The weather had been cooling down, but it was still warm enough for short sleeves during the afternoon. It would probably be a fairly pleasant winter, not very hard. She was glad for the people in town, but on the other hand, a hard winter might just keep her safe for a few months.

She sighed again and closed her eyes, letting her mind wander as the sun warmed her face. She should probably get her computer back from Meredith at some point in the near future. She kept meaning to, but something always seemed to keep her here.

A tug on her shoelace caught her attention, and she looked to see one of the cats playing with the laces. When it saw that it had been noticed, it let her laces alone and climbed into her lap. It was just one of several cats on the property, along with two dogs of uncertain heritage, a few chickens, a runt piglet that now seemed to be doing fine, and a racoon that refused to leave after it had healed. He liked to cause mischeif, but all in all, was quite tame.

Susanne petted the small cat softly, occasionally glancing across the field at the road leading to the house. Roger was supposed to come back today, and she was anxious to see him. She could have gone with him, of course. He'd asked her to, repeatedly. But she had no desire at the moment to return to California. He could go do his filming and take care of business. After all, if she wasn't in the Game, then he wasn't her Guardian. Besides, she was safe here. That much, at least, was true.

Rhiannon had had some surprises to offer. She was so old... so powerful. Susanne knew that she and Rhiannon were essentially one person, but there always seemed to be just a bit of a division. It was like there was a curtain behind which Rhiannon hid, and Susanne could only catch glimpses of the other side. But the spells and magic... once she had realized that they were within her power, it wasn't long before she knew them well enough to control them. And she learned more each day, it seemed, even after all this time.

After sending Meredith away, back in 1964, Susane had been busy, indeed. There had been the money aspect to take care of, but after a few horse races and other choice endeavors, money ceased to be a cause of worry. She'd first met Roger in 1967, when she'd been one of the backstage staff at the Monterey Pop Festival, and it had taken a great deal of effort to simply shake his hand and go about her work.

She'd bought this place in the seventies... of course, she had still travelled, but it was nice to have a place to come home to. And she had everything she needed or wanted right there, from the herb gardens outside and in the attic to what amounted to a miniature recording studio in the basement.

A cloud of dust far away caught her attention, and the cat jumped off her lap as she stood, then climbed the nearest tree to get a better look. Yup... that was Roger's car! Susanne jumped down and brushed herself off, then ran inside and washed her face and hands. When she dashed back out, Roger was just getting out of his car.

"Roger!" Susanne laughed and bear-hugged him, then turned her head to the passenger side of the car as the door opened.

Her eyes widened as a man stepped out. He was familiar... in fact, the two of them had been pals when they -- or rather, when he -- was younger. Of course, at that time, there had been no Game going on, no way to know... just as she couldn't feel the presence of other Otaku, she hadn't known so surely that this man was Bishounen... no, that word didn't seem nearly adequate. She had always admired and looked up to him, but... but...

The realization hit her as she stood there, glad that Roger was still holding her, because she was afraid she would not still be standing if he wasn't. This man wasn't just Bishounen... he was *her* Bishounen.

It all fit into place. The music, the peacefulness... they fit. Her aura... not chocolate, but a deep, rich brown.

Or rather, Browne.

"Susanne!" Jackson grinned as he greeted her. "It's been a long time, it's great to see you again!"