Tera
*****

Wishing her mates mother hadn't of shooed off the last of her 
visitors, Tera sighed as she looked around the tiny med room 
she was in, hoping to find something to occupy her mind.

Nothing... Trebrin was fast asleep, had been through the whole 
of Ben'sar's visit, so the doting uncle never had the chance to 
hold his new nephew.

"I was hoping to get some first hand experience," he said and 
glanced across the room at his brothers mate to see if she caught 
his meaning.

"She told you huh?" the blond asked and saw him nod his head yes. 
"Well?"

"Hell Tera.. I don't know what to do. How I'm suppost to feel about 
her being pregnant. She didn't even come out and tell me about the 
baby. I found out when I followed her out of the dining hall during
breakfast One day and caught her tossing her cookies in some nearby 
bushes. I confronted her about it and she told me the truth.... she 
also told me that she didn't know what she was going to do...keep it 
or..."

The young man wasn't much wiser when he finally left her to join his 
patrol partner for training.

She was beginning to wonder a little while later when the lunch time 
hour was approaching and no one had stopped by to see if she was 
hungry. When the door finally started to open she was about to say something
about them being later than normal when she looked up to 
see Laya sticking her head around the corner of the door.

"Can I come in?" she asked

"Laya! I thought you'd never come and visit!" Tera said sitting up 
in bed. The lack of food forgotten as her friend came into the room.
The sudden need to show off her beautiful son, and learn more about 
the gossip Sundee had told her the other dragons were saying about 
the girl, sounded a lot more appetizing. Tera wanted to know if it 
were true.

"How are you feeling?" she asked as she peered into the crib where 
Tera's son lay sleeping.

Tera leaned across and took the tiny bundle out and handed him to 
her friend as she sat next to her.

"Here hold him like this," she maneuvered her friend's hands and arms 
in the right places. Soon the baby was cradled and supported in 
Tahlaya's arms. "I thought you could do with the practice, " she 
laughed, coming right to the point. No use beating around the bushes, 
she thought or she might not ever learn anything from Laya.

"You heard, huh?" she groaned.

"Uh huh. It's all over the warren. So tell me, who's the father?"

"What's he doing?" she asked as the baby made snuffling noises and 
tried turn his head towards Tahlaya's chest.

"He's rooting," Tera said, taking him from Tahlaya.

"He's what?"

"Rooting. He's hungry." With out a second thought, Tera pulled open 
one side of her robe and moved her son up to her breast to feed. 

"Would you like me to leave?" she said rising from her chair.

"No, don't worry. When you give birth you tend to find that there 
are more embarrassing things in life than having a friend watching 
as you breast feed a baby." A whole lot more! She thought to herself.

Trebrin made gurgling and sucking noises  as his mother once again 
asked, "So... who's the father?"

"What? Oh... Ahh... Hmmm!" Tahlaya mumbled.

"Is that a problem, Laya?" she asked quizzically.

"Yes... no... I don't know," she sighed as she explained what had 
happened.

"What a mess!" Tera said exhaling sharply when Laya had come to the 
end of her story. "To bad there isn't a way you can find out who the 
father is before the baby is born? I'm sure it would make things 
easier on you."

"So tell me about you and Ash... When did this happen?" Tera asked 
and then frowned. "You have to remember I haven't seen much of you 
here lately."

So Laya told her how they met and how it all tied back into her and 
the babe she carried...Told her how Ash had offered to step aside in 
favor of the baby's father if she wanted him to.. and then Laya told 
Tera about them becoming mates."

"Well it's about time you found someone," Tera said as she was 
shifting the still hungry little boy to her other breast. "And from 
what I heard about Ash from Trap, he's a good and honorable man."

The blondes eyes moved to take a quick glance at the door, then when 
they turned back to gaze upon her friend there was a sly smile on her lips....

"So.... What's he like in bed?" She asked, green eyes twinkling.

"Tera!!!!"


*Trap*
****** 

"Trap, have you heard what they are doing about
Kay?"

Trap frowned, at the moment he really didn't care...except for the 
fact that the by was a dragonrider. But still he thought, then saw 
the look on Danielle's face. "Yes, I heard they are holding him over 
for trial. It takes place in a week. Retala is defending him."

Danielle frowned. "I need to be there. I was the closest when it 
happened, and I can tell them it was self defense."

"If you are able" Trap said, curling his arm around her protectively. 
He didn't want to let her out of his sight. He'd come damned close to losing
her once because of Kay and he didn't want to have to go 
through that ever again.

"Not if, Trap. I have to be there." she looked up at him and he saw 
the resolve in her eyes. She then continued, hesitating slightly 
"Trap, I want to go see him."

He felt numb at her words and wondered how much she still cared 
about him. What if she saw him again and decided she had made a 
mistake in leaving him. Would she want to go back?  No... he had 
to believe her when she said that she loved *him*. Traplin, the 
man she was sharing her bed with. 

"I thought you said you trusted me." she said.

"I do" he said slowly, not sure how to explain. "But I don't have 
to like
it, do I?"

He could see Danielle looking at him thoughtfully, "Trap, will you 
take me visit Kay tomorrow morning?" she asked him.

Take her to see *Kay*.  Did she know what she was asking him to do? 

Damn!!

What else could he do but give into her wishes. If he said no, she 
would find someone else to take her and he would stand the chance 
of losing her. Maybe even drive her back into the other mans arms.

He looked at her and knew she was waiting for his answer. Suddenly 
he knew how important this was to her. Kay was her friend. She had 
to do something to help him out of the trouble he was in. She had to 
tell those holding him what had really happened that day.

He couldn't deny her that. Not when what she had to say to could 
save the life of a rider and his dragon. The life of a friend.

No he couldn't deny her that... no matter how much he wished he 
could. He hated the idea of her spending any time at all with the 
man, but what could he do? 

"I'll take you," he said finally. "Just let me know when you want 
to leave, and Diemis and I will be ready."

He turned to then to put some space between them and froze where he 
stood. After several seconds he heard Danielle's voice calling his 
name.

The tall blond-headed rider just stood there, his face devoid of any emotion
as he stared  at the older man standing in front of him. He 
barely noticed his old friend and teacher off to the left.

"I figured that with everything going on, that you wouldn't be able 
to get away from here for a while to go see him, so I got a 
dragonrider to bring him here."

"Trap Love. What is it?" He felt his Dallie's hand reach out to 
touch his arm. She could feel how tense his body was as she turned 
to look at the cause of it. 

When her eyes fell on the man standing before them, she suddenly 
knew that he could be none other than Bastine, father of both 
Traplin and Tera. 

"My father..." 

"It's been to long my son," the older man said, as he stared back 
at his son. "Is it to late to forgive and old fool."

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

Kat: I would like to do a little more between Trap and his 
father...I'm just tired of typing now... I figured that with 
everything else going on that it would be awhile before they 
could go and see the old man... so I had him brought to the 
Warren.....Trap will still take Dallie to see Kay whenever 
you are ready...even if he would prefer to be elsewhere.... 
ah what being in love with a woman will do to a man....

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

Barbara (a.k.a.

Tera & Sundellath
Traplin & Diemis
Ben'sar & ( er...ah...I forget :)

Telnor Warren