It was Will's last full day stationed at Castle Redmount for his apprenticeship. Halt was helping him pack his saddle bags for the long trip to his temporary fief. He wouldn't get assigned a permanent fief until he became a full fledged ranger, but that was several months away yet. Today, though, he didn't have to focus on the future, which seemed scary without his mentor's guidance. All he had to focus on was the here and now.

He glanced around the small, cozy cabin he'd been calling home for the last few years. He'd really miss it when he left. What he'd miss most, he concluded, was Halt's stubborn insistence on being grim. Will knew he secretly smiled and his eyes shone with a certain light, occasionally. He almost seemed like a proud father gazing down at his beloved son. And Halt was like a father to Will. He'd come to love that half-raised eyebrow that was Halt's equivalent of a smile. And he loved annoying Halt with questions.

"Will you miss me Halt?" he asked suddenly as the grey bearded ranger passed. "Will you miss Tug? I bet you'll miss my mandola, right Halt? Will you miss…?"

"That's enough Will!" Halt snapped. "The one thing I won't miss is your annoying habit of asking one hundred and one questions." Will looked a little taken aback but Halt's words. Halt sighed softly to himself. "Of course I'll miss you." He replied at last. A lot more than you think, he added to himself. He'd grown fond of his young apprentice. Even all his questions (and there were a lot of them) brought light into his life. He liked Will more than he might want to admit.

He looked Will over. Will's upper arm and shoulder muscles were visible under his cloak. It came with hours of shooting the standard ranger issued longbow. Will's features were coming in nicely. Just like an apprentice ranger's features should. And looked amazing, outlined by the fireplace where their final meal together was warming up…

Halt shook his head. No no, he scolded himself. He's your apprentice. Any love for him is forbidden! And yet Halt knew what was really going on. His love for Will grew beyond the normal fatherly feelings. He truly loved his apprentice. But it's forbidden, He reminded himself. Yet he couldn't deny how he felt. That's why he insisted on overseeing Will's training in his temporary fief, though no one else knew.

Will turned and smiled at Halt, showing off his dazzlingly white teeth. Halt's heart fluttered in his chest, robbing him of breath. Will was truly beautiful. Halt had a vague sensation of wondering if Will knew what his smile did to him. Halt took a few deep breaths, calming his rapidly beating heart and filling his lungs with air. Will gave him a strange look, and he turned back to the fire. Halt looked at him, deeply hurt. His one true love just looked away from him.

"What's he want?" Will quietly asked the fire. Of course, it gave no response, but Will wasn't expecting one. He did feel something funny though. He felt a little tingle in his chest, like happiness. He didn't understand it. He'd never felt this way before, not even when he was thinking of Alyss. A cold dread suddenly made its way into his bones. He was thinking of Halt and he felt a tingle of happiness. Now he was thinking of Alyss and, nothing. Did that mean…

He loved Halt?

"No!" he shouted suddenly. Halt whirled around, startled by Will's outburst.

"What's wrong?" he asked the boy, looking around the cabin to see if something upset him. If anything upset this youth, it would find itself in pieces. But Will was shaking his head.

"Nothing Halt." He couldn't even meet his mentor's unwavering gaze. His own eyes would betray him. His heartbeat sped up, so Halt must still have been looking at him. I'm not gay! He shouted inside his head. And even if I was, I wouldn't love Halt! It's forbidden! But Will knew it was pointless trying to convince himself otherwise. He was gay, and he loved Halt. Love loved Halt. Even if it was forbidden, he had to tell Halt the truth.

"Halt," he began slowly. Halt turned and looked at him. Will hesitated. "The food's done," he said finally, motioning to the bird roasting in a pot over the fire. Halt gave the tiniest of nods and plucked the pot from the fire and set it on the table. He and Will sat down and began to eat. They ate in total silence, save for the sounds of chewing and the crackle of the fire. Will finished first. He sat back and observed Halt. Halt finished what was on his plate and wiped his mouth with the corner of collar. Will grinned at that. Here in the secluded ranger cabin, Halt didn't care for niceties. Will copied his move, smiling inside at Halt's surprised expression.

"That's my move Will," Halt teased gently. Will nodded, but he was grinning.

"I know Halt. Can't I copy my lo…" He snapped his mouth shut and wished he could glue his lips together. Halt was looking at him now. But not with alarm or disgust. No, he was looking at Will with curiosity.

"Your what Will?" he asked. Although he had the feeling he knew already. He could see the stiffness in Will's limbs that suggested he was about to say something huge. And he felt the emotions rolling off Will. Nervousness and fear mostly. He waited patiently while Will took a few deep breaths.

"My love," he mumbled at last. But Halt was still leaning forward, so Will wasn't loud enough. "My love," he said louder. Halt took a step back. But he wasn't horrified by what Will just said. He looked very pleased.

"Oh Will," he said softly, embracing the boy. "You have no idea how long I've been waiting to hear that. Come here, my forbidden love." He leaned down and gently kissed Will. At first, the boy wiggled around, trying to escape. But after a few moments, he leaned against Halt and kissed him back. Halt's lips felt cool and soft, and it felt wonderful to finally kiss them. At last, Halt pulled him away.

"That was wonderful Will," he said, slightly out of breath. "Do you still want to leave tomorrow?" Will shook his head. After what just happened, he never wanted to leave, ever.

"No Halt," he whispered. "I never want to leave you." Halt smiled openly for the first time Will could remember. "After all," he added. "I seem to bring out a different side of you that no one has ever seen." Halt eyed him, but he was still grinning.

"That you do," he replied. "Now let's send a pigeon to Crowley. See if we can delay your departure for a few days." Will smiled at that. Now he could be with his forbidden love.