A/N: This follows after OUT OF THE DARKNESS, continuing the saga of Vila and Avon after surviving Gauda Prime. The characters belong to Terry Nation and BBC. This story is set on Darkover, which belongs to Marion Zimmer Bradley.
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Vila's office was filled with cheerful clutter. Unlike most of the mansion, which was predominantly decorated in burgundy, black and silver, this room was a haven of warmth, in greens, golds and warm whites. His desk, where Vila could put his hand on any bit of paper or data chip he desired, nonetheless looked to the casual observer like some small animal had been chasing its tail there. The comfortable green padded armchair where he sat had a well-worn look. The warm white plastered walls held a few paintings, mostly pastorals, by local artists of local scenery, but the largest wall, from the wooden wainscoting up, was almost covered with a vid display of a galactic map, with the locations of every Avilla Trading Company ship, market, and contact, color-coded, of course.
Avon lounged in one of the two visitors' chairs, of dark green leather studded with brass buttons. Contrasting to Avon's ease, Vila simply vibrated tension.
+Information: A ship is requesting clearance to Avilla's private landing field.+ ORAC's voice issued from a hidden speaker, jerking Vila's head up from his hand-held data pad, where he'd been reviewing preparations for the big celebration.
"That'll be Cally, then," Vila said happily. "It'll be good to see her again."
"Agreed," Avon replied, closing the book he'd been reading and setting it aside. "Three years is a long time."
"I've missed her. I'm glad she accepted the invitation to the party, Avon."
"So am I." Avon let his thoughts drift for a few moments, back to that awful time when they'd parted. He had very little conscious memory of those first days after Gauda Prime, but he did remember Cally's heroic rescue of his mind. She'd been largely responsible for his return to sanity, making possible his life with Vila and what it was now. He would always be grateful to her. "ORAC, how soon will she be landing?" he asked, so he'd have enough time to get the horse and cart up to the landing field.
+PAXON arrival time is estimated at twenty minutes.+
"Twenty minutes!" Vila yelped, panicked. "But I'm not ready for guests yet!"
Avon chuckled with amusement. "Relax, Vila, it's Cally. She won't expect any special treatment." He was used to Vila's ideas of hospitality by now. He had to have everything perfect, or he felt himself a failure. It was ever his job to calm Vila down so that the man could enjoy whatever event he was focused on. As far as Avon was concerned, Vila's handling of anything he put his mind to was exceptional, whether a business transaction or giving a party.
Slightly mollified, Vila took a deep breath to calm the butterflies in his stomach. "Well, our guest quarters are prepared for the party crowd, so I suppose there won't be a problem. You go meet the shuttle. I'll see if there are any last minute preparations that need to be taken care of."
Avon smiled, one that reached his eyes and crinkled the corners. He rose, leaned across the desk, and placed a warm kiss on Vila's brow, well below the receding hairline of his sparse sandy hair.
His partner blinked up at him in surprise. "What was that for?"
Cupping a hand along Vila's jaw, he replied, "Just for being you."
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The landing site had barely cooled enough for the comfort of shod hooves when Avon arrived in the trap. The bay cob he drove was skittery at the smells of the ship and field but behaved well enough under his master's expert handling. Cally stood in the hatchway smiling. As Avon pulled to a stop, she waved, picked up a bag and, securing the opening, ran to meet him. She tossed the bag into the boot and lithely clambered up beside him.
"Avon, it is so good to see you again." She hugged him, smiling to herself as she realized the man had not flinched as he would have in the past but had actually encouraged the contact.
"It's good to see you, too, Cally. I'm pleased that you decided to attend."
"Nothing could have kept me from this, Avon, nothing," she replied, laughing lightly at him. "And how is Vila?"
"Flustered because he thought he'd have a little more warning before you arrived, but other than that, the same as ever." Avon grinned. "Well, no, I think…oh, what the hell, he's better than ever! And he'll be just as glad to see you as I am."
"I've missed both of you very much," she said, settling into the padded bench seat, one hand clutching the ornamental iron rail that surmounted its back and sides. She fell silent as Avon drove them from the landing plateau, down the hill to a flat plain, where, at the far end of the expanse, rose the soon-to-be official headquarters of Avilla Trading Company.
Cally realized that at this point they had begun to travel on a well-maintained road, instead of the graveled switchback down the hill. Shortly thereafter they approached the great stone arch across it, with a curious insignia at the top, and the name Avilla carved beneath it. Avon pulled the trap to a stop, allowing Cally a good look. At first glance, she thought the two modernistic designs were very reminiscent of the old Federation emblem, then saw that they could easily be stylized spaceships, one upright, the other upended, both mostly within a circle. Then she smiled as she realized they represented the letters A and V, surmounting a circle.
"You sigil is very interesting, Avon."
"I'm glad you think so. Vila designed it." He chuckled. "The locals think it's very odd."
"And the name, Avilla? His idea as well?"
"No, that was mine. It's the word for peace in one of the local dialects. I…thought it appropriate."
"Then you have found it here…peace, I mean?" she inquired gently as they proceeded under the arch and onto the house grounds proper.
"Yes, I think I have," he answered softly.
As they neared the stables, a groom appeared to hold the horse. Avon jumped down, assisted Cally to the ground, then grabbed her bag. He led her further down the road toward the magnificent house.
"I could have taken you through the covered connecting passages, but I wanted you to get the full effect of the house from the gate," he explained. "It's taken two years to reach this point and, while it isn't complete and probably won't be for several more years, it is workable and quite livable, as you will see."
"It is lovely, Avon," Cally breathed in awe, as she stopped to appreciate the structure fully.
It was a massive building, of solid construction, as it would have to be to withstand the severe weather conditions of this planet's coldest months. It was built of imported materials and local wood and stone, with an inner courtyard bounded by a solid, 8' fence with great wooden gates, now standing open, but which could be securely closed if need be.
Cally smiled as she noted Avon and Vila's sigil carved into both the gates and the great double front doors.
"Nice, Avon, very nice indeed. You've done well."
They were interrupted by a shout from the top of the stairs as Vila burst out of the doors, clattered down expanse of semi-circular steps, and ran to join them.
"Cally, it's wonderful to see you again!" he cried, first clasping her hands in his, then abandoning them to engulf the smaller woman in a fierce welcoming hug. "I wish you had given us more time, though," he scolded, shaking his head in mock dismay. Then he smiled again, fairly beaming with pride. "Come on in, Cally, and welcome to our home."
Cally smiled over at Avon, who was trying valiantly to hide a grin at Vila's reception. She allowed herself to be led by the hand up the stone steps, through the double doors, and into the huge entry hall. She stopped just inside, pulling Vila to a halt. "It's beautiful!" she exclaimed with wonder.
The entry hall was large and paved with grey-veined black marble, imported from some distant world. In the center of the floor, the Avilla ensign was repeated in a large circle. The walls were paneled and hung with tapestries and sconces, all combining to produce an air of elegance and warm welcome. The grand staircase rose from the center of the area, its carpeted steps wide and elegant, leading upward to a second story gallery. A pair of arched double doors led off to the left, while a carpeted hall led off to the right. Other doors interrupted the entry hall on either side as far as she could see.
"Come into the library, Cally," Avon invited. Stealing her from Vila, he pulled her to the double doors and threw them with a flourish.
The library was huge, dark-paneled and high-ceilinged, and lined with shelves of old-style books intermingled with sculptures and other art objects. On the left, directly in front of the large bay window with its heavy burgundy drapes, stood a bare carved dark wooden desk fronted by several black leather wingback chairs. Directly across from the doors was a large flagstone fireplace dominating one wall, a crackling fire in place that warmed the small grouping of deep red leather furniture before it. Another smaller desk stood to one side and there were two other chair groups scattered about, each on its own distinctively patterned red and ebony rug.
Avon led Cally to the leather sofa by the fire where Vila had laid out a light meal of tea, sandwiches and cakes on a low, small table. The tea service was of heavy ornate silver, with the Avilla ensign engraved on all the pieces.