Traditions

by Amelia L. Rodgers ©2002 all rights reserved

Not to be used without author's permission.
E mail author
Not meant to infringe on the copyright of UFO or CSI.

This story is a crossover of sorts with A Different Reality By Deborah Rorabaugh
(The naming ceremony in this by no means is completely accurate. I used a lot of poetic license plus invented some parts of it.)
This story is dedicated entirely to Carly Ward, who gave me more information and suggestions and added dialogue than I could ever adequately thank her for, but I thank her anyway :- )
This story wouldn't have been possible without Commander Straker's cooperation, but then the man would do anything for a slice of lemon drizzle cake.
Contains adult language and situations.

* * *

"What you think of all this, Mister Reverend?" the priest boomed.

"I hope some time in Ayomide's future she allows me to baptize her in the Anglican Church, but I must say I'm interested in all religions and cultures, Sir. So Frances and I am naturally pleased to be invited to little Ayomide's naming ceremony." Angel looked up at the tall ebony skinned Orisha priest cheerfully.

"You have only one God, Mister Reverend. How you think only one God? This plenty funny to me." The fellow laughed heartily to back up his statement.

"Are all your gods equal?" Right Reverend Stanley Brisby asked.

"All equal, much. Much better than your small God."

"Reverend, are you sure you wouldn't like something to eat or drink?" Frances Brisby asked pleasantly.

"Your white foods have no taste for my body and your white God no food for my soul," he cackled.

"I'll take that as a yes. Stanley, could I see you for a moment?"

* * *

Angel and Frances went into the kitchen. Frances, dressed in an authentic forties era dark green wool suit with a perfectly starched white frilly blouse, set down her serving tray and sighed. She pushed a wayward wisp of silver hair behind her ear, and nervously played with her string of pearls.

"Cupcake, that man is testing my faith."

"I admit I'll feel a lot better when he goes home, Stanley. It's difficult when he won't even taste anything I spent all day making. I just don't want you spoiling Ayomide's day by giving him a black eye."

"I wouldn't do that, dear. I'd never take that privilege away from you." Angel winked.

"Stanley, you know perfectly well I wouldn't do such a thing," Frances replied, grinning.

"Of course not, dear."

"I'd be inclined to hit him somewhere else, Stanley."

"That wouldn't be very Christian of you, Cupcake."

"I know Stanley. May the Lord forgive me. But it would be very satisfying. Come on, Alec has other guests that appreciate my cooking."

"Like Nathaniel?" teased Angel. Frances scowled.

"Stanley, when the Lord made Nathaniel I am sure he was having an attack of pleurisy. There's no other possible explanation for that man."

* * *

"Ah ah ah! I cannot sit still. Does this robe look all right on me? Oh I hate this headdress, give me the other one."

"Yetunde, you've changed robes and headdresses about eight times now. You're single handedly holding up the ceremony. Not that I care. If it was up to me, we'd throw some holy water on her at St. Stephens and then go to the local pub."

"This is the support you give me? Monster! Boor! Do you not know how important this is to Ayomide's future?" Yetunde chewed a nail.

"Ayomide would do just as well without this whole mess, Yetunde. She's a Freeman."

"Oh I see, now she is just your daughter? Where are you going?" sniffed Yetunde.

"To get a double whisky," grumbled Alec. "Which after listening to you all day, I need."

"Arrrrgh!" Yetunde said and took off a shoe and threw it at Alec. Fortunately, it only hit the door as Alec closed it behind him.

* * *

"What do you mean sell off some of my cars? Have you lost your mind?" Nathaniel Zouri complained, munching crackers with a liberal chunk of crab spread, shrimp and a sprig of dill. He and Carmella had been carrying on a less than civil conversation from the moment they'd come through the Freeman door.

"You have five cars! Why do you need five cars? While I am at it, why do you need all those pistols? Is this one of those silly male testosterone things? You think you are Clint Eastwood? You are so insecure in your manhood you need all those weapons?" Carmella Diaz asked. "Why don't you add a landmine you can hang in your bedroom?"

"Man, why are you on my case tonight? " moaned Nate, munching on another cracker. He picked up his tumbler of Red Stripe and swallowed some. Frances had forbidden him to drink directly out of the bottle, a small detail he still didn't understand.

"Maybe because you constantly say I am your girl, and you still look at anything in a skirt. Or maybe because I don't see a ring around my finger? Have you thought of that? No, all you worry about is fixing that car of yours."

"Hey, don't hang that one on me. If I didn't have to pay for repairing the damage you did to my poor Jag, you'd have a diamond ring around your finger."

"You know something, Nathaniel Zouri? You are a small man. Small, small small. No wonder you need all those Smith and Wessons to be an extension of your penis. Making up for no testosterone, that's all it is. "

"Man, Carma, you're really beginning to piss me off." whined Nathaniel noticing Frances come up suddenly and take the tray away before he ate the last cracker. Carmella was not in a proper state of mind to notice.

"Am I? Good. You want to take this outside? You think I can't whip your sorry small ass, Zouri? I could take you, crippled or not. "

"You've gone nuts. Must be that time of the month."

Carmella Diaz threw her champagne cocktail in Nathaniel's face.

"Man, that does it. " Nathaniel set his tumbler down and pulled his orange handkerchief out of his red suit pocket and wiped his face. "I've had my fill of you tonight. You don't have any more sense than one of the wheels on your cruiser does."

"Peter!" Carmella called like the Queen summoning a servant.

Peter Evers was speaking to one of the African guests, and he excused himself. He'd turned up for the occasion in the only black suit and tie he owned, looking quite dapper.

"Maam?"

"Take me home. Nathaniel has insulted me."

"Nate, why would you want to insult this lady? That isn't the conduct of a gentleman."

"Man, babe, I brought you to this party, if anyone takes you home, it's gonna be me."

"Oh there he goes, telling me what to do again! Not this time, Mister. Peter, please take me home. I'll make my apologies to the Freemans later."

"I said nobody's bringing you home but-Pete, let my arm go."

"After you apologise to Dr. Diaz, Nate."

"This aunt no affair of yours, Evers. Go stick your head in a windmill or something."

"The lady asked me to take her home. That's what I'm going to do."

"Over my dead body, Dutch boy-"

Peter Evers casually cuffed Nathaniel Zouri across the jaw, and he dropped without fanfare to the carpet. Carmella grinned but then hit Peter on the leg sharply.

"What was that for?" Peter said in disbelief as onlookers stared.

"Nobody hits my Nate but me. Now take me home. The keys to that stupid Jaguar of his are in that eyesore of a suit he's wearing."

* * *

* * *

"Will you stop fussing over me? Do I look like I'm twelve?"

"No, you look like the idiot that was in a coma for days but still insists on behaving like there's nothing wrong with him."

"I keep telling you I'm fine, fine. Could you try out the novelty of believing me when I-damn." Ed Straker reached out for the relative safety of Claire's arm as they walked downstairs, and frowned. She caught a whiff of the light musk cologne he had on, it was enough to make her dizzy in a way she didn't object to. He does that to me anyway, she thought.

"See? Dizzy? I told you it's going to take some time before your body is able to obey all the signals your brain is sending out."

"I refuse to spend one second longer in that hospital bed, dizzy or not. This cane is bad enough." Ed held up the burnished oak cane with the hammered silver handle she'd given him as a get-well gift.

"Edward, the last blood work showed alien bacteria is growing in your system, don't ask me how, it defies anything I was taught in bacteriology. The antibodies are attacking the bacteria, and in the interim you're bound to have some setbacks until the antibodies kill them all off. Remember how sick you were while the antibodies were in your system the last time? You were vomiting and retching. This time it seems to be dizziness. I suspected with the brain death, the cessation of all brain activity, that this might happen. The initial infection killed you, and what we thought were your own white cells killed the bacteria off. Then you had that terrible head injury and volunteered to be injected with live bacteria again. And then--"

"Yes yes, need I remind you I was there when all that happened? Can't you give me anything for this damned dizziness?"

"Just my arm, Edward." Claire smiled and slid her arm around his waist patiently and kissed him. He brightened and kissed her back, his lips lingering on hers. Reluctantly, he moved away and made a face.

"Terrific. I'm going to take part in my goddaughter's naming ceremony tonight, and I'll probably fall on my butt. What the blaz-why did Peter just knock out Nathaniel? "

Ed peered over the stair rail carefully. Claire looked over his shoulder and hung on to him in case it made him dizzy again.

"Oh that. Carmella's not happy with the way he's been treating her. I imagine it has something to do with it."

"The business with her making salsa out of his Jaguar is still going on?" Ed watched the scene below with amusement as Frances calmly stepped over Nathaniel's body and gave Peter and Carmella some food to take home, while Angel watched gleefully. Finally Angel pulled Nathaniel into the hall, noticed Ed and waved at him. Ed grinned and waved back.

"Probably."

Ed turned back to Claire.

"Nate's got nothing to complain about. My car was badly scorched by the UFO attack while Peter was driving it. And the useless Shado mechanics are taking their time fixing it."

"And what, Edward Straker, is the matter with the beige Volvo that got us here?"

"Playtoy." he said dismissively. "More suitable for Ayomide to drive around in." Ed teased.

"Edward, you just recovered from one head injury. I may have to give you another one."

" Threatening me can get you into a lot of trouble, Spencer. It seems to violate that precious Hippocratic oath of yours, too. Have you forgotten I'm head of Shado?"

"No darling husband-to-be. You never stop reminding me." Claire said sweetly. Ed grinned at her, then affected a stern demeanor again, took a step with her holding his arm.

"Shut up and help me get down the rest of these damn stairs, Spencer."

"Yes Straker, Sir. I hear and obey."

"Obey? You? That'll be the day."

"Watch your mouth, Straker."

"Just get me down these stairs, Spencer. Has Alec never noticed that the lift is a nifty invention? This staircase is so damn long I feel like an Aztec climbing up a pyramid only to have my heart ripped out."

"That's not the most comforting simile, after what almost happened to you, Edward." she frowned.

Ed gulped and meant it. His fingers tightened on hers.

"Truer words were never spoken, Spencer. What the blazes is Alec doing down there?"

"Drinking, he seems to appreciate his wet bar, maybe a little too much. Have I been affected with your dizziness or is he wobbling on his feet?"

"Oh terrific. He's feeling no pain. He and Yetunde must have had another whopper of a row. Let's see if I can get Frances to get some black coffee into him before he spoils the ceremony."

* * *

"Well here she comes. And just in time, too. I almost expected the witch doctor here to shrink some heads. Damn! Is Nathaniel drunk already? He doesn't look too good to me." Alec inspected the unconscious Nathaniel in the hall carefully. Nate didn't seem to mind that much.

"What are you saying to me, white fellow?" the Orisha priest who fortunately for Alec didn't speak that much English said, staring down at him. Alec didn't seem to appreciate that compared to the priest, he was Jack and the priest was the not so jolly and hardly green giant, mused Ed, grateful to have finally got to flat land again.

"Alec, mate, I think it best you sit down." Angel smiled, and courageously crossed in front of the priest. It was like looking at a footstool in front of a chair, Ed thought.

"Angel, mate! Where's Ed? Ed, who probably bought the Taj Mahal for my daughter. Ed, who didn't bother to tell his best friend that he changed his will."

"I'm right here, Alec." Ed spoke from behind him. "I recommend Frances' excellent black coffee and plenty of it." Ed said, smiling and thinking Alec at that point would only benefit from Columbia's total coffee crop for the year. Claire's glare at Alec was the equivalent of branding him like cattle. Ed almost could see a CS on the Australian's face. This called for all his skills in diplomacy.

"I tried to get Ayomide the Taj Mahal, but the Indian government had a tiny problem with me moving it to Southern England. Not to mention it would have taken a pretty big lorry to get it here in time for tonight's ceremony." Ed put out a hand and laid his fingers on Claire's shoulder as a reassurance he wasn't offended and neither should she be. Ed then looked at Frances and made a hopeful pouring coffee gesture. Frances nodded, disappeared from sight, and reappeared with the coffee tray. Yetunde chose that moment to make her grand entrance down the stairs with Ayomide in her arms. Ayomide expressed her indifference with the entire mess by yawning. The Orisha priest's assistant started beating his drum zealously. It startled Frances, and the cups on her tray rattled, but didn't fall off. Alec reluctantly accepted a cup.

"You look so beautiful Yetunde." Claire told her wistfully. Yetunde was wrapped in layers and layers of hand woven and indigo dyed Yoruba adire cloth, which had been embroidered at the edge with gold threads. She wore a matching headdress over tightly braided and beaded hair which hung freely down her back. A huge copper choker with dangling beads that fell to the deep v of her breasts hung between her bare shoulders. Yetunde's feet were bare. Little Ayomide was swaddled in adire cloth similar to her mother's.

"She looks pretty good," Alec grumbled. Yetunde shot him a look on a parallel with throwing a spear at him.

The guests gathered around the table, except for Nathaniel. Ed knelt slowly in the hall, conscious of the vertigo that he'd been struggling with, and shook Nathaniel hard. Nathaniel groaned, recognised Ed and stood up, still a little woozy. Frances shoved a chair under Nathaniel without bothering to ask if he wanted one. Claire assisted Ed in standing, and kissed his hand. Ed had chosen to refrain from wearing one of his numerous Nehrus for the occasion, and was attired in a navy blue cashmere and wool blend suit from Austin Reed with a blue pinstripe shirt and burgundy dotted silk bow tie. Claire had assisted him in combing his hair over the bandage he still needed to wear.

"Yetunde isn't the only one that looks pretty good." Claire whispered to Ed, squeezing his hand. She herself was wearing a black and white blouse with matching pleated black wool skirt and gold earrings and gold bracelet.

"Oh sure, I feel like I should be playing a flute for a cobra by the Ganges with this confounded bandage on." Ed whispered back, resting his fingers on hers.

"You're certainly charming me, Swami Straker."

"I had no idea you were a cobra, Spencer."

"Lots of things you don't know about me, Straker."

"That's true, I still don't know when we're getting married, Spencer."

"We could run off to Las Vegas with Grissom, Straker."

"My idea of a romantic wedding doesn't include Elvis impersonators," Ed finally said aloud.

The guests stared at them. Ed stared back. Claire lowered her gaze to the carpet, desperately trying not to laugh at Ed's insolence.

"Don't we have an naming ceremony to perform?" Ed asked helpfully. The drummer started up a more intense rhythm and Ed jumped a little, not noticing the Orisha drummer had moved closer to him. It drew a most unroyal giggle from Yetunde, who up to that point was being suitably serious. Alec was on his third cup of black coffee by this time, and stood next to Yetunde.

"Sorry if I've been a pain," Alec said. "You really do look beautiful."

Yetunde turned and looked at Alec with mock gravity.

"You are a pain, but you are my pain, and the father of my daughter and the love of my life."

"Does that mean I am forgiven?"

"By Olorun you test my patience but you are forgiven."

"You look pretty delectable in that outfit."

"I look even more delectable out of it," Yetunde whispered in his ear. Alec looked like a child with his hand in the cookie jar, only cookies weren't quite what he had in mind.

"Now how the blazes do you expect me to-"

The Orisha priest cleared his throat. Alec and Yetunde looked at the ground. Out of sight of the Orisha priest, Alec brought one hand up and cupped it over Yetunde's buttock. Her mouth fell open for a moment, but she said nothing. Behind her, hanging on to Angel, Frances saw the gesture and blushed. Alec let go and took the kola nuts that were in a dish on the table, broke them and distributed them. The priest chanted something melodic and African with the drummer backing him up. This continued until the Orisha priest came to the small wooden bowl containing wine.

"May the child not drink like the white father," he intoned in Alec's face meaningfully and Ed stepped forward instinctively, grabbed Alec by his belt loop, thus prohibiting the Australian from killing the priest. Alec growled but got the message. The priest cut yams up and handed them around to the female guests. Several traditional foods followed and finally the priest turned to Yetunde and showed a mouthful of teeth to her.

"I don't like the way he's looking at Yetunde. If he touches her any longer than is necessary, I'm going to teach him about the Australian tradition of beating the shit out of him." Alec whispered to Ed. Ed chuckled and patted Alec's back comfortingly.

"You can't blame him, Alec. She does look lovely and regal tonight."

"Yeah, guess you're right," Alec said with a touch of pride. "Say, Ed. I didn't mean what I said back there. You know me. Couldn't keep my mouth closed."

"Hmmm?" Ed said, resting his weight on his cane and watching the priest and Yetunde with interest.

"What does the mother call the child?"

"I call her Jane," Yetunde said and grinned at Alec, who laughed.

"No daughter of Yoruba bears a white name."

"I'm going to give that s.o.b. something to bear," grumbled Alec as an aside to Ed.

"If it helps any, may God forgive me, but I happen to agree with you, Alec." Frances' soft voice decreed from behind him. Ed, Alec and Angel all chuckled. The priest kept asking Yetunde for a name six more times, and she gave him various names which he deemed unsuitable, causing the drummer to beat on his drum dramatically. Ed wondered how many gigs the drummer got considering he didn't seem all that talented in the art of percussion, unless giving the audience a headache counted. Ed's head was pounding steadily. Finally the priest stared at Alec.

"What does the white father call the child?"

"Beautiful. Like her mother." Alec smiled. Yetunde kissed him, eyes moist.

"All women of Yoruba are beautiful. What does the white godfather call the child?"

Ed paused for dramatic effect, and then, using his unique voice for all its worth, he announced his choice. Claire grinned at him as he upstaged the Orisha priest without breaking a sweat.

"The child's godfather calls her Yemaya." Ed boomed aloud. The priest looked at the white man curiously. The drummer, who didn't understand one word of English, blinked at Ed.

"Why you choose that name, white godfather?"

"Isn't the name of the Goddess of creation a suitable name for the daughter of Alec and Yetunde?" Ed articulated.

"The mother has chosen a different name," the priest said, not enjoying Ed's familiarity with Yetunde's religion.

"Show off," Alec whispered to Ed. Ed winked at Alec. The priest looked one last time at Ed, who smiled, and then he turned to Yetunde.

"What does the mother call the child?"

"I call the child of Yetunde and Alec Ayomide, for their joy has arrived," Yetunde chanted.

"This is good name, woman of Yoruba. Now we shall feast to honor the child Ayomide."

"Finally," Alec said, and took Ayomide in his arms. He raised Ayomide into the air, and she gurgled happily.

"Just try and remember she isn't a Spitfire, Alec," Ed quipped.

"Shut up Ed." Alec grinned and snuggled Ayomide until Yetunde held out her arms and Alec reluctantly handed her over.

"Now the part I like best comes. Presents for my baby." Yetunde placed a large wooden bowl on the table.

"Can we start with us?" Angel said.

"Of course!" Yetunde said, rocking Ayomide, who was doing her best to eat Yetunde's choker.

Frances disappeared again and reappeared with a huge white teddy bear with a bright red ribbon tied around its neck. The guests laughed.

"Oooh look what Frances and Angel bought you, my little precious daughter." Yetunde showed Ayomide the bear. She reached out toward it and gave a gurgle of satisfaction. Ed chuckled and looked at Claire. She was wiping away tears.

"Happy tears, I hope?"

"I just wish sometimes when I watch the way you look at Ayomide that I could give you a child, Edward. Sorry for ruining your happy mood."

"You've given me a lot more than a child, Claire Spencer. You helped me love again. You waited until I came out of the coma when everyone else was eager to accept I was a vegetable. Not a small accomplishment. There is one thing I'd like from you."

"Oh Edward, you know I'd give you anything. What is it?"

"A bandage that matches my hair?" he asked hopefully. She laughed and hugged him.

"Oh you baby, complaining again about that bandage. It won't be long before I can take it off, remove your sutures and Dr. Prabhu can start replacing your hair. Edward, if you only knew how magnificent you always look. I guess it's just as well, you'd only get a swelled head."

"I thought a swelled head is why I was in a coma in the first place," Ed mused thoughtfully, eyes dancing playfully.

"Oh be quiet." Claire giggled. He silenced the giggle with first his hand over her lips and then a kiss. It started out friendly but it didn't end that way. She pulled away from him in silence and he looked alarmed.

"God, Claire. I didn't mean to push you into anything. Please forgive me?"

"Forgive you for being a man?" she smiled. "Maybe it's time I started being a woman."

"Claire." Ed said simply, his voice full of love, holding her hand to his cheek. She rested against him, lay her other hand against his warm chest.

"Edward. Let's go home. I think I want you to make love to me."

"You think? There won't be any going back, I mean, well, I don't know what I mean. I've been wanting you so badly."

"Edward, I watched you dressing after your shower, and I found myself, well, with Gil staying at Silk Wood with us, I didn't know how to approach you."

"All Grissom cares about is his bugs," grinned Ed. "I saw him this morning, he was happily running around all over the property like a crazy man, catching bugs in a net, like a kid at Christmas. He'd be discreet and wouldn't ring the Times. Besides, tell me again about how many bedrooms our house has?"

"Our house. How wonderful that sounds. Oh Edward."

"Well, Spencer? Bedroom count. I don't have all day." He smiled.

"Four. And that's not counting the attic area which used to be used as servant's quarters. Did you know Silk Wood Manor is a listed home?"

"Not in the British Telecom phone book, I hope? I wondered how the Lady of the Lake got our number."

"Straker, can I ever get you to take our house seriously?" Claire chuckled.

"Right now, the only part of Silk Wood Manor I'm interested in is the master bedroom."

"I think I actually may get to like this contemptible side of you. Okay. Home. You get to drive my Volvo this time."

Ed made a face and she laughed.

"I'm overwhelmed with gratitude," Ed lied.

"Oh shut up."

Alec tapped Ed on the shoulder, and he looked at him, puzzled.

"Not that I want to interrupt you two newly engaged lovebirds, but it's your turn to give my daughter a gift." Yetunde said jokingly.

"Whoops. Right." Ed cleared his throat, and Claire rolled her eyes knowingly, knowing a playful Straker speech was coming. "Well, as I was saying, Claire and I attempted to get the Taj Mahal but the Indians got unruly about it. Then I tried for the Great Wall of China, but they objected too. Then there was the Coliseum in Rome---"

"Ed son, some people are tired and would like to go home." Angel grinned. Frances laughed.

"Yes, yes, of course." Ed took an envelope from inside his jacket and tossed it into the bowl.

"Dare I even look at what's inside that thing?" Alec eyed it dubiously.

"Oh gosh, I'm just following in the tradition of countless godfathers before me and giving her all the phone numbers of the really good looking, rich young men in England."

"Edward, you are a card. What did you really get Ayomide?" Frances chuckled, enjoying him. She was relieved to see he'd gotten most of his colour back, but her educated eyes, honed by her experience as a nurse, took in the unsteady gait and the skinny frame under the bespoke suit, plus the faint bruises on his hands where the intravenous tubes had been placed. She hoped Claire could heal the scars that couldn't be hidden by the impeccably tailored suit. She smiled at Claire and Claire smiled back.

"Oh gosh, I don't know. My memory isn't that good."

"Edward Straker, don't make me take you over my knee," Frances warned. Ed gasped theatrically and Claire broke out in laughter.

"Oh Frances, you know how much he loves to play."

"I'll have you know I'm the very serious type," Ed said, affecting a professorial pose.

"Be quiet Edward. He's paying for Ayomide's college education. He opened a trust account for that purpose this morning. The paperwork is in the envelope."

"Miss Spencer, you have a big mouth," Ed told Claire.

"Ed. I can't let you do that," Alec said.

"Oh my daughter will be a famed cardiologist like her mother. Thank you so much, Edward." Yetunde pecked him on the cheek and he briefly hugged Yetunde.

"I'd like to see you try and stop me, Alec," grinned Ed. "Actually, I want a word with you in private."

"Edward, I thought we were going home?" Claire chuckled.

"Go and exchange Christmas cookie recipes with Frances or something. I'll be right with you."

"Okay, we can go upstairs," Alec said. Ed looked miserable and Claire laughed.

"Edward has had his fill of your staircase, Alec," Frances scolded. "Have you forgotten he was unwell?"

"Oh. Forgot he's still a gimp."

"I'll show you who's a gimp. I'll rearrange that ugly Ayers Rock of a face you have," Ed threatened, but followed Alec quietly into the kitchen and closed the door. He located a chair and dropped into it gratefully, leaning on his cane. Frances poked her head in and handed Ed a coffee the way he liked it, then went out. Ed smiled and sipped it. It was excellent, as usual.

"So what was the business about me not telling you about the will really all about?"

"Ed, usually you tell me everything. Guess I was just a little irked by it. Look, I guess it looked like I was ready to pull your plug out, but it really wasn't that way."

Ed shifted his weight, examined a nail and rested one slim leg on the other.

"Could have fooled me, Alec. But this isn't about that at all. I know you were trying to respect my wishes. Nor are you upset because I can afford to give Ayomide things that you can't."

"Well Mr. Know-it-all Ed, what is it really about?"

"Swami Straker knows all. I'll be glad when I can get rid of the gauze turban and the sutures, even knowing I'll be back to tennis ball hair."

"It shows off your pretty blue eyes."

"Why thank you Alec. Anyway, I know its difficult trying to combine a family and Shado. I haven't managed it. Shado has cost me a lot over the years, we both know that. But had you put that little girl at risk, I would have personally ripped that ugly head of yours off your shoulders. You were right to put Ayomide as well as Yetunde first."

"Ed, look, I think Claire is a good kid."

"Now there's a term I bet she'd really love."

"Shut up Ed and listen to me. She's still raw. She might have gotten you killed. You should have had professional backup out there. If she had panicked, and not run after you--"

"Alec, to use your questionable term, for a kid she didn't panic. She not only came after me, she shot the hell out of that alien. She stayed by my side in hospital while I was injured. I could hear her talking to me, I just couldn't talk back. I put in the standard UFO report, but I haven't really talked about what happened to me. Not to Mela, not to Constantine. And believe me, they've been on my back. I talked a little with Claire about it. She's got a way about her. Easy to talk to. That alien smacked me on the head with a rock, Alec. I saw the report from the recovery team that went out there. They found a rock he'd dropped with my blood all over it. The first time he did it, I'd just put down the Molly. There was a sharp pain and I couldn't do anything, Claire's back was to me and I tried to alert her, but the alien just kept dragging me. It was hard to breathe. I remember barely holding on. Fighting. Thinking my death was at hand."

"Ed, look, its late." Alec didn't like the way Ed looked. Ed seemed frightened, as if choking down a scream. His body was rigid.

"No, I want to share this. I saw the second UFO, Alec. I knew that it was only a matter of moments before I was taken aboard it. Talk about your worst nightmare. Made my bouts of claustrophobia seem easy. I don't think I ever have been that terrified since I served with Angel in Nam. So with everything left in me, I yelled for Claire. I didn't want to. I didn't want her hurt, Alec. I didn't see his rifle but that doesn't mean there wasn't one. It just means the alien may have been relatively sure I wouldn't put up a fight, badly wounded the way I was. He could have mutilated me right there and then. When I yelled, he hit me with the rock again, the pain was more than I could stand, a flashbulb going off inside my head and the blood was running down my face and I was losing consciousness. I heard shots, and then everything sort of faded away. So the woman you're calling a kid saved my life."

"Christ, Ed. Thing is--"

"Thing is it should have been my oldest and closest friend who's done it a million times before? Things are different now for all of us, Alec. You're a father. When the time's ripe, you'll be marrying Yetunde. You and I will never grow apart, Alec. Things might not be the same for us. I know I've been standing in your way of getting married and raising some little Freemans for a long time. Now, with any luck, I'll marry Claire and claim my own share of happiness. I about broke my Boston arse saving your unworthy hide, Alec. I know you don't believe what happened with the whole King Arthur thing, and you are not quite sure what to make of the alien bacteria. But I died Alec. Twice now. And I saved you. I wouldn't have bothered if you didn't mean so much to me."

The two men exchanged warm looks of affection, enjoying the fact that each was still continuing to breathe after too many years to count.

"You know Constantine thinks you flipped out, stealing my body from Mayland. She thinks you and Claire were only seeing what you wanted to be seeing. She thinks the bacteria may have saved me, not a souvenir cup."

"Hardly matters, Alec. You're alive. That's all I care about. I want you to go and be with that woman and that baby and to cherish every damn minute you spend with them. It's nearly Christmas, Alec. Time for you to start your own family traditions, you know. And you have to let me spoil that daughter as much as I want. I deserve it. I'll never have a child with Claire." Ed let a breath escape he didn't know he was holding on to.

"Ed, I--I'm sorry."

"No, Alec. Don't be. Just don't make the same mistake with Ayomide and Yetunde that I made with Johnnie and Mary. Promise me that. That's the best way you can serve an old, aging Shado commander, you know."

"Old and aging my hairy Australian dingo. Get out of my kitchen and go home with that underage doctor of yours. You've got my word."

The phone rang.

"Christ, I hope that isn't bloody Shado," Alec groaned. Ed sighed.

"I was about to make my escape, too. Answer it, no one seems to be noticing the phone's ringing."

"Freeman," Alec said in a disagreeable manner. Ed slowly got to his feet, waited until the kitchen stopped revolving and leaned on his cane, preparing himself for whatever awaited on the other end of the line. "Yes, this is Alec Freeman. Who is this?" Alec's expression twisted. Ed mouthed the words "who is it" but the Australian ignored him. "How do I know that? Yes. All right. Hold on." Alec motioned for something to write on and Ed gave him his black leather notebook and pen. Alec scribbled a name and address on it. "Yes. All right. Yes, I will. Right. I understand. Goodbye."

The door opened slightly and Claire peered in, her tan Burberry on but not buttoned.

"It's late, sweetheart, time to go home, is everything all right?"

"One moment, Claire. What was that all about, Alec?"

"Something wrong?" Claire came into the room, and she had Ed's Burberry trench draped over an arm.

Alec frowned and sank into the chair Ed had vacated.

"No. I mean, well I don't know. Doesn't make sense."

"Who was that?" demanded Ed.

"Reginald Freeman. He says he's my father."

* * *

Alec Freeman groaned as he parked his Shado car. There had been something familiar about the address, and now it was painfully clear why. The address had been that of Black Oak Retirement Home. Where Lily Marsh had worked, quit working, and recently had been employed again. From the detective's report to him, seeing Reginald Freeman was already going to be a pain. And now, he'd probably run into Lily Marsh. Lily Marsh, bubonic plague on two shapely legs.

He asked the receptionist for directions to Reginald's room, and then, like Anne Boleyn going to the scaffold, he went to the arts and crafts activity room. A number of seniors, ages ranging from their sixties to putrefaction, were in various states of comprehension as the craft assistant laid out scissors, paste and coloured paper. One was a leggy, long haired blonde with her back to him, opening a crayon box. The other had short black hair, she was the perky one distributing tools for the would-be Leonardo deVincis. The blonde turned around.

"ALEC! "

"Oh my God." Alec stood there as brightly painted red lips attached to him like suckers from an octopus. Lily Marsh's perfume probably could have been detected all the way back to Australia, he thought. She was squeezed into a stretchy lace red blouse and a short black leather skirt like meat in a sausage casing. She'd complemented the fashion disaster with snakeskin ankle boots. She was wearing an entire box of jewelry, along with the ever-present pentacle and crystals. She was still damn attractive, or would have been if she'd wear decent clothes and scrape off some of the makeup.

"You went blonde, I see."

"Yes, do you like it, my adorable Alec? How is my Edward? I read the cards for him often, you know. They are not so good. This is because I am not with him. We had fantastic sex. I am lucky for him, you know. Only I can please him in bed."

"Now if that isn't reconstructive history, I don't know what is. You deliberately neglected your health when you were carrying his baby, resulting in its death and you walked out on him when he was sick."

"Karma, Alec. I was not the one. Destiny. It was in the cards, I know these things, I am the daughter of -"

"Try it on someone else, Marsh. I don't buy it any more, not after you walking out on Ed, magic fairies or not. I heard you got married?"

"Me? Marry? Alec, you should know no man can ever possess Lilliana Marsh, I am a witch, devoted to the Goddess, my soul must be free."

"I'm waiting, Lily." Alec crossed his arms.

"Let us go and have some coffee somewhere and I will tell you all about that dreadful man. What we poor women have to go through in this world to make a living."

"We'll go for coffee later, if at all. You know a Reginald Freeman here?"

"Do not tell me you are interested in that awful man. To get him to participate in anything we practically have to put dynamite in his bed pan."

"Just take me to him, Lily."

"Do not tell me he is related to you?"

"I got a phone call from him, saying he's my Dad. I called my mother Wendi and I really couldn't get a straight answer from her, no surprise there. She told me Reginald Cole, who is calling himself Reginald Freeman now, was paid off by my stepfather to disappear, and died at sea. Mum's dating someone now, so all of this is a bit of history to her and not much else. Then last night I get a call from this fellow. So I don't know what to think."

"This man is taking you for a ride, telling you untruths! I know these things, I am a witch. But I will show you the ward he is in." Lily grabbed Alec by the arm, pulled her to him. Alec noticed she had more layers of pancake on her face than a wedding cake had tiers.

"You see that in your cards? Did you see divorce in your cards? What happened to that fellow from Parliament you told us you were marrying, anyway? I see you have some souvenirs you kept."

Lily held up her hand on which a large diamond sparkled. Alec had quaffed bottles of ale that were smaller than it was.

"The nasty little man from Parliament I was dating? Ha! I found him with a man and dumped him. I met and married a Lietfield instead. Divorce? Ha! We got an annulment. This stone? Ha! This is fake as the idea that the Divine is male. I had to sell the one he gave me just to live in the style to which I was accustomed to in the four horrible days we were married. Me, a daughter of the goddess, forced to pawn something! This establishment was kind enough to employ me again. I will tell you about the silly man I married. We went to Switzerland for the honeymoon, my Alec. So boring, Switzerland. Women all full of silicone and surgery on their faces and figures like Barbie dolls and twice as plastic. My ears kept popping, and I refused to try to stay up on those dreadful skis. Oh it was fun in the beginning, I was the media's new darling, had my pictures taken. It made up for freezing. Snow is dreary and cold, my Alec. I even met Fergie on some slope somewhere. She is not a real redhead, Alec. I could tell. I am a witch, I know these things. Where was I? Oh I remember. Do you know what that dreadful man did on our wedding night?"

"I can hardly contain my curiosity."

"First he delays the event until the proper time after dinner. He gets on top of me like he was climbing a ladder with his fancy silk monogrammed robe still on but open. He tells me I am so lucky to be chosen for producing heirs for his bloody house of Leitfield. Then he sticks an inferior organ in me that is so small it belongs on a lecherous mouse, he thrusts until he fills me with his precious blue blooded sperm, and then he runs off to clean himself like I have plague, and I am in the bed thinking this must be a joke. I get up. He is in the loo, cleaning his capped teeth. I scream and rant and he pats me on the hand, and tells me he must go to bed, he is so tired and we are both due to attend some stupid reception in the morning to greet some high mucky muck he plays polo with."

Alec wasn't doing a good job of controlling his reaction to her narration.

"You poor delicate thing. You fragile flower. What a terrible shock. What happened next?"

"I will tell you what happened next. I tell him I am Lily Marsh, daughter of the Goddess, a witch and I will not be treated like his obedient little baby making machine! He tells me not to worry, that his mother assured him I would eventually get over this little silly Wiccan business. He tells me I am not to raise my voice ever again at the esteemed heir, sixth in the line to the dukedom of Lietfield. Me! Daughter of the Goddess! I picked up my hairbrush and hit him over his stupid balding head and he started whining like a pooping, piddling infant, and I told him that was what I thought of his stupid male ego and his idiotic dukedom, and that if he didn't shut up and give me an annulment, and a large amount of money immediately, I was going to stick the handle of the hairbrush in his bony arse and photograph the result for posterity and send it to the American tabloids. So he calls his precious mother and the next day it was over. Alec Freeman, how dare you laugh at me like that? This was very traumatic for me. And I settled for far too little money. It was gone in a month." Lily sighed.

"Hearing your tragic story has made my day. Now let's go see Reginald Freeman."

* * *

"Edward, are you satisfied now? This is the black hole pretending to be a racehorse you are throwing money into."

"Claire, now how can you say that while its right there listening? Don't hurt its feelings."

"Edward, if it had even come at least third in its pitiful little career, I wouldn't be telling you you need to dump this loser." Claire grinned. She had on black jeans, black boots and a tweed jacket over a cobalt blue sweater. Due to Frances' influence, she had pearl studs in her ears.

"There, there, girl. Don't listen to her. What does she know about horses? What do you think, Angel?"

"Ed son, God gives His children miracles everyday. I don't think this horse is one of them." Angel grinned.

"Oh Stanley, you know perfectly well that you'd do anything to own a horse yourself. Besides, I think she's got potential, Edward. Plenty of bone and might even make a steeplechaser, if I'm any judge." Frances crouched to inspect the horse's legs knowledgeably running her hands up and down them. Over her pink Fair Isle sweater she wore a battered but warm Puffa jacket, long tan skirt and boots. Like Claire, she wore pearl earrings, but hers were clip-ons. Angel was in a brown overcoat, koala design sweater that Frances had hand knitted for him and jeans, since he had wisely left his robes at home.

"Aha! You see that? Frances is a long time horsewoman. She knows good horseflesh when she sees it." Ed reached over and patted Wrong Way's nose. The horse snorted for a moment in her stall, and then settled down, seemingly content to accept a polo mint from the pocket of his Barbour jacket. He wore a navy blue pinstripe shirt under a cream vest, and navy trousers. He was wearing a cologne Frances had picked out for him, and he looked and smelled wonderful, Claire thought.

"Maybe you could get her a new trainer, Edward. Someone that believed in her."

"Excuse me if this is out of line Maam. She looks like a splendid horse to me, and I've ridden a few in my day." Peter Evers said. He had on a black sweater and slacks and black leather jacket over it and as usual looked like a commando. Nate had gone to Carmella's house to try to work things out, and Peter was covering for him.

"Frances, Peter, please don't encourage Edward," chuckled Claire.

"Quiet, Spencer. So Frances, tell me. Who is the best horse trainer in all of England?"

"I've heard Venetia Williams is one of the better ones. I've always liked Venetia Williams. Kind to her horses, and honest about a horses capabilities when she's talking to the owners. And her stable's in form this season. I think you'd like her. Doesn't use ten words when one will do. She wouldn't come cheaply, Edward." Frances patted Wrong Way's tawny mane.

"Edward, if you hire another trainer, you are going to go bankrupt. You won't be able to afford coffee beans." Claire teased. Ed shot her a sharp look.

"Doubting Thomasina. You just watch. My horse is going to cross the finish line."

"Edward, this horse wouldn't be able to cross the finish line for a win even if you stuck it in the front seat of your car and gave it a ride there." insisted Claire with a chuckle.

"And I thought you were such a romantic soul," Ed commented to Claire, holding on to her arm, and leaning on his cane. She chuckled again and kissed him and he returned it warmly, then smiled at her. His bouts of dizziness were happening further apart and his colour had returned. Claire felt sure he'd be fully recovered in a couple of days. And they had all of December off! It was heaven. He was heaven.

"I am, I'm just a practical one. Chilly out here, when is this fellow that is going to brief us coming?" asked Claire. "Didn't they say noon? It's nearly one fifteen now."

"Let's see." Ed consulted his Filofax. "Mr. and Mrs. King are listed as the couple who had an interest in Wrong Way, and looked after her for Lawrence here at the stables. I'm supposed to meet them here at noon, and then we can take the horse home. Thanks again for talking that friend of yours into letting us use his horse trailer, Angel. Saved me a couple of pounds. That should please Scrooge Spencer here."

"Shut up Tiny Tim Straker." retorted Claire, trying to look stern and not fooling anyone.

"No problem, Ed son. Oh here comes someone."

"Which of you would be Ed Straker?" a nervous fellow with curly brown hair said. He had on a tweed suit and Barbour jacket and a beer belly plus the ubiquitous binoculars were dangling from his neck. He looked to be about sixty or so, and veins stood out on his neck. Claire restrained herself from the urge to stick him in an ambulance and take him to Yetunde for a full heart workup.

"I am. Are you Mr. King?" Ed held out his hand and shook hands with him.

"I'm so sorry about being tardy, indeed I am, Sir. I keep the old traditions in very high esteem. I can tell that you do also, good warm handshake, mark of a gentleman. I understand you're to take the horse now. All well and good. But perhaps you might not mind if I asked a few questions?" He had an Irish lilt to his voice.

"Questions about what? Oh, excuse me, this is Right Reverend Stanley Brisby and his wife Frances. This is my fiancée, Dr. Claire Spencer. She's also my financial advisor and personal accountant. Look, Mr. King, maybe we could discuss whatever's on your mind over lunch, my treat?"

"That would be civil, Mr. Straker, but I'd have to go get my daughter Deidre out of our car. She thinks that name sounds too grand, and insists I call her Daisy. As a matter of fact, she's why I am so late. I pride myself on being punctual, Mr. Straker, but when your daughter is in tears, one tends to spend just a few more moments comforting her. That's a task for a woman, to be sure, but her mother, my dear wife, God bless her soul, is dead and gone these many years. I married late in life and never regretted it."

"Oh you poor man. But of course she can come with us. I know Edward would love to meet her." Frances said. Ed nodded, looking thoughtful.

"Certainly. Why was your daughter crying? Was she missing her mother?"

"Oh no, Mr. Straker, indeed she is the stronger of the two of us. Many a day she has kept me balanced and sane. Daisy looks after me, more than I look after her."

"Then why was she so upset, Mr. King?" Claire asked, concerned.

"The horse, you see. She thinks of it as hers. Helped look after it, hoped to ride it professionally someday, finish her jockey training. You're taking it. She's afraid she will never see it again. Afraid it may be put down or something equally dreadful."

"She doesn't have anything to worry about. Edward won't hurt it, he's excited about inheriting it from his lawyer Lawrence Malone. Problem is, he's got this idea that it's a winner." Claire smiled.

"A winner? Oh but so does Daisy. You see, my family owned a great many mares and foals owned a great many mares and bred some nice foals till a few years ago, and this horse's mother was one of them. Bills forced my father to sell our stables and most of our horses, eventually including this one the last we had. When we couldn't afford to pay for her upkeep any longer, my father sold her to Larry and his lady friend many years ago. He was kind enough to pay all the bills, and let us keep the horse. That continued to the day he died in that dreadful tragedy, and now all that was left of the family was my daughter and myself. "

"Did you meet his lady friend?" Frances asked.

"Oh no Maam, but my father did."

"His lady friend was my mother," Ed said quietly, smiling. Claire closed her hand gently over his.

"Oh my. My. I didn't know that, Mr. Straker."

"Listen, we're practically family now. Call me Ed."

"That's very good of you, Ed. Call me Arthur, then."

"Wait. Your name is Arthur King?" Ed asked in disbelief, eyebrows raised. Claire started laughing and Angel chuckled. Arthur gave her a quizzical look.

"Oh I'm terribly sorry, Arthur. Call me Claire. It's just that it's a bit of coincidence that your name is King Arthur, reversed."

"No coincidence, Claire. My mother always claimed that I was a descendent of King Arthur. Although I think that's more a bit of mother's love rather than a true fact." Arthur blushed.

"We better go get your daughter, she's going to think I shot you as well as Wrong Way." Ed chuckled. "My mother said I was descended from royalty too, and I have the same opinion about the reason as you do."

"Edward, I keep telling you its entirely possible," scolded Frances.

"Here we go again. Come jubilee time she will be completely impossible," teased Angel. "May even try and get this horse crowned as a princess."

Ed and Claire and Peter laughed.

"Stanley Mitchell Brisby, know this. I intend to celebrate her Majesty's jubilee year with or without you. Edward, why don't we just go to Silk Wood Manor, and I can make lunch for all of us? By then we will certainly have heard from Alec, and I know he's on your mind."

"How does that sound, Arthur? You can follow us in the car," Ed suggested.

"Unless you have some work you need to do? It's a bit of a long way, and we don't want to keep you." Claire asked.

"Oh no, only thing I had intended to do is what I always do. Bet a lot of money on losing horses," he laughed.

"Sounds like my Stanley. We better get going then." Frances smiled. "Peter, help me and Angel bring Wrong Way to the trailer."

"You need any assistance, Frances?" Ed asked.

"Don't be silly, Edward. Quentin and I rode all the time."

"But I bet I'm her one true love." Angel winked.

"Stanley, that isn't a bet I'd put much money on if I were you."

"Saints alive. Every year she gets older, she gets sassier." Angel grinned. Ed laughed and walked to the Brisbies car, which had the horse trailer hitched up to it, it was parked a few yards away.

"Think that'll be the way we are as an old married couple when we get to that age, Claire? Old and sassy?"

"I certainly hope so, Edward. They're inseparate, and still very much in love. And I have no intention of ever letting you go, no matter how sassy you get." Claire smiled. Ed chuckled and held her tight, and kissed her. Arthur smiled.

He opened the back, and then walked with Arthur and Claire to Arthur's car, which was a battered Range Rover. In the passenger seat sat a short, thin young woman in dark glasses, no more than nineteen years of age with short wispy brown hair, wearing white cords and a multi-coloured striped sweater. She was sobbing and holding on to what appeared to be a blanket. Arthur unlocked the door on the driver's side, slid inside the car and she jerked her head around toward her father.

"Wrong Way's new owner Ed Straker is here, dearest. Come to pick him up."

"Please don't put my horse down! She is a winner, she is! I won't let you hurt her, I won't!"

"Daisy, dearest, he's a kind gent, like Larry was. He isn't going to harm your horse. Matter of fact, he's invited us to his home for luncheon. Ed, this is my daughter Daisy. "

"What are you going to do with my horse?" she demanded.

"Daisy, that's a bit rude and I won't have it. Ed and his friends are being friendly."

Ed chuckled softly. Claire studied Daisy thoughtfully, and mouthed something to Ed, taking pains so Arthur wouldn't see her do it. Ed nodded at Claire.

"I understand that you think Wrong Way is a future champion."

"It has nothing to do with thinking, Mr. Straker. I know she is."

"Call me Ed. I just happen to agree. So how do we make it a reality?"

"Dad, did you hear that? It's what I've wished for! It's going to happen! It's really going to happen!"

"I hear it dearest Daisy," Arthur said, eyes misting. "I hear it."

"Okay, you two just follow us on out when we leave. I'll have Peter drive slowly, so you'll have no trouble following. We have to drive slowly since we're towing a horsebox anyway. See you in a bit." Ed said. Ed walked with Claire back to Angel's car, arm in arm, using his cane now and then.

"My God, Claire. Poor girl is blind," Ed said softly.

"I think she can see a bit, but yes Edward," Claire said just as softly. "I'm guessing macular degeneration, maybe Stargardt. Edward, do you really think there's potential in that horse?" Claire sounded hopeful.

"That doesn't sound like the doom and gloom, make the horse into glue to save money Spencer that I know and love. What happened?"

"Oh shut up. So how do we make her wish come true? "

"I don't know. Yet," Ed added, determined. She smiled at him as they rejoined the Brisbies.

* * *

Ed, Claire, Peter, Arthur and Daisy, Frances and Angel all got out of the cars, and Arthur looked around admiringly.

"You've got an incredible home here, Ed. Just beautiful."

"Yes, I'm proud of it, except for those stupid gates we passed through. You wouldn't believe how much trouble those gates have caused me." Ed complained.

"Ed didn't appreciate the English Heritage people swarming all over him because he needed to have security technology installed in the gates." Claire explained. "Silk Wood Manor is listed just because of those gates. He finally compromised and had his experts install what he needed in a way that didn't violate their standards. When I learned this was a listed home, I had no idea it was actually just those gates." she smiled.

"I'm amazed Lawrence didn't have the gates chopped down and thrown in one of the fireplaces, having to argue with those people." Ed remarked, watching Daisy go to Wrong Way. "He wasn't one to tolerate bureaucracy, and neither am I."

"Edward, I am amazed you can even say such a thing about English Heritage!" Frances declared." You have no idea how much they've contributed to the rich history of the United Kingdom, helping to preserve it." Ed smiled at her.

"Have I offended you so much that I may have to cook for myself?"

"I don't think that's possible, Edward. Nobody can be mad at you for long," Claire told Ed, sweeping a lock of his silvery hair back into place.

"You wouldn't think so if you knew how many arguments Alec and I have had over the years. Speaking of Alec, I'm surprised he isn't back yet. I think I'll give him a call. Daisy, you seem to be enjoying being able to be with Wrong Way again."

"She's a lovely horse, she's my friend. Do you ride at all, Ed?"

"I did many years ago, went on a trip with one of my classmates from Boston University for the weekend. His Dad kept horses. Needless to say when I went back to classes on Monday, I walked bowlegged down the corridors."

"I would have paid to see that. Come on, Daisy, I'll take you--" Claire hesitated, noticing something. Ed looked in the direction she was looking. Peter Evers stood there, transfixed, watching Daisy. "I was about to say I'd take you to the paddock, but I think Peter better. I want to get Ed inside, he looks cold, and he's been unwell, the last thing I want him to do is catch cold."

"You don't mind, do you, Peter-" Ed grinned as Peter crossed quickly and stood alongside Daisy. " Daisy, this is Peter, one of my bodyguards. He rides, I understand."

"Well a long time ago in Holland I did. Hello Daisy."

"Hello Peter. Do you come from Holland?"

"Peter, offer Daisy your arm, she'll be much more secure that way."

"I'm independent, even though I'm registered blind, Ed," Daisy told him.

"Well if I was a beautiful young girl and got the opportunity to walk along with a handsome young man, I'd play down how independent I am. Of course, that's if I didn't have anyone steady."

"That's horribly sexist, Edward," Claire teased.

"Nonsense, its simply practical. So do you have a young man in your life?" Frances asked. Angel rolled his eyes.

"My Daisy? A boy? We have hundreds of good-looking boys come to Nippy Chippie and Daisy doesn't even make small talk with them. Everything is horse, horse, horse. At this rate, I'll never get a grandchild."

"Daddy!" retorted Daisy, but she smiled.

"Nippy Chippie?" Ed repeated.

"That's our business, we have a fish and chip van. Dad takes it round in the evenings and I help. That leaves both of us free for races in the afternoons."

"Well Peter, you two go off to the paddock and get Wrong Way settled in. Then why don't you show Daisy around Silk Wood Manor? The greenhouse and garden is particularly nice. "

"Yes Com-I mean yes Sir," Peter said, and Daisy felt for and took his arm as Wrong Way spiritedly clip clopped his way across the drive, Peter holding on to the horse's lead.

* * *

"Frances, will you and Angel take Arthur in and get him a hot drink? I want to speak to Claire about something."

Claire and Ed watched them go in, chatting away. Then they turned to one another, and stood looking at one another warmly. Claire put her arms around him lovingly.

"Bowlegged, huh?"

"Sexist, huh?"

"Definitely. Edward did you see Peter? I mean he nearly called you Commander in front of everyone. I've never seen him so worked up," laughed Claire.

"He's a man in love, all right. He just went right past me without a word." chucked Ed. "Maybe I should suggest he frisk her for weapo-"

There was a shrill scream from within the entrance and Ed and Claire hurried inside. Frances was standing upon an oak bench next to an antique coat rack. Angel was inspecting the heel of one shoe. Gil Grissom was on his knees, inspecting a corpse on the ground. He looked like someone had shot his entire family. Arthur examined him quizzically.

"Edward, you have to have this house treated for bugs immediately, Angel just stepped on the most horrid thing I have ever seen." Frances said, stepping down and brushing herself off.

"That horrid thing, Maam, which your husband killed in cold blood, was a Timarcha tenebricosa. He escaped from the jar I'd put him in when I accidentally knocked it to the floor. "Gil sighed.

Ed grinned.

"I forgot Gil was still my guest for the weekend. Frances, Angel, Arthur, this is Gil Grissom. He's a crime scene investigator from Las Vegas in the United States. His speciality is entomology, the study of bugs."

Gil swept up the corpse with a tissue, folded the tissue and stuck it in his shirt pocket. Frances gave him a contemptuous look. Ed chuckled and Claire grinned.

"Timarcha tenebricos is better known as the bloody nosed beetle, it gets its name from its habit of exuding a drop of bright red blood if disturbed or threatened. It wouldn't have harmed you. You have no idea how long it took me to find one to study." Gil explained.

"You invite some very strange people to this house, Edward. Am I to be reasonably sure that nothing else with feelers is going to cross my path while I prepare lunch?" Frances asked. Claire could barely suppress a giggle.

"You're making lunch? I'm a whiz at entomophagy. I have a great recipe for stir fried cricket curry over rice." Gil said helpfully. Frances gave him a decidedly evil look and marched past him indignantly in the direction of the kitchen, with Angel following. Arthur grinned.

"Gil?" Ed said.

"Hmm?"

"Remind me to never come over your house for dinner."

"Ever try grasshoppers as a snack?"

"Gil, go to your room," Ed said, having a hard time suppressing his own laughter.

"I'm not going in the guest bedroom Gill's using ever again." Claire decided. Gil grinned at her, waved and went upstairs.

"Make yourself comfortable, Arthur. You're about to have the most delicious lunch of your life." Ed announced.

"Just as long as your eccentric friend from the States isn't doing the cooking." Arthur laughed. Ed and Claire laughed at him. Arthur went off to explore, and Ed turned around and held his fingers up to Claire's face and wiggled them like feelers. Claire rolled her eyes at him, and helped him take his jacket off and put it on the coat rack. Ed leaned on his cane and pulled out his cell phone from a pocket to call Alec.

"Edward, when are we going to get our tree and decorations?" Claire wondered wistfully, taking off her coat and hanging it with Ed's.

"I thought we'd all go tonight, actually. To Westonbirt. After we went Christmas shopping. Hang on a second, I want to see what Alec is up to."

* * *

"Ha ha! You see that. Nobody beats me at gin rummy. Pay up, Dad!" Alec Freeman declared.

"You devil you. You're cheating. Get rid of this tiresome woman, take me to a pub and we'll have a real game," the stringy-legged, liver-spotted elf sitting in the wheelchair said, and shakily passed Alec five plastic medicine cups. So far, Alec had a small fortune in cups. Unfortunately, he thought, they couldn't be traded in for pounds. He studied the elderly man that sat in the wheelchair. What was left of Rag's hair seemed like tines on a comb, and his jowls were dusted over with liver spots like sprinkles on Christmas cookies. Alec figured the doughy-faced fellow was hanging on to life by a thin thread, and one end of the thread was burning. But Rag's blue eyes were still twinkling like a Christmas bulb on a tree, and had been ever since Alec arrived.

"Shut up, unpleasant old man," Lily complained.

"Lily, you're calling my Dad an unpleasant old man. You're asking for it."

"This is boring. Why do we not go see my adorable Ed?"

"We? We are doing nothing of the kind. I am going to see Ed and Claire later and then go pick up Yetunde. Christmas shopping later, and then we're probably going to a party her doctor pals at Mayland are throwing unless I can talk her out of it."

"That boring woman is still with my Edward? The poor man. No wonder the cards show he is in misery."

Alec's cell phone rang, and he moved into a corner for privacy. "Freeman. Hiya Ed. No, I'm fine. Uh yeah, right with me. Yeah. Thanks, Ed. Yeah I know. Remember Lily Marsh? Heh heh heh. I figured that. She's with me too, seems that Dad was right here at Black Oak. Hmmm? Well, yeah sure, for a while, but are you sure? Okay, yeah. No, her marriage lasted just about as long as her virginity did. No, she probably doesn't. WHAT? You sure? Yeah I know, but -- Okay, okay. Happy Christmas to you too, Ed. See you in a while." Alec hung up.

"You did not even let me talk to my Edward and tell him how much I missed him," Lily wailed as he came back.

"Ed's invited me, Yetunde and Dad to a Christmas decorating party tonight."

Lily sighed.

"Who is this Ed fellow you're talking about, Derek?"

"It's Alec, Dad."

"Alec. Of course. Who is he?"

"My best friend and my employer. Lily can you help me clean up and dress Dad to get him ready?"

"If I have to," Lily sighed. "Come on, miserable pest, I will help you get cleaned up. Maybe we can even figure out a way to keep your false teeth from falling out."

"Am I really getting out of this accursed place and going out with you to his party, Derek?"

"Alec. And yes, Dad."

"This is going to be the happiest Christmas ever!" Reg cheered. Alec grinned at Reg with satisfaction as Lily wheeled him into the bathroom.

"Oh Lily?"

Lily was taking off Rag's pajamas dejectedly, wrinkling her nose at his smell.

"Start the shower, my adorable Alec. And stand aside, this will get messy." Lily helped the naked Reg out of the wheelchair to feebly walk to the shower as Alec adjusted the water temperature, and helped Lily get him into the stall. Lily started to soap Reg down. Alec remembered that often at Black Oak, the staff had to do jobs they hadn't been hired for, simply because there wasn't enough staff to go around, and even less money. He decided to call Ed's attention to the fact. He watched Lily with a sly grin.

"Lily, I told Ed that you probably didn't have any plans tonight, and probably no hot date either. So Ed asked for me to bring you along with us, since he insisted nobody should be alone for the Christmas season. Personally I think he's lost his mind-"

"MY ED INVITED ME? I AM GOING?" Lily shrieked happily. Rag's face ran with Yardley lavender scented suds, and some got into his mouth, which he spit out, glaring at Lily, who momentarily had forgotten him.

"Well now that we're both deaf, yeah." Alec grinned. "But you're not going in that outfit. Dressed for excess, I'd call it. We can stop by your place so you can get changed into something else so you can look as decent as possible. I know that's going to take a miracle, but its Christmas time, we'll see what happens."

"You see, my adorable Ed still loves me." Lily said contentedly, using the shower's handheld attachment to spray the foam off Reg. "He invited his sexy Lily to his party."

"Ed was hit twice on the head recently. I think that may have something to do with it. Say, Lily, does Dad have a doctor?"

"Of course, all the people here see a doctor once a month and more often when they need it. Why?" Lily turned off the water and started toweling down a beaming Reg, while he sat on the edge of the toilet. She finished and guided him back to his wheelchair.

"When's the last time he had a blood test? I'm a little worried about his health. Dad really is looking pale to me. Might be anemic. Maybe we can have a quick one done at Mayland before we stop at your place."

"I don't need any blood test, Derek. I'm fit as a fiddle." Reg declared jollily, as Lily pulled a clean cotton t-shirt over his head after applying Lynx's men's deodorant under his arms.

" Alec, Dad, Alec. Even so, Dad, I'm worried about your health. Humour me okay? Besides, Ed's got some damn fine liquor in that house of his, he's got an account at Berry Bros and Rudd. He's got some aged booze that would curl your toes. We'll go to his place right after the test, okay?"

"Okay Derek." Reg said happily. Alec chuckled. Lily was practically bouncing around in anticipation.

* * *

"Oh, I think I'm going to just die. I ate far too much!" Claire Spencer proclaimed sometime later, dropping into the forest green plush loveseat alongside Ed, which was situated nearest to one of their two fireplaces. Logs crackled and sizzled in the open marble fireplace in a comforting way, making the frosty Cotswolds weather that flared outside nothing but a dull memory for them all. Christmas tunes played on the CD player, but not loud enough to interfere with their conversation. Daisy and Peter had made sure that Wrong Way was fed and warm in her paddock, and then had finally joined the others. Ed, relaxed with a gold edged porcelain cup full of his customary sweet and light coffee in front of him on a small table, slid closer to Claire, put one arm around her and grinned briefly. He stroked her long, jet-black hair contentedly, while she curled up against his chest. They all were gathered in Silk Wood's Manor's larger but still cozy oak paneled drawing room on armchairs or on the thick Persian rug, sipping either coffee, tea or hot cocoa, and munching freshly baked Christmas cookies from a tray on a butler's table after finishing Frances' lavish lunch. "That seafood casserole in a cream sauce was so delicious! The huge salad! And I think for once I ate more lemon drizzle cake than Edward did! And those scrumptious Christmas cookies!"

"Well, it wasn't my intention to kill you, Claire dear," chuckled Frances. "I'm so glad you enjoyed lunch. It was simple to whip up with all the leftovers and pop them into the Aga. And I have cookie dough in the freezer for more cookies tonight so eat what's left up."

"We always pig out whenever Frances cooks," Ed declared, rubbing his flat tummy, and reaching for a cherry topped sugar cookie. He broke it in half and fed a laughing, protesting Claire the other half.

"Just think, Ed son. I get her cooking every day," Angel boasted.

"Quit rubbing it in, Angel," sighed Ed.

"I have to confess, there's no place I could get a meal like that in Vegas, even in one of the buffets we're famous for in casinos. Everything was great, Frances." Gil smiled. "I hope I'm forgiven for the business with the Timarcha tenebricosa."

"You are, Gil. It just took me by surprise. You're leaving tomorrow morning for the States, I will pack some food for you to take back to your co-workers." Frances said, sipping cocoa.

"Oh, you're leaving tomorrow Gil? Do you have to? I've enjoyed having you as a guest. I'm even beginning to get fond of your bugs." Ed chuckled.

"I wouldn't go that far, Edward," Frances said. Ed and Gil laughed. "Daisy, did you want some more cocoa? Peter? Arthur? Shall I pour some more? Have some cookies, or they'll go to waste."

"Oh, Frances, no more cocoa for me. Everything was really wonderful. Cookies? I will have one more of those vanilla and chocolate swirl ones if there's any left." Daisy said.

"There is, I'll get it for you," Peter offered quickly, and hunted gallantly through the glass bowl for the exact cookie she wanted.

"You're sweet, Peter," Daisy replied with a smile, curled up notably close to Peter on the thick pile rug.

"So do you two have any announcements, Peter?" Ed asked. Claire glanced at him.

"Announcements, Sir?" Peter handed Daisy the cookie, and Ed noticed he maintained the physical contact with her hand as long as possible when he did it.

"You two look like you're ready to propose to one another, and I wondered if I should practice my rice throwing." Ed said innocently. Everyone started laughing, with Arthur laughing the loudest. Daisy gave a little giggle and Peter blushed to the roots of his short, overly brilliantined hair.

"Really, Sir. We just met one another." Peter chewed an already ragged cuticle. Daisy blushed.

"I'm always available to perform marriages at St. Stevens on a moment's notice," Angel offered. "I do emergency weddings when the couple don't seem to be able to keep their hands off one another." Angel winked.

"Honestly, Reverend!" Peter protested. Angel grinned. Ed pressed his lips together and spilled a few drops of coffee from the mere effort to keep from laughing. Claire was in giggles next to him.

"Stanley, now stop pushing the boy. He's a perfect gentleman. He'll ask Arthur for Arthur's daughter's hand in marriage in due time." Frances said. Angel cackled at Frances while Peter stuttered and Daisy nearly choked on her cookie from laughing.

"What are your attentions toward my daughter?" Arthur asked, hands on hips. Everyone broke up laughing. The doorbell rang. Angel got up to answer it. Alec, Lily, Yetunde, and Reg stood on the doorstep. Angel beckoned them into the entrance hall and closed the door behind them.

"Hi Angel, sorry we're so late, Yetunde and I had to make a stop at Mayland to get Reg looked at. Lily you know, and this is my Dad, Reginald Freeman."

Angel bent to shake hands with Reg.

"How do you do, Sir? I'm Reverend Stanley Brisby, most people call me Angel. I can see where Alec gets his dashing good looks."

"Glad to meet you, I'm sure. Now can a man get some scotch on a cold day?" Reg asked.

"One track mind, like his son," Yetunde said, cradling Ayomide in her arms. Ayomide had a little red velvet, white rabbit fur trimmed coat on, a red velvet dress, white tights and shiny little black shoes. She seemed determined to eat her thumb. Alec was wearing a brown business suit, Oxford shirt and blue necktie. Alec grinned at Yetunde. Yetunde was wearing a short, gold mesh over white silk cocktail dress and gold heels. Diamonds glittered in her ears and on her wrist.

"Lovely to see you again, Lily. Pretty dress that is. Happy Christmas. May the Lord God bless you and everyone else in this holy season," Angel said. Lily was in a tight but fairly conservative flower-print nylon dress. She made it plain that she didn't like being upstaged by what Yetunde was wearing. She had privately complained to Alec that even his baby Ayomide had something stylish to wear, and couldn't he stop somewhere and buy her a suitable dress to see her adorable, sexy Ed in? Alec had merely grinned.

"I had to get all the dust off of it, she had it buried way back in her wardrobe, Angel," Alec teased. Lily ignored him.

"I am surprised you insist on still believing in your silly white haired male God in the sky, Angel." Lily announced, looking around eagerly. She had oohed and ahhed as they had driven through the enormous gates, after being cleared through by the security team at their posts. "Anyone with half a brain knows that it is Winter Solstice, when we revere the Goddess even more."

"Anyone with half a brain would also know that there is more than one way to celebrate Yuletide," Yetunde said haughtily. "In my country, we say E ku odun, e ku iye'dun and we celebrate Olorun's power over all. Some of my sisters and brothers celebrate Kwanzaa and we honor the Nguzo Saba, the seven principles. We do not mock any other faith, for in truth we are all equal." Little Ayomide cooed to herself as if in agreement with her mommie. Alec grinned at her.

"You lovely ladies are all the way into the house and we're having world war three. Hang up your things and come inside. We're all getting ready to drive to Westonbirt to get a tree, but first we're going to do some Christmas shopping together, and get some decorations. Come in, come in." Angel said.

"ED! It is your Lily, are you happy to see me?" Ed stood as Lily came bursting into his arms to greet him with a hug.

"My God, you're blonde now," Ed gasped.

"I should have warned you, Ed," laughed Alec. Ed grinned at him.

"I am much more sexy for you now." Lily snaked her arms around the Shado commander, slowly down his back and settled them provocatively on his buttocks. Ed took a step back, face impassive. He gave her a look of cold steel.

"Lily, I don't mind you giving me a friendly Christmas hug to say hello. I do, however, mind you molesting me. I'm engaged to be married." Ed peeled her arms off him and moved away. Lily pouted. "This is Lily Marsh, an old acquaintance of mine. Lily, this is Arthur King, and his daughter Daisy, new friends of mine. That's Peter Evers, my bodyguard, with her. Angel you already know. And that's Gil Grissom, he's a crime scene investigator from Las Vegas in the States. His speciality is entomology, he studies bugs. How do you do, Mr. Freeman, I'm Ed Straker, call me Ed. I'm very glad to meet you. I'm so glad Alec found you just in time for the season." Ed smiled warmly at Reg and they shook hands.

"Do you think I could have a scotch?" Reg asked. Ed chuckled a little.

"What about a spot of brandy in coffee? Sound good?"

"Sounds real good, Fred."

"That's Ed." laughed Ed, and went out for a moment and came back with the tray of spirits. He fixed the drink for Reg and presented it to him, along with some cookies.

"Least he calls you something that sounds like your name. I've been Derek all day." winked Alec.

"I was Ed's lover, you know. The best he ever had in bed. I am a daughter of the Goddess, a witch, I know these things. Where is your boring homely new girlfriend, my Ed?" Lily suddenly said.

The onlookers gave Lily a selection of different reactions, ranging from disgust, shock, and disbelief to mild amusement. Ed's displeasure was obvious. When he spoke again, his distinctive voice was rigid, his anger almost electric in its intensity.

"Lily, I invited you here to Silk Wood Manor in the spirit of the season. I can just as easily throw you out and make you walk home in the cold if you start insulting people and speaking out of turn."

"Oh you would not do that to me, my adorable Ed."

"Try me," Ed said simply. Peter Evers, who had stood up with they came in, walked over by Ed's side.

"Just say the word, Sir. I'd be pleased to throw her out," Peter said. Ed nodded curtly. Lily stared at Peter and Peter stared back.

"Well, Marsh?" Ed snapped. Alec even found himself cringing at the tone Ed used. He was all too familiar with the voice of a displeased Commander of Shado. Ed might have been dressed casually, but Alec could imagine Ed in his customary white Nehru all of a sudden, blue eyes full of rage.

Lily swallowed.

"I will be good."

"That'll be the day," muttered Yetunde under her breath. Lily shot her an evil look. Alec grinned in appreciation and took Ayomide in his arms.

"So where is the woman you are marrying, my adorable Ed?" Lily said, not caring a whit.

"Upstairs with Frances." Ed relaxed a little. "Claire said she wanted Frances to help French braid her hair, but I suspect it has more to do with Christmas presents." Ed allowed himself a smile the diameter of a Christmas snowflake.

"Women, Ed son. Can't trust them. Can't live with them, can't live without them," Angel said with a smile.

"Amen," chuckled Ed as Alec and Yetunde helped themselves to cookies.

Lily seemed to discover Gil for the first time. He studied her back. She maneuvered him into the entrance hall.

"At least my Ed has some very attractive friends. So you are from the States? I once went with my Ed to Washington to look for his friend from the war."

"Do you know that hair color is the exact shade I saw on a corpse a couple of months ago? Two gunshot wounds to the breast and two to the face," Gil said in a conversational tone. "Messy. Her boyfriend, who had been treated for mental health problems, had dyed her hair before he shot her in the face, in a very bizarre attempt to disguise her identity even more, and then when we traced his whereabouts he claimed he hadn't seen her for years. Didn't take us long to get him charged and locked up. Not only had he violated parole after being released on a drug charge, he happened to have had an allergy to a chemical in the dye, and had a nasty rash all over his hands from the solution dripping down the gloves provided in the dye kit. We found his prints everywhere at her apartment. Like that wasn't enough, we proved he had an allergy, and we were able to match the DNA on a couple of hairs she'd pulled out of his head during their argument, which were locked into her hand when she died. We also matched the bullets we took out of her to his gun, we proved he'd washed her blood off in his bathtub. Some cases are so easy you can solve them in your sleep. Not a pretty case, though. Same shade of blonde. Small world, isn't it?"

Lily had slowly turned a tad green and backed away from him. She bumped into Ed, who had been secretly listening with amusement, knowing Gil was doing a number on her. Ed handed her a brandy, and she gulped it down. Gil winked at Ed and Ed chuckled.

* * *

Frances was jotting down on her pad the sizes of various pieces of Ed's clothing in the spacious oak wardrobe in his master bedroom, especially the few sweaters he owned.

"Thank heaven we thought of sneaking up here. I'm going to get Edward some lovely shirts, and if I start it soon, I'll be able to knit him a sweater. I found the most wonderful pattern on the Internet. I think cream, tan and blue, he seems to like those colours. They suit him, too."

"Oh he loves them, Frances! I'm going to get him a new wallet, I know that. He's carried that thing he has now since the wheel was invented." Claire chuckled. "And he really seems to like fine pieces of glass. I saw the most wonderful piece in a catalogue, and I ordered it. They promised me they'd get it to me in time. Can you suggest anything else?" Claire chewed on her pencil and studied her gift list.

"I'm going to have my friend who works every year at St. Stephens' Christmas bazaar make another bottle of cologne for him since he actually wore the scent I gave him. She does it by hand, she's marvelous. I hardly buy perfumes in the shops now, I just bring her petals from the flowers in my garden, and she turns them into the most wonderful scents."

"Oh, I don't know, Frances, I don't know if that's wise! I already can't keep my head from spinning whenever he wears it now. I may not be able to keep my hands off him." Claire laughed.

"You seem so happy, dear. Edward looks so rested and content. That terrible look of pain isn't in his eyes. I'm so glad that Rose Mela insisted he take time off. He really needed it. This hasn't been the greatest year for any of us, least of all Edward. He loves you a great deal, and it shows. If it isn't too forward of me, have you and he--well, you know." Frances said shyly.

Claire sat on the edge of the bed and smiled.

"Frances, no we haven't. Can I tell you a secret?"

"Certainly my dear." Frances sat next to her and took her hand. Claire took a deep breath and let it out. Frances waited.

"Tonight, Frances. I'm going to go to him tonight. He sleeps alone usually, and he hasn't come to me although I know we've both wanted to. Tonight I've decided to be his. I only hope with all my heart that I'm not a disappointment to him. I'm a little scared, but I keep telling myself its Edward, and if I hold on to that, I know I won't think it'll be like what happened with Ian."

Frances hugged her, and both women wept a little in silence. Frances swept away the tears from Claire's cheek.

"How could you think that you will be a disappointment to him? Edward is one of the dearest, kindest, most wonderful souls I have ever known and he adores you. Both Stanley and I love him very much, and it was easy to love you too. I promise you, it will be a beautiful experience for the both of you, and tonight the two of you will be in my heart and in my prayers. May I tell you a secret now, Claire?"

"I'm listening." Claire said, her hand linked with the older woman's.

"I was scared on the night of my wedding. My mother had told me that it would be horribly painful, but that all women had to go through it and obey their husbands in everything. She was terribly backward, I'm afraid. Quentin did his best to help me, and after a dozen glasses of wine the terrible deed was over. It didn't hurt as much as Mother said but I couldn't help being disappointed when he just got off me, said good night and that he loved me and went to sleep. I'd always read romance novels, I still do, Claire, and that night was nothing like anything I'd read. I soon learned that although Quentin loved me in his own way, he loved war more. God forgive me in His great mercy He shows to all His children, but I didn't grieve very much when Stanley came and told me gently as he could Quentin was dead. I think Quentin had wanted a hero's death more than he had wanted me so in a strange way I was happy for him. And I know I was a disappointment to him because I miscarried our only child and bled nearly to death and doctors told Quentin in order to save my life, they had to operate on me, and it left me barren."

"Oh my God, Frances. I mean, I wondered why you and Angel never had children--oh my God. I'm so sorry." Claire hugged her and the both of them wept again.

"Claire, dearest, don't be sorry for me. Because Stanley and I fell deeply in love at first sight, and we married quietly in the little church in Australia where he served God and dreamed of having his very own parish. Claire, believe me. I don't exaggerate in the least when I tell you that my wedding night with Stanley was one of the most memorable nights of my life. He was incredibly loving, and funny, and passionate, and shy, and thoughtful, patient and caring. I wish I had the talent and could write like those romance novelists because I was truly living one of their stories and I'd like to share our love with the world. And every night after that was the same. It never changed. To this day most of my nights with Stanley are like that. God has blessed us both." Frances smiled.

"That's such a wonderful, wonderful story. Edward and I admire you both so much. Edward was asking me if I thought we'd wind up like you two, old marrieds. He asked me if I thought that would be the way we were as an old married couple when we get to that age. He said you two were old and sassy," chuckled Claire.

Frances laughed.

"We are, believe me. We have really enjoyable fights for the fun of it. Stanley is the jealous type, and sometimes just to get his spine up I'll remark that one of the younger single male parishioners is terribly attractive. The same thing always happens. He pouts all day. Then at night I tell him I did it just to make him react, and we have a pillow fight. I always let him win." Frances giggled.

"Oh Frances, that's not very Christian of you!" Claire chortled.

"I know dear! I know! Lord forgive me, but we both enjoy the game so much!" laughed Frances. "Anyway, Claire dear, you will be with Edward as long as Stanley and I have been together. I just know it in my heart of hearts when I see you together."

"Frances, that's what I want, to give him that lasting love, to give him that constant to come home to after doing his terrible job. Carrying the security of the world on your shoulders for years, and never once getting a thank you or any recognition even though you sacrificed so much for so long for the sake of the job. Can you imagine the terrible isolation, Frances? The loneliness? And when he's given his heart, he's always suffered for it. He was so afraid to love me. There's probably some part of him that thinks history will repeat itself. But he has nothing to fear, Frances. I intend to go to my grave his wife. I guess I'm a bit old fashioned, Frances. Marriage to me means always and forever. I love him, I adore him. I'd do anything for him. I only wish I could give him a son or daughter. He'll always have that heartache, that loss. You know, he invited Lily here, and she hurt him so much, but he forgave her. That's the kind of man he is. I just don't understand how she could do it. I just have to remember I owe her a debt, because she helped him with the business about his friend who died at that camp. Knowing that helps me to forgive her too. Yetunde and Alec told me all about it one day."

"Don't let her get to you, Claire. Ignore anything she says. She's a strange sort," Frances declared. "I know Edward has a big heart and didn't want her to be alone, but I can't help resenting her, and Margaret, and Mary, and women like them. I can't understand having love for a little while and then tossing the man out like a soiled handkerchief. Just don't let her get to you."

"Last time I saw her, I lost my temper because Edward was so sick and she came waltzing in like she never left. But this time, for Edward's sake, I'm going to try and be her friend."

"We better go downstairs dear, it's getting late, and we have oodles of Christmas shopping to do. But first, I'm going to insist Edward stop at our house. There's something I want to give you for luck. Something very special to me that ordinarily I'd pass on to my own daughter as a tradition when she chose a husband, but since I have no child, I'd like for you to have it, I absolutely insist that you have it."

"Oh Frances. You've already given me so much." Claire smiled. "What is it?"

"My ivory nightgown, which was part of my trousseau and his wedding gift to me when I married Stanley. It's made of the most wonderful English-made silk with the delicate and palest pink soutache and sumptuous lace, with real seed pearls trimming the sweetheart neckline. I wore it on my wedding night, on the night that Stanley and I gave our bodies to one another for the first time in the way we'd already given one another our hearts. I want for you to be wearing it when you go to Edward for the first time, as if you were my flesh and blood daughter. I know you'll look beautiful in it."

Claire sobbed brokenly and couldn't bring herself to say anything. She hugged Frances. Frances smiled, tearful herself and held the younger woman gently, and they rocked together for a time. The tears eventually stopped and they just held one another in a caring that needed no words.

After a while, a beloved and familiar voice shouted to them from the foot of the stairs.

"Hey! How long can a French braid take? We need to go shopping! Why is it taking so long? Claire isn't Rapunzel!"

Claire and Frances giggled at Ed's comment.

"We'll be right down, Edward, don't get your knickers in a twist, dear," Frances yelled.

Claire giggled at Frances.

"Five minutes or we're going without you!" Ed yelled back.

"Oh my, quick! I have to actually braid your hair!"

"Oh no! Hurry! Although I think Edward probably knows what we're up to anyway," chuckled Claire.

"Claire, does Edward know what a French braid looks like?"

"I think so, Yetunde wears her hair like that and she was talking about it in front of him once. Why?"

"Now we're really in trouble," Frances said in mock woe.

"What?"

"I don't know how to do a French braid!"

The two women collapsed on the bed in shared laughter.

Ed Straker, who had crept up the stairs in his stockings after he'd shouted, holding his boots in one hand and his cane in another, and was inches away from the half open door to the master bedroom, surreptitiously listening to them, warmly smiled.

* * *

It was a carefully orchestrated plan by Ed Straker that entailed a parade of cars traveling into London. A few of them rode in the Brisby's station wagon, including Angel and Frances and Ed and Claire. Alec, Reg and Yetunde and Ayomide, Gil and Daisy and Lily and Peter all stuffed were in Peter's Land Rover. Frances and Peter were the drivers.

Ed had frightened Claire by having a brief but serious bout of vertigo, so he decided not to take the wheel. Naturally he had dismissed her worry, and decided to distract her in the best way he knew how. He figured it was his due, since he hadn't said a word about the fact he'd noticed her hair was in a French twist, not a French braid.

"Dashing through the snow-" Ed sang and then tapped Claire. Claire rolled her eyes resignedly.

"In a one-horse open sleigh-" and Claire tapped Frances.

"Over the fields we go-" and Frances tapped Angel.

"Laughing all the way-" Angel sang in the voice that had given him his nickname.

"Angel I had no idea you sang so well." Claire exclaimed.

"That's right, you've never heard Angel. How about a few stanzas from O Holy Night to really show Claire what you can do?" Ed suggested.

* * *

"Oh please do, I love that carol," urged Claire.

"Save it for tonight, Stanley, I always cry when you sing that, and sobbing while trying to drive is not a good idea." Frances said firmly.

"Party pooper." Angel chuckled. Ed and Claire grinned. Ed broke into song again.

"God rest ye merry gentleman, ye nothing you dismay-."

"Ed son, you sing like you're giving birth to Satan's spawn," remarked Angel.

Both Claire and Frances assaulted him for that one.

"Stanley!"

"Angel!"

Ed feigned being terribly hurt and buried his head on Claire's shoulder. Claire chuckled and he raised his head and grinned and winked at her.

"Now look what you've done, you've hurt his feelings and spoiled Edward's Christmas." Claire hit Angel on the shoulder and Frances chortled.

"Hit him harder, Claire, the Good Lord knows he needs it." Frances declared.

* * *

"What do you mean you didn't know there's a Aussie version of Jingle Bells, Gil?" Alec wanted to know. Alec broke out in song. "Dash-ing through the bush in a rus-ty hol-den ute kick-ing up the dust, es-ky in the boot kel-pie by my side, sing-ing Christ-mas songs sum-mer-time and I am in my sing-let shorts and thongs!"

They laughed at Alec. Yetunde rolled her eyes.

"Ah ah ah. Oh Olorun help us, and protect our ears." Yetunde prayed. Alec stared at her and Gil laughed. Ayomide sat merrily gurgling all over her coat in her Daddy's lap until Alec gave her a bottle at Yetunde's urging. Lily was on Alec's left, and carefully watched the strange being called a baby. It was the closest Lily had gotten to one.

"Oloron is a inferior god. Why do you not call upon Oya?" Lily asked.

"What do you know of Oya?" Yetunde scoffed.

"What do you know of anything? I am the daughter of the goddess, and we worship the goddess in all her manifestations. Oya is a name. As Mary is a name. As Iris is a name. It makes no difference. The Goddess is the Great Mother and all women are her daughters and all men are her sons."

"Lily, are you really a witch like you say?" Daisy asked, awed.

"Of course."

"Do you do spells?"

"You do not need a love spell. One does not have to have the Sight to see such a thing," Lily grinned.

"What? Wait a minute! You mustn't talk about spells! It's the devil's work." Peter crossed himself quickly as he drove.

"Another foolish Christian male. Was this what you wanted to know?" Lily asked matter-of-factly.

Daisy was furiously blushing.

"I wanted to know about my horse. I wanted to know if she'd win."

"I would have to stand within her aura, I cannot tell with great certainty. Give me your hand."

"Perhaps I should ask if I will finally have a grandchild," chuckled Arthur.

Lily paused, Daisy's hand in hers.

"I see joy around you, passion. I see a woman coming into your life that will be of much importance. This woman is more of the earth than she is any other element. I can look no more."

"I see the signpost," Gil chuckled. Lily scowled at him.

"I see death around you."

"Now there's a great revelation if I ever heard one. Did you forget what I do for a living?"

"There will be two deaths before the next dawn. Suffering. Suffering that will touch you. Mark what I have said." Lily intoned. "Only one will go happily into the Summerland, the place beyond this world. One will hover, be blessed and return. A person of great power, one chosen by the Goddess. "

"That's enough of that superstitious rubbish. This is a Holy Season. Be quiet," Peter said irritably.

"Oh hush, boy. Magic is older than Christianity, and any Irish boy worth his salt knows a fairy when he sees one. I always said my Deidre was a fairy," Arthur chuckled.

"I've seen several fairies after several bourbons," Alec put in. They laughed at him, even Lily chuckled a little.

"I will fashion a fairy for you, my sister, tonight when I buy presents I will buy the herbs and fabrics and ritual tools I need. I have not had need to make such a thing of power for many passings of time, but for you I will do this. Alas, my skill is not what it was, but I feel you are beloved of the Goddess and she protects her own, and will guide my hand."

"If Daisy's so beloved of the Goddess then why did your damned Goddess take her sight?" Peter snapped. Silence suddenly descended in the battered Range Rover.

"Peter!" Daisy gasped. Lily's voice took on a strange aspect, and something prickled at the back of Alec's neck which he tried to ignore. It was probably only the fact he hadn't had a decent drink in several hours, he told himself. But even Yetunde was suddenly listening intently to Lily.

"If he was not blinded by his grief, he would know. When the Goddess does her work in that way she has great purpose, when she takes away, she gives back in far more measure. Daisy sees more than you do, foolish man. She is one with the horse's spirit, with its soul. Animals do not speak to all, only the very special. Could you be in control of a she-beast that weighs in excess of half a ton, could squash you or kick you to death, could throw you off their back at a gallop, causing you to crash into the ground at several miles an hour without your pitiful whip and saddles? Daisy is one with all nature, when the horse speaks only she hears. Do you not know love is a power that knows no boundaries, and eyes need no sight to see? When you laid eyes on Daisy did you not listen to your heart and not your head? You have much to learn, foolish man. It is not I who will teach you." Lily shrugged. "Learn or do not learn. I tell you only this, that the Goddess has blessed Daisy and you are the one that has lost your sight, not she."

"Well, well, well," Arthur said. "You'd be wise to listen to this woman."

"I think we better go back to singing Christmas carols," suggested Gil, not at all impressed by Lily. "Why don't you sing one, Miss Marsh? Are there witch's Christmas carols or do you types sing Christmas songs at all?"

Lily glared at him for a moment. She then started to sing in a surprisingly good voice.

"Crystal light, the dragon's might, pulling down the silver light. Hallowed glen, we move again, the Solstice is tonight. Hear Diana, voices calling, on this longest night. We are one in fairy glen, within the silver light. Dragon pow'r and fairy flower, magic in the air. Old and new are one with you a single thought they share. Mistletoe, the herbs that grow, and crystals from the earth, show the ways to elder days, upon the ancient earth. "

Peter crossed himself.

* * *

Ed Straker, who had been shopping for hours with Angel, whipped out his cell phone, doing his best not to be a casualty in Harrods lingerie department. He finally located a fairly safe corner not to be trampled in, or bothered, or having the newest cologne sprayed on him. He was safe.

Or so he thought. Angel grinned as someone went right past Angel and up to Ed.

"Pardon, but can you tell me where first brassieres are so I can buy one for my daughter? She's got such teeny little breasts. Little budding nipples like the first flowers of spring. Do you garden? You look like someone who gardens. Gardening is so lovely, isn't it?" The woman babbled on.

"Uh, uh . . sorry, I'm not a Harrod's shop assistant." Claire, answer the phone, Claire. Answer the phone. Please answer the phone. I knew I should never have left you go off with Lily and Daisy. I can see it now, Lily stabbed you with her althame, that's why you can't answer. Ed gave Angel a desperate look. Angel just grinned.

"Ed son, this is what you get for insisting on not shopping with Peter following you around." Angel, who had disgusted Ed by announcing he'd already done all his Christmas shopping already in late November, was carrying all Ed's shopping bags, and acting as a rather dubious looking bodyguard. Both Claire and Peter had objected loudly when Ed had announced he intended to shop alone, and so Ed had compromised, saying he'd go with Angel.

The woman babbled on.

"Shut up Angel. CLAIRE! Thank God! Why in the blazes did it take you so long to answer? What? Lily had an argument with whom? The shop assistant? I can hardly hear you over this damn Christmas music. Where are you? Fabric store? What? Yes. I am. Just one more shop to go to, thank God. Yes. God. Ten more minutes. I swear I'm going to start drinking again. Heavily. Hmmm? No, no, believe me, if the tree place is closed, I'm breaking in and chopping down the biggest one I see. Okay. Right. Ten minutes. I love you, in case I never get out of here."

The woman babbled on.

"Come on, Angel. We're off to Garrard's, tell Frances to have the car waiting. Thank God this season's almost over. Rose Mela wanted me not to be stressed this month?"

The woman babbled on. She was still babbling several minutes later when she finally noticed they'd gone, smiled, and wandered off.

* * *

Frances was chuckling as she drove to Garrard and Asprey's jewelers. Ed was sitting exhaustedly in the back of the car, checking to make sure he'd gotten everything he'd listed in his Filofax.

"Cupcake, what are you laughing for?"

"Claire rang me and told me Lily wanted to buy some velvet at a shop to make a little doll for Daisy. So she found a bolt of red velvet and she told the shop assistant she wanted a small piece, and was told they don't cut a piece that small, and she should go look in the bin where they had bits and pieces and swatches left over from bolts that already had been cut. Naturally Lily said had she wanted to look in there, she would already have done. She wanted a handkerchief sized piece off that expensive bolt, and she wanted it now."

"Lily always was a great diplomat. So what happened?" Ed asked, amused.

"Well she kept arguing with the shop assistant, and they called the manager over, and the manager threatened to call the police. So Claire wound up buying the entire bolt, and everything else Lily wanted. Seems Lily didn't even have enough money to pay for the skein of yarn she wanted. "

Ed rolled his eyes and chuckled.

"There goes her Christmas money."

"Well she explained it can go under the tree as a beautiful tree skirt." smiled Frances.

"Why isn't she making a doll for Ayomide as well? Lily's an excellent seamstress, she's talented at crafts, makes her own candles and that sort of thing." commented Ed.

"Claire said Lily's making some sort of special magical little fairy doll for Daisy."

"WHAT?"

"What's wrong, Q-tip?" Angel asked.

,

"Too long a story. Did Claire say what Daisy wanted the doll for?"

"Something about her horse."

"I better have a talk with Daisy about how dangerous those dolls are."

"Oh come on Edward, you don't seriously believe in her magic, do you?"

"You'd be surprised. Well now that's odd, Garrard looks like its closed."

"Oh dear Edward, it is closed. Closed Thursdays."

"Nooooooo, it can't be, I wanted to get something for Claire I saw in their catalog."

"Well, there's a good week left before Christmas, Ed son."

"I intended for her to open it tonight. Frances, find me a jewelry shop. Quick. We have three minutes left until we all are supposed to meet."

"Edward, just tell them you need a little more time to shop. Besides, what is so special about tonight?"

Ed took out his cell phone and made the call, and then smiled.

"You know Rose Mela told me to take my time about approaching Claire to make love to her. And although Claire doesn't know it, I have our appointment for our wedding all set. 27th December at the Hare and Hounds Hotel in the Silkwood room on the ground floor, and we'll have our wedding reception at Silk Wood Manor."

"Oh how lovely, how many guests are you planning, so I can start planning the meals?"

"No, Frances," Ed replied simply. "I'm having it catered."

"Why?" lamented Frances. "You always say you love my cooking."

"I do and you know it. I just decided for once you're going to sit back and relax and enjoy yourself." Ed smiled.

Frances Brisby did not seem grateful and did something Ed did not expect. She started sobbing.

"Frances, now don't go and cry on me--FRANCES! LOOK OUT!" Ed screamed.

Frances quickly pulled the steering wheel around with all her might and the tyres squealed as she narrowly missed hitting oncoming cars. She pulled over and parked by the side of the road with angry honking from other drivers echoing in her ears as they sped past her. She sat there, bent over the steering wheel, sobbing.

"My God, you nearly killed us all," Angel gasped. "Ed are you all right? Thank the Lord we all had our harnesses on."

"I think my stomach is back at that intersection, but yes, yes, I'm fine. Frances, are you all right?"

Frances raised her head, trembling, and turned around and looked Ed in the eyes.

"Edward Straker, if you do not let me prepare the food for the reception, and make the wedding cake, as God is my witness, I shall never speak a word to you again."

"Frances, for heaven's sake...oh all right, if you're going to give me an ultimatum, fine, fine, fine. You can bake us a wedding cake and cook for the reception. You win. Now do you think we can find a jewelry store before the tree lot closes? I don't want to break Claire's heart and tell her we can't get our tree tonight." Ed explained. "And is it possible we can do that without killing ourselves in the process?"

Frances beamed and started the engine up again.

Ed fanned himself with a brightly wrapped package.

"Women!" Angel said with a grin.

"Can't live with them, can't live without them, and you certainly can't get married without letting them cater your reception," Ed complained.

"Amen." Frances said primly, looking satisfied and smug.

Both Ed and Angel dissolved into laughter.

* * *

"Tree stand! Who bought the tree stand?" Ed demanded. Gil tapped him on the shoulder, Ed swirled around and sighed with relief.

"Now the trick will be to assemble that damned thing," Yetunde complained.

"No, Gil here was smart enough to get a new fangled one. Easy to keep the tree watered, easy to get the tree standing up straight." Arthur said.

"Good. I bought four or five Balsam Fir wreaths, we even have one for the outside of Wrong Way's stall." Ed suddenly frowned, squeezed his eyes shut and leaned on his cane. Claire spotted it and grabbed his arm. He opened his eyes and forced a smile. "Watching me, were you?"

"Dizzy again?" she whispered.

"Yeah, help me, would you? Bad dizzy spell. Got too worked up, I guess. Play it down, Claire, I don't want to alarm anyone," he whispered back.

"Too late, Edward." she smiled, and kissed his forehead gently. Claire helped Ed remove his Barbour jacket and she shooed him, protesting all the way, into his favourite forest green leather wingchair in the sitting room. She pulled up the footstool and dropped his feet on them, pulled off his ankle boots and ignored his mutterings about hating being fussed over when he was sick. Frances appeared out of nowhere and put a mug of eggnog in his hand. The mug was cobalt blue with gold stars and trumpets and angels on it. It had an actual gold tassel dangling from its handle.

"New cups, Spencer?" Ed inspected it. He looked like the vertigo had finally passed, and he leaned back comfortably, crossing his feet at the ankles.

"New holiday stemware, too, Straker." Claire announced happily.

"Did you-" Ed said to Frances, peering at his drink.

"Of course, Edward, extra nutmeg, whipped creme and a pinch of cinnamon, just how you like it. " Frances assured him.

"Women." Ed said playfully. "Mind readers, all of them. " He made no effort to conceal his boyish grin. Gil and Peter carried the tree in. Frances frowned at the needles that fell on the carpet, as they maneuvered it inside the drawing room. "Easy, Frances, don't get your knickers in a twist. Two of my favourite traditions of Christmas. Tradition A: Needles everywhere but on the tree, and Tradition B: at least one Christmas ornament falls off and breaks before it even has been hanging on the tree for a good ten seconds." Ed confessed.

Daisy chuckled at Ed, and accepted the eggnog Frances put into her hand.

"We'll get the cookies out here in a bit. So much to do! We need to start stringing the popcorn and cranberries and hang them up on the trees in the garden for the birds, and we'll do one for our tree. We need to alternate the cranberries and popcorn, and string the cranberries tightly together, they tend to shrivel. Where's Lily, I want to cut her piece of fabric for her, and then start making the tree skirt. I got the most gorgeous brocade trim for the red velvet! Frances, you okay in the kitchen?" Claire shouted. Ed grinned at her, she looked like one of the animated figures he'd seen in the Christmas displays in store windows.

"Fine, Claire, Yetunde's helping me. I saw Lily go upstairs, she asked me about a sewing machine, and I assured her I gave you my old one, and she was welcome to use it." Frances yelled.

"Now that's interesting, giving away our sewing machine like that," Angel yelled in response. Ed watched them contentedly. It was almost like watching a Harlington-Straker film on telly. All he needed was the remote control.

"Father Christmas told me I was getting a new computerised one this year, Stanley," Frances yelled.

"Likely story. She probably peeked at her packages, the way she's done come every Christmas." Angel chuckled. " She knows my hiding places."

"I told you they read minds," Ed agreed. Claire grinned at him.

"Oh good, I'll go find her," she said.

"Don't stay away too long, beautiful." Ed smiled. Claire kissed him then scrambled out and up the stairs. This kind of happiness has to be illegal, Ed thought serenely. He wiggled his toes in his argyle-patterned socks, and stretched his legs out comfortably.

Angel was helping the men lower the tree into the stand. Arthur was on the loveseat, playing with Ayomide, and she seemed intent on chewing on his thumb. Maybe it was a sign she liked Irish food, Ed thought in amusement

"How's that, Q-tip?"

"Q-tip?" Daisy asked from where she was contentedly curled up near Ed's chair, not far from the fireplace. Alec was relighting the logs and tending the fire, and it soon blazed perfectly. He pushed the gold grille into place, and put the poker back into its stand.

"Old nickname. Long story, Daisy. A little to the left. There!" Ed said. He grinned at Reg, who waltzed by in his wheelchair, gin and tonic in hand and corned beef sandwich in lap, and generous stain of mustard on lip.

"That's a beaut tree, Fred," Reg pronounced, and bit into his sandwich with glee. Ed feared that his dentures might wind up on the carpet with the needles, but apparently Alec had bought his father better dental adhesive somewhere along the way. Ed also realised he was hungry, and that sandwich, heaped with fillings, as befitted Frances' sandwiches, looked damn delicious. Ed sipped his eggnog, wondering if he was going to get fed any time soon.

"We haven't even got the lights on it, but yes, it's a beautiful Balsam Fir."

"Where do you want the wreaths, Ed?" asked Alec.

"One in here above the mantelpiece I think. One on the main door. One on those blasted listed gates, the largest one. One for Wrong Way's paddock. One for the servants' rooms."

"We ought to get Nate and Carmella over here, we need help if we're going to get all this done before supper tonight. Dad, use your napkin, you're dripping mustard and lettuce and the devil knows what else. Ed, I think I'll ring them up, see if they want to come over?"

"Sure, we can have a tree trimming party. If they haven't killed one another yet, that is."

"Damn, stupid cell phone battery's run down on my cell phone. Lend me yours, Ed."

"In my Barbour. Miss Neat and Tidy Spencer hung it in the entrance hall closet or back on the coat rack."

"Right."

Frances brought a tray of more sandwiches out. She put a plate in Ed's lap.

"ESP again, Frances. I was watching Reginald and realised I was starving." Ed chuckled.

"Claire told me to make sure you got extra dill pickle."

"I practically lived on them at Boston University after I moved out of our house and into a dorm. I confess I have a passion for them."

"You and Claire have plenty of cucumbers in the greenhouse, I'll show you how to make your own. Claire not back down yet? I want to make sure she eats, or she'll wear herself out."

"I keep thinking Lily is going to change Claire into a white mouse or something." Ed took a liberal bite out of the sandwich. " Good sweet Christ, this is absolutely delicious. Heaven."

"This from the man that nearly got us all killed for foolishly wanting to have strangers do his catering. Claire and Lily got along well, actually. I think it all but knocked Lily for a loop, Claire wanting to be friends with her."

"Not exactly like Margaret, is she? Maggie wouldn't have allowed Lily into this house, let alone buy her any fabric," Ed said softly.

"Maggie would have been right," Frances said firmly. "I can't forget what Lily did to you. But then that Fielding woman did the same thing, didn't she."

"Bad memories, Frances. Tonight is a night to follow traditions and make good memories. "

"Sometimes you're a better Christian then I am, Edward, reluctant as I am to admit it."

"Lily's a decent sort."

"I asked Lily if I could study Wicca under her and she said Peter would never stand for it, but she would let me," Daisy spoke up.

"Oh dearest, you're so quiet, I almost forgot you were there. I have fresh sandwiches on a tray. Corned beef on thick home made rye bread. Rye is Stanley's favourite bread for me for make and Edward likes it too, so I brought several loaves for Claire to freeze."

"Thank you, Frances, as you can see, I'm not helpless. I found one." Daisy smiled.

"Horse woman sensibly has the nose of a horse. Smelled them, followed her nose and dived in. I take it Wrong Way got her oats and hay and her mints?" Ed chuckled.

"I made Peter get Wrong Way her food before he did anything else. Peter's very good with her."

"Are you serious about becoming a witch, Daisy? Isn't Arthur Catholic?"

"Yes Frances, but he loves the Irish legends and he wouldn't blink an eyelash if I decided to do what I wanted. He's always been supportive of me that way. He calls me his fairy. Bought me a necklace of one. She's holding a four-leaf clover, see? " Daisy felt for the pendant under her sweater and held it up.

"Very pretty." Frances said. Ed studied the pendant.

"I'm going to go take a walk in the garden. I'm only in the way here, let Claire know where I am, all right?"

"Something wrong, Edward? You shouldn't be out there in this cold. I'll get your jacket."

Ed had already wandered out with his eggnog and cane, leaving his sandwich on his armchair. Frances was about to go upstairs to alert Claire but she heard Yetunde shriek, something about popcorn bursting all over the kitchen, so instead she forgot Claire and Ed for the moment and hurried in, nearly bumping into Reg in his wheelchair, who was on his second sandwich, and fourth gin and tonic, and his seventh heaven. Alec had pinned holly on Rag's wheelchair, she noticed.

* * *

"Stupid machine. Male spirit inhabiting this machine, mark my words. The needle's snapped twice now." Lily fumed, and opened the packet of new sewing machine needles.

"Lily, you don't need to do the trim for the tree skirt, you need to work on that doll for Daisy."

"The doll must be hand sewn to the last stitch. I would not use this evil thing to make it," Lily grumbled. "I must do everything, that is why you cannot cut the velvet for me. "

"Then why were you going to allow that fabric woman to do it?" Claire said, preoccupied. Claire looked baffled by something, and her attention was drawn by something not in the room. She stared into space.

"I would have used crystals to cleanse it from her rotten energies and then cut it again myself. Is something wrong?"

"Edward." Claire fretted. "Lily, will you be all right up here alone for a minute? What-what are you doing?" Lily had stood up and extended her hands, palms out, toward Claire, concentrating.

"You have the Sight. I suspected it, but was not sure. Give me your hand."

"Lily, I don't have time for this right now. Ed may have collapsed again."

"Look closer. Close your eyes, and see Edward in your mind."

Almost against her will, Claire closed her eyes.

"I see him. Walking somewhere. The garden, yes, the lavender bushes. Sitting now. He's all right. He doesn't look dizzy." Claire said, relieved.

"Now feel him. Be one with him. Merge with him. Feel what he feels. Think what he thinks. Breathe the air he breathes."

Claire opened her eyes in consternation.

"How do you expect me to do all that? I have hunches, Lily. I told you that. That's all."

"Silence! Do not let the gall of doubt sour your mind. You can and have done this. Close your eyes, do not question, simply do it."

Moments passed, and Claire gasped, wrapped her arms around herself, eyes still closed tightly.

"Oh Lily, he's sad, sad. Disappointed. Oh Lily, I have to go to him!" Claire opened her eyes and turned to go downstairs.

"Wait! Give me your hand. I must see. I must look. I must know."

"You get one minute, no more, I'm a busy man," Claire snapped in a tone and disposition that was in no way hers. Then her jaw dropped open like weights had been attached to it. "What in pins and needles did I just say?"

Lily cackled in satisfaction at the older woman's bafflement.

"Nothing of importance, when you returned to this room, you brought a bit of my Ed's personality back and left a bit of yours with him. Now give me your hand, and do not interrupt me. I must know what I must know."

Lily grasped Claire's hand.

A bit of dust clustered in the corner of the attic, and moved slightly. Claire looked at the window. It was shut tightly. It rattled without reason. Claire looked down at the flecks of dust. They were beginning to swirl. Impossible. Pressure built in her ears as if she were ascending a hill. There was a whistling that began faintly, and then it picked up. My God, oh God, what's happening? This can't be happening! Claire could not form words and desperately tried to pull her hand from Lily's grasp, but she found it was stuck tight, like a leaf trapped helplessly in winter Yule frost. Silver mist descended from the ceiling like strands of angel hair, and when it cleared suddenly she and Lily were not in Silk Wood Manor, they were on the chilled plains of the Glastonbury Tor. The chanting of the maidens of Avalon, the cymbal sound of steel clashing against on steel, the wailing of the wounded, the relentless pounding of horse hooves pounding across the earth. Claire finally found her voice and screamed.

* * *

Ed bent down and took a bit of lavender from a bush and smelled it, smiled.

"Edward Straker, if you catch pneumonia and freeze, see if I care," Ed said aloud lovingly. He blinked. What the hell was that about, he thought? I better go inside. I'm beginning to sound like Claire. Maybe Alec's right, maybe that bonk on the head affected me more than any of us want to think it did. Claire, I tried so hard to get you that necklace I saw in the catalogue. Oh, I suppose it won't sell out, I can get it before Christmas, sure. But I wanted it for tonight. Something deep down in my bones tells me tonight is going to be special. I wanted you to wear it tonight. The catalogue said it was a copy of a Victorian antique oval locket set in rose gold with tiny pearls and emeralds set into it in the shape of a bow. It yelled Claire at me. Oh well. I'll get it in time for you to wear at our wedding. Where did that wind come from? Cold as hell suddenly.

"Damn" Ed said aloud. He'd accidentally dropped his cane into the bush. Slowly he knelt, hoping movement wouldn't feed another bout of dizziness. He felt for the cane, found it, and tightened his grip on it. It was then that he saw it, something shining in the dirt barely visible through the foliage. Still on his knees, he pushed the foliage back with his cane, clawed in the dirt and closed his hands on it. A fine chain. He picked it up and rose slowly, leaning on his cane. Something was dangling off it, but caked so thick with dirt he couldn't make out what it was. Ed slipped the chain into a pocket in his trousers.

It was then that he unmistakably heard Claire Spencer's terrified scream.

* * *

With a scattering of sparks, Lily Marsh was knocked back across the room flat against a wall, she sank down to the floor slowly and she shook her head to clear it. She stared at Claire with wide, frightened eyes.

Ed Straker burst into the room, dropped his cane and grabbed Claire, turned her to face him. She sank unconscious into his arms, and he lowered her gently to the floor. Alec was mere seconds behind Ed and came in, alarm etched into the craggy features.

"Ed, what in God's name?" Alec blurted. Ed picked up his cane and approached Lily menacingly, raising it. "ED!" Alec grabbed it, wrestled it from him, threw it aside and shook him with both hands on Ed's arms. "Ed, what's the matter with you?"

Ed turned and stared at Lily with the intensity of a propane torch searing her. Lily looked so frightened, she tried to press herself flatter against the wall.

"If you've hurt her, I swear I'll kill you," Ed said lethally.

"I did not know, I did not know!" Lily protested, shaking.

"What did you do to her?" Ed yelled. "I heard her scream! What did you do to her? Tell me, damn you! Alec, let go of me!"

"Ed, take a deep breath, settle down. Nobody heard Claire scream. We just saw you fly up the stairs like a comet, now settle down and think things out."

"What in the hell are you talking about? I heard her scream as clearly as I see you standing there."

Gil came into the room, spotted Claire and knelt over her. Gently he lifted her eyelids with his thumbs for a second. She groaned. Ed broke away from Alec, lifted her halfway up and held her against him.

"She's okay, Ed, she just fainted," explained Gil.

"I did not hurt her, I swear it by the Goddess," Lily said, sobbing. "I did not know her energies were so great, I did not know, and she unleashed them back on me. It is she who attacked me!"

"You filthy liar, Claire never attacked anyone in her life, she wouldn't harm a fly," exclaimed Ed.

"Edward, what happened?" murmured Claire, holding on to him tightly.

"Claire, you screamed. What happened in here?" Ed said gently, pushing her mass of tousled black hair away from her face.

"Edward, I'm not sure-"

"Try and remember, it's important."

"Lily was trying to see if I had psychic ability, teaching me to connect with you. Telepathy, I guess. I could see you, out in the garden. On your favourite bench, near the lavender bush your mother planted. After that, something happened in here, I wasn't here any more, there was a terrible howling sound, and we all were on the Glastonbury Tor, where we saw Arthur. There was fighting, some kind of bizarre storm, a fierce war. Someone tried to touch me, and I struck out somehow, screamed and that's all I remember. Lily, Lily are you all right?" Claire asked, concerned.

"Sounds like a dream," Gil said curiously.

"Gil, we're okay in here. Let the others know we're fine. Alec, you go with him."

It was Ed's Commander voice.

"Ed--"

"Go on down. Check on Reginald." Ed picked up his cane.

"If you need me just call." Alec reluctantly went downstairs, with Gil following him. Ed helped Claire to her feet, smiled at her, led her to a chair.

"Are you all right?"

"I'm better now."

Ed went to Lily, held out a hand. Lily searched his face, then, satisfied he wasn't going to beat her, took it and stood up. Ed took a seat beside Claire, and looked at her.

"The Glastonbury Tor? Visions again."

"Edward, maybe Gil is right. Maybe it was a dream."

The Shado commander shook his head.

"Nobody but me heard you scream. You connected with me somehow. When you mentioned the Tor, it was like I'd been there and seen it all. Christ, I nearly hit Lily, I almost seriously injured her, might have killed her. Bizarre feeling that she was about to try and --I don't know. Lily, please accept my apologies. Lord knows you've driven me up the wall on occasions, but you've done nothing to deserve me frightening you so badly."

"Ed," Lily said weakly. "Do you not understand? The Goddess blessed you with great power. She gave you the Sight, but now you have far more. I wanted you sexually, yes, but I also wanted to taste that power, to share in it. When I met Margaret, I believed she was the one, the one that was destined to be at your side. She had too many flaws. Neither of us were suited to you. It was not I that was your destined mate. It is Claire. She is the one. Her power is twinned to yours. You have both lived together many times, died and returned to the earth only to be reborn and return to one another as surely as the sun rises in the east. "

"Lily, I hurt you, I struck out at you somehow," Claire said, "I can't say I understand everything you're saying but I never would have forgiven myself if I'd hurt you!"

"You did not strike at me alone, Claire. You were still connected to Ed. It was the two of you together who struck at me, raised a ring of power. Had I not been well taught to absorb such energies and release them harmlessly back into the worlds from whence they came, I indeed would have lost the shell that is this body. Ed, when I saw you again, it was strange, you looked no different than you did when I first lay eyes upon you during the reading of Petunia's will. You have been given back your youth, and I did not understand. You are all but immortal now. It is the prize you have been given for the burdens you have borne. The Goddess has blessed you many times over. You can be harmed in soul but never in flesh. You will not age."

"We better go downstairs," Ed said, but it was obvious he was shaken.

"She is not blessed such. She is mortal. You know this," Lily said. "Her body will age. Her temples are already silvered. She will die."

Ed looked like he was on the verge of weeping, but he just turned without a word, and went downstairs.

Claire sobbed brokenly.

"Did you have to tell him that? Did you? Did you have to tell him he'll be alone again? God! How can you be so cruel, Lily?"

"I told him nothing he did not already know," sighed Lily.

"You lie. In your secret heart you lie. You wanted to be this stupid the one thing, and you're not. You wanted to possess him and you never will. So you just told him to break his heart. I showed you friendship, and you've gone and hurt him, hurt me. May your Goddess deal with you, because I won't." Claire said, and turned around and went down the stairs.

Lily closed her eyes.

"Goddess help me, she speaks the truth. Goddess do not take her life, take mine. For I have committed sacrilege. The threads are not yet sewn. Do not give him reason to mourn, for when she dies, he will go mad with grief with no ear to hear sensible words from even those closest to him. Forgive me Goddess. I will make one last doll to undo what in my foolishness I have done."

Lily opened her eyes, got up and shut the door and began taking the broken needle out of the machine.

* * *

Claire steadied herself as she came down the stairs. Frances was at the foot of the stairs, leaning on the oak rail, and looking with concern at Claire.

"Claire, dear, what happened?"

"It doesn't matter, Frances. Where has Ed gone?"

"He went into his bedroom, I think. He looked dreadful. Has he fallen ill?"

"No. Oh, the lights look lovely, Frances. Do you think you could fix a plate of food for Edward and bring it up to us? I want to be alone with him a while."

"I better do it fast. That dreadful Nathaniel showed up and he's liable to eat everything."

Claire had to chuckle, she couldn't help it.

"Thank you Frances. I love you dearly, always remember that after I am gone."

"What a dreadful thing to think about in the middle of-"

Claire had turned and trudged back up the stairs. She approached Ed's door, it was closed. She raised her hand to knock, but then she had a thought, and went into her own room and locked it.

Frances came to Ed's bedroom door a few minutes later with a tray with two plates on it, and knocked.

"Come in."

Frances pushed open the oak door, smiled at Edward and put the tray on the night table.

"Oh. I expected Claire to be here. I've brought you both food and I'll make sure no one disturbs you. You have to come downstairs eventually and see how beautiful the tree looks, thanks to Yetunde and Arthur. Stanley and Alec hung lights just about everywhere, and well, Silk Wood Manor looks just stunning. Nathaniel is here, he and Gil put the lights and wreath on the gates. Peter and Daisy and Carmella are putting balls of cranberries and popcorn and suet and seeds on the trees for the birds. Its like a postcard, Edward."

"I'm sure it is. Find Claire for me, will you?"

"Yes, of course. Happy Christmas, Edward."

"Happy Christmas Frances."

Ed waited until she'd gone and sighed. The master bedroom had Palladian style windows with heavy drapes that fell in folds to the floor, the sight of which he'd always enjoyed. On this occasion, he watched the rain spatter against them in a melancholy state.

"A penny for your thoughts, handsome." Claire closed the door behind her, and locked it.

Ed turned around, put a smile on his face that he didn't feel. He opened his mouth to speak, but his lips froze.

Claire was standing there, hair loose on her shoulders, smelling of perfume, wearing the ivory nightgown Frances had given her, and nothing else but her engagement ring.

"I don't ever think I've seen Edward Straker at a loss for words."

"My God, but you're beautiful."

"Edward, do you want me, do you want me in your bed, my precious, sweet love?"

"Claire, have you lost your- I mean, we have guests downstairs! This is insane."

"No. There's only you and I in this house. Forget the rest of them. Your mother and Lawrence made love in that four-poster bed you sleep in, Edward. I think it's a good place for us to give our bodies to one another in."

Ed reached up and felt the bandage he still wore.

She came quickly to where he was standing by the window.

"Edward, is your head hurting you?" Claire cried in dismay.

"No, I just wanted to make sure I was the one who got whacked on the head, not you!"

Claire giggled.

"I haven't lost my mind, I swear." Claire drew the heavy drape and blotted out the light. She turned on a lamp on the nightstand and the soft glow filled the room.

"Claire, we don't have to do this now, you know that. Are you sure this is what you want?"

"With all my heart, I'm sure."

Ed studied her for a long time, sat on the edge of his bed, and she caressed his hand, sat beside him, circled her arms around his waist. Ed lowered the straps of her nightgown, kissed her breasts, drawing small pleasurable gasps from her, and he pulled her down upon his quilted bedspread. It took them only moments to strip to their skin, and he pulled her close to him.

"God, I've wanted this, I've wanted this so badly," he gasped. "I've needed you so badly."

"I belong to you and I always will. Take me, Edward." she whispered and interlaced her hands behind his neck. Their bodies sought one another desperately, and became one with a mingled groan.

Outside, the Yule rain beat hard against the pane, drummed in a steady rhythm, providing percussion for their orchestra of measured grunts and sweet gasps and breathless cries.

* * *

Frances crept up the stairs, more than a little alarmed. She had searched the entire property for the lady of the manor, even inside the paddock, giving Wrong Way an apple, and then coming inside again. Claire's bedroom door was partially open, and she hurried in, the one place she hadn't thought of looking in. Claire's black jeans, sweater, pink lace underwear and stockings and boots were on the throw rug. For a horrible moment Frances thought Claire might have been kidnapped. That was when she heard a deep masculine, filtered moaning outside the room. She went out, paused, and heard repeated female grunting. It was coming from the master bedroom. She blushed as deep a red as a cranberry, then she chuckled delightedly, and practically skipped down the stairs.

* * *

"Feliz Navidad, Feliz Navidad, Feliz Navidad, prospero año y Felicidad. I want to wish you a Merry Christmas, I want to wish you a Merry Christmas, I want to wish you a Merry Christmas from the bottom of my heart!" sang Carmella Diaz. They clapped appreciatively for her.

"So did you two make up?" Peter Evers asked, dipping a stalk of celery into a cheese, bacon and onion dip and munching it.

"Nah. We decided to break up. We're going to be friends, Nathaniel and I, but we didn't make it as a couple. Too different. "

"I'm glad we're still friends. I sure would have liked to find out we didn't work as a couple before you ruined my car, though." cracked Nate, munching away on ham. Carmella rolled her dark eyes and snapped a stalk of celery in half meaningfully. The Jamaican bodyguard gulped.

Alec grinned at Nate as he sipped his brandy. Next to him, Reginald Freeman snored noisily in his wheelchair, fast asleep, smelling like a distillery. Alec chuckled.

"I should head on home and tuck Dad into the guest bedroom," Alec reflected. "Where's Lily?"

"I passed her in the garden, she's taking a walk, looking for herbs. It won't hurt to stay a little while longer." Frances said, drinking her eggnog and brandy.

"When is Ed going to come back? He's been up there with Claire a long time," Yetunde said teasingly.

"I-I-I think that Edward got a phone call from Boston."

"From who? He doesn't have any living relatives or friends in Boston, Frances." Alec said, gleeful.

"He said he got a phone call. Maybe it wasn't from Boston. My memory isn't what it used to be," stated Frances, not fooling a soul, and gulped down her eggnog and brandy. Angel looked at her searchingly.

"Well, I'll be damned."

"Stanley, that isn't a favourable thing for a reverend to say," Frances scolded.

"Q-tip is up there having sex with Claire, isn't he?" Angel laughed.

"Stanley! Whatever Edward and Claire are doing is certainly not our business."

"It is our business. After all, he's the host of this party, and its rude to disappear like that. I say we go get him and drag the both of them down here!" Angel yelled.

"Here, here!" put in Alec. Frances set down her cup and planted herself at the foot of the stairs firmly.

"No one gets by me," She declared.

"Give me a break, Mrs. B. I'm three times your size. I could bend you in half," cackled Nate.

"Touch my wife and I'll not only break every bone you have, I'll break bones you didn't know you had," warned Angel, serious for a change.

"Man, with all respect, Angel, I could take you with my hands tied behind my back." chuckled Nate.

"Let's go at it, shall we?" Angel declared.

"I wouldn't do that, Nathaniel," Frances warned, watching the bodyguard approach Angel. Nate shot her a look of absolute contempt and then went toward the stocky, balding Anglican cleric. The next thing he was cognizant of was flying through the air, straight into the Christmas tree. Nathaniel landed on the carpet along with a considerable amount of broken ornaments and loosened fir needles. Laughter rang in the drawing room.

"I warned him, Stanley."

"That you did, Cupcake."

"Man, first Peter catches me with an unexpected upper right jab and now a priest old enough to be my grandfather tosses me like a pizza. I gotta train again." Nate said, carefully picking fir needles and glass shards off of himself.

"You have to pay Edward to replace those ornaments first," Frances said, arms folded.

* * *

"Happy?" Ed whispered, holding Claire against his bare chest under the covers.

"I've never felt like this in my life. There's a lot to be said about having someone make love to you who is an expert in the field."

"That makes me sound like a male prostitute."

"Oh be quiet, I was paying you a compliment." Claire laughed.

"Heh heh. Ummmm. I guess they're wondering what the blazes happened to us. I can't believe we actually did this with the manor full of party guests and one racehorse and got away with it."

"It was wonderful. I've made up my mind that you're staying right here with me in your four-poster bed for the rest of our lives. We'll make love whenever we want to, and we'll have all our meals in bed, cooked by Frances."

"I see. What about Shado? What about Mayland?"

"We'll both retire."

"What about showers, toilets?"

"We'll have them brought in the room. Along with the television, VCR and CD player and radio."

"Sounds good to me. Ummmm. You're nice and warm."

"Edward."

"Forget communication. Just kiss me." Ed directed.

"Where do you want to be kissed?" Claire said purposefully.

"Anywhere. Everywhere. THERE! Christ, Claire, you're driving me crazy."

" I learn fast, you're a great teacher. Never mind these preliminaries, let's get right down to brass tacks and nails, Straker."

"I like the way you think, Spencer." Ed pulled her up astride him, and entered her, erect. He began a lazy thrusting and she gasped.

"Oh my God, Edward, oh God. Oh God yes, oh God, oh I can't stand it, oh my God! "

The phone rang.

"Oh shit!" Ed yelled, and she started laughing hysterically and rolled off of him.

"It's probably a telemarketer."

"It better not be. I'll hunt them down and kill them, chop off their head and put the head on a pike on the front wrought iron gates to Silk Wood Manor. The English Heritage people should appreciate that. It'll be an inspiration for the security detail, too. Oh double damn."

"What is it?"

"The light indicating it's a call from Shado is on. Must be an emergency. Damn."

"Oh Edward." sighed Claire. "I'm sorry. " Ed squeezed her hand and pulled the telephone near to him. He took a deep breath. Getting back in a professional mood was difficult when you were naked, and you had a sweaty, gorgeous woman hovering over you who was just as naked. Ed tried not to pay attention to the way her breasts swelled invitingly. Claire noticed him looking, chuckled a little and covered herself.

"Straker. I see. Oh. Mayland? Alec? That doesn't--oh wait, yes, his cell battery died. Yes, he happens to be at my house. I see. No, no, generally this number is for emergencies only, but you're new to the Shado department of the Mayland laboratory and wouldn't know that. I take it this isn't one? A what test? DNA comparison? Yes. Yes. Reginald Freeman. Hmm? Reginald Noland? What? Are you positive? He what? That doesn't make any sense. What? I can hardly believe, why would he? Yes. Yes. So he knew? I understand. Yes. Wanted to be sure. Yes, I'll tell him. Yes, I will. Yes, it is unfortunate. Thanks. Happy Christmas to you too. Goodbye."

Ed looked crestfallen.

"Edward, what is it?"

"Alec. He had blood work done on Reginald, DNA comparison to his own DNA, to check for paternity. He told Reginald it was to check for anemia. Reginald Freeman is actually Reginald Noland. He isn't Alec's father at all. The detective Alec hired managed to confirm Alec's actual father died in the war. Reginald saw the ad Alec placed in the Times and decided to pretend he was Alec's father to get out of the retirement home. The retirement home doctor told Alec Rag's done it before, just rang up total strangers out of the blue. As soon as they discovered he was telling fibs, people abandoned him. The old man has no kin, he was just lonely. Alec-" Ed sighed.

"Go on, Edward." Claire prompted softly.

"Alec knew his real Dad was dead. He only went along with Reginald's ruse so that Reginald could get out and have a real family Christmas for once. Just out of a need to make sure, Alec had them do the DNA comparison. He knew nothing would come out of it. The doctor told Reginald's heart is enlarged, he's dying, and Alec felt sorry for him, sorry enough to pretend he was his son."

"I always knew there was a special sweetness to your friend Alec. Does Yetunde know?" A teardrop ran down Claire's cheek.

"I don't believe so. Alec's always had a heart as big as the Christmas season. If this is what he wants, then I'll make sure this Christmas is one Reg never forgets. No need to tell either of them that the report came in. Not yet, anyway."

"Alec is what Christmas is all about," Claire decided. Ed smiled.

"Nobody has a finer friend than Alec Freeman."

"Speaking of that, we have to get dressed and get him."

"Do we have to do it NOW?" Ed chuckled, snuggling next to her. Ed groaned when she jumped out of bed. "And why do we have to get him?" Ed wanted to know, watching her slip back into the nightgown.

"Come in my room, I'll show you," Claire said mischievously. Reluctantly he put on his robe, which lie nearby, and picked up his cane. He followed Claire in and she opened her wardrobe drawer and showed him something.

"Heh heh heh. Just the thing for him. Good colour scheme too. Okay. I think its time presents got handed out."

"Anything you say, Straker."

"I'll start getting ready, Spencer."

"You going downstairs in only that robe?"

"I could take it off."

"Not funny, Straker."

"Get dressed, Spencer. The traditional Christmas festivities are about to commence."

* * *

"You've got to be kidding. You are kidding, right? " Alec said, looking down at himself. "Ugh. You're killing me with those things."

"Hold still, I think I can get one more pillow in before I buckle the belt. Claire, a little more rouge if you don't mind. Use the white eye colour there. All right, yes, that's perfect. Okay, Alec. Let's hear some hearty ho ho ho's."

"Ho ho ho." Alec repeated, in a performance guaranteed not to get him nominated for any awards. "Damn it Ed, you're the head of Shado, why am I being forced to do this?"

Ed and Claire just stood there in Ed's bedroom, arms folded. Alec grumbled, took a deep breath.

"HO HO HO! Happpppppppy Christmas! Have you been a good little boy, Commander?"

"Was I a good little boy, Claire?" Ed winked and elbowed her. Alec cackled.

Claire flushed with embarrassment to her bones. It occurred to Ed that it was a bit late for modesty to enter into the proceedings at this point.

"Straker, you're positively bad. Judging from your antics about an hour ago, you haven't been a little boy for a while now. Okay, take this sack, and go through the converted attic to the stairs that lead to the paddock and garages, and then through the greenhouse into the garden right through the kitchen. I've marked everything, we even have a package for Wrong Way. Wait for us to come down before you pop in. Ready, Santa Alec?" Claire planted a kiss on Alec's new beard.

Alec, or more appropriately, Father Christmas, saluted and hoisted the pressie sack over his shoulder and set off in the direction Ed pushed him in. Ed set his walking cane aside and pulled Claire into his arms.

"Spencer, you're the nicest gift this little boy ever got for Christmas."

"If you're thinking of unwrapping me, forget it, we have guests, and you haven't had dinner and neither am I, and I'm starving."

"Party pooper," complained Ed, his eyes twinkling. "I love you, you know."

"I love you, Edward. Now come on, let's wait for Father Christmas as we stuff our faces with Frances' excellent food. Won't take her long to heat our plates for us."

"I like a woman who has her priorities straight." Ed let her go with a show of reluctance, and characteristically stuck his hands in his trouser pockets as they walked out of Ed's bedroom with the tray of food Frances had left them. Ed felt, and pulled out the chain he'd found, pausing in front of Claire's bedroom door.

"What's that?"

"Found it under Mother's lavender bush when I accidentally dropped my cane. Pendant maybe, too caked with mud for me to make out what it looks like. Chain looks like real gold to me."

"Let me wash it off in the sink, Edward, it may have belonged to your mother."

Ed looked startled and handed it to her. Claire set down their tray.

"I never thought of that. Now I'm even more curious than I was before." He followed Claire back into her bedroom, into her green and white tiled bathroom, which was full of lace and pillar candles and fresh flowers and brightly coloured soaps and scented pomades. A few round copper framed English street scenes hung on the walls. Ed poked at jars full of cream on her vanity mischievously, and inspected her row of Woods of Windsor bath creams along the tub's wide rim. He opened one labeled freesia and sniffed it.

"I like this," he declared. She chuckled and ran hot water over the mysterious object on the end of the chain for several minutes. She gave a little excited cry, turned off the tap and dainty dried it with the lace edged guest towel.

"Edward! Look! It's lovely."

Ed capped the container, set it down again. He stood at her side and stared.

She showed him the sparkling rose gold oval locket with tiny pearls and emeralds set into it in the shape of a bow.

He took a step backward, a bit pale.

"Edward?" she exclaimed, worried for him.

"That thing looks like an genuine antique."

"I have this definite feeling that it belonged to your mother. Why do you look so shocked?"

"I'll tell you in a minute. Anything inside?"

Claire cautiously opened it and swung the lid over on its minute hinge. Ed and Claire gasped in unison.

Inside was a head and shoulders portrait of a contemplative looking young man, a snapshot taken in his senior year of high school. His white-blond hair was carefully combed and parted on the left, shining with brilliantine, and swept back. His eyes were a crystal-clear, vibrant blue. His tie was perfectly knotted into place. His suit appeared new.

"God, you were gorgeous," Claire remarked. She started laughing at his wretched expression at her mention of the word "were". "Oh stop that, you baby. You're even more spectacular and amazing and gorgeous now."

"That's better," Ed remarked haughtily, chuckling. Then he looked misty-eyed. "It did belong to Mother. There's something I have to show you. Something eerie."

Claire closed the locket and looked at Ed wistfully.

"Edward, may I keep it and wear it?"

"Don't be silly. Of course you can. My mother Rosemary would have loved the idea of passing it on to the woman her son loved." Ed took it from her and put it around her neck. "Consider it my Christmas gift to you, future Mrs. Claire Straker." Ed smiled warmly, but Claire burst into tears.

"Oh Edward. I'm so frightened. I've never been so happy, felt so blessed and loved and cherished. I couldn't be more happy if I tried. In spite of it I'm so frightened."

"I love you, Claire. I love you, and I have this deep, peaceful feeling all the way from the top of my head to my toes whenever you're nearby. But why are you frightened?" Ed held her tightly. She rested her head against him, comforted by his warmth and presence.

"You won't laugh at me?"

"I'd never make fun of you, Claire. I won't laugh."

"I feel like something terrible is coming. Something, oh, I don't know, some kind of test. If we get through it and face it, then everything will be all right. I'm afraid for me, but I'm even more afraid for you."

"Lily's just got you worked up," Ed said in contempt. "Lily and her damn preoccupation with me. It shouldn't surprise anyone that she'd resent you, and put your life in danger. Lily knows enough to not screw around with energies like that. Something you and I were given on the plains of Glastonbury Tor by the entity of King Arthur kept her from interfering with the both of us. Lily has her good qualities, but the balance is tipped toward her obsession with me, psychic energies and the prestige I'd bring her as a trophy husband."

"Edward, the alien bacteria extended your life and restored your youth. Lily saw all that, without knowing that you'd been infected with it. And you're forgetting what she did for you, staying by your side while you went to the Wall to look for Tank's name." Ed had told Claire of his man-in-back during the war, Andrew Bell, who had betrayed his fellow POW's and Ed especially, by telling their captives of Ed's latent claustrophobia so that the Vietnamese could finally break Ed.

"I don't want to talk about Marsh anymore. If you want to talk about karma, any karmic debt I owed her from her insisting I return to Washington and confront my memories of the war has been paid many times over. We might have still been lovers, if she hadn't been so jealous, and if-" Ed sighed.

"I wish I could heal that particular hole in your heart. Flora. I wish I could give you a child."

"You've given me much more than a child. You've made me feel loved. Tonight, when we became lovers for the first time, is a night I'm going to remember all my life. I was worried that you'd never recover from Ian raping you, but you seemed very much at ease in bed. I didn't hurt you, did I, Claire? I was worried because after a minute or so I got, shall we say, enthusiastic? All thoughts of taking my time with you sort of slipped away."

"You didn't hurt me, Straker. I knew you needed the sex. I'm a doctor, remember?" teased Claire.

"Do you have to put it so clinically, Spencer?" He snuggled against her.

"Let me put it this way. Thank the Lord for male sexual libido. The Lord knew what He was doing when he gave men and women certain bodily parts. And he seems to have been really fond of you." Claire chuckled.

"You did seem to be profiting from the enormity of my efforts." Ed grinned. Claire giggled at his double entendre.

"You showed a better depth of insight into female anatomy than I gave you credit for, too. Come on, we'll miss Father Christmas if we don't hurry!"

"Wait, I need to show you something. It won't take long."

"Edward, I'm starving. A woman cannot live on Christmas cookies alone." Claire picked up the tray again, and picked up and ate an olive.

"Quit complaining and come with me."

The two of them crept downstairs and were greeted by a round of applause, and the sound of Christmas music on the CD player. Ed and Claire laughed.

"About time you get down here, Ed son. Frances and I have to leave soon, I've only got a few hours of sleep before services."

"And I have to get some sleep before my flight to the States." Gil pointed out.

"You can't leave before Father Christmas gets here," pointed out the Shado commander.

"You've got it all wrong. Father Christmas doesn't come until Monday night." Frances said, grateful for the way Ed and Claire seemed to be glowing brighter than the Christmas tree lights. The two women exchanged knowing smiles.

"I heard he's bringing one present for everyone tonight. I wasn't a Colonel in military intelligence for nothing. I have inside information. Frances, can you warm these up? Seems my fiancée is starving. I want to show her something in the study."

"With pleasure, Edward." Frances headed toward the kitchen and jumped, nearly spilling the food as Alec came popping out.

Then she and everyone laughed loudly as Alec went into his spiel.

"HO HO HO! Happy Christmas, ladies and gents! I have presents for everyone!"

"Santa Claus sounds suspiciously like an Australian I met earlier named Alec Freeman," Gil Grissom pontificated.

"It's not nice to second guess Father Christmas, little boy," growled Father Christmas. Ed chuckled.

"Don't piss off Santa, Gil. Not a wise thing to do," he advised.

Santa Alec fished around in his pressie sack and handed Gil a small box wrapped in holly print paper and topped with a bow. He then went around and handed everyone a present.

"Are we allowed to open these now, or do we have to wait until Christmas?" Yetunde wanted to know. Ayomide was playing with her bright ring of different shaped plastic keys, gurgling happily in Daisy's lap.

"I say we allow them to open them now, Father Christmas."

"Sure, Ed. And here's yours, and here's Claire's." Alec said.

"Mine?" Ed asked in confusion. Claire shook hers, just as baffled as Ed.

"You didn't think Father Christmas forgot you, now did you? Father Christmas bought you both presents with the help of his reindeers Yetunde and Ayomide! He then had the nice shop assistant wrap them and hid them in Peter's car until he could sneak out there and retrieve them. Happy Christmas, you two!"

Santa Alec hugged the both of them and they warmly hugged him back. Ed tore off the Christmas bell wrapping of his box and lifted the red tissue and laughed. Inside the box was a pair of men's Christmas socks with snowmen and candy canes on them. They had genuine tiny bells sewn on at the top of them. Claire had a similar pair, only hers were snowmen and holly. She giggled and shook hers so that they jingled, and Ed did the same.

Claire walked around the drawing room, ooing and ahing at the wreath above the mantelpiece with its silver and gold miniature ornaments and beautifully tied red velvet ribbon. She examined each shining Christmas light and popcorn and cranberry garland, and gold and silver icicle on the majestic tree. A garland of cinnamon twigs tied together with gold twine, gold and silver painted walnuts, tiny red and white grosgrain bows and real holly and ivy was draped over the oak and glass bookcase in the corner. Frances had put red and white and gold candles everywhere. She tearfully admired an ornament of silver and blue which had "Our First Christmas together 2001" engraved on it and her and Ed's name intertwined in calligraphy. Ed smiled at her, and walked over beside her and kissed her.

"Oh Edward and Claire, how beautiful!" Yetunde said, holding up a necklace of multicoloured Ndebele beads, and a doll for Ayomide made up entirely of the beads.

Gil held up a brass cricket paperweight with a grin, Arthur showed off a warm plaid scarf, Daisy a cameo brooch with a horse hand painted on mother-of-pearl. Lily showed her appointment book, and Ed ignored her glum look at having such an impersonal gift. Carmella and Nathaniel and Peter admired each other's leather notebooks. Angel held up his snow globe with the little chapel in it that lit up at the touch of a button. Frances seemed delighted with her lace and rose print fabric paperback romance book cover with a matching bookmark. Reg wiggled into his new cable knit sweater.

"This is the best Christmas I've ever had!" Reg announced. "I say we drink a cup of holiday cheer to the Mister and Missus! Hey, where's Derek?" Reg asked. "Father Christmas, can you go get my son, so that we can have a Christmas drink together?" Alec grinned at Reg.

* * *

"A true believer, that Reggie Freeman. I'll go get him. I have to deliver Wrong Way's box of mints anyway. Alec was helping me with my sleigh. Happy Christmas everyone!" Santa Alec waved and everyone cheered and waved back as he went out and was soon replaced by Alec, who claimed not to know a thing. Except Ed and Claire, who were too busy kissing. Frances went up bravely and tapped Ed on the shoulder. Ed turned and looked at her, none too pleased. Claire smiled at her.

"This better be good, Frances."

"Don't you try and intimidate me, Edward Straker. Now go and eat, both of you. Properly in the dining room. I've set out dinner for both of you. Don't make me worry that you haven't eaten."

"I've been trying to tell him I've been starving!" chuckled Claire.

"You know how he is. Doesn't know he's hungry until someone brings food and sets it in front of him. Now, goodbye, dears, Stanley and I have to go home to get ready for services."

"Goodbye Frances, Angel. God bless you both." Ed told them, and he and Claire hugged them. Gil thanked them and headed up to his guest room. Ed went and fetched a Asprey and Garrard catalogue from the desk in his study and showed it to Claire, who paused in her enthusiastic devouring of Frances' Christmas ham to look at it. Ed had circled the photo of the locket in the catalogue with a red marker. Ed took a seat across from Claire at the dining table. Frances had decorated it with a lace runner over the plaid and gold tablecloth with Christmas candles and a crystal bowl of roses.

"Edward, that's identical to the one I have on." Claire said in amazement.

"I wanted to get it for you and give it to you tonight." Ed admitted. "Only the shop was closed. Leave it to my mother to read my mind and provide me what might just be the real thing."

"It's a genuine Christmas miracle, Edward." Claire rubbed the locket happily. Ed paused, his fork speared with a bit of potato halfway to his mouth.

"You're my Christmas miracle. What's the matter?" Ed put his fork down. Claire looked alarmingly pale.

Claire winced, shook her head. Her fork fell out of her hand and tumbled noisily to the floor. She held her throat, coughing, eyes bulging and forced herself to form words.

" Edward, help me! I can't--breathe!" Claire's eyes rolled back in her head, she went dead white and she slipped sideways and under the table.

"CLAIRE!" Ed yelled and jumped up, kneeling beside her. "HELP! PLEASE HELP!"

Yetunde had come running in, followed by Carmella in her wheelchair. Yetunde knelt, pushed a horrified Ed aside and quickly asked for an ambulance to be called. Alec came in, took one look at the horror on Ed's face and grabbed the phone.

Yetunde pulled off Claire's sweater and started doing chest compressions, her expression guarded, as people came into the room.

"Anaphylactic shock?" Carmella asked. "She must have her injections of epinephrine in her purse somewhere. Ed, where's her purse? Nathaniel, get my bag out of my van." Carmella tossed Nate her keys and he hurried out.

"On the coat rack in the entrance hall, she always hangs it there. Oh dear God, Claire. Anaphylactic shock, God damn it, Grissom's insects, I'd forgotten she's allergic to insect stings. I swear I'll kill him for this." Ed held tightly on to Claire's limp hand.

Carmella went out and directed Arthur to get Claire's purse.

"Sir, no, after the incident with Mrs. Brisby I checked his room and talked to him. He released all of the bugs back into the garden, and he specifically told me there are no really poisonous insects in England. " Peter said, having come into the room.

"What else could it be? Oh my God, my God. Claire. Claire."

"Ah ah ah, she isn't responding at all. I can't hardly get a pulse on her. Alec, what's the ETA on the ambulance?"

"I called for the medical chopper at Mayland, they should be able to airlift her to hospital in minutes. Don't worry, Ed, she'll be okay. These things happen."

Arthur rushed into the dining room with Claire's purse and Carmella dumped the contents on the floor. She grabbed the clear cellophane pouch that contained a pre-measured hypo of epinephrine and some packets of alcohol swabs. She tore open one packet and handed the opened packet and hypo to Yetunde. Yetunde swabbed Claire's forearm and quickly emptied the contents of the hypo into the muscle. Nate came in with Carmella's bag. Carmella lowered herself to the ground, opened her bad and took out her stethoscope. Ed had gone to the corner, and covered his face with his hands, inconsolable. Lily stared at him, and started toward him, but Alec grabbed her arm, eliciting a gasp from her.

"I see death around her," Lily whispered to Alec. "The Goddess has come to claim her own."

Alec pulled her into the living room, enraged. "As God is my witness, if you as much think that around Ed Straker, I'll be the one who beats you to death with Ed's walking cane, not Ed. Stay the hell away from him!" Alec pushed her away from him, going to answer the front door, and she lost her balance and fell onto the tree, bringing an ornament crashing down. The Shado medical team swiftly came in, loaded Claire onto the stretcher and carried her out, followed by a shaking Ed Straker with Alec half holding him up.

The "Our First Christmas Together" ornament lie broken on the ground, with the shard bearing Claire's name cracked.

* * *

Ed Straker sat in the waiting room of Mayland hospital just outside casualties, walking cane beside him, breathing in the all too familiar sterile hospital odors, numbly staring into space. Alec Freeman came and handed Ed a steaming cup of coffee fixed the way he liked it, but with extra sugar. Ed wearily shook his head.

"How is she, Alec?"

"They're still working on her. Ed, you've got to get something in your body, you're as white as a sheet. You're in shock. You could use some of the whiskey I've been drinking but I know I'd have a devil of a time getting it down you. Let me get Yetunde to look at you, please."

"I'm losing her, Alec. I'm losing her the way I've lost every other person I ever loved. It ends here and now, if she dies, I'm finished."

"Ed, you don't know what you're talking about."

"We were so happy, so happy. Why must I bury everyone I love? Why? What have I done to deserve this kind of agony, Alec? I've done my job to the best of my ability, and then some. I dedicated myself to Shado. I sacrificed everything I had in her name. What damn universal rule am I breaking by wanting a moment of peace in my life, by wanting someone to come home to after work, to have someone to talk to, to be warmed by a woman's body in bed. My God, Alec, have I become such a monster that I'm not going to be allowed to live like a normal human being? Have I? Have I?" Ed lamented hysterically.

"Ed, listen. I'll drive you home. You get some sleep. The moment we get word on Claire's condition, I'll pick you up myself."

Ed shook his head silently, composed again, the personal devils back where they belonged. Alec sighed, set the coffee down on the table beside Ed in case he changed his mind, gently put an arm around the younger man's shoulder for a moment, and then went back inside the casualty unit, up to the area where the trauma team had been working on Claire for at least two hours. He slid back the curtain that separated the various examination rooms.

Carmella Diaz had her head bent and was crossing herself, muttering prayers in Spanish. Yetunde was sitting slumped in a chair, peeling off her latex gloves in disgust, tears rolling down her cheeks. Claire Spencer's eyes were fixed on nothing, and the doctor on call pulled the tube out of her throat, removed the tape holding it in place, and lifted the sheet and covered her face with it. Gil Grissom sighed, shook his head in Alec's direction.

"Call it. Time of death, 2:47 AM. Damn. I scrubbed up with her on many an occasion, I hate losing a patient, I hate losing a colleague even more." The doctor turned around and saw Alec, sighed. Alec turned around and wordlessly punched the wall in rage, disbelief, grief and frustration.

"WHY? God damn it, she was in perfect health! I want to know why she died and I want to know now!" Alec snapped.

"She showed all the classic symptoms of anaphylactic shock, and we gave her the usual time-proven remedies. We did everything. We searched every inch of her body for insect bites. She didn't even have a scratch on her. We went over every pore, every hair follicle. Nothing," the doctor said. "She just quit on us."

"I want a post-mortem done. I want a report as soon as possible." Alec said.

"Are you mad? That isn't for you to decide! Ah ah ah, do you think Edward wants her cut up and examined before he even spends his last moments with her?" Yetunde exclaimed. She had left Ayomide with Nathaniel.

"He'll want to know. I'm sure of that much. Do it, doctor. God help me, I have to go tell my friend that the woman he loves is dead. And I have to tell him this only a few days before Christmas. God help me. God help me."

"Alec, call Angel and Frances, Ed is going to need them to get through this." Carmella said.

"Right." Alec agreed, and picked up the wall phone.

* * *

Claire Spencer rubbed her eyes, and tried to focus through the brilliant light. She was aware of being clad in some filmy white garment that almost reminded her of surgical gauze, and she was barefoot, trouncing through a cold grey-white mist. She could see ragged, unearthly green lightning flashing somewhere below her feet.

Tempocane. Tempocane? Where in pins and needles did that term come from? Weather phenomenon. Time travel? USS Eldridge, wasn't that the name her Dad had told her? 1942, or was it 1943? The Philadelphia experiment. Dad , prone to telling tall tales, had sworn it was true. Phase conjugation, masers, the horror of men fused to the deck of the ship like some macabre sculpture fashioned by a madman. Phosphorescent hell breaking out, science and pseudo-science pledged in an unholy and unsafe marriage, Claire mused. Time storm.

A handsome woman, about the same age as herself, with silvered auburn hair drawn back into a French braid chuckled and smiled gently at Claire, aware of her thoughts. She was dressed in a bespoke dark green Pierre Cardin suit that made the most of her athletically slim body. Claire liked her instantly.

"Only people who feel can feel hurt," the woman said mysteriously.

Without understanding why, Claire acknowledged the words, warmly kissed her on her cheek, and the kiss sent out power that enveloped and warmed both women, setting the air vibrating down to the last atom and sparkling, living quark.

Something shimmered in front of them. The charred, misshapen souvenir cup from the gift shop at Glastonbury Tor. Defying gravity, it blurred, crackled with latent energy that might have swallowed the universes, spun, radiated and transmogrified into a impossibly bright silver chalice studded with precious gems. Claire plucked it reverently from the humming air, and for a moment, Edward's strong, beautifully shaped hands enfolded her smaller, slimmer ones and together presented the chalice to the woman, who was now enfolded in monastic robes that rustled as she moved forward. Claire thought she looked exquisitely beautiful. The woman smiled at Claire, bowed her head slightly, and drank the sparkling pool of water in the chalice. Water from Chalice Well, water that brought eternal youth to those who partook of it.

Then the strange lightning swept the woman away, and the chalice dropped, again the charred souvenir cup. Claire snatched it up, tucked it under an arm, and eagerly kept exploring.

* * *

Ed Straker was slumped in the uncomfortable waiting room chair, dozing. Angel gently touched him on the shoulder, and he stirred.

"Angel." Ed muttered, not quite fully awake. Ed lifted his heavy eyelids to see Frances there, her eyes reddened from sobbing. It all came back to him, and he sat up in the chair, ramrod straight.

"Claire. My Claire. She's gone, isn't she," Ed said matter-of-factly.

"Ed, my son. Come home with us. You shouldn't be alone." Angel said, fighting back new tears.

"Edward, she'll never truly leave you. She's in the loving hands of God now." Frances said as unemotionally as she could muster. She wanted to be brave for his sake.

The Shado commander nodded abstractly.

"Where's Alec?"

"Still inside. Ed, I-, if there was anyway I could bring her back to you-"

"I know, Angel. I know. Hold me for a second, won't you? Both of you?"

Angel looked at Frances uneasily. They complied. After a moment, Ed straightened himself again, and rose, smoothing down his Barbour jacket. One could almost see the gleam of the gold buttons on the blue Air Force uniform and admire the flawless symmetry of his military bars, see your reflection in the spotless sheen of his patent leather shoes. He rose at brace.

"Could you get Alec for me? I'll wait here."

"I'll get him. Stanley can stay with you."

For a moment that lasted far too short, he was again the boyish, lighthearted fellow they knew so well. Ed actually chuckled softly.

"I haven't needed a nanny for a long time, Frances. No, you two go on ahead. I want to sit for a while. Think about things. Get Alec for me." Ed sat back down. "Go on. I'll wait right here."

Reluctantly they set off.

Ed took out his Filofax and his pen and wrote something on a sheet of paper. He tore the sheet of paper out, folded it, wrote Alec's name on it, stood and left it on the chair. He touched it for a moment, smiling. Then the smile faded and he walked off purposefully, not bothering to collect his cane.

* * *

Claire felt as if she'd walked for centuries, walked for time immemorial although she felt no weariness at all. Perhaps she had actually wandered the strange place for that long. The mist of grey white had grown more and more brilliant, until Claire no longer could look at it. Yet with unseen eyes she sensed someone walking, no, floating? No, that wasn't right either. Coming toward her effortlessly.

"It never fails to amaze me how my human children rely so much on precise language."

The voice was incredibly beautiful, melodic, captivating. The laughter that followed was even more so.

"Mother." Claire murmured, awed.

"Sweet child. Why do you wander in what humans call Ynys-witrin? Do you not share the burden of the Fisher King, so that you may lighten it?" The woman sat on a gleaming white throne, and seemed to know the answer already. She seemed to know every answer to every question humanity had posed from the beginning of time.

"Huh?" Claire said, and then thought rather irreverently, I meet the Goddess, the Maker of all things, and what do I say? I say huh. Nice going, Spencer, you imbecile.

The woman shook with laughter, and the air shimmered as she did so.

"You honour me with your plain speech, child. Universe knows that all the fancy traditional chanting does get a bit old up here, even in this place, where time knows no boundaries and no beginning, no end! And you are correct, I know the answer."

"I'm not going to remember all this, am I?" Claire pouted.

"So that you could try and single-handedly convince humans that the Supreme Being is not only female, but has a sense of humour? I spare you that heavy burden, child." the woman smiled.

"Edward would believe." Claire chuckled. The woman gestured for Claire to sit beside her.

"Indeed? Edward sat with me and gave me that horrid beverage he calls tea when I wore the guise of first a deer then a famed Lady of Avalon, and recognized me not. He believed only that the once and future King blinded him in exchange for allowing his most loved Squire to live again. He is about to try and enter Ynys-witrin to seek you out of loneliness, when it is unnecessary. This is the man you say would believe?" the woman smiled playfully.

"Edward's trying to get in here?" Claire said, confused. She took a seat on a silver footstool.

" He seeks you. He has always sought you, and at long last found you. Attend to your wounded King, my Lady."

"How?"

"You are indeed the King's chosen, a position my fallen child Lillian coveted, calling you so dramatically "The One" You test my patience the identical way he does." the woman chortled and Claire blushed. "You have only to look. Look!" The woman pointed a slim finger adorned with a huge moonstone. Claire looked.

Edward was climbing a glistening mountain of ice, carefully and painstakingly fighting for every inch, while despair and misery radiated off him in great waves, like snow flurries. The vision brought tears to Claire's eyes. She shouted to him, but he just kept climbing.

"Mother, his sorrow has blinded him, he can't feel me, he needs me! I have to go to him!" Claire jumped up.

"Oh man, if I ever saw a guy begging for a whipper, its your Straker." a muscular young man remarked, lowering binoculars. He wore layers of mountain climbing clothing and carried various climbing gear.

"CHARLES!" Claire exclaimed in glee and hugged her brother.

"Hiya Claire Bear. You look fantastic! So what do you think of being dead?"

"Dead? I'm dead?"

"Did you think this place was Shangri-La or something?" Charles laughed.

"That is one name out of many that it is called, child." the woman acknowledged in amusement.

"Oh my God, I can't be dead. I gave Edward my word that I never would leave him alone! Oh God, he's grieving for me, that's why he can't hear me."

"Well then you better move that butt of yours, because he's about to fall off that ice cube and turn into strawberry jam. He's about to blow the crux. He's up there soloing, doing the lone commando bit and it's a long way down."

"This coming from my stupid macho brother who climbed so damn high up Huascarán he developed high-altitude cerebral edema and plummeted to his death in Peru, and indicated in his will he wanted to be buried in whatever spot he landed on if he ever fell." Claire complained to the woman, suddenly indignant.

"The ways of the human males have always amazed me too." the woman laughed her enchanted laugh.

Claire smiled.

"Charles, I love you, you know that. Before I go, where's Dad?"

"Probably somewhere boring the hell out of Dr. William Stewart Halsted, lecturing to him about surgery," Charles joked. Claire giggled.

"That's Daddy for you. I have to go to Edward, Charles. He needs me."

"I know. I have to go too. You wouldn't believe the mountains in this place! Bye Claire Bear." Charles waved, and disappeared. Claire sighed, missing him.

"Claire." the woman said warmly.

Claire turned and looked at the woman.

"I always favoured the Fisher King. How could I not favour his consort so that the King would heal from his wound as long as she was at his side? You must drink from the chalice, child, and live. I now give you what I gave Edward. Immortality."

"I don't know that I'm worthy of such a gift."

"That question is also your answer. Drink. Return to your Edward." the woman commanded with a knowing smile.

Claire lifted the cup, which again fashioned itself into a flawless chalice of silver and gems and living light. The water sparkled within it. She drank it and was refreshed. Claire lowered it and looked at the woman, intending to thank her. Claire gasped.

It was Dr. Claire Spencer who sat on the white throne now, dressed in her lab coat over a green sweater and long plaid skirt, locket dangling from her neck, smiling back at herself. She was exquisitely beautiful. Beside her stood a solemn Edward Straker, magnificent in his gold crown studded with sparkling gemstones, breathtakingly resplendent in his chain mail and armor, one hand grasping the mirror Claire's, his other on the hilt of a gleaming, jeweled sword which resembled King Arthur's own Excalibur. The mirror Claire held out her free hand adorned with a simple wide gold wedding band and rested it on top of the sword's hilt in unison with her husband. The sword quivered with increased power and might. The majestic king turned and smiled at her lovingly, and she at him.

Claire smiled, and turned and looked again at the vision of her Ed Straker. Ed was beginning to tire and gasp, and to lose his footing. Swift as thought, Claire ran toward the mountain of ice, guided by the light of the Grail.

Ice, unbearably cold and hard. Cold. So cold. Ed kept climbing, and she hurried faster towards the mountain. Ice. Cold. Hard. Unforgiving.

Deadly.

* * *

Alec came nervously out into the waiting room, followed by Frances and Angel. No Straker. He wandered over to the chair and picked up the piece of paper that bore his name and unfolded it. Ed's handwriting. Every word on it was a knife in his soul.

Alec. I'm sorry. Believe me I am. But I won't go through this hell on earth again. Try not to worry about me, old friend. You have a family of your own to raise now. Goodbye Alec. No man ever had a finer friend than you. It's just that I can't be without her. I can't bear the suffering anymore, the damned loneliness that never goes away. Guess what? I was never as strong as I pretended to be. But then you always knew that, didn't you? I never could fool you for long. Always hated that about you. <chuckle>

If there's a merciful God, I'll find Claire in whatever lies beyond this world. I won't be returning this time. No second chances, due to alien bacteria. I'm making sure of that this time. Humpty Dumpty couldn't be put together again by all the King's horses and all the King's men, and I'm relying on that fact. Bury me with her.

Take care,

Ed

* * *

"Fuck! " Alec said, throwing down the piece of paper as though it had burned him. "Think! Think! He mentions Humpty Dumpty. Damn it, how does the entire nursery rhyme go?"

Angel picked up the paper and read it, Frances looking over his shoulder. Both of them gasped.

"O merciful and loving God deliver your servant Ed from the path he is going down, send one of your heavenly messengers to ease his suffering, and lighten his sorrow." Angel prayed.

Frances gritted her teeth, fighting fear. Then she began to recite.

"Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put Humpty together again." Frances said. Alec snapped his fingers.

"Fell off a wall. What wall? How would he fall? Great fall. Oh my God! Shit! Maryland's twelve floors high. He's going to jump. Stay here. I'll find him."

"We should go with you!" Frances cried.

"No. I'm the only one he'll listen to now. He left the note with its clue for me to find. Just pray for us both."

* * *

Ed Straker stood on the top of Mayland Hospital's roof, shivering. Cold, so cold. Cold. He pulled his Glock out of the pocket of his Barbour jacket, checked the magazine, nodded. God but it was beautiful up here on the roof, he thought. The heli pad a few feet away, with the two medical choppers awaiting action, was lit up like a Christmas tree. He could practically see all of Southern England. How uncannily calm he felt, or maybe it was just that he was frozen. He'd carefully thought things out. One carefully placed 9 millimeter slug, and he'd launch over the edge of the building, and fall to the pavement below. The idea of soaring without an airplane would usually be unthinkable. All right, so maybe he wouldn't hit Mach 2 since he wasn't surrounded by over 39,000 pounds of Phantom F4-C, maybe the most he could manage by himself was 120 MPH, but it would do the trick. There was no way Humpty Dumpty Straker could be put back together again, alien bacteria or no alien bacteria.

"Time to get this show on the road." Ed said aloud. He stepped up on the ledge and raised the Glock to his skull, finger poised on the trigger. "Claire, precious." he said simply. "Wait for me, I'm coming, darling."

"ED!"

Ed lowered the Glock, sighed.

"Alec, just pretend you never saw me," he said without turning around.

"There's no way in hell I'm doing that, Commander."

"Damn it, do I have to make it an order? "

"It'll be one I disobey for a change. Now get the hell down from there, idiot. You once jokingly told me Ayomide wasn't a Spitfire. You aren't one either. "

"Claire's dead, Alec."

"That's right. Claire's dead. Are you so far gone that you think this foolishness is what she would have wanted?" the Australian accused.

Ed swung around angrily to face his friend, and Alec had a sick moment of thinking Ed would lose his footing and fall. But Ed was poised on the ledge like a veteran tightrope walker, as comfortable there as if he was sitting at his desk in the headquarters of Shado, eighty feet below Harlington-Straker Film Studios. Without a trace of the dizziness.

"Stop it Alec! I'm sick and tired of doing everything I'm expected to. You of all people should know I'm a human being, and I have feelings, and denying them has been killing me for years, destroying me inch by inch. I can't live without her. I won't live without her. I'm going. If you want to torture yourself by standing there and watching me commit suicide, so be it. You can go to hell!"

"Okay, Ed. Go, you selfish bastard. Go. You go and I follow you down."

"You son-of-a-bitch. You better not. You've got a fiancée and a daughter who need you!"

"To hell with them, Commander."

"You're bluffing, Alec. You wouldn't do that to them, and we both know it." Ed said evenly.

"God damn you, Ed. All right, go ahead. The minute you go over the side, I'm as good as dead anyway. Take that fact with you wherever you're going."

"I've tasted enough guilt for a lifetime! Take your guilt and shove it. I'm going, Alec. You've always followed me into hell, willingly. I've always been more grateful to you than I could ever express. You can't follow me this time. Not this time. I'm begging you, Alec. Go away. Let me die. Let me find peace. You don't know what it's like, watching history repeat itself. I love her, Alec," Ed sobbed brokenly, "I love her. You can't imagine the pain of being separated from her like this!"

Tears ran down Alec's own cheeks.

"Ed, don't do it. Please don't. You wouldn't have left that clue for me if this is what you really wanted. I know you're hurting bad. I know it. I've never asked you for much. Do this one thing for me. Let me help you. What will I do with no Ed Straker to pull out of a jam? "

"You'll watch your children and your grandchildren grow. You'll run Shado and chase aliens. You'll make love to Yetunde. You'll live at Silk Wood Manor. You'll turn that damn racehorse of mine into a winner. You'll keep Nate and Carmella from killing one another. You'll provide Frances and Angel with some comfort. And you'll take care of Reg for as long as he lives. I know he isn't your father, Alec. Dead cell phone battery, remember? Guy at the lab called me instead. Told me the whole story. You always were a soft touch, Alec Freeman. The both of us are a fine piece of work, aren't we? Alec, I'm tired. Weary right down to the bone marrow. I have to go. Claire's waiting for me somewhere. Believe me, if there was any other way to leave that wouldn't hurt those I love, and that includes you first and foremost, I'd take it, but there isn't. Goodbye, Alec."

"ED DON'T!"

Ed's face twisted with grief for Alec's plight, and his hand shook. The Glock slipped out of his numb fingers, fell and clattered away out of sight over the edge.

"Shit!" Ed burst out. Alec bounded toward him in an act of sheer desperation.

"Alec, don't!" Ed howled, blanched, lost his balance, and fell backwards with a scream from the ledge, disappearing from sight.

"EDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD!" Alec Freeman screamed, horrified, and rushed the rest of the way to the ledge dreading what he might see.

Ed was lying in a heap on a platform just below the ledge, groaning. Alec leaned over, grabbed him and pulled him back onto the rooftop with all his might and held him tightly. Alec was crying. Ed seemed to finally figure out what had happened and sank against Alec, sobbing heartbrokenly. Alec embraced him with great relief.

"It's going to be okay, Ed. You and I will get through this together. I didn't mean one word I said to you, I wouldn't hurt you for the world, you know that. I'll take care of you, Ed. It's going to be okay."

"Alec, why, why, why?"

"Thank God for that fucking safety platform. Thank God."

Ed looked at Alec, chest heaving, shaking like a winter leaf in a storm.

"It wasn't there, Alec. I was looking over the side for a full five minutes before I climbed up on the ledge. I know this hospital like the back of my hand. There is no platform there, there never was." Ed sagged against Alec, trying to catch his breath. He finally went limp.

"What the hell are you talking about, Ed? It's right there, plain as-"

There was no platform.

But there had to be. There had to be. Why else was Ed Straker still breathing?

Alec looked again. And was instantly persuaded he'd lost his mind.

Claire Spencer, wearing a rippling white gown, floated in space where the platform had been, ethereally beautiful, looking down at Edward longingly, sorrowfully. She came forward, through the ledge, incredibly right through it as if defying gravity and death wasn't enough of an impromptu performance, and stood there in front of them. Ed's hair fluttered in the crisp Yule breeze, and she stroked his silver head with great compassion and love. She lifted her eyes, and looked at Alec, kissed Alec on the cheek and smiled.

"Bring Edward to me quickly, Alec. They're about to carve me up for Christmas ham. He wouldn't appreciate that and neither would I. And dearest Alec, thank you. I will never forget this."

She shimmered like a beam of sunlight on the Thames in spring, and vanished.

"I didn't see that. I didn't fucking see that. I did NOT see that!" Alec yelled, and even shook Ed, trying to convince him he didn't see it. Ed was still unconscious. Alec picked him up and carried him to the waiting lift.

"She tells me to bring you to her. She's dead, I know that. I'm dreaming this thing. I'm hung over somewhere in a pub on Christmas day, and I'm dreaming this whole damn thing, Ed. Wake up, Ed. You're the guy who claimed to see King Arthur and the Lady of the Lake. Wake up and explain this all to me in that droll manner of yours. Oh shit! Carving her up. The post mortem! I ordered a damn post mortem! They're cutting her open!"

Alec hit the lift button impatiently. The lift rumbled up slower than a snail full of choral hydrate. Alec shot inside when the doors finally opened.

His cheek was smeared with pale pink lipstick.

* * *

"That's funny." Gil Grissom said, as the doctor doing the post-mortem drew the sheet off Claire's body.

"Would you mind not interrupting me? Freeman's on my arse, he wants this finished. What's funny?"

"Her hair. Could have sworn it had more grey in it. It doesn't have grey in it at all now."

"Nobody looks the same on the table. One minute they're animated with a personality, next minute they're dead weight. Okay, now I don't mind you sitting in, but just keep your lip buttoned. I want to get this over with, so I can go home. I hate this shift. Okay, got her propped up. Anaphylactic shock, huh. You'd think after- shit. She's still settling. You know the first time I saw a corpse move after death I just about screamed my head off."

Claire Spencer opened her eyes.

The doctor leaped back.

"What the hell is this?" he demanded.

Gil found himself moving toward the body when every brain cell in his head was telling him to run like hell all the way back to Las Vegas.

Claire moved her head slightly, and she groaned. The doctor backed up and crashed into the trolley that held his assortment of tubes and scalpels and pumps and drains. Gil just stared, and then his knees began to buckle, and he opened his mouth to form words that dissolved like soap bubbles. Claire grabbed the sheet, pulled it to her and began to scream. The doctor dropped like a tower of playing cards in a cyclone. Claire, still screaming intermittently, jumped down from the table, looking for a way out and Gil stared. Live hysterical dead people screwed up his faith in science in a big way. Science didn't permit this to happen.

"You were - rigor set in - cessation of life-this isn't possible," he muttered. Alec Freeman battered through the swinging doors like an Australian artillery tank on two feet, spotted the empty table and the doctor napping on the floor, and finally saw Claire cowering in a corner, pitifully keening. He sighed in relief. Alec told himself he did not want to find out what Ed Straker would do to him if he'd brought back Claire Spencer in tiny chunks.

"It's okay, it's okay, it's okay." Alec approached her and hugged her. She recognized him, and squeezed him so tightly he imagined he could hear his ribs pop. And he would have happily grown a new set just for her to break all over again, because a live Claire meant a live Ed.

"Al-al-al-al -Alec. I want to go home, I want to go home, I want to go home! I want Edward!" Terror had temporarily regressed her back down to a child of nine. She was fifty. Then why did she look forty? Suddenly everything became clear to Alec Freeman.

"Ed's right here in hospital, in his room. Yetunde sedated him like I told her to, gave him enough drugs to bring down a water buffalo. Maybe even a whole herd. Come on. Wait. Get her a surgical gown, Gil. Damn it, Grissom, steal his if you can't find one! Oh forget it. I've got one. Here, Claire, put my jacket on over the robe, until I find your clothes. They've got to be around here somewhere."

"You were - no - had to be a mistake. People don't come back from the dead," Gil muttered. Claire was allowing Alec to help her wrap up in the jacket. Gil saw to his amazement that the grey was coming back to her temples, and her face was changing.

"Edward's hurt? Is my Edward hurt?" she muttered, shaking badly and holding on to Alec for dear life. "Alec, please get me out of here, I want to get out of here."

"He'll be all right when he sees you. Come on."

I'm going to pass out. Not getting enough oxygen to the brain. Shock. How interesting. Got to remember this sensation.

Gil Grissom crumpled to the floor.

* * *

"Get me out of these damn things, Folsade, and get me out NOW!" Ed Straker was shouting. He was struggling against the restraints Yetunde had stuck him in. He'd also gone back to being a stoic and very unhappy Shado commander with a talent for denial.

"Ah ah ah! You are not human! That hypo I gave you would have put the entire population of London to sleep. Why isn't it working on you?"

"Q-tip, settle down, settle down!" Angel scolded, grateful to have him there. Ed kept trying to get out of his restraints in his regular bed situated in the room he always stayed in while an involuntary guest at Mayland Hospital.

"Edward! Stop being an idiot, lie down, rest and be quiet! " Frances demanded in a voice guaranteed to reduce a drill sergeant to tears.

Ed gazed at her. He even obeyed.

For remarkably a full five seconds.

Then he started digging his feet into the mattress in an effort to get up. Frances groaned and Angel laughed, patting her on the back.

"No matador would be able to stop that bull, Cupcake."

"Are you sure you gave him enough choral hydrate?" Carmella muttered, puzzled. Ed snarled at her.

"You are making a comment on my ability to give a patient the right amount of medication? You are the expert now? Ah ah ah! I was giving people sedation when you were learning what end of the stethoscope to stick in your ear, Diaz!" Yetunde yelled.

"Then why is he still awake, Miss Know It All Folsade?" retorted Carmella. Frances stared at them, and Angel just grinned, knowing everyone was reacting in their individual ways to nearly losing the dictatorial young fellow in bed.

"I want out of these things! Out! OUT!" Ed yelled. "ALEC!"

Yetunde was loading the hypo again. She swabbed Ed's forearm with alcohol poured on a cotton swab, and dropped most of the alcohol on his bed, dropped the bottle, which rolled under the floor. Swearing, she jabbed a protesting Straker with a few more cc's in a less than gentle manner.

"DAMN!" he yelled in pain.

"Did you have to hurt him so much?" Frances protested, wringing her hands.

"Arrrrrgh!" Yetunde growled when nothing happened. Angel chuckled.

"What's so damn funny?" Ed demanded.

"You. Did you really think we all were going to let you go that easily? Jumping off the roof ledge like that. Honestly, Ed son."

"Who said I jumped off the roof?"

"Alec told us you did," Carmella insisted, bringing her wheelchair a little closer.

"Alec's been swigging whiskey from that pocket flask of his for hours, and you believe him over me?" Ed demanded, trying to slide one wrist out of the strap without success.

"You tried to disobey the laws of God and nature, Edward Straker, and don't you dare try to deny it." Frances said, patting his hand.

"Bullocks! If I had jumped over the damn ledge would I be-"

Yetunde and Carmella and Frances and Angel gawked. Claire came running up to Ed, fell on top of Ed, grasping at him, grabbing him, touching him, weeping, kissing him, making little soft relieved sighs while Ed stared at her in shock, considering he was tied down to the bed, and he figured all the sedation had finally kicked in and was causing major hallucinations. Claire finally figured out the man she loved was strapped down like an famous Thomas Harris character, and she released first one of his wrist restraints, then the other, and he finally grabbed her, pulled her against him, felt the indisputable truth of her live warm body, started sobbing.

"God, God, God. You're all right, you're really here, tell me you're here, was it all a nightmare? Claire, Claire."

"It was horrible, Edward, I was trying to get you to hear me, I woke up in the morgue. Horrible! Oh Edward, you look so haggard, what have they done to you? I'm here, I'm here."

"I'm all right, I'm all right, oh damn, oh damn no, I'm not."

"Edward?" Claire squeaked.

"I'm going to-"

Ed's head fell back and he finally passed out. Yetunde looked smug. Claire moaned, not appreciating the timing.

"Why did you tie him up? How dare you tie a claustrophobic man up, idiots all of you!" Claire yelled. She lifted Ed up and into her arms and rocked him in joy. Then she saw Yetunde's stethoscope, jumped up and grabbed it from the doctor's neck, nearly suffocating Yetunde in the process. Yetunde was too stunned to notice. Alec, who had guided Claire in, explaining what Ed had done to her disbelieving ears, just watched, contentedly thinking Ed Straker would probably be out cold for a full year, but he was alive. Alive to give Alec Freeman ulcers for a long time to come. Which is the way he liked it. So much so that he didn't remind a pissed Claire that Ed usually worked eighty feet down below the surface, which was as claustrophobic a surrounding as one could manage.

"Madre de dios, we all saw you die!" Carmella mouthed.

Claire was listening to Ed's heart, examining him, checking every last Straker hair follicle for possible or imagined damage, not paying attention to anyone but him.

"Alien bacteria." Yetunde whispered to Alec, studying Claire's face. The grey had come fully back to Claire's shoulder length hair, but she seemed to be ten years younger. Alec nodded.

"Has to be. I just don't know how she became infected." Alec agreed. "We'll figure it out later."

"Why do you have pink lipstick on your cheek?" Yetunde said, inspecting it with her arms around him.

"Ed jumps off the damn building and you're already accusing me of infidelity? Claire kissed me." grinned Alec. He didn't bother to explain the circumstances under which she'd kissed him. He didn't believe them anyway, he told himself.

"Oh. I'm just glad to see you, my big Australian boor. I don't know who is the biggest headache, Edward or you." Yetunde grinned, grabbing Alec happily and smooching him repeatedly, ignoring his inflammable breath. Alec happily returned the kisses as every bit his due.

"Oh Claire and Edward safe, oh it's nothing less than a miracle, Stanley." Frances wept happily.

Angel bowed his head and thanked his God.

Delicate, sensitive, kind, soft spoken Claire Spencer unexpectedly turned into Adolf Hitler having a bad heil day.

"OUT! Everyone out! I don't want him disturbed! I'm taking over! OUT OUT OUT."

Alec grinned.

"That's gratitude for you," muttered Yetunde. Obediently she and the others queued up for the privilege of leaving. At the very end, Frances mopped up the alcohol, disposed of the bottle, turned and blew Claire a kiss, and left. Claire smiled tearfully. Then she scrambled to connect Ed up to every machine in the room, turned the whole collection on and sat back happily, loving every reassuring, steady bleep bleep bleep. Then she crawled under Ed's covers, nestled up next to him and sighed happily with every rise and fall of his chest. Tears fell onto him as they streamed from her eyes.

"Can't a woman get sick without you getting into trouble, Edward Straker, you stupid man? Beloved, precious idiot. Big baby. No patience at all. Just wait until you wake up, Straker. Giving up like that. You're going to wish Alec let you jump when I get through with you. I'm going to give you the scolding of your life. After that, if I decide to let you live, I'm going to love you and spoil you rotten for the rest of your life."

Ed Straker slept peacefully. Claire Spencer watched him sleep until exhaustion took her too, and she lay her head on his chest, closed her eyes and dreamed of palaces of light, islands of glass and the solemn platinum haired King she worshiped. The King shared in her dream.

The King both fought off evil beings from faraway worlds and within his soul, and she worked her healing trade as his wife and Queen, as befit a dedicated Lady of Avalon's duty to keep the Fisher King safe. Guiding them were the King's brave, faithful squire and his exotic, night-skinned lover, and nearer still was the King's wizard with a voice that could charm the birds from the trees, and his high born wife, a spirited yet humble woman who was content to cook and help look after the court.

There were others, watchers, guardians, seekers, even those who had crossed into the Summerland and now stood eternally on guard, lest some new force seek to upset the balance. But for that moment in time, not even time itself dared move.

The Fisher King never would be hers alone, and yet she alone held his heart. She wanted nothing more, she wanted nothing less but to heal his pain, share his burden, give him peace, bring laughter to his lips and give herself to him in love. To this eternal duty and to this eternal love she swore on the hilt of his sword, to which he'd jokingly given the name Umbra.

Always and forever. Not long enough for two dreamers such as we, he told her, amused.

Dreams and legends, legends and dreams, she thought back. A different reality. A glimpse into more than the untrained eye and the silent heart could see, yet so few bother to even look. How do the words go, Edward?

I'm surprised you've forgotten, Claire. Don't let it be forgot, that once there was a spot for one brief shining moment that was known as Camelot.

I love you Edward.

I love you Claire.

Somewhere in Silk Wood Manor, a ragged looking souvenir cup sparkled unnaturally. Somewhere, a perfect sword shimmered with light, and a mythical once and future King nodded. Somewhere, a Goddess forever sealed a rift in Ynys-witrin, and smiled.

* * *

Ed Straker lay in his oak four-poster bed, looking silently at the first light of a Tetbury morning filtering through his Palladian style windows. Holding him tightly under the multicoloured quilt, Claire finally spoke to him, knowing he was moody. Their lovemaking had been urgent, almost rough, desperate, and she knew why. So did he.

"Say something, Edward."

"We just had sex, do you think you could be a little less formal?"

"If you insist, Commander."

"Not funny. Why do you call me Edward anyway?"

"It suits you."

"Ah. There is that. How do you feel?"

"A little nervous, tense. Nothing to be worried about, Ed."

"You called me Ed."

"Yes."

"I prefer Edward, at least from you. I didn't realize that until you called me Ed."

He smiled and drew nearer still to her as she chuckled, and smoothed his hair. At long last, she'd removed his bandage, and his sutures with it. Underneath his hair had begun to grow in a little thicker. He was reassured by it. She heard him sigh and put her arms around him protectively.

"Edward, I'm going to be all right. You're going to be all right."

"We just had sex. Do you know for a while there I honestly thought I wouldn't be able to become erect out of fear. I don't know what scares me more, impotency or the idea of my intercourse with you being the cause of your death. It gives unsafe sex a whole new meaning." His smile was forced.

"Edward, think about this. The process that happened to you happened to me. I'm going to live longer and resist injury and death. You won't lose me. You won't be lonely again."

"The bacteria that was in my sperm could be killing you again right as we speak."

"It isn't. I just know it. "

"Your hunches are not scientific," he reminded her glumly.

"The bacteria and the resulting antibodies don't work within any scientific laws that exist now. This has nothing to do with science. The bacteria killed you twice and killed me once. The antibodies may form and all that does is make the body react in strange ways. When Alec injected you with the bacteria your body formed the antibodies, a type I don't completely understand. When that alien struck you and you went into a coma the bacteria and antibodies came back, mutated somehow. The antibodies caused dizziness this time, and apparently caused the remaining bacteria to enter your sperm and stay alive for a brief while in your sperm. When we had sex, enough of your infected sperm remained in my body to infect me. Edward I had a prophetic dream, most of it I can't remember. But I did come away from it knowing I'm going to be all right."

"We don't know that."

"I know it. You have to have faith too. The same faith that made you search for the Grail so that it would revive Alec."

"I've told you that I don't know how much of what we saw and experienced was real, if anything at all. Indestructible people exist in puppet shows, not real life."

"Edward, you're alive after repeated massive skull injuries. You've died and come back to life twice. I was pronounced dead, and I'm right here next to you, breathing. Believe in that, if nothing else."

"Claire, I've thought about things. Thought about what I did. "

"The suicide business, is that what you mean?"

"Yes. I can keep what happened from Jackson and Mela and even Constantine. Alec and the others will lie for me. So for now things are all right."

"What's worrying you about it?"

"I'm beginning to question my ability to command Shado."

"Edward, that's saying you're beginning to question your very identity."

"That's exactly what I'm saying. I've changed. I have little or no control these days."

"Edward, that knock on the head didn't change you."

"Claire, I'm going to resign from Shado."

She looked at him for the longest time in shocked silence.

"I won't let you do it," she said firmly.

"We'd be together. As soon as I can get another appointment with the registry people, we'll be married. We could have a normal life together. You could work, not work, we have plenty of money. I can manage my Foundation. It's all we need. We could travel, do what we want to do. Live."

"Edward, you'd be miserable." she chuckled. "You'd be worried about Shado every day. You'd have an excuse to have more of that famous guilt of yours for walking away from the responsibility you were given."

"I thought you'd be happy," he said, troubled.

"I'd be happy if I thought it's what you really wanted. It isn't. Someday you'll step down. But not soon. Not today. Promise me that, Edward. Don't do this. Have you discussed this with Alec?"

"He said I should do what I wanted."

"He's worried about you, that's why. He's afraid of upsetting you again. Edward, do you realize what you've had to deal with this year? Your stress levels have shot off the chart. I don't have to be that loathsome Jackson to make you see that. Anyone, I don't care how strong they are, would have come crashing down under the weight of all you've had to bear. Edward, look. You'll take the remainder of the time off. By the end of January we'll be married, have a brief honeymoon, spend time together. I'll ask to be transferred to Shado medical centre, I'll be near you. We can go home together that way."

"I'll mull it over."

"Good. Are we ever getting out of bed and having breakfast?"

"You're eager to get out of bed with a naked man next to you that loves you?"

"We can't stay in bed all day. You can't stay in bed all day."

"I'm Commander of Shado."

"Meaning?" Claire grinned, knowing what was coming. His mood had improved, she thought.

"Meaning you're my operative and you take orders from me."

"Shado doesn't have a union, does it?"

"Meaning?" his eyes sparkled.

"Meaning there's no recourse if I wanted to disobey an order from a naked tyrant."

"Basically none, yes."

"So what do you want, beloved tyrant?"

Ed gave a great show of considering his answer.

"A backrub, and you."

"Isn't demanding sexual favors from your employees against the law?"

"Oh shut up and come here, Spencer!"

She made a pretense of getting away and he pulled her down playfully on top of him, both of them laughing.

A half hour later, the two of them were locked into sleepy embrace, and Ed's telephone rang.

"Oh damn. Trouble." Ed said.

"You know what I said about you not leaving Shado? Can I change my mind?"

He grinned at her and picked up the phone.

"Straker," he announced resignedly. "Yes, yes, just get on with it, Ford. UFO. Yes. Had what? I understand. WHAT? Oh my God. Yes, I'm on my way." Ed replaced the receiver and sat up, putting his paisley silk robe on.

"Really bad news, I can tell by your expression. Tell me," Claire said solemnly.

"A UFO got through Moonbase defenses, and Nina managed to shoot it down. She reported that it seemed to appear then disappear as it was giving chase. Well, it crashed in Durham, near Whitley Bay, in the North of England. The mobiles are out there, thank God it didn't land in a populated spot. As usual we cordoned off the area under the cover of shooting on location. Alec was out there, and he and the people he'd assigned to cleanup found a device that was part of the debris of the wrecked UFO. They didn't know what it was, and when they started to transport it for our scientists to examine, it activated somehow. "

"God, Edward." Claire whispered.

"It gets worse. Alec immediately ordered everybody the hell out of there, but it was too late. He was the closest to it, and the report is that it shot out a beam which enveloped him. He vanished, Claire." Ed said solemnly. She knew how he was swallowing down the horror he must be feeling at losing one of the vital people in his personal and professional life.

"Get showered. I'll put your clothes out, and shower and dress myself. Does Yetunde know?"

"I don't know. I may need you for that part of it."

"I'd want to be with you anyway. You know that."

"Claire, Alec may be dead-"

"Edward, it'll take more than an alien device to separate you from that Australian. Alec isn't dead. If you search yourself, you'll know in your bones I'm right. If Alec were dead, you'd know it. Besides, he has the bacteria and antibodies latent in his blood."

"I hope you're right. By God, I hope you're right." Ed got up, kissed her on the hair, and headed to his shower. Claire sat for a instant, eyes squeezed shut.

"Let me be right, God. Don't take his friend from him now. Let me be right."

Claire finally got up and went to his wardrobe and opened it, choosing his working clothing for him.

* * *

The end but continued in The Grass Isn't Greener.

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