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The tunnel between Blackfoot's house and the graveyard is about one mile to the south, and dates back to an era gone by. Its main practical benefit was to secretly move Indian slaves away from attacking Calvary soldiers to safety. The stone reinforced passage is narrow, desolate and dark. It lies between eight to ten feet underground, with a few slopes up and down the entire distance. There are several twists and turns, yet since it is a single path there is no chance of getting lost. A trap door that is well concealed inside a storage room leads to wooden stairs that drop about ten feet to the floor of the tunnel. Blackfoot believes there are very few people who know of tunnel's existence.

Today, it will serve another yet similar purpose. It will take Paul to his meeting with Anne. Blackfoot will make sure he is delivered properly. Further it will fool whoever intends to interfere with their meeting. Blackfoot and Anne suspect Neyug will send a group of vampires to capture her. They try to think as Neyug would.

It is almost time. Anne is already at the gravesite. Time passes slowly. Several scenarios pass through her mind, one of which is to kill Paul if necessary. She hopes it does not come to that, but his twisted loyalty is something she must be prepared to deal with. She tries to dismiss the thought. Or worse, Neyug succeeds in capturing her ... and the rest, as they say.... She struggles to concentrate. Anne brushes her stomach softly.

The silence, for once, is not soothing to her. "They're not biting," she says to herself. "They've smelled me out." Her words are desperate as she thinks what the future might mean should she be a slave to Neyug. Can she outsmart the vampire or is it too crafty to outwit her? "Pray that I'm wrong," she pleads aloud. The worry in her eyes, however, show doubt and a long nightmare ahead if she fails. Is there anything she can do to increase her odds of triumph?

Suddenly, a muffled sound comes from the tunnel's opening. She takes a deep breath.

Paul is the first to appear, followed by Blackfoot.

Step one is complete.

"Leave him with me. I'll take care of everything."

Blackfoot disappears into the tunnel, now headed back to his house. As well, he is prepared for a visitor or two once he returns. Julien is on-hand to even the odds.

They stare at each other for a short time. Time seems stopped.

"Where are we?" The question seems innocent enough to him.

"Far enough away where we won't have any interruptions."

They hear nothing, not even birds chirping or the wind blowing. In its place is a silence as if they are inside a glass container, only seeing each other. He begins to feel nervous. The idea of meeting her to negotiate seemed quite good at the time, but not now. He is not sure how to start it off.

"You wanted to see me about something?"

A grunt, but softer. He hears the sound of air move out of his body.

She asks, "How long have we known each other?"

It seems a strange question to him, but at least the conversation is started. "Not long in years, but I think I know you quite well. We've been through a lot together."

"Yes, and all that time I never saw you to be without words."

The very gentleness of her tone relieves him of some built up tension. His breathing is now a little easier. He does not have an answer.

Silence.

"You're worried about something, not sure if you are doing right." She decides to wait him out. "You want something from me but I suspect realize you won't get it."

"Don't." His voice is quiet yet full of emotion. His breathing is now rapid.

"Are you now loyal to someone else?"

He does not know how to answer. "Damn you."

She tries to absorb all that is happening while trying to figure what is not happening. It is a strange situation, yet she is not going to let him off the hook easily.

"We need to talk," he tells her.

"I'm listening. Tell me what's on your mind."

Everything he practiced is now out the window. He has no interest to negotiate a peace settlement. He does not even have that skill. He feels emotion build up inside, and before he can pull the words back, they make their way to the receiver. "I've tried to forget you ... to put you out of my mind ... but I can't."

She silently says to herself, "Brother, here we go again." She resists rolling her eyes.

"I've tried a hundred times. But I wake up each morning and you're not by my side, I cry. I've lost all my pride." He takes a gulp of air. "I've tried to be free of you, but it just won't happen. So, here I am before you asking ... pleading ... that you'll take me back."

While not entirely surprised, she is not interested in the least. "You're looking at the world through some self-serving lenses. Love is a serious thing ... it's powerful.  Listen to me ... your desire has become a crisis. It has taken charge of you and has made you a creature of uncontrolled passion. It is not going to happen between us."

As she waits, he looks at her. She is there, right in front of him, but it does not matter. At first there is sorrow in his eyes, almost pathetic looking. Then he says, "How can you do this to me? Here I am. I've always been there for you. I'm your man! Damn it, I'm your man! Why don't you get it?" He quickly takes in a few deep breaths. Something is going on inside him, so he squeezes out another few words. "Whatever you want from me, I'll do it. Whatever. Don't sentence me to an eternity of boredom."

She senses he is unrestrained, verging on hysteria. "What ruler are you using to measure this?