Are you okay?" Saul, asked once they were away from the shop.

>"Right now I'm not to sure," she admitted. "I just want to get Lynnie and
go home... I have to warn Fawna and Ojean that he's here..." she told him
and then stopped in her tracks. "Oh Gods... how will they take it, knowing
>he's here after what Owlean did to them?"

>He reached for her and hugged her.

"Lynnie'll be all right for a moment," he said. "How'd you like to meet my
sister?"

>Shawnee hesitated, clearly torn. "Saul .. I want to be sure she's okay.
With my father here .. I just don't know that she's safe, and I have to find
Fawna and Ojean. I can't let anything happen to them."

The little girl's voice came back into her mind, the scene in the leather
shop haunting her...

*****"Don't say those mean things to my daddy!!" the little girl cried. "If
you do he may leave me again and it'll be all your fault!!!"*****

And the Dontey's reply.....

*****"No Sammy, no," Dontey said and went to the little girl, bending down
before her and wrapping his arms around her to comfort her. "I swear child.
I would never leave you or your momma. I love you!

"Promise Papa? Promise!?!" Kisama begged him to tell her.

"I promise with everything in me," he told her...*****

Saul shrugged beside her bring her back to the now. A slight frown coming to
his face. "I understand."

His sister. They had been talking about his her meeting his sister.

>She reached up and caressed his bearded cheek with her hand. "Why don't you
go see her and invite her to have lunch with us after practice."

>He nodded, forcing a slight smile to his face, "That's a good idea .. as
long as Rebessa doesn't show up."

"Oh Saul," Shawnee laughed bitterly at the irony. "How is it that our
families have to show up now .."

"It'll be all right, Sweet Shawnee. Go make sure our daughter is okay .. and
your brother and sister." He hugged her tightly again .. 

She kissed him softly before breaking away. With a warm smile she turned and
walked back inside the dining hall to where L'rian and his mate were still
sitting with her daughter. 

Something must have told them something was wrong when she reached for
Lynnie, but no one asked. She'd tell them when she was ready....

Barry however wasn't in the mood to wait. He had liked the Leather worker on
sight, and his family. But if his being here was disturbing Shawnee for some
reason... he wanted to know.

"Who is he Child?" the tailor asked when she had taken a seat and began to
look over her daughter. "Who is this man that causes you so much distress?"

"My father," she replied, hugging the little one in her arms tighter. "He
said he's come here to make things up to me and the kids."

Her father!!

But it all made sense to him now. Yes... Until now Barry hadn't even thought
about the times when Dontey had left his place of business when ever Ojean
had come home after school.

But then Ojean would have been old enough to have remembered him where as
Fawna.. wouldn't have been that old when the man had walked out on his family. 

Barry had heard the stories from Shawnee and Ojean about the man, but
somehow Barry couldn't picture the man he had befriended with the man they
had spoke of. 

Why Dontey's devotion to his mate and child was open enough for anyone who
saw them to recognize it for what it was. 

So how could he be the same man? Unless....Barry suddenly found the need to
talk to the man. But it would have to wait a bit, for he was needed here to
make sure Shawnee was all right. This daughter of his heart and her family
would always come first to him.

"I know how this must have come as a shock to you my dear," Barry told her
as he reached out a finger to caress the baby's cheek. "But I don't think
you need to fear his being here. If I had even the slightest bad feelings
about him, I never would have allowed Fawna to go over to their place to
play with little Kisama."

The girls eyes flew up to look at his face. "You *knew* who he was and still
let him be around Fawna?"

She couldn't believe he would do this to her. He *knew* how she felt about
the man. Had known for sometime!

"No child," the tailor was quick to reassure her. "I didn't know until you
just told me. I swear. But... I now I know you won't like to hear me saying
this... but I feel the man has changed from the one you knew."

"Men like him never change!" she snapped, but not as heatedly as she might have.

"Saul did my dear," he reminded her. "The day he met you his life and ways
changed. For one thing he was able to admit his love for you. And now he's
not only your mate... but a father of a child he swore he'd never have.
You're love did that to him... just as Tahsa's love changed your father.
Tahsa and Kisama. Think about it Shawnee... give him a chance. Talk to Tahsa
about it. I think you'll like her."

With that Barry got up. "I need to go back to work now, but promise me
you'll think about what I said... Dontey is not Owlean."

"I couldn't help but hear what you two were talking about," Caitlin reached
out to touch Shawnee's hand. "But I have met this Dontey and his family
and... well I liked him. He seemed very devoted to his family. Especially
his little girl."

Shawnee turned to look at the other woman and then at L'rian sitting beside
her who nodded his head. 

"Now I'm not saying you should up and forgive him for the past," Caitlin
continued. "But give him a chance. If things don't work out right...Don't
worry.. because you still have the Warren as your family and we won't let
anything happen to you or your siblings."

Not like the last time with Owlean, Shawnee could hear the words the woman
didn't say, but she understood.

"I'll consider what you say," she gave in.. in the back of her mind the
little girl Kisama appeared...her sister...

*** "Fawna said you're the best sister ever..." ***

Well maybe it wouldn't hurt to meet her.. she seemed like a sweet child. And
Fawna had grown so since meeting her and becoming friends. Besides.. the
child couldn't help who her father was...

Talk to Tahsa, Barry had told her. 

"Well if you'll excuse me, I think I'll take my daughter home," Shawnee told
those at the table and stood, then sighed. "After I go by the stores and
pick up some things to fill out food shelves with. Saul reminded me this
morning that the shelves were bare." 

She left then. With her mind going back over the things that had been said
inside, she didn't notice the three people standing off a ways, nor hear
their angry words as she turned left coming out of the dining hall away from
them.

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

He moved up behind her and touched her arm, "Gwyna, I'm sorry .." She turned
to face him and he pulled her into his arms, "I don't want you to be hurt
either .. I was just weak."

She removed the smile that had crossed her face, as he pulled her to him,
and looked up at him with puppy dog eyes, "You aren't weak. You are very
strong. But you are also a man with needs. Don't blame yourself because of
that." She ran a slender hand over his chest, gently tangling her fingers in
the soft hair that just barely showed at the neck of his shirt.

Seemingly on accident a button came loose opening his shirt further. "Oh
Saul .." she breathed.

"Oh Saul.." they broke apart at the sound of a voice behind them. Saul
recognizing the voice instantly.

"What do you want Rebessa?" he asked, not turning to face her. His eyes went
to the woman in his arms and he saw her smile.

"So sweet and tender you looked just now with your ...mate...I could almost
believe you really cared about her," she sneered slightly. "Just like your
father used to be. Careful he's not after something from you young lady...
his kind will only break your heart before he leaves you."

"Shut up mother!" Saul snapped. Finally turning to face her as he pushed
Gwyna behind him as if to protect her. His face went white at the mention of
the word Mate.

"I know how free things are here in the Warren," the woman replied, ignoring
his words. "But really Saul.. don't you have some place a little more
private to make out with your mate? Or is my daughter too suppose to carry
on like this now that she's been trapped here?"

"Rebessa..." his voice was a warning...

[nrpg: Kris... care to add anything :)]

"Shawnee?" a woman's voice called out softly, and the blond turned to find
Tahsa standing next to her as the girl was loading up her last few purchases
on Doshy's saddle. Shaulyn was on the ground in her carrying case next to them.

Tahsa had been pleased to see it was the one her husband had made for his
granddaughter. Maybe this wouldn't be so hard after all she thought.

"I saw you come inhere and waited for you hoping we could talk," the older
woman told her. 

"I was going to come looking for you later," Shawnee admitted and bent down
to pick up her daughter, angling her arms into the packs shoulder straps and
then settling her sleeping daughter on her back. "Let's go over here and
have a seat."

The two women walked towards a bench not far away where they could be alone
to have their talk. Tahsa's mind was racing quickly as she tried to come up
with the right things to tell this other woman that would convince her to
give her father a chance.

"May I ask you something?" Shawnee spoke up first, and saw Tahsa nod her
head. "How did you meet Dontey?"

Start at the beginning, the older woman thought and approved of the girls
question. She went on to tell her about how they had met. How at the time
she hadn't known he had been mated with another, but had falling in love
with him and thought him the most gentle caring man she had ever known.

"Then Owlean came to town with you and you siblings and word got back to me
about," Tahsa sat there remembering how deeply the news had hurt her. "I
found out what type of man he really was. The gambling.. the scams...It
seamed the harder he tried and more money he was able to give that woman...
the more she wanted... he could never please her, but he had to because of
you. She'd treated to take you and the kids away from him and never let him
see you again if he didn't do as she asked of him.

"I told Dontey then that I never wanted to see him again and sent him away.
He believed me and left. It was soon after that that I found out I was
pregnant with Kisama. I wanted so badly to find him and tell him about our
child, but I knew he would never be able to settle down with us because he
already had a family and I didn't want my daughter to be hurt."

She was quiet for a moment. And so was Shawnee who's mind was filled with
questions. Then Tahsa told her of the years following. Of Sammy being born
and how her love for her daughters father had never died.

"In the end Shawnee... Dontey didn't leave you... It was her!! That bitch!
He had gone to her and told her he wanted out. He was going to quit his
little hustles and wanted to settle down and live a normal life with you
kids and finally give you a stable home....but she... she did just what she
had threatened him with doing and took you three that night while he out and
when he came home and found you gone...It nearly killed him."

"He never tried to find us?" Shawnee asked, her tone bitter, as she relived
the horror's of her past. All the filthy rooming houses they had lived in.
The looks and jeers of the towns people. The men who had figured her to be
from the same stripe as her mother. 

"He did try!!" Tahsa said firmly wanting this girl to know had badly their
father had tried.. "For over two years he looked every where he could think
of to find you. But Owlean knew to many people who would for a price help
her in hiding you from him. Twice when he got to close, she had him beaten,
once nearly bad enough to kill him... that's when we met again for the
second time.... You see my father was the one who found him, badly beaten
and, near death on the side of a trail and brought him back home for me to
nurse."

She let this sink in and then went on.

"It took some time for him to recover... and the first thing he did was tell
us about you. My father had some contacts and when he learned you were here
in Whiteriver... he used some of them to get my mate a job here so he could
be close to you and watch over you. He had heard rumors about Owlean looking
for you... but we arrived here to late to be of any help."

"If what you say is true...then why hasn't he come to see me since you've
been here?" Shawnee asked. "There's been plenty of time."

"Because my dear," Tahsa smiled warmly and looked slightly over the girls
shoulder. "He had heard about the hard time you were having with you
pregnancy and didn't want to chance his showing up being the cause of more
problems." 

Shawnee stood up then a walked a few feet a way to stand next to a tree near
the bench. Her mind was a whirl of all the things she had just learned. Some
of it mad sense...but other parts... like him having told her that he had
only stayed with Owlean because of her....could he have really meant that...
but in a different way then she had remembered?

Had she been wrong about him all these years!?!

It was then she noticed people milling around and heading towards the dining
hall and remembered she was suppose to meet Saul and his sister there for
lunch. 

She turned back towards Tahsa and a weak smile curved over her lips when she
saw the worried look cross over the woman's face.

"I'll have to think about what you've told me," she said slowly, meaning
what she said. "But in the mean time I won't stop Fawna from playing with
your daughter... my sister... I've never seen her so happy as she's been
with a friend to play with."

"Oh thank you!" Tahsa cried, relieved with that news. "Sammy would be so
unhappy without Fawna."  

"I do ask .. no.. I ask your promise that Fawna and Ojean will not know who
Dontey is until I decide to tell them," she told the woman and saw her
frown. "They're just now recovering from what Owlean did to them and I don't
want them worried until I know for sure what's going to happen."

"I understand and do promise," Tahsa told her. "I'll have a talk with Sammy
and make her understand why she can't say anything as of yet."

"Thank you. Now I really have to go," Shawnee reached for the woman's hand
and a feeling of understanding past between them. "I'll let you know what I
decide."

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

Saul and his sister were just entering the dining hall when she saw them.
Saul noticing her also walked over to her and wrapped his arm around her
waist before kissing her.

"I want you to meet Elissa...my sister," the title was still coming a little
slow to his thinking. "Elissa this is Shawnee, my mate and the mother of my
beautiful baby daughter Shaulyn."

As he spoke they were moving inside and finding a table, Saul left the two
girls there to get to know eachother a little better while he gallantly
offered to get them something to eat.

"It must have come as little shock to find out you had a brother," Shawnee
asked with a chuckle coloring her words. It worked to set the girl as ease
with her. 

"I guess you could say that," Elissa admitted. "But not as much of a shock
as me joining with Patinari and finding out I had to stay here in the Warren
now. Is that what happened to you too?"

"No..." she hesitated a little, not wanting to go into the whole story of
how they had come to be here right now. So she gave the girl a shorten
version of what happened.

"Oh I think that's so sweet!" Elissa smiled shyly. "And he just knew you
would join like that?"

The girls eye suddenly took on a hazy look and Shawnee knew her dragon was
talking to her.

"Pati said that she has company," the girl smiled. "Fayloth and ...Doshy..
is she your dragon?"

Shawnee's smiled widened as she nodded her head. "I guess they wanted to
make her feel at home. Fayloth is after all her father."

"He is!!" 

Again Shawnee nodded her head, thinking it might be a good idea to sit the
girl down and explain a few things to her about what it meant to be a
dragonrider. 

Somehow she couldn't see her mate being all that comfortable explaining
mating flights to this girl he was only now beginning to get to know. She
could spare him that much.

He rejoined them just then and they began to talk about anything they could
come up with. As she sat there listening and laughing at some of their
stories, Elissa couldn't help but notice how much love these two had for
eachother.

As they talked a woman was observing them from across the room. Her eyes
narrowed as she watched her son's hands touching the girl with the
white-blond hair with such familiarity, and wondered what his *mate* would
think about it if she knew.

Just like his father, she thought. She'd been right to warn the girl about
him and his selfish ways. Gods... is this how they carried on in this place
she was expected to leave her daughter in??

She was on her feet and moving towards them the second her daughter had
gotten up and left the table to go outside. She had a few things to say to
him and this time he would have to listen. 

Gods she couldn't believe how quickly he could go from making out with one
woman and then hitting on a second woman as soon as his mates back was
turned. What a fool the girl was for loving him... and with a baby at home
too!!!

"I wonder what your mate would think if she knew you were in here acting
like a sex starved puppy with another woman?" Rebessa said when she had
finally made it to their table.

She'd seen the kiss that had passed between them and couldn't help but feel
sorry for the poor dear who'd mothered his child.

"Or does she know that you can't keep your hands off other women?" the woman
said scornfully. "And you young lady... acting like a hussy with a man who
has a mate at home with a new born baby!! You should be ashamed of yourself
for carrying on in such a ...a... like a whore out here in the open where
anyone can see you!!"

"Rebessa!!" Saul's voice rose as he tried to get the woman to shut up. Fear
filled him as he looked at Shawnee and saw how white her face had become. As
well as the hurt she couldn't hide.

"I will thank you Rebessa not to talk to my mate in such ugly terms and to
apologize to her this instant!!"

"You're *mate* ?" Rebessa laughed. "Just how many mates do you have Saul? I
knew the warren was a den of sex.. but to have more than one mate? That's
indecent. And you allow this young lady... Where's your pride!"

"SHUT UP MPTHER!!" he had to get her to stop before things got out of hand.
Before she could do any more damage.

"I will *NOT* shut up!" Rebessa raised her voice, drawing others attentions
towards them. "I wonder what your mate would do or think if she knew what
you were doing here right now kissing up to this hussy the way you have been
since you walked in. And right after you and she were putting on a show
outside this place not over an hour ago.... Does she know about you not
being able to keep your pants zipped up?  Maybe someone should tell her!!"

"What's she talking Saul?" Shawnee asked looking at him. Knowing she hadn't
been with him at that time. A deep fear gripped her as she remembered how
distant he had been this morning when he wouldn't even look at her.

"Nothing you should worry about love," he said quickly.

"Love!!" Rebessa laughed. "Is that what you tell these hussy's of yours...
that you love them? Do you tell that dark headed mate of yours the same
thing when you're in bed with her at night?

Dark headed mate... Shawnee's eyes travel around the room and there where
she knew she would find her was ..Gwyna .. the memory of how the girl had
smiled at her this morning came slamming back into her mind.

Saul...and...Gwyna... dear Gods... 

"Is what she saying true Saul??" she had to know. 

"Shawnee..." he looked frantic. 

"Oh gods..." she cried and got up from the table to leave, but he caught her
arm.

"It wasn't like that Love..."

Her eye's moved back to see the woman across the hall grinning, and she felt
her heart breaking... "Then how was it?"

She turned and walked away from him and it was only then that Rebessa
noticed the baby carrier strapped to he back.

"Oh Gods..." she murmured as the reality of what she had just did hit her...
"I didn't know Saul.. I didn't know."

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

The part written with Saul, Gwyna and Rebessa was written with Kris's kind
permission....

Kris: I can't wait to see Saul try and talk himself out of this one :)

****Submitted (wickedly) by: *******

Barbara (a.k.a.

Shawnee & Doshayne
Barry the tailor
Tahsa
Whiteriver Warren