Date: Wed, 22 Jul 2009 19:46:55 +0000 From: David Guzman Subject: New Covenant Disclaimer: "The Covenant" names, titles, characters and all other registered trademarks are the property of Sony Pictures Inc. (Screen Gems) and Lakeshore Entertainment. I solemnly swear that there is no monetary gain on my part by writing this FICTIONAL alternate universe to "The Covenant" (c) 2006. All "Charmed" names, titles characters and all other registered trademarks are the property of Spelling Entertainment, and Constance M. Burge. All original characters are my sole property, and released to public archiving by Nifty Archives. All songs belong to their respective artist and recording corporation. The following contains sexual and romantic relations between two or more men. If this subject makes you uncomfortable please do not read on. If you are under the age of 18 (21 in some states) and therefore it is illegal to view this material please do not read on. If none of the above apply to you, well then ENJOY. Conversations enclosed in " " are spoken aloud Conversations enclosed in < > are only between Dave and Caleb Conversations enclosed in : : are telepathic. _____________________________________________________________________________ Chapter 13: One More for the Road *David* I awoke to the feel of sunbeams on my arm, cheek, and thigh. I breathed in a scent that made my entire body tingle. I could feel something warm under my face. Groggily I opened my eyes and saw the expanse of tanned skin beneath me, and recognized Caleb. The night's events rushed through my mind in pleasant flashes. I felt his hand on my waist and it brought a little smile to my lips. I climbed out of bed carefully, making sure not to wake Caleb. I padded across the room and got my robe. As I stepped out of the room I had to get my bearings. Was I in Laura's Lane, or in Halliwell Manor? With a burst everything that had occurred before the bedroom lashed at my memory. My hand flew to the wall, and I broke out in a sweat, flashes of the explosion ran through my head. I felt my body shake and exhaled so hard I thought I would lose a lung. I calmed down and headed to the stairs, still shaken but calmer. I walked into the kitchen and headed for the fridge. A glass of OJ was exactly what I needed. I reached for the handle. "Dave? WOW I can't believe you're here...how the hell are you??!!" I froze on the spot. Surely my parents hadn't done this. I mean they love me right? They wouldn't do this. Of course technically speaking I didn't live here anymore so, they hadn't. They didn't know I'd have to spend a night here so soon. Christ this was not good. "Deej? Please tell me it's not you..." "It's me. In flesh and living color.: I turned around and lay my eyes on the one man who had sway over my emotional tides. My first crush, my first kiss, and very nearly my first lay. DJ was many of my firsts, so many that somewhere along the road I had lost count. He had his father's physique, all muscle and sinew, almost nobody fat. His chocolate colored skin spoke volumes of him, and all were true. "What are you doing here...in San Francisco I mean?" "Mom and Dad finally came back, bought the same house we used to live in. I'm going to school with you guys on Monday." I felt a sigh of relief build inside me. DJ and I would have limited contact, he'd be in the West Coast and I'd be in the East Coast, and all the world was fine and well. Darryl Jr. wouldn't interfere with my life. I took him in then, raking his body with my eyes. There was definitely something there still, a stir of the loins, a skip of the heart. But nothing compared to the light-headedness I got from Caleb, or the fireworks when his skin brushed mine. One more wave of relief washed over and the clouds in my head cleared. The DJ closed the distance between us, and kissed me. My body bent into his, my hands moved of their own accord. He crushed me to his body, and I complied. His mouth moved from mine, and went to my neck. The sensations were over whelming. I heard the unzipping of his pants, felt his hardness press against me, then he turned me around and bent me over the island. His manhood went inside without any regard to my comfort. I could feel how hard he was, could feel his lips on my neck, his hands roaming my body. The lust and passion inside me were building to a crescendo, and I wasn't sure if this was wrong or right, but I knew it was good. His thrusts were urged and rabid, thinking of release and not of pleasure, his hand were rough and hurried. I could feel his hand on my dick, pumping with as much need as his dick in my ass. He became erratic, his movements un-coordinated and clumsy, then I felt his seed, hot and thick, slam against my inner walls. I shot mine on the floor, and we folded into each other. My head spinning with passion and questions. "I've never stopped loving you Dave, not for one second." His words, whispered into my ear made my knees weak. I fought for control. If DJ found out about me and Caleb the wrong way it would cause a fight, if he heard it from me I could diffuse the situation without too much a do. "Deej, there's something I have to tell you. But I think it'd be better if we cleaned up first, and if you've pulled out." DJ backed up and turned for the bathroom by the solarium, I headed for the one next to my room. Once inside I took a quick shower, making sure to get all of the signs about my little morning tryst. I toweled myself dry and took a brush to my hair and teeth (separate ones of course), and orbed to the kitchen. DJ wasn't there yet, so I opened the fridge and pulled out eggs, bacon, potatoes, milk, fruit and other little casualties of this impromptu breakfast which I would now cook for the family. I was beating the eggs (ironically), when DJ walked back in, looking much better (damn him) in his jeans and plain white tank (the nerve of him). "So tell me Dave, what have you been up to?" I scoffed at his comment, he shot me a look of confusion and I started in on everything since his last summer visit here. I told him about Alain, I told him about Alaxio, and then I started in on the Caleb side of things. "And that's how things stand right now Deej. I mean, you know I love you, but things are so different now, I...I feel like this is all somehow my fault." "Never Dave, you wouldn't hurt a fly...hell I remember when, for like a week, you couldn't even kill demons `cause you found out some of them had babies...the look on your mom's face when you said that was priceless." We laughed while we cooked, remembering things that only Deej would. He caught me up to his life in New York, school, boys, girls, parents, friends, sports, academia. Slowly the house woke up around us. Paige and her gaggle came in, followed closely by Phoebe's and hers. There were lots of kisses and "I'm fines," and huggin and getting kids away from the breakfast stuff. Then Caleb was there, and he shook DJ's hand, I introduced him honestly. DJ was my ex, and the guy who'd taught me most everything I knew about kissing and touching. Phoebe and Paige overheard and that got some calls going. Wyatt and Chris cam down followed by Pogue, Tyler and Reid. Cassie, Lana and Matthew were there. I caught glimpses of mom here and there as she checked on whatever I hadn't got to. Then it was time to eat. I sat next to Caleb, heading my side of the table, keeping the Ipswich gang on one side, hoping that all my cousins understood that I'd never cook again if my guests didn't get a fair share. The night's events were never discussed, nor was DJ's presence. We ate our fill and then it was time to do the dishes. "Mom, I'll get this...Caleb would you mind?" "Not at all. Don't worry Mrs. Halliwell, Dave and I will clean everything right up." "I'll make you a deal Caleb...you NEVER call me that again and you can clean whenever you'd like" I looked at Caleb, a big grin on my face. Mom hated being called by her last name, especially when you put the title Mrs. behind it, something about feeling had been her reason once. "Ummm sure...what do I call you then?" "well if you and Dave get really, really serious; mom. But for now, Piper will do." Caleb nodded his assent and we started picking up the plates and stuff. Throughout the meal I had felt utterly comfortable in Caleb's companionship now, the amount of distance between us was a bit unsettling. I could feel DJ's eyes on me every now and then, and mind flashed the morning's events over and over. "Caleb...we have to talk...something happened this morning, I didn't mean for it to, but...that's no excuse, it never should've, but it did-" "I know babe. I knew when I first saw you. It's ok, I also know that you told DJ about us, and that you're mortified over it. And even knowing all this doesn't help the fact that...I want to throw you out a window." His words bit into me, slashed me in half, and shredded the remains. I physically flinched when his eyes met mine. He was beyond angry, but he was keeping up a very good façade, his face was relaxed. It was his eyes, his eyes told me everything I needed to know. I grabbed hold of his hand and orbed us to the Golden Gate. "Caleb, you have to understand, I didn't know what was happening until after it." his mind yelled in mine, ravaging my insides. I looked into his brown eyes and a sense of lust came over me so strong that I felt dizzy. I threw myself at him. His hands surrounded my wrists, and for one precious second I thought he felt exactly like I did. "I...I can't. I'm sorry, I just can't." and he faded. ________________________________________________________________________ 3 Months Later. Caleb and I had barely spoken. In two weeks, we'd said nothing to each other. Damn DJ, how could he just show up at Laura's Lane? Why would mom and dad talk about Ipswich with Darryl Sr.? Caleb and I had gotten over the entire episode just a few weeks ago, and then came Mr. Morris striding through the front door. I wish I would've known, maybe then I would've been able to diffuse this, but now Caleb thought I had purposely kept DJ's arrival from him, like I wanted to smuggle DJ under my roof. Factor in the fact that this guy Chase was suddenly Chris's charge, Lana and Reid had begun dating (rumors ran rampant that Lana was pregnant), Caleb's mom had passed and you've got a smorgasbord of drama all dropped into our un-expecting laps, and we still had to keep up with school. Overload didn't even begin to describe it. Reid and Lana had taken over on of our guest rooms, P (as I had gotten to calling Pogue) and Ty had taken over a second guest room, and Chase over a third (though there was a creepy period where he and Chris had had a sexual...thing), me and Caleb were basically living together in my room, Cassie had moved into the basement, Matt had taken over the last guest room, and Kira and Wyatt happily shared his room. The house, at it's emptiest, felt crowded. Chris's birthday had brought the entirety of our family home, of course it had also brought a new car for him, which meant I had a car also, after all he didn't even like driving. Matt and Andrew (their white-lighter) had begun a torrid love affair, though things seemed to be settling down. Kira had announced in mid-September that she and Wyatt would be married come spring, then (a week or so later) had told us she was pregnant. Ty and P had decided to get married on the same day as Wyatt and Kira, and were avidly researching if there was any magical way for them to conceive a child (and carry it to term). Chase and Chris's tryst was short-lived but they still kissed and hugged each other once in a while, more out of habit I think, than actual affection. Andrew and Matt had stopped fighting on a weekly basis (though now it was monthly). Me and Caleb had reached a steady point in our relationship, had built the trust bridges all over again, but DJ was still a sore point between us. And where was DJ? Well right here of course. He'd arrived two weeks ago and was "camping out" in our backyard, though he had meals with us and spent his afternoons in whatever space was afforded in the hordes. Anything else? Yes. DJ was granted powers by Orphea and Mercurian, who apparently wanted everyone around us to be protected now that there had been such brazen attacks on our lives (as if this was a first). Care to guess who got appointed as his white-lighter? No wonder Caleb wasn't speaking to me, after all there was a history in my family (Granma Patty had conceived aunt Paige with her then white-lighter Sam), mom and dad, Chris and Chase, Kira and Wyatt. I had to admit there was a pattern there, and if one counted uncle Coop as a magical creature sent to help (originally he was meant to help aunt Phoebe find her true love, little did he know it would be him), then the pattern stuck out in such a way that it became almost obsessive. I walked out to the yard, and lit up a cig. The stress of these past months landing on my shoulders with a thud. The day after tomorrow was Thanksgiving, and we had off until Monday. Tuesday was Caleb's birthday, and Friday (ironically enough) was DJ's. It was time to plan parties and I didn't feel up to it. I pulled out my phone and dialed Caleb's number. "Hey Dave." "Hey ba...Caleb" "what's up?" "well I just wanted to invite you over for Thanksgiving dinner, and let you know that I'm baking you a cake for your birthday, and that I want you to be with us. You shouldn't be in that mansion all by yourself" "I'll think about it k? I have to go, I'm in the middle of something." "Sure." I heard a male's deep breathy voice then, and the realization that Caleb was with someone else hit me like a bucket of water. Thinking he'd hit the end button I heard him speak to the other person. "Sorry about that Aaron, my ex...can you believe he wants me to go to his house for the holiday?" "I keep telling you, he's a little kid, now back to more important business, like getting you to cum" I slammed my phone shut, tears biting at the back of my eyes. If he was doing it for revenge, it was too much. If he wasn't, then it was over. He had called me his ex. I inhaled sharply and orbed to my room, pain welling inside me faster and faster. *DJ* I knew something was wrong. The way Dave's face had changed so drastically, the way he'd slammed his phone off. I wanted to comfort him, but I didn't know how to do that without making his situation with what's-his-face worse. Whinny little bitch that he was. My parents had made a decision that both shocked and gladdened me, I would attend Spencer Prep, and I would live with Wyatt and Co. It was a good idea since me and Wyatt were best friends, me and Chris got along, and Dave and I had history. What neither my parents nor Piper and Leo had realized was that Laura's Lane had become a boarding house, at least not `till they had come over for Chris's birthday bash. I wanted to rush to Dave, to take him into my arms and soothe him, but I didn't want to make things harder for him. The last thing I wanted was to make things harder for him, I knew that I was the cause of his current trouble, and that made me feel like shit. I went inside the house and dialed Wyatt. "Tell it to me D." "Hey, what's Caleb's number?" "Ummm...why?" "I wanna squash this shit already, I can't stand seeing Dave like this man!!!" "D, let it be. They gotta work this out by themselves, you're not gonna help the situation by putting your nose in it" "Don't matter, I wanna speak to that asshole...don't you think this shit is getting stupid? I mean...Dave's your fucking BROTHER for Christ's sake!!!!!!" "BACK OFF!!! It's none of your FUCKING business D. Don't ever fucking criticize how I treat my brothers...I'm cutting this conversation now. Talk to you later." The phone clicked off. Wyatt's words rang in my ears, echoing through my brain like the toll of death-bells. Deep down inside I knew it was true, but it didn't make the pill any easier to swallow. If there is anything that I can truly say I am, is stubborn. I would get Caleb's number one way or another, I would squash this stupid fight, and I would ask my parents to transfer me back to Baker High, I would swallow my feelings for Dave, and that would be that. I dialed out Pogue's number, maybe he'd understand. "No way am I giving you Caleb's number, and neither is Ty...I won't speak for Reid, but I highly doubt it, just give it up Deej." The phone clicked. I looked around the yard, frustration surging through my veins, anger rising inside me. I wanted to comfort Dave, I wanted to fix this for him, it was my fault and I abhorred being the source of pain for him. It vexed me so badly that I couldn't think straight. I needed to help him, I had to find a way to do it. I resorted to going directly to the source, but that hadn't worked out, so now I was going to go to the victim and find a way to help if it was the last thing I ever did. I glanced around one more time, took a deep breath and turned around. I would go to Dave's room and help him deal, if nothing else I would be his shoulder, I would be a friend, and I would be present when he needed someone, it was time for the charge to care for his white-lighter. I stood in front of his door, looking at the maple, defining the grain of the wood, and burning a hole through it, wishing to have a simple touch of telepathy to see how Dave felt, and how I could help him deal with it, instead I just had these weird shield/knives thing. I gathered my courage and took the knob in my hand, then my upbringing reminded me that I should always knock before entering someone else's room. I let go of the knob and froze yet again, my hand in the air. I could feel my heart pounding, could hear the blood rushing in my ears, it was agonizing to be I this position. I could not hide my feelings for Dave, and I didn't think I had to. I may have all these feelings but since that day in Piper's kitchen I had been nothing but a friend, if that goof Caleb wanted to find enemies were there were only friends, there was nothing I could do about it. I shook my head and prepared to knock. The door inched opened before my hand touched the wood. "You've been out there for like 20 minutes and it's getting creepy. Just come in...I won't bite." His voice ran like cold water over my skin, but it also ignited every piece of my soul, he was such a paradox in my life, I adored and loathed him. It was a relationship that stretched the very limits of my patience, and yet the thought of his not being close enough to me wrenched my insides into knots. The years I had spent away from him had been utterly painful. I hadn't been able to spend a single day without thinking about him, without wanting to be closer to him. I walked into his room, what I saw almost leveled me. Dave was pushes up against the far corner of his room, his hair was matted to his forehead, his green eyes were lifeless and red, his cheeks were wet, and the pain that reflected off of his eyes was like a white-hot knife cutting through my flesh. "Dave...baby, what's wrong?" "Am I a horrid person Deej? Am I like...the worst person you've ever met?" "What are you talking about? You're like air, everyone around you needs you. Why are you spewing this shit?" "Caleb...he...he was fucking some guy and...he picked up the phone...he...Deej, it's over. Caleb called me his ex...it hurts so bad Deej...its like there are knives running in my blood...Deej, OH GOD!! I FEEL SO UTTERLY...AGH!!!!!" His pain was raw and unyielding. I had never seen him this hurt in all the time I'd known him. It felt like my own, my eyes welled up, I crossed the room and sat by him, his body crumpling into mine. His sobs were erratic and heart-breaking, I held him because I didn't know what to do, I had never been sentimental. So I held him, I wept for him and held him until the sobs died off. *David* I slept so badly that I hardly got any sleep. The night was filled with nightmares, and vivid dreams. Caleb and Aaron filled my every image, my every sound. It was so very hurtful that I could barely breathe for the pain sometimes. I knew I had fallen asleep in Deej's arms, I could feel the comfort of his arms wrapped around me. I snuggle closer to him, to the person who'd been there. I smelled his scent, so complicated, and so delicious. A mix of sandalwood and orchids, with a twist of rain. It had always been comforting to me, always brought me home. Deej had been there last night, in his own way; quiet and strong, not trusting his words, not knowing how to show emotions. But he'd held me so tenderly, so cautiously, and with such respect and affection that I had felt safe to cry and come apart at the seams. I awoke again later, still wrapped up in Deej's arms, but now the soft linens of my bed were over us, the mattress beneath us. My head was on his chest and I could hear every beat of his heart, even and slow, the heart at rest. I tightened my grip around his tapered waist and pulled myself closer to his frame. I slept again. When I woke it was close to dinner time, I was still wrapped in Deej's arms, but now my head was pounding, my stomach growling. There was a soft glow coming from somewhere in the room. Bleary eyed I looked around and saw Deej propped up against my headboard, his laptop on my nightstand, he was scrolling through e-mails, his left arm firmly enveloping my frame. I knew I was safe, but I needed food, and air. "You gonna stare at me all night or are you gonna go downstairs and get some of Piper's Chicken Carbonara?" "My mom was here?" My voice was a croak, dry and hoarse, completely raw. "Yes. Wyatt thought you had gotten sick again, and by the time I had convinced him otherwise, the Halliwell Clan had already come and cooked, cleaned, fuzzed, straightened, called and ironed. You mom is really..." "She has OCD, and in a bad way. But she means well...she didn't paint anything did she? She tends to do weird things when her stress levels go higher than normal." "Well now that you mention it...she made me and Cassie rooms in the basement...I mean with a his/hers bathroom and all, she had the entire family building for a day. It was pretty neat to watch." "Wait, how long have I been out?" "It's the day before Thanksgiving...well the night before actually. It's ten at night." "I slept for a day? At this rate I'll never get out of bed...thanks Deej...for staying here..." "SHUSH...let's go get some food before its all gone." "Deej...you haven't left this bed for the same amount of time have you?" "I left for the bathroom, and to take a shower, but every time I got up you'd start screaming...Wyatt and Chris sat with you but you kept saying my name...why did you?" "Because you came when everyone else just let it be. `Cause you held me, and let me work it out...'cause you were you." "Let's get dinner you goose...I'm hungry." I shook the covers off and noticed I still had the same clothes on. I lifted my arm and sniffed...I didn't quite stink, but I was getting pretty close to it. I needed a shower ASAP. "Actually, could you get me some? I need a shower right now. I'll be right down." "I will try, but you know how your bros are when it comes to home cooking." I knew Wyatt and Chris would eat through the table if left to their own devices, but they liked my cooking almost as much as mom's. I had the ace. "Tell them if I don't get my fill...there'll be no yams, no mashed potatoes, and the turkey will be dry and toasted, and the cranberry sauce will come from a can, that oughta make `em think twice about not leaving some." Deej smiled and walked out of the room. I gathered my towel and a change of clothes and made my way to the bathroom. I sat on the toilet and let the hot water fill the bathroom with steam. I knew I would fall apart again soon, Caleb had meant too much to me for it to simply go away. I would hold myself together as long as I could, and would hide it as best as I could. It would be hard, but it would be done. I stepped under the water and let the heat scour Caleb off of me, let it sear my skin clean, and silently cried. I would have to close this chapter of my life. I would have to understand that Caleb was gone, and somehow deal with that. I let myself fall apart in here, where no one could see me, where I was alone and safe. I stepped out and dried myself off then dressed in my pajamas. I looked at my reflection in the mirror, I looked the same, there was no gaping hole anywhere on me. The consequences weren't physical, just emotional. I would hide it, and I would do my best to be happy. I walked downstairs and found everyone at the table. They were laughing, talking, and eating. It didn't hurt, but it soothed the pain. Family was good...even one as complicated as ours. Lana and Reid were like molasses over each other, P and Ty were seated close, but weren't being overly loving, Matt was by himself, but it didn't deter his mirth a bit. I Could be happy. If these people were around me, I could forget and move on. I know I could. The chatter around the table was so calming and interesting that it completely cleared my mind. Dinner danced before like a dream, plate after plate, I ate everything but didn't really taste anything, it was so weird to be sitting around the table with all my family around me, with all my friends, and not have Caleb beside me. He had been such a big part of my life, such an ever-present being that I felt empty, like I had stepped away from the sun. I would thrive though, I had all these great people around me that I knew I would thrive, but it would NOT be easy. I kept looking at Wyatt, and at DJ, so very friendly to each other, such ready conversation. They were, in a way, like brothers...but that thought could not reconcile with my feelings toward DJ. If DJ and Wyatt were brothers, then by association DJ would Chris's and my bro , then by association he would be Chris's and my brother as well. I couldn't stand the thought of fucking my own brother, so instead I decided Wyatt and DJ were more like seven times removed cousins who happened to have a great deal of affection for each other. They weren't friends, that was clear in the way they treated each other, the camaraderie between them, their easy manner; no they had passed "friends" a long way down the road. In a sordid way they resembled me and Caleb, but the romance part of it was nowhere to be seen. "Dave, could I talk to you outside please?" My aunt Phoebe asked in a whisper as she gently lifted me out my chair. "Sure" I smiled at her and complied, once standing she hooked her arm through mine and we walked towards the yard. "You know I'm an empath, as is Chris, so I'm sure you know why we're out here. I want to discuss this whole thing with you, make sure that you get it all out. You've seen what happens to a Halliwell when they keep things bottled up." a small smile touched her lips, and then it was gone "we need to get you out of Laura's Lane and school, you need to be as far away from all this as possible. Is that something you would want?" "NO!! How could you ask me that? Have you ever seen me...or any Halliwell, run away from our problems? That's not who I am, it's not who you are, and it's not how we take care of our PROBLEMS!!!!" I orbed to my room, but that wasn't far enough. I needed to rant and not hurt anyone, so I orbed to the underworld, I would wipe out any demon that got in my way. Caleb and Phoebe would be the driving force behind a homicidal streak. I materialized inside a Kazi demon colony, the King was nowhere in sight, but that didn't matter. I wanted to kill individuals, not to do anything specific. I had not come here for a vanquish, but for letting go. These demons were simply an outlet. I blasted the demon on my right, just enough power to get his attention, and the attention of his brethren. "What the hell are you doing here?" "Actually..." I blasted one of them full force, he blew into smithereens. "I'm here to kill you." There was a general uproar all around me, the Kazis roared and swore at me. Their jeers, and roars were deafening, and yet they filled me with a clarity that I had not known before. I whipped out my iBuds and my iPhone...well technically it was Caleb's iPhone which I had gotten him for his birthday, but now it was mine. I pressed shuffle and stuffed my iBuds in. Evanescence blasted through them: "Now I will tell You what I've done for you/ fifty thousand tears I've cried/ screaming, deceiving, and bleeding for you/ and you still won't hear me (going under)" I gave myself to Amy Lee's brilliant voice, let the beats run through me. The Kazis came at me in groups, I let my powers take over, let the rhythm guide me. I was dancing and fighting, dodging their attacks, firing off my own. I orbed here and there, blasted them, fought them, and stabbed them with my athamé. All the while, Amy Lee's voice filled my ears and kept the screams out, it was a perfect arrangement, one that hid my actions from myself. I landed from a somersault and looked around, there were scattered ashes everywhere and smoke still rose from some of the piles. Amy Lee's voice faded. I stood in the middle of it all and inhaled deeply. A demon at the entrance. He was close to seven feet tall, his bulking muscles were threatening, and his teeth were frightening. He moved what would have been his lips, but it made no sound, I popped out my iBuds and looked at him. "What was that?" "I said. Why." "Because I can...you've got a problem?" He shimmered, and when he reappeared he was right next to me, I orbed sideways and took a fighting stance. "A White-lighter? Must be one of the Halliwells...I'll enjoy this." "Yea, you look like a good pile of ash to be." I popped my iBuds back in and hit shuffle again. This time Pink's raspy sweet voice flowed through them. "Uh uhh uh/check it out going out on the late night/looking tight feeling nice just a cockfight/I can tell I just know that it's going down tonight." I looked at him one more time and saw the energy ball in his right hand, I sheathed my athamé and orbed my Sai to my hands. This would be fun. ________________________________________________________________________ AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sorry this was so long in coming and so short a chptr, hopefully the next one won't take me as long. As always feedback is welcome davidknosall224@aol.com, qt2004_423@hotmail.com, enjoy!!!