Anna looked over Theodore's shoulder curiously as she
entered the kitchen for lunch. Rather than finding food laid out, there was a
series of packages and books everywhere.
“Oh, wow! Um, you are back already?” asked Theodore thoroughly
off guard.
“Well, it is lunch time,” grinned Emily as she entered as
well and started to pull things from the icebox.
“Sorry, stuff arrived from school so I was starting to sort
it all out. Here, let me get this moved to my room. I can work on it later.”
“You have
homework
and are grinning about it?”
laughed Anna.
“Hey, I was afraid I was going to have to repeat a bunch of
classes! Two of them gave me take-home essays for the finals. I just have to
turn them in the first week of regular class. My math independent study class
they went ahead and awarded me a 1+ as my paper was accepted to a
real
journal. One class, they delayed the final, I just have to take it the first
two weeks of the next semester. The d'Evelston twins came through there: they
sent me their old textbooks to study from. The
only
class that I have
an 'incomplete' on is my fencing class!”
“The one class where you were doing better than anyone and
they gave you an incomplete,” groused Emily.
“Collegiate sports rules. On the plus side, if I take
another semester of it this fall, whatever I make in that class will be passed
back for the old semester too!”
Emily laughed, “I can hear your dear heart breaking at the
thought of being
stuck
in another fencing class! Come on, I'll help you
with the books. Anna looks hungry!”
“Oh, I'll help too!” grinned Anna. “Not
that
hungry,
just excited. It looks like the Riverstones are probably going to have their
child sometime in the next few days!”
“This will be the fourth you've helped deliver?” grinned
Emily proudly at Anna.
“Fourth or fifth, depending on how you count the twins!”
beamed Anna.
“Oh! Can't forget the twins!” smiled Emily proudly.
“Yeah,” teased Theodore. “Especially since they chose to
trump
my
birthday.”
Anna just laughed and gave him a quick kiss, “Sorry! Wasn't
my fault!”
“You should be flattered: they picked an obviously good
day! Oh, by the way, Meagan Rose has asked to come visit for a few days before
the solstice dance. You two fine with that?” asked Emily with a sly grin.
Anna and Theodore just grinned at each other and nodded.
“Okay!”
“Um, that's this weekend,” replied Theodore with sudden
realization.
“Oh, yes. That is correct,” replied Emily still sporting
her grin. “I guess that means she'll be here later this evening then.”
“Second Mother!” groused Theodore playfully.
“Well, if it is a problem,” began Emily with melodramatic
flair, “we can always just send her back home to Silverfern Hollow... three
hours away...”
“You left off: 'at night' and 'in the rain,'” laughed
Theodore. “I'm just glad she and Anna hit it off so well.”
“She's a wonderful, if not extremely hyper, girl to talk
to,” grinned Anna.
“Not tonight, but tomorrow night if you like, feel free to
invite Alice and Irene over for dinner,” offered Emily.
“That sounds fantastic!” beamed Anna.
“You and Alice seem to be getting on pretty well, too,”
observed Theodore with a grin. “Either that or you two are just stealing a
drink from her mother's back room.”
“Back room is the raw fermentation tanks. Anything that is
actually drinkable is in the basement!”
“Are you
sure
you're supposed to admit knowing that?”
grinned Emily.
Anna just blushed hard and laughed before looking back up at
Second Mother, biting her lower lip.
“Better answer,” grinned Emily. “Come on, let's get
Theodore's stuff put away so we can eat!”
Theodore sat on the back porch as the sun started to go down
and just watched Anna and Meagan chatter away happily. He wasn't sure if
Anna's grammar was going to improve being around Meagan, but her speed was
definitely picking up! Meagan appeared to come in three speeds: unconscious,
idle and just short of the sound barrier. Anna had quickly taken to many of
the other girls in town, but it was with mixed emotions that Theodore approached
Meagan and Anna's friendship. Fur flowing soft—they got along perfectly. Fur
roughed backwards—Meagan was still Meagan and that meant she spent no small
amount of time fawning over Theodore. At least it was Meagan and Anna fawning
over him
together
.
“They are a cute pair,” remarked his father suddenly behind
him.
Theodore's fur rippled as he jumped. His father had
completely caught him off guard. “Um, yeah...”
“Eloquent as always,” grinned Aidden. “You seem much more
comfortable around Meagan since Anna came back with you.”
“Well, she is
cute
, that is a given. She's just
always been so forward... pushy...”
“Well she knows what she wants,” grinned Aidden. “But Anna
does too...”
“Yeah... she does...” replied Theodore distantly.
“Just no grandkids while you are gone to school...”
“Father!”
“What? I think it's a given you three will set up house a
year from now...”
Theodore suddenly felt light headed and unceremoniously
plopped in the middle of the deck in a minor stupor.
Aidden grinned softly and sat next to his son. “You are in
love.... old lady Deidre can tell that and she's deaf and blind in one eye...”
“But Anna... she is a... and I'm...”
“And?”
“I'm serious!”
“I am too... the last thing you want to do is let go of
something as wonderful as what you and Anna have.”
“But! I mean the people in the town...!”
“Oh! Heavens, if you'd heard half the idle gossip in town
about the two of you, you would shave your fur and go swim across Lake
Exeter... in the winter...” laughed Aidden. He paused and composed himself
seriously, “But if you toss the gossip and listen to the honest talk: everyone
thinks she is a wonderful young lady. Race or species be damned... The only
honest
question in town is 'midwife' or 'doctor'?”
“Even if... I mean, what about the people from her home
world?” asked Theodore as he grasped wildly.
“It would be
nice
if her parents approved... But you
aren't marrying them... as far as the rest of the people on her planet—if they
don't accept you two, to hell with them.”
Theodore just stared at his father. On one hand he was
shocked as to what he had said, and
how
he had said it. Profanity just
wasn't in his style...and the possible repercussions! On the other hand he
knew his father was serious... This was all too serious... he had to fight
back! “Oh come, why do you think it would be the
three
of us! Like you
said before, I never liked Meagan before Anna got here!”
“Never liked her,” grinned Aidden. “So
that
is why
you kept sneaking a peek at her in the showers when we visited the Roses...”
Suddenly there was a high pitched squeak behind them and the
sound of someone running upstairs.
Theodore did his best to channel a hedgehog as all his fur
stood nervously on end...
Aidden just laughed, “I guess Emily hadn't heard about that last
part before...” He stood and kissed his son on the head, “Just follow your
heart... things have a way of working out.” He chortled softly and excused
himself back inside.
Theodore just sat there as his father's words echoed around
inside his head. Almost on autopilot he stood and squared his shirt and vest.
He waved as he approached the girls, “Mind if I join you?”
“Sure/please!”
“Anna, can we be serious a moment?”
Anna nodded somewhat nervously.
Theodore grinned to himself as he noticed Meagan moving to
hold Anna's hand: a friend indeed. “Anna, um...” oh, yeah... that was
eloquent! “Anna, next year when school is out, would you like to move back out
here... to stay with us... to stay with me... permanently?”
Anna started breathing again and her eyes flashed, “What
about the people in town?”
“I think they'll never let me live it down if I let you
escape...”
“You aren't worried what people might say?”
“I don't
care
what people might say.”
“Yes. Yes, I'd be delighted!” laughed Anna.
Meagan and Anna hugged each other and grinned back to
Theodore.
“You will still have one more year of college...”
“We'll figure something out...”
Anna grinned and nodded to Meagan, “And what of her?”
“Well... my thought is, tomorrow morning bright and early,
we go into town and get her some bells, bells on rings. How does that sound?”
“Perfect!”
Meagan and Anna laughed as Theodore made his way into the
kitchen for breakfast. “Okay, what's going on that Second Mother sat outside
the bathroom reading a book this morning?”
Theodore rolled his eyes as he kissed both girls on the
forehead before approaching his Second Mother.
Emily's eyes danced as she watched her son kiss
both
girls
and permitted herself an apologetic smile, “I guess that was rather silly of
me...”
Theodore laughed and his ears flushed briefly, “Um, Second
Mother, may I borrow some money?”
Emily looked at her son seriously and cocked an eyebrow,
“And what happened to your savings you took to college?”
Theodore grinned and Emily suddenly smiled as recognition
washed over her and the pair spoke in unison, “Back at college!”
“Didn't really have time to pull my money before I left,”
apologized Theodore.
Emily just tutted and laughed, “No, no! Better to leave it
in one of those banks: they pay interest! I'm sure we can arrange something.”
“I have a better idea,” beamed Aidden as he entered the
kitchen and dropped a bag of coins with a satisfying jingle on the table, “just
spend from
that!
”
Emily dropped her spoon with shock, “Um, where did that come
from?”
Aidden grinned, “Do you
really
want to know? There
is blood on it...”
Emily recovered her spoon and went to wash it, “Now I'm not
sure I want to know, but go ahead...”
Aidden grinned and pushed the bag towards Theodore, “It's
yours, spend as you need or want, but I'd recommend saving most of it for
future projects... housing for example...”
Theodore poked at the bag and looked inside, “Um, there
looks like well over a thousand in here! Where did it come from?”
Aidden grinned, “About a week after you got here, an
interesting character arrived from offworld and got himself in a bit of trouble
almost immediately there in Leicester. A pulse rifle, suppressed cartridge
rifle and a few hand grenades later, he became
very
unpopular.”
“Well, save for the grenades, aren't the rest legal?” asked
Theodore both confused and a little scared.
“Well, yes, if you declare them. And don't lie about them
or lie to the constables in general,” replied Aidden evenly. “The grenades
were moot by the time they were discovered, the guy was already in deep
serious. Tried to draw down on Old Peter. That went poorly. Smoke cleared
and the stranger was slightly dead.”
“Did they at least try to tend to his wounds? I mean even
if he was a bag guy...” grimaced Anna.
“Um, 'slightly dead' is a euphemism from my dad for
something truly horrific.”
“It was quite gruesome,” frowned Aidden. “Trying not to
spoil breakfast here...”
Anna bit her lip and nodded nervously.
“It seems he showed up, armed for a fight with a map and a
single name and address. And that was yours, son.”
“He came to kill me?” blurted Theodore nervously.
“Well, yes. And he didn't even make it past the first
town. That is
why
you two came here: better security, right? You made
a good choice; you
had
to figure whoever these people would try at least
once...”
Theodore let out a long sigh and sat at the table.
“They sold his effects, weapons and all, back to the Altshea
government. They pulled a small cut for Leicester's general fund as well as
Marionsford's general fund. The rest is yours. It just took this long to go
through all the channels.”
“Someone died...”
“Yes, and it wasn't you,” replied Aidden evenly.
Theodore finally permitted himself a smile, “Then the
ultimate irony would be to make a light heart with this.”
“What were you going to buy?” asked Emily curiously.
“Bells, bells on rings for Meagan,” grinned Theodore.
Emily's face exploded with delight as she ran over and
warmly hugged Meagan, and then Anna, and then both the girls at once!
“So, is there money and time enough to get Meagan a dress
that matches mine?” asked Anna with a grin.
“Oh, they'll
make
time!” beamed Emily. “And
I
will pay for it! You three need to be saving your money for next summer!”
“I think we've been found out,” grinned Theodore to the
girls.
Meagan giggled (her normal state of affairs) as the group
started to stack wood for a bonfire down on the sandy banks of the river.
Alice and Irene had joined them for supper earlier and now Séamus arrived with
a picnic basket in tow and proceeded to help gather wood. Alice gave Séamus a
playful hug and the group had a wonderful time laughing at the poor boy as his
ears flushed and his fur stood on end.
“Hey, at least it isn't me this time,” laughed Theodore.
Séamus just grinned sheepishly, “Um, Alice, you are still
coming to the dance this weekend with me?”
“Of course!” she fired back with a radiant grin.
“Okay, Theodore,” began Séamus. “How did you learn to
cope with... well...”
Theodore just grinned, “Just roll with it. No matter how
bad it feels, your ears will not, in fact, catch on fire.”
Séamus just grinned as he rubbed his ears, “Good to know.
I could have sworn otherwise.”
“Okay, weird question from the outsider,” grinned Anna.
Alice laughed, “I don't think you get to claim to be an
outsider! You have a set of bells with rings that say otherwise.”
Anna grinned and tried again, “Okay! Um, how about 'pardon
my early education'?”
“That works,” grinned Theodore. “Now spill it.”
“We are coming up on a three day weekend. As in there is
actually an extra day added?”
Theodore nodded, now understanding her confusion, “Yep.
The summer solstice is a day unto itself. It keeps the calendar synchronized,
all nice and lined up. We would have an odd number of weekdays otherwise.
Every seventeen years there is a leapday that is added into the winter solstice
weekend.”
“Well... that does make the days line up nicely on the
calendar...” mused Anna.
“What about your calendar?” asked Alice.
Anna laughed, “Which one? We have three: one for the
planet, one for the central government that spans twelve systems and one synced
to the old homeworld.”
“Ick!” laughed Alice.
“The one back at the university was pretty darn close to
ours. Well, for now it is. It is three days shorter so eventually our summer
and their summer will drift relative to each other.”
“Oh, I am
so
going to stay on just one planet,”
offered Séamus.
The other parties wholeheartedly agreed.
“Crap,” murmured Theodore suddenly. “I left our picnic
basket back at the house. Stay here, I'll be right back!”
“You want me to come along?” asked Anna.
“Nah, stay here. Someone has to protect Meagan from
Séamus's lecherous ways,” he grinned back.
That started a firestorm of laughter, but Séamus took it
in stride. Theodore actually had missed Séamus off at college. Séamus was
sort of new to town; Theodore had only known him these last four years, and two
of that Theodore had spent off world. Not that he didn't treasure his new
friends, but the old ones are still important none the less. He broke into a
low jog to get back to the house quickly and made short work of it. First
Mother laughed as he entered the house and sheepishly grabbed the missing
picnic basket. Theodore had just barely made it back to the edge of the woods
when he caught an odd voice.
“Willing to protect both girls are you?”
Theodore turned around and found no one. He had half a
mind to assume he had caught a whisper on the wind from someone else's
conversation when it came back.
“Whom does your Live Steel serve, Theodore?”
“Okay, fun is fun. Come out where I can see you!” he
growled back at the voice.
“I can see you... obviously you should be able to see
me... Whom does your Live Steel serve, Theodore?”
Theodore was getting mad at the teasing voice but he tried
to hold his temper, “It serves Anna and Meagan, and any that may follow!”
“Excellent answer! Excellent answer indeed! If you wish
to protect them, you must learn to not fear for them. Fear causes one to
cower... Strength comes from the heart... use it, feel it, young Highlander.”
“If this is so important, show yourself so we can talk
like civilized people...”
“But maybe there is nothing to be seen...”
Theodore went from angry to confused, the voice wasn't
taunting him, rather it seemed almost resigned. “Are you a ghost?”
There was a polite laugh, “Not yet.... not yet... Guardian
maybe, but not yet a ghost... ponder this, young Highlander: what do the
Highlands mean?”
“What? What type of question is that?” Theodore started
to shift back to annoyed, but the voice was gone. He stood there conflicted:
he was glad the annoying voice was gone, but was curious what it was all
about. It was kinda weird to be someone's version of a joke... Finally he
gave up and started his jog back to his waiting friends.
Anna face lit up with concern as soon as Theodore made it
to the beach, “What happened? Are you alright?”
Theodore laughed, “I guess I can never bluff can I?
Someone weird in the woods asking silly questions... Either that or I'm
hearing things...”
Anna came over and gave him a warm hug. He needed that.
“Well, at least I got the rest of the food,” he finally
managed to grin.
“Good, now can you help with the fire? Séamus is good at
making smoke...” teased Alice.