New Faces

[Demeter]

He supposed that if Lissa ever found out that he'd asked her father first, she'd kill him. Or have Journey do it for her. In any case, he had Daniel's approval. Now all he had to do was ask Lissa out. He remembered the first time he and Lani had gone out. He'd never asked her. It had seemed more like a progression of events that had led to their relationship. There'd never been any asking.

There had been the fumbled mutterings of high school, which he hoped to never revisit. He suppposed that he should now exhibit more class when asking a woman out. Or, at the least, surprise her with some sort of romantic gesture of sorts. Which was why he was tying both rose and note to the gate of Journey's paddock. He looked at the gelding, who was curiously snuffling at him. "It would be my luck for you to have skills in untying ribbons.," he said to Journey. He affectionaly rubbed at Journey's cheek. "You will behave and not eat anything or untie anything."

Lissa would be back from her classes soon and Gareth knew that, directly aftering changing, she zoomed over to the gelding. Shady Lady would be arriving soon, his uncle more then considerate when he explained the situation, going far enough to rant on about how there were no large stables for Dark Ones in the area so things like this happened more then they should. Gareth had politely listened to his uncle while going over estimates for the considerable amount of work to be down on Three Brooks.

He was mad to be considering a relationship while in the process of getting a large stable up and running in year. Of course, Lissa drove him up the wall so it all worked out. He gave the gelding one last slap on the neck and skaddled from the area. Now all he had to do was wait for Lissa to read the note asking her out to dinner and a show.

He supposed that Grandfather Darius would smile like a loon when he learned that Gareth was using his inheritence to take Lissa to the Grand Prix Equestion Show in Italy, complete with fancy dinner and hotel, as their first date. That, of course, would depend on what Lissa said.

[Maira]

If she weren't so damn determined to do things the "right" way, Lissa would have thrown her book at her professor. He talked to all of his students like they were idiots, and while some indeed were, Lissa wasn't one of them. She had been learning to run her family's horse farm for years already and her current educational pursuit was just a technicality. If that idiot professor talked down to her one more time she would bring in the farm's business records and prove to him that the practical application of his lessons was completely different than the theoretical applications they did in class.

Needless to say, Lissa needed a ride. Or maybe to get chased by Serenity... Just something real to take her mind off her D on her stupid theoretical record book. Idiot professor.

Her clothing change happenned in record time once Lissa made it back to the farm and, without even tying on her boots, she hurried over to see her horses. First stop, Serenity's paddock. The dapple grey mare was laying down, soaking up a bit of early spring sunshine and while Lissa desperately wanted to work on rebuilding their relationship, she also didn't want to disturb the peaceful nap Serenity was having either.

With a small sigh, Lissa went on her way. She knew Journey would be eager to go for a ride, he always was, and she desperately needed to do some work in the arena. He was getting a bit headstrong thanks to his runs through the woods with the farm's newest arrivals. The other Three Willows horses were a bit of a bad influence n Journey and Lissa needed to remind him of his manners.

The black gelding was sniffing at something Lissa couldn't quite make out on his paddock gate. When he finally nipped at whatever it was he then yanked his head back and, with something trailing out of his mouth, he whinnied playfully and then started prancing around the paddock playing with whatever was in his mouth.

Distracted by the antics of her horse, Lissa hadn't noticed that something had fallen off the gate when Journey had pulled his head away. She didn't see the roses or the note until she practically stepped on them. In fact, she probably would have stepped on them if Journey hadn't picked that very moment to chase one of the chickens out of his paddock. Seeing the single red rose lying on top of a once-folded piece of cream paper, Lissa's head tilted to the side in curiosity. Just then, Journey stuck his head over the gate and dropped a piece of white ribbon at her feet,

"Pest," Lissa muttered at her gelding as she bent to pick up all three things. She tucked the ribbon in her pocket then sniffed the rose before reading the note. By the time she had read the note three times Lissa had managed to convince herself she wasn't imagining things and that Gareth was indeed asking her on a date. She read it once more then patted Journey on the cheek and told him, "Sorry boy, mama needs to go panic then get changed." For good measure, hoping he'd forgive her for not riding that day, she kissed the gelding on his velvety soft nose and turned to go back to her little house. It had been ages since she had been on a date and she wasn't even entirely certain she had anything nice to wear that wasn't show clothes...

[Demeter]

Gareth supposedthat it had been a good thing that Lissa's mother like him. Or, he thought as he pulled his cell from from his pocket, she was really desperate to hook her daughter up. She'd happily packed a bag for him and handed over Lissa's passport. She'd even seemed mildly disappointed when he'd told her that the hotel suite had two bedrooms. Vowing to never leave the woman alone with Grandfather Darius, Gareth dialed Lissa's number.

He told her to wear something she was comfortable traveling in and to meet him in twenty minutes by the driveway. They wouldn't have to deal with crowded coach seats because Carmine, being a lover of anything with an engine, had let Gareth borrow the plane and had arranged for a car to be delivered to the airport in Italy.

Gareth had even dug out the plantinum card issued to him for the accounds held in Italy. Sooner or later, Lissa would have to start asking him the tough questions. Like how he had both a black and plantinum cards. He didn't think she'd easily accept that explanation that his great-grandfather and his great-grandfather's personal assistant were easily over a thousand years old and had invested wisely.

He'd already told Daniel that Corinne and Rory would be stopping by daily to care for and exercise the Three Willows horses and Journey. He hadn't told Daniel that he was hauling his daughter to Italy for their first date.

As he waited for Lissa, leaning against his car, Gareth wondered how the girl would react when he flashed his Dark Horse Employee ID and gained them access to the Italian International Grand Prix Shedrow.

He planned on introducing Lissa to the first Hell Horse she'd ever seen.

[Maira]

When she got back to her house, Lissa called her mother half in a panic. Not because she had a date with Gareth, she was excited about that, but because she had absolutely nothing to wear. Her closet held only clothes for daily wear at school and the farm, and show clothes. Breeches, high boots, and a riding jacket just wouldn't do for a first date... So, the reason she was calling her mother, was to make her check her closet over there. Surely she had a dress or a skirt or something pretty and girly still stashed over there.

Only her mother wasn't being very helpful at all. She claimed she was cooking, and from the sounds Lissa heard in the background she likely was doing just that, but it irritated Lissa that her mother wouldn't even take two minutes to go look. After she hung up with her mother, Lissa decided to just go over to her parents' house to look in her closet. Just as she was heading to the door though, Lissa's phone rang and she dug it out of her jeans pocket and answered without even looking to see who was calling. She just assumed it was her mother apologizing for being busy before. But it wasn't her mother at all, it was Gareth. He was calling to tell her to wear something comfortable to travel in...

What? Comfortable to travel in? Where on earth could they be going for a date that she'd need to wear comfortable travel clothes for? Surely he wasn't taking her on a weekend getaway. But that was the only thing she could think of that would involve travel of any kind. Everything else that came to mind, like dinner and a movie, could be found right in town.

Before she had a chance to ask any questions though, he had also told her to meet him out in her driveway in 20 minutes and then had hung up. Now she really was panicking. Twenty minutes?! The man was insane! How was she supposed to get ready for a date, even wearing comfortable clothes, in just 20 minutes?! Yet somehow she managed. Her hair was loose and down, she had on jeans, a light green hooded sweatshirt with a white t-shirt under (layers were essential for travelling), and the only non-horse-approved pair of shoes she owned, a pair of very loved black flipflops.

At exactly 20 minutes from when Gareth hung up on her, Lissa walked out her front door, locking it behind her. She walked out to her driveway and waited. It wasn't long before she heard the sound of a car engine approaching.

[Demeter]

Gareth shooks his head and wondered how he would explain the Ferrari sitting on the tarmac of the small, private airport. He'd already had enough trouble explaining the private plan and the ten hour flight. She'd farely freaked out when she'd been told that they were on their way to Italy. Now he was expected to explain why the custom's offical who'd checked their luggage and passport (and hadn't Lissa just gawked at all the stamps in his?) had handed him the keys to the deep blue Ferrari 360 spider. He thanked the man in Italian and ushered Lissa into the car. He chuckled when he turned the engine over and listened to the purr. Carmine had a stable full of Ferrari's here in Italy.

While he eased them though Milan traffic, Gareth cast wary glances at Lissa. "You're not going to freak out are you? Because your show is the International Grand Prix three day being held here in Milan. There are four Dark Horse riders competing. How would you like to meet them? We're staying at the same hotel." He just didn't tell her that this was a Dark One's Grand Prix.

***

Dane was waiting in the lobby of the hotel. Larkin had wondered off to visit the musems. He was trying to relax before the big event. Carmine had called to let him know that Gareth would be arriving with a girl. Watching Gareth with a girl was bound to distract him from that fact that all of the riders were Dark Ones riding some sort of Hell Horse.

When Gareth escorted a girl in, Dane grinned, popped out of his chair and crossed over. "Gareth! Took you long enough."

Gareth groaned. He should have known that Dane would be waiting for him. The other three riders, one from scotland and two from the french stable, were more the likely finding their own ways to relax. Dane's method either involved Larkin and a feather bed or tormenting someone.

Since Larkin didn't appear to be around, Dane had obviously meant to torment him. He smiled at the vampire. "Lissa, this is Dane Black. His mount is Sunrise King; that horse you saw all those years ago when you found about about Three Willows existing."

[Maira]

She was trying desperately not to have some sort of episode. It would likely be a serious mental break if she let it happen so she had to just not thing too hard on anything that had happened since she'd found that note from Gareth asking her on a date. If she was incredibly lucky this was all just a very vivid dream and her world wasn't really going insane after all.

Private plane. 10 hour flight. Blue Ferrari. International Grand Prix Three Day. And he was asking her if she was going to freak out? Instead of answering him, Lissa just looked at Gareth, her eyes just slightly wider than normal.

Once they arrived at their hotel, where apparently the 4 Dark Horse riders were staying as well, Lissa and Gareth were practically pounced by a fairly short man (though still taller than her) that looked half-way familiar. Only when Gareth introduced the man did all the puzzle pieces in her mind fall into place. Lissa felt a definite freak out coming on, and tried to keep her breathing steady and her pulse calm. As politely as she could, Lissa smiled at Dane, took his hand, and said softly, "Its a please to meet you Mr. Black, you've been quite an inspiration for me."

Then, as soon as their hands dropped, Lissa blacked out.

[Demeter]

The only reason Lissa's head didn't bounce off the hard, tiled floor was because Dane, finger tips still within a hair's breathe of Lissa's, grabbed for her when she pitched backwards and yanked forwards. The woman rested against his chest and her kept an arm around her waist to keep her there. Dane glanced at Gareth. "I take it you still have a lot of explaining to do?"he asked.

Gareth groaned. "You have no idea, Dane. No idea. Small Town Girl. Knows about wolves and vampires and has an inkling about felines, yes. Knows about Custoss and Angels? No way in hell does she know that part yet. Truthfully, I was expecting freak-out and not black-out. I'm gonna go check in. Stay put, will you? Trey wants to move Queenie's line to the new farm."

Afte getting the key card, Gareth led the way up to the suite. After settling Lissa into one of the rooms, he broached the subject of Dane being the jewel in the Three Brooks crown. Gareth could tell that the man was interested by the way his eyes lit up. He'd have to talk this out with Larkin, of course, but he wanted the move. He would never be the prized rider at Three Willows, so long as Trey continued to ride. Hope had the same sort of feelings, which was why, Gareth though, that the girl jumped at the chance to run the flagship stable.

After Dane left, eager to discuss the idea with Larkin, Gareth snooped through the hotel room. He found the VIP cards that would grant them access to the shedrow. He shook his head over the evening clothes in the master closet. No doubt that Zhara had handled that part, he mused.

He ordered himself some room service and settled in to wait for Lissa's explosion.

[Maira]

She woke in a plush bed, covered with a fluffy down comforter and couldn't help but wonder if she was dreaming. She couldn't remember how she'd gotten to the bed and if this wasn't a dream, she knew she should probably worry about that. After a moment of revelling in the cozy bed and blankets, Lissa opened her eyes and looked around the room. She quickly spotted her luggage and knew that she wasn't dreaming after all.

With a sigh, Lissa flipped back the covers and swung her legs over the edge of the bed and took a good look around. It was very obviously an expensive room, but not in a gaudy way. Shaking her head in amazement, Lissa climbed off the bed and made her way to the door she hoped led either to the bathroom, or a hallway. If it led to a hallway she'd know that it wasn't among the most expensive rooms in the hotel. When she opend the door though, there was no hallway and now bathroom. What greeted her was a nice large comfortable room that much resembled a livingroom.

Another sigh escaped her as she stepped out into the room. A quick look around found Gareth seated at a table out on a balcony in the dimming light of sunset. She couldn't believe she'd been out that long, but considering she hadn't slept on the plane at all, maybe it wasn't too surprising.

Knowing that Gareth would be able to hear her approach anyway, Lissa approached him quietly. It was second nature now and more often than not she walked softly and silently. The french doors to the balcony were open, so Lissa just walked straight out and took the chair across from Gareth at the little table. She wasn't sure how to ask the questions that were bubbling inside of her, and she wasn't sure she -wanted- to ask them, so for a moment she just stared out at the city.

The gold of sunset gave everything a magical glow that she would never be able to forget. Even if everything else from this "date" Gareth had taken her on went downhill once she started asking questions, nothing would be able to take away the beautiful sight surrounding her at this very moment.

Only when the sun finally dipped below the horizon did Lissa turn her gaze to Gareth, at the same time she steeled herself for some tough answers. She wasn't going to ask any questions, all she said was, "I need to know how you are able to make all of this possible." She hoped dearly that he would not be vague, that he would trust her with whatever secrets he may hide from the rest of the world. If he couldn't be, then things would stay friendly between them but she wouldn't let them go any farther. She had sworn to herself long ago that she would never be in a relationship that wasn't built on trust and friendship.

[Demeter]

He wasn't surprised to see Lissa when she sat down next to him. He was even less surprised by the single question she asked. He'd already called Grandfather Darius (and ignored the man's cackling about one offspring that he didn't have to meddle with because hey, the boy did it on his own) and gotten the go ahead to spill everything. He didn't look at Lissa. Instead he stared up at the darkening sky. He'd already made the arrangements if Lissa wanted to flee after this. A car would be waiting, as would the plane. He'd just have to deal with being Lissa's next door neighbor...

"My family is old, Lissa. Older then dirt and older then some gods. I can tell you, in perfect detail, what Khan's grandsire looks like because I've seen Custos's Bane in person. I've even ridden the brute. Custos's Bane saw the Crusades, Lissa. He's a tried and true warhorse. A destrier in every since of the word.

"My great grandfather rode Custos's bane in the Crusades. His sister rode Dragon's Bane right next to him. I know you believe in werewolves, in werefelines and in vampires, Lissa. My great grandfather isn't a vampire. He is a servent of Hades, Greek Gode of the Underworld. My Great Grandfather is a Custos lord, Lissa. He just celebrated his 2,000th birthday.

"That being said, Darius, that's my great grandfather, is a wise man, if a little odd at times, and has invested his money wisely. Mulitple accounts, accounts in the swiss banks, cayman islands, the caribbean. Not to mention the priceless artifacts, paintings, relics. The properties, houses, cars. The investments.

"I'm talking Old Money, Lissa. The kind that kind drop hundreds of thousands of dollars on a pair of shoes without a blink of an eye. And The Family is large, larger then you can imagine. And they've taken their assents and invested them and all of the resources are pooled together. And Everyone is Custos or Angel or Vampire or Wolven or Feline or any mix thereof. We know how to fight. I can handle anything from a small dagger to a claymore.

"One branch of my family is given a sword on their eighteenth birthday. Mine is named Carver and she's cut from diamond. I've drawn blood, Lissa. I've never fought in any of my grand father's wars, mostly because I'm currently mortal but I've helped to train the pureblooded hell horses that Trey breeds. They lust for the taste of blood and desire battle more then anything else."

He still didn't look at her. "There it is, the simple truth. Darius Delorme, Custos King of France and the Overlord of the Fifth Layer of Hell, may not be my biological grandfather, but he is my family. Thats the simple truth of it. There's a car waiting downstairs if you want to leave. I won't hold it against you."

[Maira]

Even a laid back girl like herself could be overwhelmed at times. Now just happened to be one of those times. As she knew he was expecting a freak out (who wouldn't after everything he'd just laid bare?) Lissa did her damndest to stay calm. Still, her voice came out a bit squeaky when she asked about the one thing that freaked her out the most, "What do you mean you're -currently- mortal?"

She got the distinct feeling that Gareth had every intention of changing that fact and Lissa could only guess how. Angels and Custoss were immortal right? But she doubted they could pass on their immortality anyway but by being born one. So that left Vampires... Which meant getting bitten. Which, if all the stories were true, meant drinking blood and never going out in the sunlight again. Lissa tried to play off her shudder as a shiver but it was a bit warm and she doubted that Gareth bought it.

[Demeter]

Gareth glanced at Lissa. Out of everything he'd said, she'd picked out that bit of information? He shook his head. "Right now, I believe that I'm one of two people in my family who will grow old and die. The other being my step-aunt Breille. I'm pretty sure that Sebastian and River have been snacking on each other, as it were." He chuckled, still amazed that his twin believed that no one knew about the two of them. "The only option is letting a friend of the family turn me into a vampire."

He sighed. This had been a subject that gone round and round in his head. If River had managed to keeps his fangs out of Sebastian, they'd have gone off together to live away from the family. He wasn't about the be the only one dying anytime soon. Gareth had no doubts that Brielle could get herself into enough trouble to end up turned. Trouble was what Brielle specialized in. "I'm not about to die, Lissa and I don't plan on dying when my family lives on without me. My step-sister's father's lover is a vampire who has turned several members of the family. It'd be easy for him to get approval for the turning.

"There is, of course, always the option of Dane. He's a vampire but I don't think he'd consent to a turning considering how he was turned." He turned to look at Lissa. "Are you gonna hit the roof now?"

[Maira]

Her skin was crawling and Shadow Heart was growling. The idea of Gareth changing at all from who and what he was now put her on edge. Then, thinking of him as a blood-drinking, night-life kinda guy just flat out made her shiver. But, as his reasons for not wanting to die seemed rather valid, Lissa couldn't really judge him. She wanted to, she wanted to freak out and panic and hit the roof like he expected, but she just couldn't.

A soft sigh escaped her as she turned away from him, got up from her chair, and walked to the rail of the balcony. She leaned against it for support and closed her eyes tight as she thought over everything. The wolf prowling inside of her demanded some sort of reaction, some sort of action, and she was fighting Lissa for control. It took a couple minutes to subdue Shadow Heart, and once she did, Lissa gave voice to her biggest concern about Gareth becoming part vampire. Without turning around to look at him, Lissa asked, "And what happens if whatever girl you choose to marry isn't immortal like your family, and eventually you? Will you just let her grow old and die?"

If he wanted to read into what she was asking, that'd be fine. Lissa hadn't really thought much about marriage until very very recently and considering the only man she had been even slighty interested in was Gareth, of course he had been the one to figure into her thoughts. She had wondered what it would be like to wake up with him every morning, go for runs as wolves late at night, what their possible children might be like. She wasn't sure how the whole werewolf/feline thing worked and she wasn't sure if her kids would be born human or be like her and their father (whoever that would be).

All she knew, was that she may have pictured him in her future, but she had no idea if he'd pictured her in his. If he had, why would he want to outlive her and whatever kids they might have? She surely didn't want to outlive her parents by more than the normal span of things. She didn't want to possibly forget them if she lived for too long.

[Demeter]

Gareth eyed Lissa for a moment. "Well, I would give her a choice. She could be turned or not. In that case, I would become what my Uncle Lysander is to his mortal family. The mysterious benefactor. As for any children I might have with a mortal woman after being turned, they'd be part vampire. They'd keep on living just like a normal vampire. They'd be vampire, cougar, and wolven, as well as whatever the woman happened to be. I can't walk away from my family, and I couldn't walk away from whatever family I may yet have, and it would kill everyone involved for me to grow old and die when they stay young. My father made the same choice when he met my step-mother. Sebastian has made the same choice with River. I have to make the same choice.

"My father sat me and Sebastian down when we were old enough to understand. Someday, a choice would be made. I've made that choice. The vampire council maybe strict about some things but they are lenient about others. They understand situations like this. Should I marry someone who isn't already immortal, for lack of a better word, she would have to make her own choice.

"I'm not dying, Lissa. There are vampires who have been alive for 3,000 years. If whoever I want to marry can't make that decision, can't even seriously consider it, then I will walk away. The council, it has allowed whole families to be turned in situations where this is an issue. As Custoss and angels spend more time in the mortal world, they find life partners in the mortals. Vampirism is the only way they can stay together."

Gareth stood and walked back into the suite. "It's a choice, Lissa, that I've already made. The exicution of that choice is still a few years off. I , unlike my brother, would like to look a little more mature for eternity."

[Maira]

Her heart was conflicted. What Gareth was talking about made her suddenly think more seriously about her future with him. Why did he bring her here? Why was he telling her all of this if he wasn't interested in her? Surely he didn't tell all of the girls he dated this stuff right? Or had he and they had all chosen to let him walk away?

His last words as he went back inside, made Lissa's skin crawl. It was only a matter of time before he let some vampire sink their fangs into him and change him. It just didn't sit right with her, thinking of him as anything, anybody, other than what he was now. She liked him just the way he was and she didn't want him to change.

Once she was sure he'd gone back inside, she turned and watched him through the open french doors. He was puttering around the living area, and she couldn't help but smile. Going from something so serious as the discussion they'd been having to looking for the television remote was just a bit funny to her.

Lissa knew that before she went back inside she needed to make a decision. If she couldn't be a part of his life the way he was planning for it to be, she needed to tell him to take her home now. If she could accept what he was planning to do, she would stay and hopefully work up enough nerve to tell him how she felt about him. She just didn't know what to do though so she turned her attention back to the view of the city and hoped that something out there would put her mind, and heart at ease.

*****

It was cold outside by the time Lissa finally came back in. She wasn't sure how long she'd been out there but she felt like she finally had things sorted enough in her mind. There was more she wanted to find out, specifically about vampires as Gareth would become part vampire eventually. If they, like the wolven, weren't as scary as horror movies made them out to be, maybe it wouldn't be so bad. She still wasn't sure she could commit to being bitten herself, but she would probably be able to stand by Gareth when the time came that he decided to make the change.

Only, when she made her way into where she'd last seen Gareth, the living room, he wasn't there. In fact, he wasn't in any of the common areas of the suite. When she finally spotted a clock, her jaw about hit the floor. No wonder he wasn't still out here, any sane person would be in bed at 1:30am... With a soft sigh, Lissa padded softly through the suite to her own bedroom to get herself to bed.

*****

Waking in a cold sweat was never good. Waking in a cold sweat because you'd been having very vivid nightmares about something was always bad. Only, now that she was awake, Lissa couldn't remember at all what her nightmares had been about. She was pretty sure she knew what they had to do with, but the details were totally lost on her. Determined to get -some- sleep, Lissa tried her damndest to fall back asleep but it seemed that every time she was about to drift back out, the nightmares would come crashing in on her again.

Finally she gave up. She tossed her blankets back, grabbed her pillow, and slipped back out to the livingroom. She'd thought about maybe watching some tv to soothe herself back to sleep but as soon as she flipped a light on her eyes were instantly drawn to Gareth's bedroom door. Not even bothering to fight with her conscience, aka Shadowheart, Lissa flipped the light back off and made her way in the dark over to Gareth's bedroom. She tried the doorknob and when it wasn't locked, she opend the door and slipped silently inside.

Unable to tell from his breathing if Gareth was asleep or not, Lissa didn't bother saying anything. After all, if he -was- sleeping she didn't want to wake him. Thankful for her enhanced night-vision, Lissa made her way to the side of the bed opposite the Gareth sized lump and placed her pillow on the bed before she slipped beneath the covers. Just being near him relaxed Lissa and she let out soft sigh of relief. As she finally started to drift off to sleep again, Lissa felt herself snuggling up against something warm and a small smile crept onto her lips as she finally slipped into a restful sleep.

[Demeter]

Dane yawned as he worked tangles out of King's mane. He eyed the stallion. "You couldn't have kept yourself neat and tidy for one night, could you?" He yawned again and wished that Larkin would return with his coffee. He had to be at the best of his form today because today, and for the next two, he'd be riding under the Dark Horse colors. All Dark One events meant he rode under the Dark horse flag.

He absently wondered how Gareth's talk with his lady friend went and then decided, because he was still short his daily caffine intake, he could care less if she'd stabbed him and called him an evil creature. He needed to mainline his caffine before he was a nice person.

Carmine lounged against an empty stall. He wanted to see this girl of Gareth's. He could care less about the rigours of three day eventing, seeing as Kublai would much perfer to eat the competion rather then beat them. That and Saiyuri had glared at him until he'd jumped a gateway to Italy, Rune and Zhara in tow. Most likely they were still snug in the bed he very much wanted to be in. He hoped that Dominic's boy returned with the coffee soon.

Gareth stopped a dozen feet from the Dark Horse shredrow and silently vowed to kill someone. Carmine was like a shining light in the pre-dawn gloom. He still didn't know how shakey the ground was where him and Lissa was but he didn't need Carmine, Mr. 1000 year old Custos berserker killer trodding on it. Though, he mused, waking up with the girl next to him was a pleasent surprise.

Sure that Lissa was gawking at the sight of all the hell horses trotting around the grounds instead of the blonde man loudly complaining that he was cold, Gareth steered her towards the stadium jumping arena. Dane was never friendly this early in the morning. He flashed the Dark Horse badge at the security guard and escorted Lissa onto the soft, sandy floor.

He glanced around the arena and grinned, sure that Lissa would notice the difference immediently. There were more jumps, he thought, as they were narrower then the average setup and they were taller. Today, he though, the horses would show themselves at their best.

[Maira]

Once she'd settled in for some sleep, Lissa had slept like a log. Her dreams were purely pleasant and consisted of various things that she was sure would make poor Gareth run for the hills if he knew... Why her subconscious had chosen for her to have three boys in her imaginary future with Gareth, Lissa just had no idea. After all, girls ran on both sides of her family with the exception of her father. He'd been a fluke for his parents, the last of 7 kids and the only boy.

Once she'd been woken up by the warmth in the bed next to her disappearing, Lissa had quickly climbed out of bed and scampered back to her own room while Gareth was off in his bathroom. She needed to shower and get dressed for the day and she just wasn't sure she was ready to confront him about their impromptu sleep-over just yet. Maybe after some breakfast and a lot of horsey-time.

As soon as they arrived at their destination, Lissa couldn't stop oggling all the horses. She knew immediately that they weren't your "normal" equine. The red glint in their eyes, their aire of extra intelligence, and the aura of sheer power all gave it away now that she knew what to look for. Before Gareth had come to Winterbrook Stables, Lissa never would have known that Journey was anything but a specially trained Fresian sporthorse. Now she could see the Hell Horse side of him even in his diluted breeding. To suddenly be surrounded by what appeared to be only pureblooded Hell Horses... Lissa was in heaven. Or should that be hell?

The ease with which Gareth gained them access to the arena didn't phase Lissa at this point. She knew his credentials as an employee of Dark Horse Inc. What she didn't quite click was that this wasn't the "real" world of three day eventing and Dark Horse Inc wasn't nearly so awe-inspiring here. That little detail got shoved to the back of her mind as she eyeballed the course set out before her. Immediately she started planning how to tweek her own course at home to better suit the abilities of not only Journey, but the other four Hell Horses that lived at Winterbrook.

Totally wrapped up in her plotting and planning, Lissa asked Gareth quietly, "Would our boys be able to handle this course? I would love to try Journey on something similiar if we can tweek the course at home. Will you help me?" Finally she tore her eyes from the jumps and looked into Gareth's eyes and stopped dead in her tracks.

She'd always known his eyes were that lovely shade of gold, but after having seen them over and over in her dreams last night she just couldn't help but look at them in a different way. The fact that she knew right then and there that she wanted to look into those eyes forever, and that she would do anything to make that a reality, made Lissa's skin turn a lovely shade of pink. Considering how chilly it was out at this early hour, there wasn't even any way she could play her flushed skin off as being too warm.

Again, Lissa didn't really want to talk about anything too important right then, so to stall Gareth from asking or saying anything, she leaned up on her toes and kissed him softly then slipped her hand into his and turned away to eyeball the course again.

[Demeter]

Gareth grinned like a idiot who'd gotten his first kiss from a crush. He then quickly squashed that grin before any members of the other stables saw him. Or, you know, Dane and Carmine. Neither one would let him forget his idiot moments. "Yes, Lissa, our boys could handle a course like this, as could the girls, they were trained on a course like this. And, since I'm planning to put a course like this, plus a Hell Horse Cross Country course in, you can play anytime you like. If we get Dane to move out with King, we'll need it."

He walked the course with Lissa, holding her hand. He nodded to the others on the feild. In the Hell Horse world, owners and non competeing riders got to walk the course. Riders had no clue what they faced. "What would you say to riding in one of these events one day?"

Carmine sidled up the show right and grinned. He'd found his missing charges there. "Oi, Gareth, aren't you going to introduce us?"

Gareth groaned. "No, Carmine, I'm not. Go watch King. He's my hope for the future or I sick Corinne on you. You know how she just adores you."

Carmine shuddered. He knew the truth behind Corinne's birth. He'd been her favorite teething ring. He'd also been Darcy's teething ring. "Yeah, and I'll tell Saiyuri that you're holding hands with a girl she doesn't know."

Gareth sighed and dragged Lissa over. "Carmine, this is Lissa. Lissa, Carmine. He's a old friend of the family. I'm not sure why he's here."

[Maira]

Lissa was smiling like a fool when she found out that a course similar to this one would soon be coming her way to play with Journey on. It just looked so exhilerating to fly over these jumps and she couldn't wait to try it.

When a man hollered Gareth's name from the side of the ring, Lissa looked in his direction. The man was gorgeous and just looking at him she got the feeling that he was deadly dangerous. What he was doing at a horse show totally baffled her until Gareth steered her in his direction and started speaking with the man.

When he explained that Carmine was a family friend, Lissa smiled warmly at him and held out her free hand to him to shake his. "Its a pleasure to meet you Carmine," she said sweetly. Then, with a slight smirk she added, "Gareth didn't know he'd be holding my hand today either so don't go telling his mother just yet okay? We're still trying to figure this out ourselves."

How she was able to keep her calm so easily while Shadowheart was freaking out inside of her, Lissa wasn't sure. In fact she was rather amazed at herself. The wolf may not have been sure of the man but Lissa just had a gut feeling that Carmine would never hurt her. No matter how dangerous he felt to her, there was also something about him that just put her totally at ease. What a strange, strange man...

[Demeter]

Gareth sighed as he settled into the box seat reserved for Dark Horse International. Lissa sat on his left and Larkin was on his right. Behind him, Rune and Zhara chattered on about weekend plans.

Carmine was off, guarding the horses from the other stables. Acts of sabatoge weren't uncommon at Dark One events. He'd been half-sure that Lissa had stared in shock when Carmine had greeted his lovers with enthusastic kisses. He'd forgotten to mention the families Triad union. Telling those three to tone it down just wasn't possible.

While waiting for the first team to entire the show jumping area, Gareth leaned over to speak with Lissa. "We have four riders in the competition. Dane and King are at the top of their game and are considered to be the ones to beat. The team out of the Scottish stable are new to Dark One Eventing and the two French pairs are ranked in the middle of the group. There are no levels in Dark One Eventing. It's do or die, figuratively speaking. There will be group scores for stables with more then one rider but the events are won by individual scores. The top five are automatically invited to the next event on the international Grand Prix circuit."

He watched as the first team tore around the ring. "Speed does count but exessive speed gnerally works against horse and rider. The judges are looking for grace alongside speed and skill," he smirked as the rider dropped five poles. "Anything above four dropped poles will disquailify the rider from the event."

He settled back into his chair. "We've got a long way to go. Over a hundred teams are entered."

[Maira]

Shortly after meeting Carmine, a man and woman had joined the trio at the fenceline and Carmine had greeted -both- of them with enthusiastic kisses causing Lissa to look away. She'd seen men kiss before so it wasn't that she was shocked by that sight, what shocked her was that the man and woman continued to hold hands while Carmine kissed each of them in turn. There was a very interesting relationship going on between those three she was sure, but she was also sure she probably didn't want or need to know the details.

After the brief greeting between Carmine and the others, introduced as Rune (Gareth's uncle) and Zhara (Rune's wife), Carmine had wandered off to who knew where and Gareth led Lissa to the private box for Dark Horse. Rune and Zhara followed and took up seats just behind them after they took their own seats, Lissa next to a man with whiteblond hair. Gareth quickly introduced the man as Larkin, Dane's lover, and she smiled warmly at him before Gareth launched into an explination of the rules.

******

By the time the day's rider's were finished, Lissa was both giddy and exhausted. She couldn't wait to run to the stable to go congratulate Dane and King on an excellent ride and to meet the other three riders. She also couldn't wait to get back to the hotel and take a nap before dinner since Gareth had promised to take her somewhere nice. She was a little worried that she hadn't brought anything nice enough to wear somewhere that Gareth would consider nice.

Once they were able to shove their way through the crowd to the stable, Lissa slipped down the aisle to where she saw Carmine looking fierce since she knew that's where King and the other three horses would be. She smiled winningly at Carmine as she walked up and asked, "Did you get to see -any- of the rides today?"