Chapter 4

I woke up myself about 6:30. And the bed was full.

Maeve was on my right; Chyoko had her head on my left shoulder. Astrid and Dorothy were behind her, and both Heathers were snuggled up behind Maeve. That was all I could see without raising my head too far.

I managed to wriggle out from under the ladies and down to the foot of the bed without waking them. As I had expected, all of her friends were snoozing on the ample mattress. I noticed that Molly was almost off the edge. I gently rolled her over to a safer position, then tiptoed out of the room to find the coffeepot. I found a huge Bunn coffee urn and a big can of Folgers.

I used a hand opener from a kitchen drawer to avoid waking the ladies up. Once the coffee was brewing, I peeked in on the women in my bedroom.

As I surveyed the tangle of arms, legs, and beautiful bodies, all could think of was *Looks like a basket of kittens in there*

I turned around to go sit at the kitchen table and damn near jumped out of my skin.

Donal was sitting there. I closed the bedroom door silently and went to the cupboard. "Would you care for some coffee?"

"Black if you don't mind."

I filled us each a ceramic mug and carried them to the table. "What brings you here tonight?"

He sipped his coffee and nodded. "I thought I would drop in and see how you are getting along."

"You are always welcome at anytime." I said. "Unless of course, Maeve and I are um, busy, at the moment."

He chuckled softly, and I could see the resemblance to his brother clearly. "I have been doing some research," he said. "And I have noticed that most of the things you invent are to save lives or to make things easier for everybody."

I nodded. "I just invent what pops into my brain."

Donal finished his coffee and rose. "After your wedding, I have some things to show you. I'd like to see how you would adapt or combine them."

"I would like that." I said.

We shook hands and he went through the door into the nursery. But when I went to show him the proper door, the room was empty.

I should have known.

I went into the bedroom and shook Maeve's foot until she woke up. She wriggled down to the foot of the bed and stood up. I pulled her to the kitchen and closed the door. "Your uncle Donal was just here. He said he just dropped in to check on how we were doing." I poured her a cup of coffee. "And he left via the nursery." I added casually. "You might want to remind him that that sort of thing makes a person conspicuous and can draw unwanted attention."

She goggled at me for a second. "Did... did father have a talk with you about... ?"

I kissed her forehead. "He certainly did."

"Oh," she said in a very small voice.

I finished my coffee and put the cup in the sink. "I've got to go keep a promise. Do you want to go along?"

Maeve shook her head. "I think I'll go talk to my father." Then she brightened and came over to me for a kiss. "Take care of yourself and try not to get into trouble."

"Tell your father that I said Hi will you?"

"I will." she said with a smile. "Now scoot before you're late."

I took the big elevator dawn and got into the Caddy.

I drove over to the big door and used the remote to open it. As I drove away, I thought of a way to make the door a lot quieter. I made a mental note to look into it later.

It didn't take long to locate Guido Balducci in the phone book. When I called, he had just arrived home.

"Yeah, I could use a beer or several." he spoke to someone in the room with him in Italian. "Say, my wife wants to come along and meet you. Is that ok with you?"

"Sure, bring her along. My fiancée is over at her folks house this evening."

He named a nightclub and asked where I was.

He gave detailed directions on how to get there, and then got off the phone, telling his wife to get busy and get ready.

I still got lost once the way to the club but was able to figure out the error and arrive safely.

I parked just down the block and walked back to the nightclub.

This was not a neighborhood I would normally have gone into alone, but no one looked twice as I entered. I saw Guido before he saw me, and edged around clumps of people so he wouldn't spot me until I was right beside him. When he did turn around, I was about a foot away. Guido damn near jumped out of his skin.

"Holy Mary Mother Of!" he yelped. "Don't sneak up on a guy like that. You wanna give me a stroke or somethin'?"

I took his hand. "Sorry about that Guido. I just wanted to keep a promise to a master of his craft."

He recovered enough to shake my hand. Then he turned to a plump, motherly looking woman standing nearby. "Mr. Bard, this is my wife Maria."

I gave her a short bow. "Please to meet you Mrs. Balducci."

"So you're the story teller I have heard so much about lately." She said. "So what are you doing gallivanting around with my Guido this close to your wedding?"

"I am new to this city." I told her. "And I needed someone to ask for advice that I cannot get from my prospective in-laws. Besides, I made him a promise. And I always keep my promises."

"Such a nice boy." she said. "Does your bride know how to cook?"

I thought about it. "I have no idea."

"You send her to see me, I'll teach her how to make some good Sicilian dishes," she said firmly.

"I will talk to her about it Mrs. Balducci," I replied.

We sat dawn at a table close by the band. Guido poured a glass of wine for me. "So how do you like the finished job?"

"As close to perfect as can be found in this world." I said.

Guido waved the compliment away, but I could see that he was pleased.

We talked about construction and the Navy. It turned out that we had served aboard a couple of the same ships years before.

By the end of the evening, I was too bombed to drive. Guido solved the problem by calling one of his sons to come drive me home. I gave him cab fare home before we got started as I figured I would be out cold by the time I got to my place.

I was right.

I woke up naked in my own bed, curled up to my fiancée's back. I slipped out of bed and made it to the attached bathroom. I wasn't hung over, just a little unsteady for a couple of minutes.

With all the wine I had the night before, I should have felt like the aftermath of a buffalo stampede.

I showered and brushed my teeth. Then belted on a robe and left the bathroom. I got a closer look at the girl in my bed.

It wasn't Maeve.

*Oh Shit! *

Just them Maeve came in from the kitchen. "Hi Darling. You sure were a mess last night."

I glanced at the bed and felt ill all over again.

Maeve saw the direction of my glance and smothered a laugh behind her hand. "Oh," she giggled. "I asked Molly to keep you company when I got out of bed this morning. I didn't want you to wake up alone."

I just shook my head. "If this had been after our wedding and I was released from my vow. I would have acted far differently when I woke up."

"That would have been a real surprise for Molly then." Maeve said. "But I don't think she would have minded."

"No but you would have." I retorted.

Maeve laughed low in her throat. "If I arrange something," she said. "Be sure that I intend and accept for it to happen."

This was a side of Maeve that I hadn't seen before.

*Brian. If you're listening, get your Sidhe ass over here right now! * I thought as loudly as I could.

"I have to see your father today." I told her. "And I have to get fitted for that tuxedo."

Maeve undid a couple of buttons on her blouse. "Are you sure that you have to go?" she said. "I think we can find a way to kill a few hours."

That was it.

This wasn't my Maeve.

I untied the sash of my robe and took it off.

"Oh, you decided to have some fun after all." she said and swayed forward.

I turned the robe inside out and put it on again. Maeve hissed like a cat and vanished in a puff of sulfur smelling smoke.

I went in to check on Molly. She was OK, but sound asleep.

I hurriedly dressed and draped a coat over my shoulders.

When I went down into the main part of the building, Brian was just coming up from the elevator. As he came toward me, I took the coat from my shoulders, turned it inside out and put it on.

Nothing happened. Good this was the real Brian.

"Someone or something was just here impersonating Maeve." I reported. When I suspected something, I took off my bathrobe and inverted it. I put it back on and the imposter hissed and vanished in a cloud of brimstone smoke."

Brian took off running for the apartment and stopped in the kitchen to smell the lingering odor of the smoke. "Any other visitors lately?" Brian asked.

"Only Donal yesterday." I told him. "When I mentioned it to Maeve, she seemed a little upset."

"She had good reason to be," He said. "Tell me, did you tell him that he was welcome here?"

"Yes." I said. "But I thought it was Donal."

Brian cursed. "This place will need to be shielded and warded as soon as possible." He looked at me. "Maeve is asleep in her bed at home."

"Someone is going to pay for this." I said.

I was mad clear through.

Bad enough someone was screwing with me, but when they brought my bride into the matter, it became a blood feud.

Brian was able to wake Molly up easily enough. She was embarrassed, finding herself nude in my bed, but recovered with admirable quickness. "If you gentlemen will look elsewhere, I will get something on and get out of here."

We turned our backs while she slipped out of bed and into her clothing. "You can turn around now," she said.

Brian and I faced her.

"I don't like being used." she said as she tucked her shirt into her skintight jeans. "What I want to know is who I need to take me baseball bat to."

"When we find out." Brian said admiringly, "You will get your chance. I promise."

She gave a businesslike nod. "I'll hold you to that then." and she stalked off with all the dignity of an offended cat.

I checked the time. "I have to prepare for the party tonight."

Brian made go ahead motions. "Take Maeve and enjoy the evening. I '11 stay here and see to what needs done."

I patted his shoulder and went to change clothes.

This time I buckled on my rapier and dagger.

Ariel accompanied us to the party that evening. Part chaperone and part bodyguard.

I met many of the same people that were at the previous party, and just as many new ones. One man affected an offended attitude about my wearing a sword, but I was soon able to turn the whole room to laughing at his pomposity and pretentiousness.

He sulked in the corner for the rest of the night, casting baleful glares at anyone who came near.

"That boy needs a hobby, or at least a sense of humor." I whispered to Maeve. She laughed aloud and pulled me out onto the floor to dance.

There was no fireplace here, so I used candles on a coffee table for the required firelight.

"Sometimes a man is ignorant of his own importance." I began when the crowd gathered 'round. "And, very rarely, such a man, or woman, makes decisions far beyond their wildest imaginings." And so began the tale of The Roadhouse At The Center Of The Universe.

Brian Kerry showed up just in time for the end of the story. The audience was roaring with laughter as I wound the narrative to a finish.

He waited patiently beside Ariel as the rest of the partiers came up and offered their congratulations. When the crowd had thinned, he came forward and took me aside. "Your home is now as secure as hours, and you should have no more intrusions there. No one with ill intent can enter at all, even if invited."

"Thank you." I said.

"What can I do to help find this walking corpse that offended me and mine?"

Brian grinned mirthlessly. "Did you ever wonder what a minnow on a hook feels like?"

I matched his savage smile with one of my own. "Sounds like fun."

He put a companionable arm around my shoulders. "I knew you would say that."

Maeve came over from where she was talking with her mother. "You two are getting along better every day," she observed.

"Brothers in arms." we replied in unison.

"Pardon me William." Brian said. "I need to speak to my daughter for a moment." I waved my assent and he moved off with Maeve.

Ariel appeared at my shoulder. "You certainly have made our lives interesting in a very short time."

"Much preferable to boredom." I replied. She tucked her hand in the crook of my elbow and smiled up at me. "Shall we have some punch?"

We made our way to the table bearing the punchbowl. I dipped some into a cup for Ariel and took one for myself. "Has your husband told you of the days events?"

Ariel nodded slightly. "We had half expected something of the sort. Not all of our people support your union with our daughter. It means a fundamental shift in the balance of power."

I grimaced. *Politics* I thought sourly.

Ariel laid her hand on my arm. "You have your allies as well as detractors."

"I wish I could just challenge the head of the opposing faction and be done with it." I said.

Her eyes sparkled. "In time, you may have your chance. In the meantime, we need to move the real wedding up. There can be a public, show wedding later. But we need to complete the bonding as quickly as possible," She flicked her eyes over to her husband and daughter. "My husband agrees with me on this."

The Gargoyle, as I dubbed the poor sod who sat in the corner scowling at the world, said something to our hostess. She stopped dead in her tracks. In a loud but steady voice she ordered him to leave the premises and never return.

He slunk out with a sneer and a snide comment or two. When he had gone, the hostess faced the party and took a deep breath. "My apologies friends. I made a mistake in inviting that worm to my party. A mistake I hope none of us will repeat in the future."

The people applauded and the hostess curtsied. She came over to where I was standing and I handed her a cup of punch. "Thanks, I needed that," she said after a few swallows. "I really enjoyed your story tonight."

"Thank you for saying so." I replied.

We made small talk until Brian and Maeve joined us.

I turned to the hostess. "We must regretfully take our leave early. Would you be so kind as to collect the donations from the bowl and hold them for me until I can pick them up?"

"I would be glad to." she replied. I took her hand and kissed it.

We all went back in the Caddy to the Kerry's home.

Back at the Kerry's townhouse, Brian gathered us in the room with the big fireplace.

Maeve's entourage of beauties gathered in a circle.

Brian and Ariel stood with Maeve and I in the center of the ring beside a table.

On the table there was a wooden box, richly carved and inlaid with precious metals.

Laying his hand on the box, Brian allowed his eyes to assume their slit pupil appearance. "In the presence of those gathered here, seen and unseen, I bestow my blessing upon this Bonding." Ariel placed her hand on the box beside her husband's. "As mother, I give my blessing to this bond. As Priestess, I ask the blessing of Danae to strengthen this bond."

They lifted their hands, and the top of the box opened to reveal an orb, glowing with a shifting silvery light. Maeve held out her hand, palm up. The orb floated free of the box and wafted over to come to rest in her hand. She turned to me with a smile. Her eyes had the same cat pupil look of her mother and father.

"My Love. I offer to you my heart. I offer to you my soul. I offer to you my eternal love. For now and for all time." she said with a tremor in her voice. She held the orb out to me. I held my hand out and she placed it in my palm. I took a deep breath.

"My love. I accept your heart, your soul, and your eternal love. I offer unto you my loyalty, my soul, my mind, my heart, and my eternal love. To Bond with you for now and for all time." I recited what I had rehearsed on the drive from the party.

Maeve put her hand atop the orb. It grew steadily brighter until I had to close my eyes. When the light faded, I could feel Maeve 's presence. Like an invisible thread connecting us. I opened my eyes again and waited to see what came next.

One by one, the ladies of my bride's inner circle stepped up to lay a hand on the. Orb. "I witness and accept this Bonding." each repeated, and then moved back to allow the next one in line her turn.

Finally Brian and Ariel touched the orb simultaneously. "What is now joined, only the true death may sunder."

The orb flashed once, and then waned to a fraction of its former glory.

Maeve took it in both hands and placed it in the box. She closed the lid and came back to my side as the box shimmered and vanished from sight.

Brian came forward and embraced me. "Welcome to the family my son."

Then Ariel came up. She pulled my face down to hers and kissed me soundly. "I knew you were the one," she said. Then hugged her daughter.

The other girls took turns coming to us with hugs and kisses. They all had the same green, slit pupil cat eyes that my bride had.

Except for Chyoko, her eyes were a softly glowing orange/red color.

When all was said and done, I had a new wife, a new set of in-laws, and a whole bunch of non- human houseguests.

Wonderful.

If anyone had told me before my trip to the city that I would end up married, I would have called them insane.

"What will you do now?" Brian asked me.

"I think I'll take my bride home. This has been a very long and full day," I answered.

Brian gave me a conspiratorial wink. "Yes, I believe that you should take her straight to bed." Ariel hugged both Maeve and I again. "Tomorrow afternoon I will come over to your home. There is a lot that you will need to know."

Brian put his hand on her shoulder. "Darling, there is much that we cannot divulge without dire repercussions likely."

She turned on him and snapped. "I will NOT have our daughter endangered just to protect the secrets of hidebound old fools! They are Life-Bonded now. If William is slain by our enemies, it could very well mean our daughter's death too. Is that what you want?"

Brian took a long step back in the face of her fury. I don't blame him. Hell, I would have outrun Superman hisself if she got that mad at me.

"Easy my love." Brian said placatingly. "I merely meant that you should consider what you say carefully. He is remarkably quick to put together minor clues to reach the proper conclusions." Ariel subsided a bit. "There is some merit in what you say." she admitted. "I will use all due caution."

I had the sinking feeling that things were going to get a whole lot more complicated real soon. Sometimes I hate it when I'm right.