There's a whole universe out there.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: This is a seriously AU story. It's set in the future and is a crossover between the Tribe and Dark Angel with elements of Roswell.

I'd like to thank Ian, Annastasia, KatnotKath, Zandera and tr1belova01 for all their reviews and feedback from where I'm posting this on the official tribe website. You guys are the best!

KIMIKO KAMA: Glad you like it. J You're right, I should have spilt it into three or four parts. I wanted to get that part out of the way so I could introduce the Mall Rats.

DISCLAIMER: I forgot to do a disclaimer in part one. My bad. Anything you recognise from one of the three shows is not mine and belongs to the creators of the respective programmes. All I can take credit for is the original characters and places.

DEDICATION: I want to dedicate this to Kaveena who has supported me in everything over the past year. Chances are you'll never even see this mate but I want you to know that you're my best friend and I'm grateful for all your help.

"I'm back!" Bray calls up from the Lower Mall and there's a general air of relief as we all move to meet him.
He's laden down with two large bags and a cardboard box, which he places on two tables.
"Did you get anything nice?" Jem asks eagerly.
"I got about a dozen tins of baby formula as well as bandages and any medicine that looked useful. That's all in the cardboard box. The bags are full of food." Bray smiles down at her.
Salene takes a tin of formula and goes into the kitchen to feed Brady. Lex and Ryan start rummaging through the bags and tucking bits of food away in their clothes. The three little ones all start grabbing at things too and some of the others start squabbling over items.
"Enough!" Amber shouts suddenly, banging one hand on a tabletop.
"What's up with you?" Lex asks sneeringly.
"We need to share things, we need to ration them or we'll run out within days." Amber tells everyone in her normal tone.
"There's no way that I'm letting anyone, especially you, tell me what to do." Lex says challengingly.
Jack, Ryan, Michael and Kyle all nod slightly in agreement. The others are starting to look nervous as they glance between Lex and Amber.
"We need to keep structure here or everything is just going to fall apart." Amber says firmly.
"Everything has already fallen apart! What difference will rationing the food make?" Lex sneers at her.
Amber swallows as everyone stares at the two of them. I meet her eyes and feel like I should help her.
"Does anyone here want to go back outside and find another tribe to join?" I ask. Everyone turns to look at me.
"No, of course not." Zandra answers after looking around at the others.
"Good. In that case, we all need to work together. Amber's right, we do need to ration the food. There's no-one left to make more thanks to the virus so once what we have is gone then it's gone. If we eat it all today then we starve tomorrow." I say it all very calmly.
"Rhiannon's right. Supplies will get harder and harder to find as more kids come back to the city." Bray speaks up quickly before Lex can say anything.
The others slowly start to put the food back. Amber smiles across at me.
"Who are your friends?" Bray asks me as I help him pack away some tins of food.
"My twin brother Max, my friends Liz; Maria; Kyle and Alex and my older brother and sister Isabel and Michael. Guys, this is Bray." I introduce him to everyone. Bray nods at them all.
"How's Trudy?" He asks Amber.
"She hasn't got out of bed yet." She answers.
"I should probably go and check up on her." Bray sighs. He looks worried and I feel sorry for him.
"You do that. A visit from loverboy is probably just what she needs to cheer her up." Lex tells him sweetly.
Bray glares at him but doesn't bother to respond before walking off towards Trudy's room.
"Zandra, Liz and Rhiannon, can you help me to put the food away. Dal, can you keep the little ones occupied for me? Lex, Ryan and Kyle, can you go and stand guard around the Mall. The last thing we need right now is for another tribe to decide that this place would make a good base." Amber orders everyone. Despite his earlier arguments Lex leaves without protest along with the other two.
"I'm going to go back outside and see if any shops nearby still have beds in them." Max says as the others start to scatter.
"No need. There's a storeroom at the back of the shop the little ones and I are sharing. The beds are still in their boxes but they come with all the bits included so it shouldn't take you long to put them together." Salene tells him from the doorway to the kitchen.
Max nods then heads off for the room the little ones can be heard playing in with Alex just behind him.
"How are you guys going to decorate your rooms?" Zandra asks Liz and I.
"Where can we get things to decorate them with?" Liz asks shyly.
"The other shops of course! If no-one's using them then you can take whatever you want from them." Zandra informs her.
"What shop have you got?" I ask her.
"The lingerie shop. I look great in all that stuff." Zandra smirks.
Salene rolls her eyes and mutter something under her breath. Amber obviously overhears her because she has trouble keeping a straight face.
"It looks like that's everything put away. I guess we should start on our rooms." Liz says after another minute or so.
I nod and we all split up.
Max has left the box containing a bed in my new bedroom. I empty the parts onto the floor; check quickly to make sure no one is watching then wave one hand over the parts and watch as they join flawlessly together.
Just as they finish Max and Michael appear with a mattress and bedclothes which they put on the bed for me. Michael drops me a mocking bow once they're finished. Max gives me a small smile then follows Michael from the room.
I smooth down the bedclothes then leave to start searching the deserted shops for things for my room.
"What are you up to?" Salene asks as I pass through the food court. She's sat at a table with Brady on her knee.
"Looking for things to decorate my room with." I answer with a smile, bending down to stroke the baby's cheek.
"I'd like my own room but I can't really leave the little ones right now." Salene says wistfully before turning her attention back to the baby.
"Where is she?!" An outraged scream comes from Trudy's room.

Salene and I exchange startled glances then Salene moves to stand beside me. Trudy comes storming out of her room and up the walkway until she's stood just in front of us.
"Give her back to me! You had no right to take her!" She shouts at Salene.
"We were just trying to help!" Salene defends herself.
"I'm her mother and I can look after her just fine by myself!" Trudy snaps.
"So we saw this morning." I mutter. Trudy turns her attention to me for the first time.
"Who are you?" She demands.
"Rhiannon. My friends and I arrived last night." I answer politely.
"Give her back to me!" Trudy turns to glare at Salene again. Salene hesitates for a moment then steps forward and hands over the baby.
"Come near her again and I'll make you wish you were never born." Trudy threatens us both before turning and storming back to her room.
"The girl is a complete loon." I say in amazement once she's disappeared from sight.
"If she's worried about Brady maybe it means she'll start taking care of her again." Salene ventures.
I'm sceptical about that but Salene looks so hopeful that I don't have the heart to discourage her. I nod and smile slightly before going downstairs to look in the shops.
The first one to catch my eye has a large multi-coloured picture of a teddy bear painted on its window. I go to the door and look inside. It's a toyshop. Some of the shelves are empty so I guess the little ones have already been here. I've never had any toys before. At Manticore things like that would have been scorned as a weakness and after the escape we were too old to bother about that kind of thing. I pick up a large teddy bear with fluffy golden fur and a purple bow around its neck. I bit my lip then tuck it under my arm and leave the shop.
I'm not hungry so I skip lunch as I search the other shops that appeal to me. I stand in the bookshop that evening and look around myself proudly.
Brightly coloured rugs cover the floors of all three rooms. I've moved all the tables and displays to the sides of the rooms so that they're up against the bookcases. I've cleared one of the small display tables of books and placed it in the centre of the first room. I've put a thin sheet of red and gold patterned silk over the table and arranged ornaments I like on top of it. There are piles of cushions of all shapes, sizes and colours in the corners of both main rooms. Candles of varying shapes and colours are placed on every available surface and I've used my powers to attach windchimes to the ceilings of all three rooms. I wander through to my bedroom and straighten the pillow on my bed idly. There's a chest of drawers beside the bed, the top of which can act as a bedside table. Up against the opposite wall is a dressing table with a large arched mirror attached to it, on top of the table are all the perfumes and make-up products that I like the look of. There's a rocking chair with a padded back and seat placed next to the dressing table and the teddy bear is sitting on the bed.
"It looks good." Says a voice from behind me and I turn to see Lex leaning against the doorframe.
"Thank you. What do you want?" I ask flatly.
"No need to be like that, I'm just trying to be friendly." Lex protests in an injured tone.
He walks over and circles me, one hand trailing across my lower back as he does so. I push him away, hard, and he almost falls over before he catches his balance.
"You have got to be joking if you think I'm going to let you get anywhere with me." I snort, crossing my arms.
"Think of it as my way of welcoming you to the tribe." Lex shrugs.
"I think I'd rather have a fruit basket, at least I stand a chance of enjoying that." I tell him icily.
Lex starts to step closer to me then I raise one fist and he changes his mind.
"You'll never know what you're missing out on." He tells me as he starts to leave the room.
"I think I can guess." I call after him sweetly.