359

When I look at you,

I see my best friend and playmate,

My protector and defender,

The love of my life and the holder of my soul Losing you, I would also lose myself

And be left in a darkness so deep,

No light could ever find me.

So, where you go...” she finished in an almost whisper. ”I go.”

The sun’s rays now poured over them, throwing part of Dar’s face into shadow, and her chest moved suddenly, as she resumed breathing.

”That was beautiful,” she whispered, unnerved at the familiarity of the words, and the deep, resonant chime they made inside her.

Kerry dropped her eyes, then lifted them again. ”Thanks.”

A tiny, awkward silence fell. Then Dar closed her eyes, and sucked in a deep breath, visibly straightening. ”Well, I’m really not one for speeches.”

A soft chuckle rose.

”And I’ve never really known how to use words to express what I was feeling...so I guess I’ll just have to improvise.” Her shoulders dropped a tiny bit, then she opened her mouth and started singing.

Kerry stared at her, completely mesmerized, to the point where she almost missed the words.

But not quite

“I feel like I was born today

Like all my life before’s only been a dream, Only touching the surface, never going further Never being a part of the world

I feel like I was born today

Knowing I have to walk a wider path from now on.

Wide enough for two of us, walking side by side Facing the future together.

The sea is wide,

Our love is wider,

Covering the earth from end to end.

Walk beside me,

Through wind and weather,

For all the years on earth we’ll spend.

I feel like I was born today

We leave behind a past of sorrow.

Going forward through the sunlight,

Hand in hand, and soul’s united.”

Dar let her voice trail off, and she fell silent, uncomfortably aware of the stares focused on her. What had she been thinking of? She sighed.


360

Melissa Good

At least it was over. She lifted her eyes to Kerry’s face almost furtively, then stilled, seeing the tears running down her lover’s cheeks.

In pure reflex, she lifted a hand and brushed them away. ”Wasn’t that bad, was it?” she joked faintly. ”I didn’t get a chance to practice it.”

She paused. ”Much.”

”Wh...” Kerry's voice broke, and she cleared her throat, then tried again. ”It was gorgeous...awesome...where did you find it?” she asked.

”The song? And my god, Dar...you should sing more often. You have a beautiful voice.”

A murmur agreed with her, causing Dar to glance around self-consciously. ”Thanks.” She was painfully aware of the deep blush coloring her skin, and was glad of her base tan to cover most of it.

Kerry moved closer and enfolded her in a hug, burying her face into Dar’s chest and squeezing her tightly. She returned the hug, looking over Kerry’s shoulder to see quietly respectful glances back at her. Well. That went better than expected. ”So...I um...” Dar realized she was rooted in place by her blonde lover. ”Hope everyone’s hungry.

They packed enough food to feed half the office.”

That broke the reverent tension, and everyone relaxed. Dar smiled as she felt Kerry’s hands clench in her shirt.

Yeah. Definitely different.

Kerry sniffed, and backed off a little, lifting her head to peer up at Dar. ”Hang on. I’ve got one more thing.”

Everyone turned to watch her, as she pulled the wooden box from her bag, then handed the bag back to Colleen. She opened the case and the sun poured in, sparking brilliance from the crystals.

Dar blinked. ”Wow.”

Kerry held her hands out. ”Hold the box for me?”

Dar did, cradling it in her palms as Kerry pulled the joined crystals out. ”I’m, um...I’m not sure where these came from, originally,” Kerry stated softly. ”They probably have a history we’ll never know, but I really liked the way they’re both very unique.” She parted the two pieces, holding them up to the light. ”But they fit together so perfectly.”

She mated them with a tiny, satisfying click. ”I hope we can do the same.”

Dar smiled at her. ”I love it. They’re beautiful. I can’t believe they turned out so nice.”

Kerry beamed, then looped one chain over her hand and opened the other, leaning forward, and lifting her arms up.

”Wrong one,” Dar stated softly, then she blinked, a little startled.

Kerry looked at her for a long moment, then she nodded, and changed hands, fastening the other necklace around Dar’s smoothly tanned neck. She kissed her gently, then stood back, as Dar took the other chain, and fastened it around her, and the crystal nestled itself into the hollow of her throat with a sense of quiet belonging.


Hurricane Watch

361

Blue eyes met green, in a glance as old as time.

They kissed again, as the sun bathed them, sparkling the waters that surrounded the island as though dancing off crystal walls.

”OH NO.” COLLEEN lifted a cup and sucked down a mouthful of the fragrant peach ice tea. ”They say going downtown at night’s dangerous, let me tell you, it’s got nothing on a drop in at the local library.”

They were seated in the shade, sprawled in the soft sand as they lingered over breakfast, the warm sun and the steady breeze making it too comfortable to want to move. Dar was stretched out, her feet half buried in the sand, leaning on a piece of driftwood with Kerry curled up on her side pressed against her.

”C’mon, Colleen, how dangerous can a library be? What did you do, go there at midnight?” Kerry objected, with a grin. ”I’ve been to the beach branch. It’s safe enough.” She paused. ”Well, except for the creepy guys sequestered back by the periodicals, that is.”

Colleen held up a hand. ”Oh no, no...it was in barroooaaaadd daylight. I just went into the main branch, to look up some material for that anthropology class I’m taking.”

”What made you pick that?” Mari asked, curiously.

”That Circle stuff.” Colleen responded succinctly. ”Anyway, so I go in and ask for these reference books, and the desk people look at me like I’m speaking one of the three languages that aren’t spoken in Miami, right?”

”Right.” Kerry tangled her fingers with Dar’s and smiled.

”So, they tell me that’s kept in the special research section, and I’ve got to go back and see the oracle,” the redhead stated.

”Oracle?” Duks leaned forward. ”M’dear, that’s ancient history.”

”No joke,” Colleen responded. ”So, I follow this guy back, and he leads me down about twenty minutes full of winding passageways.”

”And you should have exited into the Biscayne Aquifer by then,”

Dar remarked dryly.

”Shh,” Colleen scolded. ”It’s me story, alright? Anyway, so we finally get there, and it’s the weirdest thing. I thought I was trapped in a santeria rite. There was this desk, right? And around it was stacks and stacks of these rough loosleaf notebooks, and shelves, with the weirdest things on them.”

Now they were all watching her.

”Candles, lit, mind you, and skulls! Skulls! Heads everywhere, and little bits of armor and leather things I'd rather not think about, and a couple of riding crops that I swear had feather dusters tied to them.”

”You’re making this up,” Kerry stated flatly.

”I am not, and behind the desk, there was this woman wearing this weird mask covered in feathers, typing away at a computer.”


362

Melissa Good

”Sounds like a lunatic,” Dar offered. ”Did you get your research material?”

”What?” Colleen laughed. ”Are you kidding? I took one look at the pair of fur lined cuffs on the desk and got my lily white Irish butt right on out of there. Must have set the world land speed record on the way out.” She shook her head. ”I know some people really get into their job, but Sweet Mary!”

They all laughed. ”Well, I suppose it’s like us nerds having little stuffed Dogbert dolls on our monitors.” Kerry grinned. ”Dar has Catbert, though.”

They looked at Dar, who shrugged. ”Gift from console operations.”

She glanced up as Chino started barking, somewhere off in the brush to their left. ”Chino!”

The puppy just barked harder, then the brush rustled sharply.

”I’ll get her.” Dar sighed, then hoisted herself to her feet and brushed a layer of sand off her legs. She plowed off through the soft surface, heading towards the sound of the excited puppy. ”Chino!”

She pushed through some brush, then froze, as she heard a low voice. A moment later, a grin spread over her face and she hurried forward.

”Would you shut up ya little bag of mouse squeaks?” the voice was saying, in a loud whisper.

Dar parted the last bushes and peered through. ”Hey.”

Cantankerous blue eyes glared back at her. ”Damn dog.”

Andrew Roberts was hunkered down, a light three quarter wetsuit covering part of his body, and a neatly stacked pile of diving equipment just off to one side. In the sharply patterned sunlight, the horrible scars on his face were very evident, but even that couldn’t hide the smile as he gazed up at his daughter. ”Hey there, rugrat.”

Dar ambled over and dropped to her knees next to him. ”Thanks for the treats. I’m glad you could make it out here, but how?”

”Ah could just go all military on you and say them is classified information,” the older man rasped. ”But the truth is your little kumquat got hold of me and batted those pretty green eyes.”