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Restoring Faith	By : Lady_Kae Category: +G through L > Harvest Moon Views: 2535 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own any characters used from the game Harvest Moon: ToT. All characters ,game related material, and lyrics, save for original content is property of their respective owners and no money is being made from this fiction.

Chapter List
- 12
- 13
- 14
A/N: This is it folks, as my husband likes to say for his commentaries, WE ARE IN GO MODE! This is the chapter I've been struggling to get to and finally, tipping the scale at 14,806 words, this chapter has finally come to life. Please enjoy!
~Kae

Chapter 13: The Raging Storm
Restoring Faith
A Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility Fanfiction

Kohri threw herself into her new mission and her daily duties on her farm to pull her focus away from what had happened at the Art Festival. Within a week, three rainbows had sprouted up between Waffle Island and the Gull Islands. Gill and Kohri had also figured out why Ben’s badge had looked as it had when Darren had made sure Gill still had them.
The poor little sprite had lost it and it had floated all the way over to the Gull Islands.
Kohri’s final harvest had her smiling broadly as she looked at all the baskets of produce. The pride she took in her work was something that couldn’t be replicated by anything else and it was only going to get better from here. Gill had taken it upon himself to start setting up Kohri’s lab while she focused on the rainbow recipes. Already there was marked improvement all over the island. The winds were blowing well enough to turn the windmill and it in turn was calming the currents around the island. The surrounding waters were filled to the brim with fish again. Most importantly the soil quality had improved almost ten fold over night.
Kohri turned to look up at her home as the sounds of hammering echoed through the district. Dale, Ramsey, and the boys were all hard at work adding the roof and extending the chimney. They would probably be done by the end of this week and it wasn’t too soon. Winter was coming on the island and Elli’s forecast had them receiving their first snowfall.
That’ll be in time for Gill’s birthday. Kohri thought absently as she began loading the green and gold colored baskets into her shipping bin. The blue baskets piled nearby was the produce that she was keeping for herself and she needed to get them processed and stored to get her through the winter. The Harvest Festival was tomorrow, November twenty seventh, and Kohri sighed heavily, trying to shake off the cold feeling of terror that was trying to overtake her again.
Time was passing much to slowly. It had barely been two weeks since the single sighting from Wren. There was a chance he could show up tomorrow as well, and Kohri hadn’t been sleeping well because of it. Gill had been very hesitant to leave her on her own, and Kohri had put her foot down in the form of kicking him out of her home until they met up on Friday for debate night. Despite the fact that they had reached an understanding of where they currently stood with one another, Kohri was not going to stand for him treating her any differently. Friday nights, Saturdays, and Sundays were the only days that felt like herself however.
Luke slid down the ladder expertly, bouncing a little when his feet touched down on the ground, and he made his way over to the well to grab something to drink. “ Hey, Kohri!” he called out as she began trucking baskets into her house.
“ Grab a basket and talk to me inside! I gotta get this produce washed!” she replied over her shoulder. Her tone was cold, distant, and she didn’t even realize it.
Luke chortled as he grabbed the last three baskets, balancing them a little precariously but he made it inside without dropping anything. “ I wanted to ask if you had plans for a barn or a coop?” he decreed as he kicked the door closed.
“ Maybe later on down the road, but not right now. Why do you ask?” Kohri asked as she began washing out some of the large bundles of spinach. She was going to send four or five home with Luke later. He had been pestering her all month for the fresh greens.
“ Just wondering. You’re sinking a pretty penny into your house after all. Why not make your ranch a proper ranch? You would only need a couple hens, maybe a goat and a cow too. You don’t have to go with a huge herd of animals, just enough so that you’re not constantly having to trek all the way over to Brownie Ranch.” Luke ran the eggplants under the water, wiping away all of the dirt and moisture before he stored them in the special cabinet Kohri had designed. It had an electrical charge to it that surrounded the veggies and somehow put them into a state of stasis. It was too technical for him to understand, but he did know that it had kept produce from the summer harvest still fresh even now. This was one of her thesis projects for school and she was going to monitor the results through the winter time before she got the patents for it and went public to sell it. “ Won’t lie though, all your veggies taste the best. Even better than Craig’s.”
Kohri snickered a little; albeit halfheartedly. It was if she wasn’t enjoying anything anymore. “ Don’t ever let him hear you say that considering you grew up on his produce.” she said as she took some twine and gently wrapped five of the thirteen bundles up for Luke to take home. “ If I didn’t know any better, you’re trying to keep me to my farm as much as possible lately. You and Owen have been making sure that my woodshed is chocker block full between when you guys are working on my expansion.”
Luke shook his head a little nervously. “ That’s not it at all Kohri.” he fibbed, although Kohri had hit the nail on the top of the head. Her azure glare locked on his timid golden brown gaze and Luke capitulated with a groan. The thought that her future kids were in trouble came to mind again. She was terrifying in all her five foot two glory. “ We’re scared for you, chickadee.” Luke admitted softly. “ Not just me and Owen, but all of us. That asshole showed up on our home turf. Owen and I felt helpless to do anything, hell I heard about all it after the fact. We want to keep you safe the only way that we know how. You’re alone here four days of the week and you won’t let any of us stay with you so that we know you’re alright.” He didn’t dare pick on her about Gill staying with her on the weekends. Luke and Owen were just glad someone was with her for those few days.
Kohri shook her head as she smiled. Luke saw in an instant that it didn’t reach her eyes. “ It’s because I know I’m safe, Luke.” she tried to sound more confident than she felt. She stored some of the spinach in the cabinet as well, and the rest went into the fridge for use later.
Luke scowled as he turned Kohri around by her arm as she tried to drop the subject. “ You don’t sound to sure of that Kohri. You act fine during the day because we’re here, but we’re almost done with your expansion. I’m calling bullshit on what you said because of this…” Luke dragged Kohri over to her bathroom and he faced her to face the mirror. “ That is not the face of someone who is calm and collected at seeing their attempted rapist Kohri. You’ve been pale, withdrawn, you look like a racoon with as dark as those circles under your eyes are, and you’re wound up worse than a bee protecting its honeycomb. You don’t look like this on the weekends because Gill’s here. He’s good for you, more for than just warming your bed Kohri. He does something for you that Owen and I can’t. He brings you peace, honest to goodness peace. You’re going to work yourself into exhaustion, both physically and mentally. This is why we’re worried and scared for you. We see what you’re doing to yourself even if you don’t.”
Kohri had thought she looked fine, but she had barely been looking at herself in the mirror lately. She didn’t like the timid look that had taken residence in her eyes since two weeks prior. Her sable hair was severely mussed and knotted in severe disarray, thrown into a messy bun as opposed to the neat french braid she normally wore it in and it had an unhealthy, unwashed look about it. Luke wasn’t wrong that she was pale, it was as if all her color had disappeared with her happiness, and the circles under her eyes were nearly black.
By everything good and green, she did look terrible.
“ Go lay down. I’m using your phone to make a few phone calls. You have to let someone stay here with you Kohri. It’s either that or Owen and I will drag you into town and shove you through the front door of Tamelin Manor.” Luke ordered, his tone stern and not allowing for any opposition that Kohri was known for. He knew in an instant Kohri was not firing on all cylinders at all when she didn’t even push back, she just walked numbly for her bed. Normally she would roar at Owen, Gill, or himself for challenging her independence in this manner.
Seeing that bastard had almost broken her. Luke wanted to take that fucker to the mats right now, and beat the ever living shit out of him for stealing all the light and life that Kohri had. She was currently a shell of herself and she was drowning herself in her work to numb the fear and pain.

Elli was smiling as she answered the phone. “ Town hall, Elli speaking. Oh! Hello Luke! Gill? Yes, yes, he’s right here. Gill!” Elli called over the deputy mayor, a worried look on her face. Her cheeriness had faded at the serious, almost pissed off tone in Luke’s voice. The young carpenter was always so happy that it threw her off hearing him like that. Gill looked up from his work and he nodded for her to go ahead as he looked back down. “ It’s Luke. He said he needs to see you as soon as possible over at Gnocchi Ranch.”
Gill stopped what he was doing in an instant and he looked over at his father. “ I’ll try to make it back if I can.” he said seriously and the mayor nodded worriedly. He and Hamilton had been talking about Kohri’s sudden change in demeanor over the last couple weeks. Gill had even talked about taking a small sabbatical over the winter months, at least until Kohri’s case was finalized. “ Put him over to my desk please, Elli.” Elli nodded and she watched worriedly as Gill stood straight, his face nearly going pale from whatever he was being told. “ You already called Jin? Okay, I’ll stop at the clinic to grab it and I’ll be right over.” He hung up the phone and Gill hurriedly threw on his jacket and knit cap. “ Father, please come by Gnocchi Ranch later. We need to talk to Kohri there.” he said before running from the town hall.
Elli looked over to Hamilton and her gaze narrowed a little in her own. It would take most of the evening to get everything planned, but Elli was sure she could get this in motion. Kohri needed them now more than ever, even if she was trying to push everyone away. She had heard what Gill and the mayor had said about the changes Kohri was going through.
“ Mayor Hamilton. I have an idea that might help Kohri out depending on what the situation is.” she said. “ However, I need to start making some phone calls. Do you mind if I take an extended lunch break this afternoon to do that?”
Hamilton shook his head as he smiled at her sadly. “ I’d appreciate any ideas you may be able to put to the table, Elli. Go ahead and start making your phonecalls. This is only the preliminary paperwork for the Starry night festival.”
Elli nodded and she sat down at Gill’s desk, pulling the little phone book over at the same time.
What this needed was a woman’s touch.

Gill had his knapsack over his shoulders again as he jogged up the path to Gnocchi Ranch. Dale and Bo were still hammering shingles into the roof, but the second level looked amazing. Ramsey spotted him as he came around and he nodded towards the front door, his face grim. Gill knocked four times before opening the door. Kohri was huddled under the covers against the wall, her back to the door. She might be sleeping, but her body language was clear. She was trying to shut everything out, and she was drawing in on herself to protect herself.
The house even felt the oppression. The curtains were drawn, leaving only darkness. Kohri’s plants were suffering from it as well, as they looked less vibrant than they normally did. Luke was sitting on the sofa, his normally cheerful demeanor replaced by a sullen, angry one and Owen was in the kitchen washing the rest of Kohri’s produce for her before putting it away. A pot was on the stove, covered, but the smell of clam chowder filled the home. “ Luke, Owen.” he said softly, motioning for the hallway.
Both of them joined him after a moment and they all exchanged a worried glance.
“ We have to do something to turn her mood around.” Luke said softly at first. “ If she keeps going like this, she’s...Her case might get thrown out the window.” He couldn’t even bring himself to say what they all feared. That Kohri was going to have a psychological break that would deem her incompetent to testify.
“ I’m going to talk to my father after he gets off of work, take some time off. She didn’t fight you at all on this? Not one bit?”
Luke shook his head in negation and his shoulders shook with rage. He needed to get out into the woods with Lucy and start whacking all this aggression out. “ He broke her. All it took was one fucking look and he broke her. If I ever get my hands on him…”
“ You’ll have to get in line.” Gill snarled, startling both Owen and Luke from the ferocity in his voice. “ He saw me with Kohri that day and he pretty much told me that I’m a dead man. He was looking at Kohri as if he owned her, like she was nothing but something to be used to his own means. Kohri’s my friend first and foremost and now she’s a shell of her former self. It’s not even the fact that he sees me as a rival for her attentions, it’s about the fact that he hurt the one person who was able to help me turn my life around.” His eyes rose, as he had been staring at the floor, and Luke whistled lowly at the dangerous mean they held. They were practically silver in Gill’s rage. “ So if anyone beats the ever loving shit out of him, it’s going to be me.”
Owen and Luke looked between one another and the smile they shared was one that Gill knew all too well. It was one they shared when they were up to no good.
“ So did you pick up the package from Jin?” Luke asked, smirking all the while. This might rankle Gill a little with as straight laced as he was.
Gill nodded and he pointed to his bag over on the chair. “ Yeah, it’s in my pack. What was it anyways?”
“ Just a little herbal remedy for Kohri. It’ll pretty much put her into a state of relaxation that she desperately needs.” Luke said nonchalantly. “ It’s legal, so don’t worry about that.”
Gill’s brow rose even as he choked back a disbelieving laugh. “ You’re going to get her high on marijuana?” he sputtered.
“ Yes and no. She’s not going to smoke it. This one is brewed into a tea. Jin, Owen, and I came up with the idea after the whole mess at the Art festival. Kohri refuses to use any medications for her mood and mental health. Because this is a natural remedy, we’re hoping Kohri doesn’t blow too big a gasket when she finally learns the truth. Kohri’s a huge tea drinker, you know that Gill. Jin said this one will pair off very well with the ones in her cabinet and it won’t make it taste different. Not only that, you know your way around all the additives better than all of us. You can hide the taste. Now that you’re here, you can make her a cup of tea, and hopefully she’ll sleep pretty hard.” Luke explained softly. “ Owen and I need to get back to work, but we’ll be outside ‘til about seven or so if you need us for anything.”
Gill nodded and he sighed heavily as he looked over to Kohri again as the door closed, leaving them alone. He grabbed a change of clothing from the armoire, and he smiled sadly. Kohri didn’t say it, but she loved how he looked in a pair of fitted jeans and a tee shirt. He missed seeing that look in her eyes. Maybe, just maybe, there was something that he could do to help her come back to the woman he had come to love and admire in the time that he would be here. Gill didn’t even fight the thought that he loved her. When had his affections for her become that strong?
He wanted to say it was when he danced with her in the bar a few weeks ago. Even then Gill had told Owen and Luke that he was falling in love with Kohri. But it wasn’t something that had fully taken. He had been falling after all.
No, it was the very moment that Wren had silently challenged him when their gazes had locked a fortnight ago. It had stirred Gill into action that day, and he had done his best to comfort and protect Kohri because he loved her and wanted the best for her. It had also awakened something in him that he had never felt for someone, had pulled that tail of a beast that had lay sleeping in Gill’s twenty five years on this earth.
Absolute burning hot seething hatred.
Gill hated Wren with every single fiber of his being for everything he represented to Kohri. Death, heartache, fear. He was a specter that they had not been able to exorcise in all the months that Kohri had been here. And because he was still out there, still free, she wouldn’t move on.
Kohri roused while Gill was consumed in his thoughts, and she watched him silently as he pulled his jeans over his hips. His naked back was toward her right now, and a familiar flush reddened her cheeks before she tamped it down. “ Gill? When did you get here?” she asked sleepily. She rubbed at her eyes a little before yawning. The nap had done little to recharge her, and she still looked haggard as all hell.
Gill turned towards her as he unfolded the long sleeved tee that he had pulled out. Kohri felt her eyes raking over his body of their own accord, drinking in the taut skin and golden curls that covered the expanse of his torso. Again, he wasn’t a bodybuilder, but his body was deliciously toned in all the right places. Kohri repressed her desire again, and she moved to get out the bed as he put his shirt on. “ Please stay in bed Kohri. I’ll make you some tea and we’ll start your feasibility reports for the experiments that you want to start up soon. I’d rather you rest. You’re going to make yourself sick.” Gill told her gently as he padded silently for the kitchen.
Kohri scowled at Gill’s back petulantly for a second before she slid back over to her side of the bed. She didn’t fight back, and Gill looked over at her. She would have railed that she could rest just as easily on the couch or at the table as opposed to the bed. “ What?” she snapped, irate.
Well, at least her temper is still intact in some ways. Gill snorted. “ No counter attacks?” he asked her.
“ I’m not in the mood to fight any more, Gill.” Kohri seethed softly, looking away.
“ That’s what’s got us concerned.” Gill told her honestly and Kohri’s gaze snapped up to meet his as he started setting up her tea ball. He added a decent amount of the cannabis leaves, and his mouth twitched a little. Oh the levels they were stooping to to help her. He added a greater amount of darjeeling, as he didn’t know if the tea would be green or not in the wake of the herb steeping. Some star anise, dried strawberries, and cloves were added after the two spices were cracked as well.
“ What’s that supposed to mean?” Kohri shot back irately.
“ That you’re not yourself. Just try to relax for now. I’m going to grab a notepad and a pen from your office, okay?” Gill told her placatingly as he poured the hot water into her favorite mug. Even from here he could see Kohri fighting a smile at the sight of it. It had been her mother’s favorite mug too.
“ Whatever.” Kohri muttered. She couldn’t even fight the fact that she wasn’t acting like her usual self, they were right. It pissed her off that she was that transparent to everyone.
Gill returned after a moment and he checked the tea, bobbing everything to make sure it was steeping well. “ I made you some darjeeling. Would you like milk and sugar?” he asked as he looked over to her.
Kohri looked pensive for a moment as she tapped her finger to her lips. “ What additives did you use?” she asked. Darjeeling was a good tea for this time of day, it might help to perk her up a little so that they could get something done.
“ Strawberries, star anise, and clove.”
Kohri grinned a little, Gill was genius at mixing the comates to make it taste wonderful. “ Just a small splash of milk and one teaspoon of sugar. That sounds wonderful.” she admitted. Well, if anything, at least she had gotten all her work done for the day. She situated herself to where she was sitting comfortably against the headboard, and Gill sat beside her on the bed to hand her the cup and saucer.
“ Would you like a couple snacks?” he asked her.
Kohri thought it over for a moment and she nodded before she took a sip of the tea. Oh, she’d have to ask Gill what else he used for this tea. It wasn’t just darjeeling, but it tasted fabulous. “ I should have some sugar cookies in the jar by the stove. I made them last night.” What she didn’t admit was that she had made them because she had been feeling antsy and that she had nearly had a panic attack. She had been too stubborn to call Gill over at such an ungodly hour of the night, even though he had assured her that he would be there for her whenever she needed him.
A plate with almost a dozen cookies was set on the bed between them, and Gill settled to where he would be able to write comfortably. Kohri took another deep drink from her mug and she began talking slowly, making sure that she thought out every equation and ratio before saying them. She all but inhaled the tea, unable to put it down. It was that good. Now that she thought about it, she felt really good too. Kohri looked down at the plate of cookies, and her eyes dilated a little at the thought of the sweet, crunchy little orbs of dough.
Kohri paused, her brow furrowed. Where the hell had that odd thought come from? Nonetheless, she kept talking, not realizing that Gill wasn’t writing anymore as she was babbling nonsense. She cleared through the majority of the cookies herself as she kept talking, and she yawned deeply. When had she gotten so relaxed? She didn’t feel any of the tenseness that had been ever present every day and night for weeks now.
“ I feel so damn gooooooddddd..” Kohri purred as she settled against her pillow. She giggled girlishly, as she looked over at Gill. “ Almost as good as I feel when you sleep with me.”
It was taking everything in Gill’s power not to laugh at the state Kohri was in. He was sure he had cracked a few ribs from holding back his laughter. Kohri had babbled about everything under the sun, from her ire at some of the ingredients for Alan’s rainbow, to how deliciously crunchy the cookies had been, and then to how her sheets felt against her skin. “ Really? That’s great. Do you want to take another nap?” he offered, his voice strained. Sweet goddess above, he was going to have to run outside to laugh his ass off. Why couldn’t Owen and Luke stay for this?
“ Mhmm…” Kohri replied. “ Are you going to sleep with me, Gill?”
“ Phrasing, Kohri…” Gill wheezed. It was getting so hard to not crack from all the mirth he was feeling. Please Kohri, close your eyes. Please, just close your eyes. He pleaded silently. “ But no. I’m going to see if there’s anything I can do to help out outside so you can rest.”
“ Ooooooookay.” Kohri giggled again and she yawned again as she settled comfortably on her back.
Once he was sure her breathing was deep and even, Gill exited the house as quietly as he could before running a decent distance from the house. There he collapsed against the grass, laughing for everything he was worth. When he finally wiped the tears of mirth from his eyes, Owen and Luke were looking at him expectantly.
“ You had to be there...You wouldn’t have believed a word coming out of her mouth, but…” Gill laughed again, his rich baritone echoing across the district. “...Oh goddess, that was something else.”

Kohri was looking around, she was at Darren’s tree. Hadn’t she just fallen asleep in her bed? What was going on here? She couldn’t be dreaming, could she?
“ Hello Kohri!” a bright voice said, and Kohri smirked a little at it. Sure enough, Angela was walking up to her with a picnic basket.
“ Is any of that edible?” Kohri asked as she took a seat, as she remembered what Gill had told her about the other woman’s cooking.
Angela laughed brightly, clear and pleasantly like a bell. “ I deserved that. I daresay you’ve still got the munchies, hence why I’ve got all of this. Mostly just foods from your pantry admittedly.” she said with a small shrug.
“ You could have told me what your real role was.” Kohri said evenly, leveling her gaze on Angela.
“ You wouldn’t have listened to me, not then Kohri. You needed to talk to your parents, say what you needed and have them assure you that their deaths weren’t your fault. But onto business though. We need to talk sprites. I know Alan told you that he would tell you more about Edge when you completed his rainbow, but something has come up that I need to tell you now. Edge’s tree is on the island, and it’s at the very top of Mt. Gelato. You won’t be able to wake him up as you are now however Kohri. Edge is the Harvest Sprite of the Heart. He will only appear to those whose hearts are fully open, who are ready to love and be loved in return.” Angela began as Kohri began eating. She would have almost thought Kohri wasn’t listening, but the thoughtful way she was chewing said otherwise.
“ You know why I’ve been holding Gill and I back, Angela.” Kohri said with a scowl. “ I have to weather the storm before I can even think of going for my own happiness.”
Angela sighed heavily at the woman’s stubbornness, but there was nothing for it. “ Kohri, I also called you here to warn you. That storm is going to get much, much worse very soon, but I can promise you that you’ll be free once the clouds are clear.”
“ How soon? I’m not ready to face Wren again after two weeks Angela!” Kohri exclaimed in dismay.
“ You won’t be alone, Kohri. I can promise you that. Now eat up. Let me give you my half of the prank war between me and Owen. Maybe you might be able to continue my work.” the arbiter said with a bright grin.
Kohri almost choked in laughter at that thought but she nodded. It was definitely worth thinking about.

Kohri stretched languidly like a cat against her sheets. Gill was sitting on her sofa, reading one of the many books in her collection, and she smiled at the sight. Luke wasn’t wrong that Gill’s presence soothed her. “ Hey…” she called over to him softly. The smell of clam chowder roused her fully though and Kohri sat up in bed as her mouth watered. “ Oooo...Is that Owen’s clam chowder?”
Gill chortled as he put a marker in the book and he set it down. “ I think so. Are you feeling better? You’ve been out for a better part of the afternoon.” he said innocently. He walked over to the stove and began portioning up two bowls.
“ I haven’t slept that good all week. I guess the stress has been getting to me lately. Can I have another cup of the tea you made me earlier? Exactly how you made it?” Kohri asked hopefully. She began stretching again, and she sighed in delight. She hadn’t realized just how tense she had been. “ What else did you add, by the way? That was the best cup of tea I’ve ever had.”
Gill couldn’t give it to her again without her knowledge, and the only reason he hadn’t earlier was because she had needed the rest. She had looked like a caged animal in her bed, though she looked much better now. He just didn’t have to specify just what is was if she asked. “ Jin sent over some tea for you, his own blend. He told me that it might help settle your nerves. That’s what I used with the darjeeling earlier.”
This piqued Kohri’s interest a little as she sat up a little straighter. “ Did he say what kind?”
Gill shook his head. That much was true. Jin hadn’t told him after all. “ No, but I was assured that it would pair very well with what you have here. Do want something else besides the darjeeling though? White peony? Earl Grey? Maybe a rooibos or an oolong?” he offered as he started looking through the cabinet.
Kohri’s mood scowled as she looked down at Gill offering her a choice. All the bitterness that she had been feeling came back to the fore. How Luke and Owen were trying to keep her on the farm, how almost every male she had come into contact with lately asking why she was walking about alone. She had told them all that she was the same person. She didn’t need to be babysat. She was an adult damn it! “ Just choose for me. That’s all everyone seems to want to do for me lately.” she snarled.
Gill stopped what he was doing and he looked over at Kohri in alarm. “ What?” he asked her incredulously. “ Kohri, I’m not trying to make your choices for you, nor will I. I appreciate you just the way you are, even if it drives me a little batty every now and again. What brought this on?”
“ Oh, I don’t know. The fact that every man on this island is trying to tell me how I should go about my day to day business. I’m in a gilded cage, Gill. I can’t even leave my ranch without someone raising a ruckus any more.” She was thinking, quite bitterly, about how everyone had changed towards her since her secret had come out.
Gill’s face softened. Despite the fact that she had told everyone not to treat her differently, all of them had, Gill himself included. He sat on the bed, silent for a moment as he thought of what to say and he pulled Kohri over to him. She put up a fight at first, but the moment his warmth settled into her skin and his lips pressed against her brow, Kohri melted into his embrace. “ I’m sorry Kohri.” he whispered after a moment. “ I saw a side of you the other day that I had never seen before, not to that extent at least. I’ve been worried sick for you over the last couple weeks, and every time I thought I was trying to help, I made you push me away.” His hand was cradling the back of her head, his fingers gently scratching her scalp. “ Let me help, Kohri. You’re trying to shoulder all of this alone. You’re not alone. I promised you that I was in your corner, and I still am.” Gill pulled away so that he could look her in the eye. She had to see how serious he was about what he had to say next.
“ What happened after you spotted Wren awoke something within me that can’t be denied. I saw him Kohri, and I saw just how he was looking at both of us. It’s like a beast within me roared into life, demanding that I protect you from him. He challenged me, albeit silently. Words didn’t have to be said in that instance. If he thinks that he can get to you that easily, that he can get rid of me, he’s got another thing coming. If I ever get my hands on him, he’ll be the one needing a stretcher, if not a body bag.”
Kohri’s heart was pounding furiously as she saw the anger in Gill’s eyes. She knew it wasn’t aimed at her. It hadn’t even flared until he had started talking about Wren. Gill meant every single word, that he would fight tooth and nail if anyone tried to hurt her ever again. That he would protect her more fiercely than anyone else because of the way he felt about her.
Because he loved her.
She looked down as Gill’s hands squeezed hers supportively and then her gaze met his again. His thumb brushed across her knuckles, sending pleasant jolts through her. Had she numbed herself that much that she had been incapable of feeling anything but the misery she had shrouded herself in? Kohri raised a single hand, cupping Gill’s cheek affectionately, and it slid to his neck to pull him closer to her. She felt a pang of disappointment in herself as she kissed his cheek instead, though the thought to taste his lips had been there. “ Thank you, Gill.” she said softly. “ Do you remember what you told me the first night I consciously asked you to stay?”
“ That I had been waiting for you for five years without knowing it was you I needed?” he offered, a small smile on his face. Gill had seen and felt the disappointment when she had kissed him.
“ I think, Gill, that you’re the one I’ve been waiting for too, that I’ve needed all this time.” Kohri admitted. “ I just can’t move forward until the ghosts of my past have been laid to rest. I know I shouldn’t be, but I’m sorry. This isn’t just about me, it’s about us...But as long as Wren poses a threat to you, to what we have, I can’t…” Tears filled her eyes and spilled down her cheeks as she pulled Gill against her tightly and she held him desperately as if he was going to disappear. “ I can’t lose you too. Not when I finally found you.”
“ Nothing is going to keep me from you Kohri. Nothing and no one.” Gill assured her. “ We’re almost there.”
A knock sounded on the door, and Gill got up to answer it. “ I asked my father to come by. I have an offer that might put everyone at ease, both of us included. It’s up to you to accept it though.” he said as he opened the door. “ Hello fath...Elli?”
Elli grinned brightly as Gill answered the door. “ I hope we’re not interrupting anything. The mayor asked me to tell you to come home tonight and that both of you and Kohri can talk tomorrow once the festival is over.” Elli looked over Gill’s shoulder to where Kohri was on the edge of the bed. “ Hey Kohri! Are you up for a girl’s night in? We’ve got movies, pizza, popcorn, and alcohol courtesy of Hayden.”
Kohri was caught between genuine surprise as she saw Elli, Kathy, Anissa, Selena, Renee and Maya on her doorstep and utter hilarity at the shock on Gill’s face. “ You know what…” she began, rising to her feet. “...that sounds wonderful! Owen made a huge batch of clam chowder too. Gill, go ahead and eat, then go home for the night. I’ll be alright.”
Gill smiled as he moved to the side to let the ladies all file in. They had come very prepared, as they all had pillows, blankets, and overnight bags. “ I don’t think you’ve got enough bowls Kohri.” he said as he took his place at the table.
“ We’re not going to use bowls. We’ll use my mugs. Girls, I’m going to go shower real quick.” Kohri said as she grabbed her favorite pajamas and a towel, and then she disappeared into the bathroom as if she had teleported.
Gill chuckled as he took his normal seat, aware of all the female eyes on him in that instant. “ What?” he asked before eating a spoonful of his soup.
“ A good chunk of us have known you since we were kids. This is the first time we’ve ever seen you in a pair of jeans and a tee shirt.” Kathy said.
Gill snorted into his soup, almost choking on the next mouthful. “ I was helping out with the expansion. I couldn’t very well get my other clothes dirty, Kathy.” Gill explained. “ Even I have everyday clothing like this.”
“ Well, damn, you shouldn’t dress so stuffy all the time!” Maya exclaimed, only to be shushed by the other women, even if they were tittering and cackling at the red head’s antic’s.
May the goddess help whoever finally marries her... Gill chortled as he hurriedly finished his supper. He made a mental note to ask Owen for the chowder recipe as he washed his bowl and spoon and he set them in the dish rack to dry. It was wonderful and it gave off a rich warmth that would help combat the cold weather. “ I’ll take my leave ladies…” he said as he grabbed his jacket and knit cap. He made sure he had the herbal tea Jin had sent over for Kohri,as Anissa would recognize it in an instant. Just as he was slinging his bag over his shoulder, Kohri stepped back into the main room of her home. “ I just finished up Kohri. Have a good night.”
Kohri was toweling off her long sable locks. “ I’ll walk you out. I had something I wanted to ask you about the tea Dr. Jin sent over.” She sat on the sofa to put on her flats.
“ No need to leave your guests, Kohri. I can see myself out. In fact, I insist. I’ll see you tomorrow sweetie…” he finished softly before kissing her forehead. A bright blush covered his face when he realized just what he had done in front of all the young women on the island. Wordlessly, Gill walked out the door and he made a turn over to Ashemore Carpentry.
Quite frankly, he needed some male company tonight after what he had just done.
Kohri had blushed just as brightly but she, and all the young women present all leaned over to watch Gill leave.
“ Damn he’s got a nice ass in those jeans.” Maya breathed out, causing all seven women burst out into laughter at her very astute observation.

Luke was just getting ready to grab Owen when Gill came walking up to the shop. Luke wanted to head to the bar for a bit, possibly get shit faced to drive off the negative feelings that had been rolling in his belly. “ She kicked you out? Did the tea not work or something?” he asked with a smirk.
“ Oh no, the tea worked fine. She’s in much better spirits than she was earlier. Elli organized a girl’s night in to surprise Kohri with.” the deputy mayor replied, his tone obviously flustered. “ I need to talk to you and Owen, preferably somewhere private if that’s alright.”
Luke smiled as he slung an arm over Gill’s shoulder. “ What a coincidence. I was just on my way to grab him to go to the bar tonight. Let me and Owen grab a couple beers to bring with us and we’ll go seaside for a bit. Owen and I have a spot we like to frequent when we don’t wanna deal with the rowdiness of the bar.”
“ Sounds good. I think I might join you for one of those drinks.” Gill added.
Luke looked at the flaxen haired man as if he had grown a second head. “ You don’t drink…” he said, flummoxed at the fact that Gill was willing to have one alcoholic drink.
Gill rubbed his face with one hand. “ After what I did, I need it. You’ll understand shortly.”

The laughter had died down at Gnocchi ranch and all the ladies had a mug of soup and a glass of Hayden’s potent reserves in hand.
“ Okay Kohri. Spill it. What was that?” Selena said with a broad grin.
“ What was what, Selena?” Kohri giggled as Anissa told her something that tickled her funny bone, also confirming her suspicions about the tea that Jin had sent over. Her azure gaze turned toward the dancer, her eyes sparkling in mirth and camaraderie.
“ That kiss Gill laid on you, that’s what!” Maya exclaimed from her spot near the bed.
Kohri blushed brightly, and all the women cackled like biddies for a moment. “ It was just a kiss on the forehead. There’s nothing special about that.” She knocked back the last of her chowder with a smile. It had hit the spot.
“ I’d say the same thing if he hadn’t called you sweetie.” Selena purred. She was sitting right in front of Kohri and she shifted to let the other woman up for a moment when her shoulder was tapped.
“ That’s the first time he’s called me that, Selena. Believe me, there’s nothing going on between us.”
“ Not yet there’s not.” Elli piped up with a gentle smile. “ I wish you could have seen how worried he was about you Kohri. He was practically in a panic to get here as fast as possible. Take it from those of us who have known him a long time. I for one have never seen him act with another woman the way he has you. I came to the island after Angela had died. This is the most, well, alive I’ve seen him in all the time I’ve been here.”
Kohri’s face softened tenderly at Elli’s observation as she washed out her mug and set it out to dry and she turned up to look at the girls with a sly grin. “ You’re not wrong that yet is the operative word there El. Kath, can you top me off? What I say does not leave this room, nor does it get back to Gill. Period. If not, I don’t go any further. Got it ladies?”
Exuberant answers of yes filled the room as all six ladies turned to face Kohri.

Luke and Owen were laughing their asses off as they laid back against the sand. Gill looked so mortified, so distraught and aghast that they couldn’t help themselves.
“ Gill, you didn’t do anything wrong! What harm is there? Honestly?” Owen finally said as Gill knocked back another swig from his beer bottle. He was on his second of the night. They had chosen one that was easy to go down, and Gill had stopped grimacing halfway through the first bottle.
“ It’s the fact that I did that in front of all the girls.” Gill deadpanned, a flush on his face that was from both embarrassment and the drink they had been consuming. “ They probably would have written off me kissing Kohri on the forehead. Everyone knows we’re close. But I called her...her...well, a pet name!”
“ Term of affection would be more apt in this case.” Luke said as he sat up. He threw a fresh piece of wood on the fire and he looked over to Owen. “ Considering how you two feel about one another…”
“ We’re not courting yet, Luke. Kohri’s so strung out because of what happened. She’s not afraid for herself. She’s afraid for me. She can’t bring herself to go forward until she lays her demon to rest.” Gill interrupted. “ She doesn’t want to start something, only to have it ripped away from her.”
This sobered the two men in an instant. It was losing someone she cared about that scared her, not what could happen to her. Just how selfless was their friend?
“ Kohri’s definitely one in a million Gill.” Owen finally said. He raised his beer up for a moment. “ To the women we adore, may they forever keep us on our toes.”
Gill smirked to that and he clinked his bottle to both the others to charge the toast before taking another drink.

Kohri enjoyed her girl’s night immensely, and she was pampered beyond belief. Manicure, pedicure, facial... Selena even played with Kohri’s hair after brushing it for her, something that she hadn’t had done to her since her mother died. The dancer had cooed and awed over how silky Kohri kept her sable locks while running them through her hands. They had also opened Kohri’s eyes to something that she hadn’t really thought of before last night.
“ We need to do this again.” Kathy announced the next morning as they made breakfast. “ I haven’t had that much fun in a long, long time.”
“ OOoo! We can do the next one over on Toucan Island!” Selena squealed excitedly. “ There’s plenty of space at the Pineapple Inn! Not only that we can beat the cold there and even get some sun!”
Kohri froze at the thought of leaving Waffle Island. “ I don’t know, Selena. I don’t mind hosting if you all want to do this again.” she said sweetly.
Selena paused a moment as she thought it over, all the women were. Kohri was scared to leave the island because it could mean running into that man again. “ That sounds great Kohri.” she replied after a moment. They had come together to show Kohri that she wasn’t as alone as she thought and to give her some much needed female contact. Everyone had been making such a fuss over her the last couple weeks and they had seen how badly it was affecting Kohri.
Kohri smiled, almost tearfully, at the understanding in the gazes of the women in her home. “ Thanks girls. Maybe we can go to Toucan Island after the new year?” Selena beamed at this and all the girls began talking merrily before they all had to leave. Kohri waved them all off, and she snorted a little at the piles of pillows and blankets that had been left in the wake. They had all needed to go right to the festival, so she had offered to hold on to everything until the festivities were done.

Gill knocked a few times on the door, and Kohri opened it with a broad grin. It looked like her night in had been just what the doctor had ordered. “ I wanted to take a look at everyone that came in off the ferries to make sure Wren didn’t sneak back in. He didn’t. If you want, we can go to the festival and enjoy ourselves for a bit.” he offered.
Kohri shook her head in the negative. “ No thanks. Owen and I are heading down to the mines for a bit. But I do need to talk to you.” Her gaze narrowed ever so slightly as Gill followed her inside and she leaned against the table. “ You drugged the tea you gave me yesterday.”
“ I did no such thing.” Gill replied evenly. “ There was nothing but tea leaves and the few accompaniments in what I gave you.”
“ You call marijuana tea leaves?”
Gill couldn’t help it, the corner of his mouth twitched. “ It was an herbal supplement meant to help you relax and unwind. Which it did, I might add.” he stated evenly, his gaze not leaving hers as she tried to kowtow him into feeling bad. He refused to feel anything of the sort. She had needed to relax. She looked infinitely better than she had yesterday.
Good food and good company could do that for anyone.
“ I was as high as a damn kite, Gill.” Kohri snorted when she saw where his gaze was drifting to every now and again. He wasn’t going to back down on the issue. He wasn’t wrong that it had helped immensely. “ I guess I should be thankful you’re as chivalrous as you are. A lesser man would have taken advantage of me.”
Mercy, she looked sinfully delicious at the moment...She had a spaghetti tank on under the red blouse she was wearing, currently unbuttoned and showing an ample bit of cleavage. Gill’s mouth watered, he had never entertained the thought that he was a breast man, as he loved the sight of Kohri’s hips and thighs. Especially in a skirt. But those creamy, perky mounds were begging to be kissed and suckled.
Gill smirked as he closed the space between them. “ You’re right that I’m not a lesser man, Kohri, but I am still a man all the same.” he purred, as his hands settled on her hips, holding her to him tightly. It was back, the fire in her eyes that he savored in moments like this. Kohri was smirking, her eyes half lidded at his proximity. She began moving backwards before she hopped up onto the table, pulling him in closer by his hips, and she looped both her legs around his to keep him from moving. “ Tell me to leave Kohri…” he whispered against her lips as her hands slid towards his back. He bit back a groan as she boldly grabbed both cheeks of his ass to pull him completely flush against her.
A gasp of shock and delight echoed as need and desire thrummed through Kohri at the full connection. “ No, not this time…” she replied huskily, rubbing her nose against his. Kathy and Selena had been all too accommodating in tell all the single women in the room how to get a man to crack. Seduction was an artform after all, and Kohri was proving to be a natural at it. She wanted to make Gill lose his legendary control. “ Show me just what kind of man you are, Gill…Please...” she sighed sexily as his lips dragged up her jawline. He was trying so hard to hold himself back from the point of no return. One of his hands was moving up her side, sliding against the cotton encased skin, and she felt his palm ghost over the swell of her breast. It was as if he was erasing everything Wren had done to her as he touched her. “ Goddess, yes Gill!” she cried out softly and Gill groaned as is shot straight to his loins. Kohri could feel the last of his resolve crumbling as she called on him as passionately as she was.
What had happened when all the girls had been over last night?
Gill’s lips were just about to close over Kohri’s when a shout of ‘Oh shit!’ and a girlish scream of surprise made them jump. Kohri nearly snarled in displeasure, only to have Kathy’s laughter ringing through her ears. She had just told all of them last night how they had been interrupted every single damn time they had come this close to kissing. Now both Kathy and Owen were guilty of snoggus interuptus. “ What the hell happened to knocking?” she growled, her eyes narrowed as she looked around Gill as the front door slammed closed.
Owen was trying not to laugh, he really wasn’t. He had only come to collect Kohri so that they could open up the way to the lower levels. Kohri had mentioned that she needed some Lapis Lazuli, and that was only refined from the gems found deep in the belly of the mountain and Kathy had told him to get Kohri out of the house so she wasn’t cooped up all day. “ I did knock…” he choked out. Kathy wasn’t helping matters in this case. She had already fallen on the couch, still in raucous guffaws.
“ I’ll see you later then, Kohri. Remember, we need to talk with my father later tonight after the festival, so try to keep an eye on the time.” he told her softly. Gill didn’t dare lean in to kiss her, even on the brow or cheek. Things were still so charged between them that he wasn’t sure that Kohri wouldn’t have manhandled him to where she wanted him to go. Gill also doubted that they could have stopped once they got started. “ Stay safe down there. We’ll talk more about this later.” The look in his eyes said that anything but talking would be happening and it sent a titillating thrill through Kohri that she was positive that she would be feeling all day.
Kohri groaned in disappointment as Gill pulled away, despite her attempts to keep him in place. “ Uggghhhh! Dammit.” she groused. “ I will Gill, I promise, on both accounts.” She climbed off the table, glaring daggers over at Owen as Kathy grabbed her’s and Renee’s things and she followed Gill out the door with a quick goodbye. The look in her eyes spelled nothing but trouble for the mason.
“ Kohri, I swear I knocked.” Owen said, holding his hands up in an effort to placate her. “ You probably wouldn’t have heard anything with as focused as you were.”
“ Do you know how many times I’ve been that close to getting kissed senseless? Three fucking times. The third time is supposed to be the damn charm!” Kohri seethed as she hauled Owen in by his scarf. “ Just you wait, it’ll be coitus interruptus for you buster.”
Owen let out a relieved sigh as Kohri relinquished her hold on him so that she could finish getting ready. “ What happened?”
“ You know what fucking happened. You walked in when Gill and I nearly had a moment.” Kohri grumbled as she dug through the side closet for her sturdy leather pack. That would hold quite a bit of ore in it, and the trip wouldn’t be a complete waste even if they couldn’t find any of the finer blue wonderful down in the mines.
“ That’s not what I meant Kohri. Gill had a heart to heart with Owen and I last night. He told me about what you had said about having to lay your demons to rest before moving forward. What changed that?” Owen asked her pointedly.
Kohri looked at him for a moment and she sighed with a smile. “ If you must know, it was Selena, Kathy and all the other girls that opened my eyes to something I hadn’t thought of.”
Owen crossed his arms, looking down at Kohri as if waiting to hear the rest of it. Kohri snorted a little at the sight. Luke and Owen both were the only ones that could demand information out of her like that because they were like her big, annoying older brothers. She loved them all the same for it on the same note.
“ Regret, Owen. All I could think of was keeping the distance between us to keep him as safe as possible, but that’s not doing anything other than making us miserable. Gill’s in danger no matter what, Wren cast down the gauntlet between them. I don’t want to have the regret of not taking the chance…” Kohri’s eyes sparkled with emotion as she adjusted the straps to fit over her shoulders again. Luke had borrowed it about a week ago when he had gone into the mines in search of gold and a diamond for Selena’s engagement ring. After a moment she smirked and her gaze rose from the floor to meet Owen’s. “ So if you and Luke know what’s good for the both of you, you will not come over to my home tonight after seven. How did Luke put it again? Ah yes, I fully intend on having my wicked way with him.”
Owen couldn’t help it, he finally collapsed into guffaws at Kohri’s table. Leave it to her to tell him point blank that she was having some long overdue piping done. “ Just make it into the bed this time, will you? You would have had a hell of a time getting the blood out of the wood and carpeting.” he teased before dissolving into great gales of laughter again..
Kohri laughed as well and she hauled Owen up by his elbow. “ C’mon you big lug. Let’s go get me some blue wonderful. Oh! Before we go, I need to take this off. I don’t want it getting caught and snapping in the mines.” Kohri said as she took off the lucky pendant that Gill had given her. She placed it on her night stand so that she could put it back on later that evening and she raced out her front door.

Gill felt an ominous chill race down his back and he looked up with a scowl. Rain clouds were rolling in off the sea, but the forecast had called for clear weather. Elli had never been wrong in the four years that she had been here. What was going on? Gill’s gaze followed to where the darkest of the clouds were collecting above the Ganache Ridge. Well, at least Kohri and Owen would be out of the storm if it did hit. He could only hope it would only pass over, that it was fluke.
Gill’s gut on the other hand was telling him it was anything but.

Kohri and Owen were laughing as they made their way down though the mines slowly. It was slow going because they were trying to avoid any pitfalls or the stairwells down had been blocked and needed to be cleared.
“ We’re not making bad time, Kohri. It’s only eleven in the morning and we’re already almost halfway down. There’s only thirty levels to the mine, and we’re on twelve.” Owen told her chipperly, wiping the sweat from his brow. They had double teamed a large boulder and Kohri was rolling the leftover stone towards the wall for Owen to load into a mine cart for later.
“ I still feel like I’m slowing us down.” Kohri panted as Owen followed close behind. She was talking, so she didn’t hear the sharp crack of the ground as she rolled the boulder over a weak spot.
Owen did however and he stopped sharply, looking around worriedly. “ Kohri don’t move!” he ordered.
Kohri came to a pause and she straightened out, looking at Owen in confusion. “ What’s wrong?” she asked. Then she heard the crack, and without warning the ground gave out beneath her feet.
The moment seemed to pass by in slow motion. Owen was screaming, reaching out to grab her by the hand and Kohri reached out to him as well as fear filled her eyes. Their gloved fingers touched, just barely and Owen grasped at thin air as she fell further down.
He would never forget the look in those azure eyes as she was swallowed by the darkness, still reaching for him.
Time suddenly snapped back to normal and Kohri hadn’t even realized that she was screaming for Owen until the sound of her terrified cries started echoing in her ears. She heard a three wooshes total before she hit solid ground and her eyes bugged out in agony as white hot pain flared through the tibia and fibula of her left leg, though thankfully she didn’t buckle entirely to one side. Just a fracture . She thought quickly. She didn’t hear the ground crack again when she landed over the sound of her screams, but the embrace of gravity was holding her and dragging her down again. Kohri landed once more, almost all of her weight on her bad leg, and this time she felt the bones snap completely.
A broken howl of anguish tore itself from her throat, but Kohri didn’t even have time to concentrate on it when the loosened earth started piling up on her. Kohri turned over and pushed herself up, kicking herself as far out of the way as she could with her good leg. It was for naught, however, as she was pinned down when a small boulder bounced and rolled over, coming to a stop on her hips, sending her face first into the dirt as she tried to fight past the pain flaring through her lower back.
Kohri retched, unable to hold it at bay from the sheer agony she was in. Tears were flowing freely down her face, she couldn’t stop them if she tried, and she took as deep breath as she began looking for something, anything, that would tell her how far she had fallen. A large white eighteen under the dimly glowing lamp came into focus, and Kohri pushed herself on her elbows. “ Owen!” she screamed out. “ Owen, can you hear me?!”
“ Kohri! I hear you!” Owen called down. He had heard every scream she had released, and they were going to haunt him for the rest of his life. “ What level are you on? I’ll be right down!”
“ NO!” Kohri called up, her tone almost savage. “ Go get help Owen! I’m partially buried under the rubble and my left leg is broken. I’m on eighteen! Go get help! GO!”
Owen nearly had heart failure the moment he heard Kohri say what she had. She was right that he needed to go for help right now as everyone would still be at the festival. He didn’t want to leave her alone. “ I’ll be back as soon as I can, Kohri! Hold on!” Owen called down to her.
Kohri balanced her precariously on one elbow as she reached into her hip-side rucksack. She pulled a flare out and she focused on the end of it for a moment before she lit it. “ Collin. Darren. Ben. Alan. Edge. If any of you can hear me, please...Help me.” Kohri whispered thickly.
A small breeze ruffled Kohri’s hair, and a small gasp echoed through the chamber. “ Kohri!” Darren cried out in dismay. “ Oh no Kohri! What happened? What...What do you need me to do?”
Kohri’s eyes were as hard as sapphires as she looked up at Darren, only for them to soften from fear and pain. “ Go find Gill.” she pleaded.
Darren nodded as his lower lip quivered and Kohri watched him disappear as another gust of wind ruffled her hair. She had five flares. They lasted an hour a piece, though she had a feeling that it would take much longer to safely navigate the mines to get down to her.
What Kohri needed was a miracle.

Gill was helping to usher the tourists to their ferries. Those stormclouds had unleashed utter hell on the festivities, and the sinking feeling that he had been having all morning was getting all the more worse. He looked back over to the Ganache Ridge as a fresh spray of rain soaked him, and Gill shoved the wet strands of his hair out of his eyes. The storm was waging there the worst still, and again his thoughts turned back to Kohri. He couldn’t shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong.
“ Gill!”
Without warning Darren appeared before Gill, his wide, brown eyes full of tears and afraid. “ Gill, it’s Kohri! There’s been an accident in the mines! She’s hurt and she’s stuck under a whole bunch of rocks!” the little sprite said, clearly panicked.
Gill hadn’t heard anything past the words ‘Kohri’ and ‘accident’. “ Can you help me get down to her Darren?” he said, his eyes taking on a new gleam.
Darren nodded. “ You’re going to need a hammer and a shovel! Oh, and water. She’s going to need water!” He looked over to the mines as if listening to something and tears spilled down his little cheeks. “ We have to hurry Gill! She’s scared and she’s in pain! We have to help her!”
“ We will Darren. Go back to Kohri and tell her I’m coming. Meet me in the first level and I’ll need you to guide me down.” Gill told him. “ See if we can’t get Collin and Ben to stay with her for now. Their rainbows should have strengthened them again. She has to know she’s not alone.” Gill took off at full speed up the road, and he stopped for a brief moment at the general store. He pulled out his master key and opened the door. Gill grabbed a shovel and a sturdy looking hammer, the color was almost silver it was so well polished, and Gill wrote a note for Simon to charge his account for the two items, that an emergency had come up. Gill then ran to Tamelin Manor and he threw his wet clothing off and into the bathtub for now. He hurriedly changed into his jeans, a pair of boots, a long sleeved shirt and a heavy jacket. As he was leaving his room, he grabbed his knapsack and Gill quickly threw his father’s lantern, three of the small propane tank refills, two canteens, and a few blankets in there. There was no telling if Kohri was going into shock from her injuries and they needed to keep her warm if that were the case. He had just exited the house, his gaze narrowed with determination and both tools strapped to his back just as Owen was riding into town on Hercules, his clydesdale.
“ Gill!” the mason exclaimed, panicked and afraid.
“ I know, Owen! Get Dr. Jin, and Luke! Have Ozzy radio Pascal, and tell him that he needs to come right back once he’s finished unloading the tourists! I’m going ahead!” Gill called out over the storm and he ran off without so much as an explanation..
Owen couldn’t talk for a solid minute. Had Ramsey phoned ahead? He couldn’t think semantics right now. He needed to get Dr. Jin, a backboard, and Luke. In that exact order.

Gill made excellent time getting to the Ganache Mine, and he unzipped the jacket and left it near the entrance. It would only get in the way as he tried to go down. Fear seized him for a second, but Gill tamped it down. Kohri needed him. “ Darren?!” he called out.
“ Right here Gill!” the little sprite said, his expression much more determined than it had been earlier. “ Collin helped me clear a path for you. Are you going to be okay?”
Gill nodded, though he was pale as he looked at the entrance that led the way down. It had been more than twenty years since he had gone down those stairs. “ Yeah, I’ll be okay. I have to get through this. Fears get faced every day. I’m just having to face two at once.” Gill replied, his voice quavering nervously.
Darren lighted on Gill’s shoulder for now and he started telling him all that they had accomplished so far. “ She’s on floor eighteen. I’ll help you get around all the pitfalls. Collin strengthened as many as he could, but he needs his strength for when you and the others start bringing her out.”
Gill swallowed nervously as began walking down the steps. Instantly, the walls felt as if they were closing in on him and Gill fought to draw a breath. A small gust surrounded him, smelling of grass, fresh air, and the sea. He looked over at Darren, who was smiling supportively.
“ I knew your claustrophobia might kick in. That’s why I’m guiding you down, and not Collin.” the sprite told him.
Gill smiled back as he caught his breath. “ You’re a miracle worker, Darren.” he said honestly.

Kohri’s eyes opened weakly as she looked at the sputtering flame of her third flare. Three hours...Someone is coming. I’m going to be alright. Kohri thought, her face in a perpetual grimace. She had been repeating that over and over in her mind. Ben and Collin were with her, trying to comfort her as much as they could. “ Ben, can I have some water?” she croaked. She had stopped crying hours ago.
“ Sure thing Kohri.” Ben replied. He worked his magic, summoning a mouthful of water before floating it into her mouth. He looked up for a second and a bright smile split across his face. “ Darren and Gill are almost here!”
Shock cleared Kohri’s head for a brief instant. Darren had come back with Ben and Collin, but Kohri hadn’t been able to pay attention to anything he was saying besides that help was coming. “ Gill?! He’s claustrophobic! What is he doing down here?” she exclaimed.
“ Kohri?!”
“ Gill! Gill, over here! My left leg is broken, and I’ve got a small boulder pinning me down!” she cried out. Tears, these ones happy, were coursing down her cheeks when Gill appeared from around a corner. “ Oh goddess!” she sobbed happily as Gill took a knee beside her. She got as upright as she could, clutching him to her tightly. She never wanted to let him go again.
“ Kohri, I’m going to start digging you out. Owen’s on his way with Dr. Jin and Luke. You’re going to be alright.” Gill assured her as he pulled his knapsack off his shoulders. He pulled a two of the three blankets from it and he unfolded one part of the way. “ Collin, let me know when someone enters the mine. Kohri, push yourself up as far as you can. I’m going to wrap your torso.”
“ I will Gill!” the little yellow sprite said.
Kohri grunted under the exertion of holding herself up long enough for Gill to help her get warmer and she groaned as she lowered herself back down when he was done. “ I can’t do that again. I almost sick because of the pain.” she groused as she tried to fight off the nausea.
Gill nodded, softly whispering words of encouragement all the while, and he unfolded the other blanket completely. He tucked one end to the bottom of where he had just bundled her up at and he fanned it out over her head. “ This will protect you a little bit.” he whispered. The lantern came out next and Gill turned it on. He wasn’t sure how much propane was left in this tank, but he would switch it out when it started to flicker. Gill laid down, getting face to face with Kohri. She was covered in thin sheen of dirt and silt, and two cuts, both clotted, were on her cheek and her forehead respectively. He looked at her eyes and he cursed when he saw that they were reacting slowly to the light. He gently pressed his fingers to her pulse point, counting the beats per minute. It was steady, but there were moments where it was starting to slow before gaining strength again. “ Kohri, whatever you do, do not fall asleep. You’re starting to go into shock. I can’t do anything to slow the symptoms, but I need you to stay awake. If you start to feel colder, I need you to tell me. Can you do that for me?”
Kohri nodded as she grabbed his hands. “ I can’t even begin to tell you how happy I am to see you.” she whimpered, smiling tearfully all the while.
Gill caressed her cheek before getting to his feet. He needed to work fast. This pile was about as tall as he was. He pulled the hammer from his back, and Gill took a deep breath in as he set into a pre-strike routine. If he had anything to say about it, half this pile was being leveled right now.
With that thought in the forefront of his mind, Gill swung the hammer as hard as he could.

Owen, Luke, and Dr. Jin made decent time getting down to Kohri’s level, only an hour behind Gill. They heard the sound of a shovel, and Kohri was muttering a little.
“ Gill?!” Owen called out.
“ To the left Owen! Hurry up and help me! I can’t move this thing on my own and I can’t smash it with a hammer without hurting her!” Gill called out. He had been listening to Kohri fade as she settled deeper into her shock. She was constantly asking for water, and she was starting to lose focus of where she was. “ Dr. Jin! She’s going into shock, we have to get her out of here!”
Jin rushed past Owen, his emergency drug kit in hand while Luke carried the backboard. He took a knee beside Kohri. “ You’ve done a good job keeping her with us so far. Thank goodness you thought to bring blankets. We had to leave the majority of the emergency supplies up on at the entrance. You guys just start clearing the rest of the rubble. Luke, come over here and see if you can get her talking a little more.”
Kohri looked up weakly from under the blanket. “ Jin?”
“ Yes Kohri, it’s me. Luke’s here too. I’m going to have to give you some medicines to help you, and I’m going to start an iv. You need fluids.” the doctor said kindly. Jin pulled a pair of trauma scissors from his pocket and he started cutting her sleeve away at the shoulder. “ Gill, Owen, warn me if the pile sloughs towards us.”
“ We will, doc. You do your job, lemme do mine.” Owen grunted as he and Gill tried lifting the rock that had Kohri pinned at the hips. “ Damn it! Luke, we need your help!”
Gill looked over to Collin and the little sprite nodded, understanding immediately. Collin didn’t have enough strength to move it by himself, or with Gill; they already had tried, but between the four of them they might be able do it. If the Mother Tree had still been here, Collin would have been able to get Kohri out on his own. “ Alright, on three!”
“ Three!” they chorused, grunting with the exertion of lifting it. It finally gained a few inches and the three men threw it off to the side and away from Kohri.
“ Gill, give me your shovel! I think we can get her onto the backboard now!” Owen exclaimed excitedly.
Gill nodded, doing as he was told and he went over to Kohri. She was babbling, but he caught the words rainbow, way, high, and land. “ Still singing ‘Somewhere over the Rainbow’, Kohri?” he asked her, cupping her cheek to bring her focus to him.
“ Gill…” she whispered. “ Not ‘sleep...Not yet.”
“ You’ll be able to sleep soon. Gill, can you give me some more light? I’m getting ready to place the line.” Jin said, his eyes focused on his task. Gill grabbed the lantern, tilting it for the best light and Kohri hissed in pain when Jin pierced her skin with the needle. “ Almost done Kohri.”
“ Hate f’ckin’ needles.” she grumbled sleepily and Jin snorted in mirth. “ Not funny, doc.”
“ If you say so, Kohri.” Jin chortled. “ At least she’s still reacting to stimuli.” The doctor pushed a few drugs through the line; dilaudid to help with the pain, and a few doses of atropine to help boost her heart rate again. Jin also had two epi-pens that he would us if Kohri’s heart rate threatened to slow again as they were moving her out of here. “ It might just be hypovolemic shock. She’s been stuck down here for hours after all.”
Gill didn’t say anything as he and Luke put the backboard into position. “ You realize we’re going to have to carry her out. Owen needs to navigate and Jin needs to keep an eye on her.” he said to the carpenter.
“ I know, Gill. I’ve got an idea.” Luke said, and reached into the bag Owen had brought along. “ We’re about the same height, the rope here will help us shoulder the weight better and keep us from tiring out too quickly. Dad an’ Ramsey are already preparing Cain’s longest cart, and Kathy was hooking Hercules and Taloolah up to it when we got to the mines. Grab my level from the bag, I want to make sure we keep this straight as much as possible.”
Kohri was in a better place now that she had something for the pain, but she was still very lucid. She watched as Luke measured a cord of rope against Gill while Jin held the other end. It was looped over his shoulders and torso and Kohri smirked as kinky little thoughts entered her mind at the thought of what they could do with that rope. You’re not going to be getting any for a while, Kohri. You’re going to be lucky not to be in a wheelchair with spinal damage. She thought to herself. By the goddess in her tree, this is not even remotely fair all things considered.
“ Kohri, we’re going to roll you onto the backboard now. I’ll splint your leg, get you bundled up fully, and then it’s out of here. Sound good?” Jin asked her. He was shining a pen light into her eyes as he spoke, and he smiled as her pupils reacted accordingly this time.
“ Get me the hell out of here. I’m ready to get some rest in my bed.” Kohri groused. She grunted in discomfort as her hips were moved and she chanced looking down at her foot. Nausea settled over her at the unnatural angle it was sitting at.
“ About that Kohri…” Jin said, his voice and expression taking on a serious mean as he strapped her torso down to keep her from moving. “ Gill, take her hand, I have to set the bone for the moment so I can splint it. Owen, hold the lantern up high. Luke, you pin down the other leg so that I don’t get kicked if she starts thrashing.” Jin braced himself, but Kohri’s broken cries of anguish; despite the medication that he had already given her, tore at his heart. Gill was whispering softly to her, stoically taking the harsh grip that she had on him. Jin silently put the splint on and he pushed another dose of dilaudid through the line to help her. They bundled her up tightly, and Jin smiled as Gill placed a soft kiss against her brow before he and Luke lifted her between them. Jin connected a liter of dextrose and normal saline to the line he had placed in her arm, and he set it up for a decent bolus that he would lower once they had her on Pascal’s boat. Kohri...I have to take you over to the mainland for emergency treatment. I can do x-rays here, but you need an MRI, as well as reparative surgery for your leg. I can’t do those here on Waffle Island.”
Kohri’s eyes went wide in dismay and she struggled to get off the backboard even though she was strapped in securely. “ No, Jin no! Don’t take me off the island! He was studying to be a doctor and he’s probably started his internship by now! Jin, please, don’t make me leave Waffle Island!” Kohri exclaimed, rocking the board as she thrashed greatly. Fear was giving her greater strength to fight at the bonds, but she couldn’t get out of them.
Gill was more than thankful that Luke had suggested suspending the board between them as Kohri tried her best to get out of it. “ Kohri! Calm down!” he called out to her. Luke said something similar as they both tried holding the board still, and he looked over to Jin. “ Jin, you’re going to have to sedate her or three of us are going to get hurt!”
Jin was already drawing up a decent dose of ativan. He probably should have put her under after all, but what was done was done. “ Put her down and hold down the board. Owen! Hold her arm as still as you can!” Jin said as he took a knee beside her.
Kohri protested, wailing in both pain and fear, and slowly her struggling ceased as the drugs took effect. “ Sleep…” she said softly, her eyes unfocused.
Jin nodded and Gill leaned down resting his forehead against Kohri’s. “ You can sleep now, Kohri. You’ll be alright when you wake up, I promise. I’ll be right there with you, no matter what.” he told her sincerely. Gill meant every word. He’d run to town ahead of everyone, and pack his knapsack with at least a week’s worth of clothing, his checkbook, and his identification documents. Gill was going with her to the mainland and not any of them were going to stop him.
Kohri smiled at the words. Sleep sounded so wonderful right now, she was tired and still in pain. Gill’s lips pressed to her forehead one more time and Kohri allowed the darkness to take her.

Ramsey, Craig, and Cain had already backed the cart up into the entrance of the mines when the five of the appeared through the stairwell. Owen was first, and Kathy instantly ran over to him, throwing her arms around his waist as she sobbed into his chest. Gill, Kohri, and Luke were through next, with Jin right behind them still holding up the bag of saline. The ropes tied to the backboard were cut as the older men took over to give the younger ones a break. Selena was next to run over to Luke, throwing her arms around his neck. A sweet kiss was shared between the two and Gill looked away from them, and back over to Kohri. Hamilton was already coming over to Gill, and he breathed a sigh of relief that they all had made it out.
“ Well done, son. Well done indeed.” Hamilton said proudly as he clapped Gill on the shoulder softly.
Gill straightened even as his aching back and arms protested. “ Has Pascal gotten back yet?” he asked.
Hamilton shook his head. “ He’s still an hour out. He had to ride out the storm and it slowed him down considerably. Not only that, he’ll have to refuel once he get’s here.”
“ So Kohri will have to wait another three hours at least. That works out. I’m going with her, father. I…” Gill stuttered a little as he fought to find the right words to say.
“ You’re in love, Gill, you don’t have to explain anything to me. Go get cleaned up and ready to leave. Elli and I will hold down the fort at the town hall.” Hamilton assured his only son.
Gill smiled as he gave his father a hug, silently thanking him for understanding. “ How did you know?”
Hamilton chuckled even as he gave Gill a meaningful look. “ I married your mother, didn’t I? You look at Kohri the same way I used to look at Jillian. You’re mother would have definitely approved of her.” the mayor replied as they began walking out of the mines.
“ Just Kohri?” Gill asked with a smirk. He had been engaged to be married almost six years ago after all.
“ No, she would have loved both Angela and Kohri, Gill, because they both have something in common. They make you happy. That’s all we want as parents for our children.” Hamilton said with a smile. “ I’ll see you before you leave.”
Gill nodded and he stepped out into the fresh air. The rain had stopped, though the clouds still rumbled angrily in the distance. The stars were just peeking out from behind them and Gill turned back for a moment, watching as everything was loaded into the cart with Kohri to take her into town.
To hell with getting clean, he had to make sure both of them were set for this excursion. Kohri might hit him for going through her unmentionables, but hey, duty called. Gill fought back a smirk as he began making his way over to Gnocchi Ranch.
He wondered if he could find those little lacy pink boyshorts for her to wear.

Kohri could feel the room spinning as she came to. Where was she? It smelled like bleach, and antiseptic. The air was too cold for that matter. “ Where?” she slurred, trying to sit up. Pain in her hips kept her from moving and she groaned in agony. Her leg wouldn’t move the way she wanted it to either. What was going on?!
“ Kohri?”
A familiar voice! Kohri looked up, her vision still blurry, and severely out of focus. Steel grey eyes, blonde hair, and a worried angular face started to come into focus the more she concentrated on his features. “ Gill? Where am I?” she asked. Kohri wanted to sit up. This wasn’t Jin’s clinic, it didn’t smell the same.
“ St. Angela’s.” Gill told her. “ Don’t try to sit up on your own. You’re hips were both dislocated and the right one has three fractures because of the boulder that was on your back. They were set back into place, but you can’t put that much pressure on the bones right now. Here…” Gill hit the button on her bed that would raise her into an elevated position. He didn’t do it too high however, Kohri was dealing with the after effects of the anesthesia and the potent pain medications they had her on.
Kohri sighed happily at the level and her vision swam once more before focusing on Gill. “ I have to be dreaming if you’re here on the mainland.” she chortled sadly as he leaned in to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear. Her eyes focused on his lips and Kohri raised the hand that wasn’t connected to her IV to pull him in by his neck.
If this was a dream, that meant that there was no one there to interrupt them this time.
Her lips slid over his, and Gill groaned in delight before adjusting his position so that he could get the access he wanted. It was a slow teasing at first, just both of them testing the feel of each other’s lips in an unhurried meeting. Gill’s scent, sandalwood and lavender, filled her nose and Kohri felt his tongue, soft and velvety, sweep across her bottom lip. A silent plea to taste her, she realized and she granted it as her fingers slid into Gill’s hair and the other hand grasped at the arm that was holding him on her hospital bed.
Honeydew, summer heat, and sweet tea; Kohri’s flavor, inundated his senses as Gill felt Kohri deepen the kiss between them with a low moan and he answered that with a groan of his own. She smelled of the basic brands of soap and shampoo that they used here, and Gill felt himself instantly missing the scent he knew her for. Her nails gently scratched at his scalp, and the innocent action went right to his loins. Gill’s free hand caressed her neck, savoring everything about this moment. He was lost to her, drunk on the feeling that she was pulling from him with something just as simple as this. Gill felt her tongue twirl and dance with his, and he matched her passion gently.
This is the kiss they should have shared in her home three days ago. This was what had been held back all this time and Gill held himself in place as Kohri tried to pull him in closer. She was in no shape to even try to handle his weight above her.
So lost were they in one another that neither of them felt the cold, green gaze on them from the doorway.
Oh my dhov...I cannot even being to tell you how draining, how utterly satisfying it was to write this chapter. I can't even begin to tell all you how hard it was for me to keep to my story outline. Normally by this chapter my love interests are IN an established relationship, not just starting one. Nonetheless, this story is far from over, and things will be picking up faster between Gill and Kohri now.
Not only that, there's gonna be some new people on the island when they get back.
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Restoring Faith