She wasn't sure what had awoken, but the first thing she noticed 
was that the pages of the letter she had been holding in her hand 
were gone. She sat up right and began to look around for them when 
she heard the sound of someone sobbing quietly and saw the tears 
silently falling from the amber eyes of the man who's bed she had 
fallen asleep on.
 
Everything came back to her in a flash. Tair'n being rush into the 
med center, their fight the next morning, her talk with R'ven and 
then finding Velara's letter that explained so much to her that she 
hadn't already known. And then finally how she had made her way here 
last night needing to be with him....

>"Tair'n?" she asked in concern, for she could see the pain in his 
face while his body was wracked with sobs.  She laid a hand 
comfortingly on his arm.

>Blindly, he reached out and gathered her into his arms, burying 
his tear-streaked face in her hair.  "She's gone and I'm all 
alone... I'm alone..."

"No..." she stated firmly, trying to reassure him. "You're not 
alone, I won't let you be."

She pulled back from him just enough to place her palms flat on 
his shoulders and force him to look at her. "I need you, I've 
always needed you... but you were with her and I ... I ..." Tears 
came to her eyes when she found she couldn't go on. How could she 
tell the man what was in her heart when she was sure he would just 
throw it back at her. She couldn't bare for that to happen.

She started to pull away but his hands closed over her upper arms 
and with surprising strength he held her before him. One hand moved 
to grip her chin and gently pull her face up, forcing her to meet his glaze.

She didn't hide her feelings for him this time. Both he and R'ven 
had accused her of being afraid, but the time for fear was gone. 
If she wanted him to believe her feelings were true then she could 
hide nothing of herself from him. She could only pray that he 
believed what his eyes were telling him.

 She felt his hands pulling her closer and went willingly. When 
his lips touched her's, she didn't pull away, but gave herself to 
him to do as he pleased. How long she had waited.....

The first kiss ended way to soon. She sighed when his warm lips 
left hers, and opened her eyes to see that he was smiling as half 
closed amber eyes were staring back. That he was as shocked as she 
over the emotions rug up from a simple sweet kiss, was plain to see. 
He pulled her closer again for a second kiss, this one lasting 
longer and growing more wicked with each passing second. When he 
finally ended it, she bowled her head against his chest.

"I've dreamed of you kissing me like that for so very long," her 
voice sounded a little breathless. "In my dreams at night you would 
come to me without speaking and take me in your arms and our lips 
would meet and then we'd make love. In the morning when I woke to 
find I was alone once again, I would find myself crying because it 
had only been a dream.  I was so jealous of Velara because she had 
what I wanted. You."

She lifted her head until their eyes met. "I need you Tair'n. Not 
just to help me with the Warren or to lead Alpha Wing. I need ... 
no I want you to be a part of *my* life. Me! Not the Warrenlady."

-----------------------------------------------------------------
(nrpg: Well Jayleigh's feelings are now stated for the records :):)

Lyn: You can deal with Fae'Rhee showing up or I'll get to it in
my next post.....:)

******Submitted by: ********

Barbara (a.k.a.

Warrenlady Jayleigh & Viktroy

Daere Warren