New Starts

Ghost & Wisp
*************
(Geode Warren) 

"I thought that was you," the girl muttered in an aside to the bearded
worker when she drew next to him. "I've brought you some water sweeper
thinking you could use it after all the work you've been doing, she said in
a loud voice in case anyone was near enough to hear them, then in a more
quiet tone,  "But I wasn't really sure until I saw your eyes."

"Still alert as aways I see," he laughed softly as he accepted the cup of
water she held out to him. "Why thank you rider for your kindness. A cup's
will be might nice right about now."

"You nearly fooled me this time, but I recognized your profile as you were
looking towards Phaedra's old apartment."

"How is she?" he asked, knowing he didn't have to hide his concerns for his
old friend from this girl-child. "Have you heard anything"?"

"What?" she looked at him fully for the first time. "You mean your grapevine
is letting you down?"

"Been a little busy with a few other concerns and haven't been back to *The
Warren* for a while to catch up on the news." He shrugged.

"Must have been something to kept you away," she asked but knew she wouldn't
get any real answer to her question. "All they tell us is that she healing
fine. But nothing else."

"How's things going around here with you?" he asked neatly sidestepping the
question. 

"Some days okay. Other days not so okay," she admitted and looked away.
"They're finally letting me be what I am, but it hasn't been easy. I feel I
have to work twice as hard to prove to them that I'm not a spoiled
Landholder's kid even though these are the same people I've lived with and
worked beside for the last few years. It's like they see me as two different
people now. The little orphan girl they all protected and the rich heir to a
great land. They don't quiet know how to treat me any more and Key....."

"Things aren't going well with the two of you?" his voice was kind now. She
knew his concern was real. They'd never had to pretend with one another.

"Things aren't going at all," she said and he could hear the regret in her
tone. Then she looked back at him. "Things haven't been the same since I
came back before the battle was over. We had a big fight back then, Key was
so angry with me and... we don't... He mostly stays in his office at night.
Or somewhere else, but he hasn't been home since then."

"Have you tried talking it over with him?"

She shook her head. "Things aren't to warm between us just now. I asked to
be treated like every other rider in the Warren and that's just how he's
been treating me. The few times we have talked it was so impersonal and
cold. It's like I killed any feelings he once had for me."

"And how do you feel?"

"I love him still. I always will," she spoke without any hesitation, and
then the tight band she had been holding around her emotions snapped and she
began to cry. "I just want things back the way they used to be. The Warren.
Phaedra. Me and Key. I love Mc'key so much and it's killing me that I've
lost him!"

The bearded man reached out and pulled the girl into his embrace. One hand
moved up and began stroking her hair as one would do to calm a child. 

"You need to talk to him girl. Really talk to him and get things out in the
open. It's the only way you'll find out if the two of you still have a
chance. Talk to him before it's to late."

"It's already to late," she sobbed. "I used to love it here in Geode... but
every since the attack everything has gone wrong! It's all changed.
Everything and I hate it here now! I hate what it's become and all the work
we have to do to clean the place up. I hate pretending that everything will
be back to the way it was when we get clear up all the evidence. But it
won't! I won't ever be the same and this place will never feel like home to
me ever again!!"

"It might take time....."

"There wouldn't be enough time in my lifetime to make me feel any different.
Not with Phaedra gone and all the good people we lost. I could never feel
comfortable here again. Not the way I did before..... things used to be so
simple... But they're not any more and I'm just to tired to fight it any
longer."

"Maybe some place new? There are other Warren's out there. A few who could
even need a few good riders. I know of one place that would take you. You
could start over. Maybe find that peace inside yourself you think you've lost."

He held her until her tears dried. Until she felt strong enough to stand on
her own again. Then someone called her name and she looked up at him. "Thank
you."

Wisp reached out and caught her under the chin in a playful punch. "Anytime
Kiddo. Any time. Just give thought to what I said. A new place might do you
a world of good."

"It may at that. Are you gonna be around for a while?" she asked, feeling
slightly better then she had in a long, long time. 

"For a bit," he told her, not committing to any length of time. "But if you
can't find me later and decide to move on, try Jasra Warren. The Warrenlady
there is named Tara and she's a fair woman for all that she's so young."

"Jasra... I'll remember that." then she turned and wondered over to the see
what she was needed for next.

Wisp
*****  

"Got a minute to talk Wingleader," a scruffy looking bearded man asked
Mc'key quite a whiles later after the crews had broken up for the evening meal.

Since Phaedra had been taken away and Argent had been left in charge of the
Warren, the acting Warrenlady had been relying heavily on the Alpha
Wingleader to help her get things set to rights. But he still tried to make
time to talk to them who needed an ear.

"Have a seat," the tall rider offered, setting down the coffee mug he'd just
been drinking from. "And tell me what I can do for you."

"Well it tain't really non of my business mind you," he started slowly,
looking down at the mug in his own hand. "But I happens to know that there's
this little girl who's heart broken cause she thinks the man she loves don't
fancy her no longer...But I don't think that's rightly the case now. What'a
you think?"

"Who are you?" Key asked, thinking there was something familiar about the
man but couldn't figure out what. But he knew the man was referring to
himself and Ghost.

"A friend," the bearded man said, losing all trace of his hillside farmer
accent. "A friend who knows how deep regret can go if one keeps putting off
what needs to be said. Who knows the regret of losing something very special
because he was to proud and stupid to speak up when he had the chance and
lost everything that was near and dear to him. Don't make the same mistake
son. Go to her. Tell her how much you care about her. Don't let your pride
get in the way of happiness. Cause without love it's a long lonely life
ahead full of regrets and what could have been's."

With that said the bearded man got up, tipped the empty mug towards Key and
walked away. He'd done all he could. The rest was up to Key if he was smart
enough. 

And Wisp was betting that he was.

Ghost
****** 
<Vasleth's rider is asking to talk to you,> Kikeane told her rider just as
night was falling over Geode Warren. 

Ghost, a small girl who looked more like 12 then the 18 years she had going,
was worn out from all the clean up work she'd been helping with all day.

As she entered the apartment she had shared with Mc'key until a few weeks
ago, she pulled off her riding hat and reached up to pull out the pins
holding her long raven black hair on the top of her head. Then let if fall
lose down her back before reaching to undo the buttons of her riding jacket.

<<Did he say what he wanted to talk to me about?>> she asked as she moved on
into the bedroom and quickly removed the rest of her dirty clothing,
throwing them all in the hamper, before she bent over to set the water in
the tub going. 

She felt so dirty. A bath was all she want just then. 

<Just that the two of you needed to talk..... Vas says his rider is sad.....
Just like you are to be apart from eachother.>

Sad... Yes that was a good way of putting it. 

<<Please tell Vas that I'll see him just as soon as I'm done with my bath,>>
she asked the pink dragon laying in the big cave outside. The cave that was
way to big and drafty for just one dragon. Just as her bed was to big for
just one human. 

She missed waking up with Key's arms around her. Feeling the warmth of his
skin pressing against hers. She just missed Key and the closeness they had
once shared. 
Before she had gone and blown it by trying to prove something when everyone
else was against it. By ignoring their wishes when they had only been trying
to protect her from herself... 

Her own stubbornness was to blame and she didn't know how to fix what she
had ruined. 

For all Key's over protectiveness... He had assigned her to a Wing and had
allowed her to be placed on one of the work details. He had cut her no
favors and let her sink or swim on her own merits. 

That was what she had wanted all along... Wasn't it? to be treated the same
as every other rider in the Warren and not granted special favors because
she happened to be the daughter and heir apparent to the lands she had given up?

Why had she thought that would change when her mother announced that she was
with child. The baby being the true heir to the lands. She'd given it all up
to stay in the Warren. To stay with Mc'key..... 

It had been a lonely few weeks without him and Ghost couldn't figure out how
she could make it up between them. Key seemed so distant from her the few
times they'd talked. Each time her heart broke a little more as he seem to
withdrawal further and further away from her.

So why now was he asking to see her? 

To make a clean break of it and retrieve the rest of his things that were
left behind? 

A tear slid down her face, mixed with the water from the shower as she
turned her face into the warm stream. She couldn't bare it if that was why
he was coming. 

Gods how she still loved him. He was everything to her.

<My rider he's here,> Kiki's voice softly filled her mind. 

<<Tell him I'll be out in just a moment,>> she replied and reached for the
towel hanging on the wooden peg near by.

When she was dry, she reached up and took hold of the robe hanging behind
the door and tied it around her. She was just to tired to find anything else
to cover herself with. Then she took a deep breath and opened the door to
make the trip down the short hall to the living room where the man she loved
was waiting. 

Key stood as she entered the room.

"Kiki said you wanted to talk to me?" she said and took the seat across from
him. 

He nodded. "I came to find out if it's to late for us to start over. I've
been acting a fool and....."

"I'm leaving Geode Key," she told him, cutting off his words. 

"Leaving?" he looked shocked. "The Warren?"

It was her turn to nod. 

"I can't stay here any longer it's to painful," she said softly, not looking
at him so he couldn't see how badly she was hurting inside. 

"Then it is to late for us. I waited to long to tell you how I feel," He
slumped down in a near by chair. Legs to weak to hold him up any longer. His
words tore from his soul and Ghost couldn't keep herself from looking at him
now. The anguish she saw written on his face gave her some hope.

"Come with me Key?" her tone begged as she got up to cross the room to kneel
beside him. She took the chance and reached for his hands. "Come with me. We
can start over and put all this behind us."

(Tag Peter, will he come? :)

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

Ghost & Kikeane 
Geode Warren
Wisp & Smoke
Jasra Warren and parts unknown.....

aka: Barbara