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Tales of the Legacy - Concluded
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<blockquote data-quote="Delemental" data-source="post: 3879529" data-attributes="member: 5203"><p><strong>The Memory of What Could Have Been</strong></p><p></p><p>I'm baaack!</p><p></p><p>We'll warm up with a little piece of fiction written by Autumn's player, based on email roleplay sessions she had with various characters. We have played an actual game as well, which will be written up very soon.</p><p> </p><p>---------------------------------</p><p></p><p>Autumn sat on the bench in the small garden, looking into a little pool nearby, trying to work her memories into what is and what could have been, but felt like it was, and the confusion it created in her heart. She felt like she should be with both Kyle and Tolly and it was all a mess. She needed to find some kind of quiet to figure out her feelings and thoughts on the whole affair.</p><p></p><p>She reflected on the problem at hand, going over it in her mind as she had done countless other times since their recent encounter with the leShay. When time had been altered, all of a sudden she was married to Tolly and they had loved each other as fiercely as she and Kyle did – though at the time she had no way to compare, for in that altered version of history Kyle had never come to be. But the memory of the love was crueler by far, and it was a bizarre experience to all of a sudden have your memories rearranged so utterly. The look on Tolly’s face had been heartbreaking. For he knew as well as she the love they shared.</p><p></p><p><em>And now has no love of his own to fall back on,</em> she reminded herself.</p><p></p><p>What to do? Kyle is the one she chose. Not Tolly. But what she had experienced, though not meant to be, was no less real. She thought long and hard and did her best to listen to her feelings too but they were more screwed up and confused and made the order of her mind fall into chaos. She needed help. If she couldn’t resolve this, then her entire extended family – the Legacy – would be thrown into imbalance.</p><p></p><p>Autumn stood up, and made her way out of the garden and back to the Happy Half-Ogre, where they were all staying while Osborn concluded his business. Just as she was rounding the corner to go up the stairs, she almost ran full on into Tolly. His cheeks reddened as he looked on her and she knew that her blood was rising just with the sudden and unwelcomed flood of could have been, memories of intimate times with this man. Flustered, she quickly muttered an apology and continued past him.</p><p></p><p>Arrie sat meditating in her room as a huffing and puffing Autumn burst into her sanctuary. She went straight for Arrie’s bed and plopped down and started to cry into her hands as her wings wrapped around her in a protective manner.</p><p></p><p> Arrie sat silently, knowing what troubled her sister, but allowing her the time to find her own words.</p><p></p><p>In between sobs, Autumn managed to get out a few of those words. “Stupid time traveling, timeline altering, emotional memory changing situation!” she wailed, “How am I supposed to face two men that I’ve loved with all my heart, knowing that to choose one is both right and wrong?”</p><p></p><p>Ari watched Autumn for a moment, thinking. She uncurled her limbs and got up from the floor, sliding onto the bed next to her sister. She stroked Autumn's long silken hair and wracked her brain for some way to give the aasimar some peace.</p><p></p><p>"In the end, it is your decision how to approach this situation. It’s your emotion and your relationship to the two men. I can point out for you some things that may help..." She trailed off as desire crystallized into understanding within her mind. With so much death and turmoil, the mantle of repose she had created with her belief became foremost in her mind.</p><p></p><p>Autumn stilled a bit but tears still ran down her cheeks. "Arrie?"</p><p></p><p>Arrie smiled gently. "Will you trust me for a moment, humor me?"</p><p></p><p>Autumn frowned. "You know I trust you." She gave a hiccup that trailed off into a sniffle.</p><p></p><p>The warrior psychically imparted calm to her sister's troubled mind, filling the air with the scent of jasmine. She held that pattern in her own mind as she spoke, hoping to give Autumn a few moments of clarity in which to consider her situation.</p><p></p><p>"Consider the men in question. Is there anything that you feel you could speak with Kyle about that he would not respond foremost out of love for you? If you were to explain all of this to him, what might the consequences be? How many of those consequences do you really feel would be negative?</p><p></p><p>“And consider also Tolly. He is wise enough that his goddess entrusts him with some of her most powerful prayers and secrets. If you approached him as someone seeking the wisdom of his Earth Mother because her heart is in turmoil, would he not search his heart to find words of wisdom for you?"</p><p></p><p>Ari slipped off the bed and wetted a small cloth in the wash-basin, handing it to Autumn. "Have I helped?"</p><p></p><p>Autumn got up with a determined look on her face, taking a moment to wipe her face with the washcloth. “Yes.”</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center">* * *</p><p></p><p>Kyle looked up from his book when he heard the door open. Autumn looked like she had been crying, and was emotionally wrung dry. She sat on the bed next to him and looked at him with haunted eyes.</p><p></p><p>“Kyle, we need to talk.”</p><p></p><p>Nodding, he set the book aside and gave her his full attention. He, like Arrie, knew what was troubling his wife, but unlike the others, he had not experienced the alteration in time and memory, for in the altered version if history his family line had been eradicated.</p><p></p><p> “When we went to fix the past and time was altered,” Autumn began, “you didn't exist, for any of us. That’s why when we got back we didn't know who you were right away. Then our memories of the correct timeline got written back into us. We can still remember the alternative but it is strange like a story told to us long ago, but not gone or forgotten.” She knew, of course, that Kyle had already been told all of this, but she found she had to say it anyway.</p><p></p><p>“There were many things that were different, and things that happened there that never came to be, but the change that affected me the most was that I was married to Tolly.”</p><p></p><p>She sighed. “I have been struggling with this odd situation and my feelings on my marriage to both you and Tolly. I needed to talk to you and tell you the whole story so you know why I have been distant recently. I plan to talk to Tolly as well and work things out between us as well.”</p><p></p><p>"Oh. Well, I guess I can see where that makes sense... if I didn't exist, then naturally you and Tolly..." Kyle paused for a moment, looking tense and troubled.</p><p></p><p>"Do you have feelings for him?"</p><p></p><p>“Yes. I can’t forget giving my heart to him in this other reality and remembering this other reality like it never happened. It happened. It felt like a real lifetime even if it feels odd and off somehow. It’s still there in the back of my mind. I have been struggling with this since we got back.”</p><p></p><p>Autumn paused. “I’m glad to be able to finally talk to you about this. I love you and that has not changed, I married you here and now, not Tolly. I’m going to talk to Tolly and work out this relationship turmoil so that we are not causing an upset to our family and friends.”</p><p></p><p>Kyle put his arms around Autumn and embraced her. "Tell me when you speak to him,” he said as he released her, “I'll probably need to be ready for any blowback."</p><p></p><p>Autumn placed her hands on his face and looked him straight in the eyes. "Kyle, I am going to talk to Tolly after <em>we </em>are done talking. I’m with you, not him. I’m going to talk to him to make sure that this is clearly understood with both of us."</p><p></p><p>Kyle took Autumn's hands in his."Yes, but how do you feel about Tolly?"</p><p></p><p>The question threw Autumn a little. Hadn’t he just asked her that?</p><p></p><p>"Everything you experienced in that other version of time was real, even if it no longer exists. You have two different versions of your life story now, both equally valid even if one feels like a childhood story to you. I can't pretend that it doesn't affect the way you feel. But neither can I feel any sort of anger or disappointment in either of you. Had the two of you started some sort of intimate relationship in the version of time that I know, then of course I would be upset. But you fell in love with Tolly in a world where I never was, so how can I consider that a betrayal?”</p><p></p><p>Kyle stood up and crossed the room to sit in the windowsill, glancing down at the street below. “I don't fear you leaving me, or secretly seeking his company. Who you are as a person hasn’t changed, and neither has Tolly, and I know neither of you would do that. What I fear is that the two of you will try to pretend that nothing has changed, to deny what happened and the emotions that has created in you, covering them up vows and promises and understandings. If you do that, then I fear that the consequences would be even worse than if this had just been a simple affair."</p><p></p><p>“That is why I must talk to Tolly,” Autumn said. Standing, she kissed Kyle and went out the door.</p><p></p><p>Several minutes later, there was a knock at the door, and Arrie stepped inside. Kyle had moved back to the bed with his book. “That was quicker than I expected.”</p><p></p><p>Kyle shrugged, this time not setting his book aside. “Right now I’m not the one she needs to have a long talk with. My part in all this right now is to be the calm one. There’s enough turmoil between the two of them already without me adding to it.”</p><p></p><p>Arrie grinned. “I must be rubbing off on you.”</p><p></p><p>“Don’t let Autumn catch you. That’s all we need in this situation.”</p><p></p><p>Arrie rolled her eyes, and looked around. “Why is there nothing sharp or heavy nearby to throw at you?”</p><p></p><p>“Because I’m a very smart man.”</p><p></p><p>They both shared a laugh, though it died quickly. “Seriously,” Arrie said. “You okay?”</p><p></p><p>“Terrified,” Kyle said, “but how is that different from any other day?”</p><p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center">* * *</p><p></p><p>Finding Tolly was a little harder then anticipated. Autumn had to resort to flying over Dagger Rock to locate him. Once she spotted him lying in a field of reeds by the river she flew over to him, landing quietly next to him. She slipped her hand into his, resting next to his body as if it belonged there.</p><p></p><p>“Tolly, we need to talk about what happened. We can’t ignore that we remember being married to each other and shared a powerful love.”</p><p></p><p>"No, dear one, we cannot.” He spoke without opening his eyes or turning toward her. “But we also must remember that that was not this reality, and here, well, you know who you chose. My feelings are unchanged, there or here, but Kyle is a brother-in-arms. I cannot betray him, no matter the cost to me."</p><p></p><p>Tolly reluctantly released Autumn's hand, and then half rose and rolled to his side, gazing at Autumn lying next to him. He raised his hand to her face, cupping her delicate chin. "You are his lawful wife, Autumn. Not mine. I would betray my faith, his friendship, and your trust, all in one act. The painful part is I am not sure it wouldn’t be worth it.” He lingered for a moment, then suddenly stood up, sending panicked waterfowl screeching and flapping away.</p><p></p><p>“Please, don't follow me." Tolly turned and slowly walkee away, headed further along the river.</p><p></p><p>In a soft choked sob, only loud enough for Tolly to hear, came the words.</p><p></p><p> “I love you Tolly.”</p><p></p><p>There was a pause. Slowly, Autumn got to her feet.</p><p></p><p>“Please don’t walk away from me, I need you to help me sort through this.” Tears fell from her eyes</p><p></p><p>as she watched him walk away from her.</p><p></p><p>Tolly stopped. Without turning, he spoke to her. "But what can we do? We shared a lifetime, but not in this life. He is the best of friends. You are the one I fell in love with. You married Kyle. All we can be is friends, Autumn."</p><p></p><p>Tolly turned; his eyes shone. "I <em>cannot </em>betray your oath. It would be denying everything that I am, and then would you even want me? A betrayer of his own faith? We have to be friends, and no more. Close, but not as lovers - only as family."</p><p></p><p>He threw his hands to the sky, limned with divine energy. "And now, I have the ability to bring him back from death’s grasp, as I have brought you back before, and I would be obliged to do so, by my oath as a priest, and my place as a friend. I would die for any of you, and I have, but I will not betray myself. No matter how much I want to." He dropped to his knees in the earth.</p><p></p><p>"What else can we do, love?"</p><p></p><p>Autumn’s heart, breaking under the strain of loving two very different men, beat fearfully in her chest.</p><p></p><p>Her promise to Bail became painfully real, as she knew that if she were to fall, Tolly would call for her, not knowing she will not come to him again should she die once more.</p><p></p><p>The weight of it all crashing down around her, she fell to her knees in anguish. The wind rustling the tall reeds surrounding the embankment of the river pulled loose one of her feathers, catching the up current and moving off down the river. The lone feather moves past Tolly just barely caressing his cheek as it floats on by. Autumn, crying softly into her hands, her wings move to wrap protectively around her, does not see the feather’s touch, does not see Tolly’s fingers rise up and linger on that spot.</p><p></p><p>“We must only be friends,” she said at last. “I would never ask you to betray anyone, let alone yourself, my love.” She looked up with great sadness in her eyes. “Know this; my love will not fade with time for I have lived two lives, one with you and this one with Kyle.” She swallowed, and then looked up at him.</p><p></p><p>“When I die, Tolly, do not come for me again, I will not be able to answer your call. I have made a vow to Bail that I will stay with him the next time I go to his embrace.”</p><p></p><p>Tolly slowly, slowly moved closer. "Bail is a God of Trade, Autumn. Always remember. Yours is not the only deal." Tolly moved up, easing inside the wings' embrace. "Cry, but then we must move on. I cannot promise I will not come for you. I can promise I will do all I can to prevent the need."</p><p></p><p>She moved into him and cried, letting out everything in her. They embraced for what seemed an eternity, Autumn talking about all of her fears, desires, old times, and anything that came to mind amongst raking sobs.</p><p></p><p>Finally, they separated, though they did not let go of each other. "Come, we must clean up, and regain our composure,” Tolly said. “We have much to do. The weight of the world rests on shoulders such as ours." He smiled wanly. "And we will go forth, and love each other, and Kyle, and Arrie, Osborn, and Lanara, and the world will bow to us."</p><p></p><p>It took a long time for the tears to slow, and Autumn, overwhelmed and exhausted by it all, just rested in his arms for quite some time.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Delemental, post: 3879529, member: 5203"] [b]The Memory of What Could Have Been[/b] I'm baaack! We'll warm up with a little piece of fiction written by Autumn's player, based on email roleplay sessions she had with various characters. We have played an actual game as well, which will be written up very soon. --------------------------------- Autumn sat on the bench in the small garden, looking into a little pool nearby, trying to work her memories into what is and what could have been, but felt like it was, and the confusion it created in her heart. She felt like she should be with both Kyle and Tolly and it was all a mess. She needed to find some kind of quiet to figure out her feelings and thoughts on the whole affair. She reflected on the problem at hand, going over it in her mind as she had done countless other times since their recent encounter with the leShay. When time had been altered, all of a sudden she was married to Tolly and they had loved each other as fiercely as she and Kyle did – though at the time she had no way to compare, for in that altered version of history Kyle had never come to be. But the memory of the love was crueler by far, and it was a bizarre experience to all of a sudden have your memories rearranged so utterly. The look on Tolly’s face had been heartbreaking. For he knew as well as she the love they shared. [I]And now has no love of his own to fall back on,[/I] she reminded herself. What to do? Kyle is the one she chose. Not Tolly. But what she had experienced, though not meant to be, was no less real. She thought long and hard and did her best to listen to her feelings too but they were more screwed up and confused and made the order of her mind fall into chaos. She needed help. If she couldn’t resolve this, then her entire extended family – the Legacy – would be thrown into imbalance. Autumn stood up, and made her way out of the garden and back to the Happy Half-Ogre, where they were all staying while Osborn concluded his business. Just as she was rounding the corner to go up the stairs, she almost ran full on into Tolly. His cheeks reddened as he looked on her and she knew that her blood was rising just with the sudden and unwelcomed flood of could have been, memories of intimate times with this man. Flustered, she quickly muttered an apology and continued past him. Arrie sat meditating in her room as a huffing and puffing Autumn burst into her sanctuary. She went straight for Arrie’s bed and plopped down and started to cry into her hands as her wings wrapped around her in a protective manner. Arrie sat silently, knowing what troubled her sister, but allowing her the time to find her own words. In between sobs, Autumn managed to get out a few of those words. “Stupid time traveling, timeline altering, emotional memory changing situation!” she wailed, “How am I supposed to face two men that I’ve loved with all my heart, knowing that to choose one is both right and wrong?” Ari watched Autumn for a moment, thinking. She uncurled her limbs and got up from the floor, sliding onto the bed next to her sister. She stroked Autumn's long silken hair and wracked her brain for some way to give the aasimar some peace. "In the end, it is your decision how to approach this situation. It’s your emotion and your relationship to the two men. I can point out for you some things that may help..." She trailed off as desire crystallized into understanding within her mind. With so much death and turmoil, the mantle of repose she had created with her belief became foremost in her mind. Autumn stilled a bit but tears still ran down her cheeks. "Arrie?" Arrie smiled gently. "Will you trust me for a moment, humor me?" Autumn frowned. "You know I trust you." She gave a hiccup that trailed off into a sniffle. The warrior psychically imparted calm to her sister's troubled mind, filling the air with the scent of jasmine. She held that pattern in her own mind as she spoke, hoping to give Autumn a few moments of clarity in which to consider her situation. "Consider the men in question. Is there anything that you feel you could speak with Kyle about that he would not respond foremost out of love for you? If you were to explain all of this to him, what might the consequences be? How many of those consequences do you really feel would be negative? “And consider also Tolly. He is wise enough that his goddess entrusts him with some of her most powerful prayers and secrets. If you approached him as someone seeking the wisdom of his Earth Mother because her heart is in turmoil, would he not search his heart to find words of wisdom for you?" Ari slipped off the bed and wetted a small cloth in the wash-basin, handing it to Autumn. "Have I helped?" Autumn got up with a determined look on her face, taking a moment to wipe her face with the washcloth. “Yes.” [CENTER]* * *[/CENTER] Kyle looked up from his book when he heard the door open. Autumn looked like she had been crying, and was emotionally wrung dry. She sat on the bed next to him and looked at him with haunted eyes. “Kyle, we need to talk.” Nodding, he set the book aside and gave her his full attention. He, like Arrie, knew what was troubling his wife, but unlike the others, he had not experienced the alteration in time and memory, for in the altered version if history his family line had been eradicated. “When we went to fix the past and time was altered,” Autumn began, “you didn't exist, for any of us. That’s why when we got back we didn't know who you were right away. Then our memories of the correct timeline got written back into us. We can still remember the alternative but it is strange like a story told to us long ago, but not gone or forgotten.” She knew, of course, that Kyle had already been told all of this, but she found she had to say it anyway. “There were many things that were different, and things that happened there that never came to be, but the change that affected me the most was that I was married to Tolly.” She sighed. “I have been struggling with this odd situation and my feelings on my marriage to both you and Tolly. I needed to talk to you and tell you the whole story so you know why I have been distant recently. I plan to talk to Tolly as well and work things out between us as well.” "Oh. Well, I guess I can see where that makes sense... if I didn't exist, then naturally you and Tolly..." Kyle paused for a moment, looking tense and troubled. "Do you have feelings for him?" “Yes. I can’t forget giving my heart to him in this other reality and remembering this other reality like it never happened. It happened. It felt like a real lifetime even if it feels odd and off somehow. It’s still there in the back of my mind. I have been struggling with this since we got back.” Autumn paused. “I’m glad to be able to finally talk to you about this. I love you and that has not changed, I married you here and now, not Tolly. I’m going to talk to Tolly and work out this relationship turmoil so that we are not causing an upset to our family and friends.” Kyle put his arms around Autumn and embraced her. "Tell me when you speak to him,” he said as he released her, “I'll probably need to be ready for any blowback." Autumn placed her hands on his face and looked him straight in the eyes. "Kyle, I am going to talk to Tolly after [I]we [/I]are done talking. I’m with you, not him. I’m going to talk to him to make sure that this is clearly understood with both of us." Kyle took Autumn's hands in his."Yes, but how do you feel about Tolly?" The question threw Autumn a little. Hadn’t he just asked her that? "Everything you experienced in that other version of time was real, even if it no longer exists. You have two different versions of your life story now, both equally valid even if one feels like a childhood story to you. I can't pretend that it doesn't affect the way you feel. But neither can I feel any sort of anger or disappointment in either of you. Had the two of you started some sort of intimate relationship in the version of time that I know, then of course I would be upset. But you fell in love with Tolly in a world where I never was, so how can I consider that a betrayal?” Kyle stood up and crossed the room to sit in the windowsill, glancing down at the street below. “I don't fear you leaving me, or secretly seeking his company. Who you are as a person hasn’t changed, and neither has Tolly, and I know neither of you would do that. What I fear is that the two of you will try to pretend that nothing has changed, to deny what happened and the emotions that has created in you, covering them up vows and promises and understandings. If you do that, then I fear that the consequences would be even worse than if this had just been a simple affair." “That is why I must talk to Tolly,” Autumn said. Standing, she kissed Kyle and went out the door. Several minutes later, there was a knock at the door, and Arrie stepped inside. Kyle had moved back to the bed with his book. “That was quicker than I expected.” Kyle shrugged, this time not setting his book aside. “Right now I’m not the one she needs to have a long talk with. My part in all this right now is to be the calm one. There’s enough turmoil between the two of them already without me adding to it.” Arrie grinned. “I must be rubbing off on you.” “Don’t let Autumn catch you. That’s all we need in this situation.” Arrie rolled her eyes, and looked around. “Why is there nothing sharp or heavy nearby to throw at you?” “Because I’m a very smart man.” They both shared a laugh, though it died quickly. “Seriously,” Arrie said. “You okay?” “Terrified,” Kyle said, “but how is that different from any other day?” [CENTER] * * *[/CENTER] Finding Tolly was a little harder then anticipated. Autumn had to resort to flying over Dagger Rock to locate him. Once she spotted him lying in a field of reeds by the river she flew over to him, landing quietly next to him. She slipped her hand into his, resting next to his body as if it belonged there. “Tolly, we need to talk about what happened. We can’t ignore that we remember being married to each other and shared a powerful love.” "No, dear one, we cannot.” He spoke without opening his eyes or turning toward her. “But we also must remember that that was not this reality, and here, well, you know who you chose. My feelings are unchanged, there or here, but Kyle is a brother-in-arms. I cannot betray him, no matter the cost to me." Tolly reluctantly released Autumn's hand, and then half rose and rolled to his side, gazing at Autumn lying next to him. He raised his hand to her face, cupping her delicate chin. "You are his lawful wife, Autumn. Not mine. I would betray my faith, his friendship, and your trust, all in one act. The painful part is I am not sure it wouldn’t be worth it.” He lingered for a moment, then suddenly stood up, sending panicked waterfowl screeching and flapping away. “Please, don't follow me." Tolly turned and slowly walkee away, headed further along the river. In a soft choked sob, only loud enough for Tolly to hear, came the words. “I love you Tolly.” There was a pause. Slowly, Autumn got to her feet. “Please don’t walk away from me, I need you to help me sort through this.” Tears fell from her eyes as she watched him walk away from her. Tolly stopped. Without turning, he spoke to her. "But what can we do? We shared a lifetime, but not in this life. He is the best of friends. You are the one I fell in love with. You married Kyle. All we can be is friends, Autumn." Tolly turned; his eyes shone. "I [I]cannot [/I]betray your oath. It would be denying everything that I am, and then would you even want me? A betrayer of his own faith? We have to be friends, and no more. Close, but not as lovers - only as family." He threw his hands to the sky, limned with divine energy. "And now, I have the ability to bring him back from death’s grasp, as I have brought you back before, and I would be obliged to do so, by my oath as a priest, and my place as a friend. I would die for any of you, and I have, but I will not betray myself. No matter how much I want to." He dropped to his knees in the earth. "What else can we do, love?" Autumn’s heart, breaking under the strain of loving two very different men, beat fearfully in her chest. Her promise to Bail became painfully real, as she knew that if she were to fall, Tolly would call for her, not knowing she will not come to him again should she die once more. The weight of it all crashing down around her, she fell to her knees in anguish. The wind rustling the tall reeds surrounding the embankment of the river pulled loose one of her feathers, catching the up current and moving off down the river. The lone feather moves past Tolly just barely caressing his cheek as it floats on by. Autumn, crying softly into her hands, her wings move to wrap protectively around her, does not see the feather’s touch, does not see Tolly’s fingers rise up and linger on that spot. “We must only be friends,” she said at last. “I would never ask you to betray anyone, let alone yourself, my love.” She looked up with great sadness in her eyes. “Know this; my love will not fade with time for I have lived two lives, one with you and this one with Kyle.” She swallowed, and then looked up at him. “When I die, Tolly, do not come for me again, I will not be able to answer your call. I have made a vow to Bail that I will stay with him the next time I go to his embrace.” Tolly slowly, slowly moved closer. "Bail is a God of Trade, Autumn. Always remember. Yours is not the only deal." Tolly moved up, easing inside the wings' embrace. "Cry, but then we must move on. I cannot promise I will not come for you. I can promise I will do all I can to prevent the need." She moved into him and cried, letting out everything in her. They embraced for what seemed an eternity, Autumn talking about all of her fears, desires, old times, and anything that came to mind amongst raking sobs. Finally, they separated, though they did not let go of each other. "Come, we must clean up, and regain our composure,” Tolly said. “We have much to do. The weight of the world rests on shoulders such as ours." He smiled wanly. "And we will go forth, and love each other, and Kyle, and Arrie, Osborn, and Lanara, and the world will bow to us." It took a long time for the tears to slow, and Autumn, overwhelmed and exhausted by it all, just rested in his arms for quite some time. [/QUOTE]
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