Danger Renewed

He gazed down at the pair he had captured, fighting to keep the grin from his face. He could sense the life growing within her, tainting it with a black spark from his stone. The effect was unknown, but it would make the child unique, if it survived. How I've longed to hold her, he thought, but found he felt no joy when he took her in his arms. Was his twisted heart now playing against him? He lay her back upon the bed, which a simple mat made of a dark, soft cloth. His eyes then shifted to the other girl.

She was merely pretty, the eldest daughter of Natasha Brisby. He recalled often watching her as he stole the mind of her brother Timothy, wondering what it would be like to be pure. His soul slowly began to grow lighter within him, as though the sight of her was cleansing the evil from his heart. He could feel his pulse quicken as she stirred, her blue eyes slowly opened to take in her surroundings.

"What happened?" she asked. "Where am I?" she stood, turning until she faced him. She gasped, feeling hypnotized by his silvery-black eyes. "Who are you?"

"My name's Julian," he said quietly. "From NIMH."

"You're the one who…took…" she trailed off, unable to speak as the memories hit her. For the past few months she'd dreamt of someone born evil, how he'd changed simply by looking at her, how she'd fallen hopelessly in love with the man in those dreams. "Julian," she whispered. Her voice sent fire flowing through him, even more so when he felt the breeze of her breath in his ear. "I already know who you are."

"You…do?" he found himself shocked, for the first time in his life. "How?"

"I've dreamt of you since my mother was taken by NIMH," she whispered. She felt his hands fall gently to her waist.

"And I of you," he said quietly. He pulled her close, and kissed her tenderly, unaware of what was to occur later that night.

The camp was quiet. Not a soul stirred as they waited for dawn, save for the rats that stood before Julian's tent. A series of sounds all too familiar to their ears had fluttered through the campsite until recently, and they figured that the people inside must have long since calmed down. One, 317, pulled back the flap, seeing Elizabeth slumber against the far wall, sensing that she'd been sedated to keep her from hearing. Lying in the bed on the other side was his leader, a mere shadow against the night. He turned, a single eye open, narrowed toward his subordinate. 317 felt the cloth drop from his hand, he then turned away, staring back into the field. Julian, however, was far from being at ease.

He tossed and turned, unable to rest for the pain that flooded him. It had started softly at first, as the mild aching that comes from a longing heart, to a great pounding that threatened to shatter his bones. It only happened when he disobeyed orders, which had only happened once before. He fought to wake, yet was unable to open his eyes as a dark thread of sound echoed coldly through his skull.

"183!" it hissed.

"Y-Yes, sir?" he questioned. He gazed about, seeing nothing but darkness. A harsh light soon coated his vision; he was barely able to see the figure of Remington emerging from it. His darkly handsome face was twisted with fury as he addressed his tiny soldier.

"Your orders were to find the valley and destroy its inhabitants," he began, eyes blazing.

"Yes, sir," he began, but was silenced.

"I expected you to have succeeded by now!" growled Remington. "What is the meaning of this?"

"They're stronger than we thought," said Julian. "They've taken the lives of nearly half of my men-" his words were cut off by a searing pain in his head, the final sight before darkness was the shadow of Remington seeping into his skull.

Julian snapped awake, hoping it had been a dream. He soon found it hadn't been, as the pain only increased as he tumbled from bed. Teresa, who until now had slept beside him, screamed shrilly in terror, seeing the strange light surrounding him as he was lifted from the floor.

"You've failed me for the last time," Nigel's voice echoed in his mind, chilling him to his very core as he felt his heart return to its stony state, the hatred for life once again filling his veins. Seconds later he collapsed on the ground, panting heavily as his gaze traveled to his love.

"Teresa," he moaned. He lifted an outstretched hand, bloody tears streaking his face. "Get away from here, now!" he rose to his knees, clutching his chest. "Get your mother and run!"

"Julian," he pushed her away as she tried to get near. He could only hold it back for so long. "What's going on?"

"Run!" he screamed, falling as she stared frozen in horror. He rose seconds later, an insane grin on his blood spattered face, a vile laugh echoing from his lips. His eyes held a dark light she'd never seen before. When next he spoke, the voice was the most terrible sound she'd ever heard. "Yes, run, little girl. Run back to your colony, tell them of their fate once I finish this world, once and for all!" his laughter grated in her ears as she grasped her mother's hand, pulling her along as dark orbs of magic flooded the ground behind them. She could barely see as tears flooded her eyes. Her dream had come true, only to become a nightmare from which she couldn't escape. She wanted to wake up, but knew that this was no dream, this was real.

"I'm sorry, Julian," she whispered. Elizabeth gazed back, knowing it was even worse than before.

A sharp pounding pulled him from a light sleep. Justin rose, panting lightly, feeling his heart race as his door banged open. It was Timothy, looking scared.

"Justin!" he cried. He grabbed the rat's hand, not seeing the pained look as his nails dug into the wound that covered it.

"Timothy, what-"

"We found Teresa," the boy said. He calmed down once Justin laid a hand on his head. It was the same thing his father had done. He gazed in his friend's dark eyes, seeing shock and worry, and also confusion. "We found Teresa," he repeated quietly. "And my mother; they're in the infirmary, and they're asking for you. They said it's vital you hear it."

Not waiting for a reply, the mouse pulled him along, Justin again being thankful he wore shirts to bed. In a few minutes they emerged through the double doors, the white-tiled floor glinting in the soft light of the moon. Ages had Teresa pulled to the side, the two holding a whispered conference. Elizabeth was crying softly against Ashton's shoulder, shaking in his one-armed embrace.

"Shh, calm down, it's alright," he spoke soothingly, though his words had little effect. He looked up as his leader came near, shaking his head. "We can't get her to speak coherently," he said. "It appears as though she's been sedated." He stood, gently pulling Elizabeth from him. His left sleeve was soaked with her tears. He then prodded her into Justin's waiting arms.

His lips curled, just a little, when he felt his child growing inside her. He wiped the tears from her eyes, resting a hand on the small of her back. "What happened?" he whispered.

"I…don…" she shook her head, still unable to speak clearly.

"I think I can answer that," Teresa came up behind him, shaking as she thought of what she was about to share. She had already told Ages everything and, though he had been shocked, the old mouse informed her that sharing this with the rest of them was the best thing she could do. She took a deep breath, glancing once at her mother as she prepared to tell her story. "Timothy wasn't the only one of us to fall beneath Julian's power. I'm afraid I fell under his spell as much as my brother did."

"What do you mean?" said Ashton. Teresa just looked at him. She didn't want to tell them, yet knew she had no choice.

"Ever since he arrived I've dreamt of him," she continued. "I knew somehow there was some good in him, and that he just needed the right person to bring it out. He may have kidnapped my mother, but he didn't take me. I…I love him."

"Are you insane?" blurted Martin. "He's a monster! How can you-?"

"He's not doing this because he wants to," his sister snapped. "Nigel is making him capture our home, and that's not even the worst of what's happened…" the room fell deathly silent as she slowly related what happened next.

Elizabeth stared out the window, seeing the clouded horizon. The story her daughter had told had forced new fear to flood her heart, a strange wonder filling her mind as she thought of what might occur. What have we done to deserve this? She thought. Her eyes shifted to the still form beside her. How was he able to sleep so peacefully, especially with all that was happening? A tear came to her eye, as she again realized that she was the reason this was happening, the reason NIMH was now on their doorstep. It fell, striking her hand, sounding impossibly loud in the choking silence. I shouldn't have come here, she thought. Again her eyes drifted to him, seeing the steady rhythm of his breath, wishing she could slumber peacefully.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. She fell forward, sobbing into the gown she had clenched between her hands, the soiled remains of her heart finally spilling as soft cries fell from her lips. In moments she felt a firm hand on her back, caressing it softly.

"You've nothing to feel sorry about," he spoke quietly. He wiped the tears that streaked her face. She shook her head, unable to face him. "Natasha, look at me." she still refused. Gripping her chin with strong, tender fingers, he lifted her face so their eyes met. "None of this is your fault," he said firmly. "They would have come regardless of your actions."

"I can't help but feel guilt," she sobbed. "After all, I'm the one who told them where the valley was; I'm the one who spread your secret to them!"

"It doesn't matter," he said, gripping her shoulders. He came closer, so their lips nearly met. "What matters is that I've found you again, that fate brought us back together. I'm not going to let anything happen to you, or the children. I'm going to protect you, no matter what the cost." A small gasp left her throat, eyes widening when she realized what he was willing to sacrifice for her, but he wasn't done yet. "I'll die before I allow them to lay a hand on you," he whispered. "Regardless of anything you think you have done." His warm lips touched her cheek, his mouth gliding along her jaw to her ear. "But for now, let's just enjoy the peace." He pulled her from the bed, leading her to a wall on which hung a dark sheet. He tossed it aside, revealing a wooden door settled into the stone. It was covered in expert carvings, showing beautiful flowers in a lush garden. She could faintly hear the sound of flowing water. "Follow me," his voice was lost to her as he slowly opened it.

The land beyond was settled within a wide, circular cavern, the floor beneath their feet covered in the lushest grass she'd ever seen. A full moon shone brightly overhead, coating everything in its sweet silver light. Flowers and vines covered the stone walls, filling the space with a multitude of different scents and colors, and farther off there appeared to be trees that were laden with fruit. She took a step forward, eyes locked on a waterfall that flowed from a crack in the granite, splashing into a delicate pool, its surface littered with fallen petals, the clear water flowing to a small river that wound like a ribbon throughout the tall cavern. She turned in a slow circle, trying to take in everything at once, her eyes falling at last to the form of her lover. He had a single red rose clasped in his hand, twirling the stem with his fingers, scraping away the thorns with his claws. He smiled.

"This is my favorite spot in the valley," he whispered, coming nearer. He settled the bloom between two strands of her silvery hair. His eyes glowed beautifully when the soft light hit them. His hand drifted down to rest on her cheek, stroking her silky brown fur. "Before you arrived, I was here nearly every night, praying that your family was safe."

A slight grin formed on her features. Her hands curled about the cloth of his shirt, pulling him forward until their lips touched. His heart nearly burst from the passion. He held her close as her bloated belly would allow. They had found heaven in the midst of hell. When at last she pulled away, her eyes were glittering sapphires, her voice barely a thread as she spoke. "I love you," she rested her head over his heart. "Oh how I've longed to say that."

"And you have no idea how I've longed to hear it," he pulled away, kneeling before her as he grasped her hands in his. "Natasha Elizabeth," he said softly. "Will you marry me?"

She fell beside him, wrapping her arms tightly around him. "Oh, Justin, I thought you would never ask. Yes, yes, I will!" again they kissed, over and over, finally able to forget the terror that had filled their hearts, finally able to enjoy the blessed beauty of the night. But one question still burned in his mind; how long will it last?