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CHAPTER SEVEN

It took them seven days to traverse the woods. Yorn had warned them that the trees would give way to beautiful and lush meadows, meadows that never changed with the seasons and felt nothing of drought . This would be their indication that they had reached the Wounded Lands.

Sydney was the first to stumble out into them, blinking rapidly at the sun stabbing into her eyes after days of semi-darkness. Nigel popped out after her, stumbling into her because he didn't expect her to stop. She swayed and only her acute sense of balance prevented the two of them from tumbling to the ground.

The view was spectacular. Green, flower-filled meadows stretched out in front of them like some sort of summer dream. Lakes and rivers dotted them, all full and healthier than anything else they had seen in Telurra. In the distance, there were more forests, also lush and green.

"It looks more like paradise than a death trap," Nigel said.

"For now. At least, for a little while, we'll be able to see if the nasty quartet is back on our trail."

"Mala was right when she said the drought wasn't natural."

"Yes, she was. Hopefully, that means the Staff really will be able to break it."

"I wonder why Yorn's brother agreed to help whoever's doing this when he knew it would hurt his country."

"Greed," Sydney said, wiping a hand over her forehead. The day was unusually warm. "You've seen it win as many times as I have."

"Yes," he admitted, "but I've seen it lose too."

She smiled at him. "That's what makes it all worth fighting for."

Together, they started crossing the meadow. It was peaceful and made Sydney want to curl up and sleep. She yawned, covering her mouth, and blinked hard. Beside her, Nigel started rubbing his eyes.

"Nigel," she said softly after awhile, "maybe we should lie down and have a little nap."

"I am awfully tired," he said in a sleepy, little boy voice.

"This looks like a nice place."

The grass was very inviting. Shrugging her pack to the ground, Sydney lay down, positioning her bedroll under her head. She sighed happily and closed her eyes. There was a rustling nearby that said Nigel had also curled up on the ground.

"Night, Nige," she whispered.

She barely heard him say, "Night, Syd," before she was fast asleep.

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"Sydney!"

Sydney opened her eyes and found herself on a strange white plain. Only emptiness and whiteness surrounded her for as far as her eyes could see. She couldn't even tell land and sky apart, and she knew she had to be dreaming.

"Sydney."

The voice was familiar, but she couldn't place it. Slowly, she turned around, squinting.

"Where are you? Why are we here?"

"You have to wake up, Sydney."

The air in front of her shimmered and a form appeared. It was dressed in white and blended in with the surroundings. Its face was young and pretty, but its eyes were old.

"Karolyne?"

"Sydney, listen to me. You have to wake up."

"I don't understand."

"Your sleep is not natural. If you don't wake up, something bad is going to happen."

"But I'm so tired." Even in this dream, she could feel it dragging at her. She wanted to curl up in the whiteness and sleep.

"If you don't wake up, you will die. Nigel will die."

"Nigel?"

"Yes, Nigel. Do you want to be responsible for his death?"

Sydney shook her head, trying to clear it. "Why do you care if we die or not?"

"If this land dies, if they take it, everything I sacrificed will be for nothing."

Sydney nodded in understanding. "So, what do I have to do?"

"The first step is to wake up."

"Okay, I will...somehow. Thank you."

The ghostly form didn't answer, it just faded into the nothing it came from. Sydney watched it go, then closed her eyes to concentrate. Wake up. Come on, wake up. She struggled, pushing, but it felt like her mind was encased in lead. Scowling, Sydney pushed harder. After all the things she had survived, she wasn't going to let herself be defeated by sleep.

Slowly, her eyes--her real eyes--opened. Above her, the sky was still blue and cloudless, and she could smell the sweetness of the summer flowers in the air. She blinked her eyes several times before forcing the rest of her to move. She turned and saw Nigel sleeping beside her.

Her body was reluctant to move, but she forced it to roll over on its side so she could reach his shoulder. She gave it a gentle shake. When that didn't work, she shook it a little harder. He mumbled but did not awaken.

That's when she saw them. They jarred her awake, and the last of the fogginess in her brain dissipated.

"Nigel," she said urgently, shaking him again.

Some sort of plant life, they looked like vines, had come out of the ground and twined themselves around Nigel. There were some around his arms and some around his legs. As she watched, they crept and slithered over his stomach and chest.

Sydney quickly looked down at herself and saw that the vines had started entangling her as well. She wasn't as badly entwined as Nigel, though; the vines were only around her left arm and leg. That was why she hadn't noticed before. She had turned into them, but now more were reaching for her, trying to twine in her legs and around her waist.

Leaving Nigel for the moment, Sydney reached for her boot. As if sensing her movements, the vines reached for her wrist. They also started moving faster to entangle her body.

"I don't think so," she snarled.

Grabbing her knife, she sliced upward, cutting through the vines reaching for her wrist. Then, she got the ones around her waist. In response, more vines came out of the earth, heaving and churning bits of dirt caught in their wake. There were suddenly so many that Sydney felt her insides go cold and her face pale.

As quickly as she could, she kept slashing, refusing to be overcome. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Nigel, still motionless, his body thick with vines. The sight made her move even faster.

Sydney managed to wriggle from the vines and onto her knees. When she was no longer lying down, the vines that had surrounded her disappeared into the ground.

"They get you when you're asleep," she said quietly. If she could get Nigel awake and moving, he'd be all right.

She started with the vines on his face. His being able to breathe was her first priority. Carefully, she sliced through vines trying to choke him. Her hands shook a little, and she was afraid she'd cut him and kill him herself.

The vines writhed at her rough treatment. She set her teeth and ignored the fact that they felt like snakes.

Every time she cut a vine, two more seemed to take its place. She worked until her hands were raw, and then she worked some more. She refused to give up Nigel. He would not die here on this alien world. She would not allow it.

"Come on, Nigel. Wake up. If I can get enough of these off of you for you to sit up, they'll stop."

He choked as a particularly nasty tendril grabbed tightly onto his throat. Sydney scowled and cut it just as he started to turn blue.

"Nigel," she said sharply, "I need you to wake up. She took precious seconds to shake him. "Nigel!"

"Sydney, stop shouting." His voice was quiet, but she was so relieved when it reached her ears that she felt almost giddy.

"Nigel, are you awake?"

"I think so." He blinked languidly.

"Good boy. Don't go back to sleep."

"So tired..." His eyes started to flutter closed again, so Sydney slapped him sharply across the face.

"Ow...hurt, Syd..."

"It was supposed to," she said calmly, though she felt anything but.

"Why are you holding me down? What's going on?"

"I'm not holding you down, Nigel. You're caught in a trap, and I can't get you out if you're asleep."

His eyes widened, and his face was suddenly alert. He wiggled, and the vines tightened their hold.

"Syd, I can't move."

"I know," she said soothingly. "I'm going to get you out of this."

She cut some more vines, freeing one of his arms. Nigel flailed it wildly, barely missing Sydney's head. She ducked, not even slowing in her work. It was encouraging to see that the vines had some trouble recapturing Nigel's arm.

"Keep moving."

He did as she asked, shaking his head, which she had kept free, back and forth and swinging his one vine-free arm. His movement made it harder to cut the vines away without hurting him, but it also seemed to discourage the vines.

Excitement mounting, Sydney cut through the ones on his chest and other arm. When his upper half was free, she grabbed him and hauled him into a sitting position. He grunted at her treatment but made no comment. Sydney had to admit to herself that he was probably used to such treatment from her.

As Nigel's body went upright, the vines started melting away and back into the ground. They did it even faster than they had rushed to cover him.

"Are you all right?" Sydney noticed she sounded slightly out of breath.

Nigel ran his hands over his body. "I think so."

Sydney smiled and gave Nigel's shoulder a little squeeze before hauling herself to her feet.

"Then I'd suggest we get out of here."

She got no arguments from Nigel

---------------------------.

The meadows still looked as aesthetically pleasing but didn't seem quite as beautiful as Sydney and Nigel hurried across them. Sydney kept thinking of the killing vines that might be lurking beneath their feet.

Besides that, now that Yorn was no longer with them, Nigel was not timid in relaying his opinion of the Wounded Lands. If she had to hear another way of saying 'this is crazy', she thought she might scream.

"You don't like it here. I get it. Now, stop whining."

"And how are we going to know when it's safe to sleep? We can't go the whole trip without sleeping. And Yorn couldn't even tell us what dangers we'd face because they're different every time someone comes here."

"Nigel, you're not helping!" she snapped.

He clamped his mouth shut and hunched in on himself. Sydney was immediately sorry for losing her temper, but she didn't tell him so. They trudged on in silence for several minutes before she spoke again, in a mild and even tone.

"Besides, we should reach the ruins sometime tomorrow. They should be safe to sleep in." She stopped and dug out Yorn's map to show him.

He looked at it politely, but his face still showed a slight pout.

"I know," she teased, "if we reach the ruins. I can read your mind, Nigel Bailey."

She hoped this would make him smile, but it didn't.

"How long am I going to get the silent treatment?" She noticed that some of her exasperation leaked into her voice.

"I thought you wanted me to shut up."

Okay, she was going to kill him.

She stopped and gave him her best glare. It softened when she saw he looked genuinely hurt. Sydney immediately went back to feeling sorry.

"I know you're stressed, but it will be okay."

"How can we know that, Syd? I mean, this situation is different from anything we've ever done before."

At least he was talking again.

"I know this because it's you and me working together. We're an unbeatable team."

"But the very land is against us!"

"The land just is, Nigel. When we...navigated the land mines, were they against us? No. They were just weapons created for another time that we just happened to have to cross."

"It was kind of like this, wasn't it?" he asked thoughtfully.

"Yes."

"And we did okay?"

Well, she didn't know if his landing on a land mine, their guide getting killed, Karen getting kidnapped, and her falling down a hole constituted 'doing okay', but now that she had him, she agreed again. "Of course."

"So, where do you think it will be safe to sleep tonight?"

Sydney started walking again. "Well, I think the vines put out the sleep spell. That means they could knock us out at anytime. If we go to sleep naturally, we should be all right, but we'll keep watch to be safe. There are more dangers out here than those vines."

"Don't remind me." His voice sounded lighter, which made Sydney feel better.

She grinned at him. "We'll keep watch, just to make sure. I'll even lend you my knife."

They stopped for their last meal and, though Sydney knew they shouldn't be attacked without feeling an unnatural sleepiness, she was still relieved when vines didn't come seething out of the ground. Seeing a copse of trees nearby, she suggested they sleep there. The meadows still made her nervous.

The night passed quietly, but it was still with relief that the relic hunters rose and got ready to face the day. As they packed up, Sydney kept stealing glances at Nigel. He looked a lot calmer than the day before, and he wasn't complaining. Still, he wasn't smiling.

"What do you think these ruins will be like, Sydney?" he asked, doing up his pack and attaching it to his bedroll.

"I don't know. Yorn said there was a whole city there before the Mage Wars, but now only the castle of the local lord is standing."

Shouldering their packs, they stepped out of the woods and onto the meadows. The land changed a bit and became more hilly, but the blue sky and green grass remained constant.

"It's too bad we can't take some of what makes this place nice and green and give it to Theri," Nigel commented as they trudged along.

"I don't think she'd like the unpredictable magecraft remnants that come with it."

"I suppose you're right."

A scream from above made them both look up. Sydney stopped in her tracks and stared, her mouth gaping. Beside her, Nigel gasped. Sydney noticed it absently; most of her attention was on the form in the sky.

"What is that?" Nigel asked.

It was the biggest animal she had ever seen. The shadow it cast covered the land, gobbling up everything in its path. The creature screamed again.

"I think it's some kind of bird," she said.

Nigel squinted, craning his neck. He suggested, "They might have dragons here."

"It doesn't move like a dragon."

He glanced at her. "And how many dragons have you seen?"

"I just mean, it flaps its wings like a bird does. I thought dragons were supposed to glide." She raised an eyebrow at him. "What does Sir Nigel think?"

He colored, and she bumped her shoulder against him gently to show she was just teasing.

"Sir Nigel thinks that thing better not get too much closer, no matter what it is. Anything that big has got to be carnivorous."

"What about whales?"

He shook his head and started forward again. Sydney took one more look upward before she quickly followed behind. He turned and slowed so she could catch up.

"Come on. I think I see something over there."

It took them almost an hour to get to the place where Sydney thought she saw something. It was an outcropping of stone that she realized couldn't be natural.

"See this?" she said, "I think it was part of a foundation."

"You could be right," Nigel agreed. "Look."

Sydney squinted into the sun, following Nigel's hand. There was a hill and, behind that, she could see a bit of grey stone.

"The castle?"

"I think so."

"Then, let's go."

"Can't we eat first?" Nigel asked pleadingly.

Sydney rolled her eyes. "Is that all you can think about?"

"A full Nigel is a happy Nigel."

She snorted. "Fine. We were due for a rest anyway."

Smiling, Nigel sat and dug into his bag to find the remaining bundle of food left from Sydney's last supper hunt. He took half and gave the other half to Sydney.

"This is the last of it. Yorn seemed positive that we'd be able to find something to eat in here."

"Yes, I remember. Only normal looking bunnies and sip the water before you take a deep drink. I did see a couple of rabbits in the fields yesterday."

"Technically, Syd, I think they were hares."

"What?"

He looked sheepish but continued, "If you look at their back legs and their ears, there's quite a bit of difference, and, though you can't tell this by looking, a rabbit is born blind and hairless, while a hare is not."

"Fascinating, Nigel." Sydney managed to keep most of the sarcasm out of her voice.

"I loved rabbits when I was a kid, and I read everything I could about them. Peter Rabbit, The Velveteen Rabbit, I must have read them all a thousand times."

Sydney filed this away in her mind, next to the place where she kept the memory of Nigel acting out the swordplay he had shared with his father.

"Did you have a pet rabbit?" she asked curiously.

"No." His face fell a little. "My animal allergies extend to rabbits, I'm afraid."

"Maybe you should bring your leaves home with you."

He looked thoughtful. "Do you think they'd work there?"

"It wouldn't hurt to try."

They spent the next several hours making their way through tumbledown stones, moving towards the castle. Sydney's curiosity was piqued as it became increasingly obvious that the rubble was the remains of some sort of civilization.

The stones leaned together like a giant child's discarded blocks. Bunches of grass grew up around them, choking out what little life might have been left. Hints of metal shone from among the grey and green, along with bits of wood and what might have been bone.

Though they didn't really have time to poke through the ruins, Sydney occasionally knelt to look at something that caught her eye. She saw some utensills and once even a rusted dagger.

Nigel's eyes sparkled, and he stopped more often than Sydney, looking like a little boy in a toy store.

When they reached the top of the hill, they saw the castle. It was large and grey with gaping black windows that looked almost like empty eyes. Sydney felt herself shudder at the imagery. She wasn't the type to get creeped out easily, but there was a strange feeling in the air of the Wounded Lands. Plus, she was still wrestling with the memory of the panic caused by the vines.

"We're going there?" Nigel asked.

"It beats sleeping outside."

"I'm not so sure about that."

"Come on."

The ground was really uneven after that, and Sydney kept reaching over to steady Nigel. Amazingly, no matter how many times he tottered, he managed not to fall on his butt.

As they neared the castle, Sydney went hunting and Nigel refilled their waterskins in a nearby river. Sydney hoped the water was safe to drink.

It didn't take long to catch a rabbit--or hare, she corrected herself. After hooking it to her pack, she retrieved Nigel. The two of them were walking together in leisurely, companionable silence when the world around them went completely still. Even the slight breeze seemed to stop kissing their sweat-slicked skin.

"Sydney," Nigel whispered.

"I feel it."

She looked around, her body tensing. Everything looked exactly the same as it had moments before. And then she saw the shadow. It was larger than before and moved across the ground at an alarming rate. Her eyes rolled heavenward and she swallowed.

The bird-like creature they had seen in the distance earlier was swooping down, and it was heading straight for them. The animal was completely black with gleaming feathers and a cruel and sharp looking beak that could swallow Sydney with one gulp.

"Nigel, run."

"What?"

She pointed at the bird, then grabbed his arm. Together, they ran the few remaining feet to the castle. It wasn't surrounded by a moat like castles in fairy tales, but the doors were big, heavy, and capable of keeping out invading armies.

Hurriedly, they tugged at the doors. The bird swooped closer, and Sydney and Nigel grew desperate.

"Pull, Nigel."

"I am pulling!"

Just when Sydney thought they were buzzard bait, the doors groaned and opened just enough for her and Nigel to squeeze through. The bird screamed a horrible cry of rage that raised goosebumps along Sydney's arms. With relief, she helped Nigel slam the door behind them.

The inside of the castle was grim and dark, even with the windows, and Sydney quickly dug the light globe out of her pack.

As she lit it, she saw tattered cloths that might have been tapestries and lots of dust and cobwebs. She made the light a little brighter to dispel the gloom.

"I suggest we find a room with a fireplace. Unless you want to eat your supper raw."

It didn't take them long to find the main hall. It was humongous, with several long tables and a large fireplace at one end. The table nearest it was raised up from the floor with the remains of what must have been a beautiful tablecloth.

Sydney shone her globe on it. "The lord's table...and our bed."

"But it's filthy."

"So is everything else. We'll clean ourselves off a little space."

In fact, she set Nigel to cleaning off a space while she cleaned the hare. On inspection, the chimney seemed to be amazingly intact, which meant more smoke would go out than stay in. That was always good.

They used chairs for fuel. Nigel was still cleaning the table while she broke up chairs from the others to make kindling.

The fire, once she got it going, seemed to chase away some of the gloom, and the crackle and pop seemed almost homey.

Though outside had been unusually warm, the castle was cool, so the fire was nice. Sydney spit the hare, then she and Nigel sat close together near the fire to watch it roast.

"He looks and smells very good," Nigel commented, "but I can't help but think he was cuter with his skin on."

Sydney didn't know what to say to this, so she changed the subject. "Well, a couple more weeks and we'll be reaching the area believed to be the ruins of Lesha. "

"That's two weeks too long for me." Nigel hugged himself. "I don't like this place. Sometimes I feel there are people watching me...like ghosts..."

"It's bound to feel that way. Everyone who lived in these lands died a horrible death. The feel of it is still here."

Nigel shivered. "Thanks for reminding me."

"Don't be scared, Nigel." She grinned, retrieving their hare from the fire. "I'll protect you."

"I don't know if even the great Sydney Fox can defeat a ghost."

Sydney plastered a hurt look on her face. "Don't you believe in me?"

He had been reaching in his bag for the water casks but stopped at her words. A look of horror went over his face, and he flushed in distress.

"Of...of course I believe in you."

She took pity on him and assured, "I'm just teasing."

"Oh."

They lapsed into silence and began to eat. The hare wasn't done as well as Sydney would have liked, but the kitchen wasn't the best, and she wasn't exactly what you'd call a terrific cook. Other things held more priority. At least Nigel didn't complain.

"I think you're getting better," he complimented afterward, licking off his fingers and passing her the water flask.

She wasn't quite sure how to take this but said, "Thanks."

He sighed and leaned against the dais. Sydney watched him out of the corner of her eye and saw that he looked very content. It was surprising considering he had just been claiming fear of ghosts.

Sydney also leaned back, settling against the stone. It was cold and hard against her back, but the fire at her front was lively and warm. Sydney wrapped her arms around her legs and stared into the flames. They were so pretty, they were almost hypnotic.

She heard Nigel singing softly. She had never known him to sing to himself, but she'd heard him at least three or four times since their journey started. Maybe it was because the music reminded him of home. Abruptly, he stopped and said, "Sydney?"

"Hmmnn?" she asked dreamily.

"What happens when we find The Staff?"

"We grab it and bring it back to Theri."

"But after that..."

"We go home."

"We've got to go get the Staff, then bring it back through this crazy land, and go all the way back to Theri before that can happen."

"No sweat."

He shifted uneasily. "What if Rayzi can't put us back at the right time? We'll have lost almost two months of our lives."

"Not lost, Nigel. We're using them, just in an unusual way. Would you have considered them lost if we were hunting a relic at home?"

"I guess not." He didn't sound too sure.

"Are you still homesick?"

"No...well, maybe a little."

She looked over at him. He looked so sad and melancholy. His hair was all mussed, and he had a streak of dirt on his pale cheek. Besides melancholy, he also looked irresistibly cute.

"Cheer up, Nigel."

"What?"

"You looked so happy and contented a moment ago. Cheer up again."

He rolled his eyes. "That didn't help, Sydney."

She opened her mouth in mock surprise. "It didn't?"

The corner of his mouth twitched. "No, it didn't."

"Well, I don't know what else to do. Are you ticklish?"

His eyes widened. "Nooooo," he lied.

"You are!" Sydney smiled, delighted.

"No, I'm not," he protested, moving away from her.

"You can't lie to me, Nigel Bailey. I know you too well. You are ticklish, and if you don't cheer up, I'm going to come over there, sit on you, and tickle you senseless."

"You...you wouldn't dare."

Her grin turned decidedly evil. "Try me."

He spluttered a moment, then forced a smile to his face, but it didn't yet reach his eyes. Suddenly, the most important thing in the world to her was making Nigel smile.

"C'mon, cutie. I know you've got a better smile in you than that," she purred.

Her comment had the opposite effect to what she wanted. The smile dropped from his face, and he looked slightly stunned. His hazel eyes twinkled in false merriment from the firelight, and Sydney longed to make it true merriment.

"So," she said in a slow drawl, "are you still missing Karen?"

"She is pretty," he admitted wistfully.

Sydney felt herself pouting. "Is she prettier than I am?"

"Nobody's as pretty as you are, Sydney."

She colored. "Thank yo...Wait, not even Cate?"

Nigel seemed to weigh this in his mind for a moment. "I don't know. C'mere."

Puzzled, Sydney leaned forward. Nigel's hand went quickly through her hair, his fingers gentle and deft. Then, her reached forward and undid the first tie on her shirt and pulled it slightly sideways.

"The prettiest I ever remember seeing her was with her hair mussed and her shirt unbuttoned." Nigel told a very shocked Sydney. "I told her she was the most beautiful woman in the world, but, you know, I don't think she compares."

Sydney opened her mouth to answer, but couldn't. Nigel's eyes were serious. She shook her head sharply, suddenly realizing something was wrong. She had called Nigel cutie; he had touched her clothing.

"I think something is wrong."

"Like what?" he was still watching her.

"I don't know, but I feel funny."

She did, slightly. It wasn't a bad funny, though, just strange. A little silly; a little sappy; more than a little restless.

"I think it might be another spell," she continued, "One that affects emotions...or thoughts."

"I feel fine."

"Nigel, you undid my shirt."

Nigel looked from her face to her exposed cleavage and then back up again. Then, he looked at his hand like it belonged to someone else.

"Maybe I am slightly disoriented."

Sydney started giggling at this. She didn't know why, but she found the look on Nigel's face hilarious. The indignation that her giggles caused made her giggle even harder.

"You're so adorable," she said in between giggles, reaching out to ruffle his already tousled hair. It was soft and silky. Her ruffle turned to a caress. "And you feel nice too."

"I'm not a teddy bear, you know." He caught her hand gently and pulled it away.

"You're my teddy bear, Nigel. Though I never get to hug you enough."

He gave her hand a tug and she fell forward--right into his arms. Now his eyes started to twinkle with real mischief and merriment. "Here's your chance."

If he thought he was going to shock her again, he was in for another thought, she assured herself, and instead of pulling away, she put her arms around him and snuggled closer.

"Nigel?"

"Yes?" he asked.

"Do you really think I'm pretty?"

"Prettier and more precious than the best relic we've ever found."

"You're not just saying that because I can kick your butt?"

It was his turn to giggle, and it was such a silly sound that it made Sydney giggle as well.

"That wasn't an answer, Nigel Bailey."

"Did anyone ever tell you you sound like the Martian Queen?"

"What?" Sydney pulled away, trying to follow his train of thought.

He giggled again. "Have you ever seen Duck Dodgers?"

"Duck Dodgers?"

Nigel started singing a very strange and silly song that Sydney thought might have been a cartoon theme song. He sang it with a Tom Jones-like inflection in his voice.

"That is the craziest thing I've ever heard."

He stopped singing. "I didn't write it."

"I'm sure anything you wrote would be far superior."

"Yes, it would."

She slapped him playfully. "That's one of the things I like about you. You're so modest."

"I know." He grinned, and it lit up his whole face.

"No wonder chicks love you," Sydney blurted in response.

It was his turn to look at her as if she were crazy. "I'm lucky if I get one date a year."

She raised her eyebrows at him. "It's because you don't ask. When we get home, ask Karen, you'll see."

"Karen?"

"Oh, Nigel." Sydney tweaked his cheek. "She's been trying to get you to ask her out for six months."

"Karen?" he repeated.

Sydney pulled him closer and kissed his cheek. "You are so delightfully clueless."

He grunted at that, pulling away. "Yorn thought I was a buffoon too."

Sydney opened her mouth and closed it twice before gasping, "I never said you were a buffoon. I would never say that about you."

"No?" he asked, looking into her eyes.

Sydney found herself thinking how beautiful and compelling his were. This time, when she leaned forward to kiss him, it was gently on the lips. She felt Nigel go completely still against her. His lips were soft, she noted before pulling away. His eyes stared into hers as he brought his fingers up to brush his lips.

"You kissed me," he said quietly.

"Yes," she agreed. "I believe I did."

"You wouldn't kiss me if you thought I was a buffoon."

"You're right, Nige. I wouldn't. You are my teddy bear," she smiled, "my best friend, my partner, my shoulder, my better half, my ear, my confidence, my knowledge, my reason...but not my buffoon."

He threw his arms around her and hugged her close once more. "Oh, Syd, that's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me."

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This is a wonderfully looong chapter so please Continue to chapter 7.2

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