The warmth felt wonderful.

The delicate fronds of the palm trees danced in the island breeze, fleeting shadows playing across my skin in alternate harmony with the sun. Gulls cackled along the shore as they darted away from waves that both hid and then revealed their dinner. As I had hoped when I selected this particular retreat, the concept of time itself quickly became foreign to me. It was the vacation I both wanted and deserved, but there was one problem.

"No, Beastie," I said, ending the discussion for yet another time.

The beach sand felt warm beneath my toes, and spilled lazily from my foot as I stretched out under the rays of the tropical sun. My island cocktail had gotten severely watered down from the melting ice, practically just rum-flavored water at this point, but the effort to call for a replacement drink was daunting. I sucked on the straw noisily, hoping that the serving staff would take the hint.

Beastie blinked his big eyes at me, pleading his case.

My drink remained unreplenished. This place was in serious danger of losing a star on my review. The service better improve quickly, or it was going to be a long virtual weekend for everyone involved.

"Absolutely not, Beastie," I repeated, the matter now settled.

Beastie rolled upside down, all four legs in the air, and gave me the helpless baby cow stare. Some heavy emotional artillery was being fired.

I tapped my glass on the wooden table next to my chaise-lounge, ice rattling wetly in the colored water that I had no interest in drinking. No response. I sighed.

"Beastie. You are not going on any more adventures. That's final."

Still upside down, he held out his front hooves, showing the decorative diamond and silver enhancements that we had recently added.

"Yes, I know, we made a lot of money from that tournament. That's all the more reason to stay home and be safe. We don't need the money." I looked right into those big eyes, and said, "Sweetheart, I almost lost you. We were this close to never being together again."

He snorted emphatically. Clearly, he had never lost faith in our chances as I had, or perhaps that's just the only way he can act, now that he wants to go back out again. He snorted again, meaning one or the other, or maybe something else entirely. If you can translate for him, let me know.

"Fine, I realize most adventures don't risk anything remotely that serious. If you let me pick the safest zones, I will consider bringing you along once in a while. No tournaments, though. Not ever."

He nodded with finality, and rolled back over in the sand, facing away, declaring complete victory.

"I said, I will *consider* it. Not that it will happen! You hear me?"

He was pointedly ignoring everything after the part where I had agreed with him.

Grumpily, I yelled, "Can a paying customer get a drink around here?" and banged my glass on the table so heavily, there was a likely risk of shattering it. 'It' meaning the glass, or 'it' meaning the table, take your pick. If I didn't get a new drink soon, it might be both.

Still no response, other than a silent gust of island breeze across my skin. I sighed, gave in, and drank the rest of the water. A new cocktail appeared on the table the moment I finished the last sip.

"Ought to be a lesson in that for you, Kate," said Rache, through Beastie's collar transmitter. Since the tournament, I had gotten quite used to her interruptions, as she loved spying on me through him. I really needed to replace that collar.

"Leave me alone, Rayray. I'm not here to learn anything," I replied, "I'm just here to enjoy myself, recharge my batteries, and unwind."

"The key to unwinding is to stop turning the crank," she said, in his voice. "It's amazing how much harder you make things for yourself. Everything's a battle. You argue, you fight, you kick and scream. And that's just with your friends."

Great. Instead of relaxation, I was getting criticism, however valid it may be. I drank half of my new drink in a few gulps, hoping the faux-alcohol would kick in real quick and drown her out.

Beastie rolled back over to me, and the voice said, "If nothing else, I hope you at least realize that there are a lot of people who care for you quite deeply, and who will always be there to help." He laid back in the sun, and closed his eyes. "Never forget that, my love."

My love? Rache said that? Why would she..? Oh. Oh my. I just noticed.

Beastie wasn't wearing his collar.