Author's note: So here we are with the next Interlude. Between the last story and this one, the last episode of the series happened; only Shayla didn't take their Growlphones, so they're still Rangers, and Merrick didn't leave. Apart from that it was all the same.

Disclaimer: I don't own them. Continuity? Hah! I spit in the face of continuity!

Torn in Two

"Have you found her?"

Merrick grimaced, gripping the growlphone tighter. "I'm not sure. There's a girl here who looks very like Rebecca…and she acts the right way."

"Rebecca." Cole repeated questioningly. Merrick shook his head abruptly.

"Tara came to Willie's at night, sometimes. She used a glamour to get in and she called herself Rebecca. There's a girl here who looks like a younger Rebecca." He frowned slightly. "And she sings when she hears music and she touches every tree she passes."

"Tara does…did…sing a lot…"

"It's her Elf heritage."

"But trees? She didn't touch them that much."

"Not on the Animarium, no. But in Turtle Cove, yes, almost every tree she passed she touched."

Cole grunted thoughtfully. "It's not the first time you've met someone like that." he reminded Merrick.

"I know, Cole. Has she been talking to you?"

"No. But she did promise to come, remember?"

"If we were in danger. There's been little we can't handle." He glanced at his watch. "She's almost finished work. I'm going to go talk to her."

"Try not to freak her out, ok?" Merrick hung up without bothering to answer and entered the shop.

The girl in question was standing at the front counter, ringing up a sale for the last customer. Merrick waited patiently until she was finished before stepping up.

"May I…" she trailed off, staring at him.

"Tara." he murmured, aware that some of the other staff were watching.

"Get out. Go away." she whispered fiercely.

"We've been worried…"

"I don't care!" she cut him off. "I'm fine and I'm happy, so go away!"

"Becca? Problem?" A man a little older than Merrick came up to them.

"No, Sam. No problem." Tara hadn't looked away from Merrick. "He was just leaving."

"{Not until you hear me out.}" Merrick said firmly. Tara sighed and glanced around.

"It's ok, guys, you can go on. He's not shopping." Sam hesitated for a moment but then left. Tara waited until all the staff had filed out before turning back to Merrick.

"I have to close up. Do you want to wait or will I give you my house key?"

"I'll wait." She nodded, heading back behind the till and beginning to count. Merrick wandered around, examining the displays, until an older woman came down from the office.

"Becca? Do you know there's a strange man wandering around?"

"He's not a stranger, Sarah." Tara answered. "He's an old friend. He was in the area."

"Oh good. Finished?"

"Yeah." The woman-Sarah-took the money from Becca and went back upstairs.

"Finished?" Merrick asked, coming back to the counter.

"Nope. I have to wait for her to finish upstairs." She came out from behind the counter and went upstairs, returning a minute later with her coat and bag.

"Will she be long?" Merrick asked.

"She'll be as long as it takes."

"Why are you angry with me?" She turned to stare at him.

"I asked you not to come after me. I haven't ever asked you for very much, Merrick. It hurts that you wouldn't do this one thing for me."

"I was worried about you. We all were."

"Why? I told you I'd be a while. I told you I'd be out of contact."

"A while, yes. Tara, it's been nearly a year since you left. Six months since you talked to us. Of course we're going to worry."

"Worrying is one thing. Coming to look for me is another. You knew I wasn't hurt or in trouble."

"There's more than one kind of hurt." Merrick muttered. She looked up sharply.

"I'm not any kind of hurt, Merrick. I told you I have things to do."

"But why not contact us? You must have heard us."

"I haven't been listening." That surprised Merrick.

"What? Why not?"

"What was there to say? Come home, Tara. No. Why not? I have things to do. What things? Just things. But why can't you do them from here? I just can't." She looked up at Merrick. "Did I miss any?"

"What's wrong with you?"

"There's nothing wrong, Merrick. Why won't you believe me?"

"Because there is something wrong. I see it in you."

"You…" she cut herself off as footsteps sounded overhead.

"You two ready down there?" Sarah called.

"Yeah." Tara's voice was unsteady. "Do you want me to fix the alarm?"

"No, you two go on. I'll see you tomorrow, Becca."

"Not working. Night."

"Night." Tara glanced at Merrick.

"We'll continue this at home. Come on."

She ignored him all the way home, listening determinedly to her Walkman, singing loudly along. Merrick didn't recognize the songs; it wasn't the country Willie played, and it wasn't anything he'd heard her sing before. He trailed after her to her house, where she let him in, dropped all her stuff on the floor and perched herself on a chair.

"So talk." she said, gesturing vaguely. He took a deep breath, knowing he had to say the right thing.

"What are you running away from?" She stared at him. "Taylor said you were unhappy. Why did you have to come here to be happy?"

"I don't…that's not it." She gestured around. "Animaria…it's not Animaria anymore. I just…"

"No." he interrupted her. "That is why I didn't go there. You never had that problem."

"What do you want me to say?" She rose and started pacing.

"I want to understand why you would leave your friends."

"All right, let's start there. Do you know what friends mean to me?" When he shook his head, she went on, "Pain. Because in ten or twenty or fifty years, you'll be gone and I'll still be here. Do you know how that feels?"

"Yes!" Merrick answered, eyes flashing. "Of course I do!"

"Yes, of course you do." Tara mocked him. "But your soulmate is still here. You and she will grow old together and die together. And I will still be here. In another three thousand years, I will still be here. So I don't make friends anymore."

"Too late." Merrick told her. "We are your friends."

"This from the man who nearly died rather than accept help."

"Stop doing that. You're not going to push me away."

"Watch me." She turned her back on him. "What was the other bit? Why would I leave?" She shrugged. "I didn't want to stay anymore."

"I know that's not true." Merrick said carefully.

"Just go, Merrick. I'm not coming back."

"Don't be angry with me." he quoted her letter softly. "I was afraid I'd let you talk me out of it. If you need me I'll be there."

"I know what I wrote, Merrick."

"You didn't want to leave."

"No. I didn't. I've always been sentimental that way."

"Tara…"

"Lrona died. Did you know?"

"I assumed…"

"No. I mean, she died during the attack. During the evacuation." Merrick stared at her.

"But I thought you…"

Tara's words spilled out, so fast Merrick could barely make sense of them. "I was leading the evacuation. Alos didn't come; he stayed to help others evacuate, and he never made it out. The Orgs were attacking in force; I was holding a path open for the refugees to escape on. I kept the…the Putrids away by creating sinkholes along the side."

"Stop." Merrick rose to his feet. "I don't want to hear this."

"I don't care. Lrona was frightened. Reeva was trying to keep hold of her and watch for Alos and help others along all at once. And then they came to where I was standing, and Lrona was so glad I was all right…'Look, Mama, it's Thariin! She's all right!' And she pulled away from Reeva and came to me."

"And you were on the wrong side of the sinkholes." Merrick said tonelessly.

"I tried to catch her, I tried to stop her. I…Merrick, I nearly had it. I dried the sinkhole in front of her. Then there was an explosion, and she fell sideways. When I could see…when I could sense…it was too late." She drew a deep, shuddering breath.

"It was an accident." Merrick said, in the same toneless voice.

"It shouldn't have happened. I should have been paying more attention." She shook her head. "Alos never made it out. Reeva lasted a week or so, I believe. I didn't wait to see."

"You left?"

"I apologized to Reeva. The others…felt much as you did when we met, remember? That I should have tried harder, or been better. Something. I saw no point in staying; you had ended the war and were gone. The family I served was gone, Princess Shayla and the temple were gone. Even if I'd wanted to, your people wouldn't have accepted help from me, not then. So I left."

"Where did you go?"

"I don't remember. East, out of America. Past Ireland onto the continent." She looked steadily at him. "I killed your niece, Merrick."

"No. She had an accident. A terrible thing but not your fault."

"So many, over the years." Tara turned away, seeming to shrink in on herself. "I can't do it anymore, Merrick. I just can't."

"You don't have to be alone." he said forcefully. "Come back with me."

"No!" She spun to face him. "No, no, how many more times? I can't take it anymore! You're all going to grow up and have lives and children and die, and I can't handle it! Not anymore! Too many times now, Merrick."

"Tara…"

"No." She pulled away from him, turning to leave the room. "There's spare bedrooms upstairs. Just…leave me alone." And with that she ran up the stairs and away.

Merrick sighed, pulling out his growlphone. "Cole?"

"Merrick! Did you find…was it her?"

"It was."

"Great!" He heard a muffled, "Merrick found her!" and then Cole was back. "Is she all right?"

"She's…I'm not sure she'll come back with me. But she seems well, and she says she's happy here."

"Won't come back?" Cole's voice had gone from happy to bewildered in the length of that sentence. "Why not?"

"It's complicated. But I think she's afraid of losing us."

"She said that to me once." Cole mused. "But she must know we're her friends."

"Not that kind of losing, Cole." Merrick said.

"Oh." There was a thoughtful pause. "But she knew that when she met us. Why spend so long and get so close? Stop it, guys. In a minute."

"She didn't mean to," Merrick said with a sigh, "or she didn't think of it. Remember she's lived with a lot of loss. I think she's reached her limit."

"But that's silly. She's not…Taylor, stop it!" Merrick sighed again.

"Talk to them. Maybe they have an idea how to persuade her. I've done everything I can think of."

"We'll call you back." Cole said after a minute.

"Don't; it's night here. We're going to sleep. Well, technically. I doubt either of us will…" he paused, trying to think of a different way to say that. Finally, he settled for, "I'll call you back later. Night, Cole."

"Afternoon." Cole retorted, and Merrick grinned as he flipped the phone shut.

His predictions proved true, at least on his part; Merrick slept little to none that night. He didn't bother going upstairs, instead stretching out on the couch; Tara arrived a few minutes later with blankets and pillows, but she ignored his thanks and went upstairs again. Merrick didn't try to stop her; instead he wandered around the sitting room, examining the decorations. Either Tara had bought the house furnished or she'd spent a lot of time and effort making it look lived in.

He called Cole back a few hours later; the Lion Ranger had no new ideas but was coming out to meet them.

"Cole, we decided we shouldn't both be gone, remember?"

"There's nothing happening here. And it won't take me long, in either direction."

"It's the middle of the night here."

"I'll come in the morning, then. Where are you?" Merrick gave him directions.

"You think you can help?"

"Maybe. At least we'll know if she really is happy or not."

"Yeah. I'll see you later, then."

"Yeah." He paused for a second before adding, "Alyssa says she wants to come."

"I don't think that's a good idea, Cole. Tara's jumpy enough with just me. We don't want to overwhelm her."

"All right. Maybe later. Anyway, if we're lucky, she'll come back with us."

"Yeah." Merrick didn't comment on how unlikely that was. "Maybe."

The knock on the door the next morning didn't startle Tara, Merrick noted. Nor did she seem in any hurry to open it.

"You're sensing us again." he noted, rising to answer it.

"I told you I'd be watching. Beside, he's standing on my doorstep." The door opened before Merrick could reach it; Cole stood there, brandishing a key.

"You haven't changed your hiding place." he said over Merrick's shoulder.

"I told you, it's not a hiding place. It's just somewhere to keep it." She looked at him. "Good trip?"

Cole considered it for a minute. "Short."

"Thought so. Well, goodbye." She slipped past the two and headed for the door.

"Hold it!" Cole said, catching her arm. She twisted away from him.

"Don't do that. Not a good idea."

"Why not?" Cole asked quietly.

"Because I'm really very angry right now, Cole, but I have a feeling I might regret it if I collapse the house around you."

Merrick stared at her. "You'd do that? What happened to not killing?"

"Leave me alone." She headed for the door again; Cole darted around her, setting his back to the door.

"No. We need to talk."

"No, we don't. I'm not going back with you. That about cover it?"

"No." He glanced at Merrick. "Why not?"

"Because I don't want to."

"That's a lie. I can hear you." Cole said calmly. Tara grimaced at him. "Why not?"

"You've talked to Merrick. You know why." She looked across at Merrick. "I heard you talking last night."

"No." Cole shook his head. "Explain it to me."

"Because I'm tired, Cole. I'm tired of caring and losing. I'm tired of loving." He was still standing against the front door; she moved around Merrick and went upstairs instead. Cole stared after her for a minute.

"I told you." Merrick said, heading back into the sitting room. Cole followed him.

"Yeah, but I didn't think she'd be that bad. What's wrong with her?"

"She's trying to get us angry at her so we'll leave her alone. Remember the letter? 'I was afraid I'd let you convince me.'"

"So she wants to come back…" Cole mused.

"Yeah, I think so." Merrick agreed. "She's just so afraid of losing us."

"She's losing us anyway this way."

"But it's on her terms. I guess she can pretend it doesn't hurt…after all, she can talk to us and see us. She just doesn't." Cole nodded, turning to leave the room. "Cole?"

"I'm going to talk to her."

"I don't think…"

"I have to try, Merrick." Cole said quickly. Merrick nodded slowly.

"I'll wait down here. Cole?" Cole glanced back at him. "Good luck."

Tara was standing by her bed, staring out the window, when Cole came up behind her. She sighed when she turned and saw him.

"Still stubborn."

"Come home, Tara." She shook her head.

"No, Cole. I can't." She turned to look back out the window. "Do you know where we are?"

"No. I came through the Animarium."

"Yeah, I guessed. We're standing almost on top of a place I used to live. A place I was very happy."

"When?"

"Oh, a very long time ago. Before ever I went to Animaria." She shrugged faintly. "I'm tired, Cole."

"Yeah, you said."

"I don't think you heard me, though." She sat down, looking up at him. "It's just…it's too much, Cole. When I look back, all I see is loss. My whole life."

"No. There has to be more than that."

"You lost your family! Twice!"

"I found a new family."

"I can't do that. I'm not strong enough."

"You're stronger than anyone I know."

"No…" she turned away again. "Not any more. It's too much, too long."

"So…what are you going to do? You have friends here. Are you going to leave them?"

"Yes. Eventually."

"And then what?"

"Live in the woods? I don't know and I don't care, Cole. I'm just…I can't do this any more." Cole moved quietly to stand beside her, looking out the window.

"It's a beautiful place to live."

"It was better back then. No houses. No roads. Just trees and fields as far as you could see."

"You can't really live in the woods, you know. Not any more."

"I know. Cole, please try to understand this. I am closer to you guys than I have been to anyone in a long time. That's scary."

"Relationships are always scary."

"Most people don't go into relationships knowing they're going to outlive their partner, though."

"Your brother wouldn't want you to be alone." She turned to face him, her face going very hard.

"You know nothing about my brother. Don't you dare bring him into this."

"I know he loved you. I know this can't be what he wanted for you."

"My brother was afraid of me. I saw it every time he looked at me. And he a royal elf. Crown Prince. And because he felt guilty about being afraid of me he stayed with me for two thousand years or so, and I got to see his fear every time I turned around."

"And he loved you." Cole repeated softly.

"Yes, Cole, he loved me. Didn't stop him being afraid of me."

"Listen to me." Cole caught her arms, forcing her to look at him. "If this is really, really what you want, we won't stop you. All right? We'll go away and leave you alone. But just think. If we leave you'll be alone. Wouldn't you rather spend whatever time you can with us?" He looked away, thinking. "There was a girl at the shelter yesterday I was helping. This girl, her mother brought her in to pick a dog. And she kept saying she didn't want a puppy she could train and have for years. She wanted an old dog that no one else would take. Her mother told her that dog would die quickly. And the girl said that was all right, she wanted to make him happy while she could." Tara stared at him for a long time. Cole waited patiently.

"You made that up." Tara said finally.

"Yes." Cole said without hesitation. "Did it help?"

"It…" she pulled free of him, turning to look out the window again. "I don't know. Give me some time?"

"As much as you need. You know that. We're not here to hurt you or force you into anything. We're worried and we want to help."

"I know, Cole. I just…need to think." Cole nodded, backing out of the room and heading back downstairs.

"How did it go?" Merrick asked as he came in.

"She listened. It might work." Cole hunkered in front of the fireplace, staring at it. "She wants to come back, you were right about that. But she's so…I've never seen her so afraid. I didn't think she was ever afraid…not like this."

"I've seen her afraid. Once." Merrick shook his head. "I don't know what else we can do, Cole."

"I don't think there's anything else we can do. It's up to her now."

Tara stayed upstairs all day. Cole and Merrick were called back to Turtle Cove in the afternoon. Merrick went to tell Tara they were leaving and got only an 'All right' from her; he stayed in Turtle Cove that evening, letting Cole and Alyssa go back in his place.

"Tara?"

"Up here." Tara glanced up as they entered the room, nodding an acknowledgment to Alyssa. "You came back."

"Of course I came back." Cole said quickly. "Can't very well protect you if I'm not here."

"Protect me?" Tara repeated. Cole nodded.

"I've been thinking about it. We're" he gestured to himself and Alyssa, "the Guardians of the Earth, right?" Tara nodded. "And you're-sort of-the Earth." She nodded again. "So doesn't that make us your guardians?" Tara laughed faintly.

"It's some very nice logic, Cole, but it's not quite right."

"Why not?"

"You're not my protectors, Cole. You are doing my work, though."

"Your work?" Alyssa asked.

"Your enemies were from the earth. Twisted and tainted, but still from the earth. They're my responsibility. If you hadn't taken care of them I would have." She glanced around. "Where's Merrick?"

"He stayed behind." Alyssa said. "He thought too many of us at once…" she trailed off as Tara nodded.

"Do you want us to go?" Cole asked.

"No. Stay. Please." Tara said softly. He nodded.

"Have you decided?" Alyssa asked.

"Yes." Tara turned, looking from one to the other. "I don't want to be alone." Cole sighed in relief, smiling at her.

"You've just made us all happy, Tara."

"Why?" She cocked her head questioningly. "You have other friends. Why is it so important to you that I be there?"

"Because you are what we fought for." Alyssa told her.

"Because we're your friends." Cole said. "Because you weren't happy when you left and we won't be happy until we see you happy."

"That's a lot of happys," she said, grinning. "It's going to take a while for me to finish up here."

"That's all right." Alyssa said. "We'll wait."

"Thank you." Tara murmured. Then she looked at Cole. "Was there really a little girl?"

"There was. Not yesterday. Before I met you."

"And?"

"She picked an old dog. And they were very happy, last I heard." Tara nodded, smiling.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

In the end it took just over a month for her to come back to Turtle Cove. The Rangers checked in every couple of days, half-afraid she'd change her mind again, but she didn't.

On the actual day of her return, Danny and Max were waiting at her house to help with her luggage; Alyssa had made sure the house was aired and tidy, ready for her return. Tara put on a CD and danced as she unpacked. Max danced with her, laughing; Danny shook his head at them and kept unpacking.

"The others are coming." Danny called from the sitting room.

"Quick, who wants to lay bets on who'll dance with me?" Tara asked.

"Cole and Alyssa." Max said promptly.

"No, they'll dance with each other." Danny said.

"We'll all dance together." Tara said firmly, turning the volume down so they'd be able to hear each other.

Her spare key scraped in the lock and the house was suddenly much fuller, full of people laughing and dancing and being together, drawing strength from their nearness.

"You still haven't changed your hiding place!" Cole yelled to her; she grinned, raising her glass in salute.

"First thing she did when she came back," Max told him, "was put a key under the mat out there." Cole gave her a peculiar look and she smiled again, turning the music back up slightly.

"Ow. Loud." Taylor complained, leaving her chair.

"This from the fighter pilot." Tara teased, pulling away the speaker that had disturbed her. "There. Better?"

"Not for me." Merrick muttered, and she smiled sweetly at him.

"Tara knows you won't touch her no matter what, Merrick. I don't think she's so sure about Taylor." Alyssa said sympathetically.

"She might be in for a shock if she turns that music up anymore." Merrick said, loudly enough for Tara to turn from the stereo and grin at him. "It's only the same CD, anyway. Put something else on."

"Dance with me." Tara said.

"Change it."

"Dance and then I'll change it." Merrick smiled, shaking his head.

"Maybe later, Tara."

"I bet you'd dance with Shayla." Tara sulked, turning away. "Cole, will you dance with me?" Cole looked up, confused.

"What?"

"Dance." Tara repeated patiently. "With me. To the music."

"Oh. Sure."

"Well, don't sound too enthusiastic, whatever you do." Cole grinned and caught her up, spinning her around and dipping her before letting her down again.

"That more what you had in mind?"

"Just right." Tara laughed, catching Alyssa's hand and tugging her into the dance. Max joined them, almost spilling Taylor's drink until she grabbed it out of the way, scowling at them. The scowl stayed as Tara tugged her up out of the chair, wavered when Cole spun her around, and vanished totally when Danny rose to dance with her.

"Hey!" Tara protested, throwing herself down next to Merrick's chair. "He wouldn't dance with me." Merrick smiled.

"If you're trying to make me feel bad, it's not working."

"Phoot. Is Shayla coming?"

"No. One of the Zords called her as we were leaving."

"Something wrong?"

"She didn't think so. And Cole wasn't worried."

"So it wasn't the Lion or Gorilla, or Falcon." Tara mused. "And it wasn't the Tiger or Elephant…"

"It was the Deer." Cole supplied, dropping to crouch in front of her. Merrick jerked upright.

"What? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because he asked me not to."

"Cole…"

"He asked me not to." Cole repeated. "He wanted to talk to Shayla." Merrick cursed in Animarian.

"Merrick!" Tara said in mock disgust.

"Oh, grow up." he snapped, and Tara drew back, surprised.

"Merrick…"

"The Deer is one of mine." he cut her off.

"Actually, no he's not. Alyssa holds the Deer crystal. You know that." Tara said quietly.

"That's not what I meant." Merrick muttered.

"I know what you meant, Merrick. But the Deer hasn't left the Animarium in over a month. So it can't be…it can't be that." Merrick stared at her for a long moment before abruptly relaxing.

"Right. Of course."

"She's still their Keeper." Cole pointed out, watching Merrick warily.

"Yes, Cole. I know that. Don't pretend you wouldn't be worried if this was the Lion."

"The Lion talks to me."

"Shut up, Cole." Tara said good-naturedly. Glancing at Merrick, she added, "You can go, if you want. I won't be offended."

"Tara, it's your party. I wouldn't miss it."

"You wouldn't miss it, but you won't dance?"

"Not to that." He gestured vaguely towards the stereo. Tara grinned.

"Might be able to fix that." Rising to her feet, she scrabbled among the tapes before picking out one and setting it going. Returning to Merrick, she pulled him out of the chair just as the music started.

This wasn't pop music. This was obviously home-made, the quality told them that. A flute…or not a flute, something deeper, mellower…began a low, slow tune

and Merrick stopped dead, staring first at Tara and then at the stereo

and the music slowly rose, becoming faster, louder, and there was something joyous in it

and Tara was watching almost apprehensively as Merrick listened as though transfixed…

He turned, very slowly, to look at her, and no one moved because none of them knew what was going on. "You played that?" he asked quietly. She nodded slowly.

"I've never tracked so far back…I had the worst headache ever when I was done. But I had to…I didn't think I remembered it right."

"You did that for me?" The song came to an end as she nodded again; crossing to the stereo, she took the tape out and held it out to him.

"This is the only copy, Merrick. It's yours; do whatever you want with it." Glancing around the room, she added quietly, "Merrick used to play this while Princess Shayla was in the temple, sometimes. I heard it there one day." Her eyes were very far away, but she looked up as Merrick took the tape and stepped back, eyeing it cautiously.

"Break it, if you want. Keep it. Whatever, Merrick. It's yours." She turned back to the stereo, switching on something loud, and gradually the dancing and talking began again.

"What's it like being back?" Danny asked, dropping to sit on the floor next to Tara. "It's been a year now. Is it different?"

"It's not a year." Tara said absently.

"It's not?" Merrick asked.

"No. I came back when you fought Master…when you fought the last battle."

"You came back?" Danny repeated. "But we didn't see you."

"No, you didn't." she agreed. "You didn't need my help, so I didn't stay." Turning away, she went to get a drink and was only mildly surprised to find Merrick and Cole on either side of her.

"You were here during that battle?" Cole asked.

"Cole, think for a second. The Animarium fell hundreds of feet and landed in the one place it wouldn't hurt anybody. You all walked away from that landing with bruises, at worst. He threw you around like toothpicks and none of you were hurt? None of that struck you as odd?"

Cole frowned for a minute. "You did all that? Then why not help us? Why not tell us you were there?"

"Because he was killing me as surely as he was trying to kill you, Cole. I couldn't stay. Even after he was gone, I had to leave to-to pull myself back together."

"Would you have stayed?" Merrick asked quietly. Tara looked up at him, surprised. "If it weren't for the vines. Would you have stayed?"

Tara considered the question for a long minute before turning and walking away.

"Everyone's looking for you."

Tara tilted her head, not looking at the Ranger behind her. "Are they?"

"Yeah. They're all worried."

"Afraid I'll run away again? Don't worry, Danny. I'm not going to do that anymore. Wouldn't do me any good, anyway."

"What do you mean?"

"Cole and Merrick would just come find me again."

Danny hesitated for a moment before moving around so he could see her face. "Are you angry about that?"

"Not any more. At the time, yeah." Catching Danny's expression, she went on, "In Merrick's note I asked him not to come after me."

"He didn't tell us that." Danny said quietly.

"No…he wouldn't."

Danny frowned at her tone. "Don't you want to be here?"

"It's not that, Danny. It's just…" She hesitated for a long moment before shaking her head and turning away. "It's complicated."

"No it's not. It's really simple. Either you want to be here or you don't."

"It's not that, Danny." She turned back to look at him. "I love you. You and your friends. If I could stay here forever I would…but I have responsibilities. Things I have to do, and I can't do all of them from here."

When Danny spoke again, his tone was conversational. "Do you understand why we're angry?" Tara looked up at him but didn't answer, and he went on, "You left without saying goodbye. If Alyssa hadn't gone to see you, we wouldn't even have known. You'd have just…vanished."

"I've done that before."

"Not forever. Not like this." He gestured around. "Cole and Merrick spent all their time calling you and trying to talk to you."

"I know. I could hear them."

"Then why not answer?"

"Understand, Danny, it took everything I had to walk away from here. I was terrified that if I talked to you I'd just come straight back."

"Is that so bad?" Danny asked. "Merrick and Alyssa tried to explain, but I didn't understand. Why is it so bad for you to love us?"

"This is home." There were faint tears standing in Tara's eyes. "I haven't had a home since before Animaria fell. Not a real one. And that scares me."

"Why?"

"In that place and at that time, I had a family. I was loved, I had a husband. He was young when we married…and I watched him grow old, and grow older, and finally die. I watched our daughter grow old and die. Everyone I knew fell around me. When I left there I went to Animaria…and just when I was settling in, Animaria fell." She shrugged. "So I stopped caring. It hurt less that way."

"So what was it about us?"

"You're bloody persistent." she muttered. "And Merrick's sort of a link to my past, and you're all so nice…what was it about me that you all decided you liked?"

"You're a good person." Danny sounded surprised that she'd even asked. "And you're nice, and kind, and…" he hesitated for a minute.

"And what, Danny?"

"We want to protect you." he said in a rush. "At least, that's what I think. The…we couldn't protect Kite. He was our friend, and he died, and that…everyone was upset. Because he was just a kid, and so are you."

Tara smiled faintly. "I'm not…exactly helpless, Danny."

"I know. This isn't…it's not a thing that we think. It's just…"

"Subconscious." Tara suggested.

"Yes! That's it." Danny exclaimed. "Subconscious." He smiled suddenly. "You're saying you never noticed that?"

"No, I noticed it. In Cole more than the others…" she trailed off, looking back at the house again.

"Merrick does it too." Danny offered.

Tara closed her eyes. "Was he upset?"

"When you walked away? Kinda."

"I didn't…I wanted to say yes. But I'd have been lying. I know I wouldn't have stayed. I'd have just left again."

"Are you going to leave now?" Danny asked.

"Is that what they expect?" Tara asked bitterly.

"It's what we're afraid of." Danny said quietly. "Everyone's afraid that you're gone. That's why we're looking for you."

"No. I'm not going to leave." She glanced over her shoulder at the house. "Are they angry?"

"They're just afraid you've left again." Danny repeated firmly. "Come inside, and they'll tell you themselves."

"No…" she moved away, pacing restlessly. "Not yet."

"You've been out here forever. Come back inside."

"You go. I'll be there soon." Danny hesitated, looking from her to the house; then he shook his head.

"I'll wait with you."

"Danny…" Danny caught her shoulders, turning her to face him.

"He's not angry," he said carefully. "He missed you. We all did, and we want you to come inside."

"The others don't know I'm outside." she pointed out gravely.

"If they did, they would. Now Come In Side." Tara smiled finally…faintly, but still, it was a smile.

"All right, Danny. I'm coming."

And taking his hand, she walked back inside to her friends.

The End.