He awoke before anyone else. He slipped outside and warped to the place he swore he'd never go to again. He found Ash and his wife just waking up.
"Pips!" Ash yelped, seeing him suddenly. "Where the devil did you come from?"
"Home," he replied. "I need to talk to you both."
"Pips, it's not time yet," Mother said hurriedly. "Roman has been in hiding. We haven't been able to find him to confront him. Tamsyn is not helping us either..."
"It's not about that," Pips interrupted. "It's about something else." Ash and Mother looked at each other. They had a feeling they knew what was coming.
"And what is that?" Ash asked.
"Look, you don't know me that well, but you do know what kind of man I am," Pips began. "I am very much in love with your daughter, and I'm here asking you for approval on our relationship."
"Oh my," Mother said, covering her mouth. Ash sat in stunned silence. Pips felt very nervous suddenly. All his confidence was seeping away quickly.
"You...you love Crysta?" Ash clarified. Pips nodded. "When did...how did...?"
"Ever since I laid eyes on her," Pips confessed. "She feels the same about me. You can ask her. She wanted me to ask you over a year ago when I was last here, but I thought I was hearing Roman ask first, so I just left."
"Roman never asked me..." Ash started.
"I know," Pips finished. "I heard what he can do."
"You poor thing!" Mother cried. "How awful. You should have come to us anyway."
"I didn't know," Pips told her.
"Look, son," Ash said. "I am impressed at your gall here. You do realize Roman will have your head if we say yes?"
"I know, but I don't care," Pips replied. "Let him try. We're safe where we are. I just need an answer so I can tell her."
"She really wants this?" Ash confirmed. He had an inkling before about it, but he stayed out of those kinds of things.
"Yes," Pips nodded. "As do I. More than anything."
"You've made your point," Ash stopped him from continuing. He looked toward his wife, who was smiling behind her hand.
"Well, I'm a yes," Mother said, making Pips' heart skip a beat. He turned to Ash who was sitting there thinking.
"I hate to break an arrangement..." he hesitated.
"Oh, Ash, seriously," Mother snapped at him. "The boy choked her and beat her! We are NOT letting them stay together."
"Yes, yes, yes," Ash said, "don't remind me. It still doesn't seem like him though, but I guess without him here saying otherwise, it's admitting guilt."
"Just give the poor boy an answer," Mother implored. She wanted to see her daughter happy, and it appeared this boy would do just that for her.
"All right," Ash said, exasperated. "You have a yes from me as well."
"Thank you. Thank you both..."
"Save it," Ash cut him off. "Get back to her, or I might change my mind." Pips turned to leave.
"We'll be in touch!" Mother called after him. Then he was gone.
"Well," she said to Ash. "I told you he was the better one."
"Whatever," he replied irritably. "Do you always have to point out when you're right?"
"Yes," she said haughtily. "It's good to remind you." Ash sighed, shaking his head. It was time to try and find the elusive Roman again.
Daintree rainforest...
He was barely twenty yards from home when he was tackled. He and the other person landed hard, and Pips couldn't get his arms from out under him to fight back. Fingers grasped the back of his neck hard.
"Didn't think I'd find you huh? Thought you could get Ash's approval and then waltz on back here unharmed?" Roman said menacingly in his ear. "You thought wrong." He could barely contain his anger. He had his worst enemy pinned underneath him, and all he wanted to do was finish him off.
"Get off and we'll talk," Pips tried, his voice muffled. Roman pushed down harder with his knee, making Pips grunt in pain.
"Not a chance. I guess I didn't make myself clear to you throughout the years did I?" he growled.
"I think you made it pretty clear when you made her look like that," Pips wheezed. He needed air desperately. Roman tightened his grip around his neck.
"That was an accident. I wasn't intentionally trying to hurt her..."
"Bull shit!" Pips barked, cutting him off. "You don't accidentally beat somebody up, ever! You got caught and dumped, there was no reason for doing that to her. You never wanted her anyway!"
"What would you know?!" Roman practically howled.
"I know when you sleep with someone else than the one you're with it means you're not wanting her," Pips spat back. "Get off and fight me like a man!" Roman responded by punching him in the back of the head. He made to punch him again when a strong hand caught his wrist.
"Only a coward fights someone while they've got their opponent cornered and helpless," Damian said calmly. "Get off, now." Roman heeded, eyeing Damian's hand on his wrist still.
"I could snap you in half in seconds," Damian told him, seeing this. "Don't try anything. I hear you're wanted for assault. I can see why." Pips struggled to his feet, his throat throbbing and his head blurry. "You all right, mate?" Damian asked him.
"Yea," he croaked in return. "Thanks."
"My pleasure," Damian answered. He looked Roman up and down. "You're in big trouble, mister." He hauled Roman along with him back to where Cliff was.
"Uncle Pips!" Grace called, rushing to him. She had waited like her father told her, but seeing her uncle in pain worried her. She had waited until they were gone before going to him.
"Gracie girl," he replied, massaging his neck. "What are you doing here?"
"I came to see if you're okay," she said. "That man hurt you." She stood on her tiptoes to examine Pips' neck.
"I'm all right," he reassured her, giving her a bear hug. "Your dad saved my butt."
"I know," she smiled. "Is that man going to be punished?"
"For more than just attacking me, yes," Pips answered. "Come on. Let's go see how this ends." They walked together after Damian. Rose was outside when they approached.
"What's going on?" she asked, seeing Roman in Damian's tight grasp.
"You!" Roman snarled, pointing to her. "It was you!"
"Me?" Rose asked, startled. "What are you talking about?"
"You came and told me to let go of my anger at the orphanage!" Roman shouted. "You said it would help me! Guess what? It didn't help me!"
"I have no idea what you're saying," Rose said, looking strange suddenly. "I have never met you before in my life." Even Damian noticed her facial expression, and he wondered what it meant.
"I was a kid!" Roman yelled. "You said to stay with my brother and to let go of the anger, that it would destroy me! I didn't deal with it at all, and now look at me!"
"Yes, I can see you're quite angry," Rose nodded solemnly. "But I still don't recall ever telling anyone those things." Roman tried to lunge at her, but Damian held him back aggressively.
"That's enough, man," he said, shaking him. "Let it go."
"What's all the racket?" Cliff asked, Alice behind him. They both froze. Cliff wasn't sure if he was seeing what he thought he was seeing. One look at Alice confirmed it for him. She hurried away after seeing Roman. She knew who he was. She had to warn Crysta.
"This guy attacked Pips, and I believe he's the same guy who assaulted our friend, Crysta," Damian explained. "He's wanted by Ash if I recall correctly."
"That he is," Cliff agreed. "I'll take him back myself." He went to take Roman off of Damian's hands when Roman broke free and bounded towards Crysta in the corner. He had seen her sneak in quietly to observe. She tried to run, but he still caught her and gripped her shoulders hard.
"No!" Pips shouted, racing to help. Cliff and Damian were there within seconds.
"You wouldn't listen!" Roman was yelling at her. "I need to explain!" He saw the fear in her eyes. Had he really become a monster to her?
"That's enough!" Cliff roared, hauling him off and slapping him soundly in the face. Roman keeled over, gripping his face. Pips bent over her, reassuring her she was okay. She grasped his hands, allowing him to pull her into his arms. She buried her head as Roman kept yelling at her while Cliff dragged him away. Then they were gone.
"What a nut job," Damian muttered to no one in particular. He turned to Rose. "You okay?"
"Yea," she said absently. "I'm great." She had a horrible sinking feeling that she was indeed responsible for Roman's behavior. She knew all about time travel and how it was done, but she had never tried it. This got her thinking. Did she live another life? Perhaps she really had told him those things. What would possess her to though? She couldn't understand. She had also always suspected she had had something to do with Julian's death too, but with no memory of it, she chalked it up to luck that he had mysteriously died.
"Mom?" Grace asked, standing before her. Her attention snapped back to the present. "Can we continue now?"
"Yes, absolutely," Rose answered. "I'll see you later," she said to Damian. He left shortly after to give Pips a moment alone.
"He really is insane," Crysta said finally. "I've never seen him like that before. I have no idea what's wrong with him."
"I'm sure your father will figure it out," Pips told her. "You sure you're okay?"
"I am. Just a little sore," she winced.
"Let's have Ma check you out," he said, helping her to her feet. "Just in case." Alice was furious.
"Some nerve of that boy to come here and attack you again!" she said shrilly.
"Ma, he's gone now. It's all right," Pips started.
"I can't stand such horrible acts!" she went on, not hearing him. "If he was alone with me right now I would..."
"Ma!" Pips called, shaking her shoulders. Alice came to.
"I'm sorry," she said, pulling his hands off. "Come here, let me look." She gingerly felt Crysta's neck and shoulders for signs of anything broken or damaged. "I think you're fine. Another attack like that, though, and you'll be lucky if your neck doesn't break," she warned. Crysta nodded meekly. She had no plans to be strangled again.
"Go," Alice ordered. "I need to think." Pips tugged her along with him, leaving his mother muttering to herself.
"Will she be all right?" Crysta asked, concerned.
"She'll be fine. She's just mad," he replied. "Come on. You might as well be with me for the rest of the day." Crysta was fine with this and followed until her mother appeared right in front of them.
"Mother!" she cried. Mother looked green and shaky on her feet.
"Crysta, love," she said after swallowing a few times. "You need to come home."
"Why?" Crysta asked, tightening her grip on Pips' hand.
"He's being sentenced, but we need you there as solid proof. Come along now," she gestured. Crysta looked at Pips sorrowfully.
"Go," he said, nodding at her encouragingly. "I'll be here."
"You come too," Mother said. "He attacked you as well."
"I...all right," Pips agreed. He gripped Crysta tightly to him. "You might want to hang on," he told her. She threw her arms around his neck just as they warped. They landed in Ferngully rather hard, stumbling to regain balance.
"I do not like that," Crysta commented.
"I know," he replied. "Me either." Mother Ash appeared beside them.
"I hope that's the last time I have to do that," she muttered. "Come along." They followed, hesitant. Pips wondered what was going to happen to Roman and what the consequences were going to be afterwards.
Ferngully...
"You need to cool it," Cliff was saying as he marched Roman to meet the Elders. "You are gonna get in hot water if you keep behaving like this." Ash had been furious. Mother had gone to collect the girl.
"Why do you care?" Roman snapped. "Nobody is listening to me. It's like I'm possessed, like it's not even me acting this way. I can't explain it."
"I know," Cliff replied quietly. He knew of another who had hot anger that would just explode for no reason. It had made him a tyrant. It had gotten him killed. He was very sure he knew who he was escorting to the Elders. He just needed proof.
"How could you possibly know?" Roman asked irritably. He was wary of this man. There was something familiar about him as well.
"I just do. Now, sit down and shut up," Cliff said, forcing Roman to have a seat. Roman gritted his teeth. He wished he knew why he was so angry at Crysta. He was in the wrong, and he damn well knew it, so why hate her so bad for wanting to move on?
"Roman?" Tamsyn's voice reached him. He spun. She was looking at him, afraid.
"Tam..."
"What is going on?" she asked.
"You should leave," Cliff warned. "You've got no place here." Tamsyn looked at Roman for a moment longer before leaving him behind. She hurried to find her sister and Rai.
"She could have stayed," Roman said. "She deserves to see the monster I am."
"She's the other woman?" Cliff asked. He already knew the answer. Roman hung his head.
"I don't know why I kept it hidden for so long. She deserved better than that." He meant both girls. He had grown tired of waiting for Crysta to become more physical with him. He'd always suspected she had feelings for Cliff's son, which was why she wouldn't, but it still had hurt. Tamsyn had just been there for him, and one thing eventually led to another and before he knew it, he was stuck. Where the violence in him had come from, he still didn't know. He desperately hoped the Elders wouldn't banish him.
"All right," Ash said, coming in with the others. "Let's begin."