"No..." she stated firmly. "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 and her voice 
died.  Was she saying what he thought she was saying?

She started to pull away and he grabbed her upper arms.  He tipped her face 
up to his, their eyes meeting in the half-light of the room.  He could see 
no manipulation, no falsehood in her face at all.

Acting purely on instinct, he pulled her to him.  She went willingly.  He 
bent and gently kissed her lips, feeling the electricity of that touch pass 
through him.  He felt her lips grow warm and return the kiss.

He pulled back, smiling, watching her through half-closed eyes.  All that 
time she had hurt him... she had been jealous, wanting him.  And he 
realised suddenly why he had opened himself up to be hurt by her.  He had 
wanted her as well.

He pulled her closer again for a second kiss.  He felt her lips parting and 
slipped his tongue into her.  Her tongue met his and they continued tasting 
each others.  Then he slipped his tongue out and thrust it back in, and 
repeated it, in the rhythm that he would like to take her with other parts 
of his body.  He could feel her body trembling in his arms and felt the 
sudden hardness of her nipples against his chest.

When he finally ended it, she leaned 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."

"Is that a proposal, 'Leigh?"

Her eyes met his, open and honest.  "I think it is, yes."

"People will think I'm using you, because you're the warrenlady.  You'll 
have a lot of well-meaning friends warning you against me."

"I know."

"And I can't say they're wrong, 'Leigh.  I can't claim my motives are 
pure."  He grinned wickedly.  "Of course, you wouldn't me to be 
*completely* pure to you..."

His lips were on hers again.  He felt her shiver as his hand slipped down 
her back.  Then he groaned and pulled back.

"What's wrong?" she asked in concern.

"You've got me wanting you and I'm in no condition to do anything about 
it... and I won't be for a while, either."

"Well, I think we can find ways... but probably not here."

"No, probably not."  He patted the bed.  "Lay down?"

She slipped under the covers.  He turned on his good side, slowly, ouching 
all the way, and took her in his arms.  Velara's letter was still clutched 
in his hand.

"You never gave me your answer," she said.

He looked at her.  "I don't know.  I need to know how you feel about R'ven. 
Do I need to leave him to be with you?  And... and what about Gerald?"  
Amadith had told him the gossip of the warren, including Gerald and 
Jayleigh's tryst.  At the time, he had attributed the twinge of jealousy to 
concern for his position.

Her eyes widened in surprise.  "Gerald... oh..."  They laid quietly for a 
moment, then he heard her sob.  "It's still not going to work out, is it?" 
she asked.

He shushed her and pulled her close.  "It'll work.  Somehow, we'll make it 
work."

They laid cheek to cheek, her tears wetting his face.  She slowly calmed 
and the pulled apart, looking into each other's eyes.

They both gave a start as a hand touched Jayleigh's hair.  She sat up 
hurriedly.  He tried to, but quickly gasped in pain and laid back down.  
The girl who had been one of Gossimor's ghosts stood beside his bed, 
looking at them curiously.

"Who are you?" Jayleigh asked.

"That's one of the two people who were poaching.  I don't think she speaks, 
though she is telepathic," Tair'n explained.

Jayleigh studied the woman.  "Why didn't anyone bring them to me?" she asked.

"Well, I was kind of occupied at the time..."

"W'roan could have... or one of the other riders.  She's been here a whole 
day, after all."

"I don't know, 'Leigh.  Maybe they couldn't find her.  Why don't you get 
Troy to talk to her and find out."

Respectfully submitted,
 Lynette R. F. Cowper
  Tair'n and Amadith

---
|   Lynette R. F. Cowper  *  Official INWO Rules NetRep & Goddess    |
| http://www.io.com/~lcowper  *  lcowper@io.com  *  lcowper@indy.net |
|  "If people never did silly things, nothing intelligent would ever |
|                   get done."  -- L. Wittgenstein                   |