Wings of Fire: Legend of the OmeletWings

Reunion

Em stared at Summit sprawled on the floor, her breath still caught in her throat. Summit had come, he'd found her.

Why? Why had he come to her? She'd told him. She didn't deserve him. He shouldn't be here.

Em pushed back the tears she felt beginning to pool in her eyes, and instead climbed out of bed with her blanket still wrapped delicately around her, dragging on the floor behind her as she slowly approached Summit.

Finally, she stopped a few paces away from him. "What are you doing here?" she asked, fighting back the choke in her voice. She wanted to get closer to him, she wanted to hug him, but she couldn't bring herself to get any nearer.

"Em," Summit said, pulling himself to his talons, trying to explain himself, "I know what you said, I know you don't think you're worth it, but I couldn't leave you like that. I couldn't leave you thinking you were like that."

Embryo couldn't keep the cracking out of her voice now, it was all she could do not to cry, "You don't understand, I am like that! Look at me? What do you see? That's all I am! This is all I am!" Em wanted to go on about all she'd done, how she'd betrayed the whole continent, but she couldn't, she couldn't go on explaining without breaking.

"Em," begged Summit, looking at her, "Please..." He didn't know what else to say, he knew there was something deep inside him, some truth he knew about Embryo that he had to get out, to make her understand, but he couldn't find the words to say it. "Listen," he said finally, "Maybe this is all there is to you, but it's still you."

"But what does that mean?" Em flustered, "It doesn't mean anything; how could it? Summit, please, look at me, how could you see anything special in this? Summit... Please... Why can't you just see me for what I am?"

Summit looked at her, what did he see? Why did he see her the way he did? "I don't know," He admitted finally, "I don't know what I see in you, but I see it all the same, I can't not see it, no matter how hard I try. When I look at you, I see you, and I can't help but love you."

Em went silent. She knew he meant it; he did love her. But why? "I know you love me," Em admitted out loud, "But why? How could you see all this in me and still love me?"

"I don't know. I don't know." Summit bowed his head before looking back up at her with renewed assurance, "But I do. You're the one I wanted to see the world with, you're the one I want at my side for the rest of my life. You're the one I'd want to be with to settle down and start a family with..."

Summit stopped, noticing Em's face drop. He realized his mistake too late.

"I understand." Em took a slow step back. What little hope she had sparked in her heart instantly died out.

"No, I'm sorry, I didn't mean..." Summit stopped, he didn't know what he meant, did he really...

"No, it's okay, I understand." Embryo looked away; she didn't know why she should have expected anything else from someone who liked her. "You want to choose me, you want to start a family together - it's an honor, really - you just don't realize the hard job you'll never have to understand. You only see the beauty of laying eggs, you don't realize how lucky you are to be you."

Summit looked at her; he knew he'd messed up, but he couldn't leave it there, he had to continue. "Em, I mean, I do love you... And it's true I want to spend the rest of my life with you... I mean, I'd love to start a family..." Summit, he held his breath, trying to find the next words... "but I also want you to be happy. If you never want to have another egg in your entire life, I want to support you."

"I can't not lay eggs even if I wanted to," Em said finally, "that's not how I work." Embryo seethed her blanket with her talons, trying to let herself feel it's comforting texture, the only comfort she dared to hope for at this point. "You might as well take it, that's what I have to offer."