"Where are you going?" Leelee queried, giving Nick a funny look as he stalked past her.

Not even stopping to look back at her, he simply stated, "Out." She grinned, recognizing the angry tone in his voice.

"Koragg kicked your ass in training again, didn't he?" A rude hand gesture was all she received as an answer before the young man disappeared into another branch of caverns.

Unfortunately for Nick, she was right. Once again, he'd been completely slaughtered by his father in training. Even after two weeks, he'd barely been able to hold his own, let alone win, and it was starting to piss him off. At that rate, he'd never be a knight, or even a formidable warrior. Before, Koragg had held back, but with the new circumstances, he was more than Nick's equal. And it didn't help that his own MagiStaff sword kept changing, throwing him off as it became a bit wider and heavier each time. Why it was doing so, he had no clue, but it only added to the mounting frustration he felt. That was why he'd stormed out of training with his father only minutes ago, intent on going to one of the few places where he could blow off some steam: Briarwood.

He quickly changed to regular surface clothes, knowing his detailed vest and dark cape would be a little too conspicuous unless fashion had drastically changed in only two weeks' time. One pair of jeans, a dark red t-shirt and his usual leather jacket later, he was ready to head surface-ward. He wasn't sure what to expect except for one interesting time.

"So where is my brother?" a young woman demanded. The twin buns of her dark hair bounced as she talked, capturing the cashier's attention. She really did have nice hair, a shade darker than your regular brown and wonderfully silky looking, and a nice body to go along with it, now that he thought about it. Very nice feminine curves while still being fairly fit. Her jeans hugged her hips quite nicely, too, and the way that purple tank top fit...

Xander was snapped out of his reverie by a pronounced clearing of her throat.

"Say what?" he said, blinking and clearing his own throat nervously. She may be cute, but she looked like she could seriously kick his ass if he wasn't careful.

The girl rolled her eyes, used to the way this high school guy was looking at her, just like every other teenage guy who had too much ego and not enough brains.

"I was asking you where my brother really is. He mentioned working here, and you seem to fit the description of his friend Xander. Am I right?" The young man blinked, amazed by how she already knew his name. Pushing himself past her body, he focused on the fact that her brother seemed to work here. If she was right, then that meant she could only be one person.

"You're Gracey, aren't you? Nick's sister?" She smiled.

"Finally using our upper brain, now are we?" she asked foxily, flashing him a coy smile. "Anyway, yeah, Nick's my little brother. I want to know where the hell he is. He said he'd be at Grandma's place, but every time I stop by there, she always tells me he isn't around. I want to know what's actually going on."

"He's, uhhh... Well... " Xander stammered, trying to think of a cover story while ignoring the fact that he'd been ogling a friend's sister and she'd noticed, not to mention the fact that this certain friend currently happened to be evil. Many a bad scenario crossed his mind before he finally gathered himself enough to point at Madison and say, "She might be able to help you." Gracey followed his hand to a dark brown sheet of hair bobbing up and down between shelves near the back. Instantly she recognized the young woman and smiled as she approached her.

"Hi, Madison," she said pleasantly, surprising the younger girl, who dropped a few vinyls. Madison twirled around, forgetting the records when she saw whom it was.

"Oh, hey Gracey!" she replied happily, a large smile gracing her features. "What's up?" The barely older woman smiled back.

"Shouldn't you get those?" she asked, indicating the fallen and abandoned records. Maddie glanced down at them, almost having forgotten that they were there, and scooped them into her arms hurriedly.

"Sorry. You kind of startled me," she said sheepishly, mindlessly organizing the albums. "So what brings you to our little shop?"

"I'm looking for Nick. Do you know where he is?" Maddie furrowed her brow.

"Didn't he tell you? He's staying at your grandma Lydia's house," she answered, shelving a few more records as she did. Gracey shook her head.

"I'm not entirely sure about that. I've visited her almost every day this week and he's always either not available or out somewhere. I want to know where he really is, so I figured I'd check here, since you guys are his friends and he works here and all. The guy behind the counter said you might know where he was."

"Oh, really?" Maddie said with interested, leaning forward to see who was working the register. Xander. She made a mental note to kick him later.

Gracey arched an eyebrow and asked "So do you know where he is? Because he's definitely not at Grandma's." Maddie stocked a few more albums, buying herself time to think.

"He's... " She paused. Where else would he be? If she named any other relatives, Gracey would just check with them and find out that she was lying. She couldn't tell her the truth. No one would believe that. Lydia believed in magic, and it took a display of Nick's firepower to prove it. Not that she couldn't mix some of the truth into her lie.

"Okay, honestly?" she said finally, breathing a deep sigh as an idea formed in her mind. Gracey only stood still, eagerly awaiting an answer. "He found his birth parents and decided to spend some time getting to know them."

"And he couldn't tell me why?" Gracey asked, still suspicious. It sounded right enough, but her little brother wasn't one to hide the truth. The morning before he left, he'd seemed more quiet and pensive than usual, and it had bothered her. He was usually more talkative than that and it had bothered her all day. Now it was only fodder to add to her suspicion that there was more going on here than she knew.

"He wasn't sure how you'd take it, and he got your grandma to cover for him," Maddie replied, thinking out the possibilities to branch off of that white lie even as she spoke.

"I don't know," she murmured, still not entirely convinced but becoming closer. "He knows that I'd be up for meeting the people who gave him to us. He could've at least told me."

"It was kind of a spur of the moment thing. He found them and they wanted to meet them," Maddie added, moving to another shelf and nudging a crate of DVDs along with her foot.

Gracey seemed to think this all over, finally responding, "So when do you think he'll be back?" Apparently, she'd accepted the lie. Well, it wasn't exactly a lie. He had found his birth parents, or at least one of them. He still didn't know about Udonna.

"I'm not sure. Hopefully it'll be soon, but we really have no clue." We don't even know how to turn him good again, she silently added.

"Okay, one last question: Why is his bike parked outside?" she asked, a wry smile on her lips. Maddie was caught in the headlights by this question, mind not reacting quickly enough to give an answer. "You see, my little brother loves that bike to death. Unless he's here, in which case you're lying to me, he only leaves it with someone else he trusts completely, like you, when he's going to be gone for a long time to somewhere where he wouldn't need it and he can't take care of it himself. Either way, I know you're lying. I can see it in your eyes." Wow. Gracey was good. She'd made Maddie believe that she believed Maddie's lie completely. Not to mention the fact that she'd noticed the bike parked on the other side of the street, as opposed to in front of the shop.

"Ummm... " she stammered, trying to think of how to get herself out of this question. She hadn't counted on Gracey being so observant.

Fortunately she was saved from another round of "Ummmm"s by Vida's loud gasp of, "No freaking way." Almost everyone in the store turned to look. The Rangers, Maddie especially, froze in their tracks as they saw who'd just sauntered in.

Nick ambled slowly through Briarwood, taking in the fresh air and sunlight. Those were two of the many things he missed about the surface. The caves may have been relatively cool compared to your typical Californian August, but they had nothing on the warm sun lighting up the streets. He'd taken off his jacket soon after his arrival, not entirely used to not needing it.

As he strolled through a quaint farmer's market he'd run across, a display of bright red apples caught his eye. They looked good, and you didn't exactly get that kind of stuff in the Underworld. Indulging himself in a way only a servant of darkness could, he snatched the best looking apple off of the cart and bit into it as he kept walking. The vendor noticed Nick's actions and grabbed the young man by the shoulder.

"You gonna pay for that?" he asked solemnly, arching his eyebrows as he glanced down at the apple. Nick didn't bother to even look the man in the face, simply pulling himself out of the man's grip and walking away. The vendor gave him a flabbergasted look and shouted "Hey now!" at the departing young man.

Nick kept walking, even as the man started to follow him. A smile was growing on his face for the entirety of the three seconds the older man was following him.

The vendor began to jog after the boy, but stopped dead in his tracks as his stand became a bonfire and a half-eaten red apple smacked him squarely on the cheek. When he later asked the others around him if they'd seen the boy who'd stolen an apple, they only shook their heads dazedly and denied ever seeing the young man steal anything, and they were quite sure that he was an upstanding young citizen.

Having had his bit of fun, Nick pushed on, trying to decide where to go now. Briarwood offered many forms of entertainment, but his actions at the market had put him in the mood to stir up some excitement. Causing a bit of chaos seemed to be what this trip was made for and he wasn't going to go against the flow.

He found himself bounding down the steps and sauntering into the Rock Porium without much thought; his feet had carried him there almost by routine. He may have ridden his bike to work, but he and Maddie would often walk to lunch on days when they hadn't used their break time to fight a monster, and flying down those steps felt entirely natural to him. Yet another thing he missed about the surface.

For a moment, there was no response to his quiet entrance. Then, almost on cue, came the "No freaking way" from near the DJ's corner, no doubt Vida. Every eye in the building now rested on him, but only five sets lingered any longer than that.

From the office came a muted "Eureka!" followed by Toby sprinting out, holding a mutated-looking sphere out before him.

"I did it!" he shouted, his exuberance drawing some gazes to him now. He looked around giddily, eyes falling on Nick with more than a bit of confusion. "When'd you get here?"

"Oh, just now," he answered casually, as if his sudden appearance after two weeks of absence was nothing special. Before anyone could pursue any other conversation with him, he was suddenly and forcefully thrown back by something tanned and flying. Two arms wrapped around his neck as he stumbled to regain his balance.

"Nick!" it shouted joyfully, albeit slightly muffled. "I was beginning to wonder where you were." It quickly removed its face from the crook his neck, revealing a slightly more angry looking Gracey. "Where were you? And why didn't you tell me?" Her eyes now glinted with a sharper look of questioning, with hints of hurt. Nick only smiled back slowly.

"I take it you know I'm not at Grandma's already, right?" She nodded, awaiting an answer. "The truth is, I was with my dad. Well, my biological one. Our dad's in, where, New Zealand? I can never exactly keep track." She continued her unwavering gaze that demanded answers. "Okay, okay, I know, it was no excuse not to tell you, but I'm not a little kid anymore. I can take of myself." Gracey rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, whatever," she said, only partially serious. He wasn't telling her the full truth and she knew it. She'd always been able to see it in his eyes, and this time was no different. Except... "What's wrong with your eyes?" He furrowed his brow, confused by her question. After a moment of thought, he realized what she meant.

"You want to know why they're red and green?" he asked, smiling slightly. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you." She frowned back at him.

"Try me."

"If you insist," he conceded. The customers had gone back to what they were doing when they saw nothing interesting happen, but the four employees openly gaped at their friend and his sister. Vida let the records play without interference, Madison shoved random DVDs on the shelf before her, Xander wordlessly put a customer's purchase into the first bag he could grab, despite it being much smaller than necessary, and Chip flat-out stared. They all wondered what Nick could say that would pass as the truth.

"You see," he began, "My father is a dark wizard and he used his magic to bring out my own dark side. The spell changed my eyes to a dark red, but they've been changing back, kind of. Now I'm living in the Underworld with him and my friend who happens to be a vampire princess. We're plotting to bring down the Power Rangers, which I happen to be one of. "He looked thoughtful for a moment. "Probably shouldn't destroy myself, though."

Gracey stood stunned, absorbing his words. By her wide eyes, it looked like she actually believed him. Then, she burst into a fit of giggles.

"Yeah, right," she laughed. "Good one. Contacts, right?" He didn't reply, only smiling.

"Anyway," she started after getting over another fit of giggles, "as long as you're safe and Grandma knows where you are and how to contact you, I'm good. Oh, and at least try to call me. You're not allowed to disappear for two weeks without at least a credible lie. And try not to stay with these people for too long. School starts in a few weeks and Mom and Dad'll be on my ass if you're a no-show." She leaned up to kiss him on the cheek and smiled sweetly as she came back down. "Stay good, little brother." As she stated those simple yet ironic words, she wandered past her brother and out of the shop. Nick watched her leave, slowly turning his gaze back to the interior of the shop, where four sets of eyes burnt into him.

"So how's it going, guys?" he asked casually, as if he hadn't been evil for nearly two weeks.

"'How's it going?'" Vida roared, jumping off of her platform and stomping over to him. "What the hell are you doing here? Shouldn't you be out planning our gruesome deaths or something?"

"No way," he chuckled, wandering over to a rack of CDs and browsing through them offhandedly. "I'm not planning on killing you. I love Maddie too much and you guys are still my friends, even if you are my enemies."

"Do you even hear yourself?"

"Yeah, I do. I know exactly what I'm saying," he replied hotly, shooting her a venomous glance. "I'm not going to kill you guys. I won't let my allies, either. Not that they're really my allies, anyway. Necrolai's a two-faced hag, Morticon can't see anything beyond destruction and my father's loyal to a fault to the Master. All I want is to go along with my life, maybe cause a little chaos along the way, have a little fun in our world without worrying about the consequences. We all have our own agendas, and mine doesn't involve you guys dead. Mostly just me having a good time no matter who's in power, as long as they don't get in my way." Vida stared into the space he had just occupied as he walked away, trying to assimilate everything she'd just heard.

"I missed you," he whispered suddenly into Madison's ear, startling her with his almost instant appearance behind her. She hadn't been paying much attention since he walked in, mind too boggled by him simply showing up there as if it were no big deal. His arms snaked around her waist as he rested his head on her shoulder. "Come for a walk with me," he cajoled softly. With absolutely no interference from her brain, she acquiesced, taking his hand as she let the CDs in it hit the floor. She muttered a bad excuse to Toby and nearly tore off her work shirt.

The couple walked in silence through the fresh outside air for a few minutes, simply enjoying each other. Maddie was the first to reluctantly break the silence.

"We miss you up here," she said, adding, "I miss you up here. Seeing you the other day was great, but... "

"But it wasn't enough. I know. I know the feeling. Every day that I'm in that damned pit, I wish you were there with me."

"And I wish you were up here, a part of our team again. We all miss you. Even Vida."

"So she always shouts at people she misses with a voice full of hate?" Madison shook her head.

"She's just angry that you're gone. She understands why you had to, but that doesn't mean she can't be angry about it. It's just her way of dealing. She misses you like we all do. Phineas and Toby and Clare and Udonna, too." She paused, eyes widening. "Oh, Udonna. You don't know about Udonna yet."

"Know what?" he asked with a smirk. There was nothing she could tell him that she could tell him about the old witch that he wanted to or didn't know.

"Well... I only found out a few days ago, so don't freak out, okay?" He nodded, amused by her reluctance. "It's just, well... She's your mother." For a moment, he didn't react. The words just didn't mean anything to him. Then, as they sank in, a grin spread across his face. He didn't bother looking at her despite the long stare she was giving him.

"Yeah, right. That's a good one," he replied with a chuckle. Almost instantly, Maddie was standing in front of him, holding out a hand to prevent him from walking any further. Even though he could've easily walked around her or used magic, he let her otherwise insignificant gesture stop him.

"It's true," she stated firmly. "And even if you won't believe me, you can believe the absolute truth of magic, right?" He simply nodded, being forced to look into her eyes. They shone with honesty, and he knew he wouldn't need magic to know she was telling the truth. Still, it couldn't hurt, and he was curious as to what she had in mind. "Then search my mind for the truth. You'll be able to know if anything's been messed with."

Nodding again, he closed his eyes and began probing the layers of her mind. It didn't take long, as she pushed the memories to the surface, revealing the truth: Not only had Koragg once been good, and the Red Mystic before him, but he'd married Udonna, and they were his parents. Brief flashes of memory burst like fireworks across his vision, most of Phineas, Udonna and Maddie talking about it, all through Maddie's perspective. These facts were enough to throw him back into reality. His first sight was of Madison smirking at him.

"Believe me now?" He shook his head.

"If that's not a shock to the system... " he muttered, rubbing the back of his head distractedly. "For the record, I didn't not believe you. And so what if she's my mother? What's that really mean to everything? Besides the fact that she and Koragg hooked up."

"Well, she did give us her blessing," she responded with a playful smile, moving back to his side as they started walking again.

Returning the smile, he added, "That's good, seeing as I'm pretty sure Koragg doesn't approve of you." They exchanged smirks and chatted mindlessly for a while. Only after the fourth time her stomach growled did Maddie interrupt their small talk.

"Are you hungry?" she asked. "Because I haven't had any lunch yet and I could go for some coffee cake. So do you want to? There's a bakery around the corner and I'm sure Underworld food isn't the greatest."

"Nah, it's not too bad. You can summon pretty much anything you want, even if it isn't four-star restaurant quality. But you aren't there to eat with, so this is a hundred times better." She blushed a bit as she guided him to a small shop just around the corner, windows lined with pastries of all types and sizes.

After ten minutes of jumping indecisively between a large square of crumbly coffee cake and a raspberry-filled, powdered sugar encrusted donut, she settled on the donut and flagged down the person behind the counter. She sauntered over and arched her eyebrows questioningly, waiting for Maddie's order while Nick still looked undecided about what to get. When he realized the young woman was staring at him, awaiting his choice, he grinned sheepishly and ordered a whipped cream filled chocolate long john. Before Maddie could protest, he'd pulled out his wallet and paid. He quickly snatched up both pastries and found them a clean table outside.

As soon as she had sat down, Maddie eagerly took her donut from his hands and nearly tore off the opaque wrapping. Her face lit up with pure joy as she bit into it, a pinkish-red jelly oozing around the corners of her mouth. Nick merely smiled and bit into his own pastry. She was so cute, even when there were little dabs of jelly around her lips.

"What are you looking at?" she asked, glancing away from her donut. Nick's vision snapped away from her suddenly. He hadn't even realized he was staring, but he smiled nonetheless.

"You," he answered, garnering yet another blush from her. Once he began talking, he couldn't stop the words from spilling out. "You're gorgeous. I can't help myself. Every day I wake up and wish you were there with me. The caverns could use your smile." Maddie blushed harder at the mental image of sharing a bed with him. Embarrassing as it was in public, she still found the idea appealing; she couldn't deny it. Just waking up next to his warm body, his strong arm draped over her waist, pressing the soft blue silk of her nightgown against her stomach, was intoxicating. She could almost feel his hard abs against her back...

Before she could become too lost in her fantasy, a question broke through her thoughts.

"Will you come back with me?" Nick asked, standing up and holding a hand out to her. She hadn't realized it, but they'd both finished their donuts in the time she'd spent imagining. Without much thought, she took his hand and stood up, his question pervading any other thought that appeared. When she turned her head to look at him, her eyes were met by his own, boring deep into her soul and prompting her to answer. She was becoming increasingly flustered by all this, trying to push the insistent thoughts of her and Nick sharing a bed and processing exactly what he had just asked of her.

"I - Well... I can- I, uhh... I don't know," she managed to sputter. He arched a questioning eyebrow.

"Maybe I'm just not paying attention, but I'm not sure if that's a yes or a no. Care to clarify?" Thoughts were flying through her mind at a thousand miles per minute. How could I even be considering it? she mentally berated herself as thoughts of how it could be worked out whizzed in and out of her head.

"No, I - I can't," she finally managed, staring at her feet so he couldn't change her mind. As long as she didn't look at him, this would be ten times easier. He knew that and placed a hand gently under her chin, lifting her vision up to meet his as they stopped once again in the middle of the sidewalk.

"I thought you'd say that, and I understand why you can't. I just wish you would. We wouldn't even have to stay down there. We could go wherever we wanted and see the world." She shook her head weakly before he could dissolve what little resolution she had left.

"You know I can't. Mom and Dad and Vida would worry, and everyone else would too. And I think V would hunt us down." He sighed and looked into her eyes.

"I'm sorry," he replied simply and remorsefully. "I shouldn't have even mentioned it. If you do come, I want it to be because you want to, not because I want you to. I just want to be able to see you every day and not be expected to fight you."

"You could always come back to us," she responded hopefully. He shook his head.

"You know I can't. My place is in the darkness, next to my father's side. I must remain loyal to him, even if I don't like it. It's my duty as his son and apprentice." Maddie's brow instantly furrowed, but her words were interrupted by an older man who bustled past them forcefully, muttering something about stupid teenagers. Only then did they realize that the sidewalk had become increasingly crowded since they stopped and that they were actually blocking part of it.

Nick sent the man a death glare that would've put Vida to shame and shouted, "Hey man, it's a free sidewalk! Why don't you get the stick out of your ass and give half a shit about others for a change?" The man only glanced back to give the couple a withering look, but he was distracted by his suit jacket suddenly catching fire. He leapt back, throwing the coat off and trying to stomp out the flames. While Nick stood back and snickered, Maddie mentally condensed the moisture in the air around them and directed it like a mini rainstorm to the jacket, dousing the flames. When she was sure that only a few smoldering embers remained, she turned back to Nick and smacked him hard on the chest.

"What the hell was that for?" He turned to look at her, grin falling away.

"Sorry," he apologized with a slight wince. "I guess I kind of lost control there."

"Kind of?" she nearly shouted. "He could've been killed!"

"But he wasn't! And besides, I don't kill, especially people who can't fight back. One of the many tenets that my father has beaten into me." She blew out a deep sigh and looked around.

"Look, let's just take this somewhere else, preferably where you can't give first-degree burns to civilians."

"If you insist," he replied tiredly, as if it were a chore. They ducked into an alley and took each other's hand, both shivering at the electric contact with each other. The couple disappeared into a spell seal without a word, reappearing instantly in the forest. Whether or not it was the forest that they as Rangers were used to, Maddie wasn't sure. She hadn't explored the entirety of it, but this seemed vaguely familiar.

"Where are we?" she asked, looking over herself. Magical clothes, so a magical dimension. She noticed that Nick's clothes had changed too, but into something different from his usual uniform. It wasn't terribly different, but it seemed odd on him. A dark red shirt had replaced his old white one, and the intricate inlay on his vest was done in the same crimson shade.

He turned to smile at her, replying, "The forest."

"Really? I've never seen this part before," she said, only a tad bit confused. While it did feel familiar, like the forest she was used to, there was something just a little different about it. There was a different magical air in this place.

Nick shook his head. "It's bigger than you think. Now come on." He began walking away from her, pulling the girl along by the hand. The pair ambled on for a little over a minute before Nick abruptly stopped. He turned to look at Maddie, a small smile on his face.

"This should be fine," he said. Maddie looked around where he had stopped them. It didn't look much different from the rest of the forest, save for the shimmer that everything seemed to have and a small bench positioned against a tree. Nick sat down on the cool marble, but Madison remained standing. Something was on her mind.

"So what is this training you keep mentioning? And being an apprentice?" she added, asking the two questions pestering her the most. His smile grew wider as he relaxed against the tree behind him and looked up at her.

"Come on, sit down," he said, patting the spot next to him. She obliged without hesitation, hoping it would prompt him to answer. He didn't immediately, instead running his eyes longingly over her face and body, and then out into space. It was obvious that he missed her terribly. You could tell just by the way he looked at her. Two weeks was too long, and their brief meeting a few days back didn't even come close to enough. If this kept up, he wasn't sure if the relationship could last. It was an awful thought, but it did carry a grain of truth. If things stayed the way they were, a relationship between them would only get harder to keep up as time went on.

Finally, he looked back at her and answered, "I'm training with my father to be a better warrior. As good as my training with Udonna was, it didn't even hold a candle to what I'm learning now. I'm a better swordsman, that's for sure, and I can block a Wolf Attack without trying. Took me a while and my fair share of bruises to get that down, though." He rubbed the back of his neck, feeling the ghosts of the injuries he'd acquired. Madison gave him a startled look.

"He's actually using attacks on you in training?" Nick merely shrugged off the question.

"It's the dark way. Learn and live, or fail and die," he stated, as if he'd heard the phrase many times. "As it is, he's training me to be a Knight. It's brutal, but I know it's worth it. I'm a hell of a lot stronger now than I was two weeks ago." He sighed and once again turned his vision out to space, lost in thought. Maddie wasn't quite done with him, though.

"So what are you planning on doing with this newfound power?" she asked, looking at him with quiet determination. He turned his head to look at her, a cheeky smile pushing the edges of his cheeks up.

"The same thing we try every week, Maddie: Try to take over the world!" He laughed maniacally until he felt her hand connect with the back of his head. "Hey!" His hand was instantly on the spot, giving her a hurt look.

"Oh, deal with it," she muttered, rolling her eyes. "And try to be serious."

"But I am. You know the whole shtick - we send a monster, you destroy it, we make it big, you kill it once and for all with a giant robot, begin again. Eventually one of us has to win, right? I'm training so that we will."

"But what will happen to all of us after that? Quick, painless deaths?" He had the good grace to look disgusted.

"No way. You're all living, I'll make sure of that. I'd fight Morticon himself for you and anyone you loved."

"... But you fight for any of them just because?" she asked, glancing away. It seemed like the longer he was under the power of the darkness, the more it edged into his personality. Make no mistake, he was still himself for the most part, but every time she saw him, it seemed like a little more darkness would creep out every so often before he took control of himself again. The very idea was troubling.

"It's not like that. I still want them alive - they are still my friends, no matter what Vida or Leelee think - but I want you with me because I love you. I don't just want you alive, I want you next to me in our new world."

"And if I don't want to be next to you as you rule with an iron fist?" She seemed so serious about it, he couldn't help but laugh. "What?" she demanded as his giggles passed.

"I'm not going to be ruling anything," he answered, a laughing smile still spread across his face. "I'm just another warrior to Morticon, stronger than a Styxoid but not as good as he is. I doubt I'll be ruling anything. Koragg, maybe, but not me. I'll probably just travel around the world. And if you don't want to be with me through it, so be it. But I still won't let them kill you."

"How very noble of you," she replied, tone bordering on sarcastic. He only grinned.

"I do try my best."

Maddie tried her best to uphold her cold demeanor, but his playful grin and steady gaze soon melted it.

"So what now?" she asked, trying to remain as distant as possible.

"You're so cute when you're being serious," he responded distractedly. She could feel his gaze taking in her every feature, but fought the urge to meet it with her own. "Oh, come on," he cajoled after a moment. "I won't bite." Unable to resist any longer, she let her gaze drift up to his own. The colors had changed once again, both the red and green of a more vivid shade and seemingly fighting for domination. It was strangely enticing, and Madison was drawn to them more than ever. Turmoil raged in their depths, anyone could see that, but there was something more: Fear. Fear of what he was becoming. Part of him was afraid of the darkness that seemed to slowly be eating away at him.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked with a smile, breaking through her thoughts enough for her to see more than just his eyes, but him as a whole. Somehow, the darkness added a sexier edge to what she'd already seen as nigh-perfection, and it drew her in.

Before she could stop herself, she'd pulled him into a kiss, hands running through his hair. He was instantly into it, twining his arms around her waist and pulling her closer. The kiss deepened without question, her hands roaming closer to his face as they hit first base. Time no longer existed and everything else became irrelevant as they made out, too lost in each other to even care about passing first base. Just being so close was breathtaking, setting thousands of new nerve endings alight with passion.

Days, weeks, months or years could've passed without them even realizing, but it all came to a screeching halt when a rumbling laughter filled their minds. They tore apart, Maddie clutching each side of her head in pain and Nick simply looking irritated.

'What do you want, Koragg?' he asked, entirely pissed by the constant interruptions while kissing Madison.

'You, of course,' his father growled in response. 'What else have I ever wanted?'

'Me dead, maybe?' Maddie interjected, herself not happy with the virtual mind rape the older man seemed to enjoy whenever the couple found some alone time. His snickers echoed through their minds.

'Alas, I doubt I'll ever achieve that. My son is fiercely protective of you. But you are not my reason for intrusion. Nickolaus is.'

'What do you want?' he asked again, anger snowballing rapidly. The way his father talked to Madison didn't sit well with the young man.

'Simply you. You have been on the surface for far too long. Your training must continue. Return, or I shall retrieve you myself.'

He was gone in a flash, leaving vague echoes of himself in their minds. Nick was the first to speak, turning to Maddie with a regretful smile on his face.

"I have to go," he said simply, fully apologetic about it all. She smiled back faintly despite the sudden headache she'd developed.

"It's okay," she answered lightly. "I understand. I guess this is goodbye for now, then?" The sadness in her face was maddening to him, only increasing his repressed, paternally-directed anger.

"Yeah, I guess it is. Goodbye," he whispered, placing a soft kiss on her forehead before being taken away by a spell seal.

Madison sat dazedly on the bench for a few more minutes. If she concentrated, she could still where his lips had touched her skin ever so gently. Over and over, she replayed the moment in her head, hoping that maybe it wasn't really over and that her mind was just making up crazy possibilities as they still kissed. When she finally tore herself away from what she knew truly were fantasies, she stood up and nearly feel through a tree back to Briarwood.

Mentally trying to gather herself, she stood in front of the tree and gazed at Nick's bike parked there. She'd ridden it into work again despite the fact that she didn't have the proper legal qualifications to do so. She figured she'd just use magic on anyone who found out or cared enough to bother her about it. Not exactly ethical, but she wasn't in the mood to care. The past couple of weeks hadn't been great and she'd been feeling the strange inclination to disregard rules more often, though she usually chalked the feeling up to stress, which she was fairly sure wasn't ending anytime soon.

As emotionally and mentally gathered as she could make herself, she began the walk back over to work and the inquisition she was about to face.

Koragg stood alone in the Pit, awaiting his son's arrival. His wait wasn't long though, as he sensed the boy coming rapidly toward him. Just in time, he whipped around to narrowly block a blow from Nick's sword with his own.

"What the hell is your problem?" the young man shouted, attempting to strike his father again with the sword he wielded. The older man, now fully aware of his son's presence and intentions, easily deflected the blows, which didn't carry enough strength to take him out as it was. Over their last ten-odd training sessions, the boy's sword had gradually changed. Every time they dueled, it would grow a bit longer and wider, more akin to Koragg's own now. Though its slow change had allowed Nick to adjust, he was still more accustomed to his thinner, lighter sword, and he wasn't a great swordsman yet. The change in weight didn't help with his aim, either.

Koragg smirked behind his helmet. "I am not the one seeing a light witch." Nick's swings came harder now, a more furious edge to his actions.

"Who I see is none of your goddamned business! I'm not just going to jump because you tell me to. I am not your fucking pawn!"

"You are my son and you shall obey me." Koragg was actually fighting back now, trading blows and easily deflecting Nick's.

"You know I'll only obey you if I agree with it, and you have absolutely no say in my relationship with Madison." He swung in a quick arc toward Koragg's head, but the older man saw it coming and ducked it, swinging his own sword in the fraction of a second that Nick spent trying to control his sword's added weight. It connected solidly with his son's right leg, pushing both out from underneath the boy, who suddenly found himself looking at a blade descending upon his face. He managed to stop the blade in time using his own. The pair were frozen like this for a moment before Koragg stood back, sheathed his sword and offered a hand to his panting son.

"You are progressing well," he stated with a tiny grin. Nick took the outstretched hand and slowly stood himself up. "You are using your anger to its full potential and channeling it well. You shall be a Dark Knight in no time." The young man rolled his eyes and brushed some dust off of his cape.

"You're one helluva son-of-a-bitch, you know that, right?" he asked before promptly stomping off, sword vanishing without a thought. As pissed as he was, the entire thing had still been a rush. He hadn't had much time to come down from the feeling he got from being with Maddie, and the sword fight had only pushed it further. Right now, he felt like he could do anything.

As he started coming down, he found his feet leading him to a part of the Underworld he had yet to explore. It didn't look too much different from the other parts he'd seen, save for the dark red candles that sat on every outcropping of rock, giving the halls a feeling of dizzying motion as the flames swayed. Every room he came across was empty, only occupied by thousands of candles lining the walls. If Nick hadn't been a fire elemental, the insane heat radiating from the walls would've been unbearable. Instead, he felt completely at ease knowing that his element was all around him at any time.

He suddenly found that the hall had ended, leading into a large cavern. On one side sat a throne flanked by several tall candelabra with black candles burning brightly atop each of them. On the opposite side of the room was a simple archway, much like the one he'd just exited. Curious as to what it led to and already tired of this throne room, the second one he'd seen today, he entered this new room without hesitation. Immediately to his right was another small room, devoid of candles unlike the others. Only a few lonely bats hung around the top. With nothing else of interest to occupy him in there, he kept walking. It didn't take him long before he'd found another room, this one much more interesting.

A black wire frame bed stood against the opposite wall, a dark violet comforter smoothed against the top. Aside from that and a large hawthorn dresser, everything seemed so out of place in the Underworld. Bands posters lined the walls, bright colors clashing against the dark stone. A desk topped by a computer sat idly to his left, while only a chair and floor lamp adorned the right side. Nick had no idea who such a room could belong to for a moment. Then, as someone behind him cleared their throat, it clicked.

"Just the man I was looking for," Leelee said.

A/N - Oh, wow. Finally. Sorry for the wait, you guys. Between set construction for the school play I'm in, school, babysitting and crazy birthday parties, I haven't had much time to type. I'm finally done with this chapter, though, and I hope you love it. It ended up being longer than I'd intended, but that's not a bad thing. I broke 100 pages on Word, and 400 on paper.

Thanks everyone for the reviews. It's great seeing those in my inbox. The last chapter actually had more than twenty, which I find exciting for some weird reason. Dunno why. I'm just weird like that.

On a personal note, I turn sixteen this Thursday. I absolutely can't wait to get my license. I already have a car (a 97 Hyundai Elantra), and I have all of my state required hours behind the wheel. Yay for me!

Anyway, I hope you all in America are enjoying your Labor Day weekend. I know I am. Until next time (which should start the beginning of the end). Peace!