"Aren't you happy for him, Saul." Shawnee asked after seeing the strange sad
look come over his face. She was so sure he would be when he found out about
Ojean and his Teewith. 

"Of course I'm happy for him .. I .. I'm just in shock."

"He's a very small hatchling. I think he's as small as Areena was.." Shawnee
said. She was rambling and knew it, but hated the silence that seemed to
have sprang up between them. "In fact Areena has taken an interest in him."

"Perhaps a kinship due to their size?"

>"Maybe .." She looked at him in concern, "Did you get T'jellan's son here?"

>Saul nodded, "He's grown up, let me tell you. I think he looks more like
his mother .. but he's definitely got T'jellan's coloring .. and that hair!
He's filled out to. He's a big man, like his father."

"How is T'jellan doing?"  Shaw had had Doshy contact Juniper, earlier and
was told he was holding his own, but nothing else, and the teal had also
relayed a message from the red's rider Clarissa that she was not to come
back to the med center that evening for anything. 

>Saul frowned, "They don't know. He barely woke to acknowledge that Tev was
there. But Tev took it well. I think there was enough of a response that he
feels better for coming."

"That's good. I've been worried about him." 

"Shawnee...." his face turned to a deep frown.

"He's my friend Saul. Of course I'm going to be worrying about him," she
came to stand before him and placed her hand on his arm where it was folded
across his chest. "Just as he has always been your friend. I can't stop
caring about him because...  because..."

"Because he's in love with you maybe?" he asked when she faltered. 

Shawnee turned away, unable to meet his eyes. "I didn't think you knew about
that."

"Love... everyone knows," he informed her. "I just don't know why you didn't
tell me yourself."

She turned to him then, hearing something in his voice she didn't like.

"Because he's your friend and I knew he would NEVER do anything that would
ruin that," she took a deep breath before continuing. "Because I knew he
would never try to come between us the way Gwyna did... in the name of
*friendship*. T'jellan cared enough about the friendship you two have, had
for all those years that *he* stayed away from me, even after our daughter
was born, because he didn't want to hurt either one of us."

Her aqua eyes pleaded with him to understand. "I do love him Saul... as a
good friend, but you are the only man I could ever love with my heart and
soul. You are everything ever wanted in a mate and friend. I never even
dreamed that I would ever love any man the way I love you. T'jellan knows
that and respects us both enough to stay away because of that."

"I know that Shawnee... it's just...."

"One might think you were a little jealous love," laughter danced in her
eyes and then he smiled. 

"One might be right."

"One should know better."

"One is only now beginning to understand that."

She wanted him to lower his head just a bit until their lips touched. Just a
few inches was all it would take. But even as she saw the heat appear in his
eyes, he turned away from her leaving her feeling cold and lonely. 

"I'd like to go down and check on this little hatchling of Ojee's," he said,
but didn't look at her. 

"I'll go with you if you'd like," she asked, hoping he'd say yes. She just
wanted to be with him. Just the two of them, but for some reason....

"Sure.." he finally turned to look at her. A warm smile on his handsome
face... and something else she couldn't make out. "But would you mind flying
down with me on Fayloth? He said Doshy's asleep and doesn't want to wake her
right now. Not after the poor dear was so brave today."

<Doshy love...?> Shawnee tried to connect with her dragon's mind, but just
as Saul had said, she must have been asleep, because Shawnee got no reply
from her. 

Not that she really minded at the moment. It would give her a chance to be
close to him... and while they were on dragon back, he would have no place
to turn away from her...until they landed. 

"I'll just put Lynnie in her travel pack," she told him and went into the
other room. When she came back out, he told her he would take Lynnie, so she
helped him while he settled their sleeping daughter in her pack on his back.

She made sure to keep her body as close to his as she could, after he
climbed up onto the blue Fayloth behind her. 

Never once did she suspect her own dragon of trickery, but if she has been
thinking of anything but the feel of Saul's warm body behind her, she might
have seen the teal's eyes open slightly as Fayloth took off. 

And drop ....strait down off their ledge for a good twenty feet before
opening his wings to slow his descent. 

Shawnee's heart jumped and she clung to the arm Saul threw around her with a
death grip as her body pressed as far back against his as she could get. She
couldn't help but be thankful that Lynnie was strapped in nice and tight in
her carryall on her fathers back.

--------  

<Think it'll work?> Doshy asked her ledge mate just before the blue jumped
from the ledges edge.

*Only one way to fins out!* Fayloth chuckled. *I know my rider hopes so.*

<Why are humans so silly?> she asked him as she moved slowly towards the
edge of their cave to keep and eye on them. <Why can't they just tell
eachother what they want and then do it?>

*Who knows.*

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

"What in the heck got in to him!" Shawnee asked, as Saul reached up to help
her down off of the blue. The first thing she did was move around behind him
to check on her daughter... who was still sound alseep.

She turned her head around, and eyed Fayloth over her mates shoulder, and
could have sworn the blue was grinning like a cat who eaten the canary when
he stared back at her.

So... the dragon was up to something, she thought as they began to walk
towards Barry's place. She didn't even try to pull her hand out of Saul's as
they walked side by side. Even that simple touch felt wonderful.

He didn't seem in any great hurry to release her hand, and for that she was
thankful... as well as hopeful that she'd been reading his pulling away all
wrong.

Barry was still up when Saul knocked on the door.

"So you heard about Ojean's little friend already," the old man smiled as he
invited them in. "Couldn't wait until morning to see him?"

"What and let Jean-o think I didn't care?" Saul asked, his handsome face
taking on a mock-horror look that made Shawnee giggle. 

Saul turned to her and smiled warmly, his deep blue eyes twinkled as one eye
closed in a wink.

Her breath caught and for a moment it was only the two of them in the room,
but then Barry cleared his throat and she sighed quietly when Saul turned
back to face him. 

"Is Ojean still awake?"

"Just barely, but I'm sure he'll be happy to see you. His little friend is a
sleep down at the end of his bed in a bed we made him."

"We won't stay long," Saul promised. "I just want to tell him how proud I am
of him. 

Ojean was still awake... just barely when he heard someone knock at his
bedroom door and called out for them to come in. 

His sleepy blue eyes lit up with excitement when he saw Saul had come to see
him. 

"Did you hear Saul!?!" he asked, sitting up on the bed. "Did you come to see
my dragon?"

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

They decided to stop by the dining hall for a little while before going
home. To catch up on their friends and hear about any plans being made to
begin the clean up of the Warren the next day. 

Several people came by to see them, to ask after Ojean and his Teewith, and
Shawnee and Saul assured them both the new rider and his hatchling were
doing fine. 

"Stuffed so full he won't move until morning," Saul chuckled. "But the
little guy looks healthy enough and well oiled. Ojean knows how important
that is, and will do fine by his new friend."
They left the hall soon afterwards and Shawnee let her body relax and
snuggle into the arm that came around her on the trip back home. 

If Saul seemed to hold her just a little longer than normal when he helped
her down off of Fayloth... Shawnee reveled in it. When he kept her hand in
his as they walked back inside. 

She helped him remove the baby's carryall and then wondered on down the hall
to place her back into her bed. 

She stood there looking down at her prefect little one, and praying she
would sleep for a long time to come. 

Shawnee was going to get Saul back into their bed tonight if it was the last
thing she did. They'd been apart to long and she was missing him like hell. 

"If you got any plans of sleeping on the couch tonight my love... then you
had better think again...." she muttered as she left her daughters room and
wondered back into the living room. 

Only to find Saul with his head on his pillow and the covers drawn up over
him.... on the couch. 

"How much longer is this going to keep going on?" she asked, coming around
to where he could see her.

"I ..don't know what you mean."

"I mean you... this..." she motioned towards the couch where he was laying.
"I'm beginning to feel like you don't want me any more! Am I right?"

"Gods!! Woman... if you only knew!" he swore sitting up right. 

"How could I possible know when you won't even touch me any longer?" she
threw at him.

"Damnit Shawnee.. I made a promise not to push you until you were ready.
I've been trying to keep that promise."

"A promise huh?" her eyes opened wide, then her lips turned down in a frown.
"And what was it you promised?"

She stood there facing him, one hand had come up and was resting on her hip.
She had no idea how sexy the pose made her look at the moment.

"I promised you I wouldn't touch you until you asked me too..." he told her
and suddenly realized how lame it sounded, even though he had meant it at
the time. 

Slowly her lips curved upwards into a smile as a plan came to her. This
could be fun, she thought and moved her free hand up to undo the top button
of her shirt.

"So you promised not to touch me until I *asked* you too?" she asked just to
make sure she had heard him right. Then moved to undo the second
button...and third when she saw him nod his head. 

He couldn't seem to take his eyes off of her as she finally finished with
the shirts buttons and then slowly slid the shirt off her shoulders and let
it fall to the floor at her feet leaving her breast open for his eyes to
feast on.

"So if I continue to remove my clothes while standing here, you still won't
make any moves to touch me?"

His eyes closed and she could see the muscles in his neck strain as he drew
in a deep breath... then grinned when his head nodded in answer.

"And if I chose to come over and lay down on the couch next to you and slip
under the covers like this..." and she did just that as she was asking the
question. "And start to ...maybe... kiss you like this... or this... or
touch you like this... you still promise not to touch me?"

He finally caught on to what she was going. 

"Shawnee....." he growled, then moaned when her hand found him. "Dear Gods
woman...."

"Now you promised my love," she reminded him when he reached for her. "I
don't remember asking you to touch me yet!"

"You are going to be the death of me yet!" he growled, but settled back and
let her go on with what she was doing. 

She couldn't keep it up for very much longer... could she?

A minute later he began to wonder when he felt her lips moving down across
his chest... and continued on even further. And groaned again when he felt
her moist lips close over his heat.

Never had she felt so much power over their lovemaking. It was thrilling her
to know just what she could make him feel. It excited her beyond anything
she had ever felt before... and didn't think she could keep it up to much
longer. 

Already her body was crying out for the fulfillment only he could give her.
Slowly she withdrew from him and got up. She could see the question in his
eyes as she moved towards the bedroom. 

"The couch is to small to get comfortable on..." she threw over her
shoulders as she walked away. "Care to join me in our bed my love?"

He stopped just long enough to finish removing the baggy bed pants he wore
before following her. But once he was beside her, Shawnee reminded him again
of his promise.....

She pushed against his shoulders until he was on his back and then moved to
cover his body with hers. Her lips lowered so they could reach his and he
let her control just how deep the kiss went... 

She couldn't wait ... touching him was driving her crazy. She wanted him
inside her... completing her, making them one. 

It had been way to long.

Raising herself up, she met his eyes, and held them as  she lowered herself
down again and took him inside. 

"Now..." she begged.  

He just grinned, but made no other move. 

"Are you asking?"

"Yes..."

"Say it Shawnee... tell me what you want?"

"You... I want you.. only you!!"

"Say it..."
"Saul ...PLEASE!!" She tried to move her body to take what she wanted, but
his hands came up to grip her hips, keeping them still.

"Ask!"

"Please Saul..." the game was over... all teasing ended. "Touch me...Make
love to me!"

Just as suddenly as the words were out of her mouth, she found herself on
her back underneath him and looked up to see the satisfaction in the eyes
looking back into hers. 

"Now.." he said lovingly... and two became one.

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

?Barbara (a.k.a.

Shawnee & Doshayne 
Barry the tailor
Whiteriver Warren..