~7 Years Ago~

Anna drew in a breath as Jack pulled his shirt over his head. The muscle definition in his chest was far more impressive than Christopher's was, and as he tossed the shirt away, she marveled at the way he smiled at her.

Stretching himself out beside her, he brought her hand to his lips so he could press a kiss to her palm. "You sure?" He asked, his eyes searching hers.

She smiled softly, nodding. "Are you?"

He exhaled through his nose. "Yes." Then he gasped harshly, his eyes bulging when she reached down to grasp his length in her hand.

"Good," she whispered, stroking him slowly. It was amazing how much power she had over him like this, seeing his eyes scrunch shut; hearing his breathless moans; feeling his hips thrust more insistently against her hand when she increased her speed.

Power, indeed, she thought, lifting up to capture his lips with hers.

She hadn't expected to wind up naked beneath the crown prince tonight, but his gentle caresses from earlier had gradually morphed into something sweeter. Needier. And when his hand had started slipping underneath her shirt, all reason had fled from her mind, and she found herself surrendering to a familiar sense of anticipation swirling deep in the pit of her stomach. Knowing that this would be his first time having sex made all of it even more thrilling.

It was when he started to push inside her that she gasped sharply, her eyes falling shut against the intense pressure she felt.

He paused. "You okay?" He asked, his body shuddering as he tried to keep control.

"Yeah. You're really big," she sighed, trying to relax for him. It didn't matter that she'd been intimate with Christopher before; she still experienced some pain on the initial intrusion. "Just go slow."

Jack's mouth covered hers, kissing her deeply—thoroughly—causing Anna to lift her brows in response. Murmuring softly in her throat, she threaded her fingers through his hair as he eased himself further into her. There was still pressure, but she continued to focus on his lips, his tongue, the firmness of his chest pressing against hers, the softness of his bed at her back…

She moaned as he began a steady rhythm in and out of her, her fingers digging into his back as he groaned approvingly against her neck. Never did she think that this would become a possibility between her and her best friend, but feeling the way he filled her completely, hearing the appreciative groans rumbling through his chest, sensing the way his body began to tremble…

His eyes went wide as he surged forward, a guttural sound ripping from his mouth as he abruptly pulled out of her, and Anna gasped when she felt the warmth of his release on her stomach and chest. Jack kept stroking himself until he was spent, panting breaths still passing his lips as he looked down at her.

"S-sorry," he rasped, "I just…I can't—"

She brought a hand to his lips, shaking her head. "No, no; I get it." Being in his position, she sure as hell couldn't blame him for wanting to be cautious.

Swallowing, he nodded, bending down to kiss her before giving her a dazed smile. "So that's how it feels?"

She laughed gently. "Oh yeah."

He grinned, but then furrowed his brow. "Did you…?"

She shook her head. "No. Doesn't always happen." She gave him a reassuring smile. "I just need to go a bit longer sometimes."

He looked at her so seriously as he gave a subtle nod…then one corner of his mouth lifted in a smirk. "Let's fix that then, shall we?"

Anna laughed out loud, then gasped when his hand moved between her legs, his mouth covering hers once more.

"I thought I'd lost you," Jack rasped, one hand rubbing at his eyes. "I was…afraid that you might have been—"

"Shhh," Anna soothed, coming over to his side and placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. She knew what he was getting at, and it wasn't an outcome she wanted him to focus on. She was here—with him—and she would do her damndest to remind him of that. "Here."

He drew up on an inhale, accepting the mug of tea she offered him with a quiet "Thanks." Taking a seat beside him at the dining room table, she looked him over carefully, noting his pale complexion, the stubble on his cheeks, the healing cut on his forehead…and yet, his was still the handsome face of the friend she'd always adored, regardless of the toll the war had taken on him. Conflict seemed to be an ever-present reality between the nations of Gilboa and Gath, and not knowing if Jack would be killed in battle had been a hellish possibility to consider while she'd been in exile. She could only thank God that he'd somehow found his way back to her.

Regardless of their king's commands.

"You took an awfully big risk coming here," she said. "If Gath forces knew the enemy's prince had crossed onto their soil, they wouldn't hesitate to take you hostage again."

"And you're not being held captive yourself?" He remarked. "To hell with what they could possibly do to me: I was not about to let some bullshit decree keep me from finding you."

Hearing this had her smiling sadly as she reached over to place a comforting hand on his wrist.

"Two years," he breathed. "He sent you away two years ago..."

"Shortly after your division was sent to the front," she affirmed. "Your father made sure I couldn't contact you by confiscating my phone and sticking me in a place where he knew I'd have limited Internet access. He didn't want you contesting his decision on my behalf; probably thought the wrong people would start asking questions."

His gaze was intent upon the hand touching him. "I really thought I might have lost you for good, Anna."

You never did, she thought, giving his wrist a squeeze. "How did you even find me, Jack? I figured your father would have done everything to keep my location under wraps from you."

"If he'd had it his way, he would have," he lifted his eyes to hers, "but one of his weaknesses is that he seriously underestimates my resolve. I stopped by your house and spoke with your mom."

Her eyes widened. "You did?" Jack's answering nod had her heart swelling. The day she'd been exiled, they didn't even give her a chance to say goodbye to her family. Once she was escorted out of Gilboa, that was it, and it had been an agonizing few weeks while the Gath embassy processed her paperwork to even allow her telephone contact with them. God, what a relief it had been to hear her mother's voice after all that…

"I needed to see you," he continued, "but she told me what had happened, and provided me with as much information as she could based on her calls with you." He set his jaw, a habit of his when he was feeling defiant. "My father's not the only one with significant influence in the palace; there are those whose loyalties lie strictly with me. It didn't take long for us to track down your location, and as soon as I was able, I came to find you."

"You saw my mom," she all but whispered.

"She misses you; your whole family does."

Sniffling softly, she brought a hand to her lips, feeling the mild sting of tears behind her eyes once again. I miss them all so much…

"He sent you here because of me," he said, recapturing her attention. "Didn't he? Because you know I'm gay."

Beneath her chest, she felt her heart clench. She knew it would have only been a matter of time before the king revealed what he knew about his son, despite the precautions Jack had taken to guard himself at every possible turn. "That's part of it, but the real crux is that he's angry at me for encouraging you to embrace yourself. Who you really are. He justifies it as me tainting his son with my influence, and equates that with treason against the crown."

Seeing the way his lip quivered, and the tears shimmering in his eyes as he lowered his gaze from hers…

Christ. "Jack…if I'd known that he had any idea about—"

He raised a hand to silence her. "This," he rasped, "is not your doing, and I know you would have told me if you could. You have no reason to take the blame for it." He lifted his eyes once more. "Unlike him, you've done nothing but try to protect my heart, and I know that never changed in my absence."

Something about the way he said that—that subtle shift in tone that she'd come to know all too well—had her brow furrowing slightly. "Jack. What else has happened?"

Sighing audibly, he proceeded to tell her about the day's events, and Anna could feel her anger gradually rising with every passing second. From his father's decision to remove him from active duty in the military, to revealing his knowledge and disgust regarding his son's sexuality…and worst of all, the sickening notion that he would never be permitted embrace who he really was if he wished to be king. Calling him nothing more than a disgrace…

Silas, you son of a bitch.

"You should have heard his voice," he sniffed, roughly wiping away the tears that had fallen. "'Numb it with ice,' he said. Essentially bury who I am if I'm to be accepted. I didn't even have to look at him to know how disgusted he was…"

"Hey," she said, reaching over to put her arms around him, "hey."

He didn't object as she pulled him into her embrace, and Anna felt her heart break all over again as he wept against her shoulder. It wasn't the first time she'd comforted Jack in such a manner, nor, she knew, would it be the last. Just when she thought Silas Benjamin couldn't prove himself to be any more of a self-righteous bastard, he managed to surprise her yet again, and she felt a heated surge of protectiveness flair within her heart.

Your son, her mind hissed. How could you do this to your own son?

Hearing him choke on another broken sob, she sighed quietly. "Don't you dare listen to him," she whispered, one hand stroking over his hair. "Ever. You hear me?"

"He did this to get back at me," he said, his voice cracking awfully, "did all this behind my back to protect his own God damn reputation. He knew he could hurt me most by taking it out on you."

"Fat lot of good that did him," she muttered. "I wouldn't care if he exiled me to hell; nothing he says or does is ever going to change my perception of you."

Releasing a trembling exhale, Jack pulled back enough to look at her, and despite how red his eyes were from crying, those blue irises never failed to pierce her to her very core. He gave the barest shake of his head. "How is it…that I can't find acceptance within my own family, and yet I've always found it with you?"

She didn't even hesitate as she cupped his cheek in her hands. "Because God knows you deserve better."

His eyes were shimmering with so much emotion, and it wasn't long before he lifted a hand to gently encircle her wrist. Smiling faintly, Anna pressed a kiss to his forehead, then eased back just enough to rest hers against his. For a time, they remained that way, their steady breathing the only sounds interrupting the quiet of the room. She didn't care how long it took; she'd hold onto him forever if it meant bringing some degree of peace to his heart.

"Can I stay here?" He finally asked, prompting her to pull back further. "Tonight? With you?"

She looked at him sadly. "Jack, that's not—"

"Just for tonight. Please," he brought his hand to her cheek. "I don't want to leave you after just finding you again. Not yet."

His plea sent a pang of sorrow straight into her chest. "I worry about your safety, is all. What if they realize you're here?"

"I'll leave before dawn; before anyone even suspects that I was here. I know my way well enough that I won't be detected. Please," his thumb stroked her skin, "let me stay."

It didn't take much more convincing than that, and soon enough, the two of them were curled up in her bed, Jack's head resting against her chest as she held him to her. Just as they'd done so many times, even after they'd stopped being intimate with one another. Her hand continued to stroke over his hair, and though part of her still worried for him, she resigned herself to give him the reassurance he needed in this moment. God only knew she needed it, too.

"Love you, Anna Leigh," he sighed softly.

She couldn't help but smile. My Jack, she thought, kissing the top of his head, and in the darkness of the room, she waited until Jack's deep, rhythmic breaths indicated his sleeplike state. With a sigh, she finally closed her eyes, focusing on the steady sound as it lulled her further and further into sleep.

She didn't know what time it was when Jack coaxed her out of slumber, his fingers gently drifting across her forehead, but when she opened her eyes, she knew it must have been sometime before dawn. In her tired haze, she could hear him whispering to her, a smile crossing her lips when he solemnly promised that he would see her again.

I know, she thought as he kissed her sweetly, his hand caressing her cheek as Anna settled back against her pillow once more.

When she woke again a few hours later, light was shining through her window, and she knew he was long gone. But not entirely: on her nightstand, she'd found a stack of envelopes that had been left for her, and when she picked them up to inspect them, her eyes filled with tears. They were the letters Jack had written to her while he was serving in the war—sixteen in total. All sent to her home in Gilboa; all unanswered because she'd never known that they'd been sent to her in the first place. No doubt her family feared any repercussions if they attempted to forward royal messages to her, and she couldn't blame them for being cautious. Jack must have gotten them from her mother when he'd stopped to see her.

For much of the morning, Anna took her time reading every single one of them, comforted by Jack's voice in her mind as she read the words he'd written for her eyes only.