"I was wondering if maybe you'd like to go out with me. If you want to." You mean like a date?" she asked in an amused tone."Sort of. I mean - " You...re just so adorable, I can't bear it! Listen, darling, I have to go right now, but maybe you could stop by my place for a drink this evening. Do you have a pen?"I quickly scribbled down the address she gave me on the back of an envelope and, after promising to be there at eight, hung up. Then, still grinning stupidly and excited like a kid on. The love between Mark and Molly blossomed with their improved financial security. It was almost as if they were newlyweds once more rather than a couple who'd lived together—married and otherwise—for more than twelve years."It's been a very long time," said Mark as he lay on his back when the two had made love in the bedroom they no longer had to share with their seven year old daughter. "Who'd have believed we'd last so long?" Whatever made you think we wouldn't?" laughed Molly who hoped that. But it’s not possible… with three adolescent sons, I’m stretched thin as it is. There’d be no way I could provide for Tammy on top of them.”Dave’s stomach churned at the thought of what would happen to Tammy in foster care. Even if she was with sorcerers, they hadn’t developed any true connections with the girl beforehand, and doing so now would be next to impossible. Dave again glanced back, seeing his wife telling Tammy a story from her childhood while the poor girl still clung to. Hopefully, the river would be wide enough to halt the spread of the fire. Meanwhile, he commanded the women to wrap the children in every bit of cloth that they could find and dip them into the river. He wanted their clothes saturated with water. When that was done, the children were placed in the wicker panniers on the horses, and the horses were led into the water to stand so that only the children's heads were out of the water. This generally was deep enough so that only the horse's head was.