Disclaimer: I don't own Lorien Legacies..

Hi guys!

Thank you all so much for the amazing and lovely reviews! I appreciate them all so much!

So guess what? I've become organised which means…. (drum roll please) REGULAR UPDATES! :D Next update will be Friday latest! :D

Also, someone pointed out to me that there had been loads of couple drama with everyone recently but John/Six. Now, I didn't have anything planned for them but then last night I had a great idea (which you guys will probably hate me for). Hehe, you're gonna hate me! :D

Please read on!

Chapter 14 – rot

Crayton

"Papa!"

I look up from my laptop and chuckle when I see the tiny tottering girl in front of me. She's standing by the doorframe, her little face sleepy.

"Hello sweetheart" I shut my laptop and swivel in my chair so I'm facing her. She takes a couple of steps forward when I scoop her up and plop her into my lap. She giggles and sucks her thumb, looking up adoringly at me.

"Can't sleep?" I ask her, softly playing with her hair. She shakes her head, snuggling closer into me. She's wearing her fuzzy green onesie and clutching her teddy.

"No" she whispers. She takes a hold of one of my hands, keeping it in her tiny ones.

"Why not?" I ask her, a little concerned. She smiles up at me, her eyes sleepy but wide.

"There are monsters under my bed" she whispers. I laugh gently and pull her into my arms, making sure the house is locked up.

"But I scared them away earlier!" I say, nuzzling my nose with hers. She giggles and smiles shyly, looking down.

"But they come back!" she protests. "They scared of you, not me! And now they back!" she says. I kiss her cheek as I carry her upstairs, setting the alarm.

"Well then, you're going to have to stay with me!" I decide. She giggles and claps her hands, beaming.

Although it's dangerous to sleep with your three year old in the same bed and all that shit, both Ella and I love it. I stay rigid on my back all night and she sleeps comfortably on my chest. It's the only time I feel as though we're both really safe.

I set her gently on the bed, where she burrows into the thick duvet. She grins up at me as I tuck her in, even thought I'll have to move her when I come to bed. I get ready in the bathroom quickly and then come into my bedroom.

Where Ella's deep asleep. I smile fondly and lift her up, cradling her in my arms. I kiss her hair as she snuggles into me, even when she's asleep.

"Love you El"

Xxx

"Crayton….Crayton"

I wake up from my dream, Marina hanging over me. Her face is filled with concern as she leans back, a glass of water in your hands.

"You were having a nightmare" she says, handing me the water. I gulp it down and then shake my head, sitting up properly.

"Not a nightmare" I say. She raises an eyebrow and I sigh. "A memory…about El" I admit.

Marina's face fills with guilt at once; I know she feels responsible for not being able to heal Ella. But for some reason the Keystone's not letting her and I have no idea why.

"It's not your fault" I reach across and clasp her hand. She looks up at me sadly, not believing a word I'm saying but not saying anything.

"El wouldn't want you to blame yourself" I add. She sighs and then runs a hand through her hair, getting up.

"Thanks… I better go shower" she walks off, her drooped shoulders telling me more than words. If Ella….dies, then she'll never forgive herself.

I'll never forgive myself.

I heavily get up and approach the double bed where Ella's stretched out. She's having a peaceful stage at the moment and she's breathing deeply. I go over and gently lift her up so that I can cradle her in my arms.

Just like old times.

"Hey, El" I whisper sadly, my voice breaking. "We need you to get better soon" I plead with her. She sighs a little in her sleep but doesn't wake up.

"Love you El" I whisper. I stroke her hair as I wrap my arms around her.

My little girl.

My little girl who needs desperate help.

Xxx

"Papa, why are the monsters after us?" I look down at El, licking the melting ice-cream off her hands. I smile as I gently guide her away from the groups of people on the sunny lawn and instead towards the shaded bench under the trees.

No one will overhear us then.

"Because you're important and powerful and they don't like that" I explain. I set my little nine-year-old on my lap and she giggles, leaning back into me.

"But why can't they let us live here?" she asks curiously. She knows that they destroyed our previous home, although she doesn't know as much about it as I do for obvious reasons. I want her to have a childhood.

"Because they're not very nice, they're monsters" I explain. She giggles and eats more of her ice cream, dripping it down her chin.

"Oh Ella" I laugh as I clean it up. She giggles and then jumps up from the bench, standing in front of me in a fighting position.

"I'm gonna get those monsters!" she exclaims. She kicks out with her foot and punches with the empty hand. I laugh because she doesn't look threatening at all… in fact she looks adorable.

"I think we might need to work on technique…" I muse. She grins and then tackles me, the ice cream getting everywhere. But I simply laugh as she gently punches me, her hits not hurting at all.

"Surrender or die!" she squeals dramatically. I laugh again and then put my hands up.

"Ok, ok!" I pretend to be terrified. "I give in!"

She leans back with a small, smug smile and then cheers. "See Papa! I'm gonna win this war for us!" she cheers.

I simply smile sadly and then scoop her up, both of us covered in ice cream.

Xxx

I sit next to Ella, both of us watching the news on the TV. She's getting weaker and the way she breathes heavily worries me deeply. I'm holding her in my arms, stroking her hair. She's cold, so very cold.

"Am I going to die Papa?" I look down at the weak voice, my heart breaking. I gently kiss her forehead as I smile down at her.

"Of course not. Marina's legacies will come back soon and then you'll be saved" I reassure her. She sniffs as she leans back into me, her breathing slow and heavy. She gently takes a hold of my hand.

"You really believe that Papa?" she asks softly. I curl my hand around hers as I nod fiercely.

"Of course I do" I say at once. She smiles and then sighs.

"I won't let this kill me" she nods determinedly and I smile proudly at her. Even now she's not going to go down without a fight.

"It won't" I promise her. She smiles and then looks up at me.

"I hope the others are ok" she whispers. "I hope that we can meet up with them all soon" she adds. I nod and kiss her cheek.

"They'll be fine" I reassure her. She smiles and then stretches out a little and closes her eyes.

"I think I might get some sleep…. I'm tired" she whispers. I shift so it's more comfortable for her and then within seconds she's asleep.

Marina comes into the room, sweating and breathing hard. She's been on a run, or trying to get her legacies back. She looks angry and very unhappy.

She hasn't gotten them back yet.

"We have time" I reassure her. "Ella's still got a while left"

But even my words sound false.

Xxx

John

"How long does it take to find a damn sword!" I groan as Henri and I swim out of another abandoned house.

"Apparently, a long time" Henri says with a sigh as he looks around him.

We've been searching the island after contacting Five. To say I was relieved to know she was alive is an understatement. She must have been unconscious, which is why we couldn't contact her earlier.

So far, we've looked around the outer circle of the city. Five says she's closer to the centre, which is probably more promising but we have to find this sword. I have no idea how long we've been done here but I know I'm getting very tired now and I'll need to sleep soon.

"Let's go in here" I suggest, gesturing to another house.

It's like a Roman Villa, with the pillars and inner courtyard. There's a small dip in the centre of the courtyard where I assume a pool of water would have been.

"I can't believe that this whole place is still standing" I whisper as I look at the perfectly maintained house. "I would have thought all these houses and more would have been destroyed in the wave" I whisper.

Henri laughs bitterly as we drift around the downstairs, looking around for anything but there's nothing. Nothing but empty rooms with the occasional scattering of furniture.

"It was a magical wave John… I'm sure there's a reason all of this still exists" he says. I nod as we head upstairs. It's creepy seeing these bedrooms where people would have once lived.

Fortunately, we haven't seen any bodies yet even though they'd have all gone after centuries in the water. It's still creepy to think about swimming amongst dead people.

"So we could find it again?" I ask. Henri shrugs as we continue to travel around the house… nothing.

There's nothing.

"Pittacus must have known this was coming… well of course he did because of the prophecy" Henri thinks aloud. I grin at him, heading to the next house. It's a dismal task this, but someone's gotta do it.

John!

I jerk at the shout in my head, even thought it's only Five. It still freaks me out, even to this day.

I found it! She continues I found the damn sword!

I whoop and cheer, grinning happily at Henri. His face breaks into a smile as he guesses what's happened.

"She's got it" he says. I grin and am about to tell Five we're on our way when she continues speaking.

But it won't come out… it's literally stuck in this stupid rock!

I swear and then glare at the surrounding houses. Henri bites his lip and stares at me confused as I speak to Five.

We're on our way… where are you?

Inner circle, the massive temple. I'll wait for you inside.

Our contact breaks off and I quickly relate to Henri what's going on. He simply raises his eyebrow at me as we travel the distance to the temple Five told me about. Already I can see it in the distance, looming above the city.

"You don't seem surprised…" I say, trailing off with a frown. He laughs and shakes his head at me.

"John, it's the Sword of Pittacus" he says. I furrow my brown in confusion and annoyance.

"Yeah, I know that" I mutter. He laughs and rolls his eyes.

"Which means that only Pittacus or his heir can get the Sword" he explains. Realisation hits me and I blush at the stupid mistake.

"Oh" I grin sheepishly as Henri laughs.

"And it sure as hell wouldn't let the heir of Setrakus get the sword" he points out. I shake my head, speeding towards the temple in a manner of seconds. We pass over the huge plaza in front of the temple and see Five, waiting on the flight of steps.

"You're all right!" I exclaim as we reach her. She grins and then I notice she has no air bubble around her. I stare at her in shock.

"New legacy" she shrugs. "I might have had it for ages but never known… swimming's not my favourite thing to do you know" she shrugs. I laugh and then hug her, trying to keep the air bubble going.

"Right, well, it's done here" she says, widening the air bubble and joining us since we can understand her better. I can feel her helping me maintain the bubble and I grin, relieved.

It's good to have her here again.

She shows the way through the temple and I marvel at the sights around me. It's incredible, wonderful to behold. I'm still amazed that the place is still standing, even after the tidal wave.

"Down here!" Five says, pointing to a small flight of stairs in the corner of the temple. We all travel down it to a huge chamber. There's a line around the middle of the wall and rubble at the bottom.

"There was a floor there, but I kinda got rid of it" Five shrugs. I laugh as I look around in amazement.

"Why did you think to come down here?" I ask her. She shrugs as she gestures below us, to a huge rock.

"It felt right" she replies but I barely hear her. I'm focused on the sword sticking out of the rock.

"It wouldn't come out" she says as my eyes are locked on the sword. I feel the power from here and I know it will feel right in my hand.

"Of course, it wouldn't. Only the heir of Pittacus can remove it…. Where do you think the story of the Sword and the Stone came from?" Henri asks. Five laughs.

I move forwards, Five and Henri following me. I reach out and clasp the smooth hilt of the sword, the power coursing through me. We've done it…we've got it.

I smile and then pull it out with a sliding noise. I can feel the strength and magic of the sword throbbing through me and I grin.

"That it?" Five asks with a grin. She's just as delighted as we all are that we have the sword. I laugh in delight, the power still streaming through my veins.

I feel right now as though I can defeat Setrakus. I can easily go up to him and stab this sword through his heart.

"This is it," I confirm. I grip it tighter in my hands and then turn to the others, when there's a deep rumbling beneath us.

"What's that?" Five asks, panic in her voice. The shaking and rumbling gets worse and worse. Henri grips my hand tight and I grab Five too.

"This isn't good" I murmur, my teeth gritted. I can see the ceiling above us beginning to crack as the rumbling gets even worse.

"We've got to go!" Five screams. We shoot up through the water, trying to get the hell away from here. I try to get us out of the temple, which begins to fall down around us.

There's a huge groaning noise followed by massive tremors. I clutch Five and Henri, knowing that I can't get us out in time.

The temple crashes down amongst us and the world goes black.

Xxx

Nine

"I think I need a haircut"

I slowly open my eyes, shifting a little so I can see Five, who's resting on my chest. She rolls over a little so she can smile at me, her face filled with peace.

"I don't think so" I gently run my fingers through her hair so I can feel its silkiness. She smiles, shutting her eyes again.

"Why not?" she pouts a little and looks adorable. I try not to give in though, despite how much I want to.

"Because I like you with longer hair" I say, wrapping a strand around my finger. Her pout relaxes into a grin.

"But it makes me look too girly" she complains. She opens her eyes again, watching me intently. I grin down at her.

"And you are a girl…" I trail off with a grin as she rolls her eyes.

"And you're annoying" she complains, drifting off into silence as she shuts her eyes. I smile as I wrap my arms tighter around her.

This moment is perfect.

Xxx

The problem about being in love is that whenever you're not fighting for your life or hearing stories from old dudes, you're thinking about the person you love. You could be brushing your teeth or ordering pizza but in your mind you're more focused on your love's smile and how amazing it makes you feel.

Separation makes it even worse.

I'm lying on the hotel bed, lounging around. We'll head to Spain to save the others tomorrow, even though Eight said we had to go now. But we couldn't get flights so we have to wait until tomorrow. Six is on the next bed whilst Eight's showering and Mark is sulking.

He's such an idiot.

I scowl and look outside, the sun streaming in through the window. Five loves the sun; she could spend hours sunbathing. And there I am thinking about Five again, her hair, her eyes, her laugh…

"What are you guys thinking about?"

I look up at the question, raising my eyebrow at him. It's the first time he's spoken in a while. Apparently, Sarah's death has hit him hard.

"Why does that bother you?" I ask, kind of grumpy. If Five were here, she'd snuggle up to me and kiss my cheek. I wish she were here. She'd cheer me up in no time.

"I was just interested" Mark says calmly, not looking too upset. Six rolls her eyes at me as she sits up fluidly, crossing her legs.

"Nine's in a bad mood because he's missing Five" she tells Mark who grins. He seems to like Six more than the rest of us, which isn't a surprise. After all, she's a pretty girl.

Johnny's gonna have to show Mark not to mess with his girl at all…. Now that would be fun to see.

I don't have a problem with guys like Mark. Hell, I am like Mark in that I'm loud, like to brag, am a jerk… But that doesn't mean I like everything he does.

"So you've fallen in love then" here we go, I sigh, as Mark looks thoughtful. I'm not in the mood to have a deep talk and neither is Six by the look on her face.

"Yeah" I shrug as though it's no big thing, although to me, it's everything. "It doesn't really matter" I add. Six grins at me; we're not mushy people.

"She was everything to me" Mark mumbles and I want to face-palm. I'm not in the mood to comfort him at all.

"Awesome… who wants pizza?" I ask hurriedly but Mark carries on. Six tries to hide her laugh as she leans against the wall.

"I can't believe she's gone" Mark mumbles. I can't stand this anymore and roll back into bed, drawing the covers over. Mark's voice drones on as I shut my eyes, trying to sleep.

Xxx

"Do you still get nightmares?"

Five looks up from her homework, frowning a little as she focuses back on me. I smile gently as she furrows her brow.

"What about?" she asks, a little confused. I reach out and gently pull up the sleeve of her shirt, the faint scars on her arms. She nods in understanding, turning back to her homework.

"Sometimes… but it's not so bad" she says with a shrug. I frown as I trace the faint lines where she was tortured by the mogs. I could kill them for doing that to her.

I will kill them for doing that to her.

"Do you hate them?" I ask her softly, brushing her skin. Little goosebumps appear and I grin, whilst she blushes a little. She's shy about her body's reactions to mine.

"No… they're a part of my life as much as you are. They're just a memory of something that happened to me" she says wisely. I nod and then smile softly, as I continue to stroke the scars.

"So you're saying I'm as bad as these" I tease. She laughs and then leans forward, linking her arms around my neck. I rest my hands on her hips as she moves closer, kissing my jaw. I grin, closing my eyes.

"Of course not" she says, pressing her nose to mine. I open my eyes, watching her lovingly. I lean forward and kiss her lips, softly, sweetly. She smiles.

"They're only scars Nine" she whispers. "And you're my life" she replies. This is probably the sappiest we'll ever get and I kind of love it.

"And you're future too" I say stereotypically. She laughs, her hair brushing my cheek.

"Don't get too full of yourself" she teases me. I grin and then lean forward, capturing her lips with mine.

This kiss isn't so short. Or sweet.

Xxx

"You know the routine" Sandor murmurs in a low voice as we enter the airport. It's crazily busy here and I'm alert at once. We have to get to Spain without any hitches. Apparently, the others really need us.

Six and Eight are nearby, pretending to be a couple on their way to Spain to visit Six's parents. Since she can speak some Spanish, enough to be convincing, it works. Devdan and Mark are related grandson and grandfather. Mark is an American who's only recently discovered his grandfather. It's a loose story but it fits well enough.

"And I suppose you better call me Dad" Sandor grimaces at the name. He thinks he sounds too old with that name and I guess my teasing hasn't helped the matter either.

"Sure thing Dad!" I say eagerly and he groans, shoving me lightly.

"Don't push it, my Young Ward" he teases in reply and I shut up. Even after all this time, I still hate the name.

"Do you think they'll be watching out for us?" I ask as we queue to get through the customs. We don't actually have weapons on us… Eight teleported in here earlier and stored them in a place we could get to them after customs.

"Of course" Sandor mutters, shaking his head with a scowl. "This is too dangerous but we have no other choice. Eight could teleport to the wrong place… again" he adds. I nod as I clench my fists before relaxing them.

"But I'm not weak, Sandor. If they attack us, I'll be ready for it. And Six and Eight will be ready too" I say determinedly. Sandor smiles but he looks uneasy.

We get through security pretty quickly and then we set off, heading to the place where Eight hid the weapons. It's not much; my pipe staff, Six's sword and some daggers. But if we're attacked, we can grab some guns from the security and the mogs.

I hope it doesn't come to that.

I sit down in a near Café with the others scattered nearby. Mark looks bored with Devdan and I don't blame him, whilst Six and Eight are trying to be as couple-like as they can be. But guessing by their uncomfortable glances, they're not enjoying it.

I take a gulp from my cup of coffee when I hear banging in the distance. The others haven't noticed anything because I have super hearing but I definitely heard something. I decide not to panic but just to listen out more.

There's another louder bang and then I'm up on my feet at once. The dread racing through my body tells me more than my hearing; there's trouble nearby. I'm right because the minute I'm on my feet, there's the sound of gunfire.

People are up on their feet at once, screaming and ducking under tables. Six and Eight are grabbing their weapons from their bags. I pull out my pipe staff, prepared to kick some ass.

"Go Nine" Sandor says grimly, as he stands up too. The plan was that if anything like this happened, he would stay with Mark and Devdan. Eight, Six and I will be more than enough to handle the mogs.

I nod and then smile grimly at him before I sprint off towards the noise, Six and Eight on my heels. We need to defeat the mogs and then get the hell out of here.

But most of all, I can't die. I have to see Five again.

I have to live.

I'm not gonna lie, that was my filler chapter. But there's action up next and a BIG twist (or the beginning of the twist…)

Hope you enjoyed!

Please review!