"Hmmm..." she said, thoughtfully. "I've got an idea." She wandered off and appeared a few minutes later with a couple of water-filled balloons. "We'l...l try these for the moment." And she slipped them into the cups. "Oh! That's cold!" "Now," she said, handing me a pair of tights. "Put these on." I must have looked somewhat puzzled, for she grabbed another pair from her bureau, removed her jeans, - "Hello!" I thought -, sat down on the edge of the bed and had me copy her motions. I did as. She felt no strain or effort in his arms as he gently deposited her in a seated position across his saddle. For a timeless moment their eyes met before he glanced over his shoulder at Ilbem’s approaching soldiers. She could see the concern in his eyes as he gauged their closeness. ‘Too late…………perhaps’, he whispered to himself. At that moment the Mayor snatched at the bridle of the Knight’s mount. Emerald Heart raised his sword to strike him down but the town’s leader cried, ‘Hold your blows. ‘Yay, whoopee,’ Richard had sullenly muttered. He remembered Bernadette Melancon from the wedding when dad and Beth got married, she had been a scrawny ugly little fourteen year old red head that followed him everywhere at the reception, wanting to dance, wanting to eat, wanting to have his attention. Beth and Aunt Maggie and Uncle Joe had thought it was so cute, ‘Puppy Love,’ they kept calling it. Then his mother had moved to Houston, Texas and he very rarely got to see his dad or Beth or his. ” I quickly got into my shorts and a shirt, then went to the patio. It was Lieutenant Adams and SSgt Kelly. They were both in civies, and whistled when I came out.“Damn Culver, you look like shit. How you feeling?”“Not bad now, Staff Sergeant. I stopped the codeine this morning, and other than being sore am much better now.”“That’s good. OK, so you know we have already been briefed by NIS. You are completely in the clear here, and for the next week you will be on half-day duty. Do not worry.