Author's Note: I just finished The Seventh Gate, and I loooooooooved it! For a while there I thought they were going to let Haplo die, and that would have broken my heart- :-( - love breaks the heart, you know. Anyway, back on topic... I thought this up because I was curious about the search for Rue.

All standard disclaimers apply.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Marit sighed and turned to Haplo. They had searched every camp of Patryns around the Final Gate and the Nexus, with no sign of their Rue. They had found two girls with that name, but one was too young and the other knew her parents, who were both Squatters and had raised the girl themselves.

She focused on Haplo, slid her hand into his. He was still weak from his fight with Lord Xar and the serpent, no matter what he might say. She gently pulled him down to sit next to her, just outside the Patryn and Sartan camps in the Labyrinth, arrayed around the Final Gate.

"You really should rest, you know."

Haplo grimaced. "I've already healed myself. What more do you want?"

"You're wearing yourself out."

"I thought you wanted to find our daughter."

"But not at the expense of your health!"

It was Haplo's turn to sigh. Knowing he was beat, he headed back to the camp. "Tomorrow, we'll head farther into the Labyrinth."

Marit shuddered. She never thought she would be agreeing to go back into the hellish nightmare of a prison. "Yes. Tomorrow." She wasn't about to let him faint on her, like Alfred.

Handfast, they headed back into camp. They had a small tent of their own, as did Alfred, attached to the camp of the Abri Patryns. After staying a moment with Headman Vasu, they headed to their own tent. Marit sat on a map, began checking her weapons out of habit before she realized that she had not used them today. She relaxed a tiny bit. There was a certain anticipation in the air; surprisingly, neither the Labyrinth creatures nor the serpents had attacked, but the uneasy peace felt like the calm before the storm.

She moved to sit next to Haplo; he slipped his arm around her waist and she tried to relax against him, shake off the uneasiness.

They sat together in silence for a while before she looked up, found that Haplo was looking down at her very oddly.

"Marit," he whispered, voice husky, "what's your view on rune- joining?"

She smiled, knowing what was coming. "Well, depends on who it's with. My other husband was a bit—masterful."

"Would you rune-join with me?"

Although she had been expecting him to ask ever since Lord Xar had died, the question still sent shivers of pleasure down her spine. "Of course," she replied, and she allowed Haplo to pull her into his lap and kiss her deeply, although she stopped him before his lips could move on to her neck.

"We'll need ink and a bodkin," she whispered, and gently stood up, pulling Haplo to his feet as well.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Upon returning to their tent, Marit sat back on her ankles as Haplo knelt in front of her, straddling her knees. The Patryn from whom they borrowed the ink and bodkin had been able to tell what it was for, and had grinned when Haplo slid his arm around Marit's waist.

Marit sighed as the bodkin pricked the scarred flesh of her forehead where Xar's rune had been. Unlike her joining with Xar, Haplo's boundless love for her, along with his magic, flowed into her soul and body as he tattooed her forehead. The rush of elation she felt nearly swallowed up, and when she opened her eyes again, she could see the joy shining in Haplo's face.

Marit sighed when he was through, and would have collapsed onto the sitting mat but for Haplo's strong arms. He held her close until she was more clear-headed, at which time he and hugged her and handed her the bodkin, changing his position so that he knelt before her.

Looking at the burning excitement in his face, she leaned close to tattoo his forehead in turn, her blood from the bodkin mingling with his. The ecstasy raced back, and she loved him as never before, loving his very soul, pouring her magic, her life, and her life's experiences into him. They were irreversibly linked, heart to heart, mind to mind, and soul to soul.

When it was done, she pushed the ink and bodkin away to the side of the tent and took him in her arms. he slipped his hands up to the back of her head and tried to kiss her, but she gently put her hand to his lips and pressed their foreheads together, one sigil against the other, to complete the rune-joining. After the last rush of magic, their lips touched, and they held each other close for a long, long time before doing away with each other's clothes and pulling each other onto the sleeping mat.