TILL THE END OF TIME

By Jo

Cort had left the dead dog with the vet in the little town where Claire

lived. It was her day off and he kept his eyes peeled for her as he came back out on the sidewalk. The vet had said the tests would take a few hours so he'd decided to leave the office, maybe get a bite to eat, see if he could find Claire.

He walked several blocks without sight of her then noticed a small park

with a duck pond and turned in there, thinking to sit on a bench a while and watch them. He smiled when he caught sight of a blonde head, glowing in the sunlight. Claire. It had to be. Nobody else had hair quite like hers. She was sitting on the bench nearest the pond, her back to him and he came quietly up behind her, stopping about two paces out. She was humming a tune even he recognized as she tore a loaf of bread in her lap into little bits which she tossed one by one to the ducks.

He was surprised as most music he'd heard since arriving in the Glen were pieces he'd not known existed, but this, this had been popular since the War Between the States. Silently as possible, he cleared his throat, leaned forward a bit and sang:

As the blackbird in the spring 'neath the willow tree

Sat and piped I heard him sing, praising Aura Lee.

Aura Lee, Aura Lee, maid of golden hair,

Sunshine came along with thee and swallows in the air.

Claire was startled at first, not having realized anyone was there, but after just a few words she knew it was Cort. "Aura Lee," she said, smiling as he came around the bench. She patted the seat to her left and he sat.

"One of the few I know." His eyes wandered over the sunlight on her hair, a light breeze wafting a few strands out like silk.

"I was actually singing Love Me Tender, an Elvis song." The corners of her eyes crinkled as she looked at him.

"Elvis?" He was puzzled. "But I know the tune...."

"Yes, the tune is Aura Lee. Elvis just took it and put new words to it."

"New words? What sort?"
 

Love me tender, Love me sweet,

Never let me go.

You have made my life complete,

And I love you so.
 

Love me tender, Love me true,

All my dreams fulfilled.

For my darlin I love you,

And I always will.
 

Love me tender, Love me long,

Take me to your heart.

For it's there that I belong,

And well never part.
 

Love me tender, Love me dear,

Tell me you are mine.

I'll be yours through all the years,

Till the end of time.
 

She sang the words to him, meeting his eyes, then at the end dropping her gaze to her hands.

Cort slid one of his brown ones over hers. "Beautiful."

"They are lovely words, aren't they." She was looking at his hand, tanned and strong atop her small white fingers, a slight blush on her neck and cheeks. He hadn't meant only the words and she knew it.

Lifting his hand, he brushed the back of her cheek with his fingers.
 

In her blush the rose was born,

There was music when she spake,

In her eyes the light of morn,

Sparkling, seemed to break.
 

"Oh, Cort," she murmured, closing her eyes, as he continued, his voice audible only to her.

Take my heart and take my ring,

I give my all to thee.

Take me for eternity,

Dearest Aura Lee.
 

Moving his head closer, he brushed his lips, soft and warm across hers, then sliding his arm around her back, pulled her into him as his kiss deepened. The loaf fell off her lap onto the grass and the ducks, all eight of them, came up from the edge of the pond, gathering around it, batting their wings, quacking at one another as they jockeyed for position to gobble it down. They bumped against Cort's and Claire's legs, stepped on their feet in the process and even though she was most thoroughly enjoying what Cort was doing, she began to chuckle.

Still keeping his mouth on hers, Cort angled his eyes way down to his left. "I suppose," he sighed, finally pulling back, "the ducks have won the day."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that," she smiled. The largest duck grabbed a huge chunk of the bread and fled about five feet with it across the grass, chased by four other ducks and Claire laughed aloud.

Cort took her left hand and lifted it to his lips, kissing her fingertips one by one. "You taste like bread."

"Is that bad?" she grinned.

"I like bread." He placed her forefinger part way in his mouth, his eyes meeting hers.

She blushed again and he liked that. Women he'd known from, well, before...didn't tend to blush. A group of children came down to watch the ducks and Cort let go of her finger, straightening.

Claire, tucking a strand of hair behind her right ear, asked, "I'm glad to see you. How come you're in town?"

"I'm waiting for some medical test results."

She was instantly alarmed. "Nothing's wrong, is it? Your side...."

"My side's doing fine. Ribs are almost back to normal. No, these are tests on a dead dog I brought in to the vet."

"Dead dog? What happened?"

"Maximus shot it in the woods at the edge of his land. It had attacked a woman. Sid's wife, Katherine."

"But she's pregnant, isn't she? Is she all right?"

"Sid came and took her off, I presume to the hospital in Coffs. I'm waitin' to find out if the dog was rabid."

"Oh, my goodness, I hope not! Did it bite her?"

"She had blood on her in several places. I think it would've killed her if we hadn't heard her scream."

"When will you know?"

"Not for a while yet. I was thinkin' of gettin' some lunch. You eaten yet?"

"I was going to get a bite after the ducks finished the bread." She looked over to where the last bits of it were disappearing down greedy gullets. "Seems like that's now."

"Good," he said, standing and holding out his hand.

Together, his arm around her waist, they walked out of the park. Ever since the whole kidnapping episode he hadn't been of a mind to waste more time. She showed him a cafe with a small outdoor patio where small tables were placed on nice days. "Will this be all right?"

"More'n all right," he smiled, pulling a chair out for her.

They spent a good two hours over lunch, smiling, talking, holding hands. Cort felt himself settling into his new life more completely than he ever had. He was here, somehow he was here, and here had become where he wanted to be, where he wished to stay. Maximus, Joimus, Alistair, they had started that for him, but it was Claire, this beautiful, wonderful Claire, who filled him up.

"Thank you," he said, his voice low, soft.

"For...lunch?"

"For bein' you, for bein' here. Thank you for it all."

"Cort, it's...it's so easy...being for you. Don't you know that?"

"I think I'm beginnin' to." He closed his eyes a minute, quietly breathing in and out, aware she was watching him. His right hand moved to his chest, rubbing slowly back and forth. Without opening his lids, his voice came again. "Here." His lips curved in a smile. "You fill me here." Then he opened them, meeting her gaze, his eyes deeply green, very serious. "I...," he licked his lips, "I love you, my Claire."

Tears sparked in her eyes. "Oh, Cort!" Her chin trembled and she reached out, touching his face with her fingers. "I've loved you since the first moment I saw you."

"With that tree?"

"Yes, with the attack tree. Since then. More and more every day since then."

He stood, needing some place more private than this table right by the sidewalk with its many people walking past. "Come," he said, taking her hand, hurrying blindly down the street. There was a small, narrow alleyway right next to the vets and he pulled her into it several feet, leaned his back against the brick wall and proceeded to kiss her as thoroughly as any woman had ever been kissed. His hands moved down her hips, cupped around her bottom, lifted her, pressing her into him, his need for her nearly more than he could bear.

An elderly woman, leaving the front of the veterinary office with her Maltese on a leash, stumbled, let go of the leash and the small tan dog darted into the alleyway, yapping shrilly at the couple there.

"Mopsy!" the woman called. "You come back here right now, Mopsy! Oh!" Her hand flew to her mouth. "I, um, I'm, um, sorry. Mopsy! Come here!"

Reluctantly the dog returned to its mistress. Cort shook his head, groaning. "We need a place where animals are not allowed."

"I guess we'll just have to see what can be done about that," Claire said, looking at him with a longing that matched his own.

He sighed. "Well, we're right here by the vets. Not a good place for no animals, I guess, but I should go in and see if he's got the rabies results yet."

"We should," she agreed. "The Harbours are going to need to know."

He leaned in for another brief kiss, then took her hand again and they walked around to the front of the office.

"Ah, glad you're back, Mr. Wells," the vet said. He was coming out a doorway into the waiting area. "I have the results now and I'm afraid they're not good. The dog definitely had a full-blown case of rabies."

"Damn!" Cort sighed. "May I use your phone?" He wasn't much for cell phones yet. He called the Meridius house and when Joimus answered, gave her the bad news, which she said she'd pass on to Sid.

"I'm sorry the news isn't better," the vet said.

"Thank you for your help," Cort replied. "'Preciate it." The mood from the alley had been broken for the time being, so he looked at Claire and said, "Walk with me?"

"Always," she smiled, taking his hand. "Till the end of time." Sometimes lyrics said it all.