NRPG: I hope, I hope I hope I got the time right...it's as close as I can
figure...

***********************************
"The next time you two decide to gang  up against me you had better 
make damn sure I don't find out about it," she didn't even try to 
hide the anger in her voice. "And as for you Red....Next time...
don't cheat!!"

Lenna upended the mug of beer over the top of his head and when he 
turned quickly around to face her, she shoved the whipped creamed 
covered pie in his face, then dropped the pan and ran.

>From the side, he could hear D'ren's voice, laughing uproarously.
"How's that for service!"

He was up and out of the chair, hearing it crash to the ground, but 
he didn't care about *that*. It was time to have a talk with the
little minx . He was catching up, seeing her dodging in front
of him, as he vaulted a sitting rider...

"LENNA!!!!

At the sound of his angry shout she increased her speed ....

But he was faster catching up to her before she could make the door 
leading outside, and she found herself thrown up over his shoulder 
as he continued on out the door.

"Did you really think you could ever run fast enough to get away 
from me, love?" He growled as he bore her away. "Think again!!"

Lenna shrieked and twisted in his grip, but he was having none
of it. He smacked her hard on her bottom, enough to hear her
gasp, as he made a sharp turn into an alternate kitchen entrance.
His face set into a fierce grin, he marched into the kitchens where 
she had been but moments before.

"What kind of problem do you have with pies, anyway?" Not waiting
for her answer, he strode up to a suprised cook. "Hello, do you
recognize this young lady? She just brought me one of your pies,
and I just wanted to compliment you on how tasty it was."

Lenna twisted, trying to get out of the ignominious position, bent over
his shoulder. "Let me go, damn it!" she cried.

B'rand smacked her again. "Uh uh, my sweet one. I must return your 
lovely gift." Addressing the cook again, who by this time looked
highly amused at the spectacle of a pie-covered man spanking 
a struggling woman, he said, "My love, here, wants to know the 
recipe...are you making another one?"

"What the hell are you doing?!?"

"I'm sorry, she's sounding incoherent, but I assure you she's 
putting her best side forward," he continued, his eyes glittering.
"So, for the crust, you use- eggs? Milk? Flour? Oh, I see. And
that's what's in that big bowl?"

"Yes, it is. Now the filling-"

"Oh, no, we have to concentrate on the crust, first." B'rand turned 
his back to the table, letting his trapped mate get a look at the 
huge bowl. "Do you see that, love? All the trouble they go to so
that you can ruin it?"

"I've had enough! Put me down, you son of a bitch!!"

"Ah, well." Turning around again, he heaved Lenna up...and 
sat her down into the bowl. Saw her eyes widen as flour and 
milk splashed everywhere.

"You see? my dear sweet Lenna provided the filling!" Laughing,
B'rand ran towards the exit...not expecting to be knocked down
several steps later by a furious Lenna.

"Hey, that's a pretty good tackle. All that cold milk on that pretty 
ass must have sped you up-hey!" B'rand grabbed Lenna's wrist,
stopping a slap.

"I can't believe you did that right in front of everyone!! I ought to 
beat you brainless, you-"

B'rand grabbed her other arm, pulled away her support, and 
kissed her as her face descended. When he broke, breathless,
he said, "I'm not the one you have to worry about. If I'm any judge,
Farr'in and Lonnie are going to kick that pretty tail all the way back
to Ralengarde." 

"They deserved it!"

"I doubt that they'll see it that way."  *Where are they, Rook?*

<<Who?>>

*Farr'in and Lonnie.*

<<They're drinking water. Lots of water.>>

*I'll bet.* 

"Well, love, we better get going if you're going to avoid them."

"If you think I'm going to go anywhere with you, you're crazy!"

"Why, yes I do," B'rand said with mock innocence. "I'm still 
going to hold you to your word. A whole week of service. You 
need to change out of those wet pants before someone thinks
something horrible."

"What?!?"

"I earned that week. I worked my tail off for it. If I hadn't worked
so hard, I'd be dumping pies on your head right now. I can't
use a sword that well, and two weeks ago I couldn't use one at
all. I'll tell you about it as we go home..." 

***************************
(early the next morning)

 <Rook!  I have happy news!  My rider and your rider may be having a 
hatchling together.  Isn't that wonderful?>

<<A hatchling!>> Rook answered. <<My rider has never had a hatchling
before.>> Wait, that wasn't quite true, was it? Well, he wasn't 
exactly having one...

<But, there is a chance that the sire is the man who forced her to mate 
with him.  She is worried it might be him.  I hope it is your rider.>

<<I hope so, too,>> Rook replied.

*****************************

<<Wake up, sleepyhead.>>

*Huh? Whazzat?*

<<Time to get up and enjoy the morning.>>

*You better not have gotten me up to early again. What did I do to
deserve it this time?*

<<You didn't do anything...well, in a way you did. I thought I would
just give you the good news, that's all.>>

*And what is that?*

<<Tymor has lain her eggs. They are at the hatching grounds. 
You must come and look at them with me.>>

*Is *that* what you got me up for? We can look at them later.*
B'rand snuggled against Lenna for warmth. Her nude body
against his was giving him lots of ideas...

<<Well, no, that's not all. You've fathered a hatchling.>>

Abruptly, those ideas went away. *What do you mean, I fathered
a hatchling?*

<<Tymor's rider is going to have a hatchling,>> Rook replied smugly.
The sire could be a nomad who mated with her while she was captured,
or- >>

*Okay, okay, I get it.* B'rand was floored. Brisse was actually having a 
baby? What about birth control, wasn't she using it? B'rand knew that
was common practice. Was she wanting a child? Dan'yar was there...

And oh boy, would he be happy with one certain red-haired rider.

And Lenna...it had not taken a lot to convince her to join him in 
bed, but news of this...well, it wasn't going to be taken lightly. 
B'rand rubbed his temples, trying to stave off an emerging headache.
There must be something he could do...

*This is terrible. At the start of the day, yet. What else can go wrong?*

<<Why aren't you happy? Didn't you want a hatchling?>>

*No, I didn't! At least, not with her! Lenna's going to be furious!*

<<She should be happy, too...I just don't understand.>>

*I've never been a father before, I guess that's what is throwing me
off.*

<<Yes you have.>>

*What?!?*

<<What about Terith's rider, in Falagand?>>

*What about her?*

<< Well, you remember her mating with you last spring...>>

*Yeah...*

<<So, she was carrying a hatchling inside her when we left.>>

*So? I wasn't the only rider who mated with her. The father was
someone else. She never said anything to me.*

<<Ah, but Terith said something to *me*. She said that you were
the sire. She asked me to keep quiet.>> Rook paused, while
B'rand's stomach sank. <<I had assumed they wanted me to 
keep quiet because her rider wanted to tell you. You never 
said anything about it, so I eventually forgot it. Didn't she tell
you?>>

*No.* B'rand's stomach was doing flip-flops, now. *Gods...*

<<But the point is, a hatchling is a wonderful thing! You're happy...
aren't you?>>

________________________

Tag Barb for the happy news about Brisse, and Lyn when she
sees B'rand...they will go down to see the eggs eventually today :)






Allen Veazey
wolf@dbtech.net
	
	"I'm not really bad, I'm just drawn that way."
			--Jessica Rabbit