Thankyou to Nayunari 'Ayu' Tsuki and WayRoundWrond for reviewing the edited chapter 15!

This is the last chapter (in all probability) that I will be posting until the 22nd August - going away on the 7th! I leave you with Elisse...

"Oh Marth, you poor thing," was the first thing she said having heard him sketch out what had happened.

"I'm a failure!" Marth whined.

"You're not. Roy's a bastard."

"He's not! I just missed my chance."

"If you have missed your chance with him that can only be a good thing."

"What do you have against him?"

"You just told me you caught him making out with another guy! And the phone call we had before – I know he did something bad before that, he must have done." She yawned. Marth used it as an excuse to avoid the subject.

"Did I arrive too early?"

Elisse gave a small laugh. "Too late, more like. I know 8am is nothing to you but I got up at 2 this morning."

"Aw, the baby."

"Yes, of course. But look, you have to put Roy behind you," she added, bringing the topic back round again.

Marth bit his lip, unsure. "Do you think I should have made out with him though?"

Elisse looked at him thoughtfully. "Yes."

"Because then – Hang on, what? I thought you were anti-Roy."

"I am. But if you liked him as much as you say then yes, you should have," she reasoned. "So why didn't you?"

"I didn't think I knew him well enough," Marth whispered.

"Hmmm. Might I ask you what you were doing just before you joined me at the hospital for Aaron's birth?"

A sudden vivid flashback completely obliterated Marth's ability to reply. Elisse went on.

"The point is you felt more comfortable doing it with Ike after only knowing him what, a week?"

"We didn't do it," Marth muttered, blushing.

"Well something must have happened," Elisse insisted.

"I…it's not…We haven't talked about it since. We're just friends."

Elisse raised an eyebrow. "Did he ask if you wanted to go abroad with him?"

"Yes…"

"I rest my case." Elisse rose out of her chair as the baby began to cry again.

"He was just being nice. You can't just go assuming like that!"

"I can assume what I like." A minute late she had the baby content and sleeping in her arms. It seemed the topic was closed, and Marth was unwilling to pursue it any further. His feelings confused him; he postponed further perusal by putting her arguments to the back of his mind. For some reason she just didn't like Roy and liked Ike, and that was that.

"Would you like to hold Aaron?" Elisse offered. Marth nodded and the baby was passed gently over.

It was surprisingly heavy for such a small thing and Marth cradled it carefully.

"He looks so peaceful."

"You wouldn't think he's a little screaming terror looking at him now, that's for sure." Elisse smiled.

"Do you take him out much?"

"Sometimes. I never have the energy," she admitted. "And I'm worried about all the glares I attract when he begins one of his yelling fits in public."

Marth smiled at her sympathetically. "What if you had a hand?"

"He would still yell."

"I can think of somewhere where that wouldn't matter."

Elisse raised an eyebrow.

Once they got there Marth decided tactfully not to mention it was the same field that Ike had brought him to only two days before. But even without Elisse prompting him he couldn't help but think about Ike and Roy and what she had said. Why didn't he feel more comfortable with Roy even though he'd known him longer?

"This place is beautiful," Elisse gasped beside him.

"I thought you'd like it."

"It's perfect." She turned and gave him a hug.

They lay down side by side in the long grass. It was perfectly sunny with a gentle breeze and even Aaron was happy, making contented noises to himself from where he lay in his pram. Marth sighed.

"I just don't want to be alone," he said suddenly.

"I don't think anyone does," Elisse replied.

"Do you get lonely?"

"I have Aaron."

"Before him."

"I do have friends, Marth."

Marth was silent.

"I wasn't saying that you don't," she added.

"You didn't need to."

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay."

Elisse sighed and then rolled over so that she was facing him. There was a thoughtful expression on her face as she spoke.

"I do get lonely sometimes. Especially when I think of Aaron's father." She smiled when he didn't prompt her. "Funny how you never ask about him. Never push for answers. I would. I'm terribly nosy."

Marth only smiled. Elisse continued.

"You know I think I really loved him. It's true I only knew him for a month, but it was such a classic romance I'm telling you you wouldn't get much of a story out of it. His name was Martin, a quiet and kind sort of guy. It was the most clichéd boy-meets-girl rubbish right from the start. And then one evening it was particularly magical and… well, I got pregnant. The stupid thing was, I sort of thought we'd get on afterwards… he seemed so lovely I might have chosen him as the guy to marry and have kids with anyway. But he was shocked and after I told him I never heard from him again." Her voice became quieter towards the end and Marth put an arm around her.

"There were times I almost wanted a termination," she admitted. "But you know I don't believe in abortion."

"You always have me." Marth smiled.

"I guess I do." She hugged him back. "What would I do without my little bro?"

Marth thought for a moment. "You would have no excuse to not pursue this Martin, proclaim your love and force him to accept his parental duties."

Elisse laughed. "You say that like you think it could happen."

"It could."

"Marth don't be silly."

"Don't you have his phone number?"

"He's not interested in being a parent."

"You could still be friends."

"Friends," she repeated.

"Why not?"

"I love him Marth. I would forever feel a little sad that I came short of my happily-ever-after."

"But it's better than nothing," Marth argued.

Elisse sighed, her eyes casting about for inspiration to help her explain. Eventually she said, "Have you ever heard the line by Douglas Adams that goes – 'The impossible often has a kind of integrity which the merely improbable lacks.'?"

"No, what?" Marth frowned and Elisse bit her lip.

"I mean that… what I'm saying is… I'd rather not know him at all than be friends with him and feel like I'm missing out on a little bit extra. I'd always be hoping for our original love."

"Um…just don't hope?" he ventured. She punched him playfully in reproach.

"Come on Marth, surely you can understand this? It would feel like he cheated on me…but with a past version of myself."

Marth was silent. The feeling of being cheated on he thought he could understand, though he wasn't sure he could apply it to Elisse's situation. Elisse tried one last time to explain it.

"It would be like you being just friends with Ike."

"We are just friends!"

"Yeah yeah. Come on, don't you miss the paint smearing?"

"It's…That's not relevant."

"I wasn't even there but I love the look on your face when you get the flashback." She grinned.

"Shut up."

"Red paint."

"Shut up."

"Red paint."

"Shut up."

"Red paint red paint red paint."

"SHUT UP!"

Elisse just rolled her eyes. Aaron began crying, probably awakened by Marth's yelling. Feeling guilty Marth got up and lifted the baby out of the pram, soothing it.

"See? You got us both all annoyed."

Elisse smiled. "Well he's stopped crying now – how did you manage that?"

Marth shrugged and sat back down on the grass. He felt protective of the baby, so small and defenceless in his arms. It was adorable.

"You make a charming picture," Elisse commented. But only seconds later, as if in defiance, Aaron began screaming and crying again. Elisse put her hands over her ears.

"What do I do?" Marth asked.

"Try singing to him!"

"What, me?"

"Don't be modest just sing to the little…thing."

And so he did. He didn't know many tunes and even less lyrics (not without the original actually playing, when that happened he knew both effortlessly) but he mixed up bits of songs that came to mind and sang a sort of melodious medley out of it. Sure enough, after a minute Aaron calmed down again, looking up at Marth with big eyes.

"Hey, nice job." Elisse hugged him gratefully.

"That's okay."

"Keep singing."

"Huh? But he's asleep now."

"Just keep singing."

"Why?"

"Sing or I'll…he'll…cry again."

"Oh. Ok." He picked a tune in his head that he thought he knew the most of and resumed singing. He felt self conscious as his voice was the only sound to break the quiet but after a while he settled into it. Elisse lay back on the grass beside him and after a few minutes closed her eyes for a nap.

Marth continued to sing, thinking to himself as the breeze tousled his hair, making plans for tomorrow. Roy was the main thing to address, and the issue needed to be tackled quickly. If Roy had chosen to be with the brunette because Marth hadn't made it known enough that he wanted to be with him there was still a chance that if he told Roy how much he cared for him Roy would leave the brunette and go back to persevering with Marth as he had before. It hurt for sure knowing what he'd done, but Marth could forgive him because Roy had surely loved him first. Love overcame everything, right? So if he met Roy in the morning and – oh God, Ike would be leaving tomorrow. In fact he might already have left, or be leaving right this instant. He'd said only yesterday that he would be leaving 'tomorrow or the day after'. Which meant either today or at the latest tomorrow. He had to say goodbye to him. Properly.

He looked over at Elisse's sleeping face. He couldn't just leave her to go say goodbye to Ike now – he'd have to cross his fingers and leave it to tomorrow. He sighed. Elisse looked so peaceful in sleep. She would always be there for him, his closest friend. He watched as she smiled, no doubt enjoying some pleasant dream.

Red paint.

"Shut up!"

It was only when Elisse woke, startled, that he realised she hadn't spoken at all. The thought had come entirely from him.