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Breathless, I handed him my phone "Call your mother"

Fond Farewells

Min was incoherent when she heard Chance’s voice For the first tenand hi her Eventually, she said, "I love you I love you Tell me where you are"

I said quickly, "Have her meet us in Mexico Give her Tia’s address"

Chance coht, I promise"

More joyful tears, and I joined in, while the big trucks rolling by shook the Pinto’s s "Put Corine on the phone," she eventually deave back my cell "Here"

"Yeah, Oers and broughthis mother But I’d always loved Min, even when he and I were apart But froiven her a chalice of solid gold Since they’d had only each other for so long, in a way, I had

"Thank you," she whispered "Thank you, ddal"

"I have even better news for you," I said then

"I" Her voice was strong, certain, but also shaky with repressed tears

"Not even your first grandchild?"

The silence held for almost thirty seconds, and then she deafened me with incoherent, joyous shrieks When she found the words at last, she said, "I rong"

As she rang off, Min wasplane tickets It seeo offor the remainder of the drive, and he didn’t release me until he had to in order to open s froreet us I caught hi When I came into the bedroom, he folded the shirt in his hands meticulously and then faced round, he ements I didn’t blame him He had only eleven months of freedom left I hoped Twila treated him well upon his return, but that was his issue to deal with; he’d ain freely, after all

"I’m sorry about Kel," he said softly

"He chose his fate Not everyone is so fortunate" But it still hurt

In nificent I remembered what he’d said in his last moments The future lies before you, dadu, but I have outlived my purpose I choose to die a free man Tears welled up in my eyes Loss was inevitable; I couldn’t have saved everyone, no matter hoanted to I’d freed Booke, rescued Kel once, but his ultiiven hihteous fire, a reminder of what my fate would have been without the half demon who had not been ordered to protect me, that last time That ritual would’ve killedas one with experience in adaptation, I think he never quite got over the shock of learning his whole existence had been constructed on a lie He couldn’t adjustand so, in those final ht only of surcease"

"He seemed to be at peace" But those were only words, what people said in order to comfort each other Yet I hoped Booke’s interpretation was accurate

And I hoped, unlike the full-blood demons in Sheol, that Kel hadn’t simply ceased to be Perhaps his human half meant he had a soul, so there was an afterlife or reincarnation waiting for hihts I could ed ot myself under control and stepped away

"That wasn’t what I came to talk to you about, actually" I put on a cheerful expression, as I had so rateful

"Sorry I saddened you"

"It was the circue will dull in tis do"

"I caeht to South Africa, as you suggested I’rinned "As your own son How very Connor MacLeod of you"

"In my case, there can be only one as well, I think It’s best for the world"

"So you don’t plan to get married and settle down?" I teased

"Not for years, if ever I was forcibly tied to one spot for so long that I can’t i a nomad"

"For eleven months Then you have to coive him a heads-up about her romantic inclinations, but no She wouldn’t thank me for it, and I was sure she would take no for an answer, should Booke be disinclined to her pursuit Personally, I thought they wouldhis wild oats

"Don’t fret It won’t be as onerous as you seem to fear"