It was getting late. The dinner he'd been invite to was about to get under
way and still Galen hadn't shown up. 

Farr'in when looking for the younger man and found him talking to Talesin.

"You two had better hurry up if you want to make it to the dinner."

Galen turned to face the large rider.  "What dinner?"

"That young thing H'tor brought back with him is fixing a meal and everyone
is invited."

He turned and glanced at Talesin.  The young man was already nodding to
Farr'in.  "We'll be there."

"Well you'd better hurry if you don't want all the food to be gone before we
get there," Farr'in grinned, and gestured with his arm in a wide sweeping
motion for the two men to follow him. "Let's get going...."

He saw them turne to walk his way, Talesin turned an muttered something that
made the other man laugh, and Farr'in thought it nice to see the smile on
the young man';s face after everything else that had been happening in his
life lately.

Maybe the evening would be good for him after all...

He knew his evening was looking up when they enter the room and he spotted
Meena sitting close by. She saw him and waved him over.

He'd been a little worried about how she would respond towards him after the
mating flight, but knew he shouldn't have when she smiled and hugged onto
his arm when he sat down next to her.

"So how was your day," she asked when he was seated.

"Long..." he groaned then grinned. "That rider you had show me around took
your order to heart. I don't think there's a square mile of this Warren that
I don't know about now."

"Well you did say you wanted to know your way around," she laughed at the
look on his face.

"Where's Demee this evening?" he asked looking around the room for his new
little friend. 

"Oh I thought I'd leave him at home tonight. Sort of an adults night out,"
she told him. "But he was asking about you this morning. So never fear. He
hasn't forgotten you."

"I would hope not."

He was about to ask her something else when the quiet chatter of dinner was
interrupted by a concerned cry from T'grat, "Greta?"

His eyes followed the way Meena's had in time to see the woman slump out of
her chair. T'grat caught her, "Greta?" He gently tapped at her cheeks and
spoke louder, more
urgently, "Greta!"

He followed her when she stood and hurried to T'grat. Naomi was behind her,
"Move her away from the table, T'grat."

"She's not been feeling well.. I should have kept her home.." he heard the
man saying as his eyes looked at them worriedly.

Meena put a hand on Greta's brow, and gasped, "She's as cold as ice .."

Naomi jumped into gear, "Let's get her to the med center."

Farr'in reached out and laid a hand on his friends shoulder as they stood
there watching the other preparing the woman to be taken away. He didn't
know what else to do, but wanted her to know he was there for her if she
needed him.

***

He felt kind of lost when they arrived at the medical center. Meena had left
his side and went to sit by T'grat to offer what comfort she could to the man. 

His respect for her went up quite a bit when she put aside her own feelings
to help ease her friends. She was some lady, he thought.

Meena was sitting beside T'grat as he waited outside Greta's door, berating
himself for not taking better care of her. She tried to soothe him, but he
ignored her.

When Lilliana came out of Greta's room they both looked up and dread filled
Meena as she saw the grim look on the healer face.

"I'm sorry, T'grat."

His face paled, "S.. sorry ..?"

Oh gods...He knew what was coming next. Hadn't he just gone through this
same thing himself not to long ago with My'kel....His heart went out to the
man. Wishing it didn't have to be this way.

Lilliana nodded, "There wasn't anything I could do. I don't know what was
wrong with her .."

"Oh gods .." Meena breathed.

"NO!" T'grat screamed standing up, "NO!"  He pushed past Lilliana running
into Greta's room. Another loud scream echoed from behind the door as he
swung shut .. and then a racking sob filled the air. Meena buried her face
in her hands and wept as well.

He was moving towards her before he even knew his feet were moving. Arms
reaching to pull her close against his wide chest. 

She came willingly, and he just held her, His hand stroking her hair, his
voice low and soothing as she cried. 

He could feel her body trebling against his, and knew the pain she was going
through. Gods if he could have spared her, he would have given anything.

"Let's go home," he told her in a calming voice. "There's nothing more you
can do her right now."

"But their children..." she started to say.

"Will be fine until morning," he assured her. "Why wake them now when they
will need what sleep they can get. Morning will be soon enough to tell them."

He took her home then and would have gone on if she had wanted him too, but
he really wanted to stay. She didn't need to be alone right now. Not with
having to deal with the death of her friend. He could at lease help her to
deal with it. Even by just being there.

Leading her inside, he sat her on the couch before going into the kitchen
and fining a bottle of amber sprits hidden in a high up cabinet. Pouring tow
glasses of the brew, he took them back into the other room and placed one of
the glasses in her hands.

Meena looked at it and tried to give it back.

"I don't want this."

"Try to drink some of it," he told her. "It'll help some."

"Not nearly enough."

"No.. not nearly enough,' he agreed thinking back to how he'd gotten drunk
after learning about My'kel's death. "Not anywhere close."

After making sure she took a big sip of the brew, he took the glass from her
hand, noticing she was breathing a little better now, and then moved onto
the couch beside her and wrapped his arms around her pulling her so that her
head rested on his chest.

"You want to talk about it?" he asked softly as he adjusted them so she was
comfortable laying next to him. The way she snuggled up to him reminded him
of Arly and Leyean. 

He left her talk until finally her words drifted off and he noticed by the
even breaths she was now taking that she was asleep.

Sleep right now was the best thing for her. He soon joined her in the land
where reality was only what your dreams allowed.

-------  

"Farr'in...wake up..."

A hand pulling on his arm brought him awake the next morning. He opened his
eyes to see Demee standing there trying real hard to be quiet. 

"Well good morning," he grinned at the boy who smiled back. 

"Morning," he whispered upon seeing his mother sleeping. "What are you doing
here? Are you moving in?"

Farr'in grinned and moved carefully so he wouldn't disturb the girl still
asleep in his arms. 

"No scamp," he told the boy and saw him frown. "Let's go into the kitchen
and get something to eat and I'll tell you."


Demee followed him, and took his own chair as the big man moved around the
room looking for something to feed the boy. After doing this and the two had
eaten he took them out to the dragon's ledge and they sat down, looking of
into the rising sun. 

Then Farr'in picked him up and sat him in his lap and explained to the boy
the events of last night. 

He didn't quite know how the boy would react to the news but wanted to be
there if he was needed. He knew he should have let the boys mother be the
one to tell him... but somehow he wanted to spare her this one small thing.

He explained that his friend Greta was with the angels now, but that he
memories of her would always keep her alive to him in his heart. 

"So it's like she's not really gone right?" he asked looking up at Farr'in
for conformation. 

"Right," he smiled warmly. "She may not be here in person for you to talk to
any longer. But I know she'll hear you if you speak to her."

Demee looked away, a serious look on his little face as he thought it over,
then he nodded his head and if coming up with an idea. "I'll miss her... but
if I can still talk to her sometimes... "

"And I'm sure she'll be happy if you do," Farr'in agreed readily. The boy
was taking this all better than he had hoped. "You think you'll be okay with
this?"

"I think so..." his little face clouded over and a tear slipped from his
eyes. "But I'm gonna miss her..."

Farr'in hugged the boy closer and held him while he cried. He hadn't known
the woman himself, but thought her lucky to have so many who would miss her. 

As he held on tight to Demee, he felt a lightening of his own soul and knew
My'kel's spirit was close by. He could sense the boy smiling and knew in his
heart he was closer to forgiving the past. 

Something about this one little boy reminded him that he still had room in
his heart to give to another. Maybe this was what My'kel had been trying to
tell him all along.

*Be easy Uncle. Time will heal all*

As suddenly as he knew My'kel was with him... he was gone. Farr'in knew it
would be the last time he would hear from him. His job was over. Now it was
up to the rider to go on. 

He held the boy until his quiet sobs eased and then picked him up and
carried him back inside.

"Lets get you bathed and dressed before your mom wakes up and then maybe we
can see what she wants to do today."

------------- 

They were in the boys room picking out something for him to wear when he
heard her speak. 

"You're good with him," Meena was standing there leaning against the door
jam grinning sadly when he turned around to face her. 

Standing up he walked slowly towards her and place his hands on her
shoulders. "Are you okay this morning?"

----------------  

Just a short one (grin) to get my hand back in it....

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

Barbara (a.k.a.

Farr'in & Tergath
Norwall Warren