Bad Timing

"Heron I've been through this before and as far as I know nothing has
changed in the ways of taking care of a new born baby since the last time I
had one," Jayleigh commented when the healer had suggested that she stay in
the med center for the night, following the birth of her daughter. 

Though a little early born, the healer had pronounced the baby healthy and
amazingly whole. He hadn't found anything wrong with her and wondered if
they had the timing of the pregnancy right. But he wisely didn't say
anything to Jayleigh about his thoughts. She already had enough to worry
about as it was. 

"Look I feel fine and you told me yourself that there was nothing wrong with
Revena so I want nothing more then to take my daughter home. You know how
much I hate sleeping here where the nurses wake you up to give you pills to
make you go to sleep," she half teased. Heron did know how much she hated
sleeping over night in the med center.

She went on before he could form a rebuttal. "And if anything happens I can
always have Troy contact the medical dragon on duty. So there's nothing to
worry about."

"Stubborn woman," he muttered, but loud enough so that she could hear.
"Would you be sensible? You just had a baby and..."

"And women have been having babies for a long time my friend and getting by
without spending half their time in the med center. We'll be fine so stop
your worrying."

And so it was that Leigh and her daughter went home to spend the first night
of the baby's life in her own home.
R'ven who had been with her most of the time since returning to the Warren
escorted the two of them home where two very excited young boys were waiting
to meet their new little sister.

"She's so tiny," Jadain was grinning as he looked up at his mother after
viewing his sister. Then looked back at his friend. "Hey she looks like you
sort of. But she's bald."

"Most babies are when they are born," Leigh laughed then groaned as her
abused stomach protested.
1
"You were just as bald when they brought you home young man," R'ven told
him, taking Leigh by the arm and leading her inside. "Let's let your mom sit
down. She's not suppose to be walking around so much right now."

"I'm fine Ven," she said, but didn't protest his help and then sighed when
she was off her feet.

"Maybe I should go and let you all get the baby settled in," Cal'an said and
began backing towards the door.

"Cal'an.." Leigh called softly and patted the seat beside her. Jadain would
understand. "Come here and meet your sister."

The boy looked around at his father's mate and then at his best friend who
was grinning like a silly fool. 

"Go on. We've been waiting a long time to see her so don't tell me you're
scared now that she's here," Jadain teased. 

"I'm not scared of her," Cal'an frowned. 

"Then come .. Sit here beside me and meet Revena."

"Yea.. she's half yours now and if you think I'm gonna let you out of
helping me teach her stuff when she's older you got another thing coming."
Jadain moved to push the boy forward until he was sitting beside Leigh who
pulled back the blanket.

"Revena meet your brother Cal'an. Cal'an meet Revena." Leigh said softly. 

"She's so small," the boy looked down at her, awe laced his words and his
lips curved upwards in a wide grin. 

Leigh laughed. "She'll grow I assure you."

She looked up to include R'ven in on the joke but her eyes met those of the
man hurrying into the room instead. 

"I just heard," Tair'n  told them. He sounded winded. Like he had just run a
long way. His eyes shifted quickly to look at his son sitting next to her
and then to the bundle in her lap. 

They'd been back in the Warren for over an hour and he was just now hearing
that his daughter had been born? For a moment anger filled her and she
wondered who he had been with. 

She pushed aside the hurt she felt. This wasn't the time for it. "Come meet
your daughter Tair'n ."

He moved forward. Amber eyes glowing with pride as she placed his daughter
in his arms. "Hold her head up this way," she showed him and then sat there
and watched as he looked at his daughter for the first time. "So what do you
think?"

[Tag Lyn]

Later after everyone had gone except R'ven, because she needed to talk to
him about Warren business. Tair'n  was going to take the kids over to
Realee's for the night, but promised to come back the next morning to see
them both. 

"You know Tai and I could take the boys for the night if you would rather
have Realee come spend the night with you," R'ven offered as he followed
Leigh down the hall to place the sleeping baby in her bassinet for the
night. "She's beautiful. But then I'll bet you already know that."

"I'm her mother. Of course I know she's beautiful," Leigh's eyes were
focused on the tiny baby sleeping so peacefully in her new bed. "So you
approve of your God-Daughter?"

"She is her mother's daughter," he said softly moving up behind her and
pulling her back against him. His chin coming to rest on her shoulder as his
arms settled around her.  "I still can't believe you would want me to be her
God-Father."

"I couldn't think of anyone better," she said placing her hands over the top
of is. 

"What about me asking your mother to come by tonight?"

"No...I think I'd rather be alone tonight," she didn't tell him of the
message Troy had just past on to her. 

Gerald and Rook were gone. 

Her dreams were now really at and end. 

It would be a long time before she would allow herself to open up her heart
again to love. 

[[Next morning: day after baby is born and Mari tries to cut off her hair]]

[Insert Kate's post with M'naten coming to see Leigh  here]

<snip>

"Naturally. I rather like pretty girls, you know."  He grinned outrageously.
"Besides, its always good to play nice to the Warrenlady."

Jadain rolled his eyes... "You can have them.. I ain't got any use for
girls. They're no fun most of the time anyway."

M'naten chuckled and went to pay his respects.

"Jayleigh.. look I'm really sorry to bother you with this on your fist
morning back," he said when they were alone again.

"No I'm glad you did," she assured him. "It's better that we be forewarn
just in case. These talks are to important for us to let some little thing
blow them out of the water.  Want to have a meeting later with you and the
other Wingleaders. R'ven is going to be starting the talks later today and I
want you to tell them about this before hand so we're all prepared just in
case."

"I'll be there." then they went back out into the living room, passing
Jadain as they did and Leigh walked M'naten to the door. 

She went back into the bedroom after M'naten left arriving just in time as
her daughter began to make little noises to show that she was awake.
Something she'd been doing on and off every few hours for most of the night.

Carefully Leigh bent over to pick her up and then settled them both on her
bed when she began to feed the infant. 
It was quiet and soothing. She'd forgotten just how satisfying it could be
to hold a child this small.

She marveled at the perfection she saw when her eyes beheld her daughter.
Still finding it hard to believe that Revena was finally there. Living and
breathing. A true sign that life did go on even after her heart had been
dealt a bad blow...

No.

She wouldn't allow herself to think of Gerald. He'd made his chose and she
had to except that. At lease this time she had been able to say good-bye to
him. Somehow she'd come to live with the fact that he was still alive. Still
out there somewhere even if they had no future together. 

Life did go on. The proof was laying sweetly in her arms.

"Now that's a nice sight," a voice said and she looked up to see R'ven
standing in the doorway. His handsome face grinning as he took them in, and
a tray in his hands baring what she hoped was breakfast. She could smell the
tea from where she sat.

Leigh moved to reach for the covers, meaning to pull then up and hide her
semi nakedness from him, but he stopped her.

"Please.. I want to watch?" he told her as he moved towards the bed and sat
down beside her. "I've never seen a baby feeding before and find myself
fascinated by it... as well as humbled. It's an amazing sight to behold."

Slightly embarrassed to be seen this way, Leigh stayed her hand. "I do hope
that's for me," she quipped, pointing towards the tray. 

"Yes.. your mother caught me as I was leaving the dining hall and asked me
to bring it over," he told her, his eyes never leaving off looking at the
small baby suckling at her mothers breast. "She said she'd be by later as
soon as the breakfast crowd had cleared out some to check on you and see her
granddaughter."

Leigh laughed slightly when she tried to reach for and found the tea cup
just out of her reach. "Ven dear...can you take your eyes off of your
God-daughter long enough 
maybe to hand me my tea?"

"Oops.. sorry," he grinned, meeting her eyes and flashed her the smile that
had been charming women for years. "Sort of got caught up in the moment."

"Don't worry. I found myself doing that all night long."

"Did you get any sleep last night," he asked suddenly frowning as he took in
the dark circled under her eyes. "Maybe we should have had Realee come stay
with you last night after all."

"No. I needed the time alone to be with Revena and mother couldn't have
helped me to much anyway. Vena would have caught on to the switch right away
don't you think when she found the milk well had dried up?"

"You have a point."

"I thought you'd agree," she grinned and just then Revena gurgled to let
everyone know she was finished. Leigh raised her up onto her shoulder and
very carefully began to rub her back, at the same time pulling her robe closed.

"So now what?" he asked. 

"Now you get to hold your God-daughter while I get up and take a shower."
She said carefully handing the small body into his arms. The chuckled when
she saw his reaction. "Don't worry Ven.. you're a natural when it comes to
handling female bodies. Just speak to her and rock her a little and I'll be
right back."

True to her word she was back quickly and feeling refreshed by the shower.
She found them together on her bed. R'ven having moved to stretch out on it
with his back leaning against the head board. Revena sleeping peacefully in
the crook of his arms.

"Is this all she does?" he asked when he saw her. "Sleep?"

"For now," she told him as she moved to take her daughter from him and place
her in her bassinet. "But later you'll be glad of the break when she starts
walking and getting into things."

They had started out into the living area again, when she caught his arm. 

"Ven.. I'm going to need you to take over the talks for a day or so until
I'm back on my feet," she told him. 

"What about Mari? I'm sure it would be a good..."

"No. Leave her out of them," she shook her head. "Besides she's in the med
center after trying to harm herself last night..."

"Heron release her this morning," he told her. 

"What do you mean he release her?"

"T'rell and her friends talked him into it...Against his better judgment I
should say," surprised that she hadn't already heard the news. "Maybe I
could have her sit in on the talks with me. It'd be a good way for her to..."

"No!" she snapped then quickly waved her hand in an apology. "No.. Mari is
to stay away from these talks Ven. After what happened with Lord Naiad at
the dinner I don't want to chance another incident with her losing control
again. I feel it would be better for her to seek the help she needs this
time and then if the healers think she's up to it or she can show me she can
control herself then she can join in on the talks when Lord Gossimor and his
son arrive next week."

"She'll want to know why she can't be apart of the talks you know?" he told
her, and she knew he was thinking about another Jr Queenrider from another
time who had wondered the same thing. 

"I'm no Lara Ven...When Mari can show me she is strong enough then I will
start sharing with her and giving her more responsibilities. But not now and
not with the Naiad crowd. Not after what happened drove her to hack off all
her lovely hair," she spoke in a tone he knew meant she had made up her mind. 

"I care what happens to that girl and I will not take the chance of anything
happening to her that could leave lasting harm. She is not to be in anyway
involved in these talks."

She knew he didn't agree with her.. But he would go along with her order.
Leigh didn't disagree with him that often so he knew when she took this tone
she meant it. Mari wouldn't be asked to join in on the talks. 

Not this time. 

"Anything else?" he asked as he got up to leave, thinking their meeting over.

"Yes there is.. One of the riders... the new man M'naten... came to see me
this morning to report something he found a little strange."

"And what was that?"

She told him about the talk she had with the man and his suspicions dealing
with the woman he had been...ah.. keeping company with. 

"I don't know if it's anything we should be worried about," she told him
when she had finished the story. "But I'd rather be for warned just in case."

"Yes. That makes sense. I'll remember it when we begin the talks this
morning and warn Tair'n , T'rell and Ja'ks to have their riders keep an ear
out for anything out of the ordinary."

"Thanks.. I was going to asked you all to come here and have M'naten tell
you all at once," she started but he waved her off. 

"No you get some sleep. Now that I know about it I'll deal with it."

She trusted him to do just that so she let him talk her out of the meeting
and after she had eaten her breakfast, back into bed while her daughter was
sleeping.

....... 

Ja'ks listen to the new rider M'naten retell his story while he and Tair'n
sat there and listened. When he was half way through the door to Tair'n 's
office opened and R'ven, and T'rell walked in. 

Ja'ks wondered how T'rell was holding up after the incident last night with
Mari. 

"I see you didn't waste anytime," he grinned at M'naten and motioned for him
to go on while Ven took a seat next to his mate.

M'naten fished the telling then looked at each man in turn. "I don't know if
it means anything but Jayleigh wanted me to tell you in case it did."

"It's always better to be forewarned," R'ven commented with a nod to the
man. "Who knows maybe we can use this to our advantage."

"How do you mean?" Ja'ks asked.

"Well we send M'naten here back out to sort of *bump* into the women and if
she starts asking questions again... He can answer them... If she wants to
know what the Warren wants.. He can tell her... Only he'll mention things we
don't need so much as opposed to what we do... Do if this works right...
They'll be pushing what we really need on us thinking they are pulling a
fast one on us. Get the idea?"

"Sort of reverse physiology," Tair'n chuckled. "Might work."

"Yea as long as they don't caught on," T'rell quipped. His expression looked
as if he was wondering if M'naten could pull it off. "Maybe we should
discuss what it is that we don't need that why he'll know what not to make
it seem like we really need."

They talked it over a bit more, giving M'naten a few ideas, then they broke
up, the Wingleaders going out to drill their Wings and R'ven to get set up
for the talks to come. 

R'ven called Tair'n 's name asking him to hold up for a moment, after the
other two Wingleaders and M'naten had left. 

"I just wanted to see you for a moment.. Haven't had much time here lately...."

===================  

nrpg: Okay how will M'naten and the others handle his part in this and will
the lady fall for it.... humm... 

Kiddo you can get the talks started, but while R'ven can make deals.. he
really can't agree to anything until Leigh is told about it... 

Dianne.. I would really like to see a post with Mari talking to a mind
healer about what happened... it should make a really interesting personal
development story....

Leigh's only looking out for her right now. Doesn't want to have her go off
again so she won't be allowing Mari in on the talks.. and if she tries to
ask R'ven to slip her in... He won't.. But we do have another Lord coming in
next week and if Mari is up to it then she can join in on those talks...

M'hall.. I would like for Jason to be in on the talks. He's suppose to be
learning about how the Warren runs right? R'ven will ask him to be there as
this would be a good time for him to learn. He can report back to Mari
what's taking place afterwards...

And maybe if some nice leather worker is in a good mood... they might think
about making Jayleigh something to carry her new baby around in once she
starts taking the baby on dragon flights,......

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

Daere Warrenlady 
Jayleigh & Viktroy
Ja'ks & Shinner
Jadain
and Revena....
Daere Warren

aka 
Barbara