Hello all! Another busy week in the books. Now it's time for a nice, relaxing weekend.

Enjoy!

:) Linny

Two Worlds

Chapter Twenty Six

"The ruins?" Bobby asked. "Jack, I don't think that's such a great idea, mate." He grunted loudly as he heaved Quickshot's saddle off of the horse's back and placed it upon the hitching post the dark creature was tied to. He ran a firm hand over the wet, black coat, slapping the hide with approval.

"Crash, it was my home once and you know better than anyone that there are still pieces of my life I still don't understand." When they were stationed together, Bobby had always lent an ear for Jack to express his thoughts and feelings. He'd done the same thing for the Aussie as well and that had been the foundation for their friendship. Jack wanted to know who he was and he wanted his best friend at his side when he did.

"Yes, but I also understand that heritage isn't everything." Bobby didn't bother to hide the dejection in his voice. His own father was being held in the army stronghold for crimes against the royal family; menial crimes, but crimes nonetheless. He probably would have followed the same path if it hadn't been for his Step-Pop. Because of him and the loving spirit of his mother, he hadn't ended up like Mac and he'd done right by them both when he'd enlisted.

Leaning against a nearby support post, Bobby sighed heavily. "What are you expecting to find? You sure as hell aren't going to discover the truth of what really happened and that place has gotten the life pillaged out of it. If you're looking for some sort of memories, they're probably gone by now." It was a hard truth, but if that was what Jack was expecting to find, he had to voice it. He'd seen it once and there had been barely anything left except the charred remains.

"I couldn't care less about useless... things. The answers to all my questions are out there and they're waiting for me to come home." His eyes turned pleading. If this were some other man, Jack would not stoop so low. But, this was Bobby, his best friend. If it acquired what he needed, he would kiss his feet; Tara's too if it would help.

Mulling it over for a minute, Bobby knew he could not make this decision on his own. Tara would want her say and then she would want to come along. He rolled his eyes at the thought. An argument would most likely ensue when he told her she couldn't go, she would make a small threat to his manly ego and he would give it to save his own pride. That was the way it always turned out and if he didn't love Tara so much he probably would fight back with more effort. But, a happy Tara equaled a happy Bobby, so complaining was futile.

"Okay, let's just say that Tara and I agree to this... When would you be looking to leave?"

Jack smiled with bittersweet victory. It wasn't a deal yet until Bobby spoke to Tara, but he was getting one step closer to his goal, to his home. "Is tomorrow morning too soon?"

Raking a hand through his hair, Bobby sighed, "I was hoping you wouldn't say that." So much for a romantic evening under the waterfall with his wife... then again... perhaps he could use it to persuade her. "Okay... give me a few hours and I'll get back to you." He added a sly wink to his statement as he patted Jack on the shoulder and went in search of his wife.

His dark eyes scanned the small encampment. With the rain drawing most inside, only a few stragglers were left to trudge through the mud and skip over the larger puddles of water en route to their destinations. A young couple disappeared into the fog at the edge of the forest, a cloak resting upon the woman's shoulders as the man led the way with a brightly lit lantern.

Another set of two lingered about the stables, a shimmer of gold in the moonlight catching his attention as she gently swayed back and forth in an innocent, yet flirtatious manner. Their voices were soft as they talked and he listened in. He had to strain his ears to hear their conversation fully, but he only needed to hear was her slight, tell-tale lisp to know they had found her.

His eyes roamed up to the now starlit summer sky and thanked the heavens that she was safe and unharmed. The princess was alive. But she was not alone. Her male companion was shrouded in shadow, so he could not distinguish whether he was friend or foe. If this was her kidnapper, he would go against his earlier judgment to wait until morning to come to her rescue.

She didn't look to be in any danger, however. In fact, she was smiling! And her hands were moving in a fluid motion, an obvious sign that she was... well, signing.

Her companion's hands moved in a similar pattern, though not as smoothly as hers. He watched as she took his hands in hers to show him the proper way to form the sign.

This was a development he hadn't expected in a scenario completely opposite of what he'd imagined. All these nights he'd feared that she was alone and frightened for her own safety. Instead, she was happier than he'd seen her in years. Perhaps they'd been wrong. Perhaps Lady Sue hadn't bee taken from them after all. But, if that was true, then what had really happened?

"What are they doing?" a voice asked, startling him out of his reverie and making him reach for his knife with lightning speed.

He practically jumped out of his skin when Leland's head appeared beside him. It took all of his control not to slash at the man's throat as the rest of his body followed into the brush. Cursing under his breath, he clutched his chest and willed his heart to leave his throat and return to its proper place in his chest. Dimitrius glared at the man with eyes so cold that Leland could swear a frost would form on their foliage shield. "Where's Lucy?" he growled.

"She's setting up camp for the night," Myles said as he crouched down beside Dimitrius, his knees making a horrible squishing sound in the mud as he settled. He arched his head toward the couple at the stable as their hand movements continued. He mimicked one of the motions stiffly before turning his gaze to his dark skinned companion. "What's that?"

Sighing heavily at the naiveté of the Lord, D resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He considered revealing the truth to the ignorant man before he remembered that it wasn't his place to tell. "Nothing you would understand,' he simply mumbled before his attention returned to the stables.

The couple had finally moved out of the shadows and walked hand-in-hand toward a small hut. "Isn't that the stable boy?" Myles asked with disbelief.

Dimitrius chuckled at the silly notion. Of all the places in the world, why would Jack be here? But, as he leaned in for a closer inspection, he saw that Leland had been right. Of all the times he had to be right, he had to be right this time. "Jack?"

"What does this mean?"

"I thought you were setting up camp," Leland pointed out to their female companion as she joined them in the brush.

Lucy snorted in an unladylike manner, which the Lord usually found very adorable, although he was in his protective mode at the moment and wanted her back at camp where he was certain it was safe. "There isn't much to set up unless you want to set the entire forest on fire." She turned to Dimitrius and asked her question again. "What does it mean?"

Facing her, his expression was serious. He wished he had an honest good or bad answer to give her, but this was all so unexpected that his could barely comprehend everything. "I don't know."

Myles never let his gaze wander from the seemingly happy couple as they talked and their hands moved in strange ways some more. He shouldn't have felt the jealousy rise in him like a nauseous bile, but he couldn't help himself. By law, he was to marry the Lady when she was brought safely back home, despite his affection for Lucy. Again he was drawn between love and duty. Could he give up the love of a woman like Lucy to marry a woman who would honestly never love him back?

Watching as the stable hand looked affectionately into his betroth's eyes, he knew he could never compete and a wave of relief washed over him. Clutching Lucy's hand and squeezing it gently, he smiled. His mission was almost complete and he would still be allowed to wed this dark beauty who'd claimed his heart.

Lucy squeezed Myles hand in return, but paid little attention to the way he lovingly gazed at her. She leaned forward for a closer look as she watched the hand movements of Jack and Sue? "Is that sign language?" she asked out loud to no one in particular.

"You might be right," D said as if he hadn't noticed before.

"I'm sorry, sign language?" Myles asked, completely oblivious to what that even meant. No one spoke with their hands where he was from... at least that he had ever noticed.

"Myles... sweetheart," she spoke to him as if he was a small child, running a hand through the soft waves of his blond hair, "sign language is the talk used by those who can't hear." His puzzled expression didn't change as he looked from her to D and back.

Heaving a sigh, Dimitrius finally caved. He had to let out the truth before he suffered a great migraine at the hands of Lord Leland. "Most importantly, it's used by Lady Sue." He didn't let the shocked expressions of Lucy and Myles faze him as he continued. "She's deaf."

Getting to his feet, he picked up the blanket he'd been kneeling on and rolled it up, mud side down before he headed back to their horses and camp. Lucy followed quickly behind him, multiple questions on her lips, but not able to get a proper word out as they all came out at once. Myles was the last to leave the brush, all the while wondering why he hadn't thought about using a blanket as well. He cringed as his mucky, wet pant legs clung to his skin, making him feel uncomfortable, but hurried off after his companions.

"She's deaf?" he asked once he returned to them. Dimitrius only had to nod as an answer before the Leland genes officially kicked in on Myles. The lord placed his hands firmly upon his hips, his head raised in that haughty attitude that D hated so. "What kind of lunacy is that?" He didn't have to see the fire rage to life behind the male guard's eyes to know that he'd said something offensive. He only needed to hear the menace in the other man's voice as he spoke.

"Oh, I don't know, about the same as a white Lord who falls in love with his black servant, I'd say." With those words spoken, Dimitrius lay a different blanket upon the ground and settled down for the night, leaving Myles to stare at him, his mouth opening and closing like a fish under the water.