"No way," Maddie said with an indignant smile. "The ending was too predictable. The whole movie was so formulaic." Nick shook his head.
"I still liked it. I don't care if the formula's been used a hundred times, the movie was still interesting. I loved it when he jumped off the building, only to have the helicopter catch him."
"I'm not saying it wasn't interesting, I'm just saying that it was predictable."
"So? You can love a predictable movie."
"I know, I know," she replied, rolling her eyes. "It's just the film maker in me crying out for a surprising ending." He only responded by shaking his head good-naturedly and taking her hand in his as they walked into the warm night air. Nick had secretly requested the day off for both of them to celebrate Maddie's birthday. Technically, it was Vida's too, but the girl refused to take the day off. She said she was in the groove and needed to get onto her turntables. That had left Nick to surprising Madison at her front door that morning, ready to take her wherever she wanted.
They walked quietly for a few minutes, just enjoying the night and each others presence. A fiery sun glittered just above the horizon, capturing Nick so well that he was only jolted to reality when he felt Madison's lips pressing against his. She pulled away as soon as she saw him pull himself back down to earth.
"Hey... " He leaned in and gave her a kiss, lasting longer than the previous. Responding quickly, she kissed him back, pulling him deeper into it. Somehow their tongues found their way into each others mouth. A fleeting thought in the back of Nick's mind wished they were in the privacy of the forest right now, but it was quickly forgotten. Only when an older woman passing the couple, who were stopped quite inconveniently in the middle of the sidewalk, gave a loud "Hmph!" did they pull apart. They grinned crazily at each other, but all happy thoughts were pushed aside by a throbbing pain in their temples.
'How wonderfully lovely,' mocked a voice inside both of their minds. They both grabbed at their heads and doubled over, garnering a strange glare from the older lady.
'What do you want?' Nick thought at the mental intruder, eyes shut forcefully.
'And why can I hear you?' Maddie asked, her voice echoing in Nick's mind alongside Koragg's.
'I'm taking advantage of the telepathy you created between yourself and my son. Your mind is accessible to me through his. As for what I want, you will only find out if you meet me in the woods. Do not bring the other Rangers, or I will take drastic measures. You have fifteen minutes, or your pitiful city will know my wrath.' And he was gone, leaving both teenagers with large headaches. Maddie was the first to look up, grinning slightly despite the cold sweat on her cheeks.
"Wow. I can see why you don't like talking to him," she said jokingly. "So what are we going to do?" Nick shook his head.
"We'll have to meet him, or he'll come to us. Having him show up in the city is not a good idea," he added, various situations crossing his mind. "We need to hurry." They ducked into a back alley and, sure that no one was around, Nick muttered, "Uthe sastos."
They appeared easily in a remote part of the forest, standing back to back as to watch all directions. Nearly ten minutes passed without any sign of the Knight Wolf, and they began to grow restless. After another ten minutes passed, Nick finally heard something from behind himself and turned to see if Maddie had seen what it was. Instead of seeing her standing behind him, he was greeted by another visage.
"Koragg," he growled, fury tainting his voice. "Where's Madison?" The Knight Wolf said nothing, only stepping aside to reveal Maddie standing over a spell seal, throwing spell after spell at the knight. The spells hit an invisible wall at the edge of the violet circle and dissipated without a sound.
"Let her go," Nick demanded, ferocity glinting dangerously in his eyes. He pointed his wand at Koragg like a sword. The elder wizard smirked beneath his helmet.
"I find your foolish gestures quite amusing, son. They will not help you free your love, though. Only you can do so."
"How?" It was amazing how much venom you fill a single word with.
"By submitting to me. In twenty-four hours time, I will return here to learn of your decision: join me in your rightful place at my side, or watch the witch die. If you choose to show up with other Rangers or do not come at all, she will die."
"You bastard," Nick whispered harshly. The man laughed a deep, derisive laugh.
"So you understand? If you do not join me, you will watch her blood stain the earth." Nick stared down the man without mercy. A fire erupted on the ground near the knight's boots.
"Angry, are we?" the elder laughed. "Good, but not good enough. Exstinguo." The flames died out instantly, leaving only charred grass. "By this time tomorrow, you will be mine, unless you let her die. Then you are already mine." The trapped girl tried to yell something, but Koragg silenced her with a flick of his wrist.
"Twenty-four hours," he stated, smiling viciously under his helmet. "Until then." Both he and Madison disappeared into the ground, the shaken Nick standing stock-still in his spot.
After several minutes, the gears began to turn inside the Red Ranger's head. He knew what he had to do. Teleporting through the nearest tree, he continued his march across the street and into the Rock Porium without looking anywhere but ahead. His three friends all looked up as he stormed in, Vida smiling at him.
"What's up?" she asked, smile falling a bit as she glanced around. "Where's Maddie?"
He sighed as the two guys joined Vida and himself, forcing himself to push the words out despite the overwhelming feeling to set anything and everything on fire.
"We've got a problem."
"Let me go, you bastard!" Madison writhed against the cold chains that held her back, but it was no use. They were magically sealed and she couldn't reach her wand. Not that she actually knew any spells to counter Koragg's, anyway.
"Pleasantries will get you nowhere," her captor smirked. He demorphed and looked her in the eye. "You will be out of here soon enough, Blue Witch. Whether you live past that is up to my son. I have no doubt that he will give himself up for you, and he will finally be where he belongs."
"He'll find a way to get me out," she replied hopefully, mustering all of her bravado. The Knight Wolf only laughed mockingly, dark hair falling away from his face.
"There is no chance of that. My lair is cloaked to prevent him from teleporting to you, and I can easily sense any others at our meeting tomorrow. There is no other option. He will submit, and your Red Ranger will be my son once again. Together we will bring down your world." A passion burned in his eyes like nothing she had ever seen.
"What are you going to do to him? You know he won't turn evil of his own free will," Maddie stated, struggling against Koragg as he took her chin in his hand roughly.
"That is the beauty of magic, my dear lady. I'm going to show him his true darkness so that your light is a thing of the past. When I'm through with him, you and your Rangers will be as much his enemies as you are mine, and you are powerless to stop me." He about-faced and walked out of the cave, Maddie hanging dejectedly on a wall alone. She wasn't sure how she was going to get out of this, but she knew she would. She had to, for Nick's sake and hers.
"What do you mean, he took Maddie?" Vida roared, garnering the attention of the last few customers and Toby.
"What's wrong, you guys?" he asked innocently, handing some change to a young woman. Vida, seething with anger, turned to her boss, sharp remark on the tip of her tongue. Xander covered her mouth quickly and flashed his most charming smile at Toby.
"What V here was going to say is that we need to leave early. Would you mind if you closed up tonight?"
"Okay, fine. But you guys... " He let his words die when he saw the teens already out the door, Xander pulling out the writhing Vida away between Nick and Chip.
Once they had successfully dragged her over to what was now their tree, Xander released his powerful grip on Vida. She sputtered momentarily while giving her Green Wizard friend a death glare. It was quickly shifted over to Nick, though, who refused to shrink under such a gaze.
"So what's this bullshit about Maddie being gone?" she spat, intensifying her glare, if that was possible.
Rubbing one temple vigorously, Nick responded, "I told you, Koragg took her. We were on the way back from the theater when he started talking to us telepathically. He wanted to meet us both in the forest, or he'd come here. We knew that it'd be easier and smarter to face him in the forest, so we went. Before I realized it, he had Madison and I had an ultimatum. Join him or watch Madison die. If I don't show up in the same place at the same time tomorrow night, or if you guys come along, he'll kill her. After that, he disappeared with her and I came straight here." Vida's eyes burned with rage; whether it was directed at himself or Koragg, Nick had no idea.
"So this is your fault?" she accused, taking a step forward menacingly. Realizing that it was very possible she'd deck Nick any moment, Chip and Xander hastily restrained her.
"Slow down there, V," Xander said, struggling against her. He may have been the strongest in the group, but he was nothing compared to a ticked Vida. Nick stood in his place, face showing early signs of exhaustion.
"I know it's my fault," he sighed. "Koragg wants me and no one is going to get in his way. It's my fault Maddie is in danger."
"And what do you plan on doing about this?" Vida asked, voice a few shades lighter. She could see the guilt in her friend's eyes, but sometimes it was hard to let go of her anger so quickly.
"I'm just going to have to go along with Koragg, I guess. As much as I don't like it, I'm not going to be the reason Maddie dies." As much courage as his words carried, his eyes told more of defeat. He was going to do the thing he had vowed never to do in order to protect the life of Madison. The trio stood in utter silence for a moment, digesting exactly what Nick was going to do.
"Wait!" Vida said excitedly. Something had just occurred to her, something that could potentially help them. "Does that telepathy spell thing still work between you and Maddie?" Nick's face lit up.
"Yeah, it does. I'll try." He closed his eyes and concentrated on following the winding mental trail back to her. Finally, he could feel her presence and her alarm at his sudden arrival.
'Maddie?' he probed gently.
'I'm here,' she replied.
'Where are you?' She didn't respond instantly, but he could feel several lines of thought running through her mind. He couldn't make out what they really were, but it felt like they had to do with him.
'See for yourself,' she answered finally. Her intense concentration drifted over to him as a strange feeling rippled across both his mind and body. He could feel his mind drawing closer to her until they'd almost become one, too close to differentiate.
Nick could feel his eyes sliding open, but they weren't his. Everything around him was dark, the rare glint of purple-ish light dancing around the uneven rock face that was the walls. He tried to move an arm, but found it chained to a wall and draped in a light cloth that was spattered with grime.
'This is where I am,' Maddie said, the voice coming to him like his own thoughts would.
'How cosy,' he replied, sarcasm dripping from his thoughts. 'And he hasn't hurt you at all?'
'No. Wouldn't want to damage his leverage, would he?' she responded bitterly. At that moment, all he wanted to do was take her in his arms and kiss her and say everything would be over soon. Unfortunately, he happened to be in her body and she was chained up. It would be just a tad bit weird to see her hugging herself.
A sound suddenly caught his ears before he could pursue the thought any further.
'Someone's coming,' he stated.
'It's probably Koragg. He checks up on me every so often.' True to her word, Koragg appeared in what could be called the doorway, demorphed and smirking.
"Hello again, young witch," he said cheerfully, running a finger along her cheek.
"Don't touch me," Nick felt himself say without much control.
"Feisty as ever, I see," he smirked, ignoring her words. Nick felt Koragg jerk her chin up rapidly, searching her dark brown eyes.
"There's something more in your eyes," he murmured after a moment, stepping back. "Tell me, who are you channeling?" His eyes had become accusatory slits, recognizing the magic.
"Like I'd ever tell you," the Blue Ranger spat. Without warning, Koragg was nearly on top of her again, his hand wrapped tightly around one of her wrists. Nick could feel a furious hatred burning within them, but he couldn't tell whether it was his or Maddie's.
Before anyone could realize it, Maddie's hand, which had Koragg's own around its wrist, was burning brightly. Koragg, for a split second, was startled, lurching back as he tried to regain his composure and retreat from the fiery witch.
"And so you reveal our guest, Blue Witch. I see my own son is in our presence. That can be remedied, though," he added with a smirk. "You see, channeling is an effective method for temporarily increasing your knowledge and power. That is, as long as your enemy doesn't realize you're doing it. The counter spell is simple and can be used at any time. All it requires is physical contact with the vessel. Quite ingenious to use it, though, being a magical novice. I will make sure to protect my lair from it from here on out, as will I protect our meeting tomorrow. And now, my son, this is goodbye. Desino kanal." He held up his right hand, glowing with the effects of the spell.
With a final smirk, Nick saw the man thrust his hand at Maddie's upper chest. The profound feeling of being ripped apart washed over him, lingering for a few seconds as he felt himself suddenly sitting limply against a tree. When he opened his eyes, he saw his friends looking at him hopefully, all crouched down to his sitting position.
"Finally back with us?" Vida asked with a smile.
"Gave us a right scare there when you collapsed," Xander added, patting Nick's shoulder.
"Collapsed?" the Red Ranger asked. He rubbed the back of his head where he could already feel a knot growing.
"Yeah, it was kind of freaky," Chip said ebulliently. "At first, you were just standing there with your eyes shut, but then after a few minutes you just kind of crumpled. That's when we sat you up against the tree so it wouldn't look too weird."
"So what happened?" Vida enquired, unable to restrain herself any longer. "Did you talk to my sis?" Nick nodded back slowly.
"We talked a little bit," he answered, a strange look crossing face. "But then she did this weird thing to me and suddenly I was in her body. That's probably why I collapsed, I guess."
"Wait, you were inside Maddie's body?"
"Yeah. It was weird. Really weird," he appended. "Koragg came in and wouldn't leave her alone and tried to get her to admit who she was channeling. I think that's what he called what she was doing to me. Anyway, she got all mad and wouldn't tell him, so he grabbed her hand really violently and that's when things got weirder. Maddie's hand just burst into flames. Not like she was actually on fire, or anything, but like I could. Koragg freaks out and now he knows it's me and starts talking about channeling. Then he uses this spell on Maddie, and here I am again." He took a deep breath as the other three soaked up the information. Xander was the first to respond with a slight smile.
"So we could use this channeling thing to talk to Maddie here, right? Just bring her here and talk for her," he said hopefully.
"I don't think so," Nick said with a shake of his head. "He mentioned protecting himself and his lair from channeling."
"But not from telepathy," Vida added. "So what's stopping us from using the spell to contact her?"
"It's not that easy. Both people need to be together to use it."
"But what about you and Koragg? We never saw him use the spell on you. He didn't, did he?" Chip questioned.
"I think that was because we're related. It probably builds on whatever link was already there."
"So I could do it to Madison and I right now?" Vida asked, eyes full of hope again.
"You can try. He might've protected his lair from our magic by now." Vida rolled her eyes and looked at their leader indignantly.
"Just gimme the spell."
"Alright," he resigned. "It's unios mens." He pushed himself to his feet gingerly, letting the others follow as they pleased. Vida was the only one to stay in her crouched position, muttering the spell repeatedly and focusing intently on Maddie. She was suddenly and unexpectedly thrown back by an unseen force, crashing hard onto the ground. The guys rushed to her groaning form instantly.
"Are you okay, V?" Chip asked hastily. He checked her over for injuries as the other two helped her up.
"Fine," she whispered. Regaining her balance easily, she repeated, "Fine. Really, I'm fine, you guys. But -" She stopped as Nick doubled over in pain, temples about to explode. Any severity the mental assaults had once held was now tripled as the Red Ranger let out a strangled moan. He felt the intruder not only enter his mind forcefully, but completely take it over. Nick was lost in the ether as Koragg took center stage in his son's body.
"Hello, Rangers," he could vaguely feel himself saying. As if through some ghostly, out of body point of view, Nick could see himself standing up straight, a vicious look of hate crossing his own face as he surveyed the Rangers.
"I wouldn't advise you to try that little trick again, Pink Witch," he felt himself sneer, "unless you'd like to die next time."
Chip, figuring out what was going on, stood up and glared at Nick. "What'd you do to Nick, Koragg?"
"We're a bright one, aren't we?" Koragg said derisively. "Don't worry, my son will return soon. I am only here to warn you of interfering. If any of you are anywhere near our interchange tomorrow, the Blue Witch will die. The same goes for Udonna, Clare or the troblin. I will not hesitate to kill the witch if I so much as sense you. This matter is between my son and I, and it will remain that way." He stopped, letting the Rangers absorb his words. Nick could only watch helplessly from his position, hatred toward Koragg swelling.
The trio of Rangers stared at Koragg, standing so cheekily in Nick's body. It was equally as strange to hear their friend talking in that antiquated way and in such menacing tones. They'd heard him talk like that before, but this was on a whole new level of evil.
"Why don't you just go away?" Vida snarled, pushing herself forward to stand next to Chip, Xander joining her.
"Get out of here and get out of Nick," the Green Ranger added, a look of fierce determination crossing his features. Koragg smirked at them.
"I see that I am not wanted here," he said innocently, as if he were the victim. "Rest assured that we will meet again, Rangers." Nick's body collapsed to its knees as Nick himself was forcibly pushed back in. The others rushed over to him, Vida reaching him first.
"You okay, man?" she asked, helping him up.
"I'm good," he managed. "But wow. That can really take it out of a guy."
"That bad, huh?" Chip said, a small smile on his lips.
"Nah. Everything was peachy until I was ripped out of my body and then forced back in." They all smiled back at him. He let Vida let go of him, regaining his strength quickly.
"So now what?" asked Xander. Everyone was quiet for a minute, pondering the possibilities.
Chip was the first to answer, saying, "Should we talk to Udonna?"
"I don't know," Nick replied, looking wary. "I don't know how much she'll be able to help. Koragg's protecting himself and Maddie from our magic, like Vida found out. There may not be much any of us can do. I'll go talk with her after this, but I know what I have to do. I think I'm just going to enjoy one last night here, because I have no idea where I'll be at this time tomorrow."
"Why don't you hang out with us? I know you and Maddie had plans, but... " Vida let her words trail off, not wishing to mention her sister too much.
"I'd love to, but I need to get home tonight. How about tomorrow?"
"You got it," Vida said, already pulling out the keys to her jeep. "Until then." Xander gave Nick a quick smile and a wave goodbye before jogging to catch up with the already leaving girl who happened to be his ride home that night. Chip hung around for a few more minutes before catching the bus that would take him as far into the countryside of Briarwood as any bus would go and close enough to walk to his uncle's farm, leaving Nick alone.
The Red Ranger stood silently for a few minutes after that, watching the vivid reds and purples of the sunset in the distance. He eventually broke himself away from the colors and stepped reservedly through a tree, knowing that he wasn't going to find any answers from Udonna. If she could even offer any help, he knew none of it would work. There was only one sure way to get Madison back safely, and he knew exactly what it would take. It would take him.
"I'm telling you guys, it's freaky! Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison and Jimi Hendrix all died at twenty-seven. That can't be a coincidence," Chip argued, gesticulating wildly despite the cotton candy in his hand. Two of the others shook their heads, while the last calmly kept walking with the rest.
"Look, mate, we understand, but I don't see the big deal. They died at twenty-seven. That doesn't mean that there's an alien conspiracy to kill them floating somewhere in the universe. I bet millions of people have died at twenty-seven," Xander replied, snatching a piece of his friend's cotton candy and popping it in his mouth.
"I don't know," Nick said. "After everything that we've been through, and Rangers before us, it's hard to believe that there aren't crazy aliens out there somewhere."
Vida shook her head, face mostly obscured by a large pink teddy bear she'd won, not only for the fact that it was pink, but for the blue mohawk it sported and the gold hoop through its nose. The others had never seen anything quite like it, and Vida had wanted it instantly. She'd played the game for nearly ten minutes before she'd finally shot the proper duck and scared the kids around her with her excited shout of glee.
"But all those aliens were trying to take over the world, not kill seventies rock stars. It just seems a little farfetched to me," she added, voice muffled by the bear's head.
"Having a little trouble there, V?" Xander asked with a smile, looking over at his annoyed friend as she struggled to hold up the large bear. It was resting in his arms before he could blink, Vida smiling wickedly.
"'Strong as a tree,' right?" she asked, faux innocence on her face. Chip and Nick stifled giggles as two girls walked past the Green Ranger, pointing and whispering. He could only frown, knowing that if he tried to give it back to Vida, the mockery would never end. Not that it was going to end tonight, anyway. For the rest of the walk back to their tree, whenever there was a lull in the conversation, someone would just break out the teasing, and the conversation was on again. They'd barely realized that they were already at the tree until Nick stopped, nearly running into his parked bike.
"We're here," he said needlessly. The other three's lines of vision moved from the bike to Nick himself, realization dawning on their faces. The day was winding to an end, and they all knew what that meant: Nick was going to leave them in exchange for Maddie.
"Look, guys... "Nick began, not really sure what to say next. Vida cut him off.
"Don't," she said, words softer than usual. "We know." He smiled sadly.
"This is for the best, guys. It'll all work itself out eventually."
"How can you be so sure?" asked Xander.
"I can't. I can just hope." He paused, letting out a long sigh. "You know that the next I see you guys, I won't be exactly myself. This could be goodbye for a while."
"Will it really be that long?" Chip asked cheerlessly, eyes downcast.
"I don't know how long it'll be," he answered truthfully.
"How will you explain this to your family?"
"I talked to my grandma this morning, and she said she'd cover for me. She knows my secret, so it wasn't too hard to convince her." Pausing again, he took on final steadying breath. "Thanks for today. I'll never forget it." He doubted any of them would. Eating Chinese take-out and hanging out in the Rock Porium while Vida and Chip worked, then heading to the carnival afterward - it had been an insane day.
"We don't want you to forget us," Vida said, tears glistening on the brims of her eyes. Nick found himself suddenly enveloped in a bear hug with the girl. He could feel a few hot tears soak into his dark t-shirt before she looked up vengefully.
"That didn't happen," she growled, only half joking. Chip and Xander each shook his hand before quickly giving in and pulling him into the less manly one-armed hug.
"See ya, mate," the Green Ranger said as he pulled back, leaving Nick feeling very alone.
"Bye, you guys," he replied, voice filled with countless emotions as he stepped through the tree. He knew that the next time he saw them, they'd be ready to fight each other.
The reality of the situation had only begun to hit him as he stepped onto the forest floor. It was possible that he'd never see his family or friends again. At least, not in any good way. There was a tiny shred of hope he clung to and refused to let go of, one that told him that somehow his friends would get both him and Madison out of this alive. He wasn't destined to be evil, but here he was, ready to take the plunge in exchange for the life of the girl he loved.
"You showed up. I'm not surprised," called out a voice from Nick's left. He turned to see exactly whom he expected: Koragg and a chained Madison. "The darkness calls to you, and you can deny it no longer."
"Just let her go," Nick replied flatly.
"Come to me and I will," the Knight Wolf replied.
Knowing full well that Koragg wouldn't back down, Nick headed to the man's side, muttering as he arrived, "Evil or not, I will kill you if you don't let her go."
"I am honor bound by our agreement. She is free," Koragg stated emotionlessly, ignoring his son's comment. He pushed the girl away from him and before she could react, he'd confined her to a violet circle. She threw every spell she knew at the Knight Wolf, but he only laughed as they stopped at the circle's edge much like the day before. With a firm hand on Nick's shoulder, he summoned a bright circle under their feet.
"Foolish witch. I may have freed you, but I'm not done yet. You will watch as my son is turned to the darkness." By now, Nick's face had contorted with pure rage.
"What are you doing?" he asked furiously.
"I am going to destroy your witch's hope. She will despair as you are brought to your true nature and she can do nothing about it." The young man stared at his father with unadulterated hate, mind reeling with the different ways he could inflict pain on him. A single, meek thought fought to rise above the rest - this was exactly what Koragg wanted, for Nick to wish pain and suffering on him, an undeniable step toward the darkness if acted upon. Forcibly banishing the thoughts, he tried teleporting to Madison. A flash of light and a sharp pain later, he found himself staring up at the sky, still in Koragg's circle.
"Nice try," the older man laughed. "My circles prevent all good magic from both entering and leaving. You are mine. Get up." Nick lie on the ground for a few more seconds before resignedly getting up.
"The time has come. Kneel," commanded Koragg as Nick stood up straight. With a roll of his eyes, the boy obeyed, dropping to one knee. The Knight Wolf touched his sword point to the center of his son's forehead.
"Umbre naturalis." The circle beneath them changed with his words, turning blood red and shooting dark crimson sparks up at them. Only one spark seemed to touch them, connecting with Koragg's sword, running along the tarnished silver edges and arcing like lightning to Nick. His entire body lit up as he doubled over in pain, head clutched between his hands tightly.
Maddie could only stare on in horror. Nick was in pain just feet from her and yet she was helpless to do anything. She felt so useless.
The sparks disappeared as suddenly as they'd come, leaving a tense, heavily breathing Nick. He was still on the ground holding his head, but he was completely still. Then, slowly, his hands fell to his side as he visibly relaxed. Very deliberately, he began to stand up, eyes still closed as if he were in deep thought. Madison watched every motion intently. After what seemed like hours, he was fully upright. She could see his eyes darting behind his eyelids, but when they suddenly shot open, she couldn't help but recoil.
Nick's once gorgeous green eyes were now a cruel shade of crimson. They scanned the area, taking in everything as if seeing it for the first time.
"Where am I?" he asked, voice devoid of any emotion. Maddie could've broken down at that very moment. Her hope shriveled as she thought of her courageous, passionate Nick lost to this half-assed version.
"You will know if only you think," Koragg replied. Nick followed this his words, hiding those harsh eyes as he thought.
"I am Nickolaus," he said slowly, bits and pieces coming to him. "Red Mystic Force Ranger, wizard and... Rock Porium employee?" Koragg shook his head at his son's questioning words.
"Forget that. It is a part of your past." Nick absorbed the command, not stopping as he remembered more.
"I am in a forest bordering the human city of Briarwood with you, my father Leanbow, and -" He stopped mid-sentence, a flicker of true emotion crossing his face as realization dawned on him. Turning to Madison, he continued, a touch of emotion now gracing his voice. "- and Madison, my girlfriend."
"Forget her, too. She is worthless and will die at our hands." Nick shot his father a deadly look with his fierce eyes, now holding more than evil in their depths.
"No. I told you before that I'd kill you if you hurt her, and no amount of evil will stop me from keeping that promise. I don't plan on forgetting her or how much I love her." If he hadn't been morphed, the two teens would've been able to see the utter astonishment on Koragg's face. The boy's grip on himself was amazing.
Looking back to Maddie, Nick smiled a true smile, rare to anyone in the hold of darkness. He walked to her, crossing both circles with ease and helping her stand up. She searched his eyes, which had softened considerably, for any other traces of his former self.
"Madison, I know that you'll never submit to the same spell, if you even have a dark side, and you'll never come to the Underworld with me. That means that for now, this is goodbye." He leaned in, surprising her with a deep, passionate kiss, bordering on lustful. Never had a kiss gotten her so hot and bothered.
Too soon the lip-lock ended, leaving Madison craving more. Unfortunately for her, Nick stepped back to Koragg's side, smiling ruefully.
"Uthe sastos," he whispered and together the father and son disappeared into the ground.
After a moment of silence during which Maddie tried to pull herself together, she managed to stand up carefully. The circle still shimmered below her and she thought that it was better not to be repelled like Nick had been. Probing the edge gently with her wand's tip, she was shocked to see nothing happen. She pushed the device out further, followed shortly by a hand and then her whole arm. Soon her entire body was out of the circle with not so much as a shimmer, though the magical seal still shone brightly for another minute before dying away, no one to trap anymore.
It had to be Nick. He must've altered the circle so she could leave. Like Koragg had said, and demonstrated, it refused to let through good magic, and she was clearly a good witch. Only Nick could've, or would've, changed it so she could go free.
Knowing that he was still himself to at least some degree was comforting to her as she wandered mindlessly through the forest. To where she was heading, she had no idea; she just needed to keep moving. She had been terrified at first that Nick as a person had been lost in exchange for this evil version, but as he remembered who he was, she could see the old Nick flowing back into him. And then when he'd refused to forget her, she knew that he was still himself for the most part. There were still some things missing, most noticeably most of his inhibitions. Then again, something new was there - an unrestrained passion that glowed in his eyes like a new star, like it had been hidden and repressed until now. She kind of liked it.
Before she could realize it, her feet had taken her to his bike, sitting all alone under the tree in its usual spot. Having once been represented joy and freedom to her, it now looked so sad, representing more unwanted change and desolation in her eyes now. What would happen to it now that its attentive owner was no longer in this dimension?
As if listening to her thoughts, the keys materialized in her hand.
'Keep her safe for me,' Nick whispered, his presence vanishing as soon as she realized he was there. How weird. She hadn't even felt him join her. What did that mean, though? Had their minds become so close that they were almost like one? Strange, but possible. Magic tore down the barriers of what was possible every day since they'd become Rangers.
Pocketing the keys without looking at them, she marched heedlessly across the street, flying down the stairs to the Rock Porium at such a speed that those in her way had precious seconds to escape her path. The door had been left ajar to accommodate the unnatural coolness they'd experienced that day and Maddie took advantage of this to storm in unnoticed.
Xander, having a keen ear for customers, appeared from behind a rack of DVDs.
"Hello and welcome to the Rock Porium. We're about to close up, but is there anything I -" He stopped, charm in his face dropping away as he realized who he was speaking to.
"Who is it?" Vida ribbed. "What? Cat got your tongue, oh Xander the Great?" She was on her knees loading a shipment of vinyls onto the lower half of a shelf and couldn't see her sister.
Xander could only stammer out a few indiscernible words as he looked over Madison. The girl herself was on the verge of losing the precious semblance of self-control she'd gathered.
"Okay, seriously," the Sprite said as she pushed herself up to give Xander a hard stare. For a moment, she only looked over the speechless Aussie before her eyes fell upon her twin. The girls exchanged a moment of Xander thought could've been telepathic thought. Suddenly, Maddie had broken down, tears flowing freely.
"He did it," she whispered. The despondency in her voice scared Vida. Like the overprotective sister she was, she had her arms wrapped around her sister before Xander could blink.
"He's gone," she wept. "He joined them, just like they wanted and it's my fault." Vida rubbed the girl's back, shushing her quietly.
"Don't say that. Everything will be okay. They can't keep him forever," she responded soothingly. "It'll be okay."
Maddie couldn't answer, tears flowing freely between choked sobs. She wasn't so sure that anything would be okay.
A/N - Another chapter under my belt. I have to say, this one is my favorite so far for many reasons which I won't list here. And, finally, Nick is reclaimed by the darkness. Yes, it happened. You read it, you can't unread it! Seriously though, I'm glad to get this one up. I've been wanting to for almost a week, but I hit a hard case of writer's block mid-week. Sorry I couldn't fit Gracey into this chapter, but it just didn't work. I think I see an opening for her within the next couple of chaps, though.
In other news, this just surpassed 300 pages on paper. It's only seventy-four on WordPerfect, but that's almost three times the length of anything else I've written on my computer. And I know I keep saying that I'm getting close to writing the ending (at least in its on-paper, first draft form), but I keep getting ideas that push it farther away. This story just keeps ballooning. Not that it's a bad thing. Anyway, enough rambling. Onto the next chapter.