FILLER!! i hate fillers...oh well... the next chapter is short but important, so please bare with me

THANK YOU TO THE REVEIWERS!! if i had the stamina i would try to wait for more reveiws, but since i don't know when i'll be on the computer again...


"What do you mean 'they're coming'?" Maureen asked; her face clouded over with worry.

"The Voglia Ed Uccida – they know we're all together and they're coming." Mark explained. Murmurs of concern and disbelief swept through their small group. Mimi shook her head, not wanting to believe it.

She left the group, padding softly through the kitchen. She slipped out the window onto the fire escape. Her bare toes curled against the cold metal, but she forced her fingers around the railing. Mimi leaned out again, calling down to the sycamore sapling.

"What is going on?" She asked it calmly. It shook its leafless branches. It didn't know, but something bad was coming. She thanked it and pushed herself back onto the platform, rubbing her hands together to warm them up. Her feet screamed that they'd had enough of the cold metal bars digging into them and for once, she complied, climbing back through her window in time to hear Maureen.

"What do you mean?"

"I told you Mo, that's all I can see!" Mark cried, evidently this was not the first time she'd asked him this. Collins placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Let the boy alone, he can't tell us anything else."

"I- I'm sorry Mark."

" 'S fine," He said.

"It's just," Maureen put her hands to her head. "I'm scared."

For once, nobody told her not to be. Nobody told her 'it's going to be okay' or 'it will all work out'. Her words hung, almost tangible in the air. Finally, Joanne pulled her onto her lap and stroked her hair. Maureen buried her face in Joanne's shoulder while they all watched. Collins was suddenly very aware of the fact that Angel was still using him as a pillow and Mimi was very aware that Roger was looking in her direction.

"What?" She asked him, a little defensively.

"Nothing, I just…Where were you?"

"Outside," she said.

"How'd you get outside?" Mark asked curiously.

"The fire escape," She told him. "Why?" Mark shook his head.

"That's not good," In answer to her questioning look he explained further. "What if something were to climb up and try to get in?" She shuddered.

"OH!" Roger exclaimed, grinning. "We should build a barricade!" When he wasn't greeted with immediate enthusiasm he faltered.

"Uh…sorry…I don't see anyone else thinking of ideas…" He muttered. Joanne was staring at him. "What?"

"I'm trying to decide whether you are and idiot or a genius."

"He's an idiot," Maureen and Collins said at the same time – then laughed.

"Maybe not," Joanne said. "A barricade might hold them off for a while, though probably not forever, and it would give us something to do besides twiddle our thumbs and worry."

"But, what would we use?"

"All my crap, of course!" Mimi said "Some one come help me move the fridge."

Within fifteen minuets Mimi and Angel had managed to get the fridge in front of the window in the kitchen, Collins and Roger were working on pushing the couch, coffee table and armchair in front of the door, and Maureen, Joanne, and were digging through all the crap in Mimi's room and the guest room looking for stuff to block up more windows. Mimi and Angel came to help them with the guest room, which was really quite impressive.

You could barely make out the bed under all the crap. Besides being covered with numerous pillows and blankets, it was half covered by a bookshelf that had fallen over onto it. The books were spilled everywhere, strewn across the floor and bed. Clothes were hung on the bookshelf and draped over the headboard of the bed as well as scattered on top of the junk. You couldn't even see the floor because of all the crap – more pillows, books, clothes covered it. They could also see stationary, sketchbooks, a bulletin board with a map and a candy wrapper pined to it, a dictionary from the sixties, gloves, grocery bags, and countless other items building up the layer of crud.

"I feel like an archeologist," Angel said, staring at this.

"Hey, be nice," Mimi said, swatting her arm. "It's not like you haven't seen it before."

"You think this is bad? You should have seen my room from back home." Maureen called from somewhere on the other side of the room.

"Where are you?" Her head appeared on the other side of the bookshelf. She held up a pair of shoes – faded blue high tops.

"Can I keep these?"

"Uh, sure,"

"Ouch!"

"Who said that?"

"I did," Mark emerged from a different pile, rubbing his head. "Dictionary fell on my head."

"Ooh," Angel said in sympathy. Joanne stood up form her spot behind the bed. She was holding something.

"What is this?" She said, stumbling over the crap to get to them. Mark took it, his eyebrows narrowing. It was a scroll, faded and yellow. He unrolled it, his eyes widening.

"I thought I had the only copy…" He murmured. "And even that was cut off and damaged."

"What is it?"

"It's a complete copy of the prophecy."

They took it into the living room, telling Roger and Collins of their discovery. They sat in a circle on the floor – the couch and chairs were still propped up against the door - with Buster in the middle. It was a mutual decision that Joanne should read it since she found it. She coughed once and unrolled it.


i have nothing else to say