We hopped out of the truck at the frog pond and my smile lit the sky. It had been so long since I had seen the area and I had so many fond memories from my childhood playing there.

The pond was filled with moss and lilies so not good for swimming, but still beautifully serene. The greenery around it was grassy and full, and a row of yellow irises ringed the water's edge. It looked just like I remembered, and I smiled seeing the wooden swing against the largest tree near the shore. My grandfather used to push me there and I'd pretend I could jump so far that I would land in the water.

I grabbed a blanket from one of the totes of tools I kept in the cargo bed and spread it out with a lovely view of the pond. Adam grabbed the food bags and sat down next to me.

"This is the frog pond, huh? Looks like you have your own thinking place next to water."

I smiled looking out over it. "Like your river? I guess that's what this is. Though I haven't been able to come here for years." I pulled out our lunches and we started eating. "A year or two ago I tried to come out here again. I thought maybe Milo's men wouldn't notice where there's so much room to run. I was out here swinging," then I realized that the confrontation ended with me getting hurt and I probably shouldn't mention that to Adam. "Some men cornered me and threatened that I should never try to go back again."

He eyed me, already knowing what went through my head. Maybe even through the link. "They hurt you."

I nodded, taking a few fries. "Black eyes. Sprained wrist." I paused, "broken ribs." At least I had insurance by then and saw a doctor.

Adam's jaw clenched. "I think I remember that too."

I tried to make a joke. "Maybe I should tell my father on them. Though I probably wouldn't be able to remember what they looked like." I tried to picture them. None of the faces that lined the drive were them at least. Maybe my father already knew and punished them. Actually, that seemed more and more likely the longer I thought about it.

"You don't have to worry about that anymore. This is your territory again." He started eating his burger.

I smiled and looked around, taking a deep breath of all the scents. Even the swampy water smelled divine when I knew I was free to come back whenever I wanted.

We finished our lunch in comfortable silence. The slight wind through the trees, thrum of hummingbirds, and the tapping of a woodpecker somewhere far off were all the conversation we needed to feel complete.

We gathered our garbage and put it in the truck.

I turned back and stepped into Adam's arms. "Can we go for a walk before going back?"

"Of course. Anything you want." He nuzzled his scratchy chin against the top of my hair.

I giggled and finger combed back any locks that pulled out of place. "Come on. I used to have a rock collection. I want to see if it's still there." I pointed to the northern side of the hill and grabbed his hand.

The trail I used as a child was grown over, so we had to wander around a few minutes before I found the large flat rock I was looking for.

"Oh, there it is!" I beamed and started up the steep hill for it.

He laughed at my already climbing form and started following. "You were a little mountain goat when you were a kid?"

I turned and smiled. "Yep. Keep up werewolf."

I twisted back and took another step up and suddenly a hand was in my face. "Need some help?"

My glance went up and he was already on top of the flat boulder, a hand held down to me.

"Show off," I mumbled. Then I put my hand in his and he lifted me up to the rock.

Our arms went around each other in a loving embrace as we gazed out. It was a beautiful view down to the pond. You could only see it barely peeking through the trees, but if you looked over the rest of the small valley you could see the lovely greens and fading yellows of the aspens. Gorgeous.

I pulled from his arms and knelt down on the smooth surface of the boulder top. There was a slight overhang to the uppermost part where I kept my collection, but sighed when there weren't any rocks.

"Well, my collection is gone. Rain or something must have washed it away." I wouldn't let myself believe those jerk Wilde Claw wolves had anything to do with it. But I could picture them pitching each rock out into the valley.

Adam bent and grabbed something from a foot or two off the large stone. "Is this one?" He started dusting dirt from the surface.

It was a brightly pink stone, obviously painted because pieces had chipped off, white dots in flower patterns decorated the pink. He held it to me, and I smiled. I grabbed it and studied the colors. "Pink was always my favorite color. Yes, this is one." I curled my fingers around it. "Thanks for finding it."

"Maybe we could find others?" His eyes scanned the area.

"It's okay," I shrugged. "They were just rocks. It's just fun to have all the memories resurface." I tucked it back under the shelf like it needed to go home.

"What's that?" His head held tilted slightly and he looked in heavy concentration, so I searched around under my feet hoping to see more of my rocks. "No, I don't see anything. I hear it." He grabbed my hand and started pulling me back down to where the trail would have been. "Follow me."

We had hiked through bushy vegetation about a hundred more feet before he looked back to me. "It's humming. I think it's bees."

"Bees?"

He stayed quiet and listened hard. "Yes. Yeah, it's just bees. Okay, we can go back."

"No!" I burst out. "Let's go see. Maybe it's my bees!"

"Your bees? Elise, Honey. They died in the fire." He looked saddened like he was trying not to break horrible news.

I stepped out in front of him and started hiking the way he was leading us, though I couldn't hear the noise. "They probably didn't die. They may have swarmed away from the smoke."

He grabbed my hand. "Elise, let's leave them alone. I don't want you getting stung."

"No. If it's my bees, we need them. We need the wolfsbane cure." I tugged my hand and kept leaning away until he lessened his grip and started walking me the way there.

I started hearing the humming and smiled, pressing forward harder. And when Adam pointed to a low tree, my last few footsteps were fast.

"It is a lost swarm!" I looked over at the bees, all tightened together like a basketball on the tree branch. "It's got to be my bees!"

"How do you know?" He looked over at them, guarded.

"Bees don't swarm in the fall. The only reason these ones are out of a nest are they are looking for a home. They wouldn't have abandoned their home this close to winter. We've got to take them. Even if they're not my bees they probably wouldn't last through winter without shelter and honey storage."

Adam's jaw tightened as he stared at the swarm. "How do we get them? I'm not letting you get hurt."

"A bee swarm is trying to find a home, not hurt anyone. We need to get them a home quick, or else they'll run away again." I started back to the truck talking to myself, hoping I knew which way to go. "I can use the tote box in the back of the truck and the picnic blanket. We can trap them and then come back up tomorrow with all the other supplies."

He sighed and halted my hike with the grab of my hand. "Stop. The tote box and blanket? Anything else?"

"And garden sheers." I thought about the other supplies I had. The tote was only full of basic farm tools. I didn't think anything else I had with me would help. "Just those."

He kissed my cheek. "I'll grab them. You stay with the bees, but don't get stung."

I smiled and hugged him. "No promises, but I'll try not."

He stepped away and started to jog down the hill, but before he got too far from my vision I yelled, "Adam!"

He turned, already pretty far away. "Yeah?"

"I love you."

Even that far off, I could see his sunny grin. "I love you too, Elise." He turned back and disappeared from my sight.

It only took him a minute more and he was back with the supplies. I looked over the blue tote box. "Yes, I think this will work." I grabbed a sharp looking rock from the ground and started punching it into the plastic side.

He stalled my hand. "What are you doing?"

"I need a door."

"You never ask for help." He let a wolf claw form and created a small opening in the side of the box.

I laughed. "Okay, that was much easier."

I then stepped gently over to the swarm and laid the blanket down under it, trying to move slow. I wished I at least had my bee hood. Swarming bees weren't dangerous, but they could still sting. Then I put the box on top of the blanket and crawled back.

He sighed watching me. "I'm not going to like the next step, am I?"

I bit my lip and glanced at him, grabbing the sheers. "Probably not. Want to turn around?"

"No."

I stood and reached my hand toward the branch the swarm was on, then got ready to cover my eyes with the other hand. "Here goes nothing." I cut the branch and the swarm went flying down into the tote.

I didn't even get to see it land in the box because I was suddenly in Adam's arms, fifteen feet away. I blinked up in shock. "Sorry," he mumbled, though he was clearly not apologetic.

I giggled and leaned up to give him a sweet kiss. "Good protector."

He smirked.

I looked back to the swarm. "I need to get the top on."

He frowned at the airborne bees saturating the area now. "Be careful."

"I will."

I cut off a branch with lots of foliage and stepped to the hive, trying my hardest to be slow. I gently pushed away straggler bees from the top of the tote, making sure that none were going to get caught by the lid and then set the top on.

Standing back a moment, I watched the hovering bees, hoping they would make it back with their nest tonight. Then I started going over everything I'd need to make them a new home.

On our way back to the truck, Adam held my hand. "So what happens next?"

I looked back for a moment, then forward to our hike. "We go to the farm store in town and buy supplies to keep bees. We get back to the pack and Nate figures out where he wants our bees to live, and we set up a bee tower there. We let all the rest of the bees figure out how to get inside the tote today and then pick them up late, using the blanket over them. Tomorrow, we dump them in their new home and hope."

Adam nodded and asked grimly, "and we're planting wolfsbane too?"

I looked to him and smiled. "Yup."

He laughed and shook his head. "I don't like this plan."

"You like it because it's my plan."

He kissed my hand as we walked. "I like you."

"That's because I'm beautiful," I spoke smugly.

He chuckled. "And humble."

"And humble," I reiterated, and we headed the rest of the way to the truck.

I hoped and prayed that they really were my bees. If they were, next year at harvest time we could have the wolfsbane cure again.