Have We Met Before?

Writers: Mirren, Paula
Date Posted: 30th March 2012

Characters: Elona, Sh'lua, Elonus
Description: Sh'lua and Elona catch up over some surprising news.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 7, day 10 of Turn 6

Elona was sitting to the side of the dining cavern watching her son and two other children playing. She had already eaten so she has agreed to watch the two fosterlins while their foster mother had a break and a meal. She glanced up occasionally to see who was going by. Only because of this did she see him. She turned her face immediately and hoped he hadn't noticed the blush on her cheeks. She'd heard he'd transferred here a while back but she had been a master at the craft of avoiding him, so far.

Sh'lua didn't even pay attention to her. She was just one more vaguedly familiar face.

She was about to breath a sigh of relief when one of the older children accidentally trod On Elonus' tiny hand. He opened his mouth in shock, took a deep breath and then began to cry at the top of his lungs

Children were always close to Sh'lua's heart, so he automatically went to check out the child. "You all right, little fella?"

Elona thought her heart might stop. Seeing them together, she realised how alike they looked. It was uncanny and she wondered why no one had commented on it.

Elonus stopped crying long enough to look up at the stranger and then started crying even more loudly.

"Not working, huh? Scary, big man, I am," Sh'lua muttered and looked around for the boy's mom.

She rose to her feet and hurried forward. Maybe he wouldn't realise she was the mother.

Elonus saw her coming, turned his head, held up his arm and babbled "Mamama!" in mid cry.

She reached down, picked him up and swung him onto her hip. She didn't have it in her to be cold or hostile. Instead she offered Sh'lua a shy smile. "Hello Sh'lua."

"Hi there," Sh'lua replied. He still couldn't remember her name, although she did look awfully familiar. "You're this little fella's mom?" he asked. If you asked him, the tod looked like his mother.

She should have been expecting the question. He hadn't remembered her the next morning, why would he now? "Yes, he's my son," replied, trying not to be defensive, although his lack of memory hurt almost as much as it had back then. "His name is Elonus'.

"I think someone stepped on his fingers," Sh'lua said. "So, what's your name?" he asked Elona and turned on his charmer's smile, the one that had turned many men and women to a jelly (and into his bed).

Her foolish heart skipped a beat at that smile. That was exactly the look that had gotten her into trouble in the first place. Evidently time and circumstances hadn't helped her to develop an immunity to it. "Elona," she replied, exhaling as she said it.

"Have we met before?" the bluerider asked. If they hadn't, they should have.

She didn't know if she should laugh or cry. She honestly couldn't decide if she should just go ahead and pretend Elonus wasn't his. She dismissed the idea immediately. So things hasn't been easy, that wasn't all his fault and it wasn't Elonus'. "You could say that," she said softly.

"When was that? I can't believe I would have forgetten a beauty like you," he was in full flirting mode now.

She almost changed her mind. She licked her lips. "It was about two turns ago now," she nodded.

"Ah. That was before I transferred back here. I must have been just visiting then," Sh'lua said. Actually, that was about time when his daughter Impressed, was it. He had been celebrating that impression quite thoroughly.

"Yes, yes it was," she agreed. "We met here, in the dining cavern." was any of this ringing a bell?

"I was bit drunk, and picked up one of the candidates that had failed to impress...was that you?" Sh'lua was actully staring the ceiling, not meeting her eyes.

So that's all it was to him. The knowledge hurt all over again. She'd been so totally stupid. And how was she was supposed to explain to Elonus that he was just the result of a night of drunken lust? "Yes, I guess it was." she said softly. She'd never felt so small in her life.

**Shards, this is awkward,** the bluerider thought. He had been actully more than bit drunk that night.

She didn't know why she was bothering, obviously he wasn't interested in what she had to say. Maybe it was better that she didn't tell him about Elonus. "I should go," she said, hitching her son higher on her hip. She was disappointed. This hadn't gone as she could have hoped.

"I wish I had not forgotten you," Sh'lua said softly, with embarrased tone. "I'm usually better man in that regard."

"I wish that too," she said, trying to fight the tears that started welling in her eyes. "It doesn't matter, I'm sure it happens every day around here." She shouldn't be so sensitive about it, she was a Weyr resident now.

"Yes, it happens and it's not always right. Especially since you're obviously someone worth knowing," Sh'lua said.

She had taken a step forward to move past him and away when he said that. Then she froze, her face staring up at his. "He's your son," she blurted out without thinking. Once out there, she couldn't take the words back.

"Elonus? Really?" Sh'lua was surprised. After a while a wide grin appeared on his face.

"Really," she replied, feeling her heart hammering so hard she thought it might stop. His reaction wasn't what she'd expected but she wasn't ready to celebrate just yet. "It might happen every day, but not to me."

"Look, we really should sit down and talk some things through," Sh'lua said and run his fingers thru his hair. Now that he knew the boy was his, he wanted to be part of his life. "If he is mine, then I want to learn to know him."

She nodded. "All right," she gestured back to the table she'd just vacated. "How about now? Would you like to hold him?"

"If he's not going to cry. Some children of his age are terribly shy," Sh'lua said.

She nodded. "I know, he has his moment but you can try." she put her hands under Elonus' arms and lifted him gently to pass him over. The baby didn't look worried. Yet.

At least Sh'lua knew how to handle children. One of the most important things was to make the child feel safe. The way he hold Elonus showed that he had children before. "Hello, little man. I'm Sh'lua," he talked to the boy.

Elonus looked as though he was about to cry but then he didn't, he just looked up at the strange man.

Elona took a step back and sat down, watching father and son, a smile on her lips.

Sh'lua made a wherry with his fingers, "Can you tell me what this is?" he asked the boy.

Elonus just stared.

Laughing, Elona said "I think he's a bit young to know that yet! He's never seen a wherry unless it was roasted." It seemed that he knew how to talk to children. "You have others?" she asked.

"He has five older siblings...that I know of. And two of them actually live here in Dragonsfall Weyr. Look, it's little wherry and now he flew away!" Sh'lua replied to Elona before making his fingers flap like wings.

Elonus giggled, watching Sh'lua's fingers moving around.

Elona mouthed the word 'five?', her eyes wide. She took a deep breath before saying, "Look, I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner..."

"Don't worry, Elona. This happens to all time, especially in my bloodline. I still got to beat my father's fifteen," Sh'lua replied. "We are profilic."

Her eyes widened. "And to think I thought holders had big families!" then she paled a little. "You aren't surprised?"

"I'm still trying to wrap my head around the idea," Sh'lua admitted. "But considering my habits, it's not that big surprise. Sometimes I wonder why it haven't happened before."

"I'm not..." she started awkwardly, trying to figure out the right words to say. "I don't just go around... That night, I don't usually do that..."

"I figure that out already," Sh'lua said with dry tone. He leaned forward and patted her hand. "I'm feeling flattered that you did with me." His eyes were kind and honest.

She gave him a smile. "Well...you were hard to resist."

"Family trait, that too," Sh'lua said with modest shrug.

"I've noticed," she gave Elonus a loving smile.

"So, what you want will happen now?" Sh'lua asked. She didn't seem unhappy to him.

"it's up to you how involved you want to be in his life," she replied. "I would only ask what you want to give. It's almost his bedtime if you want to help settle him, but it's up to you."

"I do want be part of his life. A child deserves to know his parents," Sh'lua replied.

"Well, shall we then?" she asked, getting to her feet.

"After you," Sh'lua said with courteus gesture. After all, he didn't know where she lived.

"This way," she fell into step beside him and lead him down into a small room she shared with Elonus when he stayed with her.

Last updated on the March 30th 2012

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