Aargh, I'm so sorry about the long wait! I've kept you waiting for, like, 8 weeks, and I know that's unacceptable. School got in the way of my typical updating schedule, and that messed me up a lot. But I'm back! Yay!

Chapter 8

The Reason Why

Halt was sleeping.

This wasn't particularly unusual—Halt always found that an hour-long nap sometime in the afternoon helped keep one keen and alert while on missions. Of course, Halt wasn't on a mission at the moment, but he still found it remarkably refreshing to awaken from a gentle rest to the sound of birds softly singing in the trees and squirrels running up and down the big oak in the yard outside the castle.

Today, he had dozed off in the large armchair by the window. This was where he could usually be found between one and two o'clock. The house was silent. Ironically, the silence was what wakened him.

Some part of his brain—the part that unconsciously alerted him of danger while on missions—registered the absence of noise and forced his eyes open. He mentally snapped at it, then stood up.

Yawned.

After a few seconds, the fuzzy feeling left his brain and he realized why he had woken up.

He cursed and stomped into the house. "Danny?" he called.

Silence.

Now, much as Halt longed for and craved silence, he had found that, when babysitting young children, silence was usually a bad thing.

And so now, here he was: Stomping through his apartments, looking for a one-year-old, who had mysteriously gone missing. He didn't even know one-year-olds could go missing!

"If they can," he mused aloud, "Then that must be about all that they can do. He's one, for goodness' sake!"

In all his thinking, he had neglected to actually look up. Normally, he wouldn't care. He regretted it this time, though, when he slammed into a bookshelf.

Slightly cross-eyed, he missed the torrent of books that were about to fall down upon him…

o O o O o

Baron Arald was walking down to his office. He had just attended an extraordinarily boring meeting, and was yawning slightly. Funny how those sorts of things make you sleepy, he thought.

He was almost at the end of the hallway when he reached the apartments that were currently occupied by Halt and Pauline. Normally, this was the quietest part of the hall. Not today, he thought, putting his ear to the door. He jerked back as he heard a series of loud thumps from inside the apartment, followed by some muffled cursing.

"Never can tell with those Rangers," he muttered to himself as he walked away.

o O o O o

Halt sighed bad-temperedly.

Danny really hadn't been getting up to anything. Well, anything except sleeping, that was. But, thanks to Halt's post-sleep bleariness, the blessed silence was no longer. Unsurprisingly, the loud pounding noise of several dozen books hitting Halt's body, coupled with Halt's loud cursing, had woken the boy.

And so it was, Halt thought sourly, that he was over here putting books back on the shelves, trying to massage his aching forehead, and make sure that Danny didn't kill himself trying to crawl. All at the same time.

Being a grandfather wasn't always easy, he thought to himself. No, at some times, it was downright difficult. Like this one.

So why, Halt asked himself as he slumped down over his table in exhaustion, did he even bother?

o O o O o

"Did he behave himself?" Will asked as he took the once again napping Daniel from Halt's arms. Halt snorted.

"Hardly. But that's a story for another time." Will's eyes traveled to the large, conspicuous-looking bruise on Halt's forehead.

"Would it have anything to do with that?" he asked as innocently as possible. Halt glared at him.

"I said another time." Will grinned.

"Well, we should be leaving. Before Alyss has a panic attack."

"With four kids, she should be allowed a panic attack every now and then." Halt was rewarded with the sight of Will smiling slightly.

"Perhaps. I would prefer, however, that it didn't happen tonight." He adjusted the sleeping baby in his arms and sighed.

"We should get going, lest Alyss have my head for not helping with dinner. See you soon, Halt." Will turned and went out the door, trying not to trip over the large tree root that had grown out of the ground right beneath the steps.

Halt watched the figure of his former apprentice diminishing as he walked home, his son still sleeping soundly in his arms.

Maybe this whole grandparenting thing was hard, Halt mused. But it couldn't possibly be harder than parenting. Comforted by that thought, he smirked and went inside. Did he feel sorry for Will?

Not in the slightest.

Yeah. Please review - I hope that by now I don't need to say that. I appreciate all constructive criticism, but flames will be responded with in kind. Yes, I do have a vengeful dark side. Muahahahaha!

Chapter word count: Chapter Eight: 763 words. Not a lot, I know, but I'll try and update soon.

Ciao for now,

Christine