"Are we there yet?" Leelee asked again, twirling a curl between her fingers. Nick chose not to answer this time, having already given every answer he could think of. All the answers that were left were words that he wasn't quite sure she'd appreciate. He instead pressed on, checking the map in his hands from time to time.

Leelee looked over the Ranger as they walked. Ever since she'd seen him nearly three months ago, she'd wanted him to like her. What wasn't there to like about him? The dark hair, the tan, the whole rebel thing, it was all so sexy. Especially his eyes, those perfect green eyes. They'd been tainted by dark magic, or course, though the crimson had faded to mere flecks on a dark green background. That didn't take away from how perfect he'd seemed. He had more of an edge than Chip or Xander or any other human she'd met. And that body, oh, that body... Even under his intricately designed black vest and dark scarlet shirt, she could almost make out a well-defined six-pack.

Lost in thought, the vampire princess was abruptly jerked back to reality when she bumped into Nick's outstretched arm.

"I think this is it," he said.

"What is it?" she asked back, looking around. She didn't see anything special around them, and it didn't look like they'd made it out of the forest yet.

"It's a line on the map. I think we're there," he answered without looking up. He knew she hadn't been listening for the past few minutes and really didn't care to know why. It was better to just explain it as quickly as possible, find this thing and get away from her for a while. As much as he appreciated some human company of his own age, she was really starting to grate on him.

"And just what is so special about this line?" she demanded, seemingly completely bored with the whole quest.

"Only the words 'Danger and fear shall ye know as you face your greatest woe'." She rolled her eyes.

"Sounds stupid. Come on." Taking a few steps forward, she turned back to prove her point, but Nick wasn't there.

Nick couldn't help but sigh as Leelee vanished a few feet from him.

"Great, just great. She has to go and magically disappear, and I'm the one who has to find her," he muttered wearily to himself, pinching the bridge of his nose in an attempt to relieve the stress she was currently causing him. A small voice told him that he should just go on without her, but his honor told him that he couldn't leave an ally behind, no matter how irritating she had become. Honor was one trait that he'd kept despite his turn to darkness and his father felt the need to reinforce it every time they sparred.

He took a begrudging step forward to where Leelee had disappeared. A ripple of magic washed over him as he glanced around. No Leelee, just - His breath caught in his throat. Madison lay before him, eyes full of fear.

"Please don't hurt me again," she whimpered.

A bright spell seal lit up on the forest floor, spewing an unsteady quartet of teenagers quite unceremoniously. Only Maddie managed to land without stumbling.

"Are you guys all right?" she asked, noticing her friends' adverse reactions.

"Woah," Vida remarked absently, leaning on the nearest tree to regain her balance. Xander and Chip mumbled similar responses, both seeming as unsettled by the method of travel as Vida.

"It wasn't that bad, was it?" Maddie questioned worriedly. Vida shook her head.

"It's not that it was bad, sis. It was just ... different."

"Weird is more like it," Xander added. "How'd you get used to that?"

"Well, Nick helped me out a time or two, and he never did it for more than just me and him." She looked between her guy friends and her sister with a sheepish smile. "I guess I never really felt the full effect like you guys. Sorry." They all gave her short nods of pardon and she patiently waited for them to regain their equilibrium. After several minutes and more than a few comments from Chip about how he wanted to learn how to teleport, they were finally ready to set off toward their goal, a small dot on the map incredibly far from where they seemed to be.

They walked for nearly half an hour before Maddie glanced at the map and found that they'd just crossed a line drawn across the forest, accompanied by a rhyme.

"'Danger and fear shall ye know as you face your greatest woe'," she read aloud, stopping to show her friends. "What do you think that me- Guys?" She looked up, very suddenly noticing the lack of people around her. "Guys?" Absolutely nothing. They'd just disappeared. Her glance shifted back to the map, intent on rereading the rhyme, but something else entirely caught her eyes before they could reach the sheet of parchment.

Her friends and family stood before her, all wearing superior smirks. Even Nick stood amongst them, giving her the same smirk. Her heart leapt as she saw him and she nearly jumped into his arms gleefully, but he pushed her away disgustedly.

"I can't believe how pitiful you are, jumping at me like that," he sneered. "I don't know what I ever saw in you."

"You're no sister of mine," Vida added spitefully. "No sister of mine could be so weak."

"I can't believe we were even friends with her. Why would we even want to know someone as pathetic as she is?"

"She can rot away for all I care. I only pretended to be friends with her to mess with her."

"She's not fit to have friends. No one that shy should even be talked to."

"I'd choose the darkness over her any day. Evil is just so much more satisfying, and I get to see her sad attempts to find me. You make me laugh," Nick said, snorting derisively at her.

"Guys, why are you ... " she feebly tried to protest, but her words died out as their continuing jeers began to soak in. A choked cry escaped her throat as she stared at them hopelessly, condescending smirks plastered across their faces. Her thoughts were pervaded by the hateful words spewing from their mouths until they were all she could hear. Chip, Xander, even Nick and Vida, all beating her down mercilessly. What had gotten into them? Why would they say such hurtful things? She had always thought they'd liked her, Vida and Nick especially. Vida had always been so fiercely protective, and Nick had been so passionate, so loving. Why were they saying those painful things?

Finally, as the verbal abuse became too much, paired with the repressed stress she'd been under since Nick was turned, she sank to the ground and sobbed.

Vida found herself abruptly alone. Only seconds ago, Maddie had stood just inches from her. Now they were all gone. When she tried twisting her body around to look for them, she couldn't move much aside from her head. A quick glance downward revealed that both her hands and her feet were chained to the ground by tarnished steel chains. Where had those come from? She scanned the area for anyone who could've chained her down almost instantly like that, and her eyes fell on a frightening sight.

Not ten feet from her, her friends and sister lay limp, chained down much like she was. Bruises were spattered across their bodies along with the occasional spot of a crusty crimson something that Vida could only assume was blood. Their usual uniforms were torn unevenly and stained by dirt and blood.

For a moment, she feared that they were all dead, but hope ignited in her as Maddie shifted her arm weakly.

"Sis!" the Pink Ranger called out desperately. The girl seemed to respond to her sister's voice, rolling her head toward the elder girl slowly. Her eyes fluttered open, shocking Vida. They were so broken, so full of despair, it made her want to cry.

"Help me," Madison rasped, voice lacking any hope or emotion. Vida struggled fiercely against the chains that tethered her to the ground, bu they refused to budge. "Please help me," her sister pleaded feebly again as Vida gave one last ferocious pull against the chains before sinking to her knees in despair. A beam of light entered her mind in the thought of using her wand, but even that dissipated as she turned to her hip and found the device gone. With no other ideas that seemed even remotely possible, Vida could only look back to her twin and let the silent tears coat her cheeks.

"Ha ha, very funny, guys. You can come out now," Xander said humorlessly, looking around. Madison, Chip and Vida were nowhere to be found, even though they'd been -

He rolled his eyes as he found their hiding spot, if you could even call it that. They were standing out in the open about twenty feet from him. He jogged up to the group, noticing that Nick had joined them.

"When'd you get here, mate?" he asked their leader, setting a hand on his shoulder. None of them answered, simply turning toward him in unison.

"Uh, guys?" the Green Ranger asked nervously, unnerved by his friends' odd behaviour. "What's going on?"

"Why should we tell you?" Vida said, voice colder than dry ice.

"Yeah, you're not our friend," Chip added with a malicious glare. "You don't even have any friends."

"No one likes you. They never have."

"Even your parents left you here to rot."

"Face it. No one likes you, and no one ever will," Nick scoffed, eyes full of hate.

"Guys, what's wrong with you?" Xander stammered faintly.

"Nothing is wrong with us," Madison spat. "It's you that has the problem."

"Nobody likes you, but it's not like you can take a hint. You're too busy thinking you're hot shit."

"Guys, how could you... Why would you..." His words died away even as he tried vocalizing them, harsh glares from his so-called friends silencing him.

"We don't like you, Xander. Never have. Why don't you just leave? Not that anyone will like you anywhere else." The Green Ranger openly gaped at the quartet, ability to speak lost to the flurry of cutting words. Sinking to the ground despondently, he didn't even notice as all of the vegetation around him shriveled and died.

Chip stopped being distracted by every thought that rushed through his mind long enough to realize that he was alone. Everyone else seemed to have vanished. He did a quick 360 to check the area and when he'd gone completely around, his eyes were met with a terrifying sight.

Seven charred bodies lay stiff before him. He recognized three instantly with a simultaneous sickening lurch of his stomach. He'd seen those three disfigured corpses before, nearly ten years ago. They were his parents and sister.

He found himself unconsciously wiping the tears out of the corners of his eyes, trying to see who the other four were. They seemed so familiar, these four, but he couldn't place them, let alone think coherently when his mind kept drifting back to his long-deceased family. Everything he'd felt those ten-odd years ago rushed back to him in an instant - the curling wisps of smoke, the bright, flickering flames, the acrid smell of burning flesh, his uncle's firm hand holding him back as he frantically struggled against it, trying to salvage any part of his life before it all burned away. It was something that no one should go through, especially not a six-year-old boy with a tendency toward escapism.

Even at seventeen, the memories held every bit as much pain as they had eleven years ago. He could still hear his sister's choked screams echoing throughout the neighborhood, still feel how tightly his uncle gripped his shoulder and how the smoke burned his lungs.

When he could bear to look again, he saw not only the bodies of his family and those other four, but of everyone he knew, from Toby to Clare to Leelee. They all lay around him, blackened and still smoldering.

Just when he thought it all might overpower him, something in his mind clicked with a nauseating jolt. He knew who the four were, which quartet was missing from the multitudes of bodies surrounding him. They were his friends.

With that realization as the straw that broke the camel's back, the young man sunk to the ground much like he had eleven years ago, arms curling around his legs as he let his tears flow.

"Nick, where are you? This isn't funny anymore," Leelee called out. She pushed some brush in front of her out of the way only to find a lone figure standing there. It was too far away to tell, not to mention how dark it was in this forest, but she could tell that it definitely wasn't human. Joy.

"Hello?" she asked it, taking a step forward. Instantly, she was standing in the Underworld. "What happened? How'd I get here?" the vampire princess demanded, touching a wall to confirm that this really was the Underworld and not an illusion. Her hand was met by cool stone, meaning this truly was the pit, or a product of extremely complex illusionary magic. The other creature was next to her in a lightning quick flash, letting out a shrieking laugh.

"You jest, daughter. You've always been down here, and you will be for all eternity," answered Necrolai. Leelee gave her mother a disgruntled look.

"And what do you mean by that? Where's Nick?" The vampire queen scoffed.

"That mortal? He has been dead for over a millennium. We are all that is left of the darkness." Leelee rolled her eyes.

"Yeah right, like I'm supposed to believe that. Luthaar," she said, waiting for the spell to take effect. She may have been half vampire, but her human half meant she could use magic when she needed to, albeit dampened by her vampiric half. When nothing happened, she threw her mother an acid glare.

"What'd you do to me?" she spat. Necrolai only shook her head, resting her forehead on the palm of her hand in disappointment.

"Foolish girl. We are trapped in this pit for the rest of our existence. We are here forever."

"But that's impossible," the vampire princess replied, still indignant. "I can't live forever. I didn't get any of your vampire powers." Her mother chuckled derisively.

"You inherited one, daughter. My longevity is yours, and we are here for all eternity." As the words sank in, disbelief began to fade away. Her mother was speaking the truth. She was stuck in this desolate abyss forever.

No. She refused to let desolation sink in. As a half-vampire, she'd at least have aged. And for not even a few Hidiacs to have survived? They were zombies; it wasn't like they could die of old age. This couldn't be real. It wasn't. None of this was real. She repeated that line over and over in her mind, making it feel more true every time she said it.

Responding to her thoughts, the caves around her shimmered away, revealing the Cimmerian Forest. She looked around happily, glad to be out of the freakish mind trick, and her eyes fell on Nick. He was crouched down, hands hovering in the air as if actually resting on something. She started toward him, but something stopped. There was something going on here, and she needed a few more minutes to think it over. Nick could wait a little longer, whatever was going on with him.

Madison lay sprawled before him, scars and burns littering her body, only key scraps of her former uniform remaining. She looked as if she would cry just from seeing him.

Shaking himself out of his trance, he took a few steps forward and knelt next to her. He tried placing a hand on her shoulder, but she flinched from even his touch.

"Oh, Maddie," he murmured, brushing a finger across her cheek despite her not so involuntarily recoil. "What have I done?"

"What haven't you done?" she threw back, no real conviction in her words or emotion in her eyes. She may have retained her wit, but there was no heart behind it anymore, as if it had become merely a reflex. It broke Nick's heart to see her like this, and because of him.

"How did this happen?" he asked quietly, question directed only toward himself. "How could this happen?"

"The same way it always happens. Something goes wrong and here I am," Maddie answered, words falling short of what could've been hatred. He glanced up into those dead eyes, so hollow and cold, and forced himself to keep looking despite the overwhelming urge to look away, to pretend she wasn't there.

"But I would never hurt you," he said unconvincingly. The girl before him was enough to put a shred of doubt in his mind.

"Like hell you would. It's all you do now."

"I love you, though," he replied weakly. She only rolled her eyes, adding to his mounting doubt and confusion. What was wrong with her? She knew he loved her no matter what, but this Madison didn't seem to know or care. What had happened to her that had broken her in such a way? How could he have even done something that terrible that it destroyed her feelings for him? And how could it have happened so fast? He hadn't even seen her in almost two weeks. He had to know exactly how this had happened. If he didn't, it would eat away at him for an eternity. He gently reached out to her, probing the edges of her mind, and found something entirely different.

This Maddie, the one lying before him, had no thoughts. None whatsoever. He couldn't feel a single thought or emotion even in the darkest depths. That wasn't possible. Even a Maddie this broken would have thoughts, unless -

Unless she wasn't real. He almost laughed with realization. She wasn't real. She was only an illusion, a figment of his imagination.

As this simple fact began to take hold in his mind, everything around him faded away, revealing only himself and Leelee. The vampire princess grinned gleefully when she saw Nick shake his head, trying to rid himself of the images that still lingered.

"What happened to you?" Leelee asked, taking a few steps closer to him and offering her hand. He took it without hesitation and stood up.

"I'm not sure," he answered, rubbing a temple in an attempt to ward away the last dregs of the strange experience. "It was kind of like a nightmare, but I was awake." She nodded.

"Like you faced a really big fear that you weren't really sure existed until now?" It was his turn to nod. "Yeah, the same thing happened to me." Her glanced at her, unsure of why she could be so perky after claiming to go through a potentially traumatizing event.

"And as fun as this little detour has been, we need to keep going," Nick said, promptly changing the subject. The less he had to think about that strange Madison, the better.

"Do we have to?" she whined, giving the former Red Ranger a pouty frown. When she received a withering glare from him, she conceded with a simple "Fine." With that, they began their trek once again, one step closer to the Fire Heart.

Even as Madison quietly cried, her friends continued to mock her. Their words struck a chord deep within her, a metaphorical stab to the heart.

"Look at her crying," Nick snickered. "How pitiful."

"Aww, are the big bad people calling you names?" Vida asked in a voice that you'd use to talk to babies. "And you're just going to cry about it. Typical."

"She could fight back, but nooo. We'll cry instead, thank you very much."

"Always the shy, sensitive wallflower. No wonder she has no friends. No one wants to deal with such a reserved, boring girl."

How could they say those things? They were her friends, and yet here they were, saying these stupid things, bringing up her tiniest insecurities and mocking them. It wasn't right. No, it wasn't right at all...

As that thought echoed in her mind, she felt a righteous fury building up within her. The tears that had just moments ago spilled from her eyes ceased, replaced by an ever-so-slight touch of red coating her vision.

They were her friends. They weren't supposed to say things like that. Something strange was going on here, and it wasn't right. Every other thought fled her mind as she became intent on righting this wrong.

She stood herself up slowly, looking fiercely at each of what she could only assume were imposters. They sure as hell weren't her real friends. Her powerful new stance and aura didn't seem to faze them, as they kept verbally breaking her down.

"Stop," she said forcefully, finally catching their attention. All their words faltered as they stared at her.

"I have no clue what your collective problems are, and I don't care. Nothing gives you the right to say those stupid, arrogant things about me. Stop, or I'll make you myself." They all blinked a few times and, much to Maddie's surprise, vanished. Maddie herself blinked and looked around as the hint of red in her vision faded away. Just feet from her stood Vida, Chip and Xander, all seemingly struggling against invisible tortures in various poses. It vaguely registered in the back of her mind that all the grass around Xander seemed to have died in the few minutes she'd been stuck in her waking nightmare.

Filing the thought away, she stepped toward her friends, but hesitated in helping them for a moment, not sure what effect her interference could have. It only took her another second to dismiss the consequences and bend down to look at her sister, placing a hand on her shoulder.

This could be interesting, she thought as the world around her shimmered away and she felt a sudden jerk from behind her naval.

She couldn't bear to look up as a hand touched down on her shoulder. If she didn't look, then it wasn't there. Her friends wouldn't be hurt and Maddie wouldn't be pleading for help that Vida couldn't give. She chose to let a few despondent tears escape and soak into her uniform.

Only when a soft voice said "Hey, sis," did she look up. Hope threatened to burst her wide open when she saw Madison's compassionate face smiling at her.

"Maddie?" she asked, praying that this wasn't a hallucination. The Blue Ranger nodded.

"It's me," she answered with a smile like sunshine. Vida glanced between the two Maddies, realizing how utterly confusing this suddenly was.

"But you - "she stammered, indicating the other Madison, still staring vacantly their way. The real Maddie looked at her and gasped. It was a perfect replica of herself. Well, almost perfect. This copy was beaten and utterly broken, and nothing like the real version. Next to it lay their three guy friends, all in the same condition as her own clone. It was a stunning sight to see herself in such a way, let alone her friends, but she knew that she had to remain strong and pull the team out of this like a good leader. Putting the smile that had fallen away back on, she looked to Vida again.

"She's not real, Veed. I am. She's just an illusion," Maddie answered, giving her twin a smile. "You believe me, right?" Vida blinked back a few tears and nodded.

"I believe you," the girl managed, forcing back the few happy tears that welled up.

"Then you have to take my hand," Maddie responded, holding a hand out to her twin, "and we can get out of here." The Pink Ranger eagerly took her sister's hand and instantly, the world around them shifted. No longer did her friends lie tortured out of her reach, but frozen a few steps to her right.

"Are they... ?" Vida asked, standing up with Maddie as the younger twin nodded.

"Yeah, they are. And we need to help them." It was Vida's turn to nod as the twins each approached one of the guys. Nodding to each other, they each grasped onto their respective friend's shoulder. While Maddie was ready for what was to come, Vida was completely unprepared for both the naval jerk and what she would face in Chip's reality.

Madison found herself very suddenly surrounded by dead vegetation as she was pulled into Xander's world. In fact, every plant within ten feet of him was darkened and crunchy. He himself had wrapped his arms around his legs, curled into an almost fetal position.

"Xander?" she said gently, not wanting to startle him. He didn't even react to her voice. "Xander?" The second time garnered a reaction, small as it was.

"What?" he replied miserably, not looking up. "I thought you hated me."

"Xander, I could never hate you," Maddie stated, moving to his front and crouching before him. She softly lifted his chin up, forcing him to look at her. "You're too charming not to like, even if Plan Xander doesn't always work." Xander's face was graced by a quick smile, but that quickly vanished after a moment. It was replaced by a depressed frown.

"You're just saying that so that it hurts more when you say you hate me."

"No," she replied adamantly. "It's true. Xander, we love you. You are charming and smart and the best supervisor we could ask for, even when you're just sitting around. You even kick some major butt with that axe of yours." This time his smile stuck, tiny as it was.

"Really? But what about them?" he asked, pointing to the others behind her. She glanced back, a smile spreading across her face.

"They aren't real, silly. Those fakes couldn't hold a candle to us." His smile grew wider, hope ballooning dangerously in his chest.

"So are you ready to join us back in reality?" she asked after a moment, holding out a hand. The Green Wizard took it after a moment's hesitation. Everything around them shimmered slightly as they were pulled back into normalcy. Save for a patch of dead grass where Xander had been sitting, everything seemed to still be alive and back to its regular greenery. Now Madison could only hope that Vida was faring as well.

The world Vida found herself in was startling, to say the least. Her heart broke to look around at the charred scenery, and it broke again as she saw seven bodies all in a neat row just feet from the pair. She recognized all seven vaguely, and knew exactly why Chip was trapped here: his house had burned down when he was six, almost seven, and he'd been the only survivor. Neither Vida nor Madison had known him very long when it had happened, but they'd seen the effect it'd had on him. His mother, father, sister, house and belongings all gone in less than an hour - it was a wonder he even talked now.

"Oh, Chip," she murmured to herself, voice brimming with compassion. He didn't look her in the face, choosing instead to stare at the ground vacantly as tears coated his cheeks.

"Everyone's gone again," he whispered hoarsely after a moment, not really talking to anyone but himself. "They all left me again. They always leave me." Vida, not knowing what else to do, bent down and pulled her oldest friend unexpectedly into a tight hug. This was enough to pull him back to reality, or at least the sham of a reality he was stuck in.

"V?" he asked softly, slowly wrapping his arms around her. "How are you here? You're -" His words broke off abruptly as he glanced to the septet of bodies to his right. Vida followed his line of vision, stomach lurching as her eyes fell on one particular body. It was charred hideously, but she now recognized it easily. It was her. Tears welled up in her eyes as the impact of it all hit her.

"Chip, they're not real. You have to believe me," she choked out, managing to smile through the few tears that escaped. He stared at the bodies in despair for another moment before turning his gaze back to her.

"But Mom and Dad and Elly... "

"Aren't real. Your real family is back in Briarwood, and they're still gone. But your uncle is still there, and I know he needs you around. Who else would help him remember where he leaves everything?" The Yellow Ranger cracked a small smile.

"I know, V. But you guys are all gone too... " Vida shook her head, entire demeanor resolute.

"They're cheap copies, just illusions. I'm the real deal, and I can help you get out of here. You have to believe me, though." She gave him a meaningful look and after a few seconds, he grinned.

"I do. So how do we get out of here?" he asked, pushing himself into a standing position. Vida followed suit, holding out a hand.

"Just take my hand and we're off." Her heart jumped as she realized that he'd already entwined his hand with her own. The feeling was quickly and easily attributed to the sudden shift in reality and was promptly forgotten about. As they appeared back in the true reality, so did Madison and Xander.

"Good to see you feeling more yourself again," Xander said cheerfully to Chip, who smiled back.

"Good to see you alive," he replied, a hint of sadness in his voice. The Green Wizard stared at his friend quizzically, but Maddie stepped in before he could ask any questions.

"Now that we've all made it past that little road block, we should get back to finding the Fire Heart before anyone else does. The darkness wants it too, and I've got this feeling that they're close," she stated authoritatively. The others simply nodded and followed the already leaving girl as she wove between the gnarled Cimmerian trees. They didn't know it, but she was becoming more anxious with every step closer to this Fire Heart. Something nagged on the edge of her mind, but she couldn't place exactly what it was. She finally chalked it up to the warped magic of the forest after many silent minutes trying to pin it down. Still, the feelings of both dread and excitement weighing down in her gut couldn't be ignored.

"Almost there," Nick said, stepping over a fallen tree. Leelee was right behind him, trying not to get too much mud on her platform boots.

"Thankfully," she muttered back, looking disgustedly at the bugs crawling over the log.

"Here we go," he stated, ignoring her comment as he glanced between an open quarry and the map. Without hesitation, he walked into the dusty ground, the bright sun shining down on his dirtied uniform. Leelee moved to his side, frowning.

"So where's this Fire Heart?" she asked. "I want to get out of here." As Nick rolled his eyes at her stereotypical comment, a glint of gold caught them.

"How's that for you?" he said, pointing to the distant glimmer. The two exchanged a glance and broke into a nigh-sprint toward it, which wasn't exceptionally easy seeing as both were wearing boots. 'It' turned out to be a large golden rock buried under a pile of other rocks. The pair quickly moved the other stones away, completely revealing the golden rock and the small symbol etched into the top.

"This is has to be it," Nick said absently. Kneeling to examine it, he muttered something and tapped the symbol. A few words in Ancient shimmered in the air for a minute before fading away. Leelee just stared with an arched eyebrow.

"So what did that mumbo jumbo say?" Nick glanced up at her.

"What, you can't read a simple line of the language of the Ancients?"

"No. I never had the need to growing up in a pit," she huffed.

"Whatever," Nick replied, glancing back to the stone. "It says that the secrets of the Fire Heart lie within."

"And just how are we supposed to open up that stupid rock?" Nick flashed her a smile.

"Leave that to me." He stood up and moved a few feet back, pulling Leelee along beside him. She found herself backing up a few more feet as he held up a hand and aimed two fingers at the stone, as if his hand were a gun. Without warning, a stream of fire erupted from the tips of those two fingers, engulfed the rock and liquefying the solid gold around it. A small metal tube was all that was left as he pulled his hand up, ending the fire stream. He stepped forward to grab it when he was distracted by a rustling sound to his left. Both he and Leelee leapt into fighting positions without a thought, but were frozen to the spot the moment he saw the quartet come over the small hill.

Madison was in the front, staring down at the map in her hands, followed by Chip and Xander, with Vida taking up the rear. The latter three froze as they saw the Underworld duo, but Maddie kept walking, too absorbed by the map.

"This should be it, guys," she said out loud, looking to either side of her. When she realized that no one was there, she turned to look at her stock-still friends. "What's wrong? You guys look like you've seen a ghost." None responded, save for the shaky finger Vida held up toward Nick and Leelee. Maddie followed the invisible line her sister's finger made, eyes widening in what would've been a comical expression if it hadn't been for the current situation.

"Nick?" she sputtered, completely sucked in by his presence. His eyes had changed greatly since she last saw them, now a dark green with dull flecks of crimson sticking out sporadically. Despite the fact that nothing else seemed to have changed much, he still seemed more gorgeous than she remembered. Maybe it was only the time apart, but she couldn't deny it.

"And... Leelee?" Vida added questioningly, moving to a spot next to her sister. Chip and Xander followed close behind, flanking the twin Rangers.

"What are you doing here?" Xander asked, more than a little confused by the blonde's presence.

"The same thing you are," the vampire princess sneered. "Looking for the secrets of the Fire Heart."

"But how?" Leelee smirked, dropping her fists and flipping a flaxen lock over her shoulder.

"That's not for you to know, Ranger," she answered, adding extra venom to the last word.

"Whatever your story is, the Fire Heart is ours," Vida stated. Her glare, which could wither the mightiest warrior, only made Leelee's smirk wider.

"Strong words, Pinky, but we already have it." She walked over to Nick's right side and slipped the ancient container out from under the slowly cooling metal. A fire flared up in Vida's eyes.

"No one calls me Pinky," she growled, lunging at the young woman. For a moment, the other Rangers could only stare at the spectacle, save for Nick and Madison, both of whom hadn't removed their eyes from each other or heard a word the others said. As that moment passed and Leelee proved that she was a more than capable fighter, Xander and Chip jumped into the fray. All three Rangers, who'd begun their training only months before, against Leelee, who'd been trained since birth, was an almost even match. Both sides called repeatedly for their frozen members, but the two seemed to be drifting toward each other instead of the fight.

Vida, with the help of Chip, fully dislodged the tube from Leelee's hands and backed away from the fight. While Xander and Chip did their best to hold the vampire princess at bay, the Pink Ranger eagerly opened the golden-black cylinder and pulled out an ancient piece of parchment. Just as she began to unroll it, Leelee delivered a swift roundhouse kick to Chip and Xander, sending them flying away from her. Seizing her opening, she jumped up next to Vida and grabbed one end of the rolled paper. They both tried fighting the other, but it was almost useless without their hands. Vida kicked Leelee's feet out from underneath her, realizing only as the girl went down that they both still had firm grips on the paper. It tore is half with a ripping sound that seemed louder than it was. Vida was thrown back abruptly by the sudden release of force, landing on her back in a fashion similar to Leelee. Chip and Xander clamored up and rushed to Vida's side, helping her up. When both girls saw they only had one half of the map and how adamant the other was about getting it, they realized the futility of pushing the battle any further.

"Time to go, sis," Vida said, looking over to her twin as Leelee looked to Nick.

"Let's blow this joi- Ewww... " Leelee added, disgust crossing her face as she saw Madison and Nick.

The two were engaged in a passionate make out session. Maddie's hands were woven through Nick's hair, while his hands rested on her hips, occasionally moving to the small of her back. Both of their faces were flushed and neither seemed aware of the fight that had just taken place next to them. Their teammates stared at them horror for a moment before they were on the couple, tearing them apart forcefully.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Leelee shouted at Nick, who seemed incredibly dazed. "I could've used your help in the fight back there." Vida was busy shouting similar things at her twin while Chip and Xander tried to bring the girl back to reality.

"... And now we only have half of the map!" was the first thing both teens heard from their respective teammates as they came out of their trances. Leelee shook Nick harshly.

"What were you doing kissing her? She's the enemy!" The young man's eyes snapped to her, giving her a furious glare.

"She is not my enemy," he stated, eyes alight with passion as he pushed her hands off his shoulders. "She's my girlfriend."

"She's on their side. You're on ours. She has to be your enemy because she's good." He shook his head.

"No. She may be good, but she'll never be my enemy." Realizing that he wasn't going to relent, Leelee caved, at least for the time being.

"Whatever," she replied with a roll of her eyes, grabbing Nick's hand. "Let's just get out of here now."

Less than ten feet from the duo, Vida was trying to convince Maddie of the same thing.

"He's evil now," she said, "and that means you can't kiss him in the middle of battle. Hell, you shouldn't make out in battle even when he's good. You just can't go making out with him whenever you damn well please!"

"He's still got some good in him," Maddie replied. "I can see it in his eyes. And it's not like you lost the fight."

"We only have half of the map! That's not exactly winning to me." Amidst the twin's fervor, something in Madison's mind clicked.

"I can get the other half," she said with a quick grin, stepping in front of her friends and flipping open her wand. "Acci map!"

Nick could feel the spell coming and instinctively turned around, shouting, "Declin signum!" A dark purple-gold seal flared up underneath he and Leelee and absorbed the spell. Everyone stared at him in amazement, but his gaze was affixed to Madison.

"Nice try," he said, completely honest. "But it wasn't enough. We'll keep our half of the map and you keep yours, like it's meant to be." He sighed, a deep, soul-bearing sigh. "I miss you, Maddie. Today was good, but it's not enough. I wish it didn't have to be this way."

"Me too," she murmured back, a few tears clinging to her eyes. "Please don't go."

"I have to," he replied sadly. The other four teens were seemingly frozen as the two came together and kissed again, a soft meeting of lips that lasted only for a moment. It was over after a few seconds, and then Nick was back at Leelee's side, leaving Maddie feeling unfulfilled as he disappeared with the vampiress. As stellar as the kisses had been, they didn't begin to break down the excruciating longing for any Nick that had built up over the past week or so.

It was a moment before she realized that the few tears she'd been holding back now stained her cheeks. Vida's hand now rested on her shoulder.

"We need to get back to Root Core," the Sprite stated, layers of sympathy playing in her voice. Maddie simply nodded and forced her feet to move, too caught up in her thoughts to really know what she was doing. All she could think of was when she'd see Nick again, of all the things she would do. She would see him again, that much she knew. She would make sure of it.

"Only half of the map? You bring me only half of the secret of the Fire Heart?" rumbled Morticon, launching himself off of his throne with his sword drawn. As he swung at Nick, his fang-sword was met by two blades; Nick himself had summoned his MagiStaff sword, albeit slightly different looking than its original form. Koragg had too drawn his blade and halted the blow. The three stood still for a second, the father and son glaring at the cyborg, who sent back an equally powerful glare. Finally, the latter dropped his blade away from the others' and sat back on his throne.

"You'd better have a good explanation, Red Wizard," he growled. Nick willed his sword away, unfazed by Morticon's anger.

"Actually, it's because of me that we even have half. If I hadn't stopped her spell, Madison would've summoned it out of Leelee's hands."

"And why didn't you take the other half from this Blue Witch?"

"She would've used the same spell to stop mine. It would've been pointless." Leelee stepped forward, throwing herself into the conversation.

"It was kind of pointless to send me up, too. I know I kicked some ass while he was making out, but now the Rangers know who I am. They won't let me anywhere near them now." Morticon held up a hand.

"Wait. While the Red Wizard was doing what?"

"Kissing Madison, duh." She added extra emphasis to the last word, like he should know all the slang from the surface.

"He did what?" Morticon shouted, leaping up from his throne again and throwing Nick an acid stare. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

"I don't have to explain myself to you," Nick replied coldly. "Now, unless we have anything else important to discuss, I'm leaving." He waited only a moment before about-facing and stalking back to the series of caverns he currently called home. Morticon, Necrolai and Leelee simply stared in a stunned fashion at where he'd exited, while Koragg smirked. The boy's brazen attitude in the face of such powerful creatures was incredible, but not unexpected. It was a trait the both of them shared, among many others. Nick truly was his father's son, and the similarities bled through his every action. This pleased Koragg to no end, knowing that everything was exactly as it should be and there was no way to change it.

A/N - Wow, this one took a long time to bang out. I'm not sure why, though. I'm just glad I finished it, seeing as school starts tomorrow for me. I'm not sure how it'll affect updates, but we'll find out, I guess. I did some minor editing to all of the chapters up to six or seven (I can't remember), but nothing major. Just little things. There's no need to go back and reread them unless you want to. This chapter was fun, despite the time between updates and the torture I put some characters through. I hope you guys like the fears and you think they feel appropriate for the characters.

On a side note, RangerLove made a great trailer for this story. Check it out and comment her if you want to. I personally love it. This chapter is dedicated to her because of it.

And I know I keep saying that I'm getting close to writing the last chapters (on paper) but I really am now. Just to let you know, this story will be over after the Stranger Within series plays out in its own way in my story. Don't think it'll be over soon because of that, though. The next few parts will be a mix of original scenes and adaptations of both Stranger Within parts. And there will be a sequel, if you can call it that. It's less of a sequel and more of a continuation, chronicling how the other episodes would've played out in the AU. I've got some big ideas for this story, which'll probably be longer than this current one, and they're getting bigger every day.

Anyway, I'll shut up now and move to the next chapter. Until next time!