Chapter 1

D-day was quickly approaching and Kasey's continuous attacks against those she believed had killed her parents were so relentless Drake was losing sleep. And he wasn't the only one, between him and Taylor's constant efforts to find a way of bringing Kasey back to them, they were probably getting less sleep than any of the new parents. To make matters worse the Power Limitless girl had vanished just over six weeks prior. She herself had been looking tired and pretty out of it in the days leading up to her disappearance, but so far no one, not even Kashmana, had a logical reason why she'd left them high and dry so close to the main event. Or if they did they weren't sharing.

'We shouldn't be having to put up with this,' he collapsed back onto Taylor's bed, his sleepless eyes stinging like mad, 'we're not the only ones she's mad at.'

'But we were the ones she began with,' Taylor sighed, 'we're the ones she knows she can have the biggest impact against and…'

For a moment Taylor's gaze glazed over and Drake couldn't help but sigh heavily. The longer Talma insisted on sharing Taylor's body, the more of a strain it put on Taylor's mind. Sometimes it was getting hard to tell just which one of them he was talking to.

'I'm sorry,' Anubis's voice sounded from the far side of the room, 'we should have had this sorted by now.'

Cringing slightly, Drake turned round to face him. Ever since he'd been separated from the Pharaoh, he had a habit of sneaking up on people when they least wanted it. He'd originally made Lus the focus of such visitations, but after Helen had given birth to Niall, Anubis had started gravitating towards Drake and Taylor.

'Ni could begin his attack any time now,' Drake sighed again, 'it's not like we really need for all this to be going on.'

'I'm sorry,' he apologised, 'I wish there was something I could do to help the pair of you; you seem to be ending up with the brunt of all of this.'

'You could start by leaving us alone once in a while,' he tried to keep the comment under his breath, but it still ended up louder than he meant it to.

'Do I really annoy you so much?'

'It's not that, it's just…' he shook his head. 'I don't feel like me and Tay get any privacy anymore.'

'I think Nicolie and Talma felt the same after the twins were born,' Anubis smiled strangely.

'Twins,' Drake gawked at him, 'they had twins?'

'Khi Ashmar and Kayma Riser.'

'Riser,' he frowned, 'that wasn't Talma's last name.'

At that Anubis burst out laughing. Clearly there was some inside joke going on he wasn't privy to and it only annoyed him further.

'Riser wasn't her last name,' Anubis calmed himself down, 'she was Kayma Riser Tracker and her brother was Khi Ashmar Tracker.'

'Tracker,' Drake felt confused again, then remembered what he knew about that timeline, 'because Nicolie was raised as a Tracker after his mother died.'

'Exactly.'

'But why did they use Khi and Kayma for their kids' names?'

'We all did,' Taylor's voice was soft and almost lulling, 'Lilly, me and Annu all used their names when we could. We agreed that it would be our children's true first names. Kayma Eve, Khi Amu, Kayma Iset, Khi Ashmar and Kayma Riser.'

'Or rather, Eve, Amu, Iset, Ashmar and Riser,' Anubis grinned proudly.

'We had the twins,' Drake began carefully, 'but what about the rest of them?'

'They were…'

'I don't think he needs to know that just yet Anubis,' Taylor cut him off, 'things in this time might not pan out to resemble things in our.'

'I think Niall's already proved that they won't,' Anubis frowned, 'I mean he should be a…'

'I know,' he cut him off again, 'but that doesn't mean we should spoil things for him.'

'Fine,' he rolled his eyes, 'I'll just remember this isn't our time,' he narrowed his gaze on Taylor. 'But you need to remember that too.'

'How could I forget,' he shrugged, 'it's not like you'd let me.'

Sighing heavily, Jo went to pick up the hat she'd been trying to put on her son from the top of the chest of drawers. Almost as soon as she'd placed her hand on it, however, it moved again, ending up hanging from the top of one of the four poster posts decorating her bed. Instantly she turned her gaze towards the crib she'd left her baby in. This was getting more than a little tiresome now and she just wished his father was around to give him a good talking to. Although knowing Crovell, he'd probably encourage the behaviour.

Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she calmed herself down, before attempting to retrieve the hat again. This time it vanished from the room completely and behind her, her son just chuckled in amusement.

'That's not funny you know,' she scolded him, 'the hat is an essential part of the outfit, you don't want to be going out with your cousin half dressed now, do you?'

At that her son made various intangible squeaks and chatters which almost sounded like he was telling her he could do whatever he wanted.

'You're definitely your father's son,' she lifted him up out of his crib, 'I'm sure he must have given Ahna at least this much trouble when he was your age.'

Again he made squeaks and chatters which this time sounded like him agreeing with her.

'But just because you're his son, doesn't mean you have to stop being my son,' she pouted, 'and my son should behave himself.'

At that the hat she'd been so desperately trying to put on him appeared on his head and in response she sighed in relief.

'Now isn't that better,' she smiled at him, 'you look all smart and proper.'

He made a few more chattering noises, before clapping his hands together excitedly.

'There,' her smile broadened, 'shall we go find Ulk Ara and Princess now?'

He appeared to nod and smile in reply and Jo couldn't help but wonder if Crovell had really been anything like this as a child. Somehow her son seemed to surpass both of them in intelligence.

'Come on then,' she carried him out of the room, 'they should be waiting for us in the garden by now.'

Making her way straight out there, she wasn't even remotely surprised to find herself proven right. Since she'd given birth to her son her powers had come back stronger than ever and she was more than a little glad they did; it made her feel less anxious about the upcoming attack from hell, especially since the Power Limitless girl's disappearance. Not that she could see what the outcome was going to be, more she could sense everyone was ready for it and that however it went the Balance would win in the end.

Before they were even halfway across to where Arados and Princess were waiting, her son Jumped himself out of her arms to join them. Groaning internally, she closed her eyes again and tried to keep calm.

'Driving you up the wall, is he,' Arados smirked up at her.

'Oh I've been more than driven up them,' she tried to keep her voice steady. 'I'm being driven across the ceiling and down the opposite wall right now.'

At that both Princess and her son began squeaking and chattering happily. Clearly they both understood each other well enough to have their own in-jokes.

'False been round lately,' Jo sat herself down on the picnic blanket and reclaimed her son.

'Not since she had that fever,' he shook his head, his face momentarily filled with anxiety.

It was a look he quite often wore now, every time Princess so much as sneezed he seemed to freak out. But then again, as far as Jo was aware, he'd still been getting the nightmare and even though they knew the hows and whys of them now, their persistence clearly still wore at him.

'He'll be by again, I'm sure,' Jo shot him a sympathetic smile, 'after all, Princess is his daughter too.'