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Wallace had never expected that his hobby of collecting armor and swords would be the thing that would endanger Tucker’s life. Wallace didn’t even know what the young man who had invaded his home, their home, had wanted. Was he just tying up loose ends? Did he consider Tucker a loose end?The thought enraged Wallace and he had to stand up and move around the hospital room. He was exhausted, but he couldn’t sleep. Every time he closed his eyes the image of Tucker, slumped on the floor with blood on his shirt from where he’d been stabbed in the abdomen, played through his mind on repeat.Wallace had been checked out by the EMTs and questioned by the police at his home. Thanks to Jen’s relationship with Detective Lynwood, he’d been allowed to leave with the caveat that they might have more questions for him later. Wallace had been sitting beside Tucker’s hospital bed since then. He’d been assured that Tucker was receiving the best possible care and that he was going to be fine – luckily the sword had missed causing too much damage to anything important – but Wallace could not settle.He’d almost lost Tucker tonight, and the thought of that was unbearable.~*~Tucker was required to remain in the hospital for five days. Wallace visited him every day, sneaking in some of his favorite snacks once he was allowed to eat solid food. Jen came in once and updated them on the case. Wallace didn’t say anything, but he couldn’t help thinking that he hoped Jeremy paid dearly for the lives he’d taken, but most especially for the one he’d nearly taken.“I never thanked you,” Jen said. “For saving my life that night.”Tucker raised his hand. “Ditto, sir.”Wallace gently slapped Tucker’s hand down as he stood. He hugged Jen. “You’re welcome.” Wallace glanced at Tucker. “I only wish I’d gotten there sooner.”“I was just softening him up for you, sir.”“I wish you wouldn’t joke about that,” Wallace said. “Besides,” he said more jovially, “I’ll have you know that I could’ve taken him even without your help.”Jen gave him a questioning look, but thankfully didn’t say anything about his strange behavior. Tucker, he hoped, was still too out of it to have noticed.~*~Wallace oversaw Tucker’s return home. He picked Tucker up from the hospital and tucked him up on the couch with a quilt he’d purchased at one of the renaissance fairs he and his team had attended, along with the television remote, a tray of drink and food, and a bell.Tucker tapped the bell. “Isn’t this a little much, sir?”“You could’ve died, Tucker. I’m going to pick up your prescription. Don’t move while I’m gone.”“What if I need to empty my bladder, sir?”Wallace immediately started to think about what he could give Tucker to use so he didn’t have to attempt to walk to the bathroom alone.“It was a joke,” Tucker said.Wallace shook his head. “I’ve got just the thing.”He ignored Tucker’s deep sigh.~*~“I’ve decided that you’re going to learn how to fight . . .” Wallace did a few moves with an invisible sword to emphasize his meaning. “. . . once you’re feeling better.”“What are the chances I’m going to need to know how to sword fight?”Wallace gave Tucker a look. “Given what just happened, I’d say one hundred percent.”“I meant again, obviously,” Tucker said.“Buck up, Tucker, you’ll love it!”“I’m sure I will, sir.”~*~“I haven’t seen Kristen . . .”“Kirsten.”“Right, Kirsten. I haven’t seen her in a while.” Wallace took a spoonful of the hearty soup the cook had made and nudged the basket of rolls closer to Tucker.“We’re no longer dating.”“Why not?” Wallace said, outraged. “It wasn’t the scar, was it?”Tucker started at Wallace as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “No. It wasn’t the scar.”“Good.” Wallace took another spoonful. “Then what was it. If you don’t mind my asking.”“Why should I mind?” Tucker said.Wallace grinned at the sarcasm.Tucker stared at the bowl as he absently stirred the soup. “She thought my job was too dangerous.”“Dangerous? You’re a butler. You didn’t tell her about the incident with the china cabinet, did you?”Tucker snorted. “It wasn’t about the china cabinet.”“The, uh, more recent incident, then?”“That would be the one.”Wallace threw his spoon down and sat back in the chair. “You get stabbed with a sword one time!”The two of them looked at each other and started laughing.“Oh god,” Wallace said when the laugher had subsided and he’d wiped away the resulting tears. “I think I really needed that.”“I concur, sir.”Wallace took a deep breath. “I’m sorry about Kirsten.”“You didn’t like her.”“I didn’t know her. But you seemed to like her very much, and so I am sorry that you’re upset.”“Thank you,” Tucker said.~*~Jen dropped by several weeks after what Wallace thought of as The Incident.“Jen!” Wallace said when Tucker brought Jen out to the garden. “It’s great to see you. Tea?”Wallace glanced at Tucker without waiting for an answer, and, as always, Tucker was on the same page. “I’ll be right back with the tea, sir.”“Have a seat,” Wallace invited. “What can I do for you, Jen?”“I haven’t seen you since . . . that day in the hospital,” Jen finished. “I wanted to make sure you were doing alright.”“Me? I’m not the one who was stabbed.”“No. Tucker seems to be doing well.”“I tried to make him rest longer, but he mutinied.”Jen laughed. “He was probably dying of boredom.” She hesitated and watched Wallace’s reaction. “Too soon?”“Maybe a little,” Wallace said, trying not to imagine what might have happened if Jen, and then himself, hadn’t shown up when they did.Jen reached over and squeezed Wallace’s hand. He turned his hand over and squeezed hers back.“I also wanted to let you know that there’s an estate sale this weekend that sounds like it has some items you might want in your collection.”Wallace took a deep breath. “I don’t know. I’m not sure I want to collect any more.”Jen leaned close to Wallace. “You know it’s not your fault, right?”“He used my own sword,” Wallace said.“And if there hadn’t been a sword, Jeremy would’ve found something else to use.”“You’re probably right.”“Of course I am.”Tucker appeared with a tray holding two tea pots and two mugs. Jen raised an eyebrow.“You get your own tea pot?”“His is hot cocoa,” Tucker said.Jen chuckled. “Of course it is.”~*~The next night Tucker had off, he chose to spend it at home. (As opposed to the previous weeks when he was forced to spend it at home because he wasn’t completely healed.)“What are your plans tonight, sir?”“Don’t worry, Tucker, I’ll stay out of your way and I won’t ring you up for a hot toddy.”“Actually, I was hoping you’d join me.”“Join you?”“Yes, dinner and a movie. It’s maybe not as exciting as if we were going out for it, but . . .”“Nonsense,” Wallace said, his heart beating much too fast for the situation. “I’d love to. Though I’m not sure what we’ll eat, as I’ve given Martha the night off, as well.”“Martha was kind enough to make a lasagna I just need to put in the oven,” Tucker said.“Well, I guess you’ve thought of everything.”“Except the movie,” Tucker said. “I thought I’d leave that up to you.”“You hate my movie choices,” Wallace said.“Not all of them.”Wallace spent a couple hours that afternoon going through his own DVD selection and checking what was available on Netflix. He didn’t know if he should dress up for the occasion, but staying in for dinner and a movie seemed like it would be less formal than going out, so he didn’t bother changing his clothes. Though he did remove his jacket.They ate in the kitchen, which felt strange, but only because Wallace was usually alone when he did so. The lasagna was delicious, but Wallace was nervous, though he didn’t know what he was nervous about, so he only ate the one piece when he’d normally have gone back for seconds.As he was covering the leftover lasagna, Tucker said, “It wasn’t your fault, you know.”Wallace sighed. “You overheard my conversation with Jen.”“Bad timing,” Tucker said. “Or perfect timing.”Tucker placed the pan into the refrigerator, then turned to Wallace. “You’ve got a battle coming up and you haven’t put in as much practice as you should.”“Are you saying that I’m not good enough to compete?” Wallace said with faux outrage.“I’m saying that you’re letting misplaced guilt affect the team. So stop it.”“Fine,” Wallace said, even though it was easier said than done.“Excellent. Now, would you like something to drink while we watch the movie?”Wallace daringly took a second glass of the wine they’d paired with the lasagna; Tucker smartly chose a raspberry lemonade. They turned off lights as they made their way to the theater room.“I was just going to use the living room,” Tucker said.“Nonsense,” Wallace said. “You need the full theater experience.”“If you say so, sir.”“I do.”They seated themselves in the front row, one seat between them so they weren’t crowded (though these seats were much more spacious than those in a public theater). Wallace started the movie and watched the smile spread across Tucker’s face when he realized that Wallace had chosen The Princess Bride.~*~“When do we begin my lessons, sir?” Tucker said one morning.“I’ve changed my mind,” Wallace said. “You were right, I was being ridiculous.”“Well, I’ve decided that you were right, so you can’t change your mind, too.”Wallace gave Tucker a look. “I’m not sure that’s how it works.”“Fine. I’ll have to find someone else to teach me. The Yellow Pages, you think?”“You wouldn’t dare.”“Tell me you didn’t just say that, sir.”Wallace sighed. He should really have thought before he spoke. “Fine, I’ll give you lessons . . .”“Excellent.” Tucker produced two practice blades from behind his back. “Let’s start now. It can be your warm-up before the team shows up for practice.”“We don’t have a practice scheduled.”“You do now.”“Tucker . . .”“Chop, chop,” Tucker said, poking Wallace gently with the tip of one of the practice blades.Wallace folded the paper he’d been reading, then swatted at Tucker with it when he came close. Tucker laughed. He tossed one of the practice blades to Wallace after he set the paper aside and stood.Wallace hid his surprise when Tucker assumed the correct starting position. “You’re just going to practice defensive moves to start.”Tucker moved his practice blade in a ‘get on with it’ motion that made Wallace bite back a smile. “Just block my strokes.” Wallace brought the practice blade down in a right-hand stroke, then left, making the moves in slow motion so Tucker had time to react. Once Tucker was familiar with the blocking moves, Wallace added in upward and downward strokes, then started making them a bit faster.“You’re actually not bad at this,” Wallace said when Tucker was able to keep up with him.“I have had some practice,” Tucker said, reminding Wallace that he sometimes used Tucker as a foil.“Then why didn’t you disarm Jeremy?” Wallace said.“One must see one’s opponent in order to be ready for them,” Tucker said.“Fair enough.”The front door bell rang from the speaker they’d placed in the garden so as not to miss any callers. While Tucker was distracted, Wallace slapped his practice blade away and moved in close, sliding his own practice blade along Tucker’s side and catching him in his other arm.Tucker’s breath caught. Wallace almost missed it in the catching of his own breath.“Saved by the bell,” Tucker said, when the bell rang again.Wallace laughed and stepped back. “Well done, Tucker.”“Thank you, sir.”~*~“You hate Renaissance Faires,” Wallace said.“I’ve never been to one,” Tucker admitted. “But I’ve been reading up on them. The food, the games. I wouldn’t have to dress in a costume, would I?”“You wouldn’t have to,” Wallace said, “but where’s the fun in that?”Wallace was too excited that Tucker was going to attend the next Faire with him to push the costume issue. Seeing him in a t-shirt (designer, naturally, since Wallace had given it to him for his birthday a couple years ago) and khaki shorts due to the expected heat was enough, since Tucker normally dressed formally for his job as Wallace’s butler.They met up with the members of Wallace’s team and drove to the Faire in a caravan. Wallace always got a chuckle out of the image of four to eight SUVs driving down the road with suits of armor loaded into the back.Wallace had some time to explore the Faire with Tucker when they arrived, as the first battle of the tournament was scheduled for later that morning. They checked out the food booths for later, since neither of them was hungry yet.Wallace greeted the blacksmith, Adam, and introduced him to Tucker. They watched him work for a few minutes. Wallace was always impressed with the work Adam turned out and he was pleased to see that Tucker was also paying rapt attention.Eventually they continued on, passing a variety of booths – leather working, face painting, toy making, candle making, period clothing, soap making, an armory and several more food booths – before they stopped to get something to drink. Wallace got an iced tea and Tucker got a frozen lemonade.Too soon Wallace had to get ready for the first round of the tournament. Tucker insisted on accompanying him back to where they’d parked and helping him into his armor.‘It’s my job, after all,” Tucker said with a smile.“You’re not supposed to be working, Tucker.”“What kind of squire would I be?”Wallace laughed and conceded the argument. Tucker did help Wallace when he was getting ready for a practice match at home, though he’d never done so at a Faire. He was pleased by the offer and didn’t really want Tucker to change his mind.Wallace was ready in record time, since he and Tucker had developed a system. When they were done, they helped the other members of Wallace’s team. Together they all walked to the tournament grounds.“You don’t have to stay and watch the whole battle,” Wallace said as they waited for the other team to show. He didn’t want Tucker to get bored. “There’s a lot of stuff you haven’t seen yet.” Not just more crafts, such as pottery and glassblowing, but also games and entertainments set up on the various stages.“I’ll take that under advisement, sir.”“Smart aleck,” Wallace said, drawing a smile from Tucker.“Have fun,” Wallace said when they got the signal that the battle was about to begin.Wallace couldn’t help thinking about whether Tucker was enjoying his first Faire as his team crossed the field to greet the other team and hear the rules of engagement, though they could probably all recite them by now. They got into position and waited. Wallace didn’t take his eyes off of his opponent as they waited for the bugle cry. And then the battle was on.Wallace thought of nothing but winning the fight against his opponent until the bugle cried a second time to indicate the battle was over. Wallace raised his faceplate and surveyed the battlefield to find that, while they’d ‘lost’ two men in the fight, the rest of his team was still standing. None of the knights on the other team stood. They’d won the first round.Wallace congratulated his teammates and shook hands with the other team. That formality taken care of, Wallace immediately looked for Tucker in the stands. Tucker was already climbing down the steps and Wallace went to meet him.“We won, Tucker!”“Well done, sir,” Tucker said, the last word coming out breathless because Wallace had lifted him up and swung him around.Wallace set Tucker back on his feet, and, before he realized what he’d done, leaned in and kissed him. The adrenaline that had been coursing through Wallace’s veins froze. They both stared at each other with a stunned expression.“Tucker, I apologize, that was inappropriate . . .”Wallace broke off speaking when Tucker reached up and removed his helmet. He didn’t even care that Tucker dropped the helmet to the ground when Tucker placed both hands on his face.“Well done, sir,” Tucker repeated more seriously, then kissed Wallace.~*~“Jen!” Wallace said when Tucker escorted her into the garden. He put down the newspaper he’d been reading and stood, taking Jen’s hands. “Thank you for coming.”“I couldn’t resist your mysterious invitation.”“Please, have a seat.”Wallace glanced at Tucker as he gestured Jen to one of the chairs sat around the elegant French country metal patio dining table that Jen herself had found for him a couple years ago. Tucker nodded and disappeared.“Tucker’s going to bring us something cold to drink. Tell me how you’re doing.”Jen gave a brief update on her family, some neat acquisitions they’d found for the shop, and another murder she’d helped solve. Wallace was able to listen to that without flinching, closer now to believing that what had happened to Tucker wasn’t his fault.Tucker returned with a tray holding three glasses filled with ice, a pitcher of iced tea, and dishes of sugar and sliced lemon. Tucker poured the tea and handed ‘round the glasses before taking a seat in the remaining chair.Wallace offered the sugar and lemon to Jen, who accepted a lemon, and then to Tucker. Wallace shook his head as Tucker added both sugar and lemon to his tea and stirred it. Wallace himself preferred his tea straight up.“I’m glad you’re joining us, Tucker,” Jen said warmly. She gave Wallace a look as heat flooded his cheeks, but merely took a sip of her tea.A breeze blew and the wind chimes tinkled, catching Jen’s attention. “Those are beautiful. Are they new?”“Yes.” Wallace cleared his throat. “Tucker got them for my birthday. From one of the glass blowers at the Renaissance Faire he attended.”“You have good taste, Tucker,” Jen complimented him.“Thank you, ma’am.”“Please, none of that. Call me Jen.”“Jen.”They exchanged a smile before Jen turned her attention back to Wallace. “Does this mean the two of you have finally figured things out?”Wallace sputtered. “Wha–? You knew?”“I am an amateur detective,” Jen said, and they all shared a laugh.“Fine, yes,” Wallace admitted. “Nearly losing Tucker was a wake-up call.” He gave Tucker a fond look and it was Tucker’s turn to blush at the attention.Just then a bell dinged. Wallace hadn’t paid attention to the timer on the tray, but Tucker jumped up and grabbed it. “Cookies,” he said, and hurried off.“Saved by the bell,” Wallace said. “Bring the clipping back with you!”Jen smiled through their antics. “Clipping?”“The reason I asked you over,” Wallace said.Jen sat up with interest. “Oooh, you have something you want me to look for? For your collection?”“Yes, and not exactly.”Tucker returned with a plate of cookies fresh from the oven and the clipping. He handed the clipping to Wallace who passed it to Jen.“A community theater needs to make room and are divesting of some of their costumes. Tucker has agreed to wear a costume at the next Renaissance Faire we attend. I’ll be in my armor during the tournaments and I have clothing appropriate for a knight out of armor for the rest of the time.”“Tucker, I’m impressed! What am I looking for exactly?” Jen said.“Something comfortable and squire-ish,” Tucker said.Jen laughed. “Comfortable and squire-ish, check. You know, some of these costumes could be amazing. I might even find something for the shop. You never know when someone might need something for a masquerade ball, or even a Halloween party. May I keep this?” she waved the clipping.“Yes, of course.” Wallace pushed the plate closer to Jen. “Here, have a cookie.”After Jen took a cookie, Wallace and Tucker helped themselves.“Mmm, these are delicious! Did Martha make them?”“No,” Wallace said. “Tucker loves to bake. Which is why I need to keep up with my practice,” he added, patting his stomach.“Tell me about the Renaissance Faire,” Jen said. “I’ve never been.”“Oh, you should,” Wallace said. “It’s tons of fun.”Jen glanced at Tucker, who shrugged. “It was, actually.”They told Jen about the food and the games and the crafts and the entertainment. By the time they were done, Wallace thought they might’ve sold her on attending one with Jason and the kids.“Well,” Jen said finally, “I should be going. Thanks for having me over.”Wallace stood. “Thank you for coming. Here, take a cookie for the road.”“I shouldn’t,” Jen said, but she took the napkin wrapped cookie he handed to her. “I’m going to need to come over for practice after this,” she joked.Wallace sat back down as Tucker showed Jen out. He listened to the tinkling of the wind chimes as he awaited Tucker’s return to finish the tea and cookies together.The End