((OOC Note: This posting will bring events up to speed with what has been transpiring in chat and in a few other threads my character is involved in))

Stalker nodded at Shalomar. ?Yes. Starfire and Shaya worked up some type of secure connection that Starfire can tap into anytime he wants. Just make sure no pilots take off until those shields work. They are going to be very antsy but I think you can handle them. The shields are priority but I think there?s enough manpower that a team should be able to work on the automated ground defenses.?

Stalker took his blaster out of his holster and checked the charge. He wasn?t going to go in there but if something happen, he wanted to be ready for it. He twirled the gun on his finger then holstered it and looked back at Shal, giving her a wink and his trade mark lopsided grin. ?Time to do what I do best. Don?t tell Shaya. I?m the last thing she needs to concern herself with, ok??

Stalker headed to Starfire and was thinking about what type of search pattern to use. Rhy?Din was a little bigger than Earth, so he needed to search as much area as possible with Starfire?s sensors. He also knew this was going to take a lot of time, unless he got lucky. Stalker climbed to 100 kilometers (62 miles) to the edge of the atmosphere and began a spiraling search pattern around Rhy?Din that allowed for the areas to have some overlap along the edges.

So it began a search for a base that would end up taking a few months. Shaya and Adrin had moved into a house and were attacked shortly afterward. They discovered that Thenian preferred water and his powers, for lack of a better way to explain it, were geared in that direction. Stalker also met someone, along the way. Kalista Michelle Renoir, or Kali, had quickly become a part of Stalker?s life. Their romance had slowed the search down but not terribly so.

Shaya had also been busy with her brother, Daskenta. Together, they had managed to steal something they called ?Dust? that had a dampening effect on their powers, as well as Thenian?s, to be analyzed and an antidote developed. Stalker had no idea where that stood.

Stalker also moved out of his apartment and into a home that had been built in the Southern Glen. It was about 3 miles or so away from the tree house that Kali lived in. The home was considered a cottage by the builder but it most certainly was far bigger than any cottage Stalker had seen. It had two floors, a finished basement with a guest suite of sorts. The master suite was on the 1st floor, tucked away in the rear of the house and there were three generous size bedrooms upstairs with a loft. The first floor had a Gourmet eat-in kitchen, which Stalker was going to update, a sunken family room, a living room and a Den that Stalker immediately put to use as an office.

Stalker had asked Kali to help him decorate the place. He felt a woman?s touch would make it feel more like a home. He also hopped that, perhaps, Kali would consider staying with him

As Stalker and Starfire circled around the Rhy?Din looking for the Illuminati base, something showed up in a higher orbit on Starfire?s scanners that hadn?t been there before.

?Starfire, what do you have?, Stalker asked.

?I?m not sure. They appear to be partially cloaked and shielded. My sensors can?t penetrate to get any readings. I recommend extreme caution, Stalker? came Starfire?s reply.

Stalker chuckled. ?What are you more worried about? Shaya chewing you out for getting an actual dent or Kali for you allowing me to get into danger??

?Neither. I am just making a suggestion to my pilot and friend that you be careful for once? Starfire?s reply was matter of fact. It got a bigger laugh from Stalker.

They maneuvered in for a closer look taking a course that would cause them to pass by close enough to visually identify the objects but far enough away that they should be able to avoid almost any surprise. Stalker?s sixth sense was nagging him when he got closer. When he was close enough for Starfire to put a camera on, he started his angle away from the objects.

?Starfire, they appear to be small satellites in a triangular formation. How far apart would you say they are?, Stalker had seen that formation with satellites before but he couldn?t recall where.

?Approximately 20 meters. Close enough to maintain line of site with each other but far enough away that there is no way to hit all three with one shot. I am not detecting any type of communication system between them or Rhy?Din. You now there has to be something, though. Stalker, I don?t like this?, Starfire was providing more information then asked, which usually meant his was nervous about something. Stalker couldn?t blame him.

Stalker studied the image on his screen for a couple of moments then looked in the direction of the satellites. Stalker felt there was something familiar about them. Something that he could put his finger one. He was puzzling it over when Starfire?s weapon?s lock alarms went off. Out of reflex, Stalker pushed the throttles to their overload stops and banked hard left. ?Talk to me, Starfire!?

?I?m detecting multiple weapons lock from those satellites and a single burst communication to the planet. I was unable to trace where, but I have a general idea. New Lock detected, Stalker, from the surface?EMP Pulse incoming! We can?t out run it!? Starfire had instantly snapped the ?Grid to 100% and poured all power to the engines he could. An image of the pulse was on the screen. They had 15 seconds to avoid it.

?Crap! Starfire, black box! Change everything to manual control and shut down everything, including life support! It?s the only way to save you! We?re not going to be able to avoid it!? Stalker snapped the commands and at the same time, leveled Starfire out and flipped a switch to swing his wings to full forward.

?But, you won?t have anyway?.? Starfire didn?t get another word out. Stalker was already punching in the overrides to force Starfire to do as he ordered. As the cockpit darkened, Stalker just hoped he?d be able to start some systems back up to keep from crashing.

?I know, Pal, I know.? Stalker patted the console in front of him just as the EMP pulse hit. What wasn?t shutdown shot sparks into the cockpit, forcing Stalker to cover his face. There was no question, he was in trouble and there was only one direction to go?down with little to no control over his descent unless he could get Starfire started back up, at least the flight systems.

The cockpit started to fill with smoke from the systems that did short out. Stalker had, fortunately, done something he didn?t normally do. He had his helmet on. He closed the visor and attached the air hose to an oxygen tank he had under the floor of the cockpit. It was, virtually, the only independent system from Starfire and was the only totally manual system. Starfire?s orbit was already starting to degrade, which meant they were going down. With the wings swung out, it would provide lift, but Starfire had a digital fly by wire system, so Stalker had to get some power to it. He hoped Starfire got a burst message out to Stars? End Spaceport or, at the very least, to Shaya and Kali?s comlinks.

Unbeknownst to Stalker, all that would have been received by Shaya and Kali would have been a garbled message of ?EMP?.?, a moment of static, ?Starfire??, more static and ?go?down??

A small smile came to his face as Stalker unstrapped himself and started opening panels inside the cockpit and went over connections and wiring and flipping switches to start restoring some systems. He was certain one of the girls was going to lay into him and he wasn?t going to complain?much. It meant he?d still be alive and in one piece to hear it. As he worked, he silently cursed Starfire?s cockpit. It was designed as a 2 seat, tandem fighter. There wasn?t a lot of room to move around for what Stalker needed do. He looked out the cockpit canopy and estimated he had about 15 minutes left before Starfire started entering the atmosphere. This, of course, was a rough guess without instruments. He put on his flight gloves and sealed his flight jacket for the vacuum of space. He wiggled into his space pants and sealed it to the bottom of his flight jacket and to the tops of his flight boots. He connected another hose to the oxygen and pressurized the now, spacesuit as he sealed the flight jacket against his helmet. Equalized the pressure of the cockpit and popped it open.

Stalker unstrapped himself and connected a tether to his seat and his belt. He pushed out of his seat and grabbed the sides of the cockpit, flipped upside down and lowered himself back into the cockpit. He went to work under panels, re-routing power here and there, checking connections. Then he moved to the back seat, unlocked the back of it and shoved it onto the floor and strapped it down. Stalker opened an access panel and worked his way in. He wished Shaya was there, she?d probably figure out in record time what connections were fried. He wished he could talk to Kali, she?d keep him calm and thinking. Instead, he had a clock in the back of his mind counting down the time. He had 10 minutes to seal the cockpit again for reentry into the atmosphere. He also had a limited supply of air, so additional talking would have been bad, anyway. He looked at the main power coupling for the Power Chamber for the Power Crystal. It looked good to him. Going against his better judgment, he unplugged the connectors. When he didn?t get shocked, he started breathing slow and steady once again.

?Please, please, please be that simple?, Stalker thought to himself. He then reconnected the power connectors. On the last one, Stalker got the biggest jolt he ever felt. It slammed him into the wall of the cramped access corridor and his head slammed against the side of his helmet. He shook his head a few times to clear it. Once the stars that were in front of his eyes cleared and his heart slowed down, he flexed his left hand. He couldn?t feel a lot but at least it looked like everything was still in one piece and it was shaking. Thankfully, that hand would only control the throttle, if he got power to the flight control systems.

Stalker checked a few more connections and relays. He rerouted some power relays to, hopefully, get power to the engines and communications. He closed the access hatch and didn?t bother with the seat back. He looked out the cockpit and he seemed to be a lot closer to reentry than he thought. With a sigh, he worked his way back into his seat and was just lowering him self when Starfire bucked and he landed fully in the seat.

?Oh, please work!? Stalker slapped the pad for closing the cockpit. It swung into place. He silently cheered. ?That?s one in the win column?, he thought.

Stalker flipped the primary circuit breaker. Sparks shot from some control surfaces and his HUD winked on and off before sparking. Loosing the HUD wasn?t good but it wasn?t the worst thing to loose. He flipped a couple of activation switches and watched as the primary flight controls and instruments came online. He had the ability to steer, at least. He flipped another control to start the engines. It sparked and the engines stayed dormant. Stalker sighed and shook his head. He could still crash land without engines but maneuverability was severely limited. He tried to activate the communications system, it also sparked, announcing its demise. Finally, Stalker tried to bring Starfire, himself back online. Starfire?s programming and, all that he was, was in the black box, safe and sound, as a copy. When Stalker hit that series of switches, there were several more sparks and Starfire bucked again. A message appeared on a display just to Stalker?s right.

?I doin?t Feeeeeel Zoooooo Greoood? was all that Starfire managed to show. Stalker gave a silent cheer. He hit one more switch to activate the Life Support system. The oxygen activated but the environmental controls shorted out. Stalker opened his visor and breathed in some air. He disconnected the hoses. Starfire started bucking again and it was more constant. This time it was from the beginnings of reentry.

?Starfire, can you hear me?? Stalker prayed something of Starfire was there. When there wasn?t a verbal response, he looked back to the display on his right.
?I am prrrrrresent, Sssstalk. I ammmmmm note hole.? Starfire?s messages weren?t as clear as they should have been, but he got the gist. Stalker patted the console in response.

?Hang in there, Pal. Are you able to run any diagnostics?? Stalker wasn?t use to seeing Starfire in this shape. That EMP pulse did what the war couldn?t.

?No. I am berry sssssssssssscarrrrrrrrredddddddddd?am disconnected frrrrrrrom mucccccchhhh..uuuuuuuunnnnnnabbbllllleeeee two heeeeeeeellllllpppppp!? The message gave Stalker a moment?s hesitation. Starfire was hurting and he couldn?t do anything about it right now. Stalker gripped the flight controls.

?I?m gonna be honest, Starfire. I?m scared, too. We?ll get through this, though. A little banged up, but we?ll get through this. Can you tell me if you managed to send a burst message?.just a yes or no, Pal.? Stalker was pretty sure Starfire was going to spend a month getting the internal systems repaired. It would be as good a time as any to have Starfire?s cockpit shielded against outside electrical sources. Kali would be allowed in the cockpit, then. He shook his head, he had to survive this, first. Stalker strapped himself in as tight as he could.

?Yesssssssnnnnnooooo!? Starfire also gave a loud click. That was the only way Stalker could tell Starfire was frustrated and wanted to do more.

?Don?t worry about it, Starfire. Leave the flying to me.? Stalker said as the bucking became more intense. They were in full reentry now. Stalker did his best to keep Starfire straight. Starfire emanated another loud click. Despite the situation, a lopsided grin came to Stalker?s face. Starfire?s core was still intact. He didn?t need to look at the screen to see he was probably complaining about Stalker?s flying.

During the first 10 to 15 minutes of descent, Stalker thought he was going to loose complete control from the force of the bucking. Since the Laser Grid was offline, there was nothing to keep the cockpit from heating to an unbearable level. It doubled the stress on Stalker and was going to wear him down. He looked down through the canopy and could see terrain on the ground. He was coming down faster than he wanted. He banked Starfire into a turn and head in the general direction of what he hoped was Stars? End Spaceport. Stalker then thought deeply of Kali and concentrated oh the thought of her. He felt calm. He was a pilot and had been through worse than a no power landing. He also felt a little worried. Stalker was Psi-dead but he hoped that Kali could feel his emotions from this distance. Intellectually, he knew it was more than likely a waste of time and effort. Stalker also knew he needed the distraction and thinking of Kali brought him an inner peace. Knowing that she was safe and would be there when this mess was over with was all he needed, at the moment.

Soon, Stars? End was in view. Stalker was going to go right over the ?Glen. Well, at least he wouldn?t disturb Audren with the engines. He was clearly coming in too fast. He counted to 10 then flipped the switch to lower the flaps, cutting his speed and slowing down. The problem with this was it would cause him to loose altitude, as well. After counting to 50, Stalker placed the flaps back into a neutral position. This stopped the speed bleed off and slowed his descent. He waggled his wings for a bit to indicate trouble to SESP Control and hoped they were paying attention. After a few moments, Stalker realized he was on approach for a take-off runway. There wasn?t anything he could do about it now. He saw some flashing lights at the far end of the runway. Breathing a sigh of relief that SESP Control realized there was trouble, Stalker concentrated on landing. When he felt close enough, Stalker flipped the switch for the landing gear only to receive a jolt to his left hand, numbing it more and a groan within Starfire. The landing gear wasn?t lowering. Starfire flashed a frown on the screen. Stalker couldn?t take the time to say anything, it was taking all his concentration to keep airborne and on course.

Finally when there was nothing to do except keep the nose straight and hold on for the ride, Stalker said, ?This is gonna leave a mark.? Ten seconds later, Starfire was skidding across the runway in a shower of sparks, SESP Control had neglected to activate the tractor beams to nap them in the air. Starfire hit hard enough that Stalker felt something in his left shoulder pop when he slammed against the restraints. Finally, the tractor beams napped them about 50 yards down the runway. The sudden stop jolted Stalker hard enough that his head snapped forward then slammed into the headrest built into his seat. He muttered something about coming in to fast when the canopy blew off, curtsey of Starfire. More systems shorted out. Stalker hit the slap-release on his restraints and climbed out of the cockpit, only to roll out and fall on the ground with a thud. He managed to get up and stagger a few steps, ripping his helmet off with his right hand and tossing it to the side. The cooler air felt great. His eyes wouldn?t focus on anything; his left arm was dangling at an odd angle at the shoulder. He made out two blurry figures running toward him and could hear only sirens and klaxons going before dropping to his knees. A lopsided grin came to his face as he realized he walked away and muttered ?Any landing you can walk away from is a good one.? He sighed and fell as he felt hands touching him. He looked up, his blue eyes glassy and unfocused then passed out, the lopsided grin very slowly fading from his face. One thing would be certain, once the dust cleared, Stalker had found the Illuminati base.

Kali was infact running, but she was also tiny and not as quick as Shaya was with those endless legs of hers. She kept right on running though but by the time she could even see Stalker clearly Shaya had lifted the love of her life like some sort of ragdoll and began running with him. Her jaw dropped as she froze there in place. She wanted to scream. She wanted to force Shaya to drop him before she hurt him. But she was no help, Shaya was already gone with him. And despite her efforts to keep up Kali was left standing there her chest heaving and her heart pounding. The tiny psion was bent about the waist with a hand on each thigh breathing like she had run a marathon. She didnt know where to go now. It apparently didnt seem to matter that Kali wasnt behind them anymore and she was rather upset about Shaya speaking down to him when he couldnt even defend himself.

She thought now about going home, then she thought about looking for the ship. Either one could be a reasonable idea but what would that acomplish she didnt know where she was, she didnt know where her Stalker was and it was becoming very clear that it was a good thing she didnt know where Shaya was. Sitting down on a patch of grass she shoved her hands into her lap and stared down at them. She picked and poked at those tiny fingers and chewed hard on her bottom lip. It was quite possibly a sign that she was about to cry but no tears came, instead the air around her became rather electric, static even toying with a few strands of her hair. She frowned and waited right where she was until she figured something out.

Kali was infact at home. On the front porch, her head in her hands waiting for him to come to. She was horrified. Not a single emotional response from him in quite sometime she was pretty much hopeless at this point. It had been days from what she could recall, perhaps longer, she didnt know anymore. Time kept slipping past her. She hadnt been able to sleep, or concentrate or decorate it was all very traumatic. Mimo and Riley had been back and forth to the cash site dozens of times but nothing had changed there either. Still a mess of torn up grass and thrown around dirt and debris.

The young psion stood up and began pacing back and forth, back and forth. There was no more fire in her emerald eyes, they lay as dull facets to someone who wasnt even there anymore. Sick with worry didnt even begin to describe it Audren had been over several times to check on he, not even her twin had been able to snap her out of it. Nothing seemed to matter anymore. Everyday she slipped back into the house long enough to shower and change into another of his clean t-shirts. Then slip right back out again to sit on the porch in her jeans and an oversized t-shirt. Arms hugged about herself eyes on the ground, just waiting and praying that he would wake up soon so she could find him. After so long she had almost given up hope. She knew he wasnt dead. The connection between them was still open but she was unsure if he would ever wake up. Then out of nowhere her whole body pulsed and she frozen in place.

Kali took off running, her dull eyes brightening as she ran towards the direction of his energies. It would take her forever to meet up with him but when she finally met him, she just stood there and stared. She was quite literally crying. Both hands slipped over his cheeks and she pulled him down to her and kissed him firmly. Then let him go and stared up at him contemplating slapping him, for making her worry that way. She just shook her head, sitting there sobbing. She was so happy he was alright.

When Stalker didn't receive an answer from Shaya, he headed out and towards home. He needed the walk to think and to work out his frustration. He'd only been shot down 3 times, not counting this one. It never sat well with him. Stalker replayed the whole thing in his head, over and over again. It was to the point that he couldn't tell if it was the concussion that was making his head hurt worse, the thought of being shot down or trying to figure out what he could have done differently. Electronic Magnetic Pulses, or EMP's, were almost impossible to shield against, at least by Earth standards. Megafire was probably the only ship Stalker could think of that was shielded against EMP's. At that, Megafire wasn't 100% immune.

~Stalker, quit kicking yourself! There wasn't anything you could have done different and not even Starfire is that fast.~ Stalker was always hard on himself. Knowing Starfire was going to be down for a long time didn't help. He was going to have to contact Shaya later and see how bad the damage was. As long as the Spaceframe and the superstructure for the wings were ok, rebuilding Starfire's hull would be simple. It was the electronics that Stalker was more worried about. He was happy he decided to fly without any missiles. That would have meant crash landing by the docks, in the water. Stalker shivered and pushed that thought out of his mind.

Stalker's sixth sense was nagging him when he looked up and saw Kali standing in front of him. Seeing that she was crying was almost too much for him. When Kali's soft hands touched his cheeks and pulled him into a kiss, he almost melted and his vision developed the spotting and tunneling that was common when one was close to passing out. Concussions and fast head movements didn't mix well. Stalker wobbled a little, the color draining from his face, but kept his balance and watched Kali shake her head.

"Hey, Gorgeous! I think I got a little banged up. Sorry about that." Stalker said, weakly, finally finding his voice. "I, ah, managed to walk away from the landing, though." He gave her a lopsided grin and pulled Kali into a tight hug with his right arm, careful not to smash her into his blaster. Just holding her close seemed to give him some additional strength. "I don't think I'm going to be much help around the house for a little bit, my Love."

After a couple of moments, Stalker looked down at Kali and lost himself in her green eyes. Giving her another lopsided grin, he said "Let's go home, my sweet Kali. Let's go home."

?Ohhhhh Stalker! I?m so sorry I shouldn?t have grabbed your face that way I was just well you know?I was?God its so good to see you walking on your own. Last time I saw you?you were??

In realizing that she was rambling on and on she stopped herself and just stared up at him. Her words were throw amid a series of sobs and sniffles. Tiny breathes stolen here and there. Her face would press against his chest as he held her close to himself tightly. She didn?t know what else to say. She couldn?t even imagine what would have happened if he hadn?t returned. Even the consideration made her choke back another round of silent sobs and she clung all that much more tightly to him.

This went on for several moments and she couldn?t do anything but sit there against him and tremble. But she realized that this was not the time for her to fall apart on him. She straightened herself up and looked up at him after eyes were dried with the backs of her hands. She smiled brightly and damp lashes batted up at him lovingly. Very carefully she slipped her hand through his right arm and turned him towards the house so that she could walk him home. He wasn?t going to be able to do anything alone for a very long time.

?I will tell you Mister McPhearson the house has been completely neglected in your absence. And I am not even concerned with whether or not you can help. I think my mind will be all around you from now until you are at a hundred percent. And I may just lay in front of Starfire if you try to leave and go flying before that. But I?ve missed you my love. More than you?ll know. It was frightening. But I am glad you are home safe now.?

The light had returned to those emerald orbs. A bright smile as they walked along. When the house came into sight she would rush ahead and unlock the door. Slipping in and turning on the lights she would check and make sure everything was alright. Their bed was turned down and she had pulled the herbs bag into the room just incase she needed them. Rushing back to him she nodded and peered up at her love.

?Everything is taken care of for you. You?ll have the most attentive nurse imaginable from now on. No worries love. I?m at your call until you?re well again.?

Winces"damn it"
continuing with her work looking over the new alloy"how's does that feel Starfire?"

moving to a table listening to his reply doubling over putting her hand on her side then withdrawing it only to see blood on her hand biting her lip cleaning her hand on a rag looking at Starfire

then moving to work on a new wepon that only Starfire would have pulling her goggles down to weld the parts together"Stalker will love this, I wonder how he is?"

Smiling to herself as she continued to work and think of her friend the work on starfire was almost complete moving to a comm in the hanger pressing in buttons"Lil, I need that thing now, you sure the queen won't mind you giving it away?"
she'd learned to keep her cards close to her chest she was never unarmed now either

pressing in another button"hey Stalker, get that butt of yours up here, theres someone wanting to see you"
looking to the sleeping Starfire

Starfire was running another diagnostic at Shayas questions of "How does that feel..." He wanted to be airborne already, but knew Shaya was taking good care of him. Starfire's sensors could tell Shaya was hurt.

"Shaya, what has happen to you? Are you ok? Would you like me to contact the doctor?

Typical Shaya, she just gave Starfire a look these days when he said something like that and went back to work. Starfire knew she would be fine, but still, he didn't like the idea of her getting hurt when she was working on him.

After she comm'd Lilly and Stalker, he asked, "Shaya, what is this new weapon you are hooking up? I know it's a suprise, but I can't even detect it, so you must not have it plugged in to anything. I've also been talking with Stalker, he is good, anxious to get airborn again, knowing him."

As if on queue, Stalker responded to Shaya's call. "Hey, Shaya! Sorry for the delay. I was busy working out. Let me get cleaned up and I'll head that way. I hope Starfire has been behaving himself!" chuckled Stalker.

When Stalker closed the connection, he looked at Kali, "Sweetheart, who was that I had seen walking away? You look worried." He gave her his trademark lopsided grin and put his hand on her shoulder. After Kali answered, he gave her a reassuring hug and said "What do you say we go pay Starfire a visit, huh? I'm sure he'd love to see you, as well."

Who was that?

His voice was clear in her head. She simply stared off after the speeder as if in a complete daze. Her fingertips still tingling in anger laced with heavy doses of fear. Brilliant emerald orbs stared up at her love and she gently pulled in the energy around the cabin attempting to bring herself back to the serene. A soft smile sweeping across her pale lips.

?That was?? A brief pause as she took in that lopsided grin. ?No one important. Someone asking questions about the crash. Maybe a reporter or something.?

She was lying as if nothing had happened at all. She would write the warning down somewhere and bring it to Stalkers attention when she knew he was perfectly well again. She may have to be in touch with Mason about the threat. Threat. Such a strong word. Was this a clear threat or a warning. She shook her head and tucked stray strands of auburn behind her ears.

?How was your run?? Fingers instinctively brushed against his cheek. She was being intrusive of course but so briefly, simply checking for any memories of pain. She found none and the breath she hadn?t realized she was holding was released softly. A tiny laugh pressing past her lips as she realized she had been holding her breath.

?Sorry call it woman?s worry. But I just wanted to check.? And with that she walked up onto the porch and handed him over a glass of sweet tea. Sitting down on the front step Kali peered over to Stalker hoping she had skated past the issue without any worry from him.

A visit to Starfire. Great. That?s what she needed. Him being one step closer to getting back into the air. The thought of it made her stomach lurch and she suddenly felt as if she was going to be sick. She hid it well. Fear. The way she lived her life since the day he crashed. Fear of the day he was going to return to the skies. A soft nod was all she could offer to him in response and she quickly went into the house to get dressed.

Now it is a sight indeed to see a young woman trying to tie herself into a satin corset and gown. But she had figured out that she could pretty much get it all done as well as Audren ever had. Cerulean blue with black trim, floor length but unlike the others this one wasn?t a mess of frills and lace. It was simple. She pinned her hair up with a matching comb and was out the door back to meet with him. Her stomach a bit more settled thanks to a slipped sip of chamomile tea.

?Sorry. I tried to rush as best as I could.? This was all too much proof that she was still only comfortable in the informal in front of Stalker. She slipped an arm through his good arm and looked up. ?Well lets go then? A smile was all she could manage about the topic.