Time Apart.

[Cory]

"Lordy, m'back is killin' me." Cory grumbled as he forced himself to climb the stairs. He never strayed from the rug than risk scuffing the floors. The sooner he got out of these boots the better. They only added to the weight on his feet.

Aside from the low, distorted sounds of a television the house was quiet. Hank would still be up for a few more minutes. He insisted on hearing the results of recent horse race. Who was Cory to deny him that? Once he was behind the door of the master bedroom it was complete silence. Bracing against the wall he pried the boots from his feet. Then a quick double check of the lock.

"I swear I covered ever'a square inch o' this ranch wit' the girl on m'shoulders." Half expecting to hear a soft snicker from a half-asleep Quinn, but there was only silence still. She'd been gone for a few days now and was scheduled to return the next day. He saw in her eyes she was serious about this competition. How he hoped she returned with a bright smile on her face. It couldn't be any sooner, either.

Stripping out of the rest of his clothing he stepped into the bathroom for a nice, hot shower. He needed to shave the whiskers off his face, too. Had to look right for his woman. After a long while he emerged, unashamed to strut around in the buff in the privacy of their bedroom. Covers himself with a pair of solid green boxers.

All ready to turn in he's rounding the bed until he catches movement out of his peripheral vision. Turning to see it was only the mirror on Quinn's vanity. Next thing he knew he found himself moving in that direction. Aside from a rarely used brush and a jewelry chest the top was bare. The rest had been taken along on the trip.

Cory eased into the seat, his eyes set on the ornate jewelry chest. He carefully opened the main compartment to reveal an assortment of silver and gold. Earrings, necklaces, they all had their place, but that's not was he was looking for. On to the miniature drawers. The first of two was riddled with rings, he brushed a finger through the thin loops in search of one in particular. He frowned not finding his prize.

Last chance was held by the last drawer. Slowly he slid it open, eyes closed and not to open until the drawer would go no further. When his eyes did open they found a silver band sitting all by it's lonesome. One single karat diamond was centered by two smaller diamonds. This was the ring he presented to Quinn the first time he asked her hand in marriage.

Throughout all of the trials, tribulations and separation she kept it. Ever so carefully he plucked the ring from it's resting place. Holding it before his gaze for inspection, a smile playing at his lips as he does. Fingers wrap around the ring and conceal it in his palm. The drawer is nudged closed and he nearly jumps from the chair. He tucks the ring away in the pocket of the jeans set out for tomorrow and dives into the bed.

Not more than a week ago, during his turn at running supplies he came across a jeweler who seemed eager to take on any project Cory could bring him. It was now up to his dreams to tell him what to do. All he hoped was that it was completed by the time Quinn returned.

[Cory]

The ring had been dropped of with his instructions. It was up to the jeweler to carry out his wishes. In the meantime, Cory headed into the Outback to kill time. He wasn't in the right mind to put up any kind of formidable fight, so watching and heckling was the best alternative. Arriving shortly after Tera he was propositioned for a fight from Delroy.

"You interested in going a few rounds? I got swept last night, kinda want to get back on the horse." Delroy sipped his beer, watching Cory expectantly.

"I need t'find m'horse... it ran off 'n lef' me. I'm happy righ' 'ere watchin'. Learn from oth'a people." The Southerner cracked a grin.
Soon Delroy was drawn to another brawler and the nights entertainment got under way. He made himself comfortable atop his stool. Bottle of water in hand and cheering the two on. "Go fo' the face!"

No more than a few minutes passed before another sought get Cory in the ring. This time it was an unfamiliar ebon skinned female. The way she spoke sent goose bumps tingling his flesh.

The drowess nearly growled at the lack of response. Two of the males had begun fighting and the only one left seemed less than interested. A hissing voice rang out. "You there... Care for a fight?"

He caught the drowess with a sidelong glance, rather than meeting eye to eye. Associating the chill he felt to the ice cold water. "No' when ya put it tha' way."

Resorts to cheering on the two in the ring. By now the score was in heavy favor of Delroy. "Keep'em on his heels!" He called after another round.

[Cory]

The next round it was all over. A rather convincing win for this Delroy fella. With his action over his gaze wandered, but it didn't go far before it landed upon the radiant Quinn. She was already honed in on his postion when he waved.

"Evenin' there good lookin'." Quinn sent off a flirtatious little wink to her beau.

He rapidly drained the last of his water and rounded the bar to properly greet the femme. Both arms sent around her body, and his back curved in a slight arch to bring her feet off the ground. A quick smooch to her lips before lowering her down.

"What you got planned this week?" She said, still soaking up all the attention he had to give. Also taking in every last detail of his face. The competition lasted a week and every day she longed to see his face again.

"Takin' in some fights righ' now. T'morr'a I planned on takin the day off t'relax. The l'il one's been runnin' me raggid." Cory angled down a smirk.

"Not too much relaxing I hope." Quinn prodded into his ribs with an elbow. "I was plannin' on takin' tomorrow off also... The next three and a half, actually." She added as an afterthought.

"I won't le' tha' happen."

"Well.... good, then." "So... y'ain't forgot 'bout my winnin' tha' bet have ya? Because I'm givin' ya time t' make things good an' not cheap." She fixed him with a broad smile.

"Bet?" Immediately lost Cory's features twisted in confusion.

"Yeah...." Quinn's smile faded and was replaced with a nervous look. ".. the one I won... 'bout th' fight. Remember?" Contralto voice pitched nervously higher than usual.

"Now now, gimme a minute. It's been a rough coupl'a weeks." Stalling while he racked his brain.

"Ya dun remember?" Violet peepers wide with upset disappointment.

"No, babe. I'm sorr'a." He was similarly disappointed seeing the pain in her eyes. But his thoughts were focused on something other than a bet.

Quinn tried to mask the sadness and brush it aside. "Oh.. Well that's alright. No biggie, I guess." She slumped onto the nearest barstool.

"No' even gunna gimme a hint?" She passed in by so quickly Cory was whirling on his heels to catch up.

"Nah... like I said, no biggie." Brows furrowed as she frowned and leaned over the counter to try and fetch a beer. "Ya prolly weren't tha' thrilled 'bout it in the first place."

"Fo' the love o'... Tell me this bet I los' and wha' I hav'ta do. I keep m'word." He wasn't trying to deny he lost a bet. Only human, he's not a logbook.

"When you got beat by Marzan...." Trying to jog his memory. She didn't want to just bring up the subject. She had been playing coy before and was stumped with his forgetting the bet.

Quinn had lit the path, now it was his to venture down. "All I's 'memberin' is I go' beat. Ya gave Marzan his choice o' steeds then som'thin' 'bout gettin' back on track.."

"Like I said, it was no big deal." Hearing his response was all she needed. Beer left at the bar she slipped from the stool and edged up on her toes to plant one last kiss to her beau. "I'm headin' home. You'll be there later?"

"Yah, I'll be a few minutes 'hind ya." Meets her lips with his and allows her to retreat to the exit. Cory waited until the doors closed before he rounded the bar again. Procuring another bottle of water and concentrating on thier converation. Not to mention the details of this bet. He did so until he retired for the evening. Now he simply cannot forget about the ring in waiting.

[Anjolie Quinn]

The femme had retired early that evening with the strangest sense of despair. It wasn't so much that he had forgotten the bet as much as it was this false hope she had been building up over the last few weeks. For it to have completely slipped Cory's mind brought on the most looming cloud of lonliness. Had he not been thinking about her? Was there someone else?

The oncoming wave of paranoia was being shoved to the wayside with all the strength Quinn could muster. Half an hour was spent tending to the greenhouse she had been without this past week. Post-its were being spread across her vanity once she reached the bedroom. The femme sunk onto the padded stool of cherry wood and stared at her reflection in the mirror.

"Good God, woman... ya gettin' old. No wonder he's forgettin'..."

Anjolie felt like kicking herself for even bringing up the doubt a second time. The clothes from the trip weren't even brought upstairs, but rather placed in a huge pile next to the washer downstairs. It's the sort of pile that makes you feel sick inside because you know that at some point in the next day or two it has to be completely sorted and taken care of before it starts to grow all kinds of fuzzy creatures and odd smells.

The femme had locked herself safely in the bathroom to tend to the mess that was her physical state whenever she heard Cory return from the night of dueling. The tweezers in her hand were grasped even tighter to try and speed up this daunting task of making herself look presentable.

A bit of floral perfume was sprayed upon her neck and torso and Quinn had just enough time to leap across the bed and get under the covers in her silk, spagetti strap nightgown. The sheets had barely settled whenever he came through the door. Anjolie tried her best to settle her breathing from the leap of faith and pretend to be in a light, but peaceful sleep.

Even though they had known each other for all these years and he'd seen her in a helluva lot worse states than the present one, there was still something inside that made Quinn want to look her best for him. They needed time together to work things out and she was surely going to try and look at least a little bit cute for all the snugglnig and chats which needed to be had. What better way to kick off the healing than to come home to a woman curled up where she ought to be next to your spot in bed?

[Cory]

He opened the slowly and peeked inside before deciding to enter. Quinn was already in bed, no doubt she wanted to end her evening early after the heartbreak he subjected her to. Cory did his best not to make a sound as he trekked across the rugs and seated himself in the high-back, padded chair. As he was slipping out his boots he kept getting the sensation of being watched. He paused and glanced at the sleeping femme, but her eyes were closed. The sensation returned when he continued and he snickered inwardly.

If by chance she was watching him, Cory stopped long enough to smile. It was a silent signal to her that everything would be better. Then he was out of the chair and moving into the bathroom. Along the way his senses were awakened by traces of perfume floating in the air. There was another smile in the direction of the bed as he closed the door. This scent was something he'd never experienced before. Even after his shower and shave he could smell the perfume. It was doing what it was designed to do and casting a spell over Cory. All he could think about was getting close to Quinn.

She had been kept waiting long enough and he slipped beneath the sheets. Careful not to disturb her Cory scooted across the bed and nestled at her back. His hand stroked her arm as he whispered in her ear. "Ya 'wake?"

What kind of question is that? If she wasn't awake she had to be now. Quinn was smart enough to cover her bases and roused with a murmur. That was soon replaced with a pleasurable moan as she felt his lips press against her shoulder.

"Yes I am. Somethin' on your mind, dearest?" Asked innocently enough while she coerced Cory's arm around her body. Quinn soaked in every second his attention was solely upon her and couldn't resist the smile.

"Yah.. there is, actually.. I'm sorr'a I fo'got 'bout the night out I was 'posed t'have planned fo' ya." Despite her saying it was "no biggie" he simply knew better.

"I'll admit, I was saddened by you forgetting that part of the bet. All during my trip that's really all I looked forward to. Win, lose or draw I knew I'd be comin' home to you." Her fingers played with his before clutching his hand against her stomach and closed her eyes in preparation of her next question. "Were you thinkin' of me while I was gone?"

"Ever'a second o' ever'a day 'n while keepin' an eye on our daughter. Who is lookin' fo' ya las' I heard." Another smooch delivered to her shoulder. "There's been some things goin' on in the back o' m'mind tha' was jus' 'nuff t'distract me."

"Like what?" Violet peepers found the mirror of her vanity and she tried to see what he was doing. She was dying to know what caused him to forget.

"I was plannin' som'thin' mo' than jus' a night out." He was purposely vauge. As was his nature when he had something big in the works.

"Oh? Such as?" Interested in hearing more into his excuse.

"Can't 'zactly tell ya." Cory grimaced and knew she wouldn't buy it. "Ya'see, I tell ya 'n it ruins the whole surprise. There's som'thin' I go' fo' ya 'n I'm waitin' on it t'come in." Sounded convincing enough, it was the truth... He awaited her response which was only a deeply drawn breath and a sigh. He thought he heard a softly whispered "oh".

Quinn yawned from the late hour and the exhausting trip she endured to get home. Forcing herself to sleep wasn't going to work and she realized this. Slowly she succumbed to Sandman's spell and let her heavy eyes close. Before she drifted she felt Cory's face nuzzle up close to her ear and whisper.

"I love ya" It was followed by a soft kiss to her cheek then Cory rested his head on the pillow.

[Cory]

The next two days would be nerve racking. There was no word from the jeweler. What could be keeping him? The task was supposed to be completed in a matter of days and it was now approaching a week. Left with no other option he had to go into town and investigate.

Cory snatched his hat off the rack and was caught by Kallie as he was walking out the door. She was all sorts of inquisitive. Asking why he was leaving, where he was going, when he'd be back and most importantly, was he bringing her a present. After promising to bring her home a bag of candy he smooched the toddler and sent her scurrying off to do her business. Which was likely to share with her mother what she heard.

He hopped into the Mustang bestowed to him by his nephew Kolonos. It had taken them some months of troubleshooting get life from the ancient engine. Illusia had since summoned Kolonos back to their home to tend to needs there. They had plenty of time to properly restore the old heap together. Boy did it growl when started up. Thunderous percussion emitted from the tailpipe rumbled the ground around it as it pulled out of the main driveway. Despite it's appearance the car was drive-able and that was good enough for now.

It was an interesting trip into the city. Without Kolonos in the car he pushed the speeds higher. Little regard given to law enforcement which could lurk around the next bend. It wasn't until he could see the gates of RhyDin he let off the accelerator. He had to get across town into the Old Market district and traversing the city streets was no easy task. Especially with shoddy shock absorbers on cobblestone. This is why he preferred to walk.

[Cory]

A bell strung over the door alerted any employees of his entrance to the shop. Moments later the shop keeper pushed aside the curtain to his office. He was a small framed man, more round like a beach ball. Thinning grey hairs stood on end and pointed in every direction. Either he woke up from a nap, or doesn't comb his hair. Facial features were likened to a bulldogs and bi-focal spectacles only made him look like an intelligent bulldog. Arthritis racked hands smoothed out his hair as approached counter.

"Ah! Mister Havoick! I've been trying to get in contact with you. There's a matter about your request I'd like to speak with you about." Whirling around, the shop keeper disappeared behind the curtain again. Leaving Cory to wonder.

"Uh.. okay." Cory quirked a thick brow and waited. As he leaned against the countertop browsing through the assorted display the shop owners wife emerged from another office. Unlike her husband, she aged gracefully. She easily could pass as 10 years younger than she truly was. Blond hair rolled to her shoulders in well maintained curls. Only traces of grey showed at the hairline, but she wore them proudly. Honestly, it accented her powder blue eyes nicely.

"Good morning! Does Fenear know your here?" She smiled warmly at Cory and moved to add a folder to the filing cabinet behind the counter.

"Yes'm, jus' saw'em matt'o fact." He motioned at the open doorway covered by a curtain.

"Great, you were the one wanting some alteration done, am I correct?"

"Tha'd be me."

"Since you already have a ring, I take it this isn't your first time?" she asked, still smiling.

Cory chuckled, "Nah, it ain't. It's the sec'nd time I've asked this woman. I'm nervious as all hell.. like the it's the firs' time all ov'a 'gain."

"That's so sweet." There was an unmistakable twinkle in the woman's eyes. "Good luck, handsome."

"Uhh.. thanks.." Was he getting hit on by an elderly woman? He played it off with another chuckle and looked expectantly at the curtain. Picking up on the hint she excused herself back to her office.

Moments later the curtain flared again and Fenear stepped up to the counter. "Now then, mister Havoick. While I understood what you wanted done. I wasn't absolutely positive I could engrave what you desired on such a thin band and have it recognizable. That's why I have not started working on it. " He showed Cory the original ring. Which indeed, had not been changed. "..but with a slightly thicker band I can engrave what you wish. Your total being 1000 silver nobles. That's for difference in gold content of the band, engraving and transferring stones. How does that sound?"

"Works fo' me. 'ow long will this take?" Cory asked anxiously. He had hoped to leave with the ring today and was ready to have it back in his possession.

"There's only two ahead of you as of right now. I can have it ready in two days."

"I'll be back in two days then."

The deal was finalized with a handshake and Fenear tucked the ring back into the numbered box. Next he handed Cory a claim ticket. "Payment is due when you return to pick up your item. Thank you for the business and tell your friends about us!"

Cory secured the ticket in his billfold and stuffed that into his back pocket. "Thank ya too." He nodded and headed out.

[Anjolie Quinn]

Little children all seem to have the same wonderful skill of tattle-telling. Kallie was no exception to this rule. As soon as the sounds of Cory's beat-up, old mustang fired across the grounds Quinn's ears perked a bit. No more than 30 seconds later Kallie came running around the corner to inform her mother than Cory had gone to town. The femme attempted to muffle a laugh at her little henchman.

"He's going to town, is he?"

Kallie jumped up and down with excitement and nodded her head at the same time.

"Uh-huh! An' e's bringin' me back sum Can-Day!"

Quinn's eyes narrowed a bit at this announcement. Her daughters teeth were surely going to rot from her head. It was getting close to midday and Anjolie headed inside with her daughter to start working on lunch for the masses. The business had been going well recently. The plants being sold down in Old Market were starting to gain popularity and the Golden Sun was in high heat with breeding season for the mares.

Elizabeth was checking the cabinets for ingredients for the meal she'd be making this evening. Kallie was putting open buns on plates around the table for the burgers they'd be eating within the hour. Quinn had stopped chopping lettuce and was heading outside to make sure the grill was turned on whenever she stopped by the table containing their mail for the past week. This table was never clean.

Quinn picked up a copy of the paper and was inspecting the usual front page news whenever she flipped to the back to check out what was showing at the movie theater in town. Her eyes caught the weather forecast printed on the page (which was always wrong), the horoscopes, TV Guide, and the lottery numbers.

Anjolie checked to see if the summer blockbuster movie she'd been waiting for had come out this week. It had not. The femme was about to set the paper back down whenever she caught a glance at the lottery numbers again. Her face got a little white and she set the paper down.

Elizabeth paused as she saw Quinn running down the hallway oust the corner of her eye. The sound of her stomping up the stairs followed soon after. Liz figured she probably needed to pee. Kallie was making a ketchup smiley face on her bun and swinging her legs happily back and forth.

Quinn reached the room and pulled out the tickets she'd purchased earlier in the week. She attempted to stroll casually down the stairs and back to the table to inspect the numbers. She wasn't sure why she hadn't just grabbed the paper and taken it with her upon second consideration.

Violet eyes scanned over the numbers of her tickets and finally narrowed in on one in particular. Those were her numbers....

Quinn wanted to scream and dance and faint all at the same time. It wasn't the grand jackpot, but it was one helluva lot better than what she currently had.

The femme chose to keep quiet about the win for now. She tucked the ticket safely into her pocket until she could get to town to claim the winnings. Quinn headed out to turn on the grill and get things ready for lunch. She just couldn't wait for Cory to get home.

[Cory]

Cory was upstairs when the smells of seasoned beef cooking over an open flame caused him to stop in his tracks. He could think of nothing better on a summer day than thick, juicy homemade hamburgers for lunch.

"Mmm." Thinking about it was only going to distract him further, and probably cause a little drooling. He had preparations to complete, and he knew now how much time he had. For the next fifteen minutes Cory paced on the rugs leading into the bathroom finalizing his plans. One last check of the items hidden away underneath the sink and he was good to go.

First glance in the mirror and he noticed flushed cheeks and perspiration glistening in the light. He was admittedly nervous, but if he wore it around like this Quinn would certainly suspect something. Cold tap water was pooled in his hand then splashed on his face. There was a moment to compose himself and breath deeply. Convince himself there was no reason to be nervous.

As soon as he left the bathroom the doorknob rattled then was followed by knock. "Cory, are you in there? Lunch is almost ready!" Quinn attempted to open the door again. "Unlock the door, I need to wash up!" Another round of knocking barraged the door. "This ain't funny!"

"Geez! I'm a comin'..." The latch clicked and Cory opened the door to Quinn standing with her hands on her hips.

"And why was I locked out of my own bedroom?" Wasting no time in sauntering to the bathroom, a scolding look directed at Cory as he passed.

"I was takin' a nap, did'na wanna be disturbed. Sorry." It was a little fib for sake of the surprise.

"Oh really?" Her head peeked out from the doorway. "The sheets haven't been disturbed since I made them this morning." Matter-of-factly. If she wasn't alerted to suspicious activity earlier, she was now. This would call for snooping later on.

"I smoothed them out 'fore I let'cha in. I know 'ow ya are." He had been called out on the first time and tried to cover his tracks.

"So you slept on the bed with your boots on?"

Cory glanced down at the boots still on his feet and cursed quietly. "..damn. Now you listen here. I tol'ja I got som'thin' planned fo' t'night. Dun'cha go snoopin' 'round and ruin my surprise."

Quinn adopted her sweetest, most innocent smile as she reemerged from the bathroom. "I would never dream of it, babe!"

"I'm gunna be watchin' ya.. like a hawk." That statement didn't make much sense because as soon as he said it he turned and headed down the stairs. There were hamburgers calling him to the kitchen.