Mystic force: The Last battle

Summary: Nick had left Briarwood a year ago and he left his precious blanket with someone he trusted. And now, when he finally had things sorted on this end, his thoughts seemed to return to Briarwood once again. Thoughts? Plural? No. Thought. A single person occupied his mind. The current keeper of his blanket, Madison Rocca.

CHAPTER 1 MUSINGS

He laughed as his father ran for his life, real father. Leanbow was supposed to take Fire Heart for a ride. But apparently that did not go so well.

Udonna seemed to see enjoy herself too, till she realised she had guests coming over. "Bowen, why don't you help your father?"

Nick laughed one last time and got up to do so. A year before, he never thought things would work out. His adoptive parents met his real parents. They had a chat (chaotic conversation) and by the third month of the argument the Brussels finally gave him to Udonna and Leanbow. Gave him? More like threw him away. He couldn't care less though. Except his sister. He had to talk to her to. So he asked her to come over and talked. He talked and talked and talked.

His sister considerably understood, telling him he should do what he thinks best.

All the informing and chatting and explaining took almost five months. And then on, he tried to adjust with the fact that he had time with his real parents and that he had a dragon all for himself.

The adjusting part did not take much long though, around a month and a half he'd say. But boy taking care of a dragon was a task.

His thoughts sometimes would slip off to Briarwood. Clare. Chip. Xander. Vida. And...

He would shake his head and just focus on something else. His mother. Or father. Or dragon.

Udonna was surprisingly the same as before. Calm yet sometimes a tad bit too scary. Nick and Leanbow tried not to cross her much.

It was his father that came to his surprise. He was jolly. Happy. May be all that time under the dark side just hid his real face but...

Leanbow was amazingly the sunshine amongst the three of them. And this made Nick feel...he had no idea...

It was a year later though, that Nick finally found peace. The fact that he finally had a real family. It made Nick as teary as Maddie-he stopped.

"My oh my that garden looks dull." His father spoke through his teeth. He threw a glance to Udonna and whispered to Nick in a cautious way. "Water them, will you Bowen? I need to talk to your mother for a bit."

Nick was lost for words. For the first time since they started living here, his father was so serious.

"Ah... Sure, yeah!" He stumbled outside and closed the door. Fire Heart glanced his way and then went back to his sleep.

Picking up the pipe, he walked over to the bushes. With the water pouring over the plants, his thoughts drifted over to ...Briarwood... What a surprise!

He thought of his time as a ranger and gave himself a chuckle. It was an awfully amazing time. His friends... He had friends for the first time...

Clare... His cousin...

Toby... Phineas... Leelee... (well not her though)

Xander... Chip... Vida...

And...

He finally, with a sigh, let that name come to mind.

Madison.

He pondered over the look she gave him at their last conversation.

"I want you to come back for me."

His heart fluttered in an awfully familiar way. He'd felt those light jittery feelings before. Around her mostly. But never giving those any thoughts because... Well... He did not have the time to...ponder...

He was saving the world...

And now ...

What now?

He jumped as a soft coughing sound reached his ears. Turning around, Udonna was smiling slightly.

"I think that one feels fresh enough. Fifteen minutes of watering the roses, Bowen do you favour them all the time?"

Nick felt lost for words. "I...ah..."

He'd never spaced out before. Ever. He blamed the boring task. Although, not for long.

Heat rising to his cheeks he mumbled 'bathroom' and rushed back inside, leaving his mother chuckling to herself.

In his room, Nick twisted and turned. It was almost four in the morning and he was nowhere near asleep. After another round of cussing and turning, he finally sat upright.

"What is wrong with me?" He muttered and rubbed his head as he looked out the window. Fire Heart was visible from this room and snoring loudly. "Lucky…" He stopped short as he saw his morpher (now useless and unblinking). And once again he went back to Briarwood.

"May be I'm just missing the action."

"Son, Fire Heart would learn faster than you."

He looked up, aghast. It was Leanbow. Smiling with his arms crossed, he walked into the room. Nick shifted on his bed, making room for his father. When Leanbow sat next to him he sighed.

"I never thought our son wouldn't know what bothered him."

"Indignant." Nick spoke through his teeth. Leanbow gave a hearty laugh and patted his back. "So, what are the symptoms?"

Nick raised an eyebrow and tilted his head. "What?"

Leanbow crossed his arms again and grinned. "Well, you are obviously under a spell. So, what are the symptoms?"

Nick rolled his eyes and laughed. "You're joking!"

Leanbow shrugged and tilted his head. "I'm just here to see if Udonna guessed it right."

Nick pursed his lips. Narrowing his eyes, he recounted his thoughts and bothers. Starting with missing his friends, then down to his red blanket's current holder. And in the end, Leanbow looked impressed. Nick was confused though. "What?"

"I am impressed." Leanbow spoke through a whistle. Nick crossed his arms at a retort. "Of?"

"Of your mother's ability to guess it right."

Nick raised his eyebrows in surprise. "What'd she guess?"

Leanbow laughed loudly, not bothering that his wife might wake up (if she wasn't already and listening to their conversation). "Well that is…"

Nick did not like the mischievous glint in his father's eyes. He did not like being teased.

"Wha-hey?" Nick screamed in offense as his father got up to leave. Leanbow smirked and gave him thumbs up.

"You're in love, son."

Nick felt as if someone hit him in the chest. As if the Master was choking him with those slimey…

He shook his head and shuddered. But then he went back to his father's words. "Love? Me, in love?"

He looked outside his window. Leanbow was tending to a now awake Fire Heart.

"In love…huh?"

"Don't you say that. Don't you say that, not you. You have held us together through all of this. You will not give up! Listen to me! Giving up is not an option for you! We are a team and you are this team's LEADER! We go on no matter what!"

Nick's lips slowly turned up into a smile. Who would have thought that his dad would be the one to tell him about his feelings? Who would indeed?