David and Neds - The Right Guide 5

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Part 5


Discretion. That's what it was all about so far as Mr. M. Grey was concerned; discretion.

Discretion in making enquiries, discretion in dealing with his clients; no matter what they wanted to know, where they wanted him to go, it would all be done discreetly.

Naturally, he extended that philosophy to his office and his business persona. Once through his door, his clients would find a world of neutral good taste. From the decor to his secretary, nothing stood out as being flashy or noticeable in any way. And that included Mr. Grey himself.

His hair was just the right length, his suit - a neutral shade of grey - was of a good enough cut to pass muster with his clients but not of such a good cut that they'd ask for his tailor's name. Even his name fitted with the blandness he so carefully projected.

Well, except for his first name. His parents, perhaps regretting their own very boring first names, had christened him 'Montagu'. In a perverse way, Mr. Grey liked his first name. It was, after all, the most outstanding thing about him - not that he ever told his clients about it.

"Mr. Cunningham is here for his three o'clock appointment, sir."

Leaning forward, he told his secretary to show Mr. Cunningham in, then stood to meet him. The Cunninghams had trusted their business to Mr. Grey for quite a number of years now, and whatever they needed to know, he would find out for them.

~'~

Edwards knew that David was badly nervous, but he made sure that his own nerves didn't show at all. After all, there was no point in getting David upset.

"You've got your cell phone."

"Yes, Neds."

"And it's fully charged."

David pulled out the brand new cell phone Edwards had bought and showed it to him. "Fully charged."

"And you've got some money in case you need to get a cab."

"Yes, Neds."

Edwards waited.

David pulled out his wallet and showed Edwards the thirty dollars Edwards had put in there.

"And change in case you need to phone and can't get a signal."

Sighing, although Edwards really couldn't see what there was to sigh over, David pulled open the velcro section of his wallet and showed him the couple of dollars' worth of change in there.

"Right." Edwards walked towards the door, David behind him. He stopped. "And if I'm late -"

"I'm not to go anywhere alone, just stay by the front entrance and, if you don't show up after half an hour, phone Sentinel Ellison."

"Right."

"Neds?"

"Yes?"

"I'll be fine!"

"I know you will be, David." Edwards made sure to sound very reassuring. "It's only natural to be nervous on your first day at university."

A mischievous gleam appeared in the green eyes. "Is it your first day at university too, Neds? No wonder you're nervous."

Edwards glared at his Guide. "Get your coat."

Fortunately for both of them, the traffic was light and it wasn't long before David was getting out of Edwards' car.

"Remember -"

"Don't talk to strangers, especially strange Sentinels, and no one but you or Sentinel Ellison will come to collect me."

"That's right."

"Bye, Neds."

The door shut with a hint of finality and Edwards sat back and watched as his Guide, his defenceless Guide, disappeared inside the main building on Rainier University campus.

Edwards turned the engine on. Then turned it off. Getting out and locking up the car, he headed towards the security office. One could never be too careful.

~'~

"David!"

"Jo!" He hugged her exuberantly.

"Oh, I forgot." Jo pulled herself free and swept a curtsey. "Guide Prime."

David sighed. "Thanks, Jo."

"My pleasure. So, do I call you 'David' or will 'Your Highness' do?"

He grinned as they turned to make their way to the cafeteria. "I think I like the sound of 'Your Excellency'. What do you think?"

She pretended to consider it, then stopped in the doorway. "I think it makes you sound about five hundred years old."

"Oh." David shrugged. "I think I'll stick to David then."

"Good idea!" She led the way over to where Harriet and Aled were already waiting. "Hey guys, look who I found slumming it in Hargrove."

"Oh, David!" Harriet stood up to give him a hug. "Congratulations!"

Aled grinned. "Congratulations to your Sentinel too. He put a firecracker under Dean Edwards, and Dexter is no more!"

Sitting down, David grinned back. "So Harriet said, though I never got any details!"

"Didn't your Sentinel tell you?" Harriet sounded shocked.

"Neds didn't mention it until I asked him about it - and then he just said that he had. Well, not that he put it like that! He said he'd had a few words with Dean Edwards."

"A few words!" Jo smiled, gleeful triumph on her face. "I think the dean would have preferred it if it had just been a few words!"

Aled nodded, and leaned across the table. "He totally went to town on her! By the time he'd finished, she was ready to dismiss half the school to get rid of him."

"How do you know?" David demanded. "Miss Adams wouldn't -"

"Of course she wouldn't," Jo interrupted. "Maria Coletti was in the office with her Sentinel when your Sentinel came storming in, so she persuaded her to listen in and give her the gist of it later."

"And she did?"

"She's not a Clan member," Harriet put in hastily. "She's from...where did Maria say?"

"Wisconsin," Jo answered.

"So?" David gazed at them, eager for the gossip. "What did he say?"

"Well," Aled's eyes gleamed, "he pointed out that his Guide, the Guide Prime -"

"He made sure to mention that bit about every five seconds!" Jo put in.

"- had almost been driven out of Guide School by a talentless bully with about as much empathy as a penguin -"

"Although I'm sure that penguins can be empathic."

Aled stopped and looked at Harriet.

"Well, I like penguins!"

Shaking his head, he continued, "And that it would reflect very badly on the Guide School and those who ran it, if strong empaths like -"

"The Guide Prime!" Jo chipped in, giving David a meaningful look.

"The Guide Prime," Aled repeated, giving Jo a sour look, "abandoned their ambitions to be Guides and instead became waiters or busboys. And he was sure that the dean would like to know that the Senior Sentinel Prime shared his views on the matter!"

Jo looked smug. "She was as white as a sheet when she came out and told Miss Adams to send for Dexter!"

"Unfortunately for you, me, these two and the grapevine," Aled continued, "Sentinel Freeman and Maria had to leave before Dexter got there."

"Maria tried to persuade her to go stand by the dean's window, but she wouldn't," Harriet put in. "However, soon after that, Dexter collected his stuff and left."

Jo smirked. "Which leads those of us with brains to surmise that he was 'asked to leave'."

"Yeah, they wouldn't have expelled him outright, not with Daddy's money to back him up." Aled shrugged. "But at least he's gone."

"So tell us, O Wise and Mighty Guide Prime," Jo grinned, "what's it like being bonded to the Sentinel Prime?"

David grinned in return, feeling his face redden. "It's...nice."

"Is that it? That's all we get?" Jo looked affronted. "You'll have to tell us more than that, David Sutherland!"

He leaned forward, and waited until they'd all mirrored his movement before he whispered, "What do you think it's like being bonded to a Sentinel who'll go up against Dean Edwards for you?" Then he sat back and waited.

There was silence for a few seconds, then Harriet wrapped her arms around him and murmured, "Oh, David, I'm so happy for you."

~'~

Smedley looked over the report Mr. Grey had given him, and grimaced. For a Sentinel holding a high position in the Clan, Clement was distressingly short on enemies. Even his time in the Marines had failed to garner him rivals - instead leaving him with a long list of what Smedley suspected were friends. How annoying!

He turned his attention to David's past, although he had little expectation of finding anything in there. People like David never had enemies; they were too quiet and shy.

Halfway down the second page, he paused, and reread the paragraph carefully. This Dexter Pierson, while obviously a jealous bully, and from a distressingly nouveau riche family, was a distinct possibility.

~'~

"Neds? Neds?" David reached out a hand to his sleeping Sentinel, feeling the distress that was causing him to twist and turn in his sleep, fighting the demons that only he could see. Gently, David touched the tense shoulder, then pulled back, unsure of Neds' reaction at being woken up suddenly.

A hand lashed out and caught his, an angry shout cut off halfway as the hard hand gentled into a softer hold. "David?"

"Are you all right?" He'd left the light off, not wanting to hurt his Sentinel's eyes, and the moonlight that was straggling through the curtain turned the room into a dim shadowland that could easily be viewed with Sentinel vision but was too dark for a Guide to see.

"Yes."

David could tell that that wasn't quite true, but it was far truer than it had been a few minutes ago.

"It was just -" Neds broke off, rubbing his face, then pulled David closer. "You were..." he sighed, a hint of frustration in the huff of breath, "...the hawk."

"I was a hawk?"

"No." The hand tugged David down on to the bed and Neds' head rested on his shoulder, snuffling at his neck.

Tilting his head, David waited. He could feel Neds' pain fading as he reassured himself that his Guide was safe. Whatever his dream had been, David suspected that his own part in it had not been a good one.

"The hawk was there, again. It wasn't attacking you just...leading something to you." Neds straightened up and sat back, pulling David with him, so the Guide was half-lying against him. One hand gently carded through David's hair. "It's fading now, but there was danger." His voice changed, "Lord, David, you're freezing!"

"Well, I got up in a hurry. I could hear you."

The arm tightened as David went to move away, and Neds moved him slightly to throw back the covers. "Get in. I'm not having you freezing to death because of a stupid nightmare."

David complied, hiding his smile. It wasn't just that he was cold, he knew that Neds needed the reassurance of having his Guide there, safe...from whatever had stalked him in Neds' dream. Pulled and pushed until he was curled up on the other side of his Sentinel, protected on one side by the wall and on the other by Neds, the Guide yawned, then slid his feet against Neds' legs, heading for the warmth like a heat-seeking missile.

He got a half yelp, and the arm around him tightened then relaxed. "Next time, David, warn me before you do that."

"Yes, Neds." He grinned in the darkness.

"Now go to sleep."

"Yes, Neds." Shutting his eyes obediently, David made a mental note to ask Neds about his nightmare in the morning. After all, it might have been a vision.

~'~

Remaining in Cascade wasn't a problem for Smedley as his family owned a large townhouse there. As he was not in the habit of frequenting police stations, he found it easy to avoid Clement and, even on the social circuit, he managed to keep a good distance between himself and the other Sentinel and Guide, although he did give in to the weakness of having a photograph taken of his future Guide. He would have given anything to have a piece of David's clothing, saturated with his scent, but he decided that that was far too risky.

He could wait, he was patient, and sooner or later he would have David to himself.

In the meantime....

An introduction to Dexter Pierson's family was easily arranged and it wasn't long before he found himself meeting David's béte noire.

Manoeuvring Dexter into a private corner took a little more patience but he was, after all, a Sentinel, and it was not beyond the bounds of possibility that he wanted to get to know the Guide better with a view to bonding with him. However, once away from prying ears, he made his first gambit. "I believe you and I have an acquaintance in common, Dexter."

"I don't think so. No one I know has mentioned you."

Smedley kept his feelings hidden. The nouveau riche were frequently gauche. "Don't you know David Sutherland?" His smile grew as an alarmed look leapt into Pierson's eyes.

"Uh -"

"I believe he stole your Sentinel." Smedley made sure to keep a sympathetic tone in his voice, although he knew that Clement would never have considered bonding with this Guide, assuming he had even considered Pierson a Guide - the boy's empathy was practically non-existent.

Pierson's body rhythms calmed; obviously he had no problem with playing the part of a wronged Guide. "Yes, he did."

Resting one hand upon his shoulder, Smedley projected as much sympathy as he could at him, hoping Pierson would be able to pick up some echo of it, at least. "You're very brave." He smiled slightly, allowing his mouth to twist in a parody of grief. "When I lost David, I... well, I didn't know what to do."

Pierson's mouth dropped open in a very unattractive way. "You were supposed to bond with David?"

"He...found another Sentinel."

"Yeah, my Sentinel!"

"Well, as I said...you're very brave, Dexter." He gave the shoulder under his hand a slight squeeze, then sauntered away, pleased with the beginning he'd made.

~'~

David glared at his Sentinel from across the table, much to Edwards' amusement. David just didn't have it in him to look menacing, although he was giving it his best shot.

"Neds, that's the third nightmare you've had this week!" The glare was turned on full-force as David added, "You should talk to Sentinel Ellison - or see Doctor Harvey!"

Edwards kept his smile off his face; David was not in the mood to be laughed at.

"And if you won't tell them, I will!"

His amusement vanished. Edwards was not having his Guide discussing him with other Sentinels. "David!"

"I'm serious." David raised his head defiantly. "You need to talk about this, and if you won't talk to me -"

"I don't remember the dreams!"

"Then you should talk to Sentinel Ellison. Tell him what you do remember."

Edwards sighed as David put his plate into the sink, then got up when he noticed how David's hands were trembling. Wrapping his arms around his Guide, the Sentinel rested his chin on top of David's head. "I'll talk to him."

Instantly, David twisted in his arms to hug him in return. "Thank you."

~'~

David paused on the steps of Hargrove Hall and waved to his Sentinel, then shook his head as the car engine remained silent until he was actually inside the building. Whatever Ned's dreams were, they were driving him to become ever more possessive and protective. David was surprised he was being allowed to go to his art class.

Talking it out with the Senior Sentinel Prime should help though...he hoped. If this kept up, he could see Neds not only insisting that they slept in the same room, but also refusing to allow him to attend Rainier alone. He paused as a familiar figure caught his eye, then pulled a face as he recognised the pair. Why was he not surprised?

"Sentinel Pais, Karl."

The pair of them murmured a greeting, then fell into step behind him. David felt his faced redden as he led the way to his classroom and made his way towards his usual easel.

"Guide Prime?"

"Yes, Sentinel Pais?"

"We'd prefer it if you'd use this easel today." Her hand indicated an easel set at the back, with lots of space between it and its neighbours.

"Fine." David sighed. Please God talking to Sentinel Ellison would help.

~'~

"Good morning, Dexter."

"Hi." While Dexter had met Smedley a few times at various parties, this was the first time they'd arranged to meet on purpose. He really didn't know what the guy wanted. After that first time, he'd started to wonder if the Sentinel was interested in bonding with him, but he'd never so much as dropped a hint of that. In fact, most of their conversations seemed to revolve around Sutherland and the Sentinel Prime.

Dexter scowled. It still pissed him off that Sutherland had ended up bonded to Edwards. It wasn't even like Sutherland had any ambition!

"Would you like something to drink?"

Almost startled, he looked up. "No, I got some coffee just before."

"Very well."

Dexter waited while Smedley ordered an espresso for himself, his mind returning to Sutherland's sneakiness in stealing Dexter's Sentinel. If he was honest with himself, he didn't even know how Sutherland had done it - but he knew it had been in an underhanded way!

"And how are you, Dexter?"

"I'm fine." There was a pause, and Dexter wondered if Smedley was waiting for him to expand on his answer, but finally the Sentinel sighed slightly and smiled.

"You're hiding your pain well, you know. I'm very impressed." A familiar sad, sympathetic look settled on Smedley's face as he gazed at him.

"Oh...thanks."

"I know this isn't easy for you."

Well, Smedley had that right. Knowing that Sutherland was walking around, a bonded Guide - the Guide Prime, no less - while Dexter had been tossed out of Guide School, was infuriating. "No. It's not!" Dexter continued, talking over the Sentinel, "It really annoys me, ya know? What did Sutherland do to catch the Sentinel Prime? You're a Sentinel, you tell me!"

"Well...I wasn't there, Dexter. If I had been, I would have bonded with David myself, and left the Sentinel Prime to you."

"It's a pity you weren't!" Dexter snapped. "It's a pity you...hey! Can't you challenge Edwards? You bond with David, then I'll bond with the Sentinel Prime." He smiled at the thought. With David out of the way, he'd be able to get Edwards to bond with him, he was sure of it. And then...he'd be the Guide Prime of Cascade.

Smedley half-laughed, "That's a wonderful idea, Dexter, but Clement is an ex-Marine. He knows how to kill people. And I've never been interested in violence."

Dexter eyed the Sentinel in front of him. "Yeah, he'd wipe the floor with you." A ping of anger got his attention, and his eyes snapped up to meet Smedley's, only to find the Sentinel smiling. He guessed he'd imagined that stab of fury. It wasn't like he often picked up on other people's emotions as his barriers were very strong.

"He certainly would and I, naturally, would prefer him not to."

"Yeah, such a pity." Dexter's mind returned to that thought. It really was a pity.

"Well, I can't sit around chatting all day. I have fortunes to make." Smedley threw a twenty dollar bill on the table. "If you think of anything though, you know where I am."

"Think of anything?" He felt confused. Anything about what?

"What to do about Clement and David. That is what you were talking about, wasn't it?"

Dexter frowned. Well, it was...sort of. But now that Smedley mentioned it....

"I'm sure I'll see you again soon, Dexter."

"Oh...yeah. Seeya." As Smedley left, Dexter leaned back in his chair. Two Sentinels, two Guides. There had to be a way to get Edwards to let David go. After all, he'd be getting Dexter in exchange, and he was so much more suitable for the position of Guide Prime.

Part 6.