[Post one....]

The light was getting brighter... but he wasn't ready to go. No not yet.
There was still something he had to do. someone he needed to explain things too.

<<Fenton... tell her I need her to come to me... tell her I don't care who
knows.. she has to come... she promised she'd always look after me....tell
her....>>

Sam didn't know if he was mearly dreaming the words going though his mind,
or if by some small chance his dragon could actually hear him... but he knew
he couldn't rest... Couldn't leave until he told her. 

He had to tell her. It was the only way his soul could be at rest.

Music.. soft.. sweet. The sound made him feel joyful. Such a happy sound.
But yet.. sad at the same time. 

<She comes my rider,> Fenton's soft voice filled his mind, even as the tune
changed and grew even sadder. 

"Sammy....honey... can you hear me?" a voice whispered in the dark. "I'm
here sweetheart... Sissy's here love."

"Sissy.... need ...to...tell you..." Sammy fought to get the words out. He
hurt so much and knew the time was getting short. He had to tell her.. he
just had too.. she had to know. 

And forgive him for his crimes. 

"No Sammy... don't talk," she cried placing her hand upon his brow in a
loving caress. He felt something hit his cheek and knew she was crying. "You
need to rest so that you can get better." 

"No.. bought it... this time," he shook his aching head slowly and nearly
passed out from the pain that threaten to blow his head open. But somehow he
fought through it. He had to.

"Got to know.... don't hate me... only did it...to save you...he... was
gonna tell her.... turn you in.... had to think fast... couldn't let him..
hurt you.... need you... couldn't let him ...tell."

The woman stared down at the man on the bed. Her dark eyes filled with worry
and confusion. 

"Couldn't let who do what Sammy?" she asked, brows furrowing together hoping
the idea forming in her mind was just a bad dream. But she had to know. "Who
was going to hurt me?"

"Kid... was going to ..to tell.. her.. Warrenlady... you.. caves... had to
stop him from telling... couldn't let him hurt you... send you away... Tried
to talk him...out of it.. promised... they could ...go free... no more
stealing... but he.. he threatened... so I had to do it... I had to... don't
you see?"

The woman rocked back on her heals. A low groan emitted from her lips.
Disbelief filled her heart and soul, as his words replayed over and over in
her mind.
 
"Sammy please... please tell me it wasn't you who killed that kid... Dear
God tell me it wasn't you!?!" She was gripping the collar of his med gown
now, pulling on it as if in this way she could force him to make sense.

"Had to.... didn't want to... not a kid... but only way.... was gonna
tell.... couldn't let them take.. you...'way...."

She had to think... had to come up with some plan. She couldn't let him stay
here and confess. They'd banish him at the very least. Execute him at the
worst once they found out he had been the one in the dark caves that night.
The one who had taken the life of the boy.

She couldn't believe it. Didn't want to. Not her bother. Not Sammy. She was
the one who had always been in trouble. The one who had always lived life
just one step in front of the Law Givers. She was the one who should be to
blame for what happened. 

Not Sammy. 

Not nice sweet innocent Sammy, who'd despite all of his past troubles, had
had no chance to live a good life. Until he'd stayed to long in the Warren
one day while working for her... and ended up joining to the little
hatchling who'd cried and cried until Sammy, having no choice... accepted him. 

She'd been so happy for him that day. Happy and thankful that now he
wouldn't have to follow her into a life of crime.... Hopeful that his
troubles would pass now that he had a dragon to look after. She had thought
he was beyond all that after all this time had past.

"Oh Sammy... why....?" she moaned, her forehead coming down to lay upon his
chest. "Why... you were out of it... You had your whole life to live... Damn
you!!! WHY!?!"

"For you...." it was getting harder for him to speak now. the light was
growing even brighter then before. Voices in his head were beckoning him to
take that last step over the line to join up with them. 

He could hear his sweet mother calling out to him. Telling him of her love
for him. Telling him she forgave him. Telling him how happy she was that
they could finally be together. 

Still.. he waited. There was one more thing he needed to do before he
surrendered to the pull of his mothers loving arms.

"Forgive...me Sissy... Need your.. forgiveness..." he choked out. "Please...."

"Oh Sammy... don't be silly... you rest. You rest and get better then I'll
get you away from here!" the woman told him already making plans she knew
she would never have use for. "You just rest."

"No... Mama's calling me... the light.... it's so bright... so pretty... my
heart... hurts... need you to tell me you ...forgive... go in peace..."

"AHH..." he cried out suddenly. His body convulsing in one final spasm of
pain. She moved to reach for his hand knowing the time was coming to an end,
and whispered the two words he longed to hear, even thought she knew as his
body settled back down onto the bed that it was to late. 

"I forgive...."

The anguishing cries of a lone dragon rented the air outside the med center,
as Fenton sprang up, vaulting into the air screaming his pain for the lost
of his rider. 

Other dragonic voices joined his and then a few minutes later. She heard a
silence that to her sounded even louder then the dragon's sorrowful cries. 

Looking down at the body of her brother she knew even before the healer
busted into the room, that Sammy was dead. 

Her sweet.. loving brother... Who was never meant to be what she was.. was
dead. 

She stepped back and allowed the healers to try to bring him back... but she
knew with the departure of Fenton that he was better off the way he was. She
knew all about the bond between the rider and his dragon.. and knew her
Sammy wouldn't have wanted to live without his life mate.

She turned, eyes empty and dull to see a very pregnant woman standing in the
door way. She knew this woman. Had heard Sammy speak of her before. Koda...

"Healer Koda ma'am.... I am Neres.. and I need to see your Warrenlady... do
you think you could be so kind as to have your dragon contact her Queen and
tell her I know who killed the child."

[[sorry James ... this story idea was just to good for me to pass up using
Neres in this way..... :) ]]

"You're lying!" an angry voice shouted from behind the healer. "You bitch...
you'll say anything to turn the blame away from you and your band of
thieves!!" Tina accused and barely stopped herself from pushing past Koda,
who had moved in front of the smuggler so the fiery female rider couldn't
get at her. 

"No rider Tina," Neres slowly shook her head. "I do not do this to throw the
blame on Sammy because he's not here any longer to defend himself. I do it
because it's what he would have expected me to do. Even in the end he hated
himself for what he had done... all to protect me..."

"Protect you!" Tina fumed. "He killed an innocent child.. TO _ PROTECT_
YOU!! Just who in the hell are you anyway that he thought he needed to
*protect you* !?!"

"His sister... The only member of our family that didn't die at his hands...."

She heard both of the other women gasp at her words. 

"Please... it's a long painful story and I only want to have tell it once,
so if you really feel like you just have to ear it, then I'll allow you to
accompany me to the Warrenlady's office and be in the room while I tell it..."

"You'd be daft if you think I'm going to miss this," Tina said reaching out
to pull a willing smuggler after her. "I'll even escort you to Waylene's
office myself."

.........

"Sammy has always been a bit of a problem child," Neres told those in the
room after they'd all taken seats. "We knew from and early age that there
was something different about him from the rest of us... Something we all..
tried to ignore. But I can see now that this had been the biggest mistake we
made."

She stopped to take a sip from the water glass that had been filled for her
upon request, then started up again, telling them all about Sammy's earlier
childhood and how his insane acts of brutality had everyone afraid of him. 

"When small animals began showing up dead all over town, people rightly
blamed Sammy... so we'd pack up and move again. each time we were forced to
do this, he would seem to get better for a while.. but then it would start
all over again. the last time... I was away on one of my trips and I came
home one day later then I was supposed to... I found my mother... and our
little sister in the living room of our home.... Sammy had... had fallen
into one of his.. attacks and had taken a knife to their throats..."

She stopped again this time to try and pull herself back from the pain of
the past. "If I had only come home when I was suppose to have... If I'd been
there... I could have helped him... and they would still be alive today...."

[Tag Kris..... :) ]


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

Sammy & Fenton
Lakoda & Ribbon
Marrid Warren

aka
Barbara :)