The Course of True Love by Jayel

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The Course of True Love (12/14)
by Jayel

Baines threw the 'rail into gear and took off almost before Magus had finished strapping herself in. "Hey, where's the fire?" she demanded, resettling herself after the jolt.

"Sorry," he answered with a grin. "I just figured we better get out of there before Adair could think of another good reason to come along."

"Hey, give her a break," Magus retorted, but she smiled back. "If I were in her shoes, I'd be halfway there by now, even if I had to hoof it on shank's mare."

"Jealous type, are you?" he teased. "Good to know, good to know . . ." He shot her another grin, then sobered. "Listen, Marcia, I'm sorry about last night," he began.

"Which part?" she asked.

"The part where Walman and I went momentarily out of our minds and woke you up to make you choose," he answered. "We were both way out of line--"

"Yeah, you were," she agreed. "But I have to admit . . . it was sort of flattering."

"Oh no," he said, mock-despairing. "We've created a monster . . . "

"Oh shut up," she grumbled, her smile never wavering.

"Okay," he said amiably. "This is me, shutting up . . . . " A long silence. "So what did you finally decide, anyway--?"

"Baines!"

"Sorry!" He flipped open the map tube and shook the map out into her lap. "Tell me where I'm going, will you?"

"Head straight east for another two-point-seven miles," she instructed him, studying Yale's carefully-drawn directions. "Then it's just east-southeast for thirty-point-three more."

"Good enough," he nodded. "Nice morning's ride and back."

"I decided not to decide," she announced, looking out at the scenery.

He didn't answer for a moment. "What does that mean?"

She smiled. "That means you're both such great catches no woman could possibly choose between you," she retorted. "It means I'm not ready to make any kind of commitment. And if I say I want you or I want Walman or I want to take a stab at vamping Martin away from his wife, that constitutes a commitment."

"Commitment is right," he retorted. "To the insane asylum--"

"Baines, I was kidding," she pointed out gently. "Using a joke to make a point?"

"I know you were kidding, thank you very much," he grumbled. "I just . . . I feel like I'm getting hung out to dry here, all right?"

"Nobody's hanging you out to do anything," she protested. "I'm crazy about you, all right? And I *have* told Walman that he and I can't be anything but friends, at least for the time being--"

"So you picked me," he enthused.

"No!" The thought that maybe she should have let Devon come after all was more than crossing her mind--it was taking up a permanent roost. "Baines, just listen to me for a second without talking, all right? No talking, no thinking, no jumping to conclusions--"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," he interrupted. "I'm listening, I promise."

"The other morning, when you kissed me . . . that was really great," she began slowly. "I mean really incredible . . . And I definitely think I'd like to try that again sometime . . . "

"But?" he prompted. "Oh yeah--No talking. Sorry."

"No buts," she promised. "Well, one but--But I'm not ready for you and me to be an official, group-sanctioned, carved in stone couple, not after a couple of kisses."

"Hey, I'll buy that," he answered with a grin. "But tell me this . . . how many kisses do you think it's going to take?"

She groaned. "If you're concentrating on the counting, way too many," she retorted.

"I was kidding," he teased. "You know, making a joke to make a point?" He stopped the 'rail and looked at her. "Okay, so I listened to you, now listen to me, all right?"

"That . . . seems fair," she said with a nod, suddenly trembling for no good reason.

"If you want to go slow, that is fine by me," he said, touching her cheek. "I can go just as slow as you please and slower." He leaned forward and kissed her softly on the mouth. "But don't ever think I'm going to give up," he finished.

"I won't," she answered, smiling as the whole world suddenly seemed to be spilling over with light.

"So all right," he said, shifting the 'rail back into drive. "Now let's go pick up those two lost sheep."

***

The ride back to camp with Magus and Baines was slightly less relaxed than a sojourn spent sitting bare-assed over a nuclear reaction tube, or so it seemed to Tara. Magus kept glancing at her in the 'rail's rear-view mirror as if expecting her face to develop some dead giveaway mark (a scarlet "A" on her forehead, maybe? a big, black wart on the end of her nose? "666" on her chin?) Baines was openly anxious about the cat, even though the poor creature had been an absolute angel so far, curled up in perfect relaxation on Tara's lap in spite of all the bumps and jolts. And Danziger . . . Danziger wouldn't even look at her. His attention was focused squarely and unswervingly on the members of his own Eden Project clan who had rescued him from her clutches. Donahoe, you're paranoid, she grumbled sternly to herself

Once the subjects of Bess and Morgan's new arrival and the fast-melting snow had been exhausted, the four of them subsided into utter silence by mutual if unspoken agreement, a pact which held all the way back to camp.

Not that I blame him for being pissed off, Tara thought, her eyes turned unseeing toward the passing trees. If he had called me Devon, I'd have taken his head off . . . But if he had called her Elle . . . It was different, damn it straight to hell. If Devon had really wanted him, she'd had ample opportunity to jump his bones long before she, Tara, had appeared on the scene. Of course, Devon Adair was hardly the bone-jumping type, she thought, the image this conjured in her mind making her snicker and earning her another of those weird looks from Magus' reflection. No, Devon wouldn't make a pass at anyone until she was absolutely certain, and then she'd probably just make herself available to catch . . .

Tara, you're a natural born slut, she decided with an inward sigh. A true fly-girl . . . it was lucky for Alonzo he'd found Julia early on; otherwise these Puritans would have had him in a set of stocks by now for sure . . . Julia had become for Alonzo what she and Val had always been for one another--a reason to be respectable that had nothing to do with morality. Still, she couldn't help but wonder what Miss Adair and the rest of the Eden Project would have thought of their noble Brother Solace if they'd met him when she had, when he had literally had a girl in every port of call and not a single blot of guilt on his conscience. As soon as she and Val had seen him with Julia that first time, they'd been sure that he was up to his old tricks--picking out the prettiest girl in the crowd for a quick spin around the block before he took off again. But Julia was different. And consequently so was Alonzo. She had been skeptical, but Val swore he had been just the same when he met her.

"One true love, and the universe tilts, angel-face," he had promised her their first night on the road with the Eden Project, headed back to save the then-faceless Devon Adair. "Our boy 'Zo will never be the same."

"Can I get an amen on that?" she had murmured back, palpably aware of the people sleeping all around them.

"Amen," he had teased, kissing her nose. "So if you're planning to go astray, you'd better set your sights on somebody else."

"I'm still in the interview stage," she had retorted. "But you seem to think Walman's the front runner so far."

"Naw, he just gets on my nerves," he had answered with a grin. "No, baby, if I were going to worry about anybody in this outfit, it'd be John Danziger."

She had demanded an explanation of this remark, of course, but no amount of poking, pinching, or pleading had moved him to elaborate. Now more than ever she longed to know just what he'd meant.

Glancing up, she saw Magus staring at her again, this time with what could almost pass for sympathy, and she realized there were tears running down her cheeks. Great, she grumbled in her head as she dashed them impatiently away. Perfect cover-up, Donahoe--Why not just make a blanket announcement as soon as you arrive? I gave it my best shot, folks, but he ditched me like a hot rock. Gentlemen, collect your winnings at the window; ladies, back to business as usual . . .

***

Devon told herself she was absolutely, positively not watching for the dune rail's return. She was surveying the terrain ahead for a possible pass through the gently-sloping but still unmovable mountains. She was standing guard on the camp. She was bird-watching. She was doing anything but wringing her hands with anxiety as she waited for her first clear look at John's face as he came back to her.

But when the vehicle actually came into view, all pretense was abandoned. "They're back!" she yelled over her shoulder before dropping her jumpers and running forward to meet them.

"Hey, you," John said with a grin as she flung herself into his arms. "I hear you guys had some excitement."

"Yes," she agreed, laughing with happy relief just to feel him there, close enough to touch and smell . . . "He's beautiful, Danziger. You should see him--both of you." She made herself step back and include Tara in her smile of greeting. "Did Magus and Baines tell you what they decided to call him?"

"Yeah," Tara answered, smiling back, making her heart stop with panic for a moment--when had Tara Donahoe ever turned a smile in her direction? "Dare--It's a great name. Bess must have picked it out."

"Yes," Devon replied, her own smile wavering a bit. "She did, actually . . . So, did you get what you went after?"

"Not completely," Tara answered, dragging a long, white box from the back of the 'rail. "Some of what I wanted was already ruined, I'm afraid." She reached into the back seat with her other hand and scooped up what looked like a gray-striped cushion with white-footed legs. "But we got this . . . "

"Oh my . . . where on earth did you find that?" Devon asked, charmed in spite of herself by the cat's whimsical expression of infinite patience as he drooped from the woman's arm.

"Good guess," Danziger quipped grimly. "Tara had an embryo tube back at the storage units. Needless to say, I was not consulted."

"What a grouch," Tara retorted.

"True is going to be thrilled," Devon began.

"Dad!" True shouted, running up as if on cue. "Tara, hey! You're--oh wow!" With a shriek of delight shrill enough to make them all wince, she took the cat from Tara's arms. "He's perfect! Daddy, can I keep him?"

"Of course you can keep him," Tara answered, smiling at the child with what Devon had to admit at least seemed to be genuine affection. "He's yours."

"Really, Dad?" True persisted, turning to her father.

"I guess so," Danziger replied, pretending a reluctance which fooled no one, particularly not his daughter. "Of course you can have it--like she said, he's yours."

"Thank you!" the little girl said, throwing her arms first around Danziger, then Tara, squashing the poor cat unmercifully in the process. "What's his name?"

"He doesn't have one," Tara replied, kissing her hair. "His father's name was Watusi, but you can call him whatever you like."

"How about Job?" Devon ventured to suggest with a grin. "True, be careful, please, or he's liable to scratch you."

"She's right, True-girl," Tara agreed. "He seems pretty even-tempered so far, but I wouldn't want to risk it."

Another miracle--the woman had actually agreed with her. A little shudder of apprehension raced up her spine. Devon, you're paranoid, she scolded herself sternly.

"Besides, you keep squeezing him like that and you'll break his ribs," Danziger added, interrupting her thoughts. "He's a living thing, Truegirl, not a toy."

"I know," True promised. "I'll be careful--should I take him and let Julia check him out?"

"That sounds like a great idea," Tara said, tucking her box under her arm. "Come on--I've got something for her, too."

John watched them walk toward the med-tent together, and Devon watched John. "So how as your trip?" she asked, not sure what to make of his rather grim expression.

He turned and looked at her without answering for a long moment. "Kind of eventful, as it turns out," he said at last. "Hey Adair, you feel up to a walk?"

End of Part 12

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