I should have expected to see other people's things when I came home... I hadn't even gone as far as to have Autumn move in, but I still wasn't sure how long I'd been gone, it could have been years even, so I didn't exactly blame Sondra. I was just glad our vows still meant something.

Still, I was sick of wearing the school uniform, and it was time to at least gather up my things, if not move back in. "Where did she put my things?" I asked aloud.

Were there four beds, I wondered, or was Sondra sharing hers with another? That made my heart sink. Sex was one thing, but physically falling asleep with another was such a romantic gesture to me, the idea that she would do it every night with another was painful. And the idea that maybe I was the past, and not my replacement, was frightening.

My head jerked up as I heard a cry of frustration. I rushed through the bedroom door and into the main living space, stopping dead in my tracks when I saw a pretty woman with luscious, blue hair. "Uhm, hello, are you a friend of Sondra's?" I cautiously stepped towards her, holding out my hand. I was wearing a loose, green v-neck and a tight fitting pair of jeans.

I, still looking around, held up my hand with my ring on it, "More than friend," With a frustrated sigh, I turned to the girl and took her hand in a shake, "I'm her wife. Linnis Van Ryan."

My eyes widened and my heart skipped a beat. I held her hand. I could feel my jaw dropping and eventually shook my head, regaining my posture. "Her.. Wife? Oh, my..." I sat down on a nearby chair and put my hand to my forehead, worry overtaking my mind. Her wife? Why didn't Sondra tell me? Where has she been this whole time? I shook my head in a self-absorbed way, sweat forming on my body.

Sondra sighed as she walked up the stairs towards her dorm room, dressed in an Egyptian three piece set and a matching pair of cat ears and tail, which was attached via a thin silver chain-link belt. Sondra had been devastated by the loss of her wife Linnis, even if she didn't always let it show. Even she knew in her heart that the promises that they had made each other would remain true, it didn't make it any easier for Sondra to get by without her.

After finally summoning up what strength she had left inside to move on with her life (though not completely; there would forever be a Linnis-shaped hole in her heart that no woman could ever truly fill), she had met Diana and her life had become a little more bearable for her.

But now, Linnis had returned, and suddenly things had started to become...complicated. How was Sondra going to explain things to them both without anyone getting hurt? It was always her biggest concerns, doing or saying something that would deeply hurt a friend or loved one.

The first time Sondra had to worry about this was when she and Linnis had first shared their true feeling for each other. It had been one of the greatest moments in her life, and she could not think of many times where she had been any happier then she was then. But there had been a...problem. Linnis and her Sondra's friend Kim were still lovers at the time. The mere thought of taking Linnis away from one of her oldest and dearest friends had worried Sondra to no end. Fortunately, Kim had been understanding of the situation, and eventually moved on.

But would Diana be so...understanding? And what about Linnis? They had promised each other...made vows to each other before both girls had disappeared. And here Sondra was, sharing her bed with another girl, as if Linnis had been cast aside to make room for another...which couldn't be further from the truth, as far as Sondra was concerned...but would Linnis feel the same way?

"Why do I end up in these situations?" Sondra muttered as she finally made it up the stairs. "Am I cursed...or am I just plain stupid?" Walking the last few feet to her room, Sondra spotted both Linnis and Diana in the main living area of the dorm room and stopped dead in her tracks.

Ok, this was getting awkward. Both girls were here in the room with her, and Sondra had not yet worked up the courage to have 'the big talk' with either one. Glancing nervously at both girls, she said, "Um, hi, guys...di-did I catch you ladies at a bad time?"

((Gotta go, ladies...meeting up with my folks...will post again either later tonight or tomorrow.))

"I see..." I nodded to the girl, and when Sondra walked in, I took her in an embrace to show I wasn't really mad before going off on my semi-hurt tangent. "You know, I'd be a terrible person to hold moving on against you, but you told me about Meru... you didn't think the whole 'I'm married, but my wife is playing sex-rag-doll to scary monsters for a few months and I need someone to keep me warm at night', talk was an important one to have?" I took a deep breath, "Unless, of course, the reason you never told her is that you found something better, and were hoping I wouldn't come back... if that's true, maybe I should go back to being a Takasei so you and her can have your life together..."

"Don't say that. I'm sure Sondra still aches for you. Its just.. I'm wandering why she didn't tell me who you are or that you even existed. But, I'm sure you have your reasons, Sondra." I stand up, raising my hand to my forehead again and head for the door, sighing to myself as I pass Sondra and her wife.

"Great... I ruined things for oyu and your new lover..." I sighed and sat down, "I was better off as a rag doll or whatever I've been for all this time... at least then I wasn't destroying what little happiness you have."

I frowned and turned around, angrily glaring at the girl. "Don't you dare say that. Although I admit I love Sondra, that doesn't mean that more then one person can't. Would you stop being such a selfish whore and get over yourself? Sondra was hurt, as anyone would be if they'd lost the one they love." My eyebrows furrowed and planted my feet in the ground.

I stood, angrily, "Maybe she found something better in you? Did you ever consider that? Maybe I came back and am in her way now? Maybe you and her are better together? Before you call me a selfish whore, why don't you appreciate what you have, because a moment with Sondra should be one of the best of your life."

"I couldn't agree with you more! But I'm a grown woman and I know what the right decision is. Sondra, I love you with all my heart, but I can only imagine the connections you have with her and the reason that you married. So because I love you and because I am mature enough to accept it, I..." I take a deep breath and let out a long-drawn sigh. "I won't argue and accept the fact that Linnis is your true lover. Every marriage, unofficial or not, requires vows. And I would be the most terrible person in this world if I forced you to break them." I sniffed slightly and turned towards the door.

I went from angry to remorseful almost instantly, "She doesn't have to...."

I raised my hand to quiet her. I lowered it and sighed again. "You'll have to trust me when I say I'm mature enough to know when to back down." I turned towards the door again and began walking down the hallway, heading towards the stairs.

((:shock: Holy shit! Eight posts, and I've only been gone seven hours? Yikes, I sure got some catching up to do...))

Alright, now this was getting out of hand. Sondra opened her mouth to speak several times, but was unable to get a word in as the two angry women went back and forth. There were moments where she actually managed to say a few words, but they went unheard as things started heating up between Linnis and Diana.

And then Diana left. Sondra went to stop her, but she was already out of sight, and there was still Linnis to deal with.

Sondra's whole body was shaking uncontrollably, and she felt as if she was going to pass out at any moment. This was Sondra's worst fear come true, and it was all her fault. If only she had waited just a little longer, none of this would have happened.

Diana would have found somebody else to love...someone who loved her, and only her...Someone she could count on not to break her heart. Sondra only hoped that Diana finds somebody who will be able to help mend her broken heart, and treat her the way she deserved to be treated.

And Linnis...Linnis would have been able to come home to her wife, without having to find out that there had been another woman, and life would have been perfect again.

But, no...Sondra, the only true selfish whore in the room, just couldn't wait that long...and in her selfishness, she had hurt not one, but two very special women that she cared for very deeply. Neither Diana nor Linnis deserved to be treated the way that she had treated them, and perhaps they were both better off without her.

Sondra collapsed onto the floor, folded her arms on her knees and hung her head down low in shame, a long drawn out sigh escaping her lips as she stared down at the ground.

"What a fool I am...Diana was wrong in calling you a selfish whore, Linny. If anyone here's a selfish whore, it's me. I've been too wrapped up in my own wants and needs to even consider the feelings anyone else but my own. You kept your vows...you waited for me like you promised...you stayed faithful when you had plenty opportunities to find someone else. But not me...Selfish, weak-willed me had to go and ruin everything...when all I had to do was wait, hoping and preying that it would only be a little longer before you came back."

"A horrible, selfish little bitch like myself doesn't deserve you, Linny. You are the sweetest, most wonderful woman I have ever met. And me...what do I have to offer? Empty promises...broken vows...cowardice...selfishness...I could go on and on. I had the most incredible wife that anyone could ever hope for...I had the greatest life that anyone could ever ask for, and I blew it."

"Through my careless actions, I have caused you more hurt than anyone should ever go through. Nothing I say can justify the things I've done...Nothing I can do to make things right. I would give anything to take it all back...to restore things to the way they were before this all happened. But I can't, can I?"

Sondra sighed once more. "Some wife I turned out to be. Maybe you should find yourself a better partner, Linny. At least then you might find someone who'd treat you right and give you the love and respect that you truly deserve."

"Stop it right now!" I almost screamed at her. I'd never rose my voice to her before, so it would likely have plenty of impace, "You stop it right now! Everyone has flaws, but you deserve every moment of happiness we share."

After a few deep breaths to calm myself, I continued, "Sondra, I know why you did it, and it isn't beause your selfish... it's her. Not that girl there, but the one who was with you before. The one from years ago... Meru had never come home. Meru never came back, and so you expected me to do the same. To just stay away."

"No one can just stay away from you, Sondra... I bet even still, once in a while, wherever she is, her thoughts turn to you as yours do to her... but some people od come back. You just were so used to losing someone, you held no hope."

I looked away form her, since this was the only part that wasn't totally supporting her, "Yes, you should have trusted me, you should have waited and believed that I'd fulfill my promise, but Meru never did, so why should you expect any better from me?"