Betty

Lying in the subdued lighting of where ever this is, was pleasantly warm, and quiet. I knew I had been hurt but the how and why of my medical treatments is still very fuzzy. So for now I am ok, with it being dark, warm and comfortable. There was a sense of just relax, I am not going any where, and my pain level is non-existent.

Considering I was really peachy keen, from experiencing first hand the effect of being inside of a giant barn yard vacuum cleaner,. I had been worried how the people and the town survived, I though the town had to have taken a beast of a beating, however Fay told me that things fared well. with little expensive damage. What damage that had occurred was concentrated along the highway business frontage, and that was nothing ruinous.

The only true casualty was a closed beauty parlor known as Curl Up and Die. That building appeared to be ground zero for the storms wrath as it ripped through the front windows then it ripped out internal walls causing it to fall in on itself. It was one of the few older buildings still standing in town, but the owner moved away ten years ago, just after Ann went to sleep.

With the kids being in Blessings I think, they may have not seen the fireworks from there. Which is so much the better. There are things they do not need to know, just yet. That conversation will be a fun one, but they still have the both the need, and the right to know. This falls under the subject heading..of mom is the majik cop on the beat, so no surprises are good surprises

Clifford

We came out very well considering what could have happened. Only two rooms were damaged from wind blown debris. One only needed a couple of windows replaced and cleaned up from all the plant and dirt trash. The second was damaged a lot more extensively. It would appear that the storm gutted Cristina’s old beauty shop and deposited all three of her chairs through the windows and wall of the hotel. The funny thing was that was her room for the last six years she lived in Haven before retiring.
She moved out to a nursing home ten years ago, heart broken over Ann's passing.

Her daughter Ruth cleared out her effects as Cristina was hospitalized with a broken arm, suffered when she fell on the ice. Ruth was her youngest daughter having lived with her father in Summer Town was never too keen on Haven. Soon after the divorce between Jack and Cristina, she moved to Haven and the room that is now so badly damaged. Jack became their Chief of Police; afterwards both Ruth and Jack joined the Fellowship Ministry Chapel on the south edge of Summer Town. It was Parson Brown's personal kingdom of a very fire and brimstone Bible interpretation ministry. Parson Brown had a fight with the Conservative Baptist, Pentecostal or Holiness organization for them not being strict enough, and had withdrawn from their convention. None of that congregation had any thing good to say about Haven. So no one there tried to do any thing with the shop. So it remained empty to rot, at least now the legality of the matter was settled, it’s now a potential public hazard so it can be taken down.

Louise called from Blessings to say hello and chat with me. When I told her about the storm she was genuinely surprised at not having seen any of the lightning displays of that night. When I told her of what Betty had done, from what Marge filled me in on, she was both relieved and scared for Betty.

“Louise, she is ok according to Marge, some of your spooky friends came and got her taking her to only God knows where to heal the brush burns and the cracked ribs.”

“Cliff, this is the second brush up she has had defending Haven. I am wondering when she might bolt as this being just too much to chew?”

“According to that new Kid Lilly, that's not going to happen. She told Marge that some very big wigs came to help heal Betty and did some super medicine work on her, then declared Betty to be the anointed guardian of something Lilly called New Avalon.”

“Oh my stars, Betty passed the test a month early; that is a very good sign. Clifford now I think we are going to make it. With that I think our luck had turned for the best. Betty is now Ann's replacement and a brilliant one at that. She loves that town and if what you tell me works out, we better dust off some of those old dreams and plans as we are going on a magic carpet ride.” .

Lilly

Coming into the work out room practice area I found James jumping rope. He could not just jump rope normally he had to be fancy, working the rope in very complected beats with a constant shift of twist and speeds. His concentration was intense but I could still hear the gears turning over something in his mind.

I had come in to let him know that I had finished dressing out the big eight point deer he bagged the day before. James was really good in how he field dressed the animal, before chilling it off, even a wolf doesn’t like gamey tasting deer. He gave me an Idea of how he wanted it butchered which was more to human tastes. I was fine with that because that left me 'the butcher' with a lot of very sweet side bits I could scarf up while working. I never had the taste for raw flesh before my transformation but now I feel cooking the meat ruins it, the rarer the better, but I think this is for a dinner for someone that James refuses to tell us about.

He had relaxed a bit from last night when we got Betty back here to patch her up. Badb our big boss came in to aid in the work. James was so very intense on making everything ok for Betty. I understand now how deep a connection he has with her as her body guard, her family has become the family he never had over the two and a half millennium he has been on this earth, His medical training started as a surgeon in the Roman army, skills still used today by our modern medics. But James skills are so much deeper now having served protecting people through more wars than can be counted including two world wars, thousands of conflicts and skirmishes.

Fay was now charged with keeping an eye on Betty at her Keep in her Mothers realm, there Betty was safe even if this world wasn't. The time passage was slowed to allow her the most time to recuperate, before tomorrow when her kids came home. Already a bout a week has passed there for over night here.

Sam

I knew about where to find the GPS spot I was given, this is where tonight I will be checking out the wolf man close up. I spent part of the day in quiet meditation then running my limbering exercises. Followed by my practice katas especially my staff tactics. I needed to be at the top of my game not only to confront whoever this person is, if he is even human, something about his total perfection doesn’t smell right. What ever I find I need to be able to stand toe to toe with this galoot, or fight my way out if it becomes nasty for what ever reason. In the world of the wild wolves this is always the problem of meeting a potential mate, I refuse to be a docile bitch becoming submissive, I am truly an Alpha female and if I do not miss my guess he is an Alpha male. The only way this could turn out well is that we both beat each other senseless, then out of respect for one another fall in love. But the pain always comes before pleasure, that is the way of the Alpha. I have worked too hard in my life to surrender my status now. I only do equal and respectful or die trying.

James

I was gratefully relieved that Betty is making a full recovery at Fay's keep. This allows me to prepare for my next test of me metal. I nay know anything personal about Sam, except what I could glean from her service jacket my contact in the Secret Service got for me. That and from what I directly observed gave me the chills. In my long time on this planet I never found an Alpha Human Woman that was such a close match to me on all counts. Both Phaedrus and Fay were correct, any risks to taking this chance, was well worth any of the risks, I needed to man up and for the first time in two and one half millennium put my heart on the line.

Her service Jacket showed her to be a true Professional Warrior. This was commented on by many of her commanding officers. These officers recognized that she never was a just a rank and file Soldier, She first made non com in her basic boot camp then captain as a in field promotion, all with out the advantage of West Point. Sam was someone who view their service and their job as an expression of the art of war. Time and again her resourcefulness and relentlessness took her adversary by surprise. I had to be ready for anything, or she could painfully wax my ass. The Goddess would never let me live that one down. The same time I need not to get carried away by crippling or killing her, that would be something I could not live with my self if that happened. I had to face a very upsetting fact that fate had taken any control over this process out of my hands, By the magics which created and sustain me I had already lost my heart to this woman and could only hope I was worthy of her acceptance.

Betty

All things considering my recovery was really anticlimactic; there was the normal stiff body, the sharp smell and taste of the iron from my blood that lingered for a while, before Fay's excellent port wine washed that away. One by one my senses came back to work first my sense of smell. Then my hearing, then touch and sight. In the end all systems checked out and with only a small amount of help I made it to the loo which I was really thankful was modern and not Medieval like the rest of Fay’s home. The surprise happened on the beginning of the second week here.

I had made peace with the hand of cards dealt to me when I was born. It was loaded to be sure with three jokers but also two aces. The first ace was the total acceptance by my now late parents, there love allowed me to integrate my dual nature with the rest of the world. My first fourteen years were not easy; life on the reservation is designed to kill the detainee's by neglect. But us first people we found ways around that, sometimes.

My banishment at 16 drove home that I was in an entirely new game playing by very different rules. I was so lucky to be shipped off to Maggie, the song was different, but the dance was still with the earth mother and not the modern civilization which worshiped the binary and not the truth of continuous range of gender expression. My not being totally one or the other allowed me to learn equally both set of skills. My tool box had so many options for handling problems I became expert at solving the unsolvable because I could apply both male and female logic to the problem at the same time. Cutting a zig zag path through the why not's and must do's. In fact my experiences prepared me for my present job here in Haven.

I awoke this morning after an intense healing session, I was feeling sticky and gross. Making my way to the now familiar bathroom I did so in the dark, not wanting the headache lights would cause. There was no practical reason to illuminate the process as I was seated through the entire performance and had no problem aiming. My surgical re-muddling was eight years behind me so I had long ago adjusted to how I feel and what I do not feel from my neither's, so after my initial relief of back pressure, I became intensely aware of an increased sensitivity to warm and cold followed by something warm and sticky starting to leak out of my vagina. That and the distinctive recognizable odor of menstruation seared through my mind pining my heart and lungs to stillness.
I had been given the gift of completeness. My emotions ran riot through me and I did what any one else in my position would do I wept tears of joy, there were big sobs of emotional release rippled unabated for a long time releasing an enormous amount of tucked away emotions.

`

Sam

I was bathing with my de-scenting soap, its a type used by hunters to remove all human odor. I carefully prepared by dressing in full special kit. Over the years having run Black Ops, I acquired many specialized pieces of gear, like impact spreading body armor which spread out the impact of any blow. This was sheathed by a thin layer of Anti penetration plate then covered by a black out Kevlar, carbon fiber outer tog with GORE-TEX ® liner and wicking panels to keep me marginally comfortable.
My weapons harness included a separate utility belt, my K bar in sheath, an additional layer of ablative armor over my chest, and back, also on my back the scabbards for my two black ops ninja type hand forged swords. My ankles, knees, and wrists had wraps to protect my joints. I had deploy-able compact wrist shield on my left hand and a powered grappling launcher on the top of my right, that doubled as a brass knuckle.

I always carried my grand dad’s service 45 and fifty rounds of ammo in separate magazines, all and all my entire rig from skin out added thirty pounds to my total weight distributed over my entire body. My gun and swords were the heaviest claiming twelve lbs. The rest of my equipment is a part of me like my legs and arms so the extra weight doesn't encumber me. I can not tell you how many hours I have worked in this rig. I have over the years refined it to its present form, and I will continue to evolve my gear as it keeps me alive. I like being alive so I take very good care of my rig.

James

The hide away is cleaned and the dinner table is set. The girls have the food already prepared and hot ready for just before we are to eat. I decided to dress in me regalia consisting of my kilt, linen shirt, sash sporran, and proper socks and gillies. I didn't count on any sword play tonight but I had me dirk on me hip just in case she got frisky.
All there was to do was wait to see if she shows, the hall is rented, the table set and the piper payed.

Betty

I was sitting at my usual table at the Dragon before the kids get back sometime tomorrow, my recovery time at Fay's Keep was just what I needed to pull it all together. My blossoming was explained as something very necessary to protect my body from the ravages of channeling mana at the levels that was necessary. Merlin lived longer than most but because his body could not cleanse all the toxins created by the interaction of the mana with the impurities in the body he died young at only seven hundred and fifty years. Women lasted longer especially if we avoided food and environmental contamination.

So no more commercial cured meats for me, real foods only no food like stuff. Big no to artificial sweeteners, preservatives, or colorings which eliminated nearly all processed foods. There was a special danger to me from GMO foods as they reacted very badly, more so than nitrates and nitrites. My survival was not just tied to my diet. I had to change my shampoo and conditioner, perfumes were problematic most body care products especially those containing aluminum compounds unless I loved my arm pits bursting into flames from my antiperspirant. Sulfates or sulphides would cause me to stink like skunk cabbage so commercial salad bars or bagged salad, and most wines were out. This was the tip of the Iceberg and I knew it. I was already a careful shopper no high fructose corn syrup, or partially hydrogenated oils in our diet. And I already avoided most of the common deadly sin foods. The big bright spot is that I could eat nearly as much fattening foods as long as they were pure because my body now could consume the additional calories just doing light practice energy work.

I could eat at Bobs Dragon Inn, also the other locality provider’s of food in town. There were enough practicing unseen and other dietary purest we had a virtual total food supply protected by over a hundred years of practice, being isolated and independent no one ever thought to change anything. This was all small potatoes for what I gained in becoming totally comfortable in my body. I wasn't uncomfortable per se before, but damn me for being shallow I wasn't what my heart desired. Now I have another thing to explain to the kids. Oh the joys of parenthood, I wouldn’t change it for anything in the world, but there are times it really makes me squirm.

Betty

I had some book and practical practice time with Fay and Morgan her mother. That also doubled as a debriefing to how the confrontation went. We figured that someone had planted something that was a focused source inside of the Barrier. It drew the makings of the storm to us directly and when I fought back successfully, it opted for a secondary target. My besting it at the pass ended the spell so it will not be able to return again. I just needed to locate the Focus Artifact that stored the spell and decommission it, later after I have healed. Since I have returned everyone has been very sweet to me for my work, both in the township office, and on the full moon cycles

. A Rabbi, a Minister and a Priest walked into Bob's [ not a joke they really did ] and came up to me. I went to get up out of respect but they all waved me down.

“I am Rabbi Samuel, Ms Betty we are not that formal around here and you have earned our respect for all that you are doing for Haven. , This is Father Paul of St Jude Catholic church and that is Pastor John. Of our interfaith church of Jesus Christ. We have been very remiss in properly greeting you to Haven.”

“Thank you for the welcome folks. I have been very busy this last month. so much I have forgotten my manners. and not made the rounds yet.” Paul spoke next.

“Betty you have been dubbed the cape-less wonder around here so it is no small wonder you haven't put up formalities. Ahead of saving the town, that is very understandable. Taking a deep breath Paul continued. I hope we are not being too forward in asking this next question, but are you from the same order as Ann was, and will you be taking over her job?.”
It was my turn to take a deep breath, “Yes and Yes, I truly hope this will not be difficult for you?”

I was surprised by the elation all three men shown me the moment I finished speaking.

Minister John replied joyfully “Certainly not, this is our prayers answered, we had an exceptionally fine relationship with the Sisters of Perpetual Peace. And Ann was an exceptional person as well treating all of the faiths with respect and love.”

“I assure you gentlemen that will not change with me being here. Every one has the right to approach there beliefs on their own basis, there is no more personal relationship some one can have. It would defile my own beliefs to interfere with the peaceful practice of yours and others faiths. If there is harm to none you may do as you will.

The only thing I can not condone is harm to children or the disabled, be that from age or any other infirmity or impairments. And likewise I will not turn a blind eye towards ill treatment of any minorities, even the classic ones many churches still practice. Other than that we should be good, I hope this puts your minds ease as to where I stand?”

You would have thought I had given them all puppy’s that they always wanted. Every one of the men shook my hand, blessed me, and as quickly as they came they left stepping lightly, being joyous.

Marge walked by and cracked, “ I fear Betty you are the victim of a drive by blessing. I hope it didn't hurt to much.”

“Marge considering in my day many of the clergy that I have met, in the past, would have tied me to a telephone poll and set me ablaze..I think I can suffer my way through this just fine.”
”

Sam.

I had hidden my bike Ta-rook in a handy secluded place and started my hunt. I had my night vision equipment built into my cowl but I preferred to use my unaltered senses until I had no other choice, normally I only use a clear lens in my eye protection. On top of the ridge which overlooked the area marked by the GPS location. I sniffed the wind, finding the familiar scent of Old Spice aftershave. God that man was brazen. I was just lucky that I liked Old Spice. That one thing made him easy to find.
.
James

I stood erect close in to the trunk of a large tree, holding my ash quarterstaff at the ready. I picked up a faint ripple in the ambient energy telling me some one was near by but not were. I sniffed the wind finding nothing but what belonged there. I still knew she was out there ,and closing as the ripple became stronger. I haven't been this excited since in Alexandria Egypt meeting Cleopatra with General Cesar Augustus. That was a very interesting night to say the least.

Melissa

We had finished our chores for James and his 'giggle ' date. Everything was set, and ready, the table ,wine , food, and first aid kit. I just could not leave and not spy on the goings on down below. Not watching the preliminaries would be to much to ask of me. To see the big guy in action courting a mate was going to be assume.
It has taken a lot for me to adjust to this very different life I find my self living now. So I take every occasion to study my own species for the discovery that will make sense of all of this. I am still very much an outsider, and I really want in so I need to understand my people. I felt Lilly snuggle up besides me then breathlessly ask.

“Did I miss anything.”

“ Nothing yet she still hasn't shown up, and I haven't picked up on any movement, or extra presence. This woman must be a pro, she even is controlling her breathing, and thoughts. Lilly checked her chronometer,

“ 5-4-3-2-1 She she seems to be running stylishly late.”

It was only because I could see in nearly total dark when I detected a slightly darker black moving against the black background. She came laterally from a branch oblique to James, catching him in the head with her foot. James reacted with a sweep of his quarter staff upward trying to catch her leaping back into the tree. His dilemma was she dropped low to the ground and did a double strike with her staff around James kidney area. She then just got out of the way of his staff which struck the tree with a solid whack that echoed through the quiet forest.

I don't know what she was thinking but she did a Grace Jones on James and took off for the hills full tilt. To his credit he grunted, recovered, then went in pursuit. The both of us followed because we didn't want to miss any of the action.

Sam

When the big guy’s staff hit the tree the speed and the sound of the strike worried me. With just a stick this guy was the grim reaper in a ten foot radius, So I hit him where he lived and hoped he was wearing a cup. I then took the fight on the road hoping to use a hit and run tactic rather than getting beaten to mulch in a head on assault.

James

I decided at the last second to wear me Roman helm and that single thought saved me head from being ripped off by her oblique attack.. I then misread her trajectory and dropping low rather than high she got a double strike in on me kidneys. When my round house only hit the tree she nailed me in the nuts and took off.

Thank the Goddess I was wearing my combat cup 'just in case ' or I would have been the tallest soprano among the Yule choir singers this year. I must say I was impressed that she was so quick on her feet and in her head. Taking this on the run was a brilliant move, but for one thing that this wolf does love the chase.

Lilly

Only a dozen or so strides separated the two lovers when she went over and up on the top of some rocks trying to gain the higher ground advantage. When James came by he read the situation and was partially able to block her staff attack knocking her off the rock to the ground. Surprisingly she landed on her feet, so when James closed in she did something I could not see with her staff, hitting James in the solar plexus then using his momentum levered himself over her and into some conveniently situated black berry thickets. Not having to be told twice she was off again with a slight gimp for the first few steps then smoothly made it away, before James got himself out of the bushes.

Melissa

As James exited the bushes I was just close enough to hear him chuckling to himself, like he was having a blast. Lilly and I continued to shadow the two of them when I lost sight of her, That didn't last long when James took a tumble as his date was hidden in a shallow dark depression and had used her staff to trip him. James went Ass over Apex, but still recovered enough to make a powerful sweep, that spoiled her follow up attack, just missing her but shattering two saplings that could not duck.

Sam

I was expecting more time to attack when I tripped the big guy, but I was totally surprised when he recovered at the speed of light nearly killing me with his tree trunk. I was still twelve or more feet away from him which made his reach an ungodly distance. If this wasn't courtship I would be forced to shoot him because of not being able to get close enough to subdue him. Time to again to get out of here and figure out how to get close enough to do some damage. What I needed was to somehow get that staff out of his hands.

James

Her cleverly laid and executed trap just missed taking me down again. Then she evaded my counter attack like she knew it was coming. I have never sparred with a norm who lasted more than an exchange or two, Sam is in record breaking territory here. I never imagined courtship could be so much fun.

Melissa

I swear if it wasn't for the armor and big sticks waving all over the place, it looked like two wolf cubs having fun in the woods. She would ambush, he would counter attack, but just a tad too slow to get in front of her due to her speed and the broken forest terrain. She was no small women but next to James hulking mass she looked tiny.

Lilly and I could tell she was running out of steam, this had been going on for over forty five minutes with no let up no one should be able to keep this up against James. I was particularly worried that the two of them were uncomfortable close to skirting the cave in area where either or both of them could get into trouble.

Sam

This has been fun but I was getting winded and he was like the battery bunny going on and on ad nausea, My thoughts were literally jerked up short when a cave bear sized hand seized a grip on my equipment harness then tossed me a good five yards into a clump of trees. I skidded to a stop missing several rocks being stopped by my staff catching two parallel trees. My legs were not on solid soil they were hanging over a drop off, and that edge immediately started crumbling under my weight.
I could hear shouting of warnings and running towards me. Taking note that the rumbling and crumbling under me was moving faster than any imminent rescue, I redoubled my efforts. In a desperate lunge I chinned my self on my staff then in one smooth movement I drew and plunged my K Bar into the ground as fully as I could reach. Luckily it went into the soft soil to its hilt allowing me to pull myself up further away from the gaping maw of the trench I was slipping into. I then was able to draw my tanto short sword and did the same. I laid there panting, wiggling my self slowly onto hopefully firmer ground being pursued by a crumbling edge trying to devour me.

James

I could have kicked my self just after tossing Sam into the rough. The mental link between Melissa and Lilly screamed “cave in area” Unfortunately when I playfully tossed my date, her staff took a plunder to me head, knocking me daffy for a time. When I regained my senses I immediately went into rescue mode dropping any excess weight taking only my body harness staff and rope. The two girls joined me helping me search for my date, fearing the worst but praying for the best.

Melissa

After we found James and got some basic directions both Lilly and I went full wolf feeling it would be more helpful. We could sense the movement in the ground through our four feet and see far better this way than in human form. Between that and our link between us we narrowed the area down. I could again just make out a form trying to pull their way along the ground away from the progressing edge of the cave in. Lilly and I were able to narrow down a path that was lesser dangerous than any other approaches to the stranded person. James appeared lightened his gear to only the basics and prepared to pull his date out of the drink before anything worse happens.

Lilly

The two of us belayed James by the rope clipped to the back of his harness. Carefully he snake crawled to within his staff’s reach of his date, where we could hear him sweetly directing her to take a hold. That was so romantic, I didn't think he had it in him.

Sam

I was going nowhere fast as I crawled along the ground trying to escape bring eaten. I would move and the dirt behind me would crumble closer erasing my progress to safety. I was too focused to panic but my heart was well up into the cardio exercise range just crawling on the ground. Then my ears picked up on a deeply bass Scottish accented voice.

“Here love take the end of this please, let me pull you to safety.”

I had been cursing this man’s reach with that damn stick for nearly an hour, suddenly I was very happy to see it just within reach. Pulling one more time on my right sword I wrapped my left hand around that thick tree branch and was rewarded by being pulled along the ground like a kids toy.

James

I was never so relieved in my life as when I felt Sam's iron grip on my hand as I pulled her onto firmer ground. She had abandoned her staff and swords that had saved her life, and shown no interest in retrieving them. We were now a good four meters from the crumbling edge with her using my staff to brace her self as she gasped for breath. For the first time I heard my love’s voice asking me.

“Good God man where did you learn how to throw like that, Shit you tossed all 185 lbs of me over five yards.”

'Sam My name is James 'the Idiot' and I am so sorry I got carried away in the moment, Are you all right love?”

“Better now, thank you, that was too close for comfort, guy. I didn't know that there was a trap like that around here or I would have gone a different way.”

We were standing exchanging pleasantries when she grasped the middle of my staff with both hands. Just then my back was towards the pit when the ground under my feet caved in forming a hole wider than my staff. The stench of sulphide and rotten wood wafted past my nose nearly causing me to retch. Somehow Sam latched onto the staff firmly enough that when she sat down she was able to brace herself across two parallel trees and hold on to me at the same time. She was cursing like a drunken sailor asking me if I ate lead for lunch ?

Sam

“God James your ass is heavy, man, please god tell me you can help me, I don't know if I have the leverage to pull you up.:”
Sam

I was desperately on the other side of the pull this time and for a moment I thought I had lost him, but the pain in my knees left no doubt that I still had him. Thank god he had a belaying rope attached to him but I was still concerned that I could not pull him up and out.

“Hold on Sam we will help you pull lead ass out.”

The voice came from one of two identically looking almost super model liking women who surprisingly had the moxie with me to pull James out of the hole he was in. All four of us crawled away a goodly distance from that damn edge.

Sam

When we recovered enough to walk James and the two girls named Lilly and Melissa took me to a lovely very swanky cave that was truly set for a banquet for two. They directed me to an alcove protected by a curtain; it was lit by candles. I could not tell the two apart just yet, but I think it was Melissa who is slightly taller who came in to tend my wounds. She had poured me a glass of wine which she offered me with some explanation.

“Lilly and I are kin to James in a round about way, but we are being trained in our family business which is Private Personal Security for the very very important people. Our family is older than Rome so we have quite a few quirky traditions. Especially when it comes to love and marriage.”

“Excuse me but you sound American?”

“I am and I only recently discovered by accident that I was related to Lilly, because we were raised separately. So I am still learning about my family, and its traditions.”

Melissa had helped me out of my gear and was cleaning out my cuts and scrapes as we talked. I sipped the wine allowing her to play nurse. After cleaning she took me to the back of the cave where there was a hot springs pool where I was able to clean up in a side room and soak some of the kinks out alone for a few moments before returning to the beginning alcove, where I found some simple cotton togs top and bottom..and sandals, I dressed slowly noticing that my cuts and scrapes had closed over and started to heal.

Then a coin dropped into my piggy bank, some guys in my old unit had talked of a highly secretive group of people our government did business with upon occasion. The big take away from that conversation was it was best not to ask too many questions because they took their security very seriously. Racking my brain for a few minutes it came to me one group was the Untouchables, being so high up the food chain no one controlled them. The second scarier group it was told was so much more so than the first and they went by the group name the Unseen. These folks were powerful in their person and had the ability to heal grievous wounds even on others. The two I knew later shipped out to another unit and the only contact I ever had was a post card from one of them saying:

“Wish you were here.” the note on the back cryptically stated “ We got promoted to a new job that's great. We are thinking about you in a good way. Remember when opportunity knocks, answer the door. The best treasurers in life are those which go unseen by all others, and they hide in plain sight.. Trust your gut instincts and you won’t regret it.”

I passed this off as a couple of guys getting drunk and playing a prank, now this appears to be something completely different. “Trust your gut instincts.” My gut was relaxed and felt no danger only friendship and an overpowering feeling of love from James.

That was the pain I felt in my heart so strongly, that I could almost not breath, The wine was easing that campy panic attack feeling and what remained was a wall of love and the longing., both of us felt, I had been alone since becoming a woman, he has been alone since becoming a man that for some reason felt immeasurably long ago. I knew neither of us ever had some one we could trust as a close companion or a true love. How have we survived so long with out this feeling being quenched.
Lilly “the shorter of the two” came to bring me to dinner. The table was set for two including candles and flowers. The wine had been poured and the dinner served. In a blink of an eye both of the girls were gone leaving the me alone with this Greek God hunk of man who almost killed me but saved me then I saved him..... I think this may be the beginning of a beautiful relationship.