He wasn't sure what he had been expecting from the reunion with Aranea, but perhaps he had at least wanted something more enthusiastic to the surprise. She seemed happy enough to see their children, but distracted and distant when it came to himself. The father in him was just happy that the three children he had brought were given time to see their mother and that was enough to silence any uncomfortable tension he felt as they got acquainted with the castle and shared a meal with Aranea after their long trip here. He remained quiet for the most part, only letting a smile and his calm presence shine through around their children and any of the other pack members they might happen to meet as they took their tour and got settled.

However, the fact that one scent in particular clung to her fur above the collective scents of The Hallows hadn't escaped him and it was a fact that he was careful to keep in the very back of his mind throughout the day so that he wouldn't dwell on it too much and ruin what was intended to be a pleasant day. It wasn't until after the children were tucked away in the spare room for the night with their door closed and he was similarly closed away in Aranea's room that he felt like he could finally address the unexpected tension and evidence that was plain as day in front of him. Allegro found a place to sit toward the middle of the room, the pale glow of moonlight coming through the window giving them plenty of light to see by in the space.

There were so many things he wanted to say, none of them sounding entirely pleasant as he practiced them in his own head. "I missed you," he finally admitted after a long pause of heavy silence. He fully expected to not receive that same feeling in return, but it was one of the only things he could think to say that didn't feel cutting and accusatory. Though he wondered to himself if there was any reason to pull punches or be kind. He couldn't even bring himself to look her in the eye, instead looking toward the ground between them. "Just... Just tell me who it is. At least tell me his name." Who stole you from us?

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Aranea had felt her own tension throughout the day though she spent most of her energy and her efforts into her children, leaving Allegro on the sidelines in her mind. She wanted to avoid him, if not for the thought of Ulric lurking around somewhere she didn’t want Allegro to look into her eyes and see what would hurt him. But because she had practically ignored him all day, she wasn’t keen to see that he had noticed her tension. She couldn’t really keep on with her charades any longer once they were behind her closed door. Even as much as she wanted to. Her gentle eyes came to meet his after what felt like an eternity when he spoke. She felt a relief when doing so, when her eyes could follow his. "I missed you too..." It wasn’t a lie, in fact it might have even been an excuse. Not that she was so willing to just confess what she had been doing for the last season or so. She couldn’t hide the disappointment on her face and pulled back ears as Allegro said what came next. But she didn’t really know what to say in response. Calling Ulric out didn’t feel right to her. Was Allegro going to make a scene? Threaten Ulric? It wasn’t his fault. It wasn’t either of their faults. "Allegro, I-" She kept her gaze to his, stepping forward towards him. After avoiding looking at him all day, she didn't want to break her gaze even if he chose not to look at her. "I'm sorry..." Sorry for what she had done? Sorry she couldn't give him a name? All of it. She was just sorry. She didn't know what else to say. All she wanted to do was not make him feel the way he was feeling. And she knew she was to blame, but she tried her hardest not to acknowledge that it was at least in her mind. Walk "Talk" Think

His ears flicked back and he turned his head away from her when she said that she had missed him as well, feeling as if he had been hit. It look all of his self control to not immediately feel defensive and shoot back with questions and accusations as all of that built up frustration that he had been suppressing in her absence started to come to the surface. Perhaps the worst part was that he couldn't even make himself feel angry. He knew that most men if put in the same situation would be furious, would lash out, would want to go after whoever this male she had been with.... but he didn't. He just felt... disappointed. Rejected. Angry with himself for not seeing this coming or for not seeking her out sooner. He wanted to know what this other man could give her that he couldn't.

His ear flicked toward her when she spoke his name and moved toward him, though he still refused to turn his gaze toward her until he heard her apology. He glanced up at her then for a moment, their blue eyes catching and making his stomach twist with emotion until he finally had to look down at the floor again. He noticed how she refused to give him a name, though he didn't ask for it again. He didn't even know why he wanted to know. Some part of him felt that if he could just know who it was it would seal that final nail in the coffin for him. It would be something tangible to make it feel more real instead of something his weak heart might try to deny. But when she didn't deny his accusation and only apologized he knew what he had guessed was real. Her time away from them wasn't just because of the weather or distance, though he still held some strange hope that it was at least a factor and not that she just didn't feel the same about him that he had for her.

He was quiet for a moment longer, his ears pinned back against his skull as he felt like he was shrinking back into himself. He still didn't know what he wanted to say, but the words came anyway without wanting them to. He tried to look up at her then, though he couldn't hold her gaze for long. "I thought I... Did you not... I..." he stumbled over his own words, partial sentences sunning together into one another as his thoughts raced and jumbled. He gave a hard shake of his head and got up, walking over to the window just to put a bit more space between them.

Allegro spoke quietly as he looked out the window, looking at but not really taking in the view. "Did I... Did I do something wrong? Was I not... enough?"

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She almost couldn’t contain herself as he struggled, his broken words felt like needles  to her heart. She wasn’t as prepared for this as she thought. But maybe that’s because when it came down to it, she thought she would have chosen Allegro over Ulric. Unfortunately that was not true now that she was standing here. His last wonder was the final blow, even if there was more he wanted to say. Because out of it all, she didn’t want him to think so. "Allegro, please don’t feel that way." Her eyes stung as they watered a little, not wanting to have hurt him in this way. It was worse that she couldn’t have even hid it from him since he showed up on the borders, how could she not have been stronger or wiser just for that? She took a step closer to him as he had stepped away prior, and she hesitated before giving in more, "Please come here."  She almost begged, closing the space between them. She wanted to push herself into his chest, let him give in to her. She had deprived him of so many things and threw in the mighty betrayal. With or without his embrace, she would continue, "I’m not right Allegro. There was nothing you could have done to change what happened." Walk "Talk" Think

Allegro couldn't imagine not feeling how he currently felt, even as Aranea pleaded for him not to. He fought back the tears that welled up into his vision and squeezed at his throat as he wrestled with himself. Somehow he seemed to be incapable of throwing blame at anyone but himself. Logically he knew she was the one who had left him alone with their children, had been with this other man, and caused this divide, but no matter how much he would have liked to give himself any sort of slack he just couldn't. He couldn't even manage to blame the other male in the situation, whoever he was. He didn't know if it was her who had initiated the tryst or the other way around, but either way he only could imagine he had himself to blame.

He wouldn't move as she begged him to come to her, instead glancing away from her as she drew closer. Feeling her chest press to his hurt as much as a jab to the gut, but he couldn't force himself to pull away. The force of his own heart break felt like it was squeezing the air out of his lungs and made him feel as though he might implode under the pressure of his own emotions. He was quiet and still kept his head turned away from her as she spoke, still insisting that she was at fault and there was nothing that he could have done. That statement stung more than she probably intended for it to and it made him feel as if all the effort he had put in to keeping some semblance of a family life together for the children was all for nothing. He had done his best to keep them in good spirits so that whenever Aranea did come back into their lives she would be able to seamlessly join in on the family that she had left behind. Instead he felt like she had never intended on joining the family that he had raised without her and all the lonely nights he had spent without her were wasted.

He finally forced himself to turn his gaze to hers and his mismatched ears flicked back again, distraught pain lingering in his expression. "I thought... You said you just needed more time. I thought you might still..." Might still come to live with them in Abaven? That had been a pipe dream from the very beginning. He should have known that would never happen, but he still held out hope for ages and had only just recently begun to realize that it likely wasn't going to happen. He never breathed a word of his doubts to the pups though - he never did anything to tarnish her name in front of them... and look where that had gotten him. He sighed and looked away from her again, his voice barely a whisper as he added, "I don't... I don't understand... I... I loved you..."

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Him thinking that she wanted to live in Abaven with him and their children was not a fairy tale, no matter how much he was going to convince himself that it would never happen. Maybe it was true that it wasn’t, but that was never her intention. Her own betrayal made her crave what she did, more than she loved her children. And it was devastating to her that she let this happen and made him feel this way. What she was doing was just as bad as Tyranis leaving her, if not worse. But a part of her almost wanted to say that she never told Allegro they were steady, they hadn’t declared themselves mates or prepared for a marriage. But she wouldn’t speak of word of it, there was no sense in beating a dead horse. He loved her... not a thought, he had. Even if it was past tense or what, Aranea’s own heart shriveled to the thought. She wanted to tell him she did too, now or before. She wanted to say anything to turn him around, but what would that do? Wouldn’t she just end up back with Ulric and put another bullet in Allegro’s head? Or maybe not even Ulric, someone else? She didn’t want to give him any more false hope because she didn’t know what would happen next. For her, for Allegro. She wanted to just back it up and make it so he wouldn’t find out, but not so she could undo what happened. Her paw curled around his forearm trying to pull him in to her, not that there was any success in doing so. "I said I’m not right. I should have seen this coming long before all of this. Doing this to you was never my intent. And I can’t even tell you how sorry I am." As much as she didn’t want to blame herself, she knew she had to. Even as Allegro may have refused to believe that, if he had been closer he could have prevented her from being with another man. He couldn’t have. "There was another man, before you. I wasn’t even sure the pups were yours. Had it not been for Balthier..." Was she making it worse? She didn’t know. But she was trying to explain to Allegro, wanting to beat into his head that he wasn’t to blame. Not that she would open up to Ulric in this way. Walk "Talk" Think

He felt like he had been a fool. The more she apologized for how she was the more that felt like it was true. The final blow came in the news that he hadn't been the only one, that there had been someone else before him. That she hadn't been sure that the pups were his, not till they were born. He didn't know what to think any more. He felt like he had been deceived, but only by himself. He had never stopped to consider the fact that she had given herself to him with just barely knowing him. He had never considered the possibility that he was living in a one sided existence or that he had been so naive to think that he could ever help her or fix her. All he had ever wanted to do since the day they met was help her and now he felt like he could only blame himself for not seeing any of this sooner.

If all of that was true, then why did he still crave to make things right? To give their children the family they deserved and somehow make their mother part of their lives? He almost loathed himself for even considering any of that as a possibility after all of this information had come to light, but those pups in the next room over meant more to him than his own life. He was quiet for a while as he considered all of this, his thoughts racing and impossible to keep up with. He looked down at her with a heavy sigh, still heart broken but begrudgingly accepting of the fact that he had read every interaction they had been through incorrectly. He gave in to the paw that was hooked around his foreleg and lifted it to gently drape across her shoulders, holding her there as he considered her for a moment.

"They need you," he said softly nodding toward the wall across the room that separated them from their children. "If... If you have any desire to be in their lives, please, just... Come back to Abaven with us. I won't breathe a word of any of this to them, we'll agree that it was only the weather that kept you away." He swallowed back his own fractured pride and confidence, fighting with himself as he tried to ignore how nice it was to have her back in his arms again. "I want them to have a family. I can't keep... I don't want to keep doing this on my own. I can if I must, but..." He sighed, his ears flicking back uncertainly. "They deserve better. And... And I'm lonely without you."

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Aranea gently pushed her head into Allegro's chest as he lightly embraced her, it made her feel better that he had given in to her even though nothing was really resolved. Allegro was still beyond hurt, and there was little Aranea could do to change that right now. The mending he needed was more than one hour, one night, or one season. She could feel a few stray tears fall as he spoke. Everything he said was true. Her children needed her, she wanted to be in their lives, they deserved better. They deserved better than her, she thought. And surprisingly she didn't feel that hurt from her own visions. But what Allegro was saying made her feel like she was failing them, and the feeling of betrayal she made him feel, those things were what made her tears fall. "Allegro, I-" She didn't know exactly what to say. No? Reject him? Say goodbye to her children forever? She didn't want to do any of it, but she didn't want to leave Ulric either. "Okay." She finally exhaled after a moment of silence, pulling her face back to look into Allegro's eyes. They still watered at the rims, maybe even a tear fell as she looked at him. She made a pause before continuing, like the rush of emotion through her submission was too much. "But I can't leave with you. There are things I need to take care of, things you can't be here for." She had to say goodbye to Ulric, and she didn't want Allegro to be here for that. For him to be present while she gave him a last night, or even for him to just know who Ulric was, she didn't want that. And it wouldn't be right for their children either to see her with another man, especially if Allegro didn't want to sour their emotions. Walk "Talk" Think

He hated how much he loved the feeling of her head on his chest and how it felt to finally hold her again. He hated that he felt so dependent on her when it didn't seem she was the same toward him. But, all the same, it was a relief when she agreed that she would come to live with them. He didn't really know if their relationship was salvageable at this point, but he was happy for their children. He was happy that he wouldn't be the only one responsible for their well being. Perhaps with enough time he could rebuild a bit of trust with her and at least feel amicable and allow himself to feel some of that connection that he felt with her again.

However, when he heard her "but" what hope he had allowed himself to begin feeling in that momentary silence fell away. She couldn't leave with them. He already knew what she meant when she mentioned things she needed to take care of first and it was hard to not feel disappointed, though he couldn't say he was surprised. He knew he needed to stop letting himself feel hopeful for anything until it proved to be true. "Alright," he agreed reluctantly. Silently he already began preparing himself for the possibility that she would never show and that more promises would be broken. This time he wouldn't go looking for her though - this was her chance, her one free ride for everything that had happened between them before now. He was willing to welcome her with open arms and wipe the slate clean once she crossed into Abaven, but only this one time. There was only so much more he could take.

He was quiet for a moment as he studied her face and wished that they could turn back the clock to the night that they had first enjoyed each other. Things had felt so simple and thrilling then. It had been the first time he had felt wanted or attractive to anyone and some small part of him wished that he had never indulged in that feeling because now he knew that he was missing. "I really have missed you," he said softly, his voice barely a whisper as he brought a gentle paw up to her cheek, brushing his claws through the fur there tenderly.

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His unsure agreement meant little to her, his lack of trust wasn’t disheartening. He had a right to feel that way, a reason. She had after all told him before that she wasn’t against moving to Abaven. But now it would be heartbreaking for her to leave The Hallows. "I’ll be right behind you."  She didn’t even want to ask Allegro if she could have both, him and Ulric, their distance would make it impossible for her to have both of them. And she wouldn’t have wanted that long going distance between them. She would have rather wanted one of them to find someone else to fill the void, it would be too harmful for her to want both. Allegro pulled his claws through the fur on her cheek, she looked up at him still with a saddening, for him. Her face pushed lightly into his paw and her eyes fluttered gently. She only stood there a moment with his touch before her muzzle slowly reached up to his. She wouldn’t say it, but it didn’t feel right. She wasn’t entirely sure the reason. The fact that Ulric was just a wing over, or maybe that she had loved him more than Allegro. But she would still let him fall into her kiss if he desired. She felt he deserved the feeling of love. Walk "Talk" Think

As Aranea leaned gently into his touch and started to bring her muzzle up to meet his, Allegro only felt sad at the thought of all the things that could have been. Even when he leaned down a bit to meet her half way, leaving a gentle brush of a kiss on her lips, he knew it didn't feel right. He desperately wanted it to, he wanted to feel that same spark they used to feel, but it wasn't there. At least not right now. He didn't think it was impossible to build it up again, but tonight wasn't the place to find it again. He sighed softly as their lips parted and he gave her a sad smile. He knew she felt it too. He brought his forelegs up around her and went to pull her into his chest if she let him, squeezing her in what was more akin to a tender hug than anything related to passion. It was a sign of affection and forgiveness, a sign that she was still in his family no matter what had happened. Once he began to work past his own hurt and loss he knew he could truly forgive her and hopefully move on, but for now this was the best he could muster.

He looked up thoughtfully at the window in front of him for a moment while he lightly scratched absently between her shoulders. There was a pause as he considered things and even as he spoke he knew he wasn't thrilled with the idea, but it was something that he needed to give her. An olive branch perhaps to make the transition away from The Hallows feel less rushed. "Stay at least through the end of the season," he told her as he brought his gaze back down to hers. "Hopefully the weather will be better in the summer. I wouldn't want you making that trip on your own in all of this snow and ice. Hopefully that will give you enough time to... tie up loose ends." He wasn't completely naive - at least not now that he knew the truth. He knew why she wanted to stay behind at least for a little bit. A very small part of him actually began to feel bad that he was pulling her away from this man that had clearly swept her off of her feet, but he couldn't put anything above the lives of their children. This would at least give her a few weeks to figure things out... and say goodbye.

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She was okay with what Allegro wanted, but she wasn't aware that he didn't feel the spark. She was too busy with her mind on Ulric to think of any kind of sparks between them. She let him pull his face away and embrace her as desired. He wanted her to take her time in a sense, not that he had come out with that. Taking the trip from Abaven in this never ending winter was hard to fathom, and for him to come all this way just to be betrayed... She couldn't even have the words to truly explain herself. She believed that neither of them deserved a woman like her, but she didn't want to really admit that. She wanted both of them, she wanted to make them all happy. It was an impossible task if even allowed. She let Allegro hold her a while before she gently backed up out of his grasp, "You must be tired." She lifted her paw to his foreleg, pulling it to join her on the fur on the back of the room. She would let him cuddle and hold her through the night if he wished, but she wanted it too. The absence of Ulric, and also the devastation she had brought on Allegro. But one thing she was sure of, she didn't want to leave Allegro to be with Ulric while he was here. Mostly for the sake of Allegro. Walk "Talk" Think