AN: This chapter is a bit shorter than I would have liked, but it got the job done. I'll try to update again Monday with a chapter that should be a good bit longer.

Chapter 96: Family Discussion

Sword and shield in hand, Adam would normally be prepared for anything that might come his way. However, the one thing he could not prepare for entirely was the fallout from his decision to leave the military. It rankled on his nerves a little that he did not completely finish his term of service. Yet, he did not want to comply with orders that he felt were amoral, and against the best interest of his country.

"Why is it always the bureaucrats who cause problems? Did the brass higher up just not understand that sticking an idiot in a place of authority will only ruin their chances?" Adam shook his head in disgust.

He'd left the temple grounds in order to go train at the cave, but halfway to his destination, he'd found a nice flat rock to sit on. His life was in disarray currently. Everything he knew and held dear was slipping away.

The US army was his life for years. Often he'd joked that the army was his wife, and his soldiers were his children. In a real sense, it was like he'd just gone through a messy divorce and the wife kept the kids. He would not even be allowed visitation rights, though he could watch them from across the street if he liked.

"So many years of my life, and it ends like this? Why? Because of an idiot..." Adam frowned slightly. If he'd done as ordered, he would have done nothing but estranged Scott from the army further.

The possibility that the project would be scrapped altogether would be high. Even worse, the blue haired sorcerer might just scrap the American side of things. The rest of the world did him no harm. A world where every country but America had super soldiers? No, Adam refused to be help bring about that sort of eventuality.

Another few minutes were spent in contemplation, before he rose up and shook off the past. His choice would haunt him for a while, but he'd made his decision. There was work to be done, arguably it was work that would prove to be far more important than anything he'd done in his old job. An entire world was at stake, worlds actually. He was only one man, one former captain. Yet, he knew his mission clearly now. Adam, a man who spent most of his adult life in one war zone or another, was ready to pick up the call to a far more important battle.

He was behind the curve. He would become stronger, though in the end his personal strength might not amount to much. Even so, it was better to prepare as much as possible, rather than simply hope that things would turn out fine in the end.

--

One of the most issues that people might face is the lack of time to do the things that they wished to do. Scott, Ero, and Rhea spent quite a bit of time discussing the possibilities for their newly restructured relationship. In the end, a decision needed to be made. Children, or no children for now?

Sitting around a small table while drinking herbal tea designed to help them relax and think clearly, the threesome began to speak their final piece.

"The problem is those assholes on the board," said Scott. He frowned darkly down into the depths of his tea cup. "I know that everyone born into this world came here through a contract. The souls live here by choice, even knowing what can happen."

He took a breath then continued, "Still, that's no different than starting a new town and then telling everyone that you're going to gas them in their sleep because they don't earn enough money."

Scott looked at Rhea and at Ero. I love you both dearly. Nothing would make me happier than having children with you ladies. But if you want my vote..." He took another breath then looked into the eyes of each of his lovers and said, "I vote no on children until after the board is settled. We need to safe guard this world so our kids have a future."

Ero bit her lower lip then nodded. It was her turn to speak. "I was happy, afraid, and then really sad when it turned out that I wasn't going to have a baby."

"I really want to have your child Scott." Ero looked into his eyes, and smiled in a sad way. "We could have taken her to the park, and gotten ice cream. You'd be a great dad..."

She slipped a bit of hair over her ear and sighed. "You're right, though. As long as this world is in danger, it would be selfish to bring children into it. I vote no on the children," she looked up again, her cheeks bright red, "for now..."

They both looked to Rhea. It was not a simple majority vote. Everyone needed to agree.

Rhea nodded softly then turned her tea cup around in her hand. She took a sip then said, "You're both right, but I have to point out a few things."

"We could have children, but raise them on Earth with little trouble," said Rhea. "We could even abandon ARS altogether to do that."

Neither Scott nor Ero took her words to mean that she offered a legitimate choice. She was stating possibilities.

"The truth is, as much as I would love to have children as well, it causes complications. I'm a goddess. If I have a child in this avatar form, the child will be born as either a lunarian or an elf."

She looked to Scott in the hopes that he would understand. "At best they might hope to ascend to planetary deity status, but there are no slots available for now. They'll live the life of an ordinary citizen of this world." She closed her eyes and sighed loudly. "I'd either need to abandon them completely, which would never happen, or lie to them most of their life."

The elf girl frowned, her soft pink lips showed her thoughts on the matter just as eloquently as the words she soon spoke, "I don't want my child to grow up worshipping me as a goddess. I want to be mom, not Origin. Plus, I want a real child..."

"Rhea..." whispered Ero softly, before fluttering over to sit on her shoulder. She leaned against the elf girl's cheek and snuggled close.

Scott noticed something that Rhea said quite keenly, "Real child?"

She nodded softly then reached up to lightly stroke the back of Ero's head. "Our little Ero here, she can have a real child with you. Her spiritual essence and yours merge to create an entirely new being, known as an elemental fey. So, sort of like a new soul."

"Oh, is that how it works?" asked Ero in an intrigued tone of voice.

"Yes, you're a special class of being that arises naturally out of the primordial magic. When we try to create new souls, we rarely even create something that is half as sophisticated as a fey soul," said Rhea.

"Wow," said Ero, her eyes wide and a happy smile rising up on her lips. It was nice to know that she was special in some way.

Rhea looked to Scott again. "If we have children, I want our child to be divine. We'd give birth to a little boy or girl who would live as long as we would, and who could be with us no matter what world we traveled to from then on."

"I get that," said Scott, before reaching across the table to take Rhea's hands in his. "Let's not rush this. We'll do our best for this world and start a family once everything is set."

Rhea sighed softly then nodded, a slight smile coming to her lips. "Yes. That is for the best."

Ero fluttered over and sat atop their clasped hands. "I like family meetings. But what I want to know is if it's OK with everyone if we still practice..."

"Practice?" asked Scott.

The fairy's voice become deeper and more resonant. It took on a sultry, overly adult, quality. "Oh yes, Scott. We should practice for the sake of our beautiful future."

Rhea laughed a little then reached down and whapped Ero on the rear with her index finger. She then looked at Scott, her cheeks burning hotly with the embarrassment of her coming admission. "She's right, you know."

Ero rubbed her back end while giggling. Scott for his part, merely shook his head. "If nothing else, my vitality going to start going up quite a bit soon..."

His admission brought a round of much needed laughter to them all. Each of them was saddened by the fact that building a family together would need to wait, but they still had each other. That was the important thing.