(Nrpg: I didn't know if WR. had a tailor yet or not so I'm just 
going to call this one Barry, just to give him a name. He's a 
kindly older man who never had a mate or kids, but the kids all 
love him.)

True to his word, Barry did keep Shawnee busy most of the morning. 
There were repairs to do, and new outfits to cut out and piece 
together. After the first hour, the tailor stopped looking over her shoulder
to see if she was doing the work right and the two began 
to talk. Shawnee was totally honest with him about her past. She 
didn't want anything popping up that might make him think she lied 
to him. 

The older man was most understanding, and told her nor to worry her 
pretty little head about it. "If Saul knows and still brought you 
here to me, then he believed you're honest. That's good enough for 
me."

Sitting there, with a threaded needle, repairing a shoulder seam in 
a light blue shirt, Shawnee thought about how happy she was. 
In less than one day her world and the kids, had turned completely 
around. Here they would be allowed to grow and become anything they 
chose to be. Here at the Warren the would be judged by their own 
actions, and not because of who their parents were.

The only obstacle she could think of would be the Warrenlady. Saul 
had said something about taking Shawnee to see her today and she had already
made up her mind to tell the woman everything. The whole 
truth. Like with Barry, she didn't want to have any of the lies to 
come back and haunt her later.

"You gonna stop working sometime and go eat lunch, Shawnee?' the 
older man asked coming to stand next to her. "I'm not a slave driver 
you know. I've been known to let people who work for me have a life 
of their own." He smiled at his own joke. "Why don't you take the 
time to go see your brother and sister. The work here will wait."

"If you're sure you don't mind.... I really would like to go see how they're
doing. Fawna was still asleep when I went by this morning," 
Which was just as well, Shawnee thought. For even now her face grew 
flushed as she recalled what she had mistakenly said aloud about 
wanting to know if Saul's beard would tickle, and his reply; "I 
should be happy to allow you to find out."

Oh, how she had wanted to! To just give in to the feelings churning 
around inside of her everytime he was near and just let go. She knew 
how it felt to be held in his strong arms, but was curious to know 
how it would feel to have his lips pressing against hers, kissing her 
in the way a man kissed a woman. 

She had come so close to saying yes to his offer, when her brother's
innocent question and the nurses timely arrival had brought her back 
to her senses and she turned away from him before he could see what 
was in her eyes. 

By the time they had left the kids asleep in their med room and left 
to check with the tailor about the job, she had her feelings under
control... at least on the outside. 

(Med Center: sametime Shawnee's getting ready to go to lunch)

Ojean was just coming out of the room he shared with his sister, to 
find the nurse about getting a new book, when he heard a familiar voice 
in the next room down. Remembering his manners, the little boy knocked 
on the door and waited for someone to open it. And then there he was.
Ojean's new friend.

The little boy's eyes lit up upon seeing Saul. "I don't want to 
disturb you, cause I know you're busy but I wanted to say hi"

"Well hi, yourself Jeano," Saul's blue eyes twinkling as he squatted 
down to the boy level.  "Does the nurse know you're out of your room?" 

"Yes sir," Ojean replied, holding out the book he was carrying and explained
that he was on his way to get another.

"Well did you do it?" the boy asked the man.

"Ah .. do what?" 

Ojean rolled his little blue eyes and sighed. "Did you kiss my sister?" 

"Oh that!!" Saul's grin broadened and he gave the boy a wink. "Well not yet."

"Why not?" Ojean wanted to know, his little face drawl into a frown.
Wondering if his knew friend knew anything! "She likes you, you know? 
I'm sure she would let *you* kiss her. You're not at all like those 
other men who used to try to kiss her. She didn't like *them* and 
told them to leave her alone. Sometimes they said mean things to her 
before they would go away. I knew it hurt her." there was a sadness 
in his tone. "But you wound never hurt her Saul, would you?" 

"No Ojean," the look in his deep blue eyes became serious. "I wouldn't 
hurt Shawnee." He promised.

"Then when are you going to kiss her?"

Before Saul could answer the boy, someone inside the room called out 
his name. Reminding him that if he was going, he'd better get a move 
on it. 

Reaching out to ruffle Ojean's locks of mid-brown hair he smiled, 
"Tell you what, why don't we let that be a surprise."

"Okay!"

(a little while later)

Shawnee tried to hide her disappointment, when she learned that she 
had just missed seeing Saul in the medical center. When she asked her
brother what they had talked about, the boy told her *just stuff* and 
then started in telling her about the book the nurse had given him to 
read. Fawna had slept through the whole time she was with them and 
then it was time for Shawnee to go back to work. 

Throughout the afternoon she kept expecting Saul to show up to take 
her to see the Warrenlady, but he never came. Each time the door to the shop
had opened she had hoped it would be him, but it never was. Around dinner
time, Barry told her it was time to close up shop for the night.

"You may want to sit up all night with a needle in your hand, but I 
have other plans. Go on home or better yet, go look in on the kids 
again before they go to sleep. Read them a bedtime story."

Fawna was finally a wake when she arrived to see them. The
 little girl was looking so much better than she had the previous 
evening. Her little eyes were beginning to have some spark in them 
and as she climbed up into her older sister's lap she demanded Shawnee 
tell her all about the ride on the dragon 
that had brought them here. 

With the story told to the little angle's satisfaction, and two bedtime
stories read, Shawnee was more than ready to take herself back to the
apartment she was using when Clarissa came in to tell the kids it was
bedtime. After assuring the two that she would be back in the morning 
to share breakfast with them, she left the building and started her 
walk home. As she walked, she remembered her brother asking if she had 
seen Saul since the afternoon. When she told him no, that he probably 
had other things to do today, the boy had just smiled smugly, "You 
will"

Somewhere in the nighttime air she could hear a bird singing and 
thought it's song sounded lonely. Just like I am, she sighed. Well 
she was used to being lonely, but why this time did it hurt so much. 

Because, she admitted to herself, she was missing him. 

-------------------------------------------------------
I took it that Saul left to go on his little trip before he made
it back by to take Shawnee by to see the Warrenlady, since he had 
to leave right after lunch...but she'll be happy to see him 
whenever he does show up *grin*

Also :) after rereading the bio's I found out I got the color of 
Saul's eyes wrong :( so from here on out I'll get it right.


****Submitted by:*********
Barbara (aka:)
Shawnee and her siblings
Ojean & Fawna
*****Submitted by:*********************
Barbara
Voices of:
Warrenlady Jayleigh & Queen Viktroy (Daere)
Tera & Sundellath (Telnor), 
Dan'yar & Shinner (Cleft) 
Shawnee (Whiteriver)

Daere Warren Web Page
(http://mail.reallink.com/~carolyn/index.html
(Barbara's Pern Question page)
<http://pubpages.unh.edu/~bscott/pern/questions.html>