.

Well, Herc. You got a plan?"

"Not yet."

The two men had halted, warily watching the creature they had been trailing all afternoon. It had stopped and turned before a high hill of jagged rocks and was now facing them, snarling deep in its throat, the narrow black pupils of its slanted yellow eyes shifting between the demigod and the hunter, studying them with puzzlement. It was used to being the hunter not the hunter.

Iolaus inspected his surroundings thoughtfully. Deep fissures had torn up the floor of the narrow gorge and boulders, recently shaken loose from the cliffs above, dotted the landscape. The beast had stopped at the edge of a crevice that traveled nearly the width of the gorge.

"This is where the earthquake hit, all right."

"Yeah. Setting that thing loose, most likely." Hercules eyes roamed the sides of the gorge. "This is probably its home. It must have a den around here somewhere."

"And?"

"Maybe we can trap it there."

"Maybe, and maybe it's not as dumb as it looks. It has stopped, if you've notice and if I am any judge of monsters, and I am, it's getting ready to attack us."

And indeed, it did look as if the beast had gone as far as it was intending to go and was now considering that a couple of puny humans wouldn't be much of a challenge. It lowered its head and roared, baring glistening fangs dripping with saliva as it shifted its weight and pawed at the ground with long, sharp talons.

"Oooo, Herc. Now it's trying scare us."

"Well, if we had any brains, we would be scared." Hercules grinned. "But we're the heroes. I guess that means we are going to have to kill it."

"Not going to try to rehabilitate this one, huh?"

"Uh,uh. It doesn't look like it's in a listening mood."

"Okay, Herc. If you don't have a plan, we'll try mine." Iolaus drew his sword tossing the sheath to the ground.

"I hope the word 'charge' isn't part of your plan." The demigod eyed his partner with alarm. Iolaus' sword would be pitifully inadequate for a frontal attack against such a huge creature

"Nope." He jerked his head toward the rocky hill behind the beast. "I have to get above it. You get 'distract the monster' duty for a change."

"That's a pretty dangerous plan. Look at the size of that thing."

The hunter was already dancing away to the left keeping an eye on their quarry. "Hey, danger is my middle name."

Hercules rolled his eyes. "Just be careful, okay?"

Iolaus giggled. "Careful is my other middle name."

"Oh right." Hercules muttered.

Hercules began edging away to the right. The creature tracked the hunter's movements menacingly, crouching as if preparing to leap. Picking up his pace, Hercules began shouting to draw the thing's attention away from his partner.

It paused in mid-stride and swung its head in the demigod's direction. Perhaps sensing the larger man to be the greater threat, it swung its body around and took one step toward him. Hercules stopped and stood his ground, hoping the beast would stop also, before it moved too far away from the rocks.

The creature hesitated, obviously confused by this human that didn't run away in terror, and regarded Hercules quizzically, its snarls diminishing to low guttural sounds. It towered above the demigod, a malformed creature dredged up from some dark cavern beneath the earth. Its forehead was broad topped by sharp pointed ears; the fangs protruding from its mouth overhung the narrow square chin.

Iolaus was already scrabbling up the hillside, his sword tucked into his belt, freeing both hands for climbing. Ignoring the scrapes and cuts from the rough boulders, he pushed himself upward hurriedly, knowing that the standoff below wouldn't last much longer. When he reached a spot just above the beast's shoulders, he halted and looked down. He could see Hercules, dwarfed by the thing, watching it cautiously, careful not to allow his gaze to stray to the rocks above, so as not to betray Iolaus' presence. Directly to the creature's left lay the deep crevice created by the earthquake.

Iolaus grinned. With any luck, he could cause the beast to fall right into this handy grave and save someone, probably himself, a lot of digging. The hunter studied the creature closely. Its hide was black and uneven like burnt toast; he would have no difficulty hanging on. From its shoulder blades grew stunted appendages, like hideous parodies of wings. Between these appendages and the neck lay a broad expanse of roughened skin. Iolaus drew the sword from his belt, and keeping his eyes on his target, he gathered his compact body into a tight crouch and leaped.

He landed on his knees just below the beast's shoulder. Its skin was brittle and unpleasantly hot to the touch. He gripped his sword with his right hand and with his left levered himself upward as the creature reared upright and screamed with rage. Quickly, so as not to give it time to plan a course of action, he braced his knees and raising his sword over his head with both hands plunged downward with all his strength. The blade pierced the creature's neck and continued down as far as the hilt would allow. It howled with pain and fury reaching upward with one sharp talon to swat away the thing that had hurt it. With no time to retrieve his sword, Iolaus dived, sprawling awkwardly across one wing, as the claw brushed harmlessly over his head.

The beast roared, maddened, twisting as it began to topple toward the pit, its talons still groping blindly for the man on its back. Looking down, Iolaus know he was much too high to risk a jump. He would have to wait until the creature fell closer to the ground. The talon brushed his shoulder tearing his vest and opening a deep gash along his arm eliciting a startled gasp from him. The beast heard and immediately the talon was moving swiftly back toward him. Ignoring the pain from his injured arm, Iolaus leapt for the opposite wing. He nearly made it. More by chance than design, the sharp, flailing claw swept under the hunter's body and jerked upward, the force shredding skin, crushing bone, and finally piercing his heart.

Then he was falling, seeing with a detached eye his body spiraling downward as if caught in a darkening vortex. The agony in his chest receded and from somewhere faraway someone was calling his name. Hercules. He tried to answer as he fell into the blackness, but his voice wouldn't come. When his torn body slammed into the ground, he felt nothing.

With his heart in his throat, Hercules watched as Iolaus pulled himself up onto the creature's shoulder, saw the flash of the blade in the sun as it plunged downward, and flinched when the beast erupted in fury. He shouted a warning as the deadly talon reached for the hunter, but Iolaus had already disappeared from view.

When the beast twisted as it began to fall, the demigod could see his friend clinging to one stunted wing, the creature still grasping at him. He held his breath when Iolaus leaped for the second wing and suddenly the blonde warrior was tumbling.

His mouth was forming the words, 'No, Iolaus, it's too high' at the same moment he realized that this was no purposeful jump, but an out-of-control fall.

"Iolaus! Iolaus!" Hercules ran as fast as he had ever run even though he knew he would not be able to reach the hunter in time to break his fall. Horrified, he heard Iolaus' body hit the earth with a sickening thud. He slid to his knees beside the crumpled hunter just as the beast fell amid the sound of falling rocks into the pit.

Iolaus lay on his back, pale and still. The demigod pushed aside the shabby purple vest exposing the bloody wound in the blonde's chest. 'Oh please gods, nooo.' With shaking fingers, he fumbled at the hunter's neck for a pulse he already knew couldn't possibly be there.

"Oh, gods, Iolaus, no." he whispered brokenly as he pulled the hunter's limp body into his lap, unmindful of the blood that soaked his own jerkin. He buried his face in Iolaus' golden curls and wept.

Lost in grief, he huddled on the ground, cradling Iolaus, as the sun sank behind the hills filling the gorge with shadows. When his friend's body began to cool, the demigod wrapped his arms around him more tightly and hugged him closer to share his own warmth. The air grew chilly, but Hercules was oblivious to the cold and to the growing darkness. He did not see the bright, opaque light that appeared before him and grew larger, swirling with opalescent colors. The light faded away leaving in its place a tall, blonde man. It was not until the man cleared his throat that Hercules became aware that he was no longer alone.

He raised his head sharply. "Michael?" Hope replaced the despair in his heart as he scooped Iolaus into his arms and got awkwardly to his feet. "Give him back�please?"

Michael looked at the demigod with pity and regret as he shook his head "I'm sorry, Hercules. Not this time." He held out his arms "Give him to me."

"No!" Hercules clutched the hunter closer to his heart. "No, please."

"Give him to me." Michael repeated the request forcefully, but he didn't sound angry, just sad.

"But why? Why do you want his body? His soul� Where?" Hercules' eyes widened with alarm and he looked around as if expecting to see the hunter's shade nearby.

Michael smiled gently and lowered his arms. "His soul is safe, back in the Light. Where he belongs"

"Then why? Unless you are going to heal him and send him back. Please, Michael." Hercules heard the begging note in his voice but he was past caring.

Michael shook his head again. "Iolaus has had his second chance at life, Hercules, and now it is over. I am more sorry than I can say that I cannot grant your request for it is no longer within my power to do so. I have come for his body and I will take it away with me with or without your cooperation. That's all I can tell you." He held out his arms once more.

Hercules knew he had no choice. Clutching Iolaus tightly, he approached the angel and laid his friend gently in Michael's outstretched arms. He looked longingly for one last time at the face of the man who had been, who still was, dearer to him than any other. Iolaus looked like a sleeping child, the lines of care smoothed away in the glow of the angel's light. As always, those disobedient curls tumbled about his forehead. Hercules smiled through the tears in his eyes and let them lie.

Michael turned away as the light returned and enveloped him. He spoke to the demigod one last time. "Go home, Hercules," he said simply. The light grew brighter forcing Hercules to close his eyes. When he was able to open them again, the light was gone and the gorge was empty.

Dawn found Hercules slumped against a rotting log near a narrow bridge that spanned a babbling stream with no clear recollection of how he had gotten there. He vaguely remembered climbing down into the ravine to be certain the beast was dead. He remembered pulling his friend's sword from its repulsive body, and wiping it clean of the creature's gore with dirt before climbing out of the crevice. And he had picked up the discarded sheath for it was tucked into his belt along with the sword. He had no memory of leaving the gorge and only a dim one of skirting the village, wanting neither the sympathy nor the gratitude of the people they had come to rescue.

An inner sense told him that he was heading in the general direction of Thebes. 'Go home.' Michael had said. Why? Just friendly advice or a cryptic remark? Go home to mourn and accept the solace of friends or was there something he must do? Was there something there for him�or someone? Iolaus? Is that what Michael meant? That Iolaus would be waiting for him at home? Hope flared and then died in the same instance. No, if that had been the case, Michael would have told him so. Not to would have been cruel and Michael was never deliberately cruel. Unless this was another of his damned tests. Hercules sighed and leaned back against the log. His mind was whirling, unwilling to face his loss, his heart was sore, and he was so, so tired.

It was mid-day and he was standing in the middle of the gorge. Sunlight beat down from above, highlighting its features with surreal intensity. Far ahead a small figure was moving away from him, loping up the defile with a familiar, energetic stride. Iolaus!

"Iolaus!" Hercules shouted the name aloud and began to run. The figure gave no sign of having heard and kept moving steadily away from him. Hercules ran, but no matter how fast he ran he didn't seem to be gaining, but somehow, now, he could see the bright patches on the faded purple vest, gay bits of color in the dull landscape

"Iolaus! Wait for me!" Hercules pushed himself faster, his lungs aching with the effort, but Iolaus didn't turn, didn't seem to be aware of him. Hercules plunged on. It seemed that he ran for hours, to the very limits of his semi-divine endurance and suddenly, yes, he was slowly gaining on the hunter. He drew nearer until he could see the golden curls bobbing in the sunlight as Iolaus bounced along with his usual jaunty gait. Hercules was so close he could almost reach out and touch him, when the blonde halted suddenly and turned.

"Iolaus." Hercules began in relief. "I thought you were dead. I�" His voice trailed away. It wasn't Iolaus' face he saw before him; it was the ugly, wizened face of the creature that had killed him, its cruel eyes dancing with unholy glee, and its mouth of glistening fangs twisted in a hideous caricature of a smile.

"Nooooo!" Hercules sat up abruptly, his heart thumping in his chest, and looked around desperately. He was lying by the log, by the stream and it was broad daylight.

"Are you awright, mithter? Are you thick?"

Hercules jerked his head toward the voice. A small girl with golden hair and frightened blue eyes stood on the trail watching him. Hercules stared at her, disoriented, and she bravely stood her ground, popping a tiny finger into her pink mouth, looking back at him, alarmed, but curious. A young woman carrying an empty water bucket hurried up to them and took the child's hand. She was staring horrified at his yellow shirt and looking down, he noticed for the first time that it was stiff with dried, rusty bloodstains. Iolaus' blood.

"I�I� just had a bad dream." From somewhere he dredged up a reassuring smile for the child. "I'm sorry I frightened you."

He was rewarded by a shy smile in return and the little girl hid her face in the woman's skirt.

For the first time, the woman looked at his face. "Hercules?"

Hercules stared at her uncomprehendingly and then realized with a start that he had seen her before, in the village that had been plagued by the beast.

"When you didn't come back to the village last night we were worried."

"I'm sorry. I had to�uh�go�" he faltered.

The woman looked around the clearing. "Where's your friend?"

"D�dead." Hercules choked on the word.

The woman regarded him sorrowfully; she had liked the charming, blonde hunter. "I am so sorry."

Hercules made a slight gesture and looked down at the ground.

"Please come back to the village," the woman went on. "You must rest and�"

"No." Hercules interrupted getting to his feet. "I must go home."

"Then on behalf of my village, I thank you for coming to our aid, for killing the beast and�"

"No," Hercules interrupted more sharply than he had intended. "I did not kill it. Iolaus killed it and gave up his own life in doing so. You make sure they know that in your village. It was Iolaus who killed the beast."

She nodded and whispered. "I will."

Hercules nodded a quick farewell and, crossing the bridge with three long stride. continued on his way. The woman watched until he was out of sight and then bent to fill her bucket. Taking the child's hand in hers again, she turned back toward her village.

He walked all day and into the night, pausing only at watering places to slake his thirst and wash the road dust from his face. At one stream, he removed his jerkin and soaked it in the cold water, watching as rivulets of blood merged with the gentle current. He scrubbed furiously at the stains until nothing remained but pale pinkish blotches.

He passed fellow travelers without seeing them; people spoke to him and were left staring at his retreating back when he passed by wordlessly. Day turned into twilight and twilight into night and still he walked on, alone now on the deserted road. In the early hours of the morning in the darkness just before dawn, he finally stopped, exhausted, and dropped onto the mossy bank beside the road, burying his head in his arms.

He lay still, too tired to go on, too grief-stricken to sleep. The sound of laughter roused him, a young, achingly familiar giggle from his distant past.

"Iolaus, get down from there. You'll fall." That irritated voice was his or rather his young, unbroken child's voice. He jumped to his feet and looked around. It was broad daylight, but there was no one in sight. He looked down at himself. He was wearing a faded brown shirt, a shabby hand-me-down from Iphicles, that his mother always made him put on when he went out to play.

"I won't fall, Herc. I never fall." Another delighted giggle made him look up. There in the highest branches of the tallest tree was Iolaus, the child Iolaus looking down at him.

"Please, Iolaus. It's too high."

Iolaus sniggered. "Worrywart. Herc's a worrywart. Herc's an ol' worrywart." The childish taunt drifted down to him, not maliciously, but with all the affection Iolaus felt for his big friend. Hercules smiled in spite of his annoyance. He knew that as much as Iolaus complained about his protectiveness, it warmed the smaller boy's heart to know that someone cared so much for him.

And suddenly, Iolaus was falling, crashing noisily through the branches, bringing down torrents of leaves and twigs with him as he fell. Hercules gasped and held out his arms. The small body dropped into them taking them both to the ground. Iolaus lay with eyes closed, twisted, broken and utterly still, in the young demigod's arms, while Hercules sat among the fallen branches rigid with horror. And as he stared numbly at his friend, those blue eyes, incredibly, flew open, alight with mischief.

"Tol' ya," he giggled. "Tol' ya I wouldn't fall."

Dizziness and nausea swept through Hercules and his vision receded. Blood pounded in his temples and there was a loud roaring sound in his ears. He shook his head fighting the blackness that threatened to drag him into unconsciousness and gradually his senses returned. When his vision cleared he was sitting alone on the mossy bank. He looked down wondering vaguely why there were pinkish stains on his yellow jerkin and then memory came crashing in on him. He groaned, burying his head in his hands.

After a while he pushed himself upright and stumbled onto the road. It was still very early and there was no one in sight. Turning in the direction of Thebes again, he started to walk feeling weak and sick. He was very hungry; he couldn't remember the last time he had eaten and he didn't really care. He walked all day and toward dusk, he realized that the countryside had been looking familiar for quite some time. He was nearing home, the path that led to his mother's house was just a short ways ahead. He took several wrong turns and wearily was forced to retrace his steps each time. But finally, feeling very close to the end of his endurance, he found himself on the right path and on his way home.

The garden was a lovely place of warm sunshine and gentle breezes. Bees hummed among the brilliantly colored flowers and birds sang from the tops of the willowy trees. On a broad green meadow, a group of happy children played a noisy game with a big red ball, while their elders walked along shaded paths or rested on ivory benches.

Nestled into a quiet corner of the garden among the flowering shrubs, a small pavilion sat, tall graceful columns supporting its domed roof. In the center of this pavilion rested a marble catafalque covered with a snowy white feather bed, which cradled the body of the golden-haired warrior. One hand rested lightly on his chest; the other lay along his side. His eyes were closed, his face still and peaceful. Two men, clad in white tunics, stood before the catafalque looking down at him. The cheerful babble of the children, and the trilling of the birds played a poignant counterpoint to the hushed atmosphere of the hunter's shrine.

The shorter of the two men studied the body critically cocking his head first one way and then the other searching out the best angles. Finally he straightened up. "Looks good. Real good"

Michael looked down at his companion and smiled. "I'm glad you approve."

The smaller man studied the body for a long moment. "I never realized I was so�so�cute."

Michael snorted.

Iolaus leaned in for a closer look. Beneath his hand�uh�his body's hand a thin red scar trailed down the breastbone completely obliterating the earlier scar made by the knife that had killed him in Sumeria.

"I don't mean to complain, but�uh�you left a scar."

"Consider it a badge of courage, Iolaus." The angel looked at him archly.

"Well, okay, I guess. I got plenty of those."

The two men were silent until Iolaus cleared his throat and asked the question that had been plaguing him since his arrival. "So, what are you going to do with it? My body, I mean. Why did you bring it here?"

"It fixed up quite nicely, don't you think?" Michael ignored the question. "We must return it to Earth so your friends can give it a proper burial." Seeing the look of disappointment that crossed Iolaus' face, he asked. "What? Did you think I was going to send you back in it?"

"Well, hah. I kinda thought�I h�hoped. I mean you don't usually do this kind of thing, do you? You're an angel, not a mortician."

"True." Michael laughed. "But we do make exceptions for special cases."

"I'm a special case?"

"Indeed, you are my friend."

Iolaus decided he might as well come right out with it. He certainly had nothing to lose. "So are you�will you�can you�send me back?"

"It's not my decision to make."

"Whose decision is it?"

"Iolaus." The angel looked at him exasperated. "Most people who are allowed here are damned�oops, sorry�darned glad to be here. In many cases darned surprised, too. They don't want to go back. You have lived an honorable life and died an honorable death. You have been judged�again�and found worthy to be a Guardian of the Light. If you feel discontentment with your lot, it would behoove�"

"Be-who?"

"Hoove. Behoove. Be a good thing for you to do."

"Oh."

"It would behoove you," Michael went on, "to remain here, in this garden, for a while and consider the ramifications of what you ask"

"The rama-what?"

Michael rolled his eyes although his angelic patience never wavered. "Ramifications. The consequences, Iolaus."

"What rami-whatever?" Iolaus burst out angrily. "Herc's back there all alone and he needs me. I want to go back. You did it before everything was okay, so what's the problem?"

"The last time was supposed to have been a punishment."

"Well, yeah, I know, that was your intention. But it sure felt more like a reward to me. And Herc still needs me. He's get all nutty when I'm not there. He�"

"Exactly, consider Hercules. Your constant comings and goings are having a terrible toll on him. Don't you think it's time you allowed him to put you to rest?" Michael smiled gently. "You're a true hero, Iolaus, but even heroes must die for good, someday. You have a well-earned afterlife waiting for you here. Maybe now is the time for you to claim it."

"But I know Herc wants me back."

"Indeed, he does. He has already asked for your return, but it was necessary for me to refuse him. Consider, Iolaus, how difficult it was for him to let you go after Dahak. How terribly he suffered, mad with grief. He was just beginnings to accept his loss, when you were returned to him. Would it not be better for him if this time your death were final? He would learn to live with your memories, and this would be the last time he would have to endure such pain?"

Iolaus looked down at the floor and scuffed his boot along the smooth marble tiles. "Yeah, I guess," he muttered dejectedly.

Michael laid a gentle hand on the hunter's shoulder. "I do know how hard this is for you and for Hercules. But this is not the end. You will be together again someday."

Iolaus wouldn't look up. "Yeah, I know."

Michael gave his shoulder a squeeze. "I must leave, but for now, this garden is your home. Think things over. I'll be back to see you soon." With that he turned, descended the shallow steps of the pavilion and disappeared among the trees.

Iolaus turned back to the catafalque and regarded his dead self glumly. He wasn't sure he was ready to be "put to rest".

Jason was crossing the farmyard on his way back to the house after doing his evening chores with nothing on his mind, but the supper of boar stew simmering on the hearth, when he noticed the lone figure coming down the lane. Even in the gathering dusk, the tall form was unmistakable.

Jason hurried to meet his old friend, his smile of welcome fading as he took in the demigod's haggard appearance. His heart sank, only one thing could make Hercules look like that.

"Where's Iolaus?" Jason asked, looking around, already knowing what the answer would be.

Hercules eyes glistened with unshed tears. "I�I�lost him."

Jason pushed aside his own feelings of shock and grief; it would be dealt with later, and put his hand on the demigod's arm guiding him to the house. "Come on. Hercules," he said softly. "You look like you haven't eaten or slept for days. I have some stew ready."

"I'm not hungry," Hercules said bleakly, but he allowed Jason to lead him into the house and settle him at the table. Jason ladled out a big bowl of stew and put it before the demigod along with a spoon. Hercules stared at it as if he had never seen food before.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Jason asked putting a hand on the taller man's shoulder and squeezing gently.

Hercules shook his head, but after a few minutes he began to talk. In a halting voice, filled with pain, he told Jason of the events of the past two days, the call for help from desperate villagers harassed by a man-eating creature, trailing the beast to its lair, and the encounter that resulted in Iolaus' death. Finally, he related the details of Michael's puzzling visit.

Jason knitted his eyebrows and scowled. "He took Iolaus' body away, didn't tell you why and said that he couldn't send him back?"

Hercules nodded dumbly.

"Mmmh." Jason propped his chin on his hand, mystified.

Hercules cleared his throat. "When Michael told me to go home, I thought�maybe�I had misunderstood him, that�that Iolaus would be here�waiting for me."

Jason shook his head regretfully.

The two men sat each lost in his own thoughts, the bowls of stew cooling untouched in front of them. Hercules broke the silence first.

"I feel so helpless, Jason." He bowed his head; two tears escaped from his eyes and trickled down his cheeks and he wiped them away angrily. "If it were the Greek gods who had him, I could hassle Hades, bargain for him, but somehow I would get him back. But Michael�I don't even know where to begin. I just don't know what to do."

Jason looked at him sympathetically. "Hercules, you have always known that someday you might lose Iolaus and there would be no way to bring him back."

"Yes, I know." Hercules said in a small voice. "I just didn't think it would be so soon."

Hercules found himself in the dreary underworld cavern where Dahak had held Iolaus prisoner for so long, a place he had hoped he would never see again. Iolaus was watching him, a pensive, regretful look on his face. The Light was there also, waiting.

Hercules wanted to scream, rage, fight, beg, anything that would prevent Iolaus from being taken away from him. But there was no one to do battle with, no one with whom he could bargain for his best friend's life. His arms held at his sides itched to seize the hunter, hold him and pull him back into the mortal world. But he knew he could not. His friend no longer existed in that world, would have no shape or substance there.

Iolaus gave him a small, sad smile as if he could see plainly the emotions that coursed through his semi-divine friend. As if he understood the anguish that filled Hercules' heart that he, the strongest man who ever lived, the son of a god, was helpless to save the mortal life of the one who was dearest to him in all the world.

"See ya 'round, Herc" And the blonde hunter turned toward the Light.

'Yeah,' Hercules thought bitterly, 'he's trying to make this easy for you and you stand here like a dolt and watch him leave.' There were so many things he wanted to say to Iolaus, things he couldn't begin to find the words for and now there was no time. He would never see Iolaus in this life again and when he did find those words, he would have no one to say them to.

The Light faded taking the hunter with it. "Good bye, Iolaus." Hercules felt tears on his cheeks, but did not brush them away.

The world darkened, the air becoming violently agitated as if he stood in the midst of a whirlwind. His senses spun as the wind became stronger until it threatened to lift him off his feet and carry him along with it. Out of the darkness he heard the sound of booming laughter, increasing in volume as the wind picked up even more speed. It was the voice of Dahak. Fear for Iolaus paralyzed him. What if the Light had simply been another of the demon's tricks? And he had let Iolaus go. His heart pounding, he tried to move, to follow the hunter and find him wherever he might be, but he was rooted to the ground unable to lift his feet. He screamed Iolaus' name over and over as the world spun crazily and went dark.

He lurched up in bed, alone in the night, his heart still pounding, his throat raw. The tears on his face were real and the weight of fear and sorrow still dragged at his chest. He heard running footsteps and his door burst open.

"Hercules?" Jason stood in the doorway, in the moonlight, his eyes wide.

"I'm okay, Jason." The demigod wiped the tears from his face and drew a shaky breath.

Jason crossed the room and sat on the edge of the bed. "You were screaming for Iolaus."

"I know. I had a bad dream. I'm all right now. Go back to bed. Please?"

"Are you sure? I could stay in here tonight."

"I need to be alone. Okay, Jason?"

The demigod looked at the Argonaut pleadingly and Jason nodded and laid his hand on his friend's forearm. "You'll call if you need me?"

Hercules nodded and Jason left him alone.

Shakily, he slid out of from under his blankets and crossed the room to the dark corner where Iolaus' bed had stood for as many years as he could remember. He groped among the blankets, but the bed was empty. Just as in his heart he had known it would be. The small faint hope that Iolaus would be coming back to him faded. He sat down heavily on the hunter's bed, shivering in the cold night air, and buried his face in his hands. He got no more sleep that night.

Jason watched the demigod worriedly. It had been three days since Hercules had appeared at the farm. He had scarcely eaten and from the dark circles under his friend's eyes, Jason knew he had slept very little. During the daylight hours, he pottered about the farm, doing small chores like a man in a dream. He sat with Jason at the table at mealtimes picking at his food. And when fatigue forced him to lie down, he stumbled reluctantly to his bed like a man on his way to the gallows. He spoke very little and only in monosyllables and only when circumstances required it.

It occurred to Jason to send for Iphicles, but he decided to wait awhile. This was something that Hercules needed to cope with and Jason knew him well enough to know that at this point, he would welcome no one's help. All he could do was stay close and be there if he were needed.

When Michael entered the garden again, Iolaus was on the meadow playing with the children. The angel smiled as he watched the red ball fly into the air, drop back to the ground and bounce away, pursued by Iolaus and the youngsters all laughing merrily at their game. When Iolaus saw Michael watching from the path, his laughter died away and he pulled away from the group.

"Stay. Stay with us, Iolaus." The children ran after him, surrounding him pulling at his tunic.

"Later, kids." Iolaus ruffled a small brown head and smiled down at them. "I need to talk to Michael right now, okay?"

"Okay." The children went back to their game without protest and were soon immersed in the game again, shrieking happily as they raced across the meadow.

"They are always here, playing in the garden." Iolaus said as he reached the angel's side and turned to watch the children. "Is this all ever they do?"

"As long as this is all they want to do." Michael smiled as a small boy tripped and tumbled end over end in the soft grass. The child sprang up immediately laughing delightedly at his mishap.

"And if they want to do something else?"

"Then they will do something else."

"But�?"

"Iolaus, these children are no longer mortal. They have lost their corporeal forms and all their earthly concerns. What is the purpose of an afterlife if not to give to you for all eternity the peace and contentment that eluded you in the living world? One day, one year, a thousand years, it's all the same to them. Some will play in this garden forever and never want anything else."

Iolaus watched them silently for a few minutes. "It's sad," he said, "that they will never grow up."

"Sad to you, perhaps," Michael answered, "but not to them."

"I guess." Iolaus sighed softly. "So...how come I don't feel this peace and contentment. All I want to do is go home."

"You have a powerful connection with the mortal world, Iolaus."

"Hercules."

"Yes, he draws you back. Not everyone can settle happily into an afterlife of eternal bliss, and for those who cannot, there are other choices. That's why you were made a Guardian of the Light, a position that requires a great deal of independent thinking. Of course," Michael looked at the hunter sternly, "you demonstrated that independence by running away."

Iolaus grinned sheepishly. "Well, I helped save the world, and I got my life back."

"Indeed, you did. But we made an exception in your case, because we were impressed at the sacrifices you and Hercules were prepared to make for each other and for humanity. This time I will expect you to stay put. We have too many other responsibilities to attend to without having to chase down A.W.O.L. Guardians." The angel paused. "Have you given any thought to our last conversation?"

"I think about it all the time," Iolaus said slowly, "but I don't know what to do. I don't want Hercules to suffer, but I know if he had a choice, he would want me back, no matter what."

"So, if we were to do what is in Hercules' best interests, someone else would have to make the choice, is that it?"

"I guess so." Iolaus looked at his feet sadly. "But I hate to think about him back there all alone."

"Iolaus, people lose their loved ones every day in the mortal world. It's the price you pay for giving your heart to another, and each individual must decide for himself whether or not the price is worth paying."

"But that's just it." Iolaus looked at the angel earnestly. "Herc isn't just another mortal. It's the half-god thing that gives him such a problem. He doesn't belong in either world. Not entirely. He wants to be mortal, but he needs someone to help him because he really doesn't understand what it's like to be one. That's my job, to help him over the rough parts."

Michael looked at the hunter for a long moment. "That was well put." He said finally. "But do not underestimate your own worth, Iolaus. You are much more than just an extension of Hercules. Perhaps you have given him too much help and now it is time for him to be on his own, to put to use the things you have taught him."

The angel held up his hand as Iolaus opened his mouth to speak. "I think you need a little more time. I do want you here, Iolaus, you are a valuable member of my staff of Guardians, but you must come to it with a whole heart. Consider what we have talked about " And he left the hunter standing alone in the pathway

Hercules was sitting on a large flat rock by the fishing hole where he and Iolaus had spent so many happy boyhood days. The air was cold, the world gray with rain. Thunder rumbled in the distance and at long intervals faraway bolts of jagged lightning streaked across the sky. He was drenched, his long brown hair clinging wetly to his neck and shoulders, but strangely he felt no discomfort. In his hand he held Iolaus' favorite fishing pole, a long willow rod with a lively spring to it that Iolaus claimed was just right for hooking the biggest and best fish. Only the demigod couldn't quite get the hang of it. He never did have Iolaus' skill and patience for this sort of fishing, preferring to use his divine speed to snatch his prey out of the water with his bare hands.

Sighing, he pulled the line out of the water to see if the grub was still impaled on the hook. It was. It didn't look as if it had even been nibbled, although he knew this lake was full of fish. He looked around. Iolaus was nowhere in sight. He would never know if the demigod simply slipped off the rock and caught a couple of fish for their supper. He was already wet so there was nothing to give him away. He studied the water closely. The clouded sky refused to illuminate the depths and he could see only a few inches below the surface. Oh well, he had promised Iolaus to try it his way and it wouldn't be right to cheat. Then he remembered; Iolaus was dead. He was still staring numbly at the water, when he felt a presence slide onto the rock beside him.

"Oh no, you don't." Iolaus was looking at him with his usual impish grin.

Hercules felt his mouth drop open as he stared at the hunter. He reached up one hand and touched his friend's shoulder. He was solid, warm, alive.

"What?" Iolaus looked at Hercules with concern. "Are you okay, Herc?"

"Yeah, I just thought�that�" He left the sentence unfinished.

"Thought what?"

"Um, that you were�uh�dead."

"Dead! Again!" Iolaus laughed. "I should think four times would be enough for anybody. What made you think I was dead again?"

"I'm not sure. I don't seem to remember."

"Dreaming again, huh."

"I don't think so. I don't know."

The two men fell silent. The fishing line lay across the surface of the water untouched. The thunder grew louder and the lightning flashed at shorter intervals.

"The storm's getting closer." Iolaus observed unnecessarily. "We'll have to get back to the cave soon. If we're going to eat tonight, you'd better let me have the fishing pole."

Hercules passed it to him and Iolaus fished for a while and then cleared his throat lightly. "Um. Herc?"

"Yeah?"

Iolaus searched for the right words. When they came they weren't the ones he had wanted. "Um�we�you're doing it again."

"Doing what?" Hercules looked at the hunter genuinely puzzled.

"You're thinking I'm dead again."

"Then you really aren't dead?" Hercules looked at him in surprise, happiness flooding through him. "It's all a dream?"

"Yes, a dream. One that you keep having over and over. And it has to stop. Now."

"I don't know how to make it stop."

"Listen," Iolaus was warming up to his subject. "You can't always control your feelings, but you can control what you do about them. Worrying about the future never did anyone any good. You gotta live in the present. Like me."

"But..."

Iolaus flicked a hand at him. "Don't interrupt, I'm on a roll, here. I mean that whatever happens, you deal with it. Ever since I came back from the Light, you've been driving yourself and me crazy, just waiting for me to get killed again. Well, I'm here, I'm trying to enjoy myself and you're raining on my parade."

Hercules looked down at his friend, grinning, The driving rain was running down the hunter's face and dripping from his chin, plastering the long blonde hair to his forehead and cheeks.

"What's so funny."

"Nothing, go on."

"Now I make allowances for you because I figure all that god blood you got is responsible for your not being able to see things straight. Being a mortal, I know better. Sure, life is about loving people, doing the best you can and getting a little fun on the side, but it's also about pain and loss and bad times. You just gotta enjoy the good times and ride out the bad. Like I do."

"I just don't know how. You've been the center of my life for so long, I wouldn't know what to do without you."

"You can start by not getting all broody about it. Do you think it would be easy for me if I lost you? Of course not, but I would go on doing what I can do and looking forward to the time when I would be with you again. One thing about living, nothing is forever. Death on the other hand, opens up a whole new bucket of worms."

A sharp crack of thunder split the sky followed immediately by a dazzling bolt of lightning. Iolaus pulled the line from the water. "Well, in our immediate future I see us being fried by lightning if we don't get to shelter. Come on." The hunter gathered up their belongings and hopped down from the rock.

Hercules tried to get up to follow and slipped sprawling across the rock. "Iolaus?" He looked around but his friend was gone.

He struggled to get up, but something heavy and wet was preventing him from rising. He looked up at the ceiling, the room was lit by a flash of lightning and he could see the rain pouring through the broken shingles. Startled, he realized he was lying across Iolaus' bed . The blanket that covered him was drenched and so was he. The night was alive with the sound of thunder and wind and rain.

"Damnit!" He muttered, jumping to his feet nearly falling flat on his face when the blanket twisted around his legs. Jason had given him the task of replacing the broken shingles that morning, but he had forgotten.

Hercules ran to the kitchen finding his way by the nearly constant flashes of lightning and pulled a bucket from the cupboard. Back in the bedroom, he positioned the container under the leak, but the mattress was already soaked.

"Damn and blast!" He lay down on his own bed, buried his face in his arms and lay for hours listening to the patter of the rain on the roof and the steady plop, plop as it dripped into the bucket before he drifted into an uneasy sleep.

When he opened his eyes to the gray light of dawn, he sensed that he was no longer alone. He picked up his head and seated in a chair near his bed was Michael

"Good morning, Hercules." The angel greeted him pleasantly.

"Whhaat?" Hercules sat up quickly, his eyes scanning the room.

"Iolaus is not with me, Hercules."

The demigod glared at him. "Then why are you here?"

"To tell you that Iolaus' body is ready for burial, and make certain you will make the proper arrangements�this time." Michael sadded pointedly.

Hercules looked at him in surprise. "This time�? What do you mean?"

"I mean, not like Sumeria."

Hercules stared at the angel blankly. "Sumeria? What did I�oh�because I left him there? Is that why you took him?"

"Yes. Iolaus died nobly in Sumeria. He deserved to be brought home and buried in his own land with all the honors due him. You failed to do this."

"I was out of my head. I hardly knew what I was doing."

"So I understand, but that was no excuse for your behavior "

"And you were afraid I would go off the deep end again?"

"Exactly." The angel regarded the demigod with a mixture of amusement and pity and a little what�contempt? "So have you made any plans?"

"Plans?" Hercules shook his head groggily. It was way too early in the morning to have to deal with Michael. "You mean, for the f�f�funeral."

"Among other things."

'Damn him, what other things?' Aloud he said. "I hadn't thought about it, but�"

"I'm sure you have yourself well in hand, by now, and will do the appropriate thing. And you have Jason to help you."

Hercules wrapped his arms around his chest and bit down hard on his lower lip, mainly to prevent himself from throwing his body at the angel's feet and begging for Iolaus' life to be restored. He looked at Michael beseechingly. "He�is he�okay..I mean�?"

"Iolaus is fine. He misses you."

"I miss him, too." Man, that was an understatement. Hercules was silent, aware that Michael was watching him expectantly, but unable to think of anything else to say.

Finally, Michael rose, "Well, that's all I came to say. If there is nothing else�"

"Wait. When you said 'among other things', what did you mean?"

Michael paused in the act of summoning the Light to transport him home and turned to Hercules. "You have the rest of life before you. What do you intend to do with it?"

"I guess I'll go on doing what I've been doing for most of my life." Hercules said slowly and looked down at his hands. "I know that's what Iolaus would want me to do. He looked back up at the angel "Will you tell him that?"

"I will."

"Michael?" The angel was beginning to disappear, but he paused and looked back at the demigod, questioningly. Hercules drew a deep breath "What Iolaus and I do�did�together� made a difference in a lot of lives. But it was because of Iolaus, because we're like one person. Without Iolaus, I'm only half a hero, less than half. I have the gifts my father gave me, sure, but Iolaus was�is my mortal heart and soul. I'll try my best, but I know I'll make a lot of mistakes that I wouldn't make if Iolaus were with me. But I think�I know that if Iolaus were here without me, he could�would do okay. So if you�" Hercules' voice stumbled to a halt.

"Let me get this straight, are you asking me to send him back and take you in his place?" Michael's lips quivered.

"Yes." Hercules answered, feeling a little annoyed that the angel looked about to burst into laughter. Then he shrugged and grinned sheepishly. "He went last time, now it's my turn."

Then Michael did laugh. "You and Iolaus never cease to amaze me." And he disappeared.

Hercules sat alone on the edge of his bed. "I guess that meant 'no'."

"Have you made a decision yet?"

"Huh?" Iolaus looked up from the steps of the pavilion where he had been sitting lost in thought and regarded the angel in surprise.

"Your decision" Michael sat down beside the hunter. "It's time to send your body back to Greece and you must decide whether or not to accompany it."

"Won't that look a little silly? I mean, being my own honor-guard?"

"I meant in it, Iolaus."

"Oh. OH!" Iolaus picked his head up, eyes wide, as the angel's words sunk in. "You mean, you're sending me back?"

"No, I'm not sending you back. I was telling the truth when I said the decision was not mine. The decision is yours. I just wanted to give you enough time to make the right one."

Some of the brightness faded from Iolaus' face as he looked down and said. "Yeah, I've been thinking about everything you said. About Hercules and how this is so hard for him, and�"

The angel shook his head patiently. "Not for Hercules, not this time. You must decide what's right for you."

The two men sat quietly for a time listening to the soft breezes rustle the leaves in the treetops. Despite the shouts of the children and the murmur of voices engaged in endless conversation, a soothing aura of peace pervaded the garden.

"I guess a guy would have to be a complete idiot to give all this up." Iolaus said finally.

"But?"

"But I can't help feeling that if I can go back, I should. Like there are still things I need to do."

"As�?"

"Oh, more monsters to slay, wars to prevent, people who need help." Iolaus grinned, "damsels in distress, fishing, hunting, looking after my best friend."

"He offered to come in your place if I would send you back."

"Herc? Y�y�ou didn't�" Iolaus stammered.

"No, of course not, but it was a touching gesture."

"So you saw Hercules? How is he?"

"Sad. Missing you. But he will get through this ordeal; carry on with his life."

"But why should he have to. Look, I'm not stupid enough not to realize that dead people don't usually get their lives back, so why does it keep happening to me, if not for Hercules?" Iolaus looked at the angel earnestly. "That's it, isn't it. The world needs Hercules and Hercules needs me. Despite all the worry and aggravation I cause him, he does better with me at his side."

"Precisely why I want this decision to be for you, yourself. One day the world will have to carry on without Hercules; there will never be another like him. But you, my friend, have done much more than the world has any right to expect of you. It's time for you to do what's best for you."

"Then I would choose to go back."

"And all the dangers, all the risks, pain, suffering, dying yet another agonizing death?"

Iolaus grinned. "That's all part of it, sure. But there's all the good stuff too, like fishing and girls, dancing girls. There's this dancing girl in Tiryns, long dark hair all the way down to the prettiest little.. er�you know. And she wears this little red costume that barely leaves anything to the imagination and�"

"Iolaus!"

"Oops, sorry. Kinda forgot who I'm talking to."

Iolaus went on. "But seriously, I can't live the life I want without the risks. I'm not afraid, especially since I know what lies in store for me. I'm only afraid of," Iolaus paused, searching for the right words, and then went on slowly, "I'm only afraid of not being able to be�proud of who I am and what I do."

"Ah, pride."

"I didn't mean it like that. Maybe it was pride at first. When I was young and didn't know any better, I just dreamed of being a hero, but now, it just feels good when I help someone who otherwise would have died or lived a life of misery. That makes me proud of who I am."

"I understand, Iolaus. I was only teasing."

"So it's okay?" Iolaus looked at the angel shyly.

Michael smiled again. "Heroism, and the reasons why a mortal would choose such a course, is of such a complex nature that it defies analyses. In times of extreme duress, for instance, many heroes are appear briefly when the choice to stand or walk away is thrust upon them. Others, like yourself, choose a lifetime of putting themselves in jeopardy for others' sakes. For some it is selflessness and a real desire to make the world a better place, but unfortunately for many, it is self-aggrandizement, and a desire for glory and the admiration of others. Among heroes, the true altruist is a rare thing."

Michael rose. "Take a few minutes to make your final decision. I'll be on the meadow."

Iolaus sat for a long time, his arm propped on his knee and his chin resting in his hand. Out on the meadow, Michael, much to the delight of the children, had unfurled his massive wings and was hovering about ten feet off the ground, teasing them with the ball. He threw it high into the air and the laughing urchins ran to catch it as it fell. The biggest child threw it back to the angel lofting it as high as his young strength would allow and the children shrieked as the angel executed a perfect loop in mid-air and caught it easily on the fly.

Yeah, Iolaus thought smiling as he watched the game, a guy could really get used to this life�um�afterlife. He sighed, rose to his feet and joined the group on the meadow. Michael lowered himself to the ground gracefully and tossed the ball into the crowd of children, who seized it and ran off to invent another new game. The angel furled his wings and looked at Iolaus expectantly.

"Cool wings," the hunter said, "I always wanted to fly. I don't suppose I could�"

"Not unless you've decided to stay."

"Oh." Iolaus looked down at the ground and drew a deep breath. "I've made up my mind, I want to go home."

"All right."

The angel's face was carefully neutral as they walked back to the pavilion. Iolaus couldn't decide whether or not he was disappointed.

"Iolaus, I've been thinking about the business with that beast."

Iolaus looked at him in surprise.

"You could have made that leap, you know, and that claw would never have touched you."

"You were watching?"

"Umhmm. A deeper crouch, a little more spring in the jump. You're not as young as you once were and you must learn to make adjustments. Change your modus operandi."

"My what?"

"Modus operandi. Your method. Think about it, it might save you another trip back here some day."

"Think so?"

Together they entered the pavilion. The golden warrior's body still lay peacefully upon the bier, although the feather bed, the sides of the catafalque and the floor were now splattered with bits of apples, pears and the gooey remains of peaches.

"Look at this mess." Iolaus exclaimed in disgust. "Those kids have been using me for target practice."

Michael chuckled indulgently. "Kids will be kids, even here."

"Don't they have any respect for the dead?"

"They don't understand the concept, they have never seen a lifeless body before. Now, are you ready?"

"Yeah." Iolaus ran his hand along the silky fabric of the bedding brushing off bits of sticky fruit. "This sure is a nice mattress. Much better than the one I have at home." He looked at the angel hopefully.

Michael laughed outright. "First wings, now the bed. What is it with you and feathers? Are you ready?"

"Yeah, I'm ready."

Michael raised his hand. "Uh, Iolaus?"

"Huh?"

"What was the name of the dancing girl in Tiryns?"

The hunter grinned. "I don't remember."

Iolaus felt a slight wooziness and a tickling sensation as he felt his soul merge with the body on the catafalque. Then everything disappeared in a flash of brilliant light and he found himself standing alone on the path to Alcmene's house.

The rain had stopped in the night and the day dawned warm and clear. Jason and Hercules dragged Iolaus' soggy mattress out into the sun to dry and hung the wet blankets over bushes. Sitting at the table, staring down at his untouched breakfast, Hercules told the Argonaut about the angel's visit.

"We need to notify our friends and family." Jason told him. He could see how hard this was going to be for the demigod and decided he would need help. "I'm going to send for Iphicles today, okay?"

Hercules nodded, not really caring.

He spent the morning in the workshop building a coffin. When Jason appeared at the door and offered to help, he was waved away. The demigod took his time over the task, smoothing out the rough spots in the wood and making sure the joints were tight. Up until last night, somewhere in the back of his mind, he always believed that Iolaus would be returned to him; but now that small hope was gone and he thought his heart would break.

Late in the afternoon, he was sitting on the roof, listlessly pegging in the last of the new shingles, when a movement on the path caught his eye. He dropped his stone hammer and sat up straight when he saw the familiar tousled golden head and purple vest. It couldn't be, it was just another of those damned dreams, but dream or not he scrambled, stumbling, down the ladder.

Iolaus watched the demigod's slip-slide descent from the ladder and stopped as his friend arrowed up the path toward him. He ducked his head shyly, as if unsure of his welcome, only to gasp in surprise as Hercules scooped him up off the ground and hugged him tightly.

"Breathe, Herc." He poked the demigod on the back.

Hercules loosened his grip slightly, but didn't seem in any hurry to put him down, so Iolaus just wrapped his arms around his friend's neck, burrowed his head in his shoulder, and enjoyed the moment.

Finally Hercules set the hunter on his feet, but kept both hands on his shoulders, not wanting to relinquish the feel of the warm, solid flesh beneath his hands, and laid his forehead against Iolaus'. "This isn't a dream? It's really you this time?"

"Uh-huh. Really me."

"I've missed you."

"Me, too,"

"I was afraid you wouldn't want to come back."

"Huh." Iolaus jerked his head back and the smile he bestowed upon his friend was a genuine Iolaus sun-coming-up-in-the-morning grin. "Now where would you get an idea like that?"

Even though, he was still not certain that this wasn't just another dream, the cold knot of grief and pain that had been lodged in the demigod's heart for the past week began to unravel, giving way to a surge of sheer joy.

Hercules searched his friend's face, and saw no regrets, no misgivings, only the candid blue eyes that had looked out at him for as long as he could remember. "It's late. Jason will have supper ready. Are you hungry?"

"Huh? Herc, now that is one truly dumb question."

Hercules laughed, his first real laugh since before Iolaus was killed. "Wait until Jason sees you."

"He should be used to this by now."

"But I'm not. I�I�" Hercules looked down sheepishly.

"Rough, huh."

"Yeah, real rough. But I think I did better this time"

"Oh yeah," Iolaus looked up at his friend as they turned toward the house. Hercules still hadn't let go of the hunter as if he needed the physical contact to assure himself that Iolaus was really there. "No going bonkers, no smashing things, tearing stuff up?"

"No," Hercules laughed weakly. "I behaved very well�I think. But it hurt,"

"I know, buddy." Iolaus patted Hercules consolingly on the back and then stopped and turned the demigod around to look at him. "Are you sure, really sure you're okay with this? I mean, it could happen again. Maybe I could come back again and maybe I couldn't. Michael was very vague on that point. Just how many times can you take my dying in your arms?"

Hercules laid his hand against Iolaus' cheek. "As many times as I have to, Iolaus." He slid his arm around Iolaus' shoulders again and steered him toward the farmhouse. "I think�I hope I've learned something this time."

"And that would be?"

"That everyday you get to spend with someone you love is precious. To be treasured and put away against the day when all you have left is your memories." He smiled. "Corny, huh?"

"No." Iolaus was silent for a while and then he said. "It won't happen again, anyway."

"It won't?"

"No, you see, I had a lot of time to think while I was up there." He jerked his head upward, "and I figured out what went wrong."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. You see, I'm not as young as I used to be�"

Hercules snorted. "I never thought I would hear you say that."

"Well, I'm not. And neither are you, big guy, so it would behoove you to listen up."

"Behoove?"

"Yeah, it means�"

"I know what it means. I just never heard you use it before."

"Can't a guy improve his vocabulary without having to listen to a lot of snide remarks?"

"Okay, okay. So what went wrong?"

"Well, as I was saying, I'm not as young as I used to be. A few years ago a flip like that would have taken me right out of that creature's reach. But being little bit older, I'm a little, well, just a teeny, teeny bit slower, see."

"I see."

"So," Iolaus went on. I need to change my modus operandi.

"Your what?"

"Modus operandi. You know, my method, my way of doing things. Haven't you ever heard of a modus operandi?"

"No, I can't say that I have."

"Oh," Iolaus puffed up a little, inordinately pleased to be one-up on the demigod for a change. "Anyway I need to work on that, compensate, you know, for getting�ol�er�slower."

"Sounds like a good plan."

The two friends were nearing the porch, and Iolaus picked his head up sniffing the air. "Mmm�mmm, is that rabbit stew I smell?"

"Made just the way you like it."

"You made it for me? How did you know I'd be back today."

"Uh�we've made it every day since I got here. Just in case, you know."

"No kidding. Pretty sure of me, weren't you?"

Hercules grinned. "I thought if anything would bring you back, rabbit stew would do it. Now let's go get some before Jason eats it all."

Jason didn't turn a hair when Iolaus walked into the kitchen. He just grinned and reached into the cupboard for another bowl and spoon, pulled out another loaf of bread and poured another tankard of ale. There wasn't much talk during the meal. Smiling, Jason watched Hercules, who, with a fond, silly grin, was watching Iolaus wolf down his third bowl of stew, swallow the last morsel of an entire loaf of bread and wash it all down with ale.

Finally satisfied Iolaus pushed back his chair and patted his belly. "Jason that was the best meal, I've had for�uh�a long time."

Jason grinned at him. "They don't feed you up there in the Light? No wonder you always come back."

"Well, you can have anything you want to eat, but you don't need it. It's no fun to eat if you're not hungry."

Jason and Hercules laughed and the three friends lingered at the table long after the food was gone, talking and just enjoying one another's company until a sharp crack of thunder brought Hercules out of his chair. The rain poured from the sky and he realized it had been raining for quite some time.

"Oh, gods, Iolaus, your mattress!"

Iolaus jumped. "What? What?"

The demigod looked at him ruefully. "Your mattress. That's why I was on the roof this afternoon. It leaked right over your bed. We put the bedding outside to dry and I forgot."

"Oh, naturally, if the roof leaked, it would be over my bed. It's okay, I'll sleep on the floor."

"No," Hercules insisted. "I'll sleep on the floor, you can have my bed."

Iolaus yawned. "Well, okay, if you insist. Let's clean up, I'm ready to hit the hay."

The three men quickly tidied up the kitchen, making a game of it, tossing the dishes from one to another and somehow managing to complete the job without breaking anything. They were all exhausted. The long days of grief and pain had taken their toll and the three men were more then ready to turn in for the night.

Before departing for his own room, Jason gave Iolaus a warm hug his eyes glistening with unshed tears. "Glad to have you home, buddy."

"Me, too." Iolaus gave the Argonaut an affectionate squeeze in return.

Hercules preceded Iolaus into the bedroom and stopped short, causing the hunter to bump his nose on the demigod's broad back. "What in Tartarus is that?"

Iolaus peeked around his friend's shoulder and broke into a sunny grin. On his bed in place of his mattress lay a fluffy white feather bed. "It's my present," he giggled, "from Michael."

Hercules looked at him incredulously. "Michael gave you a present? A mattress?"

Iolaus nodded happily. He stripped off his vest and his belts, kicked off his boots and made a flying leap into the center of the bed. "I wonder if it's as comfortable as it looks."

"You've never slept on it?" Hercules gave the hunter a puzzled look.

"Well, yeah, but I was dead then."

"You mean, this was�?"

"Yeah." Iolaus was lying on his back, one hand resting lightly on his chest, mimicking the position of his body on the catafalque. "Ummm, comfy."

Hercules shook his head and got ready for bed. Later, after lying on his own mattress and staring at the ceiling for a while, he turned to the hunter. "Mine's kind of lumpy."

"Wanna share?" was the sleepy reply.

"Okay." The demigod rolled out of bed. Iolaus turned onto his side to make room and Hercules climbed in behind him.

"Better?"

"Uh-huh." The demigod slid one arm under Iolaus' neck and settled himself comfortably.

"You know," Iolaus said sleepily. "We ought to start thinking about hitting the road."

"Not yet," Hercules protested. "You need to work on your modus thing first, remember?"

"Oh yeah. Almost forgot." He giggled.

"What?"

"Jason's going to be in here at dawn to get us up to go fishing. He'll find us like this and we'll never hear the end of it."

"I don't care."

"Me neither."

Iolaus snuggled happily deeper into the feather bed and was almost instantly asleep. But Hercules, still not sure that he wasn't just living out another dream, laid awake for a long time enjoying the feel of the soft curls under his cheek and listening to the sound of the hunter's soft breathing.

.

The End

.

Back to the Library

Back to the Index