A/N:The usual disclaimer: I own nothing of Blake's Seven. I just enjoy messing with their lives. The characters belong to Terry Nation and BBC. Darkover belongs to Marion Zimmer Bradley.

Now that we have the three friends back together, it is time for a lot of catching up, and a few startling revelations.

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"Well, Cally," Avon began as Vila poured the tea, "how have you been?"

"Busy!" the Auron answered, her face alight with enthusiasm. "As I'm sure Vila recalls, I told him that first time that the psychic noise here was almost unbearable to me. However, over the past two years, I've developed a shielding technique that I'm working to perfect. It's now possible for me to visit without the distraction of so many telepaths that I endured when I brought you here."

"Does that mean you'll be able to stay with us, then?" Vila asked her eagerly. They were both very fond of her and it would be wonderful if she could come to stay permanently with them.

"No," Cally answered, shaking her head. "You see…" she hesitated, sucking in her lower lip, just a bit nervous about revealing her big news, "I have a daughter now."

Vila looked pointedly at Avon, who gave him his best 'it's not mine' look. Vila grinned, then laughed outright. "Oh, Avon, you didn't think I…that you…"

"Of course not," was the succinct reply, followed by a hearty laugh.

"Tell us about her, please," Vila entreated.

Cally smiled with relief. "Her name is Serran and she is two years old now. The Auronae who rescued me from Terminal have been intent on gathering all our people together to create a new home on Kaarn. There aren't very many of us left but perhaps there are enough. One of them was a cloning specialist. Serran is a clone of my body." Cally's face simply glowed with happiness. "She is such a joy to me, Avon! We share a telepathic link already and she is learning the mental disciplines as she grows and needs them. Oh, Avon…Vila, I'm not alone anymore!" The tears in her eyes were obviously tears of joy. Her face seemed lit from within. Vila rose and kissed her cheek.

Avon settled back into the chair, offering, "Congratulations, Cally, I'm so happy for you."

"Ahem…" Avon interrupted them. "I have something to share with you too, Cally."

Both Cally and Vila turned toward Avon, Cally curiously, Vila knowing what was coming.

"What is it, Avon? Tell me."

*Open your shields, Cally.* Avon's voice echoed faintly in her mind. Her eyes opened wide as a smile of joy and astonishment spread across her face. Consciously, she lowered the barriers enough to let Avon past.

*Avon, this is wonderful. But how and when?*

Vila looked from one to the other, sadly knowing that they now shared something he never could. Putting on the best face he could, he said to them, "If you two are through communing, maybe you could switch back to audio for the benefit of a mere mortal?" Both of them started out of their silent communication and laughed nervously.

"Of course, you're right, Vila," Cally apologized.

Avon was more solicitous. "I'm sorry, Vila, that was rude and insensitive of me."

Vila nodded, frowning in mock concern. "S'all right, Avon, but don't make a habit of it, okay?"

"I won't," he promised solemnly, keeping a straight face with difficulty.

"Tell me, Avon. How did it happen?" Cally curled her legs beneath her and leaned toward him intently.

"You know of course that when you brought us here, Vila contacted the local tower. That's what they call the psi centers here. It took their healers the better part of a year to get me back to some semblance of normalcy. In the process, they…fixed, I guess you'd say, something that wasn't broken, my own psi abilities. But you knew I had them, didn't you?"

She nodded. "Of course, Avon. They were hard to miss. I knew they were either suppressed by you or by someone in your past. I doubted you even knew you had them."

Avon thought for a minute, his face going still, his eyes opaque. "But other than receiving from you, I don't remember any psi episodes from my past."

Vila interrupted at that. "But I knew, Avon."

Avon eyebrows rose in astonishment. This was news to him. "You did? But how?"

"You're not thinking back far enough. Do you remember when you were 14 and I was on the Liberator?" †

Cally blinked at that, frowning. "But I thought you two were the same age. I'm confused."

Vila was eager to explain. "One time, on the Liberator, after Star One, I…had a visitor from the past: a 14-year-old version of Avon showed up one night, looking for me to get the help he needed. He was locked in an air-tight safe, so he projected himself into the future, looking for me as an adult with the proper knowledge to get him out. He used his mind to travel in time. We…couldn't get the reverse trip to work so we were forced to ask the adult Avon for help. He solved the problem, Kerr and I traveled back, I unlocked the safe, then I went back to the Liberator."

"I'm still not sure I understand, Vila. Why would Avon at 14 go to you for help?"

Vila looked at her, a question unspoken on his lips, memories of a mid-watch shared with her five years before.

*It is all right, Vila. Avon knows of that night and what you told me. Now I understand,* Cally said into Vila's mind. ††

She spoke aloud again. "But there were other episodes, weren't there, Avon?"

"Yes," he said, drawing out the word into a hiss. He looked at Vila. "I remember. It was just before we went to visit Egrorian, wasn't it? I told you not to trust me, that I felt I was a danger to you, and the others. You should have listened to me; it would have saved us a lot of heartache." †††

From the look on Avon's face, it was evident that he not only remembered the incident but the results that had come charging in to destroy all those lives but Vila's soon after.

Cally and Vila sat silently for a few minutes, allowing Avon to deal with his private ghosts.

Finally, she asked, "Vila, what was it? Did Avon have a premonition of what happened on Gauda Prime?"

"Oh, no," Avon answered for himself. "It was worse than that. That I didn't succeed is no credit to me. We were on a shuttle that had been sabotaged by Egrorian. There was an incredibly dense bit of space debris on board, preventing us from reaching escape velocity. I only just got it out the airlock in time to prevent us from crashing. But at the time, I…was perfectly willing…to toss Vila out the airlock to lighten the load and save my own miserable neck." ††††

Vila rushed in to help him. "But you didn't kill me, Avon. And besides, by then, I…think you were well and truly mad, or at least psychotic. If we'd been more observant, maybe we could have kept us all off Gauda Prime." And maybe Blake would still be alive, he thought to himself.

"Insane or not, I did try to kill Vila. I know that we made it up after, but I will never forgive myself for what I put him through. And that little episode could be directly traced to Servalan, too!" His voice sounded bitter. Then, recognizing his own dark mood, he made an abrupt about-face to leave it behind him. "I didn't mean to get so maudlin, Cally, must be the brandy I think Vila put in my tea."

"Me? Why, Avon, I did no such thing," Vila sputtered, glad to lighten the mood and change the subject. "But I do think it's time I said good night. I have a big day tomorrow to stage manage and have to be up early," he continued. "Avon can sleep in. He can show you to your quarters whenever you're ready."

Avon rose from his chair to follow Vila.

"No, love," Vila protested, "you don't have to leave our guest so early just for my sake. Stay and talk." He looked at her with a good-natured smile on his open, happy face. "Goodnight, Cally, I'll see you in the morning." Bending, he kissed her lightly on the forehead, then turned and kissed Avon fully on the lips, more of a promise than a goodnight.

After Vila had left, they sat together on the sofa, watching the crackling fire. They passed several minutes in silence before Cally remarked quietly, "He really loves you, Avon. I'm glad for both of you that you've had the chance to be happy together."

Avon didn't answer, appearing to be deep in his own private world. At last he said, "I know, and I know I don't deserve that or him. I don't know how to repay him for all those years, for his friendship, his care, his…love. I feel so inadequate before it all."

"Inadequate? Excuse me, Avon, but you are wrong! You've given Vila your friendship, your love and a home. I don't call that nothing." She looked at him speculatively. "But there's something else, isn't there, Avon. Tell me, what's really bothering you?"

He remained silent so long she thought he wouldn't answer, but Cally was nothing if not patient, especially where Avon was concerned.

At last, he burst out in anguish, "Cally, I've never told him that I love him!"

"Oh, Avon, no wonder you feel this way." She reached over and laid one slender hand on his forearm. "You mustn't let this go on any longer. You must tell him." She looked closer at the man he'd become. The silver shading in his hair glowed in the firelight and she saw tears glimmering on his face.

Rising, she went to sit on the arm of sofa next to him. With her hand comfortingly placed on his shoulder, she urged gently, "Avon, it's not too late."

He gripped her hand as she explained, "When I first joined the crew of the Liberator, I too felt as if I'd been betrayed by my own people. I refused to acknowledge any feelings for anything or anyone. I was lonely for much of the time, except for my friendship with the crew, with you and Vila especially. Then when Blake left, I realized I'd never told him how much I cared for him and what he was trying to do. Then one day he was gone and I never had the chance." She stopped as she saw the look on the man's face. "I think perhaps there were things you wanted to tell him as well."

Avon just nodded, not wanting to remember that part of his past, but wondering just how much Cally knew.

"Don't wait, Avon," Cally told him softly. "This far away from everything we knew, on a primitive world, anything could happen when you least expect it. What if…"

"What if he died without ever having heard me tell him I love him?" Avon completed her statement. "I couldn't live with that, Cally. And I do love him."

"I know you do, Avon. I saw it the night you shared your vows with each other and I see it more profoundly now. Tell him, tell him every day of your life. It is the single most important thing you could ever do. It's not too late," Cally said, rising. "Go to him now. You owe him. No, you owe both of you that."

"You're right, as always. I do owe us that."

After summoning a servant to show Cally to her rooms, Avon left the library, a determined smile on his face.

† See SAFE.

†† See FREEDOM'S CHAINS, Part Four.

††† See FORESHADOW.

†††† See FINAL ORBIT