Marie walked up behind him, ‘Here she is master … born on June 21st … the summer solstice … a good omen for her …’ John took the tiny bund...le from Marie’s arms and looked down on the cherub face of a porcelain doll face framed with tiny dark curls. As he unfolded the blanket around the baby to count fingers and toes, he noticed the birthmark on her right shoulder. He was in awe and turned to face his wife … ‘Thank you’ was all he could choke out. ‘John,’ Vera began, ‘I want to name her Summer. God.I'd been so sure I was going to ruin her and then suddenly even that was snatched away from me. She was fucking one of the company's founding partners--the one that ran the place, truth be told. I couldn't tell anybody. Even if I could cause some problems for the two of them, it would be the end of me.That's how I ended up slinking away from my second defeat of the day, creeping, so the woman I hated could fuck our boss in peace.I guess I should have seen it coming. I'd heard Hal was going. ***Sure enough, I got a call next week on Monday, just before I left for the club."Lee? It's Penny," she said."Hi there," I replied. Duh. Not too smooth."Listen, Joanne has a sore knee, and had to drop out at the last moment. Do you think you might be able to sub for us again tonight?" Sure thing!" I said.And just as last week, I had a great time, played some great tennis with beautiful women, and only had to put up with a few taunts from the guys. Better yet, when we were done, the girls asked. Behind her, as she shuffled slowly through the new-fallen snow, that some one, or thing, was watching her every move very closely. The one who dared this, actually stalking her, smelt of the realm most evil. The old one worried naught. Long eon ago she had fully accepted her fate and she was always ready to die. If Silver Goddess willed this be her time, then she was ready to face Chiron boldly, head up and staff in hand. Death was not to be feared. Death was her friend, her ally. She would.