Disclaimer: All the characters from the "Magnificent Seven" T.V. series are property of Trilogy Entertainment, The Mirisch Group, MGM Worldwide. The same goes for all characters from Time Trax, which belong to Gary Nardino Productions Inc and Lorimar Television. All characters and situation from Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgement Day is the property of Carolco Pictures and Corolco International.
Authors Note: Herešs something different. This is a cross over between Time Trax, Terminator and M7. I have tried to make the three universes as cohesive as possible, so if youšre prone to picking out faults as a rule, I donšt want to know. This is written to be enjoyed and while I accept constructive criticism, please remember that all fiction requires some suspension of belief. If you want realism, look at newspaper. This is just for fun.
After the seven had collected the remains of the Terminator and buried it deep beneath the earth within that desolate canyon, Darien knew his time in the 19th century was at an end. Even though he had come to care about the people in this time, he was not of it and his continued presence could pose as much a danger to the time line as the Terminator itself. Injecting himself with the modified TXP pellet that Sahmbi had provided for his return journey home, Darien hoped that the drug would do everything Sahmbi said it would. Despite himself, he was still unable to take the doctor on good faith, even though without Sahmbi's help, the future would have died in the making.
Fortunately, the quick death that Darien feared never came and he authorised Selma to send the transmission. He had no idea how long it would take before he dissolved into nothingness, transformed into a matter stream riding the temporal waves that would return him to the 20th century. Thus, Darien chose to say his goodbyes before that moment knowing that he did not want to leave things unsaid. Most of all, he wanted to speak to Buck Wilmington who was no doubt his ancestor and had given him something precious that Darien had never expected to gain in his wildest imaginings.
An identity.
It was quite a sobering experience to know that you were not just a Caucasian or a blanko but also an American with forebears that originated in the untamed frontiers of the west. If he chose to, he could trace his family tree from Buck Wilmington all the way to his parents, whoever they might be. Perhaps he would do that some day after he got home but at the moment, he was comfortable with what he already knew, to leave it a mystery for awhile. It brought a smile to his face, knowing that he had at the very least found himself in time, instead of fleeing it.
"I better get this over and done with." Darien remarked as he and Buck rode side by side while they took the steep climb out of the canyon. He had been saying his goodbyes as they continued along the trail, making quiet farewells as the journey progressed.
"Kinda spooky that you just disappear like that." Buck pointed out. "Inconvenient too."
"Yeah," Darien nodded. "I'm used to it. I disappear a lot even in the 20th century." He stared into the unspoilt beauty of the land before them. Even with the pyre of locomotive burning at the bottom of the canyon, it maintained a serene quality that would be gone by the time the 20th century claimed it.
"I kind of guessed that." Buck nodded, unable to ignore the underlying sadness that lived inside Darien Lambert. He sensed a great loneliness in the man, which made Buck grateful for the friends he had around him. "Maybe, you ought to let go of her."
Darien met his gaze. "She's the reason I decided to do this." He responded although Elyssa's name was never mentioned between them in conversation.
"I don't think she'd want you to spend your life in mourning." Buck looked at him seriously.
"I'm not mourning." Darien began to protest and saw the knowing look in Buck's face. "Perhaps just a little."
"A man can only spend so many years dreaming of what might have been before it takes its toll and you find your life has slipped by, without you even living it. I hate to think that any of my kin would have to go through that."
Darien smiled at Buck's use of the word 'kin'. It brought warmth to his soul to hear that someone considered him family, even in this time period. "I promise I will get back on the horse."
"Now you're talking and if I might add, getting yourself some female company ain't such a bad idea either. You got to sow your wild oats a little."
Darien could only shake his head in resignation. While he had not exactly been celibate since Elyssa's death, Darien could not womanise the way Buck did. The man made it seem like an art, if even half the stories that JD told him were true. "Do we have rabbit somewhere in our family tree?" He laughed. "Besides I thought you and Inez were an item."
"She hasn't succumb to my charms yet," Buck grinned. "But she will."
"I am really hoping that she doesn't end up being my great, great, great grandmother or something."
"Why?" Buck looked at him in confusion. "She's a fine lady."
"Exactly," Darien retorted "I just hate to think what you're going to put her through."
Finally Darien reached Chris Larabee, the entire reason why he had made this journey into the 19th century. In some ways, he was grateful to Larabee for all the things he had gained on this trip. He just wished it had not been at the cost an unborn child. History had decreed that Chris and Mary would raise a number of children whose progeny would produce a Caesar into the world when it needed one most. However the little footnotes in history sounded shallow in light of the heartache that they were now feeling.
Chris was sitting straight in the saddle despite his injuries. It was hard to know what was on the man's mind half the time. He was in Darien's opinion, one of the most difficult people to read. It was easy to understand where John's presence originated after meeting Chris Larabee. Darien admired him greatly, admired his strength and most of all the quiet patience in which he attacked a problem. Not many men would have placed themselves in the danger he had to destroy the Terminator but Darien had a feeling, Chris found no difficulty making such decisions on a daily basis.
"I'm liable to disappear at any time," he said as he reached Chris. "I thought I'd make my goodbyes while I still can."
Chris looked at him and nodded. "When do you think you will get taken?"
Darien shook head in response. "I have no idea. It will be soon enough. No more than a day for certain."
Chris stared at the road ahead before speaking once more. "Thank you for what you did."
"You did most of it." Darien returned quickly. "I just told you what was coming."
"You saved my life in the saloon." Chris said firmly, in a manner that tolerated no argument on that point. "I would have died then if you hadn't come along."
"I did it for myself as much as I did it for your Chris." Darien answered, feeling embarrassed by the sentiment since it was just as much in his favour that Chris Larabee lived. "If you had, I'd have nothing to go back to."
"Learn to take a compliment." Chris retorted with a smile, eyes still fixed on the trail ahead.
Darien returned his smile with one of his own. "You're welcome."
"What will you do when you go back?" Chris inquired, genuinely interested. In the past two days, he had come to see Darien as someone who could have been a friend, the way Buck was. Although they were poles apart, Chris could see the same personality underlying the experiences of each other's lives.
"The same thing I always do," Darien answered, thinking about the fifty to sixty fugitives still escaping justice in the 20th century. Granted he had help now but it was still a difficult task he had set himself for the sake of the promise he made for Elyssa. "Find them and send back to the 22nd century."
"Do you go back when you're done?"
Darien stared at him, wondering where Larabee was going with this line of inquiry. While he had been presented by many questions in the past two days from the others, Chris had shown very little interest in what the future held. Darien could understand that he supposed, considering how Chris had unwillingly been privy to more about his future then any man should be aware. "No," he answered truthfully because he was sure Chris would spot it if he lied. "I don't think I will. I like the 20th century, rough and tumble as it is. There's still a little mystery left in the world then."
Chris nodded. "This woman named Sarah. What's she like?"
"Sad." Darien said without hesitation. "Lots of memories in her eyes of things that never happened but she remembers. Now that the Terminator is gone, things should be part to normal. My time line would have restored itself and there won't be any Judgement Day. Kyle Reese will be born in about ten years and he won't have any idea what he meant to her."
"My wife was called Sarah." Chris replied quietly. "I hate to think that your Sarah is alone with a son, the way mine were when I lost them."
"She's a strong woman." Darien pointed out. "Strongest one I've met."
"So was my wife." He returned. "But I'd still appreciate it if you kept an eye on both of them. It feels kind of right that you do it. Buck loved Adam like he was his own. I never realised until later how much it hurt him too when they died."
"I can do that for you." Darien agreed, with every intention of doing so even if Sarah did not remember him or even if Chris had not asked. "If you do me the favour of seeing to it that Buck doesn't get himself killed by every angry husband."
Chris laughed softly. "I've been doing that since we met. I don't think I'll be quitting now." He paused a moment and then turned to Darien, meeting the man's gaze for the first time. "It's been a pleasure knowing you Darien. I mean it."
"Well," Darien sighed trying not to let the emotion get the better of him. "I won't forget anyone of you, that's for sure and I think I'll even miss you."
Chris believed he meant it and wished a happier life for this man from the future. Chris did not add that the same sadness that Darien perceived in Sarah Connor was also reflected in his own eyes. The gunslinger knew personally what it was like to endure the loss that he saw in Darien's eyes and hoped that some day, Darien would meet someone who could take that emptiness away.
Otherwise, the future was a cold place already.
Darien Lambert disappeared out of their lives as abruptly as he had entered it. They were almost back to Eagle Bend when suddenly he vanished into the thin air, leaving only his horse behind as it looked at them in confusion by the sudden disappearance of its rider. He shimmered away into nothingness, leaving them all gaping in astonishment with the final proof of what he had told them. Until now, the concept of time travel and alternate universes had an unreality about it. As Darien Lambert disappeared before their eyes, the world had expanded for all them. They would never speak of what they had seen today, choosing to interpret the extraordinary events in their own personal way. However, the world for them would never be the same. It would go on in familiar patterns but they would all know the existence of things unseen and how it could effect everything.
"Are you coming up to the infirmary or not?" Nathan Jackson eyed Vin Tanner critically.
Despite the fact that Vin had broken some ribs less than a week earlier, Nathan had been unable to get the tracker back for a further examination. With all the activity that Vin was forced to do after sustaining the injury, what with the Terminator, riding from one end of the Territory to the other in flight and pursuit, Nathan was concerned that the ribs might need some additional treatment. Unfortunately, convincing Vin of this was another matter entirely.
"I told you Nathan." Vin said in that quiet manner of his. "I don't need any more doctoring."
With the exception of Chris Larabee and Ezra Standish, the rest of the seven were aiding with the repairs to the saloon after the extensive damage incurred during their initial encounter with the Terminator. At the moment, Vin was more concerned about conducing repairs to a broken table rather than his own ribs. A situation that did not at all please the healer.
"I ain't gonna let you slither out this Vin." Nathan continued to persist, when suddenly, his gaze moved up to the steps, where Ezra was currently making his way down followed by Alex who seemed almost as perturbed as the healer.
"You've got to take it easy, Ezra." Alex said exasperated. "You've got a broken windpipe, you shouldn't be moving at all."
"My dear Alexandra," Ezra croaked as he descended, his voice was not quite back to normal yet. "I am capable of overseeing some of the work being conducted on this establishment. I will not leave it in the hands of these heathens."
"Thank you Ezra." Josiah retorted from where he was mending the bullet holes in the walls with a mixture of mortar. "I knew you'd appreciate the help."
"No offence intended," Ezra said in that charming manner of his, although the effect was not as dramatic without his elegant voice. "I simply meant that you lack the necessary refinement to envision this place in the grandeur that I do."
Alex met Josiah's gaze and they both rolled their eyes in the same show of sarcasm.
"You know I got better things to do than clean up here you know." JD added with similar annoyance. The young man was currently sweeping out the debris that had covered almost every inch of floor space inside the saloon. Everything from glass shards, to plaster and splinters of wood made up the heap, which was now his responsibility to clean. Pushing a broom was not the most glamorous way for JD to spend an afternoon, especially in the face of Ezra's recent remark. "I told Casey I'd go up and help her on the farm for a few days, until Nettie's on her feet."
"Don't worry," Alex glared at Ezra for his rudeness. "When I get him back upstairs, I'll try to replace the part of his brain that keeps him from saying exactly what's on his mind."
"If you get him back up at all." Josiah said with a smile. "Counting today, it's been almost four days since Ezra's had a decent game of cards. Didn't you tell me you wanted some challenge in your poker?"
Alex frowned and stared at him with an accusing eye. "Hey, I've been playing cards with you!"
Ezra looked at Josiah through narrowed eyes while the preacher wore a satisfied smirk on his face before turning back to the wall he was currently working on. "Now Alexandra," Ezra started to explain amidst of JD's laughter in the background. "Mr Sanchez may have misinterpreted my meaning."
Alex nodded in obvious disbelief as Ezra found himself an undamaged chair upon which to rest. "I'll bet." She remarked, giving him a sceptical look. "You can make it up to me if you go back upstairs for a few more days."
"I am not that apologetic." He replied. "What is it with you healers? Rest is for the weary. I am not weary nor in any need of further medical aid."
"You said it." Vin agreed, meeting Nathan's gaze as if to prove the point that he was not going to any infirmary to have any ribs examined again. As far as he was concerned, he was well and truly on the mend.
Nathan stood up and went next to Alex. "I've got a plan." He stared at the young doctor who merely nodded, instantly knowing what Nathan intended.
"I'm with you." She answered with her arms folded staring at both impossible patients with a set look about her. "You get Ezra upstairs and I will take care of Mr Tanner's ribs."
"A nice neat trade." Nathan grinned as he took a step towards Ezra, who knew the healer would have no trouble slinging him over his shoulder if necessary.
"Wait a minute..." Vin replies as he saw Alex taking a step forward in his direction. He was not letting such a beautiful woman put her hands anywhere on his body. No matter how much he might enjoy the sensation.
"You have another suggestion?" Alex met the tracker's gaze and then shifted to Ezra's.
Ezra and Vin exchanged glances before Vin stood up a second later and turned towards Nathan. "Let's go." He replied, unabashed in his resentment. The healer could only grin as he followed the reluctant tracker out of the doors.
"Shall we?" Alex offered Ezra her sweetest smile as she waited for him to move.
"You have won this round." He returned with a wry grin. "I assure you, you will not win the next."
"Whatever," she shook her head and received looks of sympathy from both Josiah and JD respectively as they started slowly towards the stairs again. "What shall we play? Go fish or old maid?"
"Oh god.....' Ezra could only groan. "I have died and gone to hell."
Buck Wilmington was quiet throughout all this. He was deep in thought, his mind still wondering about the possibilities Darien Lambert's presence had open up for him. For the first time in his life, Buck looked at his future seriously. He knew now that he would marry and have children some day. At least he hoped he was married first. He could not help thinking that in all his sexual encounters, had he already sewn the seeds for Darien's existence or was he yet to do so?
He worked on the bar quietly, contemplating such deep thoughts about all the women he had slept with in his life, wondering if he had ever left any of them in a family way without his knowing at all. There were so many, it was hard to place a name to every one of them. He wished he could have been able to find out from Darien for certain but knew it was impossible now. Besides, he still believed that some part of his future ought to surprise him.
"You're quiet." Inez broke into those silent thoughts from the other end of the side of the counter, where she was presently, clearing the broken bottles and replacing them with new stock.
Buck looked up at her distracted. "I guess. I was just thinking."
"About Darien?" She guessed accurately. Inez could not help lie that seeing two men with the exact same face was disconcerting, especially when they were so remarkably different.
"How did you guess?" He said pausing a moment.
"If I met a relative from the future, I would be a little lost in thought as well." She offered him an understanding smile.
"He was very different, wasn't he?" Buck sighed, wondering if he could have been the same way if circumstances were different. "A lot of things shaped his life Buck," Inez pointed out. She saw the expression on Buck's face and found herself adding. "Although I thought he was bit to straight and narrow for me. I would have liked him to be a little louder." She offered him one of those smiles that could melt him where he stood.
"Does that mean we can do a little something tonight?" He looked at her suggestively.
"Hold you horses, cowboy." She said with that stern voice of hers that indicated that he had gone too far again. "I didn't mean that as an invitation."
One of these days Buck suspected, he would not go too far and that was a day he looked forward to with great anticipation. "You wound me darling." He grinned, feeling a little better. He did so hope Darien Lambert was going to be a product of their relationship. Whenever he looked at Inez, he always had a feeling it was meant to be, if such things could be presumed by simple instinct.
"Wilmington!" A loud voice tore through the bar. Buck's eyes followed the sound to the doors and found his eyes widening at the sight of Jasper Cray, glaring at him.
"Oh shit!" Buck swore as he saw the hulk coming toward, with no intention of being friendly or inquiring as to progress of the repairs. Both Josiah and JD were staring at him, wondering what he was intended to do before they decided to act.
"The back door's open!" Inez suggested quickly, pointing him in the direction of her kitchen. Buck gave her a hasty kiss on the cheek before bolting for dear life. No sooner than he had began running, Jasper Cray was rumbling after him.
"I'm not done with you Wilmington!" Jasper screamed after him.
Inez shook her head and thought with a sigh. He was a rogue but she still loved him.
God was having a lot of fun at her expense.
Today she woke up and decided she was going to live.
For a while there, Mary Travis had not been so sure. They had returned to Four Corners last night, even though she was very sore and Chris had not at all been eager to let her make the trip. However, Mary would risk the journey because she needed to be at home and after some convincing by Alex, who liked the idea even less but understood the need was therapeutic, convinced Chris that it was the best thing for her. It was funny, she thought on the ride back. Six months ago, she had believed her life to be devoid of people, even though there were many faces. Now she had Chris in her life, she had Inez who was her best friend and Alex who was fast becoming another. Suddenly, her son was not the sole member of her family any more. Her circle was expanding.
Chris was right, she was never alone.
She mourned the child that might have been and she was far from recovered over its loss but she could accept that there would be children in her future, Darien had told her so. If anything, this child had proved to her just how much she had in its loss, not how little. Inside, she prayed that there was a heaven and her little baby was there at this moment, doing all the things that was stolen before its life even began. Wherever it was, she hoped it knew the sparkle of magic it had brought to her life and its fathre's, even for a brief moment.
As far as the town was concerned, a terrible outlaw whom by now had been captured by the seven, was responsible for her terrible injuries. No one outside the circle knew about the baby, not even Nettie and Casey. Mary preferred it remain that way. She wanted her grief to be private and so she returned home to the safety of her house with the intention of hiding herself away until she was ready to face the world again.
Both Inez and Alex had come by earlier, even Nathan had dropped in to see how she was faring. If it was not for the impropriety of it, Mary might have been tempted to let Chris remain in the house with her, reputation be damned. Unfortunately, it was not something he would allow her to sacrifice, no matter how defeated she felt. Thus, her best friends had made themselves available because Chris was in little shape to do much himself, considering what he had endured to kill that metal monstrosity. Mary knew he had been shot at least twice, not to mention a dislocated shoulder and numerous cuts and bruises he received after jumping from a moving train.
It was late morning when Chris finally made his appearance. He had been staying at the saloon while he was convalescing and she knew after the hard ride yesterday, he would probably sleep in. Mary remembered their exchange at the Indian village and how he had struggled to remain at her side every day since the seven's return from Eagle Bend. It warmed her inside to know that he had not been lying when he told her that she would not endure this sorrow alone.
For she knew in his own way, he grieved for their child too.
She had remained in bed most of the morning with no real inclination to leave it when she heard Chris tapping at the door to her bedroom. Still in her nightgown, Mary saw him peering through the doorway with an uncertain expression on his face.
"You can come in." She sighed meeting his gaze with a shadowy smile. With everything else she was feeling, Mary was in no mood for Chris treating her like a porcelain doll. True, she felt fragile but she needed him more than anyone else at the moment and was somewhat surprised that he still believed he was capable of hurting her by mere presence. In Mary's opinion, when a man fought a mechanical beast from the future by becoming the worm at the end of a hook, it gave the woman in his life somewhat of an idea about his reliability. He could be so thick sometimes.
"I missed you.' She said with the barest hint of a smile upon meeting his gaze.
Chris dropped his duster on a chair as he entered the room, limping slightly. She could not see the bandages but knew that his arm and shoulder were still tender from his injuries. He moved forward a little stiffer than usual before coming towards the edge of her bed. Instinctively, Mary slid over as she had done numerous times before when he had slipped in the covers in the dead of night. He took the gesture as an invitation to join her and complied immediately, nestling into a comfortable position that allowed her to rest her head against his chest while accomodating her broken arm.
"How are you feeling Mary?" He asked quietly, breathing the heavenly scent of her hair in lungs. It was not so long ago on that terrible ride from Eagle Bend that he believed he had lost her forever. Chris was never more grateful for anything when he found that she was still alive.
"I'm okay." She replied softly, drawing more comfort from his warmth next to her than anything else at this moment. What was this power he had over her? Mary was sometimes at a loss to understand how simply being with him could be so fulfilling, even in the face of such terrible loss. "I'll be up and around in a few days, Alex tells me."
"That's not what I asked." He answered, stroking the golden strands of her hair. It soothed her to no end and allowed her to drift away.
"I know." She admitted a little guiltily. "I feel like we've lost something precious, something that comes only once in a life time."
He raised her chin and looked at her. "We did lose something precious Mary," he sighed deciding that he would not lie to her. "But it's not the end of the world and some day, we may find it again."
"I keep thinking of all the things that the baby might have been." She swallowed, trying not to let the emotion descend her into another fit of tears. She had not really stopped crying for any length of time in days. Each time, such thoughts came to mind, it also brought the full torrent of sorrow back with mind numbing clarity. She knew it was natural that such feelings would not disappear overnight and that it would take time to heal properly but she hated being so vulnerable. It was not what she was about.
"Me too." Chris whispered, thinking about the child that would remain nameless forever. "I keep thinking about how much like you I would like it to have been. I was thinking of little girl with your hair." He looked at the flaxen strands in his fingers and relished its feel against his skin. He felt a pang of grief and pleasure at the same time and wondered how such paradoxes could exist.
"Or a boy with your eyes." She added sadly, biting her lip fighting the tears.
"It will happen some day Mary." Chris held her closer. "I promise you."
And as they lay there together, watching the blue sky outside her window, Mary was almost ready to believe him because Chris had been right about one thing.
The future was not set. It was what they made of it.
Darien Lambert found himself peering through the picture window of the florist shop called Sarah's Place in exactly the same place he left it only a short week ago. She was working behind the counter with her roses and her petunias, creating a display that was no doubt destined for someone who liked the scent of both. She looked no different than she had the first moment he laid eyes on her, trimming rose stems while dreaming of things not so mundane in her emerald coloured eyes. The sadness was still there in her face but so was the picture of John Connor hanging on the wall behind her. Everything inside the place appeared as it had the first time he saw it and the only question burning in his mind was whether or not she would remember him.
Time had righted itself because Darien had returned to an empty warehouse in the middle of the Nevada desert. The date indicated a full week after his date of journey to the 19th century and he realised that Sahmbi had planned it this way because it gave the good doctor ample time to remove the TRAX control device and all his operations to a different location. Sahmbi had kept his word to bring Darien home to the 20th century as promised but he was not about to risk Darien knowing any more than necessary about his business. Darien did not mind really. After his days in the 19th century, he had no intention of embarking on another ordeal trying to bring his arch-nemesis to justice. In fact, when he finally managed to get a ride into the nearest town, since Sahmbi had not left him any transportation to get back to civilisation upon his return, all Darien was interested in was a shower and Chinese takeaway.
He needed real food and his sneakers.
Upon satisfying those first two important requirements, Darien ordered Selma to give him a current report on the status of Miles Bennett Dyson. If Dyson still lived then whatever they had done in Four Corners was for nothing. Skynet would still bring about Judgement Day in a scant six months. It was almost with a held breath that Darien learnt that Miles Dyson had died three years before at the Cyberdine building. Through the same network that he had used to contact Sahmbi earlier, Darien sent the doctor the message that their temporary partnership had succeeded. The time line was restored and the 22nd century should be similarly intact.
He sent that message and another informing Sahmbi that the détente between them was over. Their cat and mouse game would resume as soon as he took care of some personal business. To ensure that the 22nd century was where he had left it, Darien communicated with his commander through the classifieds. The next day, he found a lone cigar in the ladies room of the Smithsonian with an attached note.
Can't you buy your own?
So now that brought him to this moment in time, standing outside the window once again, staring at Sarah Connor and her flowers within a florist shop in Reseda, California.
"Captain." Selma spoke up. "You have been standing here for three minutes already." She pointed out.
Darien frowned. "I'm picking my moment." He hissed at her quietly. "Since when were you my alarm clock?"
Suddenly, he heard a new voice clearing its throat and interrupting them. Sarah Connor was standing before him, looking at Darien with an expression on her face he could only call annoyed. With a sinking feeling, he realised she did not recognise him and that discovery, hurt more than it should have. He supposed he should not have been surprised. The possibility had preyed in his mind even though he did not want to entertain it. Perhaps, he could get to know her again, without a crisis in time hampering their relationship...
Sarah's hands went to her hips as she let out a sigh and met his gaze critically. "You just going stand there gawking at me or you going to come in and tell me where the hell you've been all week, Darien?"
"Sarah?" Darien stammered once he understood that she knew exactly who he was. According to the date, it was about a week since they had shared dinner together. With his disappearance and everything, she was naturally upset, considering what he had told her about Skynet. He was so pleased that she knew whom he was that Darien did not even care if Sarah was mad at him.
She was staring at him impatiently, trying to decide why he was lingering outside her door like a tourist. Probably trying to find some way of explaining where he had disappeared to all week. She hoped he had a very good excuse. Despite herself, she had a good feeling about Darien Lambert no matter how strange he could sometimes be. They were strangers in time, the both of them and Sarah liked the idea of having someone who understood what she had been through in her life. Since his absence, she had tried hard not to assume the worst, that a Terminator had killed him. However, his being here now seemed to disprove that theory.
"You know," she shook her head wondering what this strange behaviour was all about. "You really shouldn't talk to that thing in public. Someone might lock you up."
Darien Lambert could only grin as he followed her inside, convinced at last that he had finally come home.
The End