Early Morning Day 3
Tarv'renon's Apartment

Smiling in his sleepy-half waked state, Th'rin reached for Tarv's warm body
.. only to find emptiness. A disappointed pout crossed his face and he
opened his eyes trying to let his eyes adjust to the blackness. The candle
which had been lighting the room during their love-making had gone out, and
it was dark.

Knowing Tarv, he was probably getting something to eat to replenish his
energy. Th'rin grinned .. not a bad idea. "Tarv? Are you making sandwiches?"
He called as he rolled out of bed and felt his way to the door of the
bedroom.

Tarv'renon groaned and clamped a hand quickly over Merissa's mouth before
she could say a word. "I... I'll be there in a minute."

<DAMN!> he cursed, causing Murkash to respond with a chuckle at his rider's
lack of wisdom. That was the last thing he wanted was for Th'rin to wake up.
How, how was he going to explain *this*?

"It's okay, I'm coming. I'm starved!" Th'rin chuckled as he found the
hallway and a dim trail of light coming from the living room.

Merissa felt a cold shiver down her spine.  <*What was I thinking?  Was
there someone else here?*>  Merissa called to Chrysthal.

<*Of course there is, why shouldn't Tarv'renon have other lovers?>... but
any other wise words that her dragon might have imparted were lost to her as
Merissa's eyes opened wide in shock as a very familiar, naked form appeared
in the hall doorway.

Panic wracked through the larger male rider. He felt like his whole world
was falling apart in one brief moment. Tarv'renon dropped his hand from
Merissa's pretty mouth, feeling as naked as Th'rin as the mated pair gawked
at one another and, then back at Tarv'renon, their eyes filled in disbelief.
His cheeks burned and he wished nothing better than to just disappear. Oh,
how he wished he had Xanthia's ability to become suddenly oblivious of the
situation.

Th'rin was so shocked to see Merissa, he completely forgot his own
nakedness.. or the plainness of his escapades of the evening. "M.. m..
Merissa?" Her lips and cheeks were pink with the glow of beginning passion
.. as were Tarv's .. He looked back and forth between the two, his mind not
wanting to accept what was so clear.

"Th'rin?"  Merissa whispered, "What... what are you doing here?"

<What do I do???> Tarv'renon despaired, to which the brown replied, <The
truth usually works best...>

"I could be asking you the same thing!" Th'rin retorted, still not sure how
he should be feeling at the moment. Guilty for getting caught.. or angry at
catching her!  His hazel eyes fell on Tarv, "Perhaps you should explain ..
to both of us."

Tarv bravely stood up, his knees shaking, as he said, "I think it's time for
the truth... The truth is, I love the both of you. Just... differently...
for obvious reasons. And..." Tarv'renon squirmed,  "I think perhaps the same
could be said of the two of you. Though... maybe I'm just flattering
myself." He looked down insecurely.

Merissa's dark eyes turned to deep pools of emotion.  "Oh, Tarv!  How can
you doubt?"  Then she looked at the man she had named as her mate...
"Th'rin.. why didn't you just tell me??  When... from the mating flight?
Oh, how foolish I've been!"  Merissa's tears began to fall, pulling at the
heartstrings of her two lovers.  Both moved as one to comfort the sobbing
queenrider.

"I'm so sorry Merissa .." Th'rin said his arm going around both her and
Tarv, as the other man moved toward her as well. "I just .. well I wasn't
sure how I felt about Tarv and me." His eyes turned liquid as he looked at
Tarv, "Not about my feelings for you .. But about the fact that you were a
man .. You know what I mean?" he asked.

"Yeah... I understand. Please understand, I never *planned* on this. Never
had I dreamed that the mating flight would end up the way it did, or that
you and I, Th'rin would grow close. Least of all did I expect to fall in
love with both you, Th'rin, and you, Merissa."

"That is your father talking!"  Merissa chided Thr'in, gently.  Then she
looked with new eyes at her lover.  Tarv'renon had been good for her and her
feelings for him had grown strong.  "But... what do we do now?"

"Well, Murkash suggests honesty. And..." Tarv'renon offered boldly, "doesn't
see a problem with our just continuing openly sharing each other."

Th'rin looked back and forth between the two, until his eyes settled on
Merissa and looked intensely into her eyes, "You are my mate, Merissa.  I
could never be happy without you.  But I've come to realize that there is a
part of me that you can't satisfy. I tried so hard not to go to him,
Merissa. But I've found that I can't be happy without him either .." He
shook his head, "I wouldn't know how to go about giving one of you up."

"How can you... how can... any of us?"  Merissa blinked back her tears as
she sniffled.  Then she groaned, "OOO My Mother!  What will she think?"

Tarv couldn't help but chuckle, "What does she think of anything you do?"

Th'rin smiled at her softly, "Well I think you know what I think about what
your mother thinks .." he shrugged, "I just want to be happy again. And I
want you happy .. and you .."

"I agree. I want both of you happy. It's just tore me up, the two of you
fighting."

Merissa glanced at the shared look between Th'rin and Tarv.  The amount of
intimacy that it spoke of caused her a moment's twinge of jealousy.  Yet,
that was swiftly washed away with an even greater sense of awe.  She loved
these two men... and they had also somehow managed to find each other.

<Which is what I have been trying to tell you, but do you listen to me?>
Chrysthal's smug tone infused Merissa's feelings with a tinge of guilt.

"I don't know how I'm feeling right now, to be honest," Merissa whispered,
"just perhaps relieved that it is all... out."

Th'rin nodded at her, "It's been pure hell trying to keep everything from
you Merissa .. "

<See? Now wasn't that easy?>  Areena interjected, <And now Tarv..?>

Th'rin nodded, ".. and worse hell trying to cover up how much I loved Tarv
.. when I wasn't supposed to.  I am sorry for lying.. can you forgive me?"
he put out a hand to touch Tarv's cheek, "Can you forgive us?"

"What is there to forgive? I'm as guilty as anyone else... "

Merissa chuckled ruefully, "And you would have had no guilt if you'd just
come to me and told me the truth, Th'rin... but you didn't answer me?  Has
this been since the mating flight?  You did... even though you wouldn't
admit it!  Th'rin you know I wouldn't have cared!  It was a mating flight!"
Her eyes searched those of her lovers.

Th'rin nodded, "The mating flight was the start of it all .. the beginning
of my awakening so to speak. I owe that all to Tarv." He shrugged, "I wish
I'd been strong enough then to admit the truth .. to both of you."

"Please..." Tarv begged, "That's in the past. It's done.  Mistakes have been
made all around.  My only regret is that we didn't trust enough to be honest
earlier."

Merissa nodded, her understanding now complete, and her curiosity sated,
"Yes, Tarv's right, as he usually is!"  Her eyes sparkled warmly as she
gazed at the larger man.  She stood, joining the two men who were already on
their feet.  Her head only brushed the hairs of their chests, yet her arms
were strong as she gathered them both for a warm embrace.

Th'rin reveled in the dual touch, his heart nearly exploding with happiness.
"So does this mean we can make up?"

"Oh!  I wish we'd never fought!  Forgive me?"  Merissa cried, kissing Th'rin
passionately.

Tarv'renon pulled away, suddenly feeling like a third wheel, "I'll go make
us some sandwiches."

"Oh, no you don't!"  Merissa giggled and made a grab for him... but it was
Th'rin's longer reach that snagged the other man.

Th'rin reached out and grabbed Tarv's arm, "Wait," he said as Tarv came to
him without a fight. He reached up and pulled Tarv's head to his kissing
him, "I think we should all .. share .."

"Wha!?!" Tarv'renon exclaimed as the two grabbed him and pulled  him closer.
His cheeks burned uncomfortably. But yet the notion was strangely appealing.

Th'rin's eyes burned with a renewed passion, "We were all guilty in this ..
we should all share in the making up .."

"Heh... That'll work for me!" Tarv chuckled, his body already responding to
being in contact with both the people he loved the most in this world.

Overbalancing, the three tumbled down onto the couch.  Mouths and hands
found another's flesh and for a moment it didn't really seem to matter whose
was whose.

Chrysthal moved over and made room for the returning opalescent dragon and
the larger brown male, and the three dragons settled down on her ledge for a
long, enjoyable night.

****
Respectfully submitted by
Arlene Jacobs
AKA Merissa, warrenlady, rider of Chrysthal
and
Kris Gant
AKA Th'rin, rider of Areena
and
Morgan Allgood
AKA Tarv'renon and Murkash


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