Rowena smiled and laughed while playing with the puppy, rolling around on the ground and chasing it back and forth.
A large shadow fell across her face. She looked up and smiled. "Hi."
"Uhh, hi." Grimm scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Um, I just came to say bye." He looked around nervously.
"You're leaving?" She asked, standing while holding the dog in her arms. The puppy began to whine in Grimm's presence and tried to hide in Rowena's arms. "You've only been here a few hours and you've spent much of the time talking with Scion. I thought maybe we could go for another ride. . .just. . ."
"That's. . .that's what I need to talk to you about. You know, this whole life-death bond thing. . .I know you had a special relationship with Wun and I know I'm his replacement and we're supposed to be. . .uh. . ." Grimm looked off over the cliffside, struggling to find the words. "Look, it's not that I don't like you or anything. You seem like a really cool person. But all this," He gestured around Haven with his arms "All this kind of came upon me while I was in the middle of trying to sort some things out. There's. . ."
"Someone else?" She finished for him, mildly disappointed, though not totally unexpecting the news.
"Yeah. Someone I've been putting off dealing with because of. . .you know."
"Because you weren't sure of who and what you were. And now that you know, you want to see if there's still a shot." She finished for him, smiling again as the puppy licked her face.
"Yeah. You're not upset?"
"Everyone comes into the roles of the avatar in their own way. They have their own ways of dealing with the unique roles. You're so much like Wun, but so different. You seem, looser, more relaxed." She touched his cheek with her hand. "Artificial." She looked a little perplexed.
"I can't form the face on my own. Well, I can, but they don't last. Anyway, like I said, I need to go. . ." He started to leave.
"You will be honoring your agreement with Turkish, though. To visit Haven more." She seemed to say more than ask.
"Yeah, we can hang out a bit if you want. Talk about all this. . ." He said as they walked toward where Z waited near the humvee.
"I'd like that. Oh, here." She started to hand the puppy to him, as it instinctively pulled away from him.
"Ah, you keep him. He seems to like you better anyway." Grimm began to open the car door. "Merry Christmas." He said to her.
Rowena reached an arm around Grimm's neck while holding the frightened pup in the other arm and kissed Grimm on the cheek. "Merry Christmas."
He climbed into the vehicle and motioned to Z who opened a portal and in an instant he drove through it and was gone.
"Grimm has left already?" Turkish asked walking up behind the ladies. "He did not stay long."
"No, but he came." Rowena looked at the ground as they walked. Z now playing with the puppy.
"Is that enough?" Stringfellow asked, looking at her.
"For now, it will have to be." She answered evenly.
"Oh, but he left you this." Rowena smiled again and held a small envelope out to the Prophet. The envelope seemed to float towards his waiting hand. He opened it and reached inside, pulling out. . . "Lakers tickets. Season passes. For two. Hmm."
"So, will you be going to Camelot any time soon?" She asked.
"I don't know what you mean." Turkish answered curtly, placing the tickets in the envelope and folding it inside his robe.
"Oh, you know what I mean." She began to prod him.
"I think it's time for the monks daily meditation." He attempted to change the subject.
"Daily basketball game, you mean." She continued.
"Basketball? Really, I don't know where you get these ideas. . ." They continued off towards the temple.
*******************
A small town in Germany, where a touring theatre company has stopped for the holidays. Nestled in a small hotel away from the larger cities, they are about to receive another visitor.
The tall, dark man pulls up to the hotel in his black humvee and parks. He looks down at the note in his hand and checks it again, as he has constantly since driving down the road. He gets out and walks towards the hotel, looking for a specific room number.
"What's german for 42? Ahh, there it is." he mumbles to himself. "Alexandra Dawn Cantrelle. Room 42. This is it. Now or ever." He knocks on the door. "Just a minute!" he hears from the inside. A bolt is unlatched and the door opens.
A dark haired young woman with pale skin and an hourglass figure looks up at him. "Hi. I almost didn't think you would come. It's been. . .months."
"I almost didn't come. But after Mandelovia, the Antarctic, everything with Chance and Mick, and. . .everything. I needed to get away for a while. I needed to see if this would work."
"Well, you gonna come in or what? It's Christmas Eve, and I think I brought some mistletoe. . ." She smiled devilishly as he entered, the bolt locking behind them.
