Chapter 13

Charlie sat in the crow's nest once again, though his mind wasn't on the task he'd been given. All he could think of was Jasmine, and whether or not Lady had snapped her out of the daze she seemed to be living in now.

"Hey." A hesitant voice said from beside him. Charlie jumped and looked to see none other than

"Jasmine!" her mouth shifted into an amused smile.

"That is my name yes."

"I thought…I mean…I didn't see you."

"Again." She said with a teasing voice. It was that that made Charlie stop and look at her. For days she'd been like a zombie in her room, not doing anything. But now, she wore clean clothing, her hair was still damp from a recent wash, and her cheeks were flushed pink from being scrubbed.

"You…you feeling better?" he asked hesitantly. She sat beside him as she nodded.

"Much. I needed some sense knocked into me…Lady was always good at that." She admitted with a laugh. Charlie just placed a hand over hers.

"I'm glad she is, we were getting worried." Jasmine looked down at her lap guiltily.

"I'm really sorry-" she started but Charlie cut her off.

"You're fine." He assured her. "We all know why you were upset and everything, you don't have to explain."

"Then why do I feel so bad?" she asked him, looking him right in the eye. "Why do I feel like I should be apologizing?"

"Well…Silver was pretty-"

"Not to Silver." Jasmine interrupted. "To you."

"To me?"

"Yes. I fell like out of everyone here, you deserve an apology more than anyone else."

"I have no idea why." Charlie admitted. "But there is something you could do to make up for all the worry you caused me." His eyes were twinkling with mischief. She raised an eyebrow in amusement.

"Oh? And what might that be?" Charlie didn't answer in words, instead he snaked a hand behind her head and pulled her lips to his own. She hesitated only a fraction of a second before leaning into the kiss whole heartedly. The night around them disappeared in bliss, and neither was in a hurry to make it come back.

Silver found Jasmine in the large common area a short time later. He stopped in shock, surprised at the quick turn in her behavior. He realized as he watched her though…she hadn't just moved on. Her graceful steps were calmer, less of a dance than usual. Her eyes, though calm, held grief and sadness still. She ran her fingers methodically over the book bindings, searching for something.

"Need help finding something less?" he finally asked her. She jumped and spun, only to laugh at her own fright.

"Silver, you scared me!" she exclaimed, sending a playful glare in his direction. Silver just chuckled and came forward to sit in a nearby armchair.

"I'm just too sneaky for ya." He told her. "So what are you looking for?"

"Taver showed me the latest riddle…apparently I'm supposed to remember something about a book. But I've been thinking about it for ages and I have no idea what Lady was talking about."

"Well…it must be something you read when you were young. Did you have any story books?"

"Yes…tons." Her eyes lit up. "Of course!" she dashed over and gave Silver a hug. "Thank you for everything!" she exclaimed before she left the room.

"You're welcome darlin'." Silver said to the empty room, chuckling as he settled down for a nap.

Jasmine meanwhile was already up by the wheel, pulling up schematics on the nearby computer. She twiddled knobs and pressed buttons, trying to find whatever it was she was searching for.

"I'm going to guess you've remembered something?" she heard Taver's voice say from beside her. She nodded as he came to look over her shoulder.

"There was this book I had when I was little, a story about pirates and treasure and whatnot. It was all hand drawn, nothing mechanical about it." Taver looked entirely perplexed by this notion, most story books played out in motion on the very pages of a book. She laughed at his face. "We were poor, what can I say? Anyway, the last page was my favorite, because the picture was the prettiest."

"Well, what was it of?"

"Mum always said it was a planet named 'Destiny', and that she'd made it up when she was young. It was always green and sunny and happy."

"But…if it was made up, then how are we going to get there?"

"That's just it!" Jasmine exclaimed in her happiness. "Shortly before I was taken away, my mother found a reference to a place called the Destiny Café on a planet not too far from us. She joked about it being her Planet Destiny, but she'd kept the advertisement anyway. I think that maybe they've gone there!" A smile suddenly exploded across her face. "And there it is!" she pointed to a tiny planet on the screen with the label reading 'Furryn City'.

"Furryn City?"

"Yes. It's another city large enough to be its own moon. I bet they're there!"

"Then it's on to Furryn city." Silver's voice said from behind them. He turned and entered the coordinates into the computer, and the man at the wheel set the course in the proper direction. "Sandy, here I come." He whispered. Jasmine smiled and hugged him around the middle.

"Bundle up, it looks pretty chilly down there." Charlie was saying. He helped Jasmine into her coat and buttoned the buttons for her as she giggled at him. He shushed her with a kiss and she smiled at him gently. By the time he was done they'd landed in a small shadowy area of the town. One that didn't look the most trustworthy if Jasmine was honest with herself. Silver led the way down the gangplank. He wasn't going to be left behind this time, that was certain.

"Don't let anyone else on board." He told Mr. Dorian in a soft voice. "If you can avoid it, don't answer any questions either."

"Yes sir." Mr. Dorian said with a salute. He made his way back up on deck and set about putting some of the crew on a watch schedule. Others were put on repair detail. They were still heavily damaged from the asteroid field before Skifara and hadn't had a decent chance to repair it. In the meantime, Jasmine stuck close to Charlie's side, unwilling to let go of his hand even for a moment.

"Are we sure this is right?" she asked no one in particular. No one bothered to answer; they were all wondering the same thing. They'd gotten directions from a helpful patrolman before entering the atmosphere. Now they knew why he'd looked so surprised at their intended destination.

They made their way through the winding streets. The buildings were small and crowded close together here, and they made the streets almost dark enough to need lamp light. They leaned a bit over the streets as well, making it feel as if they were walking through dark tunnels.

Just when Jasmine was going to suggest that they leave and ask for new directions, they emerged into a town square of sorts. They all gasped at the sight.

On the north end of the square sat a charming looking cottage of a building, with carefully whitewashed walls and green painted shutters. An expansive garden sat in front of it, filled with benches and sets of tables and chairs. People sat at these tables being served food which all smelled delicious. Though the customers themselves didn't all look to be the most trustworthy of people, they were all on their best behavior and they ate the food with relish. It was like a piece of another world in the middle of the city! A sign over the door read 'The Destiny Café'.

"Wow." Taver muttered, impressed. The others nodded in agreement, all speechless. Silver led the way across the open square and in through the gate of the garden. They passed the filled tables of chatting people and went inside. The interior of the building was just as charming really. It had a homey feel to it, like they'd all come home just in time for a warm supper. An older woman with a pleasant smile came up to them.

"Hello how can-" she gasped in shock as she took in the sight of them, dropping the tray she held. At the sound of breaking dishes, a younger woman came out.

"Mom? Is everything alright?" She too stopped short when she saw them standing there.

"John?" the first woman said in a strangled voice. Silver stepped forward, tears rolling down his cheek from his human eye.

"Sandy!" he exclaimed in a soft voice. They ran towards each other, embracing tightly. Jasmine smiled happily at them and let go of Charlie's hand. She stepped forward to the younger woman and Charlie realized just how similar they looked.

"Hello mum." The woman's eyes widened in shock.

"Jasmine? Is that my little Jasmine? All tall and grown up?" without waiting for an answer, Evelyn practically pounced on her daughter in happiness. "You've come back!"

"And it's about time they showed up, I was expecting them days ago!" Charlie recognized the voice of Lady behind him and smiled at her. She was a tiny old woman, more wrinkles than anything else. But there was a fierce spark in her eyes which hadn't faded with age.

"You knew they were coming?" Evelyn asked her, still holding Jasmine close. "Why didn't you say anything?" Lady just tapped the side of her nose with a secretive smile; she obviously wasn't planning on giving any explanation for her actions. Instead she looked around at the people who all started.

"Alright everyone, there's nothing to see here, get back to your food!" she exclaimed, waving her hands about wildly. The group then followed her through the large swinging door and into a large kitchen. Everyone was shocked when Sandy grabbed a wicked looking knife and spun to point it at Silver. He put his hands in surrender.

"You never rescued me!" the woman exclaimed.

"What? I didn't know where you were!" Silver insisted. "You never came back, and by the time I figured out what was going on, you were long gone!"

"You could have searched harder, you should have guessed-" she broke off into sobs. She dropped the knife and knelt on the floor. "You never came…" Silver shushed her and knelt down beside her, pulling the woman close.

"Let's leave them be for now." Jasmine suggested softly. Lady nodded her agreement.

"Come into the office." She instructed, holding another door open for them all. They did so and took seats around the room. All except Jasmine who circled it in awe.

"Well Mum, you found your Planet Destiny after all." She said with a smile. Evelyn glared at her softly.

"That's all you have to say? After all these years?" Jasmine shrugged, shamefaced.

"After all these years…I don't know what to say." She admitted. Evelyn sighed and slumped down into a chair.

"Neither do I really." She admitted. Charlie almost wanted to laugh. These three women were so like each other it was most amusing. "So…that was John? Your grandfather?"

"Yeah."

"He seems like a good man…I can see why Mother loves him."

"He is a good man." Jasmine told her confidently. "One of the best I've met." Evelyn shrugged.

"It's odd to me still. I never met him, only heard stories from Mother." Jasmine chuckled.

"Welcome to the club." The two women looked at each other and burst out laughing, coming together in a hug.

"I missed you." Jasmine whispered into her shoulder.

"I missed you too my Blossom."

The afternoon was spent with the reunited family getting caught up on each other's lives. The Destiny Café was a successful enough place that both Evelyn and Sandy were able to leave the running of the dinner rush to hired hands. They all enjoyed a rowdy dinner, filled to the brim with funny stories and happy memories. By the time it was over, the sun had long ago set and the lamps had been lit, and Jasmine was exhausted.

Despite the bed she'd been given and the room she had to herself, she was unable to sleep though. She felt odd…as if something was missing. She had her mother back, and her grandmother had her grandfather once again…Lady was already planning her trip home to Rika. Jasmine felt lonely though…she didn't want to be alone right now.

She slipped from between the crisp sheets and shivered in the night air. She wore an old nightgown of her mother's, a soft green sleeveless dress, which reached past her toes. She'd forgotten just how tall her mother was. She picked it up from the floor and tiptoed out of the room to the door across the hall. She slipped inside it and went to the bed by the far wall. Charlie slept there, looking perfectly content. His mouth was open slightly and he was breathing deeply, and Jasmine smiled down at him. As carefully as possible, she lifted the blankets from him and slid in beside him. She curled up against his side, her head on his chest. She smiled when he shifted to hold her closer and closed her eyes. His heartbeat put her to sleep in seconds.

Charlie opened one eye and looked down. Jasmine was sneaky, but not enough to not wake him. He'd kept quiet though it though, and only pulled her close when she lay down. He smiled down at the top of her head, her black hair was mussed. She must have been tossing and turning for ages before coming in here. And now, she was already fast asleep! He sighed happily and kissed the top of her head, closing his own eyes as he allowed himself to drift off to sleep once more.

"So what about the treasure?"

"Hmm?" Jasmine perked up from where she'd been curled up, half asleep on Charlie's shoulder. The group sat in the tiny parlor of the house above the café, discussing what was going to happen next.

"The treasure the whole curse thing was supposed to lead to." Taver said in explanation. "The final clue was supposed to lead us to treasure wasn't it?" Jasmine blinked as she realized he was right. She'd forgotten all about the promised riches in the search for her family!

"I…I have no idea." She finally admitted. She looked over at Lady who was folding clothes fresh from the laundry.

"Don't look at me dearie." she said simply. "I never saw Flint's treasure or anything, I don't know where it is."

"So…what happens now?" Charlie asked, looking around at the others for an idea.

"We have to go the source." Jasmine said in a soft voice. She blinked when the others looked at her oddly. "What?"

"You just said…"

"I didn't say anything."

"Yeah, you said we had to go to the source." Jasmine raised an eyebrow.

"Why would I say something like that? I don't even know what it means." She jumped when Lady came over to peer in her eyes.

"Ah ha!" the old woman finally exclaimed. "There's still some of the curse infused within your soul!"

"What? Why? I thought the last riddle was given?" Lady only shrugged.

"It seems like there was one last clue left to give. The spell left your body with the last one because it didn't need to be there any longer to give new clues, but it had already attached the final one to your soul."

"Then…there's another clue? How am I supposed to get to it?" Lady shrugged and went back to the laundry.

"I don't have all the answers child." Was all she said. She then grabbed the folded clothing and left, leaving Jasmine, Charlie and Taver to wonder what to do next.

"Wonderful." Jasmine said with a sigh, laying her head back on Charlie's shoulder. "Usually the clues give some sort of…task or something to do. This last one didn't give us anything." Taver looked down at the notebook, reading the riddle over and over.

"Actually…it may have. I'll be right back." He shot to his feet and left the room. Jasmine and Charlie barely had time to glance at each other in confusion before he was back, carrying a very old book. Jasmine's eyes widened.

"That's…"

"Your story book from when you were little, yeah. The riddle says that your family was on the planet on the very last page, right?"

"Yes…" Jasmine said slowly, taking the book with gentle hands. She turned the well worn pages with her long fingers, looking at the beautiful pictures.

"Well…maybe there was more to that last page than just a clue to finding your family." Jasmine nodded and flipped to the back page, and gasped at what she saw. Rather than the lovely scene she'd loved as a child, a splash of red blood covered the page.

"I- I don't understand…what-" before she could finish, her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she fell limp in Charlie's arms.

"Jasmine!" he cried in fear, noticing she wasn't breathing. "No….no Jasmine wake up!" She suddenly gasped for air, coughing violently.

"What happened?" she asked between coughs and Charlie flopped weakly backwards.

"You stopped breathing…just stopped." Jasmine took a deep breath and leaned back into the pillows.

"But…a clue? Something?" Taver shook his head and she blinked in confusion. "That doesn't make any sense…I saw the red and passed out…if that wasn't the clue to- wait…" she looked down at the page. It was free of blood, the pretty picture from her childhood was fine. "I…I know where we have to go." She stood and purposefully left the room. Taver and Charlie scrambled to follow her as she left the apartment above the café, then walked out of the café itself. Charlie and Taver looked around curiously as she led them through the winding streets, but Jasmine only looked ahead, her eyes distant as if she could see something they couldn't.

Jasmine suddenly stopped short, staring at what appeared to be a plain brick wall. She heard Charlie and Taver come to a stop behind her, and knew they were probably very confused. Without saying a word, Jasmine lifted her hand, letting it move on its own. Somehow, she knew what to do, though she had no idea just how she knew such a thing. She gently touched one of the bricks, just like all the rest, and traced its outline. Then she touched the center of the brick and pushed gently, and the brick slid into the wall and disappeared.

"It's here." Was all she said. Without waiting for her to say anything else, Charlie and Taver came forward and helped her to push at the bricks in the wall, listening to them falling inside to the ground, echoing as if it was a large cave. When there was a hole large enough for them to crawl though they did so, peering about in the dark.

"I can't see a thing." Charlie said in a whisper. Jasmine nodded, then remembered that he couldn't see her.

"Me either…I don't have anything to light the way either."

"Taver? Have a lighter or something?"

"'Fraid not."

"Great, now what are we supposed to do?" Just as Charlie's voice faded into the darkness a small light appeared, looking a distance away, as if it was down a long tunnel. "Oh…well…I guess we follow the lights?" He took Jasmine's hand and led the way down the tunnel, Taver bringing up the rear.

This pattern continued for a time. The three of them felt their way through the tunnels, and each time they reached a light they saw another light up a good distance away. The walls were metal sheets welded together, and more solid than rock. They all lost track of time, but they had no choice but to keep going. Whenever they reached a new light the one behind them would go out. And they'd all felt the side tunnels which branched off the one they were following, they'd get completely lost if they tried to find their way out. Finally they reached a light and nothing else lit up.

"Well…now what?" Charlie asked, looking around. Jasmine, once again acting on instinct, grabbed the handle of the lit torch with both hands and twisted it. It clicked into place once it was horizontal and the entire wall split in two, sliding away.

"Wow..." She breathed at the sight before her.

Only one more chapter left! This chapter had a bunch of mushiness...I hope no one minded. I figured we needed some happy mushiness considering every that's happened to these guys ^^

Hope you enjoyed the chapter, please review!!

Your Humble Authoress,

Whisperwings