Alison sat in her room by herself. She wouldn't let anyone near her.

She sat there petting the creature she named Ronan whose head was resting on her lap. Ronan had grown quite a bit over the past week. She was now the size of a small to medium dog. Alison had locked her door and pushed furniture in front of it to keep everyone out. She did the same with the secret door in her closet that lead to the hidden passageways that went all over the manor house. She just wanted to be alone.

"Alison if you don't let me in now I'll have to speak with your father."

She refused to answer him. Only kept petting her special friend as she leaned back against the wall of her closet, hidden from all that would enter either way.

"Remember our agreement?" He paused to give her a chance to answer. "Very well. I'll go get your father to enter with us."

Alison hid even better. She used the spray bottle she had on her little friend to keep her from drying out. All she wanted was to be alone. She had tried to talk to her father that morning about everything but he simply ignored her, just saying 'Yes,' 'That's nice,' or statements to that effect. Right now she felt all alone except for the presence of her pet.

It wasn't long before she heard her father's authorative knock on the door. It was more of a warning before the door was forced open. Ronan was getting upset.

"It's okay Ronan," Alison said and made sure they couldn't be seen.

She had left the window open with the escape ladder out of it to make them think she ran off. Why couldn't they just leave her alone?

Ronan wouldn't be calmed. She was restless and uncomfortable. As a result she was having a hard time staying still or quiet. It didn't take long for the door to open and her father enter the room. Alison continued to try to calm her beloved pet as she hid from everyone.

"Alison, I want to see you now." She still did not answer.

He was getting closer and his rough tone was setting Ronan off more. The guards nodded and began to search. Alison held her pets mouth shut. Ronan shook her head trying to get loose. With her size it was an effort for Alison to do so. "Ronan be quiet," Alison ordered softly.

"Milaird, the escape ladder is out the window," one of the guards called out.

"Search the room for her and alert the patrols to look for her."

Her father stopped across from where she was. Ronan lunged at him pulling her a few inches. Alison struggled to pull her back. Ronan lunged again as two guards began to search the room well. On the grounds extra patrols were already out looking.

"Ronan." Alison exclaimed again. Ronan pulled free and hissed angrily at Alison's father. They were still in hiding as Alison grabbed the creature's tail.

Alex turned, "Ronan! No!"

Robert stopped and looked at Alex."What is Ronan and what was that hissing noise." He demanded.

"Ronan is the Lady's pet my Laird."

"Pet?! She's not to have pets. She's allergic."

Alison began to try harder to pull the creature back.

"Ronan does not have fur, nor has the Lady shown any allergic reactions to Ronan."

Alison tried to pull harder but Ronan jumped out more, hissing, trying to protect her mistress. Alex got between Ronan and his laird, rapping her on the snout. She stopped and cried out. Alison climbed back into the closet, hiding. She was mad at everyone at the moment.

"What in the bloody hell is that thing?!" Laird Robert Burnett demanded.

"That is Ronan."

"Get that damned thing out of here!"

"NO!!!!" Alison screamed out, coming out of her hiding place and grabbing onto her beloved pet. Ronan hissed at him again. Once more Alex rapped her on the snout.

"Leave her alone!!!" Alison yelled, holding onto Ronan.

"I said get it out of here now!!!" Robert growled the order.

Ronan drew herself up to her full height and roared.

"Go away!!!" Alison yelled, she had never showed her father such disrespect before.

"You dare disobey me!"

"You don't care!"

"Get her out of here before I have her removed, forcefully."

"No Daddy!" Alison said, starting to cry as she hugged Ronan's neck. The creature seemed to be protecting her favorite person.

"My Laird she's been caring well for Ronan."

"I don't care!"

Alison was almost hysterical now.

"My Laird, please."

"Where has this...thing been staying?"

"Mostly in the bathroom my Laird."

"Take it out of here and put it in the bathroom."

"Ronan." Alex put a gentle hand under her chin and headed for the bathroom. Ronan looked from her mistress to Alex undecided. "Ronan," Alex used a warning tone. Ronan reluctantly followed Alex.

"You have some explaining to do." Alison crawled back into her hiding spot, putting her knees to her chest and hugging them. "Alison."

"Leave me alone." Her tears could be heard in her voice.

"Allie." Sniffling could be heard. "Come here lass."

"Why."

"I want to speak with you."

"I thought you were busy."

"Lass." Scuffling could be heard as she moved out some but stopped about half way. Her father advanced, carefully. Her bare feet were visible. He leaned down and picked her up. She was a tiny girl for her age but compared to his huge towering frame she might as well have been a wee babe. "I love you."

"No you don't."

"That's not true."

"Uh huh. You only love work." She was starting to cry again.

"No Allie love.

"I tried...to...talk...to you...and you...didn't...listen." Alison cried hard. "Only...Ronan...loves...me...now."

"That's not true lass."

"Uh huh." She was starting to tremble.

"The Healers are doing all they can for her. I ken that it's hard for you. Before you ran off I was going to tell you that you could see her for a while this afternoon."

"No! She's gonna die!!!" The devastation was very clear in her voice.

"That's nay for certain lass."

"Uh huh!!!"

"Would you believe it if the Healer told you?"

"No! Let me go. I don't want you I want Nora but she's gonna die!!!!"

"And who told you that lass?"

"Wallace did!!!"

"Alex, have Wallace in my office ten minutes ago."

"He's mean to me daddy."

"It's the last time he'll do anything like that." She was shaking terribly. After Alex left to get Wallace, Ronan left the bathroom and made her way to the closet and was standing there. She called out to her mistress. "Go quiet her." Alison's head was against his huge chest.

Ronan cried out again. Robert headed for the creature. Ronan moved back a little but looked like she would attack if need be. Robert carefully crouched down. Alison lifted her head and reached out and pet her pet. Ronan relished in the attention. She still eyed Robert, but she wasn't trying to be threatening.

"She can nay stay here lass," he said gently.

"But why daddy," Alison asked, sniffling.

"She needs more room and more water."

"But daddy, she's still a baby. Can't I put her in the pool?"

"Better for her to go to the lake now than to the pool for a short time, then to the lake." She started crying hysterically again. Ronan crooned and nudged Alison with her snout. Alison put her arms around her. "She can stay one more night."

"10."

"Lass. Tomorrow."

"Please daddy."

"She needs it lass."

"She needs me."

"She getting to big to live mostly on land or in shallow waters."

"But I need to protect her."

"From what?"

"From bad people. From whatever is in that loch."

"Lass I do nay think Ronan needs protected from her mother."

"How do you know?"

"The creature in the lake has never attacked Anyone."

"But what if it does Ronan."

"Then we need to find out sooner."

"I don't understand."

"If we need to protect or teach her, better to know now than when she won't fit in the pool."

"So we are going to train her?"

"Only if she needs it."

Alison got down off her father and hugged the pet who in turn licked her face.

"My Laird, he's waiting in your office." Alex said.

Alison looked up at her father.

"He can continue to wait." Robert said. Alison smiled. "What do you think I ought to do with him?"

Alison shrugged. "He doesn't like me. He calls me a brat and says that I'm stupid." She looked up at him. "'m not stupid, Nora says that I'm at a 11th grade level. That means I'm smart right daddy," she asked, trying to get reassurance from her only parent.

"It means you are very very smart."

"Am I bad," Alison asked, looking her father right in the eyes. Behind her eyes he could see the guilt and inner torment she was

facing.

"You are willful and a bit disobedient at times, but you are not bad." Robert gently told her. She looked away. It was obvious that

something was really bothering the child. "What's wrong?

"Nothing." She tried to get up to go to her pet.

"Allie. Lass." She started crying again. He hugged her.

"I killed my mother..." She said while crying and hiccupping. "And now Nora."

"You did not kill yer mother."

She nodded her head urgently.

"Have I lied to ya lass?"

"N...no..."

"Then why would I lie to you about that?'

"But...Wallace said..."

"Wallace is an idiot."

"Then why...did she die?"

"Becuase her body was no able to take the stress of child birth."

"So I did kill her."

"No. She chose to give you life."

Ronan came over and laid her head on Alison's lap. "I don't want to have babies."

"That is your choice lass."

She didn't look at him. She knew she was expected to have at least one. "Having babies makes you die."

"No. It is nay common lass. My mother had many children and didn't die form that. Nor did her mother."

"Then where are they now?"

"They lived to see their children grow up and then died."

"Did I ever meet them?"

"Long ago." This seemed to calm her some. "Nora had a child long a ago."

Alison looked at him in surprise. "She did?

"Aye."

"Where is her child?"

"There was an accident before it was a year old." Alison looked very sad. "That is why we nay talk about it."

"She always tells me I'm her child."

"You have been good for her."

"I love her daddy. To me she's my mommy."

"Good. It would nay displease her it you called her that."

"You wouldn't be mad?"

"No. As long as you nay try to get her and I to wed."

"You don't like her daddy?"

"I do like her but no in that way."

"Okay. I think she likes Alex anyway."

Alex cleared his throat. Alison blushed a little and tried to hide her face in her father's shirt. He chuckled. Ronan looked up at Alex and cried out hungrily.

Alex went to the large food tank and pulled out a few. Ronan hurried over to him whining for food.

"She's a pig." Jaye teased.

"She's young and growing."

"I don't want her to leave."

"Do you want to her get sick and die?"

"No!"

"Then she needs to go home."

"But this is her home."

"Is this where you got her from?"

"No I got her from an egg. Wanna see it?"

"Aye."

Alison got up and ran over to her huge desk that was covered with all kinds of stuff to keep her busy mind occupied and grabbed the cracked

open multicolored, translucent egg and ran back to her father. "See Daddy!!!" She was really excited, like she was whenever she found out

something knew.

He gently took it and looked at it. "Where did you get the egg from?"

"I tripped on it on the beach."

"Ah so that's where ye were."

"You knew?"

"I knew you'd disappeared on Wallace and had na done any disappearing since."

"I promised Alex."

He nodded. "She needs to go back tomorrow."

"But DADDY!!!!"

"Alison, it's what she needs." She started crying again. "Tis hard to do the right thing sometimes."

"But I love her..."

"And because of that you have to let her go."

"But I don't want too."

"Allie."'

"You don't love me!!!" Alison ran out of the closet and raced towards the door to her suite of rooms. Ronan cried out to her, torn between

eating and going to her mistress. Alison ran out the door. Alex ran after her. She was crying hard as she ran down the stairs. Alex waited until she was at the bottom to pick her up and held tight as she struggled against him.

"That was very rude."

"I DON'T CARE!!!"

"Then there is a good chance Ronan will be taken to the lake now."

"NO!!!!" Her eyes were red and so were her cheeks from crying.

"Then you need to go and convince your father to let her stay the night. It's not like you can't go to the lake to visit Ronan."

"But I want her to stay with me."

"She can't Alison. She's too big. She's not designed to be a land creature."

"B...but...I'll miss her. She sleeps with me."

"Not for much longer lass. Soon she's going to hurt because there's no water to support her weight." She was no longer arguing but she was

hysterical. "I ken that it's hard, but you knew that would happen when she hatched."

"What if she forgets me

"If you visit often enough she won't."

"Promise?"

"That I can no promise, because I don't know enough about her kind. But she's smarter than a dog and they would." She nodded. "So go back to

your father." Alison hugged him and he hugged her back. "Now scoot."

After he let her down she ran up the stairs and into her room. Alex paused to let her have a few moments alone with her father before going

back up. Alison slowly walked into the room where Ronan was eyeing her father. She patted her friends head. Ronan knocked her down

with her greeting.

Alison giggled as her pet licked her face and wiggled excitedly. Ronan stood over Alison, her weight pinning the girl

to the floor. "I love you too Ronan." Alison said, trying to get the creature off her. She wasn't able to budge the larger creature.

"Daddy..." Alison called out.

Alex arrived and the two men moved Ronan off of Alison. She got up off the floor, her shirt was soaking wet. Ronan was protesting. Alison

went over and petted her head. "Shh..."

Alex gave young Alison a look he hoped under scored the need for Ronan to be at the lake. She started to cry a little bit.

"You are going to a new home tomorrow. I can't go with you but I promise to visit you every day." Ronan sensed her unhappiness and cried out loudly. "I love you."

Ronan sounded off at the top of her lungs, deafening everyone. Alison looked at her surprised. It was clear Ronan was upset. Alison hugged her around her neck and started to sing the lullaby that Nora always sang to her. The creature began to croon along. Her father looked at Alex with a surprised look on his face. Alex smiled at the pair. Alison continued to sing softly, she had a beautiful voice.

"What are you going to do to Wallace?" Alex asked Laird Burnett.

"Let us discuss this on the way down to my office." Robert pushed for them to go.

"Aye my Laird."

Robert kissed his daughter's head as she continued singing then walked out with Alex, closing the door behind him. Alex pointed to two of the

guards on patrol and pointed to Alison's door. They understood the message and took up positions on either side of the door.