stretched the deep laughter lines of his face in odd directions. 'Dear me, young- uh, my dear girl, quite right, I meant it in a purely complimentary way. Come, sit down, have a cookie. The oatmeal and raisin are particularly good – my niece makes them.'
He held the plate out, and Sara took one before sitting down. After a moment, still watching the older man uncertainly, especially his explosively unruly white hair, she carefully bit into it and began nibbling. Harmon watched her watching Sanders, wishing he could use the mindmeld spell but knowing he probably should not do so in front of the other mage, weak though his talents were.
'I must say, Alex, I was most surprised when I heard you'd applied to adopt a young girl. Most surprised. You've never expressed any desire to raise children before.'
'I realized I was becoming too insular. That it would be good for me to have to care for someone other than myself. And Sara is eight years old – hardly an infant, Director.'
He glanced at Sara, who was following the conversation so intently she'd stopped eating. Indeed, she appeared quite tense, though clearly she had appreciated his recognition of her mature age.
'But is the Institute really a suitable place to raise a child?' the Director asked. 'Have you fully considered the risks?'
'Professor Sanders, with all due respect, Sara was being raised in an environment designed to foster an outmoded belief system and twentieth century patterns of behavior; was being raised in a part of New Francisco rife with gangs and drug abuse. She will be much safer here, where I will certainly not be filling her head with religious nonsense.'
'But what of the demands on your own time? Wasn't there a line of research you wished to start-'
Sara jumped up from her seat and clung to her uncle's arm. 'Why do you want to make me go away? Uncle and me are a team. He's got papers, ’n you can't split us up! Why are you tryin’a split us up? I don't like you!'
Tossing her half-eaten cookie back onto the plate she ran from the room.
Harmon stood. 'Ah, I think I had best go and care for my young ward, Director. You know how easily children can take things the wrong way. If you'll excuse me…?'
That went rather well, he thought as he left the room and caught her up. She turned toward him, tears on her face, and he felt a strange internal tug.
She clutched his arm. 'You won't let him split us up, will you, Uncle?'
She stared up at him, alert to his smallest expression. He was once again surprised by the protectiveness her trust awoke. The fervor with which she'd allied herself with him against the Director was satisfying, too. He smiled down at her.
'No, Sara. I won't let the Director split us up. Don’t worry. I won't let anyone take you away from me. Not anyone.’
'Not even the Director?'
'Not even the Director. I'll let you in on a secret: I'm better at magic than he is.'
'But isn't he your boss?'
'Only up to a point. He can't split us up.'
'Even if… even if I’m bad?'
'Even then. I may have to punish you, but I will never abandon you.'
'Promise?'
'I promise. Other people may not understand you, Sara, or appreciate you, yet I assure you that I do. You are important to me. Very important.'
She smiled, shyly, still a little doubtful. He wiped the tears from her cheeks with his thumb, surprised by the feeling of intimacy that flowed from her innocent acceptance of the gesture. 'We are a team, Sara. The whole world won't be enough to split us up, I promise.'
She smiled, and for a moment he almost felt like hugging her.
'Come, no doubt you'd like dinner?'
'Yeah!' she agreed, tugging at his arm now to hurry him up, her fears forgotten.
The encounter with Sanders had definitely improved their slightly rocky relationship, he mused. Really, Sanders couldn't have chosen a more helpful line of questioning if he'd tried.
At the end of the day, he
He held the plate out, and Sara took one before sitting down. After a moment, still watching the older man uncertainly, especially his explosively unruly white hair, she carefully bit into it and began nibbling. Harmon watched her watching Sanders, wishing he could use the mindmeld spell but knowing he probably should not do so in front of the other mage, weak though his talents were.
'I must say, Alex, I was most surprised when I heard you'd applied to adopt a young girl. Most surprised. You've never expressed any desire to raise children before.'
'I realized I was becoming too insular. That it would be good for me to have to care for someone other than myself. And Sara is eight years old – hardly an infant, Director.'
He glanced at Sara, who was following the conversation so intently she'd stopped eating. Indeed, she appeared quite tense, though clearly she had appreciated his recognition of her mature age.
'But is the Institute really a suitable place to raise a child?' the Director asked. 'Have you fully considered the risks?'
'Professor Sanders, with all due respect, Sara was being raised in an environment designed to foster an outmoded belief system and twentieth century patterns of behavior; was being raised in a part of New Francisco rife with gangs and drug abuse. She will be much safer here, where I will certainly not be filling her head with religious nonsense.'
'But what of the demands on your own time? Wasn't there a line of research you wished to start-'
Sara jumped up from her seat and clung to her uncle's arm. 'Why do you want to make me go away? Uncle and me are a team. He's got papers, ’n you can't split us up! Why are you tryin’a split us up? I don't like you!'
Tossing her half-eaten cookie back onto the plate she ran from the room.
Harmon stood. 'Ah, I think I had best go and care for my young ward, Director. You know how easily children can take things the wrong way. If you'll excuse me…?'
That went rather well, he thought as he left the room and caught her up. She turned toward him, tears on her face, and he felt a strange internal tug.
She clutched his arm. 'You won't let him split us up, will you, Uncle?'
She stared up at him, alert to his smallest expression. He was once again surprised by the protectiveness her trust awoke. The fervor with which she'd allied herself with him against the Director was satisfying, too. He smiled down at her.
'No, Sara. I won't let the Director split us up. Don’t worry. I won't let anyone take you away from me. Not anyone.’
'Not even the Director?'
'Not even the Director. I'll let you in on a secret: I'm better at magic than he is.'
'But isn't he your boss?'
'Only up to a point. He can't split us up.'
'Even if… even if I’m bad?'
'Even then. I may have to punish you, but I will never abandon you.'
'Promise?'
'I promise. Other people may not understand you, Sara, or appreciate you, yet I assure you that I do. You are important to me. Very important.'
She smiled, shyly, still a little doubtful. He wiped the tears from her cheeks with his thumb, surprised by the feeling of intimacy that flowed from her innocent acceptance of the gesture. 'We are a team, Sara. The whole world won't be enough to split us up, I promise.'
She smiled, and for a moment he almost felt like hugging her.
'Come, no doubt you'd like dinner?'
'Yeah!' she agreed, tugging at his arm now to hurry him up, her fears forgotten.
The encounter with Sanders had definitely improved their slightly rocky relationship, he mused. Really, Sanders couldn't have chosen a more helpful line of questioning if he'd tried.
At the end of the day, he
Similar Books
