Chapter 23: Answers

I take Holliday's hand and start to walk toward the Protector's training grounds.

"Holiday. How do you really feel about Alys?"

"Well I like her, a lot, but..." he pauses.

I insert, "But she is not Annie."

"Yeah," he agrees with me but surprises me with his next question, "I was kind of thinking, am I just trying to find someone now that Annie is gone?"

"Do you truly believe you are that fickle?" I smile sadly at him.

"Well, I did kind of jump into all this. I don't know, she has me all confused," He finally says his tone serious and plaintive with me.

"Do you still love Annie?" I ask, even though I know his answer.

"Well yeah, but she is- well dead." he slashes his hand through the air. "I can't-"

"Do you love the memory or do you love the ghost?" I ask trying to help him break down the feeling.

"Hu?"

"Do you love Alys the same way you love Annie?"

"No" He shakes his head and looks at me in shock at the suggestion. " I smile at him and say, "well I had to check, but go on you were saying."

Holliday gives me a grateful smile and starts again. "What I mean is, well Annie she is, no was like my twin, we did everything. but Alys well now she is nothing like Annie. She is so shy and squirmy. I something think I come on too strong. She ain't Annie at all." He rolls around the subject.

"Then What do you want from Alys? the same thing you wanted from Annie?" I ask the next leading question that comes to my mind.

"No, I mean, Alys is so fragile and I just wanta cheer her up and keep her safe an protector, she is- I don't know." He gives a soft chuckle and says. "Annie, well we were all over the place. We almost decided to be part of a protector group but we couldn't find another who was going old west with us."

"So you would say you feel protective of Alys and inspired by Annie?"

He takes some time to ponder, "I guess."

"Then maybe you have a place to start. why not ask Alys what she wants; Your protection?, Your company, Your love." I stop and face him. "She has been hurt, but there is a very good person under all the pain. You should try to find that."

Holliday sucks in he breath like I have just sucker punched him in the gut. "Damn lady, you go for the throat don't ya," he runs a hand through his hair. "I just know I like her. and she likes me. Am I really ready for this?" He asks more to himself than to me.

"The steps are the same, Holliday no matter who you take them with." I hate being vague with Holliday, but Alys has given me no choice.

"But you was just saying that they are different people." he asks puzzled by my new idea.

"Yes. so imagine. Alys."

His eyes go very still and he breathing changes to a shot gasps, his body sings with a tension I had not noticed before.

"I gota think." he mumbles to me and stumbles off into the dark.

I think that young man is going to go a courting and our little miss had better watch out. I give myself a little smile of congratulations. Two down, and how many more to go this evening. I have already talked to Gwen, and Alys. Who next? I ask the universe. Is this the time of love,.or just grasping for human contact?

I continue on my way to the Protector's training grounds. In the back of my mind I can tell I am not done with my evenings work. I am finding it amusing that I seemed to be the person giving relationship advice. But I guess that makes a kind of sick sense. It is these things that taunt and spin the weaves of chaos.

At the training grounds I sit on one of the large logs that have been placed around the sparing area. With in minutes I have paced my breathing so that I am as still as the night around me. Who is next?

"Chronos?" Seth quietly calls out to me.

"Yes Seth." I turn my head to watch him approach. He moves with the same casual grace that his brother employs. Soft steps barely making noise on the turf. His eyes keeping careful watch around.

"I-" He stops his next words and speeds up his walk to a jog, in seconds he joins me on the log. Straddling it he reaches over and pulls one of my hands into his grasp.

"I wanted to..." he starts again but seems unable to say the words.

"Seth. you will need to finish that sentence at some point." I point out to him.

"I have never felt this way." he blurts out. "I want you to-"

I gently bring my other hand up to cover his mouth, before he can have a chance to finish, what I can only think of as an admission of his undying love for me.