Chapter 7

Urien seemed embarrassed as he tried to talk to George.

"Is there something that you want to ask me?'

"It is what you said, that there is more to life than getting laid."

"Surprising as it may seem, it is true."

"But you never did it with girls" Urien blurted out.

"And you have done it with both, so you think that you know more than I do?'" he could not help being a bit sarcastic.

"It is not that... it is.."

"It is that you do not think I'd understand. You want to talk about it, and if you talk to Barnabas, you are afraid that he'll lecture you."

"Yes. I want to know what you mean... and if you had ever tried with girls, maybe you'd not be so sure."

"Urien, there is not that much difference. Just because I cannot get excited by women does not mean that I do not recognize the same behavior. I have got to listen to my deputies complaints about their wives, and the wives complaints... And really it is not that different. I did sympathize with the deputies sometimes, and with the wives sometimes. People are people, no matter what the gender... And that time when I got shot, and Barnabas got all worried about it, he sounded just like one of the wives when a deputy gets shot. So, Urien, I may not be authority on heterosexual relations, but I am an authority on adult behavior."

"So?"

"Urien, now you are young, full of hormones, and do not think that there is nothing more important than getting laid. Later on you realize that sex is just part of relationship, and that a diet of sex alone is as fulfilling as eating nothing but McDonald's. If you ever tasted cioppino you'd know what you'd been missing. Same as with love and commitment. "

Urien nodded. not sure that he believed it. Give it time. You could not grow up just by wanting do so.

"You are going to return the hand?" Quentin asked Barnabas.

"Yes. The sooner the better. We might want to know why Adam thought that he was Anton Romano, and if that confusion of his might have led to him taking the hand, to make himself remember.."

"No blaming Nicholas?"

"Nicholas lost the bus again, and he drank the money for the ticket. He is just not going to get here."

"Will they give you a chance to explain?"

"I can try to summon King Johnny Romano to judge it."

Quentin shook his head. "I wish I had your confidence. Damn it, why couldn't Adam have asked Julia for help? Of if he did not want Julia, why not another shrink? He could find one easily. Why did he think that there was an easy and quick answer to his problems? Didn't he know that nothing that is worth it comes easily? That if it is any good, you got to sweat for it?"

Barnabas could not hide his surprise at hearing Quentin, of all people, say those things.

"Yes. I know. You used to tell me the same things and I did not believe them. But I had some excuse. That portrait did a very through job of keeping me from learning a damn thing."

"You told me that."

"If it weren't for Adam, it would have gone on and on. That's why I have to help him. But I wish that he used his brains more... I owe him so much. You have no idea how much it means to me... Compared to me, you were lucky with your curse."

"Lucky?"

"It did not keep from having a good life, a good position, good friends. That I could never have, because no matter how good things looked for me, I'd do something to wreck it. You can always hope for a better tomorrow, and can actually make it happen. While I... I knew that my past would be my future no matter how much I tried."

Barnabas acknowledged it. "Do you have any plans for when this mess is over?"

"I do.. It is something that I have been thinking on my way back. Did I tell you how I found Adam? Sleeping on the ground, slowly freezing to death?"

"Yes."

"There are hundreds, even thousands of men, and women, and even children in that position now. We have grown calloused and do not see them. I want to help them."

"We are trying to set up a homeless shelter. I tried to offer the Old House, but they said that it had two drawbacks. One no electricity, and another, a resident vampire."

"A homeless shelter is a temporary solution. I want something more permanent."

"Are you sure about the ingredients?' Trask asked Vicky who was stirring the pot.

"They are all healthy, good ingredients. Just because some part of the vegetables have gone bad does not mean that the rest of them cannot be used. They still have their nutrients is them."

"But to use what is actually refuse... The parts that the cannery throws away..."

"They have a lot of protein, and calcium. They make a good broth."

"But to give a soup made out leavings, or refuse..."

"It tastes good, it is nutritious. It is good to give canned food from the pantry for those who need it, and allowing them the privacy. But when they come in the are hungry, and a cup of soup works wonders, Specially in this cold. And we can give it to then in thermos bottles for later."

"But to give what is basically garbage..."

"The question is why do we throw perfectly good food into the garbage? I have been hungry, Reverend, you forget. That food that you scorn as garbage tasted perfectly good to me. It tastes perfectly good to them. And by the way, don't you know that cuisine is an artifact of poverty? Making do with what you have, even if it is some leavings. What is coq au vin? It is an old rooster who died of old age, and who is so tough and stringy that it needs to be boiled in wine before it can be eaten. What is sausage? It is meat leavings, scraped off the bones, gristle, and grains, all into one dish.. What is aspic? what results from boiled cattle hooves, because that is the only part of the animal that you can afford. What is chitlins? A part of the pork that more affluent people look on with disgust. I am part of a grand tradition, Reverend. And I am doing my best."

Willie lifted Gretchen in his arms. "A pretty baby, isn't she? Not as pretty as Pearl, but..

"Of course, no baby is as pretty as Pearl was." Louella laughed. "It goes without saying. But it is a healthy baby. No question about that."

"No. No problems." Julia said "I did worry a lot about it, though."

"Well, it turned out all right. And Buffy had hers, and now David and Hallie. We are in the middle of a baby explosion."

Zoya stopped for a cup of coffee and some donuts at the cafe. Collinsport was still the same... Was Adam there?

The short order cook put the patties on the grill. They sizzled and some melted fat seemed to grow blue and catch fire.

Zoya froze.

But it did not light up. No, it was not Hallie. Or maybe it was, but she was not strong enough, yet.

She had to get the hand fast. The more she waited, the likelier Hallie would be to strike.

"Did we have to return the hand?" Adam whispered to Quentin as they waited for the old shaman to come.

"You know we had to. They would not help otherwise."

"But we could have used the hand to defend ourselves."

"I already did that. That's how you ended up being Curly Howard."

"There must be another way."

"Adam, you screwed up enough already. Now stop and do as you are told. You don't want to tangle with the Romano tribe."

"I already did. They stole my self from me."

"That will have to be settled. But first let's do this."

They were admitted to Munsungan's presence, he was sitting on the floor, staring at the drawings in the dust.

"The hand has to be returned. It brings fire to itself."

"It is being returned now." Quentin said.

Munsungan looked a the drawings. They announced that a big fight was coming. It might be his last...

He looked up at the men. So be it. He had fought for his people when he needed to. And he would fight again if it was needed. Now he had to restore these men.