It had to be a dream. It had to be.

Adam squeezed his eyes shut, took a deep breath, and counted to ten. When he reopened his eyes, Teela was still burying her face in his neck and everyone else in the room was staring at him expectantly.

"Adam, are you all right?" asked King Randor who quickly stood and brushed his hand under his son's bangs caringly.

Teela heard the concern in Randor's voice, so she immediately popped her head up, which inadvertently knocked the king's hand out of the way, and asked anxiously, "What? What's going on? What's wrong, Adam?"

Adam met Teela's care worn eyes and smiled softly to lighten the mood. He could almost see the worry emanating from her. "I'm fine," he replied; "How about you?"

"I'm fine, too," she answered, returning his smile and then laying her head down on his shoulder.

To Adam, it seemed like she was settling in to stay for a while. He honestly didn't know how to feel about her actions—even though it was nice and he liked it, he wasn't used to being touched by Teela for so long. Sure, they hugged one another every once in a while, but it was usually because they had just escaped some dire situation where one had been scared for the other. And, the same could be said about his father. King Randor had never been one to show his emotions, especially physically. Like his father had told He-Man in Snake Mountain a while back, "It's hard for a father to say 'I love you' to his son." That seemed to be changing…

But at that particular moment, the king didn't seem to be in a loving mood. Randor grimaced at Teela and started walking away. "What in the world is that all about?" thought Adam, and then he realized his father was coming to the right side of his bed. When Randor sat beside him and smiled, he suddenly knew. "Don't tell me Father and Teela are going to start competing with one another on who is going to be near me the most!" he thought amusedly. At that moment, Adora sat in front of their father, next to his leg, and rubbed it affectionately. He most definitely had to add Adora to that list, as well, and Cringer who had suddenly jumped onto the bed beside her.

"Oh, for the love of the Ancients!" he said aloud with a laugh.

"What?" everyone questioned as they moved to look at him.

Adam continued to laugh despite the slight throbbing it caused in his head. It was just too amusing! His mother had started all of this thinking his father didn't show him enough attention or notice him at all. Now, he had a feeling he was going to need a crowbar to pry his entire family and Teela off of him!

"Nothing," he replied with another laugh.

Teela looked up and met the prince with her sharp gaze. "Are there to be more secrets, Adam?" she asked inquisitively.

Immediately, the light atmosphere that Adam had found himself in ended abruptly and disappeared. He couldn't tell what Teela was thinking. It was possible she was seriously questioning him or teasing him; regardless, her question had hit him right in the gut. He frowned and whispered, "No more than there has to be."

=)=)=)

King Randor watched disapprovingly as his son's joyful countenance changed to one of remorse and guilt. He frowned at Teela and felt the sudden desire to dismiss the captain. She hadn't been in the room for two minutes and she had already ruined everyone's good mood.

"I think," said the king firmly, "we've had enough visitors for the day. Thank you for stopping by, Teela and Man-at-Arms. I believe we'll have a light dinner and turn in for the afternoon. Maybe you could visit tomorrow."

Man-at-Arms nodded, pulled on Teela's arm, and replied, "Of course, Your Majesty."

As for Teela, she furrowed her brows, pulled away from her father, and remained on the bed next to Adam. "I would like to join you for dinner if Adam doesn't mind," she said softly.

Adam immediately sighed in relief. If Teela was mad at him, she wouldn't be volunteering to eat with them or remaining in his arms. He smiled at Teela, but before she could give him one of her own, Randor stated, "I don't think that would be wise right now."

Adam turned to look at his father questioningly. "Why not?" he asked.

Randor contemplated what he should say. He knew if he stated the real reasons, Teela would undoubtedly show that fiery temper Marlena said all redheads have. He had seen it in action, after all, with Marlena and he had even seen it before with Teela. It wasn't a pleasant sight, but he was the king and she was the captain…and she had better know her place.

"I think you should relax and limit your exposure to stressful situations," he answered with a quick glance to the captain. He hoped Teela would see his gesture and words for what they were: a nicely veiled reproach for her actions.

Teela obviously didn't catch onto the nicety of his words, because she immediately sat up and asked sharply, "What does that mean? Having dinner with family and friends is hardly stressful!"

"Uh oh!" said Cringer as he jumped from the bed, went under a nearby table, and covered his eyes with his paws. Adam was the only one who seemed to notice.

Randor, on the other hand, cocked an eyebrow and said, "Oh, really, Captain." He hoped his emphasis on her title would cool the hostility she was currently displaying. He didn't want her behavior to get any worse in front of Adam. "Well, I know I'm becoming rather temperamental with this conversation, so who knows how Adam is feeling right now. Stressed is probably high on the list right about now."

Teela immediately looked at Adam who was staring at his father incredulously. Before she could open her mouth to say something, Man-at-Arms grabbed Teela by her upper arm and pulled her from the bed. He knew from his daughter's expression that she was about to explode and that surely wouldn't be a wise thing to do, especially since he could tell Randor was annoyed with her.

"We are sorry to have disturbed you, Your Majesties," he said in hopes of calming everyone down. "I hope you enjoy your dinner and have a good night's rest. Teela and I will visit you tomorrow."

Glad that Duncan was removing his daughter, he smiled gratefully and said, "Thank you. We'll see you, then."

As the door closed and Randor leaned back against the headboard next to his son, Adam turned to him and asked unsurely, "What was that?"

=)=)=)

Man-at-Arms pulled Teela through the infirmary and out into the main corridor so they could head to his workshop to talk. His daughter, however, had other ideas. As soon as the infirmary doors closed, she turned around to stare at him and asked confusedly, "What just happened?"

Duncan looked around the corridor and saw the number of guards Randor had assigned to the area. Undoubtedly, the king had no intention of letting any of Skeletor's men get to his son again, but that also meant they had plenty of listening ears around them. "We'll talk about that in a minute," he replied. He led Teela through the halls and she followed obsequiously.

Once they were in his workshop and they were seated at his workbench, he said, "I think the king was…rather annoyed with you."

Teela opened her mouth to say something but then closed it for a few moments. Finally, she said, "Why is he annoyed with me? I didn't do anything!"

Duncan patted Teela on the hand and answered, "It could have been any number of things: he might want some private family time, especially since it's so rare Adora is on Eternia. We interrupted that. It could also be that you brought up Adam's secret and I must admit that stifled Adam's laughter rather quickly. Also, maybe he didn't want to fight with you for Adam's attention tonight. Your actions and presence did send Adam for a loop when we first arrived."

Teela listened to her father's words but she had trouble wrapping her mind around it. "Are you telling me that the king thinks I…have a negative impact on Adam? That's ridiculous!"

"Now, Teela…" Man-at-Arms began.

"I've just discovered who Adam really is, Father!" she exclaimed. "I've just found out how horribly I've been treating him, and now, you're telling me his father won't let me anywhere near him so that I can apologize and make it up to him? And, this is a father who has upset his son far more than I ever did!"

"Teela…" he tried again.

But Teela kept going. "No! He's not going to keep me away from Adam!"

"And, you are blowing this out of proportion!" chastised Man-at-Arms.

Teela stopped and stared at her father as if he had slapped her.

"Teela, I commend you for realizing how hard everything has been on Adam and that you want to be there for him, but…you just hit the nail on its head. Randor has upset Adam recently far more than you ever did, and that's why they need to spend quality time together. You can't blame the king for wanting that. And, if he's doing it because you accidentally killed Adam's good mood, you can't blame him for that either. He's protecting his son. It's not like he said you couldn't come back tomorrow. In fact, he's the one who suggested that we should."

Teela sighed and breathed deeply. "I just have so much I want to say to Adam," she whispered, finally calming down. "I want him to know how sorry I am and how much I care."

"You'll have the opportunity to tell him," Man-at-Arms assured her.

Teela shook her head and said, "If there's anything recent events have taught me, it's that we never know what might happen at any given moment. You say I'll have that opportunity, but can you say that with one hundred percent confidence?"

"It's likely that you will get that chance, my daughter," answered Duncan with a kiss to her forehead. "Don't worry so much. Adam will be here in the morning."

His words offered her no comfort.

=)=)=)

Adam waited for his answer, but Randor merely stood and went to the door. He watched as his father stuck his head out and spoke with someone. He couldn't hear what was being said since the sounds were muffled by the door.

When the king walked back into the room, he smiled at his family and said, "I just gave orders for dinner to be served here tonight."

"That sounds like a wonderful idea," replied Marlena, knowing Adam had to be famished since he only received light foods throughout the day.

Adam's stomach growled loudly in response which caused Adora to laugh, but despite his body's interest in dinner, he said, "You are going to answer me, aren't you?"

Randor returned to the bed and sat down facing him. "What was your question?" he asked.

"What happened with Teela? Why did you ask her and Man-at-Arms to leave the room?"

Randor glanced at Marlena and Adora, wondering how everyone would react. But he realized it was too late to worry about his decision since it was already done. "She put a damper on your good mood, so I thought I'd help the situation by…"

"She didn't damper my mood," interrupted Adam sharply.

Randor grimaced and replied calmly, "Now, Adam, you were laughing until she asked you about having more secrets. Who knows where she might have taken that discussion if I hadn't intervened."

"It wasn't going anywhere," he replied. "The fact that she wanted to stay for dinner and was still hugging me instead of punching me stated as much."

"Well, I didn't want to risk it."

It was on the tip of Adam's tongue to snap at his father for chasing Teela away and having no remorse over it, but he stopped himself. He didn't want to go back to all the yelling and fighting. He could see it going that way if he didn't remain civil. It was clear to Adam now that he knew how to push his father's buttons without meaning to and he knew how to push his. And, neither one of them were in any condition for a fight, whether it was physical or verbal.

Randor watched the emotions play across Adam's face as he contemplated his actions towards Teela. Not wanting his recent good luck with Adam to end, he said softly, "I'm sorry if I made the wrong choice. I just wanted to protect you. I…I know Teela is your friend. I consider her one of mine, as well, but we both know how Teela can be sometimes and…" He shrugged. He didn't know how else to explain his actions.

Adam smiled in response. His father was definitely trying to keep the peace between them. Usually his father didn't apologize for his decisions. It wasn't something he was accustomed to doing, and he certainly wouldn't utter those words to Teela, but it was nice that he did tell him. Also deciding to make the effort, Adam replied, "And, I understand why you felt the need to interfere. I do know how Teela can be, but…she wasn't going to be that way this time." After a pause, he added with a grin, "I don't think…"

At that, the entire Royal Family laughed.

Randor wrapped his arm around Adam's shoulders and replied, "You don't think? That's enough to justify my actions to me."

Adam smirked at his father and pushed on him playfully.

Randor smiled and brought his arm up to push him back, but he quickly stopped himself. "You are so lucky you have a concussion right now!"

"Yeah, yeah," Adam said disbelievingly.

Adora and Marlena now sat in the chairs by the bed and smiled at one another as they listened to the banter between father and son. Adora leaned closely to her mother and whispered, "Maybe your efforts weren't in vain after all." Marlena wrapped her arm around Adora and squeezed gently.

=)=)=)

It was past midnight and the palace was quiet. There were a multitude of guardsmen on duty. King Randor and she were taking no chance of Skeletor or any of his men showing up at night to surprise them again. Because of that decision, it made what she was doing now that much harder.

Teela walked carefully down the halls and tried to avoid being seen. Despite her father's words that afternoon, she wanted to see Adam. She wanted to speak with him about his secret and her thoughts in general. She didn't feel like she could wait until morning.

She was almost to the infirmary when she stopped her stealthy pace. She straightened her back and walked confidently to the infirmary doors. She looked at the guards stationed there coolly and stated, "I'm checking the perimeter." Without waiting for a reply, she entered the infirmary and headed for Adam's door.

Without knocking, she eased the door open and stuck her head inside. Adam was sleeping in the bed with Adora and the king and queen were asleep on a large couch they brought into the room at some point. She sighed in disappointment. She had thought the Royal Family would wish to sleep in their own rooms that night. Instead, they were in Adam's room impeding her efforts. Grumbling, she thought about how she could get Adam alone. She looked around the room and her eyes settled on the lavatory door. "Of course," she thought with a grin.

She eased the door shut again and strolled over to an empty desk. She picked up a sheet of paper and stripped pieces off to roll into tiny balls. With several in tow, she walked back to Adam's door and opened it again carefully.

The room was dark but she was confident her plan would work. She stuck half her body into the room, took a paper-ball in her hand, and aimed carefully. She tossed it across the room and it landed right on Adam's cheek and rolled into his hair.

Getting nothing more than a twitch, Teela tried again. This time she hit Adam right in the nose and he immediately opened his eyes. The captain covered her mouth as she tried to hold in her laughter. Despite her lack of sound, her movement caught Adam's attention. She waved at him, pointed to the door across the room, slipped inside quietly, and made her way to the lavatory.

=)=)=)

Adam smiled as he watched Teela tiptoe to her destination. He looked down at Adora and wondered how he was going to detangle himself from her since their arms and legs were intertwined. He didn't know how that happened. After a few unsuccessful attempts, Adora opened her eyes. "Adam, what's wrong? What are you doing?" she asked softly.

"I have to…go to the little boy's room," he whispered.

Adora let go of her hold on him as Adam sat up and swung his feet to the floor. His head was pounding, so he held his hand to it temporarily as he breathed in deeply.

The sound of his father's voice startled him. Adora and he must have woken him up. "Do you need help getting there?"

He hadn't needed help earlier and he couldn't need it now. He smiled in the dark and whispered, "No, I can manage."

Adam pushed himself off the bed and as quietly as he could manage, he dizzily made his way into the bathroom. As soon as he entered the room and shut the door, Teela rushed into his arms and hugged him fiercely.

Adam held Teela tightly but had the foresight to know that he should turn on the lights and move farther into the room. "Let's go farther inside so they don't hear us," he whispered into her ear.

Teela nodded, grabbed Adam by the hand, and pulled him to the toilet. Setting the lid down, she pushed Adam onto it softly and she took a seat on the edge of the tub.

"Thank you for coming so quickly," she said softly.

Adam grinned and replied, "It isn't like I had much choice. I could only imagine what Father's reaction would have been if he walked in here and you rushed into his arms."

Teela held her hand over her mouth and when she uncovered it, she lightly popped him on the arm. "Don't make me laugh," she hissed.

"So," said Adam, staring at her intently, "what's on your mind, Captain?"

Teela met Adam's gaze straight on and didn't waver. "I think you know."

Adam took a deep breath and said, "I didn't want you to find out this way. Were you listening at the door?"

Teela looked down, feeling more than a little embarrassed. "Yes," she admitted. "I know I shouldn't have done it, but I was angry that all of you were talking in riddles around me. It felt like a slap to my face. It was like you thought I couldn't be trusted."

"It wasn't that," he replied as he rubbed her arm affectionately. "I wanted to tell you for so long, but I promised the Sorceress that I wouldn't."

Teela nodded and whispered even more softly, "But I know now."

Adam watched as Teela met his gaze once more and showed him a dazzling smile. He immediately grinned back, and Adam felt like this was one of the best moments of his life. "And, in a lavatory, of all places!" he thought.

Still smiling, Teela glanced at the door and then back at Adam. "The reason I wanted to meet you in here was so I could tell you how sorry I am for how I've treated you in the past. I feel horrible…"

Adam placed a finger on her lips and said, "Don't. You acted the way you did, based on the information I allowed you to have. I always understood why you reacted to me the way you did. It wasn't your fault. It's…okay."

Teela reached her hand up and pulled his hand from her mouth. She held it in hers and responded, "No, it's not okay. You've always been my best friend since we were kids and I should have known something was up when you changed so drastically. I'll admit I was confused, but I shouldn't have accepted it so easily."

Adam laughed a little, glanced at the door nervously, and then whispered, "But you didn't! That's why you always snapped at me and insulted me. Don't you see? You knew, Teela, that the person I was portraying wasn't me. You knew the real me…and you wanted to see that person again. Only, I wouldn't show him to you."

Teela squeezed Adam's hand and stared into his eyes. "I see him now."

"Yes," he replied. "And, what do you think about Adam and He-Man now? I'm not the cowardly Prince Adam or the infallible He-Man."

Scooting closer on the tub to Adam, she took his other hand into hers, as well. "No, I now know that you're somewhere in the middle. You've always had your amazing wit no matter what Prince Adam you were portraying and now I know you do have courage…He-Man's courage."

They stared at each other for a moment and Teela gasped, remembering a moment between herself and He-Man. He had once asked her what kind of man she would prefer, and her answered had been, "I guess I'm looking for a…a man with Adam's wit and your courage. But where would I find him?"

Teela swallowed roughly. No wonder she had trouble all this time deciding between Adam and He-Man. They were the same person! Had her heart somehow known it was impossible to choose one over the other?

"Teela?" whispered Adam as she continued to stare at him silently. "Teela?" He shook her arm a little.

Finally, Teela took a deep breath and licked her lips a little.

"Are you all right?"

"Yeah," she answered.

"Are you sure?" he asked to reassure himself and her.

She nodded.

Adam looked down at their adjoined hands. He wasn't used to holding her hands, but he didn't move them away. He looked back into her eyes and whispered softly, "What are you thinking?"

Teela looked down at their hands, as well, and then brought her gaze up to meet his again. "Do you really want to know?"

At Adam's nod, she flung her arms around Adam's neck and kissed him deeply. Instantly, Adam wrapped his arms around Teela and kissed her back. Her lips were softer than he had always imagined they would be. Despite the bliss of her actions, he was rather uncomfortable at their angle. He was sitting forward and turned to the side where she was sitting on the bathtub. With his concussion, he was starting to feel a little woozy. Or maybe that was from the kiss?

Regardless, he pulled back, kept one arm around her back, and brought the other to her wrist. He tugged softly and she followed his silent orders as he pulled her where he wanted her. On her knees before Adam and between his legs, she leaned forward and kissed him again.

This time, now that Adam was comfortable, he was able to enjoy their kiss more than before. He ran his tongue across her lips and she quickly opened her mouth to allow him access. As their tongues dueled, he couldn't believe this was happening. And, just as Adam was about to deepen the kiss even more by pulling Teela hard against him, he heard the sounds of the door opening quickly and a startled gasp.