Katherine and Dani stood looking at the map in the library together. She had asked him where the chapel was located and he was trying to find it on the map.

"I guess you can tell I haven't been there," he said sheepishly. "Can't read the scriptures and don't know the songs, so why bother." The words were all self-serving but his attitude was the exact opposite as a man who would desperately like to be able to be a part of the special rituals inside.

Katherine smiled at him and told him she understood. She found the room marked chapel on the map and pointed it out to him, sounding out the word. Dani looked closer, his nose practically on the map as he studied it intently, trying to commit it to memory. He then nodded his head.

"You want an escort or can you find it yourself?" Dani was actually looking uncomfortable at the prospect of going near a place that he considered borderline mystical.

Katherine sensed his discomfort and looked at him with her head cocked slightly to one side. He squirmed a little under her steady gaze but relaxed when she smiled sweetly at him. "If you can a least get me in the general vicinity, I think I can find it."

Dani nodded with great relief. "At your service, my lady," he said with his most charming smile as he extended his arm to her. Dani led Katherine to the gated entrance of the chapel.

~ Someday I, too, will walk in there and be able to join in with the community just like I belong here. ~ He thought to himself. Belonging. This was utmost on Dani's mind and though he used his great intelligence and quick wit to charm people into thinking otherwise, he almost always felt like an outsider because they could all do something magical that he could not. They could read!

Katherine stood up on tiptoes and gave him a gentle kiss on his cheek. "See you tomorrow for your next lesson! I really enjoyed being with you this afternoon", she said gently, squeezing his hand. She then turned to go into the chapel, already lost in thought of the things she wanted to get straight in her mind. Dani watched Katherine walk through the garden and into the chapel, and he thanked the God that lived inside for sending him the wonderful woman he hoped would someday be his CO. A beautiful lady that would at long last be able to unlock all of the world's secrets to him as day after day she taught him to read. It was almost too fantastic to believe. Dani watched her retreating form until she disappeared inside the chapel, before sighing deeply and turning to leave.

~ First thing I want to learn are some love poems ~, Dani promised himself. He then strolled off whistling a new tune of Joe's.

*************************

Lilly breathed in the silence of the chapel as she absentmindedly rubbed her bulging tummy. She was too pregnant to kneel but that hadn't hindered the great comfort she received from attending mass everyday. Afterwards she would stay till the church was empty and spend a little time in prayer.

Today, however, her mind was in turmoil, and the peace would not come. She'd hardly seen Reese more than twice in the last three months. Even though she loved Joe dearly and her and deBracy's love affair had been over even before they came to the island, still Lilly couldn't get over her since of loss and abandonment. And though Joe promised to be there for her, was it really fair to saddle a man of his age with a child that wasn't even his own? They weren't even married, and though Lilly knew Joe adored her, he'd never mentioned marriage to her.

Lilly moaned and held her head in her hands. "God, please help me!" she whispered. "Send me someone who can help me find my way through all this confusion and pain!"

No sooner had the words been uttered did Lilly hear the soft tapping of boots coming down the isle of the small chapel. She glanced up to see an elegant young woman dressed in a Gibson girl type of outfit gracefully walk down to the front of the church. As she watched, the stranger crossed herself and fell down on her knees before the altar, bowing her head in prayer.

Lilly blinked. She was happy to see another believer on the island. She wondered if Darius knew the beautiful petite woman was here. And the timing! She had just asked God to send her someone to help and suddenly this stranger had appeared. She could not help studying the woman as she knelt, her back straight and hands folded quietly on her thighs. Her body stayed perfectly still, and something about her quiet devotion and discipline spoke of her having spent many hours in that position. Lilly lost track of the time as she waited. At last the woman crossed herself again and rose to her feet. As Katherine turned, Lilly tilted her head, looking at her intently. There was something very familiar about her, but she could not place where or when she had seen the lady before.

Their eyes met and the mysterious lady smiled sweetly at her. "Forgive me for staring, my lady," Lilly said shyly, "But have we ever met?"

Katherine looked startled for a moment. She looked at the beautiful pregnant woman sitting before her. She knew she was not an immortal like she was but there something about her that spoke of having spent many years here on these earth. She quickly scanned her memory until she located the time and location when the two of them had know each other. "Weren't you in a convent in Geneva with me? Back in the late 1700's? I was Sister Mary Patrick, the choir mistress", she asked with a questioning look on her face, not quite understanding how she could still be alive if she was not a fellow immortal.

Lilly smile lit up the chapel as the memory clicked. "Yes, yes, your eyes! Your beautiful blue eyes. They always made me feel like you could look right into my soul and heal any hurt you found there. Oh Sister, I'm so happy you're here. But how did you get here? I mean, I'm *supposed* to be the Gatekeeper. I'm the means of getting people back and forth through the portal. I would have remembered you coming!" Lilly spread her arms to reveal her tummy. "As you can see, Sister, I no longer practice my faith in the confines of my cloister. Please, if you have a moment, sit and talk with me. "

Katherine smiled brightly and said, "Oh course!" as she sat down beside her. "My name is Katherine, Katherine Dixon. They brought me through the portal this morning. I’m not a nun anymore as of today, myself. That nice young priest, Father Alec, released me from my vows when I decided to stay here. But I needed to come here to the chapel to get my mind focused and everything is order."

Lilly rubbed her forehead trying to relieve the terrific headache that banged away inside her skull. "Oh of course, forgive me, Sist---, ahh, Katherine. By the way, my name is Lilly. I remember your order coming in now. I was away from the main portal site and so opened the portal from a remote location. I hope it didn't make the transition too much more difficult for you." Lilly looked up a little dazed and started to rub her stomach again. "Yes, Fr. Alex is a very special young man, and an excellent priest. So tell me, what brings you to the island?"

Katherine smiled wryly and shrugged. "It was a very unsettling experience for me. I will tell you that for nothing! Apparently this was something Connor cooked up with his friend Ev. I wasn't exactly given much choice in the matter. One moment I was standing on the playground watching my students at recess, the next I was here. But now that I am here, I plan to stay and make the best of it", she looked at Lilly with concern as her emphatic abilities picked up on the lady’s pain and stress. "Are you ok?" she asked. With that she reached out with the gentlest of mental touches, giving the pregnant woman a sense of peace and serenity as the empath’s quiet strength flowed into her.

"So you and Connor are bonded?" Lilly hedged before feeling Katherine's gentle mental embrace. Frowning slightly, Lilly slowly shook her head no. "I appreciate the gesture, Immortal, but I am not human, as no doubt you've just found out. I am not Immortal in the truest since of the word either. I am Grigori and I don't let anyone into my mind." Katherine instantly felt a cold wall slam down between them. But then, seeing the look of distress and hurt on the girl’s face, Lilly reached out and grabbed Katherine's hand. "Forgive me, Sister?" she begged with tears in her eyes. "I'm not myself today. Please forgive me. You see I am pregnant but what you don’t know is that I am about to have the child of a man who doesn't love me and wants nothing to do with raising the child, especially since she is a girl. I am feeling somewhat left adrift. Also, to my shame, we were never married. That is no great thing here or in the city we came from, but I think between us, you understand how I might think differently when I am alone at night and have nothing but my conscience to keep me company." Lilly smiled sadly and shrugged. "It's done! Or soon will be. Enough about me, now. What will you do now that you have given up the veil?"

Katherine had been taken a little aback at the abrupt way her act of kindness and compassion had been so roughly rejected but she recovered quickly. "My apologies, Lilly. I did not mean to intrude on your mind. I would never do such a thing. My gifts are on the emphatic rather than telepathic side", she said quietly, trying to keep the sting of hurt from her voice. She bowed her head for a moment, her eyes closed as she sorted out her own feelings. She then opened them and smiled softly at Lilly. "Yes, there is a bond between Connor and I. One that has lasted for over 400 years. He and Ev brought me here to act as midwife for her when she has her twins. I gave up the veil on the spur of the moment right after I got here. It seemed to be the right thing to do", she sighed deeply. "It's been a long time since he and I were together", she said in a low whisper.

Then she reached out and gently touched Lilly's swollen belly. "As long as the babe has you to love her, everything will be fine. Relationships are never easy, but usually something works out along the way."

"Thank you," Lilly said as she softly touched Katherine's cheek with the back of her hand. "But, please, Sister, tell me you forgive me. I would never close my mind to you on any regular day. I am just full of pain and confusion and when I felt your touch enter inside, I was startled and closed up. I will know better from now on. I will trust you. I promise." To prove her point she dropped the barrier she had thrown up but Katherine did not attempt anymore contact. "As for bonds, those are beautiful things. I once had a bond with someone for more than a thousand years; however, he belongs to another now and has virtually ignored me since coming to the island. Again, another joke of Leabhar's! Perhaps you've heard of him? His name is Caspian."

Katherine shrugged. "No, I don't know that one but I do know who he was. I have never carried a sword my entire life and I have found that most immortals are better given a wide berth around. I've kinda gotten used to waking up every morning with my head still firmly attached to my body." she said with a wry smile on her face. She noticed that Lilly had opened herself up to her and it helped ease the tension, "And I do forgive you!" she added as she gave Lilly a hug, careful to keep her empathic abilities firmly under wrap.

Lilly gave her a crooked grin in turn. "Caspian has changed, but no one, not even Methos believes me when I say it. Methos contends that if he has changed, it is only around me, but that's not true." With a sigh, she clung a moment longer to Katherine's hug before shooting into her mind two words of total acceptance, "I promise."

"Well, since you are a midwife, perhaps you'd care to help me deliver my little bundle as well," Lilly asked with eyes full of hope. The Chancellor had decided to have Lilly bring Benjamin "Doc" Adams through the portal to help with both hers and the Grigorian’s delivery. Lilly actually preferred the assistance of a midwife and was secretly glad that Katherine might also be on-hand to see her through what Lilly dreaded would be a traumatic and lonely time.

Katherine squeezed her hand and smiled sweetly, her face and eyes lighting up the chapel with an inner glow. "Of course! I would be honored to attend you!" Just then soft footsteps entering the chapel caught the attention of both of the ladies. Looking up they saw it was Darius and Father Alec. Katherine caught the young priest's eye and he nodded, then turned and entered the confessional.

Katherine turned back to Lilly. "Would you excuse me please? There are some loose threads I really need to tie off. I will be staying here in the castle for several days apparently before we leave for Ev’s place. Just let me know if you want to talk some more. I’m always willing!" She gave Lilly another hug, and then gracefully rose and crossed the chapel and headed to the confessional booth.

Darius smiled at Katherine encouragingly as the little immortal passed him, inwardly amazed at the transformation in her appearance from what he had seen this morning. He then walked over to where Lilly was still sitting.

"Daughter," Darius greeted Lilly, happy as always to see her in chapel.

"Poppa," she responded a bit hollow. Darius immediately sat down. "What's wrong? Is it the child? I thought bringing Katherine here would comfort you. You and she have much in common and I'm not just talking about holy orders. Do you know she and Connor have loved each other for centuries?"

Lilly nodded. When she simply sat there and continued to rub her tummy, Darius became all the more concerned. "Lilly, what is it?"

She rose with some difficulty and slipped out of the pew. As Darius followed her to the door, Lilly finally turned and said, "Poppa, have you ever felt alone in a crowded room?" and with that she left the chapel.