Lessons of Life, Lessons of Love

part 5

by Tal Greywolf

---

Sunday

Something insistent was beeping in the room.  The sound permeated my thoughts,

and brought me awake, rudely.  Sighing, I took a deep breath and untangled

myself from the pile of us sleeping together, and staggered to the dresser.

My beeper was going off.  It shouldn't have been, but it was, with a phone

number that was clearly my boss.  I squinted at the clock and groused a bit.

7:40am.

Stumbling a bit, I went into the library to call him.  No need for the others

to hear my what I had to say right now.  With rapidly clearing thoughts I

punched in the number and heard it ringing.  A click, and moments later I was

talking with my boss, Jeffrey.

"Jeff, what did I tell you when I left work on Wednesday, huh?"  I wasn't in a

good mood on being woke up, especially this way.  "I said I'm on vacation and

that I wasn't going to answer any calls."

Jeff didn't sound apologetic in the least.  "Look, I'm sorry I had to wake you

up, Silver, but we've got a problem and you're the only one who can deal with

it."

"Jeff, nothing can be that urgent that would make me drop everything on my

vacation.  Now you promised me you wouldn't do this."

"I promised you I wouldn't call you for anything routine."  His tone was

serious, and I stopped the bantering.  "This is an emergency."

I sighed.  When he said it was an emergency, it generally was one step short

of a crisis.  Reaching into a drawer, I pulled out a pen and pad.  "All right,

what is it?"

"A router's down at the Register," Jeff informed me.  "We just got a call from

their folks, they want us to come in and get it back up and running.  Ascend

model, you're the only one familiar with those types."

I groaned.  I hated working on those routers.  "All right, all right.  How bad

is it?"

"Right now half their internal network is down.  I'd say pass on it myself

until tomorrow morning, but the big boss is trying to get them to sign a 24/7

contract, and he wants someone there now to show we can do the job."

Gah.  Damned bosses.  "All right, who's the contact?"

"Terry Jenkins, he's the managing news director today.  Get over there as soon

as you can, get them back up and running, and call me when it's finished."

"Right."  I chuckled ever so slightly.  "You know this is going to cost you,

Jeff."

"It usually does, in the end."  Jeff chuckled and hung up the phone, and I

dropped the receiver in it's hook none too gently.  I didn't need this, not

today, not this morning.  At least, I wasn't really ready to face reality

again so soon.

I went back into the bedroom and started rummaging for something to wear.

Knowing my boss, and knowing today, I should look good.  So... dress shirt,

dress pants, loafers and a vest.  I wouldn't wear a suit or a tie, when you

work with computers, the tie tends to get in the way of the work.  But

management seems to think ties are necessary items.  So do technicians; to

strangle management with.

Coming out of the closet I could see they both were awake and watching me

dress.  "Work?" Sapphire asked plainly.

"Work," I replied, sighing.  "I couldn't get away from it, they had to page me

to take care of this problem."

Emerald sighed as well.  "How long are you going to be gone?"

I looked at the clock again.  "Probably at least until noon, maybe later.

Want me to pick something up on the way back for you two?"

They both shook their heads.  "No, don't worry about us," Sapphire said.

"We'll manage to keep ourselves busy and out of trouble while you're gone."

I smirked at them both.  "That's what I'm afraid of," I told them. "And that

I'll miss all the fun."

That got a round of giggles out of them.  "No you won't," Sapphire replied.

"We'll just have to do it again when you get here."

---

Driving down I-35 was with a sense of strangeness, almost surreal. Here I was,

behind the wheel of my car, heading into Des Moines to work on a down computer

network, having spent the last three days in a variety of forms.  It was

almost like having to give up watching color television and go back to black and

white, that's how mind-opening it's been.  The more I reflected on what had

happened, the more I realized that the changes inside of me had gone deeper.  I

was going to have to learn how to deal with people again, normal unchanged

people who likely would run away screaming if they knew what had happened to me.

Still, I chuckled gently.  There were a few benefits that I could think of to

this, especially when no one else was around.  Like having four arms and

hands, could work on a system a lot quicker than usual. Or maybe being able to

grab a tool or part a few feet away without moving from my spot.

I turned on the radio and skipped over to the NPR station.  I wanted to catch

Weekend Edition, maybe they had some more news on the situation in New York

City.

"From National Public Radio News, I'm Ann Taylor.

"Fighting continues in the capital of Cambodia, as factions of Khmer Rouge

battle for control.  Elements loyal to ousted leader Pol Pot have managed to

gain control of the airport, while shelling continues within the center of the

city.

"In Washington, hearing concerning election campaign finances continue on

Monday, with RNC Chairman Haley Barbour expected back on the witness stand.

He is expected to answer questions raised by a former RNC member concerning

money given from a Hong Kong businessman which Barbour claims was never

received.

"Flooding continues in Germany and Poland as record rains cause rivers to

overflow their banks, inundating towns.  The Red Cross estimates that some

200,000 people have been affected by the flooding so far.

"Near-record temperatures are expected to return to the Midwest later on this

week, as forecasters brace for another heat wave.  Cities as far north as

Chicago, Detroit and Minneapolis are expecting temperatures to soar into the

mid to upper 90's, with heat emergency plans in place to deal with the weather.

"In Yosemite Park in California, firefighters have brought under control a

wildfire that has already consumed some 1700 acres of forest and destroyed 11

homes.  The cause of the fire is under investigation, but investigators say

that it looks to be deliberately set.

"I'm Ann Taylor for National Public Radio News in Washington."

Now that was strange.  No news from New York City.  Not a word, not even word

from Washington.  You'd figure that with what had happened, that the

government would have been making announcements and statements, but there hadn't

been word one from anyone.  Not from the President, from Congress, nothing.

Instead, it was business as usual, like nothing had happened.

Those speculations lasted until I drove up to the Des Moines Register.  That's

the newspaper, if you've ever heard of it.  Largest paper in Iowa, won a few

Pulitzer Prizes in it's time.  It also was the sponsor of the RAGBRAI, the Des

Moines Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa.  The ride would start

from the Missouri side of the state, and go straight across to the Mississippi

side.  It wasn't a race, rather it was a tour across the state that folks from

around the world came to participate in.  Towns fought for the path to go

through, and people would come out to give food, water, fruit juices, whatever

a rider might enjoy.

I signed in at the gate and parked my car in a visitor's spot, then grabbed my

briefcase-slash-toolkit and headed inside.  I stopped at the desk to sign in

(again), then followed directions to where Terry Jenkins was, in the main

newsroom.

"Terry Jenkins?" I asked, offering my hand.  "I'm Silver, from IowaNet."

"Hi, glad you could make it."  He didn't look like a news person, average

build, sandy brown hair, dressed in a short sleeve shirt and jeans.  But then

again, from the looks of most of the folks in the newsroom, casual looked to be

the style of the day.  "Follow me," he said, headed towards a hall.  "I'll show

you the computer room."

We went into a room holding several servers, and a good-sized modem rack.

"Here's the problem child," Terry said, pointing at the bottom unit with the

alert light lit.  "I'll be back in the main newsroom if you need me," he said,

quitting the room and shutting the door behind him.  With a soft sigh, I

started

pulling out tools and got to work.

It took about an hour to troubleshoot the problem, which turned out to be

rather minor.  A routing table hadn't been updated, and I had to manually do the

update myself.  While I was working on that, the analyzer was spotting a broken

connection on one of the network lines inside the building, and I mentally

made a note to work on that as well.

Snatches of conversation kept filtering through the door, people talking about

events that were occurring.  Most of the conversations made mention about some

kind of blackout, perking my interest but not enough to really bother asking.

Finally I had everything here back online, and checked the LAN map on the door

for where the broken segment might be.

I headed out of the computer room and back into the newsroom, seeing Terry

bending over a terminal as another reporter typed away.  I coughed softly, and

he looked up at me.

"The router's back online," I informed him, "and you should be getting a full

net feed now.  But I think there's a break somewhere on the third floor, and I

wanted to track it down.  Anyone up there in the offices?"

Terry thought a moment.  "There should be one or two up there, and most of the

doors should be unlocked," he finally said.  "I'll let security know you're up

there, just in case they ask."

"Thanks."  I headed back to the elevators, and went up to the third floor.

There, I looked for room 320, and started from there.

I spotted a light on from room 316, and walked down there.  Gently, I knocked

on the door, and saw a gentleman in his late 50's at the desk. He looked up, his

eyes creased as he peered at me.

"My name's Silver, I'm with IowaNet," I explained.  "I'm doing some network

troubleshooting, and need to check for a break with the segment here."

"I don't understand the double talk," he said, smiling a bit.  "But if you

mean I can't get my news feed, then you're in the right place." He held out his

hand, a ham-fisted one you'd find on a farmer.  "Mitch Taylor, investigative

reporter here."  He smiled warmly, and nodded towards the monitor.  "If you can

get that thing to work again, I'd be obliged."

I chuckled a bit, warming to his tone.  "I'll see what I can do, then."  I

reached back underneath the desk and unhooked the network connector, attaching

it to the analyzer and letting it start working. "It's going to take a minute

or two here, it's got to see if it can track down where the break is."

"Amazing gizmos, aren't they?"  He grinned and leaned back in his chair.  I

glanced at the screen, skimming what was glowing there.

"So what are you working on?  I seem to remember reading something you did

concerning ADM back, what, two, three years ago?"

He rumbled softly and grunted.  "Yeah, that was mine.  A look at their

business practices.  Definitely gave them a good shake up, too."

I had to laugh, the fallout concerning the news of ADM being involved in price

fixing was major news in the state.  A lot of farmers rely on ADM's products,

and it came as a major shock.

Mitch grunted again, and shook his head.  "I was going to try and work on the

New York situation, but that got spiked big time."

"How come?"  I was curious, listening to him as my eyes glanced down at the

analyzer.  "I've been following things there, but hadn't heard any news over

it today."

"You won't."  That blunt statement made my head jerk up in surprise. His eyes

squinted and the expression was of extreme distaste.  "As of 6pm Eastern Time

yesterday, the US Government placed a lid on all news reports concerning the

situation in New York City.  No organization can print or broadcast any

information about what's happening, and that all official information will be

released from the Public Affairs Office in the White House.  Since then,

there's been nothing."

"What about other governments?"  A soft beep made me look down, and the

analyzer was starting to track down the break.  "Or other news agencies, like

Reuters? The BBC?"

Mitch looked even more disgusted.  "Minutes after Washington issued the

statement, every government worldwide issued the same instructions to their

news organizations.  Everyone is now quiet concerning New York City.  It

officially doesn't exist, news wise."

I would have asked a question, but the analyzer chirped.  It had found the

break, less than 15 feet away.  I looked at the wall, and tapped it.  "Is

there a computer in this room next to yours?"

Mitch nodded.  "Yeah.  Susan Terrell's.  She was moving things around

yesterday, rearranging her office."

I winced.  "Likely that's where the break is.  Is it unlocked?"

"Should be."  He got out of his chair, a creak coming from it and lumbered out

into the hall.  Moments later he had her door open and I was in the room,

turning on the lights.

I groaned at the sight.  The wall jack where the network cable went was ripped

out.  Mitch looked and chuckled a bit.  "Bet she didn't even know she did

that," he commented.

"More than likely.  Give me five minutes, I'll have you back up then."  I

opened my briefcase and pulled out the tools I'd need, some cable, connectors

and crimps.  Somehow she managed to break the cable completely, knocking out

that segment from the rest of the network. Untangling the mess, I patched up the

cable, then installed a new faceplate, running a longer cable over to the

computer and hooking her in.

Satisfied, I dusted off my pants and stood up, putting everything back in my

briefcase, and went back into Mitch's office.  The analyzer was showing all

green lights, everything was working fine now.

"Ok, it should be ok for you to log back in."  I watched as he punched in,

wondering idly how he managed to type on that small keyboard, then heard a

satisfied sound.

"Good, about time this thing worked right."  He grinned, and waved me back

into a seat.  "Sit down, at least you're willing to listen to me."

I sat down, chuckling.  "Well, I have been trying to keep up with what's been

happening," I admitted.  "I have a friend who was in New York when this

happened, and she's been having to deal with everything."

Mitch grunted again, then tapped at the keyboard.  "Like I was saying, any

news concerning New York City has been clamped down on." His fingers danced

across the keys, making my eyebrows rise in surprise. "Our reporter in

Washington's been filing dispatches despite the news blackout, and what he's

reporting has us all puzzled.

"You know how about 10 days ago, the water supply for the entire New York

metropolitan area was contaminated, right?"  At my nod, Mitch dove in.  "Well,

since that day there's been a stream of activity at the White House, the

Pentagon, embassies everywhere.  A lot of research people by the bus loads.

Then, yesterday, everyone fell silent.  A wall of silence fell down over

Washington, and you can't get a word out of anyone officially or

unofficially."  He looked up at me, his eyes nearly buried by the bushy

eyebrows.  "But, everyone is scared.  Very scared."

"I'm not surprised," I commented.  "I would be too if what happened was to

start spreading."

Mitch grunted something, and I blinked from the reaction.  "Don't tell me...

it's spreading?"

"It's spreading."  He punched up two dispatches, one from Philadelphia,

another from Providence.  "Reports started coming in yesterday evening of people

suffering the same effects as what happened to people in New York.  When that

hit the wires last night, the blackout was imposed by executive order."

I shuddered a bit at that news.  "I don't know what to say," I managed to get

out after a minute.  "If it's spreading..."

"It is spreading," Mitch corrected me.  "No if's, and's or but's about it.

It's spreading as sure as corn growing.  And the boys in Washington are scared

shitless because they can't stop it."

I sat there, mulling over Mitch's words.  Then I shook my head, clearing it

and getting my own thoughts back in order.  "Listen, I need to go here.  But

I'll tell you what, I can see if I can find out anything for you, ok?  It might

not be much, but it might be something that you can use."

He nodded.  "Sounds like a good idea," he said, giving me another vigorous

handshake.  "You take care now."

---

I didn't think about what Mitch said on the drive back home. Perhaps I should

have, because when I arrived, Sapphire was on the phone.  She looked up at me,

and waved me over to the phone.

"Here, it's NYNights."  She looked worried, badly worried.  I took the handset

and placed it to my ear.

"Hello?"

"Silver?"  The voice was distinctly oriental, her accent flavoring her words.

"This is Jasamine, NYNights."

"Gods, hi there!  How are you?"

There was the sound of a truck going past at high speeds on the other end.

"I'm ok, I'm calling from Washington."

I blinked.  "Washington, DC?"

"No, Washington, Pennsylvania.  Just south of Pittsburgh."

I waved Sapphire over towards the desk, and motioned for her to open it.  She

did, and saw what I wanted, a map of the Northeastern US.  "How did you manage

to get out of New York?" I asked, unfolding the map and looking at it.

"The military managed to get Manhattan and Brooklyn secured," she said, "but

not Queens, where I lived.  Either they forgot or they didn't think about the

bridge to Bayonne, so last night I drove across it and into New Jersey.  I

managed to use the back roads enough to get onto I-78, then I-70 to where I am

now.  We're in trouble," she added swiftly.

"Trouble?  How?"  My fingers were tracing a route towards Iowa when her words

cut through me.

"The military has been monitoring communications," she said.  "Last night I

logged on, and had my connections cut by someone.  A friend managed to tell me

the government gave orders to intentionally cut all communications in and out

of New York, and may have logged all the traffic before that."

The room suddenly chilled.  "Gods, yesterday I sent you how to get to my

place."  I shook my head.  "But that was supposed to be a secure send."

"It may have been, but don't take chances."  She sounded winded, and I sighed.

We had to find somewhere to go now, and link up with her.

"Listen, can you get to somewhere like Memphis or Nashville?"

"I can.  I have some money and credit cards."

"Good."  I looked at the map again.  "Ok, there's a motel at exit 89 on I-65

just south of Nashville.  It's a Super 8 Motel.  Meet us there in three days,

if you get there ahead of us, that's ok.  Sign in as Jasamine and we'll find

you."

"And if I make it after you?"

"Ask for a Silver Hanson."  I tilted my head towards Sapphire, and she headed

for the bedroom.  "We should be there on Tuesday evening."

"Ok, I have it.  Tuesday evening, Exit 89, I-65 in Nashville, Tennessee.  Let

me get back on the road, I have a long drive ahead of me."

"Ok, take care, Jasamine."

"You three as well."  The line went dead, and I headed into the bedroom.

Already Emerald and Sapphire had started packing clothes, filling suitcases as

much as they could.

"Is it possible?" Emerald asked, worry filling her eyes.  "Are things getting

that bad?"

I nodded slowly.  "They are.  Government's declared a state of emergency

around New York City, and whatever's happened there is starting to spread."  I

went out of the bedroom, and Sapphire followed.

"Start gathering up books, magazines, all the personal stuff," I told her.  "I

have an old trailer in the garage, we can pack that full with everything we

want to take with us."

"I'll get right on it," Sapphire said, and I headed into the garage, hitting

the switch for the door to open.  The trailer was one of those old U-haul jobs,

maybe 8' long.  But it was large enough to take all the personal belongings

easily.  Furniture would have to stay behind, and I could trust Jeff to keep

the place safe until later on.

Jeff.  I needed to call him.  I picked up the phone, and dialed his house.

The phone rang a few times, then I heard it being picked up.

"Hello?"

"Jeff?  It's Silver.  I have to leave town for a few weeks on a family

emergency."

Jeff coughed a bit.  "What sort of emergency?" he asked.

"Family friend is in trouble, and I have to go help get out.  It's a New York

thing."

Jeff wasn't stupid, and he was able to think quickly enough on his own.  "I

take it this New York thing is concerning what's going down?"

"Yeah."  I still hedged telling him more, but there was a soft chuckle from

the other end.

"Go do what you have to," Jeff replied.  "I'll keep things under control here,

keep your place ok while you're dealing with the problems."

I smiled softly.  "Thanks, Jeff.  I owe you one."

"You can tell me the story after you get back.  Now get going and let me get

back to my cooking."

I hung up the phone, and moved the trailer out into the yard, hitching it up

to the car.  Emerald had started moving suitcases out, and I placed them into

the trailer.  Soon, boxes were being added to the stuff, along with the computer

and some other personal gear, along with the water we still had.  Finally, I

closed and locked it up, and made a last check of the house.

For all intents, no one unusual lived here.  Just your average, middle

American household.  I smiled a bit, glad for the efficiency of managing to

strip anything that might say fan off the walls.

I looked at Emerald and Sapphire, then smiled.  "I know, this isn't exactly

what I promised you two for a vacation.  We never expected this to happen.  I

don't like having to run, but then again I don't know what the government would

do to us if they found out we're different."

Emerald nodded, looking quite sober.  "I know, Silver.  We were talking with

Jasamine before you got home and we all agreed we need to find a new place

now.  Until we can figure out what to do."

I hugged them warmly, then kissed each one on the lips.  "Some vacation, ain't

it?"

Sapphire had to giggle.  "I have to admit, with you it's not boring."

---

We took it slow, driving the speed limit, trying not to draw attention to

ourselves.  To most anyone else, we were just another family on the move,

driving down the Interstate to a new home.

Despite the afternoon start, we managed to get into St. Louis by midnight.

Stopping at a truck stop on the other side in Illinois, we decided to keep on

driving, first going down I-64 to I-57, then picking up I-24 through

Tennessee.  Finally we hit Nashville, and turned onto I-65, finding exit 89 and

the Super 8 Motel there.  During the entire drive we were on edge, everyone

looking around to make certain we weren't being followed, but once registered

and inside the room we relaxed visibly.

We lay on the bed together, cuddling quietly but not really doing a thing,

merely enjoying each other's company.  Things had become a blur for them all,

so much so that the peace and quiet of the hotel room became a comfort of it's

own.

Time drifted past, then a gentle knock at the door brought us all back to

sudden alertness.  Going over to the door, I waved for the other to stay silent.

"Yes?"

The voice on the other side was muffled.  "Silver?  It's Jasamine."

I unlocked the door quickly and opened it, then blinked at the lady standing

there.  I hadn't known what to expect, but even she surprised me.  As tall as

I was, with dark chocolate skin and deep brown eyes, she was as good looking as

Sapphire and Emerald were, even without seeing the way she held herself.

Every moment was deliberate, strength under control, her eyes drinking in each

of us in detail.

We remained silent as I locked the door behind her, then offered her a place

to sit.  She smiled up at me and accepted it gratefully while I took a corner of

one bed, Emerald and Sapphire sitting on the edge of the other.

I coughed a bit, then shook my head.  "At least you've made it," I remarked,

wincing a bit as the words fell flat.  A hell of a way to start a conversation

with someone you've never met.

She laughed gently and smiled.  "Well, when you're looking over your shoulder

constantly thinking someone's after you, it helps keep you going."  Her voice

didn't sound like a native New Yorker, rather she had a bit of a British lilt

to it.  "Then again, I could say how truly shitty you happen to look."

Emerald laughed at that, while Sapphire stifled a snicker.  For my part I

tried to look offended, but after a moment everyone was laughing warmly.

Choking back a chuckle, I shook my head.

"Mmmm, well, let me at least introduce the others here. This is Sapphire,"

nodding towards her on the bed, "and the green-eyed wench over there is

Emerald."

"I am not a wench," Emerald said back.  "At least, not right now. Later,

maybe."

"Later is right, we've still got to figure out what to do."  I looked back at

Jasamine and smiled.  "You'll have to forgive us, we've ended up fairly close

over the last few days."

Jasamine smiled warmly.  "I can imagine," she replied, giving me a warm once-

over.  "It looks like you three have managed to get used to being shifters

quickly enough."  She sighed and looked down at herself. "While I've had to

learn the hard way."

Sapphire went over to her and gave her a warm hug.  "Well, you're safe now,"

she told Jasamine.  "I don't know about the others, but I think you'll fit in

with us nicely."

"Thanks," Jasamine said gently, looking up in appreciation.  "It's just so

good to be out of New York, and around people who are able to deal with this,

instead of either denying anything has happened or going insane from it."  She

sighed deeply again, and I could see the exhaustion on her face.

"Look," I suggested, "why don't you rest here, then?  Are you registered in

the hotel yet?"

She shook her head.  "No, I just asked for your room at the desk."

I nodded, and glanced at the others.  Emerald nodded and Sapphire was already

giving me her approval.  "Then you can stay here," I informed her, "and we can

all get our wind back before tackling our next step.  Which is," and I sighed,

"where to go."

Jasamine smiled a bit, catching me off guard.  "I actually know someone who

might help," she told us.  "He's a friend from the net, lives down in Biloxi.

He works at a local tv station there, but he's always said he did so as a

hobby.  His net name was Redwoulfe."

"Redwoulfe?" I asked, the name barely ringing a bell.  "Was he on FurHaven?"

"Yeah, that's him!"  Sapphire looked quite interested now.  "I know him, he's

like an engineer at the station.  He was funny online, always poking fun at

himself.  Even invited us down to Mardi Gras, wanted to show us a good time."

Emerald nodded, and I shrugged.

"Are you sure he can help?"  I sounded a bit puzzled and concerned. "I mean,

would he be willing to help out folks he doesn't know at all?"

Jasamine looked at me and with a soft voice said, "Three years ago, I was

attacked on the streets, robbed and beaten.  I didn't want anyone to know, but

I told him because, well, he was always there to talk to. A week later I get a

call out of the blue from one of the best dojo's in New York City, informing

me that I was enrolled in classes.  All paid for."  Jasamine shook her head,

then laughed.  "He paid for them.  And for me to get lessons in Japanese.  I

tried to refuse, but he said it was his gift to me, and that I was just to smile

and take the classes."

I hrmmmed and sat down again.  "He did that for you?  No strings?"

"No strings."  Jasamine looked totally serious.  "If he hears of someone in

trouble, he does his best to help them out.  I've heard from someone out in

California who was on the verge of being evicted, and he paid for an entire

year's rent for them.  Everyone online knows he has money, lots of money.  And

he'll admit he doesn't really need it."

Emerald and Sapphire looked at me, and I sighed.  "Ok, give him a call, since

you know him better than I do.  Can we reach him right now? It's 8pm, and I

don't want to disturb him."

Jasamine laughed.  "You won't, I know where he'll be right now."

---

The hum of video tape machines droned in the background as monitors flickered,

the light reflecting off of the master switchboard for WXXV-TV.  Most of the

evening's programming was already set up and ready to go, computer commands

loaded to instantly cut from network feed to local commercials.

The chair was empty in front, the sole person on duty instead sitting in front

of a computer screen and idly scrolling past his mail. There was little of

interest to him, the mailing lists he subscribed to having suddenly dried up

as far as traffic went.  Still, there were a few messages, mostly news and

speculations over New York.

The phone rang next to his elbow and he sighed.  Glancing at the clock, it

read 7:11:03 and counting, while the monitor showed 18 minutes until the next

commercial break.  He froze the scrolling messages, and picked up the

receiver.

"WXXV Master Control."

There was a bit of a hiss, then a soft voice reached his ears. "Hello,

Redwoulfe."

Redwoulfe blinked and laughed.  "Jasamine!  Good god, how the hell are you?

It's been what, a year since we last talked?"

"About that," she admitted.  "I still could kill you for what you did."

Redwoulfe grinned.  "Hey, what's a birthday party without something to liven

it up, hmmm?"  He shifted in his chair and leaned back.  "So what has you

calling me here at my hobby house, hmmm?  Usually it's either been idle chatter

or a serious problem."

"The latter, I'm afraid."  Her voice took on an odd tone, and he was suddenly

alert.  "You know what happened in New York, right?"

"How could anyone not know?"  He snorted loudly, then fell quiet. "Dear, you

didn't..."

"I did.  I'm also out of there, far away right now."

Redwoulfe breathed a sigh of relief.  "Good, I was hoping you weren't there,

or that you manage to get out before the government tried to seal it up like

leftovers.  Where are you right now?"

"Somewhere in Tennessee, that's all I'll admit to."  She sounded a bit

worried, and Redwoulfe did his best to reassure her.

"It's ok, I won't ask.  Thinking of coming this way?"

"If you don't mind."

Redwoulfe laughed.  "Dear, you're always welcomed to stay, a day or a year,

you know that."

"We appreciate that, really.  I know you mean it, too."

"We?"  He raised an eyebrow at that.  "How many?"

"Four.  Remember Sapphire from FurHaven?  She's with me, along with two

others,  Emerald and Silver."  There was a muffled sound, then Jasamine came

back online.  "Silver wants to talk with you."

A deep male voice could be heard.  "Hello there, Sapphire and Jasamine both

speak highly of you and you're ability to be discreet. We're needing a place

to stay, and..."

"Hold up, ok?"  Redwoulfe chuckled.  "I already told Jasamine yes, and I'm not

going to repeat myself.  Just get down here, and we'll worry about the rest

later on.  When do you think you can make it?"

"Tomorrow evening?"  There was another muffled conference, then Silver came

back.  "If we leave here tomorrow around 6am, we should be able to make it

tomorrow evening, maybe late."

"No problem.  I'm off the next few days, it's not as if I need this job."

Redwoulfe chuckled deeply.  "Put Sapphire on, let me at least say hi to her."

A new voice came on the line.  "Hiya, Woulfie," Sapphire said. Redwoulfe

laughed and shook his head.

"Hey there, cutey.  So I finally got you coming down here with that soul-sib

of yours?"

"Emerald?"  Sapphire giggled a bit.  "Yes, you've got us coming down finally.

Not what I'd call for vacation, but..."

"But nothing.  Same offer goes for you two and that lucky bastard of yours

there."  His comment made everyone laugh in the room as it was repeated, then

Sapphire giggled into his ear.

"He is, isn't he?  You'll get your chance, don't worry."

"Oh, I'm not, don't worry.  Now scoot, let me get back to this excuse for a

job, and I'll see you tomorrow evening."

"Ok, dear.  Expect us around 7pm or so.  I have the directions still."

"Good.  See you then."  Redwoulfe hung up the phone, then chuckled softly to

himself.

"So much for being bored at the casino tomorrow," he muttered to no one in

particular.

---

I took the receiver from Sapphire's hands and hung it up.  "I have to admit,

he does sound like a character."

Sapphire giggled and Jasamine nodded, her lips quirked in a smile. "Oh, he is.

Quite a character.  But if there's anyone I trust more, I don't know who it'd

be yet.  He's never let me down when I needed the help."

I nodded as well, then looked at the clock.  "I don't know about you folks,

but if I'm going to be driving all day tomorrow, I need to get some sleep.

Jasamine, what about you?"

She smiled gently.  "Rest does sound good, actually.  I'm going to have to

drive ahead of you, or Sapphire's going to have to be with you when we get on

the road.  We both know how to get to his place, not that it'd be that

difficult."

Settling down on one of the beds, I chuckled.  "Mmmm, at least we've got

enough bed space for everyone."

Emerald slid next to me and tickled my ear.  "Well, it's not as if we'd be

worried about something like that, would we?"

Everyone laughed and we ended up in a large cuddle pile, laying down on the

floor together.  For a long time we stayed there, feeling warm and secure, the

sounds of traffic on the Interstate rolling past and making a strangely

comforting sound for us all.

Sex was not on our minds tonight.  Not while potential danger lay just

outside, a danger that we couldn't predict would happen.  Instead we took solace

in the mere touch of fingers against skin, lips against lips and body against

body, quietly talking in the darkness.

We fell asleep together, Jasamine's head resting on my chest as I held

Emerald's hands, Sapphire curled up close by my feet.  Tomorrow would be a long

day, but we would face it together.

----------

Lessons of Life, Lessons of Love, part 5

copyright 1997, by Tal Greywolf

all rights reserved