Disclaimer: I have a confession to make…I am not Angie Sage

Author's Note: Thanks to all who read and reviewed my last chapter. This chapter gets really…weird for lack of a better term. Wonky? Is that a good term? Bear with me everyone. I want you all to know that some of your lists are really close. In fact, one of you is so close it's making me freak out a little. We're not even half way finished yet and you've already got such a close idea. But don't get me wrong, you're all close. I have a feeling I may be writing a few oneshots….

Chapter Fourteen

When Nicko entered the glass, he came out into a huge airy bedroom, filled with art of all sorts of art. But Nicko was so distracted by the noise coming from the bed that he hardly noticed the artwork all around him. There, on the bed, was Jenna, practically being raped by a thing. Nicko didn't know what to do. Now, that he had finally found his sister, he was going to have to sit there and watch her suffer. Unless…..

Nicko thought quickly. He still remembered an anti-darke spell Silas had taught him years ago, when he had been a mere child. Nicko had never considered himself much of a Wizard, so he had never really practiced the spell, but he still knew how it went. And he had a feeling that an anti-darke spell was just the thing to get rid of a horrid darke creature like this. Quietly, Nicko muttered the incantation and with a pop, the thing was gone. Nicko smiled proudly. He had managed it! Jenna was safe.

When Jenna caught sight of Nicko, she smiled, seeming to forget her nakedness. "Nicko," she exclaimed, "Oh Nicko!" Even though she adored Merrin, she still couldn't help but experience a sense of powerful relief when she saw her adoptive brother.

"I'm so glad to see you!" she said, leaping of the bed and rushing toward him. Nicko was thrilled to see that Jenna was all right, but he couldn't believe she wasn't bothering to cover her naked body before she ran to him. Nicko put it down to the fact that she was still shaken by the events that had just occurred in her life. Nicko glanced around the Observatory room. He couldn't imagine anything good happening to her here.

As Jenna approached him, Nicko took in every inch of her body without even meaning to. He had to admit, she was very beautiful. Her skin was a lovely cream color and Nicko couldn't help but wonder what it would feel like to touch it. He attempted to pull himself out of his reverie. "This is wrong!" he told himself, "She's your sister!" But as Jenna came forward and threw her lovely body into his arms, his common sense was forgotten again. He held her to his body tightly. After a few moments, he said awkwardly, "Hi Jen, I..I'm so glad you're okay. What are you doing here? What is this place? You won't believe how I got here, I've just got so much to tell you."

Jenna pressed her finger to Nicko's lips. "Shh!" Nicko, I don't want to hear it right now." She paused and then she repeated those same, sweet words she had spoken to Septimus nine years earlier in the Marram Marshes. "I don't really want to communicate in words right now. They only complicate things. They can be so empty, so pointless. I want to show you how grateful I am to you, if you'll let me. Words are not enough, Nicko, not anymore." Jenna's mind was working fast. Merrin had obviously grown tired of her, and Jenna was beginning to see that it was not Merrin's love she truly prized. It was love in general. She had a feeling that, if he would agree to her proposal, she and Nicko could have quite a good time together. After all, she did know him well and love him very much. The only thing about leaving Merrin was that, without him, she would be less likely to see Delilah again. But Jenna was starting to doubt that Merrin had even had her daughter to begin with. If he had, wouldn't he have returned Delilah to her by now?

While Jenna was contemplating her options, Nicko was speechless. He understood by Jenna's words and mannerisms exactly what she wanted from him. But Nicko knew that he couldn't provide her with her desire. He couldn't sleep with Jenna, no matter how badly his body was urging him to. Unfortunately, his body was indeed urging him. He wanted to feel her soft skin in his hands, to hold her, to kiss her lips, but he knew this was an impossibility. Nicko knew it was wrong, but he missed the presence of a lover in his life. But Jenna couldn't be this next lover. She was his sister, for God's sake! Why was he even letting himself think like this? Nicko tried to make himself imagine the sweet quiet little girl version of Jenna that he had grown up with before she even knew she was the Princess of the Castle. Before she changed. But he was completely unsuccessful in his attempt to remember the child Jenna. The only Jenna knew anymore was this sweet, angelic seductress whom he could no longer see as a sibling.

At last Nicko managed to shake himself. He thought about Theo. What would Theo say if he found out his father was fooling with his Aunt Jenna? Nicko knew it would bother him and Theo didn't need to be bothered anymore. He had already seen enough. Nicko made his decision. He wasn't going to give into temptation. His son deserved better than that.

"Jenna," he whispered, "Get your clothes on and let's get out of here. I came through the glass, you can follow me out."

Jenna saw that Nicko wasn't going to give into her commands and she was furious. "No, Nicko, I don't think I will follow you. But not agreeing to what I have asked of you, you are refusing your Queen. I always thought you had more sense."

"Jenna, with all due respect, I cannot agree to what you have asked of me. Besides, what kind of Queen are you being if you stay here? The people of the Castle need you Jen, come on, let's go."

Jenna didn't answer. Finally Nicko had to go over to her and pull her toward the glass. She fought him the whole way, kicking and punching at him, but to no avail. Nicko was stronger. He managed to get her all the way to the glass, when Jenna stopped struggling. Instead, she leaned up and kissed him on his cheek. Nicko tried to ignore the urge to kiss her back. He was becoming a little afraid of his feelings. What was happening?

"You liked that." She said, sounding completely confident. Nicko didn't answer.

"Come on, Jenna." He said, ignoring her last comment. But when he tried to put his hand through the glass, he found, to his dismay, that it was solid as a rock. "Damn." he muttered, "Damn, Jen, we're trapped."

Meanwhile, Septimus was back with Clarissa in the manor. Septimus was actually rather happy, though he wouldn't admit it to Clarissa. He had managed to make off with Marcia's daughter, Celesta, and now, he had both her and Delilah to entertain him. What excited him most was that they were each carbon copies of their respective mothers. Of course, he was supposed to hate Marcia, he knew this. But gazing at Celesta made him loose almost all hope of ever being able to despise his ex mentor. When he had kidnapped Celesta, he had first knocked out Romulus to make sure he didn't see anything and then, he had taken the corpse of a dog Clarissa had murdered that morning and carried out exactly what Clarissa had asked of him. It had never been Clarissa's intention to kill Celesta. She wanted to hold Celesta hostage. Clarissa had known that keeping Celesta captive was a sure way to threaten Marcia. Clarissa had had every intention of killing Marcia that night in the Tower, but she had had Septimus take Celesta, just to be safe. For the moment though, Clarissa wanted Marcia to think her daughter was dead, which was the purpose of spreading the dog's blood. Clarissa still needed time to plan her next move.

Septimus was enjoying Celesta's company. He could tell that Celesta wasn't entirely enjoying his though. She was old enough to really know what it felt like to miss her parents and her brother and she missed them more and more every day. Each night, she cried for them. But even in her sadness, there was something about Celesta that inspired Septimus and he began to write even more music. One night, he composed a complete tune in Celesta's honor. Then, a very odd thing occurred.

Celesta could hear the melody coming from her bedroom, and she actually came out to see where in was coming from. She recognized it well. Her mother had a music box which played the same melody and Celesta was very fond of it. She came into the room where Septimus was playing and said, "That's Mummy's song." Septimus, who had not expected Celesta to still be awake, was startled.

"How so, Celesta?" he asked, "How is it your mother's tune? I have just created it myself."

"No, I'm sure it's Mummy's song, I've heard it. She used to play lots and lots." There was something so self assured, so positive in the way Celesta spoke that it reminded Septimus very much of Marcia. He looked into Celesta's face and for a moment, he could see only the little girl's mother and not the little girl herself. Septimus's heart felt heavy in a way he couldn't really explain. He was pretty sure Celesta wouldn't just lie to him. But he couldn't help but wonder, how was he able to play a melody that already existed when he himself had never heard it?

Hours later, long after Septimus had convinced Celesta to return to her bedroom, Septimus was still wondering why he had known that tune so well. When he at last fell asleep, he could hear the music in his dreams, like a sweet lullaby. When he awoke, he came to a conclusion. He was going to have to see Marcia.

Marcia was starring out of her window. All of her energy was gone. Every few moments, she would imagine Celesta running through the door, bringing her something she had made for her. Marcia didn't know how she was going to move on without her daughter. She partly blamed herself for Celesta's death. If she had been more careful, maybe Celesta wouldn't have been killed. But what was almost as hard as living with Celesta's death was living with Septimus's betrayal of her. Never in her wildest dreams had Marcia ever imagined that Septimus would actually do something as atrocious as killing her child. She knew he had not been quite right lately, but she had never even started to think that it would come to this. Thinking of how he had deceived her and managed to take one of the few things from her that really mattered made Marcia's blood boil. Septimus was also managing to embarrass her in public places without even knowing he was doing it. About a week earlier, when Marcia had had to make a speech in front of the Castle, she had been unable to concentrate and had nearly broken down from the pressure of all the emotional stress that was taking her over. Marcia had never cried in front of the people of the Castle, and it actually scared them a little. Only the women with children were able to understand why their ExtraOrdinary Wizard was having such a difficult time.

Marcellus had been very, very dejected the past few weeks as well. He had adored everything about his tiny daughter. She was so like Marcia in appearance, but for the most part, her mannerisms had been like his. He had loved to play with Celesta, to make her happy in any way he could. After living for over five hundred and twenty years, Marcellus had finally found true happiness with his family. But, he should have known it was all too good to last. It usually was. Marcellus too, was shocked that Septimus had been the one to take little Celesta's life. Marcellus had once trusted Septimus more than anyone else and now, Septimus had turned around and stabbed him in the back in the worst possible way.

One day, not long after Celesta disappeared, Marcellus told Marcia he was going pick up a new pair of shoes from Terry Tarsal's shop and he was taking Romulus with him. It would do Romulus some good to get some fresh air. Romulus had been looking incredibly peaked since the death of his sister and Marcellus wanted to get him out and about again. He was rather hoping it would help both of them. Marcia had to stay in the Wizard Tower to work on a few things. About thirty minutes after Marcellus left, there was a knock on the door. Marcia was perplexed. There was no way Marcellus could have come back so quickly.

"Open." Marcia commanded the door and to her amazement, Celesta ran into the room as fast as she could. "Mummy!" she exclaimed.

Marcia thought she was seeing things. "Celesta? Oh..Oh my God!" she knelt down and swept the little girl into her arms. "Oh my darling! How did you get here? How are you- Oh it doesn't matter! You're alive." Celesta buried her face in Marcia's bosom and for a moment, neither of them spoke. Marcia kissed Celesta on her head and whispered, "I missed you so much, I was so worried. I love you, Celesta, I'll never let anything happen to you again."

Celesta then said the words Marcia had been dying to hear for three weeks, "I love you too, Mummy."

At that moment, Septimus walked into the room. Marcia's expression clouded. "How dare you show your face in here? Get out, or do I have to make you get out? You're not welcome here any longer."

Septimus was practical and calm. "Marcia, please, listen to what I have to say. Obviously, I didn't kill your daughter, I couldn't do that, not when she's so much like you. Clarissa killed a dog that morning and I spilt its blood all across the room because Clarissa told me to make it look like I had murdered your child. But thought you knew me well enough to now I would never, ever do something like that. Marcia, I was angry. I wanted to find Jenna and I still do, but I was angry with you for taking the amulet back. I didn't think you understood what it was like to love someone as much as I loved Jenna. I still love her, but my feelings have gotten more complicated."

Marcia was agitated. "I don't speak in riddles, Septimus Heap, say what you have to say."

Septimus took a deep breath. "I have been living with Clarissa Demarte for three months in an old abandoned manor outside the Castle. Before I showed up, she had been keeping Delilah, you know, Jenna's daughter, there was a prisoner. I have taken her away with me too. Clarissa said she knew where Jenna was, and that was what lead me to stay with her. But now, I am no longer sure I believe her. I think she was trying to use me. I have left Delilah at my mother's house, but I cannot be separated from her. She thinks of me as a father, I love her. I began writing music while I was living with Clarissa. I don't know what led me to do it, but somehow, the music just kept playing in my head and I wrote it down. Eventually, I played a melody that your daughter recognized. She said you have a music box that plays it. I'd like to hear it."

Marcia was still a bit dubious. But at least Septimus wasn't being quite as odd now. "All right, all right, Septimus." she said, "but let me get Celesta down first. She needs a nap. " The child had was already nearly asleep in Marcia's arms.

When Marcia returned, she was holding a small golden box which she handed to Septimus. Septimus took it and Marcia said, "Open it, it doesn't bite." Carefully, Septimus lifted the top.

It was indeed the same melody, Celesta's words had been the truth. Septimus suddenly realized what this meant. "Marcia," he said hoarsely, "you're it."

"What do you mean?" Marcia snapped. She hated being confused.

"All this time that I've been chasing Jenna, longing for her, desiring her, I've never really realized that what I love most has been here all the time. I love you, Marcia. I know I've said it before, but I want you to know that I never stopped. But Marcia, I'm here because I no longer know the nature of my love for you. I think I love you more than I have ever loved anyone. I fooled myself with my obsession with Jenna. But Marcia, I'm an adult now. I'm adult man. I want you in a new way now. I know you'll say, there's the age gap, it's wrong. Bu before you do, let me point out that you and Marcellus are hundreds of years apart. But he could never love you as I have come to realize I love you in these past few months. Marcia, if I cannot be your lover, at least let me be your friend, your adviser. I will never hurt you again. If it hurts you to split with Marcellus, then I do not ask it of you. But you see, people would not find us an odd couple. Why is appearance, I look as old as you now. Think of it, we could give the position of ExtraOrdinary to someone else and we could run away together. I would make you so happy. I have said too much, haven't I? You think me mad?"

Marcia sat down on her sofa. Her stomach was churning. She couldn't speak. Septimus loved her, then? Marcia thought she might choke. Of course, she loved Septimus, but not in the manner he was implying her loved her. "Septimus," she said, "Listen, I will always love you, but I must ask are you crazy? I cannot leave these people to fend for themselves, there is no other suitable ExtraOrdinary in the Castle right now. I must stay."

"I will wait." Septimus replied, passionately.

"Septimus, it's not a matter of waiting. I love Marcellus, I can't leave him. Please try to understand."

Septimus's eyes became dark and then he said, "Then you do not see the signs? This is meant to happen, but you cannot see it. Marcia, I'm closer to you than I am to anyone else. How can I not love a person with whom I have shared so many personal experiences?"

Marcia decided to take charge. "Septimus, you're being ridiculous. In a few hours, you'll realize you don't love me like that. You just feel guilty because you treated my family badly. I forgive you. You did not kill my child. And-"

Septimus didn't want to listen to anymore. Quickly, he grabbed Marcia around her waist and pressed his lips to hers. Marcia's lips trembled, but she was too shocked to struggle. Septimus didn't let her go. Very shortly though, Septimus's moment of pleasure was interrupted by the sound of Marcellus Pye returning home, just in time to see Septimus Heap kissing his wife on the lips.

AN-Ok, everyone, let's all clap our hands really slow for Sep. He's not exactly normal anymore, is he?