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Subject: {ASSM} Marie's Solstice 07/14 Tom and Roberta (new, unfinished) TBD
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Date: Mon, 09 Apr 2012 09:10:06 -0400
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Marie's Solstice 07/14 Tom and Roberta (new, unfinished)
---

This takes place immediately after Tom agrees to be Jessica's step
father in Jessica: Part 2.
---

Marie's Solstice
Tom and Roberta
---

Tom appeared as a wolf on the open deck of the Sam Cee, and stretched
before he ambled over to stand next to the woman who was standing at
the aft wind screen and studying the sea.

"Hello, Roberta.  Enjoying your privacy?"

"Yes, Tom. Thanks for letting me live here when I'm not traveling. I'm
not used to being the person everyone is chasing."

"How's your head?  I understand Marie really did a number on you a
couple weeks ago."

"I'm better.  She's just a kid, yet she sounded a lot older."

"It's part of being a Bard.  You mature a lot faster, because of the
responsibilities you've agreed to take on."

"Did I miss an interview?"

He chuckled.  "No.  On the other hand, are you up to some serious
stuff?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"Well...  Kay and Jessica will be here in about thirty minutes, and
Jess is going to ask you to adopt her and be her co-mother.  Any time
in that time, I can take us somewhen so we'll have all the time we
need, to have our discussion, and make some decisions."

"I'm single, Tom."

"A fixable condition, if you don't mind a Rabelaisian ceremony. Or, as
Terrans say, 'we could live in sin', until we're married by common
law."

At that she turned slightly and faced him.  "Excuse me?  That went by
pretty damn fast."

"It was supposed to.  Kay's going to be one of Jessica's mothers, and
she called me in so Jessica could look me over.  I was asked if I'd be
her step father, and I said yes.  Didn't have any choice, since I'm
Kay's first husband."

"You act like me being Jessica's step mother is a done deal."

He perked his ears at her, then tilted his head slightly.  "You going
to insult me, by trying to tell me that abused kids are going to
listen, when you say all they have to do is listen to you, and they
can turn their lives around?  By the way, Jessica calls The Great
Purpose, 'The Big Guy'."

"Quit trying to distract me."

"Sorry.  It's the way my mind works."

"I was right.  I missed an interview.  You sound a lot like a Bard,
but...  Different."

"Thanks.  I should.  Chrys and I are the 'two who are one'.  Same
personality, expressed on two worlds.  We can talk about that later."

Her eyebrows went up, then she sighed and turned back so she was
looking out to sea again.  "Tom, it's uncanny, how you folks, and I
include Marie in that, are able to go right to the heart of a problem.
That's supposed to be my best skill, and over the last couple weeks,
I've felt like I was dumped in the advanced class and told to sink or
swim.  I'd like to think I'm learning how to swim, but..."

"You're doing fine.  Working for the Big Guy, is like that, when he
first taps you.  What does the Champion of Light have to say about
finding a way to get kids to believe her?"

She shook her head.  "She thinks she should have paid more attention
to Marie, when she was told that for some folks, coincidence is a word
in a dictionary.  I need a kid who's a survivor, and willing to go
public, then stay public.  That's part of what I was thinking about
when you showed up."

"And?"

"It would work even better, if...  I was living the life, and helping
that kid overcome their past, by making them part of my family."

"Good point.  More?"

"You're slowing down and waiting for me?"

"Worse. Hoping you decide to let me share the path with you, since
we're both going to be on it for awhile, and there's no point in being
alone while we travel."

"Part of my thinking, is that there are only two men who could be
serious contenders for the position of being my husband.  And... Would
you please go back to being a human?  I don't need those eyes
distracting me, yet."

He shifted, then smiled slightly.  "Shall we start being honest with
each other, and admit that unless you want to add the complication of
a same sex marriage, there's only one person who is right, and it's
not Merlin?"

"He has the wrong mindset and...  He's Merlin.  That's the only way I
know, to say how wrong it would be, for him to be Jessica's father.
She *needs* a real father, Tom, not one who..."

She spoke softly.  "Hell.  A man who shares my life will have to be
able to deal with being a public figure, and be comfortable while he's
doing it."

"Yeah.  The Big Guy works that way, a lot.  Arranged marriages,
narrowing the options until your own ethos traps you into doing what
needs to be done.  In his favor, he doesn't mind the temper tantrums,
and the next time he's gentler, unless...  Maybe, sometimes, things
surprise him and he has to work faster than usual, so we get *told* to
do things, instead of coming to them at our own speed."

She giggled suddenly, then let her giggles run their course before she
sobered.  "Do you folks spend a lot of time trying to understand him,
in our terms?"

"Of course."

"Those speculations get pretty whimsical, I bet."

"Yep!  You have one to add to our collection?"

"Our?  Ok.  You never needed to use your eyes and ears, but they made
my decision easier to make.  Let's get married, so the adoption will
go more smoothly, then we can go somewhen for our honeymoon, before we
come back and I agree to be one of Jessica's step mothers."

"Thanks, Roberta."

He raised his voice slightly.  "Chrys!  Slice it if you have to!
Emergency wedding ceremony.  Mine and Roberta's."

She appeared, and walked over to study them.  "Hello, Roberta. Welcome
to the Pack, Clan, Family...  Whatever you feel like calling us."

"Thanks.  We're a little short on time, so...  Let me be the impatient
bride for now, and after things slow down...  Oh.  Never mind.  I need
to get used to this time travel stuff.  After Tom and I get back from
our honeymoon, I'd like a chance to have a girl talk with you."

"No problem, but I'd appreciate it if you give me some more linear
time to let Merlin help me recover from dealing with Kelas."

"Oh?  You sounded pretty calm when you ordered Tom and his crew to
execute them."

"My mind was in pretty good shape.  My body wasn't, and Merlin and I
are still dealing with that."

"Still?"

"I'm time slicing."

"Sorry.  I'd like to hear the story, later, but I'm not going to get
upset if you decide to keep it private."

"Thank you.  Tom knows what happened, so you can get it from him any
time you want to hear it, and it would be the same as if I told you,
because of our link."

"Thank you.  Our wedding?"

"Tom's a Rabelaisian citizen, so the two of you have been married ever
since you agreed to get married."

"Oh?"

"Yes.  But, I understand the need for something more formal, so you'll
have fewer problems when you adopt Jessica."

"You, too?  Was I the last one to know about that?"

"Maybe.  Welcome to dealing with the Big Guy.  I knew as soon as Tom
did, because I've been making a special effort to keep myself updated
while all this is going on."

"Worry about that, later."

"Roberta, hold your hands at chest height, with your fingers spread,
while you face Tom."

She did, and Chrys smiled.  "Tom.  As soon as you intertwine your
fingers with hers, and kiss her, your marriage will be official, and
the two of you can go enjoy your honeymoon."

He laughed, then reached and they wove their fingers together.

Before he kissed Roberta, he looked at Chrys.  "Before I forget, tell
Mahika and Sandy what's going on, then the three of you can convince
Becky and Cathy to go home and spend some time with Merlin and you. It
looks like they're life-mated to Jessica, and we don't need that
complication when she shows up."

"Got it."

He kissed Roberta, and spoke in her mind.  {{Where to, Love?}}

{{Get us out of here, then we'll decide.}}

{{We're gone.}}

* * *

After they separated slightly, she looked around.  "Where are we?"

"About one hundred years in the past.  In our time, this is a seldom
used campground we use to get away from it all, when we have to stay
linear."

"So...  How long do we have?"

"As long as we want.  The crash course in time travel is pretty
simple.  When we go back, all this will become a part of your
memories, instead of breaking the memory chains.  We'll stil be
kissing each other, and it will be like a memory of an extremely vivid
and detailed dream.  What you learn will stay with you, and be
available just as if you'd lived a long life.

"The other parts take some getting used to.  We can get injured and
hurt, but we can't die or be killed, no matter what we do.  Language
and idiom translation is built into the experience, so you don't have
to worry about being able to understand anyone we meet, or talk to
them."

She thought about it, then smiled.  "What about more natural things,
like food?"

"Up to you.  If it makes you feel better, you can do all the normal
stuff, or you can decide to ignore that.  Assuming I teach you how to
handle power, which is possible, now, even if it wasn't, in linear
time, you make your own decisions about all of it, including...  Time
travel with this location, or somewhere else as your starting point.
Best way to think of it, is that we're manifested energy states, and a
lot like elementals."

She went to the heart of it all.  "If I understand this, as long as we
don't return to our original time, we're functionally immortal?"

"Exactly."

She walked over and touched one of the trees, then looked up before
she focused on Tom again.  "Most people, when they think of the past,
think in terms of years, but the truth is, the past is...  A lot less
time than that, if you want it to be, right?"

"Right, again.  Depends on your goals, which way you deal with the
problems.  One way, it's like we're doing now, and we'll return to the
instant we left.  The other is more complicated, but it lets you move
at the same rate in both times, then, when you close the secondary
time, you merge at a later time than you started.  That way is  pretty
distracting in linear time, so those of us who can do it, only do it
in emergencies."

She frowned.  "Are you saying that time travel in the past can be a
way of seeing the future?"

"Yes, in a limited way.  There are...  Rules that we have to follow."

"Oh?"

"We're not allowed to act on anything we learn.  If something has
happened, we can't do something that would prevent it.  Kay is the
exception to that, when she's speaking as a seer.  We have no idea how
that works, except we think it has something to do with her being
immortal, in linear time."

"Do you think her future self comes back in time?"

"No.  We're still human, Roberta.  Our memories are selective, and
even wrong, just like yours can be.  Can you picture what it would be
like, to have to remember a seeing, so that someday you'd go back and
make it happen?  Kay is linked with *something*, but we're fairly sure
it's not herself, all the time."

"Let's talk about us, Tom."

"Sure.  I'm easy."

"Hah!  Just twisted, and capable of rambling in a way that makes your
listener lose track of what they wanted to talk about."

"Bad case of too much knowledge, Roberta."

"Call me something else.  Bobbie, or...  Whatever you can come up with
that I can live with."

"Sure.  Same for you, Love."

"Love?  Awfully sudden, isn't it?  Have to admit the courtship was...
Brief."

"Part of being easy.  Plus...  I outgrew denying the obvious.  I knew
we are linked pretty strongly, the first time I really looked at you
as more than just another person.  Did it because of you becoming the
Champion, the first time."

She laughed.  "I can relate to that.  As a reporter, I seldom see
people as themselves, until they do something to get my attention.
Still, I have gone out and just grabbed someone at random, for the
usual 'everyday person' interview.  Get told to mind my own business,
more often than not.  Never put that in the final report.  Bad for my
image."

He chuckled...  "So...  Now that things can move at a pace you
dictate, and you don't have to worry about your image, what would you
like to do?"

"We really have as long as we want?"

"Yes.  Years, decades, centuries...  Whatever.  We can stay in the
past until you decide you're ready to go back."

"What about you?  Shouldn't you have a say?"

"Different mindset.  No matter how long we stay in this timeline, to
me, ultimately, it will be a brief interlude.  Same for you,
eventually.  Sounds like a bad script, but eventually, you'll be doing
something and you'll say to yourself:  'It's time for me to go back',
so you do."

"And when I do, this will be like a brief daydream?"

"More or less.  Best way is to experience it."

"I'm not surprised.  So..."

She walked over and hugged him before she pulled his head down for a
serious kiss.  When she was satisfied, she pulled away slightly.  "I
guess I missed out on the conditioning, or instinct, that insists
women should have children of their own.  Whatever we do, I don't want
any, here."

"Back home?"

"I'm going to be too busy to do it right for normal kids, so, no.
Jessica will be more than enough to keep me satisfied.  I might change
my mind, but for now, no kids.  Will that be a problem for you?"

"No.  We don't talk about it, and I think only Chrys and Sandra know,
but Mahika and I do have a family of our own.  They live in the past,
as a wolf pack, and when she's in estrus, we go back and let them test
us as wolves, to see if we should mate as wolves and expand the pack."

"Otherwise, your matings are sterile?"

"Yes."

"Thanks for trusting me.  I know what it's like to be a public figure,
and that wouldn't be a wise thing to do as part of our lives in the
past, right?"

"Right."

"Thought so.  Fine.  Let's try being a wife and husband.  I'd like to
explore, and I assume money will not be a problem, so...  I've always
wanted to reinvent myself.  Can you live with no shape shifting?"

"Build a real life as a married couple?  Sounds like a challenge.
Should I conjure up a tent and stuff, or do you want a motel room
somewhere?"

"No house?"

"If that's what you want, we can find one somewhere.  Rent, or buy?
When?  Further back in time we go, the easier it will be to move
around and establish ourselves.  A lot depends on how involved you
want to get."

She thought about it, then sighed.  "I'm willing to cheat.  Far enough
back we won't have to worry about proving who we are, then I'll assume
you can fix our house so we have most of the more modern conveniences?
I enjoy camping, but not as something to look forward to for more than
a few months."

"Ok.  What if we pose as a young couple who came into money, somehow?
Then we could buy some land somewhere, and have our dream house built,
with all the 'modern' conveniences.  We'd be locally famous as rich
people, but I think we can get away with having a private area that
visitors never see."

"Then we could travel?"

"By normal means, or place and time shifting."

"I begin to see what makes you love the mountains and deserts.
Isolation, and privacy, right?"

"Something simpler.  I was raised in the mountains, then lived awhile
on the desert, before I moved to the suburbs.  Advantages and
disadvantages, no matter where we wind up."

"1800s?"

"Doable.  A lucky strike, and I cash in my find somewhere, before we
follow our dreams."

"Is it safe to assume you have the skills to build our new home?"

"With, or without power, yes."

"Homestead.  Coastal Oregon.  Mountainside with a view of the ocean,
and a beach suitable for lovers to walk on, or make love with each
other."

"We'll start in San Franciso, during the height of the gold rush."

He reached for her, they hugged, and they vanished.

* * *

They reappeared in an alley.

Roberta coughed and sneezed violently.  "Ugh!"

Tom laughed.  "I've smelled septic tanks that were less intense. Don't
worry.  Our noses will deaden in a few hours, and we'll be able to
ignore it.  Anyone asks, we were adding to the miasma."

"Miasma.  I think you're showing off your erudition.  The place
stinks!  Let's go."

He took her hand, and they ambled out of the alley and into public
view.  They were greeted by catcalls and hoots, and Tom laughed at the
people who shouted.  "You're jealous, and Roberta isn't for sale at
any price, since she's my wife!  Go find your own!"

Roberta laughed at him.  "Wife?  You dream big.  Way I remember it,
you conned me into coming out here so we could have our own lives and
we'd get rich, so I could hire a maid to do my laundry.  Any other
dreams?"

"Ahhh....  Honey...  I'll strike it rich soon, then we can go
someplace better."

"Believe it when I see it, and jacking your jaws at gawkers who can't
tell the difference between a refined lady, and a whore, isn't getting
us any richer."

"Ok.  Ok...  Let's go find a hotel that's up to your *refined*
standards, then we'll talk about what we do next."

The laughter got louder, and the crowd parted slightly to let them go
on their way.  Some of the men and woman shouted suggestions about
what they were going to 'talk' about, but it was all good natured fun.

Once they were clear of the crowd, Roberta giggled.  "Gods...  That
was exhilarating!  Talk about reinventing myself on the fly!  You
think they bought it?"

"Bought what?  You being just another whore with big dreams, to match
mine?"

"Yes."

"Probably.  A proper girl wouldn't have made it this deep into Frisco,
so that was helping.  Doesn't matter, since we're not staying long
enough to stand out from the rest of the hopefuls."

"What next?  Way I remember it, from my schooling, everything is cash
on the barrel."

He stepped to one side of the street, out of the way of most of the
traffic. and knelt.  "Settle so you look like you're paying attention
to what I'm doing, which will look like I'm drawing a map of some
sort."

She did, and he moved a finger in the dirt.  "Way I figure it, we
should be able to find a place to spend a couple nights, after I
exchange my gold dust for what passes for cash these days.  After
that, we'll pick up some basic supplies and head out."

She frowned at him.  "You been holding out on me?  I don't remember
you doing any prospecting."

He laughed and held up his finger, which glittered.  "Doing it now.
Gold is everywhere, and I know how to separate it.  We'll wander
around like we're looking for a place to stay, and I'll do this a few
more times, in places where I can tell the gold is more common than
usual.  Reach in your purse and get me a handkerchief, then I'll wipe
this off my finger, like I'm cleaning off the muck."

She handed him her kerchief and watched while he finished his charade,
after wiping his finger a few more times.  "It seems like you could
just convert energy to whatever you need."

"Do that later, when we have some privacy.  It's best to have real
gold so I can make mine similar.  Without it, I'd probably get the
mixture of impurities wrong, and that would draw attention we don't
want."

"And we need to be able to pay for the privacy.  Mind if I think of
this like we're free acting in a stage play?"

"Improv?  Good choice."

He stood, handed her the kerchief, she put it away, then they linked
arms and drifted away.

She took the time to casually study their surroundings before she
spoke again.  "Where are we, exactly?"

"West edge, where the prospectors first hit town.  Pretty raw here. We
need a slightly better atmosphere on the inner edge of this area,
before we head into the better area so I can get my best price for my
dust."

"Some things never change, do they?"

"Nope."

"Dumb question.  How come you didn't change our outfits?  The dress is
about mid range for the whores here, but your gambler's outfit doesn't
belong, that I can see."

"You have good eyes.  For you, if people think you're a whore, and
you've latched onto a ticket out, they'll probably just cheer you on,
instead of hitting on you, or causing you problems."

"Makes sense.  You?"

"Part of my image.  People from all over the world are caught up in
the fever.  Riverboat gamblers are known to be greedy, of course, but
the successful ones leave their marks with mostly good memories, and
they are more willing to think they can fleece *me* the next time."

"So, it's a uniform, and a warning that says you're not an easy mark?"

"Mostly.  In this part of town, it's also part of the male ego stuff
that says I have my dreams of success, so I dress like I'm already
successful at what I really want to do."

"Which means people who see us will have to guess which it is, before
they put their money down.  Slick."

"Thanks.  There's one more oprtion, that I'm hoping we can avoid."

"Oh?"

"Sure.  In this day and age, people wear their assets.  If we have to,
we could pawn or sell these outfits, to get some operating cash."

He pointed at her purse.  "We already have enough to pay for a room
for a few nights, and get some food, as long as we find a reputable
assayer and buyer."

"Which, for a contact telepath, is trivial."

{{And we've already made contact.}}

She flinched, then laughed.  "So we have.  I'm hoping for more
contacts, that aren't as...  Casual.  What did you do?  Give us the
bodies we had at our best?"

"Yes.  Got a few other surprises coming, but we'd better deal with
those later."

"Oh?"

"Of course.  We talk a line about the controls being innate, and
people have them or they don't, but that's for public consumption, and
the folks who don't believe in critical thinking."

"Oh?  I won't accuse you of lying, but maybe I should, and see how you
react."

"We encourage people to lie to themselves, and yes, we do lie when we
think it's wise to do so.  The key to power is mindset.  If you can
truly believe in three impossible things before breakfast, then
learning how to handle power is easy.  The lack of inner controls is
just a way of saying someone has hidden reservations, or fears, no
matter how much they think they believe it's possible."

He chuckled, stopped them, then reached for the chain that was around
her neck, lifted out the Medallion of Truth, and positioned it so it
hung in sight, between her breasts.  "Well, Bobbie, you're already
comfortable with invoking manifested power.  Ready for the advanced
course, that teaches you how to work with raw power, and turn it into
whatever you want it to manifest as?"

"Will the skills stay with me when we return?"

"Yes.  I can't tell you if you'll be able to do it all on your own, or
need to be turned on before you can do it, like the rest of Marie's
family."

"You're ducking something."

"Like I said, a good eye, and better ears.  Expected that, since you
enjoy going head to head with Master Bards."

"Well?"

"We've noticed that the Big Guy likes to have llife-mates be equals,
or have individual skills that complement each other.  So, there's a
good chance that when we go back, you'll be able to do it all on your
own.  I can't promise when it will happen, or if it will, that's all.
All I can do is admit that as long as you're in the past, you'll be
able to handle power without me needing to turn you on.  You *might*
be able to do the time travel, but I strongly suggest that you save
that for after we get back to linear time.  It's easy to get 'lost in
time' before you decide it's time to return."

"Done it yourself?"

"Yes.  It took us centuries, to work our way back to true linear time,
through all the links we'd created as we wandered, so I could find out
if I really am a True Immortal."

"Enough, and more than enough.  Let's focus on becoming just another
young couple, with dreams."

They resumed walking, and after he stopped a few passersby to ask for
directions, so he could draw maps in the dirt as they told him what he
needed to know, they took the time to search for a place where they
could sell his gold dust.

* * *

They'd received their money for the dust, and the proprietor looked
them over.  "You folks don't seem the type, to be here.  Got the
fever?"

Tom looked him over in return.  "Wouldn't be a good idea, to find out
if I earned the clothes."

"Yeah?"

"Yes.  Got a deck of cards, that isn't marked in some way?"

"Of course."

"I should take your money, but I'll give you a lesson in luck,
instead.  Get them."

"Confident."

"I earned that gold with my own work.  I didn't take it from any fool
who was so drunk he didn't care who cheated him out of it."

The man flushed, then offered Tom the cards.

He shook his head.  "No.  You shuffle and then let me pick five cards,
before you pick yours."

"One hand?"

"That's all it takes a wise man, to know when he's in over his head,
right?"

"You're a strange one."

"True.  I'm here so I can earn enough my wife and I can go someplace
quiet, and be ourselves, without me needing to watch my back all the
time, or have her watch it for me, while I'm busy."

"Fancy woman like that, watch a real man's back?"

Roberta sighed.  "I've seen a lot in my life, already.  Haven't felt
the need to kill anyone, yet.  A few men, and women are wishing I'd
killed them, though."

"Yes, Ma'am.  Going to take me a week, to forget your eyes.  Sorry I
spoke out of turn."

"Apology accepted.  Play those cards, so we can get out of here."

He shuffled the deck, then fanned them for Tom, who picked five cards
and left them face down.  "Go ahead and pick yours."

The man did, then spoke easily.  "Since this is friendly, I'll lay
mine out."

He did.  "Four kings with a queen kicker.  "Pretty tough to beat."

"True.  Just to keep me honest, turn mine over yourself."

He did, then shivered.  "Four aces, with the joker.  You got some sort
of magic?"

"Don't believe in magic.  It's a skill, that's all.  I lose, a lot,
but when I need luck on my side, she is, more often than not.  Games
are already rigged in my favor, and only a fool would need to cheat,
in the long run."

Tom nodded his head slightly.  "Nice meeting you.  We'll be on our
way, now.  We ever need a honest price on our gold, we'll be back."

"Umm...  Been a pleasure, Sir.  So you don't plan on staying in this
area?  Man like you could make a decent living."

Tom laughed and linked his arm with Roberta's.  "I want a better life,
than always watching my back, and my wife needing to listen to lechers
who think that because she dresses like a whore in these parts, she is
one."

They left, got a few hundred feet down the street, then Roberta
couldn't hold in her laughter.  "Ok.  Time to confess.  How?"

"Figured he'd cheat, so I read the cards and pulled the best possible
hand.  He already knew what I held, because he did the best he could,
with what was left."

"So it was all gentlemanly and nobody needed to act offended.  I bet
he was dying to find out how you did it."

"He figures I happened to know the system he uses to mark his cards,
and I'm a better cheat than he is."

She laughed.  "Better, is a given.  So you encouraged him to cheat in
the best way he knew how, and trounced him.  I like it.  Word will get
out, to leave you alone, won't it?"

"Sure.  I'm not interested in that sort of game.  I kept enough dust
to act as a starter, so let's find a hotel, and settle for a couple
days, while we make our plans."

While they were strolling, a drunk lurched out of an alley and grabbed
for Roberta.  "Hey, Darlin'!  Let's go somewhere quiet!"

She kneed him in his crotch and looked down at his writhing body.
"Only one man gets to call me Darlin', in that tone of voice, and you
aren't him."

She relinked her arm with Tom's.  "You were saying?"

He chuckled.  "Not a word, Darlin'."

"Good!  I hate violence as a solution, but that was a special
occassion, and I'm trying to live like a native."

He laughed harder and she finally joined her laughter with his.  "Come
on, you crazy man.  Let's go see what a decent hotel looks like, in
this town."

* * *

They wound up in a hotel that could only be described as 'elegant', no
matter what time it was in, and when Tom flashed his money, along with
his easy confidence that he should be treated with respect, they wound
up in the bridal suite, after he admitted they were recently married,
and were on their honeymoon tour.

After they had dinner brought to them, he closed the door, and
gestured slightly.  "The walls had ears, and eyes.  They don't, now."

"Eyes, too?"

"Sure.  But these eyes and ears needed to take a break, so they fell
asleep, and when they wake up, they'll see us in bed, asleep, no
matter what we're really doing."

"Is the food safe?"

"Yes.  This hotel has some class, and they only spike the drinks at
the bar."

"Policy, or just a few working on their own?"

"Private enterprise.  Management doesn't see it, as long as they
control their predation.  Anyone does something that costs them
business, and the gloves come off."

She settled at the table and looked the food over.  "Looks, and
smells, decent enough.  Join me?"

He did, then offered her the second bite off his plate.  "You don't
need a food taster, so this is a symbolic sharing."

"Should I match it?"

"Up to you."

"Tom, Love, you're hopelessly old fashioned, and I love it.  Thanks."

He took the food she offered, ate it, then smiled.  "You're welcome,
Love."

They ate, and after they finished he gathered the plates and set
everything outside their door.

She watched him, then nodded.  "No interruptions?"

"Right."

Her eyebrows went up.  "That was terse, for you.  Nervous?"

He thought about it.  "No.  Waiting on you to tell me how we're going
to do this.  It's a major part of how I am, until we get the rules
sorted out."

"Rules?  Oh.  Those rules."

She took her clothes off and stood there.  "Well?"

His smile was faint.  "Nice view."

She stared at him, then blushed.  "At least I know you don't hand out
gratuitous praise."

He stripped, stood there, and it was her turn to do the studying.
"Some sort of training?"

"Yes.  Many styles, and I've developed a synthesis.  Qualified to
teach in all of them, if you're interested.  Only thing I've never
done is body building.  I have an ego, but I'm not narcissistic."

"So that body is the one you had at that age?  You don't look as
muscular as you are."

He shrugged.  "It's the one I had when I was in my early twenties.  It
was later, that I got casual and let it go to Hell.  Short story is
that I knew I was dying when Mahika and Sandy figured out a way for us
to live in the past, so we could have more time together.  That was
when we were all made Avatars, and given immortality."

"You winced."

"The Big Guy has a weird sense of humor, I think.  The process nearly
killed Mahika and me."

"Obviously, you survived it."

"Yes.  It took us a few days to recover.  Chrys wasn't very happy with
what I'd done, because the spillover gave her a severe headache, even
though we were thousands of years in the past."

"Yet another story I missed.  I *knew* I should have spent more time
chasing you, once I found out you were in love with each other, but,
since you were merely a human, and all you did was spend time
entertaining at your local mall, I was like everyone else, and assumed
you folks weren't that important, relatively speaking.

"Never mind.  You are who you are, and I am who I am.  I'm going to be
a little selfish, and let's agree to make this time about us, as much
as possible.  I like what I'm seeing, but...  Oh, Hell, Tom.  It's
strange, to know I'm loved for who I am, and you aren't getting
involved because of what I represent, and all that stuff.  We have a
bed available.  Let's use it, and do whatever we wind up doing, until
we can share the afterglow."

He stepped into her, wrapped her in a hug, then let his hands explore
her back, while they...

Kissed each other, as lovers, and friends.

When he moved to pull his head away, she grabbed it and held them
together, while she breathed through her nose.

Eventually he stopped moving his hands, and shifted his arms so she
could explore him.

She took the hint, and worked his spine briefly, before she slid her
mouth away from his lips and started working her way lower.

After she knelt and kissed his penis, she paused long enough to look
up and smile at him.  "Whew!  I like the way you taste!"

He chuckled and stroked his fingers through her hair.  "I like a woman
who knows how to kiss like that.  You can seduce me any time."

"Hah!  Never met a man before, who didn't fight me when I held on like
that."

{{We have alternatives, Love.  We don't need our mouths free, to speak
to each other.}}

{{We don't?!  Right!}}

She engulfed his penis, and spoke in his mind.  {{This is going to be
fun.  You the kind of guy who likes commentary, or should I get on
with this?}}

{{I don't need it, but if you do, do it.}}

She started working him, and he groaned, then managed to keep from
grabbing her and fucking her mouth.  {{Keep that up, and I won't last
long.}}

{{What's your recharge time?}}

{{Without help, a few minutes.  If I use power, I can stay erect until
we decide it's time for my erection to end.}}

{{I should have expected that.  Well, I enjoy the taste, so I'll just
focus on draining you for now, then we can cuddle.}}

{{Mmmm...  Don't be afraid to work my prostate, if you want to.}}

{{Oh?  Really?  Well, let's see...  Hey, you're reasonably tight back
there, but I have the feeling...  Oh.  Duh!  Dogs!  I already know
you're bi.  What are you?  Some sort of size queen, too?}}

He laughed in her head.  {{Some sort.  I try to stay reasonable.  When
you have that girl talk with Chrys, ask her about what we've done when
she's been in heat.}}

{{You're not normal, being able to carry your half of the conversation
while I'm doing my best to get you off.  Have I lost my touch?}}

{{Relax.  You're damn good.  I'll shut up, and let my body do my
talking, until you can't get it to respond.  Do...  Whatever feels
right, to do.  I'm not a pain slut, but don't worry about exploring
ways to give me a jolt that increases my pleasure.}}

{{I don't like giving pain, so relax.  However, since you're so
relaxed about this, do me a favor and provide some lube back here.}}

{{Any preference?}}

{{You have one?}}

{{Olive oil.}}

She giggled in his mind.  {{Do it!  While you're at it, can you clean
yourself out, to reduce the mess?}}

{{You're adapting well.  Done.}}

{{I have a good imagination.  Helps me stay ahead of people who think
they can hide from me...  Here I come and...  Holy cow!  Where did all
that come from?  Your toes?!}}

{{Uhhh....  Mmmm....  Don't stop!}}

{{Oh.  Right.  Jeez, Tom.  Are you...  Bottomless?  My entire forearm
is in you, and I haven't hit any serious resistance.}}

{{Mmmm!}}

{{Oh, right.  I'm coming out so I can use my fingers and...  Hey!  I
need to be able to come off far enough I can breathe!  Loosen up a
little!}}

{{Sorry.  I forgot you don't know how to generate your own air when
your throat is plugged.  Better?}}

{{Lots.  Add that to the list of things I should learn right away.  My
idea of heaven is to be able to keep a man all the way in until he
goes limp, instead of needing to come off for air once in awhile.}}

{{Mmnnn...  My kind of woman.  Keep working me, and I'll be tapped
pretty quickly.}}

{{Tapped as in drained, or tapped as in no more erection?}}

{{Don't be insulting.  Tapped as in drained.  Sounds like you know a
man dosn't have to be erect, to have a prostate orgasm.}}

{{You're ok with me imitating an electrostim and making sure there's
nothing left when I'm done?}}

{{I'm also a healer, Bobbie.  If you leave me raw, don't worry about
it.  It's a temporary problem that's easily fixed.}}

{{Ahh...  There it is...  Now, if I press like this, I should get a
nice reward...}}

{{Uhh!  Oh...  Ahhh!  Keep going!}}

{{Jeezus!  A man capable of multiples?!  No wonder you have a harem.
Hang on for a few more spasms and...  My tongue says that was it.  Not
even any seepage, now.  You down enough I can remove my hand?}}

{{ Mmm...  Slowly.  Let me relax more.  You'll know when it's ok to
get the widest part out.}}

{{Easy...  Easy...  Ah!  I felt that, and I'm out.  You ok?}}

{{I'm fine.  Steady me for a little longer, then if you'll help me
stagger over to the bed...  Oh.  hang on.  I need to cast a spell so
it's only us sharing the bed.}}

{{Bugs?}}

{{Lots of them...  Ok.  They're banished.from our room.}}

She came off his penis, held it and studied it, then lightly stroked
it before she stood and wrapped him in a hug.  "Sorry.  I could feel
you fighting to maintain your balance.  Let's prepare ourselves a
little better, next time, or just do it in bed.  You ready to
stagger?"

"Give me another minute or so to savor the experience, and recover.
You been saving that for someone special?"

"Yes.  The last time I relaxed like that with someone, he couldn't get
away from me fast enough, once he recovered enough to get his clothes
back on."

"You won't have that problem with me.  Mahika and Sandy like to take
turns getting me off, until I pass out on them, then they keep going
until they've used me for themselves.  After it's over, we stay in a
sweaty pile until we decide it's time to clean up and go back to
pretending we're normal people."

She held him off and watched his face.  "Tom?  You've been strangely
silent, about you and Kay, and you and The Ambassador."

"Help me to the bed, then I'll go there."

He settled on the edge of the bed, she sat next to him, then she
finally sighed.  "You be ok if I spoon against your back and wrap you
up?  It's been...  Too long, and I enjoy fondling my partner while we
relax."

"I'll be fine.  I'm adaptable.  It was something I had to learn how to
do, long before Mahika entered my life."

"Thanks.  Are you always this passive around women, when it comes to
the sex?"

"No.  Once we have some time to get used to each other, and I know
your limits, I'll go back to being reasonably normal, and doing more
of the seducing."

"Must be a reason for you being like this."

He settled on his side and she wrapped him up before he spoke again.
"I have to know my lover really does consent to what's going on.  So,
I learned that the best way to do that, was to move slowly, and as
much as possible, let her or him make the first moves, until we've
been doing it awhile."

"Sorry.  I'm not usually this slow to figure things out.  Bitches and
dogs can't talk, and I bet you're tired of trying to explain to people
they really can consent to sex with a human."

"Yeah.  Mostly, people think bitches can't consent as obviously as
dogs do.  Hasn't been a problem for me, for a long time, now that I
have Mahika and...  Sandy in my life."

"You hesitated."

"I know.  Keeping Sandy's real name a secret is something we have to
do, so it's a struggle for me to admit she has another name, that I
use when we're private."

"Am I going to hear it?"

"Yes.  Just don't pass it on to anyone outside our group.  Let Jessica
find out from someone else, if she ever does."

"Ok."

"Thanks.  Sandra is the name Marie's bitch, Wolf, chose for herself,
after she learned how to shape shift.  After she let herself 'die',
she waited a few years, then moved in with us as Sandra.  Before that,
she was spending most of her time with her original family, when she
wasn't time traveling.  At some point in her travels, she gained
enough experience that she became intelligent enough she's now at
least as good as humans are.  Better, probably, because she's been our
Alpha for millions of years."

"That's interesting, and I know we can talk about that more, later."

"I hear you..  Best way to think of all of us, is that my group
operates as a pack, while Kay and Merlin's group is more like a clan.
From there, it gets complicated, because it involves linear and
non-linear time interacting with each other.

"The best way to deal with it is to keep in mind that the point of
view of the speaker, is what matters, at any given time.  Because of
that, things get...  Twisted, when you try to reconcile it all."

"I've been warned.  Go on."

"First of all, Merlin contacted me, because he found my web site, and
had some questions about the stories I'd written as my interpretation
of the Merlin legend.  Once he convinced me he really was Merlin, and
Mahika and I checked, to make sure, I opened up a little, and admitted
that Mahika had taken me back in time, so I could observe his life,
before I'd written the stories.

"He wasn't really happy about finding out his life was an open book,
but since there was nothing he could do about it, we settled our
differences of opinions about how much truth I should put in my work,
and that was pretty much it.  That happened before Chrys faked her
death, and came to Earth.  Also, I wasn't yet a True Immortal."

"Hold it.  You keep talking about being a 'True Immortal', and I can
hear the capital letters.  Who, or what, are they?"

He chuckled.  "We're the people, living in linear time, who are
immortal.  We're also Avatars.  We're all Avatars for the Terran
Zeitgeist, except for Chrys.  Just to complicate things, not all
Avatars are immortal.  Arthur wasn't.  As far as we know so far, you
and Jessica won't be, either."

She tightened her grip slightly.  "Give me time to think about that,
before I try and figure out how I feel about the fact that I'm a
mortal, who agreed to marry an immortal, who has powers that make him
the same as a god."

He touched her hands and sighed.  "Best way to deal with it, is to
ignore it unless the Zeitgeist rubs your nose in it.  Then, too, you
can look forward to a long, very healthy life, followed by a natural
death.  You'll get hurt sometimes, but one of us will be there, to put
you back together."

"So, whatever science determines my natural lifespan is, I can expect
to live it?"

"Yes.  Plus, if science makes the advances, or the ethical problems
are solved, normal humans, and Rabelaisians, might find themselves
functionally immortal, because of cloning, and/or being able to swap
their minds into another body, that has had its original personality
removed."

She sighed.  "What about the immortality of time travel?"

"For some, yes.  We think it's a fairly recent ability, and I, Mahika
and Sandy, are the only people who live in non-linear time.  Merlin
has never done it, except as a passenger.  Kay and Chrys use it only
at great need.  The twins...  Are capable, but I'm pretty sure their
first unassisted travel just happened within the last week.  Marie and
Ted have the controls, but neither of them have used them, yet.
Liberty Anne is a special case, and she handles the time travel stuff
for that group.  Then, there is you.  When we go back, you'll have the
knowledge required, but there's no way of knowing if you'll be able to
do it on your own."

"Until I decide to try."

"Exactly."

"I thought Marie and Ted were the special cases.  Sounds like
something is going on that I should know more about.  Worry about it
later.  Let's get back to Kay and Chrys."

"So, that's the way things were, until Chrys showed up.  I was in my
early fifties, and knew I was slowly dying, Mahika had been in my life
as my Muse and partner, for years, and at the time Merlin and I first
talked to each other, I was putting the final touches on the first
version of the Samuel Langhorn Clemens."

"Hold it, again.  Somehow, you've managed to avoid telling the world
the reason you picked that name, other than it's...  Fitting that he
has a riverboat named after him, and you were the first one to do it."

"Umm...  Yes.  I've been waiting for someone, such as a hotshot
investigative reporter or two, to confront me with the results of some
fairly simple research.  It's never happened."

"I was still getting my journalism degree when you retired from active
pirate hunting.  What would interest me more, if I was chasing that
story, is how you managed to get the complete cooperation of every
country, to operate independently."

"It was long before I became an immortal, and learned how to use
power, but still, with Mahika on my side, what could they do to stop
us?  Besides, there are major advantages to having a neutral
independent out there, that anyone could call in, and not have to jump
through political or economic hoops, to get my help."

She studied him, then sighed.  "I'll let you get away with that, for
now, except to note that for the time, you had the most sophisticated
tech in the world, a 'riverboat' that could outrun everything except
specialized racing boats, and what you couldn't outrun, you had a
nasty habit of blowing out of the water, with an efficiency that had
everyone in the world dreaming of somehow getting you to let loose of
your secrets."

"There are a lot of reasons I picked Sam Clemens, and the fact he
wrote about life along the Mississippi, was a relatively minor reason,
even though it's apt.  We're both writers who favor a gritty realism
to our stories.  Outspoken, too.  Then there's the fact we're both
redheads.  But..."

She waited, then sighed.  "Ok, I'll bite.  What's your most important
reason for choosing the name?"

"We're related to each other.  Trace the right side of my family tree,
and it's a fairly direct link."

"That's...  Insane, that it's been missed for so long."

"Not really.  When people talk about him, it's always about him, and
not any family he had.  With that kind of focus, folks tend to treat
the people around him as unimportant, and for the most part, they
were.  Still, it does seem odd that nobody took the time to stop and
think that maybe my interest in him was based on something a little
more personal than awe, or professional respect."

"Someday, you and I are going to settle somelace with some privacy,
and I'm going to let you find out what it's like when I know there's a
story hidden in front of me, and I'm not going to let go until I have
it, all of it.  I have to admit that this time, I probably won't do
anything with it, but just knowing I got it, when nobody else had a
clue it was there, is going to be one of the major highlights of my
life.  Table that, and let's get back to Kay and the others."

"On their side of the pond, Merlin and Kay were chaste lovers, and the
twins were their bodyguards when they were needed.  Mostly, all of
them were just sitting back and observing things.

"Merlin had already made his trip to Rabelaisia, and met Lady
Chrystal, so he was waiting for her to eventually come to Earth, so
she could be his life-mate."

He chuckled a little sourly.  "Chrys showed up, and shortly after
that, things got complicated."

"It sounds like Kay never figured into things until recently, but you
did mention you're her first husband, right?"

"Time travel.  To keep it simple, Merlin was showing Chrys a video of
the maiden voyage of the Sam Cee, and when Chrys focused on me and
Mahika, it was enough to send us into a link.  I'd felt a link start
to form, then stop, a little earlier, then, the second time, it was
strong enough that I blanked briefly.  Naturally, I wanted to know
what the Hell had hapened, because once it formed, I couldn't block
it.  I wound up in Merlin's library,  with Mahika at my side.  She was
also time slicing to keep Kay and the twins out of our hair, while
Chrys and I finally let the link run its course."

"She mentioned that in one of the interviews.  She called it a
modified life-mate link."

"Yeah.  Very modified.  So, we added her and her new family to our
pack.  Over the years, Chrys and I have gone from the mental closeness
we had, to a physical closeness that can be intense enough to satisfy
her when she's in estrus.

"Kay and the others got worked in as part of all that, and we
developed a solid relationship."

"Strong enough for you to marry her?  Didn't Merllin have any problems
with that?"

"I met Kay long before she met Merlin, and that was when she offered
me a betrothal ceremony that was done according to what she knew.
Decades later, we were formally married to each other, using a
different ceremony.  My grrls were there, and that was when we lived
as a pack, while Kay acted as our Alpha.  That lasted several
centuries, then the time came when she had to go her way, and we had
to go ours.

"Oh.  By then, we all knew we were immortal, and Avatars.  We lived in
linear time while we were with Kay, because we knew she would spend
thousands of years without knowing time travel was possible."

"It sounds like you've left a lot out."

"Yes.  When we came back to this time, Kay knew who I'd been, and...
Things changed quite a bit at that point."

"So that explains the casualness of how you treat each other, and...
That's crazy, Tom!  Kay has been hiding her true personality, for
thousands of years, until you came back to her?"

"Yes.  Mostly,she's been supressing certain aspects of it, until she
knew it was time for her to give up Excalibur.  We all assumed that
once she handed it over, it would be a long time before it was brought
back."

"No wonder she felt forced at Marie's party."

"Yep."

"You've gone terse again."

"Yep.  Something we assumed when she left to follow her own path, was
that I'd be the one who would take it from her, and tell her The Great
Task was over.  That damn sword stood between us for thousands of
years, and I threw a spectacular tantrum when I got my hands on it and
made it vanish.  To say I was upset with the long wait...  Is an
understatement."

"I'll bite."

"I threw it hard enough it sank to the hilt in the wall of Merlin's
castle, then I launched a bolt of energy at it and shouted 'BEGONE!'
as loud as I could, while I turned it back into raw energy.

"I suppose I should be happy that the Big Guy has a sense of humor,
because he honored my promise to Kay, that it wouldn't force us to
live separate lives again."

She giggled, then managed to recover enough to go on softly.  "Sorry.
Instead of using it to break you apart again, he set things up so you
and Kay have to be openly a couple and raise a kid, while you're also
married to the new champion, who just happens to be a woman instead of
a man, this time."

"Uh huh.  Plus, instead of doing everything in the shadows, he's set
things up so most of us have to be pretty high profile public figures.
I'm fervently hoping that our deepest secret stays one, this time
around."

"Can you tell me what it is?"

"Not yet.  The time isn't right.  I'm guessing we have to wait for you
to agree to adopt Jessica, before one of us will tell you about that."

"Soon, in linear time?"

"Very.  One reason I'm leaving a lot out, is because you need to learn
it when you're supposed to, in linear time."

"So my reactions are honest?"

"Yes.  Kay isn't the only person in the world who can tell when
someone is lying, or shading the truth, and..."

"I understand.  Wish I didn't, but...  Be stupid, for the Champion of
Light to lie about something and get caught."

"Yep, and it would be easy to do, if you had already invoked the
medallion."

She raised up slightly and studied it, where it was on her clothing.
"Sure wish someone had written some sort of user's manual for that
thing.  Kay and Merlin both smiled and told me to 'just relax and get
acquainted with it'."

Tom chuckled.  "Maybe I can help with that."

"Oh?"

"Excalibur was, and is, manifested power, that was consciously shaped
by a human's desires.  Because of that, it is extremely reactive,
instead of being proactive.  The key is simple.  If you're on good
terms with it, it will be extremely responsive to the intent of your
requests, instead of the letter of them."

"You know a lot about it, don't you?"

He laughed.  "Of course I do.  I'm life-mated to an elemental.  I've
had lots of time to learn how to deal with them."

"If I treat with Excalibur the same way you treat with Mahika, it
will...  Roll over and beg for me to use it, while its metaphorical
tail wags madly?"

"Pretty much so, yes.  He's not old enough to have learned how to
break away from his designed purpose in the way Mahika has.  Plus,
he's...  I suppose the best way to say it, is that Excalibur was
created to a very stringent set of rules  As long as he's being used
according to those rules, he's happy and cooperative.  He can be so
cooperative, he will do his best to anticipate your needs and help
'correct' you, if you're making a mistake."

"I dislike repeating myself so soon, but you do know a lot more about
it than I would have expected.  Special study?"

"In a way.  If you read the right legends, there is a brief mention of
'The Flame-Haired Blacksmith of the gods', who created Excalibur and
gave the sword to The Lady of The Lake.  Guess what?  You're married
to him."

"Well, well, WELL!  Isn't that convenient?  Before we go back, we need
to have a long talk about some of the changes I'd like made in the
medallion, so it fits me better."

"Sounds like you've spent a lot of time thinking about your job."

"Yes, I have, and I don't believe the best answer to a lot of what
I'll be running into, will be a flaming sword and threatening to
invoke high, low, and middle justice."

"Good point.  I'll be looking forward to making the changes."

"Thanks.  Ok.  If you're comfortable, I'm comfortable.  I realize it's
moot, here, but I'd like to stay snuggled, and get some sleep."

"In the morning, then.  G'Night...  I never checked.  Do you have a
middle name?"

"And a last one I seldom use.  My full name is Roberta Loraine Neely,
with an 'i' in Loraine.  Mom wanted Lorianne, but whoever wrote it on
the birth cert wasn't a good speller, or they had poor hearing.
Personally, I think Loraine sounds better, so I've never seen any
reason to get it corrected."

"Roberta Loraine.  I like it, too.  Be ok if I call you Lora?"

"As long as you stay away from the juvenile rhyming.  'Lora the
bore-a' is something I want left in my past.  While we're on the
subject, I don't remember seeing you mention that you have middle and
last names in real life, and your best known pen name uses an
initial."

"I have one.  My full name is Thomas Keane Galahalt, and it's
something I only use when I have to."

"Galahalt?"

"Yes, and no relation.  I checked.  I wasn't the man the character is
based on, either, so relax.  I won't call it a coincidence, because
when you trace my roots, an ancestor who knew the legend changed his
surname when he arrived in America, and he wanted something impressive
sounding, instead of 'Smith'."

"Galahalt certainly qualifies as impressive.  Ok.  G'night, Honey."

"Til morning, Love."

* * *

"Good morning, Thomas."

"Mmm...  I like the way you wake a man up."

"Good! Now, roll over so you can finish waking me up.  By the way,
how's our watchman doing?"

He rolled over and inserted himself, then nuzzled her while he moved
slowly.  "She got bored, and decided we weren't going to do anything
she was interested in, so she's gone to bed."

"That's a shame.  I was thinking we could mention it would be nice to
have breakfast, and it would magically appear, as if we were
anticipated."

"I'll deal with that when we're done here, ok?"

"Oh?"

"Sure, and I'll let you help me."

"Worry about that later.  We have more important things to deal with,
first."

He chuckled.  "Then let me shift slightly..."

"Uh!  My god!  Don't...  AIEEEE!!!!...  Stop!  Ohh..."

He held her gently and kissed her.  "Well?"

"Mmm!"

"Right.  Glad it was good for you, and don't worry about me while you
recover."

"I...  I'm limp.  Don't do anything except hold me in a cuddle."

They snuggled, she sighed a few times, and finally found the enegy to
kiss him.  "To say it inelegantly, 'WOW!  I know what you did, but I
can't figure out how you did it.  I thought a combined clitoral and
g-spot orgasm was impossible from straight fucking."

He stroked her face, then ran his fingers through her hair.  "If I'd
been allowed to do some shape shifting, you could have added a vaginal
one at the same time."

"That's...  I don't know what it is, except it's something I don't
want to try for, yet.  I've never been so wiped out from an orgasm.  I
expected the clitoral, since you shifted up my body.  Experience tells
me that you shouldn't have been able to hit my g-spot after you did
that."

He chuckled.  "I cheated.  I cast a spell that held my tip on your
g-spot, and kept applying pressure until...  You orgasmed."

"Oh.  That's...  Creative."

"Yep.  How you doing in there?"

"Floating, as long as you don't move and overstimulate me.  Good ones
leave me more sensitive than poor ones, and...  That was a very good
one."

"Glad you liked it.  Umm...  I forgot to ask you something important."

"Oh?"

"How long does it take you to recover?"

"You!...  Hey!  You were serious when you said we can be hurt, but not
killed, right?"

"Yes."

"And I already mentioned you reminded me of Bards."

"So?"

"So you're a pretty decent author, and you're one who loves to play
with words."

"Thanks, and right.  You going somewhere with this?"

"Fuck me, and keep fucking me, or doing whatever you have to do, to
keep me orgasming until my body quits responding, Don't stop when I
pass out."

He studied her thoughtfully, then lightly stroked her face again.
"Lora?  Are you sure?"

She touched his face.  "Is there a problem?"

"Maybe.  There's only one way I can do what you want, and...  I can't
do it without causing us both pain at some point.  Lots of it,  but
most of it will be after you pass out.  If you still want this, I can
make the repairs to your body so that all you feel when you wake up,
will be the satiation and fatigue."

"That makes it sound like you've done this before, with someone."

"I have.  When Chrys is in heat, that sort of unrestrained lust is the
only thing that will satiate her enough she can spend the rest of her
cycle being satisfied by more normal sex."

"Tom?  What did you just duck with that 'most of it'?"

"Several things.  When Chrys in in heat, any sensation is pleasure, or
increases her pleasure.  Plus, because she's operating on pure
reproductive instinct, she will do anything to her partner to get him
to react in some way, and she can't stop herself if he suddenly says
'no'.  For us, it's rape past that point.  For Rabelaisians in heat,
once they start, they only stop when they can't move, or the female
goes out of heat and her scent says she's no longer receptive."

"That's Chrys.  What about you?"

"Pure instinct.  Totally selfish.  Total disregard for my partner as a
person.  If it gives me pleasure, or I think it will, I do it without
a second thought.  As long as the body of the other person reacts in
some way, I can't stop myself.  The last time I serviced her, I tore
huge clumps of fur out of her buttocks, fisted her so deeply I
ruptured her colon in several places, and at some point managed to
slice halfway fthrough her clitoris.  I also dislocated one of her
hips.

"In return, she tore the muscles in one buttock, did something that
caused enough internal bleeding that my scrotum was full of blood, and
without remembering how she did it, split my penis from base to tip.
There was other, incidental damage, of course.

"Eventually she passed out, but I kept doing whatever it took, until
her body didn't respond at all.  then...  Gloating at the evidence of
my sexual prowess, I finally collapsed and passed out.

"The bottom line is that for both of us, we didn't feel any of that as
pain until we woke up."

"Oh.  The subtext of all that is that I could have some serious damage
inflicted, without any anesthetic, and until I was unresponsive, and
you'd been totally satisfied, unless I could repair myself, I'd have
to put up with the pain when I woke up."

"And whatever pain I caused before you passed out.  It's all part of
being a Rabelaisian Morph, so they accept it as a fact of life and it
doesn't bother them."

"What about you?"

"I'd rather not do it, but, since Merlin and I are the only males on
Earth capable of surviving sex with her when she's in heat, and he
can't let go enough to be able to take care of her, I do what I have
to do.  It helps that when it's over, we seldom remember a lot of the
details clearly.  We know what we've done to each other, but we seldom
remember how we did it.

"Anyway, I'm fine.  No nightmares or flashbacks from that part of my
life."

"I'll pursue that later, maybe.  After that reality check, I've
decided I'm not ready to go all the way.  I'll settle for civilized
multiples once in awhile, and if I pass out, that's good enough."

"Thanks, Lora.  If you haven't heard the details from anyone you've
interviewed, add finding out, to the list of things to include in that
girl talk."

"I'll do that."

"Ok.  Umm...  You do know that when you told me to stay away from the
juvenile rhyming, you challenged me?"

"I did?"

"Sure.  I have a quirky mind that searches for ways around problems."

"Is that your way of saying I'd better get used to living with a man
who gets off on word play, as much as he does sex?"

"Yes."

She groaned, then sighed.  "I'm not averse to hearing *good* rhyming."

"Topical?  Lover's stuff that can be...  Sometimes irreverent?"

"Mr. Galahalt.  Consider me warned, and get it over with, so we can
deal with...  Other things."

"Use of my last name noted.  Very well...

"An old man named Tom
"While in love with a Pom
"Wasn't wearing a fedora
"When sleeping with Lora."

She stared at him, then lost it and giggled.  "You are...  Pushing
your luck.  It needs some work."

"Is that your way of saying that as long as I keep away from the
obvious ryhmes, you want to hear more?"

She moved to hug him, kissed him tenderly, and started laughing. "It's
a good thing I made you agree there would be no shape shifting. On the
other hand, there's an image of a dog I can't get out of my mind,
and...  Wait!  Are you sending me that image?"

"Sorry.  No.  You're doing it to yourself.  I could, but...   All of
us learned very early, that sending images without permission wasn't
the wisest thing to do."

"So you need my permission. Good, because I can tell that would be
extremely distracting at times."

"Very distracting.  Telepathy is bad enough, until you get used to
it."

"Can't be any worse that having a phone go off in the middle of a
serious live interview."

He chuckled.  "Was that distracting, or embarrassing?"

"Embarrassing.  It was some targeted advertising for a fast food place
I frequented when I was on my way to my office.  I had them set for no
ringer.  Apparently a lot of people do that, because when I confronted
their head office about it, they admitted they regularly change the
sending address, to get people to notice their ads."

"Do I detect a gloat?"

"Yes, you do.  I did a special on the ethics of marketing by text
messaging.  During the show I annouced I was boycotting their chain,
and calling for a new law covering that and other deceptive practices,
so it wouldn't happen again."

"Anything happen?"

"Not much.  They fired that pr firm, and I understand the person who
signed off on that policy got shown the door after the bean counters
ran the numbers and discovered how much money they were losing as a
result of people unsubscribing when they realized they couldn't do
anything except turn off all text alerts, if they didn't want the ads
ringing their phones at awkward times."

"I suppose it helped, that they had a mass unsubscribe during and
immediately after your show aired?"

She laughed.  "Definitely!  I understand their day's sales figures
were a *lot* less than usual, too."

"Good!  So, our observer is awake, and in position.  Your scream woke
her up."

"You didn't have us shielded?"

"Not completely.  She's the only one who heard you."

"And now?"

"Since we aren't doing anything unusual, I've allowed her to see what
we're doing, without the audio.  She is very frustrated because we
haven't been saying anything to each other."

"Sounds like you're invading her privacy."

"I could say she's invading ours, so it's justified, but instead, all
I've been doing is reading the part of her aura that's visible in our
room."

He touched her forehead.  "See as I do, and all that stuff, since
we've been too busy for me to remember to tell you all you had to do
was think you could do it, and you'd be able to."

She blinked, raised herself so she could see the wall, then lay back
down.  "Seeing, is easy.  It's knowing what it means and how to work
with it, that takes time to learn, right?"

"Right."

"Turn on the audio."

"Done."

"Damnit, Thomas!  I distinctly remember you paying extra for a good
breakfast.  Well, where is it?"

He put a slight whine in his voice.  "Ah, Honey.  Do we have to tell
them we're up?"

"And that's another thing!  Weren't *they* supposed to wake us up by
now?"

"I told them not to.  We're on our honeymoon."

"You!  You *know* I'm always up early, no matter how late I've been
kept awake!"

"I thought..."

"You thought?!"

"Sorry, Dear."

"You'd better..."

A knock on the door interrupted her tirade and she sighed.  "Go see
who it is."

"Yes, Dear."

He got up, opened the door, and studied the boy who was standing
there.  "Well?"

"Sorry to bother you, Sir.  Are you folks ready for your breakfast?"

Tom sighed.  "Yeah.  How soon?"

"As soon as I go get it."

Tom handed him a dollar.  "Run."

"Yes, Sir!"

He closed the door, turned to face Lora , and waited.

She glared at him, then sighed.  "Some service.  He should have had it
with him, right?  So you tipped him to do the job he *should* have
done?"

"Yes.  We're not in civilization, remember?"

"How can I forget?"

She got up and got dressed, then smiled.  {{Nice job.}}

{{Thanks.  I'll reset the privacy spell after we get our food.}}

"Come here and kiss me, you idiot."

"Yes, Dear."

"Don't push it, Thomas."

He kissed her, then pulled back.  "I thought it was men who were
allowed to be cranky when they first got up."

"Never did like that rule.  After we eat, I'll admit that I heard you
tell them not to wake us up, and didn't say anything."

"Until then?"

She shrugged.  "You're wrong, I'm right."

He started working a breast and grinned.  "You sure?"

"Yes.  Get dressed."

He removed his hand, sighed, then collected his clothing and got
dressed.

He was still puting his shoes on when someone knocked on the door, so
she opened it, then waved the boy and two girls into the room.  "Thank
you."

They quickly placed the food and utensils, then glanced at her before
they scurried out and closed the door behind them.

Lora settled, looked things over, and shook her head.  "Must be a
different cook.  This stuff smells like it's fresh, and not the
leftovers we had for dinner."

"If you say so."

{{Get us some privacy, please.}}

"Done.  Enjoying yourself?"

"Yes, I am.  Thanks for going along with me."

"You mentioned reinventing yourself."

"You ok with me exploring like that?"

His eyebrows went up, then he nodded.  "No problem.  Seems strange
though.  Didn't you ever do that in chats?"

She ate her toast, then sighed.  "I did, a little, but I can't
remember ever not wanting to be a reporter of some type, so I always
explored ways to be one so I'd be able to adapt, and hopefully never
be surprised. Worked pretty good, until I ran into Marie."

He thought while he ate, then chuckled.  "What will it be now?  Trying
things until you can be a good wife and mother?"

"I'd like to think I can handle being a wife, Thomas."

"Scared?"

"Terrified."

"Then we shouldn't go back until you feel ready to.  Don't force it by
thinking 'we really should go back, because...'  Get your head
straight about it, Lora."

"It's as simple as that?  Just...  Forget about it and try to relax?"

"Sounds stupid and selfish, doesn't it."

"Very."

"Related to that, to help you out, I'm not going to time slice, in
order to give myself time to think, or come to terms with something."

"You could, couldn't you?"

"I could.  It wouldn't be fair to either of us if I did."

She finished eating, then leaned back and stretched while she thought
about it all.

"Tom?"

"Love?"

"Is it true, that once you've been abused, you're always recovering?"

"Yep.  I've gone so long I *knew* it was all behind me, then,
something will make me think about what happened to start it all, and
I'll get locked into wondering what *I* did to make it all happen.
Usually, I can shut it down, and sometimes Chrys will show up to help
me out of it, but sometimes...  All that love doesn't help, and I
can't make myself believe it's over, and I flash and relive it.
Fortunately, it was only men who hurt me, and it was some women who
cared, who helped me recover, so we've worked out a routine.  Whoever
is with me wraps me up and waits it out.

"Eventually, I come out of it."

"Millions of years and..."  She gestured vaguely.

"Yep.  As far as my head is concerned, those millions of years are
less intense than any of my linear past.  Sucks, but that's the way it
is."

"Damn.  So...  These flashbacks.  It's safe for me to assume that no
matter when you are, you could have one?"

"Definitely.  They're extremely rare, and...  I don't keep track but I
think they don't happen as often as they used to.  Could be hundreds,
or even thousands of years before I have another one."

"I hear you.  You sound pretty distant, so I'll assume when you've
brought it into the open, you'll probably be fine.  I've never
researched the subject, so I only have a lay person's knowledge.  That
says it's the surprise and inappropriateness of the setting, that
makes a flashback so intense it can freeze a person, or make them lash
out."

"Yep.  I worked with a couple of badly abused bitches, and took some
solid bites when I didn't warn them I was nearby.  Cured me of the
game of sneaking up on them and startling them.  Gentle touches worked
better, and eventually they trusted me enough that they'd never wake
up when I slowly petted them to ease them out of a nightmare."

"Sounds like good advice.  Hope I can remember that.  Touches are ok,
but let her wake up on her own, and expect...  Her to be still be
wherever she was, and she might hit me or try to fight me off."

"Good plan."

"Terse?  Oh.  I'm obsessing.  Let's get back to us."

He chuckled.  "Lora, immortality forces a different perception of
time, and 'obsessing', on a person.  As long as you don't lock
yourself into only seeing one, or a few solutions, it's not obsessing,
it's intense focus.  No matter how long you worry something, or enjoy
it, in the longer view, it will be less than eyeblink in your life."

"And you'd sit there and be as relaxed as your are now, even if we
didn't move from these chairs for years, right?"

"Yes.  Neither one of us is the type to stay still that long, so...
What now?"

"Someday, I'll remember that the mind in that body is...  Not normal.
I'll be glad when you get over this passiveness, and act more like a
normal man."

He leaned forward and studied her.  "You'll have to teach me how to be
normal.  I've never had a normal woman stick around long enough for
them to accept that I need help."

"Oh.  Damn.  Something on your site...  Crap.  You're transgendered,
along with all the other stuff.  Except for the body, I might as well
be in a lez relationship for a lot of it."

He shook his head.  "Maybe.  I won't deny that being a 'true' man, as
far as our culture is concerned, is an act.  Other than that, I'm
primarily het, and unless I'm with a dog, enjoy being male to someone
else's female."

She nodded slightly.  "Whatever we decide that female is."

"Point."

She decided to laugh.  "Damn, Tom.  I never realized just being myself
would be such hard work."

"As hard as being a public figure?"

"There's the heart of the problem, isn't it?  Marie gave me a wake up
call on that.  Not many have the courage to tackle my reporter's ego,
and she did it...  Damn, Tom.  Only other person who *ever* made me
feel that way was my mother, because I knew she was doing it for me,
so I'd be sure I was really the person I thought I was, and wanted to
be.  When it was over, I realized I...

He smiled and reached for her hands to stop their shaking.  "Silly,
isn't it, how a teen still in school can make you so ashamed of who
you are, you don't want to ever disappoint her, by not being the best
*you*."

"Who am I, Tom?  Any ideas?"

He smiled.  "How many labels do you neeed, before you decide they're
meaningless to you, and you're whoever you are, without defining
yourself in terms of others?"

She matched his laughter and squeezed his hands.  "Twisty.  I like the
label in your eyes and posture, that says I'm the center of your life,
and there is no other world that matters.  Give me your list, and
let's see how many of those labels I decide to keep around and use
when someone asks me."

"How's it feel, to be at the top when you changed your career?"

"Best at what I decided to do?  Feels good.  Going to take some time
for me to let go of that.  You think I can learn to be ordinary enough
people will believe me when I say I'm interested in doing what's best
for them?"

He let go and leaned back with a sigh.  "You should be able to learn
to make contact with ordinary people.  Being famous, though...  Been
my experieince it's a lot like being abused.  No matter how much you
manage to put it in your past, it's always there, and someone will do
something to remind you of what it was like, to have that sort of
power over other lives, and how...  You unintentionally abused it."

"Damn.  That was deliberate, wasn't it?"

"Yes.  You want to be married to a man who is afraid of getting
potential problems in the open, I'm the wrong one."

"I see.  It's your way of saying you know what's it's like, and it
isn't the joy ride the average person thinks it is."

"Yep.  Going to get a lot worse, because there will be times when
you'll know about stuff, and also know you need to stand there and
watch it happen.  Tough love, and the rest of the people on the planet
are your children.  Not easy to draw the line, sometimes, and if you
want to make your mistakes on the side of caution, it's best to let
things happen, instead of interveneing."

She bent her head, then whispered.  "I've seen so much, and I thought
knowing, and not having the power to make a difference was the worst
thing I could feel.  Now...

"Suddenly, I have the power to make a difference, and I know there
will be times I shouldn't use that power."

"Yeah.  That's why we tend to work in the shadows and let things come
to us, instead of going out and looking for problems.  Don't let us
hold you back, Lora.  The world needs more people like you, who are
willing to keep their fingers on the pulse of the world, and do some
preventative work, so things don't get out of hand."

She raised her head and studied him thoughtfully.  "Enough of that,
Thomas.  You're getting too close.  Tell me some good labels."

He nodded.  "Good labels.  You're one of my wives, and I love you just
as much as I do the others."

"Good start."

"Thanks."

"Welcome."

"You're resiliant, and generally have a balanced and realistic view of
the world."

"Go on."

"Open-minded enough to step back and re-examine the things you accept
as 'true', then follow that logic to the end, and change, if you have
to."

"We just met.  How did you spot that?"

"Two ways.  You accepted the responsibilities that go with the
Medallion of Truth, immediately, and you've been thinking about that
enough you already know it needs changing."

"That's one."

He chuckled.  "Once you poked a finger in my ass, you realized what my
looseness meant, and fisted me.  Wouldn't you say it takes a pretty
open-minded person to make the connection, and act on it--like she's
done it before?"

"Guilty.  Let's try some negative labels."

"Obsessive to the point that it takes a pretty direct confrontation to
make you realize you lost sight of the bigger picture."

She winced.  "Marie's school.  Lack of focus because I'm always
looking for a bigger story.  Ego, because I get to thinking people
need me, more than I need them.  Hopefully, it will be awhile before I
make a series of mistakes as spectacular as those were."

He laughed.  "Well, you *are* the best.  Mostly, it means that when
you do make mistakes, they are going to be...  Extraordinary ones,
because your skills give you more options."

She giggled.  "Thanks for being polite about it.  What is it about
experience that can make a person forget their common sense?"

"You want a serious answer?"

"You have one?"

"I do.  Too much knowledge.  Unless you deliberately seek, and
remember, the simple stuff in life, your knowledge keeps the more
complicated solutions at the front of your thinking.  Someone who
doesn't have it, will only have the simpler solutions available to
them, and they aren't as far removed from the practical things in
life."

"What about that stuff about sipping at the well, then drinking
deeply?"

"Got me.  I suppose, 'too much' is relative to what the average person
knows.  Common sense is such a slippery concept though.  What's common
sense for us, back home, is not the same common sense we need to
survive, here.  Or, would you say that casually kneeing a drunk, then
walking off as if nothing happened, is the 'common sense' thing to do
back home?"

She blushed.  "I...  I've always handled that more politely when it
happened, but then, most men who've grabbed me haven't been as casual
about their rights to my body."

"How did you know he wasn't being like the men back home?  A casual
tease that he didn't expect to go further?"

She sighed.  "From anyone else, I'd think you were trying to put at
least some of the blame on me.  Ok.  It wasn't a casual grab.  Even if
it had been, I saw his eyes, and heard his voice.  Drunk or not, that
man saw me as a whore, with a price he could pay, after some token
negotiation."

"So to him, I was just another John, and all he had to do was make me
wait, or, failing that, he could be next?"

"Yes."

"Ok.  Would you have been that...  Emphatic, most places, back home?
What made you do it here, insead of reacting as our culture dictates?
I'm not disagreeing with what you did,Lora.  I'm trying to understand
it, because it was exactly the right response for this era and
location, and you applied it exactly like a native would, with exactly
the right casualness to it.  'No big deal, folks, just part of being a
woman, and we all know it.  Now, excuse me while I go back to what I
was doing.' "

She started to answer, stopped, then eyed him thoughtfully. "Something
about that incident bothers you."

"Of course.  I'm not stupid about it.  You moved like that reaction
has been trained into you so well it's automatic enough you can modify
it to suit the situation as it happens."

"You're right about that.  Anyone who gets as in your face as I do,
and who also travels into the places I've been, would take the time to
get that sort of training, unless they were new to the game, or
unaffiliated and lacking in...  Common sense."

"What's been bothering me, now that I've thought about it, is what you
said, and the way you said it, as if it was something you didn't have
to think about."

"Oh?"

" 'Only one man gets to call me Darlin', in that tone of voice, and
you aren't him.'  Considering how long we'd known each other, that
was, as far as my ears could tell, spoken with nothing but sincerety
behind it, and without thinking about it.  Then you followed it up
with your comment about 'acting like a native'  See my problem?"

"I do, and now, I have one.  With your experience, you should have
been able to spot him coming, and prevented what happened."

"Sorry, Love.  I'm not a Bard.  Briefly, when I was a lot younger, I
was a security guard.  When the only man I'd do that for, died, I
swore I would never let myself go back to treating everyone I met, as
if they were a criminal until they proved themselves otherwise, or
left the area I was in.  It's not much of an apology, but I was mostly
paying attention to you, and enjoying the experience, so my normal
defenses weren't active.  Complasancy, because I'm used to the idea
that nothing that happens to me will be permanent, other than my
memory of it happening."

"So you weren't paying attention to the surroundings as they might
impact me."

"Yes.  I let habit tell me that you are as capable of handling
yourself as Mahika and Wolf are."

"Long winded way of saying you felt I can take care of myself, so you
weren't watching for potential danger to me?"

"Yes.  Sorry."

"Thanks for trusting me that much.  I despise men who always think
they should be looking after their woman.  I don't mind being bailed
out, *if* I'm in a situation I can't handle.  Matter of fact, it's
wonderful to hear that your casual lack of concern for your partner's
safety is a habit when you trust the woman you're with."

"Umm...  Thanks.  What about when you're being Riki-Tiki-Tavi?"

"Concern would be appreciated."

"The rest of it?"

"You twist and turn, but somehow, you keep the goal in mind."

"Usually.  It's only other people who aren't used to the way I think."

"I meant what I said, both times.  I just didn't realize I was telling
the truth the first time, until you pointed it out.  I thought I was
playing to the audience, mostly.  Plus, he earned himself that shot
from me, for not taking the time to be...  Less casual about women."

Tom laughed.  "Ok.  I'm glad it was a big nothing."

"That doesn't explain the laughter."

"This reminded me of Liberty's parting shot to the Paparazzi, and the
hot water she landed in."

"Hmmph!  That girl has a good heart, but, like any teen, she tends to
act, then think.  Don't bother mentioning that I did the same thing."

He laughed harder, and after he recovered, he slid his chair backwards
and gestured at his lap.  "Part of being human, last I checked.  I
believe that it's time for us to express our shared relief, and make
up."

She stood.  "Not quite yet.  Are we done with our breakfast?"

"Yes."

She gathered the remains and set everything outside, then, after
making sure the door was locked, she turned and raised her eyebrows.
{{How's our peeper doing?}}

{{Bored.}}

"Now, we can make up."

She walked over, turned around, then raised her skirt and waited.
"Well?"

"Let me get my pants open and down slightly, then I'll deal with you."

"Good enough."

He prepared himself, then lowered her panties enough to expose her.
"Ok."

She settled on his lap, then leaned back and sighed.  "Man or woman,
this time?"

"Boy, who is no longer bored, just frustrated."

"He can use his imagination.  Cuddle, please."

"Sure.  Ok to do some slow drifting and fondling?"

"Please.  I'm feeling exhibitionistic, so it's fine if you dig me out
and give our boy something to fuel his famtasy with."

He laughed.  "Can do."

"Mmmmm..."

* * *

Tom had shielded their room, then set the gold dust he'd saved, on the
table.

Lora was watching him 'do nothing', and she finally spoke softly.  "Is
it safe for me to ask questions, or make comments?"

"Sure."

"What are you doing, if anything?"

"Building the clock, in my head, before I make it real."

"Run that past me, again."

He chuckled.  "No problem.  I was tweaking the reporter in you, since
I did, eventually, see your coverage of Marie, when she made your
bracelet."

She held her wrist out and studied it.  "An incredible experience.
Keep talking."

"Gold really is everywhere.  I could 'call' to all the dust in the
cracks, and other places nearby, if I wanted to.  This time, I'm going
to convert energy to matter.  Since I don't want pure gold, I need to
do...  A molecular analysys of my sample, so I can get the mix right."

"Sounds like you can multitask, too."

"Yes.  Since some of my jobs were people related, I learned how to
delegate a lot of the routine stuff in my head, and carry on a
conversation with whoever was there."

"Ah.  You've managed to disappoint me, by being distressingly normal.
Go on."

He laughed.  "Building the clock, was my way of saying I was figuring
out what I wanted as my final result.  It's also a reference to
something else from my past.  In spite of the way I was terse last
night, once I get started, I can...  Babble.  I've been accused of
telling folks how to build a clock, when all they wanted to know is
the time."

"Doesn't bother me.  People who ramble tend to reveal more than they
should."

"Your point.  Just remember, I grew up when the propaganda was a *lot*
more twisty and subtle than what we get now, so you'll have to parse
not only my words, but the emotional tones."

"Your way of saying that we speak the same language, but I don't have
the emotional referents to fully understand what you're telling me?"

"Yes."

"Routine.  Just means I use the way I ask my questions to dig into
your head."

"Should work."

"Should?"

"As long as you don't let yourself get distracted from your original
goal."

"Distracted?  Oh!  Smooth, Thomas.  Damn smooth."

"Thanks.  Several ways I can do this, but this time..."

He picked up some of the dust and placed it on his open palm. "Instead
of creating the gold, plus the impurities, then mixing them, I'm going
to do it the easy way and duplicate a small sample, then repeat that
until I have enough."

He spread her handkerchief under his hand, then stared at his hand
intently.  The sample didn't obviously change at first, but within a
few minuntes gold dust was spilling off his hand.

Eventually he looked up, and grinned at her.  "Yes, it's real gold
dust, and any test available in this time, or ours, would assert that
it all came from the same place."

He tipped his hand and let what was left fall on the top if the pile.
"Fifty pounds should be enough, for now."

"Fifty *pounds*?!"

"Yeah.  Want to run your hands through it?  Want to play with it?  Go
ahead.  Once we settle in our place, I could fill a tub with it so
your could take a bath in it."

She flinched, then laughed softly.  "You are a crazy, crazy man,
Thomas."

"You're not the first one to point that out."

She looked up after she'd poured some of the dust from hand to hand
several times.  "How did you answer the others?"

"With the answers they wanted to hear, of course."

"Deft.  What's the real one?"

He pointed a fnger at the dust and created a small ball of it, that
hovered in front of her hand, then it moved until it enveloped her
ring finger before it solidified into a plain gold ring.

After she admired it, she nodded slightly.  "I'm learning.  The answer
is as simple appearing as this ring, isn't it?"

"Exactly.  By any reasonable standards, accepted by almost any culture
in linear time, I *am* crazy.  Only problem is, because of my
abilities, I live in a reality that...  Forced me to redefine what it
is, to be 'normal', on a personal level."

"Forced?"

"Of course.  If you didn't know me from anyone else, and I walked up
and told you 'I can make a gold wedding band out of the energy that
surrounds us, what would your reaction be, other than demanding I
prove it, while expecting me to fail?"

"I think I see.  All these powers you have make it impossible for you
to do more than hide most of them, so you fit in."

"That's part of it, yes.  Now, how do you feel, when I tell you I can
learn your most intimate secrets, and know your emotions, as you
experience them, no matter where you are in the world?"

She shuddered.  "You really *are* being open with me, aren't you?"

"Yes, because before we go back to linear time, it is likely you will
have all of my abilities, and some that will be your own, because
there really are differences between men and women, or...  Between
humans and animals."

"All?"

"As many as I can give you, yes.  I believe in the partnership of
equals, except for differences that are innate, and even most of those
can be shared, because once a person knows how to shape shift,
'walking a mile, or longer, in the other person's shoes', is a fact of
life, and not an abstract concept."

She let the dust fall to the pile, then she brushed her hands together
before she clasped them together and put her elbows on the table.

She rested her chin on her hands, and studied him thoughtfully.
"You're preparing me for something, aren't you?"

"Many things."

"Go."

"There is only one Key to the Kingdom of Power, Lora.  All the rest
that we talk about, is misdirection, or even deliberate lies spoken to
keep the abusers from overwhelming us all."

"Revisiting an earlier conversation?  

"Yes."

"The Key is?"

"Mindset."

"That it?!"

"That's it."

"There *must* be a catch to it."

"Sort of.  I did admit that I'm crazy, remember?"

"I do."

"I'm 'crazy', because I don't have a fixed way of interacting with
what most living beings consider 'true reality'.  Mindset really is
the key to power, Lora.  Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, to see
a bigger 'true reality', and live in it, your mindset *has* to be
variable."

"I'll.  Be.  Damned.  It's been in front of the world all along,
hasn't it?  'Using power is a personal experience.  There is no right,
or wrong.  There is only what works, and what doesn't work'."

"Good job.  Internalize that, just like the rest of us have, and while
true immortality may not be yours, functional immortality will be,
plus you'll have all the powers we do, and any others you can figure
out how to do."

"And the rest, as always, is practice."

He laughed.  "Very, very, true."

She gestured at their gold.  "My purse is large, but that's quite a
bit more than it would hold, even if it were empty.  I suppose you
have a pragmatic solution?"

"Several to choose from.  This time, I'll opt for a direct approach."

He stood, dug in his pocket, then grinned after he held up some of
their money.  "I'll buy what we need."

He walked over and opened the door, stuck his head out, and spoke
loudly.  "I need a pair of legs that wants to make five dollars."

Lora managed to mostly suppress her giggles.  "Pragmatic."

"Yep."

When he had a small group of kids and adults, he spoke to them.  "I
need some saddlebags, for the horses I'm going to buy later.  Nothing
fancy, just well made.  Two sets, one suitable for a man, and the
other suitable for a woman who knows how to travel on horseback."

He handed each of them a dollar.  "Ok.  That's to let you and the
leatherworker know I'm serious.  Whoever brings back the ones I buy
from, gets five dollars.  Make sure they bring samples with them. Now,
scoot!"

There was the sound of running feet, and after it got quiet, Tom
closed the door and reset their privacy spell before he resettled at
the table.  "Some of them will claim they couldn't find what I was
looking for, and keep the money.  Some of them will do it right, and
we'll have what we need, fairly soon."

Lora laughed.  "And some will vanish, because they figure you're a
generous chump."

"True.  Not worried about it, because as soon as we get those
saddlebags, we'll load up, and start our shopping by selling about
half of that gold, to someone who is paying full price.  Got anything
you want to do while we wait?"

"Turn me off, and let's start from the beginning, so I can start
learning how to do this stuff on my own."

He nodded and reached to touch her.  "Done.  The most important thing
to remember, is that you need to always see the reality that is, not
the one you want to see."

"Sounds a lot like being an investigative reporter."

"Perhaps."

"Perhaps?"

"Perhaps.  Tell me in a few days, if you still think that way."

"You seem to think I'll change my mind."

"I spoke the words, and you applied what you thought I meant, then
made a judgement.  I have no idea how you will be thinking.  All I am,
is genuinely curious, and interested in your answer."

She thought about it.  "Damn Bards.  I see.  That was dumb on my part.
Instead of hearing what you said, I used past experience to tell me
what I thought I was hearing.  The correct answer would have been a
simple 'I'll do that'."

"Or something similar, yes.  It's that human tendency to make things
more complex than they are."

"So...  My new reality will be simpler than the one I'm used to living
in?"

"In a sense.  How you see that simplicity will be up to you.  Some
things are shared.  Other things depend on your own understanding of
what you see."

Lora suddenly laughed.  "Power is the elephant, and we are the blind
men, aren't we?"

"Close.  Mindset lets you be any of the blind men, all of them at
once, or you can open or close any of their eyes.  Each choice changes
the way you see things, and affects what you can do, or not do."

She stared, then gulped.  "The observer affects the results?"

"Yes.  Cause and effect is there, but...  Mindset can be important
enough to significantly affect the effect.  A practical application of
that, is the differentce between working with raw power, and working
with manifested power.  It's...  Pretty loose thinking, but one way, I
have to be very careful when I make gold out of raw energy.  The flip
side of that would be telling Mahika, who is manifested power, 'I need
fifty pounds of gold', and letting her decide how to get it for me."

Lora finally sighed.  "Let's grant that dealing with Mahika is a
pretty extreme case.  A more usual set of conditions would be me,
invoking the Medallion, right?"

"True.  Your choices of final results are built into the program, so
to speak.  The medallion can be thought of as a pretty sophisticated
AI device, and it will game the possibilities far more rapidly than
you can.  If it determines that based on past use, your instructions
weren't clear enough, it will ask for help, to make sure it knows what
your intent is."

He smiled, then spoke easily.  "For now, forget about all that
philosophical stuff, because understanding it will happen when it
happens.  Close your eyes."

She did.  "Now, what?"

"This works better outside, but this will give you a taste of what can
happen later."

"Ok."

"Describe what you can feel with your senses.  There's no right way,
or wrong way, there is only what is, and that will be your reality."

"Star Wars stuff?"

"Yes.  Begin."

She turned her head a few times, and even tilted it slightly, once.
"There's a lot happening, isn't there?  I can hear people and stuff in
the street, and...  There's something like a high pitched squeak. It's
regular, but fading, so it must be moving."

"Don't try to figure out what it is.  Right now, you're getting used
to more fully using your senses."

"There's a real light breeze, and there are a lot of different scents
on it.  I can also feel some temperature differences on my face."

"Anything else?"

"Is it possible to hear distance?"

"Keep your eyes closed, and use your hand to tell me what you think is
closest, then move so you point to things that are further away. Don't
worry about right, or wrong.  Right now, you're working on relative
distances.  Take your time."

"You're the easiest, because of your voice."

She pointed at him, then moved her hand.  "Some of this is working
from memory, of course, but I can, when I concentrate, hear echoes of
the noise ourside, that tells me that over there... Is the closest
wall.  Then, she moved her hand.  That one's next, but...  This is
strange.  I never realized how 'dead' some things can sound."

Her hand lowered slightly.  "I think that's the bed."

"Anything else?"

"This is...  Odd."

"It is?"

"Yes.  I was expecting to feel something warm from where I know the
window is, but...  There's another hot area, over there."

She pointed, and he nodded slightly, even though she couldn't see him.
"You're doing quite well, Lora.  Keep your eyes closed while I get up
and slowly move around.  Tell me when you think I've blocked the heat
from either of the sources."

He got up, and when he was between the window and the wall mirror, she
gasped.  "Now!  The second source is gone."

"Good!  I'm between the window and the mirror. Open your eyes, and
you'll see that you can't see the window in the mirror."

She checked, then moved so she could study him thoughtfully.  "It's
amazing, how much I could tell about what was around me, when my eyes
were closed.  Blind people really do live in a different reality,
don't they?"

"Yes.  Someday, you'll be able to control your sensitivity, without
closing your eyes."

"Sounds a lot like what  Lady Chrystal described in some of her
interviews."

"Good point.  What this was, was an introduction to thinking in terms
of consciously defining the reality you're living in.  Now, close your
eyes again, and let me know when you're back in a world that doesn't
need your eyes, to see it."

A few minutes later, she nodded slightly.  "I feel stupid, for not
asking Lady Chrystal to help me see the way she does.  Go."

He chuckled.  "We'll discuss that, later.  I'm not going to tell you
what I'm going to do, or when.  Leave yourself open, and when you
think something has changed, let me know."

"Got it."

He stood there, and afer a couple minutes he started thinking about
how much he loved her, and how enjoyable the sex with her had been,
when suddenly she gasped.  "What did you do?!"

"How do you know I changed something?"

"Is that a trick question?  Oh, never mind.  There was nothing there,
then, suddenly, I could see...  Three bright points of light that are
where I remember you standing."

"Point at them."

"There, there, and...  There."

"Do you feel anything?"

"No."

"Don't worry about it."

"Some of that works and doesn't work stuff?"

"Right. Now, keep focused on what you're seeing with your inner
vision, and slowly open your eyes.  If I vanish to the inner sight,
don't worry about it."

She opened her eyes, then looked at him and finally nodded.  "Lost it.
What I saw was your head, heart, and groin, right?"

"Yes.  Did you see any lines between us?"

"No.  Was I supposed to?"

"Can't tell you that.  For that particular version of your inner
vision, you saw what you were supposed to see.  Someday, you'll figure
out how to change it so you see other things that are out there. Think
of it like seeing in different wavelengths., and your mind determines
which part of the spectrum you're using."

"I thought you said 'simple'."

"I did.  Once you figure things out, you'll be able to see a much
bigger picture, and realize that to a power handler, matter, energy.
and a lot of other things are just different parts of a spectrum of
energy, and even though we usualy think of them as distinct, and much
different from each other, they aren't.  If you think of yourself as
the tool, you're using your mind to decide if you want to 'see' the
world you live in, as a collection of waveforms, as particles, or
both."

"Mind if I sound dumb and..."

She turned her head and stared at the door.  "I felt...  Something!
Did you?"

"Nope.  Saw a link form."

Someone knocked on the door and she flinched, then went over and
opened it.  "You have something for me?"

"Umm...  Yes Ma'am.  I found a saddle maker who specializes in making
stuff for women.  He brought some of his stuff so you could look it
over.  It's on his cart."

"Thank you.  Please ask him to wait.  We'll be there as soon as we
can."

"Yes, Ma'am!"

The girl turned and ran off.

Lora turned back to Tom and raised her eyebrows.  "Tthat stuff about
knowing when someone is thinking of you, or watching you, really has a
basis in fact, doesn't it?"

"Yep.  Most folks feel the link, if they sense anything, so you
shouldn't be surprised it happened that way for you, the first time.
Eventually you'll be able to see the link, too."

"Unconscious expectations, combined with  the increased sensitivity
because of what we've been doing?"

"Probably."

"I'm willing to sound real stupid.  I get the impression that you're
so twisty, because the reality you live in forces it on you."

"Exactly."

"Worry about where that leads, later.  Let's see what the man has to
offer."

He gesured, and to their eyes, the gold vanished.  "I'll secure the
room when I close the door."

"The other part of that, is that we can't trust anyone, can we?"

"Not until we interact with someone and can tell they are honest."

"You wouldn't happen to have been Diogenes, would you?"

"No.  I recognize an honest person when I meet them,  He didn't."

He waved her out the door.  "Your tack is waiting."

"Optimist."

He closed the door, then stared at it before he smiled and linked his
arm with hers.  "Let's go.  Not really.  You have all the clues to
explain my confidence.  See if you can assemble them."

"Think like a Bard?"

"More or less.  Treat life like it's the biggest story you've ever
chased, and you're not going to stop until you have all of it."

"Lifetime job."

"True.  Master the basics, and...  You'll have a deeper understanding
of what true freedom is all about."

"Tantalizing.  One more thing to worry about later.  What I think
you're saying, is that it doesn't matter what tack I buy, it will work
for me."

"Very good.  Keep going."

"Made to work?  That sounds too simple, so if I assume this is the
point where I need to start applying the other stuff I know, the rest
of it should fall into place and become obvious."

"Good call."

"Hmmph!  Thanks for validating my deductive powers...  You're kidding!
It *can't* be that simple!"

"No?"

"It's an application of shape shifting, right?  No matter what we buy,
once you have something, you can modify it until it's what we need."

"Very good, except for one detail.  I won't be the one making the
changes to your tack."

"I will?"

"Sure.  To a power handler, the stuff of the consensus reality becomes
nothing more, or less, than modelling clay that we can turn into
anything we can imagine."

"Can we create life?"

"Yes."

She visibly shuddered.  "Such a great responsibility, Thomas.  I
didn't expect it."

"It's more of the obvious, Lora.  We can form things that are
manifested energy.  Given enough time, those creations can exceed
their original programming, and meet all the requirements we use, when
we speak of something being 'alive'.

"Mahika."

"Yes.  Someday, the same will be true of Excalibur, and he will become
a true partner, instead of a tool."

"I see something else that's obvious, now."

"You do?"

"Yes.  Life, to you, and the rest of you, is a form of energy.  Once I
assume that the dictum of 'energy cannot be destroyed, only changed
from one form to another, or dissipated', is true, I have to expand it
to include life.  The implications are...  Staggering."

"Very.  Let's focus on the more immediate future."

She laughed.  "Be glad to.  You've been affecting what people see and
hear?"

"Of course.  You're adapting quite well."

"Sounds silly, but I feel like all my life, I was waiting for you to
show up, and now that I'm with you, I'm where I should be."

"It's not silly.  Since it happened, it was meant to happen.  Plus,
it's like...  I'm not a religious person, of course, because I have a
real connection to the Zeitgeist and know what it's like, to be
'touched' by my 'god'.  Anyway, there's a lot of truth in the serenity
that arrives when you know you're the person you should be, and you're
living the life you're supposed to live."

She sighed.  "But it's not a passive life, is it?"

"It is, and it isn't.  More later.  We're here."

She unlinked her arm, and held a hand out to the man who was waiting.
"I'm Lora."

"Donald.  Understand you're looking for some good tack."

"Yes.  Let's see what you have."

"I have other folks to meet, so that saddle is a sample until I
deliver it.  It's about in the middle of what I make."

"Saddlebags and the other basics, for now.  No point in looking at
saddles, until I have my horse.  I can see that one would be
uncomfortable on a long ride, so I'm not interested, even if I was
looking."

He winced.  "It wasn't a test.  Woman special ordered it that way.  I
tried to tell her, but..."

Lora laughed.  "Well, I'm not going to hold it against you.  Someone
knows what they want, it's good business to give it to them and then
deal with the people who are willing to listen to an expert."

"Thank you, Lora.  See anything you can use?"

"Maybe."  She dug out a set of saddlebags that looked servicable, but
didn't have any of the fancier work that was on most of the others.
She looked them over, then looked up.  "Good work, in spite of the way
they look.  How much?"

He named a price, she laughed, then made her offer.  Eventually they
settled, and shook hands.  "Pay the man, Thomas, so he can go make a
profit on something that's worth what he originally asked for these."

Tom chuckled.  "I'll make it up by getting a couple halters and the
reins to go with them.  No bits and bridles."

Eventually they settled on prices and Tom paid him.  "Well, Donald,
we'll look you up when we're ready for our saddles.  Might buy that
one, too, if you still have it."

"After your wife said it wasn't right?"

"I'm a gambler, and sometimes I take chances.  We're headed north, and
we're bound to come across someone who will need a saddle, but can't
afford to travel very far to get it.  Plus, even if I never sell it,
once we find a place to settle, I'll have what I need to have a better
one made, and I will have bought it all at a price way less than what
it would cost me, otherwise.  So, it's an investment that will pay off
in the long term, and you won't have to take a loss when you destroy
it."

He gave them directions, and after he walked away, Tom turned to the
girl who had been waiting, and handed her ten dollars.  "Since we both
bought something, I'm doubling your tip.  Think you can find another
one, who makes good saddle bags for men?"

She sighed.  "Sure, but I already sent my brother to go see if he'd
come.  He should, since we usually send people to him."

Tom gently turned her so she was facing the same direction he was.
"One of those men, who we're waiting for?"

She shivered, but he didn't comment.  "Yes.  The one who smiled and
waved"

When the man arrived, Tom didn't hold his hand out.  Instead, he spoke
coldly.  "Don't bother unloading anything.  It's junk."

"But..."

Tom made a small derringer appear in his hand.  Then he aimed it
between the man's eyes.  "You turn around, and leave the boy and girl
with us, I'll let you live, this time."

"They're for sale."

"Not any more.  One more time.  Leave, and live, or stay, and die."

"Lady?  Talk some sense into the man."

She held up her hands and flexed her fingers.  "Maybe I should kill
you, with these, instead."

He finally nodded, started to turn, then grabbed for his gun.  There
was a 'pop' before he slumped on the back of his horse, then slid off.

Lora walked over and looked down.  "Someone is *always* faster."

Then she stamped on his neck, hard, before she lightly touched the
mare and took her reins.  "Come on, Lady.  Looks like you're going to
do some travelling."

She looked at the boy and girl.  "You kids want a real mother and
father?"

The girl finally nodded.  "Why?"

"He smiled, and you two started crying.  You both have bruises, fresh
ones.  Is that enough reasons?"

"Doesn't mean you two are any better."

Lora took a deep breath, then sighed.  "I can't have children, so I
was thinking about adopting.  We're heading out, to find a place to
homestead.  Lots of hard work, for all of us.  Stick around and help,
we'll pay wages, and let you keep what you earn.  One thing I can
promise.  Neither one of you will be...  Pleasure toys, unless you
make the decision."

"Your husband go along with that?"

"He will, since he was the one who decided to do what had to be done,
to get you away from your owner."

"Glad he's dead.  We tried, but he always figured out what we were
doing, and...  He laughed at us.  You teach me how to do what you
did?"

Lora spat on her hand and held it out.  "Of course."

The girl spat on her hand and shook Lora's  "Catherine.  People call
me 'Pussy'."

"Well, Pussy, what would you like us to call you?"

"Daughter, mostly.  Cat's ok, too."

"Thomas?"

He put his derringer away and studied the boy, who was watching him
hungrily.  "Well, Son?  Always someone faster than you are, or they
get the drop on you.  You have a name, other than 'Hey, Boy?  Cat
really your sister?"

"You really a Gambler?"

"Yeah, I was.  Lora's really my wife, now.  I managed to find enough
dust, so we're retiring to someplace we can be regular people."

"Teach me how to do that stuff with the gun?"

"That, and a lot of other stuff a man needs to know."

"Cat's really my sister.  Jack was our father.  Had a real mother,
until he decided to sell us to anyone who had the money.  Mom didn't
like it, so he killed her.  Guess that was a few years ago.  We're not
real good at keeping track of that stuff."

Tom spat, then held out his hand.  "Well, you want a family again,
we'll do what we can."

"Yeah.  Umm...  Thanks.  Deal.  Name's Bobby."

They shook hands, and then Tom let go and studied his new son.  "You
have anything you want to get and take with you?"

"Nahh...  Keep all my money with me.  Don't have much, but I figured
that someday I'd get a chance to run and I didn't want to go back and
risk getting caught."

"Got it.  Anyone we need to worry about?"

"Just folks who will see us, and think you're our new owners."

Tom laughed.  "They can think, all they want.  If they try to act,
we'll talk it over with them, and explain that you're no longer for
sale to the highest bidder, ok?"

"Thanks.  What now?"

"Your mare have a name, and is she yours, or from a stable?"

"Lily.  She was mom's."

"Well, now she belongs to you and your sister."

Tom walked over and looked at Lily.  "Hello, Lily."

He lifted her head until they could exchange breath, then he touched
her forehead.  "You ready to go someplace where you can run free?
Appreciate it, if you keep an eye on these three while I go get the
stuff we left in our room."

He stepped back and she bobbed her head, then bent her neck and
pressed her head into his chest.

He hugged her and spoke softly.  "Thanks, Lily.  I'll make it quick."

He picked up one set of saddlebags, then looked at Lora.  "Shouldn't
take long, and nothing is going to happen while I'm gone.  Count on
it."

"Mind if we get some distance from the body?"

"Not a bit.  Might as well start getting to know our son and daughter,
right?"

"Of course.  We'll discuss your impulsiveness, later."

"I know the type.  Their usefullness was almost over, and he had some
unsavory plans for them.  Days, Lora."

"Figured it was something like that.  Never known you to kill someone,
unless they needed killing."

"Be back soon."

"We'll be waiting."

She looked at her new family, then shrugged.  "Let's move, so the
death wagon can collect the body when they get here."

They walked about one hundred feet, then she stopped and sighed.
"Either of you know a short route out of town, after we go find some
more horses and buy some saddles?"

Cat touched Lily.  "Yeah.  Sometimes the men who bought me for the
night would take me there, so they wouldn't get interrupted, or have
to share me."

She finally looked up and stared at Lora.  "He was dying, and you...
Killed him anyway.  I would have made him suffer!"

"He did suffer, Daughter.  His last conscious thought was knowing that
it was a woman who killed him, and not a man.  Someday, you'll
understand how horrible a fate that is, to a man who lived the way he
did."

"Can't be soon enough.  I'd kill all of them, if I could."

"All?  None who used you showed any tenderness, or tried to see you as
more than a toy to be used?"

"No."

"Any women use you?"

"No.  They always bought Bobby, if he wasn't already sold to a man."

"Bobby?"

"Yeah.  Cat's right.  Dad made a lot of money, and he never cared who
gave it to him, or what was done to us, as long as we were still
alive, and the bruises weren't obvious.  You guys going to take his
money away from him?"

"No.  We don't need it.  Let the scavengers have it."

"But..."

"No.  You aren't scavengers, any more.  You're real children, with a
real family, and from now on, you'll earn your money honestly."

She opened her purse, then dug in it briefly, before she handed him
five dollars.  "You brought us the saddlebags we wound up with, so you
earned this, right?"

He looked at the money, then her, and after that he sighed.  "You
folks are strange.  If you say I earned it, I did, I guess."

"Well, if it makes you feel better about it, think of it as a gift, so
you can stop and buy some treats for Lily, before we leave town."

"We really don't need all his money and stuff so we can survive?"

"No.  My word on it."

She spat on her hand and held it out.  "Is this better?"

He looked at her hand, then sighed and spat on his hand before he
shook it and let go.  "Guess you're used to dealing with real men,
huh?"

"Yes."

"Thanks.  Can you teach me how to be one?  Jack always called me a
girly-boy, after he started selling me.  Said I couldn't be a real
man, after the first time."

She reached and touched his forehead.  "Bullshit.  Being a man isn't
about what happens to your body.  It's about what happens in your
head, just like being a woman isn't all about making babies and
letting the man tell you what to do all the time."

"Pioneer stuff?  You do what you gotta, and all that?"

"Yes."

"I guess you aren't interested in any of the saddles we have at home?"

"Any of them worth keeping?"

"Guess not."

"Good.  We'll buy new ones, after we pick out some horses.  Either of
you know someone with a good reputation?"

"Sure.  Even on the way we'll be leaving.  Jack didn't like doing
business with him, because he made him pay a fair price, and he never
tried to buy either of us."

"I see.  Cat?  You've been pretty quiet.  Finally realizing you're
free?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Lora.  My real name is Roberta Loraine.  Mother, or Mom, will work,
too, when you're ready to use them.  No hurry, and you'll know when,
if ever."

"You're not going to make me call you Mom and stuff?"

"No, because I know I have to earn those names.  Tom knows he has to
earn Father, or Dad, so don't worry about him making you call him
either of them.  He won't."

"Thanks, Lora.  You guys know where you're headed?"

"North.  We want to homestead along the coast, eventually.  Hope
you're not in a hurry to get there, because we aren't.  We want to
enjoy the trip, instead of just passing through."

"Enjoy your honeymoon stuff?"

"Yes."

"Gonna make us go away when you fuck each other?"

"It won't be fucking.  We'll be making love to each other.  You can
stay and watch.  We can't teach you how it's done, just by telling you
how it should be."

Lora studied them, then nodded.  "I bet you two comfort each other
sometimes, right?"

"Yes."

"That's a good start, and we won't try to make you stop."

"Thanks.  Lora?  I guess you know your dress says your'e a whore?  You
sure don't act like one!"

"I'm not.  Never have been.  Where we're from, a dress like this is
worn by ordinary women.  Here, it's a uniform that means something
else, that's all."

"You from the south, then?"

"No.  Just spent some time there, and liked the people and clothes,
that's all."

"Oh.  Guess the rest of the world is different than here?"

"Some.  Scum is scum, though, and both of us don't mind getting our
hands, or feet, a little dirty when we clean it up."

"Huh.  Not any diferent than most folks around here."

"We don't go looking for trouble, Daughter.  It has to find us, before
we do anythhing about it."

"Uh huh.  You both acted like you wanted an excuse to kill Jack,
though."

"We don't like adults who abuse kids."

"I noticed.  Thanks.  Nobody has ever tried to help us."

"Welcome.  I hate to admit it, but most folks in this part of town
don't care, and some of them would have paid good money to fuck you
while you were dying."

"We know.  Seen it happen."

Lora sighed.  "I was afraid of that.  Oh, well."

She looked up, then smiled.  "Here comes Tom, so we can get out of
here."

Tom joined thenm, then touched Lily again.  "Thanks."

Then he frowned and bent to look at her front legs.  "Damn.  Hold
still while I check things..."

He ran a hand along her leg.  "Easy, Lily...  Yes, I know, I can
tell...  Just take it easy..."

Suddenly she snorted and he laughed before he straightened.  "Feel
better?  Good!"

Bobby had been watching him, and finally he quit staring and spoke
hesitantly.  "Tom?  How come you act like she can understand you?"

"Because I think she can."

"And you understand her, too?"

"I like to think so, yes.  It was obvious something made her front
legs hurt, so I did something to help her feel better."

"Yeah?  What?"

"Pressure stuff, like the Chinese and Japanese people do, except I've
learned how to use it on horses and other animals.  You ready to
leave?  Cops have left us alone so far, but I don't feel any need to
stick around for them, in case they change their minds."

"I'm ready.  Don't worry about the cops.  If they get pissed, it will
be because Jack won't be paying them to leave him alone, any more.
Couple dollars to whoever shows up, and nobody will remember what
happened."

Tom finally sighed,  "Let's hope they get here before the rest of the
scavengers strip his body.  You want to ride, or walk?"

"What about you?"

"Until we all have horses, I'll walk."

"You really ok with it, if I ride Lily?"

"Yes.  Legs bothering you?"

"Yes."

"I'll help you up, then see if there's anything I can do to help."

He helped Bobby settle, then ran his hands over the boy's legs.  When
Bobby winced and stiffled a scream, Tom apologised.  "Sorry.  I'll be
as gentle as I can, ok?"

"Umm...  Ok."

Tom placed his fingers, then applied a light pressure while he seemed
to trace something.

When he stopped he studied Bobby.  "Better?"

Bobby flexed his leg a few times, then leaned over to look at it.  "A
lot better.  Still hurts a little, but not like it used to."

"Good.  Take it easy for a few days, then you can start exercising it
a little more each day.  Give yourself some time, and you'll be as
good as new."

He turned to Cat.  "Well?  Ride or walk?"

She looked at her brother.  "You really ok?"

"Yeah.  Well, not completely, but a lot better than I was.  When I
move my leg now, the pain doesn't get worse, like it used to."

She finally nodded, then held out her arm.  "My legs are ok.  It's my
arm."

"I'll see what I can do."

He reached, slid her sleeve back, then ignored her wince when he
lightly slid his fingers over the obvious bump.

Finally he paused and looked at her.  "Cat?  I can help some, right
now.  If we had time, I could do more.  After we get out of town and
stop for the night, I'll start fixing it, ok?"

"Will it hurt?"

"Maybe.  It's pretty bad, and I'm going to be as careful as I can.  If
I had the right medicines, it wouldn't hurt at all.  Do you want to
start now, or wait until I can promise it won't hurt?"

"If you do stuff now, it won't hurt as much when you're done?"

"Yes."

"Your word about later?"

"Yes, again."

"I'm tired of it always hurting.  Make it better, now."

"You're a brave young woman, Catherine.  I'm proud to be able to call
you my daughter."

She looked down, and he held on to her arm while he lightly stroked
back and forth over the bump.  Eventually he stopped.  "Did that
help?"

She looked up and stared at him, then gingerly touched her arm, as if
she was expecting it to hurt.

She stared, then pressed harder before she looked up.  "All you did
was stroke my arm!"

He smiled.  "Ahh...  But *I* knew where, and how to stroke it."

"Oh!"

She lifted her fingers away and stepped forward so she could hug him.
"Thank you!"

He hugged back.  "You're welcome.  Never did answer my question. Walk,
or ride?"

She giggled.  "I could dance, but I'll walk, for now."

He laughed.  "Then let's go, after I put the saddlebags on Lily.  Be
much obliged, if you take her reins and lead us to that horse dealer."

"Sure!"

Bobby was staring at his sister, and after she grabbed the reins he
sighed.  "Never seen you like that, before.  What did he do to you?"

"Oh, Bobby!"  She held her arm out so he could see it.  "Can't you
tell?!  The bump is a lot smaller, and it...  It doesn't hurt at all!
It was like magic!"

Bobby turned to study Tom.  "You don't look like an Indian.  You some
sort of Medicine Man?"

"I'm not an Indian, or even part Indian.  I'm part Irish, and...  I
know some of the old lore.  We'll talk about it later, ok?"

"Yeah, ok.  You think we can learn any of that stuff?"

"No promises that you can learn all of what I know, but some of it is
stuff that anyone can learn.  Interested?"

"Yes.  Stuff we should talk about, later?"

"Yes."

He came around and touched Lily's forehead again.  "Thanks. Lily.  You
can relax, and..."

He lowered his arm, then opened his hand to reveal he was holding an
apple.  He offered it to her.  "A special treat, for being a good
mare."

She gently nipped half of it, chewed briefly and swallowed, then she
gently took the rest of the apple and made it vanish before she raised
her head and snorted at his face.

He laughed.  "Sorry.  Only the one, for now."

He linked arms with Lora and looked at Cat.  "Well, Daughter?  Are you
ready to say goodbye to this part of the world?"

Cat grinned back.  "Yes!"

"Good!  What about you, Son?"

"Let's go!"

Tom grinned.  "Well, every journey begins with a single step.  Take
it, Catherine, and we'll be there with you."

"You're strange!"

"I know."

Catherine stepped, and as he promised, Tom and Lora moved to the other
side of Lily, then they matched the pace Catherine set.

They were getting near the edge of town when Lora laughed and pointed.
"Looks like an old friend wants to talk to us."

Tom looked, then waved.  "Glad to see you!  Still giving honest
value?"

The man laughed and stopped in front of them after they stopped
moving.  "Wouldn't dream of doing anything else, after what you and
your wife did.  Jack was scum, but he was fast scum, if you take my
meaning."

Lora shook her head.  "He may have been fast, but he was dumb.  Pretty
hard to fast draw on a man who already has a gun pointed between your
eyes."

"Sounds like he forgot to duck."

Tom shook his head.  "He tried to duck.  Guess he thought I wasn't for
real.  Man like that is easy to read."

"Runners say you hit him between his eyes."

"If I did, I did.  You ready to do some business"

"Always."

"Can you handle twenty pounds of dust that is as good as what I had
the first time?"

"Easily, but...  If I do, I'll never live to see my store."

Tom nodded.  "Cat?  We need to take a side trip, ok?"

She looked at Lily, then at Tom.  "You really have that much dust?"

"Yes."

"No wonder you weren't worried about money.  Sure  No problem.  I know
how to get back."

"Good."

He gestured at the man.  "Lead the way.  And relax.  Nobody heard what
we were saying."

"Right.  If you say so.  Hope you don't mind if I keep my hand on my
pistol."

"Don't mind at all.  Man's got a right to be nervous around here. What
brings you to this part of town, anyway?"

"You folks."

"Oh?"

"Jack had a price on his head.  Only five hundred dollars.  Someone
listened while you talked about your future, and since I'm the
closest, I got sent out to see if I could find you."

"Oh?  We killed him because he needed killing, not because of what his
head was worth."

"Understand that.  Mind telling me how you managed to get the drop on
him?"

"Catherine shivered and started crying when he smiled and waved at us.
I don't like men who make girls and women cry when they smile at
them."

"Catherine?"

Lora's eyebrows went up.  "I think most people know her as 'Pussy'."

"Oh.  Never met her, and nobody saw fit to use her real name.  Some
things..."  He shrugged.  "Smart man doesn't go out of his way to
learn some things, if he wants to lilve a long life in this part of
town.  Can't change the world and I know it, so I do what I feel I can
do, and live with the nightmares."

"Not blaming you.  We probably would have ignored things, except... We
had our reasons for deciding to get in the middle, this time."

"Is it true, you're going to treat them like they're family?"

"Yes.  Already do, which is the reason I didn't let either of them
scavenge Jack's body."

He winced.  "No wonder folks back there are so willing to stay out of
your way.  You folks don't mess around, do you?"

"No.  Anyone tell you that Jack was dying, but I killed him anyway?"

"No.  Mercy killing?"

"No.  Man like that deserved to know the last thing he would ever see,
was a woman's foot coming down to crush his troat.  Someday, our
daughter is going to understand the reason it had to happen that way,
instead of letting him suffer from Tom's bullet."

"Hard woman, but I already knew that.  Let's take care of your dust
and I'll give you the five hundred, then you folks can be on your
way."

"Thanks."

They made the exchange, everyone shook hands with each other, then
Lora decided to walk next to Catherine.  "Let's go see if your friend
has three horses good enough for us."

* * *

When they approached the corral, Cat sighed.  "Looks like Kit got a
bunch of new ones.  Don't see any in the green-broke corral."

Tom shrugged.  "Then I'll do it myself.  We're here, and I don't feel
like going anywhere else."

He walked over and leaned on the rail while he studied the horses.
Eventually a man walked over and joined him.  "You got the look of a
man who needs what I sell."

"Name's Tom, and you're right.  These all you have?"

"Kit.  Yep."

"What's your price when the good ones are broken to the saddle?"

Kit named a price and Tom thought about it before he spoke without
looking at Kit.  "I'll double that, for each one I buy, if you let me
go in there and pick the three I want."

"Fresh off the range?  Your suicide, if you go in there.  Cash up
front, and your woman agrees I'm blameless."

"Lora?  Give them man his money, while I get the two halters I have
already.  Guess I'll make do with the reins, for the third one."

Once Kit counted his money, he sighed.  "You seem like good folks, and
you have a family.  You sure you want to do this?"

"I am.  Worried, because you have a herd stallion in there?"

"Yep, and he killed a good man, when he was captured."

"You see my wife worrying?"

"No.  Don't see Catherine and Bobby acting nervous, either, and that
makes me curious, so I'm inclined to stick around and see what
happens."

"What's going to happen, is that we're going to have three more horses
when we leave."

Tom vaulted over the rail, and started walking towards the clumped
horses.  "Easy, folks.  Three of you are going to get lucky, and be
able to leave this place."

The stallion got between him and the others, then stared at him.

Tom stopped, then smiled slightly.  "You're one of the three who will
be leaving with me.  Better that way, because the ones we leave behind
will calm down and take to their new life fairly quickly."

The stallion bugled as he reared up, then his feet slammed into the
ground a few feet in front of Tom, who hadn't moved, or lost his
smile.  "Impressive.  Now that we have that out of the way, how about
we talk things over?"

Before anything more could happen, Tom stepped forward and put his
hand on the stallion's forehead.  "See?  I'm no threat.  Matter of
fact, I'm a friend who wants to help, ok?"

The stallion shivered, but otherwise didn't move.

Tom waited until the shivering stopped, then spoke easily.  "See?  I'm
not going to treat you like the others did, and neither will the
people with me.  Matter of fact, if you don't run a lot, they'll
probably spoil you so much you'll get too fat to run!"

The stallion suddenly snorted, as if he was saying 'Impossible!', and
Tom laughed.  "Suit yoursef.  Don't ever tell me I didn't warn you."

He held up the halter.  "Yes, I know it's silly looking, but the
alternative is worse, and I know you've seen it, so put up with this,
ok?  You only have to wear it until we are used to each other.  Now,
get your head down here, and I'll put it on so everyone knows we're
partners."

He put it on, then the stallion shook his head violently before he
raised it and looked around, as if daring anyone to make a comment.
"Yes, you're very handsome.  Later, I'll make some decorations for it,
so you can show off.  Now, though, I need you to pick out a mare and
stallion for me, so..."

The stallion snorted threateningly and Tom rapped his forehead.  "Be
nice!  I know you'd rather have two mares.  You'll have Lilly, too, so
relax!  My son's a man, and he'll need a stallion to ride, and you
know it!  Or, do you want to send a mare into danger?  Be happy I'm
letting you pick them!  Now, go make your choices, and I'm sorry we
can't take the whole herd with us."

The stallion studied Tom, then raised his head and looked at Lora and
the kids before he turned and cut an older mare and a yearling colt
from the herd, then chivied them over to face Tom.

Tom studied them, then nodded.  "Don't blame you for choosing her and
your son."

He held up the other halter, then aproached the mare, who backed away
until the stallion nipped her and made it clear she shouldn't move.

"Thanks.  Sorry. Lady.  Besides, pretty soon you'll be asking us to
add stuff to it so you can show it off, just like the old man will."

He put it on her, then sighed.  "Kit?  Wasn't thinking.  Name your
price for a halter that will fit the yearling, and we'll pay it."

"You might as well come and get it, because I don't want to toss it at
you and risk breaking whatever spell you've put on those guys."

"No problem.  Thanks."

He collected the halter, put it on the yearling, then studied the
three horses.  "Now, I know you're probably thinking that once that
gate is open, you three can run us over, and then you can take your
herd out of here.  It's not going to happen, so don't bother trying,
because I'm a lot stronger than you think I am."

He hooked the reins on the stallion, then sighed.  "Ok.  Let's get
this over with.  Go ahead and try to drag me around, since you have
your heart set on making my life miserable."

The stallion took off, and just before he got rid of the slack in the
reins, Tom seemed to brace, then he jerked slightly.

The stallion flipped onto his back, then got up and started walking
backwards while he shook his head back and forth and tried to take Tom
off his feet.

Tom played the game for awhile, then spoke softly.  "You done, yet?
We've got better things to do, and once you figure out it's going to
happen my way, we'll get along fine, and the sooner you folks can run
in open fields, again."

The stallion suddenly ran at Tom, then reared and threatened to crush
him.

Tom waited, and just before the hooves hit him, he moved sideways and
quickly looped the reins behind the stallion's forelegs and let the
momentum when he hit the ground bring his head back until his nose was
almost touching his legs.  Tom wrapped the reins around both legs,
then spoke conversationally.  "Go ahead, if you want to wind up
tripping yourself."

Tom reached out with one hand and rapped the mare on her nose when she
tried to sneak up on him.  "I'll play with you later.  Try that again,
and I'll make it hurt enough you'll still feel it after you wake up."

She tried again and this time the watchers heard the thunk when his
fist hit, then her legs buckled and she fell to the ground.

The stallion screamed his rage and tried to rear up, but all he did
was jerk his front legs out from under himself, so he, too, collapsed
into the mud.

He struggled briefly, then decided to stop and glare at Tom, who
sighed.

"I warned both of you, didn't I?  She's a little muddy, but otherwise
she's fine.  We done playing, yet?"

The glare slowly left the stallion's eyes, then he sighed and relaxed.

Tom touched his forehead.  "Yeah, I know.  Nobody likes to give up
their freedom.  Look at it this way.  Stick with us, and you won't
have to worry about predators and stuff.  Someday you'll have a full
herd again, and we'll take care of you for the rest of your life,
instead of forcing you to leave, when someone replaces you as herd
stallion.  My word on it."

Tom's hand moved slightly and he held another apple, that he offered
to the stallion.  "Peace offering, to seal the bargain?"

The stallion sniffed suspiciously, then gently took it and crunched it
a few times before he swallowed.

Tom nodded, then unwrapped the reins from around his legs and stood
back.  "Well?"

The stallion scrambled to his feet, then ignored Tom and nuzzled his
mate, who snorted softly, then managed to get to her feet before she
swayed slightly.  She steadied, then looked at Tom warily.

He nodded, then held his open hand out and let her sniff it before he
moved it to her head and slowly rubbed the spot he'd hit.  "Sorry.  I
didn't want to do it that way, but you didn't give me a choice in the
matter.  You ready to behave, so we can get you folks some saddles,
before we hit the trail?"

She finally relaxed, so Tom nodded and hooked up her reins, then led
the two of them over to the rail.

"Cat?  Bring Lily over here so I can introduce her to these guys."

"You sure?"

"Yes. It will be ok."

She brought Lily over, and then Tom placed one hand on her head while
he put his other one on the stallion's head.  "See?  I bet if she
could talk, Lilly would tell you that things will work out.  She was
in worse shape than you were, when we met, but she's better now, and
I'll be helping her get all of her health back."

Then he moved his hand to the mare and spoke softly.  "Be gentle with
her.  Lily grew up in a different world, and she doesn't know how to
be a member of a real herd.  You pay attention, and she'll show you
how to live with humans, ok?"

When Tom offered apples to the adults, the yearling came over and
tried to see what was going on.  

Tom laughed.  "Yes, I still have one left for you."

Eventually Tom was petting everyone, and after he'd given them some
attention, he looked around and found Kit.  "Let me get them over
there, then you can open the gate so I can bring these out one at a
time while you keep an eye on the others."

Once he had them out and tied to the rail, he shook Kit's hand.
"Thanks."

"Never seen anything like it."

"It's a gift of some sort.  I treat with them like we're equals, and
usually I get through."

Kit laughed.  "Sounded like a mallet hitting oak, when you hit the
mare.  That's something I've seen before, but never seen a horse
forgive someone as quickly, for it."

"Guess it's because I caught her fair and square.  She knew the risks,
took them, and lost.  No hard feelings about it, on either side."

"You're a strange man, Tom.  That gift anything you can teach?"

"Never tried, and we're headed out.  Maybe you'll figure it out on
your own."

"Not likely.  You have some moves I've never seen.  I'll settle for
remembering those and dreaming that someday I'll find a man with
enough speed and strength to get away with trying them."

"Good luck, and thanks for letting me take my chances.  Ones you have
left should settle down fairly quickly, now."

"True, and at least I don't have to worry about someone getting killed
by the big guy.  You folks enjoy your trip, and if you're ever this
way, stop by and say hello."

"We will."

Tom untied the reins, bunched them in his hand, then spoke to
Catherine.  "Ok.  You and Lily can lead.  Take us to a decent saddle
maker."

Tom got glared at when the blankets and saddles were put on, but
things didn't get physical.  After that, Tom smiled slightly, then
looked at Catherine.  "That's it.  We'll travel light for a few days,
to give these folks a chance to get used to the new rules.  I'm not
crazy enough to think they should be ridden, yet."

"Kit was right.  You got some moves I've never heard of."

Tom laughed.  "And I have more that I hope I never have to use.  Worry
about them later.  Let's get moving.  Don't know about you, but I'm
tired of the stink and want to breathe some air that doesn't taste
like people who don't take baths."

"It stinks?"

Lora laughed.  "Yes, daughter, it does.  Once you spend a few days
away from it, you'll know what he's talking about.  Let's go, and
don't worry about food and water."

"Ok."

It wasn't long before they reached the edge of 'civilization', and
when they did Bobby turned and looked back, then faced forward and
sighed.  "Tom?  I'm scared."

"Too much new stuff happening all at once?"

"Yes."

"It's ok.  Think of it like you're moving to a better part of the
world.  Sure, things wil be a lot different, and will take getting
used to."  He used his free hand to gesture at the horses he led. "You
have company, because these folks are just as nervous as you are. Bet
it won't take long before you and that yearling become good friends,
and decide that standing still is for trees, not people."

"You really think so?"

"I do.  And I haven't forgoten about eating.  We're not that far from
a stream that has some fish in it, and when we get there, we'll stop,
dig up some worms, then catch our late lunch."

"Lunch?  I thought only rich folks...  Oh.  We're rich now, aren't
we?"

"Yep, and growing kids need to eat more than once or twice a day, if
they are going to grow up right.  In the mean time..."

He pointed at a cluster of plants.  "Lora can pick some of those
leaves so we have something to eat while we walk, and we can share
with the horses so they can get used to the idea that this really is a
partnership with us."

Lora raised her eyebrows and Tom grinned back, so she went over and
picked a bunch of the leaves, then passed them out.  "Don't forget to
share them with the horses."

Tom laughed and ofered the stallion several, and after a cautious
sniff they were eagerly eaten and he looked at Tom expectantly.  Tom
laughed and fed him the rest.  "Greedy.  I told you you'd get
spoiled."

The kids laughed, and made their own offers while Lora offered what
she held, to the mare, who studied her a long time before she finally
decided to eat.

Lora waited until she was done, then placed her hand on the mare's
forehead.  "Lots of advantages to teaming up with us humans."

She moved her hand between her ears and started nibbling with her
fingers.  "Advantages like this one.  We can scratch where it itches."

The mare's ears perked at her and Lora laughed.  "I bet you can run
real fast, so if you don't mind, I'm going to call you Swift.  It
means fast.  Real fast."

Swift nuzzled Lora's hands, and she laughed.  "For you, I'll get some
more."

She went and stripped some more leaves, then hand fed them to Swift
before she looked up.  "Well?  We going to get moving, or are we going
to stay here and feed these suddenly lazy creatures?"

Cat giggled, then ran over and got enough leaves she could hand some
to her brother.  "I'll get you close so you can feed yours while I
take care of Lily."

"Thanks."

"You got a name for him, yet?"

"No, and you keep quiet, because I know you'd name him something
silly. like 'Nose', or 'Twitch', 'cause he's always sniffing things
and moving his ears."

He handed the yearling a couple leaves, then looked at Tom.  "What
about you?"

"Haven't thought about it yet.  After we stop, he and I will talk it
over, then decide."

He reached and rubbed the stallion's forehead.  "We'll figure out
something, won't we?"

"You really think you can talk to him?"

"I do.  You have a better explanation for what happened in that
corral?"

"Nahh...  He understood you, anyone could see that."

"And I proved I could understand him.  That's all that matters.  Let's
get moving again."

* * *

After they ate, the kids decided they were tired, so they settled for
their naps.

Once they were asleep, Tom smiled and made a calming gestrure over
them before he setttled against a tree so he could keep an eye on
them, and their horses.

Lora settled with her head on his lap and smiled up at him.  "Be nice
to know what made you decide to get in the middle, like that."

"Worried about changing history?"

"Of course."

He sighed and stroked her hair.  "I could duck, a lot, and brush it
off by saying the Zeitgeist made it clear those kids are our
responsibility."

"Clear to you, maybe.  Links?"

"Yes.  Naturally, I wanted to know more, so I looked harder. Normally,
I would have done some time sliding to follow them and see if I could
figure out what was going on.  This time, I didn't need to."

"Oh?"

"Cat looks just like Marie did at that age.  I'm pretty sure we're
going to raise one of her great great grand parents.  Plus, there's
another reason.  Think about what's going to happen when we go
linear."

"I don't have to.  First thing I noticed when i started looking, was
that it was Jessica, all over."

"Yep.  Pretty big hammer the guy used.  That was another clue, if I'd
needed one by then."

"So, we get to practice?"

"Yes, which means that whatever is happening when we get back, will be
more important than usual."

"What makes you think that?"

"We've been told to practice, so we get it right.  Never happened
before, that I know of."

"If that was supposed to make me feel better, it doesn't."

Tom laughed sourly.  "Inside info.  What I'm used to, is being able to
make mistakes, because he has a habit of making our mistakes work, in
the long and short term.  I'm guessing that he wants to know what
sorts of mistakes we might make, so he can be ready for them, instead
of letting us make them, then we go back in time so he can learn about
them, then figure out what he wants to do about what happened."

"So, the difference this time is that he's planning on anticipating,
instead of reacting?"

"That's my best guess, for now."

"Any other layers?"

"Probably.  Most obvious is that he wants us comfortable around
horses, instead of canids."

"Considering Kay is a unicorn, I'll agree with that.  Do you think I'm
going to have to learn how to shape shift?"

"Someday, in linear time.  We agreed I wouldn't change, and that
inplies you probably won't, while we're here.  Not a given, though,
since you didn't expicitely say you wouldn't shift."

"Twisty.  Also Bardic, and gaming the possibilities."

"Yep.  Be thinking of ways to gently refuse when these guys want to
join in during the sex, or even try to seduce you."

"Should we refuse?"

"Yes, for now.  We say yes, we'll be just like all the other adults.
We have to prove we can think with our heads, instead of letting our
hormones take over."

"We say yes, we're saying they can control us?"

"Yes."

"Bobby already asked me if I'd teach him how to be a real man.  Told
him it was what happens in his head, not what happens to his body.
Jack started calling him a girly-boy after the first time he sold
Bobby to a man."

"He get used at stud?"

"Yes.  Makes you feel any better, Cat was never used by any women.  On
the down side, no man ever showed her any tenderness when they used
her."

"Let's hold off on that call.  They might have been tender in their
minds, but to her it was just use.  Right now, I'm willing to call
'tender', a fuck session that didn't add to her bruises, or one where
she was asked to remove her clothing."

Lora closed her eyes and sighed.  "At least you aren't saying those
things *are* tender."

Tom snorted.  "You're learning."

"Thanks."

"Now, you.  You ok?"

"Is that what it's like, when you get used?  I felt like I was in some
sort of overdrive.  Everything was obvious, and I knew exactly what
had to be done, and I was able to do it without thinking about it.
What scares me though, is how right it felt, when I crushed his
throat."

"Ever killed anyone?"

"Broke a man's arm.  Saw a man get his head blown away when I was on
assignment. They had to sedate me when we got someoplace I felt safe.
But...  Never deliberately killed anyone, and...  As much as it was
the right thing to do, I now know I'm not going to look forward to
needing to do it again."

She started shivering, and after awhile she managed to whisper.  "Love
me, Thomas.  Tell me I'm still a human being."

"Sure."

He helped her strip while she was lying there, then he stripped and
wrapped his arms around her after he'd gently inserted his penis in
her.

Then he held on without doing anything, until she quit shaking and
fell asleep.

Once he was certain she was truly relaxed, he glanced at the kids and
made a small motion that released the spells he'd placed around them.

After he was sure they'd all be safe, and the horses were behaving
themselves, he relaxed and did what he was good at.

He watched over his family, and waited for them to wake up.

* * *

Bobby woke first, and he frantically looked for Tom and Lora.  When he
found hem, and saw that Tom was awake, he visibly relaxed, then
touched his sister. "Hey, Cat.  Wake up.  It's not a dream."

She stretched, then opened her eyes and reached for him.  "As long as
we're together, it doesn't matter, right?"

"Umm...  Yeah.  You in the mood?  Remember, we got company."

"Our new parents?"

"Yeah."

"They doing anything?"

"Lora's asleep, I think.  Tom's grining at us."

"I'm in the mood.  Let's see what it's like to take our time."

"Tom nodded, so it's ok.  Sure."

They both stripped, then they comforted each other.  Eventually Cat
seemed to wake up the rest of the way, and raised herself before she
looked around and found Tom.  "Tom?  You guys are naked."

"Yep.  Did the same thing you did.  Comforted each other the best way
possible."

"Oh.  We gonna stay here awhile?"

"Need some time, before we get moving again?"

"I guess so."

"Then we'll stay a few days, unless you two decide you're ready to
explore again."

"You really are in no hurry, aren't you?"

"Yes.  Only go through life once, so we might as well enjoy the trip."

Cat shivered and he lowered his voice and spoke gently.  "I'll tell
you guys a secret.  Folks who have bad things happen to them,
appreciate the good things a lot more than folks who always have the
good stuff happen.  It isn't fair, but...  Sometimes, life decides to
treat us like shit, and all we can do isbe strong enough to  kick
back, any  time we get the chance."

"Like you guys killing Jack?  That was kicking back?"

"Yes."

"We gotta worry about bears and stuff?"

"No."

She stood up and held out her hand to her brother.  "Come on, Bobby. I
need a bath, and I want you to scrub my back.  Tom looks like a man
who knows how to say no, if I asked him to treat me like a woman."

Tom nodded his head slightly when she looked at him meaningfully, and
she smiled back.  "Thanks, Tom."

"You're welcome, Catherine.  Sorry I don't have a way to heat some
water for your bath."

"We're used to it."

She helped Bobby up, then both of them jumped in the stream.  After a
few minutes, they relaxed and were mostly kids, and when their touches
changed to those of lovers, Tom kept silent.

Lora woke up after the kids had gone to sleep on the grass again, and
she smiled after she spotted them.  "Even though they are asleep, they
both have the look.  It's a good sign.  I just hope that someday we
can get them to transfer that to others."

"It will happen, or not, Lora."

"Your way of making sure I know that whatever happens, is what is
supposed to happen?"

"Yes.  I find I am very frustrated, because I am used to taking the
time to track history.  This will be good for me, because with
Jessica, we will not have that option."

"So we both have much to learn.  I am woman enough to gloat a little
over the fact you are as nervous as I am."

He laughed and kissed her.  "Ever bathed in a stream?"

"Yes.  At least this time, I will have someone I am willing to let
warm me up."

"It was an experience?"

"Yes. Mixed company, and many of them had never seen a naked white
woman before.  They were...  A mixture of relieved, and amused, to
learn that where it matters, I was the same as their women.  I will
never be certain, but I think that knowledge stopped some dreams, and
a few of the marriages that were in danger of some awkwardness because
of the male desire to explore new territory, were saved that fate."

Tom chuckled.  "Someday, you could find out for certain.  When the
past is involved, 'never' is no longer a word in your vocabulary."

She shivered.  "Hold me close, Thomas.  Such a simple thing, yet, the
implications are frightening, when I think about the power it gives
me."

He wrapped her up again, and held on until her shivering stopped, and
she kissed him tenderly.  "It is strange, to know that I am married to
the most experienced lover who will ever live on Earth.  It should
frighten me with my inadequacy.  All it does is fill me with joy, that
I am one of his wives."

He chortled.  "See if you feel that way after I leave the lid up one
too many times."

She stared at him, then lost control and started giggling
hysterically.  "You!  Thomas!  Are the most insane sane man I have
met!"

"Thanks."

That sent her into another fit of giggles, until she started coughing
in between whoops of laughter.

Bobby and Cat woke up, then came over and looked at them.  Bobby
stared at her.  "Why is she laughing like that?  You tickle her?"

Tom grinned at Lora.  "No, Son.  Men and women who love each other
very much, like to play games with each other.  The closer the joke
they tell is, to truth, the harder the other person laughs.  I managed
to tell her an old one in a way she's never heard."

Lora stared at his matter of fact explanation, then started laughing
again, until she lost her breath.

Tom waited her out, then smiled innocently when she was breathing
normally again.  "Lid.  Up."

She lost it again.  This time, when she was able to breathe without
laughing, she pointed a finger at him.  "Don't.  You.  Do that..." She
took a deep breath and managed to calm herself.  "Tomeagain!"

"Tomorrow be ok?"

She stared, then nodded slightly.  "Maybe.  Thank you, Thomas."

"You're welcome.  Stream?"

She started to reply, stopped herself, then sighed.  "Yes.  You go
first."

He raised his eyebrows, she gazed at him, and he spoke mildly.  "No
problem.  If you dig in the left saddlebag, you'll find some soap.  If
you'll recall the conversation I had when we checked in, I had to pay
extra for it, so I considered it ours."

"The towels?"

"No.  I've used sandpaper that was less abrasive."

She winced, then gestured at the stream, so he stood, helped her up,
then he turned away and casually walked into the water while the three
of them watched.

He managed to keep his laughter in when Lora spoke firmly.  "Mine.  I
am a newlywed, and not interested in sharing him, with either of you,
yet."

Cat spoke softly.  "Someday?  He is very...  Manly."

"Someday.  It will be his and my decision, not yours, now that we know
you are interested."

"Will he always say no?"

"Yes, until we agree that yes would be right, for all of us."

"Good!  I've wondered if there were any men who knew the word, when it
comes to dealing with women."

"You are young yet, were ill used, and where you lived is not the way
all of the world lives."

"Do you always speak so funny?"

"Would it have been better if I'd said something like:  'Cat, you're
just a kid, and let's face it, most men in that part of town never saw
you as more than three holes they could screw any time they had the
money, so tough shit, but you just happened to live in a place where
that stuff is normal'?"

There was a long silence, then I heard some giggles.  "I like you
better the other way, because I know you aren't a whore."

"Then I shall speak that way.  Now, excuse me.  My husband is waiting
for me to get the soap and scrub his back, before he does mine.  There
are plenty of worms in the ground, so dig some up, and see if you can
catch enough fish so we can all eat as much as we want, for dinner."

"Can we watch?"

"You have eyes.  Yes.  The proper way to ask for permission, is to use
the word 'may'.  However, you don't have to speak the way I do."

"Mom was a school teacher.  She tried, but...  She gave up when Jack
decided to stay, instead of move out like they'd talked about."

The silence that followed lasted, so I turned around to see what was
going on.

Lora was on her knees, and she had both of them wrapped in a hug while
they cried and shook.

{{Looks like you know how to be a Mom.}}

{{Some things come naturally, and I've seen it happen, so I know how
it works.}}

{{Take as long as they need.  I'll get the soap.}}

* * *

We stayed there for a week, and when we left, everyone was settled
into the situation, and the horses acted like they'd been around
people all their lives.

The yearling got his name the day it rained, and we learned he liked
to run through puddles.  Bobby called him Splash, and once I 'spoke'
to the colt, he seemed to think it was good enough, because when Bobby
called him, he came to him.

The stallion liked to confront anything that he thought might be
dangerous, so he wound up being named 'Challenger'.

We bonded when I convinced him to let me look him over for problems. I
found some minor battle scars and ignored them.  When I cleaned his
ears of ticks, he decided that I was the best thing that ever happened
to him, and shoved me at the others so I could take care of them.

After that, we were mostly a family, and when Bobby and Catherine
suddenly decided they needed some adult comfort, we held them until
they were ready to let go.

We never had to discuss becoming nudists, and when Bobby and Catherine
decided to sleep together on the second night, Lora looked at them,
then at me and raised her eyebrows.  {{Well?}}

{{Relax.  She's been protected since I knew we were taking them with
us.  Same for Bobby.}}

{{She's noticed that she hasn't had any children, yet.  Most of the
girls she knows, who are whores, have at least one kid.}}

{{Is she worried?}}

{{Relieved, because she knew that if she had one, if it was a girl, it
would be used as soon as it was considered old enough.}}

{{She's fertile enough.  Maybe she's caught, but had spontaneous
abortions after a few days.}}

{{Or, since I know the rules, she wasn't supposed to get pregnant, so
she hasn't?}}

{{Yes.}}

We settled for the night, and while the kids slept, I set a privacy
shield then Lora and I chatted quietly and let our thoughts and dreams
drift wherever they decided to go.

* * *

We were all settled on the bank of the stream when Challenger faced
away and snorted a challenge.

I looked over my shoulder.  "Company coming."

Lora glanced at the man, then sighed.  "Too late to get dressed."

"Don't worry about it.  Anyone asks, we're drying our clothes after we
washed them."

"You enjoy bending the truth, don't you?"

"Of course.  Looks like a family group."

I stood, then rested a hand on Challenger and spoke softly.  "Easy
guy.  I'll let you know if you get to try and turn them into mud, ok?"

He snorted and pawed the ground.

I laughed at his antics, then raised my voice.  "That's close enough.
Anything we can do for you folks?"

"Unless you're some sort of healer, or have some money you can spare,
no.  Our youngest is sick, and we're headed to see if anything can be
done for her.  Not looking for trouble, mister."

"I know a little of the old lore.  If you're willing to trust me,
maybe I can do something to help.  As far as the money goes, I'd be
willing to pay you enough for some of your gear so you could replace
it with better after you hit town, with some left over so you can buy
some help for your kid."

He looked at his wife and she sighed and nodded, so he looked down.
"Much obliged, Mister.  Been doing well enough, so it's not our way to
ask for charity."

"Tom.  Just a neighbor helping a neighbor.  Help someone else, later,
and I'll cal it even."

"Thanks.  Doubt if you can make things worse, so go ahead and see if
you can do anything for Penny.  She's in a bad way, and we thank the
Lord she's lasted this long."

I walked over and looked at the girl who was slumped in front of her
mother.  "Any idea how it started?"

"No."

I looked up and held out my hand.  "May I touch her?"

"Yes."

"Penny?  I know you're scared, because I'm a stranger, and you can't
think right.  All I need to do is hold your hand, ok?  Just nod, to
let me know you heard me."

She managed a whisper  "Better?"

"I think I might be able to help you, yes."

She nodded.

I touched her hand, then wrapped it in my fingers and explored her
body with my mind.  As I'd suspected, she been playing and been bitten
by a spider when she ran through some bushes.

I looked at the mother.  "I've seen this before.  She probably had a
small red spot that went away, just before she got sick, right?"

"Yes."

"We are fortunate.  The plants I need grow here.  Will you allow me to
make a poultice and let my wife apply it while our children watch?
They wish to learn what they can, of the of the old lore, and of
course, I indulge them shamelessly."

"Will she get better?"

"Yes.  I will make enough so you can change the dressing once a day
for a week.  Keep the area as clean as you can, and in a couple weeks
she will be back to normal."

"Then please, help her."

"I shall.  I need a bowl, and some water.  Provide that, and we will
do the rest."

I smiled and held out my arms.  "Penny?  I can heal you, and soon you
will be running as if this never happened."

Her mother helped me get my arms around Penny, then I lifted her off
and called Lora.  "We need one of their blankets, and a clean cloth so
you can give her a bath before you apply the poultice."

I briefly steadied Penny on her feet, then I repositioned my arms and
cradled her in them.  "You'll be fine, Penny.  It was a spider bite,
and once we counteract the poison, your body will do the rest."

Lora and Penny's parents got a blanket ready.  I placed Penny, then
lightly touched her forehead.  "It's ok to let yourself go to sleep. I
promise that when you wake up, you'll feel a lot better than you do
now."

She looked at me a long time, then closed her eyes and sighed.  A few
minutes later she was sleeping, and I sat back and looked around. "Ok.
Bobby.  Catherine.  Lora will prepare Penny while we go gather what we
need."

We gathered what I needed, then I explained what I was doing while I
prepared the paste.

After that it was a matter of finding out where she'd been bitten, and
applying the poultice.  Lora sacrificied part of her petticoat to make
the bandage, and once I finished I sat back and smiled at Penny.
"You'll feel weak, for about a week, then you'll get your energy back
and within a month you'll be fine.  I'll tell your parents how to make
the poultice, so next time they can apply it right away."

She smiled weakly, then motioned for me to lean down.

"Thank you, mister."

Then she applied a light pressure on the back of my head until I had
it close enough she could kiss me.

Her father was smiling when I looked up, and he finally nodded
slightly.  "When can she travel?"

"Any time, and she won't get worse."

"Don't like to be rude, but if you'd show my wife what she needs to
know, while I deal with your wife, I'd feel obliged to you.  We've
been talking it over, and we decided that we're really city folks.  Be
better for our children."

"I understand.  Be best if you circle around and enter town from the
other side.  This side is pretty rough."

"Appreciate that."

I took his wife and showed her what I'd used, and she collected some
after I told her they could be dried and would still work.

We settled, and I gave him some extra, 'out of gratitude', for letting
us get some supplies before we expected to, then they left.

After they were out of sight, Bobby looked at me and I could see he
had something he wanted to ask, so I nodded.  "Ask."

"Is Penny really going to get better?"

"Yes.  She probably would have got better eventually, but this way it
will be a lot quicker."

"How come you didn't bleed her and stuff like that?"

"Bleeding her would have made her weaker, and not helped her body get
rid of the venom.  Think of the poultice like holding a cloth bag in
the stream.  If the stream moves fast, because it has lots of water,
the stuff in the bag is dissiolved faster.   If I'd removed some of
Penny's blood, I wouldn't have removed all of the venom, and her blood
wouldn't have picked up what it needed as quickly."

"So if the bite hadn't healed, it would work quicker?"

"Yes."

"Ok.  Thanks."

"You're welcome.  Now, let's see what we have, and then we'll set
things up so you kids don't have to sleep on the ground, or in the
open, tonight."

"What about you and Lora?"

"Depends on what we have.  If there's not enough, we'll wait until we
find a place we can buy what we need."

"What about the bugs?"

"While you're helping Lora, I'll see if I can find what I need, to
make a bug repellent."
---

Author's Afterword: 

Nothing got lost, it was just unfinished when I retired.

One of the things I had planned for this part, was including something
that would help explain Marie's and Ted's families' 'affinity' for
power.  I had a vague idea that the two kids rescued by Tom and
Roberta would eventually go their own ways and become members of each
'clan'.
======

End: Marie's Solstice 07/14 Tom and Roberta (new, unfinished)

-- 
Pursuant to the Berne Convention, this work is copyright with all rights
reserved by its author unless explicitly indicated.
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