A Wanderer's Greatest Challenge

[Sheex]

Sheex ducked under the table, spun about, and with all the grace of a platypus (not the most graceful of creatures) somersaulted over the wooden rail. A guard in leather armor chased after him; the man's feet pounded resounded against the floor. The guard made a grab, but Sheex had already slid down the rail to the floor below him.

That floor was no better. No less than three guards barred the exit, and Sheex let out a curse as he weighed his options. He decided one versus one was better odds than one versus three, and as the guards made towards him he dashed back up the stairs. He then body-slammed the guard who was already up there out of his path.

"Really sorry about that! I'm a pacifist, really!" Sheex pleaded as the guard stumbled to his feet. Already on the move, Sheex went for the sole window in the room and gave it a hard pull. It was locked.

"What do they expect a guy to do, skip out on a tab? I would never dream of doing such a thing!" Sheex muttered (though technically that was exactly what he was doing) as he glanced about the room. He was in a cheap inn (his usual accommodations) located in a rather nice town. At least Sheex had thought the place was nice until the guards had shown up. Now he thought the place was a piss-pot, filled with stupid old men and very fat women.

As there were thousands of worse places on Althanas, "piss-pot" was not a very fair term to use. There was also a fair number of people of both genders and all ages. However, Sheex had never been the type to care for details. He was also not the type to stick around when there were guards after him, nor the type to pass up a free drink.

This situation had no drinks involved.

"Apologies!" Sheex blurted out as he stepped on the stomach of the guard he had recently body-slammed, and dashed back down the stairs past two more guards; they moved too slow to catch him. Very few people could catch Sheex when he decided to run, and today he had decided to run faster than he had ever run before.

But the guard who blocked the door was a mammoth. Although Sheex usually fleshed out the details to make his adventures a bit more interesting, there was no need to in this case. The man towered over the wanderer, a titanic six foot five to Sheex's puny five foot nine. Sheex gulped and backed away slowly.

"This isn't a laughing matter!" One of the guards screamed as he ran down the stairs. Patrons of the inn scattered about as the guards closed in on a desperate Sheex.

"Does it look like I'm laughing? I've never been more serious in my life! Well, 'cept this one time-” Sheex couldn't finish his statement; a guard charged him. The man grabbed him by his coat and slammed him against the wall. Sheex cried in pain as the guard held him tight.

“I was with...your mother...” Sheex grunted as the man slammed him again and again into the wall. A circus of music played in Sheex’s head; music along the lines of his head against wood and a few choice words about his own mother. Sheex just grunted again, and the next time he was about to be slammed, he crashed his own forehead into the guard’s head; it was the best head butt of his life.

The guard cursed and dropped to the floor. Sheex rolled away from another guard, and launched himself over the main desk of the inn. A woman screamed and fled from him as Sheex felt around for anything he could use to his advantage. Actually, the woman fled because Sheex had felt around her for anything he could use, but he didn’t dwell on that.

“ALL RIGHT! NOBODY MOVES” Sheex shouted as he grabbed hold of something small and pulled it up with him. Patrons and guards stared at him in wonder and confusion; the wanderer then took the time to look at what he had grabbed.

It was a rabbit. A cute, white, fuzzy little rabbit with long whiskers and a very pink nose. The type of rabbit a person would see in a pet store window and be begged by their children to buy. Sheex frowned, considered his options, and then decided to run with it.

“That’s right! Don’t mess with me or Thumper here get’s it!” He demanded as he made his way towards the door. All the rabbit did was scratch its own ear with its foot. This caused the crowd to make “awww” noises at the rabbit, and somewhat different “awww” noises towards Sheex. “Awww, you heartless bastard,” was the main thing Sheex heard.

“You’re a lunatic,” One of the guards muttered as Sheex whipped around and shoved the rabbit in the man’s face.

“Damn right I am! You want to be the one to tell that to Floppy Ears here? Huh? Push me! See where it gets Twiddles here!” Sheex yelled as he inched closer to the door. Twiddles? Where’d that come from? Sheex thought for a moment, but he decided he was under a lot of stress lately, and if he dwelt on his most recent nickname for the rabbit it would cause him more stress.

Sheex Deltin was a firm believer in keeping life as stress-free as possible. Hence, “Twiddles” was a good of name as any for his hostage,

“AH! Mister, Mister! Please don’t hurt my bunny!” A little girl screamed. She ran forward to Sheex despite her frantic mother’s best attempts to stop he,r and tugged on his leg.

“I’ll give you my life savings if you’ll just let him go! It’s ten whole gold coins! Please, please, PLEASE give me back Mr. Fluffy!” The girl cried. Again the crowd went “awww,” but this time Sheex joined in. After all, the rabbit’s name was Mr. Fluffy. Who could resist that?

“Ack! So sorry! Didn’t mean to scare you like that!” Sheex exclaimed as he handed the rabbit to the little girl (who immediately gave Mr. Fluffy a huge hug). He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a few coins and gave them to the girl. “Here, why don’t you treat Mr. Fluffy to some nice cabbage on me. The good stuff all right? Forgive me?”

“Of course! Thanks Mister!” The girls shouted in the cutest voice imaginable as she ran back to her mom with Mr. Fluffy in tow. “See mom! Told you he wasn’t a prick! What’s a prick anyway mom?”

The mother quickly scooped up her daughter as Sheex just shook his head and smiled. He had three weakness: booze, pretty ladies, and cute children. Those three things had never failed to get him in trouble throughout all his life. As he looked up and saw the four guards close in on him, Sheex was glad nothing had changed.

Change was bad.

“Okay, okay! Let’s do this thing!” Sheex said as he rolled up his sleeves and bounced about. He threw out a few quick practices jabs to prepare himself. Although he carried two steel daggers in his coat, he certainly didn’t intend to use them. After all, he already taken a rabbit hostage and made a little girl cry in one day, both in the same day. That was more than enough criminal activities in his mind.

Four seconds later (which was significantly better than he thought he would do), Sheex was pinned to the ground as the guards cuffed his hands together. The wanderer frowned as a bit of his hair fell forward into his eyes; he blew it back with a harsh breath and stared at the nearest guard. That was the one with his foot on Sheex’s face.

“So, out of curiosity, will I be charged with taking the rabbit hostage? The kid did forgive me after all...” Sheex muttered as the guards pulled him to his feet. He would have struggled, but he had been handcuffed too many times to know better than to try to escape. Sheex chuckled as he thought of the few times where he didn’t want to escape.

Then she appeared. Her hair was cut short around her neck, it was a fiery red color. Her green eyes sparkled like emeralds. Her lips were deep red, slightly parted in a smile that revealed her pearly white teeth. She wore a simple blue tunic with a tan mini-skirt. Her white skin reminded Sheex of the cream of a cake, and although her chest was a bit small, it did her justice.

In the coming days Sheex would have many names for this woman. Pain in the ass, stupid broad, psycho chick, manipulative little brat, and get-away-from-me-you-crazy-bitch would all be names that Sheex would call her.

Right now, Sheex just decided to call her “Sexy-lady-with-the-creamy-legs.”

“It’s so nice to see you again Sheex!” The woman said as she gently brushed his hair back to the way he liked it. That right there should have been a warning sign, but he instead he just grinned at her. “Our son has gotten so big since last we met!”

The grin disappeared. Valiantly (and fruitlessly) Sheex struggled against the cuffs that restrained him. He kicked, screamed, and even tried to bite as he attempted to make his escape. To his credit, he only manage to bite down on his own tongue.

“The rabbit! I plead guilty to the rabbit! THE RABBIT! THE RABBIT!” Sheex screamed as the guards dragged him away.

[Sheex]

With the utmost care and precision Sheex adjusted his rumpled blue shirt. He straightened the collar as best he could, smoothed out the wrinkles, and made extra sure his short brown hair looked just right. His coat he shuffled about in to make sure the black sleeves covered just enough of his blue shirt. He needed everything to look perfect.

It wasn't every day he got to be his own lawyer.

He glanced about the courtroom; alone he stood at the defendant’s desk. That fact did not surprise him as he had been arrested earlier in the day. At the front of the room was a huge desk that towered about five feet high with seats enough for three people. With a bit of logic and reason, Sheex deduced that table was for the judges.

The seats behind him were filled with spectators. A good number had arrived to see this spectacle; Sheex figured there wasn't much else to do in this town. If he had to guess, about sixty or so people could fit into the spectators' seats to watch the trial. About fifty of those seats were full.

He then turned to his left and gazed upon her.

She had changed from her previous outfit into a slightly more classy look. Gone was the mini-skirt, now she wore black pants (Sheex was not in favor of this change). She had switched out her blue tunic for a black jacket with green shirt combo that complemented her pants rather well. Her hair and eyes remained the same. Beautiful.

Always was a sucker for a redhead.

That thought interested Sheex because he still didn't know the redhead's name. No matter how much he wracked his brains, he came up with nothing. That wasn't too much of a surprise though; Sheex had been known to have a few one night stands. Actually, he had had several one night stands over the course of his years as a wanderer; it was a point of pride to him.

As the redhead was quite the cutie, he would mark her as another success, and not dwell over the fact he could not remember her name.

"So, give me the lowdown here. What am I up against?" Sheex said as he leaned back against the rail that separated him and the spectators. He received no immediate answer, which was no surprise since he asked a eight year old.

"Not sure. Mom made me come here so I could see what not to be when I grow up."

"Ah. What is that exactly?"

"Trash."

"Why you little-"

Sheex had no chance to finish his sentence. The bailiff called for order, and all who talked immediately became quiet. Three people dressed in dark robes walked into the courtroom and took their seats at the judges' bench.

"Come to order. The trial of Sheex Deltin versus Leila Hope will now begin. The honorable Isholt, Noah and Nacien presiding. We-"

"OBJECTION!" Sheex screamed as he slammed his fist down on the table before him, and pointed his figure accusingly at the judges. Sheex wasn't exactly sure why he pointed his finger, but he was pretty sure it was something he was suppose to do. Come to think of it, Sheex wasn't exactly sure what he had objected to either. Each of the judges eyed him.

“To what? We haven’t even started yet!” One of the judges moaned. It was a fat judge. Extremely fat and bald. In all honesty the man was not that fat, but as the day was shaping up to be a rather poor one for Sheex, slightly overweight had become fat, fat had become huge, and huge had become titanic.

“I. Er. Well. Just practicing I suppose. You know, warming up and all that,” Sheex muttered as he scratched his head. A different judge, this one an old hag, glared at him. Once again, the woman was not extremely old, but Sheex’s foul mood had not yet dissipated.

“Then allow me to practice as well. OVERRULED!” The old woman screamed as she pounded her gavel down. Sheex sighed and leaned back against the rail.

“Okay, help me out here. Which one is which?” He asked his legal aide (the eight year old boy).

“Well, the lady is Isholt. The older man with no hair is Nacien, and younger one is Noah,” The boy whispered back. Sheex just shook his head.

“I’m too pissed to consider him young. How about dumb? Let’s call him the dumb one.”

“Mom said he’s the smartest member on the town council.”

“That makes him the king of dummies then I guess,” Sheex responded as he began to categorize the judges. There was the fat one, the old one, and the dumb one. It was simple and efficient.

Almost everyone told Sheex he needed a little work on how he categorized people.

“Finished Mr. Deltin?” Isholt spat as Sheex found all eyes on him. His faced turned bright red as a few people chuckled. Leila (he had by now figured out that was the redhead’s name) shot him a smile. It wasn’t a hateful smile, or a I’m-going-to-kill-you-and-eat-your-children type of smile, but rather a kind and slightly amused smile.

She irked him.

“Sorry your honor. Wait, is that term right? Cause I’m not sure if you are a judge or a town council member at this point.”

“Both.”

“Then I motion for a mistrial based on a conflict of interests.”

“What?”

“I think it’s a little unfair to have someone with so much stake in the town run a trial. After all, this seems to be a pretty small town so I bet you know her. Right?” Sheex asked as he jerked his thumb towards Leila. She waved back at him playfully.

“Well, yes...” The old lady mumbled back.

“So you’re an unfair source. You don‘t know me; it isn‘t fair. Hence, mistrial,” Sheex said as he puffed out his chest and crossed his arms. Isholt just raised an eyebrow at him.

“Motion denied.”

“See, that’s exactly the type of unfairness I was talking about.”

“Can we move on?” Nacien said with no small amount of irritation in his voice. It was obvious that the man did not enjoy the prospect of the trial ahead, which saddened Sheex. He had hoped the people about to decide his fate would be a little more interested in his well-being.

“Indeed. What have you to say against Mr. Deltin?” Noah said lightly as he tapped his gavel and looked towards Leila. Isholt continued to stare sinisterly at Sheex, who at this moment sulked at his desk.

“Your honor, Sheex Deltin is the father of my child,” Leila said loud enough for the entire court to hear. Sheex had only one thing to say to that charge.

“OBJECTION!” He screamed at the top of his lungs while he slammed his fist into the table once more. He wasn’t entirely sure why he kept doing that, but it made the eight year old behind him laugh, so Sheex figured he would continue to do so.

“On what grounds?” Isholt asked.

“On the grounds that it is BULLSHIT!” Sheex screamed at whatever volume was over the top of his lungs.

“I don’t believe that’s an actual objection...” Noah muttered as Nacien let out a yawn and raised his gavel.

“Overruled,” Nacien spat as he slammed his gavel down and ended the debate.

Sheex frowned and grinded his kncukles against the wooden table before him. He had been accused of a lot of things in his life. A cheat, a liar, a thief, a coward, a bed wetter, but this was a first. True, he may have had his fair share of adventures, some of which ended romantically, but there was no possible way he had a son. No way.

“Mr. Deltin, did you have ‘relations’ with Ms. Hope?” Isholt questioned.

"I dunno."

"That isn't an answer Mr. Deltin."

"Fine. Maybe."

"You don't remember?"

"You remember everyone you've had sex with?"

"Yes."

"Then you haven't had it enough."

Instantly the gavel was in Isholt’s hands and it rained down before her, the chuckles from the crowd silenced. But not before Sheex caught a few of the words whispered around him.

“Figures.”

“People never change.”

“Just look at him.”

“At least he has nice hair.”

Sheex glared at each of the people who spoke. Well, he tried to glare, but there were an awful lot of people who whispered, and he couldn’t find them all. Then he saw Leila chuckle and smile at him. That angered him. Why did she find what he did funny? She was the one person whom he didn’t want to make laugh.

“Mr. Deltin! You will respect the rules of this court, or you will face the consequences! Now I ask you again, did you or did you not have relations with Ms. Hope?” Isholt screamed as Sheex just let out a sigh and looked over towards Leila. She leaned her head to the side, and stared back at him as she wondered what he was up to.

“Yo, Redhead! How drunk was I?” Sheex shouted across the room. Not that there was much need to shout, she was only eight feet or so away from him.

“Pretty drunk. You did get in to my eighteen year old scotch after all,” Leila responded in a fairly cute manner. Sheex let out another sigh as he reflected on her words. Scotch was his drink of choice, and any decent eighteen year old scotch would cost him at least forty gold. He had done stupider things while drunk. While sober too.

“I’d say it’s definitely possible your honor. Especially with a looker like her.” Leila smiled at him as Sheex stomped on his own foot and bit his tongue in punishment for his words. You do not flirt with the enemy Deltin! Well, I guess it’s okay if the enemy is only out to kill or maim you, but not, and I repeat NOT, if she is about to thrust a kid onto you!

“Well I’m glad that’s settled. Now then-” Isholt began, but once more Sheex slammed his hand upon his desk which at this point shook slightly.

“OBJECTION!” Sheex interrupted.

“In God’s name why?” Nacien moaned as he leaned back against his chair and glared at Sheex. The man had no interest in being in court a moment longer than necessary.

“Well, I have a question I want to ask her about our ‘relations.’ I can do that, right?” Sheex asked, not entirely sure of himself. The judges looked at one another as if they were about to debate the issue. It was painfully clear that none wanted the man to talk any longer than necessary, but the law was clearly on his side (even though he didn’t know it). Nacien sighed, Isholt rolled her eyes and Noah motioned for Sheex to proceed.

“Redhead! How good was I?”

“Not bad actually!”

“HA!” Sheex shouted as he leapt up into the air and raised his hand in victory. Several members of the crowd chuckled and clapped, but most just rolled their eyes, and muttered a few derogatory comment’s about someone’s lack of morals.

Naturally, Sheex was sure they spoke of someone other than him.

“Enough! You obviously don’t understand, or simply don’t care to follow procedure in court of law! Mr. Deltin I rule-” Isholt began to decree, but Sheex frantically held up his hands.

“Wait, wait, wait! I’ve another question! Cut me some slack, I’ve never done this before!” Sheex begged. Isholt’s eyes burned with rage, but she stayed her hand.

“This one had better be important,” Isholt warned as Noah leaned forward. At least the dumb one seemed to enjoy Sheex’s antics.

Knowing how good you are in the sack is pretty important in my mind. Sheex thought but did not say. He focused himself and gazed upon Leila and her fair skin. And emerald eyes. And small, but perky, breasts. Sheex then realized that to gaze upon her was a very, very bad idea.

“Okay, um, Ms. Hope...” The wanderer began to stutter. Leila just winked at Sheex as she saw his eyes move up and down her body.

“Call me Leila hon.”

“Right hon. I mean, Ms. Leila, er, Hope, er, Leila,” Sheex stammered as his face turned red. He in turn felt her eyes upon him, which under normal circumstances would not have bothered him in the least. Apparently, something about a woman who thought he was the father of her child upset Sheex’s usually calm and cool demeanor greatly. Still, he saw an opening and began his attack.

“Well, what I want to ask is...am...I...well, am I the only man you’ve had ‘relations’ with?” Sheex managed to eek out. When it came to attacking women, he had always found his abilities somewhere between the regions of poor and pathetic.

“Er, no. Not really.” Leila muttered softly, her face red with embarrassment. She rubbed her shoulders awkwardly and turned her head in slight shame as the crowd began to whisper. Sheex ignored their words.

"Like, how many others are we talking here?" Sheex managed to ask. He felt a small tug on his heart as Leila's face turned a deeper shade of red.

"Ha. Well, it's like you say! If you can remember them all, you haven't had sex enough!" Leila joked as he she mimicked the way Sheex scratched his head whenever he was a bit nervous. At least he was pretty sure it was a joke. Certainly that wasn't a dash of pain hidden within her eyes, or so he convinced himself.

"So, I guess this means...that there could be other possible fathers?" Sheex asked of her. Today, the wanderer was somewhere close to the pathetic region in his offense.

"Ummm. I guess it's possible." Leila was forced to admit. Sheex instantly knew what he had to do.

“OBJECTION!” He shouted as his right hand slammed into the table, the motion completely perfected.

“Yeah. Kind of figured that,” Noah said as he tapped his gavel.

[Sheex]

"Hey! Just because I've had sex with other men doesn't mean you're not the father!" Leila shouted in her defense as the murmurs of the crowd died down. Today certainly turned out to be a good day to attend court.

"Well by the same logic, just because we've had sex doesn't make me the kid's father!" Sheex shot back.

"Oh yes it does!" Leila countered as she took a step towards Sheex. He quickly countered with his own argument.

"Oh no it doesn't!" Was his very well thought out counter (if by well thought out one meant spur of the moment response). He too also took a step towards Leila, since it seemed that she was his opponent and not the judges.

"Excuse me..." Sheex heard one of the judges begin to say. Both he and Leila ignored whoever it was.

"It does too! The time fits!" Leila shouted at him, red in the face. He shouted back, equally red in the face.

"What kind of crap is that? The time fits? I object to such a baseless accusation!" Sheex returned, rather proud of his large word drop. "Baseless" and "accusation" was sure to make him seem smart.

"I object to your objection! I remember you perfectly!"

"Well then, I object to your objecting of my objection! I don't remember you at all!"

"Hey! Order in the court!" One of the judges shouted amidst the murmurs of the crowd. Leila and Sheex were in each other's faces now, both had their fingers pointed at one another, and both were focused solely on each other.

"I object to that objection of my objecting! Wait, did I forget an objection?" Leila said as she paused and crossed her arms in thought.

"Well I object to you, er, hold up. Let's count. I objected then you objected to my objection..." Sheex began to murmur as he counted off the objections with his fingers.

"I think I needed to say one more," Leila said as she finished her mental calculations.

"Yeah. I think so too," Sheex agreed as he finished his own math.

"I think you too need to stop staring longingly into each others' eyes and PAY ATTENTION!" Isholt screamed as she pounded her gavel. Both Sheex and Leila turned to face her.

"I wasn't staring longingly!” Sheex whined as Leila grinned.

“Was too!” She whispered under her breath.

“Was not!” Sheex whispered back.

“Separate them!” Isholt ordered, and just as quickly a guard grabbed the two and placed them back at their respective seats. Sheex then, in an act of complete immaturity, stuck his tongue out at Leila.

“Now then, Ms. Hope, he is correct,” Isholt muttered as she regained her composure, “you cannot declare him the father of your child because you ‘remember him.’ That is not good enough. Especially given your...admittance of past relations.” Isholt finished as Sheex’s legal aide tugged on his sleeve.

“What’s she mean by past relations?” The young boy asked.

“Sex. Lot’s of sex. See, what this case boils down to is who had sex with who, and what moron didn’t use proper protection. See kid, I always believe in being prepared so I-” Sheex was unable to finish his lecture. The child’s mother pulled the young boy away and gave Sheex a glare. He just sighed, and turned his attention back to Leila.

“But I do! Really! Look!” Leila shouted as she held up a stack of very official looking documents. Sheex frowned, and did his best to read them from his table. Despite all his efforts, he failed. It did not help that Sheex discovered if he leaned just so on his chair, and tilted his head at just the right angle, he had a very nice view of Leila’s breasts.

“Well Mr. Deltin, any response?” Noah asked as Sheex turned his head back to the judges. He then felt a sharp pain in his neck, and rubbed it gently as he spoke. Sadly, this was not the first time he had hurt himself in such a manner. Yet no matter where he went, no doctor ever took “staring at a woman” as a valid excuse for medical services.

Althanas was a cruel world indeed.

“Guess I should ask what type of papers they are. Right?” Sheex asked his legal aide. The young boy, who had been forbidden to talk to Sheex by his mother, just gave him a thumbs up.

“These are verified documents of a Descendent Nobilitus Acquired test,” Leila said proudly. Sheex just scratched his head. Magic was never his strong suit, and that sounded a lot like magic.

“Does that test happen to be multiple choice?” He asked the court. All three judges, as well as one smug little kid in the third row, shouted “NO.”

“Then could someone tell me what it means?” Sheex asked. Isholt sighed, Nacien yawned, and Noah leaned over the table.

“It is a paternity test. A way of finding out if a child is the descendent of another person. In this case-” Noah didn’t manage to finish. Sheex snapped his fingers and finished for him.

"That I'm the father? Wizards can do that?” Sheex asked, completely stunned. Isholt nodded slightly.

“They can. All it requires is something to base the test off of. A bit of spit, strands of hair. The more morbid choice would be blood,” Isholt finished the explanation. Sheex’s face turned red.

“And you did that?” Sheex managed to squeak out. Leila shot him a smile.

“Yup.”

"You saved up some piece of my body for I don't even know how long, just to test it?" Sheex's eyes shifted about the court. "Please don't tell me that after we were finished, you saved my-"

"Ewww! Of course not!" Leila made a look of disgust. "A really good wizard can cast the spell without a part from both the child and the adult. He simply needs one or the other."

“Crap,” Sheex muttered as he sunk down in his chair. Noah leaned his head forward, and gave Sheex a look as if he expected the man to do something. After a quiet moment of being stared at, Sheex took the hint.

“Ummm. Objection?” He said meekly. Isholt rolled her eyes, Nacien wasn’t even paying attention anymore, and Noah motioned for him to continue.

“On the grounds of...” Noah said as he helped him along.

“On the grounds of...I’ve got nothing?” Sheex stuttered as he looked around for any avenue of escape. There was none. All there was a bunch of voices that whispered around him. Stupid crowd. I can’t compete with wizardry. Hell, I wouldn’t even know a real wizard from a little magic show staged for kids. Wait a sec.

“OBJECTION!” Sheex screamed as he shot out of his chair. As he did so, he smashed his knee into his table (which was painful), knocked the table over (which was embarrassing) and spilt the pitcher of water that had been on the table all over him (which was cold).

“Oh great, got my new pants all wet,” He cursed as he tried his best to wipe himself off.

“You object because your wet?” Nacien asked, his attention drawn back to the court.

“What? No, I’m wet as in liquid wet,” Sheex answered.

“Wet huh?” Leila asked as she leaned over her table, and began to playfully run her forefinger across the wood.

“Yeah, wet. Like, as in not dry. Like you,” Sheex muttered. Leila chuckled.

“And how do you know if I’m wet or not?” Was her playful response.

“Well, you didn’t spill anything on you so I naturally assumed...oh that’s just dirty,” Sheex said, and although the crowd rolled their eyes and muttered a few things he could not hear, he laughed. He did not want to, in fact, he hated himself for doing so. He laughed at Leila's remark. His face turned red, his eyes closed tight, and he laughed. He laughed at her joke, and she laughed with him.

“If the two of you are done?” Isholt said softly. Sheex shook his head as Leila playfully blew him a kiss.

“I object on grounds of the wizard. We don’t know if he’s a real wizard, or if he's powerful enough to cast the spell without me. And...” Sheex hesitated as little shoulder angels whispered words of his advice into his ears. Do it. Whispered the evil red one. Yeah. Do it. Whispered the good white one. Sheex didn’t know it, but Good Shoulder Angel had just broken up with his girlfriend, and had a huge hangover from a long night of drinking with Sheex’s Conscious. As such, the good advice was not what it should have been.

“And, as the subject was brought up, I demand to know whether Leila’s wet or dry,” Sheex said with a grim smile, fully aware that he was being an idiot.

“What does that have to do with anything?” Noah asked him. Sheex just held up his hands, and showed the court his wet clothes. His shoulder angels slapped one another high five, while Sheex’s Conscious tried to find Intelligence, only to find that Intelligence had left a “gone drinking” sign upon its door. Good Shoulder Angel was a bit upset at this, for it had plans for a pool game later, and Intelligence was his partner.

“Because your honor,” Sheex said as he closed his eyes and embraced his own stupidity, “I got wet thinking about her, and I wanted to see if she got wet thinking about me.”

The judges screamed. Well, Isholt did anyway. Noah chuckled as did Nacien, but Nacien’s chuckle was a tired chuckle. Some spectators yelled, others cheered, a few clapped. The eight year old asked his mother what Sheex meant, and Leila let out a long, happy laugh.

She really did have a pretty laugh.

“This is...” Isholt began, her face red with rage.

“Over,” Nacien declared as he banged his gavel. “Objection sustained. Mr. Deltin, you are fined one-hundred and fifty gold for contempt of court. Although we do accept wizardry as a valid form of testimony in this court, it must be by a court appointed wizard. Not some random wizard you found along the way Ms. Hope. Anything else?”

“I request a court appointed wizard,” Leila in the perfect lawyer voice, as if she had practiced that line a thousand times. Sheex just shook his head.

“So be it. The bill for the wizard will be sent to you Ms. Hope. In the meantime, Mr. Deltin will settle his debt, and remain in the village until an appropriate wizard can be found and the spell can be cast.” Nacien finished, and slammed down his gavel one more time. And that was that. The case was over. Well, it would have been if it wasn’t for Sheex.

“Hey now! I don’t have that much gold!” Sheex screamed as the audience filed out as they muttered about the day’s proceedings. “And where am I suppose to stay anyway?”

Sheex felt something silky wrap itself around his arm. He looked over to see Leila next to him, her arms around his. He tried to tug away, but she had him in a death grip. He sighed, and made a rude comment that involved a duck, a broomstick, and Nacien's mother.

“Oh! Can he stay with me? I’ll pay his fine!” Leila pleaded in the sweetest voice Sheex had heard all day. Isholt looked at Sheex, whose eyes begged for her to say no. Isholt cracked her first and only smile of the day. The wanderer decided it was a rather cruel and twisted smile.

“Very well. Enjoy your accommodations Mr. Deltin,” Isholt said, and banged down her gavel while Leila tossed her a bag of gold.

“But she’s a psycho!” Sheex pleaded as Leila dragged him away from the court. Isholt just shrugged and passed the bag of gold to a guardsman, while Noah stood up and collected his things. Nacien had already exited the building, and was off to wherever judges went after a day of well-dealt justice.

“You’ll make a good match then. Expect the results in two weeks or so,” Isholt said as she turned her back to him and began to walk away.

“Come on Sheex. You can meet your son!” Leila whispered to him. Sheex sighed, looked about, let out another long sigh, kicked a table, and took a deep breath.

“OBJECTION!” He shouted as loud as he could.

[Sheex]

"Hey! Lemme go you pain in the ass!" Sheex shouted as Leila dragged him over to her house. Irenes, the rotten hell-hole of a town where this tragedy occurred, was a medium sized town. There was one somewhat small market, several stores that sold various items, two restaurants, one large inn and one very attractive bar that Sheex promised to make an appearance at later. There were also many houses that ranged from poor to affluent.

It should be noted that Irenes was far from a "rotten hell-hole." That was simply the way Sheex described it in one of his fouler moods.

“Oh, come on, come on! Get a move on! Hey, you‘ve lost weight!” Leila shouted back in glee with a disturbingly large smile on her face. With determination, strength, and just a bit of inappropriate touching she managed to pull Sheex past a majority of the homes. She was now closer to the wealthier section of the town.

“Damn it, that wasn’t fair!” Sheex screamed as she pinched his butt and caused him to leap several feet in the direction she desired; he smashed his back into a fence as he jumped and swore. Leila just ignored him and pulled him the last few feet.

“Wait, did I really lose weight? Cause you know, I have been trying to work out a little more. Cut back on the sweets, ya know. Stuff like that,” Sheex muttered as he gave up on his escape plan. It wasn’t as if he could run anywhere anyway. Any town that sent four guardsmen to arrest a man who might be the father of a woman’s son would likely be the type of place that would behead him if he tried to skip town.

“Oh yeah, totally. Come on in,” Leila grinned as she walked up the steps and held open the door. Sheex raised his eyebrows as he followed her up the steps. Although Leila’s house wasn’t a mansion (the house next door came close though, complete with tall iron fence to ward off salesmen) it was definitely nice. Surrounded by an almost typical white picket fence (Sheex signed at the lack of originality on Leila’s part), the house was two stories tall and, had a decent sized front and backyard.

He could see the backyard as he walked; it was well trimmed and cared for. The front yard as well. A single cherry tree could be seen in the backyard, while well trimmed grass covered the front yard; the porch had an array of chairs to sit on while one watched the sunset.

It was a nice set up. Far better than what Sheex was use to whenever he stayed in a town.

The inside of the house mirrored the outside. The living room had a fireplace neatly tucked away in the corner, as well as several comfortable looking chairs. And a couch. Sheex was particularly fond of couches. The other rooms he spied all carried with them the same look. Well-paid for and well-cared for.

It was a very nice house. Sheex wondered just how a young single mother like Leila could afford it.

“Guy! Where are you? I’m home!” Leila shouted out in a voice that was a bit of a mix of songbird and siren. Now, Sheex may have never actually heard a real siren, but he had been the victim of one or two women that came close to that title. And as for songbirds, well, those were just pretty.

The wanderer bit his own tongue in punishment for not being able to say something worse about Leila and her home.

“Here mom!” Answered a young boy who sat upon the stairs that led up to the second story of the house. The boy had dark black hair and deep blue eyes. He wore a green shirt that was just a bit too big for him, as well as pants of the same color. He looked to be about nine or so.

“Finish your homework?” Leila asked as she held open her arms. With the exuberance that only a child who loved his parents dearly can posses, Guy ran down the stairs and hugged his mother. She squeezed him tight while Sheex stood awkwardly, not sure of his role.

“Sheex, this is your son Guy. Guy, meet Sheex,” Leila said as she set the boy down and gently shoved him towards Sheex; Guy gazed at him, and he gazed back. If he wasn’t mistaken, Sheex saw a large amount of mistrust hidden within Guy’s eyes.

“Are you really my dad?” The child asked. Sheex just shook his head.

“Nope,” Was his cold reply.

“Hey! Don’t be mean!” Leila said as she stormed over. Guy looked as if he wanted to tell his mother something, but the boy just shook his head and swallowed whatever he had been about to say.

“It’s nice to meet you Sheex,” Guy whispered in a tone that bordered on distasteful. Sheex really couldn’t blame the kid.

“You too. Well, now what?” Sheex asked as he looked at Leila. “I assume you have me under house arrest or something?”

“Oh, you’ll like it here! Trust me! Don’t even think about the fact that since I paid your fine you’re in my custody, and pretty much at my beck and call. Hey Guy, wanna help me make dinner?” Leila said as Guy quickly ran over to his mother. Sheex stomached his response for the sake of the child in the room. Suffice to say, it would have been a very inappropriate remark that involved Leila and a broom handle.

“Enjoy that. Well, I can’t leave town, but I assume I can leave this house?” He asked, and received a nod from Leila in response. “Cool. I’m going to go drink a bit of my sorrows away. Do I have a curfew?”

“Nope. I’ll send Guy over when dinners ready. We’re having steaks, so be back on time!” Leila said, completely oblivious to the tone in Sheex’s voice. It was if the woman acted out her own private fantasy; both him and Guy pawns in the story.

Not the kid though. Intelligence shone in the young boy’s eyes, and while he looked at his mother with love, the look he gave Sheex was far from such a kind emotion. The wanderer actually liked that about the boy.

“Cool. Later,” Sheex muttered as he waved them good-bye.

“Wait! Want some spending money?” Leila asked as she produced another bag of gold, and held it open for Sheex. He eyed it for a greedy moment, then shook his head.

“I don’t want anything from you. I didn’t want you to pay my fine to begin with, and I fully intend to pay it back the second I get a chance. Keep your damn money,” Sheex swore as he made a move to leave. Leila stopped him.

“Come on. Get yourself something nice. On me,” She enticed as she held the bag under his nose. Sheex was a weak man, but this ploy was as clear as day. He had enough honor to know when he was in debt, and he would not be indebted to her anymore that he already was. He shook his head.

“Suit yourself. Come on Guy! You can help me roast the stakes!” Leila said as she hummed a tune to herself and headed for the kitchen. Guy lingered for a moment.

“Did you really mean that?” He asked softly. Sheex just gave the boy a confused look.

“Mean what?”

“That you’ll pay her back?”

“Sure. I don’t like her Guy, but I don’t intend to use your mother for all she’s worth and then leave her. I’m a better man than that,” Sheex said with a kind smile towards the child. But not by much. He did not add.

To his surprise, Guy favored Sheex with a smile, and then ran off to help his mother.

*~*~*~*~

Sheex breathed a sigh of relief the second he entered the bar. It was a good one. Tables were occupied all throughout the bar, and one very overworked barmaid tried to attend them all. The bar itself was worked by a woman who appeared to be in her forties or so, and although she had a tired look on her face, she still served drinks with a kind smile. Stools were at the bar, and as most the tables were occupied, Sheex figured he may as well sit there. Only two men were at the bar itself, the rest were at the tables.

“Hey, there’s the lucky man!” Sheex heard as a hand grabbed him before he could reach the bar. The wanderer turned to see a man of about twenty five or so. The man had light blond hair cut in a short style and brown eyes. He was a bit on the thin side, as well as a bit on the intoxicated side if Sheex’s nose didn’t deceive him. The man quickly shook Sheex’s hand.

“Bobby. Bobby Filtch. Nice to meet ya pal. Gotten use to the town yet?” The man asked as he gently pushed Sheex towards a nearby table. A shrug of the shoulders was the response.

“Much as one can given the circumstances.”

“You’ll get use to it, and to her. Besides, livin’ with her has some perks,” Bobby continued to talk, but his voice was overpowered by a rather large man at the bar.

“Give it a rest! You could at least give the guy a moment before you start your leeching!” A man with dark hair shouted from his place at the bar. He was a large man, and in this particular case overweight would have been an adequate description. Bobby just shrugged his shoulders.

“Now, now. Just being friendly to this week’s husband. So, why don’t you drink with us Sheex?” Bobby said with the slick smile of someone about to sell you a very nice patch of swampland.

“Bobby...” The woman at the bar began. Her blond hair had several gray hairs, and her green eyes looked as if she wanted to say more. She didn’t, however.

“You could sit with us,” The other man at the bar offered in a soft voice. He was a sickly fellow, a few years older than Sheex. His hair was the dark blond of youth, yet there wasn’t much of it. Perhaps the man was cursed with premature baldness.

“Nah. They’re boring,” Bobby said with a grin. “We’re more fun.”

Sheex looked to the table, and then to the bar. The people at the bar, the two men and one woman, had a look of concern in their eyes, but Sheex didn’t think it was concern for him. He scratched his head in thought, then thanked Bobby and headed towards the bar.

“Greedy killjoy,” He heard the man mutter as he went back to his friends. Sheex took a seat at the bar and paid close attention to the way he was eyed by the people there.

“What’ll it be hon?” The bartender asked. Sheex pulled out his (close to empty) coin purse, and played with the coins there for a bit. He let the coins jingle about and kept his mouth shut, interested to see what would happen. As he expected, it was Bobby who broke the silence.

“Oh I get it! She’s gotten stingy. Ah well, I’m sure he’ll get bribed in other ways!” The man shouted as his table laughed and clinked their drinks together. The bartender sighed while the overweight man shot Bobby an evil glare. The sickly one just smiled at Sheex.

“I’m Lucas. Lucas Winter. Nice to meet you,” The man spoke in a soft, yet very friendly, voice. Sheex shook his hand.

“Sheex Deltin,” Sheex said back while he did his best to listen to the conversations around him. Many talked about the trial earlier today, and how much of a disgrace and shame it was. The wanderer had to agree with them, but mostly because the trial did not end with a “she’s crazy, you’re free to go Mr. Deltin” verdict.

“Hell boy, everyone knows your name. Geitz Fairfield. This lovely lady here is Trish Amante. Most call her Trisha though,” The large man said as his meaty hand gripped Sheex’s and shook it hard. Sheex cringed slightly. Apparently Geitz was not a man who was conscious of his own strength.

“Are you...Leila’s friends?” Sheex asked softly as he dumped a few coins into his hand. He was rewarded with silence for a moment, but Trisha eventually answered his question.

“Knew her since she was a little girl. Leila’s a good girl Sheex,” The woman began.

“Just a little lonely, what with her father passing away a couple years back,” Geitz continued.

“She’s just trying to be nice to you,” Lucas added in. Sheex counted out some coins, and placed them on the table before him. Trisha frowned as Sheex pointed to a bottle of bourbon behind her, and to the box of ice near the end of the bar.

“See, her dad left her a decent sized inheritence. Enough to live on if she plays it right, in any case. But when it comes to men, she just really doesn’t know any better, you know? Thinks if she showers you with enough-” Geitz continued as Trisha poured him his drink. Sheex shook his head; that was enough.

“It’s not hers,” He said softly as he slowly took the drink from Trisha and sipped it. He let out a smile as the alcohol warmed his body. He leaned back slightly, but then he remembered he was on a bar stool that had no back. Quickly he corrected that error.

“Not her what?” Trisha asked as she took a few of Sheex’s coins.

“Not her money,” Sheex answered softly. Geitz scratched his head.

“Wait, you mean for the first time ever-”

“No,” Sheex cut the man off again. “She offered. I didn’t want it.”

“Last person bought the whole bar a round. Charged the bill to her. She paid it with a smile. Even after he left her two days later,” Lucas said, the distaste in his tone clear as a sunny sky.

“I prefer to be welcomed where I drink at. On top of that, I don’t want anything from her. Like I told her kid, I’m not about to have away with her then leave once I’m free. That being said, I will leave her,” Sheex stated as he finished off his drink and stood up. He eyed the people around him carefully. They eyed him back.

“Well? Do I pass your test, or shall I find somewhere else to drink?” The wanderer asked quietly. It took a moment, but Trisha broke into a wide smile and motioned for him to sit back down. He didn’t have a chance to though, Geitz slapped him hard on the back and forced him back into the chair. Lucas grinned and slid Sheex a beer.

“Welcome to Starry Sky. Best tavern in town,” Trisha said as she poured him another bourbon; this one was on the house.

“It’s the only tavern in town,” Lucas whispered to Sheex as he was given another beer with a side of harsh glare.

“So it’s the best!” Trisha muttered as she poured herself a small drink. The small group clinked their glasses together and ignored the rest of the bars conversations about the days earlier events. Instead they asked Sheex just what he did on days when he wasn’t being arrested, tried in court, or holding rabbits hostage.

“Okay, so there was this one time I met this girl right? In a bar. But, and this is important, she was a princess," Sheex began.

[Sheex]

An hour or so had passed since Sheex had entered the tavern, and in that time he had become fast friends with Geitz, Lucas and Trisha. At the moment he was in the middle of one of his favorite stories, and if there was one thing that Sheex Deltin knew how to do, it was tell a tale, spin a yarn, and if there was another way to say “tell a story” he could do that too.

He could also make a damn good martini.

"So there we are, surrounded by a bunch of bandits," Sheex said as he took another gulp of his bourbon.

"How many is a bunch?" Lucas asked in a voices that was either bored or curious. Sheex couldn't tell which.

"Three," Sheex responded as Trisha let out a chuckle.

"Not sure that qualifies as a bunch dear," She said as a patron waved her good-bye. She still tended the bar, but it had grown late. Few people were left to be served which allowed her to hang around and listen to Sheex's tale.

“When all you’ve got is a bimbo princess in a nightie to back you, three’s a bunch,” Sheex shot back. Geitz hammered down his beer, wiped off what missed his face, and then slammed his hand onto Sheex’s back.

“Oh, and I assume that she wore that to seduce you. Cause that would be so awesome. Being seduced by a princess,” Geitz said as his eyes grew misty with a very obvious daydream. The wanderer (who was becoming the slight drunkard) just shook his head.

“Nah. She still hated me at that point, but wait till the end. I got a little something something as a reward for helping her,” Sheex whispered with a chuckle as he playfully elbowed Geitz several times in the ribs. He vaguely heard Lucas say something that involved doubt, but he decided to ignore it.

“So back to my story, I’m trying to figure out how I can stall these guys. You know, give me the edge. Then it hits me. Princess. Nightie. Panties,” Sheex said as if he had discovered the fountain of youth. Geitz laughed, Trisha rolled her eyes, and Lucas dropped his glass. Fortunately it was empty.

“BAM! I lift up the princess’s nightie. Course, the bandits go gaga over it, and she gets ever so pissy. But I, the talented fighter I am, take advantage of the situation by placing my fist directly into one of the bandit’s face,” Sheex finished as he playfully punched the air before him. Geitz pulled him over as he dug his knuckle into the top of the man's head.

“Now that’s some skill! See anything worthwhile you hero you?” Geitz asked Sheex as the wanderer fought off the boar of a man.

“Just paradise!” Sheex laughed as Geitz slapped him a high-five. Trisha just looked at Lucas and shrugged. Lucas then raised his glass, which Trisha had so graciously refilled.

“To our hero, may he ever be lucky in battle!” The man toasted as all four clinked their glasses together.

“So what do you do in a fight if you don’t have a skirt to lift up?” Trisha asked as she began to wipe down the bar.

“Usually run away. Sometimes I beg for my life though,” Sheex replied.

“Good plan I guess. Tell me again, why did you decide to help this princess who tried to get you executed because you said she had a nice...what was it again?” Lucas followed up.

“I told her she had an ass so nice it was a shame she had to sit on it. As for why I helped her, well, extraneous circumstances I guess,” Sheex said with a shrug.

“What does that mean? Extraneous circumstances?” A young voice questioned. All turned to find Guy behind them. The young child sat on a chair he had dragged over so he could listen to Sheex’s story. By the way the child leaned forward and watched Sheex, it was clear the boy had been there for a while, and was quite interested in the tale.

“Guy my boy! Been a while!” Geitz laughed as he scooped the boy up and placed him atop the bar. If there was a no-child policy enforced in this tavern, Trisha didn’t mention it. It fact, she seemed down right happy to see the child.

“Glass of milk Guy?” She asked as Lucas playfully rubbed Guy’s hair. The young boy let out a laugh as he batted Lucas’s hand away.

“Yes please,” Guy said as he managed to fight off Lucas, only to have to deal with Geitz’s much larger hand.

“Oh come on!” Sheex snorted, much to the dismay of his new friends. Guy looked slightly hurt, but Sheex just grinned at the boy, and flicked Trisha a gold piece.

“At least give the boy chocolate milk. That’s a treat. Milk’s boring. Unless of course you lick it off a woman’s body. Speaking of licking and treats, did I ever tell you about this one time I was in Fallien?” Sheex said as he was quickly hushed by Trisha. Both he and Geitz frowned at that.

“Extraneous. What’s it mean?” Guy asked again as Trisha brought him a tall glass of cool milk, turned dark from the large amounts of chocolate syrup that had been added to it. Guy thanked he,r and began to drink it as he stared at Sheex; patiently the child awaited an answer.

“Well, it means pressing matters. Extra-ordinary circumstances. Really important for some special reason. You follow?” Sheex finally answered as he finished off the last of his bourbon.

“Yes. There’s a reason you had to help her, right?” Guy asked. He received a nod from Sheex, and a congratulations-your-such-a-bright-young-boy from Trisha. Guy then asked the only logical next question. “So, what was the reason?”

“She was hot,” Sheex said with a smile. Guy leaned his head to the side.

“You had to help because she was warm? Was she sick? Did she had a fever? Or did she put on too much clothes?” The boy asked innocently. A wave of laughter erupted from the group.

“Not at all Guy. When Sheex says hot he means pretty,” Lucas said with a smile, “and from the way he tells the story, the woman wasn’t wearing enough clothes.”

“Entirely in a matter if opinion, that remark,” Geitz shot back.

“It was an extraneous circumstance because she was pretty?” Guy now asked of Sheex. Sheex just patted Guy on the shoulder and smiled. Perhaps it was the alcohol, but Sheex didn’t mind this Hope anywhere as much as the other one.

“Oh, yes indeed. A pretty girl in trouble is definitely an extraneous circumstance. Remember that Guy, cause it’s important,” Sheex advised as Guy repeated the lesson to commit it to memory.

“Pretty girl, got to help her. Got it,” Guy said to himself as he finished his chocolate milk.

“But use judgment!” Trisha chimed in.

“Make sure she’s trustworthy,” Lucas added.

“And honest too. Don’t want to be stabbed in the back by a two-timing broad,” Geitz threw in.

“And if all that fails, ask yourself this very important question. Does she had a nice ass? Chicks with a nice ass are always trustworthy and honest.” For some reason, when Sheex finished his sentence he found himself upon his back on the tavern’s floor. He suspected that one of his new friends had something to do with his current location, but he wasn’t sure which one. Probably wasn’t Geitz though, that man nodded in assent as he gave Sheex a big thumbs up.

“Oh yeah! Dinner’s ready. Mom wants you to come home now,” Guy suddenly remembered. Sheex frowned.

“But I want to stay and play with my new friends some more! Can I stay for just five more minutes? Pretty please?” Sheex asked.

In a very sweet voice, Trisha told him to be sure to swing by again. She then, in the kindest way possible, had him tossed out of the bar.

*~*~*~*~

“No,” Sheex stated firmly.

“Yes,” Leila stated just as firmly.

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No.”

“Your skirt’s riding up. I can see your underwear.”

“Your fly is unzipped. Wanna come out and play, little Sheex?”

Sheex instantly reached for his pants, only to find that his zipper was exactly where it was supposed to be. He then glared at Leila, who chuckled at him, and pointed while she muttered “made you look, made you look” over and over in a rather sweet voice.

“He is not little,” Sheex spat at her. She just let out a laugh as she leaned back against a cupboard.

“So sorry! Didn’t mean to offend him! Should I kiss it and make it better?” Leila said as she gently blew Sheex a kiss. The wanderer stuffed away all of his urges (much to the disappointment of Little Sheex, who was not so little at this moment) and glared at Leila.

This entire conversation had come about when Sheex had asked to take his meal on the porch, away from Leila. She insisted that he stay and eat with his family, he replied that he had no family and if he did, his wife would have been cool enough to let him hang out with his friends a bit more. How that had devolved into a discussion about Sheex’s private areas was anyone’s guess.

“Why force me to eat with you anyway? I’ll be a poor dinner guest with a knife at my throat,” Sheex asked her. Leila frowned at that.

“Well, you need to get use to it. Once the court order gets here, you’ll have to stay and raise Guy with me. Might as well start now, right?” She said with a cute smile. Sheex was not dissuaded by that smile (actually he was, but only for a few seconds).

“Unless you are wrong, which you are. Then I’m out,” Sheex shot back.

“But I’m not wrong,” Was Leila’s response.

“Yes you are.”

“No I’m not.”

“Yes.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No.”

“You’ve small breasts, you know that?”

“Then why do you keep staring at them?”

Sheex had flirted, offended, harassed, groped, and fondled a large number of women over the course of his wandering. Leila was the first one who had matched his wit at every moment, if by “wit” one meant “perverted talking.” Sheex was sure that he would have liked her if she wasn’t a psycho.

“Okay! Enough! How about a bet?” Sheex said as he held up his hands in defeat. Under normal circumstances, if he talked dirty enough a woman would grow disgusted and leave him be (usually after a slap). He wasn’t sure if Leila had nerves of steel, or enjoyed this little game (though Little Sheex was desperate to find out).

“A bet? What type of bet?” Leila asked, full of curiosity. Sheex just pulled out a coin and began to play with it in his right hand. Leila smiled and let out an “oooh” as he expertly weaved the coin back and forth through his fingers, an act he had spent hours to perfect.

“Tails I do what you say. Heads you do what I say. Deal?” Sheex said as he flipped the coin in the air, caught it, and began to play with it again. Leila frowned and gently stroked her chin in thought. Then she flicked her hair back with but a wave of her head, crossed her arms, and gave Sheex her best “show me what you’ve got look.”

“Okay, but I swear to God, if you want to use my backdoor, at least be gentle when you enter,” Leila said with a slight grin on her lips.

“Cool. I win I get to eat outside for the rest of my time here, away from you. Wait, what was that about your back door?” Sheex asked as his head quickly snapped around while his thumb flicked the coin into the air.

“Too late. I win, and you eat inside for the rest of your time here plus you enjoy it! Watch that coin spin wanderer!” Leila yelled as she pumped her hand in the air, and shot Sheex a wide smile. He could not help but smile back in response.

The coin toss was an ancient art. Perfectly fair. Fifty-fifty. One winner, one loser. No ties. As the coin spun, each contender was able to watch their side spin again and again; a dance of fate and luck. When Sheex flipped a coin, it was a bit of a dare against himself, for he always went with what the coin decided. You couldn’t go back on the coin in his mind.

Sheex enjoyed this moment with Leila, even though he didn’t mean to. Both watched the coin with eager eyes, both silently prayed to win the toss. Both held their breath as Sheex deftly caught the coin, and held it before him. Together the two leaned in slowly to view the results.

As Sheex watched the sun set while he sat upon the stairs of the porch and ate his steak, he decided that maybe this town wasn’t as bad as he had thought it was.

[Sheex]

This town flat-out sucked. Big time. Hardcore suckage. It sucked so much that it made a Lavinya hooker look like a temple maiden. If you have never been to Lavinya, Sheex would recommend that you take a trip there at least once, but not for the hookers. This was not actually something he knew from experience, but rather from a well-placed source (a drunk in a bar with a bad case of herpes).

This entire scene was so stupid that he could not even begin to explain it. Leila was downright dumbfounded, Guy was thankfully asleep, and Sheex was torn in so many ways he did not know where to begin to piece himself back together.

It reminded him of a certain event in his childhood. Sheex had a simple childhood; no dragons burned his home, and no men of power sought his town for a prize. He was raised as a single child by a father and mother who loved him dearly. It was a good life; most men would have been envious of it. When he turned eighteen, he bid his parents a teary farewell and began his wandering.

But before he was Sheex The Wanderer, he was Sheex The Child Who Hated The Neighborhood Stray. People in his town loved the little stray cat that strolled about as if it owned the place. The blasted thing never went hungry, for at any given time there were no less than five villagers who left out treats and milk for the cat. Everyone in the town loved that cat. Save for Sheex.

He thought it was a pest. A rat. An annoyance. He often described it as a feces-like stain, and he was not completely without justification. The stray did indeed leave its feces wherever it chose, and more than once Sheex had stepped on something very squishy (and very smelly) as he walked out his front door. The cat also scratched him, bit him, hissed at him, and even stole one of his girlfriends. For the record, the girlfriend in question left him not for a cat, but rather for another man.

Sheex refused to think even for a moment that it had anything to do with the fact that he had, on occasion, mentioned how hot his girlfriend’s sister was. Her mother too.

In any case, the stray eventually died as do all living things. The town grieved when they chanced upon the poor creature’s dead body, brutally run over by a cart of some sort. All save for Sheex. Sheex had immediately leapt in the air, hollered for joy and for a lack of shit-covered shoes, and shouted something along the lines of “High-five! Anyone? High-five?”

He had never felt so alone as when the entire town (as well as one random passerby) turned and glared at him like he was the devil’s offspring at an angel-only ball who, on top of everything else, had forgotten to bring the booze.

That was how Sheex’s Intelligence felt; alone and an outcast. Oh, how Sheex’s Intelligence had whooped and hollered for joy at Sheex’s recent remark. Oh yes, he was a real thinker now. No sir. Sheex Deltin was not the type to fall prey to Leila’s wiles.

The rest of Sheex was a different story. Sheex’s Evil Shoulder Demon threw its arms up in the air and screamed “Seriously? SERIOUSLY?” Sheex’s Conscious muttered something along the lines of “should have been an impulse, mother always said a conscious was demeaning. She was right.” Sheex’s Good Shoulder Angel had passed out from shock.

Oh? And Little Sheex? That particular part of him had grabbed Sheex’s Intellect by its hair (or the equivalent for an incorporeal being of Sheex’s imagination), and proceeded to shove the intellect head-first into a toilet. Repeatedly.

“What did you just say?” Leila asked in a tone that conveyed the complete and utter shock of someone who had never, EVER, been told the term “no” in such a blunt matter. At least on the current topic of conversation.

“Notgonnahappen,” Sheex managed to repeat. He then shook his head, kindly asked Little Sheex to release his intellect, for it was needed at the moment, and tried to repeat himself.

“Notinthislifetime.” Was what came out.

“Come again sweetie. Couldn’t quite make that last one out. Or the one before it for that matter,” Leila said in a tone that brooked no disagreement.

“Not gonna happen,” He finally managed to say, as Little Sheex stormed off in rage.

Night had fallen. The moon was up, the town was quiet, Guy had gone to his room, and Sheex had asked where he was suppose to say. Imagine his response when Leila answered with, “well, we are a family. Last I checked the husband sleeps with his wife. So that would be with me, in my bed.”

Flat-out. She did not beat around the proverbial bush. Share a bed with her, make hanky-panky, do the horizontal limbo, or whatever the hell kids called it nowadays. Have sex was Sheex’s preferred term, and she had offered it up on a silver platter. And he had said no. He had never said that to a woman before in his life (at least not on these matters).

Sheex was not the type to concern himself with ethics. Oh sure, like any decent man if the girl didn’t want it then it was a no-go; couldn’t even get it up under those circumstances. But when the girl wanted to sleep with him? Did she breath and have all limbs (or half)? If the answer was to both questions was a yes, he was there, and ready to do his duty as a man; it had been quite the duty a couple of times. He was just not the type of man who turned down a woman. And if the woman was pretty? “HELL FREAKING YES” was his usual answer (and Leila ranked a solid seven on his scale).

“I...I...what?” Was all Leila could say. Sure, some of the men disliked her when she told them they were the father of her son, but they always came around. Eventually. And a mother and father had sex. After all, that was how Guy had come into existence. It wasn’t as if she slept with anyone; just Guy’s father.

The more she failed to find that man, the more sure she became that next one would be the one.

“I think you heard me,” Sheex said more forcefully than he would have liked. In truth, he was afraid if he had to repeat himself one more time he’d change his mind.

“But...but...why the hell not?” Leila sputtered. Now Sheex’s Heart, who had remained silent for the most part, threw in its two-cents. You actually hurt her this time. See her red face in the dim light? See how wide her eyes are? See that look? See that pain? You hurt her. That was what his heart told him, and it did not make him feel good.

Hello? Remember me? This psycho got you arrested, forced you to live with her, has placed upon you a thousand responsibilities that do not belong to you, and does not give a damn about anything you have said to the contrary of her twisted dream. Who cares if you hurt her? Hasn’t she hurt you? Sheex’s Intellect threw at him.

If you call a steak dinner and a roof over your head pain, I’d hate to see what you call agony. Was the last thing his heart told him. He weighed the advice, and his heart won; not by a paper-thin margin. He tried to apologize.

“Don’t take this the wrong way. It’s not like your not worthy of me or anything, I just...” Sheex struggled to find the words. I just think your a psycho? That you're a bitch? That this is another trick? Another deception? What do I think?

“HA! No, I get it. Got to be drunk to be with me huh? Bet I have some scotch left over. Will that help? Don’t want to you to think your slumming it! Don’t want you to have regrets in the morning!” Leila screamed, oblivious to the fact that her son was asleep. She stormed about, hurt replaced with the rage that came with rejection. With hands that shook she grabbed a bottle of scotch, one she had bought no more than three hours ago just for this occasion, and with all her might flung it at the man before her.

He could have dodged it. Well, at least he could have tried to dodge it. But he didn’t. Her pain rooted him to the spot, because it wasn’t just pain from rejection. He had slept with her before. Did he remember when or why? Nope. What words did he use to seduce this one? Did he tell a story? Play a hero? Or did he spin a bit of poetry? He was always rather fond of that approach. He couldn’t recall what he did, but it was clear that he had just told her “I regret it.”

He didn’t need anyone to tell him just how much pain he had just caused her.

So he didn’t dodge the bottle; he let it hit him square in the shoulder. He was not a warrior; he did not bear pain stoically. He grunted, crumpled to his knee, and clutched what was sure to be a heavy bruise. The bottle rolled to the floor; unbroken by some miracle. He squeezed his eyes shut in pain.

The coin flipped. Now Leila realized she had hurt him, and for what? Because he wouldn’t sleep with her? Wow. Imagine that. A man who had standards. Been awhile since she had one of those. And she didn’t met those standards. Didn’t come close. That was what really hurt her. Not being good enough.

“Sorry. I didn’t, I just...shit...” Leila swore as she pulled at her hair in frustration. This wasn’t how it was suppose to go. You didn’t throw a bottle at the man you loved. You acted like an adult and worked things out. That was what people in love did.

Ah, but did she love him?

Of course she did. He was Guy’s father. Guy was everything to her. Her child. She raised him since she was sixteen years old. Oh, how it had been such a stupid mistake to get drunk and sleep with a stranger! But she did not run from her mistakes. Guy was her son, and she loved him more than life itself. Even when her father passed away last year she carried on, undaunted. Guy deserved a family. So what she was only in her earlier twenties? She was a damn good mother. She loved her son and his father, because that’s what a good wife did.

Doesn’t he love me? Leila’s doubt whispered into her ear.

“That was the first time I’ve ever heard you swear,” Sheex muttered as he picked himself up, for he could not think of anything else to say. Perhaps better that he said nothing at all.

“Couch. It folds out into a bed. Sheets over there. In that closet. Pillows there,” Leila floundered about as she pointed and spoke. Sheex couldn’t tell what closet she meant, but her certainly wasn’t about to press her for details. “I...I...excuse me.”

And that was that. She turned and left. She walked right upstairs and shut her door; but the look he saw on her face before she left her did not leave him so easily. Pain. Hurt. Heartache.

“I’m sorry,” He whispered softly, and this time he meant it. There was no way she heard him, but he meant it with every fiber in his body. Not gonna happen. Not in this lifetime. Such harsh words of cruelty. Completely unnecessary and wrong. Just plain wrong.

Sheex undressed, and switched into a simple pair of sweats and an old T-shirt he kept with him for when he was lucky enough to stay in a room, and not on a road somewhere. He unfolded the couch into a bed, grabbed some sheets, procured two pillows, and tucked himself in.

Sleep did not come easy that night. He tossed and turned, but he approved of that. He had been mean for the sake of being mean, no other reason. He had seen many a horror inflicted on man by man over the course of his wanderings, and what scared him the most was that he could easily see some of the monsters who called themselves men do what he just did.

“Shit,” Sheex swore to himself. “I didn’t mean it. I’m sorry Leila.”

And little Guy, who had heard the fight, sat alone at the top of the stairs. His knees were curled up, and he held them close to his chest with his tiny arms. He had done this each time his mother had brought home his “father” and each one had followed his mother up to her room.

He liked a select few of those men, and hated the rest. But how he felt didn’t matter, for those men always left. His mother always saw them away with a smile, and then she cried at night when she thought Guy could not hear her. He always did.

“I don’t think your so bad,” Guy whispered in a voice so soft he may as well have never said it.

And Sheex fell asleep.

[Sheex]

"Time to wake up!" A young voice cried into Sheex's ear. With a yelp Sheex jerked out of bed, and swung about wildly, not quite sure what he aimed for. Not that he had aimed accurately to begin with. All he had manage to accomplish was to overextend himself, tangle his right leg in the sheets, and fall out of the bed. Well, he mostly fell out of the bed. As his right leg lay tangled in the sheets it made for quite an awkward pose.

"Morning," Guy said as he leaned over Sheex's head. As the wanderer hung upside down at the moment, it took him a second or two to readjust himself.

"Why hello Guy!" Sheex finally managed to say. "Could you perhaps do me a favor, and make the world right-side up for me?"

The young boy nodded and untangled Sheex from his bed. For this, he was forever grateful.

"Can you walk me to school?" Guy asked rather pleasantly. Sheex then noticed Guy was dressed in what could only qualify as a school uniform, for he doubted that the boy usually walked about in a collared-shirt and dress pants. Either that or...

"So you aren't all spiffy for a cute date?" Sheex yawned as he stretched and sat back up on the bed. Guy shook his head as Sheex noticed how early it was. Nowhere near close to noon, his preferred hour to rise.

"Is there any possibility I can go back to bed?" He asked politely. Guy shrugged and nodded.

"Sure. I don't mind being late," Was all the boy answered with as he sat down in a chair and took off his backpack.

"Not so faster buster!" Leila shouted as she appeared from the kitchen, and walked straight over to Guy. She was already dressed and ready; far from Sheex's current state. A faint, but delicious, smell flowed from the kitchen; his stomach growled loudly. Leila playfully picked Guy up, and flung his backpack onto the normal location of a backpack, namely the back.

"You're not getting out of school that easily!" Leila chuckled as Guy tried in vain to fight back. All he managed was to dangle upside down while Leila held him by his foot. She then proceeded to tickle the child mercilessly.

"So, can I go back to bed or not?" Sheex asked after Guy had surrendered. Leila just shook her head at him in a playful manner, the past night's events seemingly forgotten. Or so he hoped.

"Nu-uh. All of our...guests...walk Guy to school. Then they come back and we have breakfast." Sheex noted that for the first time she had not called him Guy's father. Last night's events were not completely forgotten after all; his hope was dashed. "Course you'll take yours outside, as we agreed."

Those words were spoken neither with distaste or anger, but rather with a woman who was proud to honor a bet. Plus a tiny hint of sadness. Given the past night, Sheex thought that this would be the perfect time to not be an ass, so he agreed to walk the boy to school. After a shower. A man had to have standards after all.

"You do need one. Down the hall, to the left," Leila joked as Sheex took a whiff of the air around him, and nodded in agreement. He then grabbed his clothes and walked off.

"You've never asked them to walk with you before Guy. I usually have to tell them," Leila noted as she walked back to the kitchen and handed Guy a piece of bacon. Her son just bit eagerly into the food he was given and smiled.

"He's got good stories," Guy said as he munched away. "He saved a princess!"

"Oh my, what a hero! Think he'll rescue me if I'm in trouble?" Leila asked with a smile. She was joking, after all.

"Yup. Extraneous circumstances," Guy answered as Leila passed him another piece of bacon. She then gave her son a confused look.

"What type of extraneous circumstances?" She asked, but gave the boy no time to answer. "Oh shit!"

"You said a bad word!" Guy almost laughed as he pointed at his mother. She then blushed as his face turned serious. "What's wrong?"

"Well...I...umm...." Leila's face turned a darker shade of red as she bit the tip of her nail nervously. "I used up all the hot water when I cooked breakfast."

Sheex's girlish scream soon followed.

*~*~*~*

"What next?" Guy asked as he jumped of a nearby rock, and continued his slow walk with Sheex.

"Okay, so we get to town and the princess is pissed at me." Sheex said as the boy kept pace with Sheex’s less-than-urgent pace.

"Bet that was because you showed the bandits her underwear."

"You'd probably win that bet. So there's only one room left at the inn, right? Which means, check it, we've got to stay with each other all night."

"How did she take that?"

"Not well, but she did let me have the couch. Thought she'd make me sleep outside for a second or two. Oh, much like your mother she used up all the hot water before I took a shower."

"Did you scream like a girl then too?"

"No."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Are you sure?"

"Persistent little bugger aren't you?" Sheex said with a shake of his head. Guy just laughed at him, which elected the response of playfully messing up Guy's well-done hair. He then made the boy promise not to tell his mother that he did that.

He would have then continued his story, but Guy's attention quickly became focused on something else. Sheex turned around and noticed a little girl, a year or two younger than Guy, who ran as fast as she could. She too was dressed in a school uniform, but instead she wore a little black skirt rather than dress pants. She also wore a white sweater, which combined with her running had to have made her rather hot. In testament to this, her short strawberry-blonde hair was drenched in sweat. By the time she reached the two she was out of breath.

"All right there?" Sheex asked as Guy stepped to the side to allow the girl to pass. She nodded at him, gasped for breath, and then attempted to continue her run. She failed rather badly.

"Late...going to be late," She panted as she bent down to rest and take a breath.

"HEY! You said we had plenty of time!" Sheex snapped at Guy, who frowned and shrunk away.

"Well, we did! And then it became a little spare time, then not so much time, and then we fell behind. I wanted to hear the rest of your story!" Guy exclaimed as Sheex quickly fixed the boy's hair.

"Nice one kid. You want your mother to be mad at me?" Sheex muttered as he looked ahead. School was still a bit further down the road; it was time to pick up the pace.

"She won't care! Honest! I always get good grades anyway! I can miss a few minutes!" Guy pleaded.

"My dad...will be really mad if I'm late again," The girl said more to herself than anyone else. She then took a deep breath and picked herself up off the ground. Guy frowned.

"You're going to get hurt Nami," He said softly. The little girl just shook her head.

"No I'm not. Just...have to be...on time..." She gasped as Sheex grabbed Guy by his shoulders.

"And you as well! Hold on tight!" The wanderer yelled as he flung Guy onto his back. The young boy let out a shout of joy as he realized he was about to get a piggyback ride the rest of the way. Nami looked on enviously.

"Hey," Guy whispered into Sheex's ear, "you should give her a ride too."

"Why? Got a crush on her?" Sheex whispered back with a grin as Guy's face turned very red.

"No! I just don't want her to get in trouble," The young boy answered, true concern in his voice. "But she is pretty! So you have to help her because it's extraneous circumstances!"

"You catch on quick. Nami right?" Sheex asked as he shifted his weight about and held out his arms. "Wanna ride kiddo?"

She eyed the man carefully. Her father had been very strict with her about strangers. Stay away from them. But then again, her father had also been very strict about being on time for school. Which wrath was worse?

"No. Thank you though," Nami said very softly and very regretfully. "I can make it."

"No you can't!" Guy shouted before Sheex could even say a word. "We won't tell! Promise! Promise Sheex! Promise!"

He was downright begging Sheex at this point.

"Do you really promise?" Nami asked very quietly. Her large brown eyes poured into Sheex as she spoke to him. "Really, really, really promise?"

"He does!" Guy shouted quickly.

"I do?" Sheex responded with a very confused look. There seemed to be a game being played around him, and he was not fully aware of all the rules.

"YES! PROMISE!" Guy screamed. Now, Sheex had been screamed at by many different types of people, but a child was always bad. Their voice screeched and grated the ears, their face red with anger. He usually told such children to piss off, but something was strange. Something in Guy's eyes said that this was really, really important.

"I promise," Sheex finally said, he was a bit surprised at the sound of his own voice.

"Swear to God?" Nami asked in a slightly high-pitched voice that was so cute if she had asked Sheex to give her his wallet, he would have done so in a heartbeat.

"Yeah," He answered.

"You can't break a promise if you swear to God! It's really bad! God will get angry and...and...throw a thunderbolt at you!" Nami shouted at him.

"Well as I certainly don't want that, I had best keep my promise," Sheex said with a chuckle.

Nami broke. She rushed into the offered arms, and Sheex scooped her up. She found a wonderful type of comfort in his long coat, and she wrapped it around herself as if it were a piece of armor. She then closed her eyes, for she was very tired.

"Go! Don't be late!" Guy whispered as he held on tight.

"Kid, ever slept with a temple maiden in Dunland?" Was all Sheex said as he leaned forward.

"No. I haven't ever been to Dunland."

"Well, a word to the wise. If you intend to have sex with a temple maiden in Dunland, you better get the hell out of town afterward. Just like this!"

Sheex ran like the wind, for sex with a temple maiden in Dunland was sacrilegious, and the people there took their religion very seriously. The angry-mob type of seriously, and if you have ever been chased by an angry mob bent solely upon your destruction, you know the only thing to do is run as fast as you can.

So Sheex ran like there was a mob at his heels, and the three made it to school on time.

“Thanks Sheex!” Guy yelled as he jumped off of Sheex’s back. Nami, who had tucked herself up in Sheex’s coat, did not yet release her grip.

“Yo kiddo. Time to get up,” Sheex whispered as he gently shook her. The exhausted girl just curled up into his coat a bit more.

“Do I have to?” She asked softly. “I like it here. It‘s smells like a barn.”

“And yet somehow, I find that cute. Why do I find that cute Guy?” Sheex questioned; Guy could only shrug.

“I like barns. They have lots of animals!” Nami said as she opened her eyes and looked about. She let out a tired yawn as Sheex just frowned.

“Great. I smell like an animal,” Sheex muttered as he set Nami down. She then looked up at him with her big brown eyes, and melted his heart with her next sentence.

“But I like animals! Especially the fuzzy ones! They‘re fun to pet!” Nami giggled just a bit as she pointed at Sheex’s chin. He had not yet shaven today, and a bit of stubble had grown there.

“I’m fuzzy?” Was all Sheex could say.

“But in a good way!” Nami explained to him, much like a teacher. Or perhaps more like a little girl who found fuzzy animals to be the greatest thing in the world, and could not possibly understand how being called a fuzzy animal could be taken any other way than the greatest compliment one could be given.

“Gee, thanks,” Sheex muttered in a rather off-handed fashion. This was apparently enough for Nami.

“You’re very welcome! Thanks a lot for the ride!” The young girl exclaimed, and before she broke into a dead run, she ran forward and gently petted Sheex’s chin.

Words could not describe just how embarrassing that was. Especially when Nami exclaimed “just like a doggy's!”

“Hell with it!” Was all he said as the children ran off to school, and Sheex began his slow walk back to Leila.

“Why are you sweating?” She asked with a bit of a laugh as she handed him his breakfast.

“Chasing my tail,” Was all Sheex said in response.

[Sheex]

And that was life for Sheex for the next few days. It was not a bad life, in fact many would call it a good life. Some would certainly call it great. Leila fed him and gave him a place to sleep, he walked Guy to school in the mornings, and spent the rest of his time as he liked whenever Leila didn't need him to do something. At night he usually visited the tavern for a bit; he chatted with his friends and told them stories about his travels. There were whispers whenever he entered (and the exact opposite of whispers from Bobby and his group of friends), but Sheex just ignored them.

Guy enjoyed his stories quite a bit. Whenever Sheex headed over to the tavern Guy would often just be a few minutes behind, always eager to hear the next piece of the tale. Leila remained at home to cook dinner or did whatever she did when Sheex wasn't around. After a while, she became less and less attached to him.

One day Sheex had chanced upon her as she hung out clothes to dry in her backyard. She hummed the same tune she usually hummed and, curious, he had asked her what song it came from. She smiled at him while her emerald eyes sparkled as she continued to hang up the clothes (some of which were his).

"It's from my favorite song. It's just the chorus, but that's my favorite part anyway. It goes 'you be the prince, I'll be the princess; this'll be our love story, oh won't you say yes?' Not bad, huh?" Leila asked of him as his eyes grew dark.

"No," He said coldly, "because I am not a prince and you are not a princess. This is not a love story, and I will never say yes."

Sheex then walked away while he mentally kicked himself for being such an asshole. Yet he really could not help it, or at least that was what he told himself. He was not a fan of being responsible, even for himself. Quite frankly, being responsible for a child scared the hell out of him. That was what a family was to him after all. A bundle of responsibilities.

"It could be a love story," He never heard Leila whisper sadly. "If only someone would say yes."

From that day she did not refer to him as Guy's father. Instead he was just Sheex Deltin.

Strangely, the further apart Leila grew from him, the more Guy seemed to like him. The boy, who had gazed upon him with distrust and disgust when he had first met him, now looked upon Sheex with a smile and bright eyes. The child was always eager to hear the next part of the story, and more than once Sheex had had to finish the tale as he and Guy walked home from the tavern, or Guy would find a way to slow his walk to school in order to hear more (and be late in the process).

He did not happen across Nami again. Guy told him that she got up earlier now in order to avoid being late. Sheex shrugged at that, and said he was sorry that Guy didn't see his crush anymore, and if he really wanted to Sheex would get up a bit earlier. Guy playfully kicked him in the shins for that remark.

Then one day, as Guy and Sheex sat upon the porch and watched the sun set while they waited for dinner, the young boy did something strange. Sheex had just finished up a rather enchanting tale about a time he had ended up with a very attractive (but grumpy) female mercenary, and the boy had just finished his applause (to which Sheex gave a polite bow) when Guy's voice grew soft.

"She's not that bad you know," The child said as he gazed upon sun distantly.

"Who?" Sheex had asked.

"My mom. I know she's kind of weird, but she's not mean or anything. She's just lonely. She sees all the other families around town and wants that. Grandma and grandpa are dead, so it's just the two of us, and she wants to be like everyone else," Guy whispered softly.

"And what is it that you want Guy?" Sheex could not help but ask.

"For her to be happy," Guy answered distantly. Before Sheex could say another word, Guy smiled at him brightly. "I'll go check to see if dinner's ready."

The boy dashed off to leave Sheex to his thoughts. He then realized that he had, through no design of his own, earned Guy's approval and at the same time completely tossed away Leila's. How ironic.

"Sorry kid. You do deserve a good father, but that's just not me. I'm a pretty shitty guy," Sheex whispered to himself as he watched the sun set.

And that was his life. Nothing changed save for the number of days until Sheex could be free again. Free to wander, free to roam. For that was what he desired most; total freedom.

And then, one night, everything changed.

The scream woke him from his sleep. He rolled to the side and grasped at the table next to his fold-out bed. Sheex was not the type of man to sleep with a dagger under his pillow, but a life of some small risk (and a big mouth) had taught him that it didn't hurt to have a weapon close by at night. He fumbled around until he realized that the court had confiscated his daggers with a promise to return them later.

"Well, no one's around to see me groping around in the darkness like a virgin on prom night, so I guess it doesn't matter," He muttered as he sat up and looked around. No lights were on, and there was no axe-wielding manic drenched in blood before his bed, so Sheex assumed that the scream had been part of a dream. Perhaps he had dreamed of a world without alcohol. That was cause enough to scream.

But then he heard it again. A high-pitched scream. A girl's scream, but too high-pitched for Leila. It sounded distant as well; not from inside this house. With a frown, Sheex quickly dressed himself in his usual attire of a long blue-sleeve shirt with black pants and coat (all freshly washed by Leila). He put on his shoes, and headed towards the back of the house. That was where the scream sounded the loudest.

The night was cold. He instinctively pulled up the collar of his jacket to ward of the chill as he walked outside. Leila stood there quietly, wrapped up in a green blanket. She wore pink sweats (so cute), and a somewhat tight blue shirt.

"Was that you?" Sheex asked as he stepped out into the backyard. It was a nice yard with a lone cherry tree that scattered its pink petals about the grass. A small patch of flowers sat off to the corner, tended to by Leila daily. Her eyes went wide as she realized Sheex was outside with her.

"What? No I didn't...what are you talking about?" She asked, her tone worried. Not that there should have been much to worry her. The yard, as well as the rest of the house, was dead quite. No monsters here.

"I heard a scream," Sheex said softly as he glanced about. Nothing jumped out at him.

"T-T-T-There wasn't any screams," Leila stuttered. To that, Sheex could only raise an eyebrow.

"Well that was perhaps the first time you told me something that you honestly didn't believe. Want to try again?" He shot back at her as kindly as he could.

"You're hearing things. Why don't you come inside? I-I-I-It's cold out here." Her last stutter was accompanied by another scream. Now Sheex knew the location of the scream; the house next door.

"At first I thought you may have been stuttering because of the cold, but now it seems not. Who's house is that?" Sheex asked as he took several steps forward. Leila's house was nice, but her neighbor's was incredible (at least by the simple town's standards). A black steel fence separated the two, but Sheex noted that the lights were on in the neighbor's house.

"Nacien's," Leila answered softly as she turned her head to look away.

"Ah. The fat judge. Who's screaming?" Sheex said as he took another step away from her.

"It's not any of our business," Leila said softly as she wrapped the blanket around her tightly. Sheex turned his gaze at her, and she paled under the harshness of it.

"Who's screaming?" Sheex demanded of Leila. His tone did not brook disagreement.

"Nami," Leila whispered back softly.

"I met a Nami. Tiny little thing. Reddish hair, brown eyes. A bit younger than Guy. That Nami?" Sheex muttered as he clenched his fist. One scream from a child meant there was a problem. Two screams meant the parent wasn't fast on his feet. Three screams meant the problem wasn't going away. More screams and a "it's not our business" remark meant that the parent was the problem. Leila barely nodded, but there was a nod as well as a look of shame.

“I’m just going to go out on a limb here and say this is not a once-in-a-blue-moon type of thing,” Sheex spat as he jerked his thumb towards the nearby house. His tone was cruel, but he did not care. He was not a hero; he did not save the day if he could help it. Let other, more worthy men and women, wear such a title. But a child in pain was not something he would just listen to. Leila saw his look, his disdain. It was clear what went through Sheex’s mind as he looked at her in the night.

“You allow this to happen.” A statement, not a question.

“I-I-I...” Her face grew red with shame.

“You know, I thought you were just a psycho. Just some crazy broad. But I didn’t think you were a bad person. But if you could stomach this, if you can abide this right under your nose...”

Leila broke. She dropped the blanket to the ground and ran to Sheex, tears in her eyes. Caught off guard, the wanderer did nothing as she grabbed him by his coat and pulled him to her. Her face was red with shame, her emerald eyes watery. The night air chilled her skin, and it grew even paler.

“I’m not a bad person Sheex! I know, okay! I get it! I know what this looks like, me standing here while...that happens. But there’s something you don’t understand! Nacien is a member of the town council, okay?” Leila pleaded as Sheex shoved her away.

“So that gives him license to beat his kid at night? This town sucks. He sucks. You suck,” Sheex spat coldly and cruelly. Leila flinched at the curse, but did not back down.

“I can’t...I can’t help her! I tried okay? I invited her over for dinner, tried to get her away, at least for a little while. Offered to let her stay the night anytime because Guy and her were friends, but Nacien would have none of it. I can’t go against him@” Leila said as she grabbed Sheex’s shirt once more. She cried now; sniffs and sobs in-between her words.

“Whatever makes you sleep at night,” He muttered back. She collapsed then and there, and Sheex realized he may have gone too far.

“I can’t stop him,” Leila cried as she sobbed into the ground. “No one can. He’ll buy his ‘not guilty’ verdict with his money, then use his position as a council member to get revenge.”

“And so everyone does nothing and a little girl cries,” Sheex said to himself, but Leila heard his words.

“He’ll take away Guy!” Leila said as she looked up from the ground she had collapsed upon. Dirt covered her face, mixed with the water from her tears. But Sheex could see the emotion in her eyes. Fear. Fear of losing the only person she had left in the world. Fear of losing her son, the only one who had never judged her, and who had always smiled for her. Fear of losing the one person in this town who truly loved this pitiable woman, who had no one save her son to love. And she did love that boy, with all her heart.

“I’m sorry,” Sheex said with a pained voice. He had apologized before to her, but this was the first one she actually heard. She just shook her head, and buried it back into the ground.

“No. You shouldn’t apologize. I come out here every time I hear that scream, but I don’t do anything. I just...I just...I just can’t risk losing my son!” Leila screamed in pain. Pain of the knowledge that a child suffered not thirty feet from her; an innocent child who had done no harm to anyone. Pain that came with not doing a thing to stop it.

“Hey Leila. I’m sorry. Really, I am. I didn’t know he could do that, that he could take your son. Don’t cry, all right? I’m...I’m here,” Sheex said softly as he knelt down, and scooped Leila up into his arms. “It’ll be all right.”

He held her in his arms as she cried. He stroked her cheek, he wiped away her tears. He kept her warm with his long coat that he wrapped around her. But, most importantly, he just held her as she cried into his chest.

“I-I-I-If I told the guard he’d take Guy away. I...I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO!” Leila screamed into the night sky, desperate for an answer. Sheex just hugged her, and in that hug she found solace. She trembled as she embraced him back, and in her embrace he found an answer for her.

“Go back inside. There‘s something I need to do,” Sheex said as he lifted her up and helped her to the door. She turned and looked at him with scared eyes.

“What are you going to do?” She asked in a voice barely above a whisper.

“Go for a walk,” Sheex answered softly as he walked over towards the fence that separated the two houses.

“But you can’t!” Leila said as she grabbed him by his coat. He smiled at her then. It was the first real smile he had ever given her. It was a kind smile, filled with warmth and compassion.

“Don’t worry. The judge ruled this place was my accommodations, but neglected to say that you were responsible for my behavior,” Sheex whispered kindly as he turned his attention back to the task at hand. Nami’s scream echoed once more.

“Still, if anything bad should happen to you, tell them whatever will protect your son. Tell them I hit you, tell them I pulled a knife on you. A guy like me is of no consequence,” Sheex said softly as Leila released his coat.

“Sheex...” She began. He turned and silenced her with his look. There was a tear in his eye as he spoke.

“Could you live like this? For the rest of your life, can you live hearing her screams? Can you bare it?” Sheex asked of her. She shook her head. He shook his head as well. “Neither could I.”

Ever so slowly she walked over to him. She gently touched his face, her soft finger traced around his skin. She put an arm around his waist, and pulled him close to her so he could hear her voice.

“I know I haven’t been kind to you,” She whispered to him under the starry sky.

“I’m not exactly going to win any awards either,” He whispered back.

“I was so obsessed with getting what I wanted, I never thought about anything else. But come back Sheex,” She whispered softly into his ear. A tear rolled off her face and onto his neck. It coursed down his skin as the wind blew over the town of Irenes.

“Come back. Not because you’re Guy’s father, not because I love you. Don’t come back because you love me, because you don’t. But come back to me Sheex Deltin. Just this once, come back to me. I have no right to ask this of you, but please. Don‘t leave me just yet,” She softly begged of him. He nodded as he wiped a tear off of her pale face, and with his touch a bit of color came back.

“Okay. Just this once,” Sheex whispered to her, “I’ll come back to you.”

He climbed the fence that separated the two houses. The wind whipped his coat about, his uncombed hair blew about with the breeze. But before he jumped, he looked at Leila one last time, and she looked at him.

She looked at this man, who may or may not be the father of her son. She looked upon a man who she knew, in her heart of hearts, she did not love. For she did not know him, and how could she love a man she did not know? Even if he really was the father, that alone was not enough for love. She knew that, she had always known that. She gazed at a man who did not love her, who had been forced by her to remain here against his wishes. But right now, she only wanted one thing in all the world.

For him to return.

“You promise you’ll return?” She reached out to him as her hand trembled amidst the dark night.

“I promise, and I always keep my promises,” Sheex said as he touched her hand under the quiet stars above.

And then, Sheex Deltin jumped over and disappeared from her view.

[Sheex]

Why did she always scream? It only made things worse, it never helped. Perhaps, in some sort of way, she hoped that her scream would save her. But it never did. It only made it worse. It always made it worse. Still, she always screamed at least once every time.

Nami stifled her screams as Nacien removed his belt and raised it high.

“Stupid little bitch,” He muttered softly as he brought the belt down. The cold metal lashed against her arm; she wanted to scream again, but did no such thing. To cry out for help once more would only increase the pain. To beg for mercy would only increase the punishment.

A large red welt appeared on her arm to match the others already there. There were many marks. Most were made by Nacien’s belt, but others were from some different, more inventive, means of punishment. There was a particularly painful one that was from the sharp end of a hot poker. Nami had cried tears into her pillow until dawn on that day.

“Rotten little ungrateful bitch,” Nacien muttered as his belt flew again, this time it struck her chest. She buckled under the pain; a stupid move. The best way to deal with the punishment was to take it stoically; don’t cry and don’t show fear. To do either would only cause Nacien to increase the punishment. All she had to do was bare the pain, and he would eventually get bored and grab his bottle while he fell asleep.

But it just hurt so much.

“You don’t like that? THEN BEHAVE!” Nacien bellowed as he lashed out once more with his belt. That one struck her inner thigh. Too much pain! Nami thought but did not say. She fell to the floor while she clutched her thigh, her eyes closed tight as a single tear dared to escape.

That only made things worse.

“I’ll teach you. If pain is the only thing you understand, then pain is what you’ll get,” Nacien said as he reached for something that Nami couldn’t see. Not that it mattered. If Nacien had prepared something for her punishment then it was never a good thing.

She wanted to cry so much.

It was a steel pipe. A steel pipe that Nacien had left over a candle. The metal was red hot, and Nami had enough intelligence to know whatever would happen next would hurt a lot. Nacien wrapped a leather cloth around the bottom of the pipe so as not to burn himself, as he lifted the steel and brought it closer to her.

Don’t cry. Whatever you do, don’t cry. Nami thought to herself.

Nacien reached his hand for her pants and pulled them down. He held the red steel level and prepared to stab it forward. This was new. He had never done this before. Not good. New things always hurt. But Nami couldn’t cry, couldn’t scream. The red steel moved closer to her as Nacien spread her legs wide.

Someone please save me. Nami begged quietly as she shut her eyes tight.

The pain never came. Nami bit her lip down to stop herself from any type of cry, but nothing happened. Not to her at least. Nacien cried out though. He let out a ghoulish scream of pain as Sheex grabbed the man's hand, and shoved the hot pipe onto Nacien’s throat.

“Eat shit and die you motherfucker!” Sheex whispered into the man’s ear as he tossed Nacien into a chair. Sheex yanked the pipe out of Nacien’s hands and tossed it to the side then, before Nacien had a chance to rise to his feet, Sheex stepped forward and kicked him square in the face. The fat man reeled backwards as blood trickled down from his lips.

What was this? This never happened before. Nami pulled up her pants, and scurried away under a nearby table.

A man in black had struck Nacien. Who is he? A black coat and a blue shirt. So familiar. He was fast; he didn’t give Nacien a moment to recover. The man in black picked Nacien up by the face, and punched him hard.

Nami didn’t understand. Why didn’t he hurt her like he always did? What was going on?

Sheex punched him again and again. His fist grew red with Nacien’s blood, but that didn’t stop him. To hell with kindness and mercy. He saw what this prick was about to do. He was not a hero, so to hell with the right thing. Sheex was going to beat the ever-loving shit out of this guy.

Not possible. No one ever helped. People would look at her with sympathetic eyes, but no more. No one ever did anything.

Sheex lost his grip. He punched Nacien so hard that the fat bastard flew free from his hands and rolled across the floor. Big deal. This wasn’t over yet. Sheex stormed across the fine oak floor as Nacien scrambled away.

The judge reached for something. So what? Sheex could smell the alcohol on the man. Let fate, God, and whoever else stood in his way be damned if this overweight, drunk of a man could scare him away. Whatever Nacien grabbed, he would be ready for.

Blood poured from his face, but Nacien’s brown eyes were alight with hatred. He reached for a wooden object of some sort. A cane. Yeah right. Like a stick of wood would stop him. Sheex raised his right hand high as Nacien gripped the steel orb that served as the top of the cane.

Not good. Nami had seen that cane before. Nacien had showed it to some friends, and she had spied it from her room. It wasn’t a cane at all. A steel blade was concealed within the wood, and with a turn of the hilt Nacien could withdraw the blade and do what he wished. The man in black was almost upon him as the hilt was turned.

What should I do? Nami thought to herself as the man in black came too close to Nacien. If she didn’t do anything the outcome was obvious. Nacien would take the punch from the man in black, and draw the blade. Unable to recover in time, the man in black would be stabbed.

She should warn him.

But if she did that her punishment would be severe. Whatever Nacien was about to do with the steel pipe would pale in comparison to whatever new torture he would think of. Best to keep quiet and deal with the pain as she always did. In silence and alone.

But what if, what if the man in black saved her? What if he won against Nacien, and took her away from this place? What if he did what no one else ever did, and helped her? Nami couldn’t fathom such a world, but surely such a world was worth the risk.

But that was just a dream. A sweet dream never to be. She could not be free. There was no new world for her, only this one. She had hoped for years for such a world, and it never came. It did not exist. The man in black reached for Nacien as the steel came out.

Unshaven. The man in black’s face had hair on it. Fuzzy hair. Fuzzy like a doggie’s. Nami remembered him. He helped her get to school on time. He saved her from a sure beating. Was he here to save her again?

“WATCH OUT!” Nami screamed, her choice made. So what if Nacien beat her? So what if he did whatever he had intended to do with that pipe? Better to suffer than to watch the only person who had ever dared to help her fall to the sword.

Sheex heard the warning. He leapt back at the last moment; a deathblow narrowly avoided. The blade arced across his chest and cut him deep; a red line appeared across his blue shirt as blood dripped down. Sheex stumbled backwards. Apparently he had not been ready for anything after all.

“RUN RUN RUN!” Nami shouted at the top of her lungs. But the man in black didn’t run. Instead, he rolled to the side and dodged another blow. That was good. But why didn’t he flee? He had to get out of here or Nacien would hurt him!

“GET AWAY GET AWAY!” Nami screamed as loud as she could. Big mistake. Nacien grabbed a nearby book from a hand-made bookcase imported from Corone, and flung it at her with all his might. Instincts kicked in immediately; the instincts of an abused child. She let the book hit her upside the head, and her neck jerked as she fell to the floor.

“You’ll get worse when I’m through with you, you little cu-” Nacien didn’t get to finish his sentence. Sheex grabbed a nearby chair, probably worth more money than he’d make in three years, and slammed it into Nacien. In testament to the chair’s fine craftsman ship, it only shattered into three pieces.

“You’ll be lucky to be breathing when I’m through with you!” Sheex bellowed as he grabbed one of the broken wooden legs of the chair and marched towards the drunkard. But Nacien was quicker than he had expected. A quick slash forced Sheex backwards with a solid cut above his eye.

“It’s none of your business how I chose to discipline to my child!” Nacien yelled as he thrust his blade low. This time he struck Sheex in the leg, and the wanderer stumbled and dropped his make-shift weapon. In order to support himself, Sheex grabbed a table; the table Nami hid under.

She didn’t say a word. To do so would risk more punishment, more pain. She was already in enough trouble, but she risked a gentle touch anyway. Just a tap, and nothing more. It wasn’t even for the man in black, it was for her. For just one moment, one sweet moment, she wanted to be as close as possible to the man before her. She would have given anything, anything in the whole wide world, for the man in black to pick her up in his arms and carry her once more. But, she dared not wish for such a sweet thing.

The wanderer shoved himself to his feet and took stock of the situation. Nacien was overage, drunk, and out of shape. Sheex was young, mostly in shape, and sober. Odds favored him.

Nacien had a sword. Without a thought Sheex reached for the daggers he usually kept in his coat. Nothing. Those daggers were tucked away in a courthouse somewhere. That left Sheex bare-handed. Odds were even at best, in Nacien‘s favor at worse. But Sheex felt the child’s touch and the hidden hope in her fingers.

I can beat this guy. Sheex thought to himself as he paced about the room. Nacien's wealth was apparent in everything; not a thing appeared to be a hand-me-down of any sort. A large dinning table was spread out, one place setting with a meal uneaten. A bottle of wine sat upon the white table cloth. Silverware set out perfectly. A perfect little home to hide a monster

“Did I ever tell you about the time I went toe to toe with a dragon?” Sheex asked with a grin. It wasn’t his usual grin. His usual grin was kind with a bit of mischief. This was a twisted grin. A grin one would wear before they inflicted pain upon another person. A grin one wore when they enjoyed the pain they inflicted.

“I recognize you,” Nacien spat as he held his sword forward. “You’re as full of shit now as you were back in court.”

“I’m serious. I was at this island called Black Isle, right?” Sheex whispered as his hand gripped the bottle of wine next to him. “This lunatic unleashes somewhere around sixteen hundred dragons. I killed one by myself. Really, I did.”

Nami allowed herself a sliver of hope. If the man in black could best a dragon, he might have a chance against Nacien. He might be able to save her.

I have to beat this guy. For that little child there, I have to win. Sheex thought as he looked to the scared little girl. Without another word Sheex flung the bottle at Nacien and charged.

And...to keep my promise to her. To return to Leila... Was the last thing Sheex thought as Nacien’s sword pierced him.

[Sheex]

A red rush of pain filled Sheex's body; his shoulder is suddenly very sore. But the bottle Sheex tossed struck Nacien in the chest, and the wanderer was able to backpedal away and prevent any more damage. He gently rubbed the cut above his eye, and wiped away a bit of blood before it interfered with his sight. Nacien chuckled.

"You're in over your head kid," The cruel man said as he raised his sword. "Do you know who I am?"

Nacien lunged, but the wanderer was a tad quicker. Sheex dodged another strike, and rolled towards the end of the table. Nacien followed but was forced back when Sheex grabbed a steak knife off the table and plunged it into his shoulder.

"Didn't feel a thing," The man laughed as he ripped the small kitchen utensil out of his shoulder, and dropped it to the ground. Sheex let a sly smile escape his lips.

"Then you must be really drunk. How well do you hold your liquor Nacien?" Sheex asked as he darted to the left. Nacien followed him and stabbed away. Sheex jerked back, and quickly moved to the right.

"Gotta be quicker!” He taunted as he leapt over the table. Nacien tried to follow, but not only was he out of, shape the alcohol slowed him down and made his movements sloppy. He stumbled as he jumped, and Sheex took advantage of the moment by slamming the dinner plate into Nacien’s face, food and all.

What else could he use to fight with? A an empty wine glass looked particularly. He leapt towards Nacien, and shoved the glass into the man’s face. Unfortunately, the wine glass did not shatter as Sheex had hoped it would. The fat man batted the glass aside and plunged his blade deed into his attacker's side.

His breath faint, Sheex rolled away. Blood dripped from his wounds and stained his clothes as well as the floor. He knew he had to do something different, but he had never been very good at fighting. Sure, he wasn’t half bad in a bar fight (he had started a few during his lifetime), but sword fights were a different matter. Especially when he didn’t have a sword.

“Puh-puh-please don’t die. You can leave, it‘s okay,” Nami whispered in the faintest of voices. The man in black looked hurt. He looked hurt bad. She dared to reach out to him and, to her great surprise, he reached back and squeezed her hand.

“No, I can’t,” The man in black said to her. What did that mean? Sure he could leave, all he had to do was walk out the door; nothing could have been easier. She didn’t understand, but she knew one thing for sure.

She did not want the man in black to leave her ever again.

“You are guilty of trespassing and attempted murder. You will be punished for your crimes. Severely,” Nacien said as he approached Sheex. The wanderer just spat a little spit on the ground, and stood up.

“You are guilty of being a piece of trash, and a worthless human being. You have not been punished for your crimes, but you will be. Right here, right now,” Sheex responded as he ignored the pain in his body and charged forward. Nacien grinned and ran at him, his sword held high.

A pretty girl in trouble is definitely an extraneous circumstance. Remember that Guy, cause it’s important.

Pretty girl, got to help her. Got it

At the last moment Sheex jerked to the left. Nacien stabbed him in the hard in the top of his chest; blood spurted from his wounds and onto Nacien. But that didn’t matter. Nacien didn’t stab his heart or his head, or any other vital organ. All though wracked with pain, Sheex's body still obeyed him, and if it still obeyed, then he could still fight. If he could still fight, he could still win.

You can't break a promise if you swear to God! It's really bad! God will get angry and...and...throw a thunderbolt at you!

Well, as I certainly don't want that, I had best keep my promise.

Sheex slammed the palm of his hand right into the tip of Nacien’s nose. Blood oozed from Nacien’s nose as his cartilage was smashed apart. Drunk as he was, the man knew something was wrong when he tried to breath and red bubbles was the outcome.

Sheex twisted Nacien’s hand hard. The bone made a sickening crack, and the sword fell to the floor. Both fighters reached for the blade, now the deciding factor in the fight.

You promise you’ll return?

I promise, and I always keep my promises.

Nacien screamed like a girl as the blade entered his stomach. Now the fight was completely in Sheex’s hands. The pain burned away Nacien’s drunken haze as he crawled backwards while Sheex, cradling his wound, advanced; an chilling avatar of vengeance.

"You can't do this!" Nacien stood and demanded as Sheex came ever closer. "I'm a town council member! I rule this town! I'll punish Leila! I'll take away everything she ever loved! I'll take away that stupid little brat of hers! What do you think of that?"

Nacien fell back onto the ground as he clutched the side of his head. His right ear was no longer attached; Sheex had cut it off. The wanderer's eyes were filled with more malice and rage than ever before.

"No Nacien. You will never take anything away from anyone ever again," Sheex whispered softly. His vision was blurred with so much hatred, so much anger. The sword in his hand shook with nothing save a desire to spill blood as he raised it high. There was only one way to make sure Nacien never harmed Leila.

“Wait! Wait! I can help you!” Nacien pleaded. “Remember, I am a judge as well! Your judge in your case! You don't want to be stuck with Leila, do you? I just decided your case, you are free to go!”

Nacien screamed in agony as Sheex slashed the sword across his right eye. It was a deep cut. Real deep. Bodily fluid that Sheex didn't know the name for seeped out of Nacien's sliced eye and onto the sword. Nacien's vision became red and dark as blood; all his senses registered were blood and pain. The man mumbled in incoherent agony as Sheex pressed the sword to the man's neck.

“Did you really think I’d sell her out for my sake? I’m not about to damn a little girl to hell for anything! Certainly not for my freedom!” Sheex screamed with righteous fury. It was time to end this.

“You have to die Nacien. To make sure you never hurt Nami again, to make sure Leila sleeps with no fear of losing her beloved son, you have to die. I'm sorry," Sheex whispered as he kicked Nacien to the ground, and pinned him there with his right foot atop Nacien’s chest. “Actually, I’m not sorry at all.”

Sheex hated to kill. He knew several people who could kill all day and not let it faze them. Not him though. Never him. He always remembered the people he killed. Every single one. Five people had been slain by the wanderer, and tonight it would become six. Let the tortured face of Nacien haunt him for all eternity; he could bare it.

Ah, but could Nami? As Sheex raised the blade to deliver the final blow, he saw her trembling in fear. The girl was so scared. She shook so violently that the table she hid under shook with her. She had gone through so much, did she really need to see this man die right in front of her? Sheex gazed upon the red mess that was once Nacien’s face, andsaw the fear there. Up until now, every person Sheex had ever killed had been in the heat of battle. It would not be so this time. This time he would kill someone who couldn‘t possibly fight back. Sheex honestly believed that Nacien had to die, but the man would die tortured as he begged for his life. Could Sheex kill a man like that? Was he capable of such a thing?

“Don’t...DON’T KILL ME PLEASE!” Nacien begged through blood and spit.

No. I am too weak. Damn it all!

Sheex grabbed the fat bastard by the collar, and lifted him up. When Sheex spoke, it was with a conviction he had never had before this day.

“Run away. Run away and never return,” Sheex whispered to the man as he lifted the blade to Nacien’s mouth. “I’m taking her away from you. If you ever so much as look at her again, I’ll kill you.”

Not enough. I want more.

“The price of mercy,” Sheex said softly as he jammed the sword into Nacien's mouth. Nacien’s scream came out as a garbled mess as he fought to free himself. Held in a steel grip, the man could do nothing as Sheex jerked the sword violently; a piece of Nacien's tongue flopped onto the floor. It landed with a disgustingly wet noise. Now, no matter what, you'll never be able to tell anyone anything. This is the price of my mercy. Sheex thought sadistically as he released the man.

The tortured man fled from his house and into the night, deathly afraid of what Sheex would do to him. The fear in the man's eyes told Sheex more than words ever word. Nacien would never return to this town. The wanderer then shook his head, and stared at the sword in his hands. It was covered with so much blood.

“I really hate these things. No point to them save to hurt people. Terrible things, swords,” Sheex whispered to himself as he tossed the blade away. The realization of what he had just done hit him, and that did not bother him at all. He had just tortured someone for the first time in his life, and it did not bother him in the least. That thought, however, made him sick to his stomach.

“I...I think I did the right thing. He deserved it. Yeah. I’m not a monster,” Sheex told himself as he fell to his knees. Did he really just do what he did? Did he just torture a man in front of his daughter? He felt like throwing up. His eyes then met Nami's, who stared at him with her big brown eyes.

“Nami. I...” Sheex didn’t know what to say.

“Why?” She whispered to him.

“I...” Sheex stuttered. How could he explain why he did what he did? Through it all, Nacien still was her father. Wasn’t he?

“I tried so hard.” Nami cried as tears welled up in her eyes. “I tried so hard to be a good girl! I tried! I tried! I TRIED I TRIED I TRIED!”

The little child slammed her hands into the ground as she wailed. Sheex was at a lost for words on what to do, so he just stood their dumbfounded. He wished Leila was here to help him.

“Daddies don’t hurt their daughters! Daddies smile at their daughters! Daddies don't lie to their daughters! Daddyies keep their promises! Daddies...Daddies...DADDIES LOVE THEIR DAUGHTERS!” Nami was in hysterics now. Sheex tried his best to console her.

“I’m sorry! I thought I was helping! Shit, I really messed up. I-” Nami cut him off with a wild look in eyes.

“WHY DON‘T I HAVE A DADDY?” The child screamed as loud as her little voice could manage. Sheex just hung his head in shame.

“Cause I’m a monster,” He answered back as Nami cried her heart out. Sheex had never felt so miserable and worthless in his life. He wanted to save this child, he really did. Instead he had just made her life worse.

“No one helped me! No one saved me! No one did anything!” Nami shouted, every bit of emotion she had ever tucked away came pouring out. “WHY DIDN’T ANYONE HELP ME?”

“I tried to,” Sheex managed to say. She stared at him with wild eyes, and then said something Sheex would have never expected.

“WHY DON’T I HAVE A DADDY LIKE YOU?”

“What? I...WHAT?” He shouted in complete shock. It wasn’t the proper or the heroic thing to say at the moment, but he was neither very proper nor very heroic. Instantly Sheex was bombarded by a wave of emotions, but the choice was obvious. The only question left unanswered was if he was strong enough to follow through with it.

We’re all in on this one. Sheex’s Good Shoulder Angel whispered to him.

Yup. You gotta do it. Sheex’s Evil Shoulder Demon added in.

We’re not giving you much of a choice here. Said Sheex’s Conscious.

It is a rare occurrence for all of us to agree, so you know it’s the right thing. Counseled Sheex’s Intelligence.

You screw this up, and you may as well kiss me good-bye cause I ain’t ever going to do what I do ever again. And that’s a loss for both of us. Threatened Little Sheex.

“I don’t know why,” Sheex whispered softly as he gazed up the child who cried before him. “But if you like, at least for a little while, I will be your daddy.”

Not possible. Nothing this good ever happened to Nami. Nothing close. But he was the man in black, the only one who ever helped her. Twice. But she didn’t believe it; it was just too good to be true.

Sheex saw the doubt in her eyes, and smiled at her. It was the first loving smile her daddy had ever given her.

“I promise I’ll do my best. Swear to God. And you can’t break a promise to God or he’ll...” Sheex began.

“Or he’ll throw a thunderbolt at you,” Nami finished. The two stared at each other for a while, then Sheex gently extended his hand to her. Nami took a deep breath, prayed to never ever wake up from this wonderful dream, and took the offered hand.

She was here again. It smelled sweaty here. Like a barn filled with animals. Her tiny hands reached up, and found the black coat stained red with blood. She didn’t care though. Tightly, as if it would vanish in the next moment, she wrapped the coat around her as Sheex lifted the tiny child up into his arms.

Nami closed her eyes, and then opened them. The man in black was still holding her tightly. He was still smiling kindly at her.

“Careful. I got a bit cut up there, and I don’t want you to get blood all over yourself,” Sheex whispered softly into her ear. His voice was so sweet, so kind. Nami had never heard anything like it. Then remembered what Nacien had done to the man in black; he was hurt.

Long ago, she had secretly watched from her window as Guy play with his mother. The boy had tripped and hurt his ankle. Nami had watched with awe as Leila had bent down, kissed the wound, and made it all better. Did that really work?

“Kiss it and make it better,” Nami said in the softest of voices as she gently kissed the cut on Sheex’s chest. She looked up at the man in black. Had it worked?

Oh, what a wonderful smile! Nami could stare at that smile for ever. It was so beautiful! The way that the man in black smiled at her was miraculous; it was everything she had ever wanted. How did he do that?

“Kiss it and make it better,” Sheex whispered back as he gently kissed the spot where Nami’s tiny heart beat ever faster.

“Come on. Let’s go home,” He said sweetly as he began to stumble away from the bloody mess the room had become. Nami wrapped the black coat around herself as tightly as she could, but made sure her right hand was always on the man in black’s chest as if to not touch him, even for a single moment, would admit everything had just been a wonderful dream.

Home? The little girl wondered silently as the cool wind rushed over her. She then, still wrapped in the black coat, hugged the man in black as tightly as she could.

Kissing makes it better. Nami swore to remember for all eternity.

[Sheex]

When Leila was a little girl she had acquired the rather nasty habit of biting her fingernails (specifically her thumb's) whenever she was nervous. In order to break this habit, her parents' told her she could either have dessert or her fingernails. This strategy had been effective, for a time, until her mother had passed away. After that, things such as nail biting no longer seemed important to her father. Hence, to this day, Leila Hope still chews upon her nails whenever she is nervous.

Sitting alone at the table in her dinning room, Leila had chewed her thumb red.

What should she do? She heard the sounds of a fight from next door; curses and screams broke the silent night. Should she check on Sheex? She kept a small crossbow upstairs for emergencies; she chided herself for not giving it to him before he left.

Perhaps she should bring it to him? But that would risk Guy; she could not do that. But she was so worried about Sheex. And Nami. If Sheex failed at whatever he had planned, Leila was sure Nacien would vent all his anger at that poor little girl.

“I have to do something!” Leila told herself as she sat up and looked around. “I won’t stand and watch anymore!”

“Sweet. Here I thought I’d have to ask you for help,” Sheex muttered as he stumbled into the dinning room. Leila covered her mouth as she gasped; he was badly hurt.

Instantly she raced across to him and began to check his wounds. She reached for his forehead, the cut there still bleed profusely; Sheex just shook his head at her. Leila withdrew her hand; hurt and dejected. Then she saw just why he had refused her help.

“Her first,” Sheex said as he gently brushed aside his coat with his left hand. His right hand cradled Nami, who was still very sore from her beating, but the young girl did not look to be in pain. If Leila had to guess, she would have said that the child looked scared. Not scared of what had occurred or what would occur, but rather scared that Sheex would leave her at any moment. Perhaps that was why the little girl clung so tightly to him.

“Hi sweetie,” Leila whispered in her gentlest voice as she gently put her arms around Nami. “You remember me?”

Nami nodded.

“Okay honey. I want to help you. I have some medicine, it will make you feel better. Is that okay?” Leila asked as Nami tightened her grip on Sheex.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be right down here if you need anything. I promise,” Sheex said softly. The young child considered his words for a moment, then reluctantly allowed herself to be carried away by Leila. But it would be okay.

Her daddy promised he’d be there if he needed her. Her daddy didn’t break his promises.

“I’ll get her changed and take a look at her upstairs. I keep a bit of medicine in the kitchen too. Top shelf, next to the dishes,” Leila whispered to Sheex as she walked away. Her voice was soft and sweet. And caring; as well it should have been. It was the first time she had actually talked to Sheex Deltin, and not some fictitious being her mind had conjured up to fulfill her loneliness.

“Thanks. I appreciate it,” Sheex said as he stumbled away.

“I appreciate you,” He heard Leila whisper back.

The adrenaline gone, his body now registered its complaints in full. His shoulder was sore and bleeding, along with his forehead. His forehead also stung profusely, and every now and then he had to wipe a bit of blood away before it dripped into his eye. His chest felt as if it were on fire, and his side ached with every small movement.

It was all worth it.

Sheex removed his coat and shirt while he laid out the medicine. It was simple stuff, but it would get the job done. It would also sting, as Sheex learned when he applied the first liquid to his side. He fell into a chair and gasped for a bit of breath as the medicine burned away at him. That was supposedly a good thing, since a doctor had once told Sheex that the pain from the medicine was a sign that it was working.

“Are you okay?” A young voice asked. Sheex turned his head to see Guy in the room with him. Dressed in his pajamas, the young boy leaned up against the wall and watched Sheex’s every movement. The wanderer favored the boy with a smile.

“Sure. I got cut...dealing with a jerk,” Sheex answered as he attempted to wrap a small cut on his right arm up with some bandages. He was completely unsuccessful until Guy walked over, and began to help him.

“I know,” Guy whispered softly as he expertly wrapped up Sheex’s arm. The child then grabbed one of the medicine bottles, poured a bit of it on a napkin, and applied it to Sheex’s chest. “I’m not stupid.”

“Actually Guy, I find you to be rather smart,” Sheex said as he winced in a bit of pain.

“When you were telling your story in the tavern and you said you had to help the princess because she was hot, I knew what you meant,” Guy told Sheex as he applied a few more bandages, moistened with medicine, to the man’s chest.

“It was a test? I hope a passed!” Sheex chuckled.

“I know what abuse is. I know what happens at Nacien’s house at night. I know why Nami always wears sweatshirts to school no matter how hot it is. I know why everyone looks at her with sad eyes,” Guy spoke in the ghost a whisper now. He didn’t look at Sheex when he spoke either, instead the boy focused his eyes solely on the table and the medicine there.

“Guy...” Sheex began. The young boy just continued to talk.

“We talk about child abuse at school. How it’s wrong. How it’s illegal. How you should tell an adult if you think it’s happening. What we don’t say is why we don’t help Nami. What they don’t tell us is why she is ignored.”

The boy’s voice grew to a dead silence.

“Why did we ignore her Sheex?”

It was such an innocent question. So simple, so straightforward. But sometimes it’s the simplest questions that are the hardest to answer. It is easy for a heartbroken man to ask why she left him; far harder to answer.

“I like stories. Stories of knights and dragons. Stories of swords and magic. Stories of heroes that save the weak. She was weak. Why didn’t we save her?”

Sheex frowned for a moment as Guy finished his work. Then, ever so carefully for Sheex had never actually done this before, he picked the child up and sat the boy on his knee. Guy looked to him, hoping for an answer.

“Sometimes Guy, sometimes life just isn’t that simple. Sometimes you can’t just do the right thing. It’s not nice Guy, but sometimes the right thing just doesn't work,” Sheex told the boy. The boy shook his head.

“That’s not right. Just because it might not work doesn’t mean I shouldn’t try,” Guy shot back. Then Sheex saw the guilt in the boy’s eyes. His guilt matched his mother’s; to be so close to pain and to do nothing at all.

“Neither you nor you mother could have done what I did Guy. You could have tried though. You could have tried to go over there, and you would be dead,” Sheex whispered to the boy. “Then, because of who he was, Nacien would have taken his anger out on your mother. You don’t want that, do you?”

“So I can't do anything? I want to help. I want,” Guy paused and leaned in close to Sheex, “to be a hero.”

It was such a child’s dream. But, as Guy was a child, it was a perfect dream. Besides, who could say what awaited the young boy? Perhaps some day the child would be a hero to someone. Or to everyone. Who knew?

“Guy, sometimes the world needs someone to dash in, sword held high. Sometimes it needs a bolt of lightning to strike down the wicked. Still, sometimes it needs a kind word and smile. Other times it needs cruelty, and a willingness to do what must be done.”

Sheex set the boy down, and knelt down before him so their eyes would be level. He then smiled a soft smile, and placed a kind hand on Guy’s shoulder.

“Do you want to be a hero Guy? Or do you want to help a little girl who is scared and alone?”

The young child frowned, and thought about Sheex’s words.

“Heroes get the fame you know. Roses in the street, parades in their honor. Everyone knows a hero's name. Lot’s of babes too. Not a bad life for some.”

Guy looked confused.

“You saved her so you’re a hero, right?”

Guy wanted advice on what to choose. Sheex continued to smile at the boy.

“No. I am not a hero Guy. I may seem like it sometimes, but I am not a hero. No roses for me, no calls to glory do I answer. No one knows my name.” Was Sheex’s cryptic advice.

“I do. It’s Sheex Deltin,” Guy answered back.

“And you know what Guy? That’s enough for me,” Sheex said as he stood up, and gently patted the boy on the shoulder. Guy pondered the words. That’s enough for me. Then it dawned on the young boy just what Sheex had meant.

He did not save Nami for glory. He did not save Nami to be a hero. He did not even save Nami because it was the right thing to do. Sheex saved Nami because that was what he wanted to do. Because he felt like he had to.

It didn’t matter what the world thought of you. All that mattered was what the people you loved, and who loved you back, thought of you. That was what Sheex was trying to tell him.

“I want to help her," Guy decided. “What does she need now?”

“She’s a lost little girl, confused and scared. I bet more than anything that now she needs an older brother who’ll look after her,” Sheex offered the child. Guy smiled.

“Okay. Good night Sheex,” The boy whispered as he walked back to his room. As he walked, Sheex noticed the boy’s eyes were alight with passion, and with something else. They were alight with respect. Respect for Sheex.

“Good night Guy,” Sheex whispered back. He then changed into a pair of sweats, washed just yesterday by Leila, and walked towards his bed. He froze when her voice came from behind him.

“I could have done something. I’m an adult. It’s my responsibility to do something,” She whispered sadly, more to herself than Sheex. She stood against a wall in the dark, her features were obscured by the dark of night.

“Cause you can take Nacien in a fight. No Leila. The responsibility of getting her out of there was mine,” Sheex said as he searched for her face in the darkness. He could not find it.

“Really?”

Such a soft and innocent voice. The voice of one who wished so dearly to accept the words laid before them as the truth. Sheex smiled at her, and although he could not see it, she smiled back.

“Really. It was something I had to do. Only question is, what comes next?” Sheex asked as Leila walked out from the darkness and into the light. Her red hair was a bit of a mess, her green eyes were tired with worry. Her white skin was pale, and her body shivered slightly. But, despite it all, she shone with a brilliance worthy of any hero.

“Not even a question. I’m going to raise that child Sheex. I’m going to give her all the love she never had. I will make her the happiest girl on Althanas,” Leila told him as she stood close to him. Sheex bowed his head slightly.

“That’s a big commitment. Being a single parent with two kids. I don’t think I could do that,” He admitted, both to her and to himself.

“I have a lot to make up for. You gave her a new chance at life. Just you watch wanderer, I’ll make sure she loves it.”

She was really something, Leila Hope. It was as if she saw all the challenges that such a task would bring to her, and not for a moment did she falter. Not once did she bat her eye. Sheex knew right then and there, Nami would be wonderfully happy here.

He also knew that he could never speak the words that Leila just had.

“She waiting for you,” Leila said as she pointed to Sheex’s little bed that folded out from the couch. Nami sat, now in blue sweats and a small gray sweater, patiently waiting. Involuntarily, Sheex took a step back. The amount of trust the child put into him scared him.

“It’s all right,” Leila whispered as she gently pushed Sheex a few steps forward. “Don’t be afraid.”

It was a very hard first step; Nami’s ears even perked up as he walked. The second step was a bit easier. The third step was tricky. He wanted to run away. The fourth wasn’t so bad. He thought he would die from the pressure on the fifth. After the sixth step he turned and looked at Leila.

“Thank you. For coming back.” She smiled at him, and what a smile it was. Sheex felt his heart leap just a tad at that smile, which was odd. She hadn’t had that affect on him before.

“I had to.” He smiled back. He couldn’t tell, but Leila felt the exact same way about his smile as he did hers.

“No you didn’t,” She said as she moved closer.

“Yes I did,” Sheex whispered to her. Their bodies were but six inches away from one another.

“Really?” Five inches now.

“Really.” Four inches.

“I wonder why.” They remained four inches apart.

“I promised. And whenever it got bad, whenever I thought I might die, all I could think of was that promise. My promise to return to you."

Both of their faces turned dark red.

"Well...well I guess that's something," Leila said as she gently placed her hand on Sheex's chest. She could feel his heart beat rapidly through his shirt.

"Guess so," Sheex said as he softly placed a hand on her shoulder. The tension in her body seemed to race through his fingertips; every moment between the two seemed like a journey to another world.

The two moved in close to one another. Breath from their lips danced and intertwined with one another. Their faces flushed red, their bodies began to sweat in passion. Would the kiss? What would that be like? Surely to these two people, who had had their fair share of romance (and then some), a kiss would be nothing at all. And yet, it was. For Sheex and Leila, a kissing the person before them seemed to be a monumental step in the journey that was life.

No. They weren't ready for such a step. Instead Leila embraced Sheex and, much to his surprise, he embraced her back. But it wasn't just an embrace; it was something else. Neither were sure what, but as Leila wrapped her arms around Sheex's chest and as he brought her close, everything just felt right.

Perhaps that was because of all the stress the two had just gone through. Maybe it was an embrace that signaled that things would be different between the two of them. A new start, so to speak. Or maybe the two, still in their earlier twenties, just desired the warmth of another body. Whatever the reason, Sheex knew one thing.

It was nice, this embrace with Leila.

"I'll see you tomorrow morning?" Leila asked as the two pulled apart. She let her hand linger for just a bit on Sheex's chest.

"I promise," Sheex whispered back as his hand stayed for just a moment longer on her shoulder.

Then the two separated. Leila walked back upstairs and marveled at Sheex's voice; it was warm and kind. As well it should have been, for that was the first time he had spoken to Leila Hope, and not some delusion created by his mind that represented the end of his freedom.

"Hey," Sheex said as he walked over to Nami, who had all the while patiently waited for her daddy to come back to her. Her brown eyes gazed upon him, and Sheex wanted to shrink away, but he held his ground.

"I'm scared," She told him in a trembling voice. "Scared of being alone. I don't want to be alone anymore. Can I stay here with you?"

What a simple request. What a sweet child. But sometimes the sweetest things are the hardest to abide. Like an old memory of the first time a pet long since gone cuddled against your chest. Painful, but at the same time, wondrous.

"Of course you can. You can always stay with me, an long as you don't mind a bit of snoring. I'm told I do that sometimes," Sheex answered as he lifted up the sheets. Nami smiled a radiant smile.

"Don't care! Just want to stay here, with you!" She almost shouted as she dashed under the covers. She quickly pulled them up over herself so that only her little head peeked out. She waited for him expectantly.

With a yawn and a smile, Sheex Deltin climbed into bed next to a little girl who thought of him as her daddy. The moment he had lain dow,n he felt Nami press against his chest; her tiny hands clung so tightly to his shirt.

"Can I have a kiss good-night?" She asked of him softly.

The smile on her face as Sheex kissed her was worth all of his freedom.

[Sheex]

Sheex learned, over the course of the night, that it was a bit harder than normal to fall asleep with a child on your chest. He would doze off for a bit, but then he would awake to Nami's shivers. He would hold the young girl tight whenever he woke up, and that seemed to calm her down a bit. But whenever Sheex fell back asleep he would soon awake to Nami's nightmares.

Eventually it got real bad. Not Sheex's lack of sleep, for he was use to a sleepless night every now and then. No, what got real bad was Nami's nightmares. She tossed and turned, cried and moaned. This time no matter how tightly Sheex hugged her the dark vision would not leave her mind. So he did the only thing he could think of, and kissed her once more.

Nami awoke drenched in sweat. She glanced about and felt around for anything familiar. Then she saw his eyes upon her and felt his hands wrapped tightly around her. He smiled upon her, and hoisted her up to his face. She wrapped her little hands tightly around him and sobbed. She sobbed at the dark nights and the terrible past. She sobbed at all the hurt and pain she had suffered through until tonight.

It was odd; Sheex had never really been close to a child before. Children scared him. To guide them along and to be responsible for the child's actions, the wanderer feared that. But some people just have a natural instinct when it comes to children. Some people just know what to say. Some people are just "Daddy." Of course, Sheex really didn't consider himself one of those people, but when he whispered the words "it's okay, Daddy's here" into Nami's ear, it made everything better.

The last thing she whispered before she fell asleep was "I love you Daddy."

*~*~*~

"Sorry, but I don't think I'll be walking you to school today Guy," Sheex whispered as the boy walked by him. The sun was up, and so was Guy. The boy carried several eggs and other ingredients towards the kitchen, where Leila was busy cooking something good (or so Sheex's sense of smell told him). Nami slept peacefully upon his chest.

"Mom says I can stay home from school today," Guy whispered back with a smile. Sick days that weren't really sick days were the best type of sick days in any child's mind. Sheex's eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep, but he grinned at the boy and held his right hand high. Guy slapped him a high-five, and dropped the eggs as he did so (but was quick enough to catch them before they hit the ground).

Sheex chuckled at the boy.

Twenty minutes later, minutes Sheex spent simply watching Nami breathe, the young girl opened her eyes and let out a loud yawn. Her strawberry hair was tangled and messed up; she wiped a bit of drool off of her chin. She looked about, completely unaware of where she was. But she knew one thing.

"Ah! I'll be late! Can't be late! Got to get to school on time!" She screamed as she saw the sun high in the sky. She had long ago grown use to telling time by the sun so she could better avoid Nacien's punishments. She made to spring out of bed, but Sheex just gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

"It's cool. No school today for you kiddo," Sheex said as he gently squeezed her shoulder. Nami stared at him for a moment, and then something very important dawned on her.

"It wasn't a dream?" She dared to whisper. She quickly scanned the area. This wasn't where she lived. She scanned the bed she was in. This wasn't where she slept. She looked at the man sitting next to her. He wasn’t...

"It wasn't a dream?" She said again, still not believing that she really was awake. She quickly pinched her shoulder to see if that would wake her up, for that was suppose to wake you up from any dream, wasn't it? Her arm throbbed a bit in protest, but nothing else changed. The room was still here. The bed was still here. He was still here.

"IT WASN'T A DREAM!" She shouted at the top of her lungs. She shouted so loud that Sheex cringed a bit, for he was right next to her, and her little voice carried quite a bit of punch. But the smile on his face as he cringed conveyed everything he thought straight to Nami.

The child could not contain herself. The nightmare was over. She leapt up and down on the bed, which was something she had never actually done before for fear of being punished. She was quite surprised to find that the moment she landed, she sprang back up in the air. Confused, she tried it again.

She laughed as she jumped about the bed. Tears of joy trickled down her chin as she sprung about. She jumped and shouted until she could jump and shout no more. Exhausted of energy, she breathed in deeply as she rested upon her knees. Her brown eyes met Sheex, and she looked upon him with all the reverence only a child could possibly possess. The reverence of a child who looked upon a beloved parent.

"Thank you," She whispered to Sheex. She gazed upon him with eyes full of love. Eyes filled with the knowledge that the person before her was everything she could ever want and would never leave her. Her eyes shown with the certain belief that Sheex would always be by her side, to raise and care for her.

Sheex was terrified of those eyes.

I want...to get out of here! Sheex thought but did not say. His breath grew quick, his hand flew to his chest. The wanderer's heart beat at a rapid pace, far faster than it had when he had faced down Nacien. He could not raise this child. He would fail, and she would suffer because he just didn't have what it took to raise a child. But there she was before him, with those eyes of love. He prayed for an escape, anything to tear him away those eyes of love. Anything would do.

And yet, part of him didn't want that look to go away. A tiny part of him wanted to grab Nami, and lift her high up into the sky and scream "never ever ever gonna let you go!" Sheex was not a smart man, but he liked to think he knew most things there were to know about himself. He liked women (a lot), his favorite drink was scotch (on the rocks), he wasn't a very good fighter (not even on a good day) and he loved his freedom (more than anything). So why, why did he feel this way?

As if she sensed his need, Leila appeared from the kitchen and broke the scene. Nami turned about as Leila carried with her trays of food (Guy helped). Leila had been up for almost two hours trying to figure out how she would start the next morning. She had decided on something simple and yet amazing.

"Who's up for breakfast in bed?" She said with a grin. She still wore her outfit from last night, a blue shirt with pink sweats. Sheex breathed a sigh of relief as Nami turned her attention away from him and towards Leila and Guy, who began to lay out the trays in front of Sheex and Nami.

"Breakfast?" Nami asked as she leaned her head to the side. Nacien didn't bother to feed her when she woke up. Instead, she scrounged up some food herself and ate it as she hurried to school. The idea of someone bringing breakfast to her was foreign.

"In bed! That's what makes it fun!" Leila smiled as she gently tapped Nami on the nose. "Don't get too use to it though. We will usually be eating at the table, but I figured today was special."

"We?" Nami dared to ask as she looked at Leila. Her smile was so similar to her Daddy's.

"If you want to stay. You don't have to of course. But Nami, if you want to, you are more than welcomed to live here with us," Leila said as she sat down at the edge of the bed and fixed Nami's hair.

"I...I can live here? With you?" Nami barely breathed the words. Everything she had ever endure faded into the past as Leila smiled and said "yes."

"I'll be the best daughter ever!" Nami swore. "I'll always be on time for school and do my homework as soon as I get home! I won't talk back or stay up past my bed time! I'll do the dishes and set the table and clean the kitchen and do the laundry and-"

Leila then picked Nami up into her arms and raised her high. She leaned in close to Nami's face, so close that their noses rubbed together. Leila kissed Nami gently, and with the most loving smile Sheex had ever witnessed, made Nami the happiest girl on Althanas.

"Whatever you do or do not do, for bad or for good, I will always love you Nami."

Nami cried one last time, but they were tears of pure joy. Leila hugged her daughter and kissed her, Guy grinned and shot Sheex a thumbs-up. The wanderer stood in awe of the scene he had just witnessed; forever would it be etched in his memory. He had seen a hundred different things in his wanderings, but what he had just seen and the feelings he had just felt shook him to the core.

Is this what it means to have a child? Is this how it feels to want nothing save for someone else to smile? Is this what it means to be ready to die in an instant, to give up everything, to sacrifice it all? I can't possibly comprehend it, but still...it is...nice. This feeling. Sheex thought as he gazed upon the family before him. What he felt here was something special, something amazing. For the first time since he had chanced upon Irenes and met Leila, he felt sad that he would have to leave it. Maybe she would let him visit.

"So? Are you hungry or what?" Leila asked as she set Nami back down onto the bed. Instantly the little bounded across the bed and into Sheex's lap. Nestled there, Nami pulled Sheex's arms around her as she reached for a plate.

She loved this. The smell of warm food, the smiles she saw. The love that was in the air was so thick one could cut it with a knife, and though the love was an unfamiliar feeling, Nami embraced it wholeheartedly. It was everything she had ever dreamed of, everything she had ever wished for. But, more than anything, the little girl loved being in her daddy's arms.

This was heaven. The way he smelt, the way he held her; Nacien never held her except to hurt her. But not the man in black; his arms were always filled with warmth. If she could have just one wish, it would be to spend the rest of her life exactly where she was right now.

Sitting down to breakfast with her daddy.

[Sheex]

Leila had outdone herself. Sheex had many eaten many meals in her house, but this one broke all the records; the woman had cooked almost every type of breakfast imaginable. Spread out amidst the trays were eggs, bacon, ham, biscuits, jelly, orange juice, more eggs, sausage and one type of meat that Sheex wasn't exactly able to identify, but smelled delicious nonetheless.

But the food wasn't the most marvelous part of the morning. The most marvelous part of the morning was, in Sheex's honest opinion, Leila. She gave Nami a future. She gave Nami hope. When he was sure no one else was watching, Sheex bowed his head in respect to Leila.

Yet Leila thought much the same of Sheex. How he had heard the child scream and, in the dead of night, he had dashed over to help her without a thought of his own safety. Consequences didn't matter, what mattered was that an innocent girl was saved. That was what heroes were made of. Sheex may have not had any special sword arts or mystical spells at his disposal, but that made him all the more heroic in her eyes.

If Sheex could have read her mind, he would have chuckled and shook his head. He would say something along the lines of "not really" or "I was just doing what I wanted to." If he felt particularly truthful, he would have told her that "heroes don't torture other people."

But then again, if the two could read each others' minds and discern the hidden truths there, all of the nonsense that plagues humanity would no longer matter. All lies and deceptions would be whisked away, what would remain would be the truth.

Just Leila, Sheex, and their feelings for one another. No more, no less.

"Daddy...your food's getting cold..." Nami whispered as she gently tugged at Sheex's shirt. Sheex broke his contact with Leila and looked down to see the little girl, her face a mess of eggs and pieces of bacon, offering him a biscuit (already buttered to perfection).

"So sorry. How is it?" Sheex asked as he took a big bite out of the offered biscuit. Nami smiled gleefully as she gulped down another spoon full of eggs.

"It's the best breakfast ever." The child whispered as she snuggled into Sheex's chest while Leila and Guy exchanged looks. As only a mother and son can, the two smiled at one another and conveyed their thoughts in an instant. Welcome to the family Nami.

“Hey kid. Aren’t you going to join us?” Sheex asked as he finished off the rest of his biscuit. Guy looked at his mother for permission and received a smile and a nod. With gleeful eyes Guy looked towards Sheex and jumped up on the bed, then the boy pulled the covers over his knees (for that was the best part about breakfast in bed).

“I made the bacon Sheex!“ Guy shouted with pride as he grabbed a plate of his own and began to pile food upon it. He then saw his mom raise her eyebrows, and then Guy sheepishly admitted that “Mom helped a little.”

“Aren’t you going to eat with us Mommy?” Nami asked as she swallowed a mouthful of eggs and let out a little burp. She quickly looked around to see if anyone was angry with her, but Leila just wiped her chin free of the food that had missed her mouth. Then Nami watched to see Leila's reaction to being called "Mommy."

It was a smile.

“Well excuse you sweetie! And I already ate, got to keep up my figure you know?” Leila said as she playfully twirled like a model. Then again, it could have been said that she modeled for Sheex.

“Oh come on mom. You’re pretty,” Guy muttered in a bit of a shy voice.

“Yup. Really, really pretty," Nami said, not because she thought it was what her parent wanted to hear, but rather because it was what Nami thought. It would take some getting use to, being able to speak her mind.

That damned bet! Sheex found himself thinking. Everyone was happily eating away at the breakfast Leila made, but she couldn’t join in because Sheex had made that stupid bet, and Leila was too good of a woman to break her word. He quickly thought about taking his meal outside like he normally did, but Nami sat firmly on his lap, and it was quite clear that the little girl did not want to be moved. No matter. Sheex could fix this.

“You know,” He began, “the deal only applied to my meals outside, as I recall. So, you know, there’s nothing stopping you from eating with us. If you want to.”

“What deal?” Guy asked as he looked to Sheex. The young boy had not been present when Sheex had made his bet with Leila, but before the wanderer could answer, Leila let out a giggle.

“Oh, just something some stupid adults did,” Leila said as the group made room for her (Nami remained firmly planted on Sheex’s lap).

“Silly of them really. I think all the ham is gone Leila, take what’s left of mine,” Sheex threw in as he scraped some of the food off of his plate and onto Leila’s.

“Thank you Sheex. Can you please pass me the juice Guy?”

“Sure Mom. Want another biscuit Nami?”

“Yes please. I'd...I'd like it with butter too...if that's okay.”

"Of course!"

“Hey Leila, can I have some juice?”

“Say please Sheex.”

“Hey Leila, can I please have some juice?”

“Now add in something about how good I look. Something to do with my legs. I like my legs.”

“MOM!”

“Hey lady with the legs-so-fine-I-want-to-make-you-mine, can you please pass me the juice?”

“Why, certainly.”

“Wait, don’t move Leila!”

“Why? What‘s wrong?”

“Nothing. I just wanted to gaze upon your beauty a bit longer.”

“Oh my! My heart’s racing, you smooth-talker you!”

“Sheex, can you like, not hit on my mom at the breakfast table?”

“This ain’t a table kid.”

“Can I have another biscuit please Mommy?”

After breakfast, the four cleaned up the plates (which consisted of simply moving them off of the bed for the moment) and traded looks. Nami rubbed her stomach, which was more full than it had been in years, while Guy leaned against his mother and let out a yawn. He had gotten up early to help his mother cook after all.

“Well, it’s a sick day! What should we do?” Leila asked around, but the way she looked at Sheex told him the question was clearly meant for him.

“Don’t know about you, but I’m tired. I wanna take a nap,” Sheex said with a yawn as he laid back down on his pillow. Nami, who had never missed an opportunity to cuddle with her daddy, quickly nuzzled against his chest.

“Can I sleep here again? Pretty please?” Nami asked politely. The abused child of last night was nowhere to be found. Instead, the girl who nuzzled against Sheex bubbled with uncontainable happiness.

“Sure. Ha. Guy’s already asleep. Well, may as well set some ground rules Leila,” Sheex said as he reached over, and put a pillow between him and Leila. “This side is my territory, that side is your territory. Let’s keep on each other’s side, okay?”

“Spoilsport,” Leila chuckled as she wrapped her arms around her son and laid down. She breathed in a deep gulp of air, and smiled as she exhaled it.

Hey dummy! He’s just saying that! Go on, get close to him! Any man would want that! Leila’s Evil Shoulder Demon whispered to her.

No, no, no! We’ve got to play this right! No screw-ups! We play by his rules! Countered her Good Shoulder Angel.

Look, this is a new beginning. We can’t afford to mess it up by being too forward. That scares men away, after all. Stated Leila’s Intelligence.

And we don’t want to be too frisky around the kids. So let’s just play it straight. Finished Leila’s Conscious.

So, when do I get to meet this not-so-little-Sheex everyone keeps talking about? Asked a certain part of Leila (which shall remain nameless).

Before she could finish her inner monologue, Leila let out an involuntary scream and shot straight up. Guy shook himself awake as Nami’s eyes fluttered open. Both of the children looked to Leila, who was red in the face.

“What’s wrong Mom?” Guy asked sleepily.

“Sheex...Sheex invaded my territory!” Leila shouted accusingly as she rubbed the spot on her butt that Sheex had pinched while he let out a loud and triumphant laugh. Guy rolled his eyes, and stuck his head under a pillow, while Nami just yawned a went back to sleep. Sheex gave Leila a playful shrug while she shook her head at him (but not very harshly at all).

When everything had settled down, Leila dared to reach over the pillow, and place her hand on Sheex’s hand. He hesitated for but a moment, and then squeezed her hand softly. She squeezed back. The two then fell asleep, but their hands remained locked together.

[Sheex]

"Hello? Althanas to Sheex? Are you there?" Leila asked as she waved her hand in front of Sheex's face. With a blink, he snapped back into the real world. The sun was setting, Guy and Nami were playing some sort of game that involved a red ball (Sheex was still not quite sure on the rules), and he himself sat upon the porch on his usual spot on the stairs. Leila gave him a puzzled look.

"Dinner will be ready in a few minutes. What's up with you?" She asked as she sat down next to him. Sheex shrugged, and turned his attention back to the children.

"Just thinking," He answered. It had been, as far as Sheex would say, a good day. The four had slept for a few hours, played tag in the backyard, ate lunch, heard a story from Sheex about how he had once been mistaken for a prince, helped Leila do the laundry, and about half a dozen other things that were both simple and wonderful.

"I'll go down on you if you tell me what's on your mind," Leila whispered seductively into Sheex's ear as she gave it a playful lick; that was sufficient motivation for him to pay attention to her. It was also sufficient motivation for Sheex to quickly adjust his hair, and move a bit closer to her with a sly grin on his face as she let out a laugh.

"Hey! What happened to the territory rule?" Leila laughed as he pulled her close.

"Not-so-little Sheex has declared a truce, and would like to come over as an ambassador," Was Sheex's quick reply.

"Oh my! I shall consider his offer of, shall we say, diplomatic incursion?" Leila shot back. Both began to laugh hysterically.

"Good enough. Good enough," Sheex said as he shook his head. "Actually, I was thinking about the kids. Well, more specifically, her."

"Nami?"

"Yeah. It's weird," Sheex said as he frowned and adjusted his coat for the sake of having something to do. "I don't like people counting on me. Especially kids. Commitment scares me. But for some reason..."

He hesitated for a moment. Leila did not push or prod him to continue, instead she patiently waited with a kind smile. It took almost a minute, but Sheex eventually told Leila what had been haunting him ever since this morning. It was quite a wonder what her smile could do to him.

"I miss her. I mean, and it's stupid I know cause she's not ten feet from me, but I miss her sitting on my lap. I miss her cuddling on my chest. I don't want her putting her faith in me, but I...well...I'm confused," Sheex said as he ran a hand through his hair while his face turned a shade of red. Leila just smiled, and gazed upon the two children.

"Children are tricky things. A hundred responsibilities, and for what? A smile? A word of love? Their complete obedience? I guess it's different for everyone, but for me, there's something very special about raising a child. Something you can't find anywhere else," Leila said as she clapped when Nami managed to catch the ball for the first time. The young girl smiled and waved back.

"It's still weird. And confusing. And hard," Sheex muttered as he waved at Nami. She energetically waved back at him.

"Well I never said it wasn't. Try giving birth some time and see how that feels," Leila shot as she playfully bumped her shoulder into Sheex. He playfully bumped back into her.

"I shall put it on the to-do list. I'll get around to it when I have the time," Sheex joked as his voice faded out. He then stood up, and whispered a few last words to her. "Time. Never really have enough of it, huh?"

Nami and Guy fled to Sheex as three town guardsmen approached the house. He walked up to meet them as Nami reached her daddy and hid behind his legs. Leila trailed a bit behind, while Guy strangely stood between the guards and Sheex.

"Mr. Deltin. Ms. Hope. We'd like to talk you about last night. There were reports of a fight of some sort at the house next to yours," Began the lead guardsman. He looked to be in his fifties or so. His eyes seemed a bit too soft for a guard, too gentle. The same could not be said of the other, younger, guardsmen. Sheex recognized one of them as the guard he had tackled when he had first arrived at the inn.

"Why whatever would give you that idea? Are you sure it wasn't the routine that happened every night, or so I hear?" Sheex answered with a yawn as he stretched his arms out. Given his previous meetings with this town's guards, he was certain he wouldn't be around Leila much longer. Might as well just come out swinging.

"There was never any proof of anything, just rumors," One of the other guards spat at Sheex. The wanderer was pretty sure he had punched that particular guard at one time another. Oh well.

"Sure there wasn't. Whatever happened to old I'm-not-beating-my-kid Nacien anyway? That is who we're talking about, right?" Sheex asked in a carefree voice. All that mattered was that Nacien was no longer around to hurt anyone. All that mattered was that Nami had been rescued from a living nightmare. All that mattered was that Guy had his mother, and she had her boy. All that mattered was that Leila didn't have a reason to cry at night anymore. Sheex smiled at that last particular thought.

All that mattered was Leila? Odd thought that.

"Dead. His mutilated body was found about a mile outside of town. You really did a number on him. I knew you were a psycho the minute I laid on my eyes on you. Let's just arrest him already!" One of the younger guards said as he grabbed Sheex, and pulled him over as the other young guard cuffed the wanderer's hands behind his back. Nami squealed, and tried to pull Sheex back, but Leila stopped her.

“Now, now. As you said earlier, there’s no proof. Let’s not jump to conclusions here,” The older guard whispered gently as he gently placed a hand on Sheex’s shoulder. That caused the wanderer to raise his eyebrows.

“Proof? Hell, the girl is right there! Seems pretty clear cut to me. This guy broke into Nacien’s house, beat the shit out of him, cut his ear off and grabbed the girl. I’m just not sure if the cutting of the tongue happened before or after the ear!” The younger guard shouted as he pulled Sheex along. Sheex then noticed the man had a black eye. No wonder he was pissed.

“Couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy,” Sheex muttered as he was pulled away from Leila, Nami and Guy. This upset Nami greatly.

“Where are they taking Daddy? Don’t go Daddy!” Nami cried as she chased after Sheex, only to be quickly picked up by Leila. Nami did not, however, in any way stop her screaming. Her tiny, slender arms reached for him desperately. “DON‘T LEAVE ME DADDY!”

“There must be some mistake,” Leila began. “Sheex could not have been at Nacien’s house last night.”

“And why’s that?”

“Because he was with me.”

“All night.”

“Every second.”

“Doing what?”

A sly smile crept up on Leila’s face.

“Sheesh, aren’t you a newlywed? Bored already huh? Okay, I’ll give you the play-by-play. First we went upstairs,” Leila began. Sheex quickly interjected.

“Hey Leila! What’s the big idea? Just tell them what happened already!” Sheex shouted as he moved towards her. He was quickly restrained by the guards.

“That’s what I’m about to do silly. Okay, so I was feeling a little frisky that night, and Sheex here was all too happy to oblige. First to go; the pants. Oh, you were right Sheex. He is not little.” Leila giggled playfully as Nami wondered what was going on. The older guard stroked his beard (which had but a few dark hairs left in it), while one of the younger guards rolled his eyes.

“And yet, given who she is, this is actually a plausible story,” The young man muttered.

“Come on Leila, quit screwing around!” Sheex shouted at her; she ignored him. Guy looked to be torn between saying something, and keeping quiet.

“Was strangely what he said last night. I like to tease a bit too much I guess. Now which way did we start? Oh, yeah. I was on top,” Leila continued on.

“So your alibi is you were to busy screwing the town slut to be at Nacien’s house?” One of the younger guards asked Sheex. The wanderer really couldn’t tell which one it was, but he lunged at the direction of the voice anyway. Give that he was handcuffed, it was easy for the guard to toss Sheex to the ground.

“Certainly seems valid. Say Leila, what number is this one?” The other guard asked harshly; Leila’s face grew red with shame. Sheex could only imagine how hard this was for her, to say such things in front of her son. Guy himself seemed to be choked with emotion.

“How should I know? The count at the bar is probably more accurate than my memory anyway,” Leila muttered under her breath.

“And the cut on his head?”

“What can I say? I like it rough.”

“What about you kid? Was your mom hollering his name all night long? Wait, what is this guy’s name anyway?” The guard asked Guy sarcastically. The young child clenched his fist tightly with as a tear welled up in his eye.

“It’s Sheex. And yes, she was! So let him go already!” Guy shouted at the guard. The boy’s voice was loud and forceful; strong enough to make even a grown man step back a bit. Sheex quickly stood to his feet and started to speak, but then he saw the look in Leila‘s eyes. He bit his tongue and hung his head; silenced by those emerald eyes.

“Look, it’s pretty simple. Someone broke into Nacien’s house for whatever reason. I don’t know who, but I can guarantee you it wasn’t Sheex, because he was with me. Nami came over last night, and I took her in; I am her neighbor after all. And her friend. And now, apparently, her mom. There's no problem with that, is there?” Leila said (or perhaps more demanded) as she flicked her fiery red hair back with a wave of her head. The young guards exchanged looks while the old guard looked at Nami.

“Why did you call him ‘Daddy?’” He asked the child. With more bravery than Sheex had ever seen, Nami slowly climbed down from Leila’s arms, and walked towards Sheex. She looked at the old guard who simply crossed his arms, and awaited her answer.

“Because he is my Daddy. He is MY DADDY! I WON’T LET YOU TAKE MY DADDY FROM ME!” Nami screamed as loud as she could. In the next instant she was at Sheex’s side, doing her best to shield him from the guards with all four feet of her body.

Self-sacrifice is inherently a noble act. It doesn’t matter who, it doesn’t matter when, to sacrifice yourself for another is one of the most amazing things a human being can do. So to put into words the nobility of a six year old girl ready to sacrifice anything to protect the one she loved more than any thing else is in the world is, quite simply, impossible.

“You didn’t do anything to help her! You stood by! Why not stand by some more?” Guy shouted as he balled up his fists and moved next to Nami. He took the left side, she took the right. “Just go away!”

“There’s nothing for you here. Can’t you just leave us be?” Leila said as she to stood by Sheex, who was at this point, completely at a lost for words.

“We have a job to do-” One of the guards began. Guy glared at him so fiercely the man shut up instantly.

“You don’t do anything! I know the law! You need proof! Well, you couldn’t prove the screams at night were anything more than a ‘parent disciplining their child’ right? Well then, prove it now!” Guy screamed at the top of his lungs, knowing full well they couldn’t. After all, screams from Nacien’s house had been a commonplace event. What was another night of screams in a town that had never stopped a single one?

“Listen you little smart ass-” The guard tried again. Fiercely, with all the bravado that Sheex ever thought he himself had, Guy puffed out his chest and grinned.

“I’d rather be a smart ass than a dumb ass like you!”

The guard’s face turned red as he moved towards the boy; his hand was raised high; Sheex was quicker and smashed into the guard with his shoulder. The guard tumbled to the ground, and the wanderer earned a swift punch in the face from the other young guard for his efforts. The old guard then moved far faster than Sheex had thought him capable of, and flung the other guard to the ground.

“Enough of this nonsense! Punching a man in handcuffs and attacking a boy! Judge Noah will enjoy hearing about this little incident!” The man barked, his voice full of authority. The two young guards quickly turned pale.

“But the kid was being a...” One of them stammered.

“Was being a what? Whatever you’re about to say, it will either make you look like a fool or an ass. Or both. So shut up and get lost! Both of you!” The old guard grumbled as the two young guards got up and walked away. Sheex could hear the words “stupid slut” being muttered towards Leila as they walked away.

“Well now. If you’ll allow me?” The remaining guard said with a smile. Ever so slowly, the family parted, and allowed the guard to approach Sheex. With a grin, the man uncuffed Sheex, and picked him up off the floor.

“It is as the boy says. If we couldn’t prove Nacien beat Nami, then we certainly can’t prove whatever happened last night was anything involving you. Especially with Leila’s testimony. Judge Noah agrees,” The man told Sheex. The wanderer blinked.

“The dumb one?” Was all he could say. The guard chuckled.

“He has attended one of the best schools in Corone you know. Passed with honors. Oh, those two won’t say a word, they are already close to losing their jobs. Attacking a child is enough to get them fired. As well as attacking an innocent man,” The old guard said as he patted Sheex on the back. The wanderer suddenly had the feeling that Judge Noah had quite a large hand in the recent events.

“I...I think I need to change the way I categorized Judge Noah,” Sheex whispered softly. The guard just shrugged.

“In any case, I have been instructed to tell you that, as there is nothing to connect you to last nights events, you won’t be bothered again. Whatever you did last night, well, Judge Noah says to keep on doing it. Take care of your Daddy!” The guard said as he gave Nami a friendly wave good-bye. She waved back.

Sheex turned to stare at the three who had defended him; they certainly weren’t your average heroes. A little girl who had gone through God only knew what, a young boy who liked to read stories and play outside, and a woman Sheex’s age who’s skills consisted mostly of cooking and doing laundry. He had seen many things, but what he had just saw left him breathless.

“Why?” Sheex finally managed to ask. “Why did you all protect me?”

[Sheex]

It just wasn't right. In fact, it was down right wrong. They shouldn't of done that. They shouldn't have risked anything for him. He was nothing. No, he was worse than nothing. He was a murderer. He was a murderer who wandered the world, loving and leaving women as often as he could.

Nacien wasn't even his first kill. He was his sixth. One man Sheex had killed in an accident; he had been sparring foolishly with real weapons. What an idiot he had been. If Sheex hadn't been so damn headstrong four years ago, a man named Robert Evans would still be alive.

The next four came in quick succession. Chad Eltoshan. A friend of Robert, and a show-off. Especially around his girlfriend, Lyn Grey. Chad died first, for he and Lyn had attacked Sheex in the middle of the night. Sheex ran as Lyn cried, unable to protect her loved one. To his knowledge, Lyn Grey was still alive. She probably still hated his guts.

A day later Sheex had crossed path with a man called Jake Forcen. He had been Robert's best friend, and had desperately wanted to avenge a wrongful death. He had fought Sheex fairly, and had died for it. Sheex himself had barely managed to walk away from that fight.

Jerme Caligula. A twisted man, who simply liked to kill for the sake of killing. He didn't care about Robert, Jake, Lyn, or anyone else for that matter. All that mattered was that there was someone to be killed. Jerme had even killed a young woman to bait Sheex into fighting him. Sheex was rarely haunted by Jerme's face, but he was haunted sometimes nonetheless.

Last came Trep Valiant, a man who had fought not for his dead friends, but rather for the ones that were still alive. Fairly and honorably, Trep had dueled Sheex to the death. The pack of cigarettes that Sheex carried with him; a parting memento from the man who had died blameless, and without holding any grudges.

Now there was a sixth man Sheex had killed. Nacien; Sheex scoffed at the fact he didn’t even know the man’s last name. He would have to fix that; it wouldn’t do to not remember the full names of the people he had killed. It would serve as a reminder of the sins he had committed. Perhaps that was why he wandered, perhaps that was why he sought comfort in the arms of women. Perhaps that was why he drank so often; to forget the sins he had committed.

No. He sought comfort in the arms of women because sex felt good. He drank because alcohol felt good. He wandered because it was freedom. Total freedom. No restrictions. No one to tell him where to go or how to dress; total and complete freedom. He accepted this life of freedom, as well as the eventual end that could not be avoided.

Most likely he would die face down in a ditch somewhere. His body would be food for the crows, and the great cycle of life would continue.

So why? Why had these three people, all far better people than him, risked there well-being for him? It didn’t make any sense! He didn’t deserve it! Guy and Nami looked ready to go toe-to-toe with the guards. They could’ve been hurt! And Leila? Why had she said those things? She would be made fun of even more now.

“You guys just don’t get it, do you?” Sheex rasped as they stared at him. “You think I’m something special, don’t you? A big hero.”

He was angry. Angry that they had done what they did. Why though? He should be happy. Happy that there were people out there who truly, deeply cared for him. So why? Why did he feel so angry?

It was because he was scared. Deep down inside, he was scared about what would happen to these three people who had defended him. These feelings of love and kindness, he feared these more than any other feeling in the world. What if he wasn’t good enough? What if one of them got hurt because of his actions? He couldn’t bare such a thing, so he became angry.

Not once did it occur to Sheex to consider just exactly why they defended him.

“Let’s get one thing straight guys, I am a piece of shit. You got that? A piece of goddamn shit!” Sheex shouted at them. They backed away; that was good.

“I do not do things because it is the right thing to do, I do things because I want to do them. If that involves saving a little girl, then I save the girl. BUT! If that involves getting a woman drunk and having my way with her, then leaving before she can say another word, then I do that! You ought to know that better than anyone Leila!”

She looked hurt; had his words hurt her? He hadn’t meant for them to be harmful, he had meant for them to be truthful; they were truthful. He couldn’t even remember when he had slept with her. That right there summed up just exactly what type of man Sheex Deltin was.

A murderer who took advantage of innocent women like Leila. Damn me to the foulest pits of hell!

“Come on Sheex. We didn’t do it because we thought you were a hero,” Leila answered slowly. She gently reached out to him; he recoiled amazingly quickly.

“We just wanted to help you. Just like you wanted to help us!” Guy threw in. Sheex looked at him with wild eyes.

“Wanted? Have you forgotten kid? I got dragged into this damn mess completely against my will! I came here kicking and screaming! I NEVER WANTED THIS!” Sheex shouted as he waved his arms violently through the air; he shouted more at himself than anyone else. What was happening to his freedom? It seemed to be vanishing each and every day he spent here. He didn’t want that. Did he?

He wasn’t sure anymore, and that too terrified him.

Only Nami remained standing. His last remark, that he had never wanted any of this, broke Leila and Guy. Shocked, Leila actually stumbled backwards at those words. Of course, she had always known this to be true.

None of the men she had ever been with had ever wanted her. Not really.

Guy was hurt too; he looked up to Sheex. Deep down inside, he actually wanted this one to stay. The young boy, a brilliant mind, knew that this one was different. He saw the way his mother looked at Sheex. She hadn’t looked at another man like that. Ever.

It is perhaps one of life’s greatest ironies that a child’s mind can clearly see the things that are forever clouded in the eyes of an adult. Leila Hope honestly didn’t know how she felt about Sheex Deltin.

“Sheex...” Leila began.

“Knock it off Sheex...” Guy whispered.

“No! You guys knock it off!” Sheex was both screaming and pleading. Screaming out of anger, pleading out of fear. “Don’t ever do anything like that again! You hear me? Never defend me again! EVER!”

Guy and Leila averted their eyes. They couldn’t bare to look at him; they had thought they had done the right thing. Were they wrong? Only Nami’s eyes remained focus on Sheex, and those big brown eyes stared up at him, contemplating something very important.

“I’m a murder. A goddamn murder. A lecherous, perverted murderer. I killed a man, and I tortured him too. I am shit,” Sheex whispered to Nami. Many a person could kill and be no worse for the wear. Not Sheex. Never Sheex. He always felt the pain of regret when he took a life. Nami still did not look away from Sheex; her eyes were focused solely on him.

“You want a hero? Go find someone else,” Sheex said as he tore away his gaze from Nami. He just couldn’t stand those eyes any longer. They were filled with love, kindness, hope, and most of all faith. Complete faith in the man before her.

Nami smiled, and took a step forward. Leila and Guy looked to her for a miracle; she just looked to her daddy.

“Don’t want a hero. Don’t need a hero,” Nami whispered just loud enough for everyone to hear. “Just want a Daddy.”

Sheex looked at this young girl as she held out her arms; the universal sign that a child wished to be picked up and held. He stared at this little girl, with her strawberry-blonde hair and dark brown eyes. She still wore a sweater, for her body still bore the scars of years of abuse. With the innocence only a young child could possibly attain, her smile grew even larger.

He hoisted the young girl up. She wrapped her tiny arms around his neck and hugged him. He hugged her back; his heart elated at this wondrous feeling. Until that moment, Sheex Deltin had never really understood why anyone would want to have a child. After that moment, he could not fathom not wanting to have one.

“You’re my Daddy,” Nami said softly, so that only Sheex could hear her words. “Best Daddy in the world.”

"But I'm a killer. I killed another person. I know he was a jerk, I know he had it coming, but GODDAMN IT I just can't stand taking a life!" Sheex cried. He didn't just scream or shout, he actually cried tears. He sobbed a pain-filled gasp, for killing always shook him to the core. If he could do it all again, Sheex knew that deep down inside, he would still take Nacien's life. For this little girl in his arms, he would happily kill that monster of a man. But nevertheless, he still felt the pain of ending another man's life, regardless of the reasons.

"I tortured him too. I cut him, I hurt him. I sliced off his ear, cut his eye, and...and tore away his tongue too. I...I think I enjoyed it...SHIT!" Sheex sobbed as his tears ran down his cheek. He was scared. Scared of what he would become. Sheex was never a violent person; he firmly believed that violence often caused more harm than good. Still, there were times where a man needed to fight. To protect something important, to help someone in need, Sheex honestly believed that those were times a man just had to stand up, and do what must be done. But torture? How could he even have contemplated such a vile act, much less follow through with it? What was he in danger of becoming?

"Oh, Daddy, Daddy! Please don't cry!' Nami begged as she quickly leaned in close, and kissed at each tear that rolled down his cheek. "I'll kiss it and make it better as many times as it takes! A hundred times, a thousand times! As many as you need, so Daddy please don't cry!"

Sheex broke. Still clinging to Nami, he fell to his knees and embraced her tightly. He reveled in this feeling of love like never before. Guy placed his hand on Sheex’s shoulder; the wanderer closed his eyes.

"You did all right by us Sheex. You're no monster, so don't even think such things," Guy whispered into his ear. "That's what matters, right? Like you told me, what matters is what the people who care about you think."

Sheex stifled his tears and nodded. Nami still continued to peck away at his cheek and squeeze him tightly. Leila moved in close to him, and he honestly felt the air around him change when she drew near; it seemed a little more pink. At least, that was how Sheex would later describe the feeling.

"And we think the world of you," She whispered softly. "Your actions that night, in a way, saved us all."

“They’ll make fun of you. Now more than ever before,” Sheex said to Leila; the alibi she gave him would cost her. Bobby's cruel jokes about her "never-closing legs" would triple, as would others. All Leila did was kneel down, and wrap her arms around him.

“You’re worth it,” She said softly as she kissed his cheek. Although he been kissed by many girls, in many ways, on many parts of his body, his heart had never beat faster than when Leila kissed his cheek. Sheex could have sworn that it would have burst from his chest if it had beat any faster.

“Come on. I bet dinner’s ready. I’ll go get it, just sit on the porch and I‘ll bring it out to you. Okay?” Leila said as she stood up and went back inside. Sheex opened his eyes, and watched her leave. Not this time. He thought to himself.

“Wait here, okay?” He whispered to the children. He quickly followed Leila into her house as Nami and Guy looked at each other.

The way the two smiled at one another was, in a word, perfect.

“We did pretty good, huh?’ Nami giggled, her face turned red. This was the first time she had actually been alone with Guy.

“Yeah! I didn't know what to do, but you sure did! Great job Nami!” Guy shouted as he hugged her. He was the third person who had hugged her out of love, and Nami decided that she could not get enough of this wonderful feeling. Nami then, feeling particularly proud of herself, braved one last thing for the day.

“Um...Guy?” Nami whispered softly. “Can I call you brother?”

If only she could. Then she would have everything she had ever dared to dream of; a family.

“Of course!” Guy answered, then he hesitated for a moment. “But we’ve got to make it official!”

With that, Guy held out his hand and spat into it. Nami, startled at such an action, stared at him with confused eyes. Guy just smiled at her.

“I read about this in a book! The hero and his best friend spit in their hands, and then they shake. Apparently that made them brothers, so we should do the same!” Guy said as he held out his hand. Nami hesitated for a moment, then quickly spat in her own hand and took Guy’s.

The resulting “ewwwww” from both children was priceless.

“Okay Sis! I love ya!” Guy said as he grabbed Nami and hugged her tightly. “We’re family now, you got that? Now and forever!”

“Guy...I...I love you too!” Nami whispered. She would have cried right then and there in joy, but something (or rather someone) interrupted the sibling-bonding moment. Both turned to look behind them.

Sheex was tugging Leila by the arm out onto the porch.

“But this wasn’t the deal!” Leila seemed to plead with Sheex. “I promised I would let you-”

“To hell with the bet! It’s null and void!” Sheex shouted as he tugged her along.

“But I promised I would leave you alone! I don’t want to-”

“Oh, come on, come on! Get a move on! Hey, have you lost weight?” Sheex said, mimicking the tone Leila had used as she had dragged him across town and towards her home. He also made sure to mimic the way she had pinched his butt (except, of course, he pinched her butt). Leila shrieked (in a very, very, VERY playful manner), and jumped into Sheex, who quickly caught her.

“Hey! That wasn’t fair! Wait, did I really lost weight? Cause you know, I’ve been trying to work out a little more,” Leila giggled, answering him with the very same response he had used on her. She stepped in close to Sheex, so close that their bodies were not even an inch from one another.

The children waited with baited breath.

“Please. Have dinner with me. Out here. With all of us,” Sheex whispered softly. “With your family.”

Now, some people may think that children don’t understand how love works. More so, children don’t understand just how hard it can be for adults to fall in love (at least some of the time). Certain nuances must be upheld; one cannot blindly rush into love (some of the time). Sometimes the feeling must be prodded along, guided onto the right path. As love is supposedly one of the most simple emotions a person can feel, such a concept could be considered beyond a child’s level of intellect.

Yet, for some strange reason, Nami took the seat on the far left, and Guy took the seat on the far right. As it was a fairly small porch, especially on the steps where everyone sat, Sheex and Leila had no choice but to sit right next to one another.

Children sometimes understand more than adults ever will.

And, as the four watched the sun set, Sheex decided once and for all that this town really wasn’t as bad as he thought it was. In fact, as Leila stole half of his dessert while he gave Nami the other half, he knew this town wasn’t as bad as he thought it was.

“Hey Sheex! Tell us a story!” Guy said as he crammed his dessert (which he had carefully guarded from Sheex’s hungry eyes) into his mouth.

“Yeah! Story time! Story time!” Nami shouted as she scrambled onto her favorite place in all world; her daddy's lap.

“Yes. Tell us a story Sheex,” Leila said as she wrapped one arm around her son, and the other arm around Sheex’s waist. The wanderer smiled and, with one arm still tightly wrapped around Nami, he brought Leila close to him. She smiled, and rested her head on Sheex’s shoulder. He in turn wrapped his arm around her, and nuzzled against her.

“Make it a long one,” She whispered into his ear.

[Sheex]

"You've finally lost it Sheex. You've gone off the deep end," Leila said as she watched him scramble about her backyard. "Being so close to the sexy goddess that is me has driven you nuts."

"Your obsession with my nuts is unhealthy Leila," He responded as he began to gather a few large rocks and place them in a circle. Night had fallen on Irenes, and Sheex had told everyone that he'd like to do a little something special for them. Leila had cleared a patch of her backyard of grass in order to plant a few more flowers (which she had yet to actually do), and Sheex had asked if he could use that patch. She had agreed.

What he was doing with the rocks was anyone's guess.

"Wouldn't be obsessed if they weren't out for all to see."

Once again, as soon as Sheex looked down, he found his pants completely zipped. He smiled at her as she pointed at him and shouted "made you look, made you look!"

"Okay, rocks are set up," Sheex said as he glanced about the yard. It was a quiet night in Irenes, as almost all nights in the town were now that Nacien had departed. Countless stars doted the sky, and Nami was busy picking out constellations with Guy. “Now, I’ve got wood-”

“I can help with that,” Leila whispered slyly; Sheex put his hands on his hips and looked over at her. She was busy sitting on a chair that she had moved over so she could watch whatever Sheex was doing. Dressed in the outfit he had first seen her in, a tan mini-skirt and a blue tunic, the wanderer reaffirmed her ranking as a solid seven out of ten.

“Just how many sexual innuendos are we going to be making tonight?”

“I’m shooting for another three or so myself. You?’

“Bet’cha I can get in at least four.”

“You’re on.”

With a chuckle, Sheex grabbed a few pieces of wood he had cut earlier (there was a forest not too far outside of Irenes), and placed them inside his circle of rocks. He threw a few leaves and old papers atop the wood, then reached into his pocket and pulled out a book of matches. He usually used them to light his cigarettes, but he hadn’t smoked since he had arrived in Irenes.

“Careful, the wood's hot,” Sheex warned as he lit a match and tossed it atop the pile of wood. Soon enough, said wood was engulfed in flames.

“I figured a log on fire would be," Leila joked.

“I was actually talking about my wood. I'm burning for ya babe!" Sheex shot back. She giggled at him as he waved at Nami and Guy. “Hey! Come on! Got something for you guys!”

“What’s in the bags anyway?” Leila asked as she motioned towards the two bags Sheex had with him. “And where’d you get them anyway? I thought you were broke.”

“I’ve been taking odd jobs here and there to earn some coin. Trisha even has me play bartender on nights the bar is really busy and she needs an extra hand. I told you I would be paying you back,” Sheex answered as Nami raced over towards him. The young girl had told him that she was cold, so he had given her his favorite (and only) coat. Several sizes too big for her, she looked simply adorable as she ran about with her entire body (hands and all) covered by the black coat.

“You didn’t have too...” Leila whispered softly as Sheex reached into the bags and pulled out the contents. Chocolate, graham crackers, and marshmallows. Everything one would need to make the perfect s’more.

“Have you guys ever roasted marshmallows before?” The children shook their heads; no, they hadn’t. “Then this’ll be a treat. First, you gotta get yourself a stick.”

The scramble began. Nami found one first, but as she held it high and screamed “found one Daddy!” Sheex could not help but chuckle. Her stick was no bigger than three inches.

“You have to find a bigger one than that. Like Guy has,” Sheex said as he motioned towards Guy, who had found a stick that was just the right size for roasting marshmallows. The young boy smiled as he gave his stick to Nami, and went off in search of another; Sheex and Leila could not help but look at one another and beam.

“Okay, now the trick is to roast ‘em just right Nami. Not too much fire, but not too little either,” Sheex said as he sat down on a chair next to Leila, and placed Nami upon his lap. Unfortunately, he was too focused on Nami’s smile, and not on the marshmallow he was roasting. Leila chuckled as she pointed out his oversight.

“That, uh, tends to happen now and then.” Sheex held up the ball of fire that was the marshmallow. He quickly blew out the flames. “We’ll just call this one a snack.”

He held the marshmallow out for Nami to eat. Ever so carefully, she took a bite out of the half-melted treat. Her eyes went wide as the sweet flavor of the marshmallow danced across her tongue.

“That’s the best food ever!” Nami screamed as she quickly devoured the rest of the marshmallow. This of course had the natural side effect of completely staining her hands and face with marshmallow goo.

“Uh, let’s clean you up a bit kiddo.” Sheex had prepared napkins just for such an emergency.

“Now what Sheex?” Guy asked as he held up his marshmallow, roasted just right.

“Grab a piece of chocolate and two crackers. Hold still Nami-”

“Daddy, Daddy! Can I have another? Pretty please?”

“Sure, just hold still for a sec. Put the chocolate on one of the crackers Guy.”

“Got it.”

“Quick, quick! Roast this one Daddy!”

“Okay, okay. Guy, the marshmallow goes atop the chocolate, then put the other cracker on top,” Sheex said as he finally managed to clean off Nami’s face (she had taken care of her fingers by licking them clean). He then stuck another marshmallow atop Nami’s stick, and began to roast it. “How’s it taste Guy?”

“AWESOME!” Guy shouted as he devoured the s’more. Leila rolled her eyes; now Guy’s face was as messy as Nami’s had been.

“Well, your about to double the laundry load, but not bad Sheex. Not bad at all,” Leila leaned over and whispered to him while Nami reverently held the s’more her Daddy had made for her in her tiny hands. “You’ve a way with children.”

At first, Sheex thought her statement was a trick; a way to make him stay. But, he soon dismissed that feeling; she was just being nice to him. In fact, the two hardly fought over anything nowadays (“nowadays” being two days since Nami had arrived).

“Thanks, I do all right sometimes. Hey, have I ever told you guys about the time I slew a dragon? So I...” Sheex stopped mid-sentence; Nami had taken her first bite of the s’more. That was a good thing. What puzzled Sheex was just why exactly was the young girl crying?

“Are you all right sweetie?” Leila asked as she got up, and moved over to Nami.

“Uh-huh,” The young girl sniffled. Her hands shook as she took another bite of the treat her Daddy had made for her. It was good. So good. Too good. A few more tears ran down her cheeks.

“You don’t have to eat it kiddo. Just toss it in the bag if you don’t like it,” Sheex said as he turned Nami towards him.

“But I do like it! It’s the best food ever! It’s just...I...” Nami let out a long and heart-rending sob. “I don’t deserve such good food!”

Nacien’s abuse of the little girl left scars would not heal in just a day or two. It would take years.

“Nami,” Sheex began, but did not have a chance to finish. Nami had been clinging to her s’more so tightly that it shattered in her small hands, spilling marshmallow and melted chocolate atop Sheex’s shirt. The little girl started to cry.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’ll fix it Daddy! Please don’t be mad at me!” The young girl begged as she quickly grabbed a napkin.

Someone should have said something; anything would have helped. But, a boy of nine didn’t know how to react to such a thing. Guy knew it was an innocent mistake, but Nami obviously thought it was a terrible crime. Sheex was at a lost, he didn’t now how to take care of a kid. Even Leila, who actually had a child of her own, was too stunned to make a reaction. After all, Leila was only in her early twenties. She was still learning the ropes of raising a child herself.

As those who have ever tried to clean up sticky marshmallows off of clothes will tell you, just wiping it up with a napkin won’t work. All it does is make the mess worse. Imagine the horror in the young girl's eyes as the mess spread.

She started screaming incoherently, and wiping even faster. The mess grew worse, as did her cries.

“Mess it up, I’ll mess it up...” The young girl dropped the napkin, and began to shake uncontrollably. “I’LL MESS IT ALL UP!”

“Nami, Nami! It’s all right! I’ll clean it!” Sheex shouted; his voice trembled. “It’s no big deal, really! Just go-”

He should have chosen his words more carefully.

“GO?” All color drained from Nami’s face. “You want me to go?”

“Hey! I didn’t finish!”

“He didn’t say it like that Nami!”

“We’d never tell you to go sweetie!”

Too late.

“I don’t wanna go back! I don’t wanna go back!” The child screamed as she lunged herself into Sheex’s chest; she stained her face with the remnants of the marshmallows that clung there. “Please, please, PLEASE don’t make me go back!”

“You can punish me!” Nami shouted as she yanked off Sheex’s coat and held her arms out; bruises still covered her white skin. “Do anything you want! I won’t cry! I won’t scream! I won’t be a bad girl! Just please don’t send me back!”

Her eyes locked onto Sheex.

“Go ahead Daddy! GO AHEAD AND HIT ME!”

He lost it.

“SOMEONE GET THIS KID OFF OF ME!”

He froze. Nami shuddered like she had shuddered when Nacien had yelled at her.

This was exactly what he feared would happen. He messed up, and now Nami was suffering for it. All he had wanted to do was surprise everyone with a little camp-out, and look what it had turned into. A nightmare.

“Sheex!” Leila implored as Nami screamed. The little girl jumped off of Sheex’s lap, and ran through the yard, crying and screaming; she had lost everything. Sheex didn’t know what to do, but he did know one thing.

It was all his fault.

“Nami! Wait!” Sheex screamed louder than he had ever had before. But Nami was still running; she was running far and she was running fast. She was crying too, and all too soon she had run into the black gate that separated her wonderful new world from her painful past.

Nacien’s house towered over her.

“No! No!” Nami screamed as she fell to her knees and held her ears tight, as if by such an action she could silence the dark voices in her head. “NO!”

And she cried.

[Sheex]

Once more, she was in that special place. But something was wrong. Her Daddy was crying.

"I'm sorry," Sheex whispered to her as he held Nami tight. "I swear to God I didn't mean that! By all that is holy, I did not mean what I said!"

It was surreal. Nami's face was buried into Sheex's chest; she clung as tightly as she could. She looked up, and saw his face. A tear fell from Sheex's eye and onto her face.

"I do not want you to leave," Sheex swore. "If anyone should leave this place, it is me."

"But Daddy!" Nami shouted back. "I ruined your shirt! I ruined dinner! It's my fault! IT'S ALWAYS MY FAULT!"

Nami was crying too.

"You can't go," Was all Sheex said. "I won't let you go."

He had never clung to anything more fiercely.

"But Daddy," Nami was sobbing into his chest now; she sobbed much like the way Sheex did. "Daddy, I'm just not good enough..."

And then Sheex saw everything clearly.

"We're the same," He whispered into her ear. "Can you keep my secret?"

Nami nodded as she cried. Of course she would. She would do anything her Daddy would ask of her.

"I am so afraid of not being good enough. I am terrified that I will ruin everything. In fact, I have never been more afraid of anything else in my entire life."

Impossible. Nami didn't believe it. There was no way her daddy was "not good enough." He was the best daddy in the world. He was what she had always wanted. But, as she looked into his eyes, she saw the fear there. It was a haunting fear, one that made his face weary and his skin pale. The type of fear that was always just behind your shoulder, whispering to you as you try to push it deep down inside so you didn't have to hear those dark voices. But you always heard them. During the day, in the middle of the night. The whispers never went away completely.

"Me too," She whispered. "Afraid I'll ruin it. Afraid it'll go away. Afraid they won't love me anymore. Afraid to stay. Afraid to go. Afraid to grow-up. Afraid to stay young. Afraid I won't be your little girl."

Nami's voice was a dead whisper.

"Afraid you won't be my daddy."

Sheex stroked her hair gently.

"Nami, I'll always be your daddy," He whispered to her. "Do you know why?"

She shook her head. She didn't know why.

"Because I love you."

How did he do it? With just the right word, with just the right gestures, her daddy made everything all right. Those three words; magic incarnate. Nami's world sparkled as she heard those words, spoken with naught save the truth.

I. Love. You.

She was crying again. She couldn't help it; it was just so wonderful. Even if she didn't deserve it, even if she was a bad girl, he loved her anyway. And she loved him back. She loved him with every bone in her body, every fiber of her being. Her tiny world was filled with miracles and wonders, all because he loved her.

The dark whispers of Nacien faded from her ears.

It occurred to Sheex Deltin that, until that point in time, he had never really loved. Not really. He had liked, cared for, cared deeply, desired, and all manner of another feelings similar to love. He had done all that. But the way he felt for this little girl surpassed all those feelings; none compared.

He drew a deep breath, and looked to Leila and Guy. They were back by the fire with worried expressions on their faces. He smiled at them, and whispered a few words into Nami's ear.

"We'll do it together, okay?" Sheex lifted her up, and held her close to his chest.

"Together with my daddy..." She cooed softly.

"Sheex," Leila said as he returned with Nami in his arms. Ever so slowly, the young girl raised her head. She was still crying a bit, but getting better.

"I'm suh-suh-sorry,” Nami stuttered as Sheex set her down. “I didn’t mean to-”

She didn’t even have a chance to finish. Leila and Guy were already hugging her.

“Don’t ever run from us Nami,” Leila told her child. “A family sticks together, no matter what.”

“No matter what,” Guy echoed.

Sheex found himself staring up at the night sky, and pondering just what this place meant to him. He wasn’t sure. Was Guy his son? No, he wasn’t. He knew that to be true. Did he love Leila? No, he didn’t think so. No, Guy wasn’t his son, and he didn’t love Leila.

So why did everything feel so right?

“Can,” Nami sniffled, “can we go back to the fire? I’m cold.”

“We should probably head back inside then,” Leila said softly. Nami quickly shook her head.

“Just five more minutes! Please Mommy, can we just stay together for five more minutes?” Nami begged. Leila smiled.

“We will stay together forever,” Leila responded as she tapped Nami on her nose. “But I suppose there’s no harm in spending a little more time out here.”

The four returned to their seats. Sheex picked up his coat, and wrapped it back around Nami. The second Sheex sat down, she took her usual place on his lap. Guy and his mother sat back down as well, and all breathed a silent sigh of relief.

Sheex handed Nami another marshmallow, this one not even roasted. She plopped it in her mouth and chewed it with the cutest smile he had ever seen. Somehow, Sheex’s right hand found Leila’s left hand, and the two grasped one another.

Everything would be all right. One way or another, everything would be all right.

“So there you were...” Leila began. Sheex had yet to finish (or start for that matter) his story. That would not do.

“So there I was, on Black Isle!” He began passionately. “I had gotten lost in a forest-”

Leila raised her hand, Sheex raised an eyebrow.

“Question! Why where you in a forest?”

Everyone gave Leila a glare (well, Nami didn't glare so much as smack her lips as she finished off her marshmallow).

"Mom! You have to let him finish!" Guy whined. Sheex clucked his tongue.

"Yeah Leila. I haven't even finished the sentence," He joked.

"Sorry, sorry!" Leila said with a sheepish grin. "But I wanted to know! Am I not allowed to ask questions?"

Sheex hesitated for a moment, then answered.

"I'll allow it cause your hot."

"Oh! He thinks I'm hot Guy!" Leila laughed as she playfully poked her son's side. Guy frowned.

"Can we get back to the story?" He begged. Even though he really liked Sheex, Guy would much rather hear Sheex's story than watch the man flirt with his mother.

“Righto. Leila, I was in the forest because I got lost. If you had been paying attention to the story, and not to my pretty face, you would know that.”

“If you shaved a bit more often I wouldn't be so stunned by that rugged look you've got going. So, why were you at Black Isle?”

“I shave almost every morning; grows back quick I suppose. And I told you why I was at Black Isle. I was lost.”

“But your reason for visiting Black Isle to begin with...”

“Didn’t have one. Got lost, ended up there.”

“Sheex, it’s a freaking island! How do you get lost and end up on an island?”

“Beats me. If you figure it out though, be sure to tell me. Not gonna lie, it’s been bugging me for some time.”

Leila just let out a laugh as she shook her head. She also made a mental note to never ask Sheex for directions.

[Sheex]

“Black Isle is where the Saint Of Swords lives, right?” Guy asked as he made himself another s’more. Sheex thought for a moment as he passed the bag of marshmallows to Nami. She wasn’t even bothering to roast them now, she just ate the things straight out of the bag.

“You mean Karel? I vaguely remember him telling me he had a title by that name. Yeah, that’s where he lives. Well, I should say lived cause dragons torched the place but-” Guy dropped his s’more into the dirt.

“I am talking Karel Hector Raven, the Saint of Swords. That’s the Karel I mean,” Guy’s eyes were pouring into Sheex. It was a little creepy, to say the least.

“Oh hell yeah! I remember him!” Sheex would have continued talking, but Guy’s voice had become deadly quiet.

“You met the Saint of Swords?” Guy asked. The young boy had never been more interested in any of Sheex’s stories (and that was saying something).

“Yeah...” Sheex answered as he looked at Leila. “Do we, uh, not like Karel? Cause he was a pretty cool guy when I met him.”

“That name sounds familiar,” Leila said as she wracked her brain for the reason why. “Isn’t he in one of your books Guy?”

“One of my books?” Guy nearly screamed. “He’s in, like, twenty of my books Mom! How can you not know who the Saint of Swords is?”

Nami tugged at Sheex’s shirt.

“I don’t know who the Saint of Swords is. Is that bad?” She asked quietly.

“Of course not. He’s not that great,” Sheex whispered back.

“He’s only the greatest hero ever Mom! He’s like, the best swordsman ever too! He slows down time with a spell, so it looks like he's just a blur of motion!” Leila just nodded her head as Guy continued to explain to his behind-the-times mother just how great the Saint of Swords was.

“Daddy, is the Saint Of Swords a wizard?” Nami asked as she tugged on Sheex's shirt once more.

“No, he’s a sword fighter.” Nami gave him a confused look.

“Daddy, what does magic have to do with being a sword fighter?”

“Nothing really. You know, come to think of it, I never really saw him use any swordsmanship,” Sheex then leaned in close to Nami. “Let’s keep that a secret, okay?”

The little girl giggled and nodded.

“He married a princess Mom! How can you not know THAT?” Guy screamed. Leila just shrugged in a very cute manner. “He’s practically a prince!”

Sheex shook his head at Leila when Guy wasn’t looking. The Saint of Swords was actually involved with another swordfighter. She was quite the looker too, and Sheex would know. He had set the two up, and last Sheex had checked, Karel was quite infatuated with her.

Unless of course it was all a ruse, and Karel was two-timing the girl. Karel, you sly devil you...

“Okay, okay, okay. I’ll brush up on my reading!” Leila said as she held up her hands in defeat. “Shouldn’t we let Sheex finish his story?”

“Yeah!” Guy screamed, bouncing with joy, for he was about to hear a story about his favorite hero (he had collected all the Saint of Swords trading cards). “I bet he’s totally awesome. On a scale of one-to-ten, how awesome is he Sheex?”

The wanderer suddenly remembered his most memorable moment with Karel (Sheex had never really called him by his title). He saw a vivid image of the man passed out on the floor drooling on himself. The man had just lost a drinking game against Sheex and a cat.

That’s right. A cat.

“Eleven,” Sheex said coolly.

“He has a move that makes golden swords spin around him! What does that do?” Another question.

“I’ll tell you what it doesn’t do. Make boats fly.” Leila gave him a strange look. He shrugged. “Long story.”

“Where’d you meet? What’d he say? What was he wearing? Did you see his swords? Does one really glow blue?” Question after question. Even after Sheex answered them all (a bar, “I’m home,” a blue coat, yes, not to Sheex’s knowledge) the boy was still not done.

“What happened next?” The boy’s eyes were eager for more details, more bits of knowledge about his idol (whom he had never even met).

“Well, I was...I...we...” Sheex frowned.

“What’s wrong?” Leila asked him as she squeezed his hand a bit tighter.

“Er, nothing. So we went back to his place and...and...” Sheex stumbled again. His eyes were focused solely on his hand. In fact, he couldn’t think of anything else. All he could think about his hand wrapped around Leila’s.

It felt so good.

“Daddy,” Nami let out a yawn as she nuzzled her head against his chest. “I’m getting cold.”

“We better go inside then,” Sheex said, “I’ll clean this up. Go on.”

“Go get ready for bed too,” Leila threw in, “Sheex can finish his story in front of the fire place.”

Guy sighed, but quickly scrambled ahead. Nami moved a bit slower, and lingered just long enough to stick her lips out at Sheex; her desire obvious. She received a kiss from her daddy for her efforts, and then gleefully ran off.

Sheex had never seen a prettier sight.

“That’s never happened before,” He whispered softly as Leila released his hand. He kicked a bit of dirt onto the fire to extinguish it.

“What’s never happened before?” She asked as she folded up the chairs.

“I lost my place in the story. I never lose my place in a story,” Sheex muttered as he packed up the bags.

“Oh? You do have a knack for telling a good story. I wonder what happened?”

“You were holding my hand.”

When he turned around, Sheex found her standing right before him. She was smiling beautifully at him; the stars above shined like diamonds in contrast to the emeralds that were her eyes. She said nothing, all she did was stand there and smile, not more than five inches from him.

Then, just like Nami had, Leila stuck out her lips for a kiss. With a firm hand, Sheex took a deep breath and brought her close. The two closed their eyes.

“MOM! HURRY UP!” Guy screamed as he flung open the door to yell at the slowness of Sheex and Leila. He then slammed it rather hard as he scrambled back inside the house. Taken by surprise by the loud noise, Leila quickly spun around, right into Sheex. He in turn was surprised by her sudden collision with him, and tumbled to the ground. Leila then tripped over his feet, and fell on top of him.

“Oh! I’m coming!” Leila shouted as she quickly sat up; Sheex let out a bit of a grunt.

“Keep moving around like that and you won’t be the only one,” He muttered. Leila turned her head around to get a better of view of just exactly how she was positioned atop of Sheex.

He was on his back. She sat atop him, her back to his face. She was also firmly planted at the exact location of Little Sheex. Leila smiled a bit mischievously.

Now, it should be noted that a proper lady would have gotten up and headed back inside. True, the two had come close to something magical, but the mystery of the moment was lost now. In fact, both Sheex’s and Leila’s faces were red with a bit of embarrassment. This was unexplored territory for the two, something that might actually be real, honest-to-God, love. There would be other moments, other nights filled with magic. Best to let this one slip away.

Leila Hope was about as much of a proper lady as Sheex Deltin was a proper gentleman (not much).

“I’m too sexy for your lap! Too sexy for your lap! Too sexy yeeeeaaaah!” Leila sung as she began to move her body back and forth seductively. She ran her hands up her body, tracing them over her breasts and then to her head. She then shoved her hair back, and winked at Sheex.

To put it politely, she then started to move her hips in a manner that would elicit the most appropriate response from Sheex. For those who desire cruder terms, she started grinding his crotch with her ass. Hard.

The word “yeeeeaaahah” was also more moaned than actually said as well.

“Hey now! This could get-” He couldn’t even finish the sentence.

“I’m just too sexy yeeaaahhh! I’d bet you’d think it sick...if I would lick your di-” Leila wasn’t able to finish her sentence either, as her son’s voice echoed from the house.

“I’M FINISHED MOM!” Guy screamed (thankfully he did not look outside).

“Did you put your clothes in the hamper, or did you leave them on the floor?” Leila shouted back. Guy said nothing. “Put your clothes in the hamper!”

Sheex heard something involving something. Guy said something, went to go do something or other. Or something like that. Something was happening somewhere, but he simply couldn't care less about it. Leila spun around so she was facing Sheex. She gently traced a finger across his chest, and then under his shirt.

“I’m just too damn sexxxxyyy! I’ve got to thank my luck...because Sheex makes this town not suck...so why don’t we sneak off for a fu-”

“DONE MOM!”

Leila rolled her eyes. She loved her son with all her heart, but he did end up being a slight inconvenience during certain moments (right now).

“Did you brush your teeth?” Sheex managed to eek out. Again Guy said nothing. “BY THE GODS BOY! BRUSH THOSE TEETH!”

“LISTEN TO SHEEX HONEY!”

The two turned their attention back to one another.

“Boy could get cavities,” Sheex managed to say.

“Always thinking ahead eh Sheex?” Leila said as she ran her finger across his lips.

“Some say I may be a little too hard for my own good.”

Leila giggled, then playfully licked her lips. She leaned forward as she began to sway back and forth once more (Sheex was ecstatic at her choice); her hands were running through his hair seductively.

“God, I’m just too sexxxxy! But I have to ask this...and pleased don‘t make me hiss...but would it be re-miss...” Leila dropped her voice very low as she leaned in close to Sheex. Her lower lip trembled a bit as she whispered into his ear. “If I stole just one...little...kiss?”

It wasn’t a real kiss, at least not one of those storybook kinds. It wasn’t the type where fireworks shot through the sky, or the world stopped spinning. It was just a quick peck really; a tease more than anything. But the way their young hearts fluttered as their lips interlocked for no longer than two seconds was amazing.

“Miss...that kiss...was bliss...” Sheex whispered as he stroked her cheek. Leila took a moment to steady herself. It had been a long time since she had felt like that, a long time since her heart had beaten so fast. Apparently, a quick kiss from someone she cared about was more heart-pounding than full-on sex with someone she really didn’t.

For the record, Sheex shared this opinion.

With a seductive grin, Leila leaned back, flicked her hair with but a wave of her head, and gazed at Sheex. She then grabbed him roughly by his collar, and gave him a hard thrust with her hips. Sheex grunted (not in a bad way) as she yanked his collar hard, and brought his face close to hers.

“Sheex, you freaking rock! So let me suck your co-”

“MOMMY! DADDY!” Nami’s voice echoed throughout the night. “WE’RE ALL DONE!”

“WE’RE COMMING!”

[Sheex]

"Hey hey HEY! Here's the lucky guy! Heard ya gave Leila the over-under-behind treatment, if ya know what I mean!" Bobby shouted at Sheex. The wanderer (who hadn't been wandering at all lately) had just walked into the tavern, and Bobby had been the first to greet him. Bobby's friends applauded as well; Sheex shot him a glare.

"I've come to the conclusion that I don't much like you Bobby," Sheex spat. "I believe it is because of your stench. You don't shower, do you?"

"Why ya gotta be so cold?" Bobby just laughed. "I was congratulating you! No need to be mean! Don't worry, you'll be back in her arms before long, slapping that fine ass!"

"So does mean that you don't actually shower? I was just joking, but the way you avoided the question has me wondering..."

"Sheex!" Trisha waved him over to the bar. He shot Bobby one last glare; the man just shrugged and went back to his friends. Usually, Sheex just ignored the man, but that was getting harder and harder as of late.

"Don't listen to him Sheex," Trisha said softly as she poured him a glass of scotch, on the rocks as always. A good bartender learned their customers favorite drinks fast, and Trisha was a very good bartender.

"Agreed. You've caused quite a stir though," Lucas said as he patted him on the back. "The town is split two ways. Half of it thinks like Bobby; that you're this week's husband. and you'll be gone before long."

"And the other?" Sheex asked as he pulled out a few coins to pay for his drinks.

"That you're a god-send," Trisha answered as shoved away his coins. "You're first drink is on the house Sheex. Every time."

He turned a shade of red.

"We obviously side with the second half. Your second drink is on me. Geitz will probably offer to buy you your third drink too, whenever he gets here," Lucas threw in as he took a sip of his beer.

"That's not necessary," Sheex muttered. "It's not like I did any thing special."

"Of course you didn't. We're just being good friends, right Lucas?" Trisha smiled as she spoke.

"Of course," Lucas said with a smile as well.

Sheex turned even redder as the two continued to talk.

"And friends get each other drunk. Say Lucas, didn't you see Nami on the way to school today?"

"I did indeed."

"Walking with Guy, wasn't she?"

"Indeed. Singing too."

"Oh really? I've never heard her sing before."

"You should, she has a lovely voice. The song was cute too. I believe I've heard Leila sing it once or twice."

"Did it involve a prince and a princess?"

"Why yes, it did."

"Ah. That explains it; Leila's favorite song is the one about a prince and a princess. I wonder what has come over that little girl. Singing on the way to school. She's never done that before."

"She was laughing too. Brightly, and giggling as well, if I recall correctly."

"Well I'll be! Nami never laughs!"

"She does now. Oh, and she smiles too!"

"I've never seen her smile! What's it like?"

"It is the most magical thing in the world. It is happiness personified, it is joy incarnate. It is a piece of heaven upon an angel's lips," Sheex whispered softly as he swirled his scotch about. The ice in his cup clinked together; icebergs amidst a sea of amber liquid.

He then looked up at his friends, and smiled. They nodded as they smiled back.

"But you didn't do anything special," Lucas said as he held up his glass.

"He was with Leila that night, or so the rumors say," Trisha held up hers.

"Well then, to not doing anything," Lucas finished as the three clinked their drinks together. Sheex sipped his scotch; the only thing wrong with this place was Bobby and his friends. They were now on a spirited debate on which part of Leila Sheex had used the most. Trisha gently touched Sheex's hand.

"Don't let it get to you. She wanted this, remember?"

"Somehow, I doubt that."

"I don't," A young voice rang out. The three turned to see Guy patiently standing behind Sheex. The wanderer scratched his head in embarrassment as Guy waved hi to Trisha and Lucas. "She wanted to protect you; she doesn't mind Bobby's talk."

The wanderer frowned.

"Yeah, well, he still sucks." The group let out a laugh as Sheex picked up the boy and placed him on his lap; he did that a lot nowadays, mostly with Nami, but sometimes with Guy (as the older brother, Guy did not want to appear too childish).

"Chocolate milk guy?" Trisha asked needlessly. Not only did Guy never turn down chocolate milk, but she was already well on the way of mixing it.

"Yes please!" The boy said energetically. He took a big gulp of the drink; Sheex frowned, and handed Guy a napkin. The boy took the hint, and quickly wiped up the chocolate mustache that remained on his young face.

"Heard you aced your last test Guy! Congratulations!" Lucas grinned as he held up his hand; Guy nodded, and slapped him a high-five.

"You're getting smarter every day Guy!" Trisha applauded as she leaned over the table. "Why, just the other day his mother was telling me about..."

She went on about how quickly Guy was able to do his math homework. The boy just shrugged, his face the same shade as Sheex's when he was embarrassed. The wanderer chuckled as he playfully messed up Guy's hair.

"When you grow up and become a super-genius, make me a compass will ya? One that always points the right direction. I swear, I had this one-" Lucas clucked his tongue.

"Before you finish this sentence, I feel obliged to tell you that all compasses point north. That's how they work."

"I knew that!" Sheex snapped back. Everyone looked at him with raised eyebrows of doubt. "Really! I'm not that bad at directions! Close though."

Words along the lines of "sure you did" and "I believe you" echoed from the group. Guy finished up his milk, wiped his mouth with his sleeve, muttered his apology as Sheex glared at him, and pointed towards the door.

"Oh! Mom wants to know if you'll swing by the store on your way home. She said she wanted some meat-"

"I BET SHE DOES! BIG, LONG, HARD MEAT!" Bobby screamed across the bar. One of his friends slapped him a high-five.

"Seriously, what is that guy's problem? Ex-boyfriend?" Sheex muttered as he saluted Bobby with his middle finger.

"No, but he wishes he was," Lucas answered softly. "Despite her...oddities, Leila is certainly...special."

"Quite a few men around here would like to date her," Trisha said as she began to clean up a few glasses. "But she never dates any of them."

"Why not?"

"She says my father wasn't from this town," Guy answered for the group. He took Bobby's insults surprisingly well; the boy didn't say it was because he was used to it. His mother hated it when he got into fights at school over her, and as he loved his mother dearly, he did his best to respect her wishes.

"Besides, would you want a guy like that?" Trisha muttered as she jerked her thumb towards Bobby and his groups of friend. "I tell you, the young men around here are all trash. Most that leave don't come back, and those that stay aren't exactly cream of the crop. Except you Lucas."

"Gee, thanks," Lucas said as he rolled his eyes. "Although you are right. Not much to do here, and you fill the boredom as you can. Making fun of people has become a pastime for some."

"I think that's why Leila likes men from outside of town. They don't know her, or her past." Trisha's face turned red as she glanced at Guy. "Sorry Guy, we shouldn't be talking about your mother like this."

"It's all right," The boy said softly. "I don't mind it when you do it."

"Yeah," Sheex said off-offhandedly. In truth, he hadn't heard much of the current conversation. Bobby at this moment was prancing up and down, slapping his own ass like a drunk fool. Sheex had done that once or twice; he hadn't been making fun of Leila while he did it though.

"Oh yeah. She wants you to pick up meat. Whatever type you want. Nami wants marshmallows too. The biggest you can find," Guy spoke softly, then he glanced around shyly. "And, um, if it's all right, I want some candy too. Mom gave me money to give to you."

The boy held out a small bag of gold for Sheex. Returning to his senses, the man shook his head clear of Bobby. There were more important things at hand.

"Gotcha. Some steak for Leila to cook, big marshmallows for Nami to snack on before dinner when you're mom's not looking, and candy for you to ruin your appetite with. Any thing else?" Sheex asked as he tossed the coin bag up and down.

"How about some lubricate? Gotta be getting sore, what with all the use it's seeing!" Another laugh from Bobby and his stupid group. Angrily, Sheex caught the bag, and placed it on the table.

"Guy, tell your mother that I will do my best to pick up those things, but I may be a bit late," He said coolly as he set the boy down. He then stood up, sniffed his scotch (it was a good one, single malt, aged twelve years), and finished it off. He smiled as he swallowed the drink; a cool burn coursed through his body.

Damn, I love a good drink. He thought to himself as he adjusted his coat.

"Okay. Do you know how late your going to be?' Guy asked politely.

"I dunno," Was Sheex's answer as he turned around.

"Just why are you going to be late Sheex?" Trisha asked him in a curious tone.

"Extraneous circumstances," The wanderer responded as he calmly walked across the bar, and tapped Bobby on the shoulder.

The instant the man turned around, Sheex punched him square in the face.

[Sheex]

Out of courtesy for his friend Trisha, Sheex decided to take his fight outside. At least, that was what he told himself as Bobby's friends picked him up and tossed him through the window. Fortunately the window was open and no harm was done, save for the numerous scrapes and cuts he acquired as he rolled across the dirt.

"What the hell is the big idea?" Bobby shouted as he walked over to Sheex, who happily noticed that Bobby only had a small group of friends with him tonight. Usually his group numbered four to five, there were only three tonight, including Bobby himself.

Without bothering to answer the question, the wanderer stood up and punched the man once more in the face. The man fell over; blood trickled from his nose as he hit the ground. However, before Sheex had time to gloat, he felt a firm hand grab his shoulder. He turned to see one of Bobby's friends smiling sinisterly, while the other punched Sheex in the stomach. He coughed, and fell to his knees.

"Well?" He heard Bobby ask vaguely. Sheex let out another cough off pain as he felt himself lifted up off the ground. He was disappointed to see that it was Bobby's friends doing the lifting, and even more disappointed to feel the two of them holding his arms tightly.

This'll end badly. Sheex found himself thinking as a hard shot from Bobby left him breathless.

"Okay, okay!" Sheex managed to eek out after a few moments. "I'm sorry. I just really can't stand your smell."

Another punch.

"All right," Sheex gasped for air; Bobby really did enjoy his kidney punches. "See, I spent five gold on your mother last night-"

Punch.

"That was rude of me. Six gold-"

It wasn't that Bobby was a good fighter; Sheex was certain he would be more than a match for any of these three in a one-on-one. After all, he had learned a few tricks throughout his years of wandering, and fist-fights had been an unfortunate subject of study for him. This was the first one he had actually started though (most of the time he was the one mouthing off and getting punched for it).

The real problem was that there were three of them, and only one of him. Regardless of what the story books say, fighting more than one person at a time is hard. As Sheex often said, he wasn't the hero type; he did not dash in sword held high, make the entire world go black, slash a couple of times, sheath his sword, and coolly walk away as his opponents fell to the ground. There were just so many things wrong with that picture. For starters, he didn't even know how to use a sword.

All that being said, it sure felt good nailing that little bastard.

Out of nowhere, Lucas came and tackled Bobby to the ground. One of the Bobby's knuckleheads (at least that was what Sheex had decided to refer to the man's friends as) released the wanderer. Taking advantage of the moment, Sheex rammed his free elbow into the other man's stomach, causing the man to double over. Lucas had been pinned to the ground by one of Bobby's friends; that was remedied by a very swift kick to the head. The wanderer then helped Lucas to his feet, and then backed away as Bobby's little gang of thugs (or wannabe thugs, Sheex didn't think the crime rate was very high in this town) did the same.

"What's up?" Sheex asked as he rubbed his left side. Thankfully they had left his right side alone; he was still sore there from his fight with Nacien.

"I should ask you the same thing. Why did you pick a fight with them?" Lucas muttered as he dusted off a bit of dirt from his thin frame. Sheex was relatively certain that Lucas had not been in many fights over the course of his life.

"Oh, heck, I don't know," Sheex just shrugged his shoulders as he talked. "Had to kill a bit of time somehow. This town is boring the crap outta me."

"In all the stories you've ever told," As Lucas spoke Bobby's group closed in on them, "you've never started a fight. Ever."

"Not true. I pick fights all the time. I just usually don't have any say in the matter."

"Well, you certainly had a say in this one."

"I haven't the slightest idea what you mean. Let's see if I can't take on Dumb and Dumber, eh?"

Sheex took a swing at the larger of Bobby's friends; he felt a firm satisfaction as his knuckle cracked against the man's jaw. He then fell back as the other charged him, but Lucas dove into that man. That left Bobby and Sheex alone, at least for the moment.

"Hey there!" Sheex grinned as he cracked his knuckles. Bobby frowned. One on one, Sheex was definitely a better fighter (not a usual thing for the wanderer).

"I don't get it," The man stammered as he held up his hands in defense. "No one ever sticks up for her. You don't pick up trash like her, you do what with it and throw it away!"

For his foul-mouth, Bobby was rewarded with another punch to the face.

"Sheex!" Lucas yelled as he tried to fend off Bobby's two friends. Cursing, Sheex ran over and kicked one to the side. Then the real brawl began.

Sheex punched Dumb in the ribs; Dumber caught him off guard, and tackled him to the ground. Lucas smashed his fists into Dumber's head, Sheex managed to trip Bobby before he could sneak up on Lucas. Dumb leveled Lucas with a head butt, Sheex paid the man back with a swift punch to the stomach. Dumb crumpled as Bobby grabbed Sheex from behind, and locked him in a choke hold. Lucas pulled Bobby by his hair while Sheex kicked Dumb square in the face; the man's nose burst into blood. Dumber grabbed Sheex and tossed him into Lucas; the two rolled away from the fight. Both tried to rise, and both were kicked back to the ground by Dumb and Dumber.

It was fairly hard to keep track of who did what in a brawl.

"You should have got a better partner!" Bobby screamed, his face a swollen mess of bruises from Sheex's blows. "The painter wasn't your best choice!"

"You're a painter?" Sheex coughed as his face was slammed into the dirt.

"Indeed," Lucas gasped as he was kicked several times by Bobby's friends. "I mostly do landscapes, but every now and then I'll paint a person or two. I'm told my couple paintings are rather good."

The two were both picked up by Dumb and Dumber.

"Hey," Lucas asked as Bobby proceeded to punch the both of them furiously. Thankfully, it really wasn't that hard. "You want me to do a picture of you and Leila? No charge!"

"Why would I want that?"

"I figured it was because you had a crush on her."

"I do not!"

Lucas was not what one would call "crude." He was the more refined type; he rarely swore or yelled, and he never got into fights (until recently). He was the polite type, the soft-spoken type. The type that smiled, and tipped their hat to a lady.

"Dude," Lucas said as the two fell to the ground, bruised and bleeding. "You're crushing so hard your pants get tighter every time she walks into the room."

"They most certainly do-" Sheex grabbed Bobby by the foot, and flipped the man over. He was unable to finish his sentence, as the larger of Bobby's friends grabbed the wanderer's head, and held him down into the dirt.

"My point exactly," Lucas finished as he rolled over in pain; the smaller of the two friends had just kicked him as hard as he could in the chest.

A meaty hand wrapped itself around the person atop of Sheex. Bobby's friend hardly had time to scream as he was flung far away from Sheex and into Bobby, who cursed as he was crushed under the man's weight. The man atop of Lucas did manage to get out a scream as the giant hand careened across the sky, and dealt out the fiercest haymaker Sheex had ever seen.

"You sons of bitches!" Geitz shouted as he picked Sheex and Lucas off of the floor. His large frame was more than enough support both of the wounded fighters.

"Ah Geitz," Sheex gasped as he straightened himself up. After Nacien had diced him up with a sword, being punched didn't seem so bad. "I assure you, there's a reasonable explanation for this."

"There damn well better be!" Geitz snapped as he turned his attention to Bobby and his gang of friends. One tried to rush him, but Geitz simply floored the man with a fierce kick. The other two gulped in fear as the bear of a man cracked his own back. "Starting a fight without me! That's low Sheex! Really low!"

"Ah?" Sheex scratched his head. "Oh yes. Well, that's Lucas's fault really."

"Me? You're the one who punched Bobby!"

"Oh?" Geitz turned to look at his (slightly bloody) friend. "I thought you didn't like to fight."

"I don't!" Sheex exclaimed angrily.

"Then why'd you punch him?" Lucas retorted. He then threw in a, "not like he didn't deserve it."

"I don't know! I just...he was pissing me off!"

Getiz and Lucas looked at each other.

"He was making fun of Leila," Lucas whispered. Geitz nodded his head.

"And Sheex thought he'd impress her by beating up the guy who makes fun of her all the time? Jesus Sheex, why don't you just tell the girl you like her? You'd be in a lot less pain."

"I don't like her!"

"He's the type that has to go over the top to impress women," Lucas muttered. "Can't just tell them how he feels."

"I am not!" Sheex glared at Lucas.

"Figures. Fits though," As Geitz spoke, his massive hand leveled the larger of Bobby's friends; Bobby backed away slowly. "Leila's the exact same way, that girl can't just walk up to the man she likes and say it. No, she's got to pay for his drink and cook him dinner; she'll flirt all night long, but will she just come out and say 'I like you?' Not a chance. They are so alike."

"We are not!" Sheex now glared at Geitz.

"Have you seen the way he stares at her when he thinks no one's looking?"

"Or how red his face gets when she caresses his cheek?"

"Hey guys! Remember the fight we were in? Let's go back to that!" Sheex frowned and shook his head. "I can't believe I just said that!"

"Not that she's any better. You see the way she adjusts her clothing just before he's about to look her way?"

"Skirt gets a little shorter, shirt gets a little more open. Yeah, I noticed that too."

"Total tell."

"Screw you guys, I'm going home."

Sheex accompanied this statement with a look of complete exasperation. He threw his arms up in the air and began to storm off, at least until Bobby threw in a remark about just who he would be screwing later tonight. Bobby also went on to advise the use of two condoms rather than one to ensure that Sheex's "dick didn't fall off from the numerous diseases that slut has."

Geitz and Lucas just shook their heads as they chased after Sheex, who jumped onto Bobby, and began to pummel the man relentlessly with his fists.

"I don't like her!"

"Sure you don't!"

"I just wanted to let off some steam!"

"Sure ya did!"

"We're just friends!"

"Sure ya are!"

"It's nothing! Really!"

"Sure it's not!"

"I! We! It's! I'm! She! I!"

"Aw, look. He's gets all flustered just thinking about her!

"GOD DAMN IT!" Sheex swore as looked for the nearest thing to punch. Suffice to say, Bobby's face was not happy with the man's choice.

[Sheex]

The battle lines had been drawn. Sheex's lip was cut, and he cradled his side. Lucas had a black eye, and he had scrapped a good chunk of his skin off of his knuckles when he had accidentally punched a rock. Geitz towered over the competition, the mammoth of a man easily intimidating Bobby and his gang, all of which were more bruised and broken than Sheex's side.

"Fair fight now Bobby," Geitz grinned as he cracked his knuckles. "And I'm looking to have a little fun."

"Stay out of this fat ass!" The young man swore back, his face red with both embarrassment and fear. Bobby immediately took a step back as Geitz advanced forward.

"Wait," Sheex said softly as he stepped forward. "I started this, I should be the one to finish it. It's really between me and Bobby anyhow."

Bobby took one look at the giant that was Geitz (who had a very large scowl on his face), and the already wounded Sheex. The choice was obvious.

"Fair is fair. Stay out of this guys," The young man ordered as he stepped forward to meet Sheex. His friends had absolutely no problem with his request. In fact, they made sure to tell Bobby so as he and Sheex faced one another.

"I still don't get it. What do you see in her?" Bobby whispered as the two circled one another.

"Nothing. I just don't like you," Was Sheex's only response.

"Well then, let me tell you what I see," Bobby spoke softly as he stepped in, and threw a wild punch at Sheex's face. The wanderer ducked the blow, moved close, and delivered a hard shot to Bobby's side.

"I see a pretty girl with a good sense of humor." Three more shots to the stomach caused Bobby to stumble. Sheex had traveled all over Althanas, and although he did exaggerate a bit, he had done all that he had said he had done. He did save a princess. He did fight along side a beautiful mercenary. He did run from dragons as Black Isle burned. Bobby had never even left Irenes.

The boy didn’t have a chance.

“She’s smart, she’s funny, she’s pretty. She’s downright lovely. She‘s got everything a man could want.” Bobby's statement ended with an uppercut from Sheex that sent him to the ground. The man raised his head as the wanderer loomed over him. “So what do you have? What does she see in you? What makes you so damn special?”

His voice became a silent whisper.

“What do you have that I don’t?” The young man asked, his tone as soft as a gust of wind.

“Class,” Sheex muttered as he turned to walk away.

“GO TO HELL SHEEX DELTIN!” Bobby howled as he leapt to his feet. Sheex whipped around in time to see Bobby charging at him with a dagger in his hands. Lucas shouted a warning, Geitz charged forward, and Trisha screamed as Sheex held his hands up to defend himself.

Bobby shrieked in pain as his wrist sprayed blood. He dropped his dagger and fell to his knees, clutching his wrist in agony as his friends rushed to help him. Leila calmly lowered her small crossbow.

“You bitch!” Bobby screamed as he shoved himself to his feet. “You stupid, slutty, good for nothing, disease-carrying, useless, unloved BITCH! I’ll kill you!”

With a calm face, similar to the one he had faced Nacien down with, Sheex picked up Bobby’s dagger and pointed it at the man’s heart. Everyone froze.

“I also know how to take no for an answer!” Sheex said quite cheerfully. “Plus, I’m way better looking! Now, apologize to the lady.”

“I will-”

“I am a killer Bobby, even though I wish I wasn‘t. Do not forget that.”

His tone was silent and soft. It was cold and sorrowful. It was regret filled and haunted, but it was true. And, as Bobby gazed into Sheex’s eyes, he saw what Leila saw. He saw not only a better man than him, but a man who would happily lay down his life to protect those he cared about. And Sheex did it all without asking a single thing in return; all Bobby could do was make fun of her. He could neither be her lover, nor Guy’s father, nor Nami’s daddy.

“I’m sorry. And I mean it,” Bobby whispered as he turned and walked away. His friends followed as Sheex turned to face his friends, and most importantly, Leila.

“Now, I know what you’re thinking. I promise you there’s a very good explanation for this and-”

“YOU IDIOT!” Leila screamed as she flung aside her crossbow, and slapped Sheex across the face.

“Suppose I deserved that,” He muttered under his breath.

“Deserved that? You deserve a hell of a lot more than that!” Leila shrieked; fire burned in her emerald eyes. “What the hell were you thinking?”

“Question of the day. Well, he was making fun of you and I may have gotten a tad bit upset-”

“Oh ho! The knight in shining armor routine huh?” Leila shouted as she placed her hands on her hips in a very angry manner. “Well, I don’t need a stupid knight like you!”

“That’s a little harsh Leila. If you just let him explain-” Lucas tried to interrupt. She just ignored him.

“What would have happened if you got hurt? What would have happened if I wasn’t here?” Leila demanded. Sheex shrugged more carelessly than he should have.

“I can take care of myself. I'm fine, really.”

Leila’s eyes flared up as she stepped forward. Her hand darted out quickly, and smacked Sheex in his side. The wanderer instantly fell to his knees in pain; he clutched the spot where Nacien had stabbed him a few nights ago.

“Hey Leila! Back off the guy!” Geitz blurted out.

“Fine? FINE! Does that look like fine to you? I can’t believe you were so stupid to get in a fight over me! I get called a slut twenty times a day Sheex! Who gives a damn?” Leila muttered as she turned her back to him. “It's not like I asked for your help.”

Now, in Sheex’s defense, he was a bit confused. True, fighting wasn’t exactly something he should be doing, but he had wanted to help her. It was only yesterday that Leila had gone on preaching about how she had wanted to help him when the guards came to take him away. Not only that, he was also in a good amount of pain, and Leila’s little slap to his side hadn’t help things. Lastly, it wasn’t as if she had any right to be angry; she didn’t own him.

These facts, though all true, did not excuse his next remark.

“Yes, well, no one asked me to go save Nami either,” Sheex muttered darkly as he rose to his feet. “I suppose I should just stand by and watch next time. Oh wait. Someone already does that.”

With a speed worthy of any championship boxer, Leila whirled around and punched him in the face. Instantly Lucas and Geitz ran forward to grab her, as Sheex rubbed his red face.

“You don’t care about anyone but yourself! You don’t think about anyone but you!” Leila screamed as she kicked and screamed against Sheex’s friends. Fortunately, the two men were able to hold her back, despite her fury. Barely.

“I recall telling you exactly that. Just figuring it out, are you?” Sheex spat at her. Lucas quickly ran over to pull him away from Leila.

“Dude! Calm down and-”

“And go die in a ditch somewhere! Cause that’s what’s going to happen to you Sheex! You’re going to die all alone, and you don’t give a damn about it! You want to go have your adventures? You want to go see the world? Well go! Go have adventures! Go see the world! Go wander till your shoes wear out! Go wander till your penniless and alone! Go wander till bandits have robbed you blind, till dragons have burned you alive, till soldiers have thrown your body off a cliff! Go wanderer! Go!”

“Jesus Leila! Calm down and-” Geitz struggled to control the woman, whose face was red, and voice was rage filled.

“I’d love to go! Oh wait! I can’t cause some psycho had me arrested! Care to shorten my sentence warden?” Sheex shouted as he stormed past Lucas.

“Consider your pardon granted! I’ll sign the papers this instant!” Leila screamed back as she shoved Geitz off of her, and marched towards Sheex.

“Hey! My luck is changing for the better every second! Someone tell me which way the courthouse is!”

“It’s that way wanderer! Try not to get lost!”

“Wouldn’t dream of it! Mind end up here again. With YOU!”

“Oh, don’t worry about that! Next time you take advantage of me, I’ll get so drunk I promise not to remember anything about you!’

“Can’t take advantage of the willing baby!”

“Is that what you tell yourself to make it feel better? That ‘she wanted it’ so it’s okay to ‘do what I want’ and not feel bad about it later?”

“Oh no. Plenty of women like you to do that for me!”

“And plenty of men like you to keep on doing it!”

“Never claimed to be special!”

“Actually you did, but I suppose you don’t remember that. I wonder though, do you ever stop and think, ‘Wow, I’m a piece of shit!’ Cause you are!”

“All the time! Doesn‘t bug me in the least!”

“Except when you’re crying like a baby in my front yard, right?”

“ENOUGH!” Trisha screamed, her voice conquering both Leila’s and Sheex’s (no small feat). Not only did her voice overpower the two, it also carried enough force to silence the squabbling. Though if her voice hadn’t, the palm of her hand across Sheex’s face would have.

“God damn it! Not my day with the ladies!” Sheex cursed as his head spun about; Trisha had quite a bit of power in her slaps.

“Shut up and listen!” The aging bartender demanded. “She was worried about you!”

“So?”

“WRONG ANSWER!” Trisha shouted as she grabbed him by his collar, and flung him to the ground. The group shouted in protest, but before anyone could do anything, Trisha was face to face with the floored Sheex.

“She doesn’t want you to get hurt. That’s why she doesn’t care what people say about her. She’d rather be made fun of by the whole town than see you get hurt. Think about that.”

“I don’t really-”

“Shut up and THINK!”

And he did. He thought about what that meant. He thought about it as he gazed upon Leila. He thought about it as sweat began to trickle down his face. He thought about as he brushed his hair back, as he clutched his head, and as he turned his gaze to the ground. He thought long and hard about what it meant to have someone care for you enough to risk themselves.

“I didn’t ask for her to do it,” Sheex whispered to Trisha.

“But she did. She didn’t ask for you to fight for her either, but you did.”

“Then,” Sheex said softly as he got up off the floor, “I suppose I should start by saying I’m-”

“Shut up,” Trisha ordered as she walked over to Leila. The young woman barely had time to blink as Trisha drew her hand back. Everyone’s jaws hit the floor as Trisha slapped Leila across the face.

“He stood up for you. He stood up for you!”

“I didn’t ask him to!” Leila retorted. For her efforts, she was rewarded with another slap.

“I don’t care! You’re always running around, chasing down men. You say it’s for Guy, but you don’t fool me!”

Trisha leaned in close to Leila, whose lower lip trembled.

“You’re afraid. You are so afraid of being alone, you’ll throw yourself at any man you can, but it never works out; you always see their true sides. You know that they don’t really care about you, so you shove them away, only to chase down another one.”

Leila’s skin turned pale, and her eyes went wide as she was cut to her core. Her breath was ragged, her face gave way to true fear. Fear of being alone. Fear of never being loved. Fear of having no one to help her on the harsh and dangerous road that is life.

“Well, you finally found one who does care about you,” Trisha said, loud enough for everyone to hear. “But you may as well just shove him away too, because quite frankly Leila, I don’t think you deserve this one.”

Trisha let her words echo throughout the night. Only after did the completely fade away did anyone dare to make the slightest move.

“So. Ummm. Like I was about to say,” Sheex started sheepishly.

[Sheex]

“I’m sorry,” Leila blurted out.

“No, no, no. It’s all my fault,” Sheex responded.

“No, it’s mine,” Leila let out a sad chuckle. “I just ruin everything don’t I? I can’t just say ‘thank-you’ when you stick up for me, I have to yell at you. Rather than make sure you’re okay, I slap you. I’m pretty pathetic actually.”

She turned to walk away. He quickly grabbed her and turned her around; she gazed at him with sorrowful eyes. No, they weren’t sorrowful, they were well past sorrowful. They were filled with tears.

“I believe that’s my line actually. I got a girl worried about me, and all I do is yell at her? I mean, you were just worried about me, and I say...that stuff. I ought to be happy, but all I can do is lash out. Sounds pretty pathetic to me.”

He smiled faintly.

“I’m not saying that Bobby did get what was coming to him though. Anyone that messes with you deserves a good punch to the face!” Sheex then let out a wide grin. “But you already punched me, so you can’t take another shot!”

In response to this, a single tear appeared from Leila’s eye. When it had finally finished its dance across her face and fell to the dirt below, she buried her head into Sheex’s chest.

“Thank you for sticking up for me,” She whispered as she wrapped her arms around him. “No one’s ever done that before.”

“Thank you for worrying about me,” He whispered back as he gently touched her chin. He carefully lifted her face upwards. “No one’s ever done that before either.”

Leila tightened her grip as she leaned forward. Sheex wiped a few strands of red hair out of her eyes. She snaked her hand up his back, and around his neck. He opened his lips and moved closer. Their hearts beat faster than ever as their lips touched. The two closed their eyes to the sweet bliss of this wonderful moment.

“Are Mommy and Daddy done fighting yet?” Nami asked as she and Guy peaked their heads out of the bushes.

“God damn it!” Geitz screamed as Sheex and Leila quickly parted from another. After a moment of thought, Sheex held out his hand; she quickly grabbed it. The way Leila smiled as he pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her was magnificent.

This however, did not win Geitz any money, for he had bet Lucas fifteen gold that the two would kiss one another.

“You’re daddy is an idiot,” Geitz mumbled as he tossed Lucas a few coins. Nami and Guy walked over to him.

“Nu-uh! Daddy is smart! Mommy said so last night when Daddy fixed the toilet. She also said he was so good at filling holes with long, hard things!”

“WHAT!” Guy immediately screamed as he glared at his mom.

“I-I-I-I did no such thing!” Leila said sheepishly, her face red. “Right Sheex? Right?”

“I solemnly swear that nothing of the sort happened. Well, I did fix a toilet but-”

“Daddy!” Nami squeaked.

“It’s true. All of it,” Sheex quickly changed his tune. Leila turned her gaze upon him as he shrank back.

“Traitor.”

“I can’t help it! How can I lie to a cute little girl like that? I tell you, it’s not possible!”

“All right then. Nami, what happened next?”

“Well, Daddy said that he couldn’t have done it without Mommy, cause he needed someone to hold and take care of the long, hard object he had used to fill the hole. Daddy said that it was a really important job, and he wouldn’t want anyone but Mommy to do it!”

Nami then clapped her hands together happily.

“Mommy and Daddy go so well together!” The little girl shouted happily, quite oblivious to the glares everyone else was giving her parents.

“You two have no morals at all,” Lucas whispered just loud enough as he shook his head.

“I’m all for talking dirty, but in front of a six year old girl? You guys make me sick!” Geitz sneered in disgust.

“Shameful,” Was all Trisha said.

“Sheex. I am setting your bed on fire,” Guy managed to mutter under his breath. Suffice to say, the secret code that Nami had missed was not lost on her brother.

“Then I shall simply have to find another one to sleep in," Sheex chuckled, for he had heard Guy's remark. "Anyone know where I can find one?"

"Oh! Oh! I know! I know!" Leila shouted as she raised her hand, and jumped up and down like an eager school-girl. "Pick me! Pick me!"

Every single member of the group (well, everyone but Nami) gave Leila a glare so powerful that somewhere on Althanas, someone completely unrelated to Irenes tripped over a rock and broke his nose.

"I don't think I can have you over for a sleep over..." Leila grumbled under her breath. "I don't think my parents approve."

Lucas, Geitz, Guy, and Trisha, all at this moment as strict as any parents, nodded in approval.

"Don't worry Daddy!" Nami shouted gleefully as she ran over to Sheex. She then held her arms upwards, signaling that she wanted to be picked up. "You can sleep in my bed with me!"

"I suppose someone should use it!" Sheex replied as he hoisted up Nami, whose smile was the quintessence of joy. "You've snuck into my bed every night!"

"Nami gets to sneak into his bed. Why can't I? Stupid strict town with stupid strict friends who are so stupid," Leila pouted under her breath. She went on to make a few more remarks about their stupidity as well.

"In any case, now that you have sufficiently wrecked my bar," Trisha said with a slightly acidic glance at Sheex. "Why don't we all eat dinner? Just us. I'll close shop early."

"You wouldn't think it by looking at her, but my wife's a great cook! I'll have her whip up some burgers!" Geitz declared.

"Wait, you're married?" Sheex stared at the large man. "You're joking, right?"

"Nah. Been married going on twenty years," Geitz said proudly. "She ain't much to look at, but damn can she cook. Tell him Lucas."

"It is true. Geitz's wife is quite ugly."

"Lucas!" Trisha chided.

"And she can cook the second best burger in town," Lucas said, his face red with shame. He did not usually make such jokes, but he figured it would be okay given the circumstances. It was not; he was quite embarrassed at his action.

"Who cooks the best?" Sheex asked as Nami playfully crawled up onto his shoulders, and happily perched herself there.

"Scrawny little boy-" Geitz began.

"GEITZ!" Trisha once again chided.

"Scrawny little girl named Noel," Geitz then elbowed Sheex softly, and whispered under his breath. "Seriously though. She's got a chest so flat she makes sandpaper look sexy."

And with that remark, the group of friends walked into Trisha's tavern. Nami happily sat atop Sheex's shoulders as he walked, and Guy asked Lucas who had given him the black eye. Geitz did his best to calm his wife down, for she had ran over the second she had heard there was a fight (he was failing miserably). Trisha shook her head at the tables that had been overturned from Sheex's scuffle, and swore that he was going to replace every little thing he had wrecked.

Leila's hand remained attached to Sheex's all the while.

Two hours and some minutes later...

Cradled in her daddy's arms, Nami slept peacefully. She sighed contently in her sleep as Sheex walked across Irenes in the middle of the night. At his side walked Leila with Guy on her back, doing his best to stay awake. He was mostly unsuccessful, but every now and then he perked his head up before falling back asleep.

The two walked in silence under the night sky. All was quiet. All was peaceful. Nothing broke the stillness of the night. The two walked; neither dared to look at one another.

"If he is your son..." Leila had asked in the softest of whispers. "If Guy is your son..."

"Leila," Sheex had whispered back. "He isn't. I'm sorry."

"But if he is. On the slightest, smallest, most insignificant of chances he turns out to be your son, what will you do?" She had asked of him.

"The right thing," He responded. "But Leila, I'm telling you-"

"I know," She cut him off. "I just wanted something to hope for. That's all."

He didn't know what to say. He didn't know what to think. Sheex really didn't know anything anymore. He was so confused on what to do. Every instinct in his body told him to run and hide, but every feeling told him to hold that little girl in his arms for the rest of his life. Part of Sheex pushed him to never look Guy in the eye again, but another part pulled him towards taking the boy out fishing. Or teach him how to play catch, or whatever it was a father did with his son.

His mind told him to never come to this town again. His heart told him to take that woman by his side and love her until the day he died. Perhaps, just maybe, Sheex could make Leila the happiest girl on Althanas. Did he have that power? Did he want that power?

Not wanting to face that choice, not wanting to peer that deeply into his own soul, Sheex did what he did under most stressful circumstances. He, like the coward he was, changed the subject.

"Court house is looking fancy," Sheex managed to say. The place of his trial was now covered with decorations. Banners were hung across the door, and if he looked hard enough, he could see dozens of similar decorations inside.

"The annual dance is coming up," Leila said softly. "I had forgotten all about it."

"This town has an annual dance huh? Any special reason?" Sheex asked as the stars twinkled above him. Leila shrugged.

"Not really. They've been throwing that party since I was a little girl; they clear out the court room and turn it into a makeshift ball room. Believe it or not, Judge Isholt pays for all of it. Nice to see she's going to have another one this year."

"Well, I guess even an old hag like her needs to have fun now and then. Funny though, throwing a dance for no reason. Everywhere else I've been always had a reason. It could be as simple as someone's birthday, or as complex as an ancient hero who saved the day a hundred years ago. Fan of the former myself."

"You don't need a reason to dance with someone you love, do you Sheex?' Leila whispered softly.

"No. I suppose not," Was his soft reply.

The two said nothing for a moment. Instead, the two simply stared at the building before them. They thought of the dancing that would take place there, they thought of couples gliding across the floor in unison, they thought of whispered words of passion and playful fondles of lust. They also thought of the person standing beside them, and wondered what would happen if one of them dared to be bold.

"Hey Sheex," Leila said as she turned to face the man beside her. "What are you thinking about?"

"Oh, well, I was, ah, this and that. Ya know. Stuff," Sheex stumbled. Damn it! I am Sheex freaking Deltin! I do not stumble with words around a pretty lady! I am charming! I am suave! I am...shit! Am I in love? He was so absorbed in his thoughts he only caught the very last word of Leila's sentence.

"Together." That was what he had heard. He turned to look her in her eyes. Eyes of beauty, eyes of a hope, eyes of a world he could be a part of.

"Let's go together! You and me! It'll be fun!" Leila said cheerfully under the silver moon that watched over the village of Irenes. "Whatd'ya say?"

"Oh, that would be...I mean...ah...well...of course I would...but...you sure you want...I just," Sheex continued this rather embarrassing and shameful rant until Leila flicked her hair with a wave of her head, as she often did. She smiled too, as she often did. Sheex had come to learn that whenever she made those particular motions she was about to do something daring, or dare him to do something daring. Either or.

"Need an extra bit of motivation eh? Well then, let's see..." Leila thought as she tapped her lip softly. "Oh, I know! How about we make a bet?"

“A bet?” Was his dumbfounded response.

“Yes silly. A bet. You do know what a bet is, don’t you?” She teased him with a smile. “A bet just like before! That’s what we’ll do Sheex Deltin! We’ll make a bet, and flip a coin to see who wins!”

“I don’t really know what to say except...show me what you’ve got?” Sheex said, doing his best to mimic what Leila had said in response to their first bet. He was significantly less forceful than she had been, however.

“All right!” Leila shouted as she pumped her hand in the air. “Tails you do what I say, and I say you take me to the dance. And, this is important, you enjoy it. No, you don’t just enjoy it, you love it! I’m talking five-star service here wanderer. Sweep me off my feet!”

“I see. I think I can manage that,” Sheex said as he scratched his head. “And on the off chance I win?”

“Well, I called tails. You get heads. Only fair,” Leila chuckled.

“I can bet anything I want?”

“Anything.”

“Whatever I desire?”

“Just name it.”

It did perhaps, for the slightest of moments, may have dawned on Sheex that he could have bet his freedom. On this coin toss, all for the price of a dance, he could leave this place and never come back. He could have that, if he wanted.

That was a lie. Such a thought never dawned on Sheex for even the slightest of moments. Something else dawned on him entirely.

“So, if I want to...how did you put it last time? Use your 'back door' was it?” Sheex said with a sly grin as he pulled out his coin.

“Oh dear! You will be gentle with me, won‘t you Sheex?” Leila whispered seductively as she licked her lips in anticipation. In anticipation of just what exactly, will not be written.

[Sheex]

"You! You! Do you realize what we almost had? Do you realize what I could be doing at this very moment?" Sheex swore as he held his coin in the palm of his hand. "If you had just landed on heads I could be...well...getting head for starters. And other things! I could have her bent over and-"

"Oh Sheex?" Came a familiar vixen's voice. He looked up from his coin, and stopped his rant.

Sheex sat in one of the three clothing stores in Irenes, the other two having already been visited. Neither of them happened to have a dress Leila liked, so the adventure continued. Leila had gone rummaging through the store and Sheex, as most men would have, quickly sought to claim one of the few "husband chairs" in the store.

"Husband chair" being one of the few places men could rest while the women shopped to their hearts content. Most stores had at least one, and Sheex had defended this one with the tenacity of a mother bear protecting her child. Except in this case it was more of a wanderer defending his weary feet.

"Which one? Red or blue?" Leila asked as she held up two different dresses. The design on the blue one was of flowers. Actually, the red dress also had flowers, but they were flowers of a different type. Sheex flipped his coin, casually caught it, and smiled at her.

"Red. Brings out the color of your hair."

Leila nodded, looked at the dresses, frowned, and put them back. She then went off muttering about how she liked the white one better. Sheex sighed, and went back to talking to his coin.

"So like I was saying, if it wasn't for you I'd have that cute little thing bent over and I'd be ramming my..."

The shop owner gave Sheex a curious look.

"...dinner...I'd be ramming my dinner down my throat, and she'd be bent over cause I'm a messy eater. Yeah. That's what I'd be doing."

The man continued to stare at Sheex, who quickly turned a shade of red. He then politely asked the shopkeeper to not call the town guards on him.

*~*~*~*~

"Rule number one Guy. Shower," Sheex said as he finished drying himself off, and walked out of the bathroom. Guy nodded and walked with Sheex, who had laid out the clothes he would wear at tonight's dance on the sofa. "I'm serious Guy. Shower before a date."

Leila had, of course, picked out what Sheex would be wearing. After another hour or two of shopping, she had finally decided on the white dress. She had then told Sheex that it was important for them to match, and one of the deciding factors of her decision had been that she had found an outfit for him that was "simply perfect for the cutest guy at the dance." He had smiled, thanked her for doing the work for him, and then finished with "who is lucky enough to have the cutest girl in all the world at his side."

"Why are you telling me this?" Guy asked as he sat down on the sofa. Sheex had already put on the black slacks that Leila had bought for him (she didn't want him to be too white), and now he was busy fiddling with his undershirt.

"Because someday you're going to find a nice young girl who you want to go out with, and I'll be damned if you blow it because you didn't have someone to tell you what to do. Now help me figure out how to button up this damn shirt your mother bought me..."

*~*~*~*~

"What are you doing Mommy?" Nami asked as she sat atop Leila's bed. Leila already had her dress on; it was the color of fresh snow. It's slenderness showed off her curves well, and the dress stopped just short of her knees; a bit longer than she would have liked it, but her aim was to be a little more classy than her usual mini-skirt and blue shirt attire.

"I'm putting on make up honey," Leila answered sweetly as she applied a bit of eyeliner. Before her was a desk, a mirror, and a colorful assortment of different make-ups. Nami was fascinated by all the colors.

"Why?" Nami asked as she studied a red bottle. She wasn't sure what it was, but the long black words on the bottle made her think it was expensive. She put it back delicately.

"To make myself look pretty," Leila replied offhandedly. It was a fact that make-up and glamorous trinkets would not make an ugly girl pretty, but they could very well make a pretty girl beautiful. Nami just turned up her nose.

"You don't need this smelly stuff to look pretty! You already are!" Nami said defiantly. "Daddy said so!"

*~*~*~*~

"Now when it comes to cologne Guy, for God's sake, use moderation! Just a pinch okay?" Sheex advised as he fished out a nearly empty bottle out of his traveling bag. Unlike the rest of his possessions, this bottle had actually been somewhat expensive. It was from his emergency I'm-about-to-go-out-with-a-hot-girl stash. He also kept a razor here, and decided a fresh shave wouldn't hurt.

"That's stuff smells weird," Was all Guy said.

"In a good way or a bad way?"

Guy took a deeper breath.

"Good," He judged. Sheex nodded in satisfaction, and then applied two small squirts to his neck.

"I find that just a bit goes a long way. You just need a hint really. Just a small scent to get the girl curious so she'll lean in close, which is something you want. See, if they lean in close you can-"

"Is that why you're wearing that stuff? To make my mom lean in close to you?"

Sheex coughed in embarrassment.

"How about I show you how to shave Guy?"

"I don't have a beard."

"Never to earlier to learn, right? Ha ha ha. Seriously, stop glaring at me."

*~*~*~*~

"Make-up takes a long time," Nami said in a manner that bordered on boredom. She had wanted to help her daddy get ready, but Leila said that girls should help girls, and boys should help boys. Nami didn't exactly understand the reasoning behind that, but it made Mommy happy, which made Daddy happy, which made her happy.

"I know sweetie. Here, why don't you help me pick out my earrings?" Leila said as she opened her jewelry chest. It was not large by any means, but she did have enough of a collection to cause the little girl's eyes to light up.

"Oh! Oh! These are pretty! They sparkle!" She shouted as she picked up a pair of golden earrings, and held them up to the light. The little girl turned the pieces about, delighted at the way the light sparkled off different angles. "Sparkle sparkle!"

*~*~*~*~

"Not bad. Not bad at all," Sheex said proudly as he adjusted his clothes. For him, Leila had selected an outfit consisting of black slacks, and a long-sleeve button up collared shirt. The shirt was a shade darker than Leila's dress, but the long coat she had bought him was the exact same color of said dress. Sheex had left the top two buttons of the shirt unbuttoned, and now he turned to Guy.

"It's time for the most important part! Waiting for the woman," Sheex muttered as he flopped down on the sofa. "Get use to it."

Twenty minutes later Leila had still not descended from her room upstairs, and Guy was staring at Sheex intently. The wanderer fidgeted nervously under the child's gaze.

"I'm bored," The child said flatly.

"Hey, it's good to be bored. Better than being under the glare of the girl's dad. Would you rather be bored, or would you rather have a burly man of forty scrapping the rust off a blade as he asks you what time you'll be bringing his little girl home?"

"Has that happened to you before?"

"Once," Sheex said with a chuckle. "The man didn't take too kindly to me."

"What time will you bring Mom home anyway?" Guy asked in a soft tone.

"I dunno. How long does this dance go to?" Sheex answered with a shrug.

"Past my bedtime."

"Somewhere around then I suppose."

"What are you going to do at the dance?"

"I haven't a clue. Eat, I suppose. Course we'll dance too. I imagine we might try and get dessert on the way home or something if all goes well."

"What exactly is that suppose to mean?" The boy whispered in a tone that bordered on hostile. Until now, Sheex had been lazing about on the couch. Only now did he notice Guy's beady eyes, stiff lips, and balled-up fists.

"Ah. Sweets are good?" Sheex managed to mutter. "Cause Leila's sweet! Get it?"

Guy did not laugh, and the wanderer briefly wished he was facing down a burly man with a rusty knife. Those you could reason with. Well, okay, you couldn't actually reason with them, but you could at least be scared shitless. That usually worked. Now, a nine year old boy on the other hand, that was something else entirely.

"I'll be a perfect gentleman," Sheex offered up.

"I bet," Guy muttered as he rolled his eyes. He was on the verge saying something else, but Sheex was saved by a timely knock on the front door. He quickly excused himself to answer the door.

"Hiya!" A small woman with short blond hair said. She was a tiny thing, measuring up only to Sheex's chest. She had bright green eyes, and she looked as if she had been trying to grow out her hair. It only served to make her hair look awkward, for part of it was cut and part of it was not. She was perhaps a bit over eighteen, and as flat as the door he had just opened.

"Noel Spero right?" Sheex ventured. The girl looked at him with wide eyes.

"How did you know? We've never met before!"

"My friend gave me an...accurate description of you. Won't you come in?" Sheex said as he motioned for the girl to enter. "Thanks for watching the kids for us. Leila really appreciates it."

"Don't worry about it!" Noel responded cheerily. "How's it going Guy?"

"Great!" The boy said as he ran over to Noel, his previous venom gone. Or at least it was well hidden. "You're going to cook dinner right?"

"Well, sure I suppose. I mean-" Noel did not get a chance to finish.

"YES! JACKPOT!" Guy shouted at the top of his lungs. "This night won't suck after all!"

"Hey!" Noel whined. "What's that suppose to mean? Just because I don't have a date for the dance doesn't mean you can be mean and..."

She had a grating sort of whine. It was like nails on a chalkboard, except it was about fifty-seven times worse. Sheex began to look about for something to plug his ears.

It was at that time a soft voice whispered his name. He turned to see Leila slowly descend down the stairs, and his jaw straight hit the floor.

She was beautiful. No, she was beyond beautiful; she was gorgeous. Her slim dress showed off her figure perfectly. The top of the dress was cut just right, neither too low nor too high. Everything about her was perfect; he longed to plant kisses up and down her slender neck. Her red hair she had combed back, not a strand was out of place. Her earrings were small and gold, each adorned with a small emerald. They sparkled like her eyes.

No, her eyes were far prettier than those jewels. They were prettier than any jewel Sheex had ever scene. All the kings and queens could keep their precious stones, for the simple beauty of this woman was worth far more than any piece of rock. Her red lips were luscious, and her white skin looked as soft as the petals of the most delicate rose.

She had a silk sash about her. She had not tied it around her, she simply had looped it behind her back and onto her arms. Each movement she made caused the sash to flutter about, adding a bit of mystery to her presence.

"Mommy's really pretty, isn't she Daddy?" Nami said softly as she tugged at Sheex's sleeve. He had been so entranced by Leila he had not seen the little girl approach. Guessing her desire, he picked her up, but his eyes never left Leila.

The most beautiful woman he had ever seen walked up to him, and held out her hand.

"Shall we?" Her voice was sweeter than any dessert.

He stood still, mesmerized by the beauty and allure of Leila Hope.

"Daddy," Nami whispered into his ear, "you should put me down now."

He obliged the little girl, who smiled at everyone.

"Have a good night!" Nami shouted energetically as she jumped up and down.

"Have fun!" Noel chirped.

"Be good!" Guy warned.

"Ready?" Leila asked as she wrapped her arm around Sheex's.

"And willing," Sheex answered softly.

[Sheex]

Every year Judge Isholt used her own money to throw the town of Irenes a wonderful party. It was nothing horrendously extravagant, at least not by Althanas standards. It was a simple party for a simple town; no princes or princess watched over the proceeding, no great warriors proudly walked across the room. There were no shady dealings occurring in dark corners (the courthouse was rather too well lit for that), and Isholt was certain that bandits would not storm the place and kill everyone. The worst thing that happened in Irenes was the occasional scuffle.

Dragons appearing out of nowhere and torching the place was completely out of the question.

The entire place had been cleared of its legal trappings. Gone was the judges’ table; the chairs for spectators were nowhere to be found. Instead, several smaller tables dotted the area. One large table held a buffet of food, and a well-stocked bar was placed off in the corner. Instead of judgment being passed at the front of the room, a local band plied their trade. Isholt, old and cranky though she was, gave herself a smile of self-satisfaction. All was well in Irenes.

Well, there had been that business with Nacien. It had certainly been a nasty business, and if a culprit could be found, then Justice’s price would have to be paid. However, she was not too keen on finding one. Nacien had always struck her as a bad egg, and in her honest opinion, the man had gotten exactly what he had deserved.

Not that recent events had increased her fondness for that Sheex Deltin character. He was still a trouble maker in her eyes.

The old lady smiled as she watched Judge Noah eagerly shake hands with everyone that greeted him. He had a smile, a blissful smile, pasted on his face; he did so love these little parties that she threw. It was a chance for him to escape the trappings of his job, and really get a chance to meet the people of Irenes. Good drinks and food helped with that. Isholt grinned as Noah flirted with a cute little brunette; he was easily the most liked of the three judges. Scratch that, two judges. That empty spot would have to be filled sooner or later, but for now Isholt thought to have herself another gimlet.

Irenes certainly was a simple town; there was nothing magical about the place. Then again, perhaps being a sleepy town in the violent world of Althanas (where adventure lurks around every corner), meant there was a sense of magic about the place. A town of total serenity, a place where a traveler could hang his boots up, and spend the rest of his weary days. Perhaps that was a bit of magic.

But when those two entered the hall, all could attest to the feeling of utter wonder. Arm and arm the young couple walked, and everyone breathed a little faster, blinked a little less, and stared a bit more.

She was dressed in a fine white dress. He wore a matching white coat and suit. Her green eyes were filled with joy, his brown eyes were more alive than ever. Her red hair was perfect, his brown hair was too. Sheex and Leila; what a couple they made. There was something about them, something indescribable, that just made the town seem a bit less real, and a bit more magical.

Of course there were whispers. There were always whispers. Hell, the common talk was that Sheex had committed murder and had gotten away with it, but if anyone called him a criminal, the answer was always the same. Folks would say, “you go take yourself a walk down to Hope’s place. You walk on down there, and you take a good long look at that little girl. See her smile, hear her laugh, and look into her eyes. You take a long, hard look at that child, and come back and tell me that man is a criminal.”

That decidedly ended any talk of Sheex Deltin’s criminal career. His past night at the bar, however, was free game.

“Mr. Deltin!” Noah shouted as he walked over and held out his hand. The brunette had not been impressed with his wit, and had left him for a more well-built model. “So good to see you!”

“Ah, it’s Noah isn’t it? The smart one?” Sheex said with a smile as the man’s hand. Noah let out a chuckle.

“Is it? I could have sworn you had a different nickname for me. Why, I was just talking to a friend the other day about your opinions of me and Isholt.” Sheex coughed in embarrassment, Noah’s grin widened. “Ah well, I’m sure it will come to me. A pleasure Leila.”

Leila giggled as she extended her hand, only to have Noah gently kiss it.

“Have you tried the fish? Delicious,” Noah offered as he guided the couple to the food. “Isholt had it imported from, well I can’t actually remember where, but it’s quite good! And the chicken! Amazing!”

“Allow me,” Sheex offered, for Leila eyed both hungrily. He snatched up a plate, and then began to pile food atop it. Leila and Noah continued to chat as Sheex did his duty (get food for his date), when a cold voice interrupted his work.

“Mr. Deltin,” Isholt said with a slight nod in his direction. Sheex almost jumped back in surprise, but to do that would mean he would most likely drop the plate of food, which was a no-no. Therefore, he just squeaked like a prepubescent boy.

“MS. ISHOLT! I mean, Your Honor! Er, hi. What’s up?” To say he was nervous around the old hag would have been an understatement.

“Behaving yourself, Mr. Deltin?” Isholt asked politely, if not coldly. Sheex nodded vigorously.

“Oh yes ma’am! I’m on my best behavior tonight! Scout’s honor! Not that I ever was a scout, but uh...say, is that a free bar?”

“Indeed it is Mr. Deltin. You don’t intend to have a few rounds and pick another fight, do you?”

“I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about,” Sheex muttered as he grabbed a drink for himself and Leila.

A few hours later...

Sheex and Leila found themselves, unsurprisingly, at a table with Lucas and Trisha, plus Geitz and his wife (whose name was apparently Samantha, Sheex had learned over the course of the evening). The group had eaten (as well as drank) a fair amount, and were in the middle of a heated discussion of the proper use of sandpaper.

How they had gotten there was anyone’s guess.

The group was suddenly interrupted by a cold voice; icy and harsh. The words spoken were polite enough, nothing more than a simple greeting. But the way it was said removed all possible kindness the words could have conveyed. It was a polite greeting, wrapped in a tone of frozen disgust.

Sheex turned to see a pretty thing. A blonde girl, and not bad at all by his standards. Her breasts were full, her black dress silky and sleek. Her slender white fingers were wrapped around the stem of a wine glass; the red liquid reflected off a golden bracelet she wore. All things being considered, he would have given her a solid eight, maybe even a nine. Strangely, even though he acknowledged the girl’s beauty, he felt nothing akin to lust. His mind didn’t race with inappropriate thoughts of what he would do with her behind closed doors, he didn’t wonder what she would look like without that silky dress. She was just pretty, nothing more. Odd that.

Her blue eyes were piercing. Maybe that’s what bugged him. Whatever kindness the rest of the body might have portrayed, those eyes of hers were down right malicious. When a girl looked at a man like that, all a man could do was hold up his hands and say, “okay, what’d I do?” He was tempted to do that just now, but that glare wasn’t for him. The sole focus of that hatred was Leila.

“I’m so glad you could make it, Leila dear. I didn’t think you’d show up to this party. After last year and all that terrible nonsense,” The blonde said as Sheex’s skin crawled. Something was wrong, definitely wrong. He saw a scene of utter politeness masking the pure hatred underneath.

“Cecelia, it’s been too long,” Leila responded politely, in a slightly less but still acidic voice. It was clear that there was no love lost between these two, and Sheex leaned towards Lucas as the women shook hands. He motioned for his friend to explain the situation.

“They don’t like each other.”

“No shit. Any particular reason?”

“She’s Bobby’s girlfriend.”

Sheex recalled Bobby’s little speech about Leila, and how the boy’s cruel words had only served to hid his jealousy. That made Cecelia a shining silver medal, which had to hurt the pretty little lady‘s pride. Instinctively Sheex stood up so he could stand beside Leila.

“And this handsome young man must be the Sheex Deltin I’ve heard so much about. My name is Cecelia Soren, and it is a pleasure to meet you Sheex.” It was amazing how fast the girl changed her tone. Gone was the marked coldness when she addressed Leila; she was down right charming to Sheex.

“It’s ah, all mine Cecelia.” He gulped. Waves of hatred were being emitted from both women, and he had just put himself right in the middle. “So, you know Leila? Are you friends?”

“Since we were children! I take it she doesn’t talk about me? You’re just too cruel my dear!” Cecelia laughed as she shot Leila a smile. A very evil smile. “So Sheex, taken a liking to our little town?”

“He’s found a thing or two here he likes, haven’t you Sheex?” Leila practically demanded.

“Oh, yeah, sure! That little shop in the middle of your town, what’s it called?”

“Flick’s?” Cecelia offered.

“Yeah! Great cakes. And Trisha’s bar! I love that place!” Sheex said. He practically heard the entire table slap their foreheads at that remark.

“Ah yes, the bar.” Cecelia lowered her eyes as if in shame. “I should apologize for my boyfriend’s behavior. He was out of line, saying those things about Leila. I’m, well, I’m really sorry Sheex.”

He noticed that the apology was directed at him, not Leila. He couldn’t tell exactly what was coming, but whatever it was, Leila was not looking forward to it. She was chewing her thumbnail raw.

“He had no right to do that, no right at all. Even if Leila’s last...guest...made a bit of a scene in the middle of town. Grabbed a girl’s breast, right in the middle of the market, didn’t he Leila?” Now she addressed her foe. Leila’s face had turned red with shame, she did not answer.

“Well, I bet Isholt didn’t take too kindly to that!” Sheex shouted. Anything to divert the attention away from Leila; people were starting to stare.

“Oh no she didn’t!” Cecelia shouted back. The girl wanted a crowd. “Slapped him with a huge fine, but Leila paid it in a snap. You’re too sweet Leila, especially considering how fast he ran. I can’t remember, when did that one take off?”

“Two days later,” Leila managed.

“And the one before him? Good god girl, I can’t imagine what you saw in him. He smelled of flies and animals, but you did manage to fix him up right. Pity he left a week later. You care too much Leila, you care too much.” Cecelia’s smiled cruelly as Leila took a step back in embarrassment, but the harpy wasn‘t done yet.

“I’ll not even mention that one...what was his name? The one that smacked you across the-” Wherever the line was, Cecelia had just crossed it. Leila flew into a rage.

“I kicked that one out! That piece of trash! I...I would never keep a man like that around! Honest Sheex, I wouldn’t!” Leila pleaded as she grasped Sheex’s arm, and looked at him with hurtful eyes. It dawned on him that he was merely a pawn in the game, something for Cecelia to wiggle in front of Leila; if she could make Sheex hate Leila, then her revenge would be complete.

That was the problem with women. If a man didn’t like you, it was as simple as that. A few harsh words were said, a few fists were thrown, and that was the end of it. Take him and Bobby, for example. The two had not spoken after the fight, but the boy no longer insulted Leila every chance he got. Sheex beat the crap out of him (and took a bit of a beating himself), and that was the end of that. Not women though. They went for the kill; Sheex would take a man’s fist in the face over a woman’s dagger in the back any day of the week.

He was reminded of the saying, “hell hath no furry like a woman scorned.”

“Of course not dear! Of course not!” Cecelia’s voice was as silky as a succubus, and as wrathful as a scorned lover. She smiled as she looked at Sheex, and gently stroked his coat. “I like this one though. He’s smart, funny, and all his facial features are in the right place. Yes, you’ve caught yourself a good one this time Leila. I suppose practice makes perfect; I admit I’m a tad jealous. Perhaps I could steal him for a dance?”

It was a beautifully laid trap. If she refused, she would seem unkind and possessive, especially in Sheex’s eyes. If she accepted, then she would have to sit by and watch as the two pranced about the room, where Cecelia would no doubt tell Sheex all about Leila’s past lovers. Caught between a rock and a hard place, Leila prayed for a way out. What she got was Sheex.

“Sorry. See, I lost a bet to her, and the rules stated I’m at her beck and call. Now, I’m a man of my word, so I must decline. Frightfully sorry,” Sheex threw out with a polite bow. Leila looked at him with her emerald eyes.

“I’m not that controlling Sheex!” She said with a playful slap accompanied with a smile. It was such a pretty smile. “You can dance with her if you like.”

“Ah ha! Trying to get me to welch on my part of the bet are you?” Sheex grinned as he leaned back against the table. “Not a chance! I’m yours tonight, to do with as you please...which isn’t a totally unpleasant prospect.”

“Oh pooh!” Cecelia pouted as she turned about, swirling her wine about as she did so. The woman had not lost one ounce of poise, nor gained one shred of decency. “Well, have a nice night you two!”

She began to walk away.

“Oh Leila!” The woman snapped as she spun about, as if she had forgotten something important. She spun fast. Too fast. The wine glass flew out of Cecelia’s hand, and the red liquid arced through the air. It landed exactly where she had aimed it, right atop Leila’s brand new dress.

[Sheex]

“Oh my god! I am so sorry Leila!” Cecelia screamed in a painfully mocking tone.

Leila grunted in anger as she looked at her previously white dress. It was now stained beyond recognition; the blood-red color of the wine had completely covered the front of the dress, as well as a good portion of her face. She took it like a champ, for she would not show weakness. Sheex, however, did not.

“Why you little! Gimme that drink Lucas!” He snapped as he grabbed his friend’s glass. He was so sick and tired of people treating Leila like garbage; everyone seemed to do it. He himself was rather content with the whisper’s about him, but he’d be damned if this little brat before him would get away with wrecking Leila’s night. He brought the glass back to fling in Cecelia’s face, when he felt a slender hand wrap itself around his side.

“It’s all right Sheex,” Leila muttered softly. “It was an accident.”

“Like hell it was!” Sheex blurted back. Now everyone was staring at him; the band had stopped playing to watch the events unfold. Cecelia just smiled smugly.

“Calm down pal,” Geitz whispered as he stood up.

“Keep it cool,” Lucas chimed in.

Sheex glared at Cecelia with all the hate he could muster. Then, he did something a bit contrary to his nature. He decided to think before he acted, and listen instead of blurt out whatever was on his mind.

They were talking again, the people of Irenes. Just like when he had appeared before them in court. They were still saying the same things the were back then.

“Trash.”

“People never change.”

“Always causing trouble.”

“Just look at this one.”

It could be said that Sheex was a little slow, for all the while he had thought those comments were about him. Back in the court, as he walked down the street, and here now. He had always thought people were calling him trash, but that wasn’t it at all. What was he to most people in Irenes? He was this week’s husband, and he’d be gone before too long. It finally dawned on Sheex that they were talking about her. They were talking about Leila.

He took a good look at the girl at his side. Once more, he summed her up. Fiery red hair, combed short; it went just a little past her neck. Creamy white skin, skin he’d love to run his fingers up and down. Fair breasts; not too big, maybe just a little small. Sparkling eyes of the greenest emeralds, eyes that poured into him. Eyes that only wanted to be loved, to be accepted. If he threw this glass of wine, he’d be playing right into Cecelia’s hands. Once again, Delusional Leila would have brought another trouble-maker into Irenes.

“Sheex...” Leila whispered softly. She wrapped her hands about his waist. “It’s all right really...”

But he had to do something! Anything! She deserved so much better than this! What could he do to throw this back in that bitch’s face, while not causing any trouble? If he could do something like that, then he could put a smile back on Leila’s pretty face.

It was such a beautiful face. He’d do anything to put a smile back on it.

“Hey,” He whispered loud enough for everyone to hear. “You care about my clothes?”

“What?” Leila was taken aback, visibly surprised by his remark. Sheex fixed his glare upon Cecelia, she smiled sweetly and batted her eyes at him.

“They might get a little...red,” Sheex stated as he took a step forward. Suddenly, he recognized a number of men next to Cecelia. Bobby’s friends. Strangely, Bobby himself was nowhere to be found.

“No, Sheex. Don’t do it...” Leila looked at him with pleading eyes. He raised the glass upwards.

“Do you care about my clothes or not?” He said dispassionately. This would work, he was sure of it. Leila turned away, she didn’t want to watch.

“No. I care only about you.”

With that remark, Sheex smiled, raised the glass as high as he could, and proceeded to dump it on his own head. Cecelia frowned, Geitz swore, Trisha gasped, and quite a few people began to mutter unkind words. Sheex ignored them all, tossed the glass back onto the table, and turned to Leila with the best smile he could possibly summon upon his face.

“There! Now we match again! That was important to you, right? Us matching?” Sheex said as Leila gave him a bewildered look.

“Ummm, yes,” She answered, more automatically than anything else.

“Great! Wanna dance?” Sheex asked as he held out his hand to her. Wine dripped down his face now, completely drenching his hair, and ruining his clothes.

“Right now?”

“This very instant.”

“But we’re covered in wine!”

“So what? Do you care what I look like, or what I’ve done?” Sheex lowered his voice so only she could hear him. “Cause you know Leila, I don’t care about any of that. I don’t care about what you look like, or what you’ve done. All I care about...is you. I care about you, and what you are now. I'm no prize myself, after all. I've done a lotta things that you might not like. You don't...you don't care about my past...do you?”

She looked at this man before her, stained red with wine. She looked at his brown hair; hair that she would love to run her hands through. She looked at his skin; skin with a bit of a tan to it from all his days spent wandering under the sun. She saw his out-stretched hand, and she met his brown eyes with her green ones. His eyes were a dark brown, and filled with many things. Roguish to be sure, mellowed with just a tiny dash of sadness at some of the things he had seen and done. A bit of daring, no small amount of lechery, and just a hint of mischief. Well, maybe more than a hint.

There was something else too. Something that hadn't been there before he had met Leila, although he wouldn't realize this for quite some time. It was small and faint, but it was there nonetheless. What was it, this hidden light in his eyes?

Could it have been love, or was Leila just dreaming? She wondered then what reflected in her own eyes when he peered into them. Whatever it was, she saw a smile creep up on his face. A similar one appeared on her own red lips.

Leila Hope then stuck out her tongue, raised her middle finger towards Cecelia, and grabbed the offered hand.

“Let’s go Sheex!” She shouted, oblivious to all the world, save for the man at her side. Together they ran to the dance floor.

“I’m with you Leila! You and me, we could take on the world!” He shouted back; the band wasn’t even playing any music; the two didn’t care. He spun her around as she tossed her head about wildly, moving to a rhythm that only she and Sheex could hear.

“I think I like you better this way anyway!” Leila yelled as she faced Sheex. She pulled him close, and began to dance against his body in a very seductive manner. “All hot and red because of me!”

“What can I say?” Sheex answered as he ran his hands up and down her sides while she wrapped her hands around his neck. “You really get my blood racing!”

“You’re not so bad yourself! Just look at what you‘re doing to me!” Leila threw her head back as the two dripped wine all over the floor. They were so close now, whatever bits of their clothes had not been covered with wine were now drenched with the stuff. Leila smiled and licked her lips.

“You’re making me all wet Sheex...”

[Sheex]

Leila was humming, even though she didn't realize it. She hummed a familiar tune to herself, as she walked up and down the various stands of what qualified as a market in Irenes.

For such a small town, the selection of food wasn‘t actually half bad. There were no farms to speak of, save for the small gardens many of the townspeople had. However, in addition to all the shops run by the various people of the town, at least two or three merchants a day came with different foods or other items to sell at Irenes. All of them lined up their various products for display under a large tarp (no one wanted to shop with the sun in their eyes), and each merchant closed at the exact same time. Leila assumed that they had made a deal of some sort with the town, but she didn't know for sure. Not that it mattered much to her, or to the rest of the townspeople; as long as there was a shop with reasonable prices, they were content.

"I'll be your princess, oh won't you say yes?" Leila sang unconsciously as she grabbed a few apples from the fruit table. She already had a few items with her that she would use for dinner, now she was just shopping for shopping's sake. Not that apples were a bad thing; Guy didn't eat enough fruit.

"I take it you enjoyed yourself last night?" A familiar voice asked softly. "The entire town is talking about you two."

Leila turned and smiled; she'd recognize the voice of Trisha any day of the week. She too was doing her shopping, although she was just picking up a few snacks to serve at her tavern.

"It was the best dance ever!” Leila glowed as she spun around, dancing as if Sheex were here with her. "I've never been with some who is so fun! So smart! So great in every way! It's like he and I feel the same about everything! I've never been s-s-so..."

Leila often stuttered, as well as bit her nails, when she was extremely nervous.

"So in love?" Trisha offered. Leila nodded.

"Yes. I've never been so in love. Not even close."

A look of pain crossed Trisha's face. A pain that only a true friend could know, a pain not of one's own flesh, but of a dear one's heart. With the saddest smile imaginable, Trisha shook her head, and gently placed a hand on her friend’s shoulder.

"You can't keep this one Leila," Trisha whispered softly. "He doesn't belong to you."

Leila's face grew white, her eyes widened. Her lips trembled, her hands shook. Unconsciously she wrapped her arms around herself; a vain effort to stave of an intangible enemy by the name of loneliness.

"No, you're wrong," She whispered back in a voice of desperation. "You don't understand at all. I love him. I really, truly do. I know I've said it before, but this one is the one!"

"You're right Leila, you have said it before. Many, many times."

"But this time it's different Trisha!"

"Is it?"

"Yes it is! Because this time...this time," The young woman's voice became the softest whisper. The faintest breath; to dare to speak too loudly would shatter the illusion. "Because this time, he loves me! I can see it! I see it is his eyes! I hear it in his voice! I feel it in his touch!"

"Oh dear, sweet Leila," Trisha said as she drew close and hugged her friend tightly. "How can he possibly love you, if he is not free to chose?"

"B-b-but..." Leila stuttered uncontrollably as her eyes welled up in tears.

"As it stands now, you offer him a prison. It is a prison of love and happiness, of a roof over his head and three square meals a day, but it is still a prison. You know the type of man Sheex Deltin is, as do we all. He is a man who values freedom over all else. You offer him many things, but you keep for yourself the one thing he wants most of all. The freedom to chose."

With the gentleness that only a real friend could posses, Trisha reached up and wiped away Leila's tears.

"You know I want you to be happy, right?" Trisha asked. Her friend nodded. "Then honey, trust me. Let this one go."

"I CAN'T! I WON'T LOSE HIM!" Leila screamed, drawing no small number of stares from the other shoppers. "I won't let this one go Trisha! I want him, more than anything else in the world! I would chose him over all of Althanas!"

With the gentleness of touches, the softest of smiles, and the saddest of eyes, Trisha parted from her friend.

"Then you must let him go. For I know Sheex Deltin, and if he loves you, then there is no force on all of Althanas that will stop him from coming back to you."

*~*~*~*~

Leila thought about what Trisha had told her all the way home. She walked in a trance, she paid no attention to her surroundings. She muttered an apology whenever she bumped into someone, and she outright ignored people when they tried to talk to her. All she did was think, and cling violently to the groceries she had bought, as if they would provide her with an answer to the question the plagued her mind.

What was she to do?

She loved Sheex Deltin, of that she was sure. She had realized it the second he had held his hand out to her at the dance. Standing there, with his hand outstretched, Leila knew then and there that there was no one else she would rather be with. With him, she would brave life's greatest challenges, with him she would grow old, and with him she would die. With Sheex Deltin, her very soul would go to the ends of reality, and wherever she ended up was fine, as long as it was with him.

But it was because of her immense love for this man that she dared not offer him a way out. He wasn't like the others; there was no moving on after Sheex. No matter how hard she tried, Leila knew that she would never be able to forget this wanderer who had entered her life. When the others had left her, she had simply consoled herself with such lines as "he wasn't the right one," or "if he doesn't need me, then I don't need him!" Such medications would not work this time. If she lost Sheex Deltin, then she knew she would lose a part of herself, and she would never get it back.

So she dared not give him his freedom, for if he chose to part with her, she would never live it down. She would offer him all the world, anything he could ask for, but not the chance to leave. She would become whatever he would want, she would do whatever he asked, save for that one thing.

But as she reached her house, with its single cherry tree and white picket fence, she reflected upon Trisha's words. If she really loved Sheex, how could she possibly deny him this? Was it love then, or was it just a selfish lust of some sort? If she would go to the ends of the world for this man, then why would she not offer him the world he longed for, even if it meant she would never see him again.

Because it would just hurt so much.

"Sheex..." Leila muttered softly as she opened the gate and walked up to her door. "I swear, I'll give you anything you desire. Anything at all, so just say you'll stay. Please Sheex. Please..."

She had not even entered the door yet. Instead, she just whispered to herself what she would say as she ran her hands across the wooden barrier that stood before her. Behind this door was the man she loved more than anyone else.

"I'll do it! I swear I will! I'll do it right this time!" She promised herself. "If he doesn't want me, then I will let him go, and may his happiness bring consolation to the shattered pieces of my heart."

The young woman took a deep breath, and opened the door.

She instantly knew something was wrong. It was not the house, for that was as it ever was. The place was not on fire, thieves had not robbed her blind. Everything was in order. Neither was it the outside world, for there were no intruders here. What struck her as wrong was her children; Nami and Guy.

They were literally at each other‘s throats.

"YOU JUST DON'T GET IT! THIS IS WHAT ALWAYS HAPPENS!" Guy shrieked at the top of his lungs. "HE IS NOT COMING BACK!"

"NU-UH NU-UH NU-UH!" Nami shouted; she stoop on her tippy-toes so she could better yell at her brother. "YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING!"

“I KNOW ENOUGH TO KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS!” Guy screamed as he angrily slammed a piece of paper onto a nearby table. “HE IS GONE, AND HE IS NOT COMING BACK!”

“YOU’RE WRONG! WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG!” Was Nami’s sole response.

“What on Althanas is the matter with you two?” Leila demanded as she shoved the two apart; they looked like they were about to come to blows.

“Mom,” Guy said softly, his face was red. Not with embarrassment, but with something else entirely. “Mom...”

For the first time in her entire life, Leila realized her son was at a lost for words.

“What’s wrong sweetie? What happened?” She asked as she knelt down to her boy. She quickly placed a hand over his head to make sure he wasn’t sick. The child was a healthy as he had ever been.

“He’s wrong! He’s wrong!” Nami shouted over Leila’s shoulder frantically.

“Calm down honey,” Leila whispered softly as stroked Nami’s cheek. She then turned her attention back to Guy. “What’s the matter Guy?”

“This...this came in the mail. Mom...Mom I...” The boy could not finish his sentence. Instead, he simply shoved a small paper into his mother’s hand. “Mom, I am so sorry.”

It was as she read the words on the paper that Leila realized what the look on her son’s face had been. It had been pain, pain not of the flesh, but of the heart.

Mrs. Leila Hope and Mr. Sheex Deltin,

We have received the results of the test to determine the father of Guy Hope. It has been proven beyond the shadow of a doubt that Sheex Deltin is not the father of Guy Hope. We return to him his daggers that were confiscated upon his arrest, and give him leave to exit the town of Irenes, should he desire to do so. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience.

Sincerely,
The Town Council Of Irenes

*~*~*~*

Sheex Deltin drew a ragged breath as he stared at her house from the backyard. He took in everything, down to the minutest detail; nothing was too small for him to not notice. He watched the way the petals of the cherry tree gently floated to the ground, he noted each part of the white fence that needed to be repainted. He remembered which steps creaked as he walked across them, and he counted the number of cracks in the windows. There weren’t many.

He burned into his mind the slant of the roof, the frame of the door, the color of the grass, the smell of the flower garden. He swore he would not forget a single thing, for he would never visit this place again. Let it remain forever in his mind, etched perfectly into his thoughts, always and forever. Let it always be in the back of his mind, and let it be the last thing he saw as he shut his eyes for the very last time.

He slowly checked his belongings; everything was as it should be. He was dressed as he had arrived, faded black pants and a worn-out, long-sleeve blue shirt. His traveling bag was in his right hand, his daggers were stuck in his belt. His pack of cigarettes was in his coat’s left pocket, and his hip flask was in his coat’s right pocket. What few coins he had left jingled softly. As per his promise, he had left upon Leila’s kitchen table the one-hundred and fifty gold he had owed her.

Yeah. Everything was as it should be.

Sheex took a deep breath, and let out the longest sigh in the history of the world. It was a sigh filled with regret, pain, disgust, and sorrow. Most of all, it was filled with sorrow.

“The price of freedom...sure is steep,” He whispered softly. And, without so much as another word, Sheex Deltin turned and walked away.

[Sheex]

Several bottles broke as Leila dropped her groceries; a single apple rolled away from the rest of the group. She trembled and shook, she fell to her knees in shock. The small letter in her hands gently floated to the ground, its words a burning reminder of what was lost. He was gone, and he was not coming back.

"It's okay," Leila said softly, more to herself than to the children. "Everything is going to be okay."

Have to be strong. Got to be strong for the children.

"Don't worry, everything is all right," Leila whispered. She did not realize she had fallen to her knees, she did not realize how violently her hands shook, and she did not realize how many tears were streaming down her cheeks.

I never got the chance to tell him. I never told him how I felt. I never told him that I loved him.

Her hands wrapped themselves around her ears, similar to the way Nami had done when she cried on that cold night that seemed so long ago.

"We don't need him. We don't need stupid Sheex. Right Guy?" She managed to say.

"No. We don't need...we don't need..." The young boy could not finish the sentence. It simply it hurt too much.

"Why are you talking like that? Why is everyone talking like that?" Nami asked frantically. The poor girl simply refused to believe that Sheex was gone. Leila cursed the man, how could he leave them all behind? How could he leave Nami behind?

"Honey...honey, sometimes mommies and daddies can't stay together. Sometimes, it just doesn't work out," Leila said as she gently stroked her daughter's cheeks. Nami actually glared at her.

"Stop talking like that! He's not gone!" Nami bellowed. "He just walked out the back door, and he'll be back in a few minutes. DADDY DOESN'T BREAK HIS PROMISES!"

"Just walked out the back?" Leila blurted out as she turned her eyes towards the back of the house. Could she have just missed him? Was he just outside that door? Was there still a chance? If there was, should she take that chance?

Her mind was a blaze of confusion. Part of her, the tough part that had been alone for so long, told her to forget about him. If he didn't want to stay, then screw him. She didn't need him, or if she did, then she could just lie to herself and say she didn't. What type of man walked out like this anyway? A man like that wasn't worth keeping around, and he certainly wasn't worth chasing after like some foolish girl lost in a fantasy world.

What the hell are you doing girl? Her Evil Shoulder Demon asked her.

Not listening to me, that's for sure. Her Intelligence chided.

There goes the man of your dreams, and you're not going to even try to change his mind? Pathetic. Her Conscious added.

It is not weak to fight for what you believe in. It is not weak to go after the man you love. He is weak to walk away, this is true, but it is weaker still to do nothing at all. Her Good Shoulder Angel advised.

I still haven't met not-so-little Sheex. A final voice weighed in.

"SHEEX!" Leila screamed as she shot up. She bolted after him.

"MOM!" She heard Guy scream after her. She yelled at him to wait for her, this was something she needed to do alone.

Through the house she ran. Past the couch where he had slept, by the dinning table they had never sat at together. Out through the back door, and across the garden where they had kissed, if only for the slightest of moments. She gasped as she saw his hand slowly open the back gate, and his legs made to cross the threshold.

"SHEEX!" She yelled at him. They were ten feet from one another, all she could see was his back. He said not a word, all he did was stand still. Just another step, and he could leave this place. Just one more step.

"Are you...leaving? Just like that?" Leila panted. She did not know what to say or what to do. All she knew was what she wanted, and that was for Sheex to shut that gate and stay here in Irenes with her, for the rest of their lives.

"That was the deal, wasn't it? If he's my kid, I stay and do the right thing. If not, I leave. Well, he's not my kid, so I'm gone. Good-bye Leila," Sheex said softly as he made to take a step.

"NO! DON'T GO!" Leila screamed, rooting him to the spot. She ran madly across the grass; to hell with pride, and to hell with being right. She would get down on her hands and knees and beg if need be.

"Leila..." Sheex began. Slowly he turned to face her. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, but I'm just not strong enough. This life is too much for me. I can't...I just can't do it."

"Why not?" Leila demanded. "What is this great failing that keeps you from staying? What sin is so great, what terrible wrong have you committed, that is so monstrous to keep you from me? Is it what you've done? What you've been? Because I don't care about any of that!"

She drew a deep breath.

"All I care about is you Sheex."

The sadness in his eyes as he turned away would have made a fiery dragon halt its rampage to shed a tear.

"I'm just not good enough," He whispered as he walked away.

Or at least he tried to. Sheex found his legs unresponsive, as if something was weighing them down. He turned to look, at what he saw then appalled him more than anything he had ever seen.

"What the hell are you doing?" He barked loudly as Leila wrapped her hands around his knees.

"Don't leave me. Please. I'm begging you Sheex, don't go." True to her words, Leila was on her knees before him, with her hands wrapped around his legs, begging him not to go.

"Get off the ground!" Sheex screamed as he yanked her to her feet. "Don't you ever do that! Don't you ever beg! You're better than that!"

"I know, it's pretty pathetic, huh?" Leila chuckled. It was a very sad chuckle.

"Believe it or not, this isn't like me. I've never chased after a man like this. I've never begged anyone to stay before. I've always told myself that I didn't need them, but I can't lie to myself Sheex. I need you more than I've ever needed anyone. So I'll beg if I have to, because I love you. I love you more than anything else. I would choose you over all of Althanas."

There, she had said it; she breathed a small sigh of relief. At least now he knew how she felt about him.

"God damn it Leila, you're too good to be with a guy like me," Sheex whispered softly as he turned his head away in shame. "Why the hell did you ever sleep with me in the first place?"

"You told me you loved me," Was her soft response.

"And you actually believed that crap?" Sheex cursed as a vague memory came flooding back to him. Years ago, him and a redhead. He didn't remember where they had meet, but he remembered what they were doing. Talking, laughing, drinking. Oh yes, they had been drinking quite a bit.

He remembered the way she smiled at him, same as it was now. And he remembered wrapping his arms around her, pulling her close, and whispering those words. He also remembered not meaning them in any way, shape, or form.

"Shit Leila," Sheex managed to say. "It was just a stupid line. No one believes crap like that."

"I do Sheex," Leila said through tears. "I really, really do."

It was simply too much for the poor wanderer to take in. To come face to face with what may have very well been the biggest sin in his life broke him. To behold the heart he broke once, and to hold that very same heart in his hands once more, was too much to bare. With the simplest words, he could change everything. All he had to do was say one word, all it would take was the word "yes," and he could make everything right. But, with that one word, everything he was would shatter and become the past. Sheex Deltin, the wanderer with a hundred stories, would be no more.

"Please stay Sheex," Leila asked one last time. She looked at him, and he knew then and there that there was naught but love for him in those emerald eyes. "Stay, and make me the happiest woman in Althanas."

He screamed then. His scream was one wracked with the agony of indecision. The scream he unleashed seemed to freeze the very world, nothing could be heard save for his life-shattering scream. It was the shriek of a man paralyzed with fear. He teetered at the edge of his current life and a new life, and Sheex Deltin knew not how to decide. For every thought that pulled him one way, there was a another that pushed him right back.

Freedom! Total freedom!

Guy needs a father. I could be a father. I think I'd do all right.

Adventures! So much to do, so much to see!

Nami. I can't leave Nami. I love her. She's my girl. My little girl.

Too many responsibilities. I'll choke on them.

Daddy's don't break their promises.

Can't stop now. So many places left to go, so many friends left to make!

Can't leave now. So much still to do, so many friends to still spend time with!

More drinks. More fun. More women.

One home. One family. One woman.

Lust.

Love.

Infinite possibilities.

One certantity.

"I can't take it! I CANT TAKE IT!" Sheex bellowed in rage. "For all that I am, I cannot make this choice! I won't make this choice!"

He drew from his pocket a constant companion, one that never led him wrong. With this he would settle this debate, and with a ragged breath he prepared to pass his fate onto someone else.

"Flip you for it," Sheex said hysterically as he held his coin in the palm of his hand.

"You can't do that!" Leila cried back. "You can't leave this choice to chance Sheex! You have to choose!"

"NO!" His voice echoed throughout Irenes. "I won't make this choice! I refuse! This is the deal, take it or leave it!"

He shoved the coin forward, and held it at the ready. He prepared to flip it; his hand shook more than ever. He had killed men with a hand steadier than this.

"If it is heads...if it is heads, then I will stay!" His eyes glazed over, it was as if part of him was not there. The most important part of Sheex, the part Leila wanted the most, was simply watching the scene unfold. "No, I won't just stay! I'll be everything you've ever wanted! I will spend everyday loving my family! I will live for them! I will live for you! But if it's tails...if it's tails..."

There comes a time in every person's life where they are forced to make a critical decision. That single decision is, without a doubt, the most important decision that they will ever have to make in their life. The right choice in the decision is obvious, yet many still choose wrong. Those that do lose something important, and what is lost can never be reclaimed. To those who choose wrong, the world loses just a bit of color. Everything seems to be just a shade more gray, from the red of an apple to the blue of the sky. Sheex knew that this was such a decision, for if it was not such a decision, he would not see everything.

Yes, he saw everything. Everything that he had ever been, everything that he was, and everything that he could possibly be, was laid before him. It was a twisting and turning life, web-like in its complexity. In that one moment, right before he flipped that coin, Sheex Deltin understood every single thing in the universe.

He saw his past, and all that he had accomplished. He saw himself dancing with a princess, both of them smiling as they whisked about under the moonlight. He saw himself sitting by the side of a pretty mercenary, who for the first time in her life dared to ask for help. She clung to him tightly as he lifted her wounded body. He saw the lives he had taken, the faces of the men he killed. The cackles of the mad ones, the hatred of the angry ones, the tears of the innocent ones, and the soft smile of the single one who had cast no blame upon him. He saw every single woman he had ever made love to.

His saw the present, and the choice he had to make. He saw the friends that surrounded him, he saw a little girl who thought the world of him. He saw a young boy, who had hated him at first, grow to like him. He saw a young woman who, from the very bottom of her heart, loved him with every fiber of her existence. He saw himself, and he knew he felt the same.

He saw the future, and everything he could be. He saw the tall mountains he would climb, and the deep waters of a lake he would swim naked in. He saw a pretty flower, picked for a girl, and the kiss that would ensue. The lands he would cross, the people he would meet, and all the things would do. All was laid before him, and it was wondrous. He even saw a night spent in passion with a pair of girls. Twins.

Piece by piece, it all disappeared. The past was the past, it could no more be revisited than it could be redone. His time with the princess and the mercenary, that time had come and gone. He was not meant to be with them, he had to move on. No longer could he dwell on dead men's faces, no more could he fantasize about the girl he had made love to under the night sky in the pouring rain. It was time to grow up.

He would never climb that mountain, he would never swim in that lake. He would never pick that flower, he would never meet that girl, and her eyes would never light up as she kissed him. He would never see those lands, meet those people, or accomplish any of those things. He would never spend a passionate night with twins.

As the pieces of his life shattered, he gazed upon what remained. A little boy, a little girl, and a young woman with red hair. These three would stay with him until the end, but even they would grow apart. The boy would grow up, and yearn to see the world as his father had done. The boy would return, but he would be a man. No longer would Guy walk to school with his father, or eagerly hang on every word of his stories.

Even the young girl would grow up. She would never leave town, for her greatest desires were in that small place on Althanas. That little child, so sweet and innocent, would cling dearly to her daddy's knees as long as she could, far longer than other girls would ever dream of doing. But eventually Nami had to grow up, even though she didn't want to.

All that remained was that red-haired woman. It was this single person who would remain with him, no matter what life threw at the two of them. She would remain forever at his side, and the feelings she had for him would never fade away. It was this woman, and this woman alone, who would brave life's greatest hazards with him, and when they grew old and shuffled off this mortal coil, it was her soul that would rise up with his. Together, the two of them would dance across the heavens.

He heard Leila whisper his name, but he was too busy crying. Each tear that fell was another piece of his life lost, for Sheex Deltin was a mortal man. He was destined to die, and as such he could not walk every path he desired. He had to forfeit some paths in order to walk down others, and each tear that fell was another path not chosen.

The very act of living is to lose that which was not chosen.

"If it's tails," Leila said with an aching heart. Even if she won the toss, she lost everything that mattered. "If it's tails then..."

A final tear left Sheex as he faced her once more.

"I already chose," He said in a daze, almost as if he couldn't believe the words he was speaking. "I chose heads. Tails is...tails is your call."

The coin spun through the air; light from the sun reflected brilliantly off its metal surface. The coin rose like the sun, higher and higher. And then, once it had reached its zenith, it began to set. There is no better way to describe a man's life than sunrise, and sunset. The sun had set on Sheex the Wanderer, but it had just begun to rise on a different man. Sheex the Father. Sheex the Daddy. Sheex, the Love of Leila's Life.

For the first time in his entire life, Sheex did not bother to check what the outcome of the coin toss was. Instead, he gently rose a hand towards Leila, who cried tears of joy.

"There's nothing...nothing..." Sheex whispered softly. "I have nothing Leila. No, that's not right. All I have is you. My world...is you. You're it. You're all I have...all I want...I...don't know really know what else to say...but..."

Gently, tenderly, he wiped her tears away.

"Leila...I love you."

[Sheex]

"There he is!" Geitz shouted across the bar as Sheex walked through the door like so many times before. Just as they had on the very first day he had arrived in Irenes, his friends waved him over to their spot. Lucas and Geitz were perched atop stools; Trisha worked the bar with a kind, and somewhat weary, smile.

"I told you he wouldn't leave without saying good bye," Lucas muttered under his breath at Geitz. The large man just shrugged as Sheex took his usual seat.

"Course he wouldn't! I never thought that for a moment!" The man's round face turned a shade of red with the lie. "After all, you've got to finish your story about how you once helped settle a goblin civil war, eh buddy?"

"Huh?" Sheex answered; he was in a bit of a daze and fidgeting nervously. "Oh, yeah. I can do that. But I gotta ask you guys for a favor first..."

"Anything you need Sheex," Lucas said with a kind smile.

"Perhaps one for the road? On the house?" Trisha grinned as she poured her friend a scotch on the rocks; the same way he always drank it.

"Ah, no. Well, yes. I'll take that free drink, bad bar etiquette to turn a free drink and all that. No, what I meant was-"

"A couple gold for the road? Take it buddy!" Geitz laughed as he fished out a small bag of coins and tossed it in front of Sheex. "Seeing you deck Bobby is worth a few coins!"

"What? No, I don't need your money. Come on, you'd think I'd ask you for coin?" Sheex said as he shoved the bag back across the table.

"No," Geitz grinned, "but I was kinda hoping you'd take it anyway."

"Well, I won't." Sheex took a small sip of his drink. "In any case, well...gosh...come to think of it, I've never done this before. I'm kind of nervous actually."

"Out with it man!" Geitz shouted as he slapped Sheex's back.

"Anything we can give you, we happily shall give," Lucas said with a soft smile.

"Just name it hon," Trisha said kindly.

"In that case..." Sheex steeled himself. This was going to be a big one. "Can one of you guys hook me up with a job? I got a family to feed now."

The look on his friends' faces was quite priceless.

*~*~*~*~

"I can't believe it! I just can't believe it!" Noel Spero stammered as she swirled her drink. She and a few friends (Leila included) had gathered together for lunch, and they sat around a table located on the balcony of Noel's house.

"Who would have thought it? After so many tries, you finally found the one!" One of the girl's congratulated Leila.

"Needle in a haystack odds, but you found Guy's father. Hard to imagine, but there it is!" Threw out another.

"Actually, Sheex isn't really the father. Not that it matters!" Leila giggled. "I'm keeping him anyway!"

"One of these days, one of these my knight is going to come for me!" Noel squeaked as her friends rolled their eyes; they had heard this story before. "He's brave and kind, handsome and nice. He is a little sulky, but I don't care because he's my knight!"

Noel placed her hand over her heart proudly. Everyone else laughed.

"No! Really! He does exist! I met him back when I was a soldier for Emprea-" A chorus of disbelief followed.

"Yeah right Noel."

"Sure you were."

"We believe you."

"Oh yes. You. A soldier."

"Well, well I wasn't a very good one!" Noel sulked. She then shot out of her seat, and began to talk animatedly. "But I was a soldier and there was a knight! And one day he will-"

The young woman was so lost in the moment, she neglected to keep hold of her drink. Out of her hand the glass flew, and over the balcony it went. A shrill scream was heard as the group ducked to avoid being seen, but not before one of them risked a peak.

"Noel," The girl whispered, "you just hit Cecelia with your glass! She's covered in wine!"

"High-five! Anyone? Anyone?" Leila said with a laugh.

*~*~*~*~

"Hey Sis!" Guy yelled as he ran as fast as he could to the front of the school. Nami was there waiting for him. "Did you get your test back?"

"Yup! I got ten out of ten!" Nami held her paper up proudly for all to see. "Daddy's going to be so proud of me! I can't wait to show him!"

"Hello Guy. Hello Nami," Keep a sweet voice. A young woman with long blonde hair walked over to the children.

"Hello Mrs. Lexi!" The children chimed in almost perfect unison. Mrs. Lexi, one of the three teachers in Irenes, was a young woman of twenty-five years old. Her hair was, as previously stated, long and blonde. Her eyes were blue, and her breasts were rather full and perky, or so Sheex would say if he was here (obviously he wasn't). Though if he was, he would say that the teacher ranked a solid eight on his women watching scale, plus maybe an extra half a point if you were hot for teacher.

"How is everything Nami?" The teach asked with a kind smile. The young girl had still wore sweaters to school everyday, but the bruises on her body were finally beginning to fade. Nami smiled back at Ms. Lexi happily.

"I got a ten out of ten!" She answered proudly as she showed the teacher her paper.

"Well that's very good! You'd better run home and show your parents!" Ms. Lexi congratulated the little girl as she patted her on the head gently.

"I can't wait!" Nami shouted at the top of her lungs as she took off. "I can't wait to go home!"

Guy smiled a smile well beyond his years at the back of his sister, and then joined her in the race to get home as fast as they could.

*~*~*~*~

"Good afternoon Judge Isholt!"

"Good afternoon Judge Noah."

The two met often for lunch, almost every workday to be exact. Each day they met at Isholt's house, where she always read the paper and took her tea. Noah often brought food of some sort, usually sandwiches or eggs. Isholt had a strange fondness for eggs that led her to often have breakfast for lunch and dinner.

As usual, the two took their respective places. Noah laid lunch on the table (today consisting of scrabbled eggs and turkey sandwiches of all things) while Isholt sipped her tea. With a bit of a grin, Noah took his place.

“So, did you hear? Leila finally found her man. It’s the talk of the town!” Isholt looked up from her paper and glared at the boy.

“That means very little to me. Honestly, a town council member spreading around gossip. What would your mother think, God rest her soul?”

“Oh, she’d probably say something along the lines of ‘that’s nice’ or ‘good to hear.’ Maybe even something along the lines of ‘what’s the latest smut on the stars of Althanas?’ Eh?” Isholt turned a shade of red, and folded up her paper as Noah grinned.

“This is different! I’m not going about town spreading rumors! I’m simply...indulging one of my vices.”

“And my particular vice today is everyone's opinion on Sheex and Leila! What's yours?”

“...I think she’s finally found one worth keeping.” Isholt then pointed a crooked finger at her grandson (who opposed her decisions more often than not). “But don’t you dare tell him I said so! I swear, starting a brawl in a bar! And his so-called defense in court! Honestly Noah, I can’t believe children nowadays! Why, just the other day...”

Noah smiled, and began to eat his sandwich.

*~*~*~*~

“Are you leaving boy?” A grizzled old town guard asked as he rested his feet at the town gate. He ran a wrinkled hand though his gray beard as a young man walked by.

“Yeah,” Bobby said softly. “I’ve got an Uncle who owns a trade ship. He says he’ll take me on.”

“Any particular reason you decided to up and leave? I thought you’d spend the rest of your days here, stirring up trouble and keeping old ladies awake at night.”

Bobby stared off distantly at something, but the guard couldn’t see what.

“I want to see the world. His stories were so unreal, and yet it really seemed like he had done it all.” The guard continued to stroke his beard as Bobby hefted his bag.

“Come to think of it, you were always at the bar every night he was there telling his stories, weren’t you?”

“More or less. I bet he was lying though. There’s no way he saved a princess. Right?”

“...Perhaps.”

“In any case, be seeing you.” Bobby gave the old man a casual wave good-bye and began to set off. The old man responded with a slow nod, but he watched as Bobby stopped just before crossing the gate.

“Hey. Tell them I wish ‘em well. Will you?” The young man whispered just loud enough for the old man to hear. “Not that they need it. Those two are made for one another. Kind of...cute actually.”

*~*~*~*~

Leila though to herself as she washed off the dishes from dinner (the first one her family had eaten at a table together); Sheex had gone up stairs to put the kids to bed. She thought about everything that had happened over the past few weeks, and everything she had gone through to get to where she was now. More than anything, she thought about Sheex.

What a strange feeling she had. This was new; never before had she felt like this with any other man. She desired him, of that there was no arguing. She longed to pull him into her room, yank off all his clothes, and make mad love to him. But her feelings for him went beyond such simple pleasures; she wanted so much more.

She wanted to watch sunsets with him, lie naked all day in bed, eat dinner together every night. She wanted to go on walks, see plays, do nothing at all but sit and gaze into one another‘s eyes. She wanted everything in the world, but more than anything, she wanted to share it all with this man. She wondered if she would have enough time to do it all.

It was such an odd thing, fear. It drove men to great lengths, either for good or ill. People killed out of fear, loved out of fear. They worshiped out of fear, condemned out of fear. Everyone was afraid of something. Nami had been afraid of losing her new family, which she loved so much. Sheex had been afraid of not being good enough for his family. Leila too had feared, but that was nothing new to her.

Yes, she had always been afraid; she was terrified of being alone. That was why she so desperately clung to whatever man she could, gave them whatever they wanted, if only to buy another day with them. She offered anything to those who could stave off her fear of loneliness for just a little bit longer.

But not anymore. In her heart of hearts, she knew that she was not alone any longer. That maddening fear, that frightening sensation, no longer plagued her mind or heart. She knew that, now and forever, she would never be alone again. She knew it because she had Sheex Deltin, and whenever he spoke to her his eyes always said the same thing.

I am yours. Forever and ever.

“I’m not alone anymore," Leila whispered softly as she dropped the towel she had been using to clean the dishes. "I'm not alone anymore! I’M NOT ALONE ANYMORE! Oh my GOD! I can’t believe it! This is s-s-so AMAZING! He’s so good and nice and smart and-”

She began to dance about wildly; she lost all her inhibitions. She twirled about like a ballerina, she cart wheeled like the most jubilant child. She was simply unable to contain the pure joy she felt, even her antics did not seem to be enough. She wanted to scream at the top of her lungs (well, she already sort of was), she wanted to climb up on her roof and yell until her voice gave out. She wanted to scream, yell, run, dance, jump, flip, hop...

“Ahem.” Sheex was leaning against the wall. “Guy would like a glass of water before he goes to bed. Is that all right?”

“...How long have you been there?”

“Just a little bit before your...exhibition.”

“I see. Well, I’ve got one thing to say to you Sheex Deltin!” With firm determination, Leila marched across the room. Sheex raised his eyebrows as she pointed a finger at him.

“Now that we’re officially together, things are going to be different! No more free rides for you! It’s time to earn your keep! We’re talking foot rubs, back massages, breakfast in bed! The works Mr. Deltin! Oh, and so help me God, if I ever catch you so much as looking at another woman-”

Sheex silenced her with a kiss on her cheek.

“Whatever you want. You’re my everything.”

Leila gently touched the spot on her cheek he had kissed as Sheex walked back up the stairs. She then pumped her fist in the air, leapt for joy, and screamed as loud as she possibly could.

“I LOVE YOU SHEEX DELTIN!”

*~*~*~*~

As it was the first time she had not been the one to personally tuck her son in, Leila figured it would be all right to sneak a peak. Carefully she opened the door to Guy’s room (and at the moment it was Nami’s room as well, she was less scared that way), and looked in. Everything was as it should be. Guy was sound asleep on his bed, and Nami was tucked in perfectly on the cot Sheex had brought into the room. Leila smiled, and shut the door.

She turned to find Sheex leaning against a wall, watching her intently. It dawned on her that this would be their first night as an actual couple. What would he say? What would he do? Sheex let out a long sigh, and then began to hum a familiar tune.

“Well...I guess I’ll be your handsome prince,” Sheex sang as he walked towards Leila with open arms.

“I bet I’ll make a good princess!” Leila sang back as she leapt into the arms of her one true love.

“This’ll be our love story!” Sheex yelled as he spun her about. He then stopped, pulled her in close, and ran a finger across her cheek. No movement was lost. Every breath he took, every motion he made; Leila felt it all.

“I still can’t believe you said yes...” Leila finished as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Their faces were three inches apart now; their breath danced and intertwined before them. Their two hearts beat ever faster.

Both Sheex and Leila had kissed many people. They had kissed out of passion, out of lust, out of almost every possible reason imaginable. Neither one could possibly begin to count the number of people they had kissed in their life time. However, both knew one thing as they drew together, and touched their lips to one another.

This kiss surpassed them all.

*~*~*~*~

With a giggle, Nami shut the bedroom door. She turned to look at her brother; both had pretended to be asleep (not that they would have actually remained asleep if they had been, what with all the noise) and gave him a smile.

“I told you he would come back!” She said as she literally skipped back to her bed.

“How did you know?” Guy asked softly. For all his genius, for all his wisdom that was well beyond his years, he just couldn’t understand this. They always left in the end; no one ever stayed. But in his heart he knew that this time it would be different. He knew it would be, but he didn’t understand exactly why he knew.

The little girl grinned as she plopped herself atop her bed. She cocked her head to the side, and smiled the same way her daddy always did. Full of life and love.

“I had a bad dream. When I woke up, Daddy was there holding me. I was so scared because Daddy wasn't there in my dream. I told him I was scared he wouldn't be there when I woke up one day, but he told me he'd always be there for me. He said he loved me too much to leave me alone!" Nami bounced up and down on her bed.

"Daddy loves me, Daddy loves you, and Daddy loves Mommy! Mommy loves you, Mommy loves me, and Mommy loves Daddy! I love you, I love Mommy, and I love Daddy! You love Daddy, you love Mommy, and you love me! Nobody can leave anybody EVER because we love one another too much!"

Guy smiled brightly. What Nami said was true. Everybody loved everybody too much to leave.

This family would be together, forever and ever.

http://img709.imageshack.us/img709/1176/challengeend.jpg

[The International]

Review for Wanderer’s Greatest Challenge
If it’s alright with you I’m going to use a condensed rubric and summarize my notes. I do so because I got the impression from your judging request that you just wanted me to focus on the main points of interest. If you need further details feel free to PM me or catch me on AIM at constellationclt. Now on to the review… this was great.

Plot Construction 22 /30
As a Neal Stephenson fan I have no problem for lengthy stories. In fact length, in terms of words used has nothing to do with whether or not a story feels long to a reader. It’s the balance of the three act structure that makes you either wish for more or cringe with every word you force yourself to read. You dealt with Act 1 very well. You took time to establish the setting, but there was something you did on the first couple of posts that I would have liked to have seen in the rest of the story. You established the setting through action and dialogue. While you still did this for the most part through the rest of the story there were times when you could have kept the story going. What I like is that you really did make this Sheex’s greatest challenge (in more ways than one but I’ll address that later). You seemed to push him to his limit, and yourself to the limit as well. Act 2 / The Sagging Middle as some call it, is where we run into some road bumps. I began to become numb to the steady stream of miniature disasters you threw Sheex’s way, which properly guarded against the sag, but also became a bit of a sag. Act 3 would have been fine if it weren’t for Act 2.

I also see several opportunities for breaking this one quest into at least three. Some aspects were glossed over that should have been focused on, such as MUUUUUURDER

Characterisation 20 /30

Let’s talk about Continuity and how you managed to wow me and piss me off all at the same time. You wowed me by excelling so much in Character continuity. Sheex is a complex individual with a past. He has loved ones, he’s on a journey (well… not anymore) and he’s got an AMAZING sense of humor. By god I was laughing my ass off reading some of these posts. A lot of people take comedy in Fantasy for granted and feel like it’s unnecessary, but it actually helps break the ice and bring the reader into your world. Here’s where you pissed me off (and I mean this humorously). We need you in Althanas proper. Find some disaster, some life changing event that gets Deltin’s ass in Corone, Raiaera, Alerar, Salvar anywhere in the main Althanas regions, and start gracing Althanas lore with this guy. He’s too cool to have cooped up in the Outlands. Given the legal drama you put Sheex in, I can understand why you put this quest in the Outlands.

Writing Style 21 /30

Your writing style is unique in that it delivers the emotion that is most difficult to deliver for writing… humor. Your literary devices are multilayered to a point that I have to wonder if you know that you’re using them. Good writers often do that. As for mechanics I may have noticed grammar hitch here and there, but it was the clarity that got me. I had to read a few posts twice to make sure I had it right. There was so much happening sometimes and the dialogue heavy posts made things tough.

Wildcard: 7/10
Get Sheex to Althanas!

Total 70 /100

Sheex gains 2156 exp.

[Silence Sei]

GP Exp added.

Sheex Leveled!