March 12th, 1964

The best time to attack the supply depot was, without a doubt, dawn or dusk. When the light did funny things to distances and yet there were plenty of shadows. That was what they had decided during strategy meetings, and that fact had not changed. Arriving at their pre-determined location about an hour before dawn, that hour became their target time.

It was a simple plan. Spread out, attack in teams, destroy everything and get out again. The team situation however had changed with the Shock Alchemist missing. With nine alchemists they reshuffled things a little. Cal was reassigned to work with Polasky and Kieleigh Rennaux. The other teams consisted of Fines and Derrick Tringham, Sara and Will, and Maes and Marcus Kane.

Maes felt his heart pounding in his chest as they waited for the moment. He knew that it could have been either him or Tringham the Drachmans had spotted first; they had been the first to draw fire. While no one had commented, he still felt like they blamed him. Why not? He had screwed up before, and it was only a matter of time until he screwed up again. Or at least, he was sure they were thinking it. After all, wasn't he waiting for it to happen? He had talked Kane into letting him come, but what if it had been a mistake?

"Get ready."

The two whispered words were Maes' only warning before Kane set off the flaming streams of colored light for which he was so well known, popping and bursting all above the supply warehouses.

That was it! Following Kane over the rocks, Maes ran towards the depot buildings. They didn't have to get all the way up to them to do their jobs. That was good, since the guards would hardly let them walk right up!

Though a minute later Maes found himself reassessing his opinion as they reached the critical point, and he snapped his fingers and the air around them exploded into a series of small fireballs that flew directly through the windows of the closest warehouse. Inside light flared up almost immediately to show that things were definitely lighting up.

The sky fire continued to rain down; not flames per se, but still explosive. As they faded out and tumbled down onto the same warehouse they lit, again, and small explosions sounded; the roof went. The fire blazed higher.

Down the line, one warehouse began to crumble as its foundations were busted and torn away by large plant roots, and spikes of hardened crystal that Maes expected wasn't really diamond, but might as well be. Wind and light distracted the guards and drew their fire. To the other side, another warehouse simply exploded; definitely Rennaux's work. Maes was always impressed with her improvisational explosives. As if from nowhere, a gout of water sprayed up from the center of the building, whose roof was utterly gone, though the place wasn't burning. Instead, as it filled with water, Maes could just imagine the supplies getting soaked and ruined. Polasky was keeping guards off them.

Maes and Kane ran for the next –and last- warehouse, where Sara and Will should already be in position and set up. It was the largest. It also contained the majority of the ammunition and other weapons related items stored at this particular supply depot. Set closest to the road and most heavily guarded, Maes found himself gritting his teeth as he shot flames directly into the faces of charging Drachman soldiers as they stopped and attempted to take aim and fire on the alchemists, who dodged, attacked, and were practically invisible in the dawn light so recently shattered by the bright plumes of light that Kane produced.

Over all, if not for the fact that he really couldn't afford another major mistake, Maes would have been disappointed in how easily the mission went. Despite the firefight outside of Buzcoul, the guards up at the depot had been lax. Not that they were asleep at their posts, but they had clearly not been expecting the attack to come so soon, or possibly not at all.

"That's it!" Kane shouted as the fourth one not only caught fire quickly, but began to crumble and then exploded as the munitions inside lit!

They turned and retreated, leaving the Drachmans a scrambling mess.

Maes was panting hard and had a stitch in his side by the time he collapsed at the rendezvous point several minutes later. It was well back in the hills, and they could see the glow of the burning buildings, but the noise was no longer audible.

He and Kane arrived first. Maes looked over at his commanding officer and flashed him a smirk. "So, how'd we do, boss?"

Kane shook his head, panting some himself. "Well, I want to make sure everyone made it," he replied. "But so far I'd say that went off… explosively well."

"No puns from you!" Sara groaned as she and Will appeared through the trees and rocks. She collapsed beside dropped cross-legged a moment later, looking no less tired. "At least the job's done."

"Did we lose anyone?" Will asked.

"Not to my knowledge," Kane shook his head. "We'll know soon enough though."

And they did. Out of the now morning light eventually came Rennaux, Tringham, Polasky, Fischer, and Fines. Everyone looked tired, but no one looked injured.

"They were pretty unhappy," Cal admitted, grinning as they finished accounting their various tales and analysis of the raid not too much later. "They finally got around to shooting at me as I hit the rocks."

"Took them long enough," Maes grinned. "So, when do we head back?"

"In a few minutes," Kane replied. "We don't want to give them time to form up a proper search and find us. We'll head back to the meet up point with the truck." Then he looked at Fischer. "Whitewater, I want you to sneak into Buzcoul and do a little recon. Find out what happened to Shock, and then meet us back at the truck. Understood?"

Cal nodded, "Yes, Sir." From his expression, he was more than willing to take the assignment.

Maes hoped the kid was all right. "I'll go too," he offered. Cal might need the back up.

He felt familiar disappointment as Kane shook his head. "No, Mustang. Your face is too well known. This needs to be done as quietly and quickly as possible."

A good point, but it still stung. "Understood." They would head back to the truck, and then back to the lines, and he would just be grateful that his part in the mission had gone off without any problems. Maybe now, Kane would start trusting him again.

March 13th, 1964

A hot shower had never felt so good. Okay, so it probably had, but this one was his new favorite. Despite the awkwardness of bathing and not getting his bandaging too wet, Tore had managed to get himself scrubbed clean everywhere else, especially his hair, and to shave one handed. No mean trick that one either! He had been starting to look more than a little scruffy with nearly a week's growth. He felt good as he stood back in his little room, and removed the towel he had wrapped around his waist in order to finish drying off enough to pull on the shorts, loose sweat pants, and tank top that Doctor Horace had fished out from somewhere for him to wear. The clothing lay on the bed. Tore stood, facing halfway between the bed and the door as he looked in the small mirror hanging there to make sure he hadn't missed any spots shaving.

A light tap came on the door before it opened all the way and Noelle walked in with a couple of towels. "Tore, Auntie said you were going to take a shower, so you'd need…." Her sentence stopped. "Oh my gosh," she gasped, her face paling a split second before it flamed fiery red. She dropped the towels on the floor and dashed back out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

Tore blinked, and barely had time to register that Noelle was there before she was gone. "Hey, wait!" What was her problem? He went to the door, rewrapping the towel around him for lack of anything better, and opened it. She had been moving pretty fast. How far had she gotten?

Noelle squeaked a bit when the door opened. She had not gotten far obviously since she was just outside the door, with a hand over her mouth. She averted her eyes quickly when she saw that Tore only had a towel, "I'm sorry, I should have waited for an answer before barging in, but the door was ajar, so I thought you were at least decent, and Auntie wanted me to bring you some towels, but I lost track of time, I should have gotten them to you earlier…" Her eyes seemed riveted to the floor.

So she was embarrassed at having walked in on him naked. Tore couldn't help chuckling. "Hey, it's no big deal. Relax. I appreciate the thought. I could use another towel. This one's pretty damp." He kept casual, after all it wasn't like he had anything a nurse, even in training, shouldn't already know about!

"Well, there are two on the floor now," Noelle said, risking a look in his direction. Her face was still beet red as she suddenly gave him a shove back towards the room. "Please go put something on so I can stop blushing!"

"I'm wearing a towel," Tore pointed out, grinning playfully. "Am I really that ugly?"

"No," Noelle squeaked, the blush deepening another shade. "But I'd prefer clothing as opposed to something that's likely to fall off if you make any sudden movements."

"That could make things interesting then," Tore admitted. "I'm not entirely sure I can get everything on with one arm. I can probably manage the shorts, but the rest," he shrugged. He was doing his best not to use the injured shoulder as Doctor Horace ordered. He needed it to heal quickly.

"If you can get on shorts, you can get on pants," Noelle countered, finally seeming to get her wits about her. "I can help you with the shirt, but I'm pretty sure you can handle pulling up a pair of sweatpants."

"Presuming they don't get caught on anything, and stay up long enough to get the waist tied," Tore replied. It wasn't quite as simple as it would seem. He supposed it was easier for girls on both accounts. They had hips, and nothing else to catch on. "I take it you're not willing to help out a patient then?" He asked that one with a straight face.

Noelle squeezed her eyes shut for a moment and took a deep breath, "If you're really serious, you need the help, then yes, I'll help you out."

"Much appreciated. Believe me, it's a little embarrassing not to be able to get dressed on my own," Tore replied. "Give me a minute and I should be able to at least get the shorts on." They had a more elastic waist and no need of a draw string. He already knew the pants were a little too big to stay up without it. He closed the door and did just that; sitting first to get it over his feet and up to his knees, and then standing. It was awkward, but eventually he had them on. "Okay, I'm decent," he called out when he was finished.

"A pair of shorts hardly makes you decent," Noelle said as she entered the room. It looked like she had composed herself during the time she waited outside. She picked up the pair of sweats, "Step in. So what were you planning to do if I hadn't, um, walked in on you? Sit around in shorts all day waiting for someone to walk in and offer a hand?"

"Wiggled around like a complete idiot probably," Tore chuckled, "Though that might have hurt a lot more." He stepped easily into the sweats, and then eyed her curiously. "Even as a nurse you've never seen a guy naked, have you?"

"No!" she answered quickly, her cheeks coloring again. She moved quickly to pull up the pants, "I suppose it could have been worse. My first could have been a wrinkly old man."

"Never wander into the men's locker room of a gymnasium by accident," Tore suggested, grinning. "You might blush enough to give yourself third degree burns."

"Haven't I already done enough of that?" Noelle replied before an impish grin crossed her face. "How tight do you need these?" she asked, quickly tightening the drawstrings.

"Just enough they don't fall off my hips," Tore commented. "There, that's good." It wasn't like he had any padding for them to rest on. "Thanks. Feel better?"

"Not yet," she grinned as she tightened the drawstrings more. "That should make doubly sure they don't go anywhere for awhile."

"By accident anyway," Tore chuckled. He might want to be able to relieve himself eventually! It was late morning, about evenly between breakfast and lunch.

She grabbed the tank top and brushed her hair out of her eyes where it had fallen, "Injured side first. I have to ask though, since I don't know if the opportunity will present itself again, are you ticklish?" She did not even wait for an answer and attacked his uninjured side.

"Oh crap...no!" Tore jumped sideways as her fingers hit, laughing even as he backed away scrambling. He wasn't overly ticklish, but when there was no warning it was always worse! "Please stop!" He bumped backwards into the wall and stopped hard, grimacing.

"Oh no!" Noelle exclaimed, leaping forward, all mirth vanishing. "Did you reinjure yourself? Gosh, I shouldn't have tickled you, I should have thought about how close we were to the wall!"

"It's okay," Tore managed through gritted teeth. Eyes closed, he stood there a moment, breathing deeply until the sudden pain ebbed back to a dull thumping. "Just a little sore. Really."

"Did you want to sit down on the bed?" Noelle asked, placing a hand on his arm.

Tore nodded, stepping forward before he opened his eyes...and almost stepping right into Noelle!

Noelle took in a short breath at their closeness, before closing the distance and brushing her lips against his.

Tore was startled; if only pleasantly so. After the past couple of days, given the constant banter, he had not expected this response! Though given my history... maybe I should have. Girls liked him. He knew that. He returned the kiss without a moment's hesitation, warm and willing and experienced. He preferred a woman's lips over a smoke or a drink any day anyway! His good hand came up to gently touch her soft cheek.

She broke the contact reluctantly, a blush rising to her cheeks. She gave an uncertain smile before commenting, "You're utterly distracting when you're half dressed..."

"Most people are," Tore countered with a quiet, slightly throaty tone. He was grateful for the shorts under the boxers for the subtlety they offered to his reaction. She was an amazing kisser. Having met quite a few, he would know! "You... you're distracting completely dressed."

Noelle chuckled a little, "I'm not trying to be distracting. You, I can spot from across the room. That's quite a talent you have."

"I'm not sure it's a talent," Tore replied modestly. "Though I'd be lying if I said girls usually ignore me or something like that."

"Oh," Noelle said biting her lip with uncertainty. "Um, you still need to sit down?"

"Eventually," Tore chuckled. "That was nice. But if you'd rather I sat down, I will."

She relaxed again a bit and smiled up at him, "I… liked it too. You're a good kisser."

Tore's heart thumped in his chest. He had to admit, it had been a while since he'd had as immediate a reaction to a woman beyond physical attraction. There were a lot of things he liked about Noelle. "Thanks." He smiled. What was he thinking though? He would be gone as soon as he could get out of here, and who knew what would happen next. "You are too."

"That's nice to know," Noelle grinned cheekily. "Quite a turnaround from the last time. Last guy I shared a kiss with called me all sorts of nice names that a lady shouldn't repeat."

"If a lady shouldn't repeat them, they can't be all that nice," Tore countered.

"I have to agree with you there," Noelle replied, before she sighed happily. "Thanks."

Tore stood there a moment longer, hesitating between the urge to kiss her again or to sit. "I wouldn't mind doing that again sometime..." he said finally."If you're interested I mean."

"I might be interested," Noelle smiled as she kissed Tore again.

Dangerous and beautiful. Tore returned the kiss a little stronger than before, letting himself get lost in it.

She responded in kind as she brought a hand up to his bare chest. When Noelle broke off the kiss, she was breathing heavily, "I think I got lost in that," she gasped, still trying to catch her breath.

Tore liked the feel of her hand there. He brought his good hand up on top of it. "Me too." He didn't move away. His heart was thumping. His breath was a little short. If she were willing he'd... did he dare press for anything more than a couple of relatively chaste kisses?

Noelle took a deep breath with a smile, "That was amazing. I haven't been kissed like that before."

"Then the guys didn't appreciate you enough," Tore breathed, keeping his face close to hers, his eyes looking steadily into the dark depths. "You're... really something else."

Noelle felt her face blush as she looked back to Tore with uncertainty. She bit her lip as she looked away, "You're… intoxicating, but… I can't…"

Tore shifted back a few inches to give her space. "It's all right." He smiled, to show her he wasn't offended. "If you don't want to do anything more than this, it's fine. I like this."

"You do?" Noelle let out a breath, visibly relaxing again. She chuckled a little, "I need to stop assuming what you'll say. I wasn't expecting that."

"What did you expect me to say?" Tore asked curiously. "That I'd rather drag you in a corner and sleep with you?"

"Remember the guy who called me all sorts of nasty names?" Noelle said, the blush still on her cheeks. "He was livid when I told him I wouldn't go all the way with him. Called me all sorts of choice names, left me without a ride home and never spoke to me again. Not that I minded, since he was such a jerk about everything."

"Sounds like a real loser," Tore smirked. "It's too bad you had to go through that. No, I have to admit, it wouldn't be my first, but there's more to life than sex. It's a very personal thing, obviously. I can't imagine forcing the issue. It wouldn't be fair."

"Are you for real?" Noelle asked; a note of wonder in her voice. "How on earth are you not snatched up yet?"

Now that was an uncomfortable and complicated question! "I kind of ruined my chance with my last serious girlfriend," he admitted simply. "I haven't found anyone else yet I connect with enough to try for anything long term." Uncomplicated truth was the best he could offer.

"I'm sorry," Noelle said, immediately looking contrite. "I didn't mean to bring up painful memories. You know you don't have to answer everything I ask, right?"

"Yeah, I know," Tore smiled. "But you know... I like you. It's only fair that you know something about me, right? I mean, about that kind of stuff." She already had some of his family and social history. They had plenty of time to talk with him injured and hiding.

"Now that we've shared a kiss or two, it's fair that I get a peek into your love life?" Noelle asked with an impish grin. "Interesting. What information would I get if I kissed you again?"

"What do you want to know?" Tore countered.

Noelle grin turned cheeky, "How do you keep your lips so soft?"

That was not the question he had been looking expecting. He laughed. "Luke-warm bacon grease and coffee... it's amazing," he joked.

Noelle laughed along with him, "I hope you don't mean that you mix the two together. It sounds gross, but I may have to try it since your results are so amazing."

"They do kind of mix when you're wolfing down breakfast," Tore pointed out.

"Everything ends up mixed together when you eat since it all ends up in your stomach," Noelle laughed again. "At least, that's what my mom told me when I was little and refused to eat the casserole she'd made for dinner."

"That doesn't mean it tastes good going down," Tore snickered. "Some things definitely taste better than others." Noelle, for example, tasted great.

"You taste like hot water and soap right now," Noelle spoke before clapping a hand over her mouth. Color rose to her cheeks, "That just spilled out…"

"Yes it did," a gruff - and familiar - voice commented from the doorway. Tore glanced over at Doctor Horace. "I don't recall tasting being on your job description, Noelle. How long does it take to deliver towels?"

"Oh!" Noelle squeaked, nearly leaping away from Tore's side. Her face had turned scarlet as she stammered, "I, I'm sorry, I lost track of time, I'm going now!" She dashed out of the room with lightning speed.

Tore tried not to squirm as the doctor gave him a very direct, and rather considering, look. "I want to take a look at your arm again before lunch. Have a rest and drink more cold water. You look flushed."

Only a fool would have missed the double entendre. "Yes, sir." Tore replied, reminding himself of what he had failed to listen to earlier. He was behind enemy lines, in an occupied town, relying on the good will of these people to survive until he could get out of here. Getting distracted by a girl - no matter how attractive and interesting - was not his objective.

Doctor Horace said nothing more for the moment. He just nodded and left, closing the door firmly behind him.

March 14th, 1964

It took more than a little ingenuity to get into North City unnoticed. Or rather, it didn't really. For Cal it was more a stroke of luck to find a farmer bringing what he had into town to sell: eggs, meat, and whatever else could be produced in March in a barren snowy wasteland. Cal had little trouble convincing the man to let him hitchhike in the back of his covered truck. The Drachmans apparently cared little about farmers coming in and out of town heading from any direction that was clearly not the war front. They searched it on the way in, but tucked away, Cal was completely missed in the cursory inspection. The Drachmans sounded, frankly, bored.

Cal crawled out of the truck in an alley way just off of one of the market streets. "Thanks," he commented to the driver as he helped carry a couple of crates in as a matter of gratitude. "You said you were heading back out this afternoon?"

The driver nodded. "I like to head out by about three o'clock and get home before it gets dark. If you need an out, be back by then. I won't be coming back this way for a month if I can help it."

"Understood. Thank you again." Cal hurried out of the alley and glanced down at the piece of paper in his hand. On it was written a list of the medical practices in Buzcoul. His first notion had been that if Tore were dead or injured, he or his body would likely be in one of those places. Or if he had been treated, they might know where he was. If not, than hopefully he would be able to locate him by some other means.

It turned out to be a long, fruitless morning. The main hospital had no record of anyone matching Tore's description, body or otherwise. Neither did either of the emergency clinics nearby. So he started looking in the smaller clinics. People were cautious, but more understanding when they realized he really was just looking for an injured comrade and was definitely not a Drachman sympathizer. Still, no luck.

After a hasty lunch in one of the cafes, Cal continued his search. There were only two places left on his list. He looked at the name the driver had scribbled down. Doctor Horace Hahn. The man apparently had his own small clinic not too far a walk from the north town gate. It was very small, but that didn't mean much. The location meant he probably should have paid more attention to it earlier. But it was at the very bottom of the list; almost as an afterthought.

The clinic turned out to be a two-story building on the corner of a small side street that backed onto one of the few large rocky outcroppings that had never been removed when the city was built. It was at the end of such a block row; a faded building of natural wood-brown with pale yellow paint. Not feeling particularly hopeful, Cal knocked on the door.

It took several seconds, but the door opened to reveal a middle-aged man in a white lab coat. The doctor, certainly. "Doctor Hahn?" Cal addressed him.

"That's me," the doctor nodded. "Do you need something looked at?"

"Actually, I'm looking for a friend," Cal explained quietly. "I have reason to think he's injured. May I come in?" It would be easier to explain out of public eyes and ears. The occasional Drachman patrols in the city made him nervous.

"What's your name?" The doctor asked warily as he did step aside.

"Calvin Fischer."

Was that recognition in the doctor's eyes? "Yes, come in then, Mister Fischer."

Cal stepped through the door frame and the doctor closed the door behind him. "If you recognize my name, then I suspect you know who I'm looking for," he commented, standing in the entry.

Doctor Hahn nodded. "If I don't miss my guess, State Alchemist, you're here looking for Tore Closson, who has been in my care for a few days now."

Relief flooded through Cal. If nothing else, Tore was alive. "Can I see him?"

"No reason why not," the doctor replied with a slight shrug. "I expected to be hearing from someone, especially after the news of the depot going up got here ahead of you."

Cal was not surprised that the news had traveled fast. In this case, it was a good thing. A successful Amestrian strike should be publicized as much as possible.

The Doctor stopped outside a door. "He's in here. I'll leave you to your conversation, and I expect you'll want to leave soon. Just come find me before you do. I have other patients to tend until then" Then he headed further on down the hallway.

Cal watched him vanish around a corner, then turned and knocked.

Tore leaned against his good arm, braced against the wall just below Noelle's head level, as he kissed her. If he had had his preference, their impromptu make-out session would be happening on the bed, but with his shoulder immobilized for his own good, her back to a wall and him close in front worked more than well enough.

Noelle returned the kiss willingly, one hand coming up behind Tore's head, touching his hair. She reluctantly broke off the kiss moments later and smiled, "Well, this isn't exactly getting laundry folded. And for a guy with an injured shoulder, you're pretty quick."

"It's a gift," Tore chuckled without moving, "Lots of practice moving quickly too. I mean, if I have to dodge bullets, catching you should be only mildly difficult, right?"

Noelle grinned, "What if I wanted to be caught?" She didn't even wait for an answer, but pulled his head forward and kissed him again.

Tore did not resist. Instead he responded eagerly, his chest brushing lightly against hers.

"Well, I can see you're fine."

Tore blinked. No way…. He broke off and turned his head over his good shoulder. "Well, I can see your timing hasn't improved," he replied glibly as he looked at Cal standing in the doorway. "Don't you ever knock?"

"I did," Cal replied. "You didn't respond."

Noelle's face was bright red as she looked from Tore to the newcomer in the doorway. "Are you Cal?"

Cal chuckled. "So I'm infamous already. The doctor told me Tore was injured, but he must not be particularly bad off."

"Doctor Horace exaggerates," Tore replied as he straightened up. The fun was over either way. "I heard the mission succeeded. Is everyone all right?"

"No major injuries, no losses," Cal assured him. "They're waiting for us and I've got a ride for us out of town, but only if we're back at his truck in the next hour."

"So you're leaving?" Noelle whispered. "I mean, I knew you would be, but... I didn't think it'd be this fast."

Tore grimaced, looking back at Noelle. "I know," he replied softly, feeling oddly torn. He'd known her such a short time, but he'd known he would have to go. "But I don't really have a choice. I'm sorry."

"I'll ah… give you a minute." The door clicked shut again, and Tore was grateful.

"I know you don't have a choice," Noelle grabbed him after the door clicked shut into a fierce hug. "I've really enjoyed the last several days, and I was an idiot thinking they could last. I just… I'm…" She gave up trying to speak and kissed him again.

Tore kissed her back, though he didn't let himself linger again. Leaving was already harder than he wanted it to be. "I'll be back sometime probably," he pointed out with a cocky grin. "We have to come back to Buzcoul eventually if we're escorting the Drachmans back to the border don't we?"

Noelle smiled back, "I look forward to that. Oh!" She seemed to have suddenly inspiration as she opened the small bed side table drawer and scribbled hastily on a piece of paper that she found inside. "Here," she said thrusting a small sheet into Tore's good hand. "If you want to… I mean, you don't have to, I know you're going to be running around like crazy with the war and all and nothing will get through unless the Drachmans are driven back…" She bit her lip to stop babbling.

Tore grasped the scrap in his hand. He didn't have to ask what it contained. Her behavior made that clear. "I can't promise," he admitted. "I haven't had much time. But after…" No, he couldn't make promises. He smiled again. "Don't worry about me, okay? Take care of yourself. I'm going to be really pissed if we come back through and I find out you did something dumb like try and take on the Drachmans by yourself just to get me back here." He winked at her.

She giggled a little, "I'll whack some sense into them with a frying pan; think it'll work?"

"Only on the first three," Tore replied. He didn't even really have time to change. He was dressed, and the clothes he'd gotten shot in were useless anyway. They could be replaced. He had to go. "I don't suppose I could borrow… well; I guess I can't promise to return them… a coat and hat from someone?" In the cold he would need them, and they would make him blend in with the locals.

"Of course," Noelle nodded, as she opened the door to the room. Tore followed her out into the hallway. Cal was nowhere in sight.

Noelle led him to a coat closet near the door. She quickly had him outfitted in a long coat and hat that covered most of his hair. Almost as a last thought, she threw a light blue scarf around his neck with a smile, "It might be March, but it's still cold out there. Take that too. Unless you think the color is too girly for you."

"It's blue," Tore pointed out. "Why would it be girly?"

"Because it's mine," she pointed out, kissing him. "Take care of yourself and don't make me take a frying pan to those Drachmans!"

Hers? Tore would have answered sooner if she hadn't occupied his mouth. "I will," he promised when their lips parted.

She grinned bravely, "Don't have too much fun throwing lightning bolts, okay?"

"That might be asking a bit much," Cal quipped as he joined them. Doctor Horace was with him.

"Yeah, well some things never change," Tore grinned back. He had removed the sling. He couldn't wear it under the coat anyway. He'd just have to take it easy.

"I'm all right," Tore replied. He didn't dare kiss her again in front of her uncle. He stepped back and looked at Cal. "We should go." He looked at the doctor next. "Thank you, sir."

"Don't worry about it," Doctor Horace replied. "Just don't undo what healing you've done and I'll be content."

When they got outside, Cal chuckled.

"What's so funny?" Tore asked.

"What the doctor said," Cal replied enigmatically.

Tore was sure he was missing some joke. "Just let me in on what I'm missing."

"He said don't worry about it," Cal repeated. He pulled a slip of paper out of his pocket. "I'm supposed to make sure your bill gets back to Central so when this is over he can get paid for patching you up."

Tore looked at him a moment then laughed as well. "Smart guy." The doctor deserved every last sen too. Tore hoped they would have a chance to make sure he got it.