Alexander spent the next day outside the palace until the middle of the afternoon. He was still obsessed with the bracelet Hephaistion had bought for him but didn't give in yet. So he decided to buy a gift to Hephaistion. He bought a golden necklace and wanted to give it to him the same day.

He went to Hephaistion's room and as had become the routine Hephaistion hurriedly hid the kittens in the other room with one page. While Hephaistion turned his back to Alexander, the king sat in the bed and couldn't resist the urge to check the sheet for the presence of another short golden hair. He found nothing and was smiled with relief.

Hephaistion sat near him and wrapped in his arms around his shoulders; Alexander immediately sneezed.

"Did you go to see Glaucas this time?" He questioned the sniffling man.

"Yes"

"And…" asked Hephaistion

"I'm fine. He didn't see anything wrong, may be it's the dust, it's probably just irritating me a little." Alexander lied, he didn't want to tell that him he was sneezing only when his lover was around. Alexander was upset and asked,

"Did you change anything? Perfume? Oil? Anything Hephaistion?"

" No? Why? You no longer care for my old fragrances? Do they offend you?"

" Of course not." Alexander changed the subject and took a box from his pocket and gave it to Hephaistion.

" For me?" Asked Hephaistion with a smile.

"Yes." Alexander answered with a quick kiss in his lover's lips and then looked happily at a surprised Hephaistion with a big smile. "Open it."

Hephaistion obeyed and discovered the beautiful golden necklace.

" Alexander!"

Alexander couldn't wait and helped Hephaistion to put the shiny jewel on his neck.

"It suits you perfectly." He said.

"I don't know what to say! It's beautiful Alexander! Thank you." Hephaistion said while he touched the necklace. "What is it for?"

"Hum.. I don't need a special occasion to offer you a gift do I ?" He asked then added, "I think we can give a gift to the one we love without needing a special day. "

"You are right, Alexander, we don't need any special reason." Hephaistion held Alexander and kissed him passionately to thank him even more. When they broke the kiss Alexander looked at Hephaistion eagerly waiting for Hephaistion to decide that now it was the perfect occasion to give him his bracelet. But Hephaistion didn't give him anything. Alexander continued to sneezed from time to time then finally he became annoyed by the whole situation and he sighed.

"Do you want to know something weird Hephaistion?"

"What?"

"I told you yesterday about what Crateros did when I entered his room."

Hephaistion nodded. "Yes he rolled up his carpet."

Alexander nodded back. "Well, I went to see Eumenes this morning and he did the same thing!"

Hephaistion's eyes grew wide. "What?"

"Yes, Eumenes rolled up his main carpet too, do you think there's a Macedonian custom that I've forgotten about carpets?"

They both tried to think of it. "I don't think so Alexander." Said Hephaistion.

"This so strange. I do not know what to think of it." Alexander moaned.

Then the door opened suddenly and an Alexander's page appeared in a panic he was having problems handling Peritas. The dog had apparently missed his Master and he literally pounced on his Alexander.

"I m sorry majesty." Said the page who was panting from his efforts and out of breath.

Alexander was petting his dog when suddenly Peritas stopped his licking and alerted and ran toward the closed door. He began to bark frantically. Alexander went straight to the dog and tried to calm him.

"What is it my beautiful Peritas?" asked his master curiously.

"He is really nervous today, no wonder your page had serious difficulties with him." Hephaistion offered but the dog wouldn't stop barking.

« He's not like usually like this." Apologized Alexander "It seems there's something behind this door he wants to go in and check."

"Well, he won't! They just cleaned!" Said Hephaistion a bit more harshly then he'd have liked to. "You know you need to take him for a walk, this dog needs his master to walk and play with him." Advised Hephaistion.

"You must be right, I will see you later."

The king left and Hephaistion opened the door to see his page trying to calm down the cats. Alexander was peeing in the carpet out of fear and Antigona was trembling.

"Oh my poor loves." Comforted Hephaistion.

"They were so scared." Said the page.

Hephaistion took Antigona to comfort her but she was still afraid and she scratched Hephaistion's neck. Hephaistion was bleeding a little but wasn't mad. He put her down. He stayed for the next two hours with his cats, alone.

Alexander and Peritas had a lot of fun and Alexander asked Hephaistion to come to his royal room for a change. It had been a while since the two had spent time in the kings rooms.

Alexander sneezed again when Hephaistion moved closer to him but once all Hephaistion's clothes was taken off, the sneezing stopped. They were flirting, kissing when suddenly Alexander saw the scratches on his lover's neck.

"What is this?" Demanded Alexander less than happy.

" Scratches." Answered Hephaistion continuing to kiss Alexander 's naked torso but Alexander wasn't in the mood anymore and he pushed his lover away.

"How did you get that?" Asked Alexander

"You probably scratched me." Said Hephaistion with a grin and still wanted to have his way with Alexander so he caressed Alexander's hard member. Alexander didn't want to let the pleasurable caress have the best of him and he pushed Hephaistion's hand away.

"I didn't do that to you!" he glared at Hephaistion defiantly.

"You are playing the jealous wife again?" Hephaistion scolded him growing annoyed.

Hephaistion stood up and put his Persian robe on. He knew he would have a an impossible time telling Alexander something believable about the scratches. He was lucky though since a guard entered and said that Lord Hephaistion was needed by his wife Drypetis and it was urgent. Hephaistion left and Alexander was totally angry. The foolish jealousy came back to him ten times worse than before.

Hephaistion soon learned that it wasn't his wife who'd asked him but that the pages had lied to the guard. Antigona was ready to give birth the pages told a startled Hephaistion as they prepared the two cats to go to the doctor in town.

Alexander decided to snoop and went to his lover's room to check for anything that could give him an answer to his lover's betrayal. Since Drypetis' room was far from Hephaistion's he knew he would have plenty of time to check. He entered the room and began to search, soon the sneezing started again. Then the king heard someone near the door and without thinking he slipped under the bed. He didn't want to be caught by his lover. But in fact it was only Hephaistion's pages.

"He was so worried." The first one said.

"Of course, the doctor said it was early. Not this week but should have been next week, and now..."

Alexander frowned. He needed to sneeze but he tried his best to not to.

"He is so crazy about her, I never saw him so in love."

"He loves them both, I hope Antigona will give birth easily."

Alexander's heart stopped. "A woman! He is in love with a woman and he impregnated her! Now she was about to give birth!" His mind reeled at the thought.

"How many babies will have do you think?"

"I don't know, Hephaistion hasn't chosen any names yet."

Enough! That was enough for the King who suddenly crawled from his hiding place and scared the to pages to death with his sudden appearance.

"By the gods!" He hollered. He was crimson with fury. He roughly took the two boys by the arms.

"You two are going to show me where Hephaistion is now!" He ordered.

A few moments later, the king and the two pages who were silenced by their fear, entered the doctor's house. That's when Alexander heard the words that again froze his heart.

"Come on, my sweet love, you can do it push."

It was Hephaistion's voice. Alexander was frozen by the words he'd just heard. He decided to sit and not interrupt the birthing process. His mind was blank but the anger was still there and when the door opened and a surprised Hephaistion entered, the king rushed to his lover and punched him violently.

"How could you do that to me? Falling for a girl who's not Drypetis! Having a child with her when I wanted 'us' to have kids! A family! How can you hide this all from me?" Alexander was about to strangle Hephaistion but Hephaistion pushed him away roughly.

"Calm down Alexander, it's not what you think!" he yelled.

"I was so in love with you! I trusted you!" Alexander yelled back by now he was in tears.

Hephaistion moved closer.

"Don't dare to approached me."

"Please Alexander, come now, come see for yourself.»

Alexander rushed with anger into the doctor's room and saw a golden cat with three kittens.

"A cat?" he said confused and stunned.

Hephaistion moved closer and wrapped Alexander in his arms.

"Yes, Alexander a cat."

"Why didn't you tell me!" Demanded Alexander who suddenly sneezed. Then again and again.

"You said you hated cats that cats were for women."

Alexander sneezed again.

«Oh, well now I understand why I was sneezing all along..."

Hephaistion looked at his lover with a and waited curious for the reason.

"I don't hate cats Hephaistion, I'm allergic to them."

"What? Why didn't you tell me?"

Alexander felt embarrassed. "Well, at that time we'd just met and you thought I was a mommy's boy. I didn't want to add that I was allergic to cats. I didn't want you to think I was..." Hephaistion interrupted his lovers by a sweet kiss.

" I m sorry." Said Hephaistion softly. " I should have told you about my cats."

" Yes." Agreed Alexander as he spotted a black cat with a golden necklace he recognized.

"Hey! That cat is wearing my bracelet!"

" What?" asked Hephaistion confused.

Then the black cat began to shit on the doctor's carpet without any shame.

" Oh no, Alexander!" yelled Hephaistion "Stop shitting on that carpet! How many times I have to yell at you! Brat!"

Suddenly they both realized.

"You named the black cat after me?"

Hephaistion nodded in horror at the realization.

"This explains a lot, someone must have overheard you yelling that...and now..." Alexander didn't know if it was better to cry or laugh.

"By the gods..." said Hephaistion "I m so sorry."

Alexander moved closer to Hephaistion in order to kiss him but instead he sneezed right at his lover's face.

They both started to laugh.

end