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    'No, far from it. She's a little angel. A little rambunctious at times, but she's no real trouble. But she's starting to want to go with me on my trips to the city. She's becoming curious about the outside world. We can't keep her hidden away forever, Sonja.'

    'We can't risk anyone finding out about her. You know that as well as I do. If Morgan discovers where she is, there's no telling what he'd do to her. Or with her. I promised her parents I'd never let Lethe fall into that bastard's hands. Besides, the locals would probably not look kindly on a child as ... unique ... as Lethe.'

    'I realize that, Sonja. It's just that... well, it's not natural for her to be alone like this! All she has in the way of
    playmates are Fido, Lefty, and me. That"s hardly what I'd call a "well-rounded" play atmosphere.'

    'What do you expect me to do? I know as much about Lethe's true nature as you do. Hell, you probably know more, since you're the one who actually takes care of her. As far as I can tell, she's a healthy little girl who just happens to be somewhat... advanced ... for her age. There's nothing either of us can do except try and take care of her and wait to see what will happen. And as to her having playmates... well, Fido and Lefty will have to do for the time being. At least she isn't being raised by the lousy TV set!'

    The subject was closed. Palmer knew enough not to reopen it. At least not now. He took another hit from the tequila bottle, offering it to Sonja. She shook her head.

    'So ... How was New Orleans?'
    Her body tensed, like a cat preparing to leap. 'Fine. Why do you ask?'

    'No reason. Just curious, that's all. That's where we first met, after all. Remember?'

    'Yeah. I remember.'

    'Hey, what's wrong? You're really tense, you know that? I feel like I'm cuddling an ironing board!'

    'Sorry,' she muttered, pulling away from him. 'I guess I'm not ready to relax yet. It's just that I..." She let the sentence trail off.

    'Just what? Did something happen in New Orleans?'

    She turned her mirrored gaze away from him. 'I had some trouble with the Other. Bad stuff.'

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    'Want to tell me about it?'

    Silence.

    Palmer took another hit from the tequila and began to climb free of the hammock. 'I better go check on Lethe ...'

    Sonja touched his arm. 'No, you stay here Let me do it.'

    Palmer shrugged and settled back. 'Whatever. Bring me back a couple of beers, won't you?'

    'Sure thing.' As Sonja entered the house she paused on the threshold, fixing Palmer with her unreadable eyes. 'Do you love me?'

    Palmer looked up, slightly taken aback by the question.
    She rarely spoke the word 'love' with her mouth - only her mind. 'Of course I love you!' He gave a short laugh to show how silly a question it was.

    She paused, as if weighing his response. 'Why?'

    Palmer blinked, his smile slowly dissolving into a frown. 'I just love you, that's all.'

    'Oh.' Again the pause. 'I'll be back with your beer in a few minutes.'

    Palmer sat in the hammock under the starlit sky, listening to the calls of the night birds, and wondered what the hell had gone down in New Orleans.

    The door to Lethe's bedroom was slightly ajar, allowing light from the hall to filter in, so Lethe wouldn't wake up in the middle of the night and be scared to find herself alone in the dark. Sonja was uncertain whether Lethe was actually scared of the dark or not, but it seemed the proper thing to do.

    She stuck her head inside the door, her eyes automatically adjusting to the dim light. Lethe lay on her side, her back to the door, surrounded by a multitude of dolls. She had kicked off her bedclothes. Sonja stepped inside the room, quiet as a shadow, and stooped to retrieve the discarded covers. As she straightened up, she noticed something moving out of the corner of her eye.

    Fido had shifted from its sentinel position at the foot of the