Make a Move 2

XxXxXxX

Sitting with his knees pulled to his chest on the window sill looking out at the garden below, Eric tries to wrap his mind around how much f his families life he's missed hiding away in the north. No matter what he's told all his brothers and sisters and his parents, it was his own fear and insecurity about his family accepting one of the biggest choices he's ever made in life is what really kept him away. Deep down he knows it's stupid to think his family would judge him, they have yet to discriminate against any of their children for choices they have made. Walking in on Timothy being intimate with Richard, something his Papa confirmed they knew about their relations. After that two hours went by with him learning about his siblings and how much they have changed for the good and the worst.

Now he's sitting, blaming himself for everything that's gone wrong since he went away. Hating himself for leaving Alain and Timothy to become the brunt of the abuse Michael has been aiming towards his siblings and Adam wanting to emulate Anthony, derogatory words, harmful actions, and drunken mischief. Deep down he knows that there is something else at work behind Anthony's changes, but that guilt is still there over the fact that maybe he could have stopped it. He knows he has to do something now and that all starts with coming clean about his life. A thought that he's been toying with as he pulls a silver ring hanging on a chain out from under his shirt, eyes studying the circle as a smile plays on his lips. That's how Jeffery finds him. Curled up, head leaning against the cool window pane as his fingers dangle the ring before his eyes.

"There you are." Jeff walks into the room looking around at how nothings changed since the day the young knight took off for the north. "Since it's been such a long time between now and your last visit, we thought you were lost." His worry is obvious as the man walks towards Eric.

"A lot has changed." A deep sigh escapes his lips while he turns to smile at Jeff in a way to show him every things fine, even though the other man knows it's not.

When he reaches the boy he slowly sits down, smiling at Eric playing with his ring. A hand absentmindedly caressing where a matching band hangs around his own neck. "This has nothing to do with the palace or you walking in on Timothy does it." Not even needing the head shake he receives Jeff knows that the pain Eric feels is deeper then they all think. "What is it then?"

"Regret." He reaches out joining their hands with a sad smile. "Regret that I didn't come home sooner. That I haven't been honest with my family." He takes a deep breath as he looks deep into those eyes that have become so familiar to him over the years. "I'm ready to start healing the wounds that I caused and I think the first thing that needs to be done is telling them the truth about us."

"Really? You're really ready to tell them?"

"How can I expect my brothers and sisters to trust me again and be open to me helping them if the biggest part of my life is hidden from them." He tugs on the chain Jeff is wearing pulling the ring out and smiling at it. "Besides it's about time this goes where it truly belongs."

XxXxXxX

"Blaine, sit down." Kurt raises a brow as his husband continues to pace while the kids are being gathered for brunch. Yes, his heart is beating faster as well knowing they will be telling the children Eric has come home at last, but how would they take it after so long? There was just no way he'd pace the floor like a caged tiger as Blaine is. "You'll wear a hole in the floor if you keep that up."

"I just" he groans loudly. "This morning has been so abrupt! It irritated me going over what has been happening with the kids with Eric and Jeffery, by the way why was Jeffery there?"

"He's Eric's friend and has been the one source of information on his well being. Not to mention your friend and our soon to be in-law via Timothy and Richard marrying."

"Still, why was he there? Ugh! Sorry I'm obsessing over random things."

"I know. Now just stop and sit. I hear our herd of monkeys coming this way." He stands up and smiles as all their kids come in, getting hugs from all of them except Michael and Anthony. "Good morning as well, now sit we have a special announcement for you."

Timothy watches the door, Richard planning to come in with his uncle and Eric. Aiden slipping in and silently sitting next to Elizabeth after bowing and asking permission, all while Blaine glares at the man and wondering if he can move her age back to 10.

"You've lost the leech. About time, it was getting hard to tell where my brother starts and his parasite begins."

"Anthony, not today alright?" He turns to face the obviously hung over teen. "Today is a great day and I'd really appreciate it if you would just not ruin it for everyone."

"psh, you did that just by showing up."

"Anthony!" Kurt cuts Timothy before he can retort. "We talked about this yesterday, you are to show your brother respect."

"Fine. I was just complimenting him on his ability to function without Richard attached to him."

"I'm glad my future husband can function without me. It means he's alive and well." Richard steps in with Jeff and Eric right behind him.

The second the kids see Eric all of their faces change going between disbelief and surprise. Kurt is rather impressed that the kids didn't scream and become a hyper unruly bunch. "Well, now you know our surprise."

"Not all of it." Eric smiles towards his brothers and sisters, not missing the tears that are quickly wiped away on Anthony's face. "But that can wait for a minute. I just want to say, I am so sorry that it's taken so long for me to come home. It wasn't anything any of you did, it was me being stupid and hiding a part of my life that I wasn't sure how you would all react to." he takes a very deep breath before slipping his hand into Jeff's. "Please don't be mad Papa."

"You two? Really?" Kurt smiles as Blaine grumbles something about the kids growing up way to fast.

"Yes. Though there's more." Jeff leans over, kissing Eric on the temple to the mixed gasps and awes from everyone around the table.

"More?" Blaine narrows his eyes at the man that is 10 years older then his son and currently holding hands and kissing him openly.

"Daddy. Papa. I would like to introduce myself as I've been living in the north as Sir Eric Sterling and this is my husband, Sir Jeffery Sterling and we're happy to announce that in about seven months we will be welcoming our first child." and there goes the reaction he was scared of. Everyone is either wide eyed staring at them or chocking on their drinks with comforting pats on the back from their closest sibling. "Papa?"

He doesn't know what to say. His son, that has been missing from their life for five years not only just announced he's eloped with a man, but said man is pregnant. "I, I didn't know you were a carrier Jeff."

"No one knew besides my brother and our parents, they weren't really proud to have a son like me and made my childhood miserable."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Kurt means it. He was lucky to have the father he had, but the second he passed away his life became the hell most carriers go through. Either used to the advantage of the family, an object to be owned, or hidden away as their not considered either male or female.

"It's alright. It sent me into the knighthood and brought me to Eric and I couldn't be happier." Free hand absently caressing over his flat stomach.


"Congratulations." Timothy hurries over surprising Eric with a big hug,

"Thank you Timmy." He blushes before whispering. "I'm sorry about earlier."

"Next time don't barge into someones room."

They both laugh before a loud shattering noise comes from the table. Anthony storming away, his plate on the floor in the corner. "I hate all of you!"

Stopping his parents from running after him Eric takes off following his brother leaving his parents and Jeff trying to calm down the younger kids as Timothy grabs and stops Michael from following Anthony, the young boy yelling that Eric needs to leave Anthony alone. The one thing Eric was surprised about is the fact he caught his younger brother in Timothy's room curled up in his bed crying as he clings to his brothers pillow. Trying to get his breathing to calm down after the fast pace he put up chasing the teen he finally makes his presence known.

"Does he know this is all an act?"

Scares red rimmed eyes turn towards him a moment of indifference before his brow scrunches into another crying fit. "He doesn't care! He hasn't cared since you took him into town and he met that, that asshole!"

"Richard? What has he done to be called such an inappropriate word?" Moving ever closer as his brother just keeps sobbing and clinging to his brothers pillow.

"He stole Timmy away! Everything was perfect before he came into the picture and then all of a sudden all he talks about is Richard! Then you, you leave when our parents confirm that I've lost my brother forever and come back just to snub it in my face that you're not staying! I hate the Sterling family!"

Wrapping himself around his brother quickly when he sees him ready to bolt again, Eric holds him tight as his brother fights him. Kicking and screaming to be let go that no one loves him and everyone is just planning to leave him in the end to rule a kingdom that he had always planned to share with his brother, but now he has to do it alone. Eric starts crying with his brothers rage, at every fear he let's out and confused confession he makes. How he's never going to find love because all they want is his title. Every woman in town having wooed him into their bed trying to become his future queen and the only way he can get rid of his self hatred is drinking. Drinking until he doesn't care about anything or anyone anymore and waking up in yet another woman's bed.

"Anthony, it's going to be alright." He holds his brother when Timmy comes in to get something, quickly leaving when Eric shoos him out. Through their parents taking turns checking on them when Anthony falls asleep clinging to his older brother and he has to promise to fill them in. The hardest time he stayed clung to his brother is when Jeff came in with something for them to eat and drink and had to listen to the fact his husband was spending the day giving details to his parents about their relationship, that made Jeff nervous enough to get sick. It broke his heart when Jeff kisses his forehead and whispers that he understands when Eric doesn't move from his brothers hold to comfort him and leaves again. At least it wasn't long after that he heard his brothers voice cracking from the strain of crying so long.

"You didn't have to choose me over HIM."

"I didn't choose. You are both equally important to me, but you need me more so I'm staying. I'm also not leaving anytime soon." He hugs his brother tighter. "Was all of that true? Everything you said about sleeping around, drinking, and being abandoned?"

"Yes."

"Why? Why would you do two horrible things to yourself and then top it off with thinking everyone abandoned you?"

"I don't know. You left and Timothy didn't want to spend time with me anymore. Dad is always to busy to do anything with me and only cares if I'm being trained properly to be king. Papa spends more time with the Marianna, Alain, and Timothy then the rest of us. I really didn't even know if they knew what I was up to until yesterday." He hides his face as the realization of what he's turned Michael into and was on the way to having Adam being the same way. "I just wanted attention. When nothing was working I started drinking and from there came the women. Men. Doesn't matter I've slept with anyone who took me home." His tears start up again as a pained sob escapes his lips. "The first one. I loved her so much and I thought she was the one. Someone that was like Richard, didn't care about what I was, but instead who I was. It was all a trick. A lie." He sobs harder as his mind plays back the day after he gave his virginity away and found his girlfriend laughing with her friends about how easy it was to win him over and that she was only with him because of the crown. "She only wanted my title, not my heart. That was the first day I got drunk. So very drunk and then came home and took all my anger out on Timothy."

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry you had to experience that." His fingers card through the tangled curls on his brothers head. "If it makes you feel any better, I know what you're talking about. My first time was with someone like that. Even though I'm not a prince, I'm still part of the royal family and she thought I was titled as a duke or something. When I told her I was just a knight and the son of the Kings, she left me."

"She must have hurt you more then just breaking your heart seeing as you're married to a guy now."

Eric laughs softly. "You're one to talk, sleeping with men and women? No she didn't send me to men I just didn't look at gender when it came to my feelings. What I feel for Jeff is unlike anything I've felt for anyone else. He's my other half and I'm so glad I let myself view him for who he is instead of the fact he's a man."

"You really love him?"

"I do otherwise I'd never have married him."

"Then why stay away so long hiding him from us? Why not come home and just tell us instead of letting those of us who needed you think we weren't important enough for you to care about?"

"Because I was being an idiot and not thinking about anyone but myself." Eric sighs as Anthony sits up, passing his brother some bread and cheese from the plate Jeff brought in. "Tell you a secret? Jeff gave me the strength to come back and you gave me the strength to come clean about my life. My mind just can't get over the fact that if I'd have been here your behavior would never have gotten this bad."

"I think we both have a lot of regrets."

"Maybe we can help each other heal." Their eyes meet, one pair hopeful that it isn't to late and the other weary of just being abandoned again.

"How can I trust you when I've gotten letters from you saying you'll be here and then you never show. I need to trust that this isn't a lie to just make me act more like Timmy."

"I would never want you to be someone else, that would defeat the purpose of you being Anthony, but if it helps I can tell you anything you want to know. I really do mean anything."

"Fine. Why did you come back now? Is it because Timmy is getting married or something else?"

"Diving right in, alright the truth is I came home because it was time. Yes part of the reason is the wedding, but the main reason is that Jeff finally made me realize it was stupid to hide and that if I waited any longer to come home there wouldn't be anything to come home too. I missed all of you growing up and thinking about all the time I've missed spurred me into coming home. Plus, this isn't Jeff and I's first pregnancy."

"Wait, you have a kid already?"

"No. We should have had a baby by now, but because of me being stupid we lost our son." he closes his eyes knowing what Anthony is going to ask next and dreading it.

"it's your fault he had a miscarriage?"

"Yes. See he asked to come back here because the doctors in the north are not as practiced dealing with carriers as they are here, but I was so afraid of what Papa and everyone would think I talked him into staying in the north east, a very wild kingdom where we were living in a tent and it was supper cool until the weather got bad. The rains swept in and Jeff got so sick. The doctors had no idea how to help him and he kept begging me to just bring him back here because he could feel the baby getting weaker." tears roll down his cheeks as he look down at his hands, seeing them the way they were that night. Covered in blood and clinging to the body of his dead son with the fear that he'd lose his husband as well when the doctors let him know they had never dealt with a carrier before. "He was just so small. So tiny and he died minutes after being born. Everyone was surprised Jeff lived through it and we were strained. I blamed myself for what happened and even though he said it wasn't my fault I know Jeff saw how it was my fault as well. If I'd just brought him here when he'd asked."

"So this time when you found out he was pregnant?"

"We came here immediately. It was already a topic we were talking about daily and I knew it needed to happen soon, but when he told me about our second chance at having a baby I took it as a sign. We packed up and came home that same day."

"Eric. It wasn't your fault."

"I'll never know that for sure."

"Guess we're both just really messed up, huh?"

"Yeah, but we still have time to fix what's wrong with both of us."

XxXxXxX

Elizabeth wasn't mean or hateful, so being told by her parents that she's being hurtful towards her siblings simply stung. How could her wanting to help them be better and present themselves as the royalty they are be wrong? It isn't her fault they can't accept what she has to say. Especially Timmy, he is the most lost out of all of them. Everyday he pulls further away from how a prince should act to pursue silly little things, like right now he's teaching some of the servants children how to use a bow and arrow. How is that helping the kingdom? Yeah, it's a cool trick and she has to admit that her brother is quite skilled at hunting with am arrow, but really what are these kids suppose to do with this ability to shoot? Plus how could he walk out the front door dressed the way he is? Loose fitting cotton shirt hanging out, black simple trousers, and knee high boots add in his mid back length hair in some weird lose curl and braid design and you'd think he was one of the women working the fields instead of the second crown prince. Alright maybe judging his clothing is a bit hypocritical seeing as pants are a constant staple in her own wardrobe, for riding not for social gatherings.

Then you have his wedding and ball that are so simple and low key you'd think he was eloping like Eric did. Really if he would have had it his way there wouldn't have been anyone but close friends and family. She was happy when the advisers and her parents pushed that they needed something for the other prominent families and royals. Now if she could just get them to move away from the simple flowers and minimum decor mixed with simple wedding attire, everything would be perfect like her wedding will be. Candles, lace, linens, flowers, and a dress that just screams 'princess' and no one will ever forget her special day.

"Excuse me, I hope I'm not interrupting your solitude princess, but I've finally have a moment to come talk to you without everyone pulling me away."

When she turns to see who it is her face lights up at those gorgeous brown eyes and mass of red hair all belonging to one super handsome prince Aiden. "I think there's a possibility you could be forgiven."

It's obvious to him that shes putting on a front, something he's noticed the past few years he's visited and watched the free spirited girl he fell in love with change into this fake exterior. "Then I'll ask you to join me for a walk, unless watching your brother have fun is enjoyable for you."

"Psh he isn't having fun, he's just waiting his time until Richard comes back with Jeffery." her hand flies to her mouth after the outburst. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't apologize about that. It's the first time in years I've heard the old you." He leads her on a stroll. "i will admit that it seems to confirm something for me, you've been overly hard to your siblings."

"That isn't true, I'm just trying to teach them what it is to be a true royal."

"And what gives you that authority? Truthfully I loved how free and open you use to be, now you're just cold and spoiled."

She pulls away from him with narrowed eyes. "Oh really? What's so wrong with being the perfect princess? It's all everyone has drilled into my head! I'm not pretty enough, regal enough, or worthy enough for a real suitor and it's true. All the princes that have traveled here to meet me have hated who I was."

"Why would they matter? I like you, I love you and you know that." His hands run through his hair. His father had tried marrying him off, but Aiden made it quite know that his intentions were to ask for Elizabeth to be his queen. Hearing her speak of others coming to visit with her and that she's worried about their opinions hurts.

"We've been great friends, but where is that going to put me on my birthday? Timothy, the least royal of all of us will be married and I will have no one that respects me to dance with at my birthday ball."

She doesn't see it, but his heart shatters. The fact he's spent the past eight years wooing her and pouring his heart into winning her over and their just friends. "I'm sorry highness, but I feel slightly weak. The long ride must have taken more out of me then I'd known. Please forgive me, I think it would be wise for me to retire to my room."

"Of course Aiden." She curtsies as he bows and then hurries away leaving her alone and confused.