Tom looks at her, her red curls now streaked with gray. Still in his mind, he saw the fierce young scientist that captured his heart years ago. He reaches out and captures a curl and let it wrap around his finger in a familiar gesture of affection. "Sloan, they will not get here any sooner if you worry."

He stands next to her at the window, wearing only his black jeans and in bare feet. She looks at him and wonders what it is about the People that made the men look like Greek gods or maybe it is her choice of men.

Sloan looks over the hills and then at Tom, his dark hair now more salt than pepper, his eyes crinkled with the lines that grew from them, but still she saw those blue eyes. Eyes that could be so hard and yet so soft, eyes that had not shown his hard side in many years. "Tom, she is only fifteen years old. How could she make such a decision? She is too young. Tom, we were twice her age."

"We have been over this before. She is of the People. She is old enough to choose. And she wishes a mating bond. That is as good as a marriage. She said until the children are grown. That is fifteen years. If her young man has agreed to that she has made a good decision. He cannot lie to her. You know that."

He wraps his arms around her. "Tell me what is really wrong."

"I wish the council had not decided that fifteen was old enough." She sighs and leans against him, feeling his warmth. Knowing he would ask again.

"Sloooaaan, please." He whispers in her ear. "My pet, tell me what troubles you." He called her this when he wanted something. It had taken him years to understand diminutives, such as that.

Her eyes fill with tears that threaten to spill and fall. "A mating bond. For children. Tom, I only had three. I deprived you of so much." Her voice catches in her throat. "How can you ever forgive me?"

He turns her to look into her beautiful green eyes. "You gave me my life. I said no more after Amy's birth. You almost died. We didn't know how hard bearing dominant children were on human mothers at that time. If we had known, we could have waited longer, or had the children further apart." Then they did fall, the tears she had held in for years.

"You could have taken in another in a mating bond. It was allowed. You have never even seen your other children. None, born in directed matings. I thought I had put it all behind me. Until now."

He had always known it had saddened her when he said no more children. But with the conflict in full swing it was unsafe. He was in constant danger from both sides, with three small children, he could not risk her life. He would not risk her life in order for him to have a full quad.

He holds her close and let her cry. She had hid her sadness well. With the notice that their youngest was considering a bonding it had brought up an old sadness. He kisses her face and dries her tears. "Sloan, they will be here soon. Do you want to put this off? It can wait until later. Amy will understand." He knows she feels his warmth. Over the years the bonding has become, for her, much like his natural talent of empathy. The only difference was it was only with him. It saddened him sometimes that she could not see the brightness that was their children.

"Who's coming? Is it just going to be Amy and her young man or are the boys going to be here too?"

"The boys should be here as they are her siblings, even though not of the same birth, but they cannot. As is their right they let someone stand in their place." He smiled. It was bright and grim at the same time. "I think they feel much as you do. She is too young. They chose Lewis and Amerana to stand in their place. Her young man had better be prepared for interrogation. Lewis has not lost his skill. And the Warrior was not named in vain."

"I didn't know. Amerana would make sure it was a good match, even if they had not included her. She tends to be protective of Amy."

"Sloan, she has not had a child named for her in thousands of years. What do you expect?"

"I know. Are she and Lewis still together? Or are they fighting again?"

He holds his hands up in surrender. "I don't know. I do not understand their relationship. I don't ask and they don't tell."

He had coaxed a smile out of her with that. "It's simple. You can't live with him and you can't live without him."

He turns and goes out onto the porch. "They're coming."

"Who's coming, Amy and her young man, or Lewis and Amerana? Tom, you should put some clothes on."

"Amy…but Lewis and Amerana are close behind. I think they are together. At least they are walking together and he's letting her take his hand. And no, this is my house and I'll wear what I wish. Why did they take the front trail with his bad leg? The side trail is much less steep."

"Because he is Lewis."

He sees Amy come running up to the porch where they stand. Her hair was dark like his but it fell in soft curls much like her mothers. She was slim and athletic. Her blue eyes sparkled like fire. He always wished she had inherited her mothers green eyes, but that was not to be. He had never taught his children that emotions were to be suppressed, but had taught them to use their gifts well, even at 15, she shielded well, but not so well that he could miss the shimmer of excitement that permeated her.

She puts her hand to his face it the in the traditional greeting of child to parent and then throws her arms around his neck. "Father, I am so glad to see you. School is so boring. How is everything?" she releases him and runs to Sloan. "Mom, don’t worry everything will be all right. Come and meet him.

They go out to the porch and see Tom in full chameleon mode, hands crossed, totally expressionless. He is facing Amy's young man. Sloan gasps when she sees him. It is as if the past had come out to greet them.

Amy's young man looks much like JC the first time she had seen him. The same brown hair, the eyes were different. He was thin like JC, but more muscular, more filled out.

"Mom, Father, this is Severo. I met him at school. Father, is everything all right?

"I'm very glad to meet you, Councilman." Severo is very correct in his greeting

Sloan gently pulls at his arm. "Tom, Tom, come back to me."

He feels her brush against his consciousness. He is lost in the past. Slowly he relaxes and comes back to them. Everyone is looking at him. He realizes what had happened. His defenses took over. "Sloan, I'm OK. I didn't expect him to be so familiar."

"You are welcome in our home."

Lewis steps on the porch, followed by Amerana. "Part of the fault is mine. I introduced them. Until right now I really didn't connect why he was so familiar. I guess my age is catching up to me." He looked pristine in a white shirt and dark pants, never a hair out of place.

Amerana harrumphs at him. "Your age will catch up to you ten years after you're in your grave." Dressed in black, she could be death itself.

Sloan is being mother hen and shooing everyone into the house. As she comes by him, he grabs her around the waist. "Sloan, are you going to be all right? I love you."

She turns around to kiss him. She lets herself melt against his body. Right now nothing else in the world matters. When they part, she sees his eyes had grown dark. A look she knew well. Even if she couldn't feel him she knew what that meant. "Tom, we have guests."

"They can wait." He kisses her again and feels a cool sea wash over him. He looks up to see Amerana watching him from the doorway.

"Tom, we can start without you. After all this is your house."

"No, Amy wanted a traditional questioning. I will be there. I don't think she expects more than ritual. Don't be too hard on the boy."

"It doesn’t matter. If he ever hurts her, I'll roast his liver. No problem."

"Come on, Sloan. It's going to be a long night. By tomorrow we may have another to welcome into our family."

Together they enter into the house, full of hope at what the future might bring.