The archeologist gently wiped the dirt off of a large box he had just dug out of the ground. His eyes sparkled as he examined the markings. The box was made of stone and it was very old. Several cracks had formed, but it was still intact.

He began to open it; carefully and gently. Pulling off the lid he set it aside and looked into the box. There was a hammer, the only item within. It had many ancient markings on it and was covered in dust and dirt. But it still gleamed in the light of several lanterns that had been hung up.

"Wow," the archeologist said with awe. "This thing must be thousands of years old. But it is in such good condition." He turned to several other archeologists that were scraping away at other things among the room. "Hey guys. Can ya give me a hand here? I want to get this thing to a museum as soon as possible."

As he and several others lifted the box and began to carry it away, a pair of eyes watched from the dark shadows. Only eyes, no body. They closed and then disappeared.

In a deep cavern of the Underworld a demon sat at a stone table, ravenously eating several forms of meat.

As he continued to eat smoke began to form on the other side of the table. It compressed into a human shape and became a woman. "My son," she said, smiling. "I have found it. I have found Mjollnir, the hammer of Thor."

---

"I stand in the pouring rain. You couldn't even be there to pick me up! You're taking me for granted again. You're running out of time, and you're out of luck! Just a moment of weakness. I should examine my head! Just a moment of weakness. I never meant a word I said!"

Katie watched Bif Naked play their song "Moment Of Weakness" from behind the bar. Ian had been ordering her around all night and she was really wanting to take a little break and actually enjoy the band. Sure, it was a really busy night and Ian really had to be on the ball when the place was packed, but he was going overboard and being just plain rude.

"Hey, Kate. I don't pay you to sit around all night. There are customers here who want to order some drinks and I can't handle them myself." Ian came up next to his sister and she turned to look at him. He pointed down the bar where there were several people trying to get Katie's attention. "They are waiting for you. Now get going!" Ian then turned away and started off towards his office.

Katie rolled her eyes, got off her stool that she had been sitting on, and rushed over to the customers. "Sorry to keep you waiting. What can I get you?" Everyone started to talk at once, yelling out the drinks that they wanted. Katie could make out a word of any of it. "Hey, one at a time please!" she yelled. But no one listened.

"I want three bottles of Bud Light!"

"A shot of brandy!"

"Martini, please! Hello?!"

Katie held her head as everyone's yelling overwhelmed her. Finally she just shot out her hands and the whole room froze. Everything had stopped. The band, the dancers, even the spit that had shot out of one man's mouth when he had been shouting. Katie dropped her hands to her sides and sighed with relief. "Much better."

A door opened off to the side and Ian came out of his office. He looked around at all the frozen people and then glared at Katie. "What are you doing?" he asked, obviously angry as he stomped over to the bar. He glanced at the spit that hung in the air, made a face, then took a napkin and quickly grabbed the spit with it and flung it into a nearby trash can.

"I am taking a little break from all the noise and orders. And this is the perfect way to do it, I might add."

"Kate, I don't have time for this. The band is on the clock, I have work to do, and you are playing with your magic."

Katie gasped, shocked. "Playing? I am trying to get a little bit of peace. And all you have done the whole night is yell at me and boss me around."

"I'm your boss!"

Katie slammed her hand down on the counter. "Yeah? Well not anymore. I quit!" She then grabbed her brother and pushed him down behind the bar. Then with a wave of her hands the club unfroze and the noise started again. "Sorry!" she said loudly to the customers. "I don't work here anymore as of now. Bye!" Katie then grabbed her jacket off her stool and stomped her way out of King's Corner.

---

"What do you mean you have found the hammer of Thor?" The demon wiped his mouth with his ragged sleeve and stared at his mother; his mother Desmeria.
She was a very powerful demon. It ran in her family. Desmeria could dissipate into a gray, ghostly smoke, which she also used as her transportation. When in her smoky form she could enter a victims body through the nose or mouth and then suffocate them from the inside. Along with this, Desmeria could draw on dark energy to form Shadow Balls, which were much like the common energy ball, but in a different form and they were much stronger.

"I mean, Shokan, that after searching for hundreds of years I have found the one item that can make you very powerful. And can regain my family's status in demon society.
Shokan snorted. He always flinched when his mother said his name. It meant "Weak One", and he hated it. He also got a feeling of horrible loathing whenever his mother went on one of her rants about how their family had been respected by the rest of their kind, and had been part of the Demon Hierarchy. The he, Shokan, had been born and had ruined everything. He had been born with a dormant gene; the gene that made his mother and the rest of their family so powerful. The only powers he had were shimmering and low voltage energy balls. But still... his mother's discovery intrigued him.

"A team of archeologists found it less than an hour ago," Desmeria continued. "I had been watching them since I had a feeling that that tomb was the right one. And it was. Now all I need to do is find out where they are taking it." She spun around with glee, wisps of smoke wafting off of her.

Shokan didn't smile. He was not that happy. His mother was only glad because she might finally be popular again and get her old demon friends back. Ever since their family had been shunned because of him Desmeria had been searching for something that would give Shokan enough power to make him as strong as any other demon. "So, what's so great about this hammer?"

Desmeria stopped spinning. "What's so great? Do you not pay any attention at all?! Even hermits know that Mjollnir, the hammer of Thor, has great power. It gave the god magnificent strength. And it also could destroy enemies by sending powerful blasts of lightning from itself. What's so great... puh!"

Twisting his mouth, Shokan started to eat again. "Whatever," he said. He didn't really care if he was powerful or not. He didn't care if other demons respected him. He only wanted for his mother to one day not look at him like something that had just crawled out of the sewer. And speaking of rats... Shokan formed an energy ball in his hand and then whipped it across the room, hitting a rat that was scampering across the floor. The rodent dropped dead on the spot, it's fur charred slightly. "Dinner is on for tonight," he said, laughing. Shokan grinned and looked up his mother.

She glared at him and curled her lip as she always did. "Disgusting. I can't believe you would think of eating such a thing. If your father was here..."

"Father is dead!" Shokan slammed his hands down on the table, causing his cup to fall over and spill its contents. But Shokan took no notice. "Father is dead and he is not coming back. So don't mention him." Shokan's father had been vanquished by witches twenty years before. Great pain had haunted the young demon's heart for a long time before it had hardened and become cold.

Shokan's father was the only one that seemed to have liked him. He didn't seem to care that his song was just about as weak as a mortal. And he didn't really care up being respected by other demons either. He just liked to have great fun and kill beings of light. Shokan had no idea why his mother had married him. They had been complete opposites.
Desmeria looked away. "Fine. I'll be back later. I don't want to see any dead rats on the floor when I get back. And clean up the rest of this mess!" Her body then became a smokey mass and then she was gone.

Shokan looked down at the table. Then in a burst of rage he grabbed his plate and threw it across the room, where it smashed in several shards against the stone wall.

---

The next morning Katie sat with Rob in the living room. Ian had already left for work and the two siblings had not said one word to one another since the night before. Katie sighed and sipped her coffee. She had called Rob so that she could talk to him about Ian. But she didn't know what to say. So she just sat there, staring out one of the windows where the morning light streamed in through the curtains.

Rob cleared his throat to get Katie to look at him. "Kate... you called me here for a reason. I can tell that you want to talk and you can. I am your Whitelighter, you can tell me anything and you won't have to worry about me telling anyone else."

Katie twisted her mouth into a slight grin. "Whitelighter confidentiality?"

"Exactly. So come on. What's up?"

Katie shifted her position and sighed again. "It's about Ian," she finally said.

Rob's brow furrowed in concern. "Ian? Is there something wrong with him? I mean I think I would sense that, but—"

"It's not a supernatural thing," Katie interrupted. "It's just that last night we had a fight and I quit my job at the club."

"Well that was short lived."

"Hello, supposed to be helping here."

Rob smiled. "Sorry. Go on."

"Ok... Well any ways, since then we haven't talked. And I know that we fight all the time, but this just felt different. I don't know... He was just being a major bossy jerk."
"What was he doing?"

"Telling me what to do." Katie took another sip of her coffee and glanced again out the window.

"Isn't that what a boss is supposed to do?"

Katie turned back to Rob and glared. "Well, yeah, but he said before that he wouldn't treat me like he was my boss. And he kept yelling at me. And I just couldn't take all the yelling of the customers either, so I froze the place. That's when Ian got really mad."

"I don't think that using your powers to make things quieter was the best idea. Personal gain..."

Rolling her eyes, Katie said, "Yeah, I know. But I was getting really annoyed."

"But if someone had walked into the club you could have been exposed."

"But no one did!" Katie shook her head. Rob was acting exactly like Ian had the night before. Telling her that she was wrong. Well I wasn't wrong, she thought to herself.

Rob held up his hand. "Ok, I'm sorry. But I think that you realized last night that that job was just not the one for you. And that maybe you and Ian can vanquish demons together, but can't work together at a real job. Especially where one of you is the other's boss."

Katie nodded slowly, taking in what Rob had said. "You know, I think you are right. The job that is right for me is the one I had before. Before I was fired."

"Yeah, what exactly happened with that?" Rob asked, his face wearing a confused expression.

"We went on vacation, I fell in love with a guy named Nate, stayed there for a month. And after I got back I found out that I had been fired from my job. Apparently, not coming in for over a month makes the boss not too happy." Kate grinned.

"So what are you going to do now?"

Katie stared down in to her coffee mug for a moment before answering. "I think I am going to try and get my old job back. I'll beg if I have to."

Rob laughed. "Ok. Is there anything else you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Actually there is."

"Ok," Rob said. "What is it?"

"Well I have been wondering for quite some time now. You, a Whitelighter, have the power to orb. But so do I. And in the Book it says that only Whitelighters can orb... so how do I have it?"

Rob sighed. "I knew you were going to ask me this at some point."

"Ok, well now answer it."

"Well.... your father was a half-whitelighter, half-witch. Not many people knew because the Elders wanted to keep it quiet. You see, Witch/Whitelighter marriages are not looked upon too fondly by the Elders. Your father's parents got married and had him in secret, and after he was born there was nothing they could do."

Realization came onto Katie's face. "Oh... I get it now. So I am part Whitelighter. I got the witch powers from my Mom and the orbing power from my Dad."

Rob nodded. "That's right."

"But what about Ian? He doesn't have any Whitelighter powers."

"That's because the Whitelighter gene in him is recessive. The blood is still there, but witch powers were dominant in him."

"Ok. Makes sense. But how come you didn't tell me about this before?"

Rob smiled. "You didn't ask. Anything else?"

Katie shook her head. "Nope. That's it."

"Ok, I'll see you later then. Talk to Ian, though. You two have to be on good terms with one another. Especially if a demon attacks." He then orbed out.

---

"Is something wrong?"

Ian looked up from his keyboard. Allison sat at her desk, staring at him. "Wrong? No, why would there be?"

"Because you have barely talked at all since you got here and have had that look on your face."

"What face?"

"The one you get whenever you are mad about something and don't want to talk about it," Allison said.

Ian put his face in his hands. "Ugh, how do you know me so well?"

"Lots and lots of practice." Allison got up from her desk and came around to stand behind Ian's chair. She started to rub his shoulders. "Now, tell me all about it."

"Well," Ian said, putting his hands down, "Katie is being an idiot."

"Ian!" Allison hit him lightly on the head.

"Ow! Hey, I thought you were trying to help." Spinning around in his chair, Ian glared at Allison.

"Sorry," Allison said. She turned him back around and continued with the shoulder massage. "Go on."

"Ok, well last night she got all pissy and quit on me. And now there are a whole bunch of spots I have to fill. I am going to have to work over time or try to beg Beth to put in some extra hours." Ian sighed. "See, this is why there is that two weeks notice rule."

"Well then impose that on her."

He shook his head. "I can't do that. She's my sister. But I don't get why she did quit. It was just so sudden."

"Are you sure you didn't do anything that would make her want to quit?" Allison asked.

"I don't think so. I just asked her to go help some customers... well I kinda yelled that. And then she froze the place and I told her, well yelled, that she couldn't do that."

"So you did a lot of yelling. Don't you think that that could be the reason she quit?"

Ian thought for a moment. "Maybe. But she was just being really lazy. Hello, it was a band night. We are really busy and we need to be working the whole time."

"How long had she been working?"

"About five hours before our argument happened."

"Did she get any break during that time?"

".... Um... no?"

Allison nodded her head and stopped rubbing Ian's shoulders. "Well there you go. She really needed a break and you didn't let her have one. I bet that is what got her all mad." She went back and sat down at her desk. "I think you need to apologize to her."

Ian's mouth dropped open. "Me? She was the one who—" 

"Ian," Allison cut him off. "Whenever there is a fight between a woman and a man, it is always the man's fault."

"Oh that is so cheap. Look, I will apologize for not giving her a break, but she was also in the wrong. Now let's get to work." He picked up a letter out of one of the boxes that sat around and opened it.
"Dear Ian and Allison," Ian started. "My brother and I fight with each other all the time. And it seems like all other siblings do the same. Do you think that sibling rivalry is a universal thing? That no matter what, all siblings will fight? Please tell me your opinion's on this subject. Sincerely, Mary Donson."

Ian gave a wry smile as he set the letter down. "What a coincidence."

---

"Shokan, catch!"

Shokan snatched the rock out of the air that was throw to him and ran across the dirt covered floor towards a section that had been marked as the touchdown area. Humans were not the only ones that enjoyed football. Yet demons played the game in a different way.

Diving to the ground, Shokan just barely made it out of the way of a stunning energy ball. He quickly scrambled to his feet, for the opposing team was coming for him. "You can't catch me." Shokan ran and ran, leaving his buddies in the dust. But just as he was about to reach the touchdown line a voice called out his name.

"Shokan! What are you doing?!"

Shokan skidded to a stop and turned to see his mother standing there. Her arms were crossed and she had that look on her face that meant trouble. "Mother, what are you doing he—" Wham! Shokan was knocked over as he was hit with an energy ball. He felt like his whole body had gone to sleep; his legs and arms tingled. The next thing he knew, several of his friends piled on top of him.

"Heh, you didn't make it Shokan," his friend called Ripper said, laughing. He was on the other team.

As the effects of the energy ball wore off, and his friends stood up, Shokan got to his feet. He looked at his mother and then instantly looked down.

"What are you doing messing around with this riff raff? Is this anyway for us to be respected once again when you are hanging around with low life demons?"

"Hey!" Shokan looked up and stared right into his mother's eyes. "These are my friends. You have no right to talk about them that way."

Desmeria smirked. "They are not your friends any longer. For I have found out where..." She glanced at Shokan's friends for a moment before continuing. "... Where you-know-who are taking you-know-what. Now come along. We have to go prepare." She then disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Shokan looked and his friends and shrugged. "Sorry guys. I guess the games off for today." He dropped the rock that they had been using for a football and the shimmered out.

Moments later he reappeared in his home. Desmeria sat at the table, her hands clasped together. "Mother, don't ever talk about my friends that way again. Or else..."

"Or else what?" Desmeria got to her feet and glided over to Shokan. "You'll stop me? Remember my darling, I hold all the cards of power here. Now, enough about all that. The Hammer. I know where they are taking it."

Rolling his eyes, Shokan took a seat. "Where?"

"To New York city. Once it is set up in the museum, stealing it will be a snap. And once it is ours we will regain our status in the Underworld."

Shokan sighed. "Yeah... that's wonderful."

---

"Thank you so much Mr. Knight. I'll see you tomorrow. Thanks again. Bye." Katie hung up the cordless phone and dropped it down on the couch next to her where she sat. A smile came over her face. She had just scheduled an appointment with her old boss to see if she might have a chance to get her job back.

A moment later she heard the front door close and Ian came into the room. They both stayed quiet for a minute until Ian spoke up. "Um... hi."

Katie's smile had faded. "Hi."

"Yeah... Um, I just kinda wanted to say that I am sorry about last night. I was a little hard on you."

Katie snorted. "A little?"

Ian's face turned dark at that remark, his temper beginning to boil. "Hey, you had work to do. And you were not doing it! I am not your baby-sitter. I tell you what to do and you go do it. That's what you do at a job."

"No, you didn't tell me. You yelled. A lot. And I just decided it wasn't right for me." Katie crossed her arms and slouched down into the couch.

Throwing up his arms Ian let out an angry growl. "Ok, you decided that. But you CAN'T just quit on the spot."

"I can and I did."

"No, there is this thing called a two week notice. Now other hard workers, like Beth and myself have to do some over time work all because of you! I don't even know why I try and talk to you about this. You just don't get it!" Ian then turned on his heal and left the manor, slamming the door behind him.

---

The following morning Katie sat in her room eating a bowl of cereal. She didn't want to run in to Ian at all, so she had quickly gotten her breakfast and hurried back up to her room.

As she munched she had the radio turned on in the background as she read the morning newspaper. "And today a new artifact arrives at the New York National Museum," the male reporter announced, soundly slightly bored. "Sources say that it is an ancient hammer from thousands of years ago as far as can be told. The hammer will be set up in an exhibit along with several other similar materials tonight and everyone will be able to view it starting tomorrow morning. Check the museum's web site for their hours. And in sports..."

She heard the front door slam, meaning Ian had left. Katie sighed and set her bowl on her bedside table. "Well. I guess I better get ready for that interview."

---

Pushing through the revolving doors Ian made his way into The Central office building. He walked briskly across the marble floor, not paying attention to anything really. He was still fumed about Katie's ignorance and reluctance to take responsibility for things. He wished there was some way to get through to her.

"Oh, look out!"

Ian suddenly slammed into a women, making her drop a large pile of files that she had been holding. Papers flew all over the floor, and the women quickly bent down to retrieve them.

"I am so sorry," Ian said. "I wasn't thinking." He bent down as well to help her.

"That's alright. I'm fine."

Ian handed her a file and then reached for that day's issue of The Central that she had also dropped. As his hand touched it Ian's eyes flew shut. Several images of the New York National Museum sped through his mind. Then he saw a dim room. Several artifacts were being set up for an exhibit. Ian's view shot forward and twisted around, showing a very old looking hammer. The scene changed; it was the same room, but it was dark. Nighttime. A woman appeared in a great wisp of smoke and she glided across the room towards a glass case that held the hammer. She smiled and her hand then reached right through the case and her hand grasped the long handle.

Ian opened his eyes as the images faded just as suddenly as they had come. The woman the he had bumped into was just picking up a file that she had been reaching for when Ian's vision had started.

Man, he thought. My premonitions seem to take a lot longer than they actually are in "real time." He looked at the paper and near the bottom was a small article of the hammer arriving at the museum and being set on display right after closing that night.

"Excuse me." Ian glanced over and saw the woman holding out her hand to him. "My paper, please."

"Heh," Ian said with a small laugh. "Sorry. Here." He handed her the newspaper and she stood up and walked away. Ian stood up himself and then sighed. "Looks like a demon has a date with a hammer. And it's gonna be my job to crash that little party. On my own."

---

"So, what makes you think that I can trust you to not go off on another month long vacation?"

Katie sat in Mr. Knight's office. She sat tall and confident, even though he was sending blow after blow at her. "That was a very trying moment in my life. And I am truly sorry for not contacting you or anything. But trust me. There isn't even enough money for me to go on another vacation anytime soon."

Mr. Knight nodded slowly. "But will you still be leaving at all times, having flimsy or no explanations?"

"Uh... my family has a lot of emergencies. Yet I will do my best to be here when I need to be." Katie's confidence broke down some and her face relaxed. "Please, Mr. Knight. I know that this job is right for me. If you can just give me another chance, I can prove that to you."

There was a few moments of silence. Then Mr. Knight sighed. "I'll give you a call. Good day Ms. King."

Katie slowly got up from her seat. As she opened the door to leave she looked back at Mr. Knight. "Thank you, sir." Katie went out and closed the door behind her.

---

"Ok, I wanted to do this on my own. I can handle one demon, you know."

"Yes, but I came anyway." Allison stuck her tongue out at Ian. He had told her of his premonition and she had insisted she come with him that night.

They now stood in a darkened hallway of the museum. They had hidden out in the building until it had closed. Now the two were outside the Security Control room. Yet Allison was in the form of a Security guard, so as they would not be suspected by anyone if they were seen.

Ian sighed. "Ok, I guess I did need some help. Your glamoring power and freezing power really help in this case."

"You wouldn't have needed me if you had talked to Katie. She could have orbed you both in and frozen the guard."

"Look, I don't really want to work with her right now. Now let's just do this."

Allison opened the door and froze the Security guard who sat in front of a control panel on a small desk. A large set of screens that showed the museum through the view of many cameras was set up against the wall.

As Allison transformed back into her own form Ian pulled out a small cloth and a bottle of chloroform. He dapped some of the liquid onto the cloth and then put that up against the guards frozen face, making sure he was in a position where the guard could not see his face.

"Alright," Ian said. "Unfreeze him."

Allison did so. The guard to one surprised breath and then slumped into unconsciousness.

"Sorry, big guy." Ian laid the guard on the floor, and put away the items he held. He then pressed a button on the control panel and the screens all went black. Turning to Allison, Ian smiled. "This feels so... Mission Impossible."

She smiled back. "Let's hope it isn't really like that. Now come on. We have to get to that exhibit."

The two quickly left the room and were soon at the place where Ian's premonition had shown. "This is it. Now we wait."

They didn't have to wait long. Smoke coiled into the room and whirled up into a funnel. As it cleared, a female shape took form. Once she saw the two witches she gasped. "Who are you?" she asked in a low tone.

"We're witches," Ian said. "Here to stop you from taking this hammer."

A smile played over the demon's lips. "Well, I don't know how you knew of my plans. But it doesn't matter. This just means I get to have a little fun."

"Oh trust me," Ian said with a smirk. "We are going to have a lot of fun vanquishing you."

"Are you not afraid to use your magic in front of all those security cameras?"

"Taken care of already," Allison piped in. "And I think it's time to take care of you."

"Sorry, other way around, my dear." The demon held up her hand and a ball of dark energy formed. She thrust it at Allison who whipped up her hands, freezing the shadow ball before it had a chance to strike her.

Ian then moved forward and lashed out with a fierce kick. But his foe became smoke and his kick went right through, throwing Ian off balance.

Hardening into solid form again, the demon sent a shadow ball into Ian, knocking him across the room and into a tall pillar. Ian fell to the floor with a grunt, and his chest was badly injured.

"This is quite entertaining." The demon majestically glided over to the glass case that held the hammer. Allison stood next to it, staring defiantly. "Oh, do you look brave. Sorry to burst your bubble then." She pointed a long, elegant finger at Allison's face and a cloud of smoke appeared.

Allison began to cough and choke. She waved her hands, trying to make the cloud go away, but it engulfed her head and a moment later Allison fell to the floor, unconscious.

With a twitch of her finger, the demon made the cloud dissipate. Then she reached right through the glass case, grasped the hammer, and then both she and the hammer disappeared.

Stumbling to his feat, Ian moved over to Allison. He bent down next to her and shook her awake. Allison opened her eyes slowly. "Hey," Ian said, his voice hoarse. "You ok?"

She nodded and then looked at his chest. The shadow ball had burnt through his shirt and had badly injured his chest. "Ian, your hurt."

"Not too badly. But we should get back to the manor." He smiled. "Maybe have Rob heal this."

The two stood up and they headed for one of the exits. "I still think you should have brought Katie," Allison mumbled. "She really could have helped us."

Ian kept silent, knowing that Allison was right.

---

"I mean, I think I can get it. I saw some sincerity in his eyes. Like he was going to give it to me. But I'm not sure. He said he would call me, in that voice where it wasn't going to be good. But when I was first trying out for the job I didn't feel I was going to get it. But I did. So maybe this time it will be the same. What do you think?"

Rob stared at Katie from where he sat on the couch in the King manor. "Um... I think it is quite possible you could get your job back. But why did you call me here just to talk about this?"

Katie shifted her position in the chair she sat on. "There wasn't anyone else to talk to," she said quietly.

"What about Ian?" Rob glanced around. "Where is Ian anyway? Shouldn't he be back from the newspaper by now?"

Smirking, Katie replied, "How the hell should I know where he is? It's not my job to keep track of him."

"Are you two still fighting?"

"If you must know, yes. Yes we are."

Rob sighed. "But why? I thought you guys could have worked this out."

"Well you know what? It is not as easy as it sounds. Ian can be pretty hard headed sometimes. I should know. I'm his sister."

"And that's just it," Rob said, sitting up a little more from his previous relaxed position. "You are his sister. And you two are different from other siblings. You guys have to work together to fight evil. But you can't do that if you are fighting each other. Because then one of you is going to get seriously hurt."

They heard the front door open and a moment later Ian and Allison stumbled into the room. And Ian was hurt.

Katie immediately forgot that she was mad at her brother and bolted from her seat. She rushed to his side and helped him sit down on her now vacated seat. "Ian, what happened?"

"Explanations later, healing now," Allison quipped, waving Rob over.

The Whitelighter quickly healed Ian and then stepped back. "What happened to you two?" he asked, concern showing greatly in his voice.

Ian sat up. "We had a little fight with a demon."

"Yeah," Allison said, nodding. "Ian had a premonition earlier today about this demon lady stealing some hammer from the museum. So we went there to stop her."

Katie's anger return in a wave and she narrowed her eyes at her brother. "And you didn't tell me?! What were you thinking? We are supposed to be in this together. And now that you didn't tell me you got hurt." She crossed her arms. "And let me guess. This hammer thingy is gone?"

Ian shifted his gaze and nodded.

"Um," Rob spoke up. "What hammer is this?"

Glancing around, Ian spotted that day's paper on the coffee table. He picked it up and handed it to Rob. "It's at the bottom of the page. Has a little picture."

Rob examined it for a moment. "Oh no." He dropped the paper back onto the table, looking stunned.

"Oh no?" Katie asked. But Rob didn't answer her. He just stood there. "Oh no? ...Rob?"

He came out of his "trance" and looked at Katie. "Hmm?"

"Oh no?!"

"Oh! Sorry. Yes, um... the hammer. It is a very special hammer."

Allison frowned. "Why? What's so special about it?"

"Well the reason it is special is because it is the long lost hammer, Mjollnir."

"Huh?" all three witches said at once.

"Mjollnir, the hammer of Thor; the Thunder God."

"Oh no," Katie said, dropping down onto the arm of the chair that Ian sat in.

"Well what does this mean?" Ian asked with a questioning look.

"It means," Rob said, "That whoever holds that hammer will be endowed with Thor's power. His strength, his agility. The hammer also has the power to unleash bolts of lightning. So if a demon has it... they will be pretty much unstoppable."

---

"I got it," Desmeria said, appearing in a wave of smoke. She held the hammer in her hand.

Shokan looked up from where he sat. He eyed the hammer. It was large, and many ancient markings decorated its handle. "Well done. Now what do we do with it?"
Desmeria seemed taken aback. "What do we do with it? Well create havoc and chaos of course. But you must be the one to do it."

"Why me? Why don't you take it for yourself, if it is so great?"

"Because I do not need it. I am powerful enough as it is. There were two witches who tried to stop me from taking this. And it was all to easy to get past them. Now you... You need this hammer, my dear Shokan. With its power you can become great. And our family will once again be respected by the rest of the Underworld. Here." She held the hammer out towards him. "Take it."

Shokan hesitated. But he rose up from he seat and walk over to his mother.

"Go on," she said.

Sighing, Shokan reached out and took the hammer. Instantly he felt its power rush through him. He felt strong. Stronger than he had ever felt in his whole life.

"Now," Desmeria said, smiling, "Use it."

---

"There has to be something we can do." Ian entered the attic, his sister and the other two following. He went over and opened the Book Of Shadows. "Maybe if we figure out who this demon is, we can vanquish her."

Rob shook his head. "But the hammer protects the one that carries it. As long as the demon holds the hammer, you can't vanquish her."

"Well then we will just have to get the hammer away from her, now won't we?" Katie stood next to her brother. "This demon, whoever she is, has nothing on us. We will take her down." She looked at Ian, who looked back. "Together."

Ian smiled and nodded. "Ok, now let's see." He stopped on one page of the Book. "Here we go. There she is." He pointed at an illustration on the page. It was of a family of demons, Desmeria being one of them. "The Merinastra Line. A family of great and powerful demons, that used to be part of the demon higharchy. Yet when Desmeria, daughter of Jehova and Yensa, bore a weakling son, the family was shunned. Ever since then, Desmeria has been searching for something that could make her son, Shokan, powerful. And then her family could become respected once again."

"So the hammer is what she is going to use for that," Allison said, speaking up. "She is going to give the hammer to Shokan so he can prove to the Underworld that he is not a weakling."

Rob nodded. "That's correct. So we have to stop him from using it."

"Right," Ian said. "Once we get the hammer from him, he should be easy to vanquish. Since the Book says he is weak and all. If this Desmeria was the one with it.... Well she was really strong."

"So once we get our hands on the hammer, we should use it to destroy Desmeria," Katie put in. "But what to we do with it once we have it and every thing's good again?"

"I'll orb it someplace safe," Rob said.

Suddenly, the wail of sirens could be heard in the distance. Along with the faint sound of explosions.

"It's started," Ian said. "Ok, we have to move and move fast. Katie? Want to get to work on some kick ass potions?" Katie nodded and left the attic. "Rob? Go talk with the Elders. See if they have any ideas that can help us."

"Got ya." Rob orbed out.

Ian turned to Allison. "What should I do?" she asked.

"Go home."

Allison's mouth dropped open. "What? But Ian, I want to help."

"I don't want you getting hurt."

"But," Allison protested.

Ian went over to her and gave her a hug. "Please. Do this for me. I love you."

A tear slid down Allison's face. "I love you too." She then kissed him, and the two held it for a long moment.

Then Ian broke away and looked into Allison's eyes. "Go." Allison nodded and then ran out of the room.

---

Shokan strutted down one of the main streets of New York City, knocking cars out of the way with the hammer as if they were light as feathers. People ran away screaming in every direction. Police sirens wailed, but no cops could get through with all the chaos.
Sighing, Shokan surveyed the destruction he had caused. He didn't really care for it all. He was just doing what his mother wanted him to do, hoping that she would be proud of him.

Behind Shokan a flurry of blue lights began to form and Katie and Ian orbed in. Katie held a purse that was full of offensive and defensive potions. Ian had several spells tucked away in his pockets. They were ready for a fight.

"Hey!" Katie called out.

Shokan turned around, eyeing the new arrivals. "Who are you?"

"The ones who are going to vanquish you," Ian answered. His eyes were filled with determination.

Shrugging, Shokan hefted the hammer. "Sorry, but as long as I have this, you can't do that. Or so my mother tells me."

Katie smirked. "Well it won't be long before we take it then. Right Ian?"

Her brother nodded. "Right. Let's do this." Ian moved towards Shokan, who swung Mjollnir. Levitating, Ian avoided the attack, and then landed a kick across Shokan's jaw. The hit made the demon stumble, but as Ian came down to the ground Shokan swung the hammer once again, hitting the King male in the side. Ian was flung through the air, smashing through the window of a now abandoned clothing store.

"Ian!" Katie screamed. She pulled a potion out of her purse and threw it at Shokan. It exploded against his chest, forcing him back a step.

"Nice try, witch," he said. Shokan then pointed Mjollnir at Katie. Electricity washed over its surface and a lightning bolt lashed out towards the young witch.

Katie raised her hands, activating her power of temporal stasis. The bolt slowed, but did not stop. "Oh crap." Katie leaped out of the way and the bolt shot through where she had just been a moment before. It hit a vacated car and the vehicle exploded, showering the street with sparks and flame.

Ian crawled out of the store, several cuts bleeding freely from his face and hands. He made his way over to Katie and the two stood together. "You ok?" Ian asked his sister.
"Yeah. You?"

Ian shrugged. "Could be better...." The two then faced off with Shokan, who stood calmly, holding Mjollnir with both hands. "We have to get that hammer away from him."

"Duh. Any suggestions?" Katie rubbed her elbow, which had been hurt when she had landed on the hard cement.

Ian shook his head. "None coming to me."

"This grows tiresome," Shokan said. He lifted the hammer and aimed it at Katie. "I end this now." Lightning struck out, speeding towards Katie.

"No!" Ian yelled. He pushed his sister out of the way, taking the hit for himself. The force of the attacked launched Ian through the air, where he landed with a dull thud on the hood of a pick-up truck.

Katie stumbled to her feet and rushed over to Ian. His eyes were closed; he didn't seem to be breathing. "No, no, no," Katie whispered, tears beginning to stream from her eyes. "You can't die on me. I need you. And I didn't even get to say sorry for what happened at the club." Ian didn't move. "Wake up!" Katie slapped her brother across the face, trying to rouse him. But he did not open his eyes. Laying her head down on Ian's chest Katie sobbed, her tears dripping onto Ian's shirt.

Shokan watched this display. He felt pain in his heart. He had never really wanted to hurt anyone. Just make his mother proud. Now look what had happened. This girl might lose her brother just as he had lost his father.

"I can't," Shokan said. He dropped the hammer to the ground. "I won't."

"If you won't," came a voice, smoke coiling up and taking shape, "then I will." Desmeria appeared and she picked up the hammer. "We are meant to kill witches. That is our destiny." She pointed Mjollnir at Katie's hunched form, who was still sobbing. Electricity oozed over the hammer as it got ready to strike.

"I can't let you do that, mother." Shokan conjured an energy ball and flung it into Desmeria's back. She stumbled forward and the hammer fell from her grasp.

"What are you doing?!" She turned on her son, eyes filled with rage.

"Saving us." Desmeria turned to see Katie standing there, Mjollnir now in her hands. A bolt of lightning shot from it and hit Desmeria in the chest. She screamed in rage and exploded in a wave of electricity and fire. Katie glanced at Shokan. "Thank you," she said. Katie then called for Rob who orbed in immediately. "Hurry, Ian's really hurt."
Rob looked over at Ian's dying body. "Oh no." He rushed over to his charge and held his hands over him. Golden light shined from his palms and Ian's wounds were healed.
He opened his eyes and took in a gasp of air. "Katie?"

"I'm here," Katie said, smiling. "And thank God, so are you." She turned to look at Shokan who stood in the street, staring at the scorch mark that was all that was left of his mother. "Um... sorry about vanquishing your mom."

Shokan shook his head. "All she cared about was being popular in the Underworld. She didn't care about me. And I now know that she would never be proud of me." He sighed and looked at the three of them standing there. "I never wanted power. I just wanted love." He then shimmered out.

Katie stared at where he had been for a moment and then handed Mjollnir to Rob. "Here. Make sure you take this someplace where no other demons can get their hands on it."

Rob nodded and took the hammer. "Will do," he said, orbing out.

Katie turned to Ian, who sat up on the hood of the extremely damaged pick up. "Ian, I just wanted to say..."

"And I just wanted to tell you..." he said.

"I'm sorry," they said in unison.

Ian smiled. "Good. Then we both agree. Now let's go home before the police show up and start asking questions."

"Good idea." Katie grabbed her brother's arm and orbed them both home.

---

The following morning Katie sat in the kitchen. Ian had already left for work. Sipping her coffee Katie turned on the television, switching it to the news. Reports of yesterday's happenings were being shown.

"An earth quake ripped through parts of New York City yesterday. Damages to buildings were minimal, but several cars were demolished and a few roads were severely damaged. No one was killed or seriously hurt."

Katie switched off the television and smiled. "People will do anything to not believe in magic. Even if the is a demon with a hammer of a god right in front of them." She shook her head as the phone started to ring. Lazily, Katie held out her hand and the cordless flew over to her. Snatching it out of the air, she answered it. "Hello?"

"Katie, this is Jerry Knight. I have some news for you, Ms. King."

Katie flinched. "Good news or bad news?"

"I'm not sure as of yet. The news is that you have your old job back."

Katie's eyes lit up. "Oh, thank you. I—"

"I'm not finished. You get your job back, but I have cut your original pay by a small margin. Also you are restricted from leaving before your appointed time unless it is a extremely important emergency. I am talking life or death here. Are you ok with these terms, Ms. King?"

Katie nodded while she spoke. "Yes, Mr. Knight. I am just so relieved that you are doing this for me."

"Good. Just don't let me lose trust of you again and everything will be fine. See you at work on Monday."

"See you then." Katie hung up the phone and let out a squeal of happiness.

---

Ian sat at his desk, staring down at the letter about sibling rivalry. "Allison?"

"Hmm?" Allison looked up from some paper work that she had been going through.

"I think we should do this one for tomorrow's column." Ian held up the letter, letting her see which one it was.

"Sibling rivalry huh?"

Ian nodded. "Yeah. I think it fits with what has been happening with Katie and I for the past few days."

Allison looked skeptical. "Did you and your sister sort things out between the two of you?"

"Yes. So I will be writing this with a clear head and not out of anger."

"Ok then. Let's get started."

Ian started up his computer and began to type, mumbling to himself as he did so. "Dear Mary. I believe that no matter how close two siblings are, they will fight at least once. There is no way around it.

"But the point is that these fights should not effect your relationship. Even if your sibling does something you think is really bad, you should forgive them. Get over it. Move on. Because a sibling is someone very special. Someone you can go and talk to no matter what. Someone you should cherish. If you and your brother fight, Mary, well fight and move on. Because believe me, you don't want to one day lose your sibling and have not resolved a fight. Because that feeling will weigh on you for the rest of your life. Be there for your brother, Mary, and he will be there for you. Don't let some petty fights get in the way of your relationship." Ian saved the file and then hit print. Sitting back in his chair, Ian looked at a photo on his desk of him and Katie, and smiled.