The Woodward Academy, Year 3

Chapter 7: December

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

"Hey, Carol. How are you today?" David asked.

"Same as usual," she said with a smile. "You here for your mail?"

"Yep."

Carol reached over and snagged a small pile, and handed it to him.

"When did you move my mailbox?" David asked.

Carol grinned. "You come by here every Friday, right after lunch, to get your mail. I just figured I'd have it ready for you when you got here."

David laughed. "Cool. I guess this job is kinda dull, huh?"

Carol shrugged. "It can be. Every once in a while, something fun or interesting happens. Like the day somebody's prank kit that they'd ordered broke during shipment, and the package started hopping around all over the place when it got here. Took us an hour to catch it!"

David chuckled. "That must've been a sight. Who caught it, finally?"

"One of the centaurs."

"Are they here all the time? I never see them. I figured you were the only one who actually worked in the office... Even when I was working with you, I only saw them once or twice..."

"They're not here for long. Just long enough to drop off and pick up. That particular incident happened right after he'd handed me the package. Good thing, too. I can't imagine how long it would have taken me to catch it on my own!"

David nodded with a smile. "I just wondered. I have some centaur friends, so I get interested in these things."

"Nothing wrong with that," Carol said.

"Well, I'll let you get back to work. I have to get ready for class soon. See ya!"

David walked out of the student center, chuckling at Carol's story. His bundle of mail was the usual assortment, most of it uninteresting to him. There was one envelope that looked to be a personal message, with no return name on it. He opened it as he walked, and pulled out the piece of paper. Around the outer edges of the paper was some fancy gilded scrollwork. In the very center of the paper were just three words:

"Complete the circle"

David flipped the paper over. The other side was completely blank. He studied it for a long moment.

Complete the circle? What the hell is that supposed to mean?

"Any ideas?" David asked Jailla, who had read the message over his shoulder.

"Not at the moment. Perhaps it is some kind of advertisement, although I must say, a very poor one, since it gives no hint as to what you are supposed to buy."

"I guess I'll ask if anyone else got one."

"The decoration on it looks familiar," Jailla said, "but I can't place where I have seen it before."

David studied it, but nothing came to mind for him, either. Shrugging, he stuffed the message back in its envelope.

"I don't know. And I don't have time to figure it out right now. C'mon, we've got to get ready for Crystallomancy. I need to see if I can get any more info about Zyla. She's getting really close to being due."

-----

David leaned back from his gazing, and wiped his forehead. He had struggled intensely to get more information from his vision of Zyla. It had appeared to him that the problem would occur during the actual birth process. He found it odd that his image of this was not normal. Instead of a fully clear image, or a fuzzy image, the image was clear when he looked at Zyla, but completely blurred out around her. He knew, from his studies, that this could mean he was somehow involved in things, but he figured that was just a result of how hard he was trying to come up with an answer.

Prof. Zoroaster stopped by his desk, seeing the look on his face. "More trouble?"

"Not sure. I have a friend who is apparently going to have some difficulty giving birth. I've been trying to find out what the problem is, so they can be ready for it, but no luck as of yet."

"How much time do you have?"

"I'm not sure. A week, maybe two... maybe three. She's due sometime this month, but I'm not sure exactly when. And, since it's her first baby, the due date wouldn't mean much, anyway."

Prof. Zoroaster smiled. "Too true. My first child was born a week late. Well, keep on it. David... will you be pursuing Advanced Divination?"

"You invited me, sir..." David said with a grin.

"Just because I made the invitation, doesn't mean you're going to accept it," Prof. Zoroaster replied.

"True. Yeah, I'm planning to sign up for it."

"Good. You have a knack for crystallomancy. I'd like to see how well you do with some of the other things that divination has to offer."

"Thank you, sir. Professor, do you mind if I make a call? I'd like to tell my friend what I saw."

"Go ahead. Why don't you step out in the hallway, though, so you'll have a little privacy, and won't disturb anyone."

"Yes, sir."

David stepped out and contacted Garibaldi.

"So, all you know is there is a problem with the birthing process?"

"Right. That's all I could get."

"Dammit. All right. I'll make sure that the healers are ready for something unforeseen when the time comes. Thanks."

"You bet."

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

"Okay, class. We're going to start on your review next time, but today, we are going to try the hardest thing we've attempted to date. You are going to perform two tasks, simultaneously, and without vocal spellcasting.

"Now, obviously, you may not succeed with this on your first attempts. Eventually, however, if you keep practicing, you will be able to perform several tasks at once. I hope that by now, the silent charms are becoming more comfortable to you.

"For today, what I want is for you to levitate the small stone on your desk, while meanwhile rolling the ball back and forth. These are similar tasks, given that both charms are movement-related, so that should make it just a little bit easier.

"So. Everybody take out your wands, and let's get started, shall we?"

David took a deep breath, staring at the objects before him. He flicked his wand just so, and the pebble began to float in front of him. He'd done this part a hundred times before in practice. The next part, he hadn't attempted. The sound of rocks falling on desks was also distracting him, as everyone else failed to manage the job.

Making sure he had a good mental hold on the rock floating in front of him, he tried to imagine that the ball on the table would rock back and forth. As soon as he moved his wand to perform the charm to move the ball, a loud klunk announced that his rock had also fallen, just like everyone else's.

David muttered to himself under his breath, and decided to start again. This time, he tried starting with the ball. This was a bad idea, because when he started to try to lift the rock, the ball went zooming off his table and nearly hit the person in front of him. She turned around in surprise, then giggled at him before picking up his ball and returning it.

David continued to try, but he had no success before they wrapped up class. As he walked out of class, he asked Olissa, "Hey, did you get any weird mail over the last week?"

"Not really," she replied. "What do you mean by weird?"

"I got this message in my mail, all it said was, 'Complete the circle'."

"Complete what circle?"

"Hell if I know. It didn't say that."

"Weird. No, I didn't get anything like that."

"Okay. Must just be some nutjob, then. Anyway, I've gotta get to Herbology. Talk to you later."

"Yeah."

David hurried off to his Herbology class. He had plenty of time to get there, really, but he preferred to be early. Since he sat up with the teacher, it was obvious when he wasn't there, and so he wanted to be there first.

This day, in fact, he beat Prof. Qwellyn to class. She was nowhere to be seen when he arrived, so he set down his books at his desk. While he was waiting, he pulled down one of the Herbal Encyclopedias she had on her shelves. He'd spent time looking through similar books during his apprenticeship, but he had hardly memorized the whole thing.

"Looking for something in particular?" a soft, high-pitched voice asked him some time later. David jumped, and looked up. Prof. Qwellyn was hovering above him in her smaller fairy form.

"Geez, Miss J! You startled me!"

Prof. Qwellyn giggled, and then she changed into her human shape. "Sorry about that. What are you looking up?"

"I'm trying to figure out if there is a plant that will allow you to breathe under water."

"But you don't breathe," she objected.

"But other people do. Plus, if you could breathe under water, then you could talk under water. I had an experience a couple weeks ago where it would have been handy if I could talk under water. I've spent my time since then looking for a potion or spell to do it, but without any luck so far."

"There's no spell for breathing underwater? I find that hard to believe..."

"Breathing, yes, but because of how it works, you can't talk while it's affecting you."

"Oh, I see. Well, there are a few plants which may be helpful, but nothing will work on its own. I'll make a list of things for you later on. Right now, we should get started. We have a week to review for the exam, and it's going to be a tough one."

"Don't I know it," David said.

"Oh, foo. You're doing just fine. You're not quite my best student, but you're well toward the top of the class. Now go have a seat."

"Yes, ma'am," David said, properly chastised. She giggled at him, and then turned to everyone else.

-----

Once again, David was trying to have a vision about Zyla. There was a sense of urgency concerning the situation, because he wasn't sure when the events would take place. He saw her giving birth, and Mr. Garibaldi had told him she was due in a week, but all that really meant was "any day now".

David once again saw Zyla on the delivery table, the healer in her usual spot. It was new that the healer wasn't blurred out, but David didn't know what to make of that. The vision moved rapidly as things progressed, obviously in the midst of a crisis. There was no sound to this vision.

Suddenly, the vision panned up, and David saw himself standing at the head of the bed. Garibaldi was nowhere in sight. After that, the image faded out.

David sat back. He had no idea what to make of this vision. He decided not to bother saying anything to Garibaldi about this one. It didn't offer new insight into Zyla's condition, and he wondered if the part about him was merely his desire to help interfering with the actual facts of future events. That was a danger in divining the future, he knew, and one he'd been trained to avoid, but when emotions ran high, he also knew, it became even more difficult to prevent.

Despite his assurances to himself that the vision was wrong, it kept nagging at him.

Why in the hell would I be at Zyla's delivery? And where was Mr. Garibaldi?

-----

"Hello, David. How are you today?"

"Hey, Sam," he said quietly, and gave her a soft kiss. There were actually two students in the room, but David had grown beyond the point of caring. Prof. Stott smiled at him.

David asked, "Are you planning to start review today?"

"Yes. They've got a lot to remember. Why?"

"Well, you won't really be needing me, then, right?"

"Got somewhere you need to go?"

"No, but I need to get some research done for my apprenticeship. I had a notion for a potion, so to speak."

Prof. Stott chuckled at his expression. "Okay. I'm going to spend most of the time talking, so you can do whatever you need to do. If you'd rather go down to my workroom, you can."

"That might be less distracting to the others, instead of me moving around behind you while you're talking."

"Well, go on, then."

"Okay. See you later," he said, and gave her another short kiss before packing up his books and heading out.

David spent the next hour and a half working on his potion, which was bubbling away when Sam came in. She strode over to him, put her arms around his neck, and kissed him passionately.

David pulled her to him, enjoying the kiss. When she pulled away, he smiled at her.

"Hi there," he said.

"Can that be suspended?" she asked, motioning with her eyes to the potion he was brewing.

"Yep."

"Good. Your little kisses were not sufficient to my needs."

"Hmm," David replied as he turned down his fire pit and covered his cauldron. "And what would be?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

"David, you got a spare RubOut? I can't find mine."

"So stop making mistakes," David teased.

"Right. That won't happen until my ghost self discorporates, and I'll probably screw that up!"

David laughed. He opened his drawer to pull out his extra RubOut, and he tossed it to Jim. As he was about to close the drawer, something caught his eye. It was the amulet that someone had sent him. Something about it, though, was drawing his attention. He pulled it out and stared at it for the longest moment.

Finally, it hit him, and he set the amulet on the desk. He reached over and grabbed the cryptic message he'd received, and opened it, setting it next to the amulet.

The patterns matched.

"Hey, Jailla," David said. "I found that pattern."

Jailla flew over to David's shoulder and looked down. "Yes, that's where I remember it from," Jailla confirmed. "So this message must come from the person who sent the medallion, and they want you to do something with it."

"Complete the circle? But it's already a circle."

"I do note, though, that there is an empty spot at the top, into which another crystal could be placed."

"It's possible. Hey, wait a minute..." David pulled off his necklace, and set it down on the desk next to the amulet.

"It does appear to be a match," Jailla opined.

"Where did you get this?" David asked.

"I found it, stuck in a tree, in the woods near the stadium."

"How in the world did it get there?" David asked himself.

"I have no idea," Jailla replied.

"What the hell are you two talking about?" Jim asked, annoyed.

"Nothing, go back to your homework," David said. To Jailla, he whispered, "Do you think I should try to put the crystal in the amulet? There's no telling what it will do..."

"But that will always be the problem. You will never know what it does, until it does it."

"I suppose." David unfastened the crystal from his necklace, and then carefully positioned it in the empty space on the amulet. He had to press firmly, but ultimately the crystal snapped into position. When it did, it lit up. Then each of the crystals around the amulet lit up in sequence. Finally, the center stone glowed for a second. After that, the light faded, and nothing else seemed to happen.

David looked around. "Hey, Jim, you still... uh... normal?"

"When was I normal?" he asked.

David laughed. "True. Hmm. Guess it doesn't do anything."

"That's unlikely, given the obvious magical display."

"Okay, fine. It doesn't do anything obvious."

"Again, perhaps it is waiting for something."

"Could be, but no way in hell am I putting it on now."

"I don't blame you."

"Well, one more clue in our mystery. But it still leaves the big questions. Who sent this, and why?"

"Why is obvious," Jailla said. "To get you to put your crystal into the amulet."

"But why did I need to do that?"

"That requires us to know what the amulet is for. It also leads me to another thought."

"That they might want this back now?" David asked.

"Yes."

"I thought of that. I think I just might have to hide this thing."

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

"You have ninety minutes, starting from the second your test hits your desk," Prof. Quayde said. He was handing out the tests individually. When he got to David, the stack that landed in front of him looked to be at least twice as thick as the one that landed in front of Olissa.

"Holy crap," Olissa said, seeing David's test.

"There will be no talking during the exam," Prof. Quayde said, glaring at Olissa. "When you are finished, you may leave the room."

David shrugged and got to work. He knew that there was absolutely no chance of him finishing this exam. Prof. Quayde's exams for normal students were written to be finished in about eighty-five minutes, leaving the slower students a few minutes to squeak in under the wire. This test, he saw, was over two hundred questions long. He would have to answer more than two a minute, and some of the last questions would require at least a minute or two of calculating, each.

Since there was nothing to be done for it, David simply did what he could. An hour and a half later, he got up to hand his test in. He was not the only student still there. Half the class, in fact, had not finished the test.

Olissa turned her test in just before David. When David set his down, Prof. Quayde thumbed through it, noting the number of completely blank questions. He pulled out a red InkyQuill and marked, "F" on the paper. He looked up at David maliciously.

"I told you that you would never pass this class."

"We'll see, Professor," David replied. He turned and walked out with Olissa. On the way to lunch, they discussed the test. Olissa had not finished the last page, but she was hopeful of at least passing.

"I can't believe the nerve of that guy. Does he really think he can get away with failing you outright?"

"Yeah, he does. But as soon as my grades arrive and it's official, I'm going to complain to the dean."

"What can she do?"

"She can test me, and give me a passing grade for the class."

"What difference does it make? You know the material..."

"Yeah, but you can't take the next conjuring class unless you pass the first one."

"Oh. But do you really want to take Quayde again?"

"No. But I haven't got a choice. Blackstone was full up from all of his previous students before I even had a chance to get into his class."

When they got to the lunch room, they found Shell already waiting for them. David sat down beside her, and gave her a kiss. She kissed back, but then looked over at Olissa, who didn't notice. The three chatted at lunch, talking about nothing in particular, just trying to relax. Finals week was hard enough without stressing over it.

-----

"So, anyway, I've got this new potion I want to try out," David was telling Shell. He was walking with her back to the dorm so they could pick up their books for their next classes.

"Oh? What's it do?" she asked with a mischievous grin.

"It allows people to breathe underwater."

Shell frowned. "Neither of us needs that."

David smiled. "It also, hopefully, allows them to talk underwater."

"Oh. That would be interesting."

"Besides, a potion to allow folks to breathe underwater would help you. You could hold a concert for people who wouldn't have to wear all that gear to listen."

"That's true. Did you want to try out your potion?"

"Yeah. How about Thursday morning? Since we don't have Conjuring class, and you said your class was done, too..."

Shell nodded. "Okay."

They walked to Shell's room first, and she got her books, then they went to David's room. When they opened the door to David's room, the problem was immediately apparent.

"My word, what ripped through this place?" Shell asked. Books and papers were strewn everywhere. Drawers were pulled open and dumped out. The chaos was not restricted to one side or the other; both his and Jim's stuff had been rifled through.

David looked around, but he didn't see anything obviously missing. "I don't know," he said. He picked up his Metamorphosis book and shoved it into his bag. "And we don't have time to figure it out now. If we don't leave now, we'll both be late for class. I'll contact Jim and tell him about it."

"Okay," Shell said. David used his mirror to get a hold of Jim while they were on the rock lift up to the terrace. Jim promised to clean things up when he got back to the room, and check if anything was missing.

That done, David put away his mirror and shook his head. "And it was turning out to be such a nice year, too..."

Shell smirked, but then, as the rock lift stopped at the top, she gave David a warm kiss. "Gotta run. See you at dinner."

David watched her go, then headed off for his own class.

-----

"David Stroud," Prof. Arpilla called. He picked up his exam - he'd finished it twenty minutes before - and headed to the front of the room. Prof. Arpilla led him to a small side room, where she was testing the students on practical application.

"Okay, David, I want you to morph this simple block of wood into something with at least three different materials. You may choose the form, and the materials."

David thought for a long moment, then pulled out his wand. He tapped the wood and muttered the spell, hoping that this would work.

Slowly, the wood twisted and shrank, elongating as it went. Finally, the morph was complete. The block of wood had turned into a long-stemmed crystal rose. Its stem was made from silver, and there were gold accents on the leaves, and around the tips of the rose petals. David picked it up and handed it to her.

"For you," he said with a smile. Prof. Arpilla blushed, and smiled at him.

"That is, by far, the best you've ever done. You practiced that, didn't you?"

"Hmm? Who, me?" David said with a grin.

"Yeah, you." Setting down her clipboard, on which she was keeping notes, she turned to David.

"David... you're not mad at me, are you? Over Ben, I mean?"

"No. We were both clear on what our relationship was from the beginning. You needed someone to remind you that you weren't what your husband told you that you were. I was that someone. We weren't going to have anything more than that, because I'm not ready to raise kids, and you're not ready to publicly date someone half your age."

"I'm sorry about that part..." she said.

David shrugged. "Don't worry about it. I'm glad you found someone who fits your needs long-term."

"What did you say to him when you two met?"

David smiled. "He didn't tell you?"

"No. He said it was guy talk."

"Hmm. Maybe I shouldn't say, then."

"Oh, come on! I hate having people talking about me behind my back!"

David chuckled, and then grew serious. He looked her straight in the eye. "I told him that I was happy for you both, and that I hoped things worked out for the two of you. I also told him that if he hurt you, he would regret it."

Prof. Arpilla's eyes went a little wide. "David..."

David put up a hand. "I know. None of my business, and all. But you're my friend, and I'm not going to see another one of my friends hurt without doing something about it."

Prof. Arpilla came close to him, and put her arms around his neck. "This is the very last time I can do this, but it's the only way I know to truly say thank you adequately." Prof. Arpilla kissed David passionately. David rested his hands on her hips, and they stayed that way for a long moment, but then David pulled away.

"I'm not going anywhere, Cat. We may not be able to have fun together anymore, but if you need help, I'll still be here."

"Thank you. But you're still getting an A- on your practical exam. You took too long."

David laughed.

-----

"So, did you call anyone about the break in?" David asked Jim that night.

"Nah. After I got everything cleaned up, I couldn't find anything missing. You spot anything gone?"

"No." He'd checked the Book of Galen, and the amulet, along with his potions kit, and everything was where he'd left it.

"Maybe it was Prof. Quayde again, just screwing with us," Jim thought out loud. "Anyway, since nothing was missing, I didn't figure there was much point in calling in the Rimohrs, you know?"

"I guess not. Still, it bugs me."

"Yeah, I hear you."

"Oh well." David shrugged and went back to his studying.

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

"So how do you think you did on your exams?" Shell asked David.

"For once, I actually think I did okay. Well, except in Conjuring, which was a foregone conclusion. Of course, that probably means I failed all of them," he said with a grin.

"I doubt that," Shell said to him. David shrugged. They both slipped into the water, and Shell made her transformation. David conjured her clothes over to the inner shore, and then they both swam over to a spot which would be about right for her to play her flute.

"Well, here goes nothing," David said, popping the top off the vial he had with him.

"Hey, have you tried this before?"

"Nope."

"What if it goes wrong?" she asked, worriedly.

"What's it going to do, kill me?" David replied with a wicked grin. "Even if it doesn't work, it should be safe. Anyway," he said, and then opened his mouth and tipped the contents in. As he swallowed, he made a face.

"God, that's awful," he said.

"Did it work?"

"I don't know yet. We'll have to be underwater."

"Well, let's go."

The two dove down into the depths, until they came to rest on the bottom. David immediately turned and sat on the sand, staring up at the surface. Shell assumed her position on a rock, and soon began playing.

David listened to the music for a couple minutes before he did anything. Finally, knowing he had to try his potion out, he dropped his diaphragm, expanding his lungs. Sure enough, what came in was oxygen, rather than water.

God, I love magic, he thought to himself. Of course, he still had to figure out if he could talk, but he didn't want to be rude during Shell's performance.

When Shell was finally finished, she turned to David and asked, "Well?"

David took a breath, and then tried to speak. He said, "Just as beautiful as the first time." His words were a bit muffled, but still understandable, at least from a short distance.

"Hey, it works!" Shell enthused.

"Yeah," David said, and then moved closer to her. "Want to celebrate?"

-----

Some time later, David and Shell were sitting on the inner shore of the moat, dangling their feet in the water. David shooed away some zeppelin fish that were looking for food. Shell leaned against him, and he put his arm around her waist, pulling her closer. She was still in her mermaid form, but that was just fine with David.

"Hey, Shell... which mermaid colony do you live in?"

"I'd have to show you on a map. We're in the middle of the ocean, after all."

"Is it close to here?"

"Sort of. A bit to the south. Why?"

"Well, you know, someday I might want to visit you."

"Hmm. I might like that." She turned and kissed him, and he kissed her back. After a time, however, she pulled back, and frowned.

"What's the matter?" he asked her.

"There's something... I promised I wouldn't say anything, but... I'm trying to figure out how to tell you something without breaking my promise."

"Oh. Well, maybe you shouldn't tell me, if you promised not to."

Shell's frown deepened, then finally, she said, "Just... try not to... ugh. Just stay close to Olissa, okay?"

"Olissa's my best friend," David said, confused.

"I know. And I know some other things, the things I promised not to talk about. Just don't let her behavior drive you away, okay?"

David scratched his head. "Okay..."

Shell sighed. "I know. That's not really helpful. But I won't break my promise."

"I understand." He kissed her again. After a minute, he said, "You want to go back to my room and do it human-style?"

Shell smiled widely.

-----

David was leaning against a tree, a pixie stick in his mouth, his eyes turned upward, watching Jailla stretching his wings in the sky. He was waiting for Anne to come by. He did this regularly, without her knowing, to keep a check on her. He couldn't tell a whole lot by just watching her walk by, but he could get a general sense of her mood that particular day. Usually, it was foul.

Today was no exception, though the reason for it today was a bit more obvious. A group of three girls was following her, teasing and taunting her. One of them chanted bara, and Anne fell to the ground.

David tossed his pixie stick to the ground, and pulled his wand. He knew what was about to happen, and he couldn't let it go that far.

Anne whirled, sitting on the grass, and yanked out her wand. She was just about to shout some hex or other when David flicked his wand and said, "Avopna!"

Anne's wand went flying.

One of the other girls laughed, and then pulled out her own wand. She tried to blast Anne, but David countered with, "Terballik!" The girl's mud spell was rebounded, and it splattered all over the three of them.

"What the hell's the big idea?" the lead girl demanded of David. "You save us from her hex, only to screw with us yourself?"

David stood between the girls and Anne.

"I didn't stop her to protect you. I stopped her to protect her. What she was going to do would have undoubtedly gotten her in a lot of trouble."

"And you're gonna be, too!" the girl snarled.

"I have done nothing aggressive. Had you not been trying to hex Anne, nothing at all would have happened to you."

"That's not the way Dean Lengel will hear it!" the girl said, her visage growing dark.

"Oh, you don't want to play that game with me," David warned, his look growing angry.

"Why? Everyone knows you're too much of a pussy to stand up for yourself! You let that Marcus guy push you around all year, and then you wouldn't even put that Cherise bitch in her place after she put your friend in the hospital! You're nothing!"

David immediately faded to his ghost form, and stepped close to the girl. "I put up with those things because there was nothing I could do about them. I have learned, however. I have learned how to control my powers." David faded to invisibility.

Suddenly, he popped up behind one of the other girls. "I can be anywhere. At any time."

All three girls whirled to face him, but he faded out again. This time, he popped up right next to the remaining girl. "Did you know demighosts can teleport?" he asked. Once again, the girls jumped, and he vanished once more.

Returning to his original location, David appeared once more in ghost form. "And, if we're really upset..." Suddenly, there were three of David, surrounding the girls. "...there can be more than one of us? You don't want to fuck with me, you stupid little cow. You are out of your league."

At that point, David formed an energy ball, and threw it to the ground, right in the middle of the three of them. It exploded, throwing all three to the ground, but doing no real harm. David faded back to his solid form, and looked down at them, muddy and scared.

"I'm only going to say this just once," David told them. "Leave her alone, or you will deal with me."

The girls scrambled to their feet, and gave sideways glances to Anne, then beat a hasty retreat toward the rock lift leading to their dorm.

David turned and offered Anne his hand. She grudgingly took it, and he helped her up. He went over and picked up her wand, handing it back to her.

"You should have let me hex them. I know what I'm doing. It would have worked."

"Yes, I know. That's the problem. You'd have spent a lot of time in detention for whatever you were going to do."

"They're going to report you."

David shrugged. "I can deal with that a little better than you can, no offense. I have a history with the dean, you don't."

Anne frowned, but didn't say anything. Instead, she walked off without any reply. David watched her go, and then turned, finding Jailla watching from a nearby tree.

"That's gratitude for you," he said.

David smiled, then shrugged. "If I was doing it for her gratitude, I'd have a long wait."

"True enough. How long before you get called in to the dean, do you guess?"

"Well, they headed for the dorm... but if they're smart, they'll leave themselves covered in mud when they go in. Figure half hour, tops."

"Then I have time for some more flying," Jailla said, and immediately winged off.

"Hmph. Nice talking with you, too," David said, and slipped another pixie stick in his mouth.

-----

"You want me to what?" Garibaldi asked.

"We need you to go to Pithala, to track down and bring back this wizard."

"That could take days!"

"A week, tops," the chief acknowledged.

"Chief, I have a baby on the way!"

"That's not my problem, Garibaldi. You're a Rimohr. That comes before familial obligations."

"Can't someone else do this?"

"You are familiar with the wizard, and you are also the person filling the post that would normally take on this task. That means you get to do it."

"But Chief..." Garibaldi started.

"Garibaldi, say 'yes sir,' and fog off."

Garibaldi sighed heavily. "Yes, sir." He turned his mirror, so the image faded to mist, and then he slammed his fist into a nearby cabinet. He left a dent in the wooden door.

Taking a few deep breaths, Garibaldi called Zyla. After that, he made another call.

-----

"David Stroud, reporting as ordered," he said when he entered the dean's office. He noted the three girls had deemed it necessary to change clothes and clean up.

"This is not funny, David," Dean Lengel said, frowning. "These girls have leveled some serious charges at you."

"Such as?"

"They say you threatened to kill them. They say you tried to put them all in the infirmary."

"No offense, ma'am, but these are first years. If I wanted to put them in the infirmary, and was actually going to try, they would be in the infirmary."

Dean Lengel pursed her lips and looked over at the girls. "He's got a point. David is an accomplished wizard, and has practiced fighting magic. If he wanted to hurt you, he wouldn't fail to do so."

"He swore he was going to get us! He said, since he could be in many places at once, you couldn't catch him!"

David couldn't keep himself from chuckling.

"You find that amusing, David?" Dean Lengel snapped.

"Ma'am, you know as well as I do that I can't be in two places at once. No one can."

"Liar! You did it right in front of us!"

"Oh, you mean this?" David said, and then faded to ghost form, and closed his eyes. Suddenly there were three of him, standing in various places through the room.

The girls cringed. One of them even screamed. David laughed again as he reverted to solid form, and the other two versions of him disappeared.

To the dean, David explained, "It's an illusion spell. First-year stuff. I can only assume they didn't recognize it because they haven't been paying attention in class."

A moue crossed Dean Lengel's face again. "Okay, you three, you may go. I will talk with Mr. Stroud alone."

The lead girl nodded, then looked at David with a superior gleam in her eyes. David stared her down coldly, and the smirk on her face wavered. Then she left the room.

"Okay, David... you don't get flip with me for no reason. What's going on?"

David shrugged. "I did launch a spell at them that could have hurt someone if they had landed wrong. I know I'm in trouble. Figured if I was going to get punished anyway, I might as well enjoy myself at their expense."

"Why were you tormenting them in the first place? That doesn't seem like you."

"Ah, I see they left out the first part of the story. Well, they would, since it makes them look bad."

"Care to fill me in?"

"They were hazing a classmate of theirs. I stepped in to stop them. My 'torment' of them was an effort to scare them into leaving their classmate alone."

"And who is this classmate?"

David shook his head.

"Why?"

"Because the classmate was about to do something that would get them in pretty deep trouble. I'm not about to burn someone else. You've got one culprit in front of you, I'll take the blame for this one."

Just then, there was a commotion in the outer office. The door was shoved open, and Anne walked into the dean's office. Tracy came rushing after her.

"I'm sorry, Madame Lengel. I told her you were occupied..."

Dean Lengel held up her hand to silence Tracy.

Anne said, "I'm not letting you cover for me. I won't owe you that way." It was rather clear she was talking to David.

"The other classmate?" Dean Lengel asked.

David kept his mouth shut, but moved his eyes in such a way as to answer the dean's question. Dean Lengel nodded.

"I'm sorry, I'm afraid I don't know your name, young lady," the dean said.

"Anne Hasterscant," she replied, moving to stand beside David. "And David was just protecting me from those... uh... girls."

"You're not sure they're girls?" Dean Lengel asked with a grin.

"I'm not sure they're human," Anne grumped.

Dean Lengel chuckled. "This sounds... amazingly familiar, Mr. Stroud."

"Doesn't it, though," David replied, staring straight ahead and keeping his voice under tight control.

"Well, let's hear your version of events, Miss Hasterscant."

"Those three have been harassing me for weeks. Today, they started tripping me. This last time, I was going to hex them. David stopped me by knocking my wand out of my hand. Then the girls tried to use a hex on me. David stopped them with some kind of... countercurse or something. It splattered them with mud."

Dean Lengel looked at David for an explanation. David merely said, "Terbalik." Dean Lengel nodded, and then turned back to Anne.

"After that, he got all scary. He turned into a ghost, and then made it look like there were three of him. He was scaring the hell out of them. It was fun to watch, actually. After that, he dropped an energy ball in the middle of them. They all got knocked down, and that was that. They said they would lie to you to get him in trouble."

Dean Lengel sat for a long moment. "Your last name is Hasterscant, you said?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Gwen's sister," David said, before Dean Lengel had to ask.

"So you two are friends," the dean replied.

"Not exactly," David replied with the briefest of smirks.

"We don't associate," Anne replied. "Except when he's trying to butt into my life."

"Seems like his butting in might have saved your butt," the dean offered.

"Yes, ma'am," Anne replied stiffly.

"Okay, Miss Hasterscant. Thank you for coming in. You can go now."

Anne looked at David, then back at the dean, then she turned and left the room.

"What's the deal with you and her?" the dean asked immediately.

"Someone asked me to keep an eye on her, as a favor."

"Who was that?"

"I can't say."

"Uh-huh. She doesn't really like you, does she?"

"No."

"Level with me, David... were you trying to hurt anyone?"

"No. I was trying to scare the bejeebers out of them, but that's all."

"You know you're not supposed to use energy spells against other students except in competition..."

"Yes, ma'am. You're not supposed to use tripping spells, either."

"Point taken. I..." at that point, David's mirror began to buzz.

David looked down at his pocket, then up at the dean. "May I?" When she nodded, David pulled out his mirror. "Yes?" he said, and saw the image of a very upset Garibaldi.

"David, I need to ask you for a favor."

"Shoot," David said.

"I need you to come babysit for me."

"Zyla had her baby?" David asked.

"No. I need you to babysit Zyla."

"I'm confused."

"The Chief is sending me out of town to recover a rogue wizard that's gone missing. It could take me a week to find him. I tried to get him to send someone else, but he was adamant about me going. I have to leave in a couple hours. Can you come down and stay with Zyla? She could have the baby at any time, and with your vision, I will not leave her here alone."

"Does Zyla know?"

"Yes. And we both figured you were the best person to ask, since you'll be out of class, plus you can maybe figure out what's going to go wrong. If worse comes to worst, David... I'll need you to be with her during delivery. I would be, and I couldn't stand the idea of her going through it alone. I know that's a hell of a lot to ask of you..."

David shook his head. "You want me to leave... now? I've technically got another day of classes... though I've already taken all of my finals..."

"David," Dean Lengel interrupted.

"Hang on a second, Mr. Garibaldi." David looked up. "Yeah?"

"Tell him you'll be there in two hours."

"But..."

"Just do it."

"Yes, ma'am." David looked down at his mirror, and gave Garibaldi the news. Garibaldi signed off, and David put away his mirror.

"What about my classes?" David asked.

"As you said, you've already taken your finals. The remainder of the semester doesn't matter. Your friend needs your help, and that's more important, at this point. Consider this your punishment for scaring the... what did you call it? The bejeebers? Out of those girls."

David smirked. "Yes, ma'am."

"Go on and get ready. Meet me at the entrance lift on the terrace in an hour and a half."

"Yes, ma'am."

-----

David arrived at the terrace on time. He'd spent his time rushing around, getting stuff together. He'd wished all his friends a Happy Yule, and he'd spent half of his time with Shell, saying good-bye. It was the last time he'd see her, after all, unless he visited her later in life.

David rode down to the school entrance with the dean, and then they walked out into the road, where sat the school's carriage, with pegs attached.

"In a hurry?"

"They're available. No point in going slow when you can go fast."

David nodded, then got nudged by a peg as he walked by.

"Hey, Cupcake," he said to her. "Sorry I don't have a treat for you." He patted the peg on her neck, and then gave her a hug. When he let her go, he looked to the driver. "You sure she's well enough to pull the carriage?"

"Madame Abernathy says she's fine," the driver said. "And it's a short flight, anyway."

David nodded, and then climbed into the carriage. The dean got in with him, and the door was closed.

After they were in the air, David said, "Thanks for the transport. Otherwise, Garibaldi would have had to come get me."

"I know. He sounded panicked enough without that."

David nodded. "Ma'am... when I get back, whenever that is, I'm probably going to need to file an official complaint concerning my grades."

"Oh?"

"Yes, ma'am. Prof. Quayde is planning to fail me, regardless of my ability to perform the subject matter."

"Can you perform the subject matter?" she asked pointedly.

"Probably better than most of my classmates. Copying the entire book by hand gives you an intimate familiarity with the subject."

"He had you do that?"

"Well, he had to give me something to do during all those detentions."

"How many have you had?"

"Uh... like ten, or something. Maybe more. I didn't count."

Dean Lengel frowned. "I will be waiting for your complaint."

The two grew silent for a while. As they got close to their destination, however, David had another question. "Hey, something occurred to me today... we've spent most of this semester in C&H learning to do spells silently. How come, when you broke in to rescue us from that dark wizard last year, you said your spells out loud?"

Dean Lengel smiled. "The silent-spells portion of the curriculum is fairly new. We only added it about thirty years ago. They didn't teach it while I was here."

"Oh, come on... you can't be sixty..."

"Thank you," she said. "But I am well over sixty."

"I won't ask how far," David told her with a grin.

"I knew I liked you," she said.

-----

When the carriage landed in Bolmont, it caused a bit of a stir. It was unusual to see the school's carriage around at any time other than the beginning of the semester. It traveled down the street until they came to Mr. Garibaldi's home.

David and Dean Lengel alighted from the carriage, to see Mr. Garibaldi and Zyla both stepping out the door to greet them.

"Oh, dear, she is ready, isn't she?"

"Due literally any day now," David confirmed.

Garibaldi came over and shook David's hand. "Thanks for coming."

"Don't mention it."

"And thank you for bringing him," Garibaldi said to the dean. "I have to leave... well, right now, actually. I've got to get up north, to Ramius, so I can get a flight across to Pithala."

"Wait... isn't that, like, thousands of miles? How can you fly that far? A peg can't make that trip, can they?"

"No. I have to fly on a... ugh, dragon."

David's eyebrows shot up. "You ride dragons?"

Dean Lengel explained, "The Ice Dragons will transport anyone for their fee. How are you planning to get to Ramius, Officer Garibaldi?"

"Coach, how else?"

"I think we can speed your progress a little. You can ride back with me to the school. That will save you forty-five minutes right there. Perhaps Madame Abernathy might even let you borrow a peg to get you north even faster."

"Just don't let her give you Cupcake," David said.

"Why not?"

"I don't think she's healed enough yet. She's been sick."

Garibaldi nodded. "Well, let's get you inside and settled real quick, then I can be on my way. The sooner I go, the sooner I get back. I don't really want to miss my wife's first delivery."

Soon enough, the dean and Garibaldi were headed back north, and Zyla and David went into the kitchen.

"So, can I make you anything to eat?" Zyla asked him.

David said, "You sit down. I'm not about to let a woman who's about to give birth wait on me, even if I was hungry."

"I'm fat, not an invalid," Zyla objected.

"Hey, enjoy the breaks while you can. Soon you'll have a little bundle of screaming, colicky joy to take care of, and you'll just wish someone would tell you to take a load off."

Zyla smiled at him, and bowed to the truth of the matter. David fumbled around in the kitchen until he was able to produce a serviceable meal for them both. Meanwhile, they talked about nothing in particular.

Finally, after dinner, they moved into the living room.

"How do you plan to get to your healer for delivery?"

"Actually, she'll come here. She'll stay with us for a couple days afterward. It could be a bit awkward; we've only got the one guest room."

"We'll worry about that when the time comes. How do I get a hold of her?"

"Her name is Healer Denise Cutner. Just dial her up on your mirror like anyone else. Why all the questions?"

"Would you rather I ask them while you're screaming in labor pains?" David replied with a grin. Zyla blushed.

"Good point."

"Garibaldi told me to take care of things. I can't do that if I don't know what needs doing."

"You can call him Joe, you know. He won't kill you... er... I mean..."

David chuckled. "You mean he can't kill someone who's already dead? Don't worry, Zyla, I'm not sensitive about it. As to Mr. Garibaldi... it would just feel weird, at this point."

Zyla shook her head at him, and then reached for a book. David went to unpack his things. He hoped Mr. Garibaldi got back soon, because he didn't think the baby was going to wait much longer.

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

David was correct in his guess about the baby's impatience. The very next day, Zyla was in the middle of brushing her hair when the first contraction hit. She groaned loudly as the pain washed over her. David was immediately at her side, thankful that it had waited until she was dressed. He was trying very hard not to freak out. Though there was actually very little he could do, he felt responsible for the outcome of Zyla's birth. He had promised to look after her.

Zyla was bending over, using the sink to support herself. David gently took her arm, simply holding her up.

As the contraction passed, David noted that her pants were now stained with a wet spot along her thigh. He held her up as she looked at him. He saw fear in her eyes.

"I'm not sure I can do this," she confided to him.

"A little late for that now," David said lightly. "You need to change."

Zyla looked down at herself, and could only barely see the stain, given her inability to bend very far.

"Oh, damn."

"You might want to put on something... loose."

"Right. This could take a while, they tell me. Healer Cutner said to contact her when the contractions were about five minutes apart. I'm not sure I can handle that pain every five minutes."

David nodded, then helped her to the entrance to her bedroom. "I'll wait out here."

Zyla smiled at him, then went in and started to remove her clothes. David kept his back turned, since she had not closed the door. It took her several minutes to change, but soon she emerged from the bedroom wearing a long, loose dress.

"Not very sexy, is it?" she said, frowning.

"I think now is not the time to be worrying about your appearance," David replied nervously. "What did the healer tell you to do up until the contractions were five minutes apart?"

"Alternate between walking and rocking in the hammock chair."

"Okay. Well... you do... whatever you have to do. I'll be close by at all times."

Zyla smiled at him. "Thanks."

-----

A few hours later, David was wondering if he was going to have broken bones in his hand. Zyla was suffering through a contraction, and she was squeezing his fingers to pieces. Finally, she eased off.

"Oh my god, David! This hurts so much!"

"I know," he replied. "Take a deep breath, and let it out slowly. That will help the pain ease off." David looked at a nearby clock. Her contractions were now five minutes apart, and had been for the last twenty minutes. "I think I should contact your healer now," he said.

Zyla nodded, and David stepped away slightly to make the call.

"Hello, yes?" the healer asked when she saw David in her mirror.

"Hi, Healer Cutner. My name is David Stroud. I'm calling on behalf of Zyla Garibaldi."

"Oh, yes! She mentioned that you would be staying with her. Is there a problem?"

"Well, I'm not sure you call it a problem. She's having contractions every five minutes. They're lasting from 45 seconds to a minute fifteen."

"Oh! Well, then! I'll be over soon. Until then... well, keep her comfortable. I know that sounds rather dumb, since there's no such thing as comfortable during labor..."

David grinned. "I know what you mean."

The healer nodded, and then said, "Give me about twenty minutes, and we'll be there."

"Yes, ma'am." David put away his mirror, and returned to Zyla's side.

"She said twenty minutes," David said.

"Oh, god. I don't think I can live for another twenty minutes!"

"Yes, you can. You're strong and resilient, and besides, you're getting a baby out of it."

"I don't want it!" she said, trying to make a joke. "Send it back!"

"If we send it back, it'll be even bigger when it comes out next time..."

Zyla just groaned.

When Healer Cutner showed up, Zyla was in the midst of another contraction, and David couldn't free himself to answer the door. He shouted for her to come in, and she did, accompanied by another woman, who she introduced as her assistant.

"So, when did the pains first start?" the healer asked.

"When she gripped my hand and tried to rip it off my arm," David replied.

The healer laughed. "I meant her pains!"

"Oh, that. This morning, right after she got up. About... five, five and a half hours ago, I guess. Her water broke at the same time."

"Okay. You're well on your way, Zyla. Let us get the table set up, and we'll be right with you."

"AAAAH!" Zyla responded as a final wave of pain hit her before the contraction finally eased off. She looked over at David, sorrowfully. "I'm so sorry."

David looked down at her and smiled. "Don't worry about it. Just worry about that little girl inside you."

Zyla smiled at the thought, but it was weak.

"Can you stand, Zyla?" the healer asked after they'd set up their equipment. With David's help, she struggled to her feet. She managed to get herself up onto the delivery table. David made sure to stay near the head as they lifted her feet and set them in what in Earth would be the stirrups. Here, they were simply raised platforms on which each of her feet rested. The healer did a quick examination.

"Looking good so far. No sign of the umbilical cord being in the way, no other obvious problems. So far, so good. Now... we wait."

"Can she have anything for the pain?" David asked.

The healer frowned. "I don't like to do anything at this point. It can affect the baby negatively. It's harsh, I know."

"Can I have anything for the pain?" David quipped. The healer laughed.

"I can give you a pain potion, if you like..."

David shook his head. "Wouldn't work on me, anyway. I'm a demighost."

"Oh. Well, in that case, you're stuck. Gnaw on a stick if it helps."

That gave David an idea, and he walked over to his coat, pulling out his box of pixie sticks. He stuck one in his mouth, and did feel some lessening of pain. He knew it was probably just that he was relaxing, and so his hand wasn't so tense.

"Could she have one of these?" David asked.

"Sure, if she wants it. No harm in those... though you'll want to make sure to take it out of her mouth when a contraction hits."

"You want one?" he asked Zyla.

"I'll try anything at this point," she said. He gave her one, and she sucked on it. The effect was immediate. While she was not relaxed by any means, there was an obvious release of some of the tension in her body.

David set the box on a nearby table, and took her hand again, preparing for the next contraction.

When it hit, David learned that pixie sticks were no match for a pregnant woman's ogre-like grip. He felt as if his eyes were going to pop out of their sockets as she screamed in intense pain. David breathed deeply, trying to relax his body, to accept the pain, rather than fight it. It wasn't really working, but he only had to put up with it for a minute.

Once more, the pain eased, and Zyla panted, trying to recover.

"Deep breath, Zyla," David reminded her.

"You, too," the healer told him. "You're fully open, dear. You're ready to begin really pushing. On the next contraction, I need you to bear down, hard. This is going to hurt like the dickens, but it's the only way to get that baby out."

For the next three hours, Zyla did as she was told, bearing down with each contraction. The pain was manifest on her face, and David felt for her. There was nothing he could do at this point, except hold her hand and occasionally wipe a cool, damp cloth over her forehead.

Slowly, the baby emerged. Finally, they were ready for the actual delivery. That was when David heard the one thing you never want to hear your healthcare provider say.

"Uh-oh," the healer said.

"What, uh-oh?" David asked anxiously. He had his vision at the back of his mind, and he knew something had to go wrong. He just hoped it wasn't too serious.

"Looks like we're stuck a bit. The baby's shoulder doesn't have enough room to come out. Let me just... no, that's not going to work. Zyla, dear, we need you to bring your knees up to your chest, as far as you can."

Zyla tried, but she could only lift her legs a few inches, and for only a few seconds. "I can't," she said, so worn out by the preceding hours that there was almost no emotion left in her voice. She looked at David, and her eyes asked him for help.

"You... okay with me touching you?" he asked her, making sure to get explicit permission first. She nodded.

David took his free hand and slipped it under her knees. Gently, he folded her up as far as she could go. He kept his eyes focused on her face, making sure not to even accidentally look down at the exposed private parts of the woman married to his... what exactly was Garibaldi to him? Friend? Advisor? Escort? Now was not the time for figuring that out.

"Okay... okay, that looks like it'll do it. We should be able to get that shoulder past on the next contraction."

That contraction wasn't too long in coming, and when it did, the baby slid free. It was soon crying strongly, a welcome sound for everyone.

David eased Zyla's legs back down, and she took a deep breath.

"Is she okay?" she asked David.

"Now, what're you asking me for?" he said with a grin. "Doc?"

"Huh?"

"Sorry, Earth expression. How's the baby?"

"She's fine. Healthy baby girl. You ready to hold her?" she asked Zyla.

"Yeah."

The assistant finished wrapping the noisy bundle in a blanket, and laid her in Zyla's arms. The baby quieted, and soon it was asleep. Mother looked like she wanted to join her child in unconsciousness, but she was suddenly wracked with another contraction.

"What's this?" David asked.

"Not to worry, it's just the expulsion of the afterbirth. Has to happen. Zyla, dear, on the next contraction, push hard."

"I don't think I have another hard push in me," she admitted.

"Just one more."

When the contraction hit, she bore down as hard as she could.

"Oh, dear," the healer said. "Zyla, stop pushing!"

Zyla tried to relax her body, but it was nearly impossible.

"What's wrong?" David asked anxiously.

"The placenta hasn't separated fully from the uterus. It's pulling her uterus inside-out."

"Oh, shit," David breathed, fighting panic.

The two healers had a brief and quiet discussion, and the assistant moved over to their prepared kit.

"David, I'm going to need you to raise her legs again. Can you manage that?"

"Okay," he said. Once again keeping his eyes well averted, he pulled Zyla into her folded posture.

"I can't... breathe... very well... this way," she told him.

"Just a little while longer," he told her. Meanwhile, the healer was working quickly, severing the placenta from the uterus. The bleeding was profuse, and the healer worked quickly to take care of it with a spell and a potion, and then came the additional problem of repositioning the uterus, which was nearly inside-out.

The healer took her wand and cast a spell, and Zyla shivered at the sensation.

"Sorry about that," the healer apologized. To David, she said, "The easiest way to reposition the uterus is to inflate it with air, like a balloon. It can feel rather odd."

"I bet," David agreed.

"And... that should have it. Okay, you can let her down now."

David returned Zyla to her prone position. He wiped her forehead again, and she smiled at him in gratitude.

"Well, that's the really hard part. I can give you something for the pain now."

"Where were you five hours ago?" Zyla demanded sarcastically.

The healer gave her a potion, which she swallowed. She told David, "She'll be asleep shortly. We should move her off the table. The hammock might be best for now."

They got Zyla moved just in time. She was asleep within seconds of settling. The assistant was already cleaning off the table and packing away their gear.

"It's a good thing you warned us," Healer Cutner told David. "While I always carry the emergency supplies with me, I don't usually have them quite that handy. It would have been more panicky, and there might have been even more complications."

"Will she be all right?"

"I think so, but we won't know for sure for a day or two. She could develop further problems from the inversion."

"And the baby?"

"The baby is unaffected by that. She's absolutely fine. You, by the way, did marvelously. She was lucky to have you here."

"Thanks," David said. "You want something to eat?"

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

Garibaldi was back home in another three days, by which time the healer had already left. Things had not gone as smoothly as hoped, and Zyla was still bed-ridden when Garibaldi first saw her. She was extremely tired, and Garibaldi didn't talk with her too long, but decided to let her sleep.

When Garibaldi came out of the bedroom, David motioned him into the kitchen, so they could talk without disturbing her.

"You look a little worn out," Garibaldi told David.

"Yeah, well... I'm not used to having my sleep pattern disrupted. Unfortunately, your daughter hasn't figured that out yet." David grabbed some fruit juice from the fridge and poured them both a glass. Then he came back to the table.

"So, there were problems..." Garibaldi said.

David sighed. Zyla had asked David to tell her husband; she just didn't feel up to the emotional impact of it.

"Yes, there were problems. The first one minor, the second one, not so much."

"Tell me."

"The first problem was that the baby's shoulder got stuck on the way out. No big deal, we just had to rearrange Zyla a little bit to make the birth easier. The second problem was that the afterbirth didn't come out properly, and it pulled her womb with it."

"That doesn't sound good..."

"Well, you want the good news, or the bad news?"

"Don't make me wait for it, David."

"The good news is that your daughter is perfectly healthy. Your wife will also mostly recover from the complications that arose from the... what did she call it? Oh, yeah, the 'uterine inversion'."

"And the bad news?"

"Yesterday, Zyla had a serious complication from the inversion. It was necessary for the healer to take some rather drastic actions. I'm afraid Zyla will never be able to have any more children."

Garibaldi deflated. He took a drink of his juice, and then set the glass down.

"We'd wanted a bigger family than just one child. It's hard enough to conceive here in Dugerra, anyway..."

David nodded. "She told me. That's why she asked me to tell you, rather than telling you herself. She just wasn't up to all the crying again."

"She's really upset?"

"And blaming herself. There's nothing she could have done to prevent it; I asked the healer. It happens, or it doesn't happen. There's no predicting it."

"When will she be able to be up and around again?"

The healer said to give her today to recover from what she had to do. Tomorrow, she can move around, but no heavy lifting. After that, she should be physically fine."

"But mentally?"

David shrugged. "That's up to her, mostly. And you, I suppose."

Garibaldi nodded. "How long was she in labor?"

"About eight hours."

Garibaldi rested his forehead on his upturned palm, his elbow on the table. "Which day was it?"

"The day after you left."

"So I was probably running around, getting lost in Pithala while she was here suffering... how bad was it?"

David made some faces. "Probably no worse than any other labor... it's the only one I've ever seen."

Garibaldi nodded, and they were both silent for a long time. Finally, he said, "I don't know how to thank you, David. Your warning, then coming down here to fill in for me... You're a good friend."

"Oh, is that what I am," David said with a grin. "I was trying to figure that out during Zyla's labor."

Garibaldi chuckled. "Yeah, I think it's safe to say we've passed beyond our 'business' relationship. After all, you've seen my wife naked."

David shook his head. "No I haven't. I made damned sure of that, too."

Garibaldi looked at him funny. David explained, "A matter of respect. For you, and for Zyla."

Garibaldi just shook his head in bemusement. "Thanks for that, too. Will you stick around for a couple days?"

"I do need to get back to the school, at least for Christmas, but yeah, you'll probably need a bit of help for a day or two, so I'll stick it out."

"As soon as it's okay for Zyla to travel, we'll take you back up to the school."

"That's fine."

"Now, let's go see my daughter again."

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

It was the second day of the Yule Festival when the Garibaldis bundled up little Grace in her blanket, and they all got into the carriage for the ride back to Woodward. Zyla had bounced back from her ordeal for the most part, though she seemed to have less energy than before. Her mood was variable, as was normal for a woman who had just given birth. Right now, she was happy, holding Grace up to the window, which David knew was more so the world would see her, since Grace couldn't possibly see much of the world just yet.

"Staying with Prof. Stott again?" Garibaldi asked.

"Wouldn't you, if you were me?" David replied with a grin.

"If I were you, I'd probably have already gotten myself in a whole shitload of trouble by now," Garibaldi admitted.

David laughed.

When they arrived at the school, David asked, "You guys want to come up for the festival?"

Garibaldi looked at his wife, who wavered, then shook her head. "I don't think I could handle all the walking."

David nodded. "Well, thanks for the lift, then. Bye-bye, Grace," he said softly, tickling the infant's cheek. The baby made a soft gurgle, but little else. "Take care of yourself," he said to Zyla.

"I will. Thank you so much for your help." She leaned forward and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek, then sat back to rest.

Garibaldi accompanied David out of the coach, and grabbed his bag.

"Say... where has your familiar been? You didn't bring him with you."

"No, I asked him not to come. I didn't know how Zyla or the baby might react to bird dander, and I was also worried what kind of chaos might have been in store. He's spent this time living in the Animal Annex. They have a place where he can roost warmly at night, and fly around free during the day."

"He's probably not going to be happy with you," Garibaldi said.

"Why do you think I had you pick up those lagoonberries for me?" David replied with a grin.

Garibaldi chuckled. "David... there's no way for me to repay you for this. Zyla's told me all about how the delivery went, about how much she put you through. She feels really bad about that, and... thank you just doesn't seem adequate."

David waved it off. "She didn't put me through anything. My hand is fine, and I was just glad I could be there to help."

"Still... we decided... we're naming you as Grace's godfather."

David's eyes widened. "Um... I'm honored."

"Don't worry, you won't have to do anything special for her. Not for a few years, anyway."

"Uh-huh. You just wanted her to get more presents. I know how your sneaky Rimohr mind works..."

Garibaldi chuckled.

"Take good care of her, Garibaldi. Both of them."

Garibaldi held out his hand and said, "Joe."

David shook the hand, staring the man in the eyes. "Now, could you do me one favor? Stop appearing in my visions?"

Garibaldi laughed. "Do our best."

"Happy Yule to you guys," he said, making sure that Zyla heard him. Zyla waved with a smile, and Garibaldi nodded. David hiked his duffle bag on his back, and headed into the school's entrance tunnel.

The celebration was in full swing when David arrived on the terrace. He looked around and smiled. It was good to be home.

David decided that his first duty was to find his familiar. He headed over to the Animal Annex, to see if Jailla was roosting to stay warm. He didn't find him there, so he went out back. They had arranged a signal, and so David pulled out his wand, raised it high, and chanted a spell. A large golden bird appeared, shaped like Jailla but much larger. It flapped its wings, soaring high into the sky. It kept rising straight up, until it had reached a thousand feet in the air. Then it vanished.

Just as David was about to perform the charm again, Jailla came gliding in, flapping to make a controlled landing on David's shoulder.

"About time you got here," Jailla sniffed.

"Oh? So you don't want this lagoonberry?" David said, holding it up. Jailla snatched it instantly, devouring it in seconds.

"Unless you've got more of those, it doesn't excuse you leaving me here."

"I have quite a few more of those, but let's wait until you can eat them without turning my coat purple."

"Hmph," Jailla replied. After ruffling his feathers to help him stay warm, he asked, "How did the birth go?"

David told him all about it as they walked. By the time he'd finished telling the story, they were sitting on a bench near the river.

"Godfather. Impressive," Jailla said.

David shrugged. "I'm assuming that's as symbolic a job here as it is in Earth."

"Depends on her parents. It might be, it might not be."

"Oh. Well, anyway, have you had enough out-of-doors for a while?"

"Yes, quite."

"Let's see if we can't find Sam, then, so we can put my bag away, and get you somewhere warm."

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

"So, I realize you missed the Day of Reflection... do you have anything you need to fix today?" Sam asked David.

"Two things, but only one I actually can fix. And even that's only a maybe."

"Oh?"

"First, I wish I could get Devyn to stop hating me, but I don't even know where she is, and I don't think she's amenable to any overtures, anyway. Second, I need to try to patch up my relationship with Giendia. That, however, is almost as iffy, and I'll have to ask Dubnin if now is the time."

Sam nodded. "I have a few things I have to take care of, as well. I guess we'll both be busy today."

"Yeah."

-----

David walked to the edge of the centaur village normally, but then he faded to invisibility. He did not want Giendia to see him accidentally. He knew his way to Dubnin's house, and now he had to consider how to proceed. After standing outside for a few minutes, he realized that his only safe course of action was to act like a ghost, and not like a person.

Fading through the wall, David entered Dubnin's house. He found Dubnin in the main room, reading a book. David noticed Giendia's bedroom door was open. He stepped over to find it empty; she was not in the house.

Having seen what he needed to, David moved back outside. He faded to solid form once again, and then knocked on Dubnin's door. Since Giendia wasn't home, he could take the direct approach to talking with Dubnin.

The door opened, and Dubnin immediately recognized David. "Welcome," he said. "Come on in."

David followed the centaur over to the fireplace, and Dubnin resumed his seat. "Giendia's not here," Dubnin said.

"I know," David told him. "Will she be back soon?"

Dubnin shook his head. "She is spending Yuletide with her mother and stepfather."

"Oh."

"You came to... talk to her?"

David winced. "Actually, I came to ask you if talking to her was safe yet. It's been two months..."

Dubnin nodded. "I'm glad you had the sense to ask me before confronting her. She is still quite mad at you. I intentionally bring up your name every once in a while, just to gauge her reaction. So far, it has not been favorable."

David frowned. "I don't know what to do about this, Dubnin. It worries me that she thinks I was reacting so negatively. I mean, even if she and I can't be friends, I don't want her thinking that every human she approaches is going to ridicule her for her feelings."

Dubnin nodded. "That is also why I keep mentioning you. I know that she will never feel safe asking another human, if she cannot forgive you for a simple misunderstanding."

David stood silent for a while, staring at the fire.

"I am sorry, David, that you are in this position."

David shook his head. "It's not that. I like Giendia, when she's not trying to break my jaw. I just can't think of anything else to try."

"I think we simply have to wait."

"Maybe... Dubnin, you said that anthroposexuals were rare, but... do you know, or is there a way to find, another one?"

"I do not know another. It may be possible to find one. Why?"

"If you could find another one, another female one, I would really like to sit down and talk with them for a bit."

Dubnin cocked his head. "That is a very wise idea. I will attempt to find one for you to speak with. I make no promises; I have no notion of how difficult this might turn out to be. It could take some months."

"I can wait."

"But can Giendia?" Dubnin asked, almost to himself.

David frowned at that, but then said, "Well, I'll let you get back to what you were doing. I have to go find an open store in the middle of Yule."

"Oh? Forget to buy something?"

"I have to get presents for my brand new god-daughter," David said.

"I see," Dubnin said with a slight smile. "Good luck to you, then."

The two shook hands, and Dubnin escorted David to the door.

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

Garibaldi yawned as he walked out into the living room. He wasn't sleeping any better than Zyla, and the baby was keeping her up at weird hours. His eyes were barely open as he stumbled through the living room, and his bare foot slammed soundly into a large box.

"Fuck!" he cursed quietly. The pain woke him up, however, and he was able to look around. There were several gift boxes that had not been there the night before, all wrapped in gold paper.

Zyla, who had heard Garibaldi's curse, came out into the living room. "My lord, what happened in here? Where'd all these presents come from?"

Garibaldi saw a card taped to the top of the box he'd stubbed his toe on. Opening it, he closed his eyes and shook his head.

"They're from David."

"Oh dear, we didn't have a chance to get him anything!"

"That's okay, they're not for us. They're all for Grace."

"My god. How can he afford something like this?"

"Are you kidding? That kid could afford to buy Bolmont, and have enough left over to lease the Academy for parties."

"Really? You don't get that from talking to him."

Garibaldi just shook his head. Zyla stepped carefully through the boxes. "Wait... there are presents for us. One each," she said, smiling. She handed Garibaldi his. "Go on and open it."

"You know it's a book. He always gets me a book."

"You started it," she said with a smile.

Garibaldi ripped the paper off. "At least he didn't use that damned rewrapping paper again." He held up the book, and chuckled.

"What is it?" Zyla asked.

Garibaldi turned it around so she could see the title. Stop Freaking Out! It's Just a Baby. Zyla laughed.

"What did he get you?" Garibaldi asked.

Zyla opened her present, and grew quiet. "Joe..."

Inside was a leather-bound book. On the front, it said "Grace Garibaldi" in embossed gold leaf. The spine had a sleeve which held a wand She opened it, to find the pages blank, except for one single picture, of her and Grace, which she remembered David taking. There was a brief note on a slip of paper inside the front cover.

Thank you for your purchase of an Instant Memories baby album. The included imaging wand is specially enchanted to take pictures of your new addition. Merely hold up the wand, draw a (vertical) circular frame around what you want to image, and say, "Remember." The image will instantly appear in the album. Should you wish to later delete an image from the album, use the imaging wand, tap the picture, and say, "Forget." The image will vanish, and the other images will move to fill in the blank space (if necessary). May this album allow you to remember these joyous moments for decades to come!

"Wow, this is nice," Garibaldi said.

"I feel really guilty now," Zyla admitted.

"Yeah, I know. I'm sure he understands, though. Come on, let's get some breakfast before Grace wakes up."

-----

"May I assume that this one for Bispy contains the same as it always does?"

"I hope so," Bispy said to Olissa, bouncing in anticipation.

"Probably," Olissa said to her mother, chuckling at Bispy. She opened it to find the usual Styrofoam cooler filled with frozen steaks and other goodies. The package was somewhat bigger this year, in keeping with Bispy's growth.

Setting that aside, and firmly putting the cover on it so Bispy would not be tempted to gnaw on a frozen steak, she turned to her own present. Inside the box was what was obviously a jewelry case, with a card on top. She opened the card first.

"What's that, che?" her father asked.

"It's... a gift card for two days at the spa in Houma," she said, a little stunned. She had never once treated herself to more than a haircut at a salon. The thought of spending an entire day...

"That sounds like fun," her mother told her. "What's in the box?"

She set aside the gift card, and then opened the jewelry box. Inside was a silver dragon. As she looked at it, she realized it was designed to be worn on her wrist. She pulled it out. The head of the dragon, which had sapphires for eyes, sat on top of a ring, which would go on her middle finger. She slipped it on. The neck of the dragon was made of individual joined pieces, which allowed it to bend, to adjust to the size and position of her hand. The wings of the dragon, which were initially outstretched, suddenly folded and curled under, forming the bracelet around her wrist, and the dragon's tail, after whipping back and forth a few times, slithered in an S-shape up her arm. Though the movement had initially startled her, Olissa had seen magical jewelry before, and she quickly returned to admiring the quality of the piece. She blushed when she remembered that this kind of thing was referred to as a "slave bracelet". She hoped her parents didn't know that.

"That is exquisite," her mother said. She marveled at the bracelet, which was made of sterling silver, with gold accents in small amounts.

Her father looked at it for a long time, then he said to her, "You sure he ain't courtin' you?"

-----

"Shell, you have a package here," her mother told her. "From someone named David?"

"Oh, no," Shell said. She worried what he might have sent. She was afraid that he was going to try to chase after her. That wouldn't be good for either of them.

The box was a typical merfolk shipping container, fully waterproofed, since it would spend most, if not all, its time underwater. She opened the box, and found a card inside - also waterproof - that said, "Merry Christmas!" Below that, it said, "I thought you might like this." Inside was a simple gold necklace. Hanging from it was a golden nautilus shell.

"Oh, that's quite pretty," her mother told her.

"Yeah," she said. She slipped it on, and it held itself in place, once it touched her skin. It would not float around as she swam. She brushed her hand over it, and suddenly it started to play. The melody was bright and uplifting. As she removed her hand, the music faded away, leaving something of an echo in the water. She looked at the card again, and then flipped it over. There was more writing on the back.

"Maybe someday we'll meet again. Until that happens, I hope you'll think of me whenever the music plays. Good luck with your school search. - David"

Shell smiled at that note. It made her feel better to know he had just wanted her to have something to remember him by. Not that that was necessary; he'd given her plenty of good memories.

-----

"Um... dear... why, exactly, did David send us a box full of mice?"

Gwen looked at the box, and grinned. "It's labeled 'Nalani'. It's a snack pack."

"Ewww," Ellie said with a grin. The family laughed at that.

"There's one very big box that says it's for you, and there's a card for us," Denise Hasterscant said.

"What's the card say?" Gwen wanted to know.

Denise opened it. She read, "This card good for one all-expenses-paid vacation for the entire Hasterscant family (or as much of it as can get away), to a location of the family's choice, in either Earth or Dugerra."

Mr. Hasterscant took the card, and read it.

Denise said, "That could cost him a fortune."

Mr. Hasterscant cocked his head. "I'm sure he knew that when he sent the card. We'll have to really think about where we'd like to go... and we probably won't go until this summer. Now, what's in that big old box?"

Gwen looked at the box, which was simply too big to handle easily. She pulled out her wand, tapped the box, and said, "Ava tama." The box's sides fell open, exposing the gift inside to everyone's view.

"Oh, my god!" Gwen gushed.

"What in the world is that?" her father asked.

"It's a Segway!"

"A what?" Ellie asked, interested.

"It's just another piece of Earth junk," Anne said derisively.

Gwen frowned at her sister, but then turned back to her new toy. "It's a way to get around. Like a SkyRider, but it doesn't fly. It rolls."

"Very nifty," Denise said. "How's it work?"

Gwen held up the book. "Like this," she said, waving it at them. Her parents and Ellie laughed.

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

"Mmm. That smells good. Whatcha makin'?" Sam asked David as she came out to the kitchen.

"Cornbread and sausage with gravy."

"I don't think I've ever had cornbread."

"I know," he said, turning and kissing her. "Merry Christmas," he said to her when they separated.

"Merry Christmas to you, too... though I think we already started our celebration last night..."

David grinned and then turned to finish preparing breakfast.

After they were finished with breakfast, Sam asked, "Well, should we go to the party now?"

"Not just yet," he said. "Let's take care of our stuff, first. That way, you won't be all hyper about it like last year."

"But I like last year's present," she said with a smile. "And if last night was any indication, so do you!"

David snickered. He had gotten her a nightgown last year, and she had worn it last night, changing it to a deep red color for the evening. It hadn't stayed on her for very long.

David picked up his gift to her, and handed it over.

"Nope, you get to open yours first," she said.

"Okay, I'll open the one Jailla got me."

"How can you open it?" Jailla asked. "It's not wrapped. It's been sitting there on the tree for days."

"Oh, hush, you," David said. "I'm going to call it opening it, even if all I have to do is pull it off the tree." David reached up and took the pebble down. It was mostly just a rock, but some kind of mineral within the rock caused it to have shiny speckles of various colors within.

"What kind of trouble is this one going to get me into?" David asked Jailla with a grin. Jailla nipped him on the ear in response. "Ow!"

Sam laughed. "So, what did you get him?"

David pulled out a small package from the back, and opened it. Inside was a mirror, which David affixed to the end of Jailla's perch.

"I've seen you trying to sneak glimpses of yourself every time I pull out my mirror. Now you can stare at yourself all day long."

Jailla flew over to his perch and looked in the mirror. Then he twisted this way and that, examining himself from every angle. David just smiled and shook his head.

"Now, the one from me," Sam insisted.

David sat down next to her, and opened the package. It was just a large envelope, which had David curious. Once he'd unfastened it, out slipped a piece of parchment, and a thin book.

The parchment, he saw, proclaimed that David Stroud had been admitted as a probationary member of the Royal Potions Guild. The book was a set of rules for guild members. David looked to Sam for an explanation.

"As a potions maker, you aren't allowed to work professionally unless you belong to one of three guilds. The Royal Potions Guild is the most exclusive of them, and people usually try to join, even after they've been accepted to one of the other two guilds. You remember that I was having you do some potions work this last semester, that I said was for class? Well, it wasn't. You were being observed by one of the guildhall masters. I am your guild sponsor. You'll become a full member of the guild once you complete your apprenticeship. Until then, you are only allowed to sell potions that were made by other people.

"As a member of the Royal Potions Guild, once you're a full member, you'll be able to even work with the King, if you want to. The other guilds cannot work in the government."

David was as floored by this news as he had been the day she'd asked him to apprentice for her. He leaned over and kissed her, rather than try to come up with something appropriate to say.

Finally, he leaned back, looked her in the eye, and said, "Thank you."

Sam smiled, and then she picked up his present to her. She opened it as he slipped his membership materials back into their envelope and set them on the coffee table. By the time he was done, she had the wrapping undone, and was opening the jewelry box. Inside was a silver necklace, on which hung an "open hearts" pendant. In the middle of the lower heart was a large diamond, while the hearts themselves were covered in smaller diamonds.

"It's beautiful," she said. She took it out of the box, and slipped it on. "You've never given me jewelry before... Does this design mean something?"

David smiled. "It means, and I'm quoting from the company, 'If your heart is open, love will always find its way in.' And in your case, like this diamond here, once love does make it inside, it's going to find something pretty special."

Sam blushed crimson. "David, I..."

"Shh. Just a reminder for your future, Sam."

Sam kissed him passionately, and they stayed together for a long moment, until she'd gotten control of her emotions.

"If you thought last night was hot, you just wait till tonight. You ain't seen nothing yet," Sam promised him.

David chuckled as she slipped off him and rose to her feet.

"Now, let's get this other stuff over to the party, shall we?"

-----

Shortly after they had arrived at the party, David was chatting with Prof. Phillips about his semester.

"So, it went pretty well for you, then."

"Except in Conjuring. I still need to talk to Dean Lengel about that."

"Don't let her hear you say that name today," Prof. Phillips warned.

David smiled. "I know, I know. But that's official business. When I talk to her about it, she'll be Dean Lengel, not Emile."

"Fair enough."

"Speaking of Conjuring, I don't remember seeing Prof. Quayde here last year, and he's not here now... does he not come to this?"

"Not since I've been here. I don't know if he did before that."

"Guess he doesn't like professors, either."

Prof. Phillips smiled. Just then, Prof. Fibblebitz walked up.

David said, "Merry Christmas, Professor!"

Prof. Fibblebitz smiled at him. "Merry Christmas to you, too, David! I hear you're doing quite well in Cat's class."

"I think she's an easy grader," David admitted.

"Now, David," Prof. Fibblebitz said, putting her hand on his shoulder. "Modesty can be taken too far, you know."

"It's not modesty, Professor. You know how well I wasn't doing in your class. I haven't really gotten any better."

"I doubt that," she said. "You seem to be good at whatever you do, even if you don't see it."

"Well, thank you. I'm not sure I believe you, but I'm glad someone has some faith in my skills."

Prof. Fibblebitz stepped a little closer. "I've always thought you'd be good with your wand." She stepped back and said, "Oh, my glass is empty. I guess I'll head off for a refill. Enjoy the party, you two!"

As the professor moved off, David asked, "Is she drunk? She seemed a bit... odd."

Prof. Phillips pursed his lips. "It is possible. I think someone may have spiked the egg nog."

David shook his head. After that, Prof. Whitaker came over. She wasn't someone David knew well, but they had talked once or twice the previous year while working on the handbook.

"Merry Christmas, David," she said.

"Merry Christmas, Professor."

"I know now is probably not the best time to ask, but will you have some time at the end of February? A few evenings, perhaps for a week?"

"Well, I can hardly say for sure, but probably. Why?"

"As you know, since you and your classmates finished the handbook, it has now become my responsibility to keep it in print. There will be some minor changes from year to year, of course. I was hoping that you and Dirk would be able to assist me in making the necessary changes before the handbook goes into print. We'll want to hand it out to the students at orientation."

"I'll write it down on my calendar. I'll give you whatever time I've got available. But... what happens if there are changes between the end of February, and the end of the school year?"

"No scenario is perfect."

"We might have to reconsider the way some pages are printed," David said. "It's something maybe we could talk about when we look over the handbook later."

Prof. Whitaker nodded. "Anyway, I just wanted to check in, and let you know about that. Have a great Christmas."

"You, too."

The gathering continued for a couple more hours before the dean announced that everyone who was coming, was there, and that it was time for the presents.

David sat and watched Sam open her presents. Like last year, he found them a bit dull. When she was done, she leaned over to David. "You win again," she whispered.

"Huh?" he asked.

"You gave me the best present."

David smiled, and kissed her softly.

"Your turn," she said. As was normal, those who knew David well were hanging around, to see what he had gotten. After he was done, they would all watch someone else, and so on. It was the way this little party was organized.

He started with the obvious. It was Olissa's gift, which was a large batch of baked goods.

"Wow, this must have taken a couple days to put together," Sam said.

David nodded. "She's good at it, too. It's a good thing I can't gain weight!" The others laughed at that.

The next one he opened was from "Gwen and Ellie". He raised an eyebrow at that, but opened the box.

"Didn't she get you this last year?" Dean Lengel asked, seeing the Encyclopedia Dugerria inside.

"Yeah, but it was destroyed by that dark wizard. I guess she really wants me to have one."

"There's something else, under it," Sam pointed out.

David lifted out the encyclopedia, and sure enough, there was a picture frame. It was lying face-down, and so David pulled it out, then laughed.

"Who is that?" Dean Lengel asked.

"Oh, you'll meet her in a few months, I guess. That's Gwen's sister, Ellie. They took me to the Litha Festival this past summer. I didn't know anyone was taking pictures when she was in the pepper-eating contest." It was a picture of him handing her the aloe lollipop.

"I gather you get along with this sister much better than the other one?" Dean Lengel asked.

David snorted. "Yeah. Ellie and I spent a lot of time together last summer. Gwen was off visiting her friends, and I didn't really have anything to do, so I would talk with either Ellie, or Denise... that's Mrs. Hasterscant. Ellie and I became friends. She is very much hoping to be accepted to Woodward next year."

"She already has been," Dean Lengel said.

"You remember the name of everyone who's been accepted?"

"No, but that name is quite familiar to me, having admitted the entire Hasterscant family before her."

"Oh," David said, and grinned.

"What's next?" Sam said, motioning to the presents.

"Hmm. Here's one from Dean Lengel. Too bad she's not here for me to thank her," David said, winking at the dean, who insisted he refer to her as Emile during all school breaks. David unwrapped the book - it was obviously a book - and then scratched his head.

"What is it?" Sam asked. David showed it to her. It was titled, From Rimohr to Magistrate: the Civics of Callamandia.

Dean Lengel explained, "You seem to be so good at dealing with... well, with problems, shall we say. I thought you might want to look into a career somewhere in the government administration. It's about time for you to start considering what you want to do after you leave Woodward."

"I've got at least a year and a half to go..." David said.

"I know. And it'll take you at least that long to come up with something. Trust me," she said with a knowing smile.

"Well, thank you for this."

"And there's just one left," Sam said, sliding it over to him. It was very oddly shaped. He unwrapped it to find a fruit basket. The outside of the basket was lined with bananas and grapes, but the center contained a bright red fruit that he wasn't quite familiar with. He looked up to see Prof. Fibblebitz, who was the person who had given the gift, nearby.

"Thank you, Professor," he said. "What fruit are these?"

"They're fire plums," she said. "Very juicy and sweet, with a bit of spice. And," she whispered hoarsely, leaning down, "they're supposed to be an aphrodisiac!" She stood back up and giggled, then noticed her glass was empty again, and wandered off.

David shook his head again. "Is something the matter with her?" he asked Sam.

"I'm not sure. She's not usually like this."

Dean Lengel said, "I've never seen Louisa get this drunk before."

"Should we stop her?" David asked.

"I... don't know. Maybe she just wants to party a little," Dean Lengel told him. "I'll keep an eye on her."

"Well, anyway, it's your turn, Emile. Merry Christmas," David said, handing her a present.

"Well, thank you, David. You didn't have to get me anything..."

She sat down and unwrapped the gift, which, like many gifts this day, was a book. This one was titled, The Massive Tome of Swords, Sorcery, and Swashbuckling. She looked up at David.

"Thank you. Is this a history book?"

David laughed. "Only in Dugerra could anyone think that a book involving sorcery might be a history book!" After he settled, he said, "No, it's a book of fiction. In all the time I've known you, I've never seen you actually relaxing. I was beginning to wonder if you ever actually did relax, so I thought I'd get you something to take a load off with."

"Well, thank you for that. Perhaps I don't take enough time for myself. I'll try to do better in the future," she said, and winked at him. David just shook his head in bemusement as Dean Lengel went on to open the rest of her gifts.

-----

The party continued for another couple hours, with people opening gifts and talking about the people they'd given gifts to.

"You gave her a what?" Dean Lengel asked David.

"It's a wheeled vehicle. You stand on it, and hold on to the handlebars. You control it by leaning, forward, back, side to side. I'm sure she'll bring it with her, so you'll see it."

"Sounds quite intriguing."

As they were talking, Prof. Fibblebitz came up to David again.

"So, have you tried a fire plum?" she asked. Her words were actually slurred now.

"Yes, I did. It was very tasty. That aftertaste was a surprise, though... like a cinnamon candy, almost."

Prof. Fibblebitz stepped close and nudged him with her hip. "And did it make you horny?" she asked.

David's eyebrows shot up, and Dean Lengel was shocked, as well. David said, "Well... no, not especially."

"So, there's nobody in this room you just want to throw down on a table and ravage?" she demanded. "Or maybe you're just trying to be polite," she said, her voice rising slightly.

"Okay, Louisa, I think you've had enough," Dean Lengel tried to say, but Prof. Fibblebitz shrugged her off.

"Maybe what you really mean is you're not horny because Sam and Cat aren't nearby! What's the matter David, you don't date fat chicks?" she demanded, and staggered. David instinctively reached out and steadied her, but once she was stable, she shrugged him off.

"I don't want your pity!" she spat, and then staggered off toward the door.

David looked at Dean Lengel. "Someone should go after her," David said.

"Yep. Someone should," Dean Lengel said, staring back at him.

"Uh-huh," he replied, then shook his head. David set down his own punch - the punch had not been adulterated - and nodded to the dean. He left the party and stepped out into the hallway. Prof. Fibblebitz had not gotten very far. She was far too drunk to even know that she was going in the wrong direction.

"Come on, Professor," David said, gently taking her by the arm. "Let's get you back to your home."

"I don't wanna go home!" she demanded, then staggered and nearly fell before he caught her again. She hiccupped, and started to cry.

"Oh, David, I'm so sorry..." She sobbed and hiccupped and sniffled.

David put her arm around his shoulder, and he put his arm around her back, to hold her up, and he began walking with her, slowly, back toward her apartment.

"Don't worry about it, Professor."

"Stop calling me Professor!" she demanded.

"Sorry, Louisa," he said.

"Ugh," she said, snorting, hiccupping, and nearly tripping all at the same time. "Don't call me that, either. I hate that name."

"But that's what everyone calls you."

"I don't care. Call me something else."

David remained quiet for several paces.

"I didn't mean shut up!" she demanded.

"Sorry, I was trying to think of a new name for you."

"Oh," she said. She was quiet again as they made progress toward her apartment.

Finally, they reached it. David reached for the door, which was apparently smart enough magic to know that there was no way she could have so much as found the doorknob at this point. It opened for him, and he ushered her into her home.

Prof. Fibblebitz' apartment was an exact mirror of Sam's, and so David knew where he was going. He half-dragged her into the bedroom, and she collapsed on the bed. He thought to go, but he knew that if she slept like that, she would be very uncomfortable when she woke up.

"Come on, Lise," he said, trying out a nickname on her. "You can't sleep like that. You should probably go to the bathroom, and put on a nightgown."

David tugged her back to her feet, which was a mighty struggle. She staggered into the bathroom, where vomiting occurred. After that, she took care of other business, and came staggering back out of the bathroom. She was disrobing absent-mindedly, almost unaware of David's presence. He would have averted his gaze, but he didn't dare take his eyes off her while she was standing up, as she was likely to fall and hurt herself.

Once she had her skirt and blouse off, Prof. Fibblebitz dropped to a seated position on the bed. David had a difficult choice to make, but he knew, for her comfort, he needed to remove her bra. He reached around and unfastened it, and then, when he stood up, she flopped backward onto the bed, nearly unconscious.

David left her bra in place while he worked to get her under the covers. Finally, he pulled off her bra, exposing her chest to his view. He felt slightly ashamed, but figured she'd never remember it.

That thought also led him to do what he did next. He bent over her, and gently laid his hand on one of her ample breasts. He gave it a soft squeeze, and then he kissed her on the forehead. She was completely incoherent at that point, and didn't even acknowledge him. He covered her up, and then he had to decide if there was anything else he should do.

After a minute of thought, David pulled out his mirror, and dialed up Food Services.

The pixie appeared in a few seconds, and asked, "How can I help you?"

"Is there anyone in the kitchen?" David asked.

"I'm sorry, no," the pixie said.

"Can you bring me an ingredient? I don't need you to make anything, I just need some poppy seeds."

"Poppy seeds?"

"Yes. Not a large amount. You should be able to easily carry all that I need. Just a handful... well, my handful, not yours," he said, causing the pixie to giggle. "Can you do that?"

"Yes. I'll be right back," she said, and popped out of existence. She returned in a couple minutes with a teaspoon full of poppy seeds. Even that looked like it was a struggle for her to carry.

"Is this enough?" she asked.

"Perfect," David said. He'd already pulled one of the vials off his necklace, and opened it. He took the teaspoon from her, and dumped the poppy seeds inside. Handing the spoon back to her, he said, "Thank you very much."

"Surely!" she said brightly, and popped back out of existence.

David capped the vial and shook it. The poppy seeds dissolved, and the liquid turned an ugly brown color. He found a small glass in Prof. Fibblebitz' cupboard, and poured the potion into that.

Finally, David found a piece of parchment on her desk, and he pulled out his InkyQuill to write her a note:

Prof. Fibblebitz Louisa Lise,

The potion in the cup will help with the headache. Drink it.

Please come see me tomorrow. We need to talk.

David

David set the note on her night table, tucking the corner of it under the cup of potion, so she would be sure to see both of them. He looked down at her again, and she was resting peacefully. Motioning to the firefly in the room, he said, "Just enough light to read by, please." The firefly dimmed. David looked down to make sure he could read his own note, then said, "That's perfect. Thank you."

The firefly pulsed briefly in acknowledgment, then continued with its steady, but dim, light. David turned and left the bedroom, closing the door to keep the daylight out.

David left the apartment, closing the door quietly, and turned to go. As he did, he saw Prof. Quayde walking down the hallway.

"What are you doing here alone?" Quayde snapped. "You know the rules."

"And I'm quite sure you're aware that I was just in Prof. Fibblebitz' apartment, and that I am now returning to the Christmas party. This is in compliance with the rules, which state that I may travel from one place to another, unaccompanied." David had had enough of Prof. Quayde, and he wasn't going to tolerate being berated outside of a class setting.

"Don't you get smart with me, Stroud. I can make life very unpleasant for you."

Quayde's raised voice had caused a few people to come out into the hallway, to observe what was going on. David ignored them.

"You've been making my life unpleasant for months now," David retorted. "What are you going to do, sentence me to more detention? Oh, wait, we're not in class, so you can't. So why don't you take your huge ego and your little dick, and get away from me!"

Prof. Quayde sputtered in rage, while David said, to no one in particular, but making sure the others in the hall could hear him, "I mean, I'm guessing on the little dick part, but..." and he shrugged.

"You will pay for that, Stroud," Prof. Quayde snarled.

"Do your best, you blowhard. I've put up with your shit for one semester, I can do it for one more. But I will be damned to hell for a billion years before I'm going to let a bigot like you push me around!"

"Listen, you rotting excuse for a human being..." Quayde started.

"Oh! Now I get it!" David interrupted, feigning surprise. Quayde was taken aback. David explained, "I thought you must be confused about something, the way you've been acting. I just figured out what it is!" David stood full-height, which was still shorter than Quayde, but managed to convey a certain superiority, anyway.

"I am not rotting. That's the point. When you die, you will rot away and be eaten up by maggots and weevils, nibble nibble nibble. In a hundred years, you will be a miserable excuse for a ghost, and your body will be worm food. I, on the other hand, will look exactly as I do now, doing whatever I want to do with my life, looking just like I'm still eighteen.

"So, you know what? Give it your best shot, you asshole. I can and will outlast you. And there's not a damn thing you can do about that."

David pushed past Quayde, who stared after him, dumbfounded. David saw a few smirks of enjoyment on the faces he passed, but no one said a word.

David stepped back into the party room, finding that it was starting to wind down, but there were plenty of people still present. Sam was one of them. David found her talking to Dean Lengel.

"Is Louisa all right?" Dean Lengel asked immediately.

"She's gonna have one hell of a headache when she wakes up, but I think she'll be okay. She's sleeping now."

"I've never seen her like that," Sam admitted. "Did you two... talk... when you got to her place?"

David snorted. "I'd have had more luck talking to a rock. She threw up then passed out when I got her home. I made her some headache potion for when she wakes up, and left. Oh, and that reminds me, Emile... I will need to see 'Dean Lengel' about that grade issue I mentioned to you last week." He used finger-quotes when he said her name. It was an inside joke between them.

"Okay. Come see me about it next Monday. I'll be rested up by then, and ready for you to call me by my title, instead of like I was a person." She smiled at him, and he shook his head in embarrassment. After that, she left David and Sam to themselves.

"Are you sure nothing happened with you and Louisa?" Sam asked. "I heard what she was saying..."

"Sam... other than that I did help her get undressed, so she would be comfortable, no, nothing happened."

"You know, when she was talking, it did make me wonder one thing... where in the world is Cat?"

"She's probably celebrating with Ben," David said.

"Who?"

"Her new boyfriend. You didn't know she had a new boyfriend?"

"No. Cat and I are friendly, but we're not close."

"Oh. Well, she met him about a month ago, I guess it is now. So she's probably spending time with him."

"Does it bother you, being set aside like that?" Sam asked gently, as they started to gather up their gifts.

"No. I knew from the beginning we didn't have a future. Now I'm kind of like her big brother. I'm still going to watch out for her, but..." David shrugged. Sam nodded in understanding.

After a bit of silence, David asked, "And how will it make you feel, if Prof. Fibblebitz actually is interested in me, and that wasn't just a depressed drunk talking?"

Sam conjured their stuff back to her apartment before she answered him. "I won't say that I wouldn't miss our time together. But, as you know, I never expected us to be together forever, either."

"I know. That's why I got you the necklace: to remind you to keep looking for Mr. Right."

Sam snorted at that, but didn't say anything. As they walked out of the party and into the hallway, Sam said, "Are you sure those fire plums didn't make you horny at all? I ate one, and I'm about ready to tear your clothes off!" she hissed.

As they opened the door to Sam's apartment, David said, "Yeah, but Sam, you were like that before you ate the plum!"

"Too true," she said as the door to her apartment closed. Shortly after that, and for long hours following, neither of them was dressed.

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

David was cleaning up after lunch when the knock came at the door. He stepped out into the entrance hall, and found Prof. Fibblebitz on the other side. She couldn't quite look David in the eye.

"Hi, David. Your note said..." she said, tapering off. David nodded, and held up a finger. He stepped back into the apartment for a second, not closing the door.

"Sam? I'll be back later," he told her. She was sitting on the couch reading a book. She waved in acknowledgment, and then David returned to Prof. Fibblebitz, closing the door behind himself.

"Come on, let's go back to your place," he said.

As they walked, Prof. Fibblebitz said, "David, I need to apologize for yesterday... whatever happened, exactly..."

"You don't remember?"

"Not clearly, no. I remember going to the party, and drinking the egg nog, and then... well, it starts to get just a bit fuzzy. Then it gets a lot fuzzy, and after that, I remember waking up and finding your note. Thank you for the headache potion, by the way. It was a very large help."

"My pleasure, Professor."

"What... um... what else did we, I mean I, do?"

They had reached her apartment, and so David said, "Let's talk about it inside."

Prof. Fibblebitz led him through the door, and she went over and sat on the couch. David did something uncharacteristic: he took off his coat and put it on the back of a chair. He then went and sat beside the professor.

"Why did you get drunk?" David asked. "I mean, okay, maybe you didn't know the nog was spiked..."

Prof. Fibblebitz snorted. "I'm the one who spiked it," she said. "I'm not really sure why I did it, really. Maybe I wanted everyone else to feel embarrassed for a change."

"What are you embarrassed by?" David asked curiously.

"Are you blind?" she asked, slightly offended. "Look at me!"

I did that yesterday, was what he thought to himself. He did not say that out loud. Instead, he said, "So your appearance bothers you?"

"David, I'm a fat girl. I know what guys think of fat girls. Yeah, my appearance bothers me. But you're not telling me what happened to me yesterday."

"I'm getting to it. It's just that I want to know why what happened, happened."

"So what did happen?"

"You got totally blasted."

"And?"

David snorted. "And not much else. You said some things, and then I brought you back here. By the time I got you here, you were barely capable of standing up. You threw up and went to bed."

"I woke up naked," she said, looking at him pointedly.

David nodded. "I admit, I did help you get undressed. I wanted you to be comfortable while you slept."

"Nothing... else happened?" she asked nervously.

"Prof..." he started, but saw her start to wince. He changed his mind. "Lise, I like you too much, and have way too much respect for you, to take advantage of you at a time like that. I tucked you in, gave you a kiss on the forehead, and then left you be."

"That's all?" she asked.

David grimaced. "Okay, I confess. I did touch your breast. I couldn't help myself. But other than that, nothing happened between us."

Prof. Fibblebitz didn't look any better for the assurance. In fact, she started to cry. David put his arm around her, and she leaned into him, resting her head against his shoulder as she cried. After a while, her crying died out. David didn't let go of her right away, though. When she sat up, he let his arm slip slowly from her.

"I'm sorry, David. Yesterday should never have happened. I should have just... I don't know."

"Lise, do you remember what you said to me yesterday?"

"Not specifically, but I think I know what it probably was, and it probably wasn't very nice."

David shrugged. "What I want to know is whether you actually meant any of it."

"Since I don't really remember what I said..." she tried.

"Are you actually interested in dating me?" David said directly.

Lise blushed crimson. "I said that, did I?" she asked him ruefully.

"You did. Well, not in so many words, but it's the message that came through."

"I'm sorry. I know you're not interested. You don't have to worry about hurting my feelings. You've already been nicer than I could have imagined your rejection to be."

"Now, why would you assume that I would reject you?"

"Oh, come on, David. I know of two teachers that you've been dating. One of them was my replacement in your schedule! I can only assume that we never hooked up because you're not interested. I don't want to be pitied, so don't try telling me it's not true."

David reached down and took Lise's hand. She didn't resist. "Actually, I think you'd probably accept my pity, but you're not going to get it." She looked up at him in surprise. "There is only one reason that I ended up dating Sam and Cat, but didn't end up dating you."

"And what's that?" she demanded, trying not to cry again.

"You never asked," he told her, squeezing her hand tightly. He could see the confusion in her eyes, so he explained further. "Sam and I started dating when Sam came to me and asked if I was interested in her. Something similar happened with Cat. It's not that I wasn't interested in you, Lise. It's that I assumed you had no reason to be interested in me. I'm just a student. I have nothing, really, to offer you. I figured you had a boyfriend, quite frankly."

"I tried to send you signals..." she said, sniffling a little.

"Looking back on it, I see that, now. But all of the teachers here seem to go out of their way to help me, so I misinterpreted your actions. Lise, I'm sorry. If I'd known you felt that way about me, I'd... well, let's just say that yesterday wouldn't have been necessary. But I'm kinda dense where girls are concerned, I guess."

"You would really consider... going out with me?" she asked.

David turned, and leaned in. Lise, shocked, didn't move. She closed her eyes as their lips met for the first time. David's hand slipped behind her head, holding her to him, as their kiss lengthened and deepened. When his tongue slipped out, she gladly admitted it into her mouth, and their tongues were soon wrestling happily with each other.

Finally, Lise leaned back, breaking their kiss. She stood up and moved over to the window, staring out at the ocean.

"You're not just trying to make me feel better?" she asked uncertainly.

David rose and walked up behind her. "Well, I was trying to make you feel better," he said with a smile, "but that's not the reason I'm doing this. Lise, I understand why you have a problem with your body, but it's not one I share. I think you're beautiful, and I have from the day I first saw you in class." He slipped his hands around her waist and pulled her tightly against him. He knew she could feel his erection. "There's nothing wrong with you."

Lise snuggled back against him, which caused her butt to slide back and forth over his cock, keeping it fully hard. She smiled softly.

"At least I know one part of you really likes me," she said quietly.

"All of me really likes you," he said in her ear. He moved his hands from her waist up onto her abdomen. She murmured softly at his touch. For a long moment, they stayed that way, just enjoying the feel of each other's body.

Finally, David said, "Put your hands up on the window." Lise did, but David said, "Higher than that. About head height."

Lise stretched out, reaching upward. This forced her to bend forward a little, as she was not right next to the window. This pushed her ass firmly against David's cock, which she was fully in favor of.

When her hands were in position, David slid his hands slowly from Lise's abdomen upward until he was cupping her breasts. Lise inhaled raggedly as his hands slowly massaged her heavy tits.

Once David was sure he had read her mood correctly, he began to undo her blouse. He moved slowly and deliberately, in no hurry. Her top was undone soon enough, anyway, and he pulled it open, exposing her bare stomach to his fingers. She mewled as he made small circles on her skin.

"Okay, you can put your arms down now," he told her. As she did, he slipped her blouse off her shoulders and pulled it off her arms. He tossed it carefully onto a nearby chair. Taking the opportunity she presented, he unfastened her bra, as well. That tumbled to the floor, mostly forgotten.

Unbidden, Lise leaned forward and put her hands on the window again. David smiled. He wasn't going to ask her to do that, but since she had...

Lise moaned as David's fingers slid lightly over the upper swell of her breasts. He slipped his hands around and cupped her tits, supporting their heft and softly massaging them. When he lightly pinched one of her nipples between his thumb and forefinger, she shivered.

After a while of playing with her tits, David slipped his hands off them, and down across her abdomen again. He unfastened her skirt, and let it fall to the floor. Her panties followed suit. He had her step out of her heels, but he left her stockings on. They weren't going to be in his way.

Lise was now completely naked, and David had her turn around slowly for him. She wanted to cover herself, embarrassed, but she kept her hands at her sides, looking down.

David pulled her to him, and then tilted her head up so that he could kiss her again. She embraced him strongly as their tongues dueled one more time. As they continued to kiss, she slipped her hands around front and began to undo his shirt. When she reached the bottom, she didn't even bother pushing it off, but instead unfastened his pants, as well. David helped her, and soon he was standing in only his briefs.

At that point, Lise broke their kiss. She looked deep into his eyes, and smiled for the first time. She bit her bottom lip for a second, and then very slowly knelt before him. Her fingers hooked the waistband of his underwear, and slowly worked it down past his hips and his iron-hard cock.

Once the briefs had fallen to the floor, Lise took her hand and wrapped it ever so lightly around David's dick. She began to jack him slowly, making sure he was fully hard. She licked the sides of his dick wherever her hand didn't cover. David sighed contentedly, enjoying her actions.

After a while, Lise moved her mouth to the head of his prick, and slipped it into her mouth. She pressed forward slowly until his entire prick had entered her mouth. David groaned at the feeling of her throat against the head of his cock.

Lise held that for a moment, but then backed off and started to bob on him. Her hand continued to pleasure the part of his dick not in her mouth, and David was in heaven. He rested his hand gently on the top of her head, letting her know that he was really enjoying it.

It wasn't long before David felt his climax nearing. He groaned to let Lise know, and she hummed to acknowledge him. She did not, however, stop what she was doing. It wasn't too much longer, and David's body tensed, spewing his load of cum deep into her mouth. Lise moved back until just the head of his cock was in her mouth, and she held him there until his orgasm had subsided. Only then did she swallow his load and let him free of her mouth.

Once she had, David helped her back to her feet. He took her hand, and led her into the bedroom. He kissed her passionately, and then got her to sit on the edge of the bed. As soon as she did, he then knelt in front of her. She smiled, surprised, and opened her legs readily when he slipped his hands up her thighs. He spread her open as far as she could comfortably go, and then he moved in. She leaned back as he leaned forward, and when his tongue made contact with her clit, she groaned loudly in pleasure.

David smiled at that, and went to work, sliding his tongue this way and that over her sensitive nubbin, causing her hips to rock against his face, trying to make more contact. He obliged by taking her clit between his lips and sucking on it while flicking it with the end of his tongue.

It took very little of this before Lise was screaming out her orgasm, her hips bucking against David, her juices flooding from her pussy. David held on, wrapping his arms around her legs and keeping himself in contact throughout, prolonging her climax. When it did finally subside, he let go, leaning back and standing up.

David looked down at Lise, still shivering in the aftermath of her climax. He waited a few more moments until she had regained her senses, and then he helped her scoot up onto the bed fully, where he joined her. The two cuddled and kissed for long moments as she settled from her peak. She could feel David's hard cock pressing into her leg, so she was joyfully aware that they were not finished yet.

Once he was sure she could handle it, David rolled Lise onto her back. She immediately spread her legs, giving him all the room he could ask for. David put the head of his dick at her entrance and slowly pushed forward. Lise moaned in bliss as he filled her up.

"Oh, god," she said softly. "Please go slow. It's been a while, and the last time was not nearly as big as you."

David leaned down and kissed her, then started to gently rock his hips back and forth, taking small, slow strokes in and out of her. He slipped his hands underneath her, holding her tightly against him, her tits mashed into his chest, the nipples digging little points into him. After a while, he increased the length of his thrusts, but went no faster with them yet. He broke their kiss and looked her in the eye. He saw lust there, and knew she was ready for more.

David increased his pace, and Lise groaned at the feel of it. She began to rock her hips in time with him, helping him to thrust as deeply into her as he could. She panted and moaned, her heat rising toward another peak. When it arrived, she arched her back and cried out, her pussy squeezing his cock rhythmically. David slowed his thrusts, but did not stop entirely, instead teasing her, causing her to shiver and shake with each new movement. He stopped before the sensations became unpleasant.

"Mmm," she said softly. "I just knew you'd be good with your wand."

"So that is what you meant yesterday," David said with a chuckle.

"Ohmigod, I said that?" she cried, blushing crimson.

"You did, and I'm glad I could live up to your expectations." He leaned down and kissed her. She kissed back, though it took a second for her to get over her shock at her actions.

When they broke the kiss, she said, "Can I be on top this time?"

David was still embracing her, and so he simply rolled, keeping his dick deep inside her pussy, until he was lying on his back. He let go of her as she sat up, impaling herself fully on his prick. She played with her breasts for him as she squeezed his cock with her pussy. He wasn't going to put up with that too long, though, and so he reached up to coddle them himself. Lise smiled and mewed, and then she started to rock back and forth on his cock. David loved the feel of her velvety cunt sliding up and down on him, and the feel of her heavy tits in his hands.

Lise was very soon bouncing rapidly on David's cock, her tits shaking in his hands, as she sought out her next climax. When it arrived, she slammed herself down on David's prick and screamed out his name in ecstasy. David held on to her, and then slowly lowered her down on top of him, wrapping his arms around her and then rolling to the side. He had not come yet, and he was still hard, still buried in her pussy. She, however, was mostly out of it.

Several minutes later, during which David kept himself erect with small motions of his hips, Lise came around fully. She could feel the hard dick still inside her, and that made her smile.

She looked over at David, and her smile softened into one of high affection. She kissed him, and he kissed back. When they separated, she said, "Want to take a bath with me?"

"Why do I think it's not cleanliness you're after?" he replied.

"Well... we'll get clean eventually..." she said.

David chuckled. "Okay."

She rose from the bed, which unfortunately removed his cock from between her legs. She led him into the bathroom, where there was a huge soaking tub. It was the one change she had made to her apartment. She turned on the water to fill the tub, and then she turned back to David, who gently pulled her against him and just held her. Lise put her head on his shoulder and enjoyed the moment of quietness. Passion between them was easy enough to get back; the quiet moments were important to her.

Once the tub was full, she motioned for David to get in. He sat down in what was her usual spot, and then she joined him, straddling his lap. She found his dick already hard when she got there, and so she immediately slipped it back inside of her wet and wanting pussy. For a moment, they rested against each other silently.

Then the thrashing of the water began.

-----

Once they had finished with sex, which took quite some time, they decided that a shower, rather than a bath, would better get them clean. They still took their shower together, however.

"I know this is going to sound like a bit of a weird question," David said as he was lathering up her back, "but just what kind of a relationship do you want us to have?"

"I don't understand," she admitted.

"Do you want me as a boyfriend, or as just a lover?"

"You'd actually be my boyfriend?" she asked, surprised.

"Sure," he replied as he finished soaping her back. He patted her butt to let her know he was done, and she turned around to face him, letting the shower rinse off her back.

"I'd really like to have you as my own," she replied, running her hands over his chest. She ran her fingers over his scar. "Did that... hurt?" she asked hesitantly.

"I hope you never have to feel that much pain," he acknowledged. She looked into his eyes, and they kissed for a long moment.

"Do you want me to move in here with you for the rest of break?" he asked.

Lise frowned a bit, wavering. "I... don't think I'm quite ready for that," she said. "I've never lived with a man before. None of my other boyfriends went that far," she explained. "I want us to be a bit more comfortable with each other, first. Is that okay?"

"Well, it's okay with me, but it presents us with a problem."

"Oh? What?"

"Well, I'm currently staying with Sam," he reminded her. "In Sam's bed, seeing Sam naked every day."

"Oh. Right," she said, blushing. She was quiet for a long moment. "Do you love Sam?"

"I am not in love with Sam, which I think is the question you're really asking. Do I love her in some way? Yes. I can't really figure out what you would equate it to. A family member, maybe, except that you don't do what we do, with family members..."

Lise giggled. "But you answered my question."

"Okay. Why do you ask?"

Lise paused for a long moment. Finally, she said, "Go ahead and stay with Sam for the rest of the break. You can even sleep with her... by which I do mean have sex, not just sleep."

"Are you sure?" David asked, surprised.

"Yes. But when break is over... I want you to myself... at least mostly. I might let you sleep with her every once in a while... but she better not be getting anywhere near as much sex from you as I do!"

David shook his head in disbelief. "I wouldn't sleep with her if you want us to be exclusive," he informed her.

"I know. We'll just have to see how I feel about it. Sam is a good friend of mine, and I owe her a lot. Sharing you would be my way of thanking her... but I don't know if I'd actually be okay with that, so, after break is over... we'll talk again."

"Okay, Lise." David didn't want to object to her plan. He figured there was more than he was being told at the moment. He kissed her softly.

"Now I'll wash your back," she said. After he turned around and she was soaping him up, she asked, "Where did the name Lise come from, anyway?"

"You said yesterday that you hate the name Louisa."

"Oy, I was revealing all sorts of dark secrets, wasn't I? I do. I even told my mother that. Made her feel awful, and I was sorry I said it. But... Lise?"

"Well, 'Lou' just didn't sound right. And Lisa would probably have confused everyone, so... Lise was my next thought. Do you not like it?"

"Actually, I like it a lot more than my real name. I was just curious." She kept washing his back, and after a while she said, "Also... about 'everyone' knowing about us..."

"Yeah?" he said.

"Could you not talk about us for a little while? I'm not ashamed of you or anything like that, don't get me wrong. I'm just not as comfortable with the whole campus knowing that I'm dating a student. You're the first one I've ever... well, I didn't really approach you, did I? But you get my point. I just need a little time to adjust."

"That's fine. It's not like I go blabbing things like that, anyway. It took almost two years before I'd kiss Sam in public."

"Thank you. I'm glad you understand. You can turn around now," she said. David did, and let the water run over him. The two kissed again, enjoying their time together now in a more relaxed fashion.

When they were finally done showering, David dried himself off and put his clothes back on. Lise used a towel, and then slipped on a bathrobe. She explained that she liked the feel of her body after a shower, when she was all warm and sleepy. The two went and sat on the couch, snuggling together and just chatting for long hours into the evening.

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