After I watched Shannon come on It’s talented tongueonce, I clipped the wires that bound It’s wrists (thehands were swollen and blue) and ...ave It the shovel. Ileft It to her work and took Shannon upstairs to mybedroom.We could see It working from the window. Her pale skin,unaccustomed to sunlight, was already turning cooked-lobster red. I was a little worried she might be tooweak or pass out before she finished digging the hole,and she did fall down a couple of times, but. Would you like to come up with me?"I blinked. Somehow I hadn't expected that. I guess I should have, but it never occurred to me."No pressure," Jean-Luc said."I'd like that," I said."Okay," he said. "Wait here." He gave me a peck on the cheek and walked out.Oh God, oh God. Breathe. It's okay. This is fine. This is good. This is what you wanted. Sophisticated and adult.Our dessert came at the same time he came back. Instead of sitting across from me, he pulled his chair around so it was next to. I wheeled Melissa back into the room as Mum walkedtowards the table with two mugs of coffee."Right young man you have some explaining to do," she said as she placedthe two cups of coffee on the table and we both sat down.I began, "You remember the last time you were down and I said how hemissed Grace so much, well I somehow got this daft idea that maybe havinganother female about the house would help." I paused looking for areaction, there was none. "Well a couple of days after you were here. Twice, others in my party used force to avert someone being hurt (Trish's Jim's attempt on Trish and then on me at my home).Christina was happy to see me rejoin her. She snuggled up to me. We sat there for about an hour before Tom walked out."The judge just sent the jury out to deliberate." Just as he was sitting down, someone stuck their head out of the courtroom and said the jury was back."That was quick," he said as he headed back inside. He was back in about fifteen minutes."Well... how did.