Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Return To Hades ❯ Bravery ( Chapter 28 )

Author's Note: It has been brought to my attention, and this may or may not be true, that some people believe I am plagiarizing from other people's stories.  I do not believe in plagiarism.  Never did.  If anyone has a problem with my stories, the mature thing to do, people, is to come to me. Take the issue up with me and not go to other writers.  I will deal with each instance fairly. 

Mariku182: Jeanie's baby is okay. And I completely forgot that Maxine was pregnant!  So much has happened since then. *hands Mokuba plushie for remembering*

ZL Chan: Welcome back! I'm glad your sticking around to read!!!

Youko Mia: THANK YOU! *Glomps you for Wingweaver plushie*

Shadow of Light: I don't blame seto or Joey either for acting how they are. It has to be very frustrating since both of them still have their own unresolved issues.

Seto lover and Bakurasgirl Lover: I know I'm evil! I can't help it! My yami made me do it!

Kura Magician girl: We find out in this chapter what Jeanie has.  Yami Aten is everyone's nightmare realized.  Nightmares are his essence.  Pretty cool.

Beysie: Gotta love a little Robbie and Aten lime.  We find out here what Jeanie is having.

Broken Time: You'll see here….

Sakiyama: *evil grin*

I Is Me: Read on.  Not twins….

Draza: Hmm…I know I'm evil!!!!  But that's why you can't get enough of me!

LadyElfskye: *laughs*

Tari Helyanwe: Serenity got all she deserved…and more to boot. GO YAMI ATEN!

 Anubiset: I don't think Serenity will come in again….not that I know now anyway.

Bravery

Bakura yawned as he opened his eyes.  Ryou's head was underneath his chin, his lover sleeping soundly.

Bakura nuzzled his cheek into the white, smooth hair below his chin.  He gave his husband a kiss on the forehead and yawned again.

He shifted away from Ryou and sat at the edge of the bed.  He stood up and stretched, the cool air hitting his naked body.

He ran his fingers though his spiky hair and staggered to the door.  'Ryou, you animal,' he thought as he felt his body protest any movement.  'That's the last time Ryou pounds me into next week.  Oh well….Ryou needed me last night…..Ow….Damn, Ryou….Ow.'

He opened the door and staggered to the toilet.  He threw some cold water on his face as his morning ritual dictated.  Five thousand years later, he always threw cold water on his face in the morning.  Bakura snickered that even after five thousand years, old habits die hard.

He staggered back to his room and put his bathrobe on.

With a limp, he walked downstairs. 

"Morning, 'Kura," Malik said. 

"Morning, Malik," the yami said coming up behind the blond hikari and kissing the back of his neck.  "Where's Ishtar?"

"Out back."

Bakura walked to the back door and opened it.

Marik was kneeling on the grass with the offering pyre before him.  The blond was kneeling silently.

"Ishtar?  What are you doing?"

"I want to do the offering for Aten."

Bakura shrugged. "Then do it….if you wish."

Marik shook his head. "I can't.  I rejected the gods after what they did to you."

Bakura kneeled beside his former lover.  "You rejected the gods, Ishtar…but do you think the gods will actually help Aten?"

"Aten follows the teachings of the gods strictly.  I have taught him about modern Egyptian religions.  Aten remains faithful to the gods. Maybe if I pray in his name, they….they won't let him die."

Bakura sighed. "You know it doesn't work that way.  There's no need for us to tell Aten the truth about the gods. It would crush him.  They must never know their true nature."

Marik shook his head. "I cannot believe that the gods would have allowed Yami to rape you in the Underworld."

Bakura blinked and gave a shudder.  "Well, Ishtar, they did."

"Aten's faith in the gods is important to him.  I figured I could try to do the offerings for Aten.  But I cannot even bring myself to pour the herbs into the fire."

Bakura looked over at Marik.  "What about for Aten?  Can you pour the herbs in the fire for him?"

"If I do the prayers and no longer believe in the gods, that is a worse sacrilege than my defiance."

Marik leaned over. "I want to pray for Aten, but I cannot bring myself to do so….."

Bakura looked into the fire.  "Do what you feel is right, Marik.  I know you want to do this for Aten."

From the house they heard "RA-DAMNED TOASTER!"

A moment later….. "ARIAKANIKA!"

Bakura sighed. "Why me?  Okay, Ishtar. I have to get in there."

Bakura stood up and walked to the door. "Aria Kanika, what did I tell you about---."

Aria growled. "I'm going, already!"

Aria crossed her arms and chanted in Egyptian.  A portal to the Shadow Realm opened up.  She stepped through the portal.

**********************************

A knock sounded on the door. Aten's raven-haired uncle poked his head through the door. 

"Hello?  Aten? You in there?"  Otogi asked.  The Dice Master gave Aten a smile. "There you are!  Hey, buddy!  How are you doing?"

Aten looked up at Otogi through half-closed eyes.

Otogi sat on the chair beside Aten's bed.  "Tristan will be here in a moment.  He's getting some coffee.  Hey, guess what? I made you some Angel Food Cake.  I know you like it."

"………….." Aten blinked and breathed slowly as he looked up at his uncle.

"Aten?"

Dr. Zira walked in. "Hello, Mr. Ryuugi.  It's good to see you up and around."

Otogi put the cake on the table beside Aten's hospital bed.  "How is he doing, doc?"

"Aten went into cardiac arrest this morning, Mr. Ryuugi.  Don't exhaust him."

The man gasped. "Cardiac arrest!  Will be he okay?"

"He will be if no one excites him."

Otogi turned to the boy in the bed with an oxygen mask over his mouth.  "Poor little Chibi Marik."

"I just called the parents, so, you can understand why you can't stay long."

Tristan entered the room with his Extra Large thermos full of coffee.  "Hey, Aten!  Hello, doc!  How is the little monster?"

Aten blinked and gave a quiet whimper.

"He's stable for now, Mr. Taylor. I was just telling your boyfriend--."

Otogi showed Zira his wedding ring. "We're married now."

"Oh….I was just telling your husband not to excite the boy.  He gave us quite a fright early this morning and I summoned his parents.  Don't stay too long. Aten needs his rest."

Dr. Zira left, waiting outside for the parents whom he knew would once again burst out of the elevator running at alarming speed.

Tristan stood on the other side of Aten's bed.  "Hello, bud!  How are you doing?"

"………….."  Aten closed his eyes and his head went to the side.

"Dr. Zira said he went into cardiac arrest this morning," Otogi said.  "Poor Chibi Marik."

Tristan shook his head. "Ryou's not going to like the sound of that.  I'm amazed the little guy isn't here already."

"Ryou has his hands full with Aria.  I heard Aria's finally becoming a woman."

Tristan snickered. "Bakura would rather have his tongue ripped out than watch Aria become a woman, I'm sure."

Otogi sighed. "Well, Bakura's a good father. He just…tends to go a little overboard."

"Can't blame the guy, though.  Aria is a handful."

"She's a good kid.  She just needs to learn a little self control."

Tristan snickered. "She's Bakura's kid…..do you think that is in her vocabulary?"

Otogi shrugged. "She's a good kid, Tristan.  So is Aten."

Tristan and Otogi looked down at the boy in the bed. 

"It's so hard, Otogi."

Otogi nodded. "I know.  I've never gotten used to seeing Aten in a hospital bed."

"No, I meant it's so hard not to grab him by the shoulders and squish him to death!"

Aten gave another little groan and Otogi nodded.

"I see what you mean, Tristan."

********************

Zira looked at his watch as the elevator doors opened to allow the blind spiky-haired father and the white-smoothed haired mother.

Mrik ran into Aten's room by-passing the doctor. Tristan and Otogi moved aside as they watched Marik grip the sides of the bed tightly.  "Ibn?  MuftooH 'uyoon." (Son? Open your eyes?)

Aten slowly opened his eyes and slowly closed them again.

Ryou peeked his head into the room.  "Dr. Zira, what happened?  Aten was recovering so well!"

Zira crossed his arms. "Do you know a girl called Serenity Wheeler?"

Ryou clenched his teeth angrily.  "Unfortunately, yes."

"Well, she must have said something to Aten that made him snap."

Outside the clouds were building and a roll of thunder was heard. 

"Tell me what happened," Ryou asked, leaning against the doorway.

"Aten made me unable to move."

Marik stepped out of the room. "What is wrong with my kid?!"

"Dr. Zira just said Aten made him unable to move."

Zira nodded. "I was frozen in place."

Ryou gaped. "Our son used his Shadow Powers!  In public!"

Marik narrowed his eyes. "Yami Aten again."

"Well, Aten changed appearances. His eyes became completely black--."

"Aten went yami on Serenity," Marik said.

Ryou covered his mouth. "Oh, dear!  That's why he's like this.  He can't stay yami for long before it weakens him considerably.  We've seen it.  But, Zira, why bring up Serenity?"

"Yeah, what does that bitch have to do with Aten at all?"

Zira took a deep breath.  "Marik, your son bit off Serenity's cheek."

Ryou's eyes widened. "Bit…..off?"

"Yes, Bit off."

Yami Marik grinned. "That's my boy!  Just like his old man….just…without the flesh eating."

Zira sighed. "Even after reconstructive surgery, Serenity will bear the scars.  She will never look the same again."

Ryou wrapped his arm around Marik.  "No wonder Aten went into cardiac arrest."

"Aten should not have gone into cardiac arrest which made me look more closely at the results of Aten's chest scan from this morning. Aten heart was damaged further by the infection. He's still on antibiotics and he's going to stay on them until he recovers. As far as the damage is concerned, I'm going to run more tests. I hate to do surgery with Aten so weak. I can't see me stopping the heart when keeping it going is a struggle."

Ryou and Marik gave identical sighs.

"Go in there and see your son, guys.  I'll keep you informed."

Marik entered the room.

Ryou turned to Zira. "Thank you, doctor."

Tristan and Otogi stepped out.  "We just came for a quick visit.  We'll leave you alone.  We know you want to be with your son."

Ryou looked up at the tall brunet. "Thank you, Tristan."

Tristan pat Ryou on the arm. "He'll be fine, Ryou. Don't worry, little buddy."

"I made him an Angel Food Cake, just to let you know.  Keep us informed, Ryou.  Feel free to take a teensy piece for yourself."

Otogi and Tristan hugged Ryou and left. Ryou took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

'Must be strong for Aten.'

Ryou walked into the room and struggled to give his son a reassuring smile. "There's my little angel," Ryou said sitting beside Aten.

Dr. Zira peeked in. "Dr. Chapman will be here shortly, Ryou."

Ryou nodded. "Thank you."

Aten's eye opened as Zira left.  Marik brushed Aten's hair behind his ear.  "You made your daddy proud, son. You showed her how strong us Ishtars can be!  I'm so proud of my boy!"

Aten blinked and sniffled.

"We know it hurts and you want to come home, dear, but right now, this is the best place for you," Ryou said softly.

Aten gave an exhausted sigh.

"Your sister misses you, Aten. We'll bring her tomorrow. She's lost without her baby brother."

A small smile appeared and faded just as quickly.

Marik ran his fingers through Aten's hair.  He grabbed Aten's brush and started brushing his hair.  "Your hair is full of knots, child!  We're going to have to braid your hair at night since it's getting so long!"

Ryou rubbed Aten's leg, wishing there was more he could do for his son.  He sat on the bed and hummed a tune while Marik carefully brushed Aten's hair.

"Your sister's been wreaking havoc at home, Aten.  She sent the toaster to the Shadow Realm this morning."

Aten sniffled.

"I know, baby.  I know.  Just a few more weeks." Ryou looked at the bed beside Aten's.  The bed was empty.  "Robbie went home, did he?"

Marik watched as a single tear fell down Aten's face.  Marik brushed it away.  "You know Miranda will bring Robbie back to see you every day."

"And we come to see you every day," Ryou smiled, still rubbing Aten's leg. 

A knock sounded on the door.  "Can I come in?"

Dr. Chapman entered the room.  "I came to talk to Aten."

Marik narrowed his eyes. "My son is weak and tired. This may not be the right time."

"Marik, I wish no harm to your son.  I only wish to speak with him."

"Marik, let's step out for a moment and let Chapman talk to Aten."

Aten whimpered as Ryou stood up. 

"I won't be gone long, honey.  I'll be right back."

Ryou and Marik left.

Marik growled. "Aten's too weak to talk."

"Marik, be reasonable.  We have a problem here.  What if Zira can't do anything?"

Marik crossed his arms.  "Aten's going to be fine, Ryou.  He's an Ishtar.  We don't let anything keep us down for long."

Dr. Chapman sat by Aten's bed.  "Hello, Aten.  I hear you gave the hospital staff a real scare this morning."

Aten blinked. "………"

"Aten, I know this isn't easy on you.  Is there anything you wish to tell me?"

"…………."

"Anything at all?"

"……………."

Chapman looked over. "I see Robbie went home.

Aten sniffled.

"I hope you get better, Aten.  I really do.  You'll be up and about in no time."

"…………."

Chapman opened his ledger and wrote 'nonresponsive.'  "Remember what we discussed, Aten?  Talking will help both of us.  I won't make you talk if you don't want to."

"……………"

Chapman stood up.  "I'll let you rest, Aten.  According to what everyone told me, you went through an ordeal. I'll be back later to talk to you.  You get some rest and take care of yourself."

Chapman pat Aten's shoulder. He left the room.

"Did he say anything?" Ryou asked.

"The kid looks drained. There's not much he could say right now.  I'll be back when he gets his strength back."

Marik nodded.  "He knows we're there. That's about all he knows right now."

Chapman pat Ryou's arm.  "He's going to be fine, Ryou.  You have a very strong little boy in there."

Ryou sniffled. "I know I do.  He makes me so proud, Dr. Chapman!  It's so hard sometimes to realize what keeps him going.  As much as what I've been through with my father, it doesn't come close to what Aten has had to live through."

"Aten can teach us a lot of things, Ryou.  That's one of those lessons."

"I know he's dying, Dr. Chapman.  We've known this for nine years already.  But he's such a brave little trooper!" Ryou said wiping his eyes.  "He's so brave!"

Marik walked up behind Ryou and wrapped his arms around Ryou's waist.  "I know he is, Ryou."

"Aten will pull through this just like he's pulled through before.  I know he will."

Marik and Ryou nodded. "We know.  We hope so."

Chapman gave a little smile. "If either of you need me, you know my number. Feel free to call day or night."

"Thank you," Ryou said as he watched Chapman walk away.

Marik brushed Ryou's hair away and gave him a kiss on the side of the neck.  "Let's go back inside, Ryou."

Ryou sighed. "You're right."

*******************************

Jeanie walked down the hall with a worried face.  She stopped in front of the Dining Hall where she heard the rest of the family eating.  Inside she could hear Hayden's vocal protests and Joey's calm voice trying to get him to eat.

She put her hand on her stomach and bit her lip.  'Mokuba and I only planned on one!  How will they take the news that I'm not having one……but three?  How are Mokuba and I going to handle three children?'  She sighed. 'I was just joking about trying for twins! Mokuba took me seriously.'

Jeanie took a deep breath and opened the door.  The boys looked up at her as she entered.

Mokuba smiled as he stood up from his seat.  He walked over to her and kissed her on the cheek.  Hayden gave another vocal protest at the display of affection.

"You're just in time, Jeanie!  Dinner's hot and warm."

Mokuba showed her to her place beside his chair.  Jeanie sat down and Mokuba pushed her in gently.  She looked up at Seto with a faint smile.

"Hello, Seto."

"Jeanie."

Mokuba ran to the kitchen to get her dinner.

"How was your appointment?" Seto asked as he removed his stomach medication from his pocket, dreading hearing any intimate details.

"It was……good."

Joey took a bite of his meatloaf.  "You don't sound excited.  Is the baby alright?"

Jeanie nodded. "The babIES are doing well."

Seto and Joey were silent.  The CEO threw the stomach pills into his mouth and sipped his glass of water.  Seto closed his eyes, trying to absorb the fact that his brother was going to have more than one child.

"Jeanie, how many?" Joey asked.

Mokuba exited the kitchen with a plate and a glass of milk for his girlfriend.  "Eat up, Jeanie. You're eating for two now!"

Jeanie took a deep breath.  "Make it….'eating for four.'"

Seto, Joey, and Mokuba simultaneously dropped their forks.  "FOUR?!"

"We're having quadruplets?!" Mokuba asked as he swayed in his seat.

"No…we're having triplets."

Seto leaned forward and buried his face in his hands.  Joey bit his lip.

Jaimen cheered. "YEAH! BABIES!"

Mokuba sat at his place with his jaw hanging open and his eyes wide as saucers.  "We're having………triplets?!  How did that happen?"

Jeanie snickered. "Remember the night we were joking about trying for twins?  Well….umm…..I guess we weren't joking."

Mokuba looked down at his food.  "Oh my god. I never….I never thought….I never thought we'd have more than one…but three?"

"Wow!" Jaimen exclaimed. "Three babies?  This is going to be so great!!!  I've never been around babies before!"

Seto sat back in his chair.  "We will deal with it, Mokuba.  We will handle it."

Joey blew on Hayden's soup to cool it down.  "Aren't you happy about it, Jeanie?"

"Oh, I am. It's…..just a shock."

Seto nodded. "You got that right.  Well, Jeanie, I….umm…wish you luck.  I know they'll be a handful, but you have us here to help you when we can."

"Oh, Seto, I couldn't ask that. You have your hands full with Jaimen and Hayden."

"We'll make it work somehow, Jeanie," Seto said.

Mokuba picked up his fork and began to eat. 

"Mo-by?  What do you think about all this?"

Mokuba swallowed his mouthful of meatloaf.  He turned towards his girlfriend.  "It's….a little overwhelming now.  I'm happy, but where are we going to put three babies?"

"We'll find somewhere."

"Not my office," Seto commented.  "It's hard to look menacing when you have three babies cooing in the room."

Mokuba reached out and cupped Jeanie's cheek in his hand.  "We'll think of something, baby. In the meantime, eat your dinner.  You're eating for…four."

Mokuba leaned over and kissed Jeanie on the lips. 

"UHH!!!!  G'AH!" Hayden screamed as he flailed his arms wildly.

Mokuba quickly ended the kiss for fear of Hayden turning violent again.

*****************************

***** DREAM SEQUENCE******

Aten opened his eyes to find himself in a dark place.  His heart leaped into his throat as he heard two deep voices above him. 

He stumbled around in the  dark and searched for a light.

He knocked his foot against something hard. "Ow!  Stupid thing!"

He turned on the light and saw a large machine in front of him.  He jumped back and screamed.

"Do not be afraid.  I will not bring you harm."

Aten trembled. "You're…..Machine King!"

"Find my Commander."

Aten looked around. He was in a familiar basement.  The Egyptian trembled more.  "There's nobody here….thank Ra."

"Robert Morgan is in this house.  You must find him.  He is in danger."

Aten gasped. "Robbie?!"

"He's up the stairs.  You must look for him."

Aten looked up the stairs. "ROBBIE! I'M COMING!"

Aten ran up the stairs and opened the door.  He looked around cautiously.

Deep voices resonated through the hallway and he tensed, awaiting his grandfather or Yami to appear.

'My grandson is so sexy!'

'You have no choice, Ishtar.'

Aten crept down the empty, dim hallway, his body shaking nervously.

'STOP STRUGGLING, YOU LITTLE BRAT!' *slap*

Aten fell to his knees and covered his ears.  "Stop!  Stop hitting me!"  He let out an instinctive sob at the memory of his grandfather's vicious assault.

'I killed your mother, Aten….Ryou is dead.  You are mine now.'

Aten covered his mouth as he tried not to vomit in response.

'I have to find Robbie!'

Aten struggled to his feet.  "ROBBIE! WHERE ARE YOU?"

The Egyptian opened a door and looked inside the empty room.  "Robbie?  Hello?"

'So tight, Aten….'

Aten turned his head and looked down the empty hallway.  "He's not here, Aten….He's not here, Aten…. Find Robbie."

Aten continued to walk down the hallway looking around nervously.

'Gotta find Robbie and get out of here!'

'Oh, yes….I can see what Steven enjoyed about you, Aten…..Your grandfather taught you well.'

Aten turned around and his hair twitched. "SHUT UP, YAMI!  I will not listen to you!  ROBBIE!"

Aten opened another door where he found himself and Robbie together.  Aten was kissing down Robbie's naked body.  His hair spread across Robbie's body.

The Egyptian boy watched his double kiss lower on Robbie's body, peppering tiny kisses on Robbie's stomach.

"Aten….I love you."

Aten shook his head. "No……Robbie doesn't love me….he's just my friend!...Right?"

"You're going to be Robbie's whore, just like you were to us," a deep voice resonated behind him.

Aten turned around and looked up and saw Steven with Yami's eyes and hair.  The man grabbed Aten's collar and lifted him off of the floor. 

"You're going to be Robbie's little whore, too, hmm?  I'm sure he'll use you just like we did, Aten."

Aten struggled. "Robbie is my friend! He wouldn't do that!"

The man carried him out of the room and down the hall.  "What makes you think Robbie will accept you when he hears of how you…serviced us?"

Aten kicked his legs in an attempt to free himself.  "Robbie will!"

"No, he won't, Aten….no, he won't."

The man slammed him into a door and opened it.

"Time for you to….assume your position."

Aten turned his head and saw the same bed that he saw in the cabin.  He laid beside his mother on this bed.

"No! MOMMY! ROBBIE!"

The man threw Aten on his back. His hand gripped Aten's throat and held him down.  The figure grabbed his shirt and ripped it off. 

"Time to see if Robbie won't use you like the fuck toy you are!"

Robbie stood at the side of the bed.

"Robbie!  Help me! Get him off of me!"

The boy leaned down and placed a rough kiss on Aten's lips.  Robbie's hands reached down and gripped between Aten's legs roughly.  The tight grip made Aten squeak.  "I know I'm going to enjoy this."

Aten tensed. "No, Robbie! Don't!  Don't touch me like that!"

"Why?  Because someone else touched you like that?  Why should I suffer because of what you did so long ago?  I'm taking what I want, Aten!"

The figure kept his hand around Aten's throat as Robbie pulled Aten's pants away roughly.

"Open wide, Aten!  Here I come!" Robbie exclaimed as he mounted Aten….

****END DREAM******

Aten's brown and purple eyes shot open as he looked around.  He saw figures standing around his bedside.

"Master," the Helpless Child whimpered as he touched Aten's arm.

The Decayed Commander looked down at him. "My Leader is not going to like this at all.  Robert will be upset."

"We must keep our watch," The Portrait's Secret said.

The Ultimate Obedient Fiend kneeled at the foot of the boy's bed.  "We will not leave you, Master Aten.  We are your servants."

Aten turned his head to look at the Ultimate Obedient Fiend. A tear came down his eye.

"Do not cry, Master Aten," the Helpless Child whispered softly. 

Aten clenched his eyes shut and more tears spilled out. 

The Doomed Artist stood by the door, invisible to the eyes of the mortals.  "Nobody is hearing our master's cries."  The artist held his palate and paint brush in his hand.  "Nobody is coming."

The Ultimate Obedient Fiend growled. "If no one will come, I will summon them!  My master is crying!"

The duel monster stood up and made Aten's dinner tray levitate.  The monster let the empty tray hover above the ground and crash to the floor loudly.

The Doomed Artist turned. "Everyone go!  Mortals!"

The duel monsters disappeared as Katie ran into the room.

"Aten?"

She ran to the other side of the bed and saw the empty tray on the floor.

She picked it up.

Katie saw Aten in tears.   "Aww, sweetheart….what's wrong?"

The nurse walked to the other side of the bed and sat beside Aten.  "What's the matter, sweetheart?"

Aten lifted up his arms and reached out for her.

"Do you need a hug?" Katie asked. 

Katie shifted closer to Aten and brought the boy into her arms carefully.  Aten clung to her desperately, his body shaking and crying from the nightmare.  Katie ran her fingers through his hair.

Aten sniffled.

"You had a bad dream, didn't you?"

Aten nodded.

"Poor baby. You just relax and take deep breaths. I'll stay here until you feel comfortable."

Aten gripped onto her tightly, nuzzling his cheek against her chest. 

"Shhh…." Katie whispered as she held onto him.  "It's going to be okay, Aten.  No more worries, okay?"

******************************

Daniel pulled the covers over his son.  "Go to sleep, little soldier.  You've had a long day."

Miranda kissed her son goodnight.  "Sleep tight, baby."

Daniel kissed Robbie and turned away.

"Dad?"

"Yes, son?"

"Can I talk to you?"

Miranda smiled. "I'll leave you boys alone."

Robbie waited until his mother left the room and shut the door.

"Dad, how did you know you loved mom?"

Daniel took a deep breath and scratched his head. "How did I know I loved your mother?  Hmm…Well, Robbie, I just did.  I loved her very much and I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her."

"Why did you choose mom over all the other millions of women in the whole wide world?"

"Well…umm…Robbie, I knew your mother was special.  She had this look in her eye that made her the most beautiful girl I had ever seen!  She was funny and kind.  Your mother was….gorgeous, Robbie. She still is a very attractive woman."

Robbie bit his lip.  "Why didn't you chose another man?"

Daniel cleared his throat. "I'm not attracted to other men in that way, Robbie."

"Why not?"

Daniel shrugged. "I don't know, Robert.  I guess….I never thought about it.  But I don't find men attractive in the way I find your mother attractive.  When you get a little older, Robbie, you'll find out that you find certain people more attractive than others.  My mother always told me that there's someone in this world for everyone.  You just have to find them.  Some people find them.  Others don't."

"Do you think there is someone out there for me who will love me even though I have a bad foot?"

Daniel chuckled. "There's someone out there for you, Robbie.  One day you'll find her."

Robbie shifted his eyes away. 'What if 'her' is a 'him'?  What will dad think?'

"There's someone out there for you, son.  You have a lot going for you. Anyone who doesn't like you for your foot is a shallow person. "

Robbie sighed. "I know."

"My little soldier has a sweetheart?"

Robbie blushed. "Umm…..yeah, I do."

Daniel smiled. "Well, if you ever need advice, Robbie, you know you can come to me."

"I know, dad," Robbie said with a smile.

Daniel ruffled his son's hair.  "Sleep tight, little soldier."

Daniel saluted his son.

Robbie saluted back. "Goodnight, sir!"

Daniel opened his son's door and closed it behind him. He walked down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"Our little soldier is becoming a man.  He has a sweetheart."

Miranda poured the milk into her tea, shifting her eyes out of her husband's sight.  "Really?  You don't say."

 Daniel smiled proudly.  "My little man is growing up."

Robbie sighed as he laid in bed.  He looked out his window as he thought about Aten.

'What would dad think if Aten and I got together?  What would he think about it?  What would he say?'

Robbie closed his eyes as he thought about Aten.  He could feel Aten's hands on him again.  

His could feel Aten's hands against his skin. The touch was so soft.

Robbie reached up and rubbed his own chest as he thought about Aten.

"Aten…."

The blue-eyed boy looked up at the night sky.  The stars glittered and sparkled in the sky. 

"Goodnight, Aten."

Robbie lifted up the sheets and looked down at himself. He laid on his back and closed his eyes as he ran his hands over his stomach and chest.  His hands drifted lower as he thought about Aten…..

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