Seeds

by Amelia L. Rodgers
©2003 all rights reserved
E mail author
Not to be used without author's permission.
(this story contains references to my other stories)

Dedicated to the most delightful Ed Bishop, and of course, the amazing Commander Straker

I wrote in my journal as I had been told to, the sun was shining on that day, a day leading to one of the most terrible nights of my life. When I first had been assigned to England, I was surprised that indeed the sun did shine there. I had been brought up on stories about Jack the Ripper, and Sherlock Holmes, and foggy and grey dismal London. Wonderful stuff for a boy of six in Boston who loved to read. As those days of summer in Gloucester went on, I came to wish that it would get dark. Dark, hopeless, grim and dismal. Like me.

I continued to write ---

* * *

"You see more of my baby than I do, Ed!" Alec Freeman had declared in mock unhappiness to me. I gave my friend of many years a equally mock sour look, and held out my hands for the little Freeman as the child wailed unhappily after Stanley Brisby had baptised it Alec Edward Freeman. Angel was beaming. He had a right to be beaming. Not only had my fellow Vietnam POW gotten back his position at Saint Benedict's as the vicar, due to the previous vicar's sudden decision to move to New Zealand, (although Frances had privately told me it was actually a combination of her prayers and Angel aggravating the poor man to death ) he was planning to perform Alec and Terry's wedding in a matter of weeks. Actually, everyone was smiling as they exited to their respective automobiles.

Except for my smartly and expensively dressed little girl at my wife's side. Kamala had come home on Easter vacation from her boarding school, and didn't seem to appreciate my enthusiasm for the baby. Not at all. I caught my East Indian foster daughter's odd expression and sighed. It was difficult trying to explain to Kamala that her father hadn't stopped loving her, not even for a moment. It was just that I was intoxicated with joy over the birth of my best friend's son. I'd been so elated in finding Alec alive only months ago, and in taking part in his happiness over his baby son. My only unhappiness had to do with my living a lie. I had been turned into an Poh'Sib, the ceremonial leader of an race of extraterrestrial children as a result of an alien prophecy, enabling and assisting me to battle the aliens I usually did battle with, and could in the end not tell Alec. So I had recently gone secretly to one of the aliens, known as The Ancient, and asked if I could become human again so I no longer needed to lie. He had said yes, filling me with relief, but I had not told Claire yet, which bothered me just as much. I'd wait for the right moment to tell her. Surely she'd forgive me for wanting that particular cross gone. I patted Kamala's hair, which was now almost chin-length, and jet black, parted in the middle. Kamala managed a small smile and leaned against me. But she still looked at Terry and then at Alec and the baby in a troubling way that made the silver hairs at the back of my neck stand up at brace. Claire, I knew, feared it was hate she saw in Kamala's eyes, and she asked me often if the adoption, due to be finalized in a matter of weeks, wasn't going to be a fatal mistake, for both prospective father and daughter. I assured her the new Godfather was happy, intended to go through with it, and didn't regret anything.

I as chosen Godfather was resplendent in my new bespoke beige suit, (I see you've lost weight yet again, Mr. Straker, my newest tailor had reflected irritably in his upper class accent. Means you won't have to buy as much suit, and I'll only have enough money this month from what you pay me to feed one child. That means the other three will go hungry. But don't let that concern you, he'd said to me.) Made me renew my appreciation of English humour and made me miss my now deceased first tailor, whom had always claimed having to adjust my suits to my weight de jour and repair the bullet holes in my Nehru during my Shado days had given him ulcers and probably would send him to an early grave,(but he'd died in his sleep at 89, God rest his soul) with Alec in an equally new tan one, both of our lapels adorned with fresh prize winning daffodils from Frances' garden. I cooed to the baby gently, and it blinked its tiny brown eyes it had inherited from Terry at me, seemingly wondering why this silver haired man rocking him, who seemed to be around a whole lot lately, was not Daddy. Then it decided it had had enough of an absent Daddy and a overly attentive godfather, and a cleric that had half drowned it, and bawled some more. Terrilyn laughed and tut tutted at Alec, and collected her infant son. I actually pouted. Alec grinned. In many ways, I was almost more excited over the little Freeman than he was. His firstborn son. How well I remembered what that was like, the pride of a son. My own son, gone and buried for too many years to think about, had been in my mind lately, together with the pangs of pain those memories brought with them.

Claire and I had happily given up our love life for a while and babysat little Alec Edward while the new parents had gotten some much needed sleep (full scale alien attacks were preferable to 4 am feedings, Alec had confided in me) and had planned and shopped for their wedding. Terry wanted St. Paul's Cathedral. Alec wanted a registry office. Angel had talked the two of them into tying the knot at his church. I knew Alec was hesitant about the marriage, and I had reservations about it myself.

"Edward, you look as upset as the baby, and you didn't get dunked in cold water the way he did." Claire told me, enjoying herself. I smiled boyishly.

"Listen, honey, I know the water's cold, but the poor little guy has to have religion to help him in life. Look at the disadvantage it's already had to cope with. Imagine having Alec as your father!"

Alec walloped me on the back in response, and I nearly stumbled, being half his size, as Claire laughed and steadied me.

"For that remark, you're buying breakfast, clown. Ter, for heaven's sake, can I get out of this noose now?" Alec begged, referring to his necktie.

"Sure. After you change the baby."

"Change the baby? Strewth. Here, eager godfather. You do it."

"Gladly. See that, little Alec? Pity isn't it? Your decorated ex-combat pilot father suddenly being such a cowardly wuss he can't change your nappies." I reflected. "And after your show of bravery all during the baptismal ceremony, not crying one tear until Angel dunked you in that font like you'd suddenly caught on fire."

Angel laughed and Frances, radiant in a new silk yellow suit at his side, wearing a straw hat the size of the Roman coliseum and a matching ribbon, tittered. Alec just growled at me. Such a wonderful sound. Plushie bear on steroids, that was Alec.

"Oh, listen to him. Here. Give me my son. Listen to him cry! Got a pair of lungs on him, my lad has."

"Alec love, what he has is a load of shit in his diaper. Here, you can change him in the car." Terry said. Alec made a face.

"Ah the joys of fatherhood." I said, and he made another to keep the first company.

"Meet you all at Hansen's as agreed for breakfast, Frances and myself are just going to finish up a few things here and we'll join you." Angel said, with a hearty kiss on Frances' cheek.

"Hansen's? That's one of the most expensive restaurants in London. What do you all think I am? A millionaire?" I quipped. Claire rolled her eyes at me, since I'd picked it, and indeed I was a multi-millionaire now, with the addition of Cedric Marchmain's estate to mine.

"I think he's gotten genuinely miserly, Miss Claire." Ezekiel Morris said flatly. Zeke was tall. Taller than tall. Giraffes weren't that tall. Black, well muscled. With an impish sense of humour, and a quick tongue. He was my bodyguard. I still mourned Nathaniel Zouri who had the job before Zeke, but I was certain Nate had hand picked Zeke for me.

"It was inheriting that last fifteen or so million that did it to him, I think." Ian agreed. Ian, was a former race car driver and now my expert mechanic. Ian was in his thirties, but could easily pass for someone who had just said hello to puberty with his wiry body with wiry hair to go with it. He was becoming less deferential lately, and was feeling a lot more comfortable around me, making jokes now and then under Zeke's decidedly bad influence. Claire grinned as he held open the door of the Bentley Arnage for her, and then headed around to the front. I gave them both a decidedly resentful look, and shooed Ian out of the driver's seat, at the last second even stealing and donning the cap he wore, and reclaiming my car keys. Since semi-retiring from Shado, I had purchased the new car on a whim, and only missed my Shado gull wing number now and then.

"Go in back with Zeke. I'm driving." I said as I slid behind the driver's seat to be next to Claire, who was strapping on her seatbelt over a soft green pleated skirt which brushed against her ankles. She had on a white lace blouse and heels and a jacket that matched the skirt, with a jaunty little white hat adorned with feathers from some poor deceased English bird who had sacrificed its life for the sake of fashion. She smelled of Tresor. She slid her finger maddeningly up my leg toward an area I hadn't put into operation for weeks, and then let go. She was driving me nuts with these saucy gestures, but taking my wife right there in the parking lot of Saint Benedict's seemed to be sadly out of the question. And damn it, we both knew it.

"That black chauffeur's cap does nothing for your outfit, darling." she commented, snapping on Kamala's belt for her and securing her in the seat.

"Critics. Who needs them. I bet I beat Alec to the restaurant. That jalopy of his is slow."

"That jalopy is the Mercedes Benz you gave him and Terry as a early wedding day present, dear, and it goes almost as fast as your Arnage." Claire reminded me with a grin. I made a dismissing gesture with a wide sweep of the hand, and eagerly fed my Bentley petrol. Ian was trying to talk me into upgrading to a spanking new 2003 Bentley Arnage RL or something more sporty. I was tempted. Mostly because I could give Frances and Angel my old one. Minus the few odds and ends Ian had put into it, and taken out at my request. His own touches. Let's just say my sapphire blue Arnage now made my former Shado car seem like a lemon, and the computer system built into it alone would have made a geek break down and cry from envy.

"Daddy are you going to race?" Kamala wanted to know.

"Daddy isn't going to race and put his new godson in jeopardy, now are you, darling?" Claire said in her best ruin her husband's plans voice which I knew so well. Too damn well.

I scowled like a small boy who just had his favourite toy taken away, and stared resentfully at the Mercedes as it crossed in front of my Bentley, and Alec, who had obviously somehow manipulated Terry into changing his newly baptised son's nappies instead, wiggled fingers in a triumphant wave at me, and with a blast of the horn, was gone.

"Why I put up so long with that Australian, I don't know." I offered, merging my lips into a long, taut disapproving line.

"Could it have something to do with the fact he's closer to you than if he was your own brother?" Claire asked airily, pushing a lock of my silver hair off my forehead. God, she was driving me nuts. She looked and smelled terrific. The best thing was, our marriage worked. I felt loved.

"Nah." I lied inexpertly for a change, taking a virtual cold shower, and pulled out of the small parking lot in front of Angel's reclaimed church (I pictured the Australian flag on it now, retaken by Angel for God and Country, to the vicar go the spoils of war ) with a crunch of gravel under the tyres like a racehorse on speed.

* * *

"For a guy who has a body like a ruler, your hubby sure puts the food away," Terry said to Claire, not doing too badly with her stack of pancakes drowned in syrup herself, I saw Claire note. My wife chose to be polite and not reply. She was very English in that tendency, but I knew she had an American tongue on her. Lord knew I'd been at the receiving end of it many a time. And deserved it, too. I hid a smile at that thought.

Terry had never fully understood Alec's fascination with me, and she knew that. Terry had been nagging Alec to move away from Silk Wood Manor, on the premise that raising a family required a bigger house. I lifted my clear blue orbs from my eggs Benedict and studied her carefully without expression as I chewed. I had a metabolism uniformly hated by people who put on weight just by walking past a bakery. I could have eaten everything in the bakery, even its proprietor, and not gained a pound. I had a healthy appetite when I was in a good mood. But Terry disturbed me. Like Claire, I knew that Terry actually wanted to get me out of Alec's life, and I imagined she wanted to control him herself.. Alec grinned over at her, he seemed to find all his fiancee's remarks of that kind harmless, which troubled both Claire and I. He was feeding the baby a little formula, little being the operative word, since the baby was gurgling most of it back at him, and enjoying the process.

"With you as his father, maybe feeding Alec Edward would work if you added bourbon to the milk." I said after swallowing my food down.

"Shut your husband up for me, would you, Claire?" Alec grinned. "I can't reach him with the little guy in my lap."

Claire chuckled, picked up a napkin, snapped it at me scoldingly and dabbed unnecessarily at my lips with it. Our eyes met and locked in a loving manner. We'd been married coming up on eight years now, the longest I'd ever been in an relationship with a woman. Claire had blossomed into quite a beauty. When I had met her, she had just become a surgeon, and I was among her patients after collapsing in San Francisco from a mixture of dehydration, refusal to eat, and grief and tortured feelings for my dead wife Maggie. I believed then I was at my lowest, and hadn't allowed anyone to touch me, not even Alec, whom I trusted with my life. At my lowest? God what a joke that was.

She had gently touched me, compassion spilling over in the liquid brown eyes. Not pity, no, for there is a difference to those who take the time to look for it. The fact it had been so long since anyone had touched me had escaped from my weary lips, and she'd stayed with me. When I'd left, she had come after me at some risk, and had joined Shado. She had changed my life, and as she often reminded me, I had changed hers. Because she was married to me, she was one of the wealthiest women in England. However, I had no doubt she'd stay with me even if we were living in an cockroach and rat infested one room apartment in the Bronx. Knowing Claire's soft heart and love for animals, she would have probably knitted all the rats sweaters to keep the New York cold out. We already had three rabbits, (and Claire was trying to talk me into getting another rabbit, some exotic breed ) one rat, and Molly the wonder dog. (When you see a dog deathly afraid of bunnies, it makes you wonder, so we'd named her the wonder dog)

I depended on my wife, I had gladly given up my independence to stay with her, and she'd quit her job in turn to be a full-time wife to me. I only worked part time at Shado now as consultant, concentrating mostly on the charitable foundation that bore my name and was dedicated to my dead son. I had allowed myself a life at last. My stomach sometimes churned with thinking about it. Duty had been everything to me, until I'd met her. I didn't think I could ever walk away from Shado, but for the most part I had. We'd gone through so very much, things not to be easily believed, and our relationship was to be sorely tested again. If I had not had her with me during those days, those days when just forming a coherent thought caused me pain, I would have swallowed a 9 mm slug from my Glock automatic down with my customary aspirin. Normally, I would have gone directly to Alec in such a state, and only a few words from him would have cheered me. But what happened nearly put paid to a relationship between us where we were so close, as the old Melanie song that was part of Claire's diversified music collection had it 'we bled inside each other's wounds' and Alec and I had come to unashamedly love one another with no threat to our masculinity. That bond that only thirty, or was it forty years had given birth to, ( only God knew exactly how long we'd been together, or how we hadn't killed one another over the years!) our bond, our prized friendship had nearly ceased to be.

For he had killed my daughter. I'd watched him do it.

* * *

I was tired, and said so to the man in whose strange bed I had awakened, I didn't much care how or why.

"Sleep for a little while now Ed, everything's going to be all right, you're safe now."

"You don't understand," I said to the indistinct shadow of a man who sat with me, encircling me with thin arms. I couldn't remember how long I'd been talking to him, pouring out my soul to him, trusting him without knowing why, my eyelids heavy, longing to sleep but longing harder to make someone see the darkness in me. "I killed my daughter as surely as if I'd pulled the trigger myself. I killed her with my neglect, just like I killed my son." My anguish gave birth to tears I couldn't stop. I'd told him everything that had happened to me.

"Seeds, Edward. Seeds we plant with everything we do, every choice we make. Good and evil. What happened to the girl clearly wasn't your fault, and it wasn't Freeman's fault. She had within her the seeds of evil, and no matter what you had done, she would have tried to strike out at what was responsible for taking you away from her. She had the seeds of her mother and father. The evil was generational, deep in her bloodline. Evil like fruit slowly turning rotten over a stretch of time, and you don't know it until you bite into the skin and taste the bitterness concealed inside it. All you gave her was love, but she wanted more, she wouldn't share the love you'd given her. You must see that, Edward. Being yourself up with guilt won't bring her back. Who knows more about guilt than I? Don't you know, it wasn't only the baby she would have killed. She would have killed your friend. Anyone who stood in her way. Maybe even your Claire."

"I miss Claire. I need her. I want to see her." I whispered, tears in my eyes.

"Tell me the rest of what happened. Tell me about that night."

"I should go, they'll be worried about me, I wandered off, they'll be worried. I should never have gotten into your car, I just got lost, they'll be worried about me, my wife, Alec."

"They'll find you soon enough. I'll tell them where you are myself. For now, tell me about that night."

"Oh God." I said, not able to stop my weeping, and worse yet, not caring that the fortress I'd built up around me had gone.

"You're safe, I promise. You're where you should have been, years ago. You're with me, and I love you. No, no, not a sexual love, don't worry," he chuckled softly when I pulled away, suddenly terrified I might be molested. A small spark of professionalism in me was a candle nearly burnt out, but still bloodymindedly glowing. This was wrong. You don't give yourself away like this, you've fought this with everything that was in you. But I'm so tired, I told myself. How long must I be out on the icy surface, stumbling, trying to remember what it was like to be warm? Longing to shut out the pain with booze like I had done in the past. No, no, not me, he was saying that, and I tried to listen. His voice was pleasant, and seemed to reach some long forgotten memory in me, but it remained untouchable.

"How long have I waited to touch you, to look at you, to comfort myself with more than glossy photographs of you scowling at the camera? Look at me, crying. I haven't cried since my wife Clara died. I fought it with everything that was in me, because I didn't think I deserved even to have the smallest emotion that a ordinary man could have. Fate had deprived me of happiness, but I had let it. Love, Ed. Love and simple warm, human feelings, reaching out, the milk of human kindness. For too long, you and I have been thirsty. Yet it never occurred to us to drink, did it, son? Life was for the living for everyone else but us. Seeds. Here. Coffee. The way you like it. Milk and plenty of sugar, good for shock." He thrust it at me. I thrust it back automatically.

"Wait-you could drug me, may have already drugged me! Do you think I am a fool?"

The man laughed, a reaction I had not expected.

"As a matter of fact, yes. For someone with varied doctorates, and the fabled Straker name, indeed I do consider you a fool. You unfortunately were cursed with my genes, not hers, so I'm the guilty party involved. Here, stop twitching and hold it between your hands. Come on now. Coffee is the beverage of the enlightened, although like that meddlesome Australian of yours, I once preferred something that burns off my taste buds."

"It could be poisoned, you could have put something into my drink." I insisted wearily, not genuinely caring, almost wishing he'd kill me. I noticed for the first time that I was wearing only my Y-fronts and a tan silk robe. I didn't seem to care about that either. Claire had told me it was from clinical depression brought on by Kamala's death. I pried my thoughts away from my wife and how much I missed her and stared at the man, trying to focus, to keep my wits about me. I was well into my sixties, and although I did not look it because of a series of strange events, I felt it keenly then.

"I wouldn't have gotten away with luring you to my car and to my home had you not been grieving over your Australian friend and your daughter. But even a major general has a breaking point, son. And you've reached it. The bottom of the hell hole. The only way to go is up, claw your way up until your nails bleed, but a man can't climb alone. Here, have a sandwich, I ordered the ham you liked so much as a boy. All the way from Boston. Cost me a fortune, but what else do I have to do with my money but waste it?" he laughed heartily. " I even have your favourite rye bread and mustard for you. You're far too thin, Edward. You always were too thin. Rosemary used to tell me that in her letters."

I sipped weakly at the coffee, handed it back to him and lie against the luxuriously soft sheets of the bed, my head sinking back willingly on the pillow. Satin, some part of me recognized, satin like the interior of my daughter's tiny white and bronze coffin. I could smell the dirt they were throwing on it. I wanted to be under the earth with her. She was pulling me, clawing at me, demanding to know why I hadn't loved her enough. Everything else in my life was always more important than my own son. No, that wasn't right. I was confused. I seemed to be dreaming, or perhaps I was awake, what did it matter? I continued to talk about that day, when the darkness had swallowed me up and spit me out, finding me unsatisfactory. There was a time in my life when perfection was a creed I lived by. Now being unsatisfactory, being found second rate, getting into strange cars didn't matter. Nothing mattered. What the blazes mattered when in the Godforsaken hours of the night you had lost both your friend and your daughter? Christ, hadn't it been enough to lose Mary and Johnny? Hadn't it? Did I now have to lose Kamala and Alec? I found my voice again, tinged with hate and bitterness.

"What have I done to have whatever God exists hate me so much? What have I done? Haven't I given enough? Why does everything and everyone I ever had feelings for vanish in the night? Just tell me, okay? Explain it to me and then maybe I can go on living in pure torture. Show me what I did. I loved Kamala! Was it wrong to love Alec's baby as though it was my son? All right! I was obsessed, yes! You don't know what it's like to lose your boy! My son, my son. " my voice cracked with sheer agony, the truth of my feelings bursting out. A Commander never shed tears. A man never cried. Shame filled me along with the pain.

I drifted into an uneasy grief, surprised to hear the intensity in what I thought was my own sobbing. But he had added his to mine. I never had seen another man cry like that, and the grief seemed to swallow the two of us up. We clutched at each other in the dim light, and I don't remember when I finally fell asleep in his arms, or which of us needed comfort more.

But I do remember him calling me his son when I woke up, and telling me he loved me.

And I do remember wishing with all my heart that it were true, and that somehow it would redeem me, and be enough for me to want to live, to go back to the wife and the friends I loved. I wanted Claire so badly. I wanted to feel her arms around me, and sob against her bare breast. Feeling as if I'd lost her made me weep again.

I remembered nothing else for a while. I must have fallen asleep yet again. He was still holding my hand when I awoke. He said his name was Daniel Edward, but he'd been using the name D.E. Cross. He began to tearfully tell me a story. A terrible story. He told the story in bits and pieces, fragments shattered like a piece of porcelain, as thought saying it in a whole could destroy us both. As he told it, a thousand million emotions filled me, smothered me, and I wanted to shut it out, but I kept listening.

* * *

"Josie, what are you doing? My God, what are you doing? You know I never touched you! What's gotten into you, in the name of God, tell them the truth!" I said to the lovely young Negress who had served my family, one of the richest in Massachusetts. Although tradition said servants in Boston weren't to be considered human, especially not the poor born ones with dark skins, I'd befriended her, and often brought her food without my brother knowing. At least I had before I became a drunk. Not because I had great morals, more because I simply enjoyed her company. Lord knew I added up to nothing in the family's eyes but the weaker, do-nothing brother, and any friends I made were not attracted by me, but my share of the estate. But brain and body pickled in whisky or not, being accused of rape had a tendency to sober a man up plenty quick. I knew damn well that the only woman I'd ever bedded was Rosemary Straker, the woman my brother had married. My brother had never cared if I lived or died, until that night, until the night he made me do something I had regretted with all my heart. I had drunkenly aroused then raped a woman.

Rosemary Straker, who carried my spent seed, not his.

Rosemary Iris Straker, carrying my son. I wasn't quite sure then how I knew it was a boy child, but I did. I had second sight. My son.

A father knows his only son.

"Mister Danny, I don't mean you no trouble, I need this job, hear? I have to do what's best for me, what will make me an wealthy woman. You always were kind. But you Strakers have money, and I don't. All I have is a growing belly, and you did it to me. I'm going to need some money to fix it." she lied, hung her head and looked at the floor.

I knew it was all a lie. I thought Josie was the last person on earth who would have betrayed me. I thought she liked me for me, and not because I was a Straker. How wrong I was.

"My God, don't you understand, he's using you! He wants me out of the way! My own brother! He doesn't want anyone in Boston society to know he's as barren as an old woman! The baby his wife is carrying is mine. Ask the family doctor! He gave him the drugs to use on her, make her think the man that stole her virginity was he! He got me drunk, he drugged her, he forced us into sex so people would think he'd fathered her child! Your honor, I swear before God, I'm inn-"

"That's enough testimony for me," the judge said nervously, and I knew with a sinking feeling that my brother had paid everyone off with the Straker money starting with him, probably had bribed everyone in that courthouse down to the bluebottle flies circling idly around the window.

"I find Daniel Edward Straker guilty of rape, and sentence him to five years in prison. Court is adjourned!"

"I showed you friendship, Josie! I hope you rot in hell! I thought you were different, God damn it! No!" I shouted to the thugs that grabbed me and painfully tried to shove my wrists behind me into handcuffs. "Take your hands off me, I'm a Straker damn you, I have my pride, I'm just as much a Straker as he is, you sons of bitches!"

I saw my brother smile like a vampire that had just fed, I broke free and punched one guard in the stomach and then I felt a truncheon snap across my back, saw black, fell, and gave myself up willingly to the darkness.

It wasn't until too many years to count later that I had paid a detective to trace what had happened to Josie. She had hung herself the same night they locked me in that small, filthy cell with just enough room to relieve myself in, and a place to sleep. Hung herself from the chandelier, and kicked away the chair she'd stood on. I'd wept for her and sent the detective away, counting his money.

They laughed at my screams in that cell, laughed at me having the d.t.'s, but I was still a Straker, so I was treated better than most, got food and drink and medicine. I sobered up and rarely drank again. It was the family doctor who came and picked me up when I was discharged from the prison five years later to the day. He put the idea in my head that going to Rosemary and telling her who I was and what I had done, and what they'd done to me would only upset and shame her. Why not take the money my brother was offering, and get out of town. I saw the truth in it. I took the money I was entitled to, and I disappeared for a long time.

* * *

"I still hate enclosed places, and black women make me nervous. I see Josie in all of them, I'm afraid." he told me. "Healing is not always a given. Sometimes, no matter what you do, Ed, the seeds are planted too deep in bad earth to sprout right. Sometimes, no matter what you do, the sun doesn't rise in the East. You did all you could for your little girl. The rest was up to her. And you have to believe I love you. Look."

He showed me a box. It was filled with mementos and pictures of me. Pictures of me and my mother. Drawings I'd done as a child. Copies of letters I'd written to my mother. Some of my toys. My varsity jacket. Some of my textbooks. Jesus, he had my gold class ring from high school! I recognized it straightaway from the chip in the gem, and yes my initials were in it. My mother had told me she'd taken it to have the sapphire replaced, and to get it cleaned, and had told me she'd lost it. . If all this was a hoax, it was a well planned out one. I made my voice hard.

"How did you get this ring?" I demanded.

"Rosemary gave it to me. The day I finally confessed to her just who was your father. Before, she just believed I was interested in my nephew, so she shared your things with me I even met you several times when you were in grade school."

"You know I'll check all this out, Daniel."

"I wouldn't expect anything less of you, Ed. Now finish the coffee and the food, and go wash up, take a shower, shave, everything is waiting for you. I had your clothes washed and pressed while you slept. I'll call Silk Wood Manor for you."

I nodded, shaking, gripping the box, watching him leave, fighting the impulse in me to yell for him to come back because I couldn't tolerate the loneliness anymore, or the accusation of the four walls.

Was he my father? I had long hated the man whom I had believed was my father. I had feared I was not all that much different from him. But the man who I'd just poured out my soul to may have been flawed, but he had a heart. Head swirling, I went into his bathroom after carefully setting the box on the bed. For the moment I had forgotten that Alec Freeman had killed my daughter. What frightened me is I didn't know if I ever wanted to see Alec again. I only knew I had to find out if I could trust Daniel.

The shower washed my dirt away, but not the pain eating away at my soul. Or the image of my daughter covered in blood that haunted me as I tried to towel off. Clean? I could never be clean! I had killed my child, and lost everyone I ever truly loved. The room swirled, and I became lightheaded.

"Claire?" I said in confusion. "Alec? I need both of- both of- yo-"

Suddenly I fell to the ground in a faint.

* * *

"I should have known he'd disappear, Claire. Dear God, all I could think about was the police questioning me. Ter screaming. Claire, it doesn't matter what happens. Even if he hates me."

"I'll kill the security guards, I swear to God I will. The bastards. What the hell do I live in this house for if they don't listen to me? He was in a deep depression, he didn't know what he was doing. They just let him walk out the gate. Where did they think he was going? Oh Alec, find him please." Claire sobbed.

"Claire." Alec hesitated.

Claire looked up at him. His face, already terrible with the reality of what had happened, seemed ever more haunted. The doctor in her slowly, reluctantly, rose to the surface.

"Alec, what? Is there something you aren't telling me?"

"Kamala. You know, as much as Frances tried to love that kid, she said there was something evil in her. She said she thought Kamala might have set out to kill Edward that day. Remember how she lied to Angel and said she could ride? Frances said Angel saddled up the horse for her and off she went. Frances thinks she deliberately aimed for Edward. To punish him for whatever. She doesn't know what."

"This was a bad time for Constantine to resign from SHADO and go off skiing somewhere," Claire sighed. "I need her here to help me pick up Edward's pieces. Do you remember Dr. Mukesh Lokprakash?" Alec shook his head. " He had just joined the staff at Mayland when Edward still believed he was Neil. He's from India, very superstitious, and devout. He performed the post mortem on Kamala. We got around to talking. He said Kamala couldn't change, that her past had dictated her present, that she was a product of bad karma. That nothing Edward or I could give her would have changed anything. He's right, Alec. If only I could make Edward see that. He didn't want to see the problems in her. He only saw the possibilities. Oh Alec. He gave me the name of a good psychiatrist, a cousin of his, I called her, and she agreed to come as soon as she gets back from a conference. Alec what is it?"

"Ed. The look in his eyes when I pulled the trigger, Claire." "Alec what else could you do? You saved all of us. She nearly shot him, for God's sake. She almost blinded him. She would have killed us all. Alec, please. Find my husband. If anyone can, you can. You've always had a special bond with him. He needs you."

"How can you sit there and tell me he needs me? I killed his little girl."

"Alec, please. Find him. Find him."

The Australian's pain turned to resolve, and he walked out the doors. Claire slowly rose, shut the doors to her bedroom behind his retreating figure, and balled her hands into fists.

"I know you're here, damn you. I felt you there that night. The night Kamala die, I heard you say his name.."

The very bedroom seemed to swirl, and the being that was the Ancient appeared, in the form of Edward Straker. Claire cried aloud. "You have no right to do that to me! Show yourself in your true form!"

"You longed to see him, Sur'Nii." the ancient said softly. "He came to me, and asked for the impossible. He was destined to be Poh'Sib. I cannot undo what the very universe commanded. Only he can. He is Poh'Sib."

"Tell me this. Is he alive?" she said with dread, and was filled with relief as the familiar features came alive with an encouraging smile.

"Yes. And he is safe, with one who sought him, one he sought. He did not need a son. He needed his father."

"I don't understand. Did Alec find him?" Claire said, confused.

"He will return soon. Sur'Nii, I cannot undo what the Creator wishes. I cannot bring back the dead, and even if I could, this I would not do. But I can, and must keep the Poh'Sib safe. To heal his mind and spirit is another matter. For that, he needs you, and the one called Alec. The one called Alec believes Poh'Sib has hate in his heart for him. " The ancient chuckled, and it made her heartsore, for it was so like Edward's true laugh. "How wrong he is. It would be easier to dry the seas of this world than it would be to for the Poh'Sib to hate his companions. May I go now, Sur'Nii?"

"You're always free, Ancient. I'm sorry for yelling at you. It's just that with what happened," she began, but she sobbed as it all came back to her. That night of horror. The hours following it. The whole nightmare. Her mind went back to it. They'd made love, oh God how they'd made love--

Ed grunted with growing pleasure and heat in his body as he mounted her, and she added her own cries to his as they thrust against one another and reached orgasm. When the lovemaking ceased they lie like interwoven Celtic knots of flesh in one another's arms, not caring about sweat or the aftermath of their sex. Ed chuckled a bit, looking adoringly at her. How beautiful she was.

"I missed that. Probably needed it too."

She looked up at him, marveled for the millionth time at the brilliance of the gem-like blue eyes, the near-perfection of face and body, like he was a project of marble on a pedestal somewhere, and pushed away a sweat damp lock of his softly waved silvered hair.

"I missed you so. I needed you. I love you you know. What on earth are you doing?" she laughed as he peered over the side of their four-poster canopied bed.

"Looking for that other Commander. " he sighed. "The one you love more than me."

"Oh him. I took pity on you and let him have the night off."

"I see," he said, sighing dramatically, and returning to his position, settling his head upon her breasts, his chest rising and falling gently.

"Go to sleep. We have to figure out what to do about Terry tomorrow." She felt him tense and immediately regretted she'd even brought Terilyn's name up.

"She's never going to accept Alec and I, Claire. It's just going to get worse."

"Darling go to sleep. We'll discuss it in the morning. You aren't alone anymore. We'll handle it together, the three of us. Terry's just being an idiot. That's what menopause does to you. I ought to know."

"Goodnight, Darling. I love you." Ed said, snuggling into her. She grinned a little. It was beginning to arouse her. She started to chuckle. He put his head up, startled, a little hurt, expectant.

"You're turning me on again." she admitted.

The look of trouble left his face and a lazy, boyish smirk appeared.

"Really? Too bad. You want sex, go get the guy you keep under the bed. You know, the one you-"

Claire closed his mouth with a kiss she hoped would curl his toes. It seemed to do the trick, as he pulled her nearer and dropped his mouth over one breast, pushed himself upward, and entered her hungrily. She clutched at him with a weak cry as he began to thrust.

It was then that they heard the screaming.

Distant, but unmistakable. The two of them partied bodies and anxiously pulled on robes. It was coming from Alec's cottage. Fear froze Ed's heart, and he grabbed and loaded his bedside Glock automatic. Ed beat a frantic Claire by at least a minute, rushing down the winding stairs to the front door, ignoring Zeke and Ian, going past the running security guards, and approaching Alec's door. He didn't hesitate a second. He kicked it open and rushed in. Terry was standing there screaming, as was the baby in her arms, and he took a step forward. Alec was there, ashen, rifle in his hands, ramming ammo into it. He seemed grateful to see Ed. Kamala was there too, standing there. He could hear Claire rush in behind him and call his name, but Kamala swirled, her eyes widened, and she splashed something at him from a squirt bottle. Some of it reached his eyes and stung terribly. Claire screamed. His gun dropped from his hand, he buried his face in his hands, slipped on something, and dropped hard to the floor. Alec raised the rifle. Ed managed to get his vision cleared, squinted, seeing Kamala bend, then rise up again eagerly.

She'd picked up his Glock. The safety was off. Her intent was clear, but it was like being in a haze, nothing seemed real. She pointed it at his head. She wasn't a child anymore. She was saying something but his head was roaring, he couldn't make anything out.

"ALEC!" Claire begged.

There was a deafening BOOM and Ed was dampened with something. He'd instinctively squeezed his eyes shut when the spray of warm liquid hit him. When he opened them, he saw he was bathed in his daughter's blood. Her eyes were set, empty, and fixed on something none of them could see on the ceiling. The rifle blast at close range had done the deed.

"Bastard, she was going to kill your son, and you don't do a thing until she threatens him? What in God's name is the matter with you?" Terry was screaming at Alec.

Alec seemed to only see a transfixed Ed, who was looking at him in unforgettable horror, starting to shake, his lower lip trembling. Claire turned to a horrified Zeke, who had finally made it in, and told him to call for an ambulance and the police. She took a wool throw off a nearby settee, and wrapped it around Ed. He was really shaking uncontrollably now, and he'd started to make a cry deep in his throat, like an innocent animal being strangled, as he reached toward the corpse of his daughter. Zeke was yelling into the phone receiver.

Ian looked like he might pass out, but he didn't, he jumped to Claire's assistance.

Claire managed to keep Ed calm, and started to lift and lead Ed out with Ian's help.

"ED." Alec cried, and his unspoken fears of a lifetime seemed to be in that one, agonized word.

A blood-spattered Ed turned back toward him and looked at Alec as if he'd mutated into one of the aliens they'd both spent a good deal of their lives fighting. He gave a slight shake of the head, dismissing Alec from the world, the way he'd always dismissed his own feelings while he was in Shado. Then he turned, and it proved all too much for him. He crumpled against Claire, and back to the ground.

Claire heard the word Poh'Sib in her head, looked around wildly. She held Ed against her, as if she could shield him against what had happened. She knew tonight was a bridge neither of them could keep from crossing. She wondered if Ed would ever be the same. My God, how much could he take? And her daughter was dead, her monster of a daughter. Thank God for Alec. But my God, Alec, to have been put in that situation-Kamala was in whatever peace lie beyond this world, it was Alec and Ed who needed her.

Claire realised Terry was still shouting at Alec, and she snapped.

"Oh for God's sake shut up! SHUT UP! Alec, will you please see what is keeping the ambulance? Alec, look at me-"

"My God, Claire. She came in to poison the baby with something. She would have killed-my God."

"Don't touch anything else Alec." Claire said absently, unnecessarily, hugging Ed to her. Hugging too, the memory of his chuckle, the magic of their lovemaking. His exquisite voice and touch. Gone. It would have been gone. God help her, but that meant more to her than the corpse of the child that lie nearby. She looked at Alec and smiled and meant it. "Alec. You did the right thing. He will understand. He will."

"If he doesn't--" Alec said quietly, ignoring Terry. That was all he said, but he looked at the rifle he'd set aside almost as it was some obscene object. It was clear enough he'd put the next bullet in his own head if his friend never wanted to speak to him again. Maybe it defied God and morals and ethics to care for a man more than your own baby son, but he had in that moment. That man was Ed Straker. And up to that moment, he'd known Ed felt the same way. Ed had explained it to him. He'd resented Terry's attitude toward Ed. Hell, out with it, Freeman, you're beginning to resent everything about Ter. Too late now for second thoughts and cold feet, the wedding was in a few days. It meant nothing to him now. He didn't feel anything for her but revulsion. Nothing in the world mattered. Not with Ed like this.

That last look of confusion and fear Ed had given to him. What had he done? My God, would it have been kinder to let Ed die, rather than to have him find out his daughter was a killer? And why he, Alec, hadn't he acted before? The girl had come in. Crept in. It reminded Alec of his catechism, of the lamb's blood Israelites had put on their doors to escape God's punishment for the Egyptians, of the way death had crept into their homes. What did they need an alarm for? The entire property was guarded more securely than Buckingham Palace. It was a simple thing to take the key from the doormat. Let yourself in. And slip a few drops of God knows what into a baby's mouth. Terry sleepily had come downstairs to look in on the baby. Saw Kamala, mistook her in the darkness for an intruder, screamed. Alec had rushed downstairs, stupidly without his firearm. He and Terry had had an argument about it earlier. Said it wasn't safe around the baby. So he'd locked it in the bureau. Anything for a peaceful life. The only weapon downstairs was a hunting rifle, a baptismal present from Frances. He'd taken it from the display rack, loaded it instinctively.

But you didn't shoot a child! A child!

Ed Straker's child!

Yet she kept going toward the baby and Ter. With that plastic bottle in her hand. He couldn't shoot. God in heaven help him, he couldn't shoot her. And she seemed to know it, looking smug, hate radiating off her like off a space heater.

Terry screaming at him.

Ed bursting in.

Hell. It really was on earth. The catechisms had all been wrong.

* * *

Claire was sobbing as she related the events of that night to the alien being.

The Ancient touched her hand gently and was gone in a flurry of light and tinkling sound, like a distant, compelling bell. At first, it soothed her. Then she remembered.

Somewhere, her husband was lost out there, maybe thinking he was hated, maybe thinking he had no friend, certainly thinking he was the direct cause of still another child's death. What was there to keep him from drowning himself in a river somewhere? He'd gone without his Glock, the police had returned it to him after the investigation, that had been the first thing she'd checked when he went missing. One night, he'd absently wandered out onto their property and gone through the gates that annoyed him. Claire had ordered them not to let Edward leave Silk Wood Manor for anything. She'd fired every last one of them after the guards had sheepishly admitted he'd insisted on it, and gone to God knows where. He'd been in his suit, the same one he'd worn to baby Alec's baptism, oh God, he hadn't taken it off since the funeral. His moods had changed rapidly. Sometimes he complained of pain in his eyes although the doctors had assured her there had been no damage to the optic nerves from the solution Kamala had tossed at him. His eyes had been flushed under sedation.

"No medication Claire. Just leave me be." He'd spoken like the Commander on some days, untouchable, wrapped in the shielding he'd created for himself.

He'd refused all medication, spoken in broken syllables to everyone, locked himself in the bedroom and hadn't eaten. He hadn't spoken to Alec, and very little to her. She'd gotten him to accept some grape juice and part of an egg salad sandwich . Then it had turned around. He'd take pills to sleep. Pills to wake up. Other times he stayed in her arms all day and all night and sobbed, holding on to her, sometimes begging her not to leave him just to go and get food or even to use the loo.

"You'll go, I'll wake up and you won't be there. Like John. Like Mary. Like Kamala. Like Alec. Gone. "

Nothing she did helped him think clearly. Sometimes he didn't seem to know her at all. Sometimes he just stared. Sometimes he stood in the shower, scrubbing himself, telling her he couldn't get Kamala's blood off him, and would she help him please? Then he'd weep.

"I can't get clean! I can't ever get clean. Their blood is still on me. Oh darling, help me! Make it go away!"

She tried to tell him what had happened. She even tried to bring the gardener to him. The gardener had confirmed to the police investigators that Kamala had asked him about the insect killer he used on the plants. She'd made note of where he put the squirt bottle he mixed the solution in. But what she hadn't expected is he'd cleaned it out, and he'd put a natural pest killer in it that didn't harm animals or humans. He'd been concerned that Molly or the bunnies might get into it, even though the bunnies stayed in their pens. It was obvious Kamala thought it would kill the baby she hated.

"I should have known little girls didn't ask about poisons, about dead things, but I'm afraid the wife and I have no kids, so I was clueless.. I'm so sorry, sir. I told the police, told them everything. "

But Ed didn't, or wouldn't understand. He just became more and more lost in his own world, a haggard, lost figure clinging to her, not shaving or bothering to clean himself to the point where she had to do it for him. She protected him, she wouldn't let anyone see him like that, knowing his enormous pride.

Then, one day, he vanished. It had been two days since he'd gone. She picked up one of his Nehru jackets from the wardrobe, her favourite cream colour one, and held it against her lovingly. Wrapping it around her, she sighed.

Claire told herself she hated the whole world, and especially Terry. She kept away from Terry. The mere sight of her made Claire ill. Claire sighed. Alec. God, Alec. Carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. He'd saved Ed, poor man, but he had to be asking himself for what? Ed had wasted away mentally and physically.

"Dear God. I don't ask you for much. I know Kamala was an accident waiting to happen and that she is at peace now, with you. But please. I need Edward. And I can't stand to watch Alec so brokenhearted like this. Please, God. Bring my husband back. Please-" Claire wept.

Someone sighed behind her, and she whirled around, hoping to see her husband.

It was not he.

It was Ian and he didn't hide his hurt at seeing her like that well.

"I've just come from walking Molly and settling the rabbits down, Ma'am. They are restless, they know something is wrong. It's all going to be for the good, Ma'am, you'll see. You'll see. Master Ed's wise. He'll see that too. He just needs time."

"I've lost my husband, Ian." Claire sobbed.

"He's lost you. He'll come back. We've called police, and a detective, and you have to give them time. He will come back to you and to Mr. Freeman. Anything else is unthinkable. Hush now. Angel is downstairs praying and playing patience. Zeke's interviewing new staff to replace the ones you sacked but not getting anywhere. Miss Frances has made you something to eat, and she's gone to see Terry. Something about talking sense into her. Only she didn't use the word her. She said something very un-Christian starting with a B." Ian smiled, and reached for her hand. Claire chuckled a little, accepted his hand, and then was tearful again, but went with him all the same.

* * *

Daniel Straker looked down at his son in the completely equipped bed he'd ordered delivered to his mansion. The private doctor he'd sent for after finding Ed unconscious had insisted Straker was not in danger, just suffering from shock and a little dehydration. He'd given him fluids by IV until Ed stablised and given him a mild sedative. Still, his son was crying out in his sleep; saying something too softly to hear clearly. Daniel leaned closer after wiping his son's forehead tenderly with a wet cloth.

"Claire, where-where-? Alec? Alone here so alone-" Ed grew quieter and was finally completely silent as the drug took a stronger hold..

Daniel sighed. He would have given up his considerable fortune to have his son be crying his name, not the Australian's. The wife, yes, that he could understand. She wasn't aristocratic, but she was certainly beautiful in a quiet way that didn't scream out at you, in a way that wasn't like some painted, perfect doll on the catwalk. She was beautiful in a serene, unexpected way. Not unlike his own Clara. She must be going insane, waiting for news of Ed. Daniel looked toward the telephone, hesitated.

I could tell him they were gone. I could take him away, to my island. Just the two of us. It's my right. They've had him long enough. He's far gone enough that he would stay. He's confused. He'd grow to be dependent on me. He's all I need. I'd leave him my fortune and he could be happy.

Daniel sighed.

Seeds. I was talking to him about it. I'm the only Straker besides him cursed or blessed with a conscience. I can't do it. He needs them just as much as me.

Reluctantly, he picked up the telephone and rang Silk Wood Manor.

* * *

"Oh it's you, Frances. I thought it was that fool of a husband of mine. Can you imagine what a fright I had? That awful child, and to think I gave her some of my things. Alec just stood there. That awful thing had broken into my house and-"

"You make me sick, the good Lord forgive me, but you make me sick! You bitch. How dare you say anything against Alec. Mind you, I was against this relationship from the beginning, and I didn't like you, you common little woman. But Edward seemed to think you were what Alec needed. How dare you. Love isn't pointing out all your sweetheart's faults. Love is looking the other way when you find racing ticket stubs in his drawers, and the odd terrible magazine under the mattress, and when he smells of ale. You know why? No, you wouldn't would you? Because you've seen him on the lectern, and heard his words, and seen how much he loves his congregation, and how he tried to hide his physical cowardice from you, and you know he's one of God's beloved children, and he needs you for something as simple as buttoning up his shirt properly. Stanley doesn't get riled easily. He never has, but he's loyal to his friends and he and Alec have always gotten on right as rain. Do you know what he said to me? He said he cannot perform the wedding. He's cancelled it. He says he's never seen his cobber Alec so miserable, and with your footprint all over his heart and soul. You've been slowly sucking out his life, letting him wither and die as if he was a rose not cared for. And the way you treated Edward! Do you think we all are blind? Believe me, Edward is a prize winning idiot, the situations he gets himself into, the way he gets into these deep holes and won't use the ladder that's right next to him. Just like a man, he is. But he doesn't deserve the way you treated him, and don't you dare say this is your house! Edward gave it to Alec, Alec and the baby, not you. You listen to me, Terrilyn. If anything has happened to Edward Straker as a result of this, I will haunt you for the rest of my life. If Alec goes to pieces about this, God help you because we won't. Stanley isn't going to perform your marriage. And I'll tell you something else. The night we all came back from being questioned, Stanley told Alec everything I have told you, including advising him not to marry you if you couldn't accept the part Edward played in dear Alec's life. Alec listened. You've made him fall out of love with you, if ever he was in love with you, which I doubt, poor mixed up man. He'd last longer with the oleander bush in the garden than you, and it would have shown Edward more compassion."

"Compassion? That man paid more attention to our baby than he did his own child! What love did he ever show her other than spoiling her with all his money? He gives us a damn cottage and we're supposed to be impressed? He could afford to pay Alec five times as much as he does to work for that charity of his. And you have no right to talk that way to me, you old dried-up hag. You'll never have a child of your own so what right do you have to-"

Frances Brisby slapped Terry across the face. Terry gasped, and then rushed her, and found herself on the hearth, feeling like she'd been hit by a subway train. She looked with disbelief at the older, frail Frances, who stood there with faultless posture, tears in her eyes but pride in her heart.

"That's right, I may be in my seventies but by God, I learned a thing or two from Stanley and it might surprise you that Ian taught me several moves. Oh but he's just queer to you again for taking Edward's and Alec's side, isn't he? You don't value anything but pound notes. Claire wants you off Silk Wood Manor, and don't think Alec will raise a finger to help you now. You've shamed him, and no one does that to him and still breathes. God help you when Edward gets back and is his old self. "

"You think I am just going to disappear? You're forgetting something, you old witch. I have the baby. He'll never see it again."

Frances gasped, her superior manner forgotten.

"You wouldn't dare! That child is his son and a British citizen!"

"You just watch me. Now get the hell out!"

"You're so lucky that the only thing I ever kill is insects and pheasants, you loathsome woman!" Frances shrilled, and stormed out.

As if hearing and understanding that he would never see his Daddy and Godfather and Godmother and even that horrible reverend that had dunked it in blessed water again, little Alec Edward wailed in his bassinet, breaking Frances' heart as she slammed the door. Edward, you must be all right, because this will kill Alec, don't you see? You must be all right, and come back. Frances repeated to herself. When she got back to Silk Wood proper, only Angel was in the snug, quaffing ale and a corned beef sandwich bigger than his calloused hand, putting a red Queen down absently on a red King, not caring about playing properly. He was startled at her expression threw the cards down and jumped up.

"Strewth was it as bad as all that, Cupcake, love?"

Frances bawled in his arms.

"Now, now, God's greater than all of us combined, you know that, He'll get us through this."

Frances told him what had happened and he bristled at the part about Terry wanting to hurt her. "Stanley, she's threatened to take the baby away." "The devil in hell! She can't do that, can she? Being American and such?"

"I'm ringing our solicitor and finding out. Don't tell the others, except Ian and Zeke, we'll need them to keep an eye on her. And for heaven's sake don't let her go off anywhere with that baby. We've got to talk sense into Alec, make him see he's got to play dirty, file a lawsuit or something."

"If anything opens his eyes about that woman, it'll be this. Don't cry love. Don't cry."

* * *

"Don't cry, Ed, don't cry," Daniel said urgently, putting down the telephone again, and coming over to Ed's bedside. Ed had come semi- awake, and was sobbing.

Ed pushed him away, sat up, seemed to take in his surroundings.

"Give me the phone." Ed demanded.

"Didn't Rosemary teach you to say please?" Daniel asked, relieved that Ed had regained a little of his senses. Ed didn't seem to appreciate Daniel's concern about manners, and started punching out numbers, hesitated, and then sobbed again. Daniel narrowed his eyes in worry.

"I can't remember anything. I can't remember my own phone number. What in blazes is wrong with me, damn it?"

"Here. If you really think you're going to be a tower of knowledge and sanity after your homicidal kid blows up and spatters you all over with blood, you're stupider than I thought. Maybe I should run the G6 on you, you aren't acting like a Straker." he chided his son gently, hiding his concern. "What do you know about a G6?" Ed said sharply, and Daniel smiled, dialed a number on the phone.

"Ask that moon surface skinned Australian partner of yours. I just dialed his mobile number for you." Daniel said in amusement, and handed Ed the phone and a box of tissues.

"Thanks." Ed said in surprise.

* * *

Alec Freeman came in dejectedly to the snug where Frances was weeping in Angel's arms. He went stark white.

"Is Ed-"

"No, no, Alec, it isn't that, it's just that we have a world of trouble. That woman in your bed nearly harmed my wife and is threatening to take away your son." Angel moaned, and picked up his mug of ale.

Frances shrieked.

"Idiot! I told you not to tell him! Can't you get anything right, Stanley Mitchell Brisby?" She hit him on the back of the head and the ale splashed over the side table and the sandwich fell to the carpet. Alec had to grin in spite of the news, which didn't come as news to him. He figured it might come to this, and all he felt was relief. Just then Claire came in, petting Hazel, muttering to herself, followed by Zeke, who was carrying his suitcases, and being followed himself by a grim-faced Ian.

"You decide to quit on me now, Zeke? Now?" Claire yelled.

"Look, Mrs. Straker, I'm responsible for getting everything right, and it's my fault Straker's gone. I was a nursing aide for heaven's sake, this really didn't turn out to be the job for me. I've turned over everything to Ian, and he's got a taxi waiting at the gates for me, you can make my goodbyes to him when he gets back."

"No offence, Ian, but we can't have you running security for Silk Wood Manor, you need to look after Claire and the rabbits, I couldn't manage to get her to eat and you did.. And Zeke Morris, you're a horrid little man, get out!" Frances said, forgetting that she wasn't running the hiring there.

"Frances, I'm perfectly capable of throwing out my staff, all right? And Ian will do fine as head of security. Zeke, I am so disappointed in you, I considered you a friend. Get out!"

"Damn you, Zeke, if I didn't have so many other more important things to worry about, I'd teach you a lesson about loyalty." Alec snarled. Zeke shook his head, looked at the Aubusson carpet.

"I'll walk you to the door." Ian said sadly.

Zeke sighed, nodded.

Claire planted herself on the nearest couch, still petting Hazel, and Hazel's nose was twitching rapidly. They filled her in on what happened. She jumped up, dropped the poor bunny, who wandered around looking bewildered. Alec grabbed Claire before she was able to go out the door and dismember Terry.

In the meantime, Ian smiled at Zeke on the porch as Molly ran around them, her ball in her mouth, clearly wanting a game of catch.

"Poor dog. All the guys that played with her are gone. They deserved being sacked, the lot of them. Make sure you and Alec play with her, Ian. She's lost her mistress, and her playmates."

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Ian asked, petting her and then tossing the ball. Molly went leaping after it at high speed.

"Who else is capable of running Silk Wood Manor security and looking after everything but Alec? It'll occur to him sooner or later, there's no way he'd leave Ed's wife unguarded. Besides I agree with you, Straker will be back, and Straker will want Freeman in the job. Even totally over the edge from grief Straker's saner than anyone I personally know. Plus, I do want to get back to my medical work. I may even see if there's anything for me in the States. Good luck, Ian."

"I'll miss you, Zekie."

"Don't call me that, you poof, and remember, don't be so serious all the time, I hate to leave you when I was making a human being out of you." grinned Zeke, and hugged him, nearly swallowing him in the process. Ian chuckled, hugged him back tightly and watched him go, than he took the ball from Molly, threw it out again, came in to see Claire pounding Alec and telling him in great detail how she intended to pull Terry's intestines out with a kitchen spatula, Frances and Angel arguing with one another about how best to handle Terry, and Hazel blissfully chewing on what was left of Angel's sandwich, then lapping up the spilled ale. It was rare for her not to have to compete with Dandelion and Fiver and she was making the most of it. The rabbit looked very offended when Ian snatched her up. Alec's mobile phone started ringing in his pocket, no, it had been ringing all along, he realised, and he handed a near-hysterical Claire to Ian. Ian was having trouble with both a kicking Mrs. Straker and a kicking bunny. Alec sighed, dug in his pocket for the mobile phone.

Molly was whimpering outside the door, but no one seemed to notice except Hazel. She went to investigate.

"Freeman." Alec said after retrieving his mobile.

"Any particular reason why nobody's saved me yet?" a weary, melancholic tinged voice said after a pause followed by a deep breath.

"Who is this?" Alec demanded.

There was finally real irritation in what should have been the most familiar voice in the world to Alec. "I've been kidnaped, Alec. The kidnapper claims to be my father. I haven't been hurt. He hasn't demanded a ransom or anyth-"

"ED!" Alec yelled enthusiastically. Everyone in the snug froze. Ian dropped poor Hazel again from shock. Then Claire grabbed the telephone away from Alec, nearly taking the burly Australian's arm off in the process.

"Edward? Edward?"

"Sweetheart. Could you come and get me?"

"My God! Darling, are you all right? We've all been worried sick about you. Edward, I love you, don't you ever forget that. My God, where are you?"

"I love you too, sweetheart. Uh, where am I?. That could be a problem. I don't know. Wait. I'll ask. Where am I?" he said to Daniel.

"No need," Daniel said. "Tell them you'll be there in a couple of hours. I want to meet them. I will take you there myself in my Rolls."

"I'm driving." Ed insisted.

"You couldn't peddle a tricycle without my help right now." Daniel retorted, folding his arms.

Ed gave his father a warning scowl without much menace in it, but he nodded.

"Claire? I'm coming. Couple of hours. Have Alec do a complete G6 on a D.E. Cross, also known as Daniel Edward Straker. He claims I am his son, and if I am not, I am in a lot of trouble and so is he. Goodbye, darling."

Claire told Alec what her husband had said and everyone cheered, except for Hazel , who licked a paw in indignation then sniffed under the door at Molly, who yelped at her scent, and went running off. Hazel looked rather pleased with herself. She could be head of security. Why didn't the humans give her the job, Angel thought, witnessing the whole thing with amusement. "I think that rabbit is temporarily guarding Silk Wood Manor, and is demonstrating she can do the job." Angel said, and went to fetch and pet her.

Claire chuckled at him through her tears. "My brave little baby, did you protect us from the bad doggie?" Claire said, joining Angel in petting her.

"Now let's see how far that old battle axe of a woman gets." Ian said. "To think I was beginning to like her. You know, it shows that my early opinion of her was right."

"I'll have a word with her. But first I talked to a mate of mine who works for the police as a evidence clerk. He said the local fellow in charge is building a case against me, trying to make it look like I was drunk and killed Kamala without knowing what I was doing. He says too, they think Ed ran off because he can't deal with what I did, but that you're all covering for me." Alec was not surprised at the chorus of angry voices that followed his announcement. He knew they supported him, down to the last bunny. The best thing was Ed seemed to at least still need him. He'd never heard such despair in Ed's voice, he hadn't recognized Ed because of it. Claire had told him what Ed was going through day after day, and he felt helpless to stop it. Maybe this meant hope was around the corner. There was something about that name, D.E. Cross, he just couldn't recall what it was. But Shado could find anyone.

Alec dialed a number to Control and told the duty officer who was filling in for Ford to do a G6 on Cross, and fax it to Silk Wood Manor. As they watched, he scowled as the duty officer filled him in on something and finally Alec hung up. "I knew it. I've run into this guy that has Ed with him before. He kept showing up at the studio and wanting to see Ed. He's wealthy, owns half of London, or so I'm told. It was back when Miss Ealand was still with us. Finally I had to show up and tell him to piss off, when he started demanding to see him, running off at the mouth. He went off, telling me I would regret treating him that way. I was going to do a check on him in case he turned out to be a nutter or something, but I forgot about him, and he never showed up again. Obviously he got what he wanted. I've got Ramage at the studio looking into it, she says she'll fax me the details here ASAP. Good woman, that Ramage, she's filling in for Ford, he's on holiday. In the meantime I'm going to go have a talk with my loving fiancee." Alec said.

"Alec, it's no good, you know. I'm sorry." Angel said.

"I'm not. Ed was right. I got myself into something before I should have. I'll get myself out. And nobody is taking my child from me while there's still life in this old body. She wants money, she'll get it. I have my savings, and if I have to, I'll borrow from Ed." Claire came up and hugged Alec tightly.

"You aren't paying that awful woman a penny. We'll figure out what to do when Edward gets here."

"Alec, Silk Wood Manor doesn't have any security personnel now. You'll have to handle it. Do the hiring. He will be depending on you."

"Let's hope so, Ian." Alec said. "In the meantime, keep an eye on the fax machine for me, Claire. I'm expecting the confidential rundown on this Cross fellow."

Claire was staring at nothing, trying to reach Ed. She felt him drifting off to sleep, finally experiencing a brief peace, knowing he was going home. "Claire?"

He needs a father. The ancient said so. It made sense now. "Alec, I think that man is truly his father. I feel it. I haven't had my hunches in a long time. I just know it is. And Edward is safe. He's completely safe."

"I don't trust that guy. Frances, do you think you could make something for Ed to eat? He's bound to be hungry, at least we can get some coffee down him." Frances nodded, stood up and kissed Alec on the cheek. Alec grinned at the look Angel gave him. Angel would have been jealous of God's affection for Frances, he reckoned. Then Alec sighed and went out the door. When he reached Molly, she barked excitedly, warning him about the evil rabbits. As he crossed the yard he petted her, threw her ball for her and went to his cottage as if he was going to his execution.

"Alec! I wondered when you'd get here. Oh Alec, you have no idea how unpleasant everyone has been to me."

"You don't know what unpleasant means yet. Don't you try and snuggle me. I know what you threatened to do with my son." he pushed her hands off his chest. Her ploy made transparent, she sneered at him. What had happened to the woman he'd met? Sometimes money corrupted a person, and he was sure that being surrounded by it, but not quite possessing it, had killed off most of her basic decency.

"What do you care about your son, or even about yourself? Let's not mince words. You're a drunkard, an alcoholic. How long did it take you to take advantage of me and get into my bed? You completely took advantage of me, a poor widow!"

"There's less bullshit in the bull rings of Mexico than I just heard in that remark. Do you honestly believe that? I didn't take my gun to you, Ter. You chose to bring me in your bed, and you drink just as much as I do on the sly. Don't make ourself out to be the innocent. What happened to Ed's child-"

"Oh Ed's child, Ed's child, that's all I ever hear about! She could have killed all of us and you just stood there, you bastard. When did you make a move? I'll tell you when! When that idiot came in and she was going to shoot him. I wish she had. Then you'd have your life back! You let him control you like you were his hand puppet. And for what? What does he have on you? What has he ever done for you? He pays the damn gardener on this damn property more in a day than he's paid you your entire life. Why do you let him dictate what you should do? Damn it Alec, grow up! You don't need him. You have a son and a woman you promised to marry. Alec, for heaven's sake, grow a brain in your head. He doesn't need or want you now. You shot his miserable little bastard of a kid, remember? Do you really think he's going to welcome you with open arms now? You killed her."

"That's right, Ter. I did. What did you do? Tell me what you did that morning. You didn't have any problems in trying to attack Frances, no reservations in going after a 70 year old woman, but once you saw it was Kamala, you didn't have the guts to stop her. You could have overpowered her easily, Ter. What about your responsibility that night? And my relationship with Ed is none of your business. Ter, we're finished. Finished." Alec's shoulders slumped a little. "You can keep the ring and everything else. I'll see to looking after you and my son. But you aren't taking him from me. I'll get custody, I'll do whatever it takes, I still have friends and influence in England." Alec went and packed a suitcase, got his gun and holster and put them on. He wondered if Ed would help him fight her. After all, it was his godson hanging in the balance.

"You will never get custody, don't be a fool! I'll never give you custody and if you think they'd grant a alcoholic and a murderer visitation rights, you're as insane as your precious Straker is! You can have your damn relationship with him, but you won't see your son again. "

"I might be insane for trying to convince myself I could go through with our marriage, or that I could find lasting happiness with a Sheila, but Ed isn't insane. He's my friend. As for my relationship with him, you wouldn't understand it. You've proved that with your threats. I'll tell you something, Ter. As the Americans say, listen up. Ed is the most important person in my life. It goes beyond pound notes, it goes beyond loyalty. It isn't anything that someone as shallow as you could understand. But while I care for, and respect, and damn it, love Ed, yes, I'm not ashamed of my affection for him anymore, I'm not he. When his wife demanded custody, he didn't fight her. He had his reasons. I'm not Ed. I'm taking my son with me, and I'm taking my son with me now." With that, Alec lifted his baby son from the cradle, and held him carefully against his chest. It whimpered a bit, blinked at the familiar craggy features of his Dad, yawned, but decided crying was too exhausting a prospect at the moment and settled back to sleep. Alec ignored Terry's loud protests, and left the cottage, suitcase and baby in his arms. He heard her dialing someone on the telephone as he closed the door behind him, his chance at having a family closed behind him with it as well, he knew.

As he strolled across the property back to the main house, the baby wasn't crying.

But Alec was. "I don't have a chance in hell of getting custody, little Alec. So we'll have to make the most of our time together, won't we, son? A son needs his father."

* * *

A son needs his father, Daniel thought. And a father needs his son.

Daniel Straker briefly looked over at his most important passenger, who was sleeping peacefully beside him in the Rolls Royce Silver Shadow (with the armored anti-kidnap, duo-toned blue and white body and a few toys his mechanic had added at his request, including a concealed firearm he had managed at great cost to get a permit for). Ed snored softly, and Daniel grinned as he drove . He never used a driver for something as personal an errand as this, and as for a bodyguard, today he didn't need one. He owned a portfolio of stocks and bonds that the Queen would envy, and his primary home in England, Mountshore House, was the size of Buckingham Palace. Nothing in the world was as precious as the man who slept in the black leather car seat, nothing. He now had the opportunity to spend what remained of his life making up for leaving Ed behind. Maybe in time Ed would come to love him back. He'd lent Ed one of his endless grey suits, and it fit his equally thin son fairly well. He reached over and brought the heavy gold chenille throw closer around Ed's shoulders, then he turned his attention back to the road, and the feel of the smooth drive, picking up speed.

* * *

Alec was sitting and cooing to the baby in Silk Wood Manor's snug, putting on a show of bravery, when Molly started barking and the doorbell chimed. Claire dropped Hazel again, who looked like, damn it, she was going to get herself a rabbit lawyer, and sue Claire for abuse. The other rabbits sniffed with interest at her, having been let out of their pen. There seemed to be mutual agreement, humans sucked. Oh, they fed you and gave you rabbit toys, and stroked you and played with you, but then the ones you liked dropped you at the ring of a doorbell.

At least that was Angel's guess about what they were thinking as Claire beat everyone else to the door, and threw it open. A forty-ish mousey-brown haired man stood there, looking a bit rattled, with a carrying cage, clearly not her husband. Several feet away, Molly was barking loudly and whimpering. Claire sighed deeply. Ian had trotted over and inspected the man, trying to look stern in the place of Alec Freeman.

"What's your business here?" Ian growled. He may have been trying to act like a fire breathing dragon, but he was a newt at best, Alec thought in amusement as he came up, having given the baby up to Frances.

"Sorry to disturb you folks," he said, "I'm Dr. Rob Barnes, vet, apprentice to Dr. Malcolm, I've only joined his practice. I brought Mrs. Straker her rabbit. Lion-mane it is. A bit appropriate, the lion part, I'd say, rabbit is a definite alpha rabbit. Jake, that's the senior vet, wanted to quarantine it as long as possible to make sure it was all right to toss her in your mix. Want to have a look at her, then? You are taking her, aren't you? She tends to be a bit bossy, true, but she's been hurt by a previous owner, so she throws her weight around if she doesn't get her way. Bit of a drama queen, I'm afraid. Her name is Cecilia."

"Oh she's so pretty." Claire said peering at her through the mesh, watching the silky nose twitch rapidly. "Come in, Rob. Dr. Malcolm said he might be sending you."

"Sure I won't be any trouble? I mean we all heard what happened here, it was on telly. I don't want to intrude on your grief."

"No, come have some coffee and scones. This is Ian Marshall, our mechanic, and security man, and my personal assistant of late. Alec Freeman, my husband's long time friend and his baby son Alec Edward, Right Reverend Stanley Brisby and his wife Frances, and that dog out there whining is our dog Molly. That's Dandelion, Fiver and Hazel sniffing you. Set the bunny down, might as well get them acquainted as soon as possible." Claire shut the door after yelling at Molly to be quiet. Rob grinned, and looked longest of all at Ian as she introduced everyone in turn. What was that about, she wondered. Rob opened the micro fibre carrying cage and the rabbit hopped out. The Silk Wood bunnies rushed up to it, noses twitching, making their judgements. Cecilia narrowed her eyes, and fluffed her fur up, and stomped a back foot. Now this was interesting, Angel thought.

"Not a pushover, our little Cecilia. Giving them a piece of her mind." he remarked. Frances chuckled at him.

"That's the ugliest thing I've ever seen," Alec declared, and Angel chuckled at him while Ian scowled.

"Alec, she has a certain charm." Frances said, pouring coffee after handing the baby back to him.

"Charm? That surprises me, coming from you, the only rabbits you like are cooked and served with a creme sauce." Alec quipped. Angel laughed.

"I've seen the error of my ways with Edward's and Claire's baby rabbits." Frances said icily, and disappeared to get food for the newcomer and the rest of the bunch.

"I wanted to speak to you about the dog, Molly, I mean. I couldn't believe it when I heard you had Millicent." Rob said when the chuckling died down. "But it's Millicent, sure as bad weather in winter, no other dog I know is as scared of rabbits as she is. Took a sniff of Cecilia and ran off as if a demon was after her." he laughed.

"Millicent?" Claire echoed.

Rob accepted a scone, spooned a good deal of honey on it and nodded in growing excitement.

"She was mine, you see. Belonged to my grandmother. My grandmother passed away several years ago, left me her house and a few odds and ends. I thought I'd inherit the dog when I came back from military service. I was wounded in the leg and it took a long time to heal, so that ended my ideas of making the RAF my career. I always had a love for animals, and I chose to start over, learning a new trade with Dr. Malcolm, and taking classes. I started out cleaning cages and now I assist with surgery on occasion, got my doctorate. Jake is at the zoo, looking in on a giraffe giving birth, so he let me bring Cecilia. Anyway, my grandmother raised rabbits, so I grew to love them too. She was a bit eccentric, not unlike her rabbits, thought the universe began and ended with them. All of hers won prizes, blue ribbons and trophies. When my grandfather was killed in the war, that became her life, you see. She bought me a puppy for my birthday, called it Millicent, and one day it nipped one of her bunnies in the spirit of play. Not mean or anything, just full of mischief. Well, she wasn't having any of it when the rabbit screamed, and if you've heard one scream you know how heartbreaking it is. She said I was to go off and once she had taught that dog a lesson, then I could have it back. Lord only knows what she did to the dog!" he laughed. "Millicent never went near a rabbit again. Was terrorized by them, it was the funniest sight. I came on weekends and played with her rabbits, and she never did give me the dog back, she became fond of it. I grew up, went off to war, and she came down with cancer of the stomach, and gave all her rabbits away to fellow rabbit fanciers, as well as Millicent to a girl in an orphanage, since she thought I'd been killed in the war. I came back in time to bury her. I lived in the house until recently, it isn't all that far from here. I had to sell it and move to an apartment, tax rates on property are unheard of here. I don't even want to think about what you must pay for a manor of this size. Gorgeous house you have here. Anyway, glad you have Molly, and I see she hasn't changed any." Rob chuckled.

They laughed, and then their laughter heightened as Cecilia shot off after Dandelion, and a chase was on, Fiver and Hazel at their heels. "I think she's fitting in." Claire said, with a grin.

"Poor rabbits, never know what hit them, with that wicked one thrown in the mix." Alec said. Frances was coming in the snug with a tray, and a ball of fur shot past her, followed by another one, which startled her so much it made her crash into a side table, bringing the tray and all its contents down, plus a large vase of flowers that had been on the table. Frances wailed, and Angel came up to help her clean the mess, chuckling in a good natured way as she muttered to herself.

"Those rabbits are evil, I tell you." Alec said, "I've seen them do that very thing to Ed." He suddenly grew silent. Claire reached over and patted his hand. He bit his lip. "God, I miss him." he said in a voice meant for only her ears.

"I know." she said. "Silk Wood seems so empty without him." She looked at the painting of him above the fireplace, which Ed had insisted on her moving to the snug. The doorbell chimed again, giving them renewed hope, and Ian, who had risen to assist Frances and Angel, went to get the door.

A man he'd never seen before stood there, and to the right of him, Edward Straker smiled wearily.

"I forgot my key."

"EDWARD!" Claire yelled and practically jumped at him so hard that he had to take several steps back to keep his balance, but he caught her in an embrace. Daniel reached out and steadied him, grinning at her in approval.

"That's the way I expect my son to be welcomed back." Daniel said, giving Alec a look of disapproval. Alec wouldn't have cared if God Himself had been standing there with a look of disapproval. To all intents and purposes, for Alec, God was standing there. Ed had come home.

"It's high time you got home, Sir. Your wife sacked the entire security staff." Ian said with a wide grin. "I'm afraid Zeke quit though."

"Zeke quit? Why?"

"Tell you later, Sir."

"Edward oh Edward." Claire was saying, holding her husband tightly, pulling him inside the manor and off the porch.

He buried his face in her hair, blinking away tears. Daniel matter-of-factly reached over and closed the door behind them, granting himself a sour look from Alec. The rest of them inspected him haughtily, the way the rabbits had inspected their new companion. Frances in particular squinted at Daniel.

"I know you."

"You should. One of my hobbies is roses. We met at the Chelsea Garden show and I asked you about aphids." he said. "Frances Brisby. With your husband, the reverend, Stanley. Known as Angel because of his singing voice. Three octaves I understand. I'm Daniel Edward Straker, I'm Ed's father." Dan extended his hand.

"Like hell you are. You're Daniel Edward Cross, most probably an imposter, if you ask me." Alec croaked out. Ed was lost in the feel of his wife, not hearing and saying nothing for the moment.

"Really? If you had a brain cell in your head, you would have taken time and discovered I am Ed's Dad. Compare our DNA and then tell me I'm not, Aussie." Daniel said, arms crossed, using the term Aussie like a curse word. "Ed, is this actually your home? Tell me this isn't your home. It's a shoe box."

Ed finally realized he had an audience, and reluctantly moved away from Claire, but still held her tightly with one hand, using his other to dry his eyes roughly.

"It isn't a shoe box. You live in a damn castle, that's why this seems small to you." Ed's eyes rose to meet Alec's.

"I thought rescuing me was your forte, Alec." Ed managed one of his patented demi-smiles, with genuine warmth. "You're getting sloppy." Alec discovered he didn't have a sassy reply for what he normally would have known was Ed teasing him, and Ed saw his moment of discomfort, sensed the problem, and looked at Frances. "Frances, I smell scones and coffee, they smell wonderful, do you think I could-"

"Now listen to you, you march in here and expect me to feed you, well, you go off like that and frighten us all half to death, leave us when we need you the most, and Alec here in a mess with that horrid woman. Those impossible rabbits of yours made me waste a perfectly good batch of freshly baked scones, and it was a new recipe, e-mailed to me from a friend, and you could have the courtesy of telling us whether you were alive or dead, but no, typical of you, you walk in like nothing happened-"

"How long do you think this will continue before she breaks down and feeds me?" Ed asked Angel casually. Even Alec grinned a little at Ed's remark.

"It'll be your last meal, Q-tip, son, I think she plans on talking you to death." laughed Angel, hugging him.

"I guess I deserve it." Ed chuckled, and returned the hug.

"Awful men, both of you are, Edward Straker! I will go and make you a proper supper, no scones for you, you look like you've lost half a stone again. " Frances kissed Ed on the cheek, and he kissed her back on hers. Frances trotted off triumphantly after giving the baby to Ian and, pulling an reluctant Angel with her, and Ed noticed Rob.

"Don't tell me. Psychiatrist, and he's got the net behind his back?" wondered Ed, looking in Claire's direction.

"I could have him put you in the carrying cage. That way I could always be sure of where you were." Claire teased, stroking his face lovingly. He closed his eyes for a moment, letting her touch restore him. His tone was playful when he opened his eyes again.

"I'd agree but it would bother my claustrophobia too much, stuck in that thing. Who is he, sweetheart?"

"I'm Dr. Rob Barnes, new vet, I brought your wife a bunny we promised her, lion-mane, name of Cecilia. Pleased to make your acquaintance." he shook hands with Ed. Ed liked him immediately.

"Couldn't wait, could you?" Ed asked Claire, who resumed hugging Ed tightly, and checking him for new bumps, bruises and scratches, a fact that didn't go unnoticed by him.. "Hold off until the sick guy goes away so you can sneak in the bunny. All right, all right. Where is it?" Ed smiled.

"I'll get it." Alec said helpfully, and went off. Claire looked meaningfully up at Ed. Ed nodded. Alec needed to be dealt with, was the unspoken message. Then she looked at Rob.

"Rob, do you think you could rustle up some food for the bunnies, and then ask Frances and Angel to come here for a moment? Can you stay for dinner tonight?"

"Sure to all three suggestions." Rob smiled, and went in the direction Frances and Angel had gone. Frances and Angel came back in, puzzled, but they soon understood why she wanted them there.

Claire quickly explained to Ed what had happened. Ed went white, and in a matter of seconds all trace of the man who had lost his daughter had vanished. In his absence, there stood Commander Edward Straker. Flesh had turned to marble.

"Sounds like a real bitch to me." Daniel said, startling them. Claire had gotten rid of Rob for the moment, but had forgotten about Daniel being there.

"She is." Ed said crisply. "I'll handle her. But first I need to talk to Alec. He looks like he lost his best friend."

"But he didn't, did he, sweetheart?" Claire said, smiling, knowing what his response would be.

"He never will." Ed announced like a thunderclap, meaning every word, and went off, stopped, turned, smiled that thin smile in pleasure at what effect his next words would cause in Daniel, wearing a grin like a steel trap.

"You've just met your father-in-law." Ed said to Claire, and then disappeared.

It so stunned Daniel to be accepted by his son that he dropped in the nearest chair.

"Welcome, Daniel." Claire smiled.

"You look a little like my Clara. My son has a beautiful wife. Not as beautiful as she was, no woman is as beautiful as your first and last love, but beautiful." He kissed her hand, and she chuckled, a little embarrassed, while Ian rolled his eyes. "I may not be welcome after you hear my story." he said grimly. He began to relate what he had told Ed, not leaving anything out. Claire hardly listened. She watched him. His resemblance to Ed wasn't apparent right away, you had to smoke it out of its hole. Yet you soon enough noticed that the two men shared the same eyes, with Daniel's not being such a intense blue, but steely enough. Same cheekbones, same face shape. Daniel's mouth was a bit crooked, and naturally the lines on his face were more pronounced. His hair, completely white, and immaculately combed straight back, was fine, but seemed to be all there. Some men escaped male pattern baldness, and they both had that advantage. Age had dimmed his attractiveness a little, but not his posture or arrogance, he seemed like Ed on steroids. The most transparent factor he shared with Ed was the subtle pain he buried in his expression. Seeing the shocked looks around her, she concentrated on listening to him. When he'd finished, finished telling them about what he'd done, he sat there upright, shoulders held back, expression defiant, waiting to be cursed for what he'd done, waiting to again be tried and executed. He seemed finally at peace with it.

"How can you live with yourself?" Frances asked, always quick to point out someone else's sins, Claire thought in affectionate amusement.

"I've paid for my sins, Frances. I ached for him, whether you want to believe it or not. I love him, and I'm not proud of what I did, but if Ed can put it behind him, so can I. And he seems to accept me. I'm here to keep an eye on him." Daniel smiled, and for the first time Claire noticed their smiles, his and Ed, were identical.

"If Q-tip wants you in his life, that's enough for me." Angel said.

"Thanks Angel. Can I call you Angel?"

"I have the feeling he wouldn't let you object anyway, Stanley. Just like his son, bloody-minded, if indeed Edward is right and you are his father." Frances retorted, dubious.

Daniel laughed.

"I had the bad karma to indeed be that stubborn, idiotic, lost soul of a puritanical Bostonian arrow-thin son-of-a-gun's Dad." Daniel said.

"Sounds like he's the father, all right." Ian said, amused.

Daniel roared a laugh in response.

"I suppose. If you like roses, you can't be all that bad, and you were polite enough when we met." Frances muttered. "But I can't conceive of anyone selling a son."

"Neither can I, Frances dear. Neither can I. I've paid for it. I spent nearly my whole life looking after him from afar when I could. I made it my business to know his likes and dislikes. I sent for his favorite ham and mustard he liked as a kid in Boston, just in case he turned up one day at my home Mountshore House, and I-"

"You live at Mountshore House?" Frances said, clearly in disbelief.

"I own it, and all the property around her as far as the eye can see, and beyond. Why?"

"That used to be Castle Mountshore, home to Lord Mountshore, who had to sell it because he went bankrupt trying to keep it up. He refused to open it to the public to raise funds to keep it going. It's immense. No wonder you think Silk Wood Manor is a shoe box." Frances remarked.

" I bought it. He didn't want to sell it to a Bostonian who threw his kind out of the States, but he didn't have a choice, my offer was highest and in cold cash besides. You'll come see my roses, won't you, Frances? I just ordered a Force Five from Holland. Climber. True scarlet."

"I won't believe you until I see it." Frances declared with poorly hidden envy. Claire grinned. Then she looked in the direction Ed had gone, wondering what was happening. She went unnoticed to look for her two men.

"She told me it had a mane, and I didn't believe her." Ed was saying, seated on the wicker couch in the sunroom, and petting Cecilia, who had already taken over as head rabbit at Silk Wood. The other rabbits looked exhausted, beaten, stunned, and were stretched out in different positions around Ed's feet, getting sun, and licking their mental wounds. Ed had removed his borrowed tie and jacket, and had gotten comfortable. Alec had managed to find himself a bottle of whiskey and a tumbler, and a good two-thirds of the whisky was gone, noted Ed. He hadn't made any effort to stop the drinking, and it went on as they talked.

"Mutant rabbit," Alec said. He'd been uncharacteristically untalkative, letting Ed do most of it. He'd retrieved the fax that Shado had sent to Silk Wood, and characteristically, Ed had taken it in in a few glimpses. It indicated that DNA comparison Daniel had secretly had requested done of Ed and his own blood showed they were father and son. Ed wasn't all that pleased that Daniel had bribed someone in Mayland to do the test, but he was grateful Daniel hadn't seen that Ed's blood had been full of the alien bacteria. Other than that, Daniel had had him completely investigated. To Ed's irony, Daniel owned the restaurant they'd celebrated little Alec's baptism in. He had a townhouse and property in Boston, and he owned a good chunk of England. He even owned an island near Barbados, which he'd called Les yeux bleus d'Edward.

Ed's French was good enough to know the name meant Edward's blue eyes. He made a steeple of his fingers. When he had gone looking for Alec, he had passed Kamala's old room. It had been emptied and blessedly turned into another guest room. Visions of her coffin being lowered into the earth came to him unwanted, and he shook his head to clear it. Now wasn't the time to indulge in hysterics or grief, no matter how badly he felt.

"Alec, we need to talk. I don't blame Claire for doing what she did for one moment, sacking the staff like that. I am disappointed in Zeke, but lately this place hasn't been a cheery home to live in. Zeke was never one to immerse himself in sorrow. I must have been, I know I was, impossible to live with these past weeks. I need you to find me some staff. Ian will have to replace Zeke as my and Claire's assistant, and you will have to be head of security here when we aren't working at the Foundation or at the studio."

"Ed, I'm going to lose my son."

"No, you aren't. I will testify at the inquiry as to what happened that morning. I know now she was going to kill me. She was demented, Alec. I didn't want to tell Claire, but I'd gotten phone calls at the Foundation about her threatening other children at the boarding school. The only reason they put up with it was that I contributed a good deal of money into their coffers. I thought it was only that she was a rebel, Alec. I should have seen the signs, her attitude toward the baby. I was selfish, Alec. I was in denial." Tears slipped unwanted from Ed's eyes.

"Ed, no."

"Hear me out. I was selfish. I was jealous of you. I wasn't content with what I had, which was Claire, and a real family, real love. I wanted a son. I wanted to change what had happened, losing Johnny. I have to face the truth. We both have to face the truth. I've been blessed so many times, Alec. Now I have a man I am proud to call my Dad."

"I read the G-6 but I still don't trust him, Ed."

"That isn't the protective instincts of my second-in-command. That's the very human jealousy of my friend, who is idiot enough to get himself involved with the wrong woman because he blamed himself for Ayomide, and who now thinks I am going to turn my back on him out of being insecure. My God, Alec, do you hold me in so little regard you'd believe the trash that Fillmore woman spouts about me? Do you honestly think I'd desert you? I went a little insane, I had a breakdown, hell, I couldn't remember your mobile phone number or my own. I have a long hard road ahead of me. You did what you had to, Alec. I am certainly not replacing you with Daniel. Nor do I blame you. For anything. And there is no way in hell or paradise that Terry is taking your son away. Even if I have to-"

"Christ, Ed, don't think about that."

"I'm not thinking of having her taken out, Alec. I had something else in mind. But it isn't possible any more." Ed shrugged.

"Yes it is." Claire Straker said, standing in the doorway, smiling gently. Ed didn't remember when he'd ever seen her looking so lovely. Her hair had more salt than pepper these days, but she still was aging slower, as was he, compliments of the aliens he'd encountered. She closed and locked the door behind her, came in past the sleepy, disillusioned rabbits, and took his hand, and sat next to him.

"You saying you can read his mind?" Alec smiled. She looked down at the now half empty bottle, sighed. Alec looked away.

"Always."

"She called me an alcoholic. Do you think I am a drunk, Ed?"

"You can accomplish what ten completely sober men can't with a whole damn pub full of liquor in your system, and you know it."

"So it's a yes."

"I didn't say that, I'd never say that. Do you drink too much? Probably. I drink too much coffee, we all have bad habits. She drinks just as much as you, she just calls it social drinking."

"Edward, I don't know how to say this, but I have to." Claire put in.

"You call Alec an alcoholic and you'll get the argument of your life out of me."

Claire smiled.

"That wasn't what I need to tell you. It's about you being Poh'Sib."

"Poo-what?" Alec echoed in bafflement. But Ed narrowed his eyes angrily at her, then recognition hit him.

"God damn it Claire! Are you saying-"

She nodded.

"Someone mind telling me what in hell is going on?"

"Shut up Alec! This is all about you! If you hadn't reacted the way you, oh damn it all to hell. The Ancient told me, the bastard! He told me he was taking it away."

"He told you what you wanted to hear. He told me he couldn't change your destiny. He said you are Poh'Sib. You can still stop her, Edward." urged Claire.

"Somebody please fill me in?" begged Alec.

"So you want to be filled in, Alec?" Ed's voice was like jagged glass, and Alec winced as if he felt it rather than heard it. He tried to be defiant but he was suddenly scared out of his mind. Somewhere in the distance there was a quiet chuckle.

"Show yourself Ancient." Ed commanded, his blue eyes simmering with anger.

Claire thought that anyone familiar with her husband's present mood would have done anything but show themselves but the Ancient knew Ed's true soul, and a column of light presented itself in the middle of the room, chiming musically. Alec stared until she was sure his eyes would fall from their sockets.

"That's it, I'm not touching the stuff ever again."

"You see it plainly enough, Alec. It's a child called the Ancient. A Taekestalian. A being from a planet not in our solar system. Do you remember when I was married to Maggie, and was infected with the alien bacteria? You're looking at what the bacteria evolves into. It's still in me, Alec, only it isn't detectable with blood tests now. I'm still Poh'Sib, with extra terrestrial abilities even though I didn't want them in the end. How do you think a woman of Terry's age and a man of your age had a baby? You're looking at how. They assisted us in fighting the aliens we're familiar with, when they grossly misused their abilities to try and overtake Shado, and Earth. We managed to shift back the balance of power so that they can't grandstand in that manner again. When you learned about what I'd become, due to my direct association with the bacteria, you were scared of me. I stopped being human to you. I never thought you'd ever look at me in that way, Alec, and I didn't know how to change it. So I changed you. I made you forget. Incidentally, you're aging just as slowly as we are. I made you mortal again, but I couldn't handle the idea of watching you die. So I've made you like me, given you my accelerated healing and my decelerated aging. I didn't tell you. You're still looking at me as if I sprouted antennae, Alec." Ed said in a testy manner.

"How the hell do you expect me to look? You just told me that you're-"

"Alien? Hell yes. So are you. So you better learn to live with it. Now you know. I'm not sparing you anything. Yes, I could stop her. I could stop her with a single thought. I can kill with a concentrated, single thought." Ed said in a chilling manner.

"Jesus Christ." Alec whispered.

"Not quite." Ed grinned fiercely, "Not even close. I can't undo what's done, I can't change what happened to Kamala, for instance," he sighed. "But if something or someone threatens me or my family, I can kill it. It requires a certain amount of technique and energy, but it works. I can manipulate matter, Alec. There's matter all around us, and I can play with it, sculpt it like clay. I didn't want to, because it changes me while I change it. The more I do, the more chance I have of evolving so much that I become a true hybrid human-Taekestalian, a living supernatural being, immortal."

"So you understand this, Edward. This is good." The Ancient said.

"The more I am around you, the more details I understand. But here's what you need to understand. I have form. I am human, and I will stay human. I don't want a life like yours. I want and need what I have right now."

"This also is good." he said, a smile in the melodic voice.

"I need to stop her from taking the baby. I just don't want to force it to happen with alien means. But I need an answer, and I need an answer fast. Alec, are you going to work with me, or are you going to keep staring at me like that."

"Give him time, Edward."

"I don't have time, God knows what that woman is plotting, Claire."

"I guess this isn't a good time to tell Alec that I'm now a Sur'Nii, traditional alien mate for life of a Poh'Sib?"

Ed had to grin, his eyes twinkling. Alec's eyes widened as Claire giggled.

"Her too? She's alien? I'm alien? Is there anyone in this damn house that isn't alien? Even the damn rabbit looks alien!" Alec fumed, looking at a content Cecilia, twitching her nose calmly at the forms of light in the air, wondering if they were bunny toys. The other rabbits sniffed, and Hazel stretched herself up to investigate the Ancient first hand, her, nose going like mad.

"She took it easier than you did." Ed pointed out, petting her long soft neck fur.

"We still have Terry to deal with if you insist on not using your powers." Claire said. Ed scowled.

"Perhaps a son should seek the advice of his father." The Ancient said, and shimmered once, circled in the air around Hazel, turning her mottled fur temporarily golden, then he vanished. Hazel tilted her head to the side and started to groom herself.

"That takes getting used to." Ed commented. Someone was knocking on the door, so he gently scooped up Cecilia and opened it. Daniel stood there, with a butler's cart of food, a towel thrown over his arm. He rolled it in. Ed grinned.

"About time room service got here. Something smells good."

"Frances heated some lasagna bolognese in the Aga for everybody. I told her she should just throw it in a convection oven and she gave me a look like I'd suggested eating her husband. Okay, Ed. Sit. Eat. Frances said my life depends on getting food down that baby bird's throat of yours."

"That include swallowing it down yourself and regurgitating it for me?"

"If that's what it takes. Hey, shouldn't these balls of fur be outside in the fresh air JESUS!"

Daniel had jumped behind him, grabbing Ed by the shoulder.

"Dad, is there a reason you're cutting off my circulation?" Ed inquired mildly, hiding the inclination to go into hysterical laughter. Claire was barely containing her giggling.

"Damn thing has rabies!"

"Shows what you know about rabbits. It did a binky. That's Hazel, and Hazel seems to be celebrating something. It's a kind of happy bunny dance. Could you think about letting me go now, Dad?"

Claire giggled louder and bent to pet Hazel as an embarrassed Daniel let Ed go. Ed made an elaborate show of rubbing his shoulder. Alec just grinned.

"Scared of a bit of fluff on four paws, are you, Daniel?" Alec asked, enjoying giving him the stick.. "They're not even full size bunnies. They're dwarf bunnies."

"I know what they are, Freeman. And talking about scared, you're the one who should be. That moose of a woman you are supposed to marry showed up and informed us she called a lawyer, and if you don't give up the baby she'll call the social services and have it taken away. What are you going to do about her?"

Alec went pale.

"I'll-" Ed had gone to sit down and had been spreading a napkin in his lap, but he made to jump up. Daniel firmly pushed him back down. Claire was beginning to like the elder Straker more and more, she thought. Maybe only another Straker could get her husband to take care of himself.

"Eat. Afterwards we can figure out to do with Miss Greenbacks for a heart. Angel and Frances have taken the baby to my place for safety at my suggestion, I gave them my Rolls and my house keys. Frances will probably uproot every rose bush I have but it's worth it. I called my staff and told them to expect them.. The police won't find him easily. Ian's playing cards with that vet fellow, they already ate. Ed, if you don't object, I want to spend a couple of days with you. I don't usually stay in a one star hotel like this shoe box of an excuse for a manor, but since you're here, I'll make the sacrifice."

"I'm touched." Ed said irritably, but he looked pleased at the idea of having his father there, Claire noticed with a smile, and winked at him.. Alec looked worried, clenched his jaw and reached for the bottle. Daniel picked it up, dumped the remains in a nearby potted plant and put it back on the table. Ed grinned happily. "I think you two will get along just fine. I can see you'll get to be close friends already."

"Shut up and eat your damn meal Ed." Alec growled.

"Is that any way to talk to me, Alec?" Ed pretended hurt, but his eyes were twinkling. It felt strange, somehow not right to feel so good, when Kamala was gone and Alec's life was in a shambles, but it also felt genuine. He knew the shock and grief and guilt would rear their ugly heads again in good time, so he intended to make the most of feeling normal again.

"Shut up and eat your damn meal, Ed, Sir." Alec said grabbing a plate for himself and pouring himself black coffee from the tray. Daniel settled in a chair by himself with his plate, and watched Ed eat, a serene smile on his face.

"Old times. They're arguing like it's old times." Claire said happily, picking up Hazel and petting her. Suddenly her mouth dropped open.

Ed was mid-way to his mouth with a forkful of lasagna, and lifted an eyebrow at Claire's reaction.

"If it's gay and pregnant by Cecilia already, I don't want to know about it."

Claire rolled her eyes at her husband.

"The only gay in this household is Ian, and neither he nor any of these bunnies can get pregnant, not only are your bunnies fixed, but they're all female."

"I wouldn't say the only gay was Ian. From the looks that Rob fellow was giving your mechanic, I think Hazel isn't the only one doing the happy bunny dance."

Ed grinned at Alec.

"You don't say. I hope it works out. Maybe they can take your and Terry's place at Angel's church and get hitched."

"That's pushing nature and the Archbishop's rules a bit, Ed." Alec said and rammed salad into his mouth, swallowed it, paused. "So what's got your lacy knickers in a twist, Claire?" Alec asked, ignoring Daniel's side glances at him.

"This." She responded and gently held Hazel up for Ed to take. Cecilia had been maneuvering her way back into Ed's lap to catch any crumbs he might drop and didn't appreciate Claire's gesture. Daniel was petting Dandelion, who was sniffing him in turn, and Fiver was pushing Alec's hand to get his attention.

Ed took Hazel after putting down his knife and fork. There was something very satisfying about stroking the small rabbit's thick shiny fur. Hazel seemed to agree, and spread herself out in Ed's lap, the center of attention.

"This what?"

"Eyes, Edward."

"Yeah, she has two, what am I-" Ed blinked. TWO. The Ancient had given her the missing eye back. No wonder she had done a binky! She looked pleased with herself. Ed smiled a little. However he could feel the overpowering rush of melancholic feelings returning. Claire gave him a look, let her hand rest upon his..

"I see. Yes, she looks happy." he said enigmatically.

"Ed, tell me again why you put up with living in a shoe box." Daniel inquired, looking first around the sunroom and then out the window. Claire chuckled at him. "Your garden is a flower pot compared to mine." he added, grinning at Claire.

"Dad, I keep telling you, you live in a place big enough to keep Lear jets in the living room as knickknacks." Ed said in irritation. Daniel shrugged, investigating the inside of his coffee mug.

"Comes from being in a cell for five years. You try it." Daniel said sourly.

"I did it for nearly two. In Vietnam. In a cell hardly large enough to turn around in."

"Ed, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have shot off my mouth like that. That year your Phantom was shot down, that time we didn't know whether you were dead or alive was sheer hell, and Rosemary lost her life before she could ever know you'd been one of the luckier ones.. Sorry, son. I have a tendency to speak without thinking."

"Seems to me you made a career out of it." Alec said, and forked some more tomato into his mouth, regretting his words when he saw the sharp expression on Ed's face., wondering why he didn't keep his own mouth shut.

"Seems to me that's a better way to live my life than to wonder where my next drink is going to come from so it'll numb my sense of not quite measuring up, Freeman." Daniel said evenly.

"Dad." Ed growled from the back of his throat.

"Who the hell are you to judge me? Judas couldn't hold a candle to you, you sold Ed for thirty pieces of silver or whatever the going rate was back in Boston." Alec said angrily, a primary button pushed, slamming his coffee mug down on the cart.

"I'm finally piecing my life back together again, now that I know what is really valuable and what isn't. What are you doing? Screwing anything in a skirt. Writing off your second marriage and maybe your second child. Feeling sorry for yourself."

"That's ENOUGH, both of you!" Ed warned, and the rabbits, and everyone else in the sunroom, froze. Ed put the bunny down, muttered something about needing some air and left. Claire stood up and glared at the two men.

"You upset him again and I swear I'll throw both of you out. He's lost his child, for the love of God. Grow up! Use some of that energy to find a way to stop Terry instead of tearing at each other's throats." She turned and went in the direction her husband had gone in with a flip of her ankle length skirt.

"Truce for now Freeman?" Daniel leaned back in his wicker chair.

"For Ed's sake. He's gotten through the worst of it-"

"Shows what you know. He hasn't. You're so worked up with your own problems you don't see it. He's hiding it. I ought to know. I saw my own life come crashing down like a cheap tumbler, not worth the glue it would cost to make it functional again. When all this is over, he needs to have a real holiday. Take time and feel the grief and then put it behind him. Live."

"Shows what you know. Ed doesn't know the meaning of the word holiday." Alec retorted, wondering if Daniel was right. Had he lost touch with his friend? How was he supposed to think straight when he could lose his own son in the time it took to sign a signature? And how could he not worry about trusting this man, allowing him to be hiding his son with Angel and Frances in his damn house? He didn't like the idea of this man calling the shots, not one bit. But he'd rein his tongue in for Ed. He'd done enough damage for a day. For a month. For a lifetime.

"You can lead a horse to water and you can make him drink. It all depends on the goblet you serve the water in and the brand of water itself. Listen and learn from a master, Freeman." Daniel made a steeple of his fingers, the familiar Strakerian gesture making Alec nervous.

"You?" Alec scoffed.

"Some men dream about owning a car, Freeman, and they're happy when they get it. That's you. Unimaginative. Some men go out and buy the car company. That's me. Now. I need to call some cronies and get a piece of equipment delivered as soon as possible. When it's delivered, I'll have a talk with your train wreck of an injured fiancee about pulling your undersized balls out of the fire. You'll owe me for this, Freeman. Big time. Maybe I can make a gentleman out of you yet, but I doubt it. I understand Australia was a prison colony once. It shows." grinned Daniel, and he sprung up with the enthusiasm and dexterity of a man half his age. At the moment, Alec felt ready to be auctioned off on Antiques road show in the damaged goods section. One previously used Australian.

"Stuck-up, arrogant little Yankee bastard." Alec muttered as a flimsy parting shot at Daniel's back as he began to leave with a last affectionate pet of the rabbits.

Daniel turned and his smile alarmingly was a carbon copy of Ed's when Ed had the upper hand in something.

"Stuck up, arrogant, and fucking rich, too, Freeman. Most importantly of all, I'm a Straker, and I'm here to stay."

With that last pin in Freeman's ego, he left. Alec groaned. Hazel gave him a lick as if to say we still love you. Or it might have been that he had a small portion of lettuce leaf left on his sleeve, Alec noted, watching as the bunny chewed at it.

* * *

Claire came up to her husband, who was sitting in the garden on his favourite bench near the lavender bushes, rubbing the bridge of his nose. She sat beside him.

"Migraine?"

"Did they kill one another yet? I'm beginning to wish they did."

"It's a matter of which one of them looks best in your eyes, Edward. Two boys trying to impress Daddy. Now come into the house and I'll take care of that headache before it gets out of hand."

"Too late for that. I have the entire London Philharmonic orchestra tympani section in my head."

"Could I make a request for them to play a number? Something by John Barry maybe. Maybe from the Out of Africa film score? " Claire teased him eagerly.

"I always admired your vast resources of compassion for me when I'm in acute pain. That's why I married you." Ed said, narrowing his eyes at her in amusement.

"Couldn't have been for my money, since I had none."

"I missed you." Ed said simply, drawing closer to her. "I hoped you would forgive me, but I was partially afraid you wouldn't."

"Forgive you for what? For being human? Edward, the aliens aren't your worst enemy. They could never do the damage that you do to yourself. I know that somewhere in you is doubt, a little nagging doubt, that I genuinely love you. I know Mary killed the concept of trust in you. I know that heartache took root, and you can never let it go. It doesn't matter to me, Edward. I have forever to make you believe that I'm not ever going away. You're stuck with me. You're stuck with us."

"You're wrong about Mary. I woke up at my father's house, if you can call it that, and I thought I'd lost you for good. I love you Claire. I've let myself love again. It's one thing to say the words. It's even one thing to exchange the vows. I realised just how much I depended on you, how much I needed you to look up to me, to need me back, to make me feel alive. I'm really in love, and it's frightening. I put all that in jeopardy by being so obsessed with Alec and Alec's child. Kamala might be-she might be-" his features contorted and he began to weep. She pulled him against her. "Oh god, I can't stand it, I see her everywhere in this garden, playing. Looking at me accusingly. I neglected Johnny and I neglected Kamala, and for what? I see them lowering a small coffin into the earth, and yet Kamala was cremated, wasn't she? Memories are beginning to come back to me. Memories of that morning, and what choice Alec had to make. Memories of what I did to him. "

"Stop it Edward, I won't allow you to torture yourself in this way!"

Ed stood up, sighed, made the transformation to Commander again.

"I'll be needing a couple of aspirin and then I need to figure out what to do about Terry and get myself ready to face that police inquiry. I'm not allowing that woman to take my friend's son from him the way I allowed Mary to take Johnny from me. If it works out, then maybe Alec and I can go back to the friendship we had. Something's missing between us, Claire."

"He's just being as much an idiot as you are. Nothing's changed, you two morons just are acting as if it has."

"I'm sorry I missed it." he said after a moment of silence.

Claire blinked. Ed changed subjects so fast that sometimes she felt like a fly meeting a messy end trying to keep up with his thinking. One minute she thought she was on his wave length and then splat!

"Missed what?" she asked, getting up.

"You sacking all the staff." he chuckled.

"Aaargh! Don't even get me started on those losers!"

"The aliens could have walked in here and made off with the Grade 2 gates, you know."

"You would have had it gift wrapped for them."

"No, I still have some ethics left. I wouldn't have foisted the English Heritage people even on the poor aliens." he grinned. "But not having any security here wasn't wise, Claire." he scolded her lightly.

"You wouldn't think that if you'd seen Hazel in action. Hazel the Silk Wood manor guard bunny."

"Hazel only scares Molly and apparently my Dad. Oh damn, now who the hell can that be?" Ed groaned, hearing a horn honking at the main gate, and Molly barking happily. A strange car was easier to manage than a small ball of fluff with paws, a dog could get back her dignity protecting them all from a car. .

As Ed turned the corner, he nearly ran into his father coming out the door, looking like the cat who had swallowed the whole nest of canaries. Probably had single handedly made the breed extinct, Ed thought.

"That's for me, I sent for something. I have this all figured out, Ed." he patted his son's shoulder.

"Yeah, that's what I was worried about. You mind filling me in on what you're plotting?"

"Saving that poor excuse of a best friend for you is what I'm plotting. I rescue strays. Character flaw of mine, I feed feral cats in my neighborhood too."

"The feral cats in your neighborhood have smaller cats for butlers, Dad. Now what is this about? Dad? Dad!"

Claire chuckled as Daniel waved merrily and went down the driveway to the car.

"Damn that man! Doesn't listen to a soul, just goes and does any-what?"

"Typical Straker. How does your own medicine taste, Edward?"

"Oh, go find me a couple of aspirin and make yourself useful, Doctor. And somebody shut up that damn dog!" Ed went into the manor grumbling, and Claire giggled, following after him.

* * *

After Rob had thanked everyone for dinner and left, Ed and the rest of them sat in the snug having coffee, Daniel with a satisfied smile on his face having finally told them his plans. Alec had called Frances and Angel at Daniel's house, and had been glad to hear the baby was fine, and had ignored Frances' raving about the garden and the castle.

"Well?"

"I should be the one to do it. This is my affair." Alec pointed out, sullen.

"Don't be absurd, Freeman. She won't trust you. She hasn't seen my face. Whatever I tell her, she'll believe. The whole thing depends on making it look like she's beaten us. Then at the hearing, we move in for the kill. I'll have to stay a few nights If there's a bedroom in this manor that is bigger than a closet."

"I keep telling you, Dad. This place is perfectly large enough so that you could stay as long as you wanted. There's a guest room close to the master bedroom. Alec's staying in Kamala's room. You'll need to get your things when Alec picks up the baby tomorrow. In the meantime for tonight you can borrow a pair of pajamas of mine."

"Cheap cotton pajamas off the shelf from Marks and Spencer? I never settle for second best." Daniel teased. Ed scowled.

"Sleep in Molly's doghouse if it suits you better! As for me, I'm going to go to bed, I'm exhausted. Good night."

Alec waited until Claire had gotten up, said her good nights with a sour look at Daniel.

"You don't have much sense, do you? Jokes when he's still mourning his daughter."

"The daughter you killed rather than stopped, Freeman? You have no right to make any comment on the way I conduct my relationship between me and my son. I hope you don't believe in ghosts, Australian. There's bound to be ghosts in the room you're sleeping in tonight."

"What about your ghosts? Selling your son for thirty pieces of silver."

"I can remedy what I did. Ask yourself this. Can you? An even better question is can you stop hiding in a bottle and keep your sticky fingers away from anything in a skirt long enough to be a real friend to him instead of a hindrance?"

"The way I see it, is that you two goats are too busy competing with one another to ever be what Mr. Straker needs right now, which is a loyal friend." Ian said, startling them. They'd forgotten he was even in the room. Ian picked up a rabbit and made his way past them without further comment. They stared at one another.

"I'd sooner beat you into the pavement rather than have to be in the same room with you, but Ian's right. I think we should have Ed's welfare as our mutual interest."

"I do, Freeman. I don't know about you." mocked the elder Straker.

"I'm going to be on your back, Daniel. You have more hidden in your closet than just the selling your son business, and I'm going to bring it out into the daylight. Right now, Ed's too done in by what's happened to him to see that the idea of trusting you isn't an ideal one. Don't think I'm through investigating you and your damned money."

Daniel slid up to Alec, voice quiet, icy blue eyes holding him impaled like a piece of raw meat on a skewer.

"He told me everything, Freeman. Everything. He confirmed things I had believed about him for a long time. He wouldn't have thrown away a career in the Air Force for a job pushing papers at a movie studio if a lot didn't depend on it. If money was so God almighty important to me, I would go running to the press with it. He broke. He just doesn't remember it. That's how I want it to remain, for his sake.. I'll take everything he said to the grave with me, Freeman. He cares about you. You better stay someone worthy of his feelings about you. I don't think you fully know what you're facing. Raising a child by yourself. Sleep well, Freeman. If you can. Tomorrow you'll really be a father. If you go running to Ed and tell him what I've just told you, expect to have your throat slit open. By me. . . Good night."

He told me everything-Christ, had Ed actually told him everything? Ed needed to know this. Did Daniel know about Shado? Alec watched the other man rise in a menacing manner, and then leave. He was like Ed in a lot of ways. He didn't make threats. He made vows. What would telling Straker do? Probably just tear him apart further. Maybe in time he'd be able to remember, and Alec wouldn't have to do the deed. The way Daniel had talked of slitting his throat, Alec had practically been able to read his own epitaph. Alec sighed. One problem at a time. In a week or so Ed would be expected to testify at the enquiry into Kamala's death. And unless Daniel's idea worked, nothing would prevent Ter from taking the baby away from all of them. If having to talk about that morning in a court room of strangers didn't devastate Ed, then watching his little godson go to a woman who valued her new tax bracket more than her son certainly would.

Alec went to bed, but his sleep was uneasy. Nearby, as if guessing the burden on his friend's soul, sometime later in the night, Ed muttered in his own sleep until it awoke him. He looked quickly over at Claire, but Claire was sleeping soundly. Gently and lovingly he drew his hand across her hair, then he pulled on a robe, tied his sash with his usual precision, went into the hall. His father's door was closed, but he could hear snoring. He smiled a little, but without any satisfaction. Dandelion was in the kitchen, batting around a cardboard box she'd gotten out of the upturned rubbish bin. Ed sighed, cleaned up the mess, washed his hands, using the last of the paper towels, since no tea towel was within sight.. He reached into a cupboard to get a roll to replace the one used up. Several bottles of hard liquor were there, apparently everything in the liquor cabinet was there. Ed was puzzled for a moment, and then recalled it had been Frances' idea to keep temptation out of Alec's way. He stared at a bottle for a moment.

"Don't look at me that way Dandelion. I covered up your sin with the wastepaper basket raid,, you owe me. Anyway, what am I practicing control for now anyway? One drink won't hurt me. Go to bed." Ed said irritably.

Expertly he uncorked the bottle, added ice to a tumbler and poured himself a drink. When that was gone, it was followed by another. Somehow he managed to empty it. A bit unsteadily, he went out the door and dumped it into the garbage bin outside along with the contents he'd bagged from Dandelion's mess. Going upstairs, he brushed his teeth and was liberal with the mouthwash so he wouldn't alarm Claire. The last thing I want is a lecture, he thought. One drink can't hurt me. Nothing can hurt me now.

Then removed his robe, and he lie in bed, staring up at the ceiling until his eyelids closed of their own accord.

When they did, Claire Straker let her tears fall down her cheeks. You could cover the stench of alcohol on your breath with antiseptic and spearmint. What you couldn't do, especially when an entire bottle of whiskey clouded your thinking, was cover the all too obvious smell of it from what you'd dropped on your robe with less than steady hands. She balled the offensive sash and robe up and stashed it under the mattress. Then she covered her husband, and held on to him tightly for the rest of the night.

But the night ended all too soon for one gentleman, a young man celebrating turning 30, having his fill of cake and champagne and several beers, and several women. Full of what he thought was eternal youth, he insisted on driving himself to the hotel room he'd rented after the Straker woman had sacked him for not standing up to her husband. He didn't see the lorry that turned the corner and flattened his Mini Minor and him, against a Gloucester tree. He died while they were still trying to pry the car open to retrieve his mangled body. One of his mates made a phone call, and the woman on the other end of the phone thanked the female caller, and hung up, and sighed in relief. He'd been all that stood between her, and the fortune that she'd be entitled to when she declared Alec Freeman unfit to be a father. It was a lie, but it wasn't as bad as the one that the youth's death had sealed. The inquest was to be in a few days. For now everything was going her way.

It didn't surprise Claire when she reached sleepily over to retrieve her husband to find instead a slightly warm sheet. She allowed the panic that rose up in her to die down to an acceptable level. She waited, noting the bathroom light was on. Within seconds, the sounds that she now recognised had awakened her, repeated. There are unmistakable sounds in life, she thought. The chime of wedding bells, popping popcorn, the protests of a female cat in the middle of the night to a tom's displays of his male catdom. And most unmistakable, the sound of her husband vomiting noisily into the toilet bowl. There was a low groan, a sigh, and then it started again. She turned on the night table lamp, dug her feet into slippers, and got out of bed. Rummaging around in the small refrigerator she and Ed kept in the master bedroom, she produced a bottle of water, and then went into the bathroom silently. She waited again. Instinctively, Ed turned around, his expression suggesting he was a dying man.

"Just how long were you standing there enjoying my misery?" He flushed the toilet, closed the seat, accepted the water she handed him, sipped it, followed her into the bedroom and sank wearily on the edge of the bed. He clutched his stomach with one hand.

"Just how long did you intend to secretly drink, Edward?" she asked without any edge in her voice.

"You knew?"

"You didn't conceal the evidence well enough. Usually you do everything efficiently, you even do something as mundane as throw up with your usual finesse. This time, you spilled whiskey all over your robe. Edward, I know that even after all the years we've been married, you're reluctant to share your pain. But when are you going to come to me when you're that low? I awoke in the middle of the night, got your robe from where I stashed it, threw it in the laundry, looked around for whatever bottle you'd been drinking from, and found nothing. Then on a hunch I headed outside and saw the entire bottle you tossed in the trash. A whole bottle of whiskey, Edward. On a practically empty stomach. Not like you at all. Even more not like you to try to hide it like an alcoholic, and even more not like you to be so out of it you spill it all over yourself and think I wouldn't find out. Edward, I know I am a pain in the ass a lot of times. But I'm your wife. My job doesn't include standing there and letting you screw up because you think you killed children you loved. Talk to me, Edward."

"Don't nag me, I'm not in the mood for it!" he answered.

She waited.

"And don't give me that damn silent treatment, I've had it up to here with that little ploy of yours!"

She smiled slightly, pointed at the water, but still waited, sitting next to him.

"You're a damn doctor, and you just stood there, letting me throw up half my internal organs. Some compassion you have!" He sipped the water, and stared. He stared at the eggshell wallpaper and the expensive marquette wood panelling above it. He stared at a corner of the oak canopy, which he wearily noted had rabbit damage on it. He stared at the Aubusson rug with its swirls of blues and whites and greens. He inclined his head and looked toward her, hoping to see if she was watching. She was. It secretly made him feel better. His tirade continued. "Christ, I hate your guts when you go all patient wife on me." he roared.

"Drink your water, dear." She said, knowing how he'd take that command. He didn't disappoint her.

"Drink my water, dear? Drink my water, dear? I'll show you drink my water, dear!" Ed threw the bottle, and when it hit the wall, it splashed everywhere with droplets which fell back on her.

"You play much soft ball or whatever it's called in Boston, Edward?" she inquired mildly, "You have a good throwing arm."

He looked at her. He arm wrestled with the ogre of a grin that he could feel forming on his lips. In his present condition, he lost. He chuckled softly.

"I hate you, you know."

"I know." she agreed.

He shook his head slightly at her, then tears formed in his eyes, his face contorted with emotional pain, and he doubled over, buried his face in his fingers and sobbed hard, gasping for breath between sobs.

"Edward," she said softly, knowing that the real grief had finally come. He reached for her and clung to her, still sobbing. She stroked his hair, his back, spoke softly to him, telling him it was all right, that she was there, that she would always be there. "You don't need to find courage to go on in a bottle, my darling. I'm here. I won't ever go. I love you."

"For the love of God, don't ever give up on me. I couldn't take it. Claire, please, there's nothing left, I can't take anymore, I'm finished. I don't know what to do or to think or what to say. I-I-"

"You miss your Alec, yeah, I know it. Edward, go right now."

He looked up at her, face flushed, confused, and she kissed him gently on the forehead.

"Go where? I want to stay with you." he pleaded. "I need to be with you. I want you-"

"Go do what only you can do best. Go perform the tradition of waking up Alec Freeman at an unholy hour, drag him outside in the garden, and talk your head off to him, and get him back. You two need one another, and you two are acting like idiots over Daniel showing up. Go. Go on. Go away. You ruined my beautiful wallpaper, and wasted a bottle of expensive malvern water. I'm through with you for oh, maybe 15 minutes, Straker."

He chuckled softly, relieved.

"Will you be here when I come back?"

"Not if I decide to run off with the guy under the bed." Claire smiled, wrapping her arms around him.

"The bastard." Ed muttered contently, leaning into her.

"Wipe your face a little, and then go haul the Australian idiot out. I'll make the two of you some nice coffee. Not the greatest for you after upchucking all night, so sip it slowly. Now, go on, you useless Bostonian spoiled brat. I have work to do. Go on, pest. No, eeeuu, don't kiss me, you smell terrible."

"Bitch." he said, chuckling. "Claire?"

"I know. I know you're sorry. Go on, sewer lips Straker."

"Bitch." he said softer, suddenly grinned, and kissed her, hard. She pounded at him gently with no real intent to drive him away, and shuddered dramatically, and he laughed, and rose up purposefully, and the bedroom phone rang. The two of them sighed. Ed grabbed it.

"Straker. Who? You must-yes. Oh, yes. Yes. What? I'm sorry, Miss-no. Absolutely not. NO! I told you not to- Now look here, don't waste my time, if you-" Ed paused for a long time, eyes flashing blue sparks that died to a glow. "Make it brief, Fillmore."

Claire frowned, mouthed Terry, but Ed shook his head, and whispered brother. Claire scowled. Then the anger turned to panic as Ed went absolutely white, and sank back onto the bed as though he might faint altogether. He didn't make a sound for several minutes.

"You better not be trying to screw me over, do you understand me? I'll-yes. Oh you can believe I will. Who? God damn it. All right. Yes. Yes." Ed listened for several minutes. He gave a great sigh. "I'll -I'll tell him. Yes. Let me handle it. Yes. Goodbye." Ed hung up.

"Sweetheart what happened?"

"That one guy, one who worked for me. One of the guys you fired, this one had allowed me through the gate. He was killed hours ago. Fatal car crash. Drinking. Seems his sister is staying with Terry's brother Alan. They met by accident when she came by to pick the guard up one night. Anyway, he says that the guard who died tonight only let me go because Daniel had been lining his pocket to give him information on me. Nothing important, but a real violation of my privacy. He checked Daniel's story out without telling anyone, found out he was legit, so that night, he let me go, called Dad on the cell phone, knowing Dad would be in the Rolls, waiting for me. He figured you'd fire him, but it didn't matter, he'd been paid off, he was set for life. Now he's dead. It gets worst, Claire. Terry's brother Alan just told me that Terry's son isn't Alec's. She was having a fling with one of the guards, the one that died tonight. He'd been in her bed on many an occasion. It's his son, not Alec's, that's the real reason she tried to get an abortion some time back and we stopped her. Terry's brother told me Terry has a reputation for going after men like Alec, he said her former husband was a sick man with a bad heart, but a healthy bank account. He said that she was just waiting around for him to die so she could get his pension, until the next victim showed up, which in this case was Alec. She knew who Alec was from his appearances for me at studio functions, so when she recognized his voice at Mayland, she began to hatch her little plot. Alan says she's always made stories up about being afraid of him, that he'd beat her. He admitted to being a drug addict, and he admits to being a homophobe, but he swears he isn't a man who would lay a hand on a woman. He said he hates what she does to men, but he said deep down he loves his sister, and he doesn't understand why she does it. Alan said now that her lover is dead, if she doesn't get what she wants from Alec, cash, and lots of it, that she'll squeal about the little boy not being his. Claire, it will kill Alec if she tells him."

"Oh God, poor Alec. Your father is just an ignorant, scared moron who does love you in his own way Edward, too scared to have come to you himself. He had to wait, to wait until everything played into his hands, no matter what it cost us all, worrying about where you were. Losing you was too terrible a price to pay for waiting forever for you to forgive his sins, so he too used cash to get what he wanted. That's bad enough, but this, oh God, Edward, what are we going to do?"

"I can't let this happen. Terry will never be satisfied with what Alec would give her outright for the child. My Dad is planning to offer to buy the baby, and then bring that evidence to the child welfare people, showing it isn't her son she cares about, or Alec's suitability as a father, but zeros on her cheques. Dad was going to see her this morning, and be wired for a recording, get the goods on her, pretend to be negotiating as my lawyer in Alec's best interests. If I allow him to do it, to win custody that way for Alec, and she doesn't get a penny, it will come out in court that he isn't the father. That's her last ace to play. She'll play it. I am not letting any of this happen. It's time I took advantage of what I am. No matter what it costs me."

Understanding hit Claire, and she moaned.

"Edward, you don't know what the full powers of a Poh'Sib will do to you."

"I am Poh'Sib, and by God, I'm going to fix things. Claire, I know it's a lot to ask-"

"Edward, when are you going to understand I'd follow you into hell if I had to."

"I love you. I love you so much. Hold me. I need to find out if all this is true, and if the baby really isn't Alec's. Then-then, I'll handle it. I'm not sure how to do this."

"Just do it. Earlier you told Alec you could kill with a single, concentrated thought. You were certain, Edward. The knowledge is there, just take it. The instinct will come back to you."

"Sur'Nii." he whispered. The bedroom began to shimmer.

"My God, what is happening, my love?" she said, knowing, and yet not knowing, taking part and yet not taking part.

He looked at her for a hundred eternities, for a thousand, for a million. He smiled, as he often did, and it made her heart stop. He took her into his majesty, and made love to her with merely his thoughts, and the universe expanded for them, and she heard the both of them cry out, and it took forever for the sound to die down, and become just another hum of life.

"I love you," he said, and it echoed, and she felt, rather than heard it. The chiming that The ancient made could be heard, but it was different now, sweeping, magnificent, forceful. It wasn't the essence of the Ancient.

It was the Poh'Sib.

It was Edward. Music. Space. Time. Everything swirled around her, even the very stars. A small part of her was in awe, and yet another part was serene, focused. She looked at Edward. He was handsome beyond anything she could imagine. Powerful beyond any weapon mankind could ever devise, but more gentle than the feel of a rabbit's fur against bare skin. Suddenly with a whoosh the two of them were in a small bedsitter, with Terry's brother hugging a young woman. Claire, with a growing supernatural instinct given to her by Edward, knew her instantly as the sister of the guard who had died. They did not see Edward and Claire standing in their midst. For the first time Claire realized that Edward was in his creme Nehru suit and she was in her doctor's smock over her usual uniform of sweater and ankle length tweed skirt. She smiled at him, the two of them knowing it was the way they saw each other when it came down to helping other people. Then the two of them listened.

"He has to believe me, Laura, he can't afford to doubt me when it comes to Freeman. Maybe in a small way this makes up for me not having the balls to stop Terry when I could. I never could stand up to her. She always was better than me when we were growing up back in Berkeley, faster, stronger, more competitive. She always made me feel like a worthless shit. Maybe I am. But maybe now that we told them the truth, if Straker can stop her from ruining another life, it'll make up for the way I lived mine. I'm clean now. I don't have anything of my own. You have enough money now with Richard's will to get away from here, maybe come with me to America to my uncle Joe's farm where I spent my summers, be my wife?"

"Alan, you're all I have now. I loved Richard, but he was like your sister. Only sex and money mattered to him. He didn't love Terry, he just figured that she would make a good person to blackmail someday. Finally she had chosen the wrong guy to mess with, someone that was just as good as her at destroying a person's life. Richard was good about wiping his tracks up, even Straker's investigation of him didn't ring any bells even though it should have been obvious what his flaws were. Straker was good to him, and he would have had that job for life, but no, Straker's dad had to put a bug in his ear, and he figured that was better than blackmailing Terry. Alan, yes. I'll marry you. You did the right thing. Alan, do you think Straker will believe you? He has to believe that we told him the truth. Poor Freeman. Richard liked him, but not enough to warn him about Terry. Straker and the rest of them may have all that money, but they can be hurt too, can't they? I never thought the rich were human, until now. Poor wee baby, his real Daddy is dead."

"Don't cry now, Laura, don't cry, babe."

Ed sighed.

"I'm so sorry Edward." Claire whispered.

"I'm not. They'll get married. Raise kids. They'll be all right, I've seen their future. I just need for them to forget a few things." Ed swept his hand in a wide arc. His suit was gone, and he was clad in a glowing white robe. She found to her surprise that she was too. He looked so amazingly handsome. He smiled. "Done."

The room swirled, and Laura and Alan looked at one another, confused.

"What was that? How funny, I'm seeing things," she chuckled. He smiled.

"Just shock, shock and worry. I've told Straker now what Terry's really like. He'll take care of it. Tell Freeman that the baby-that he should fight her for his son."

"Good, Alan. Richard liked him. I'm glad Richard never went near that bitch, even though she tried to lure him into her bed. Hold me, Alan."

"Hang on. I need to change a few more things." Ed exclaimed, and the room disappeared again. When she could see where she was, the first thing she saw was Frances, cooing happily to a sleeping baby Alec Edward, as she rocked him in a chair near a bed where Angel was fast asleep clad only in his dotted boxer shorts, snoring loudly. Ed chuckled. Then he frowned and gasped. Claire looked at him, and wept.

"Oh god, Edward." she moaned.

"You felt it too? Failing heart. He's dying. She has a tumor in her breast, she knows it's malignant, her mother died from breast cancer too. Neither of them wanted us to worry over them, so they didn't tell us anything. They wouldn't have made it to their fifty-first anniversary. Now they will, and more beyond that. I'll fix it. I'll fix it, and the baby." Ed swept his hand in an arc again. The room hummed. Frances yawned sleepily, unaware of anything, but the baby opened its tiny eyes and looked around. To her amazement, Claire could feel it's emotions. Not good, not safe, where is Daddy?

"Go back to sleep, little guy. You are truly Alec's son now. You'll be with Daddy soon."

"You just tampered with his genetic makeup with no more difficulty than if you were tuning a radio." Claire smiled.

"Jealous, Doctor?" Ed smiled.

"Very!" she chuckled.

"Come on."

The room disappeared again.

They appeared in a hotel room. Terry could be seen getting dressed in the bathroom, still in her slip. When she came out and saw them, she screamed. Claire looked at Ed in surprise.

"I wanted her to see me. Look at me, Terrilyn Fillmore. You lied to me. You lied about Alan. You lied to everyone. But worst of all you lied to Alec Freeman, and anyone who harms him deals with ME! I know about Richard. I know. I KNOW. But you aren't getting a penny of Alec's money. You aren't getting anything. I'm going to make you see things you never wanted to look at.. Really see yourself as you are. You're a huge nothing.."

"How the fuck did you get in my room? What right do you have-"

"I AM POH'SIB! SILENCE!"

Ed waved his hand even though Claire immediately knew it was unnecessary. Ed was transforming again and didn't need even to gesture. Ed looked at her, nodded. Terry was sinking to the floor, grabbing her chest, gasping.

"Ambulance-call an ambul-"

"I just took away your immortality, Fillmore. Your heart is enlarged from your lifestyle. You're about to die. No, as much as I would like to murder you for what you've done, that isn't what's going on here. Yes, you'll die. It's what should have happened, but you were infected with the Taekestialian bacteria when you brought Alec into your bed. Alec didn't seduce you, Terry. He was lonely, but he just asked you to hold him. I can see that night. I can see a lot of things. You encouraged him to drink, so that he'd ignore his better instincts about you, and that he'd become an REAL alcoholic, like you. You put it into his head that he forced himself on you. He never did. He's a lot of things, Terry. He's loyal, and good, and decent, and pure, and he doesn't deserve to suffer from what you'd do to him in that courtroom. So you're about to die. Now look at yourself. And maybe if you beg forgiveness from whatever God-"

"Fuck off, Straker-" she rasped, finding a sudden strength in her hatred. "Fuck off, heh-that's funny-you're a good looking piece of meat, aren't you, the all important Ed Straker, with all his millions, wasting that body on a plain piece of shit like that woman standing with you, why didn't I see that before, how hot you were-instead of your pockmarked, wasted drunk of a heel friend, Freeman. I should have gone for yo-" Her face froze into a eternal rictus, and she was dead.

"May God forgive you, Fillmore." Ed said gravely, and Claire could feel his fury and his repulsion, but his regret as well. Claire shuddered and went into Ed's arms.

"My God Edward, I never felt her evil before, my God. I didn't know evil was real."

"It's real enough. Angel and Frances are right about it. God knows I've seen too many mutilated bodies to doubt that evil is real. But you have to remember that so is goodness, and it's far more powerful. Come on. If I'm going to give up my life, I am going to settle some things before it happens."

They vanished.

Kamala looked up from a misty grayness. She did not fully understand where she was. But Straker was there, with Claire.

"Edward, don't do this. We can't do this." Claire begged, hysterical now. "This is a realm we shouldn't be in."

"Who says so, Claire? I have to know. I have to know, I have to know. Why, Kamala? WHY?" Ed wailed from the heart. "Why did you put me into a place where I was forced to give up another child that I loved? Or was it truly that I neglected you, that I didn't -" Edward gasped suddenly, and Claire reached for him, but her hand passed right through him. She knew with sudden finality that there was no turning back. Edward was becoming Taekestialian now, the Poh'Sib, but losing his human body and maybe even his human soul in the process. Claire could feel his essence now, everything that made up the man Edward Straker was. She realised that as much as she loved him, there was a quality to his heart that made him even more worthy of love. She reached for him again, this time with all that she had in her, knowing that it would seal her fate with his. She watched her own body dissipate without emotion. She could feel him again, and he looked, no, not looked, for he didn't have that capacity any longer. His essence flowed into hers, and held fast, and she knew that he needed answers in death, for this metamorphosis indeed was death. She knew that Alec would find their bodies in the bedroom, and she knew he would grieve all the rest of his life. She knew, as Edward did, that he was now mortal, but he'd live long enough to see his only remaining link to Ed, the son that bore his name, grow to manhood, and finally lay his father in a grave beside Ed's and hers. Maybe if there was indeed goodness in the world, then maybe Alec would know there was no real death, maybe he would be with Ed forever, with them, not what they had been once, but immortal in their own way. Kamala was saying something they didn't hear, but they both suddenly knew that she would have poisoned them in their sleep had she lived. Seeds. You couldn't make them grow into something they weren't. But maybe someday she and Alec and Edward-

"Yes." Edward's voice that wasn't a voice echoed in her ears that weren't ears, blended with her consciousness. "That is all I will have to hope for, that I will one day have you both. Because in saving Alec from killing himself from drink, which is what he would have done if he'd found out the baby wasn't his, and in confusion from thinking that I favoured my father over him, I have sealed my fate, made my sacrifice, my darling, the way I sealed my fate when I agreed to command Shado. I had no right to threaten what we had, to take that from you-"

"I have always known I shared you with Alec, Edward. I had the joy of loving you. If God grants it, whatever we turn into will be together always. I'll love you forever no matter what happens. You were Poh'Sib, yes. But you were also the man that loved a friend and loved a world more than you loved yourself, because you're something more wonderful than a Poh'Sib. You're Ed Straker. I was privileged to know you, Edward. I was privileged to grow with you as a human being, as a woman, as a individual. I'll always love you now that our consciousness is one. No power on earth or heaven or here can judge us for loving each other. I just wish we could have been with Alec, poor Alec, alone with only his son, and his loneliness for us." Claire wept. "I wish there was a way we could be with him."

"If there is, I will find it." Ed vowed in desperation.

"There is, Poh Sib." The Ancient smiled, the shimmering body of light and sound entering the grayness. Somehow it didn't surprise either of them that he was there. He turned to Kamala. "This is not your place. Go to thy destiny, child, to be reborn." he said gently. Kamala faded away.

Suddenly the three of them were at Silk Wood Manor. In the room of Daniel who was carefully strapping on the recording equipment to his chest, humming to himself, unaware of them.

"Seeds, Poh'Sib.You have sewn seeds here yourself. I know that you have made your companion Alec human again, and have given him his normal life back. He will age naturally now, and take joy in watching his son grow, and think of his days here with you at Silk Wood Manor. But the loneliness for you will put him into an early grave," he said in a human voice that had no judgement of Ed in it.

Ed howled heartbreakingly in pain and sorrow, fell to his knees with the sheer agony of the grief of knowing that truth, of having to face it. It shouldn't have been possible for him to physically fall, but Claire saw it, or thought she did, in her mind. And to her horror, she saw also that Edward had aged, normally, and was near death himself. She too was bent with arthritis, and she took his arm, and pulled her against her. She didn't understand what was happening but she was too furious to care.

"And what did you expect my husband to do, ancient? Did you expect him to watch Alec kill himself with drink when he found out the baby wasn't his, and stubbornly pull away from Edward because he no longer felt good enough for anyone, especially Edward? He wouldn't have felt worthy enough to raise and love the little boy, he would have given it to Terry, not knowing she would not love her child. Sure, humans are flawed. That's what makes them fallible, but Edward loves Alec, and he loves me, and love and responsibility and sacrifice are human concepts, beyond understanding , more important than immortality. I won't let you torture Edward for the decision he made. He made the only decision he could make, to lay down his human life and his love for me and his close friends, so that he could save Alec from that kind of a end. You wouldn't understand. Stop it, stop it , don't you see that Edward always believes he is responsible for the whole damn world? Must you pile more guilt on him before he becomes your precious Poh'Sib, your god from alien prophecy? He's a man, a man that puts his duty to others before his own feelings and his own well being. He's a man, he's my husband, whatever else he may be now! Damn you!!! Go to hell."

Claire pulled Edward to her, suddenly knowing he had lost his mind, he had paid the price for making Alec whole by becoming Poh'Sib fully, but the price was not immortality. It was death, imminent death, and insanity from grief. That brilliance that had been his intellect was gone. He was a empty book, with no story to tell, no words to read. The life in his blue eyes was gone, and his spirit was cracked, as cracked as his skin, with endless lines, the weight of age, waiting for the lie of peace that death was supposed to bring, now that he had no soul. Insane. Gone. Her only comfort lie in knowing he didn't know it was happening. Maybe there was a peace in that. She sobbed, holding on to him tightly, knowing he didn't know her, knowing he didn't know or feel anything, but it was so painful to know he didn't feel her love. "EDWARD, oh God. Why? WHY? WHY?" she sobbed. Then she gasped. She suddenly realized Daniel knew, had taken it all in, the ancient had made him know what was going on. Daniel looked horrified at what had happened to the living corpse that was his son.

The Ancient smiled gently, and he moved slightly. Behind them, Daniel Straker turned around and looked at Ed, bent over, helpless, broken.

"Seeds. To hell with my money, my God, I have destroyed what I loved. Make me Poh'Sib, ancient. I can serve your people as Poh'Sib. Give my son back his life, I beg of you, give him back his life!. I had no right to try and purchase back what I sold so many years ago. Claire, the ancient just told me everything. What Ed sacrificed. What he did. Now it's my turn. I don't want him to grieve. I'll be Poh'Sib if you let me. You're Sur'Nii, and the power is there, for you to use. I'll make him and you and his friends and Alec immortal and serve in his place."

"No. Ed wouldn't want it. Ed wouldn't want someone else paying for something he did. No more guilt to carry, even if he doesn't feel it. There's got to be a different way, I pray that there's a different way." Claire wept, rocking Ed.

"I am not the Ancient." the ancient said.

"Who are you?" Claire said, not understanding.

"I am Y'Bleie Poh'Sib. The first and last. I am older than the concept of age itself. I am not Taekestalian nor am I human now. I have grown beyond that. Edward's sacrifice and his courage and his love has not been made in vain. Nor has yours been. As for you, Daniel, you have redeemed yourself. EDWARD." he exclaimed, with a strangely sounding chime. It was like Ed's own laugh.

Ed stirred in her arms, to her absolute delight. He looked a little puzzled. He also looked younger, free of pain. He smiled at Claire, and reached for her, seeing that she was again younger and beautiful, the two of them in their fifties, but radiant and healthy and alert. Ed suddenly understood, awed.

"What will happen?" he asked.

"Son-" Daniel wept. "I'm so- I do love you, you know."

"I know.You loved me, but you didn't love me enough to come to me and ask me for forgiveness, you didn't trust me enough to make that decision on my own. Maybe I would have turned you away, dad, I don't know, but now you know that money can do a lot of good, yes, but it isn't everything there is. I want you in my life, I love you, Dad, I need you in my life, but I won't take you over Alec. Even if it means I have to know-" tears fell from Ed's eyes, "if I have to know that in saving him, I destroyed him too."

"I will undo what was done. I have that power, arrogant bastard that I became and now am." the real Poh'Sib said, looking like Ed in his early Shado days. He chuckled faintly. Ed blinked when he saw him change. It was him.

"What the-" Ed stammered. Suddenly a woman appeared and stood with the other him, and Ed watched as she stood next to his lookalike. Claire gasped aloud. It was her.

"Always wandering off, saving the worlds." she said to him, with a big grin. "Can't be bothered to stay home with his wife. What the hell am I Sur'Nii for if you keep wandering around, and you never stay home much?" she giggled, putting her arm around his waist. He shook his head, in that boyish, put upon, long suffering, characteristic manner that Ed always used, but he looked at her lovingly. The real Ed and Claire just stared, mouths agape.

"You always nagged, don't you. Zillions and zillions of years of marriage, and you always nagged at me. You always asked me when will you save yourself for a change, Edward? Well, I finally just did. Don't I get any credit for that?" he grinned.

"My God, sweet almighty Christ. It's us." Ed said in sudden clarity. That's what we evolved into. A perfect me. A perfect you. They've come back to save themselves, and-wait- I am not-

"Not quite following the physics involved in it, Mr. Ph.D? When are you going to learn that you don't have to know everything, Ed? Now go back, and bawl out Alec. Tell him I ought to court martial him for even thinking I'd let my own Dad be more important than he is. You made the right decision. A hard one, of course. But the right one. Go home to Silk Wood Manor, and make crazy love to your wife and spoil the hell out of your godson. You won't remember seeing us, because I am going to change what happened, and don't worry, I won't let the Brisbies die. I've come back yes, and I am going to change it. You'll be human, Ed. You'll only have that damn angelic nature and luck to protect you now, not immortality. You won't be Poh'Sib now. You'll age slower, I'll allow you that. You'll get yourself in trouble as usual, some seeds can't be uprooted. But you won't lose Alec. You'll be fine, can't say the same for that tailor of yours. And that idiot Australian is going to-well, you'll see." he laughed. "Can't tell you everything, now, can I?. Be good to yourself, Ed. You didn't kill Kamala any more than you killed your son or destroyed your marriage to Mary. You're married to a fine woman there. Allow yourself to lean on her sometimes, as hard as it is. Allow yourself to feel, and laugh, and be lighthearted. I know happiness is a-pardon the pun-alien concept to you, Ed. But you're about to encounter a whole hell of a lot of it. A few bumps in the road, sure. Life is like that. Go on now, Ed. It was a pleasure to see myself again. You'll find the peace you seek. The pain will go away, you'll see. The pain is what makes us who we are as much as the joy does, but it doesn't mean we have to live our lives worrying about getting the balance right everyday. Go live, Ed." he smiled, and threw his arms around him, hugging him tightly. A little stunned at first, Ed finally embraced his own self hard. The other Ed reached up, smoothed his mirror Ed's hair, smiled, and then went back and took his Sur'Nii's arm, beaming at her. The real human Ed had tears in his eyes, but no words in his mouth for the moment.

"This is what he needed most of all, Claire. To love himself again, as he is. Now, after all these years, he sees that he is a good person. He sees what we always saw in him." the other Claire smiled. The real Claire sobbed.

"Thank you, oh how can I ever thank you."

"Love him. Always love him! And don't bitch when he sneaks downstairs and eats that extra piece of lemon drizzle cake, and maddeningly never gains a pound because of that damn hyperactive metabolism of his." she laughed in unity with her twin.

"You were always jealous of my body." The Poh'Sib said, striking a pose.

"I should have gone off with that guy under the bed years ago." The Sur'Nii replied playfully.

"Who was that guy anyway?" the Poh'sib Ed said, scratching his head in puzzlement, obviously not needing to ask.

"Commander Ed Straker of course. He was always more handsomer than you." she giggled.

"Fine, I'll kill him again. See, you should have killed yourself a long time ago, Ed." the Poh'sib laughed at Ed. Ed laughed merrily back.

"I'll try to remember that, but I'll fail, since I'm not going to remember any of this," Ed said. Claire giggled at him.

"Wait, don't you want to know something in particular?" the Poh'Sib Ed asked himself teasingly.

"Do I? Did I? Will I?You should know." Ed countered, enjoying bantering with himself.

"You did it, Straker. You beat the pants off them." the Poh'Sib announced, and beamed at him.

Ed's face lit up like a 4th of July night.

"Shado--The aliens-" he said in recognition, overwhelmed. Claire hugged him, and he brushed away tears.

"Even more than that, Edward, better than that." the other Claire said, her eyes shining. The Poh'Sib looked off to his right, expectantly, teasingly, knowingly.

"What?" Ed asked, eager as a puppy. His Claire smiled proudly at him, holding his hand.

The other Claire just smiled, and she and the Poh Sib began to luminesce . And Ed was filled with supreme happiness when he saw a smiling, glowing Australian join them until the light grew so brilliant it blinded Ed and he had to turn away

The world dissolved------

The telephone rang. Ed groaned. He picked it up.

"Straker."

Alec Freeman and Daniel Straker came into Ed's bedroom. "Something wrong?"

Claire yawned, shrugged, reached for her robe.

Ed was still on the phone. He scowled, nodded.

"Yes. I'll tell him. Thank you, Doctor." he hung up, grim faced.

"Alec, sit down. I have bad news. We won't need to fight Terry for your son. I'm afraid she's dead. Massive heart attack, they just found her in her hotel room."

"My God. . . my God. I didn't want this." Alec said, dropping into a chair.

"Nobody did. I'm sorry, Alec. But you can be assured, you'll get your son back." Ed put a hand on Alec's shoulder.

How? They may still try to say I am unfit-"

"No. They won't dare. Between Ed and I we have enough clout to make sure you get your son, you meddling Australian." Daniel said.

"He's right. And I'll testify tomorrow in court and not take no for an answer, Alec." Ed said.

"Don't you ever let it alone?" Alec grumbled at Daniel.

"Alec . . ." Ed said warningly.

"Why in the hell wouldn't you let me see MY son, Freeman?" Daniel spat at him. 'Now maybe you know what it was like for me to have to give him up."

"Daniel." Claire said angrily.

"Give him up? You SOLD him." Alec yelled.

"You filthy son of a -" Daniel half rose from his chair.

"DAD! For the love of God! Face it! You DID! Damn you." Ed turned his back on his father, and said in a softer voice, filled with pain, "You did. Maybe you did think it was better for me, it doesn't matter, the fact remains, you did. And you never had the courage to come to me, instead of wait until I was so far gone I trusted you and needed you in spite of myself because I was ridiculously punishing myself for something I didn't do. Kamala chose her fate. I didn't. I loved her, Dad. Just as I believe you love me. But you need to stop trying to implicate Alec somehow. In keeping you away from me, he was doing his job. He was protecting me."

Daniel sighed. "I-know. I -well-"

"Say it, Daniel." Claire said, holding Ed's father's hand. Daniel sobbed.

"I was envious of Alec, being there with you, being there, when you needed him, the way I should have been. I hate myself, Ed, all the money in the world can't wash away the fact I traded you like some commodity. I hate myself, and I always will."

"Dad, Dad, don't. I'm sorry. Hell, I don't know what I myself would have done in your place." Ed turned back and held his father. "I love you, Dad. I understand what you went through. I would have done the same thing, probably, after being locked up like an animal. They did that to me in the war, and I broke. So I can't say what I would have done if they'd tried to take my son away from me like that."

Alec looked at Ed seriously as Claire came and stroked Ed's hair gently.

"I can. You would have cut your own arm off before letting another man have your son, you wouldn't have sold him for any price. That's the kind of man you are, Ed. Me, all I do is drink heavily and play musical beds with women, and make you ashamed of me, but now Daniel can look after you. Ed, I'm going to leave Silk Wood Manor for good, quit Shado and your Foundation and find-"

Ed Straker did something he never had done in all the years he had known Alec Freeman. He doubled back and punched him, and the Australian went flying out of his chair like a rocket with a thrust NASA would have envied. Daniel gawked. Claire gave a relieved but regretful sigh, knowing she'd have to patch the two men up like a leaky inner tube when the fight reached its conclusion, and stood up from where she had been comforting Ed.

"Stand up, Freeman, damn you." Ed said, looking like a subway train that had run off its rail. Claire pulled a amazed Daniel out of the room as he protested.

"Jesus, Claire, Ed'll kill him, we can't leave them alone!" Daniel said as Claire closed the door behind her.

"No he won't. And we can. And we have to. And this has been building up for a long time. They have to fix things between them. They are both as hard as bricks, and they have to clear the air. Come on, Daniel, let's call Angel and Frances and have them bring the baby back. I'll make coffee, if Ian hasn't already. No, wait, I just saw a bunny run by, and I smell it. Good, reliable Ian. Come on. And I better get my doctor's bag, damn it. Both my stupid men are going to need it." she chuckled.

"I told you to stand UP, Freeman!"

"You HIT me. What's gotten into you, for Pete's sake?" Alec asked, rubbing his chin, and wobbly trying to get up.

Ed sprung forward, grabbed Alec by the shirt until he was fully on his toes, and then dropped him painfully on the floor again. Ed didn't seem to be breaking a sweat, either. Ed was moving like a twenty year old and that fact hurt Alec worst than the floor, the very idea of the skinnier Ed, whom he could break like a matchstick, (and even sometimes wanted to during their long friendship, when the younger Bostonian was being especially bloodyminded,) pushing him around. Well, okay not quite, the floor did hurt like hell when he hit it, even cushioned by yards of expensive wall to wall Aubusson in pretty colours.

"All right, I've had enough of that!" yelled Alec.

"And I've had enough of you threatening to walk out on me! What do you take me for, Alec? Do you think I am as empty headed as those sleazy whores you take to bed? Was it going to be easy to walk out on me, as easy as the feel of whisky sliding down that no good throat that I should be squeezing all the air out of? Until the lungs burst along with the pickled liver, that is, if there's anything left of the liver? Hell, the damn aliens would even mark it irregular! Goddamn you, Alec! Fine! Go ahead and walk, you damn coward. You put a bullet in my daughter's head and expressed enough guilt over it, but now you're turning your back on me easily enough, on all of us, and feeling sorry for yourself while you're doing it. Bastard! You know what? My father is right about you, you are a meddling Australian. But one that I counted on and needed. One I cared about. One I knew always would watch my back. One that rescued me from me. One that never was afraid to stand up to me when I needed it. One I was proud to call a friend and second in command. Now I almost wish I'd never met you. I see maybe now I should have died in that hospital in Thailand, after they smashed my bones into nothingness and stuck me full of more spokes to put my shoulder together than you find on a bicycle wheel. After I knew deep down that I had spilled out my guts when they stuck me in that hole in Vietnam, and started tossing the dirt over my head with shovels, until I was screaming, until I was-oh damn you! I thought I had buried all of that the way they tried to bury me! The way-come here, Alec! I'm not through with you-"

"Ed, you need Claire right now-"

That thought, as Alec Freeman was soon to find out, wasn't a good one. Ed hit him again and he went barreling backwards across the room and crashed into the wall, and three watercolour prints by Monet all fell. It would have killed any other man to be punched twice by one angry Commander. But it was Alec Freeman, and Alec Freeman for the moment forgot that Ed technically still was his c.o, and there were little annoying things like court martials. It was Ed's turn to suddenly go sailing over the bed without benefit of a canvas sail and a mast. Alec heard a ka-thump and then nothing. He felt much better. He'd won. Nobody beat Alec in a pub brawl.

And then it hit him.

He had probably just killed Ed Straker.

HIS Ed Straker.

And then THAT hit him. What right did that Daniel guy have to march in, take Ed, and say he'd look after him? The care and feeding of the impossible Ed Straker was Alec's job, had always been Alec's job, from the day he'd walked into that fly-ridden, broken down base hospital in Thailand, looking for his mate, and instead finding his destiny in the thinnest, saddest, and yes, damn the man, handsomest Yank he'd ever seen in his life. There never had anything much more in his life than his flying and his drink and his women. Then there was.Ed.

Whom he had probably just killed. And Alec had been happy about it!

Alec shrieked like a schoolgirl who just saw an eight legged thing crawl out of her underwear, and jumped over the bed to go to Ed's assistance, the way he always had. He hadn't minded Claire sharing the job with him. From the moment she had come to him in San Francisco, worried about the patient that should have not held any more interest for her than any other patient, asking Alec worriedly if Ed had ever been suicidal, Alec had had a feeling about her. Maybe this one, finally. Maybe this one was worthy of his Ed. And she had proved it, by God, risking a lot to find him. Putting aside her career to make him her whole world. What a woman. And she had walked out that door, knowing Ed needed to let off steam with him. Always knowing. And eventually accepting Alec, once even joking to him that she hadn't known it at the time, but she'd marched down the aisle in her finery with two men, not one. Yes. Ed had the right girl now, thank God. But did Ed have the right friend?

Ed wasn't moving, and there was a thin stream of blood coming down one temple.

"CLAIRE!" Alec yelled with all his might, terrified. Nothing. He screamed again.

"CLAIREEEEEEEEEEE!" Nothing, although she heard Alec's wail, all right.

Claire actually was at the foot of the stairs, eyes squeezed shut, doctor bag at the ready. It wasn't yet the time to go in. And her husband was still breathing. But she wasn't about to help them until it was time. She had made Ian and Daniel go to pick up Angel, Frances and the baby. The bunnies all hopped around nervously smelling the air and the tension, looking worried.

Not as worried as Alec looked as he tore his shirt, and dabbed at the blood with it. It looked to Alec's untrained eye that Ed's scalp had been lacerated by something sharp. The flow was light, but steady. Where the hell was Claire? He couldn't leave Ed's side, not for a moment. Wait, maybe that was what Ed had been trying to say to him. Don't go. I still need you. I still want you to stay. But why the hell did he have to say it with his fists? Now he was dead. Now Alec would never see Ed again. Now Ed moaned. Wait, did Ed moan? Alec quickly reached and felt for the pulse in Ed's neck, and sighed in relief. Blue eyes snapped open and Ed's accompanying expression clearly indicated he wished they hadn't.

"Be merciful and tell me I'm going to die soon. Oh my head. Ohhhhhhhh my head."

"Ed! Are you all right?"

"Put that one on the list of stupid questions you've asked me," groaned Ed, trying to sit up. "Get me some ice, would you? Little fridge in the corner. Unless you want me to bleed to death. I think you busted my head open. I think I'm taking full time command of Shado again, just so I can be there officially when the firing squad shoots you for nearly killing your commanding officer. No, wait, I'll shoot you myself."

Alec chuckled. He had wrapped some ice in a piece of his shirt and gently put it on Ed's wound. Ed gritted his teeth at the pain.

"I tried yelling for that wife of yours. She must not love you as much as I thought she did, She didn't even come and check on you."

"Alec, go peek outside in the hall. She's sitting at the foot of the stairs, with the rabbits for company, with her witch doctor pouch full of beads and potions and shrunken heads, waiting for the dust to clear. If I know her, and I do, she sent Ian and Daniel away so they would allow us our privacy and she is just waiting until I come get her. She's a doctor, Alec. It takes enormous self control not to come running when she knows someone is hurt, especially her husband. She's doing it for me. She's doing it for us. I was beginning to think making love to her was a good idea, but she sent me out, told me to go get you and talk sense into your head about Daniel. Then the phone rang, so I couldn't. Oh my headddddd."

"How the hell do you know that? You're being psychic again, I'll be damned. She's there. Ed,-"

"Alec-"

"Yeah?"

"You won't go, will you? I want you to stay in the cottage."

"No, I'm leaving the cottage, Ed."

"Damn you, Alec, I'm too weak right now to beat the shit out of you, but I will try to if I have-"

"You'd succeed too, even if I had killed you," Alec chuckled. "No, no, I'm not moving away. I'm moving in here with you. Ian can have the cottage, it hasn't brought me anything but bad luck. Or maybe you can rent it out to that vet fellow. I'm going and getting your godson and moving in here with you, so I can look after things, get some Silk Wood Manor security hired, pull my life together. And look after you. Meddling Dad or no Dad."

"I need you more than him, Alec. I always have. I always will."

"I needed to be needed. Sorry I hit you."

"Sorry, hell. Find my Glock for me,, I'm shooting you."

"My poor son will be an orphan." Alec grinned.

"We'll take him in, and tell him what a total nitwit his father was."

They looked at one another for a moment with deep fondness.

"Don't pull that again, Commander."

"Pull what? Oh, you mean pass out on you, Alec? Did I scare you? I hope to hell I scared you. You hit me like a rampaging elephant. A rampaging bull moose in heat. A drunken bull moose in heat."

"I'm going to stop drinking and chasing women someday, Ed."

Ed gave a sharp laugh.

"Sure, Alec. You do that. The day you do, I'll find that damn illusive guy under this bed."

"Huh?"

"See anyone under there?"

"Ed, I think I hit you harder than I thought. There's nobody under there."

"Yeah, there's someone under there all right, and he's messing with my wife. Whom I need right now. No, make that whom I need all the time. Freeman, make yourself useful and go and fetch the beautiful Mrs. Straker. Tell her I think I'm going to need help standing up, and probably a suture or two."

Alec hugged Ed. Ed held him tightly back. Then Ed moaned like he meant it, and Alec quickly hurried to go and get Claire. Claire took two steps at a time rushing up to her husband's side, and then took in Alec in a single glance. Forget triage, Edward comes first, she thought.

"Well, you got out of this with a shiner, Alec, and if I find out you hurt my husband too badly, I am going to beat the enlarged liver out of you. Ed, can you sit on the edge of the bed, now lie back on the pillow? Dizzy? I thought so. Hold on to me, that's right, I've got you. Lie still, darling ,this is going to hurt some, I have to sew you up."

"Make it snappy, doc." he said in a hardboiled PI Philip Marlowe manner. "I'll bite down on a slug and be real brave and all. Then maybe you and I can go to my place, and I can conduct a body search on your cavities, make sure you aren't hiding no funny cigarettes anywhere."

"I'll numb the area best I can. But I need to stop the bleeding. Take a deep breath." she said, with a slight grin at his insistence on kidding around although he was in real pain.

"I'd rather take you, doll."

"In front of Alec? " she asked as she carefully stitched his head

"I'll ice him after. But I can't wait long, doll, you pop my buttons. There's something about having my brain matter knocked out of my head that does wonders for my libido." Ed said, wincing hard, as each stitch went in, gasping.

"Done. Are you and Alec okay now, did you work things out?"

"We're fine. I love you, you know."

"Enough to go with me to Mayland for a head X-ray series?"

"Claire-" he whined.

"Edward, don't make me beg. Alec can drive us. We'll call Silk Wood from the hospital and let the others know where we are.. I want to make sure you're all right."

"Fine, fine." Ed sighed. "You win."

"Alec, could you go get the car keys to the Bentley? In the kitchen. Ian and Daniel went in Daniel's Rolls."

Alec smiled and went out.

"Edward, how do you feel?" "Well, with a possible concussion and the entire Queen's regiment and their horses and her corgis marching in my head, not that good, but I'm glad it's all over. Now all we have to focus on is getting me well enough to go to that inquiry, and making sure Alec keeps custody of Alec Edward."

"I love you."

"Enough to let me get out of going for X rays? I thought not." he moaned, but happily snuggled into her.

Epilogue:

Ed Straker leaned against his wife Claire in the Bentley the next day, exhausted, his head bandaged, recovering from a mild concussion, but relieved that the court had dismissed the inquiry against Alec, and had allowed him, as the child's father, to raise his son. It had taken a few well-placed phone calls from Ed and Daniel to perform that miracle. Frances and Angel chatted to one another brightly about how gorgeous Daniel's home had been. Alec held little Alec proudly, and Daniel rambled on to him about what the best schools in England were, and how he could use his influence to get little Alec Edward in Eton. Ian and Rob were excited about moving together into the cottage at Ed's offer, and Rob was talking about opening a practice there, and Ed had said he'd think about it. He wasn't keen on people trampling all over his property, bringing their sick canaries to get tended to. The damn Grade II gates were enough trouble. Molly was barking her fool head off when they came in the courtyard, and the rabbits hopped around and chased one another in the Great Hall, as if sensing there was something to celebrate.

Ed continued to enter everything into his journal, as his new Mayland counselor had suggested. He sat in bed writing, pausing only to take the occasional bite of lemon drizzle cake, and sip his coffee, dressed elegantly in new bespoke yellow silk pajamas, a gift from his father. Claire sat nearby, flipping through a medical journal, and absently petting Cecilia, and licking the lemon drizzle frosting from her cake off a finger. Ed smiled as he watched her, and then turned his attention to his journal after eating the last of his slice.

I had wanted everything to be dark and dismal, but the seeds I had unwittingly planted had taken root in ways I hadn't expected. Surprisingly, what had grown was ripe and beautiful, and would continue to flourish. I would not forget Kamala or little Flora or least of all my own son, John. It was far better to honour their memory with a vow to look to the light, and not to the darkness. My heart was full, and I finally looked forward to a peaceful Gloucester autumn. Dad has been talking about us all going to his island for a week, and I am considering it. For now, I going to put Foundation work aside, and take a holiday.

Odd, though, something I don't understand, I can't quite get rid of the feeling that someone is watching us all, especially me, and smiling. Someone I am quite intimate with. Oh well. When am I going to stop thinking I should be able to know everything? "Sweetheart, could I get some more of that cake?"

"More? I don't know how you do it. You never put on a pound, Edward." Claire bent and cut him another slice, and freshened his coffee.

"Quit complaining. I didn't whinge when you kept me at Mayland for a full three hours, running all those damn tests, now did I? I almost think you did it just to find out the latest staff gossip. Head X-ray, my arse. You stuck me in the damn open MRI."

"Drink your coffee, dear." she said. And ducked.

The END

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