If the front yard was average, the same could not be said about Ben's backyard. The in-ground pool was heated and colorfully lit, fed by a small waterfall from a rock garden pond. A separate pond sported lively, fat koi with lotus pads floating above them, surrounded by an array of wetland plants and, further back, a few Japanese maple trees turned a deep red for the winter. The sitting area, with a small fire pit, consisted of tasteful wicker seating and furniture. It was sheltered by a trellis Shannon bet would be vine-covered for most of the year.

"Wow!" she exclaimed as she surveyed the landscape. "Ben, this is beautiful."

"Thank you. Landscaping is a little bit of a hobby for me. I have plans for the front this year."

"You did all this yourself?" Shannon asked, surveying everything she could see. "That's impressive!" When he didn't answer right away, she turned to find him staring at her with a smoldering look. Her heart skipped a beat, and her stomach somersaulted.

He blinked, and the moment was gone as his bright grin spread. His eyes twinkled when he asked, "So, you want to ditch your detail?"

"I wish! They're really good. So, unless you have some magic to work, they'll follow us wherever we go."

"No, not everywhere," he teased, still holding out.

She smiled and put a hand on a hip. "Are you going to tell me what that grin is about or what?"

He whistled, and a red horse, mane and tail flowing, trotted from behind the trees. Shannon gaped as she watched it approach, coat shining in the light of the decorative strands of bulbs, and couldn't help but take a step away when it stopped in front of them to toss its head. Its back was high as Ben was tall, and muscles rippled as it pranced over to him. She was enthralled.

He reached out a hand to stroke its muzzle. "His name is Victory, Vic for short."

Vic nickered and bumped his head on Ben's hip. From some unseen pouch, he produced a small apple which Vic immediately munched.

"Do you ride?" Ban asked her.

"Not since the merry-go-round at the state fair." Shannon was still dumbstruck by the size and beauty of the horse.

Ben chuckled. "Well, Vic is special. You can't fall off... you can only dismount when you want."

"Wait... we're going to ride him?" Shannon asked, eyes wide.

"We are." He winked. "That is, if you truly want to ditch the detail and have a nice, uninterrupted meal. Otherwise, we can just hop in the car and head to Applebees or something."

She roared with laughter. "No, you said you'd cook!"

He echoed her amusement. "You're right. Can't cook at Applebees!" He stepped closer to her. "But I can in the kitchen of my true home."

"True home?" She looked at him with raised eyebrows. "Huh. I've never thought about it before. Where does War, or any of the Horsemen, live?"

"The Four Corners of the Earth," he stated. "We each have a home in a "Corner," a place where the Outer Realms are connected to this plane. Mine is in the Southwest, out in the desert near Sedona, Arizona."

"We're going to Arizona? Tonight?"

"If you want to, yes. It's still late afternoon there... and it's warmer than here."

She chuckled. "You had me at warm."

"Good! It's settled then. Smoked salmon on the grill."

She turned back to Vic. "How in the world do you even mount him? He's huge!"

"Magic, pure and simple." He instructed her to grab Vic's mane, then jump, and make an effort to throw a leg over. She eyed him in disbelief but did as he said. As soon as her feet left the ground, it was as if an invisible hand scooted her into place, straddling the broad back.

"Wow!" Shannon exclaimed as Vic pranced again.

Ben jumped and swung himself up behind her with practiced ease. Putting his arms around her and pulling her close, he asked in a husky voice, "Ready?"

The sound of him in her ear thrilled her, and she could only nod in response.

He spurred Vic forward who took a running leap off the grass. She was dizzy from the sudden darkness surrounding them, but it was short-lived. Between one breath and the next, he was landing, with the two of them on his back, on a flat rock behind a huge stucco-covered home. Take that, surveillance team!

Shannon surveyed the near-palace from her vantage point as Ben dismounted. When he held up a hand to her, nothing felt as natural as taking it and sliding down off of Vic into his arms.

Her heart hammered as she looked up at him, waiting, hoping he'd finally kiss her properly. She wasn't disappointed.

Drawing back, he smiled and tugged on her hand. "Come on, let me show you some of the place. We don't have time for a full tour if we want to grill while it's still daylight."

She trailed behind him, taking it all in, as he shared with her. He was a perfect gentleman as he opened doors showing her various rooms on the ground floor. Eventually, they wandered back to the kitchen, where he began pulling things out of the refrigerator for the grill.

"You have everything prepared," she noted.

He blushed. "Well, I admit, I've been here most of the afternoon prepping dinner and getting the place ready."

"What if I had said no?"

"Well, then, we might have had to order takeout."

She chuckled and sipped on the wine he'd poured for her, then followed him out to the spacious patio to sit in the warm sun as he started to cook.

"So," Shannon began, "how old are you?" She maneuvered several delicate flakes of fish onto her fork.

He looked at her over his own fork of salmon. "Are you asking how old my body is physically or how long I've been War?"

"Both, I guess."

Ben hesitated but answered the question. "I was thirty-two when I died and became War. That was over 2300 years ago and when my body stopped aging."

Shannon coughed, nearly choking on her dinner. "2300? Really?" She gulped her wine.

Ben pushed some fish around on his plate. "You have questions."

She sipped again, watching him stare at his food, playing with it. "Well, yeah. I mean, that's only natural, right? But... I get the feeling you don't really want to answer any."

He glanced at her, eyes unsure. "It depends on the questions, I guess. I don't want to talk about war."

She reached for his hand and reassured him. "We don't have to talk about anything you don't want to."

His forehead smoothed, and he squeezed her fingers in return. "Just about everything else is okay." He slipped his hand away to grab the bottle of wine and pour more for them both.

"Tell me about your childhood. What was it like all those centuries ago?"

"Well, I'm from Macedon and, back then, my name was Alexander. And, to be honest, while the trappings of life might be different, the relationships between people are pretty much the same. I argued with my elders and played tricks on my friends at school as a child and teenager."

"School? So, your parents were well off?"

Ben cleared his throat before taking a drink as if to delay his answer. "My father was King Philip the II of Macedon."

"You're a prince?" Shannon asked, eyebrows raised.

"No. I am, or was, a King. I took the throne at the age of twenty when my father died."

Her eyes narrowed, and she set her wine down. "Wait. King Alexander? From Macedon. Are you saying you're Alexander the Great?"

He cleared his throat and shifted his weight. "I've been referred to as that, yes."

Shannon blinked. "You're, like, one of the greatest military leaders of all time!"

He gave her a wry grin as he picked up his glass and swirled his wine. "Maybe that's why I was asked to be War."

"Wow. I... um... suddenly don't know what to say."

His eyes sparkled. "How about saying you're having a great time and you want to see me again?"

"I'm having a great time." Her eyes danced. "I definitely want to see you again."

He opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by her phone ringing from the deep dark depths of her purse hanging on the chair. She knew it was Tonya because it played Karma Chameleon, a ring tone she picked to honor her friend's Talent of blending in and not being seen.

"I'm sorry!" She scrambled to dig the offending noisemaker out. "If I don't answer, she'll just keep calling."

He chuckled and stood, gathering their plates and heading to the kitchen to give her a little privacy.

"Why are you calling me?" she demanded when she answered. To her surprise, it wasn't Tonya who spoke.

"Agent Bigsby. Is everything okay?" asked the male on the line. She could only assume he was a member of her surveillance detail.

"Yes, of course. Why?"

"Where are you?"

"I'm with Ben. Where are you?"

"We're watching Agent Lansing knock on Mr. Scott's front door. We contacted her when we didn't see lights in the house after the sun set. She had us call using her phone so you'd be likely to answer."

Shannon sighed. "Look, when Agent Lansing wants to talk to me directly, have her dial me. Otherwise, butt out." She swiped the screen to disconnect the call and waited. It only took thirty seconds for it to ring again.

"What do you want, Tonya?"

"Shannon! We haven't seen any movement in War's house for hours. What the hell is going on?"

Shannon sighed again. "It's hard to explain, but without going into too many details, we... went out."

"Out? As in to eat at a restaurant?"

"Sort of. Look, I'll explain later. Just know I'm fine, and I'll call you when I get home, okay?"

"You know the guys in the van are having a colossal fit, right?" Tonya pointed out.

Shannon couldn't help but chuckle. "Yeah, I imagine they are. But, it's not their fault. No one could have followed us." She turned to see Ben leaning against the door jamb, waiting on her to finish the call before returning. "Tonya, I'm going to hang up. I'll call you later."

Finished, she dropped her phone back into the void contained by her purse as Ben approached. "Sorry about that. They've figured out we're not at your place."

"Ah. Yes. Well, I suppose that means I'd better take you back then." His voice was low as he stepped close to her.

She met him halfway and wrapped her arms around his neck, almost shivering when he wrapped his around her, too. "I really have had a nice time. And I really do want to see you again," she murmured.

He spoke no words but kissed her deeply instead. She melted into it, enjoying the feeling of his insistent lips on hers and his arms pressing her against his hard body. The tingling wasn't as overwhelming as it had been; she was getting used to being around him. She looked forward to a time when the sensation would be nothing but background noise, moving aside for other feelings.

"Come on," he murmured, disappointed, after ending the kiss. "Let me take you back."