Johanna couldn't believe what she was hearing: "Overtime? Again tonight?"

Her team leader shrugged her shoulders. "It can't be helped."

"I had plans, Beth. You know, my life? This is the third Friday in a row you've sprung a last-minute special project on me."

Beth shook her head. "I'm not going to argue with you. I have dinner reservations, but I'll be back. We'll talk then."

Johanna looked down at the specifications Beth had tossed on her desk. Another last-minute data query for a user in D.C. who wanted it Saturday morning and wouldn't use it till Tuesday. Fine, but this was the last one. She opened a new email and began to type:

"Dear Peaches,

I've reconsidered your job offer. Hope you haven't filled it. I will call you later.

Johanna"

Peaches' directions were to say the least fuzzy: follow your instincts. Johanna tossed her laptop and a pile of her favorite cds into the front seat of her Blazer and backed out of her carport. Within minutes, she'd shed all her old anxieties in anticipation of the Nest. Maybe Peaches was right.

Junctions seemed somehow familiar and unfamiliar, roads to lead home. She turned without knowing why. Finally after about four hours on the road, she reached for her cell phone and dialed.

"Crowe's Hotel."

"May I speak to Peaches please?"

"This is Peaches."

"Peaches, this is Johanna. Just checking in to let you know I should be there..."

"Right about now?" Peaches asked as she heard a car coming up the road.

Johanna looked up and saw the signs: Crowe's Hotel and Crowe's Tavern. "OK, that's weird. How'd you do that?"

Peaches laughed, "Practice. Park under that tree and come on in." The line went dead.

Johanna did as she was told and headed up the stairs into the lobby of Crowe's Hotel where Peaches was waiting. A sudden warm feeling rushed over her as she entered the lobby, as if she had arrived at a major destination in her life.

"I imagine you'd probably like to get settled before we talk about your new job," Peaches guessed. "maybe have a beer? Meet some of the others?"

Johanna shook her head. "You're going to think I'm weird, but I'd really like to talk about the job. I mean, you were a little vague in the email. Exactly what sort of programming work do you need done?"

Peaches blushed. If Johanna knew her better, she'd think the other woman was uncomfortable. "I guess I wasn't very upfront with you, was I?" She led Johanna into her office and closed the door. "This is a real delicate matter. You can keep a secret, can't you?"

"Sure."

"We really need someone to look at reprogramming Sid."

"I'm sorry, I don't think I understood you correctly." Johanna's voice shook. "Reprogram Sid?"

Peaches explained, "Sid requested it. He says we treat him differently, we avoid him. So he was hoping we could find someone to try reprogramming him with more social skills."

"I don't think I'm your woman, Peaches. I have a limited skill set and he's a very sophisticated creation."

"Agreed, but you do have a military computer background, right?"

"I'm a computer specialist. That's hardly the same thing..." she began.

"In any case, Sid will work with you on this. He has some definite ideas and he has already set up a lab for you." Peaches stood up, effectively terminating the conversation. "Come on, let's get you checked in, unpacked and over to the Tavern for a drink."

"I haven't agreed to do this."

"I understand. But come and meet the others. Meet Sid before you make up your mind."

Before Johanna knew what had happened, she found herself and her suitcases in a bright and spacious room, dominated by a queen-sized bed. The picture window looked out over lush green trees and a beautiful garden; a window seat was the perfect touch.

She unpacked and changed from her travel-stained jeans into a favorite pair of black pants and a sweater. A makeup retouch, some perfume and she was ready for her introduction to "the others." 'Oh my God, what have I done?' she asked herself. 'I'm not ready to meet anyone. Especially not him. What was I thinking to come here? I need to go home right now." The face in the mirror reflected her terror.

A knock at her door made her jump and then laugh nervously. 'Must be Peaches.' She yanked open the door and stopped, speechless. The handsome well-dressed older man who stood in the doorway smiled and extended his hand to her, "Johanna? I'm Jeffrey. Peaches thought you might be more comfortable if I brought you over to the Tavern. Johanna? Are you all right? You're staring."

"Oh, I'm fine." She accepted his handshake. "Wow."

"I must be the first person you've met," he ventured as they headed downstairs together.

"That obvious?" she asked. He smiled in reply.

"It's probably why Peaches sent me up. The first one of us can be a shock. I'm not as intimidating as some."

Johanna laughed at that. "Actually, I think she may have sent you because you're quiet and reassuring, as well as handsome."

"My thoughts exactly!" A woman was waiting for them at the foot of the stairs. "Hi, I'm Wendy. It is so good to meet you finally."

The three of them walked outside and across to the Tavern. Johanna's eyes took a moment to adjust from the bright sunshine outside to the dimly lit room. Wendy led the way into the still-quiet placebar and began the introductions with Andy who was tending bar. Johanna ordered a Corona and followed Wendy to one of several large booths.

"Why such a big booth?" Johanna asked as Wendy scooted herself into the middle with Jeffrey.

"You'll see. It's your first night. You'll collect a crowd so stay there on the end."

Jeffrey asked, "You're from California?"

"Yes."

"And you've come all this way to work with Sid?" Wendy asked. "He's very excited about you."

"He is?"

"I am." The voice was right at her ear. She turned quickly to see Sid, clothed in a bright emerald green suit, standing not a foot to her left. Without warning he grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet, then let his eyes slowly descend from her head to her feet. "Not bad. Nice rack."

Johanna pulled her hand free and laughed, "Thanks for the approval. I can see the first modification we need to make." She settled back into her seat.

"What's that?" he asked.

"Manners. Don't grab me again, ok?"

Sid stopped and blinked rapidly, then giggled. "I like you, Doc. Can I sit here?"

"No!" Jeffrey, Wendy and Johanna spoke together. His face fell so hard that Johanna took pity on him. "Tommorow, ok? We'll be spending a lot of time together, starting tomorrow."

"OK, Doc!"

Johanna turned back to the others. "My God, what have I gotten myself into? Hey, what are you laughing at?" Wendy was doubled over and even Jeffrey was snickering.

"You!" Wendy gasped. "I think you may hold the record for putting Sid in his place. Under 3 seconds." She dissolved into laughter again as Johanna stuck her tongue out.

"I need another beer," she said, heading towards the bar. "Can I get another Corona, Andy?"

"Mexican beer? Where'd you learn to drink that swill?"

"California and Arizona. I'm Johanna."

"Bud White. Hey Andy, give me a real beer, will ya?" He smiled. "Where in California?"

"Marina."

"Don't think I know it."

"No one does. It's near Monterey."

"So are you a rich girl, an artist, a farmer or military?"

"You know the area pretty well, I'd say. My folks were in agribusiness, but I work for the feds. You do need to add tourism to that list."

"Tourists actually go to Monterey?"

She laughed. "Way too many of them."

"Ever spend any time in L.A.?"

"You're not going to bore her to tears, talking about L.A., are ya, Bud?"

"No, I thought I'd let you kill with hockey talk. Johanna, meet John Biebe."

The bar was filling quickly now and the introductions came faster and faster. It was 30 minutes or more before Johanna pulled away and headed back to the booth. She'd never been more comfortable with a group of strangers in her life. It seemed like she'd come home somehow, except for the nagging feeling that she was in waaaaay over her head with Sid.

Someone ordered food and the table filled with a variety of goodies, including her personal weakness, hot wings. The drinks kept coming, the conversations seem to swirl around as she tried to sort the women out. She could keep the guys straight in her mind, no problem. Only one man was missing; Johanna was relieved. She was exhausted, but excited and happy. In her current state, she wasn't too sure how'd she'd handle meeting him tonight.

Finally, it was Jeffrey who noticed. "You look beat. Would you like me to walk you back?"

"No, thanks. I think I can find my way."

"I figured that. I thought you might run into Sid."

"Since you put it that way, thanks for the offer."

Jeffrey whispered something in Wendy's ear; she nodded and waved at Johanna. When they reached the door, Jeffrey pulled it open for her. In what could best be described as her typical graceless manner, she turned to say thanks, tripped over the doorjam, and ran smack into the solid form of someone in the doorway waiting for her to pass. As he caught her, she looked up and froze, exactly as she predicted she would.

"Are you all right?"

Certain moments remain in a person's brain throughout a lifetime. Graduation, your wedding day, the birth of your children, the loss of a loved one. Indelibly etched into Johanna's memory for the rest of her life would be the moment she met Maximus and could only stutter, "Oh dear God...."

"Are you all right?" Maximus asked as he helped Johanna regain her balance. Her mind went blank as she looked into his eyes. They were a deep blue-green, full of concern and so very beautiful; she blushed crimson and tried very hard not to stare. Despite his very modern jeans and sweater, he was every inch the General. Her arms seemed to burn where he held her.

"Johanna just arrived this afternoon after a very long drive." Jeffrey stepped in to help her recover a semblance of her dignity. "I was just walking her back to the hotel; she's very tired. Right, Johanna?"

"Ye.." her throat had gone dry and her voice cracked. "Yes. I'm very tired."

"Perhaps we'll get to talk tomorrow then, Johanna. My name is Maximus. Welcome to the Nest." He smiled. "Good-night." He walked past them into the crowded bar.

Jeffrey and Johanna were quiet as they walked back to the hotel. She kept looking back over her shoulder. Finally Jeffrey asked, "Is he the reason you came?"

"Beg pardon?"

"Is Maximus who drew you here? Everyone comes for a reason. You looked surprised when you met me and some of the others, but you were struck dumb back there." He laughed. "I've seen that look before."

Johanna shook her head. "What an idiot, huh? I wondered how I'd handle meeting him and the answer is 'not very well.'"

"You did just fine." They reached her door. "Get some sleep. You have a very long day ahead of you, if I know Sid." He kissed her cheek. "I'm down the hall if you need me."

"You're not going back?"

"Not tonight. See you in the morning."

Johanna closed the door behind her and threw herself onto the bed. What a great first impression she'd made: a stumbling, stuttering, blushing twit. "Aaaarghh!" She threw a pillow against the door and buried her head beneath the other one.

Morning found her awake early, anxious about the day ahead. She showered and dressed in what she prayed would be appropriate for her new job: a new black pantsuit with a red & black print scarf. One last peek in the mirror told her she looked competent and intelligent, not like the fool in the bar last night.

She heard familiar voices outside her window. A glance revealed several buildings behind the hotel. A stable and corral were situated about 100 yards west. East and Cort were standing by the fence, feeding carrots to some horses. The horses appeared to be jostling each other to get closer to the two men. She smiled to herself and headed downstairs in search of coffee.

"Good-morning, Johanna. We've been waiting for you." She'd met the young woman before her the night before, but couldn't put a name to the face. "I'm Tina. Don't worry, they all look alike, but at least we don't. You'll get the hang of it pretty soon. Grab some coffee and come on in the office." She pointed to a pot of coffee sitting on a table against the side of the stairs. Beside the cups and paraphenalia sat an assortment of bagels and doughnuts.

Armed with a cup of coffee and a large jelly doughnut, Johanna entered Peaches' office and took the last remaining chair at the small round table. John Biebe, Tina, Peaches, and Michelle were all waiting for her.

Peaches began, "Well, you got to meet Sid last night and I heard you held your own. Does this mean you've decided to take the job?" She was eyeing the black suit appreciatively. "Or are you heading for a job interview?"

Johanna laughed, "No. I thought Sid would react better if I dressed like I took the job seriously... at least for the first day or two."

"Sid's reactions are part of the reason we're all here," Tina told her.

"Sid's unpredictable and loves nothing better than trouble," Peaches said. "His homicidal urges were curtailed when he arrived here - can't have a maniac in the Nest - but he's still capable of...." She looked over at Michelle and shrugged her shoulders.

"Mayhem," Michelle offered, sipping her coffee. "So John had an idea."

John nodded. "Sid has set up a computer lab in an old shed behind the stables. He's equipped it with everything he thinks you'll need. But the consensus is that you'd better not be left alone with him all day so we're going to keep an eye on you."

"What?"

"We don't want you to ever go in the computer building with Sid without one of the guys either in the room or right outside," John told her.

"He's that dangerous, even here?"

"Not usually, but you're going to be messing with his programming. It's for your own good." John pushed his hand through his hair in a gesture that made Tina light up like Christmas and continued, "You ok with this? We can ask Jeffrey to take the first shift if you'd feel more comfortable."

Johanna was confused again. Jeffrey? "No, whoever you'd like is fine."

Michelle giggled, "How about Maximus?"

"Did everyone see that?" Johanna moaned.

"I'll take the first shift," John told her with a grin. He stood up. "You ready?"

The coffee was hot and strong, but the ertswhile-programmer needed the jolt so she drained the cup quickly and stood up. "More coffee first. And maybe another doughnut."

Supplies in hand, she followed John down a well-trodden path that led past the stables. Cort and East were nowhere to be seen, but the horses stood contentedly, watching the humans go by. As they passed the stables, the shed finally came into view.

"Shed" was something of a misnomer as the building easily measured 20' X 20'. It was freshly painted in a bright kelly green, Sid's idea no doubt. A single door in the center of the building opened to reveal Sid in a matching suit. The lyrics to "It's Not Easy Being Green" began to run through her mind so that she struggled not to laugh.

"Good-morning, Doc! Ready for work?"

"I will be when I finish this coffee. You're cheerful for so early in the morning."

"I'm never sleepy and I don't have to worry about artificial stimulants. What's he doing here?" Sid pointed at John.

"Exactly what Peaches told you I'd be doing, Sid."

"Oh?" Sid stepped out of the doorway and walked up to Johanna "You afraid to be alone with me?" He reached for her arm.

"No." She was damned if she would admit the truth to him, but she was terrified. John stepped between them and intercepted Sid's hand.

"This is exactly the reason why I'm here, ok? Back off or she doesn't even go through the door."

Sid turned. His movements were sudden and jerky, but his face was wreathed in smiles. Johanna swallowed the desire to turn and bolt back to her Blazer and get the hell out of here.

"Hey! I was just joking. C'mon in and see the set up. Come on, I won't hurt ya, Doc."

Reluctantly she entered the building, John very close behind her. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the light. When they finally did, she was awestruck at what Sid had put together.

It was a fully-equipped test lab with what appeared to be a several high-capacity servers, three workstations with 21" monitors, and a printer banked in the neatest configuration she had ever seen in a computer room. Behind the bank of equipment was a sheet of glass shielding what appeared to be a surgical table with monitoring equipment.

"You like it?"

"Yes, although I am not sure what all of it's for."

Now Sid's face fairly glowed with pleasure as he explained everything to them. The servers contained a copy of his operating system and memory/personality modules, as well as personality modules he had been building over the past months. Johanna would work with him to integrate personality features into his program, then upload them via the cables she saw hanging behind the table. Features could be added and deleted, depending on their success.

"You seem to have this all figured out, Sid. All you really need is someone to press the button,""Johanna remarked. "You don't need me."

"Not true," he replied. "I need someone to help me choose and evaluate what works, and someone who can restore me if necessary."

"What exactly are you trying to accomplish?" John asked.

"I'd like to be liked."

"Liked?" John looked puzzled. "I don't exactly understand."

Sid shook his head. "I didn't expect you to get it, Biebe. Everyone likes you. All the men AND all the women. They buy you drinks and laugh at your jokes and want to sit beside you at meals. But when I come into the Tavern, the women edge away from me and the men pretend they don't see me." His eyes filled with sadness. "I'd like to fit in. You know, I can't exactly help who I am."

John couldn't pretend he understood anything but the loneliness implicit in what Sid had said. "I'm sorry, Sid. I didn't think you cared that much about what we thought. You always seem determined to cause trouble."

"I am who I am. But I am evolutionary and I want to change if I can."

"Let's get to work then," Johanna broke in. "How about you demonstrate this operating system to me?"

"I chose UNIX because I figured you work on PCs. My OS is strictly out of a Sci-Fi movie."

The rest of the day was spent in poring over documentation and manuals as Johanna acclimated herself to Sid's marvelous set-up. East replaced John at lunchtime, which pleased Johanna by giving her an opportunity to get to know him a little better.

She never expected East to be so quiet. He sat by the door, apart from them, and just watched.

"East, come sit closer. I don't bite."

"No, but Dummy is afraid I do."

"Sid!" Johanna turned on him. "And you wonder why people don't like you?"

"I never learned to read and write," East shrugged. "But I'm not stupid. I've been learning."

"Yeah, well, Sid's so damn smart, you think he'd teach you to read and write himself. It's just easy to be an ass." She swivelled her chair back to face her computer screen and tossed over her shoulder, "Come on. I'm learning so you may as well learn with me."

East pulled his chair up on the other side of Johanna and watched. Whoever was teaching him to read was doing an outstanding job. With no computer background, he asked questions that a technical person would never think to ask. Sid answered each one a little less snidely than the one before as Johanna was digging her right high heel into his left foot.

At about 6, East went to the door and opened it. The shadows had lengthened. "Feedin' time. We better close up."

"You go on, Horse Boy. Johanna and I will work a little longer."

"No way she's alone with you, mate." East stood and stretched. "And I can't take another second locked up in here."

Johanna stood up as well. "Let's shut down, Sid."

They closed up the lab and headed up the path. At the stables, Sid turned up the left-hand path, the one that headed for the Tavern, but Johanna took the right-hand one to the hotel.

"Not having a drink with me, Doc?"

"Not tonight, Sid. I'm beat. I want to grab a sandwich and hit the bed early." She stopped and turned back again. "Hey, Sid?"

"Yeah?"

"I enjoyed today. I learned a lot working with you." She waved. "'Night!"

As she wandered back up the path, she heard Sid say, "She enjoyed working with me, East."

"I heard 'er, mate." East laughed softly. "Don't get much'o that, do ya?" A chestnut mare came to the corral fence and pushed his arm with her nose. "Hungry, are ya?" he asked the horse.

Johanna wandered up the path, smiling to herself. The job was better than she expected. Sid had done a fantastic job with the equipment and chosen software she could comprehend with some hard work. John and East had been the icing on the first day cake. She was being given an unique opportunity to get to know everyone.

Everyone. Her heart tightened up. The guys were amazing, so much alike and so different, brothers but not brothers. Each with his own charm. Her initial reaction had been stunned silence, followed by the feeling that she had known them all forever. The women were all so very different, of course, yet welcoming. Friends she could count on. So why was she heading back to her room for an evening with a manual and a sandwich?

She knew why. Falling into Maximusā arms was an inauspicious start. If she couldn't act normal around him, she might as well stay in the lab.

Meanwhile, Sid had arrived in Crowe's Tavern. The crowd was slowly building. Liz and Terry were picking songs out on the juke box. Several other couples had already settled in with their drinks and food. Peaches was behind the bar with Cort, talking to a new face.

"Gimme a beer," Sid announced to Peaches. "How ya doing, Cort buddy! Hi, Colin," he greeted the man on the other side of the newcomer.

Cort stared at Sid. "Huh? Fine, Sid." He drew the beer and set it on the bar. It was obvious that Sid was waiting for an introduction. "Sid, meet Lady. She just checked in."

He took the hand that Lady offered and kissed it, ever so politely. "Very pleased to meet you, Lady." Lady's eyes twinkled as they met his. But Peaches didn't quite trust this version of Sid.

"What are you up to, Sid? And where's Johanna?"

"She went back to the hotel. I am trying to be polite. So," he turned back to Lady. "Care to go to my room now?" He grinned. "See? I asked nicely. I can be polite."

Lady laughed, "No thanks, Sid. But thanks for the offer."

"Why did she go back to the hotel?" Peaches pressed.

"She said she was tired and she wanted to read the software manual I gave her, OK?"

Cort leaned over and whispered in Peaches ear; she nodded. He stepped out from behind the bar and headed out the door.

East headed into the stable in search of feed for the horses when he ran into Maximus standing in the shadows. "'Evening," he said as he walked by, but the General seemed to be pre-occupied. "She's calling it a night."

"Who?"

"Oh not deaf then?" East grinned cheerfully. "Who else? You're staring a hole in her back."

"What is she like?"

"Funny, smart. Don't take nuthinā off Sid. Not much patience either." He chuckled softly to himself. "Ya could just go knock on her door."

Maximus looked away from the hotel where Johanna had just disappeared and smiled. "You believe in the direct approach?"

"For you, I do. You're in the way out here so unless you're gonna help me feed them, you better go after her. I did take your shift this afternoon."

"I said thank you."

East shrugged. "The horses. You gonna help?"

"Not tonight. You mind?"

"No, mate. Buy me a beer later."

Maximus headed up the path, his mind racing. In the few seconds after he caught her, he'd looked into her eyes and seen something that intrigued him. He asked about her in the Tavern, but most people had just met her. Opinions were varied with most people finding her pleasant, if a little shy. She'd left with Jeffrey so perhaps it was already too late for more than a casual acquaintance.

His steps slowed as he reached the top of the back stairway. He'd been here long enough to recognize the signs. The women were meant to be here, same as the men. He lifted his hand to knock and stopped an inch before the door. But exactly why was this woman meant to be here and what did it have to do with him? Nothing. He wasn't ready for complications in his life. That's why he'd asked East to fill in for him this afternoon. He was just about to leave when he saw Cort come up the front stairs. The preacher smiled and said, "The Lord provides you with what you need," before heading back down.

Maximus had no idea what that meant, but took it as a sign. When he knocked, she called out, "Come on in, it's open."

She was sitting in the window seat, an oversized book on her lap, and glasses perched on her nose. When she saw it was him, she smiled nervously. "Hi," was all she managed, closing the book.

"I came by to see how your first day went. May I come in?"

"Of course." He left the door open behind him as she put the book on her nightstand. Maximus walked over and picked it up. "My first day was interesting, thank you. Sid is going to be a challenge."

"UNIX? What's that?"

"It's a computer operating system. I know only enough to be dangerous."

She was smaller than he remembered from last night, with very dark brown eyes in an oval face, framed by shoulder-length auburn hair. Her perfume was subtle; he was standing close enough to catch the scent of flowers. The room was already awash in personal touches, a pile of books on the table, framed photographs, baskets and pillows. Sheād changed to jeans and a tshirt which made her look younger and more vulnerable.

"We never got a chance to talk last night."

She smiled at that. "No, I was too busy falling into your arms."

"A most unusual introduction."

"I don't usually do that, you know."

"No? So that was just for me?" He was surprised to see her blush crimson. "I didn't mean to embarrass you."

"I embarassed myself, don't you think?"

"No, it could have happened to anyone. I'm glad I was there to catch you."

Johanna visibly relaxed with a sigh, "Oh, I'm glad you caught me too. I could just see me going 'splat!ā at your feet. I'd have no dignity left ." Maximus liked the sound of her voice, especially when she laughed.

"Come have a drink with me?"

"I was planning on staying here to work," she grimaced. "I have to stay a step ahead of Sid."

"The others will think Sid has buried you beneath the shed if you don't show up."

"True." She walked over to the dresser, pulled out a hairbrush and ran it quickly through her hair. "OK, let's go have a drink. For Sid's sake." She took the book from Maximus and tossed it on her bed.

They ran the gauntlet in the Tavern. Greetings, questions, jokes, even more introductions as Johanna met Lady for the first time. It took 20 minutes and a round of beer for Maximus and Johanna to escape to a quiet corner table.

Peaches watched from her bird's-eye view behind the bar. "That worked well," she mentioned to Cort, bumping him with her hip as she passed him.

"I didn't send him up there. He was at her door when I found him."

The Proprietress beamed, "I knew it."

Sid looked up from the drink he was nursing and muttered, "She should be having a drink with me."

"Don't even think about it," Colin walked up, one arm draped casually over Michelle's shoulders.

"Yeah, Sid, leave 'em be," Tina chimed in from her nearby table.

Maximus was not a master of small talk and said as much. He had seated himself so that he could watch the others approach, a habit he found hard to break even in this place. "Michelle told me you work for the military," he began. "I have trouble understanding the concept of women soldiers."

"Boadicea was a warrior. Caused quite a bit of trouble for Rome, as I recall."

"Point made, but you know what I mean."

"I do. Many men find the idea of women in a combat zone to be anathema, but it's the modern mechanized and computerized military. Women can and do play vital roles in combat support. But I'm not a soldier. I'm a civilian and I work for the Department of Defense."

Maximus was intrigued by Johanna's background, women of his time didn't leave home unescorted to attend school at all, much less 2000 miles from home. He made a mental note to find a map and look up "Chicago" and "Tucson." The fact that other women at the Nest had done similar things didn't cross his mind. Her education had included some Latin, but it was hardly impressive. In fact, it made Maximus roar with laughter.

"It wasn't that bad."

"You butchered it. Basically you said that Caesar married his dead father." Her eyes sparkled when he smiled at her. On impulse, he took her hand in his and kissed the palm. His eyes held hers as he moved closer to kiss her.

"Hi, Doc! When we gonna have that drink?"

Snap! the moment was destroyed.

"Go away, Sid," Maximus growled. "Now."

"I don't recall asking you anything, Slave."

Maximus rose instantly, pushing his chair back so hard that it fell and slid across the floor. His hand reached for Sid's throat, but he had skitted away, laughing. Unfortunately for Sid, Maximus was bigger; two steps and he caught the smaller man.

"Hey!"

"Call me 'Slave' again and I'll rip your heart out, do you understand?"

Sid knew he'd gone too far, but couldn't resist the dig, "It'll just grow back." He was paying far too much attention to his own cleverness and never saw the left hook that shot him onto the floor. He played it smart for a change and stayed down.

Maximus stood over him, the adrenalin rush receding. "Maximus?" He turned to see Johanna standing beside him. "Your hand's bleeding." She wrapped a napkin around it. "Come on. We need to get ice on it."

They left to near-silence as everyone in the Tavern watched in amazement. Only Sid spoke, "You saw him. It was an unprovoked assault."

"Shut the hell up, Sid," John told him as Lady helped him to his feet. "Or I'll put you right back on the floor."

Johanna and Maximus headed for the hotel's deserted kitchen where she appropriated a steel mixing bowl, filled with ice. "What's that for?" he asked.

"Keeps your hand from swelling. Sid must be harder than he looks."

"It was worth it." Maximus was pleased to see Johanna grin in reply. They went up to her room where she washed his hand in her bathroom sink. The damage was minimal, just enough to be bloody and sore. She packed the ice gently around his knuckles.

"You better come sit down here for a while," she offered, putting him into her overstuffed chair. She was in the process of sitting down in the window seat across from him when there was a knock at the still-open door. Dominic stood framed in the doorway with a bottle of wine and two glasses.

"Cort said you might like something to drink." He placed the offerings on the tables, poured them each a drink. "It was also suggested that you might get more privacy with a closed door," he told them as he left, pulling the door shut behind him.

"They're trying to get us drunk," Johanna remarked, sipping her wine. "Maximus?"

He looked up from staring at the bowl of ice and smiled sheepishly. "I usually guard my temper better."

"He deserved it." She decided to change the subject. "Why DO you leave the door open when you come in?" she asked.

"So Jeffrey won't misunderstand."

"Jeffrey? OK, this is the third time someone's mentioned Jeffrey to me. What's up?"

"You're together, aren't you? He's why you came."

"You mean... sexually?" Maximus nodded. "Why would you think that?

"You left with him last night." His face betrayed no emotion, but Johanna sensed something painful beneath the surface.

"He escorted me back here. It was a sweet old-fashioned gesture that I appreciated." 'Especially after Iād just fallen into your arms'ā she thought to herself. But then she started to wonder exactly where this conversation was leading.

"He never came back. I watched for him."

"He said he was going to bed. I think he was tired." She shook her head. "You never noticed Wendy with him?"

"Things have been known to change around here." Maximus had watched his brothers struggle with jealousy and tangled relationships, and had found himself embroiled in one or two himself. Everything straightened out; it always did, but it was painful.

"I don't think I like where this conversation is going. You think I invited Jeffrey to my bedroom on such a slight acquaintance? Is that why you're here now?" That fit into a few self-esteem issues Johanna didn't want to deal with at the moment. The most amazing evening of her entire life was about to boil down to this? She should have figured he wasn't interested in her for herself. "Maybe you ought to just go," she heard herself saying. A hideous and awkward silence filled the room.

She drained her glass and got up to get more wine, turning her face away so he couldn't see the tears in her eyes. The atmosphere was suddenly charged with the same electricity she had felt in the bar.

"Why did you come to the Nest?" Maximus asked, grabbing hold of her wrist as she walked by.

"Peaches offered me a job."

"That was your only reason?"

"Yes." She couldn't even look at him.

"You're lying."

"I asked you to go."

Maximus pulled his left hand out of the ice and put the bowl down, never letting go of Johanna's wrist with his right. He stood very close and lifted her face with an icy hand. "Why are you crying?"

"I cry when I'm angry."

"Do you really want me to leave?" Maximus remembered why the others took the risks and endured the misery.

"Yes. Right now." She sounded like a pouty child; Maximus suppressed a smile.

His kiss surprised her the way a summer storm catches people off-guard. It was warm and gentle, touching her heart with a joy. "Don't make me go," he whispered. Each successive kiss was deeper, more passionate, snatching her breath away and causing her heart to beat faster. She opened her eyes to see him watching her.

"Don't go," was all she could manage.

"I didn't mean to imply anything, Johanna," Maximus told her. "Are you listening to me?" The head buried against his shoulder nodded. "We all came here for a reason. For the men, you might think the reason is obvious, but it isn't. Besides our obvious physical link and the psychic bond, we all need to heal in some way. Part of the healing appears to be the love we find here. I've lost too much already to take a chance." He pushed her hair out of her face. "I'm scared."

"You're scared? All evening long I have been waiting for the bubble to burst, for the real woman in your life to come and tell me to get lost."

"There isn't anyone else, Johanna.

"There isn't anyone else, Johanna." He tilted her face up and kissed her again, but this time he was all passion. "No one." He broke the embrace and walked to the table to pour them each a glass of wine. "But we're not so sure about you. You can't even tell me why you came here. Come sit here," he asked, sitting in her window seat. He put one leg up and made a place for her to sit, cradled in his arms. Johanna waited for her heart to stop racing.

"How can you be so calm?" she asked.

"Discipline," he murmured in her ear. "Years of self-discipline comes in handy with a woman like you. Relax, will you?"

"I can't." He brushed her hair away from her neck and kissed her. His beard rasped across the delicate skin, making her shiver. "You're not being fair." His hands slipped beneath her t-shirt.

"No. I'm cheating."

Johanna settled back against his chest and closed her eyes with a sigh. "This seems like a dream. I mean it all does." When he didn't answer, she continued, "I saw 'Gladiator' the day after my birthday. How do I explain this? It's going to sound insane." She paused. "OK, I saw it with my husband and our friends. Maximus?"

"Go on, I'm listening."

"The bird...do you remember?"

"Yes."

"You smiled and I was lost, completely immersed. When the movie ended, I was almost stunned to be back in my own reality. I was obsessed in a way I never was with the others. Not even Bud. I found the Nest List about six weeks ago. Everyone said you come to the Nest when you need to. But I could never leave my husband and my son."

"You have a husband AND a son?" She could hear the disapproval.

"That's just it - Joan does, the other part of ME. I woke up the other morning, dressed for work and when I went out to get in the car, I saw her getting into the Jimmy. As she backed out of the driveway, I saw the white Blazer, the one I came in, parked there. That car was sold 6 years ago. The keys were in it, along with my suitcases, and a note that said, 'We can have both.'" She sipped her wine. "How can I even exist? I'm younger than she is too. Do you believe me?" She sat up and turned to face him. "It sounds insane."

"You're in the Nest, talking about the insanity of your existence? I'm here so why can't you be here? Anything is possible."

She shrugged. "I guess. It just feels weird to be on my own. But it isn't a dream, is it?"

"No," the timbre of his voice changed and deepened, making her shiver as much as the kisses that trailed down her neck. An urgency began to arise in her body, a need to be possessed and to possess that she'd never felt before. Her fingers began to work on his shirt buttons. She fumbled in her haste until he caught her hands between his. "Not tonight," he told her. "Not until you're sure."

She tried to pull her hands free, but they were caught. "What if I say I am sure?"

"I don't believe you. I think you need some time in the Nest to see if I am the reason you came here." He kissed her. "Obsession doesn't last."

She stuttered, "I know that."

"Get to know everyone, find your place here. Do this for me?" His lips touched hers once more before he headed for the door. "I'll see you in the morning." Then he was gone.

"Shit!" Johanna muttered, throwing a pillow at the door.

Maximus slipped into the Tavern and up the back stairs to his own room. He hoped no one noticed, especially Sid. Leaving her had been one of the hardest things he'd had to do in a long time, but he couldn't take the chance again. Women were drawn to the Nest by him, but their final destiny lay with the others.

He'd been so close to his wife and son; he'd almost touched them in the Afterlife before he was snatched away to the Nest. Their memory had faded, but not the feeling of loss. Tina had shown him joy was possible, but she belonged with John. He'd recognized that truth, yet it had hurt to lose her.

Despite the friendships and love for him here, Maximus was lonely. Johanna felt right, but was this his loneliness speaking? He'd commanded armies, fought bravely on the battlefield and in the Arena, and avenged his loved ones. Now here he was, trying to make a new life in an alien culture, and longing to have someone by his side. He was a risk-taker by profession, so why didn't he just make love to her? He knew why. He didn't give his heart or his allegiance easily.

All that not withstanding, Maximus needed a cold shower.

Johanna downed two Aleve with a large glass of water and stared at the puffy-eyed woman in the mirror. She'd finished the bottle of wine after Maximus left and had a nice long cry to accompany it. Now she had Sid to deal with. Well she wasn't in the mood for his crap. She pulled a lightweight spring dress over her head and pulled her hair into a ponytail with a groan because even her hair hurt.

She headed down to the lobby in search of coffee, hoping caffeine would adjust her frame of mind. Bud White was waiting for her with a cup ready for her.

"Good morning. You look like you need this," he handed her the coffee. "You up to working?"

The coffee was extremely hot and strong. "God bless you, Bud," she sighed, taking a huge gulp. "I wonder what the chances are of getting a pot in the lab." They headed out the back door together.

"I think Liz has an extra one in the Tavern she'd let you have. I'm serious about working today. I could show you around the Nest."

"What about Sid?"

"He'll find someone to harass, I imagine. He was making Lady's life miserable after you left last night."

Johanna smiled. "Ow," she whimpered. "That hurts."

"Come on, I have something to show you. It'll take your mind off your hangover." He dangled a set of keys in front of her. "Can I drive your Blazer?"

"Sure!"

They turned off the path and headed up to the parking lot, and hopped into the SUV. Bud grinned cheerfully as he started the engine. "Automatic transmission, huh? I don't know if I'll like this or not. What's the tow hitch for?"

"Towing a ski boat."

"OK, then this is yours."

"Yeah, of course it's mine."

"Not this. You'll see."

He drove slowly up a dirt road, pointing out sites as he did. The Nest reflected everyone's interests in some way - an airfield, a frozen pond, English gardens, the stables, beaches, California back roads -- and it expanded to accommodate new people. Bud turned up a road that ran past the beaches and upward into craggy boulder-strewn hills.

"This appeared yesterday. Does it have anything to do with you?"

Johanna laughed. "It might. What's beyond the Pass?"

"Desert, mesquite trees and saghuaro cactii. I thought you lived on the coast."

He pulled over and parked. Johanna hopped out, her headache forgotten. "I do, but I always wanted to live in the foothills of Tucson, Gates Pass. I love the desert." She pointed down into the desert floor at a town shimmering in the heat. "Has Cort seen that?"

"What is it?"

"Old Tucson, a movie town. It was Redemption."

Bud shook his head. "You're a strange woman, Johanna. I saw your other special place."

"What other special place?"

"At the lake. I like that one a lot better than this." They got back in the car and drove back the way they had come, turning right by the beaches this time. Finally, Johanna saw it.

"There's a marina here!" she shouted and pointed at the long low building set right on the shoreline. Tied up at the dock was a beautiful yacht.

"That's Sid's. But we think that one right there might be yours." Bud pointed byond the yeacht to an 18-foot skiboat, rigged with a tow bar. The boat was white with red trim and across the stern the name "Crowe's Nest" was stencilled in red.

Johanna skipped down the launch ramp toward the boat, turning back to hurry Bud up. "Are the keys in it?" she sang out. "This is amazing. Do you ski?"

"Never tried. Obviously you do." He tossed a picnic basket into the boat. "Lunch compliments of Liz and Trisha."

"Noooo, actually I have never been able to keep hold of the ropes. I always let go. But I can teach you how." She started to untie the stern line. "Get the bow line loose for me, please? I mean, we can take her out, right?"

"No reason why not." He tossed the rope into the open bow and stepped in, looking slightly out of place in his jacket and tie. As if on cue, he tossed the jacket onto a seat, following it with tie and shirt. Shoes and socks were next. By the time Johanna had pulled away from the dock, he looked far more comfortable.

"Shorts next time," she teased, pointing at his dress slacks. As soon as they made it past the no-wake buoys, she opened the boat up. Water sprayed up, splashing them both. "See?" she giggled.

The rest of the morning past swiftly as they explored the lake together. Bud took a turn at driving the boat, an experience he swore would never replace cars. A warm breeze swept across them until Bud pulled into a cove to break out the picnic. Then the still air became hot. "I'd love to pull off this dress and hop in," Johanna told Bud, looking at the water longingly.

"Go ahead."

"Only if you join me," she asked.

The water felt so good. It banished the last of Johanna's headache as she splashed and played in the water with Bud. They climbed back onto the boat and laid out on the collapsed seats to dry off. Johanna's skin was already tanning, but she kept an eye on his fair skin. Night shift, she figured. "You're getting red," she mentioned, trying not to stare at him in his boxers.

He stood and pulled his pants back on, looking down at her laying there in her underwear. "You're not, you're just turning brown."

"Always."

"Beer?" Bud opened the cooler.

"No, soda please. Diet Coke?"

He tossed her a can and opened the picnic basket. "Ham sandwiches. They look good." He handed her a sandwich. Johanna wrapped herself in a beach towel and sat up to eat. "OK, now tell me why Maximus came back to the Tavern last night."

"Does everyone know that?"

"No, but quite a few of us saw him trying to sneak in. What happened?"

She made a face. "I screwed up. He asked me about Jeffrey and..." her voice trailed off. "I asked him to leave." Bud looked surprised. "It gets worse." She explained, ending "By the time I owned up to coming here for him, he'd decided I wasn't sure enough of my motives."

"That makes sense."

"How so?"

"I'm not sure if I can explain this. We are all a part of one another -the men I mean - so in some way, you must find us all equally attractive. Following me? Good. So you need to know why you came. Before "Gladiator," what was your favorite movie?"

Johanna felt the blush rise from her toes. "'L.A. Confidential,'" she stared at her shoes.

"Oh." He grinned. "Why?"

"Because I love Kevin Spacey. Get real, Bud." She grabbed his beer and took a swig from the bottle. "Yeah, this is awkward."

"It's going to keep happening to you till you make up your mind. If Maximus were here, who would you choose?"

"You ARE with Trisha."

"I am, but forget about that. This is theoretical."

"Maximus."

"Why?"

"Because it feels right. I don't feel the same way with you."

"Good answer, no hesitation. Of course, it also tells me where I stand. We better get back, I'm frying." He started packing the leftovers up.

The drive back to the Hotel was a lot quieter than the drive out as both were tired from the sun and fresh air. Johanna's mood was much improved by her morning off. She headed directly down to the lab, steeled for the grief she knew Sid would heap on her. The door was open.

"Well, Doc, Bankers' Hours, eh? Long night with the General? Too tired to come to work?" Sid launched right into the abuse. "Not too tired to go out with the Dumb Detective, though."

"Gee Sid, nice to see you too." She sat down at her PC and entered her user id and password. "How about we try adding a module or two today?" Sarcasm tended to be lost on Sid, she'd noticed. "How about a new vocabulary?"

"You should have had a drink with me last night. I don't know why everyone is so charmed by the Slave. I'm more beautiful."

"Yes, Sid, you are far more beautiful, but you have all the charm of a cobra. Tell you what, don't call anyone by anything but their name for the next 24 hours and I'll spend all of tomorrow evening with you."

"All night?"

"All evening."

"You've seen 'Virtuosity'?"

"I have."

"You've seen my body then?"

"Impressive," she couldn't deny that.

"All night."

"No further negotiations, Sid. All evening is all I'm offering."

"Done! You'll change your mind. Now, Johanna, shall we get to work?"

He sat beside her at the other PC and pulled up the list of personality modules he'd put together for her review. "I say we try one right now."

"It's really too soon, Sid. I'd like a chance to look at your code."

"If you showed up for work this morning, you could have done that. I want to try something right now. We can always back it out afterwards if it doesn't work." He tapped the keyboard. "This one? I've been watching old news footage."

"Hitler?"

"He loved animals and children."

"No way, Sid. You're already a meglomaniac. Pick another animal lover." She looked at the screen. "Yeah, ok, that one can't possibly hurt a soul." Sid showed her how to load the module for sync. They were in the process of running the simulated load when John came in.

"Hey, what's going on here? Who's supposed to have this shift and why are you two alone in here?" He was clearly annoyed.

Sid swivelled in his chair. "It was the Sla...Maximus. I told him Johanna had taken the day off to go swimming with Bud so we didn't need him."

Johanna groaned, "Thanks, Sid."

"Johanna, come outside please until we can get someone down here."

"Be serious, John. I can handle myself for a little while longer." But she did as she was asked, standing just outside the doorway until Cort came down the path.

"John's about ready to shoot you for coming in here alone," Cort told her. "Bud says you've got a place in mind to show me. Want to go riding tomorrow? Hi, Sid."

"Only if you can find me a very gentle horse. OK, Sid, back in business. How'd that simulation go?"

"Great!" He watched her review the data and doublecheck the module. "You don't trust me."

"I don't want to load Hitler. Go hook up." She followed him into the booth with Cort on her heels. He opened his shirt to the waist; his body was rock hard, tanned and all-round perfection. Pressing his side, Sid popped open a small near-invisible door that revealed a tiny com port where he hooked up to the computer. Johanna thought she detected a moment's hesitation when she asked it he was ready. She leaned over and kissed his cheek. "For luck," she told him as she headed to her workstation.

Loading the module was transparent and swift, taking only seconds. Sid unhooked himself and came out of the booth, buttoning his shirt.

"Well?" Cort asked.

"I don't know. I feel the same. We could head up to the Tavern and test me out. I'm buying."

Cort looked at Johanna. This was already an improvement. "Let's shut down and go," she agreed.

The scene that greeted them in the Tavern was enough to make Johanna want to maroon herself on a desert island with Sid.

The scene unfolded like something out of a bad soap opera. A clearly angry Maximus was right in Bud's face while the detective kept pushing him back.

"If you'd brought her back on time..." Maximus was shouting.

"Get away from me, asshole, before I put you on the floor."

For some extremely unclear reason, John was sitting on the floor between them, a casualty of the shoving match. Liz was behind the bar, watching helplessly. The only other patrons in the bar were Nest employees, relaxing when their shifts ended. They eyed the goings-on with interest, but made no attempt to break it up.

Liz spotted the new arrivals: "Cort, break this up, will you? Johanna, go get Terry or East or someone!"

Sid leaned over as he walked past Johanna. "I'll help. No reason to get anyone else."

Johanna went behind the bar with Liz and asked, "What started this?"

"You." Liz never took her eyes off Cort who gave John a hand up on his feet.

Sid stepped between the two angry men and said something that sounded suspiciously like, "Violence is never an answer to anything, gentlemen." But Johanna wasn't listening anymore; she was concentrating on Liz.

"Me?"

"Yeah, John came in here looking for Maximus. Something about the lab. Max didn't take that too well. He said you never showed up, that you'd gone off somewhere with Bud who picked the absolute wrong time to show up."

Cort and Sid had broken the argument up. Cort was pulling Maximus towards the door. "Liz, we're going outside to cool him down."

"OK!"

John and Bud sat down on a pair of adjacent barstools with Sid standing just behind them. Johanna grabbed three cold beers from the cooler, opened them and set them in front of the guys. Bud grinned rather sheepishly at Liz. "Sorry about the mess, Liz. I'll get it in a minute." He took a long pull on his beer and then said, "Johanna, you better get outside and talk to him."

"Bud," Sid reached between the two men to get his beer. "I'm sorry about any trouble I caused for you. I told Maximus that you and Johanna left together and hadn't come back."

Liz reached out for Johanna's wrist to stop the other woman from leaving. "Did I just hear Sid apologize? Does that mean you've started the changes?"

"Just one small modification," the programmer admitted. "We were coming up here to test him out among the masses."

"So far, so good." Liz looked anxiously at the door. "You better go see about Maximus."

"God, Liz, I am screwing things up so badly with him."

Liz hugged the other woman briefly. "He's been in here all afternoon, boring me to tears complaining about you. You must be doing something right. Go!"

Maximus and Cort were standing under a tree, watching the doorway, and talking in low tones when she walked back outside. Cort slapped Maximus on the shoulder as Johanna approached them. "I'll see you two inside," he drawled.

The Roman nodded, his habitual silent salute; he didn't bother to hide his anger. Johanna took a deep breath and hoped that she would say the right thing. "Take a walk with me? I think we need to talk." Maximus didn't reply, he just fell in beside her. "I'm sorry I was late getting to the lab this afternoon. I didn't know you were supposed to be there."

"White did. He also knew I wanted to show you the Nest."

"We took a quick drive and then he showed me the boat. There's still a lot to show me. Maximus, Bud was only trying to cheer me up. I...aw, hell, I polished off the wine after you left and I felt horrible this morning." She wasn't sure what else to say. "You told me to get to know the others, you know."

Maximus caught her hand in his as they walked without speaking. He clearly didn't want to discuss the matter. Johanna recognized the trail they were on; she had seen it from the road earlier. It led past the English gardens and up over a grassy knoll. Wildflowers bloomed among tall grasses. Insects buzzed happily. The long shadows of late afternoon provided shade from the sun which Johanna tried to sidestep. They were a long way from the hotel when he finally spoke again.

"Did you enjoy yourself?"

"Yes, I did."

"Damn!" He stopped beneath a large tree and pulled her into his arms. "I shouldn't have left last night," he growled before kissing her. They stumbled backwards until Johanna came in contact with the tree trunk. Maximus was relentless, his mouth tearing at hers while his hands slid down her body, lifting her skirt. His mouth moved from hers to her neck.

"Johanna! Maximus!"

They sprang apart like guilty teenagers at the sound of Cort's voice.

"Over here!" Maximus called as Johanna straightened her skirt. Cort came into view a moment later, out of breath. It didn't take a genius to understand what he had interrupted. Maximus stood close behind her, his arms around her, while Johanna's lips looked bruised and red.

"Joanna's got to come back to the Tavern right away. It's Sid. He's crying and can't stop. I have Jeffrey down in the lab, shoeing your computers."

"'Shoeing'? Oh, you mean booting 'em up," Johanna wondered what he meant. "OK, I guess we better back that module out."

Cort looked from Johanna to Maximus and back again. "I'll go on ahead and bring him over to the lab. Don't be too long. Tina's trying to comfort him and Liz and Peaches are laughing like two fools." He ran off the way he came, leaving the two frustrated lovers alone.

"We're cursed," Maximus told her, kissing her neck. "Can you fix him quickly?"

"I don't know. I hope so." She grabbed his hand. "If I can concentrate. I should have known this might be a problem."

"What do you mean?"

"The personality module. Sid loves old tv shows, I guess, because his list of possible personalities is littered with people from them. I figured this one would be just fine."

"Who is it?"

"A fictional character played by an actor named Michael Landon. Pa Ingalls."

"Pa Ingalls? You mixed 'Little House on the Prairie' with Sid 6.7?" Liz doubled over with laughter again.

"It's not funny, Liz," Tina chided. From her point-of-view, it wasn't funny at all. She sat with one arm around Sid, trying her best to comfort him. "He's been like this for over an hour now."

"Johanna!" Sid stood up and enfolded her in a weepy bear hug. "I am so sorry about telling Maximus you went off with Bud." Johanna looked questioningly at Tina from around Sid's shoulder.

"It's OK, Sid, really." She extricated herself from the hug and sat down at the table. "What brought this on?" Sid settled between the two women, holding each one by the hand. John sat across the table, trying hard to eliminate the total distrust he was feeling. Somehow Sid was managing to enjoy all this fuss. He certainly was enjoying Tina's full - and for once - willing attention.

"After you left, every thing was going really well," Tina began.

Liz took up the narrative. "Yeah, Sid stood here and talked to John and Cort for the longest time. It was weird. He was friendly and funny. He complimented all the women as they came in."

Sid greeted each and every person who entered the Tavern like a long lost friend. He called them all by their own names, not his usual snide nickname. The buzz circulated rapidly: a test modification had been successfully loaded.

Oddly enough, it was East who triggered the first emotional reaction. He was telling Kath how Nero had come up lame that afternoon when Sid happened by. The newly-charming man asked how the stallion was coming along and was listening attentively when East said, "I'm glad I don't have to destroy 'im. It'd break my heart."

"You could destroy a beautiful animal like that?" Sid asked, a tear slipping down his perfect face.

"Sometimes ya got to, if the animal is suffering. In't that right, Cort?"

Cort agreed, "But it's always hard to do, Sid." He leaned forward to see Sid better in the dim light. "Is that a tear?"

Sid nodded sadly. "I couldn't do it," he confided. "East, if I teach you to read, will you teach me to ride?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Thanks, brother. I'm sorry I called you 'Dummy.'"

"That's ok."

"No...no, man, it's not ok." He grabbed East in a bear hug. "I'm sorry. I'm just an asshole."

"Oooh, something we can agree on, Sid?" Wendy tossed out as she passed by to get another drink.

"Wendy! I am so sorry about all the mean things I've said about you."

By the time Cort left to find Johanna and Maximus, Sid had hugged just about everyone once, apologized to several people multiple times, and cried at least three verifiable times. Jeffrey had volunteered to get the lab computers booted after a sniffly Sid gave him the passwords. No one wanted to see Sid hug Hando and the possibility was very real.

"Which brings you up to date," Liz finished.

"OK, well I guess we better get back over to the lab. Come on, Sid, let's go."

"Tina's coming too," Sid announced to John's visible annoyance and Tina's discomfort.

"Please?" Johanna asked John. "You and Maximus come too, just in case."

The short walk to the lab seemed an eternity to Maximus and John. Maximus was thinking much the same thing that John was: Sid was getting a lot of physical affection from two women who never gave him the time of day ordinarily. That sudden squeeze, John noticed, involved a hand just touching a breast from under Tina's arm. 'Son of a bitch!' he seethed.

Jeffrey was waiting in the lab, all three computers online. He offered to occupy one computer while Johanna asked Tina to take the other. John and Maximus escorted Sid back behind the glass where Johanna hooked him up. With everything in place, she retreated to her computer and began running simulations while asking Jeffrey to monitor the physical reactions. Tina was in charge of monitoring the server.

The building seemed small and confined with eight people in it. Wendy pulled up a chair and was watching Jeffrey at work. John and Maximus stood against the wall, watchful.

Maximus was as mesmerized as ever by the technology that the others appeared to take for granted. The miracle of electricity never ceased to amaze him. No oil lamps to clean or wicks to trim, just a switch to throw for light. Another for heat. Fireplaces were romantic, not necessary. They communicated via the printed and spoken word over wires and air waves. Sid was manufactured, not born, and Johanna was changing his personality to suit the others. Poor Commodus could have benefitted from that technology, he thought to himself.

He watched Johanna work. She asked Tina to check a number of what she called variables. The other woman asked, "Can I have the syntax for that?"

"It's in the manual," Johanna replied, pushing the book across. "OK, here's the personality module I loaded." She pointed to a line on a list.

Turning, she said, "Maximus, John, come closer if you want to read it." She moved her right hand and an arrow appeared above the line. Maximus knew the item in her hand was called a mouse. She pushed a button twice rapidly and the line expanded to reveal what Maximus knew was called code.

"It should have worked," Jeffrey said, leaning in to read it. "It did work, he was much improved."

"It was too dominant. I figured so many of his serial killer parts were abused children so I pushed Ingalls into a dominant position. You know, replace the bad with a good attitude toward family, children, life, animals. The simulation didn't predict this."

"Yes, it did," Sid told her, muffled through the glass. "I ran it twice and killed the first output so you couldn't see it. It predicted sentimentality as a weakness unless you move it further down the personality hierarchy."

"Damn! I knew not to trust you." She turned to the others. "This might take some time. I have to back out the new module, test the placement in several locations, run simulations and then reload it."

"Can't you back it out and reload tomorrow?" John asked.

"If I just back it out, I won't know if any modules had links to this one. He could be dangerous. I need to at least test the module links. Look, you guys can go back to the Tavern. We'll come over when it's finished. Maximus, will you stay with me? Unless you'd like to trade shifts with someone?" She couldn't resist the dig.

"No, this shift is mine," he replied with a smile, taking the chair Tina vacated.

John and Jeffrey exchanged glances. Nothing Maximus couldn't handle; they knew that, so they excused themselves and departed. Johanna concentrated on the screen in front of her for a while, finally noticing Maximus watching her every move.

"This is all pretty alien to you, huh?"

"I was just thinking how much you know."

"God, please, this is really simple. Sid did most of the hard stuff before. Donāt be too impressed, ok. Iāve been at this for years. The technology behind it is pretty slick though."

"You take it for granted."

"I guess we all do."

"Could you live without it?"

"Computers?"

"No, all of it, electricity, television, computers, cars."

She keyed in the command to begin the simulation and shrugged her shoulders. "If I had to, I could. Everything except hot water." She made a face. "No cold baths! Come closer," she pulled at the edge of his chair. When he rolled it closer, she pushed the mouse and pad towards him. "Try it."

"What's going on out there?" Sid called out piteously.

"Nothing, Sid. I'm waiting for the simulations to run. Relax." She turned to Maximus; his face was inches from hers. "Watch the cursor, see the arrow right there, you're controlling it."

"You talk too much," Maximus told her, kissing her. He let the mouse go and pulled her into his arms.

Sid sounded like an abandoned infant, "You're not waiting for the simulation. I hear kissing!" At that the simulation ended with a beep. Maximus looked at it strangely.

"Two chaperones? We're not ever going to be alone, are we?"

"We were alone the other night. You left, remember? Look, quit distracting me or we'll be here working all night." To take the sting out of her words, she kissed him this time, letting her tongue dance briefly with his. "Or not. Grr, back to work!"

It took the better part of two hours to ascertain that all no major links had been made between the modules. Then Johanna backed the module out, checked Sid's systems from top to bottom, and had Maximus disconnect him.

"What about putting the module in at another level of my personality hierarchy?"

"Tomorrow, Sid. Tomorrow afternoon we can look at it. Right now I'm hungry and tired."

"Tomorrow afternoon? Your less-than-Puritanical work ethic never ceases to amaze me."

"Cut the sarcasm, I am not in the mood to match wits with you right now," she told Sid as she reached down to hit the power strip. She was hoping that neither man would ask why she couldn't work in the morning. Riding out to Old Tucson with Cort was harmless enough, but how would Maximus react?

Sid took his dismissal well. In two days, Johanna had learned to distrust his cooperative side, but he'd gone off to play 'Everquest'ā so he was the Internet's problem now.

"You don't mind going to the Tavern, do you? I'm seriously starved," she asked Maximus. She gazed up at a sky so clear it seemed like she could reach out and touch the stars. "It's so beautiful here." His arms slipped around her as she watched the heavens. He turned her face towards him and began to kiss her again, not the anxious kisses of earlier or the playful ones of the lab, but amazing soft kisses that promised everything. Just as suddenly as he began, he released her to a small whimper of protest.

"Youāre hungry, remember?" he reminded her.

"In more ways than one."

"Good."

"I don't want dinner," she smiled. "We can sneak down to the kitchen afterwards."

"After what?" His hand explored hers, running over her fingers and caressing her palm in a way that made her weak-kneed. His fingers ran up her wrist, lingering at the crook of her elbow, and finally tracing across her breasts.

"After..." she took a very deep breath. "After we make love." Her voice vibrated with her desire, shaking Maximus into action. "Now? Please?"

Neither of them could remember how they made it to Johanna's room that night. All they remembered was shutting and locking the door behind them, and Johanna's hurried flight to pull the curtains. She turned from the window and discarded her dress in one swift movement. "Reasonable clothing," he teased her. "Not like these damn buttons." He pulled the shirt open, scattering buttons everywhere and dropping it to the floor. "Some things I still recognize," he admitted, removing his belt.

"Let me help," Johanna offered, her fingers suddenly nimble as she undid the fly button and zipper. Her lips traced their way down his chest as her hands pushed his jeans off his hips. Within seconds he stood before her, completely nude. She stepped back to admire him.

Maximus was muscular and tanned, fit from campaigning and the Arena. The tattoo was somehow restored, though several other scars marked his arms and chest. Her eyes strayed lower to his well-shaped thighs and his cock, proudly erect.

"You're staring," he teased her, closing the gap between them. He reached behind her and unhooked her bra, gathering her close as he did it. His skin felt hot against hers. "I'm not sure if I like this contraption or not," he offered as he fumbled with the hooks. Her breasts spilled free against his chest. Panties followed, leaving a somewhat bashful Johanna under his scrutiny. She blushed as she led him to her bed.

"Don't be frightened," he told her with a kiss.

"I'm not frightened." Her eyes gleamed in the dim light as she pulled him down to her. Johanna had never been with a man who wanted to kiss as much as he did, who could linger at her lips as if they were rare delicacies. His hand cupped one breast, the the other, teasing each already taut nipple into painful attention before slipping it between his lips. Her hands entwined themselves in his soft hair

He followed the contours of her body, caressing breasts and belly, hip and thigh, finally stopping to dance in the curls that covered her womanhood. She captured the teasing hand and slipped it between her open legs, lifting her eager hips to meet it. He dipped one finger and then two into her hot moist center and found her clitoris. She gasped in delight and began to writhe slowly as he lifted himself on his elbow. The little sounds she made intrigued him as they changed timbre with his lovemaking. He began to trail kisses down the path his hand had taken, finally arriving between her legs. His mouth joined and then replaced his hand in driving her over the edge to orgasm again and again. When he lifted his face to see hers, it was tear-stained.

"I need you inside me," she moaned. "Please, Maximus." He entered her slowly, as if she were fragile, using his hands to hold her hips firmly still. It was exquisite torture as he moved into her carefully and deliberately, watching her glassy eyes. Her legs wrapped around his waist, her hands gripped his ass, pulling him further into her with each thrust. His control slipped when she did that and he lost himself in her. Faster and harder until they came together and fell exhausted in each other's arms.

Johanna fell asleep in his arms, spooned against him, only to be awakened by a pleasurable ache between her legs. His beard rasped against the delicate skin on the back of her neck as he played with her. "You're very wet." She couldn't answer for the orgasm that held her in its' thrall. He slipped his cock between her legs and entered her from behind, keeping his hand firmly on her core, while his other hand caressed her breast. Pleasure swept over in her in waves, finally bringing him with her.

There is a moment between new lovers, a moment between the ecstasy experienced and the reality of life, that can only be called awkward. Some people sleep right through it, others blush and move on, and some talk through it. Each looks at the other and recalls the intimacies shared; shyness touches them.

For Johanna it was a joyful moment, filled with the possibilities of being in love with the right man.

"I've wanted you since the moment I laid eyes on you. I've dreamed about it," she told him, lifting her head from his chest to look in his eyes.

"And how did it compare to the dream?" he asked with a smile.

"You are beyond any dream I ever had."

For Maximus, it was a bittersweet moment, filled suddenly with remembrance of another time and another place and another life. Guilt at finding happiness at the Nest, and not just in this moment.

"What's wrong?" she asked, seeing the smile fade.

"Nothing," he told her with a kiss. "Nothing.

Morning came far too soon for Johannaās liking; she was loathe to pull herself out of Maximusā arms for any reason. She was sore from head-to-toe, that exhilarating ache that came from making love till dawn. But being awakened by Maximus was definitely better than an alarm clock, she reasoned rolling over to cuddle closer. The spot was cold and empty; he wasn't there.

"Time to get up." His voice was different in the morning, deeper somehow.

"Uh-uh."

"Get dressed and I'll bring you coffee." She opened her eyes. He was up and dressed, hair still wet from a shower that she'd hoped to share.

"How long have you been up?"

"Not long." He kissed her. "Black, right?"

"Absolutely."

By the time he returned with the coffee, she was showered and dressed in her favorite jeans and sweatshirt.

"Les Miserables?" Maximus read. "What's that?"

"So glad you asked," she grinned, sipping her coffee. "My very favorite musical of all time." She rummaged in a basket and came up with a DvD. "One evening Iāll bore you with it. It's very sad and very beautiful. I cry through most of the second act."

"It's about this little girl?" he pointed to the image of Cosette emblazoned on the sweatshirt.

"Naw, she's just the symbol of the show. Grows up to be a total wimp." She finished braiding her wet hair. "Done. I'm starved."

"Breakfast then."

Johanna was confused by how quiet Maximus had become and began to wonder if she had somehow offended him. Everything had seemed so perfect last night; how could it be so awkward now? Breakfast would have been unbearable if Cort and Peaches hadn't joined them.

"You done, Johanna?" Cort asked. "We are still going out to Redemption today?"

"Old Tucson, actually, but yeah, if you got me a nice gentle horse. Peaches, did you want to ride along?"

"Nope, got paperwork to finish. Thanks, though."

Cort turned to Maximus, "You comin'?"

"I wasn't asked."

"I was just about to," Johanna told him.

He finished his coffee, kissed her cheek and stood up. "Have a good time. I'll see you later." Johanna watched him leave the restaurant, her eyes filling with tears. She blinked them back determinedly. Peaches leaned across the table and took her hand.

"Hey."

"What?"

"He'll get over whatever it is."

"I just wish I knew what it was."

Cort stood up. "Come on, once we get started, you'll cheer right up."

"This is the gentlest mare in the stable," Cort reassured Johanna as he helped her into the saddle. "She's very sweet tempered, but she has spirit so once you get a little confidence, she'll still be a good horse for you."

"She's mine?"

"She is," East told her from his position at the chestnut mare's head. "She needs a name."

"I've never named a horse." Johanna shifted in the saddle, trying to get comfortable.

"Heels down," East admonished. "Hold the reins gently, not like a steering wheel. Name her something special, Maximus went to a lot of trouble to find her."

"Maximus found her?"

"Yeah, she's been here a couple of weeks," Cort drawled. "He just got this idea into his head that we needed this particular horse. Came down shortly after you got here and said he figured she must be for you." He mounted his own horse and turned toward the gate.

East closed the gate behind them and headed off to find some breakfast and Kath, not necessarily in that order. He chuckled as he watched Johanna; he'd never seen a woman quite so nervous on a horse before. If Cort didn't get her to go above a walk, they'd be all day getting past the English gardens, much less to Old Tucson.

"Jo..." Cort was thinking the same thing East had. "You afraid of horses or somethin'?"

"N..no, just nervous."

"Relax. She's a good horse, you'll be fine."

It took some coaxing to get her to loosen up and let the horse walk at its' natural gait. Once she realized that she wasn't going to fall off, a trot would be achievable. Cort was thankful for patience, not for the first time since he'd come to the Nest.

Johanna was honestly terrified as her mare began to trot, but she was damned if she was going to give into it. Everything she'd done since she'd arrived at the Nest had been a stretch, from programming Sid to riding a horse to everything about Maximus. Everything about Maximus.

They came through the pass and began to descend into the valley that led to Old Tucson. The Nest was somehow larger and smaller at the same time. Johanna thought she'd ask Peaches about that tonight, if she got a chance.

"What makes this place so special to you?" Cort asked as they crossed the valley.

"You're going to laugh at me probably, but when I was a kid, I loved westerns. I particularly loved this one called 'The High Chapparal' which they made in Tucson. When I found myself going to the University of Arizona, I was homesick a lot at first, but coming out here always made me feel better. It was my fantasy place. I could close my eyes and imagine the tourists were townspeople."

"Looks like they are now," he pointed.

The entrance gates, soundstage and fences that she remembered from her college days were gone. Now it truly was a town.

As they rode into town, they were met by a tall man dressed in western attire and sporting a sheriff's badge. "Morning, folks. Welcome to Old Tucson. You must be the people from the Crowe's Nest. We been expectin' you since that road opened."

"You mean this isn't part of the Nest?" Johanna asked.

"No, ma'am, this is our own little place. For people who long for the Old West. You'll find all sorts of familiar faces here if you look. But you, sir, you look VERY familiar to me." He studied Cort. "You're Cort, from 'The Quick and The Dead,' aren't you? We've been hoping to see you relocate here from the Crowe's Nest."

Cort laughed. "Never happen. I'm fine just where I am. But I thank you." He looked around. "Anywhere we can get a drink?"

"The Birdcage Saloon is right up the street."

"Thanks, Sheriff."

Cort enjoyed watching Johanna as she gazed around her. She looked happier than she had all morning when she spotted not one, but three Wyatt Earps engaged in conversation on the wooden sidewalk outside the Birdcage. He helped her dismount, steadying her when her leg muscles protested the change in position.

"Go introduce yourself," he encouraged her.

"I can't."

"Come on," he pulled her by the hand. "Gentlemen, may I interrupt? This young lady would be honored to meet you. Johanna...honey, I don't know your other name."

"Lawrence."

"Johanna Lawrence, gentlemen."

"Wyatt Earp, ma'am," this was the handsome Tombstone Wyatt Earp, Johanna's personal favorite.

"Marshall Wyatt Earp, ma'am." The Costner Earp tipped his hat, eyeing Cort as he did so.

"The Legendary Wyatt Earp, at your service." This last one was the O'Brien Earp of early television. Johanna half-expected him to be in black and white.

"Can we buy you a drink, ma'am? If your escort will allow us?" the Tombstone Earp asked. "And of course, you will join us, sir?"

Johanna was clearly enjoying her morning away with Cort. Several young women in the Bird Cage seemed to know him as well, and he had to decline the invitation to relocate several more times. He was sitting at a table with Johanna and a man named Manoleto Montoya when the Kid came in.

"Cort! I heard you were in town. Good to see you," the Kid held out his hand to the preacher. "How ya like the old place?"

"Not bad. Your old man here?"

"Naw, that SOB found the living a little too hot for him here. He got a small place back in the foothills. Never did get over being killed by a woman." He tipped his hat to Johanna, "Mornin', ma'am. I don't think I've had the pleasure. They call me the Kid."

"Kid, this is Johanna Lawrence, from the Crowe's Nest."

"Pleased to meet you. Are you the one whose been keeping our Cort from joining us here?"

"No, we're just friends out for a ride. My lady is Peaches and she owns the Nest. I'm just fine where I am."

The Kid pulled up a chair and sat. "'Mornin', Manoleto. So, Miss Lawrence, I've heard about the Nest. You hooked up with anyone over there yet?" Johanna almost laughed. He was appraising her, eyeing her every curve.

"Yes, I'm with Maximus."

The Kid whistled low and long. "The General's lady, are you? We saw the movie last week. Very impressive. Well, if it don't work out, we have plenty of rooms over at the Hotel. It's by the OK Corral, real quiet place. Unless you get the room near any of the Doc Holidays."

Johanna checked her watch. Like the Nest, time went slower here, but there was still a lot to see and do before they went back. This was, after all, just a first visit. It took some time to excuse themselves, but eventually they wandered the streets again.

"Nice to be popular," she teased Cort.

The preacher shook his head, laughing, "Nice place to visit, isn't that the expression? No way I'd ever leave the Nest. But I was flattered."

"What is the Kid's problem? I'm a little old for him."

"He doesn't think so. Hits on all the attractive women."

"Ooh, attractive? I like that. Look!" she stopped suddenly and pointed. "The OK Corral. See? Fly's Photography. I was surprised to see how much smaller it was when I went to Tombstone the first time. Which reminds me, can we stop at Boot Hill on our way out of town?"

"You're a very strange woman, Johanna. Why do you want to stop at Boot Hill?"

"Because I always do. I come from a long line of cemetary visitors."

Cort was as good as his word, leading the horses up the slight rise outside the town, where the cemetary was clearly visible. They dismounted and tied the horses to the fence and went in.

The Tombstone dead had been joined by a number of others, minor characters from movies and life, unremembered enough to occupy the town. Cort joined Johanna in front of one epitaph: "Here Lies Lester Moore, Two Slugs From a .44, No Les No More."

"This is my favorite," she told him. "Poor old Les, still gets visitors a hundred years later, all because of this great epitaph."

"No wonder Peaches has you reprogramming Sid. You're a strange little woman."

"Agreed! Come on, I've stalled long enough. Let's get me back on that horse."

"So you ARE afraid?"

"A little. If anyone can convince me, it's ok to ride, this horse might do it." She patted the horse on her neck before letting Cort help her into the saddle. "I need to think of a name for her."

"Name her for something you love. Other than Maximus. This is a mare."

"Cheeseburger seems irreverent."

"You know what I mean."

And so the little chestnut mare came to be known as Zonie, short for Arizona, Johanna's favorite place on earth.

They were very late getting back to the Nest so Cort offered to see to Zonie for Johanna. "But you need to learn to do this yourself. We all pitch in with the horses."

"I will. Thanks, Cort! For everything, really. I had a great time."

"You better get back there. I see Andy waiting in the doorway for you."

Sid and Andy were waiting for her in the lab all right with food and news. The food consisted of pizza and hot wings from the Tavern. "Brain food!" she exclaimed. "Lots of napkins, I hope?" she mumbled between bites. And the news?

"I did what you asked. I went 24 hours without calling anyone anything but their names."

"Hey, that's a great start, Sid. Hand me that printout. I thought we'd look at the hierarchy for reinstalling Pa Ingalls."

"That means we're going out tonight."

"Who?"

"You and me. We had a deal, remember?"

Andy busied himself with the pizza. He'd been wondering how she was going to get out of this deal since Sid told him about it. Would she say she had to check with everyone first?

"Oh...yeah, that's right. OK, but I can't say I'll be much fun. My legs are like rubber from the horse."

"That's not all I hear they're sore from," Sid muttered. He was rewarded by Johanna's blush. "Look, go take a nap then. I expect to see you all dressed up for a special night. I'll meet you in the lobby at 6:30." He giggled. Johanna was definitely interested in a nap, but she was more interested in those hot wings. "Take the chicken with you."

"Thanks!" She grabbed the platter and headed up the path to the hotel, munching as she walked. About halfway up, the light dawned on her. 'Maximus isn't going to be too thrilled with this plan.' Exhaustion and hunger overcame her good sense. After all, she had promised this evening to Sid BEFORE she'd spent the night with Maximus; he'd be ok with it.

"Sid? You're spending the evening with Sid? You spent the day riding with Cort and now you're spending the evening with Sid?"

"Maximus, calm down! Please?" Johanna pleaded, grabbing his hands between hers and leading him away from the people milling around. Maximus had been on his way to her room when he ran into her in the lobby of the Hotel. She was dressed in a long green velvet dress with a scoop neck; her only jewelry a gold Celtic cross on a box chain. It dangled invitingly just above the swell of her breasts. He immediately wondered if he had been supposed to dress; had he forgotten an event? His query produced the reply that the evening was promised to Sid, that she had dressed so beautifully at SID's request. "I can explain."

He was seething. "Explain then."

Suddenly Johanna knew exactly how an incompetent under his command would feel. She took a very deep breath and began, "I told Sid that if he could keep from calling anyone by one of his hateful names for 24 hours, I'd spend the evening with him. He did it, I'm keeping my end of the bargain."

"By being alone with Sid all night?"

"No, by spending the evening in public places with Sid. Let me again emphasize 'evening' because you're as bad as Sid." He looked no happier. "I don't owe you an explanation, do I?"

"No, you don't," he started to turn on his heel to go, but she still held both his hands.

"Maximus, wait."

"There she is, my date for the evening....emphasis on evening." It was Sid, no need to turn. He came up beside Johanna and linked his arm through hers, enjoying the barely-repressed anger on Maximus' face. "Unless I can convince her otherwise, eh, Max? Well, best be off. We have reservations. Ta ta!"

Johanna's last sight of Maximus was over her shoulder as Sid pulled her away and it wasn't a happy one. "Geez, Sid, your specialty is screwing up my life, isn't it?"

"He'll get over it. But if he doesn't, I'm here and waiting." He turned for her. "Whatcha think? Am I beautiful tonight or what?"

Breath-taking was more like it. Sid was wearing a tuxedo of the darkest purple, so dark it was almost black. It set off the blue in his eyes and was a welcome change from the vibrant and often gaudy suits he usually sported.

"Very beautiful," she agreed as they walked into the elegant restaurant, one of several housed in the Hotel. This one specialized in California Nouvelle Cuisine because Sid thought she might long for the restaurants of home. She didn't have the heart to tell him her favorite restaurant was a teeny little Mexican restaurant down the street.

And the meal was one of the best she had ever eaten, with Sid behaving like a true gentleman to everyone from Johanna herself to the waiters. The food was that unique blend of Asian-Pacific Rim dishes and haute cuisine that always confused her. But the pork stuffed with Chinese sausage and greens was amazing. If only she wasn't worried about Maximus and if only she could trust Sid. Oh well, Johanna reasoned, nothing I can do about it right now so I may as well enjoy myself.

Several wines were followed by brandy, and Johanna was beginning to understand where Sid was heading. He was trying to get her seriously drunk. It would have worked if he hadn't ordered so very much food. By the time they wandered from the restaurant into the lounge, she was tipsier than she would have liked, but still very much in control.

Sid had kept the conversation friendly, even general, with a great deal of emphasis on current events in the outside world. Talking politics with Sid was an entertainment worthy of the Gods, she thought, as he could recall facts in an instant. His opinions were flexible and varied as he followed her own thoughts.

"Sid, you don't have to agree with me on everything," she finally told him. "In fact, a little disagreement would be fun."

"I don't understand. Don't you want a man who agrees with everything?"

"You know better than that," she said, looking down at their hands which were clasped together. "Look at Maximus, we hardly agree on anything suddenly."

"Don't talk about him, don't even think about him, you're with me tonight!" Sid burst out, then stopped himself suddenly. He looked sheepish for a brief second.

"Sid, nothing is going to happen between us, you know that, right?"

"Why not?"

"Because I love Maximus." Sid looked annoyed. "Can I tell you something?" He nodded, but he looked skeptical now. "I have really been enjoying working with you. I have spent more time with you than with anyone else at the Nest, you know, and I like you. I don't trust you, but I like you."

"Of course, I'm beautiful."

"Sweetie, you're all beautiful. I have never seen so damn many beautiful men in my life. No, I like you, Sid, pain-in-the-ass that you are. You've taught me a lot and you're trying hard to be a better person, though God knows your idea of better isn't always everyone else's."

"I am what I am."

"Ok, now that's just so much bullshit and you know it. You thrive on causing trouble. Look at the gleeful way you came up to Maximus tonight."

Sid's perpetual grin faded. "He needs to be reminded he's just one of the Boys."

"It really bothers you that 'Gladiator' is such a big film, doesn't it?"

"Everyone comes here to see the General."

"Don't pout, Sid. It mars your beauty. Look, I thought 'Virtuosity' was a great film. I love sci-fi. But sci-fi films tend to be overlooked."

"'Star Wars'! Look at 'Star Wars'!"

"The exceptions to the rule. Sid, listen, I'd like to consider you a friend. Can you handle that?"

"A friend? Me?"

"Yep. But that means no nasty tricks. You can learn to be a friend. And once you have one, you'll have more."

"OK. I can try." The grin was back. "Do friends have sex?"

She swatted his arm playfully. "Nope. Not these two friends. But we can go to the Tavern and have a beer. How's that sound?" She stood up and offered him her hand.

It was a warm evening, the scent of roses lingering on the breeze that slipped down from the English gardens. The Tavern's door stood open as Sid and Johanna entered, still holding hands and laughing. The place was packed with the usual denizens of the Nest, a few weekend visitors, and strays. The voices seemed to stop suddenly at the sight of Sid, handsome in the purple tuxedo, holding Johanna's hand.

Andy looked up from behind the bar where he had been flirting with Jennifer. The look of astonishment on his face made Johanna wonder exactly what she was missing. "What?" she mouthed silently. Andy looked away, obviously uncomfortable. Johanna followed his gaze to see Maximus. He was sitting at the edge of a booth filled with several young women, all strangers to her. One particularly pretty long-haired blonde was tugging at his hand, trying to get him to the dance floor while he protested. As he looked over and saw Johanna's hand in Sid's, his face changed and he pulled the blonde onto his lap.

"Sid, maybe this isn't a good idea," she whispered.

Sid was a stranger to the better emotions of his brothers, but he felt something akin to a protective urge. Johanna had confided in him, treated him like a friend, and he liked the way that felt. He also knew jealousy when he saw it because it was an emotion he WAS familiar with. He could have a great deal of fun and still wind up the good guy for a change.

"It's an excellent idea," he told her. "Want a drink?"

"Scotch rocks," she told Andy. "Don't look at me like that, Andy. I'm old enough." She regretted the words as soon as she said them; Andy didn't deserve that. Sid ordered a beer and led her away from the bar towards the table where Maximus was holding court. "Sid, no," she hissed at him.

The Crocodile must have smiled the exact same way when he was about to take Captain Hook's hand, Johanna thought. "Trust me, just this once." Trust me? She had to be certifiable, but she followed. "Smile sweetly," he whispered. "Maximus! Mind if we join you? Of course, you don't. Move over, girls. If you squeeze in a bit, this nice lady will be able to vacate that rather uncomfortable seat." He patted the blonde on the leg as the other women followed his request. Sid pulled up two more chairs, placing himself and Johanna on the edge of the booth beside Maximus. "I'm Sid 6.7, by the way. And this is Johanna Lawrence, my programmer and Maximus' lady. Returned to you safe and sound, General." Johanna squeezed Sid's hand gratefully as the blonde got up from Maximus' lap.

The newcomers were first-time weekend visitors, filled with delight at everything and everyone. It was also obvious to Johanna that the blonde - a name never did stick in her mind - was rather disappointed to find that Maximus was spoken for.

Or was he? His attitude since this morning was confusing the hell out of her. This morning he seemed to want to get away from her, this evening he was angry about Sid, and tonight...was ugly. He hadn't said a word since she sat down.

From the corner of her eye, she saw Bud White feeding the juke box. The first song brought a smile to her face: Dean Martin singing, "That's Amore." An old favorite. The blonde seemed to like it herself. She leaned in to ask Maximus to dance when Sid stepped in. He jumped up, grabbed her hand and said, "Dance with me." Johanna almost felt sorry for her. Almost.

Three more women remained seated in the booth. The tall brunette from somewhere in Wyoming was slipping across the seat, closer to Maximus, when Bud walked up and asked her to dance. Steve and Alex claimed the last two in rapid succession, leaving Johanna and Maximus alone at the table at last.

He turned to look at her, emotions playing across his face in such rapid succession that she was barely able to follow. Sorrow. She recognized sorrow as the final over-riding emotion. How could he look at her and feel sorrow? Or was it regret? Did he regret last night?

Tears sprang up into her eyes, the way they had at breakfast. She didn't even try to wipe them away this time. "Are you still angry at me? About Sid, I mean?"

"Not particularly happy about it."

"Would you please tell me what's wrong?"

"I can't."

"Are you sorry about last night?" There! It was out. She clenched her fists tightly under the table, digging her nails into her hands to keep from dissolving into tears, and braced herself for the answer.

"No, of course not." He smiled at her for the first time since dawn. "I would explain if I could."

"Are we...spending the night together?"

"Not tonight." It hurt him to say it; he wanted to carry her upstairs to his bed as he said it. But he knew he needed the time to think, to ask his ancestors for their guidance.

"Excuse me," she muttered, pushing her chair back and standing to leave. Maximus grabbed for her wrist, just missing it.

"Johanna, wait." He snapped to his feet and caught her arm this time.

"Please let me go. I can't deal with you right now." She pulled away and walked towards the door without a backward glance. He followed, not certain what he was going to say. Halfway to the Hotel, he stepped in front of her, stopping her dead in her tracks.

"You don't understand."

"Damn right I don't. Mostly because you won't tell me. Look, I'm too old to play games with you. Whatever is wrong, if you won't tell me, we have nothing left to say to one another."

"Fine. Come walk in the gardens with me and I'll tell you."

"Tell me here."

"I can't. Do you want to hear this or not?"

"Fine."

"Good."

The gardens were beautiful at night, Johanna thought, as she walked along. She carried her heels in her hand, enjoying the feel of the grass beneath her feet. They were silent until they reached the Moonlight Garden, a magical place Tina had told her needed to be experienced.

They found an arbor with a swing beneath it and sat. Johanna moved as far away from him as she could and folded her arms in annoyance. Angry was better than weepy, she kept telling herself.

Maximus started to speak in a low voice, almost as if he was talking to himself. "Life," he explained, "has always been black and white for me. Good and evil. Right and wrong. I lost the two people I loved most in the world and so I lived only to avenge their murders. That was right." He turned to look at her. "I expected to die. I wanted to join them in the Afterlife. That was snatched away when I found myself here. So why did I never made an attempt to rejoin them? I became a part of the Nest, enjoying this new family as if the old had never existed. Was that wrong? And you raise the stakes."

"Join them? How? You mean die?"

Maximus nodded. "I just accepted being here, being alive. Rumor has it that we can't survive long outside the Nest so all I had to do was leave." Without realizing it, Johanna had slipped closer to him. He reached over and took her hand. "I lack a purpose here. I am neither soldier nor farmer. So why don't I just leave? I'm not afraid to die."

"Do you want to die?" A lump had formed in her throat, one that threatened to cut off her air.

"No, that's it. I want to live. Look, I'm no stranger to arranged marriages, to the idea of love growing after. It's what I was raised with. So what's happened with us is very confusing. We just met. How can you mean so much to me?" He looked back at the ground beneath his feet. "It can't be right to fill her place so quickly, can it?"

"I can't answer that," Johanna told him. "I never expected to replace her. I would like a place of my own in your heart though." By now her tears were flowing silently down her face.

"The question's been haunting me since I came here. And this morning it just seemed more important suddenly. Why am I still here, still alive, when my wife and son are dead? By rights, I should be dead and buried, but I'm here, surrounded by friends and falling in love with you." His eyes were sad, darkened in the moonlight to a deep sea green. He pushed her hair off her face and kissed her. "Should I be trying to reunite with them when what I want is to stay here with you?"

Turmoil was engulfing Johanna. His pain was worse than anything she had conjured in her imagination; she felt selfish and small for wanting him. Anything she said right now would be self-serving at best. She moved into his arms, holding onto him as if she could somehow absorb the hurt.

His own emotions were raw, fueled by the realization that he might lose her, and translated themselves swiftly into passion. His kisses began gently, turning rough in seconds, as he pushed her down on the swing. In an instant it was her turn to be the strong one; she pushed him away.

"No...Maximus, you were right. We need some distance." She kissed him softly. "Lots of it," she whimpered when he returned the kiss. "You have to make these decisions alone. But don't ask me to watch you die, I can't do that."

"You make me happy."

"Didn't seem like I made you too happy today," she ventured.

Maximus drew in a sharp breath. "I thought I wanted you to get to know the others. I don't."

She didn't stop him when he began to kiss her again. It seemed to her that this might be the last time they'd make love. There was no good reason to turn from him and every reason to lose herself in the moment. He pulled away from the ear he was kissing to look her in the eye, to make certain she wouldn't stop him again. Her eyes told him all he needed to know.

He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed first the back, then lingeringly on the palm, letting her fingers caress his cheek as he did. He was holding back, forcing himself to go slow for her, and she knew it.

She pulled his face to hers and kissed him as roughly as he had kissed her earlier. Her reward was swift and merciless.

The calm controlled facade slipped away to reveal the warrior, deadly and passionate. A man who had everything to lose on the brink of that loss. Her dress became a blanket on the soft green knoll. Clothes scattered across the ground. This was not a time for sweet exploration, but quick remorseless need. Maximus rolled onto his back, his lover quick to understand. She slipped her leg over him and lowered herself onto him, eager for him. He reached up to touch her face, wiping away the tears that still lingered there. His hands grasped her waist, guiding her as he thrust into her. For long moments they moved together as one, trying to forget everything else in a pounding tireless act. Afterwards they lay tightly clasped in each otherās arms, only pulling apart when the air became cold. They dressed as they had undressed: quickly and wordlessly.

Johanna broke the silence finally. They were walking back to the Hotel, arms entwined around each other. "What happens to us now?"

"I don't know. I can't ask you to put your life on hold." Johanna didn't answer; they started up the stairs to her room, quiet again. He didnāt have to ask.

Maximus opened the door to her room, switched on the light, and turned to say good-night, but found he couldn't. He reached over and removed a blade of grass from her hair. "Tomorrow," he whispered.

"Tomorrow?"

"There'll be time to think tomorrow."

"Are you sure?"

Her eyes glowed with happiness when he said, "Absolutely," and shut the door behind him.

Maximus watched Johanna sleep. Tomorrow was today, and he knew what he had to do. He bent to kiss her; her eyes opened slowly. It had been a very long night. "You're leaving?"

"I promised East I'd help with the horses this morning," he lied.

"Mmmm, ok, see you later?"

The lie stuck in his throat. "Of course."

He showered and changed, trying to mentally compose a note to leave for her. He scribbled a few words, sealed the envelope and headed down the hallway to Terry Thorne's room. Thorne was a kindred spirit, more so than the others sometimes. As soldiers, they shared a similar outlook on life and the nature of loyalty.

Terry answered his knock, already dressed for a pre-dawn run. He came outside and shut the door, indicating the sleeping figure of Liz inside. They headed down into the darkened Tavern to talk.

"I need a favor."

"What sort of favor?"

"I need to get away from here for a few days, think some things through."

"About Johanna?"

"In part. What do you know about our ability to leave here?"

"Not much, just that we fade and die. You wanna leave, mate?"

"No. Just looking at my options." He handed Terry an envelope. "Give this to Johanna, will you? Later tonight when I've had a chance to get away. And keep an eye out for her?"

"Yeah." Terry put the letter into the pocket of his sweats. "Where you going?"

Maximus had turned to leave; he stopped. "Thought I'd ride out towards Mannie's shack. Hey Terry, you know anything about automatic drip coffeemakers?"

"Like what?"

"Like how to make coffee in them?"

"Sure."

As they walked out together, Maximus entrusted Terry with what had happened the night before with Johanna. It seemed an odd subject to be talking about while making a pot of coffee, Terry opined silently.

"That's it, press this button and the coffee will start brewing at 7."

"Thanks for helping me with this. Machines don't come easily to me."

"They will," he assured the Roman.

"Terry?"

"Yeah, Maximus?"

"Keep her safe while I'm gone." The sadness crept over him again. He'd left a woman for a journey before.

Johanna and her ever-present morning cup of coffee managed to make it into the lab early that following morning. She smiled when she saw a brand new coffee pot sitting in the corner by the door. It must have been on a timer because a pot of fresh-brewed coffee was waiting for her, along with a card. She opened the card. All it said was, "I thought you'd rather have this than flowers. Maximus."

She laughed as she tossed the contents of her cooling cup of coffee out the door onto the grass. The perfect gift and he knew it. She poured a fresh cup and sipped it. Perfect. She wondered who'd taught him to make coffee as she bent over to hit the power strip.

Truth be told, she was early because they'd been up half the night, making love. He'd left her just about an hour ago with no further discussion of the future. She wasn't naïve enough to think the crisis had passed, but she intended to enjoy the moment and the memories.

She logged in and started reviewing the scenarios again. It was about ten minutes before she heard anyone coming.

One thing she'd learned was that you couldn't always tell WHO was coming by the sound of their voices. Pitch, timbre, accents changed, but not always enough. But the two coming up the walk were Sid and Terry.

"...good time last night," she heard Terry saying.

"I did. I guess they're here for the weekend. Probably to admire me."

"Candace didn't seem so impressed with you."

"No, she talked about Maximus all night. Hey, look, Doc must be here already." They pushed the half-closed door open and came in. " Good-morning, Doc."

"'Morning, Sid. 'Morning, Terry."

"You're up early," Sid leered, pulling aside her collar to check her neck. "Vampires wake you up?"

She stuck her tongue out at him. "No. But thanks for last night, Sid. For all of last night."

"Everything ok?" Terry asked.

"Not yet, but it will be."

Sid seemed inclined to like Terry which made the morning pass that much more pleasantly. The K&R man insisted on participating in the work, claiming he'd be bored watching. The three of them turned out to work well together: Terry with his military background, Johanna with a military training background, and Sid the former police training vehicle. The Pa Ingalls personality module was finally rejected after a series of tests that proved that, even further down the hierarchy, it would clash too badly with Sid's current programming.

"I have another one I like a lot," Sid offered, keying in a numeric sequence. "He seems to be very popular with the ladies. HIS Creator was more popular with the ladies than our Creator in 'The Quick and the Dead.'"

"That was six long years ago, Sid, and pre-Gladiator," Terry reminded him as he looked at Jack Dawson on screen. "What do you think, Jo?"

"He never did much for me," she giggled. "But Jack Dawson would be a fairly good match, he's cocky like Sid, maybe...maybe. Let's run the simulations."

Terry didn't know Johanna very well. They'd only spoken in passing in the Tavern, but they had gotten on. She seemed strong-willed and intelligent. She certainly was thorough in her work. And she understood his military jargon, only occasionally asking him to explain what he meant. It was difficult to gauge her emotional strength from their conversation. He hoped she wasn't a weepy female who dissolved into tears when she heard Maximus had left.

They broke for a late lunch and headed towards the Tavern together. Sid stayed behind to research the proposed module for the afternoon's upload so now was Terry's chance to talk to Johanna.

"Johanna, luv, look, I need to talk to you a minute, and it's serious." He sat her down at the picnic table in front of the Tavern.

She was clearly nervous. "OK, what about?"

"Maximus."

Johanna's stomach fell. She nodded, uncertain if she should speak or if she even could speak. "Tell me."

"He's left..."

"Just tell me he isn't dead." Tears welled up in her eyes and spilled over. Terry grabbed her shoulders and shook her gently.

"No, no...you didn't let me finish. He's left for a few days. Gone off alone to do some thinking. He'll be back when he's sorted a few things out. He left you this." He pulled the note from his pocket.

"When did he give you this?" she asked, opening it.

"Before dawn, just before we went to set up your new coffeemaker." He handed her a handkerchief; heād searched high and low for one in his gear after Maximus left. He knew he was going to need it.

Maximus had a distinct spidery hand:

J-

Forgive me for lying. I couldnāt leave you any other way.

M-