A/N~ Sorry about the late post but reality is being what it is. Several appointments this week. Most of them about two hours away. Hey I love a challenge as much as the next girl but come on, even I can't drive and type at the same time. Well I might could but would we want to be on the road when I did it? Thanks everyone for the follows, favorites and reviews. I'm glad that you're enjoying my writing and I hope you will continue to do so. Enjoy. ~A

Chapter 11

Dyson Thornwood, fae/werewolf warrior nearly balked at his mate's plan of action. Truth be told his inner wolf's reaction would normally have been turn and run with tail curved protectively over nether regions, just in case.

After all, meeting the Norn for a fourth time in his long life wasn't really anything that Dyson would have ever aspired too. After their last encounter he had actually only aspired to avoid the older fae like the plague most fae considered her to be, even if they didn't say it anywhere near her lest she hear.

Even finding her seemed impossible after he had figured out it was because of her that Kenzi and Inari the kitsune had met, he had actually deliberately returned to seek some form of revenge on the other woman. Yeah not the brightest idea, nobody ever sought revenge on the hag, she sought revenge on them and usually achieved it spectacularly. Only to find her moved out of her apartment, lock, stock, and tree.

After the series of phone calls that Kenzi had made and received though his mate had apparently found the witch once again. The werewolves mind still boggled over how she had managed it but at this point he had long since learned not to question the former thief about such things. She would tell him if she thought it would benefit him to know, if it might get him in trouble with the fae or the police though she kept it to herself.

It actually gave him an odd feeling he was still struggling to get accustomed too. Werewolves, whether family or Pack members, protected the Pack or the family as a whole. Having someone more concerned with protecting him as the individual was a new sensation. Kenzi had always done it though, even when he was "dating" Bo. Coming after him time and time again when he got himself into situations that nearly got him killed. Bo usually didn't seem to give it a second thought, Kenzi did though.

It had him thinking and he had to talk to the human about it before they faced the dreaded Norn. He pulled the bike over and turned to face the confused brunette behind him.

When he had pulled to the side of the rode and turned the motorcycle off Kenzi had pulled the helmet off and was staring at him curiously. "What's up?" She thought they had worked things out pretty well on the whole strategy of theirs. As much as there was of it anyway, find Norn again, threaten Norn again, get Bo's heart back. Ok so there was no way of knowing if the Norn could actually get a heart back she hadn't stolen but if not…well she being so old…ok venerable for the D-man's sensibilities, she should at least have some idea of how to find it and replace it.

The wolf turned to face her on the bike, and opened his mouth…and after a few seconds closed it again. He opened it and then closed it once more, this happened a couple of more times before Kenzi offered. "Ok you want to tell me something or ask me something." The werewolf merely nodded and Kenzi would have normally felt irritated but for some reason, his inability to communicate his feelings was simply one of Dyson's many traits she had found irritating and amusing all at the same time.

"Ok Norn related or us related?" the young woman wasn't averse to playing twenty questions with her mate to get to what was bugging him.

"Us…related." the wolf responded gratefully.

"Sounds promising," the little human said with a lascivious smile. "Mental, emotional, or physical?" she asked.

Dyson thought for a moment and replied seriously, "All three?"

"Well this is getting interesting," she said her brows drawn together as she tapped her chin with her fingertip. "Ok Big Guy, you're going to have to give me more than mono-syllabic to go on here. What's this all in relation too?"

Dyson thought for a minute and realized that he and Bo had never really had to talk about emotional stuff or really much at all come to think of it. Except that when they did it was usually when Kenzi was there to help guide the conversation. She really was their heart albeit in different ways.

He huffed and said, "I've always been the protector. For my Pack, for my King, for the people I cared about. Eventually for the light fae, the Ashe and for the fae interests on police cases. Then also for humans from rogue fae, for Bo, you, Hale and Trick…even Tamsin. You are the only one I have ever met, who has protected me…I'm just not sure…I don't know what I feel about that."

Seeing her features darken slightly he added quickly, "I mean I feel grateful of course…but there's something else I feel…something new and I don't know how to describe it." He continued to try and explain, "I love you obviously but this is something you make me feel that I've never felt. It's a good feeling warm and…" Here the words petered out as once again the cop struggled to explain what was going on inside of him.

"Warm is good, loved is good, protected is good." Kenzi said her head tilted to the side as she studied Dyson's expressions flitting across his usual poker face. Then the word came to her. It was one she herself had never used but when he had held her after her rescue from Inari she had felt it then. "Cherished." she said softly.

The werewolves expression cleared as he looked down at her, a kind of wonder in his expression as he saw the honest devotion in her gaze. "Yeah…yes that's it. That's it exactly." He lowered his head and kissed her gently.

"Trust me Big Guy, you are cherished and after we face off with the Norn, we can go back to our den, lair, home and I can show you just how cherished you are, but right now let's focus on this one thing. Get it done and go home, how's that sound?" Grey eyes were soft as they gazed into his.

"Sounds like a plan," he said as he lifted the helmet himself and put it very carefully back on her head. Now that he knew what this wonderful feeling was he wanted to make sure that Kenzi knew he wasn't the only one who was going to feel cherished in this relationship.

~O~

Kenzi left the axe right outside of the door of the split level ranch. The house itself reminded her of a TV show she remembered from a couple of decades previously, the name of which escaped her at the moment. She waited as Dyson knocked on the front door and they waited for someone to come and answer.

~O~

Dyson instinctively blocked the door with his arm as the Norn saw Kenzi and tried to slam the door in her face. "Really Babushka, manners." The woman froze in her tracks as she squinted at the young woman.

"You talk to me about manners?" She said her voice surprisingly calm as she reminded, "You who took a chainsaw to my precious tree?"

"Yeah and you infected me with the Inari. Besides you stole D-man's heart, and then wouldn't even here us bargain to get it back." By this time the tiny young woman had squeezed her way through the small opening that Dyson had managed to maintain.

The old woman gave Dyson a glare then moved back to let the werewolf enter rather than have to face the pair on two different fronts. "I have taken nothing from you or your werewolf of late, you blasted human. Why are you here?"

Kenzi seemed to be taking a different tack from the last time they were "visiting" the Norn. "We need your advice."

The Norn looked taken aback and then intrigued by the request before her eyes shifted back to their usual calculating glare as she noted, "No one has ever asked me for advice. They ask me for things al the time, beauty, fame, fortune, various skills, luck…but never my advice."

"Yeah well before you get too excited, advice is usually given for free Babushka. With only a favor of some sort expected in return." Kenzi explained warningly.

"And what could a little human like you do for someone like me?" The Norn asked scathingly.

Grey eyes wide and innocent, Kenzi replied, "Well not try to chop down your tree again for one thing."

The old faes eyes whipped between the two, searching for a concealed chainsaw no doubt. Only to have Kenzi continue, "Since it is only advice on one subject and this is the first time I suggest, no favors this time. This being a trial run of sorts."

The old woman's expression soured as she replied, "And how is that of benefit to me."

"Hmm," Kenzi replied thoughtfully as she stood and began to pace and then she said. "I could help you with your gardens along and along. I noticed you have a very nice yard for the suburb but you haven't really done anything with the garden or yard. I'm trying to figure out how to do a yard without a yard. Maybe we could share ideas and you could give me gardening tips."

"And why would I do that?" the Norn asked a little less harshly.

"Because you're older and elders are supposed to pass on their knowledge so its not lost." Kenzi told her.

The older woman was now the one who paced thoughtfully and finally said, "Alright, but don't you come in here thinking it's going to be a one day a week thing. You will come here when we arrange and you will be on time." the Norn said sharply.

Kenzi agreed and they did a complicated handshake that involved the rather disturbing exchange of bodily fluids. Dyson still wasn't sure that the older fae wouldn't try to change the deal she had just made.

"So babushka, here's my problem…." Kenzi started.

~O~

The solution the Norn offered was hardly what Dyson would call a solution. As a matter of fact it offered more problems than solutions. Kenzi however looked satisfied with the Norn's answer, excited even. Dyson was just thrilled they hadn't even had to introduce the ax into the whole situation. Not much anyway because Kenzi as a parting shot had offered to come back if the Norn had lied in anyway, "And I'll be bringing the ax with me."

Then she had ordered the werewolf to head back to the cave so that they could discuss the next step to the plan. As they headed back out to the middle of nowhere though. Dyson was beginning to worry that his little mate may have not been able to handle all of this running around trying to save Bo when she had only recently returned from the dead. As they traveled through the woods on his motorcycle, Kenzi had begun to sag into his back.

He keyed up the mike in his helmet and asked, "You okay back there?"

He felt Kenzi start slightly and realized she must have forgotten temporarily about the comms between the two helmets.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Just relaxing, you know how I said I was a city girl and I wouldn't be able to stand living in the country way back when…" the younger woman said affectionately.

"I think you put it a little more vehemently than that, but yeah, I remember,"

the werewolf replied in an amused tone.

Kenzi took her arms from around his waist and crossed them over his back as she placed her chin on her crossed arms and looked around at the leafy branches closing in overhead, "I think I've changed my mind I can definitely see the appeal of the peace, the quiet," she uncrossed her arms and wrapped them back around his waist. Only to trail her fingers down his front and beginning to trace the seams of his form fitting jeans as she continued in a meaningful tone, "the privacy."

Being a quick study in Kenziness, the detective accelerated the motorcycle. He knew a few shortcuts to get to their cave that they could took and a few very private areas they might be able to take advantage of along the way.