying to prove he would obey any command. "No."

"I'm not testing you yet," she said impatiently. "Just do as I ask."

"Fine." He closed his eyes for a few seconds.

"Now open them," she said.

He-Man did so, nearly gasping as Hordak now stood in front of him. Part of him knew it was an illusion, and that part screamed at him not to react, but he couldn't seem to help it. Rage flooded him—rage over Hordak kidnapping Adora, his oppression of the Etherian people, and his attempt to make He-Man into a slave. Before he quite knew what had happened, He-Man's fist was flying through the air. The illusion disappeared and so did the wall behind it as his fist connected with the stone, causing chunks to fly around him.

He-Man lowered the arm he had instinctively thrown over his face to protect himself and kicked his feet loose from the stone debris now surrounding him. "That was low," he growled at the Sorceress. "It's not even something that could happen. Hordak's not on Eternia."

"No, but the real Skeletor is, and an actual attack by him could infuriate you just as quickly," she replied calmly, not seeming to care in the least that he was irritated with her. She waved her hand and the wall repaired itself. "You are much stronger than two days ago, He-Man, I will give you that, but you are emotionally stressed. You are still susceptible to anger, and as Guardian of Grayskull, it is part of my job to make sure you never abuse your power. As you know, if you should do so, all would be lost."

Meaning he'd have to surrender his power, become Adam and never again be He-Man. Grayskull's law allowed for killing in battle or in self-defense, but not in anger. His own personal moral code was even stricter. He-Man sighed heavily. "Fine. So Battle Cat and Orko will be with me. Why did you have to drag Teela into it?"

"You are the one who chose her," the Sorceress replied mildly.

"You read my mind?" He-Man demanded. He frowned as she nodded. He wasn't that emotionally stressed. Which meant she was right—by acting on his willpower, Hordak's machine had impacted his limited magical ability. To maintain a mental shield at all times required a great deal of subconscious discipline, which was apparently a good part of what he was lacking at the moment.

The Sorceress shut her eyes for a few seconds. "She's here," she said, opening them again. She smoothed her frock, suddenly seeming nervous. "Be careful, He-Man." She narrowed her eyes. "And behave yourself."

His cheeks grew warm. "I will," he promised gruffly. "On both counts."

He-Man, Orko, and Battle Cat exited Grayskull to find Teela impatiently tapping her foot on the ground, her arms crossed.

"Hi Teela!" Orko exclaimed, floating over to her. "Thanks for letting me stay at Grayskull in your place. It was a lot of fun!" He scratched his head. "Are you going to come back tonight?"

"Uh, I'm not sure, Orko," Teela answered uncomfortably. "Would you mind staying a few more days?" She avoided He-Man's eyes as she spoke, keeping her focus on Battle Cat.

"I don't mind at all," Orko said enthusiastically. "The Sorceress and I have been having lots of great discussions about magic."

Teela's lips thinned. "How nice." She glanced at her time piece. "Let's go or we'll be late."

They walked in silence for a few moments, then He-Man glanced at Battle Cat and Orko. "Would you guys mind dropping back a bit? I need to talk to Teela."

"Sure, He-Man," Orko answered, sounding slightly worried at this request. He glanced from one to the other. Battle Cat let out a low growl but did as his partner had asked.

He-Man and Teela continued on silently for a moment. "I don't even know what to say," He-Man finally admitted. He hated that fact with every fiber of his being, too. He and Teela had always been fast friends. Now there was a clear tension between them—enough tension that his skin was practically crawling with it. He didn't even know what was the root cause; he only knew Teela had at least three reasons to be angry with him.

"I'm sorry," Teela said lowly.

He-Man's brows furrowed. "I am sorry, Teela," he said earnestly. "You know-"

"No, I mean I'm sorry," Teela corrected him, a small smile lifting her face.

"Oh," He-Man answered, confused. "For what?"

"For goading you on and trying to get you to reveal something you had agreed to keep a secret," Teela explained. Her pace slowed slightly as they broke through the woods and the palace came into view.

"Apology accepted," He-Man said slowly. Their arms brushed, and they both moved away from each other as they continued walking.

"I'm not sorry for kissing you," Teela confessed, averting her face. "I mean, I'm sorry that it changed our relationship, but…" Her voice trailed off as she glanced at him uncertainly.

He wondered if she felt as he did, if that one kiss had brought to life all her inner yearnings. He shook his head slightly. It was just the lack of willpower affecting him so. It had to be. No way could he actually be feeling desire for the woman he had grown up with. It wouldn't be right.

Teela bit her lip. She had been hoping for some sign from Adam that he harbored feelings for her, but he was as impassive as ever. She ground her teeth together in frustration. Why was she even hoping for such a thing? She wasn't sure of her own feelings just yet. She had a life, her duties, her responsibilities…

Teela frowned, her mind going on a different tangent. The Sorceress had said something about both of them having a heavy burden to bear. At the time, she had assumed the Sorceress was talking about Teela's responsibilities as Captain of the Guard. But what if there was something more to it than that?

"I'm not angry about that kiss," He-Man said, his deep voice breaking into her thoughts.

Teela's eyes narrowed. "I didn't think you were."

"I just don't know where to go from here," He-Man continued. He clenched his fists. "I never wanted more than friendship with you, Teela."

Teela flushed. She couldn't say the same about him. He had been the focus of several daydreams over the years—as He-Man of course, not Adam.

"So what are we now, Teela?" He-Man asked, his tone low and confused.

"We're at the palace," Teela answered, avoiding the question. Indeed, the main gate was less than 200 yards away. She wasn't lying.

His hand wrapped around her arm, stopping her. "That's not what I meant and you know it." His head lowered towards hers, his mouth tantalizingly close to her own. Teela's eyes drifted shut, anticipation racing through her. Then he froze and pulled away.

Teela wrapped her arms around herself, feeling barren and bewildered. He-Man's gaze was tortured, and just as bemused as her own.

"I can't do this," he said hoarsely, staring at her. He stepped back again. "We grew up together. You're like a sister to me."

Teela understood all too well what he was saying. "And you're like a brother to me, Adam," she answered softly.

He-Man swallowed hard. "I thought I could handle being around you, but I was wrong," he said in a raspy voice. "I-we need some space, Teela, some time to let this attraction fade before we do something we regret." He strode forward, not waiting for her reply.

"I'm still not sure it will fade," she whispered. She raised her chin as she watched him walk away. "But you can have your space."