�Did Feck enjoy our little gift?� Aulaire asked. Sophian could hear the smirk in his voice.

�Yes, sir. He said the shipment of guns would be quite useful, and that you would be richly rewarded for your generosity.�

�Good, good. Perhaps they will assist him in his war against the Force. The damned meddlers have it coming to them��

Sophian barely registered the sound of retreating footsteps. He had paled, his fingers gripping the wardrobe so tightly his knuckles were white. An insidious, vicious little thought had crept into his mind and grabbed it with icy fingers of doubt. He was part of the Malliux family � everyone knew that. And the Malliux family was closely allied with the Malcion. The Force knew that. And Ciaran� worked for the Force.

The half elf stumbled to the bed and sat down hard on the edge. Goddess� He only wants to get close to the family� He doesn�t care about me at all� He�s just using me to get to them� Oh, Goddess� I should have known� He buried his face in his hands, fingers fisted in his hair. He should have known. Hot tears of betrayal stung his eyes before escaping to slide down his cheeks. I hate you, Ciaran Kemennaur. I hate you�

Grief turned into a slow-burning anger as he sat there. You bastard� I trusted you! Gods, how could I be so stupid? He�s probably curled up with DeLeena right now, planning what to do when they get close enough to my family to destroy them. I�m sure they�re rejoicing they had such a cooperative contact� Well, I won�t cooperate anymore. Raising his head, he swept his hair back from his face, jaw set. He briefly considered abandoning his appointment with Ciaran today, but rejected the idea. He would meet him, and let him know in no uncertain terms that he was through being the Force�s little tool. Through being Ciaran�s tool.

A half hour later found him groomed, dressed, and looking stunning. A last glance in the mirror, then he trotted downstairs, mentally rehearsing what he would say when he saw the elf. For once, no kind thoughts for the Irish swordsman entered his mind, and he continued to seethe as he stalked down familiar avenues. He and Ciaran had planned to meet at the fountain today � fitting; the place they had first met as friends would also be the place where they parted.

Ciaran was already there, and as Sophian approached, the elf�s face broke into a smile that seemed to light the whole square. The half elf�s resolve wavered. He looked so trustworthy. Ciaran wouldn�t lie to him, right? And� how could he abandon forever the man he loved? But then he remembered. Ciaran didn�t love him in return, and never would. He was simply a means to an end. His jaw tightened again.

Ciaran rose to meet him, and reached to touch his shoulder. Sophian jerked out of reach, pale eyes hard as ice. His companion stopped, a look of confusion crossing his angular features. �Sophi� What�s wrong?�

�Don�t� Don�t �Sophi� me.� Goddess, didn�t that sound trite? �I�m not going to play your little game anymore, Ciaran Kemennaur. I�m through letting you use me.� He squared his shoulders, his chin held high, hauteur hiding his breaking heart.

Now Ciaran looked even more nonplussed. �U-use you? Sophi, what are you talking about?�

�Don�t play stupid!� the other spat. �You�re just using me to get at my stepfather because he�s connected to the Malcion. I�m just a tool to you. You never cared about me!� His eyes burned, and he struggled to fight down the tears. He would not cry.

Ciaran�s expression went from puzzlement, to realization, to dismay in a heartbeat, and again he reached for Sophian�s arm. �Oh, Goddess, Sophi, no! That�s not it at all! Please, Sophi, listen to me!� Sophian had started to back away, but Ciaran gently grabbed his wrist. The half elf submitted to the grip, but reluctantly. The Hunter took a deep breath. �Yes, Headquarters wanted to use you to get close to your family.� His captive stiffened all over again, and Ciaran was quick to continue. �But I wouldn�t let them. I couldn�t stand the thought of hurting you like that. You�re my best friend, Sophian, and I could never betray you like that. Please� you have to believe me�� Coffee-brown eyes gazed deep into Sophian�s pale green, pained and entreating.

He sounded so sincere, Sophian couldn�t help but trust what he said. �But� but why would they listen to you?� he asked helplessly, still fearing treachery.

Ciaran smiled wryly. �I have no idea,� he replied softly. �But they did, and they left me alone when it came to you.�

The hoary-maned youth gave him a sideways glance. �What if I�m using you? Maybe I�m just getting close to you so I can betray you to the Malcion��

His friend actually laughed. �You don�t expect me to believe that, do you? Sophi, the hatred you feel for your family can�t be feigned. And you wouldn�t do that to me. I know. I know you better than anyone else does.�

Sophian sighed, finally defeated, and offered a tremulous smile. �I�m sorry, Ciaran. I didn�t mean to get so angry� It�s just��

�Shh�� Ciaran silenced him with a gentle finger plied to his lips. Sophian�s stomach did a flip-flop. �It�s all right. You had every reason to be suspicious. And really�� He chuckled richly. �I�m surprised it took you this long to confront me about it.�

Laughing, Sophian ran his fingers through his hair. �Well, I have this nasty habit of trusting anybody who doesn�t have something to do with my family. It�s a failing of mine.�

The elf smiled and briefly touched his cheek, saying softly, �I don�t think it�s a failing at all. It�s a rare gift. Just� be careful. I�d never forgive myself if someone really did betray you��

Sophian�s heart swelled with love for the other man, and he allowed himself a moment of freedom. Throwing his arms about Ciaran�s waist, he hugged the Hunter with all the strength in his slender body. �Thank you,� he whispered, �for caring so much�� He was only mildly surprised when Ciaran returned the embrace just as firmly.

A moment passed, then another, and the spell was broken. Sophian stepped back, smiling up into his friend�s eyes, and his heart did a back flip as the smile was returned. Just then, he remembered what had triggered the entire messy argument, and stepped back. �Cia, I overheard my father saying that he just sent Feck a shipment of new weapons � guns, he said, but I�m not sure what type.�

Ciaran looked at him thoughtfully for a moment before nodding with a smile. �I�ll be sure to tell Deacon about it when I get back. It should pose much of a problem, but thanks for the information.� Sophian beamed as the elf continued. �Well, now that we�ve got that little crisis out of the way, how about we get going? We were going Christmas shopping today, remember?�

The younger boy�s eyes lit. �That�s right! I still have to get yours, plus the mandatory tokens for the family.� Now those pale orbs rolled in derision. �As if they need more stuff. Honestly.�

Laughing, the Hunter draped a comfortable arm around his companion�s shoulders and steered him away from the fountain. As they headed towards the shops, the first feathery snowflakes began to fall.