The Guard- Elders-Part 3

Untitled Part 14

  We went back down into the cellar. Paddy brought the crate back down with him.

As we entered the cavern, we could hear Cory and Gen laughing in the training square. We stood on the edge and watched them spar, when they were done. We went to talk to them.

"Hello Gen, Cory."

"Hello." They said together.

"Um Gen. You have an admirer looking for you."

"I do? Who is it?" She asked excitedly.

"Pete Henry."

"He is here. Where is he? Tell me Paddy?" Gen was very excited.

"Hold on. I told him you were away at the moment so take it easy."

She took a deep breathe, closed her eyes took another deep breathe... then opened her eyes and stared at Paddy. "I guess you want to know where he is now, do you not?"

"Where who is?" Shaun said as he walked on to the training square.

"Pete Henry. He has been looking for Kylie so he could see Gen again."

"Huh!" Shaun was confused.

"Remember, we left Loren on a family emergency. He has come to see Gen probably wanting to know if everything is all right."

"He could have asked you Paddy?" Cory said.

"Yes he could have but I think he would rather hear it from Gen."

Gen was waiting patiently to find out where Pete was staying.

"Paddy please where is he?" She could not wait any longer.

"Oh! At the Pig Pen on Brighton Way." Paddy said smiling.

"Thank you." She took off towards her quarters.

"Where do you think you are going?" She stopped in her tracks. "I am going to see him Father."

"Not alone, you are not?"

"But I..."

"You are still a young woman Gen. You will have to have an escort to go and see him."

"All right, Father." He kissed her cheek. She looked down at her clothes. "I need something nice to wear." She looked at me. "Kylie can you help me find something to wear?"

"Of course." She took my hand and we ran to the storeroom.

"Did you see him Kylie? How did he look? I can not believe he came looking for me." Gen was so nervous. She was babbling. "Yes I saw him. He looked well and he was looking for me to ask about you."

"What did you tell him?"

"I did not tell him anything. He talked mostly to Paddy."

"Oh. I can not believe he came to London." She was almost bouncing.

"I remember you telling me he was special Gen."

"Yes Kylie. It was just before Cory and I left for Father's village." I nodded.

Gen found a beautiful light blue silk dress. It really brought out her eyes.

"Do you think this will be all right?" She held the dress up against herself. "Yes Gen, it is perfect."

"Hehehe! All right now I have to put my hair up in a nice way."

"Yes Gen let us do that."

We went to her quarters and dressed her up really nice. Colleen came to help with her hair.

"See I told you Gen if he really cared about you. He would come and find you."

"Yes Mama you did. I should never have doubted you."

Cory and Paddy escorted Gen to the Pig Pen. Colleen was trying to make some pies while we waited for them to come back.

It was not working very well. She sat down on a chair then back up again.

"Colleen it will be all right."

"Just you wait Kylie when Cassie starts wanting to see a man."

"Yes I know what it is like Colleen. I was just as nervous as you are when Hennie was being courted by Bill."

"I am sorry Kylie. I forgot about your other children."

"It is all right Colleen. Breathe. Relax. Paddy and Cory are with her."

"I know."

The door opened and the three of them walked in. It had been a short visit.

Gen had a huge smile on her face so did Cory and Paddy.

"Well tell me what happened?" Colleen asked nervously.

"He has decided to live in London and he wants to see me again." Colleen hugged her daughter. Paddy came and stood beside me.

"Is this what I have to go through when Cassie starts?"

"Yes Paddy." He shook his head.

"I hope I can handle it as well as my father." Paddy said.

"He has had a lot of practice Paddy. Gen is not his first daughter."

"This is true but unfortunately Cassie is my first daughter."

"I think Paddy, you will be fine. She is not interested in men yet."

Cassie walked into her grandparents' quarters with Benjamin.

"Oh Good, you are both here. Benjamin and I are going for a swim in the main bathing pool." Gen and Cory both looked at Cassie and Benjamin then at us. "Wait up you two. I have not gone swimming in the pool for a while. Do you mind if I join you?"

"Of course not, Uncle Cory. You are always welcomed."

"I think I would like to come too." Gen smiled. Cassie looked at her aunt and uncle. She looked slightly confused.

"That will be great Aunt Gen."

"Just give me a minute to change out of this dress. All right?"

"Sure Aunty."

Gen and Cory went into their room and changed out of their street clothes and back into their comfortable tunics and long pants. They were back in less than a minute holding a towel each. "All right. We are ready."

"Good. Let us go." They left for their swim.

"I do not think you have to worry when Cory and Gen are around, Paddy. They protect her just as easily as you two do." Colleen said.

"Thank the Gods for Gen and Cory." I laughed. "Why?" His mother said.

"Or else I would have to be by her side ever second."

"No you would not. You have to let her experience life Paddy or she will resent you."

"I am her father. She would not resent me." He looked at me. "Would she?"

"Its something we all go through Paddy. I am sure you went through it when you were younger." Colleen was nodding her head. "I did?" Paddy said with a smile. "Yes Mom. I do remember trying to spend more time outside the cavern away from you. Just so I knew what it was like not having you around watching everything I did."

Colleen smiled. "Yes Son I remember too." Paddy hugged his mother.

"Now you are a man with a family of your own. It is a little different when you are on the other side, is it not?"

"Yes Mom." He blushed. "How do you do it?"

"Put it this way. I am glad my children are born a hundred years apart if I had to go through this like normal parents. I do not think I would survive." We laughed.

"Yes you would. I did. It could be the reason humans do not live long. Their children kill them slowly with worry."

"You know you could be right." Colleen smiled.

We laughed again.