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*some of the best puns are actually quite awful... but I would say that one would deserve the PI rating (politically incorrect)*

"Understand! Hell, who said I understood it... Sheesh, Kero... you can accept things, even if you don't understand them... it's all a matter of faith...."

Suddenly Tam's voice trails off and he swallows hard. He tries to say something, but his voice is too choked up to speak. Getting up, he leaves the kitchen, and it's confused occupants, and goes outside to the garden.

Shar follows him outside and reaching out, rests a gentle hand on his arm. "He hasn't come back has he... or tried to contact you?"

Tam shakes his head. "Not sure why he would, I practically told him to go f**k himself... that he'd never understand so he should just stop trying." then he blushes deeply and turns to apologize. "Forgive me, Dawnmistress... my language..."

She laughs and pats his cheek. "Relax, Tam. I'm no prude. If that is what you told him, then that is what you told him... I take it he wasn't too happy with your attitude."

He shook his head in negation. "He was of the opinion that I've coddled Kero too much... protected him too much..."

Tam smiles weakly at him. "Kero, he was willing to set me free for you... does that sound like someone who'd be overly strict? He was worried... about you... about me... about how I was stopping you from learn certain responsibilities... such as self control and how to acknowledge to yourself when you did something wrong. To him those are very important matters, always have been. He feels deep inside that had he accepted his own responsibility for what happened to me... our lives would have been far different. He bears a great deal of guilt for the harm he believes he's done me deep within."

"Tam, you did nothing... nothing many others have not done in similar positions. In some ways, maybe you were overly protective, but not to the extreme... so stop beating yourself raw over the fact. Bez has issues of his own to tend to. Perhaps now really isn't the time for the two of you to try and mend the fences between you... Yes, I know, I'm a priest of the MOrning Lord and I'm telling you not to try and make ammends with Lord Bezernia, but truth is. I'm not quite sure you're ready for that yet. I'm not telling you to bear a grudge against him or to hold this over his head. What I'm saying is that you need to do quite of bit of soul searching and if he's around, he might just get in the way of the process. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?" asks Shar with a gentle smile.

Tam sighs and nods slightly. "I... I think so... it's just... while he was here... I wasn't alone anymore..." He looks down at Kero, then kneels and gives him a hug. "I love you, Kero, truly I do... but I have to be realistic. You're not going to be around forever... and I've been alone for so long."

Tam chuckles bitterly. "Except when you run away..."

Shar sighs and squeezes his shoulder. "Tam, I'm going to take Mica back now. You two need to talk. Kerobian, I'm not sure how much influence you actually have on the child within you, but he needs to face what he did. And Tam, you need to listen to what Kero has to say, really listen. And now just might be a good time to start the process. Fair morning to you both."

Tam's shoulders fall. "How can I leture him when he was right... well, not completely right, but he had valid reasons to be angry? True he shouldn't hve done what he did, but the reasons for his actions were valid, even if a bit misdirected."

Tam hangs his head. "I know, but the reasons behind his actions had a degree of validity. I have been holding him back... we all have. I would far rather address the why than the behavior. The behavior was wrong, both he and I know that. It's a given. Nothing I can do to him now will erase the guilt he carries within. But he needs to accept and understand certain things, or it will just happen again. Correct?"

"Very well," says Tam quietly. "But do you agree to abide by what I feel is fair?"