Christy

"You stay away from her now, Christy. No. Talking. Or Seeing. Her."

I looked at Aaron softly, my eyes glistening from the light reflecting from the water in the sink. "Aaron, that's not fair to her-"

"It's not fair to either of us if you die because of her!" Aaron half shouted. He never meant any harm in his voice, he was only worried... but I looked at him, almost afraid of his raised voice. My eyes welled with tears.

Aaron's face was just sagged with fear, "Christy... I can't lose you... You're everything to me..."

I looked at him softly, gently stepping up to him lightly, gently touching his hands, the skirt of my dress lightly catching up. I looked down at his hands, slowly gripping them slightly harder. I looked up at him, "Aaron... You won't lose me... I promise..."

He looked at me softly, gently gripping my hands back, soft tears in the corners of his eyes. I smiled lightly at him before slowly going up on my toes, taking a small chance to gently kiss his lips, it being my way of showing my love for him instead of expressing it in words. 

Aaron gently kissed back, tilting his head lightly as I closed my eyes softly. He gently pulled away after he gently pulled my hands up with his. My head was back in its normal position as he lightly kissed my hands, holding them tenderly, "Please don't do anything you aren't sure about."

I smiled lightly up at him, "I won't... I promise..." I smiled up at him, keeping my hands in his.

He smiled lightly before gently nuzzling our noses together, my feet relaxing to be flat on the floor, his hands gently on my stomach, my hands on his, him softly kissing me again.

I love you Aaron... I'll keep your promise... I promise I will...

Laurance

"Laurance, it's best we don't mess with her for a while..." Garroth quietly said to me, both of our gazes fixed on the post-rampaging (y/n), her protected in a room by Lucinda's magic.

I sighed quietly, "She was just afraid suddenly... That's all that happened..." 

"How was she afraid? She was angry." Garroth looked at me as I still watched her sleep in the room.

"Opening yourself up and then realizing you did, can scare you from the inside out..." I looked at him, "Remember when your girlfriend ran away when she told you about her old life?"

Garroth lightly nodded, "Yeah...?"

"She was afraid that she said it and, she did the only thing she knew how to get away: run." I looked at (y/n), "She's a Shadow Knight though, Garroth. She got scared and, the only thing she knew how to do was turn..."

He seemed amazed at what I said before he nodded, "Alright... That.. makes some sense..."

I quietly chuckled before looking at him, "So. You ready to be an uncle?" I changed the subject.

Garroth laughed lightly, "In all honesty, I'm not really ready..."

"Like you weren't for being a dad?"

His body froze suddenly. He looked away. My mind registered it. Crap... That's still a sore subject for them...

"Sorry..." I mumbled, looking away.

"It's fine... It really is." Garroth looked at me.

"No, I forgot again that you two don't have her anymore..." I quietly said.

"She's still here... Just... at the same time... She isn't." Garroth softly said.

"How so?"

Garroth looked outside towards Aphmau's house, up the hill, towards the small play area by her house. A young girl was sleeping with Aph.

"She's there but... As Lilith..." Garroth sighed, "Not Lillian..." He turned to me.

I looked at him, "She took her?"

Garroth softly nodded, "Yeah. The sad thing is, no one believes it since, they adore Ms. Aphmau so much... Aphmau had kidnapped her during the night when Alaina was asleep and I was on patrol, made her stay missing by giving her to the Wyverns, and when they went on that trip a few months back, changed her name." He looked down.

"Alaina knows she's her baby because, well, mothers just seem to know by their bond..." He looked at me lightly.

"I'm... I'm sorry. But... How could Aphmau do that to you and Alaina?" I asked, confused.

He sighed quietly, "She still is salty that I had saved Alaina and invited her here, that Alaina is the former princess of Corona; then, well," Garroth chuckled, "That she was able to have a family before her.."

The last part made me chuckle, "She pushed away everyone's love. Yours when you two first met, mine, Zane's, then, Aaron's. She tried playing hard to get with the last one and, that got him to believe she didn't love him like that, and, he fell in love with your sister."

Garroth nodded softly, "Exactly. She has no one to blame but herself if she's gonna cry about being lonely. She's taken one child away, and she's still trying to win Aaron over."

I sighed quietly, "She should just give up and, not push away possibilities." Garroth raised an eyebrow at me before I chuckled, "Not give up then. She should just, not be blind anymore."

My friend laughed lightly at my correction, "That sounds better."

I smiled before looking into the room again, "If Aphmau hurts (y/n) because I took her here to be safe and heal, then she shouldn't be allowed to be lord anymore. Because, if she won't open her heart to others, keeping her heart cold as stone, nothing is ever going to get done and, no one is ever going to want to be in an agreement with Phoenix Drop."

Garroth lightly nodded, "Yeah... You said it..."

I sighed again before turning away, "Well, we should head onto patrol... Don't want to miss it this time, right?"

He looked at me with another nod, "Yeah. After Taylor getting mad at us for making her stay up for 22 hours, I don't want that to happen again."

I chuckled softly, "True. Come on."

Garroth led the way out, him grabbing his sword and helmet. I stopped by the entry way, looking back at (y/n). 

(y/n) was sleeping peacefully, surrounded by a faint indigo colored force field.

From the small amount of encounters and words spoken to her and spoken back... I feel so different...

Do I love her...? Or is this gonna be the same as it was with Miss Aphmau...?

"Come on, Laurance." Garroth's voice said outside.

I looked forward, "Coming." I responded before grabbing my sword and looking back at her.

I swallowed the words conjuring up inside before walking out, shutting the door behind me and locking it, running to join my waiting companion.

To be Continued.