MODICUM OF MERRIMENT

Ed Straker emerged from his cold water shower, dried and groomed himself and quickly dressed, choosing his white jumpsuit and matching Nehru jacket. A long career in the military had put him into the habit of finishing this routine in a mere ten minutes. He strapped on his wristwatch. Crossing into his bedroom, he looked at the unmade four-poster bed, particularly at the space in which Claire Spencer usually slept. How lonely the bed seemed without her. She had left her nightgown behind, and he touched the silk, he could barely make out the faint scent of Tresor left on it. She had worn it the night they had made love for the first time.

God, I need her. How strange that she shares a liking for that brand with my dead wife Margaret. He frowned, it had been so long since he let himself think about Maggie, he thought. It's not painful anymore. When she died I thought I would never heal, nor did I even want to. I have Claire now. We'd be married by now if it wasn't for all the delays. Damn it, I have to get us married if it kills me. Did she really have to run off and play Florence Nightingale when I needed her most? Damn. I think for the first time I understand what it was like for Mary, with me always being away. Now the shoe's on the other foot. Ed frowned again and picked up the telephone at the side of the bed, which connected him to all the major departments of Shado, and punched in a number.

* * *

"For God's sake, man, didn't you hear me? There's a fire in there!" Jeffrey Blaine was positively hysterical by now. The studio tour guide, a redheaded fellow, crossed without comment to a sculpture that decorated the wall near the door to the office, swung it open and punched a button on a panel that was revealed by his action. Blaine stared at him.

* * *

Eighty feet below, Alec Freeman picked up his phone, his pretty companion forgotten for the moment, scowled as he listened. Then he jumped up, dropping the phone back into its cradle and pounced into Control.

"Is it under control?" Alec barked at a harried Lieutenant Keith Ford.

"Yes, sir. For some reason the fire extinguishing systems didn't work and had to be turned on manually. Judging by my situation screen, it's safe to go up there, and the lift appears to be working. I've contacted our people to show up as fire fighters for appearances' sake. Did you want to speak to Lieutenant Blain-"

"You're bloody right I want to," Alec snapped and walked off. Keith slumped. For once he felt lucky. It wasn't him that had his arse on the line. He would have preferred to have all his fingernails pulled out with pliers rather than be one Jeffrey Blaine, former lieutenant in British Naval Intelligence, and now Commander Straker's executive assistant. Probably not for long, after today.

* * *

"What the blazes did you do that for, Blaine?"

The fire fighters had appeared, and had cleared the area completely. Not a soul remained in the building. Blaine and the other man were alone. The tour guide had produced the key to the office from his trouser pocket, and was opening the door. Jeffery stared at him as the door opened, and the man scowled at the ruined office.

"But you're not allowed in-"

"Shut up, you fool. Your damn trait of being as miserly as Scrooge just cost the studio thousands of pounds. Stop staring. I never was actually a tour guide, it's my Shado cover. I was selected by Commander Straker to keep an eye on you. I see that his instinct that you wouldn't work out was right, you're a raging moron."

"What? That's why you were continuing to ask me for favours and making me help you? Acting like a loon the way you did? I was being watched? I was on probation?" Jeffery muttered in irritation.

"You are probably never going to work for anyone again after this catastrophe, so don't raise your voice to me. I outrank you," the man said. As Alec Freeman emerged from within the office, the so-called guide gave him a respectful nod.

"Thanks Harry , I can take over from here. Good job. As for you, inside," growled Alec.

Blaine gulped. How was he going to explain this to his mum?

* * *

"Another hour?" Ed Straker groaned as he drove his bronze Shado car to Mayland Hospital. The Mayland staff member regretfully told him yes, Dr. Spencer was still in the operating theatre with a patient, and might be unavailable for another hour, until the next shift circulated. "Very well, that explains why I couldn't get her on mobile. If she does come out earlier, please inform her that I am coming to take her out to dinner, and that I require her to stay there until I show up. Yes. Yes. Thanks. :" Ed sighed, replaced the phone. It startled him by buzzing. "Straker," he said, with that scratch on the edge of his brain that told him something was wrong. "Oh hi Alec. Hmm? Oh him, yeah. Why? WHAT? He did WHAT? Pork chop?" Ed let out a string of swearing in several languages at the top of his voice as Alec explained the situation. He expected he'd just blown out Alec's eardrum, but frankly, with an absent fiancée and a burnt office he didn't care. "I want him sacked, Alec. I want that idiot given the amnesia shot and then I want him in front of a firing squad. It's a pity what he did isn't a court martial crime, then I could use him for target practice. I want him gone. Forget a severance cheque Alec, he's lucky I'm not there or I'd sever his head from his body. Thank God no one got hurt, it didn't spread and we had everything insured. I want my technicians to go over the system with a fine-tooth comb, and find out just why the fire system failed. Then start the repairs on the office, painting and everything else. See if you-hmm? I see. No, he's relatively new. Spotless resume of course, but -certainly, if he is qualified. Ah I see. Yes, yes. Hmm. Oh, I'm on my way to get Claire and then I'll stop by briefly. I just pulled into hospital parking lot. For the sake of his health, you better make sure Blaine isn't there when I arrive, or he'll need hospital, believe me. Okay, Alec. And give my thanks to Lieutenant Williams. Goodbye."

Ed stopped the car and parked in his executive spot with an uncharacteristic screech of tyres, ignoring the startled look a fellow driver gave him. He got out of the car, smoothed his jacket and strode away as he used his control to close and lock the gull wing doors of the bronze car. As he crossed to the entrance, and climbed the stairs he gave the balloons tied to the stair rails a curious look. The automatic doors parted for him and he went in. The woman on duty was a face he knew, and one of the few Mayland people that knew what he really did for a living.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Ward. What's going on?" Ed pointed to the brightly coloured balloons with the hospital logo as she gave him his security pass.

"Why good afternoon, Mr. Straker. Didn't you get the memos? It's open house. Fund raising for hospital, all the publicity helps, and we have celebrities coming in all weekend. Oodles of reporters, too. It's just wonderful."

"Reporters?" Ed turned ashen. "I loathe reporters. Damn. This weekend is turning out to be just charming. Hmmm. I just came to wait for Dr. Spencer to get off work." Ed pulled his aviator sunglasses out of his inside jacket pocket and put them on.

"If that's a attempt at being incognito, it'll never work. You'll need something to conceal that hair, a different jacket and I'll issue you a guest pass, and maybe then you can get Dr. Spencer without being surrounded by press." she chuckled. He made a sour face, but by the time he left her station after leaving his jacket in a locker, not even his late mother would recognize him. Ed wore a borrowed green knit cap, pulled low over his platinum locks, a flashy plaid jacket that more or less fit him and a special guest reporter's pass. He could hardly wait for Claire to see him. If she loves me even after seeing me like this, then I better marry her, Ed thought. He was happy to see no one looked at him outside of the occasional pair of eyes and faces that winced at his lack of good taste in clothing.

He soon got to the operating theatre. It was amazing where his special reporter pass got him, and no Claire Spencer. He strolled up to operating room eight and peered into the tiny window. There she was. Strangely it dawned on him that he'd never seen her in mask, cap and operating gown. He winced, her gown was spattered with blood, she had a wicked looking instrument in her hand and appeared to be totally in control. He watched as a nurse mopped her forehead. How strange, how different she seems, so capable. Heh heh, I guess I've never really thought about what she does and how important it is. She generally runs around with such a meek countenance and there she is, practically a medical Alexander the Great, conquering disease. She suddenly looked up and he waved at her, and she scowled at him and said something to an aide. Ed was confused, couldn't a guy wave at his girl once in a while? The aide came out and glared at his badge.

"Sir, you'll have to leave. Surgery is off limits."

"Who do you think you're telling-" he began beneath his breath, irritated, and then he gave a brief laugh. "Oh dear. I am dreadfully sorry. Excuse me, I was covering the open house and lost my way. That surgery looks awfully interesting." Ed was using a clipped BBC accent, and quite enjoying his disguise for the moment. At first he'd forgotten that he didn't look like the CEO of Mayland Hospital, who had financed several new units through his own foundation.

"Dr. Spencer is finishing a liver transplant. If you want to wait outside in the hall and come back in about fifteen minutes, I'm sure she'd give you an interview. But she doesn't allow anyone inside the theatre itself."

"Dr. Spencer, you say? I'm afraid in your gowns you all look the very same."

"She is who spotted you. Sir, those sunglasses aren't really necessary in hospital, you know."

"Ah yes, right. Fifteen minutes. Sounds good. I'll be back Maybe a lowly BBC chap like me might be able to talk her into going to dinner with me after the interview?"

"I'm afraid not, Mister-?"

"Uh," Ed looked around for inspiration, and spotted the door window. "Glass, Mr. Glass. Why not, pray tell?"

"Dr. Spencer is engaged to Edward Straker, who owns this hospital and funds it through the organisation he started."

"Sounds like a grand sort of fellow. Rich too. Pity," Ed uttered dramatically.

"I've never met him myself, but I understand he's rather a Howard Hughes type. Reclusive sort. Well I need to go back in. Have a good day, Mr. Glass," she said, looking at his baggy jacket with a slight twist of her lips.

Ed strode out, chuckling to himself.

After a few minutes of circling to see if she had indeed come out, he wandered off toward the children's ward. The dedication plaque on the wall bore his name. He wished that it didn't exist, but these things were good for appearances. He noted three or four reporter types talking to the ward sister, and one was a face he knew. With only slight apprehension he strolled past them without incident.

Why hadn't he thought of doing this incognito business before? This made it much more easier to visit the children without having a microphone stuck in his face and flashbulbs blinding him, Ed reasoned. He continued up to a ward that was open and peered in. Someone that looked familiar somehow was getting just that treatment, everyone hanging on the fellow's every word. Then it hit him. It was a television star who had done a guest appearance on one of the Straker Foundation's film studio chat shows. Nice to see the children enjoying him. I don't envy Bishop that job, but this is something that redeems the blasted occupation of a star, I suppose.

"Loser," a voice said sourly from slightly behind Ed.

Ed turned in surprise and looked at the speaker. It was a boy, twelve or thirteen, Ed guessed, with the lack of hair that signified either radiation or chemotherapy, possibly both, dressed in a tie-dyed T-shirt and jeans. Ed grinned at him.

"Were you addressing me?" Ed asked, continuing to use the affected BBC tone.

"Not you. Him. That slime and everyone like him. Look at him, would you? He comes here to make everyone think he's such a great person, but all he really cares about is getting written up by blokes like you. See that kid in his lap? That's Mickey. Know why he picked him? Because he's the youngest, the heartbreaker. Makes for a good write up in the News of The World. Television star my arse. He's a loser, a fake. Soon as the weekend is over, he'll be out of here and home in his mansion. He doesn't really care about any of us."

"That might make for a good story, now that you mention it. What's your name?" Ed asked.

"Why are you wearing sunglasses in here? Don't tell me you're putting on airs too. You're probably no better than he is. Nobody around here really cares. They don't stay around to hold the kids when they cry or mop up their vomit when the radiation makes them sick. Losers, all losers. Why do you want to know my name?" the boy inquired suspiciously.

"I usually introduce myself to people I have a conversation with, and a name helps. But if it makes you uncomfortable, make one up." Ed grinned. "My name is Glass. Ed Glass."

The boy grinned a little.

"I like to see the eyes of the people I have a conversation with. What are you, a junkie or something? Is that why you're hiding your eyes?"

"Ah, now there, you see? I thought I was pulling the wool over everyone's eyes, but no, you are right. I'm a junkie," Ed said.

"Oh stop it already, you are not. Hey, do we have to stay here? Could we maybe go to the restaurant? I have privileges around here. Buy me a meal? The food they serve around here isn't suitable for hospital rats."

"Rats? Dear me, are you saying hospital is infested with vermin?" Ed said in an alarmed tone and looked around as if he expected a rat to pop out of a corridor. The boy grinned at him.

"Quit it, you know very well that isn't what I meant. I like you, even though you have horrid taste in jackets. How about the restaurant then?"

"What about the restaurant? Oh. Me buy you a meal. Sure, if it won't interfere with your treatment."

"Nah. I get released from this zoo soon. Almost through with my treatment and then its back to Bedlam."

"You're an escapee from a mental institution?" Ed said. "That's scarier than the rats!"

"You're not funny, you know that? Bedlam is the nickname I made up for Saint George Home for Orphaned Boys. I hate it. Are you going to buy me something to eat?"

"Lead the way- what did you say your name was again?"

"I didn't. But it's Joel. You know what?"

"Glad to meet you, Joel. What?" Ed shook the boy's hand.

"Most people that are around cancer patients act funny. You treat me matter of fact. I like that. I kinda like you, Ed. What kind of reporter are you? I don't get to go out much. I've never met a reporter before. Are you ever going to take that stupid hat and those glasses off? It gets lonely around here, Ed. I don't have friends in the orphanage. They say I'm stupid." Ed and his new friend made their way down the corridor toward the restaurant.

"Why on earth would they come to that conclusion?" Ed said in his own distinctive tones, forgetting his ruse for the moment. He chose a table for them.

Joel stared at Ed as they seated themselves.

"You're not even British!"

"What? Oh. I seem to have lost the accent. Oh well. Actually my mother was English. I've lived in Southern England most of my life and now I live over in Gloucestershire. What looks good on the menu to you?"

"Who are you anyway? Why were you faking that accent?" Joel demanded.

"Who do you think you are, New Scotland Yard?" Ed grinned. He drew off his sunglasses and removed the knit hat, laid them aside. He undid his jacket buttons and studied the menu.

"You don't like to give answers, huh? How do I know you aren't some kind of terrorist or something?" asked Joel, studying Ed carefully.

"Now there, you see? You penetrated my disguise right away. All right, all right I confess. I'm Osama Bin Laden. Turn me in."

The boy laughed.

"You're a card, whoever you are."

A waiter came up to their table.

"Good afternoon Mr. Straker, what can I get for you and your friend here?"

"STRAKER?" Joel echoed in shock.

"Whoops. So much for incognito. Why don't you bring us whatever the special is, we'll leave it up to you." Ed said. The waiter nodded and smiled and walked away. "Well, judging from that reaction, you know who I am."

"Everybody in bloody hospital knows who you are. Your bloody plaque is on the bloody wall! Your bloody portrait is in the lobby! Why were you pretending to be someone else?"

"You curse too bloody much, you know that? Give me a second, I want to see if someone is free." Ed took out his mobile and Joel looked on curiously. Ed punched a number and within a minute, he smiled widely when Claire answered. "Well it took you long enough to get out of surgery. You finally free? Hmm. Oh I'm in hospital restaurant with a friend, waiting for you. Alec called you? He did? Yes, I had Alec sack him. No, no, forget it Claire, my mind is made up the idiot absolutely ruined the office and put a lot of people at risk. Besides, Alec said I should offer the position to Harry Williams, he's as good a choice as any if I can't get Miss Ealand back. No. I said no, Claire. Now hurry up and get down here. I want to stop at the studio and see how Alec is getting along, and I want to see the mess for myself. I want to know why that system didn't work. I'll just bet he had something to do with it. What? A half hour in recovery? Is that necessary? All right all right. Yeah. I love you too, bye." Ed put his phone away, groaned.

"Who were you talking to? What kind of mobile phone is that?" Joel asked.

"The woman I'm going to marry if I ever get the chance. Let me give you a piece of advice, don't ever get engaged to a doctor. Ah here comes our dinner. Looks good."

"It's excellent, Mr. Straker, we just got the shrimp in today. Coffee sweet and light for you, but what would your friend like as his beverage?"

"I'll have the same as him." Joel said. Ed grinned.

"I've got chocolate mousse pie waiting for the two of you when that's gone." the waiter said and strolled away.

"Are you even old enough to drink coffee, Joel?"

"I told you, you aren't funny. I'm twelve and I can drink what I want. How come you were pretending to be the press?"

"They drive me crazy. I tolerate them because I have to. But there's only so much a person can take before they snap." Ed stabbed a forkful of shrimp salad, stuffed it into his mouth and was surprised to find he was hungry.

"I bet you live in a big mansion." Joel sighed. "I used to dream of being a ballet dancer, and living in a big mansion. And having all kinds of servants."

"Premier danseur?" Ed asked after swallowing a sip of coffee from the steaming mug the waiter brought him.

"Huh?" Joel replied.

"The lead male dancer in a ballet company. Premier danseur. French for first dancer."

"You don't think me wanting to be a ballet dancer someday is stupid?"

"Is that what your companions at the orphanage think? Nonsense. Dancing, especially ballet dancing, demands one be in top physical condition, and display grace and athletic ability. That's a admirable ambition, Joel. Don't ever let anyone convince you any differently. Have you studied dance?"

"There's a lady looking at you." Joel said. Ed turned around to see Claire.

"I didn't expect you so soon. "Ed got up, smiled and kissed her. Claire held him for a little while, then sat down beside Joel.

"Who is this you've been plotting with?" Claire asked.

"Never mind that. Why on earth didn't you tell me about this open house thing? I had to disguise myself to get in here without being attacked by the hungry hoards of press!" Ed held up his hat. Claire's jaw dropped.

"That man that looked like a masher was you?" she laughed. "I'm sorry, I completely forgot that this was going to happen this weekend. I thought it was just the regular board meeting and rounds. By the way, my patient is doing fine. It was a marvellous piece of luck that we finally found him a suitable donor."

"Masher? Joel, this rude woman who just insulted me is my fiancée, Claire Spencer, a doctor who works here. Claire, this is Joel. He followed me home, can I keep him?" Ed asked.

Claire examined Joel, who was openly grinning at Ed.

"Sure, just make sure you clean up after him and that he's had all his shots. Hi Joel. Ed likes to roam in the children's ward. If I didn't keep an eye on him, he'd probably bring the entire ward home to Silk Wood Manor. Edward, what are you eating? I'm starving. Edward, that can't be your jacket, can it?"

Ed rolled his eyes and motioned for the waiter. Claire beamed at him.

"Shrimp salad, and grape soda, please." She noticed that Ed winced at the mention of grape and she looked at him quizzically. Ed told the story of the grape juice baptism and both Claire and Joel giggled. Then he told the story of how he'd encountered Joel.

"Come to think of it Edward, you do smell of eau de grape juice."

"Oh hush Claire. Joel here has an ambition to be a premier danseur," Ed proclaimed, watching Joel scowl at the admission.

"Oh I used to dream of being a ballerina when I was a little girl. Do you take dance lessons, Joel?"

"Do I look wealthy to you?" Joel asked.

"Hard to tell in that outfit. Might be a disguise, and you're actually the Prince of Wales," Ed said.

"He thinks he's funny." Joel grinned.

Claire smiled at Ed, and then noticed the look in End's eyes. Oh oh. Edward's getting attached to this boy. I bet he reminds him of Devon. Oh Edward, you might be setting yourself up for heartbreak. The first thing they teach in medical school is never to get emotionally involved with a patient. Wait a minute, that never worked for me, I guess I did come all the way here to find Edward. Oh well. Claire grinned to herself.

"Edward exists in a world of fantasy, poor man. The truth is he's a bit touched. You know. A few eggs short of an omelette," Claire said in mock sadness, ignoring the scowl Ed was giving her, and taking delight in how much Joel was laughing at End's reaction.

"You know, if I hurried, I could take that engagement ring you're wearing back to Gerard's. Get my money back," Ed said thoughtfully.

"Whoa!" Joel said, noticing the ring for the first time. The pearls and diamonds sparkled.

"Not unless you pry it from my cold dead hand, Mr. Straker," Claire exclaimed, letting Joel look at it. His eyes were wider than the table they were sitting at.

"That could be arranged, too. Say, Joel, would your doctor object to me taking you on a little ride?" Ed asked and then looked at Claire tentatively. Knowing it was coming, she smiled. Edward had a heart the size of England and only a few people knew it.

"Huh?" Joel looked at Ed. Claire reached for Joel's hand and looked at his wristband.

"I'll go arrange it, Edward. He's one of Dr. Larsen's patients, and Larsen is a sweetheart. He won't object if we borrow Joel for a day. I'll see if we need to bring any medications along. I'll be back in a jiffy." Claire stood up, reached into End's bowl, grabbed a shrimp, popped it into her mouth and walked off.

"I don't know why I ever proposed to that woman." Ed lied, thinking that she'd just demonstrated one reason why he had. She knows how I feel about kids, especially sick ones. I don't know what I did without you, Claire.

"Are you actually gonna take me for a ride?" Joel said in wonderment.

"No, we thought we'd take you into a basement somewhere and hack off your limbs with a garden saw, actually."

"That is scarier than the rats." Joel said, excited. Ed grinned at his echoing his quip.

"You're not funny, you know. Come on, eat the rest of your salad before Miss Got Rocks comes back." Ed directed, and signalled for the waiter again.

* * *

Claire returned as Joel was finishing his slice of chocolate mousse cake, and Ed was still picking at his own salad, his slice of cake untouched, deep in thought.

"Dr. Larsen said Joel is a troublemaker, and is grateful we're taking him out of his hands for a day. Did you come in the studio car, Edward?"

"Yes, but we can take yours, since we can't all fit in mine. Unless we stuff Joel in the boot." Ed grinned.

"You take him in your car and I'll follow. I have a feeling he'll appreciate riding in that flashy car of yours. Are we stopping at the studio first?"

"Yes, I'll be brief, I want to see if Alec has any answers for me. Let's go."

Claire grinned at Joel's surprise at End's tone of voice. He'd used his command voice. Yet her grin was strained. Always perceptive, Ed led them to the parking lot after returning his disguise and collecting his jacket. He used his control to open his car, and waited until a excited and impressed Joel slid in the passenger seat.

"Something wrong?" Ed said, voice pitched low.

"Turn toward me." Claire said.

"Be with you in a moment, Joel. Put on your harness, and don't touch anything." Ed then turned toward her, his back to Joel. "It's bad, isn't it? I saw the way you looked when you came back."

"He's got a few months to live, Edward. Three at best. He's got a long history of cancer. Up to recently, it was in remission. But now he has multiple tumours in areas they can't get at without possibly killing him." Claire saw the shock and misery cross over End's face, and he took in a breath of air, steadying himself.

"He told me he was going to leave soon, that his treatment-my God, does he know?"

"Dr. Larsen said he knows. He prefers people to think he's all right. Both his father and mother died in a fire when he was small, and he's spent half his life in hospital. Maybe that's why he opened up to you. Larsen said he generally doesn't say a word to strangers, or to anyone for that matter. Maybe he sensed your kind heart. Can you do this, Edward?"

"Can you?" Ed countered.

"Yes. It's you I worry about."

"I'm fine, Spencer." Ed replied, clearly not. He blinked back the tears that came and quickly slid on his sunglasses so Joel wouldn't see reddened eyes.

"Baloney you are, Straker. And I love you dearly even when you try to lie to me and yourself. Go on. Go impress your passenger." Claire kissed Ed quickly before she would break down too, and went to her car.

* * *

"So what did she tell you?" Joel asked after a while.

Ed glanced at his rear view glass and saw Claire's car only a few feet from his.

"Hmm?"

"This whole thing seems like a dream to me, and I like you. But we have to be on the level with each other, okay?"

"What do you mean, Joel?" Ed picked up a little speed.

"She told you I was going to die, huh? That doctor she talked to has a big mouth." Joel slumped in the seat.

"Let's stay in the moment, Joel. Right now you're with me for the weekend. That's all I want you to look forward to. Just enjoy your moment."

"Weekend?" Joel sat up a little and examined End's expression. Ed smiled, reached over and patted the boy, then returned his hand to the wheel.

"Weekend. I live in a big house with plenty of guest rooms. I think you'd like my security guard Peter's room, it overlooks our stable area. He's on holiday. I expect him to resign soon, and get married. I own a racehorse. Wrong Way. It was a mess to begin with, but Peter tells me it has been placing second in trials. It ought to be doing something, I'm paying a fortune to the trainer." Ed chuckled.

"Have you ever been really, really sick?" Joel asked.

"Sure."

"Were you scared?"

"Of course I was. I've been in hospital too many times for my liking. There's a suite in a part of the hospital that is reserved for me, since I'm often injured, or ill."

"What do you think it'll be like, Ed?"

"What Joel?" Ed said.

"Dying."

Ed was silent for a moment, and then he reached out again and squeezed Joel's hand briefly. Joel looked at him and leaned against him, grabbed an edge of his jacket possessively.

"I'm not going anywhere Joel. Nobody's dying today. Unless you eat too much of Frances' food."

"Frances? Ed, you smell good."

"I do? Heh heh. I used a little Bulgari for men today. It was a gift from Claire. Frances is a good friend of mine, and wife to a reverend I served in the Vietnam conflict with when we were P.O.W.s."

"You were in the war?"

"I was a colonel once that was a lifetime ago."

"I like you, Ed." Joel said decidedly. Ed smiled warmly at him.

"But I'm not funny?" Ed put in. Joel laughed.

"Nah."

"What a blow to my ego. Ah here we are. Ever been to a movie studio?" inquired Ed.

"Whoa!"

"I'll take that as a no." Ed chuckled.

* * *

Ed and Claire and Joel briefly surveyed the office, with Ed standing with his hands on his hips and sighing. He touched a charred statuette.

"So much for the Best documentary award. The rest of them look just as bad. Well, the photographs can be replaced, but the artwork and everything else is a loss. Christ, not much left of the files. I hope Miss Ealand had them on a CD somewhere."

"I'm sure she did, Commander." Harry Williams said, and then instantly coloured when he heard what he'd said. Ed gave him a steely look.

"Harry, it never fails to amuse me the way you call him Commander because he's your boss. Guess that old Army background of yours never dies." Claire said quickly. Ed had tensed and now he gave a little laugh and nod. Joel was holding on to Claire's hand, starry-eyed after his quick tour of the sets.

"No, guess it doesn't, Ma'am." Williams said, looking grateful for the save.

"I take it Alec offered you the position as my executive assistant?" Ed asked.

"It's been years since I did something like this, but I certainly would like to fill in until you find someone, Sir. I'm honoured that he suggested me."

"Well there's nothing else to do here. Carry on, Mr. Williams."

* * *

"Now where are we going, Ed?" Joel asked.

"To Silk Wood Manor. I'll leave my car here and we can ride in Claire's."

"I like your car better."

"I like my car better, but I'm a little tired and this way Claire can drive." Ed explained. Claire looked at him in a professional way.

"Don't look at me like that. I said I'm tired, I didn't say I have the bubonic plague." Ed complained. Claire grinned.

"You didn't sleep well last night, I know. Tonight I'll fix a nice warm bath for you and massage your back. You'll sleep better."

"Are you two married?" Joel wanted to know, once they were in Claire's Volvo. Ed put on his harness then examined a Cadbury chocolate bar wrapper that he found near his seat, then opened the glove compartment. Claire grinned as various things fell out, including a few chocolate bars. Ed tossed one to Joel and unwrapped one for himself.

"Not yet. And after this chocolate hoarding I may reconsider marrying her."

"I really ought to buy some gloves to put in the glove compartment." Claire said, ignoring Ed. He grinned.

"To camouflage your Cadbury obsession? By the way it's called a glove box."

"Edward, don't start lecturing me on British English and American English. When I first started working in Mayland, I nearly went batty trying to understand what people there were saying. And then they sprung Cockney rhyming on me. They showed me no mercy." Claire made a turn and waited for a green light, and Ed chuckled, thinking of his own bout of culture shock. He was silent for a while, looking at the scenery zipping by.

"Claire, you do know we're supposed to marry at the registry office in four days?" Ed nibbled his candy bar. She looked at him then picked up speed as the light turned green.

"Now there's a change of subject if I ever heard one. I know. I know. Between listening to Angel lecture me about not marrying in St Stephen's and Frances arguing about the Queen's jubilee-"

"She's a loser, the Queen." Joel said. "All chips and no fish." He'd neatly devoured his candy bar and was enjoying sitting so close to Ed, a detail Claire noted. Ed was uncharacteristically sprawled in his seat aside her. She grinned at the way Ed was neatly folding the tinsel on the bar down, and nibbling the chocolate almost daintily. He managed to find another wrapped bar and handed it to Joel.

"Spoken like a true republican. Here, have another Cadbury before my fiancée eats it. I have very little regard for the monarchy. Now if Frances heard me say that, I wouldn't live long enough to marry Claire."

"I eat another one and I'm going to get spots all over my face." Joel scolded Ed, but he took it and made it disappear. Claire was surprised he didn't swallow the wrapper as well. Then she looked at Ed.

"You're the only person in the world that eats a candy bar that way, Straker. You make a bird look like a glutton." Claire exclaimed. "Pins and needles, Edward! Give that candy the coup de grace and eat it!"

"I like to torture my food." Ed said in a sinister tone. Claire grinned at him briefly, then turned her attention back on the road. The sign said Gloucester, and she sighed in relief.

"Edward, you know, it would be nice to marry in St Stephens. You're a widower, Angel could pull a few strings and let you marry there even though you aren't near his parish now."

"Claire, you do understand that I was shot in that church? That I married Maggie there? That up until recently I thought that woman who shot me was alive?" Ed bit the final chunk of his candy, and flicked the rolled up tinsel and wrapper into her glove compartment like Michael Jordan making a basket.

"Yes litterbug, I know what happened in that church," replied Claire.

"Shot like in bullets?" Joel asked.

"He draws trouble to him like a Venus fly trap lures flies. He has more shrapnel in him than a Charles Bronson movie has dead bodies." Claire reached over and briefly caressed Ed. "Surgeons get giddy when they see his x-rays. It's like winning the lottery for them."

"Why do you think I'm marrying a doctor?" Ed said, and his mobile rang. "Damn. I'm not home. Straker. Oh hi Alec, is there a problem? No, we're about a half hour away, still in the car. Sure. What kind of trouble, do you ne-WHAT? Are you serious? For the love of God, Alec! It isn't only Yetunde, you have a daughter, Ayomide who is nearly walking. No, you're right I don't understand. Blast it, Alec what do you want me to say to her? Yes, yes, all right. I'll ring her from Silk Wood. God, Alec, her of all people! She makes a piranha look friendly. Yes. Yes. Okay. Alec, I can't say that I'm on your side on this one. Of all the fool-headed-goodbye Alec." Ed closed the mobile's cover and looked out the window without interest as they turned into the gates of Silk Wood Manor. Claire parked in the garage, waved at the gardener and as Ed got out of her car she confronted him.

"What's with Alec?"

"Yetunde caught him in bed with one of my starlets. She's moved out, filed for full custody and taken Ayomide with her."

* * *

Claire listened as she sat on the stairs to Angel loudly arguing with Joel. They were playing cards. Probably poker, but she didn't care, cards never interested her. Her concern was with Ed, who was upstairs in his room with Alec. It made her nervous because she didn't know what to do to help. Her call to Yetunde, who had holed up at Claridge's hotel, had brought nothing but Yetunde hanging up on her. Feeling miserable, she popped another grape into her mouth from the small plate Frances had given her.

"You have to let me win once in a while, for pity's sake!" Angel was saying.

"Seven, eight, nine ten. Ten pounds. Quit complaining. You complain a lot for being a right reverend." Joel said happily, tucking the money into his jeans pocket.

"He does, doesn't he, dear?" Frances said from where she was flipping through a brochure on the Jubilee. She had a roast with jacket potatoes going in the Aga, and had already set the table for dinner. Angel and Joel were nibbling from a dish of grapes and cheese she'd arranged on the side table, and drinking tea.

"You're Satan in disguise." Angel declared. "Hey, where are you going?" Joel didn't reply but left the snug sitting room and saw Claire on the stairs.

"Oh hi Joel. Did you need something?"

"I was wondering where you went. Where's Ed? How come you're crying?"

"I'm worried about two of our friends. You remember that man that came? Alec?"

"Sure. I didn't like him on sight."

"How come?" Claire asked, surprised.

"He had that look when Ed introduced me and said where he met me. Like he didn't want to be anywhere around me cause I had cancer."

"We can't be talking about the same person. Alec had lung cancer briefly. He of all people wouldn't ostracise anyone with cancer."

"He got better?" Joel asked.

Claire nodded.

"I think it's more that he believes he's going to lose his girlfriend and his baby daughter for the stupid thing he did," sighed the doctor. "And now I've pissed off Yetunde by trying to get involved. Yetunde is his girlfriend. Some men can be so stupid. Some women, too. I tried to tell Yetunde her constant jealousy didn't help, and I got yelled at. I'm scared to even tell Edward. He's so disappointed in Alec. They're in there and I haven't heard yelling but I have a real bad feeling in the pit of my stomach."

"You have to tell him the truth. He won't be mad at you."

"Just because he loves me doesn't mean he can't get angry at me Joel." she smiled.

"Nah. Can I go in and see if he's okay?"

"If you go with me, maybe that gives me-" Claire's words were interrupted by the sharp slam of a door, and Alec walking past them, opening the front door and out of Silk Wood Manor. "Oh God." Claire said, and jumped up from where she'd been sitting, and looked at Ed Straker as he quietly opened his master bedroom door and looked down at her. Slowly he came downstairs and stood next to her. Without uttering a word, he went into her arms and leaned against her heavily. Shocked, Claire held him tightly, protectively, and stroked his hair. For him to so transparently show his need for her like this meant that whatever had happened had to be devastating, she realised.

"Ed?" Joel said, nervous. Ed did not respond for a while, then he sighed and collected himself, stepped away. He took a deep breath.

"Yes Joel?" he answered wearily.

"Are you okay?"

"Let's go have dinner." Ed responded. His mobile phone rang.

"Shit!" Claire snapped angrily. Ed actually smiled at that, and nodded in agreement. He took out his phone.

"Straker. Yes Peter. Really? Ah well I'm glad, glad. Daisy's faith in that anim-hmm? You did? Yes I expected you might. I even am looking over some possible replacements for you. No, no, no. I wish you and Daisy all the happiness in the world. Yes of course we will. Yes. All right. Goodbye Peter."

"Is that horse making more progress?" Claire asked tentatively as Ed put the phone in his pocket again.

"It came in first in a race. They're entering it in some important race, and they even think it has a good chance to win. Peter just resigned, he proposed to Daisy and she accepted. He'll be staying with Arthur and Daisy until they all find a larger home. They want children. They'd like us to come to the wedding, I told them soon as they settle on a date, to tell us."

"Edward, are you going to tell me what happened?"

"After dinner. Come on, Frances will fuss if we're late sitting at table."

"Frances is lording over Cynthia, I'm afraid." Claire said, taking his arm. He gave a laugh.

"Yes, I think she'll be resigning next-oh damn." Ed said as the door chimed. Claire gritted her teeth and went to answer it. She opened the door.

Four or five elderly women, clad in their weekend best, some with straw hats, feathers and veils, and all carrying pastel purses stood there. One was pale, and fanning herself. So did a very disturbed, flustered Nathaniel Zouri, with his gun out, Claire noticed.

"Can I help you?" Ed said, concealing his impatience.

"Oh my yes, this horrid man won't let us see the garden and we've come and seen the garden forever, haven't we, oh yes. It is the high point of spring. Lady Rosemary always let us come and see the manor and garden. This coloured man has absolutely horrible manners. He absolutely scared Susan to death with that horrible gun!"

"Dear me, its you, isn't it?" one said, inspecting Ed through her pince-nez. "We thought you were dead, you see."

"Dead? Uh. Me?" Ed stammered. He threw Nate a look that Claire was surprised didn't freeze Nate down to the last blood cell.

"Oh my yes! You're Lieutenant Straker, aren't you? Oh my, Lady Rosemary did carry on about you. Said you were a hero in the war in America. May we come in for tea? We always came in for tea." The woman opened her purse and dropped five pound notes into a baffled Ed Straker's hand, then marched past him without waiting for his answer. Taking her example, the others did exactly the same. Ed stared down at the money in his hand. Nate started to come in but Ed flattened his hand against Ante's chest.

"Nathaniel, can I have a brief word with you? Outside? NOW? Put that damn gun away before you hurt yourself!" Ed said. Ed didn't wait for an answer and pushed him out. Claire just made it out before Ed slammed the door closed.

"Commander, look, I . . . uh.." Nate said, sticking the gun into his hip holster.

"You better do better than that, Zouri. Or you're going to find yourself needing the help wanted ads in the Times. Do I make myself clear? Report!"

"Carmella and me and the tech guys were making some changes to the security systems, upgrading them, so for a while we turned them off. We figured it was okay, since Angel and Frances were here, and everything."

"You turned them off without asking Edward?" Claire said, unhappy.

"We figured one minute would be okay." Nate said sheepishly. End's expression was like a sheet of ice.

"Go on, Zouri."

"Well we turned them back on and when I went to test them I found those old biddies marching around the grounds and I pulled a gun on them. They said that each year the people who lived here before would let them in for high tea and to see the gardens and tour the house here, and the money always went to charity. They said they heard the house had been opened again, and well, they showed up."

"Edward, your mother must have given tours, and talked to them about you," Claire chuckled. "I think it's charming."

"If my mother did it," Ed groaned, "Does that mean I'm stuck with them?"

"How much did you make so far?" Claire grinned. Ed pulled the money he had absently stuck in a pocket out, and counted it.

"Twenty five pounds. Well, I guess once a year might not be so bad, but I have no intention of opening a Silk Wood Manor gift shop and selling knickknacks and glossy photographs of myself and signing them." Ed moaned.

"Think of the money you'd make for the Foundation, Lord Edward." Claire teased. Ed growled at her, but she could tell by his body language he was amused.

"Come in, Lady Spencer, I think we have five more guests for dinner than we counted on."

"Should I have G-6's done on the lot?" Nate asked.

"For peters sake, Nathaniel, they are somebody's grannies, not alien invaders." Claire said, exasperated. She opened the door. They went in and just as Nate was going to follow, Ed looked at him meaningfully, pushed him out and closed the door on his face, and locked it. "I think someone who loves Frances' food isn't coming to dinner after all, is he, Lord Edward?"

"Shut up, Spencer." Ed grinned.

"I can't believe Nate put you at risk like that."

"He's right, with everyone in the house I was fine. Angel by himself is handy with a shotgun and Frances certainly has ended a few partridges' lives. You're getting damn good with your gun, in the few times you've bothered to carry it. Come on. I want to hear their memories of my mother."

Outside, Nate smelled the roast through an opened window, his mouth watered and he moaned.

* * *

Claire looked at Ed lovingly, as he sprawled on the crushed velvet sofa next to her, sipping his sweet and light coffee. Dinner had been delicious as usual, and now they were all gathered in the sitting room, around the fireplace, having tea and coffee and freshly made cookies. Their elderly guests were with them, and had been animatedly chatting among themselves about how lovely the garden was. One of the ladies, the one that Nate had frightened so badly, was a member of the same garden club that Frances belonged to, and they were talking about some new rose hybrid as though their lives depended on it. Angel was sprawled on the carpet with Joel, telling him jokes, and every once in a while Joel would laugh loudly and Ed would smile, enjoying that. Ed had taken pity on Nate, and had asked Frances to bring him a dinner tray in his rooms. She had argued for several minutes that he didn't merit even a cold cup of tea after putting Ed at risk, and finally Ed had put his foot down. Claire had chuckled through the whole conversation. She suspected both Frances and Nathaniel secretly enjoyed their little fights.

"You've done such a marvellous job of restoring the manor, Mr. Straker," one of the ladies said. "Everything looks so wonderful, especially the gates."

"Blasted grade 2 gates are more trouble then they're worth. Those pesky English Heritage telling me what I could do and what I couldn't do when we gave them an overhaul. Christ, you can't paint in a clockwise direction without clearing it with them." complained Ed. The elderly women all looked at him with the same kind of expression they'd have if he had suddenly stripped to his skin.

"Edward, you simply have no idea how important English heritage is to our history. Besides, you should be grateful to own a beautiful mansion like Silk Wood Manor." scolded Frances.

"Frances, have you been terrorising Cynthia?" Ed interjected. From his position on the rug with Joel, Angel guffawed. Ed grinned at him.

"Why would you think such a thing?" Frances said, the very picture of innocence.

Ed took a bite from a cookie, swallowed it, and examined the cookie with interest.

"Oh gee I don't know. Maybe the fact that she stormed out and quit her cook position because she claimed you watched her every move?"

"Oh dear! Oh Edward, I am so sorry." Frances sighed.

"You aren't at all sorry, Cupcake, so hush." Angel grinned.

"Hush, Stanley!" Frances insisted. Ed grinned.

"Actually, I'm not at all upset about it. I gave her a cheque for five months of severance pay, thanked her for her years of working for Laurence and my mother, and she left in good spirits. Naturally, that leaves a cook position open. I was wondering if you'd fill it, Frances." Ed said.

"Me? Edward, I have responsibility at St. Stephens, I can't just pop out and cook everyday for you and Claire." Frances exclaimed, looking enthused. "And I have my life with Stanley, I couldn't possibly leave him everyday to cook for you."

"You wouldn't have to leave me, Cupcake. Ed and I were discussing the possibility of you and I selling our cottage, moving in here until we can have a house built on his property and me retiring from service to St. Stephens."

"Stanley! You didn't mention any of this to me!"

"Cupcake, Ed and I discussed it while you were cooking, I am not getting younger, its been harder carrying out my responsibilities to the Dear Lord with my arthritis, besides, there's nothing to prevent me from signing on to a parish here and conducting services on occasion. Ed spoke to the archbishop once before and End's donations to the Church go a long way to have the Archbishop favour whatever decision I'd make."

"How wonderful, Frances, Reverend Brisby could hold services in the manor chapel!" the lady that knew Frances said.

"Manor chapel? What manor chapel?" Ed asked.

"Oh my. Perhaps I shouldn't have brought it up."

"Tell me," ordered Ed. Claire grinned at the familiar Commander tone. He nearly had said "report" she thought with amusement. Angel's grin told her he noticed it too.

"You can take the fellow out of the military but you can't take the military out of the fellow." Angel commented. Ed shot him a fierce look that softened into a bemused crescent of a smile.

"That gentleman that was with Lady Rosemary boarded it up after the poor dear died. Of course we were all disappointed, but after all this was his home, and he had the right to do as he pleased."

"You mean somewhere on this property is a hidden chapel?" Ed blinked. "Where? I've explored this place inside out, how could I have missed anything?"

"The chapel was in the garden. When Lady Rosemary died, God rest her soul, bad heart, you see, her gentleman boarded it up and ordered the gardener to plant bushes to cover th-"

Ed sprung up, set down his coffee, crammed the remaining cookie in his mouth, brushed off the crumbs from his shirt and pulled Claire's hand.

"Come on Spencer. I want to see this chapel."

"Can I come?" Joel said enthusiastically.

"If you can keep up with Edward!" chuckled Claire as Ed hauled her through to the study and out the French doors that led to the garden. Everyone hurried to follow him. Once out in the garden, Ed spotted the gardener, who had always reminded Claire of Yoda in Star Wars. The gardener was bent over and frail, and his skin was creased like an accordion. He was also hard of hearing, with large hearing aids in each ear.

"Geoffrey, Mr. Lawrence had you board up the doors to a chapel here? Where is it?" Ed shouted at him.

"Eh? Chapel? Oh yes, Mr. Straker. But Mr. Lawrence ordered it closed for good, you see."

"Mr. Lawrence is dead. I own Silk Wood Manor. Where is it?" Ed persisted.

"Oh my, no need to shout. Near the benches you favour, Mr. Straker. The wicker one with the blue cushion."

With everyone following him as though he was leading a conga line, Ed spurted over to his bench. He saw only wild bramble bushes. He pushed through them with difficulty in one direction, Claire following and doing the same thing in another.

"Edward, there! I see a door!" she cried. Ed pushed through and went up to it.

"Angel, go into the garage and get me my work gloves and crowbar, would you?"

"Of course, Ed son, give me three of the good Lord's minutes." The reverend scurried off, arthritis forgotten for the minute.

"Pity to have closed up that chapel." Geoffrey said, sighing.

"No worry, Geoffrey, Edward will probably restore it to it's former majesty and I'll fill it with fresh flowers . . ," Frances said, close to his ear.

"Oh my oh my, that's indeed excellent of you, Ma'am. Now I remember you, you were the one who brought the daffodil bulbs. I never forget a pretty lady or a pretty flower."

Angel had returned in time to see the gardener kiss Frances on the hand, and stared. Ed chortled, as Angel pulled an amused Frances off to the side, and made a show of pointing to her diamond wedding ring and his chest. Angel's fingers closed meaningfully over hers.

"Gloves and the crowbar, Angel, before you use it on my gardener," Ed said, and began to pry away the boards. It was near dark before he managed to get all the boards free and he saw with exasperation that the door itself was latched with a large lock.

"Claire, give me one of your-where the blazes is my Claire? Oh there you are." he said as she came running up with Nate following, bringing scowls from the ladies.

"I brought a flashlight, Nathaniel for assistance and a cup of coffee for you."

"The coffee is welcome but the flashlight and Nate weren't necessary, the security lights will come on in a few moments." As Ed took a grateful sip of coffee from the mug she offered him, true to his word, high intensity xenon lights illuminated the property. He handed the mug back to her. "Give me one of your fancy French hairpins."

"I learn something new about you every day, Edward," Claire remarked as she watched Ed insert the hairpin into the lock. Ed tried several times, cursing underneath his breath, as she listened to the ever present. "Did you learn how to pick a lock back when you were growing up in Boston?" she inquired teasingly.

"I learned a lot of useful things in Boston, Claire. You'd be surprised. Hmm. Either it's just too rusty for this to work, or I am." Ed complained. "Nathaniel, will you walk the ladies back to their car? Ladies, I very much appreciated your visit, and your wonderful memories of my mother Rosemary. Good night."

The women looked disappointed at the sudden dismissal, but obediently made their farewells and reluctantly followed Nate. Ed sipped coffee, waited until Nate had returned, dismissed Geoffrey, and then looked at Nate.

"Our visitors on their way home?" he asked, handing Claire back the empty mug of coffee.

"All taken care of." Nate nodded.

"Good. Put your fingers in your ears, ladies and gentlemen."

"What are you up to-" Claire began and Ed removed his gloves, dropped them, pulled his jacket open, drew his Glock. He blasted the lock apart with an expertly placed bullet. A magpie emerged with a frightened shriek from a nearby tree. "Bostonian boys and their toys." Claire said, amused, fetching the gloves and handing them to Nate, who was showing his perfect teeth at the bit of gunplay. Ed twirled the Glock once in a manner worthy of a western hero and replaced it in the holster. Claire chuckled. He winked at her.

It took some doing to get the door opened, but it suddenly gave. It was dark inside, and smelled of dust, damp and mildew.

"See I knew the flashlight would come in handy." Claire switched it on. She could make out cardboard boxes scattered around. "Chapel? Looks more like some sort of storage room, Edward."

"Got to be a light switch somewhere around here. Aha! Found it! Oh my God!" cried Ed, and stepped backwards involuntarily.

"Edward!" Claire dropped the mug and flashlight, and darted up protectively to him a minute quicker than Nate did. The mug splintered on the floor with a sharp series of cracks and the flashlight went out. She took his hand and saw what had startled him.

Ed found himself frozen in front of an oil painting that had been partially burnt. It was a portrait of a man in a uniform, with a expression as hard and ungiving as the concrete floor they stood upon. It stared back at him on its gilt stand. Claire felt End's hand tighten around hers. How long has it been, she thought. Years, and this person still frightens the man that I love with all my heart.

"How bizarre, Ed son. Do you know the fellow?" Angel asked.

"My father."

Angel crossed himself without knowing why. Frances blinked at him.

"He's got an evil look about him, Cupcake. Not meaning to offend, Q-tip, but this is a man who abandoned his God long ago. There's nothing of you in him."

"No offence, Angel. That man tried to kill me once," Ed answered quietly.

"Shit," Nate said, surprised.

Outside, a sudden wind howled, and Frances jumped.

"Storm? It's not supposed to storm," Nate remarked.

* * *

Much later, Ed and Claire sat in front of the marble fireplace, curled up on the rug, listening to the flames crackle and snap, Claire cradled against him. Ed and Nathaniel had brought all the cardboard boxes into the hall, one after the other. Not surprisingly, they'd left the painting where they'd found it. Joel and Nathaniel were asleep, and Frances and Angel were long gone. Ed had not talked about his conversation with Alec, and after she'd observed how upset the Shado commander was at seeing the painting, she had decided not to press him.

"Aren't you going to open even one?" Claire inquired, as Ed jabbed at the flaming log with the ornate fireplace poker.

"To find more reminders of my father? Not tonight. I've had enough nightmares about him for an eternity. I don't need anymore."

"Edward, there's nothing of you in him and nothing of him in you. Angel's one of the best judges of personality I know, and he saw that right away without even knowing what had happened."

"Angel looks the other way when it comes to my flaws. So do you."

"I'm not going to allow you to torture yourself like this." Claire stood up.

"Where are you going?" Ed said, startled. She said nothing, but marched into the hall and started opening up one of the cardboard boxes. "Damn you, you have no right!" Ed got up, and joined her, but he didn't stop her.

"No right? I'm going to be your wife in a few days' time. What's more important is that you mean the world to me, Edward. The days where you'd have to bear something hurtful in stoic silence are over. Whatever what hardship we find, we deal with together."

"Is this what I have to look forward to? Nagging from her ladyship of Silk Wood Manor?" Ed said, crouching by her and crossing his arms.

"Basically yes. One of the world's great mysteries is how a superbly intelligent, perceptive man like you can be so stupid at times."

"Takes talent." Ed agreed. She grinned in spite of herself, and went on opening the box. He watched her reach in and take something out, a dark, floppy thing.

"What in the world?" she exclaimed. Ed gawked at it and then looked decidedly nervous.

"Lord have mercy. Give that to me. I warn you, if you say a thing about this, I'll stick you in a dungeon somewhere."

"Why, it's a stuffed toy puppy!"

Ed snatched it away from her, and absent-mindedly petted it, much to her astonishment.

"It's not a toy. It's Vincent."

Claire Spencer sat on the floor and grinned at him.

"And are you going to introduce me to-" she started laughing as he cuddled it. Ed grinned at her.

"I can't believe my mother has this still. My father didn't like animals so he never allowed me to have a dog. So one day my mother gave me this stuffed dog she made for me. It didn't have a name at first, but eventually as I grew up, and it got more and more threadbare, one of its ears fell off and then the other. My mother loved art and she named it Vincent VanDog, and the name stuck. What else is in there? My God, she's got a lot of my toys in here. Look at that, drawings I did. Amazing, it's my Popsicle stick sculpture."

"It's very impressive, Edward," Claire joked.

"Thank you. It's a model of the Pentagon. Not exactly to scale." he grinned.

"Only you would build the Pentagon. Normal kids would build castles or forts or maybe towers."

"Pretty good for a twelve year old kid who planned to join the Air Force. Hey, I must have some of my model plane-" Ed stopped when he heard a shrill, terrified cry. "What the blazes was that?" Ed suddenly went pale, knowing the answer.

"Joel!" Claire gasped, and both of them jumped to their feet and rushed up the stairs to where Joel had been sleeping in Peter's quarters. Joel came out, stumbling, blood streaming from his mouth, eyes haunted. Ed caught him just as he fell and set him down on Peter's bed gently. Claire was already on the phone, calling for an ambulance. Assured that one was on the way, Claire sat next to Joel on the bed. The young boy was muttering, eyes rolled back in his head, semi-conscious. Blood continued to pour from his mouth in a steady trickle.

"Edward, get my bag from my room."

As Ed darted out, he nearly tripped over Nate as the bodyguard came out of his own quarters, which adjoined Peter's.

"What's going on, Ed?" Nate said sleepily, temporarily using the SHADO's Commander's first name. It drew a sharp look from him.

"Go get my car and have it running downstairs. Joel's taken a turn for the worst. Now get out of my way."

Alec Freeman drove. Sunrise was breaking over the British Isles, but he was in no state of mind to appreciate the spring wildlife or take in the beauty of the blossoming plants and flowers. For one thing, he was utterly drunk. Unfortunately, being him, he was also utterly sober. Playing in his head like a despised jingle for some product on the television was his conversation with Ed Straker.

Ed Straker, the man that he had known for so long it sometimes seemed they'd been born from the same woman. Ed Straker, his best friend. Ed Straker, whom in some ways he loved more than any woman he'd laid with. Maybe that was the problem. Maybe he'd been with that damned Ed Straker for so long that settling down with some stupid woman seemed so bizarre. Maybe he was homosexual. Maybe that was why marriage scared the piss out of him. Maybe he was a flaming homosexual. That would be so easy. Damned Ed Straker. His friend. His damned perfect friend.

Whom he had plainly told that he never wanted to see again, Alec thought glumly. The look on End's face, the terrible look on End's face. But what was he supposed to do? Yetunde was driving him absolutely dotty. Who was Ed to tell him what his responsibilities were?

For Ed it was so easy, this commitment business. Ed was no prude. But when it came to this marriage business, Ed was predictable. He'd meet some woman, God knew what Ed had seen in Mary, but he'd gone from the multi-ribboned, superior intellect blessed, Air Force colonel to a raving fool, thinking with his balls instead of the brains he'd been blessed with. Mary had more predator instinct than any mountain lion. Once she'd seen Ed, she'd set the trap, and that moron Ed not only obediently stepped into it, he'd liked it. Marriage probably seemed no more and no less part of his duty as an officer and a gentleman, as the saying went. Only the victim in that marriage had been Ed, and naturally the conflict of duty to wife and to son and duty to country and Shado had torn him apart. So seldom had the blithe spirit that was Ed Straker seep through the hard, cold exterior of the Commander. And then the divorce and John's death. Then Lily Marsh. God save us all, the seductress Lily Marsh. Then Margaret Fielding. And after each relationship Ed would be more and more wounded inside until he was just a highly efficient, thinking shell. Who knew what would happen with Claire Spencer? Spencer seemed decent enough. Ed seems happy with her. And unlike the rest of the women you fall for, Ed, she doesn't seem to want to change you. She certainly saved your arse, coming all the way here like that. If ever I saw a man bent on self-destruction, it was you after Mags. Alec sighed, remembering End's words. He'd seen Ed angry many times. You didn't want to be at the other end of that rage. It was like being dipped in acid. And last night, he'd been dipped in it.

"Alec! For God's sake you and I both know what starlets are like. Denise Class of all people! She's spent half her professional life in the horizontal position! She'd proposition the damn animal stars at Harlington-Straker if she thought it would further her career! What were you thinking, for Christ's sake? You were days away from marrying Yetunde! You have a baby daughter who just started to crawl! I saved your wretched life for this?"

"Goddamn it Ed you don't know what its been like. Yetunde's been on my back. Day after day after day. If I even look in the direction of another woman she screams at me like a fishwife. Finally I just couldn't take the constant nagging and the bills and the baby's spittle and the filthy nappies. I stopped being me. There was no me there. And one night I just couldn't take it, and her car had broken-"

"I don't want to hear it, Alec. I want you to tell Class you made a big mistake. Then I want you and Yetunde in counselling with Constantine or whichever of the psychs you feel most comfortable with. You and Yetunde are going to get through this one way or another."

"How? I've made a mistake, Ed. I can't take this commitment business."

"You can't take it? You should have thought of that before you got Yetunde pregnant."

"Goddamn you Ed, you aren't my bloody father!"

"I'm glad I'm not since then I'd have to come to terms with raising a son with the morals of a jackass!"

"And what about your morals? You threw away your marriage just so you could keep the title Commander before your name!"

Ed had blanched.

"Is that what you think? That it was simply a matter of ambition? Do I have to remind you what the stakes were? Do I? You've seen what the aliens do to human beings. Do you think I wanted this job, Alec?"

"I think you went after it, yes. You went after it because you've always gone after what you wanted, until you've gotten it. You've always had that arrogance and ambition in you. You wouldn't have those stars on your shoulders at your age if it wasn't true. So the answer is yes, Commander."

He had watched Ed listlessly drop to the bed, sitting on its edge, staring into what had to be an abyss, the abyss of years given to Shado. And true to his character he had responded with absolute truth.

"I wanted it, yes. But when Henderson first offered it to me, I said no."

"What?" he had sputtered. "You never told me that."

Then the slim man had stood up and faced him, grim expression on the senatorial features that might have been sculpted from marble.

"Maybe because I never thought my best friend would accuse me of arrogance and ambition when I was doing my job. When I was trying desperately to stop him from walking away from what's most important in this life. Family. I lost my wife and my son, Alec. I'm not going to allow you to make the same mistakes. For too many years you were too worried about my scrawny neck. And when you weren't chasing after me with a mop and a pail to clean up my mistakes in life, you were a derailed train sleeping with just about any woman that would bother to ask you your name."

"That isn't any of your blasted business! The God almighty perfect Puritanical Straker. I'm sick of you and your perfectionism. Unlike you, I live in the normal world. It's lust, Ed. You might try it sometime."

"Any woman, and you revelled in it. You were a legend. Except to me, Alec. You never could lie to me. I knew you were looking for something, back when you still didn't even know you were looking. Lust? Loneliness is more like it, Alec. You were getting to be an expert at being intimate with a woman without ever achieving intimacy. I thought finally you had it with Yetunde, and that Ayomide was icing on the cake."

"This is about sex, Ed. This isn't about you and your holier than thou philosophies."

"This isn't about sex at all. This is about you afraid of getting married. And not being courageous enough to even come to me so we could discuss it. What the hell am I your friend for? Honestly, Alec, I know how Yetunde is. The truth is she's as scared as you are. What do you think the jealousy comes from? For all her pomp and circumstance she's as scared as you are. Now I want you to turn around and go to that studio and tell that starlet that you made a mistake. Then I want you and Yetunde in counselling. That isn't a request. If the only way to get you off that soft arse of yours is to make it an order, then consider it one."

"Mistake? Mistake? Maybe we should talk about your mistakes. For a man who finds it easy to dole out martial advice, your marriages haven't exactly won any prizes, have they? Your first wife walks out on you. Your second almost to be wife goes and practically makes sure she kills your baby, then she dumps you. Your second wife actually turns out to have a stronger sex drive than you do-"

"Damn you, stop it Alec!"

"And when you don't satisfy her anymore, she goes and sleeps with the hired help. Hell, Ed, half the studio knew Mags was complaining about you and sleeping around, and we all looked the other way because you loved her. Who are you to tell me what to do?"

"I said stop it. My life with Maggie wasn't and isn't anyone's business but mine."

"She actually asked me if there was something wrong with your sex drive, she told me-"

"STOP IT! Now I gave you an order."

"Ed Straker, Mr. perfect know-it-all. Hands out advice and yet he's screwed up in every relationship he's had. And you tell me I made a mistake with Class? I thought you were my friend Ed. I came to you for some support. And all you do is lecture me."

"I'm trying to help you, Alec! I'm your friend!"

"Friend? You want to know what my chief mistake was? Ever thinking that you were my friend. I never want to see you again."

"Alec, for the love of God-"

* * *

But I walked away, Alec thought. Even after I saw the anguish so plain in his face I walked away, and only after I deliberately hurt him. He didn't say the things I wanted to say, and he wouldn't absolve my guilt so I turn on him, turn on him with the very words that destroyed what was left of his soul. The same words he finally confided in me that his wife used when she thought he had deliberately killed his son after cheating on her. I wanted him to say I wasn't the kind of bastard I already knew I was. I was foolish enough to let myself believe that he wouldn't do exactly what I knew he'd do, deep inside, knowing Ed. Tell me the truth. And now I've not only shamed myself, and let Yetunde and Ayomide down, I've hurt a man I value before anything else in England. Deliberately. And I don't know how to say I'm sorry.

He'd be the first to tell me to simply say those two words. And he'd forget all the pain I caused him.

"I'm sorry, Ed," Alec said aloud in his car, blinking back sudden tears. And he pulled it around and pointed it in the direction of Silk Wood Manor, and his life as a husband and father.

* * *

"He's going, isn't he, Claire?"

"Yes."

"It happened so suddenly," Ed whispered helplessly. The two of them were in the corridor outside the ICU, seated on a couch in a waiting area of Mayland Hospital. Claire was still in her surgical gown, holding his hand. The both of them were utterly exhausted.

"He had internal bleeding that we managed to stop. He's in a deep coma, Edward. He didn't want any undue attempts to save his life when this happened, as he knew it would. You made him so happy."

"How long does he have?" Ed asked softly.

"I don't know, but my guess is he'll die within the hour. Edward, there's nothing more we can do. We should go home. We both need to sleep."

"I want to be here."

"Edward, he doesn't even know what happened. He's deep in coma."

Ed got up and walked to the opposite wall, his back to her. She sighed. How many times in her training had the medical professor said that the real people who suffered in the process of death were the loved ones the dying left behind. And Edward who only knew a small boy for mere hours, is grieving for him as though he were his very own. Oh Edward. If I could only spare you this.

"Claire." Ed said suddenly. There was something strange in his voice, some note that chilled her. She waited. He turned toward her, and took her arm, led her into the solarium of the hospital.

"Edward, what is it?" she finally said.

"I want to give him my blood. I want to save him with the bacteria."

"Edward. You know you can't do that."

"No. I don't know anything of the kind. I can do it. I intend to do it."

"Edward, hurting you is the last thing in the world that I want to do."

He frowned at her.

"I'm waiting."

"But can you ethically save him, and this is even if it is still possible with the antibodies that transformed the alien bacteria, without saving every child in this hospital that has terminal cancer? Or in this country? Or in this world? Where does it begin? What makes Joel special?"

"How can you talk to me about your damned ethics when that boy in there had nothing throughout his whole life and has been in and out of hospital? Rotting away with tumours in his body? Dying? What's gained from turning our backs on him and letting him die, when he has a chance to live? You know I'm right."

"Edward, suppose it works. Then what? And how do you know this is something he'd even want? How do we do this without him becoming a major security risk with alien bacteria floating around in his body? How does he explain it? Do you know how fast they'd turn him into a lab rat? Why Joel?"

"Claire, he came to me. He came to me. He confided in me. That's all I can tell you. And I haven't come to this decision without careful thought. He's independent and intelligent and perceptive far beyond his years and he'd understand the need for secrecy. He'd know what's at stake."

"Edward, once you saved his life, provided this even works, he isn't going to let you go easily."

"Well I know. That's the part that involves you."

"Ohhhhhh Godddddd. What are you plotting?"

"I know I haven't got any right to ask you this." Ed sighed.

"I love you Edward. There's little I'd refuse you, you know that. So hit me with whatever it is." she chuckled.

"You know I tried to adopt Devon a few years back and the agency didn't allow it due to some well placed words in their ears from my loving ex-wife."

"Edward, for that reason, they aren't likely to allow you to adopt Joel."

"Yes, yes. Exactly." Ed looked at the grass and then back up at her, waiting.

"ME?" she squeaked. "A mother of a twelve year old at age fifty?"

He turned his most charming smile on her.

"The adoption agency would love you."

"Edward, I--I am not-"

He sighed. He took a few steps away from her.

"Claire, you're about all I have left in this world, and I won't force Joel on you."

"My God Edward, what happened between you and Alec?"

"Everything. Nothing. No, that's a lie. I think he finally had his fill of me, Claire. He said some pretty painful things to me. After forty years he knows all my buttons. He spoke about Maggie. He reminded me of things I haven't talked about that happened between us. I think I was so hard on Alec because he was talking about walking away from Yetunde. I never had the guts to walk away from Maggie even though she and I never had anything resembling a marriage at the end."

"Edward, you and I are going to be married in three days. So you better get used to having a wife again. A wife that will want to know all your burdens and fears so that she can share them and make them easier to carry. And damn you for this, you nitwit, you better get used to having a son again. Let's look at this way. I'll never lose my figure or go through morning sickness with Joel. Come on, we'll use my blood and not yours. I don't think my blood has the antibodies."

"Claire, Claire." Ed wept.

"Don't be grateful yet. This shoots all my ethics to hell. We don't know if this will work. If it does, I may try to talk my son out of being a premier danseur and push him into medicine. My son the doctor has a better ring to it." Claire had tears equal to End's as she took his arm and started to walk with him purposefully back to the hospital entrance.

* * *

Carmella Diaz opened the door of Silk Wood Manor and glared at Alec Freeman.

"Before you start in on me, Carms, I'm here to apologize to Ed and try and patch my relationship up with Yetunde. Why are you here anyway?"

"You smell like a distillery, and you're driving? Do you know how lucky you are that the police didn't stop you?" Camilla moved back so Alec could come in, with a whirr of her wheelchair motor. "The Commander and Dr. Spencer left several hours ago for hospital, and Nate went with them. I haven't heard from them since."

"Hospital? Christ! Did something happen to Ed?"

"No, no, no, that boy they brought home started to bleed internally. Come inside and have a cup of coffee. They left me to take care of the manor."

"No thanks, I'll drive out-OW!"

Carmella had proved on more than one occasion that her upper body strength was considerable and now she'd reached up and grabbed Alec and hurled him inside and locked the door behind him, muttering in Spanish.

"If I let you go in that condition, Straker would break my neck."

"Okay Okay, Jesus, save the rough treatment for the aliens. Just pour two fingers of brandy in it. I'm heading for a memorable hangover," groaned Alec.

"Not a drop, Freeman. Black coffee, and maybe breakfast if I'm in the mood. Then you can sleep it out on the couch. Straker will want to see you. Why, I don't know. Nate told me you had a big fight with him."

"Who needs our intelligence department with Nate around?" complained Alec.

"Shut up, sit down, take off your jacket. I make the best breakfast burritos around. Commander Straker should be here soon. If I know Claire, she'll bring him home and sit on him until he rests."

"When did women get so violent? Whatever happened to the weaker sex?"

"On second thought, you better come with me into the kitchen. I wouldn't put it past you to sneak out while I'm cooking."

"Yeow!" Alec exclaimed as she pulled him with her, her trusty wheelchair rolling alongside him.

* * *

"No, no,no and no and no and no thrown in for good measure. I've had it with intelligence work."

"You're being a complete and utter arse, Graham."

"It keeps me clean, Harry."

"This person I know needs a personal bodyguard."

"This is that charity fellow Straker you do work for, right? Pre ops?"

"I wouldn't call checking out the places he goes pre ops, but I guess it'll do. I'm temporarily acting as his executive assistant, and its one of the better jobs I've ever had, and I'm hoping to get it full time. Another guy that works for him as bodyguard is getting married and getting out of the business, and that position is open, and you'd be perfect for it."

"Ask that toady you work for to check out your ears. I said no," Graham Lancaster snapped.

"So, that's it." Harry said, shaking his head sadly.

"What?" Lancaster snapped again, attacking his toast with a knife full of orange marmalade.

Harry Williams looked his long time roommate Graham Lancaster full in the face.

"You can't hack it anymore. You're a coward."

"You filthy piece of imported scum. You know that's a lie."

For more than ten years, reflected Harry, Graham, or Grey, as he affectionately called his friend, had accused him of being imported, since he had grown up in Liverpool, spent half his life in the British Secret Service and then had moved to Mayfair. Not that Grey seemed to be all that scornful of the better life, Harry thought, eyeing Lancaster's Turnbull and Asser pinstripe and the bespoke suit.

"Oh is it, then?" Harry scoffed, pouring the morning's tea into mugs for them. "What do you think, Misha?" he asked. Misha just went on chirping.

"Leave my canary out of this. I'm no coward. Did you think I was a coward when that Soviet devil put slugs in you and I dragged your sorry excuse for a body out of the line of fire then neatly decorated the Russian bustard's face with dum dums?"

"That was back in the fifties before you wore bifocals to read the morning Times. Now you're retired and soft," Harry accused, knowing that he'd trust Lancaster with his life in a second.

"Filthy imported scum, the salt air has shrunken your brain."

"Coward." Harry said matter-of-factly, and sighed, and buttered his toast. "How quickly you faded."

"All right, you cross eyed, bastard shame of your mother. How do I apply for this bloody bodyguard job?"

Harry beamed and Misha chirped.

"Finish getting dressed and I'll introduce you to Straker."

"I am dressed, you pansy!"

* * *

Alec was resplendent in his morning suit, and his long time friend Ed Straker was dressed all in white, and desperately trying to pin a red carnation to his lapel.

"Christ, Alec, Mendelssohn is going to start in a minute and I can't get this thing straight enough!"

"Mendel what?" Alec said, taking the carnation and pinning it to End's suit.

"The wedding march, of course. Thanks. Alec?"

"What?"

Ed rested a hand on Alec's shoulder for an instant.

"Thanks for everything."

"Try and stay out of trouble, Ed."

The two men smiled at one another, and embraced just as the first notes on the piano were played. Ed paraded out alongside Alec and in a few moments stood in front of Angel. He looked joyful as Claire joined him, her hair twisted into a French braid with tiny curls at her forehead and dangling at her neck. She wore a demi-veil, and looked serene. Frances was behind her, fussing with the train of her white lace gown and crying at the same time. Someone tapped on Alec's shoulder. It was a young boy that he didn't recognize, and then it slowly came to him that it was Joel. Funny, he had a full head of hair.

"You have to stop it. End's in trouble and you have to stop it."

"The wedding? I can't do that, Ed would be broken-hearted."

"Not the wedding, loser! Him. The chapel is open now. He's free. And he hates."

"What are you trying to-Joel?" Alec looked around and saw nothing. Angel was directing Ed to kiss the bride. Suddenly a man came up, no, Alec thought, floated up, Christ, that wasn't possible! He was dressed in a military uniform and there were deep red scars on his neck. In his hand he carried a pistol.

"Eddie." he said. It made the hairs at the back of Alec's neck stand up.

Slowly Ed turned.

"Father," he said quietly. "Don't do this. Don't destroy my last chance for happiness."

"You need to be punished, Eddie. I won't let you have your whore."

The shots echoed in the small chapel. Small round red spatters appeared on Claire's gown. Smiling, she sank to the ground and Ed bent over her. She shuddered once, and died. Ed howled with grief, stood up and approached the malevolent figure.

"Eddie," he said with disgust. "Come and get me, Eddie. Try and come and get me."

"Why can't you leave me alone? Leave me alone. Leave me alone." Ed turned toward Alec, full of open grief. "Alec, why did you leave me alone? Alec? Alec?"

"You let this happen." Joel was saying. "You left him alone. You deserted him."

"Ed? Ed?"

The figure was pulling Ed, only Ed was a small boy, elated to be with his father looking around with open youthful curiosity, examining shells, climbing happily on rocks, and then he was on a cliff overlooking a cold sea. The figure lifted his cane, and it came down. Ed cried out.

"Mummy?" the child said brokenly, not understanding, crouching in terror. A stream of blood ran down his flaxen hair.

"For the love of God! RUN! Run Ed, RUN! He's going to kill you, RUN!"

" Mummy and I did something bad." the boy said simply. "It hurts, it hurts."

"He needs to be punished. Eddie always needs to be punished," the man said and kept beating him. Alec tried to move, called to the others gathered in the chapel, but they couldn't hear him.

"Ed RUN!"

"Eddie won't run. He's a good boy. He needs to be punished."

"You sick bastard! What has the boy done to deserve this? Tell me! Tell me!"

"Rosemary loves him too much." the man said. "She loves him and that filthy lawyer she spread her legs for. Now she'll pay the price. I'm taking her offal into hell with me." He picked up the broken body of Ed and hurled it over the rocks, and Alec screamed.

"ED! NO!"

* * *

"Alec, wake up, you're having a nightmare."

Alec gasped and sat upright, focusing his vision. Ed was sitting next to him, looking worried. He grabbed a startled Ed and hugged him hard.

"My God, you're breaking my ribs. I don't know what's worst, having them broken or smelling that chemical waste called your breath. You okay now?"

"Damn, I was having this weird nightmare about your wedding. Ed, listen, those things I said to you-."

"Not now, Alec. I'm tired and I feel like I could sleep a year. Carmella was right to make you stay here. Nate, accompany my pickled friend here to the dining room. Please bring him some lunch on a tray with more black coffee."

"Ed, what happened?" Alec said. Ed had been heading for the stairs grasping a solemn Claire's arm. He turned back and for the first time Alec noticed his eyes were reddened, and he looked terrible. He only shook his head, as if the effort of responding was too much for him.

"Joel passed away, Alec. Before we could do anything. We just came from the cremation service," Claire said softly, and guided Ed up the steps.

* * *

The doorbell rang, and Angel appeared on the doorstep.

"Hola, Angel, where is your better half?" Carmella said.

"Hi there, beautiful, oh. Her? Like a nitwit she's pouring tea for the people in the queues to look at the Queen Mum. She's behaving like she knew the old bat. Where's Q-tip, I want to go over the wedding arrangements with him. Oh hi Alec, lad. Have you come to your senses about Yetunde, you nutter, you? Margery Class, streuth. You're old enough to be her great, great grandfather."

"Is there anyone that doesn't know Yetunde and I broke up over my affair?" moaned Alec.

"Wait until Cupcake hears about it and gets her hands on you. That is if I ever seen her again. She's likely to sign up to be an equerry or something." Angel complained. "Say, Carmella can I get some tea and maybe some lunch? Frances has been gone for a couple of hours and I already feel helpless."

"Sure, Father, with pollo tacos if you ask nice. You should try and be more understanding about Alec and his sinful nature and Frances' and her appreciation for the monarchy. Try and be a good Catholic," Carmella complained, and wheeled up to him, balancing the tea tray and his lunch in her lap.

"Good Catholic? Now there's a misnomer if I ever heard one. Just look at how their priests have been abusing innocents for years. Besides, I'm Episcopalian. Thanks, Carmella." he grinned as he took the teapot and cup. "Where's Ed and Claire?"

"They got back from hospital about an hour ago. Joel died," Carmella sighed.

"Oh that's terrible. He was such a bright lad. God rest his soul, and watch over him in paradise. Q-tip's always picking up strays, you know. It's a trait that goes back all the way to when we were prisoners together. He used to adopt, name and feed the mice and rats and lizards that would come into his cell with what little the Vietnamese would give us. He said he'd rather starve than lose his humanity. These are delicious, Carmella." Angel added, swallowing a bite of chicken taco. "Anyway, he said that his little friends in the cell got rid of most of the bugs and it was small payment indeed to share his rations for him."

"Dios! I was a prisoner for no more than a day and I can't think of what it must have been like for the Commander, shut up for years like that."

"I'm worried about security this upcoming wedding. Has he decided on where it's going to be?" Alec said, slurping some coffee and brushing crumbs from his taco onto the carpet. Carmella scowled at him until he bent over and gathered every last crumb into his linen napkin.

"Why are all men sloppy pigs? Anyway, I do not know. Nate tells me that an chapel was uncovered right here on the property, that would be a nice place for it to happen I think."

"Chapel? Here? No," Alec said firmly. They looked at him. Just then Nate sauntered in through the hall and flopped his elongated, muscled body into the nearest chair.

"I finally got everything that belonged to Peter moved into Artie and Daisy's house. It's nuts over there. Peters turned into this starry-eyed wuss. Everything's race, race, race and wedding, wedding, wedding. Hey, how's the Commander and Claire? He didn't say a word to me back at hospital. Poor kid died pretty quick, huh?"

* * *

"Edward, sweetheart, you were crying out in your sleep."

"Blast it, did I nod off? What time is it? I was supposed to get a call through to that registry fellow hours ago. Where's my address book? Ah, drawer. Pad, pen, yes. Claire, could you start a shower for me while I get undressed? I have so much to do. We have to order the flowers, and I have to consult with Frances over the food, and I need-what?"

"Edward. We have so much to talk about."

"Not now, Claire." Ed jumped up from the bed and reached for the phone. He began to dial a number, his address book from the night table balanced in his lap, and with his other hand he began to pull at his turtleneck sweater. Claire looked at him for a moment, took a deep breath, and firmly pulled the telephone wire out of the connection on the wall. Unfortunately she pulled it out so hard that the little plastic connector snapped off. She bit her lip.

"SPENCER! God damn you! That's my secure phone line to Shado!"

"Edward, whatever it takes, we're going to talk about this marriage, and our lives together and Joel and most of all Maggie. We're going to talk about everything, or you're not getting out of this room, I swear to God you aren't. I'm going to be your wife, but I'm also going to be your partner, and I am your business associate in the Foundation. Pushing your partner out of a contract when something's gone wrong is poor business practice."

Ed sighed but said nothing, so Claire continued, a little nervously.

"Edward, I knew you blame yourself for Joel's death. I know you've added that to everything else you carry on those shoulders of yours. You look like death warmed over, and by God, Edward, by God, you're not going to keep everything to yourself. Edward, all my life I was my brother's kid sister and my father's daughter and my mother's shame. I didn't have any identity for myself and I didn't even care about it all that much. Sure, I had some bizarre reputation for going into medicine as late as I did and succeeding instead of falling on my face like my mother believed I would. And don't get me wrong, Edward. I love what I do. But my real place is at your side. I'm no shrinking violet, but I'm not strong either. I need you. I didn't have much of a future, no real goals. Life wasn't interesting beyond just being with Ryan, and sharing his joys and sorrows. We were just a pair of misfits. Then you showed up. And everything I had ever been taught went straight down the toilet, and I followed you here. And I like to think that the first moment I looked into your eyes I knew where I belonged. I've never wanted anything else as much as I want to be your wife. So please Edward, if I have to beg you, I will. Talk with me. I love you so much. Please."

For a moment Ed stared at the Palladian windows, then searched her face, sighed, and put down the phone he'd been holding. Then he smiled somewhat.

"I'd guess that entire speech took, oh, two minutes tops. So judging by my calculations, Nathaniel's going to come up those stair-"

The door burst open. Claire was amazed it didn't come off its hinges.

"ED?" Alec yelled, gun drawn. Ed wasn't surprised to see that the Australian's hand was steady, despite whatever alcohol had to have remained in his system. Nor was he surprised that he held no residual of hurt from their conversation.

"Why hello Alec, nice to see you can still climb stairs in your condition. Where's Nate? Ah there he is. Why hello Angel, you're here too? Is that Carmella I hear downstairs cursing in Spanish? Shame shame, and I thought she was such a good Catholic. Why is she cursing?"

"Right here man, Alec beat my ass, you okay, Commander? The alarms went off when the phone went dead. Carmella can't climb the stairs in her locomotive, so she's pissed," Nate explained.

"Why isn't Frances in this little gathering, Angel?" Ed said calmly.

"You scared us all to death, Ed son. Cupcake's helping with the queues to see the Queen Mum lying in state. She'll be back with us this evening to plan the wedding menu, that's my one hope of not losing her to the British monarchy. What happened?"

"I uh-" Claire said, and looked glum.

"It was an accident, I tripped and pulled the cord out. Please ring HQ and let them know it was a false alarm before Sky 1 lands in my front yard. It seems those new security systems you wanted to brief me on actually do work." Ed said. "By the way, let Carmella know I'm fine before she pops an artery." Claire grinned at him. Nate went out to the stairs for a second, yelled at a near-hysterical Carmella to call HQ and Carmella muttered to herself and crossed herself reverently in thanks that Ed was all right, then reached for a nearby phone. Nate smiled at her and came in again.

"Yeah Commander and we've got panic buttons throughout the -"

There was a loud, unmistakable boom that made everyone duck then a deafening screech of tyres. End's light-hearted mood dropped and he reached for his Glock. Claire carefully edged up to the window, trying to see what was happening, her Shado training coming into play just enough for her to remember not to step in front of the window and make herself a clear target, however high up she was from the ground. Nate gestured at Ed.

"Move, Commander. You too, Claire. Safe room. Now, man and I'm not kidding."

"Not a chance Zouri. If something's trying to get me, my policy is to get it first." Ed said, and strapped on his holster again. "See anything, Spencer?"

"Man, what do you pay me for if you don't follow my advice?" Nate yelled at his boss. Claire grinned and picked up her handbag, where Ed knew her Derringer was.

"You're only here to change light bulbs, Nathaniel." Claire said, drawing a scowl from the tall Jamaican. "Two men getting out of a Range Rover, Edward. Both armed with what looked like rifles." Ed looked at her, checked for himself, nodded tightly and the group cautiously moved out of the master bedroom. Carmella was yelling at the top of her voice in a mixture of Spanish and her particular brand of English, but she didn't seem alarmed. Two men were sheepishly standing in the foyer, in animated conversation with her. Ed moved halfway down the stairs, to the first landing flanked by Nate, Alec and Angel and soon recognized one as Harry Williams. The other he didn't know.

"Go see what this is all about, Alec." Ed said, placing his gun back into his holster." Lieutenant Diaz seems to have the situation well within control."

"Shit I left poor Carma down there alone manning security." moped Nate. "She doesn't even have a gun."

"Don't worry Nate. She has her mouth and those arms. Trust me, that's enough. I'm still black and blue from this morning," Alec complained.

"Oh now, that's a story I want to hear, Alec."

"Somehow I figured that, Ed." Alec chuckled.

* * *

Alec went down the steps and waved at Harry.

"You want to explain yourself, Harry?"

"Alec. Thank God. Look, I got a call on the car mobile that there was a alert at Mr. Straker's property from Ford, since we happened to already have been on our way here, we got here as fast as we could. Doctor Diaz here just confirmed that it was a false alarm. I'm afraid that we, well, no one was at the guard station, and there was no way to get in-"

"Jesus Christ God Almighty!" Ed Straker moaned, startling Williams and impressing his companion by seemingly appearing out of nowhere. "Not the damn grade 2 gates. Please tell me you didn't crash through the gates!"

Alec Freeman started laughing as Harry stared at the Commander, obviously upset.

"Sir, I'm sorry, but well, when there was no one at the station we figured it was bad news, and we had our rifles in the car, and well, I'm awfully sorry, Sir. We assumed the worst, you see."

"The English Heritage people are going to have heart attacks." Ed said, pinching the bridge of his nose. Claire tried to get rid of her grin and came up behind him, rubbing the back of his neck until he relaxed a little, but didn't ease up on his faultless posture.

"All men are idiots," decreed Carmella, and rolled off to make more tea and coffee.

"They were doing their duty, Carmella." Claire smiled.

"I better see the damage for myself," sighed Ed. "What were you coming here for anyway, Williams? I left strict orders at the studio not to be disturbed for anything unless hell froze over and Big Ben struck thirteen and not in any particular order. I'm supposed to be getting married this week. And who is your companion? I take it he can be trusted, or have you shot your professionalism to hell along with the gates?" The small group left the foyer and started walking down the driveway toward the entrance to Silk Wood Manor.

"Well, Sir, that's why I'm here. I haven't told him everything. But I knew there was an opening here for a personal bodyguard and my friend Graham here is your man. He's got A1 clearance, no living relatives, sharp as a tack, old Army Intelligence, and excels at anything with a trigger. The G-6 will be a breeze. I apologize Sir, it was awfully forward of me, but I reasoned you wouldn't want to have to go through the hassle of interviewing a lot of chaps."

"You have to have been smoking ganja, Harry. He looks a bit long in the tooth to protect the boss to me," Nate said in a derisive manner, sneering. Lancaster looked at Nate.

Ed Straker didn't even manage to open his mouth all the way to tell Nate he was way out of order, when Graham Lancaster brought the taller, stronger and younger Jamaican bodyguard down like a felled tree with a sharp blow to his solar plexus, then the coup de grace across his neck. Ed Straker casually strolled over to his now unconscious bodyguard and gently tapped the toe of his black ankle boot against Nate to check for signs of life. Lancaster stood there at attention, noting at the back of his mind that Straker exhibited cat-like balance, but also just waiting for Straker to say something. Nate didn't move. Alec just grinned, as did Angel. Claire noticed Carmella had come back and had a big grin on her face.

"What's your name?" Ed asked, ignoring Harry Williams' extreme shock and horror.

"Graham Lancaster. My friends call me Grey."

"Mr. Lancaster, you're hired." Ed put out a hand, and smiled. Harry let out a long sigh of relief, and produced a handkerchief from his Barbour vest, mopping his brow.

Graham inspected Straker for a moment, then put out his own hand and the two men shook hands warmly. Lancaster noted Straker's grip was strong and equal, if not better than his own. The man wasn't soft, Lancaster had to admit. Straker might appear the pretty boy, with his striking looks, but he wasn't soft at all. Quite the opposite, this Straker.

"You aren't at all the toady I expected you'd be, Straker."

"For heaven's sake, Grey!" blurted Harry.

Ed gestured toward the unconscious Jamaican.

"Appearances, as you just proved, can be deceiving," Ed decreed. Lancaster chuckled a little at the truth in that.

"I think I may learn to appreciate this job, and you, more than I thought." Lancaster told Ed.

"Your first assignment may be to keep the English Heritage people from killing me outright. But then you have a few surprises coming, doesn't he, Mr. Williams? You see to his briefing later. Oh God. Yes, as I thought, the gates are completely shot. At least this shows how inferior the property security was, due to our friends at English Heritage. See that Zouri wakes up, then have him start in on the repairs, Carmella, then join us, would you? Let's go back in. I for one could use an early supper. Then we'll decide what to do about that telephone line." Ed looked at Claire meaningfully. She chuckled at him and then remembered her manners.

"Welcome to Silk Wood Manor, Graham." Claire said with a smile.

"Thank you Ma'am."

Claire pressed close to Ed as they all walked back, except for Carmella and the not so peacefully sleeping Nate.

"Don't think I've forgotten about our talk, Edward." Claire whispered to him. Ed nodded, and took her hand, closed his fingers tightly over hers.

Alec looked back and winced. Carmella was holding the garden hose and pointing it at Nate. In a few minutes the water came full on and Nathaniel Zouri gave a garbled series of screams. Carmella just went on drenching him, long past the point of being necessary.

"That woman is unbelievable." Alec said. Ed looked back for a second, not surprised, chuckled.

"I wouldn't have Carmella any other way, Alec. We all have our little peculiar habits that make us unique, don't we? Sometimes in spite of everything, we go down the wrong roads. But if we're lucky we have loved ones and friends that help us learn from our life experiences and our mistakes. And before long we find ourselves on the right path again."

They looked at each other meaningfully, and smiled.

* * *

Ed and Claire went upstairs early after saying their goodnights. Frances had finally put in an appearance, absolutely giddy after meeting Prince Andrew and his daughters in the queue from having volunteered as a tea pourer for the mourners, and was describing her great relief at having done a perfect curtsy to Angel for about the sixteenth time. Angel, normally a staunch Republican, had tolerated it simply because he was just so happy to see her. Nathaniel and Carmella were playing poker, and not surprisingly, Carmella was well on her way to winning the rather loud pink and lime green shirt off his back. Harry had made his farewells and had left, leaving Graham to play chess with Alec, after the new bodyguard had inspected his living quarters and pronounced them suitable. Frances had been so excited about meeting a Royal she had forgotten the wedding menu planning and hadn't cooked dinner for everyone, so Carmella had just made tacos again and nobody had objected, not even Frances.

* * *

Ed and Claire changed into their nightwear, then curled up together in bed.

"Are you tired, Edward?" Claire asked, stroking his hair as he held her.

"No, not at all. I just wanted to get away from our guests. Claire, I need to tell you something."

"You don't know if marrying me is the right thing for you to do. I know. Maggie scarred you pretty badly. Pins and needles, Edward, everyone you allowed to come close to you scarred you pretty badly."

Ed held her at arms' length ruefully.

"I hate it when that ESP of yours kicks into gear."

"I know. Edward, listen to me. If you don't want to go through with this wedding, then just let me stay with you. I don't have to wear a veil to love you. I want you to know that."

"Is this the same Spencer that told me this afternoon she didn't want anything in her life as much as she wanted to be Mrs. Straker?"

"This is the same Spencer that is terrified the man she loves will leave her because he can't take anymore pain."

"I'm uncertain, but that doesn't mean I want to postpone the wedding. Claire, I don't even know you all that well. The way it is between us is so much different than it was with, well, Lily, for one thing."

"Thank God for that!" she chuckled. He grinned.

"No, that isn't what I mean. Lily just showed up at my door one day, and after my initial objections I felt loved again, it was exciting, we had sex in ways I'd never tried before. Hell, that I didn't spend half my time with her in traction is amazing."

"Edward, you're beginning to scare me." Claire chuckled. "Don't assume that will happen with me, at my age I'm not an gymnast!"

"That's another thing. You take my discussion of my sex life with Lily, well, so matter-of-factly. I once jokingly brought it up with Maggie and she didn't talk to me the rest of the night. Both Lily and Maggie were jealous to the point of obsession. And I was faithful to them both, Claire. I'm afraid I'm pretty boring when it comes to that kind of thing."

"You have ethics and morals Edward. You're an old fashioned gentleman. They took advantage of that. That Mary actually believed you slept with Nina just astounds me. Photographs or no photographs, she should have given you a chance to explain. Instead she walked out on you. If she hadn't done that, and fallen down those stairs, maybe you'd still be with her now. I would never have known you. Edward, sometimes I wake up beside you in the few precious moments we have before you go off to Shado, and I listen to your breathing, and I watch your lashes flutter, and I feel your warmth. Sometimes it's hard to resist just tossing the alarm clock out the window and keep you with me forever." smiled Claire.

"I always wake up before the alarm rings, you know that." he grinned.

"I know that. I know that, my love. Shado will always be your mistress and I understand that. I don't want to change you. I don't ask for much. I love you Edward."

"Claire, I need to talk with you about-about Maggie, why my marriage ended the way it did."

"Our marriage is what I want, that's what's important, not the past. You know that. I have no regrets about what I did or the way I did it, or that Shado will always be more important to you than me."

"For God's sake Claire, how can you say that?"

Claire gently cupped his face between her hands.

"Because, darling, it's true. It needs to be that way. I won't lie and say to you that I don't wish you'd retire and let Alec or someone else take over. But I love you as you are, and Shado is part of you now. I love you Edward."

"Claire, you know, you know I've learned to love you. I can't imagine not having you at my side. You know, sometimes I wish I could say it. Just turn my back on the organization and walk away. I wish the Foundation could be enough for me. But it will never be. How can I ask you to be the wife of a man who is forever bound to his work? My darling, if anything happened to you because of Shado, the way it did to my son, or Joel, my God. Sometimes I just sit and wonder what's around the corner, what terrible thing lies in wait for me. When Henderson told me that they had chosen me for Shado, I often wonder what my life would have been like if I had stood up to him and said no, and made it stick. Just for once I'd like to feel human."

Claire laughed and he looked at her in hurtful disbelief.

"That isn't funny, Claire."

"Oh but it is. You're so human, Edward. You're just skilled at making some people, including yourself, think that you aren't. It's your humanity that Joel was attracted to. It was your heart he saw, even through that ridiculous outfit." She reached toward him and brushed away his tears. Ed held on to her tightly, what control he'd had quickly fading away.

"I killed him Claire, I let him die, the same way I did Johnny when I could have done something, how do I live with myself? How can I allow myself a normal life when I'll never see my son again?"

"Edward, you gave Joel happiness in the last hours of his life, and I know deep down that neither Johnny nor Joel blame you for their deaths. I know that deep down in my heart of hearts. What I don't know is if you'll ever let up on the guilt you feel. Guilt that isn't necessary. It isn't something I can do for you. Even my love isn't enough to change that. I can only be with you the rest of your life." Claire wept. They held on to each other silently for several minutes. Ed pulled away, and wiped his tears away roughly with the back of his hand.

"Look at us. Crying like babies. We're supposed to be married in a few days. Do you think we could manage a modicum of merriment and act like this upcoming marriage is a good thing?" Ed asked, trying to smile.

"I don't know, Edward. A modicum of merriment is all we're allowed on our wedding day?" she chuckled.

"A modicum, no more than that. Claire, in the last days of my marriage to-I don't know, I don't know if I can tell you this."

"If this is going to work, we can never keep secrets. We can never lie to each other. Just tell me Edward."

Ed gave a deep sigh.

Claire waited.

"Claire, toward the last part of my marriage to Margaret, I was-I was making up reasons to stay at Shado because I didn't want to hear her yell at me or ask me for some bauble or some dress when she had a hundred in her wardrobe. And when I'd come home, she'd yell at me, say that all that matters to me was my damn job. And just out of a desperation to have the argument over with, sometimes I'd give in to what she wanted. And nine times out of ten it would be sex. And toward the end, half the nights she'd get in bed with me I was impotent. And you know what, Claire? I knew. I knew she'd started to sleep around. I suspected she even had relations with Yolanda. She was a special woman, Claire. But I don't think she had much of a core. Losing her father, as disgusting as he was, was difficult for her. Toward the end I think my money and my prestige was all that kept her with me. I knew the marriage was at an end, but I couldn't bring myself to ask her for a divorce. We stopped having sex because I couldn't get an erection. I know she joked about it to Alec behind my back, and I don't know how I faced him, day after day, wondering what he thought of me. And God, I suspected-" his face contorted with grief and she took his hand.

"Go on Edward."

"I suspected she was pregnant, because her body had changed, her breasts were fuller and I knew, my God, I knew it wasn't mine, because we hadn't had sex in months. I just couldn't give her up. She talked about wanting to adopt Devon, but that was a passing interest. Claire-oh my God Claire. When she died, when she died, I was glad. GLAD! I was glad, Claire, what kind of monster does that make me? Alec thought I'd go each year to her grave in San Francisco from grief. But I'd go because I felt guilt. I wanted to destroy myself because I felt guilt!"

"Edward, stop it, she chose what happened to her. How could your death make what she'd done any better? How could destroying yourself for a guilt that wasn't rightfully yours make anything right? Feeling relief when she died is natural, whether you want to believe it or not. You were free from an impossible situation. And you mourned for the baby that died with her, whether you were the father or not. All I saw when I came into that hospital room was a man who was lost, absolutely lost, and hadn't even permitted himself to be touched to the point where he couldn't bear it when I touched him. I never have seen such desolation in anyone as I saw in you that day. It haunted me and I swear I was determined to do something about it. Pins and needles! When you walked out of that hospital it broke my heart. I felt sure that if I ever saw you again, you'd be dead. When Ryan showed me the newspaper clippings of you I couldn't believe it. Oh God Edward, the only thing I truly am sad about is that Ryan can't see this home I share with you. That's the only thing. And I swear to you I won't ever bring you unhappiness. I know you've been told that before. But I swear it to you, Edward."

"What happens if things change between us, Claire? What happens if our love dies?"

"I can tell you one thing, Edward Straker. When I make those vows to you, I'm going to mean every single one of them. If we have problems between us, I'll come to you and I expect you to come to me. I love you and there's no force in the world that's going to keep me apart from you. Edward, I'm going to resign from Mayland and work full time at the Foundation. That'll mean-"

"God no Claire. That was the beginning of the end for me and Maggie. She quit her job. I'd come home and when she wasn't ordering things in the catalogues or talking to her girlfriends or flirting with my personnel she was watching that damn Casablanca video of hers. On the day of her funeral I came home and I took that thing and I smashed it to bits."

"And then what did you do, Edward?" Claire said, knowing the answer. Ed sobbed and she took him into her arms.

"I cried, I cried, I cried. I loved her, Claire, I loved her. Was it too much to ask that she love me back? Just a little? You know I accused Alec of being intimate with his women but never achieving true intimacy with anyone. What a joke. Maggie and I had sex, Lily and I had sex. But we never truly had intimacy. We never truly understood one another. Alec was right to tell me I never won any prizes in my marriages. I never did. I just wanted a wife and kids to love and a family to come home to. So much for the great perfect Commander Straker Alec was talking about. Don't tell anyone, but I've got a heart." Ed forced a chuckle.

"I swear to God I won't tell a soul. I'll go and take the amnesia drug right this minute. I don't question for a moment that you aren't perfect, Edward Straker, my love."

"That's Commander Straker to you." he smiled.

"Yes Sir." Claire chuckled.

"Something's wrong. I'm actually starting to feel hopeful about us."

"Hope? We can't have that, Edward. We can only have a modicum of merriment, remember."

"Yes, yes. But if that's all I get for the rest of my life, then it's a distinct improvement, because my life up to now has been pretty empty. Do you think I could be as bold as to hope for a modicum of love, too?"

"Don't press your luck, Straker."

"Yes, of course, you're right, Spencer. Oh, you know what? To hell with this modicum business. Kiss me."

Ed pulled her into a long, slow, soul-stirring kiss, and she smiled at him and nuzzled the nape of his neck. His grip tightened on her, and his pace of breathing picked up. He took off his robe and drew her closer.

"Are you sure this isn't against regulations, Commander?" she said contently as he suddenly began untying the ribbon on her nightgown like his life depended on it. He grinned at her.

"You're never to call me Commander again. I want always to be Edward to you once we're married." Ed lifted the nightgown over her head and undid the sash of his pyjama trousers, then laid her effortlessly down across the four-poster bed and moved over her breathlessly. She linked her hands around his neck and pulled him to her.

"Is that an order, Comman-GOD!"

* * *

It wasn't until dawn that the exhausted, happy lovers finally fell asleep.

And while they slept, something malevolent moved over Silk Wood Manor. Something in the form of a man. Something bent on crushing the life out of Ed Straker.

* * *

"Stop it, Yetunde," Alec muttered in his sleep. Finally with a groan he tossed off his blankets, cleared the sleep from his eyes and stared. The boy was there, transparent, woeful, poking him uselessly with fingers that went right through Alec's chest, and Alec shuddered at the spectral fingers passing through him.

"You have to do something! The hater has him! Do something! Her husband tried, but now the chapel's been opened again and the hater is out! You've got to destroy the painting, he draws his power from it, don't you understand? Her husband tried, but he was frightened away, and now End's in trouble! I can't help him, and Ed's too intimidated by the hater to fight, you have to do something!"

"Damn it you're dead, can't you stay dead, it's the alcohol, get away from-"

The form vanished.

A heartrending female scream broke the quiet of the British morning. Alec jumped out of bed without bothering with a robe and grabbed his gun still in his cotton nightshirt and boxers. He rushed out of the room which adjoined End's master bedroom, and Ed was standing near his door, dressed impeccably in his uniform with a satisfied expression on his face Alec's attention was drawn to the small bunch of people who stood gathered around the bottom of the oak staircase. Frances aghast and Angel gawking, the Lancaster fellow grim, Nate and Carmella looking stricken. In the middle of them lay Claire Spencer, moaning, barely stirring. Carmella was lifting herself out of her chair and saying something to Nate while she examined the semi-conscious Claire after lowering herself beside her.

"My God, what's happened?" Alec demanded.

"He pushed his woman down the stairs." Lancaster responded angrily.

"You are out of your mind!" Alec said. He whirled on Ed. It suddenly dawned on him that Ed hadn't responded, wasn't responding, just staring at them all icily.

"I saw it with my own eyes." Lancaster said evenly.

"Whore. Opened her legs for that bastard. Whore. I'm not to be disturbed." With that, Ed Straker went back into his bedroom and slammed the door shut, locking it.

"I don't think anything's broken, thanks be to God, she just has a lot of soft tissue bruising. It's her head I'm worried about, Graham said he saw it hit the railing as she tumbled down the stairs. Call an ambulance, Nate, then get my bag from the van." Carmella ordered. Alec came downstairs, shaking, and stared at Lancaster as Nate pulled out a mobile phone.

"What the hell happened?"

"Mr. Straker asked me to make sure he and Miss Spencer arose early, since they had a full day with the wedding coming up so soon. So I got up, fixed myself a cup of tea then headed upstairs to awaken Mr. Straker. I heard him yelling, and the next thing I knew, Miss Claire rushed out of the bedroom, and he followed. I thought it strange he was in his military kit but I didn't think much of it otherwise, goodness knows couples have rows. But then I saw him deliberately push her down the stairs, and her scream awoke the entire house."

"Alec, he's lost his mind, he's snapped, oh my precious and merciful God, Stanley, he frightens me!"

"Christ, even if Ed had lost his mind, he'd never lay a hand on her! Carmella, find who's on duty at Maryland's Shado psychiatric division today."

"Wait a moment, Alec, I want to check her vitals before the ambulance comes."

"What about Ed?" Angel said, holding a trembling Frances close.

"I'm going to go talk to him."

"Alec, lad, he isn't in any shape to be talked to." Angel said.

"You can't go up there while he's acting like this. At least not alone, Sir. Perhaps the doctor can sedate him and then we can have the professionals take a look at him." Lancaster said. He'd returned after going off and getting a wet towel to put on Claire's forehead.

"My God what happened?" Claire groaned, pushing aside a hysterical Carmella who was taking her pulse, and she struggled to sit up.

"Madre de Dios, will you hold still? You could have a head injury!"

"I have a fat lump and a fatter headache, which isn't the same. Stop fussing over me Carmella, have you forgotten I'm a physician? I know my own body. I'm okay, I just am bruised badly. Oh Alec thank God you're here, thank God you came. Alec, I don't know what to do!"

"Claire, do what Carm says, and lie still. Thanks, Lancaster." Alec said, accepting the towel and putting it gently on her forehead.

"Help me up, I have to go up to Edward, he needs me."

"That's it. You do have a head injury. You want to see him after he nearly broke your neck? Carumba, you've taken leave of your senses!" exclaimed Carmella, but Alec helped Claire to a chair.

"Claire, you can't go up there now. The only answer that explains what he did to you is he's under alien influence."

"No Alec, why would the aliens not do the same thing to me? I was right with him, how could they have attacked him?"

"We know it happens, you know it happens, Claire." Alec said somberly.

"Here Carmella babe, I brought your bag, and they said the ambulance is on the way." Nate said, approaching them. The group jumped, and looked upward as Ed Straker threw open his door, and began throwing the contents of Claire's bureau drawers over the side of the stair rail, yelling.

"What's the matter with the telephone in my bedroom? I want it fixed right away. What's the filthy coloured scum for if he can't keep everything running right? Black overgrown good for nothing! Get rid of that woman and everything she owns, I want no trace of her in my house, her or her bastard. Things are going to be run my way from now on. This manor and everything in it belongs to me now niggerboy, is that understood?"

"Man, you've blown a gasket, you aren't the boss I know," Nate snarled.

"Edward?" Claire said in disbelief.

"Edward, for the love of the Good Lord, what's happened to you?" Frances exclaimed.

"Nobody is to call me that. Nobody. I'm Colonel Straker! Show less than the proper respect for me and I'll throw you out with my bare hands, you old dried-up hag!" Ed said to Frances, who gave a stifled cry.

"You bloody beggar! That's it, nobody injures and belittles my friends then insults my wife and lives to boast about it." Angel snapped and started up the stairs toward Ed at a most unarthritic pace, rolling up his sleeves as he did so. Alec darted up the stairs and pulled Angel aside before he could reach Ed, who stood there, chillingly laughing. The cleric was furious, but deferred to his fellow Australian and went downstairs to Frances, who grabbed him in relief.

"There has to be a better reason for this. There has to be!" Claire wept. Ed disappeared back into the bedroom and continued at his practice of throwing her belongings out.

Alec came down and looked at Claire.

"Tell me what happened last night. Don't leave anything out. Carmella, prepare a shot big enough to take an elephant herd down. I'm taking Ed to Mayland to be examined and I'm going to need help to do it. Nate, Lancaster, that's where you two come in. I don't want him hurt if you can help it. Go on Claire."

"We were talking about the wedding and his misgivings about trusting someone when Margaret had treated him so badly. He confessed he knew she had been cheating on him, and the marriage had deteriorated to the point where he would deliberately stay at Shado to avoid her. We talked, and he finally seemed light-hearted, Alec. He joked with me about having at least a modicum of merriment when it came to discussing the wedding. Oh God, Alec, he finally seemed happy we even made love." Claire wept. Nate had lifted Carmella back into her wheelchair and she was tapping a hypodermic until she was sure of the dosage of sedation. She ejected a stream of clear liquid into the air and then checked again, nodded at Alec.

"I know this is hard for you, but go on," Alec said to Claire, nodding at Carmella.

"We talked about the music we liked, and his favourite flowers, what should be served at the reception and he joked about whether he should add "until it all went horribly wrong" to his nuptial vows, and I teasingly scolded him and we laughed and we made love again, and finally we fell asleep in each other's arms. I woke up and he was staring at me, already dressed in his uniform, and he threw my nightgown at me, called me a whore and told me to get out of his bedroom, that he knew I'd been unfaithful." wept Claire. "I got into my nightgown and he-oh pins and needles, Alec, he slapped me across the face and said all women were the same, all whores. I rushed out of the room and the last thing I remember is his hands-" but Claire sobbed, not able to continue, and Frances cradled her like she was a small doll.

"It's like it isn't him," Frances said.

"Exactly, Ma'am." Lancaster agreed. "He took me aside after dinner while you women were chatting, and I got to know him a little better last night, after Harry had briefed me on Shado, and he told me he expected that the business about the aliens must have come as something of a shock, and did I have any questions? I told him if anyone but my best pal Harry Williams had told me Fobs were coming to Earth, that I would have laughed in their faces and told them to cut down on their ale. That since it was Harry, who had a lot of respect for Straker and never told a lie in his life unless lives depended on it, that I accepted it as gospel and had no questions at all and would serve him to my death. He smiled and told me I was to look after Miss Spencer, that her safety was more important than his. I wished him well in his marriage and he thanked me, he said he'd had some bad times in the past but he was trying to be hopeful this time. He said I seemed a good deal like Mr. Freeman, a man that would set him right if he appeared to be screwing up or letting his side down, and that he would value me for that as much as my skill at guarding him. The man I saw throw you down the stairs, Ma'am, he isn't the same fellow as the man I met last night. This man is evil, there's hatred in him."

"Bloody Christ! The hater. Joel was trying to warn me this morning." Alec said. Claire stopped crying and looked at him in puzzlement. "And in my dreams!"

"Alec what do you mean? Joel died."

"Tell me about the chapel. Quick," Alec said, hearing the whine of an ambulance siren get louder as it approached the manor.

"There were some women here that would come every spring to see the manor while Edward's mother lived here with her solicitor Laurence. The manor was his gift to her, the English home she'd wanted all her life. She had hated having to live in Boston but Edward's father had insisted on it." Frances said. "Anyway, for some reason after Rosemary had a fatal heart attack, Laurence had the chapel completely boarded up. We found it for the first time a day or so ago, one of the women is a member of my garden club and told us about it, although it was supposed to be kept hushed for some reason. Edward opened it and found a lot of boxes and an striking gilt framed portrait in oils of his father there."

"Cupcake's right. I even commented that the portrait seemed evil to me. It was half burnt as if someone had intended to destroy it but had been stopped somehow." Angel said. "Q-tip seemed very disturbed to see it, as though the painting frightened him."

"And Edward's Dad tried to kill him years and years ago, striking him with a cane when Edward was a young boy, intending to throw his body down on the rocks, and pretend it was a accident. Only someone saw everything, and took photographs. Rosemary had Edward's Dad locked up in an institution. But why are you asking about all this, I don't understand."

"End's father has possessed Ed and we have to help get him back," Alec said. Before anyone could respond, a sharp rap sounded at the door. At the same time, Ed threw open his door again and Claire screamed. In his hand was his Glock.

"Sir, look out!" Lancaster yelled and pushed Claire out of range as shots rang out, and everyone scrambled to get out of the way. Nate grabbed Carmella and hurled the two of them to the carpet. Glass shattered as stray bullets whizzed through the air. Finally the bullets were used up and Ed hurled the gun at them and yelled profanities.

"Stupido, stupido I broke the hypodermic, I need to get an new one and fill it again." Carmella exclaimed. Alec opened the door and the Shado medics came in the room, took in the bullet holes, the shattered glass, splintered decorative mirrors and the sight of a hysterical Commander, and looked to Alec for guidance.

"Bring that stretcher in closer and stand by. Graham and I will take him. I don't want him hurt. Carmella, hurry up. Nate when she's rea-" Suddenly Ed escaped into his room, locked it, and Alec and Graham ran up the stairs when they heard glass breaking. They kicked down the door, just in time to see Ed smashing the Palladian windows with a footstool. Alec and Graham rushed him and Alec knocked him down, pinned back his arms, as he struggled, screaming at them. Claire came in with the medics and gasped. Behind her, Nate was carrying Carmella, who was grasping the filled hypodermic and a wad of cotton with alcohol on it.

"Please, please don't hurt him!" shouted Claire.

"Don't hurt him?" Lancaster, who was barely managing to pin Ed's legs down, gave her a look that clearly said her priorities were a bit scrambled. Nate joined the fray and there were several rips of fabric, and finally Ed's forearm was bare. Carmella swabbed him with the cotton and jabbed him with the hypodermic as he screamed at the extent his lungs will allow. After a few seconds he stopped struggling somewhat, moaned and the medics got the stretcher underneath him, and fastened the harness around him. Claire moved close to him, her eyes full of tears.

"Edward, oh my darling Edward."

His eyes were turning glassy, but he responded to her voice and his eyes sought hers. The corruption was gone from him. He no longer looked evil. He looked terrified.

"Help me, Claire. Hel-" and then his eyes closed and he was unconscious.

* * *

"You have to be crazy!" Alec told Claire late the next evening. "You want to call Lily of all people?"

"Alec if you have a better idea