A/N: Hey, me again! I bet you wish I'd stop updating so fast and flooding your inboxes. Anyway, thank you LOADS for the reviews, especially my most faithful Laura Scofield and Azlira, and of course X-Iceysummer – X . I really appreciate it! Thank you for reading and please review – there's not many chapters left for you to do it on!

Aurelia smiled at Dannyl as she sauntered towards him. It was a feeble smile, but a smile nonetheless. He was her friend, after all, even if he wasn't her lover.

He'd asked her to meet him by the brook in the grounds of the guild, so that they could say goodbye properly before he left that afternoon. He had already said goodbye to the others, but he and Aurelia had been through a lot. Even if there had been some moments when he had hated her (and trust me, there had been plenty), he owed her a proper goodbye. They were friends now, after all, soon to be parents...and she had let him free to be with Tayend, even if she hadn't wanted too.

She sat down beside him, still smiling, but her eyes were dull.

"It's going to be so strange" she said quietely, "Not having you around, I mean"

"You'll get used to it" Dannyl shrugged, "I'm not exactly a catch, Aurelia"

She laughed, "Oh, believe me, you are. Tayend is very lucky"

This put them into a rather awkward silence.

"Can I ask you something?" Aurelia asked eventually.

"Sure" said Dannyl uncomfortably, worried of what she might say.

"Did you find it?"

"Find what?"

"True love. When I first spoke to you, you said you'd stay for true love. What I want to know, is did you find it?"

"Yes. Yes, I did, Aurelia. I had it all the time"

She smiled sadly, "With Tayend?"

"With Tayend" he confirmed, "It just took me too long to realise what I had. It's a shame that it took something as extreme as this to make me realise that I love Tayend"

"Alright" Aurelia said heavily, "I understand. I mean, I knew that it couldn't really be me. I've been terrible to you"

"You just...used your initiative. It's quite admirable, really, the lengths you're willing to go to to get something you want" Dannyl was laughing archly by this time, "You certainly have drive. No-one can deny that"

Aurelia was almost laughing again, "Thank you. But it doesn't change the fact that I was absolutely awful to you"

"I won't deny it. But I wasn't exactly good to you, was I?"

"You behaved better than I did"

"Maybe. But you do have a lot of good qualities, Aurelia. You're kind at heart, and loving, and affectionate and warm. You've got beauty, and when you smile the whole room lights up. You can make people smile with just a glance in their direction. That's a good thing, Aurelia. They're all good things" Dannyl briefly squeezed her hand. Aurelia's eyes welled up.

"Thanks" she hesitated, "Dannyl...do you think I'll be a good mother?" her voice cracked slightly, and he was flooded with guilt as this reminded him how young she really was, how vulnerable. He reached out to give her a hug, and, triumphantly, felt not even the faintest stirrings of desire. The spell was broken. But so was she.

"You will be astoundingly excellent. I promise. Think how much little Lorkin adores you – you're good with children, you know that. And like I said, you have lovely qualities to pass on to our kid"

Aurelia pulled out of the embrace, finding in too painful, and, sniffling, hastily wiped her eyes, "Do you really think so?"

"I know so" said Dannyl firmly, "Now don't cry. This is the last time I see you until the baby is born, I want you to smile!"

Aurelia giggled and smiled weakly, "Better?"

"Much. But what about you, Aurelia?" Dannyl asked in a teasing, light tone.

"What about me?" Aurelia looked bemused. Dannyl smirked.

"Dorrien. He's in love with you"

Aurelia spluttered with surprised laughter, "No he isn't! Don't be silly. I mean, he wants me, yes, you think I haven't noticed?"

"He does, but he loves you too" Dannyl was laughing by this point, alarmed by her disbelief.

"Sometimes he looks at me like he's stripping my clothes off with his eyes. That's not love, Dannyl, that's lust. They mustn't be confused. Surely you've learnt that by now?" Aurelia smirked too, and Dannyl elbowed her in the ribs.

"Don't bring that up again, I'm trying to lighten the mood! And help you. Take my word for it, he loves you. I know what love looks like, I've seen it in your eyes many times- " he broke off, slightly uncomfortable, "And...and I've seen it a lot" he finished lamely.

"Dannyl, he doesn't love me, alright?"

"He does. He may spend most of his day picturing you naked, but I know for a fact that he thinks about you all the time – with clothes on, too! You have to believe me here"

"Alright, then let's say, theoretically, that he does love me. Nothing could ever happen anyway! I don't feel that way about him"

"Don't you?"

"No! No, I don't. I'm very fond of him, of course I am, he's been so good to me, but I don't love him"

"Fine. But I think that you do, deep down"

"Dannyl, trust me, I don't" she was getting quite frustrated by this point, and it was greatly amusing Dannyl.

"Even if you don't, you will. At some point soon, you're going to look at Dorrien and realise you loved him all along"

There was a silence while Aurelia scowled at Dannyl. Then she elbowed him back.

"You're an idiot, you know that?" she huffed. Dannyl shrugged.

"It's been said before" he sighed and rose from the bench, "I'm going to have to go, Aurelia. I want to get back before dusk"

Aurelia swallowed, "Oh, right. Okay" she stood up too, and suddenly flung her arms around him in a fierce embrace, "I know we're not...you know, romantically attached anymore. But you're still my friend. And you can come and see the baby all the time. Bring Tayend along. He's going to be the baby's stepfather, I suppose, so we'll have to get along"

Dannyl sighed, "Yeah, that's if he forgives me"

"I'm sure he will" Aurelia kissed Dannyl's cheek, "But good luck. Communicate mind to mind whenever you can. Let us know what's going on"

"Of course" Dannyl squeezed her hand again, "Bye, Aurelia"

"Bye, Dannyl"

"Are you alright?"

Aurelia was sitting reading when Dorrien came up to her. She knew that she must look a state – she had suffered a sleepless night and her eyes were red from crying. She couldn't help thinking about what Dannyl had said. She looked thoughtfully up at Dorrien, but made sure to throw him one of her glittering smiles.

"I'm fine" she said, putting the book down, "I mean, I will be"

"You could do better, you know. You will do better" Dorrien said this slowly, shuffling from foot to foot as if embarrassed.

Aurelia stared at him, startled. It did sound rather suggestive. But no, she was thinking too much about Dannyl's comment. Dorrien didn't love her, and even if he did, it didn't matter, because she still loved Dannyl. Right?

"I don't know about that" Aurelia replied, not looking at him. Dorrien groaned.

"Sorry. Did I scare you with that remark?"

Aurelia couldn't help laughing, a little shakily, "A little bit" she paused, "Not today, yes, Dorrien? Not yet"

Dorrien's eyes brightened, "But maybe one day, right?"

"I don't know, Dorrien" Aurelia was starting to get exasperated; "Can we not discuss this today?"

Dorrien looked away, "Yeah. Of course. Sorry"

She picked up her book and began to read again.

As he walked away, Dorrien was smiling.

"Tayend?" Dannyl entered the Elyne house, expecting to be met with silence. Instead, Tayend came flying into the hallway, looking just slightly in disarray. His eyes were frantic.

"What did they say?" he asked eagerly, then stopped, making his face sombre, "Not that I care"

Dannyl half-laughed, "No, of course you don't. They've banned me from entering the guild. No meets, no night room, no visits..unless I'm visiting the baby. They want me to make permanent base here in Elyne, not as an Ambassador, but still sending reports"

Tayend couldn't stop a smile splitting his face, but he hastily turned away to hide it. But Dannyl had seen it, and that was enough to let him know that Tayend still loved him, still wanted him...had forgiven him. He moved swiftly towards Tayend and grabbed his hand. Tayend looked up, wide eyed.

"I love you, Tayend. I always loved you. And now everything has worked out...we can be together. Properly. I'll never have to go back to the guild and avoid mentioning you, never have to leave you behind while I go off to those ridiculous parties I always get invited to here. We can just...be us"

Tayend closed his eyes for a moment, as if deep in thought. When he opened them, he was smiling.

"Fine then, ex-ambassador. I forgive you. It's going to be hard though...when the baby comes along"

"I know. But Aurelia's agreed to you seeing it with me, as much as we like, and it might be quite...good for us. I think"

"I'm not exactly the best role model in the world"

"Maybe not. But I love you anyway"

Tayend cocked his head to one side, as if thinking again, "Dannyl?"

"Yes?" Dannyl couldn't stop smiling.

"Let's go to bed"