Chapter One: Home At Last

"She woke in the night, crying out. But there were no nightmares, no images in her head. She wished for them--a picture of him, something in her mind instead of the emptiness. Even a horrifying image. Even a nightmare."

Adapted from Ecstasia, by Francesca Lia Block…

Tatiana sat there on the moon, staring at the earth with a touch of wistfulness. What will become of this beautiful planet? She thought to herself. With a sigh, she stood and reached into her "pocket" to retrieve her most frequently used transit circle. It would not do well to sit here and linger over the unknown. In one short breath she spoke the words that would take her home. With a small pop she appeared in her backyard which was so conveniently like Tom and Carl's. The hedges surrounding the yard gave her a sense of security that she gladly welcomed right now. If only he hadn't… but no, she couldn't think about that. She mustn't think about that.

The moonlight spilled over the large grassy yard, onto the patio, and in through the window into her house like liquid fire. The beauty of it was amazing, so amazing that Tatiana had to stop and admire the sheer splendor of the moonlight. The ancient eyes that looked through hers saw what she saw, marveling in the peace and tranquility that Tatiana felt at this moment. How will I ever live with what's living in me… with what I am? She asked herself. Even now, she could feel the power running through her veins, and such great power it was. It was only a few months ago that I even learned what I was… the others know and they seem to have accepted what I am, but they seem weird somehow, as if they haven't completely come to terms with what I am. She sighed as the summer breeze combed through her long white-blonde hair. Whatever happened to the simpler times of my past?

Tatiana, despite her deepest wishes to forget, started to remember what had happened. It had started a few years after her ordeal, right before Tom and Carl had come to tell her that she was being promoted to local advisory. One of the Powers That Be had come to visit her, here on earth, to tell her that she was the embodiment one of the Lesser Powers, and that she was in danger because of it. Shortly thereafter, He had come for her, and oh the temptation he'd offered… it had almost been her downfall, but some of the Powers had intervened and she'd been saved… for the moment. Even now she wasn't safe and she risked her freedom by being here now. But no one could stay away from the one thing they treasured most. For her, it was this house. It held so many memories, so many old treasures that she'd never understood in her younger years but understood now. It held her inheritance, both that of the Power inside of her and the ancient family secrets that her mother had left for her to care for and guard. This house, and everything in it, held all the love and the warmth of her parents despite the fact that they'd been dead for some time now. It was also a place of sadness and loneliness…

The old French doors opened easily, silently, as Tatiana approached. They recognized her power… the power of the one inside her, and were welcoming her home. Tatiana absentmindedly brushed the door frame with her hand, a tender gesture. She closed the doors behind her and stopped to take in the sight of the big hall. The house itself was more of a mansion, one of the only ones left in this part of New York. Everything in the house was exactly as she'd left it, not even a spec of dust marring the beauty of the polished dark wood in the hall or the glittering antique weapons mounted on the wall. Most of these weapons were relics of the greater weapons they'd once been. It seemed that the cleaning spells to keep things tidy were still in working order.

Tatiana held out her hand and her manual dropped into it without her saying a word. Her power was increasing more rapidly than everyone was expecting. She opened her manual and flipped to the back where she found the messages she'd received over the past few months from Taylor, her wizardly partner. She cringed as she read on and noticed that the entries became more withdrawn and bleak as he'd learned that she was not going to be replying. She touched the words, as if that would bring her closer to the closest friend she'd ever had, but all that she felt was the coldness of the paper. With a resigned sigh, she sat in one of the big arm chairs that lined the hall and thought about what she could say to Taylor after all these months.

"New message for Taylor," she said softly. Her voice was changing, she realized… just as she was changing, because of the Power within her. What she couldn't figure out was if it was for better or for worse. She stared at the blinking prompt as the manual waited for her to say something.

"Sorry I haven't talked to you in a while. I'm back now, so if you would like to see me just let me know and I'll be waiting. I can understand why you wouldn't want to see me, but I want to see you if it makes a difference. Please reply." She said.

Send? The manual asked her.

"Send," Tatiana said softly.

Message sent, the manual said. Tatiana shut her manual and said a short spell that sent her manual back to the pocket of otherspace that it was normally kept in. Taylor knew that if he wanted to see her he had to contact her mentally. That's how it's always been, every time they had fought and spent time apart. Tatiana listlessly stood up and walked into the living room, which was just as grand as the hall with its high ceilings and dark wood. Bypassing all the other objects in the room, she headed straight to the fireplace to look at the pictures kept in small silver frames on the mantle. They were the one thing she had to remind her of her parents. There was one of her parents on their wedding day… her mother looked radiant in her wedding dress. The dress was now hanging up in one of the upstairs closets. The next one was a family portrait, so it included her. At the time, she had been ten. There was another picture… a sadder picture, despite the fact that everyone had genuine smiles on their faces. It was sadder because her mother had been wasting away with a mysterious illness. Her last few months had been spent in the hospital, and she had been in a lot of pain. Both Tatiana and her father had tried to heal Tatiana's mother using wizardry, but it had been in vain. Tatiana leaned against the mantle, letting a few sobs escape.

"Tatiana?" A voice said questioningly. A few seconds later, Tatiana felt herself being pulled into a warm embrace, strong arms holding her tightly. Instantly, Tatiana knew that it was Taylor. She couldn't even begin to count the number of times he'd held her in this exact same way, when things had gotten a little rough for her.

"You know, I had every intention of storming in here and demanding where you've been and why you haven't answered my messages or calls." Taylor said softly. "I did not think that I would end up comforting you the way I usually have to after a particularly tough mission. Does that mean what I think it does?"

"If you're asking me if I've gone on such a mission, then my answer is yes." Tatiana said, pulling away.

"Why didn't the manual say anything?" Taylor asked. "Whenever I checked to see what your status said, it never said 'independent assignment' or anything that indicated such." Tatiana was silent for what felt like a long time.

"You know, I'll never understand why they didn't include you on this mission." Tatiana said finally, not answering is question. "Tom and Carl were included, which is odd since they're seniors. And then Kit, Nita, Dairine, and Roshaun were also included…" She trailed off.

"What happened?" Taylor asked in a firm, almost demanding tone. Tatiana sighed and sat down on the couch, motioning for Taylor to sit beside her.

"The day that I was going to be promoted to local advisory, one of the Powers That Be paid me a visit. They told me…" Here she broke off, as if fearing to continue. She took a deep breath. "They told me that I one of the Lesser Powers resides within me… that I am one of the Lesser Powers." Silence greeted her words.

"Well, that's not a bad thing." Taylor said after a few seconds.

"You don't understand, though!" Tatiana cried. "That puts me and essentially everyone I know in danger. That's why I was away for so long. The Lone One came for me and the Other Powers had to intervene to stop me from being taken. That would also be why I couldn't contact you."

"So you're risking a lot just by being here, aren't you?" Taylor asked. Tatiana nodded.

"Taylor, I don't know what to do anymore…" Tatiana confessed. "I don't even know if I am going to be allowed to stay here." She twisted the chain of her necklace in distress. Taylor reached over and grabbed the hand that was twisting the chain to get her to stop.

"At least you're home now." He whispered. "I'm happy enough with that, and you should enjoy it while you can."

"So, should I say home for now, or home at last?" Tatiana asked, recalling the thing both her parents and Taylor's parents used to joke about.

"Home at last." Taylor replied with a smile.


I hope you enjoyed it... I'm not entirely sure where to go from there, though. Review if you want more!