NiGHTS was absently poking her belly. She was thinking back to earlier events.

"Stay here." Reala had commanded NiGHTS after propping her up against a tree.

"No way, I'm not letting you go to Nightmare alone!" NiGHTS had argued. "Malice is to strong... you could get yourself killed!"

"Well you can't come!" Reala shouted.

"Why not?" NiGHTS had shouted back.

Reala pointed to NiGHTS huge stomach.

"Oh... junior." NiGHTS said sweat dropping. "Well... I can still help!"

"No NiGHTS; that's just what Malice wants!" Reala said angrily. "He wants you to come to Nightmare. I'm not letting that –CENSORED- get his hands on you!"

"You can't boss me around!" NiGHTS said. "Nightmare is my home to! And I'm going to help free it!"

Reala began to shout at NiGHTS about how she couldn't put herself in danger, to which NiGHTS responded by plugging her ears and shouting 'la la la' over and over. Finally Reala sighed and kissed NiGHTS gently. NiGHTS stopped shouting in response to his affection.

"NiGHTS." Reala started gently. "The baby needs you."

Tears welt up in NiGHTS's eyes. Reala was right.

"It needs you to." NiGHTS whispered quietly. "We both need you."

Reala smiled sadly.

"NiGHTS, I need to help Nightmare and free Master Wiseman." Reala said. "You need to keep yourself alive."

NiGHTS stared at her mate for a while.

"Please be careful." NiGHTS finally begged.

"I will." Reala said giving NiGHTS a farewell kiss and then turning and flying off.

NiGHTS watched as Reala got farther and farther away, until eventually, she could no longer see him.

NiGHTS sighed as she turned her head to the sky. Suddenly a buzzing, whirling sound came from behind a group of trees. Fearing for her unborn baby, NiGHTS dashed into the tree branches above her to hide. NiGHTS listened as several voices drifted up towards her.

"She should be around here."

"Master Malice wants her in one piece, remember? No killing, restrain her in necessary."

"What about the kid?"

"... If it's been born, kill it. Otherwise we take her to Nightmare with it still inside. The Master will decide what to do with it then."

NiGHTS's eyes went wide at hearing this.

"I'm not letting them hurt my baby!" NiGHTS thought bitterly.

"We can't find her. What should we do?"

"Hmm... circle around, she won't be far. Reala defiantly wouldn't take her to Nightmare with him."

NiGHTS leaned over farther on the branch to try to hear what was being whispered beneath her.

CRACK!

"Uh oh!" NiGHTS thought as she pummelled towards the ground. The branch had snapped and now she was surrounded by her whispering kidnapper wannabe's. NiGHTS looked around to see many of her possessed friends.

Archer and Bubbals were to her right, Puffy was to her left, Jackle was in front of her and to her back was the tree trunk. There was also numerous third level nightmaren surrounding her.

"Well, I have to admit. It was nice of you to drop in on us NiGHTS." The possessed Jackle said with a smirk.

"Pleasure's mine." NiGHTS said angrily. These might be her friends, but she wasn't going to let them drag her to Nightmare to have her baby taken from her!

With a swift punch, she sent Puffy flying back into a tree. Jackle made several hand motions as Bubbals and Archer took to the air. The pair each had a length of rope in their hands. NiGHTS saw the rope just in time to have several low levels swarm her.

"I can't see!" NiGHTS thought desperately as she attempted to clear a path of vision. NiGHTS felt herself getting restricted as she became unable to move her arms. NiGHTS felt her ankles get snapped together as she fell out of the air and onto the ground.

The swarm of nightmaren cleared to let NiGHTS see the predicament she was in. Her arms had been bound to her sides and her feet had been bound together, restricting her movement drastically.

"Hehehe... Well NiGHTS, how good to see you again."

NiGHTS looked up horrified to see Malice flying in front of her, a smug look plastered on his face.

"Malice." NiGHTS hissed.

Malice gave another dark chuckle. With a wave of his hand the other nightmaren bowed and flew off. Malice then approached the bound NiGHTS.

NiGHTS frantically squirmed in her bonds, hoping to break free before Malice got to close. Malice knelt down in front of NiGHTS. NiGHTS glared at him as his claws brushed NiGHTS's cheek.

"You should take this opportunity." Malice said as he grabbed on to NiGHTS's hands. He quickly clapped them together and bound them in front of NiGHTS's stomach. "All those involved in my defeat will be punished severely. Wiseman will be a power source, Jackle a slave, and Reala dead."

"No!" NiGHTS shouted as she tried to kick him, bit him, anything at all that might cause him pain.

"Yes NiGHTS." Malice said. "And you! You will be the bait for him. How does it feel? Knowing that you will be the reason he dies NiGHTS?"

"You –CENSORED-!" NiGHTS screamed at him."You won't get Reala! He's smarter, stronger, and a better fighter than you! He'll wipe the floor with you!"

Malice hissed and smacked NiGHTS across the face, leaving a red mark. NiGHTS took a deep breath. She would not whimper in front of him!

"You need to watch your tongue!" Malice hissed as he grabbed NiGHTS's collar and dragged her towards him. "You might not fear me, but you fear for your child. It would be a shame if there were complications in the birth."

NiGHTS's eyes grew large at the unspoken threat.

"Don't you lay a hand on my baby!" NiGHTS growled furiously.

"I won't." Malice said. "If you behave."

"What do I do?" NiGHTS thought. "What can I do? I won't let him hurt my baby... but I just can't let him hurt Reala! I love him! I'd die without him. But the baby..."

NiGHTS glared at Malice before a few tears fell. Painfully, she lowered her head in submission.

"Good, you know your place." Malice said with an evil smirk.

He had won.

Gasp! Oh No! NiGHTS is caught between a rock and a hard place. Her unborn baby... or Reala? Read the next chapter to see how NiGHTS and Reala get out of this one.

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