On Moya John, Aeryn and D'Argo accompanied Ashan to the hangar bay to meet Rainne.

"Hey Stormy. How's life with the boys?" John asked.

She smiled. As strange as he was, she did miss Crichton's unusual way of putting things.

"I am very happy, thank you." She addressed Crichton, but was looking at Ashan. K'Tahli's description and the image she had seen on the view screen just an arn before could not prepare her for the sight of him in person.

He had nearly identical markings on his face to the ones on K'Tahli. He was stunning. Even knowing he was not a Peacekeeper, he had an aura of command about him. But how had no one else seen the resemblance to Bialar? He was a younger version of his brother, he didn't have Crais' edginess. There was an inherent kindness beneath the anger that Bialar might have had if he had not been taken so young to the Peacekeepers.

Rainne intended to walk forward to greet Ashan when D'Argo stepped in.

"Rainne."

"D'Argo."

"I am pleased you came to Moya."

"I had to. For K'Tahli." At the sound of her name, Ashan rushed forward.

D'Argo stopped him from touching Rainne, from getting too close.

"Is she well?" Ashan asked, hints of his need to see K'Tahli evident in his tone.

"She is. She wants you to come to Talyn. I am here to find out if you are still a threat to my family." At her calling Crais and Talyn "family," D'Argo growled.

She glared at the Luxan. She turned back to John, Aeryn and Ashan.

"Could you give me a moment with D'Argo?"

D'Argo felt a surge of hope that she had forgiven him the hyper rage.

"Please lock me in the cell alone so I may speak with him."

The meaning was clear. She would like to speak with him, just not unprotected.

They complied with her request and left the two alone.



"Rainne," D'Argo began, "You can trust Ashan. He thought his love had been killed by Talyn at Crais' command." He searched her eyes for her understanding. Perhaps for both his mistakes as well. "You must believe," D'Argo continued, "Love can make a man act in ways that are not normal for him."

Rainne could sense the apology in D'Argo's words.

"I believe that." She answered. The tentative renewal was broken with D'Argo's next words.

"Crais is very possessive of the woman." His voice was almost petulant. "Did you see how he held her? Kept her away from her husband?" D'Argo paused, unsure of taking Rainne's silence for assent. "They are alone now. How can you be sure."

Rainne stood. "Sure of what D'Argo? Sure of Crais' fidelity to me?"

"Yes!" he growled back.

Rainne just shook her head. "He loves me. He would never hurt me." She emphasized the word never, "Crais has changed so much. You should see him with Talyn, he is like a loving father, a patient teacher. He treats K'Tahli like a sister. He LOVES her like a SISTER!" She spun so her back was to D'Argo. He cursed the bars at not being able to reach her.

Rainne wanted D'Argo to understand that she was happy. She wanted him to be happy for her. Looking at the angry stance, she realized it would not happen today. She activated the comm. badge they gave her and asked John to release her and bring Ashan to the hangar bay.

"You deny the evidence right in front of you and only believe what you want to believe!" D'Argo hurled the accusation at Rainne.

"Perhaps you should listen to your own counsel." Rainne said quietly, and prepared to return to Talyn.



On Talyn

K'Tahli was pacing. Her nervousness was making Talyn nervous as well. He was not accustomed to having agitated telepaths aboard.

"No Talyn, she is fine." Crais assured him. Talyn was only marginally reassured, and he continued to try and soothe K'Tahli with soft lights and sounds. She trailed her fingertips across the wall as she had seen Rainne do. It made her feel better.

"What is the cause for this concern? You assured me this is your mate. Does he beat you?"

"No!" she answered. She smiled and thought how brotherly a question. "We have lost much and gained much in a few short solar days. Our telepathic bond was fractured by the teleportation. For me, that is sufficient reason for agitation." She resumed her pacing.

"Well, you are making Talyn skittish. Please, sit down."

She sat on the floor in front of him.

"My mother used to braid my hair when I was upset. Would you?" She asked without turning around.

She would have laughed aloud to see the astonished look on Crais' face. She had no way of knowing that such casual intimacy with a stranger was completely against his training. His love for Rainne was unlocking the gentler side of him, but that could not explain the easy familiarity he felt with K'Tahli. He did not love her like he loved Rainne. He had never experienced what he felt for Rainne with anyone. He removed a brush from Rainne's things and began brushing the black hair. He noticed that the lights Talyn had chosen were the soft orange hues of a Hynerian sunset, but K'Tahli's hair looked almost violet. She sighed at the pleasure of the brushstrokes, and the reflection faded to a soft green. As he began a clumsy braid, the strands reflected a golden yellow.

"Hmmmmm. I know," she said, "It's because I am part Interion."

She sat up and patted the braid.

"Not bad." She grinned at him. Then she saw the look on his face. She had responded to Crais' thought. "I am sorry!" She apologized for her intrusion on his thoughts. "I did it again. I am so used to Ashan's thoughts being open to me."

He studied her for a moment.

"So it is Ashan that I remind you of?"

"Yes."

"I believe I am honored." He retreated from the closeness again with formality. With a small nod he rose and left the room.

K'Tahli leaned her head back to the spot that Crais just vacated. The essence of him still resonated in the room. She had great respect for Rainne, for getting close to Bialar Crais was not an easy task.

Without any forewarning, her sense of Ashan came flooding back. An overhead com link requested her presence at the docking bay.

"Hey Lucy!! I 'm home!!" Crichton called as he stepped out of the tiny leviathan.

"Crichton." Crais' tone was carefully neutral, neither menacing nor welcoming. "Is officer Sun with you?"

Crichton's smile slipped a notch.

"In that thing? We used Crisco to get me, Rainy Day and King Tut inside."

K'Tahli did not have time to be puzzled by the boyishly handsome man with the bizarre manner of speaking. Emerging last from Denali, behind Rainne, was Ashan.

It felt like cycles rather than solar days since she last held him. Still she walked slowly as if rushing forward would dispel an illusion and he would disappear.

When they reached each other in the center of the room, they placed their hands together, palm to palm. Then they touched each cheek with just their fingertips, then placed their foreheads together. It was almost like a dance, a ritual. Even Crichton was moved by the display. Ashan then gathered her close in his arms, as if cocooning her in the safety only he could provide. For a long while, no one spoke. Rainne realized that K'Tahli and Ashan were speaking, very much like she and Crais could through their link to Talyn.



Crais spoke quietly to Rainne. "C'thha. You felt he could be trusted?"

"Look at them! Does this look like a man who would hurt her?"

"But how did you know?"

Rainne looked for a long moment into Crais' eyes. She knew him, trusted him. She had to tell him. The task of bringing fresh pain to this man fell to her. She did not like it, but would be the one to reveal the secret.

Before she could recommend they go someplace private to talk, John spoke up.

"Well, I can see I am the fifth wheel here. Just wanted to make sure nobody got gun happy. I am going to take the Mystery machine back to Moya."

"Wait!" K'Tahli called to him. Crichton got his first clear look at K'Tahli.

"Hey! If it isn't Queen tut. Were you both drunk and in the navy? Wake up with freaky writing on your face?" Crichton's words made no sense, but K'Tahli sensed his words were not duplicity.

"No. The markings we wear proudly. The center marks on our foreheads were done on our wedding day."

"Rings don't hurt as much." John remarked back to her.

She chose not to acknowledge his odd comment about rings. She introduced herself.

"I am K'Tahli Ferrian. Please extend my thanks To Moya and the crew for caring for Ashan."

"Sure thing." John was still fascinated by the intricate markings on her face.

"One other thing." She walked over to Denali. She placed both hands on him. Together they grieved for a moment. For the space of a Microt, her entire body flared, awash in a pale fluorescence.

Then she stepped back.

"Does everyone is this place glow except for me?" John asked, to no one in particular.

"I released Ranjaa's pilot to Denali. The twins' pilots were spirit forms, pure energy. After the pilot helped me teleport to Talyn, I have carried her in my mind. Not a perfect solution, but an acceptable arrangement until I could free her in Denali."

"You've had someone else in your head all this time?" John asked. He had a brief moment of a memory he named "Harvey." He shuddered.

"Well, yes." She paused. "That is why I couldn't control myself with Bialar earlier."

John choked on whatever he was going to say next. He looked over at Crais, then at Rainne and Ashan, who did not seem in the least upset by her admission.

When K'Tahli understood the lewdness of what John thought she meant, she blatantly entered his head.

"I meant control in eavesdropping on thoughts. For a telepath that is the lowest form of rudeness." She glared at John and gave it to him with both barrels. "Besides that, he is my husband's brother."

"No shit?" John said aloud. "This is my cue to leave." He headed over to Denali.

He was cackling to himself. "Do they know?"

K'Tahli and Rainne both shook their heads no.

"Like sands through the hourglass..so are the days of our lives." John was still giggling when he boarded Denali. Rainne's transport would be returned later.



An uneasy silence followed his departure. Before anyone could speak, Crais spun on his heel and went to his quarters. Rainne hurried after him.



Alone in the docking bay, Ashan took K'Tahli's face in his hands. He kissed her, at first carefully as if he was dreaming. He was drowning in her, in the feel and scent of her. He dragged himself back to the surface. He looked directly at her eyes.

"C'thha. What are you hiding from me?"