Life threatened to be difficult for Chrissie but there was an excitement about the challenge that Chrissie and like people presented; an excitement si...ply because they introduced entirely different ways of looking at human beings; radical concepts calling into question the very philosophy of humankind and how we view ourselves as living beings. Chrissie was a challenge that asked every open minded person to stand back and think again. Chrissie was special!Jacqueline seemed momentarily shocked. But others had been cut down by more conventional weapons, some still with daggers or short swords embedded in wounds, others with amputations or decapitations that would have been impossible with dull, rusty darkspawn blades.Scouts and trackers cautiously moved across the battlefield, examining the bodies and the tracks left behind. I hoped that they would learn something useful, but was more than glad that it wasn’t my job – the wide open, dead eyes of so many people would haunt my dreams. "Alex," he looks at me, "I'd rather be yo' friend than yo' Master. If-n we gotta chose, there ain't no contest fo' me." I put my hand out. He takes my hand and pulls me in for a hug. When he lets me go, there are tears in his eyes. "Hey, we going fishin' on Wednesday - all day. Uncle Edward letting' us take the Sunrise providin' we give him half our catch. You wanna go?" This is easy - Alex loves fishing."Sure. What time?" Early. Be at the dock at 5am."He groans but nods and I try not to grin. Joe got up and said, “I’m going to tell Dianna the good news.” And went upstairs. I was starting to think he forgot about me, he was gone for that long. Until I heard him walking down the stairs.“Did Dianna leave you any ass to sit on after chewing it out?” I jokingly asked him. I turned around and Dianna was standing there. “Sorry sweetie. Thought you were Joe.”Dianna was wearing this long overcoat. She walked over standing between me and the TV. “Dave. Thank you for not making Joe have to pay.