Woot! Guys, this story's so close to the end, but there's SO MUCH yet to come. :O

Responses:

Zarabethe: Aha, yes! Reece will eventually be Reece Silverpaw, once they remember that that's a normal thing that people do. xD I like that you picked up on that. And Julian in a wedding dress must happen. You know he'd do it, too, just for kicks.

Willowstar: Poor parents. xD They're apt to dragging Julian and Reece back with them right now and holding a ceremony. Bwahhaa.

Kintaraheart: Myesss! Draw all of ze children! I must see them! :D

Chelinka: OH YES THE SADS ARE COMING. Maybe. Depends on what you readers get sad about and what it takes to make it all better. :S

Ophianara: Bwaha, Raphael tends to draw that sort of 'nervous' reaction from most. He's just so shifty. :P

Suneeku: Myesss, haha, Fleek stirring up trouble. He doesn't get much in this chapter but he'll have his spotlight before this is all over. :D

Lily

As she climbed out of her evening bath, Lily uncapped a small vial of oil and dripped some into one hand, then smoothed it over her skin. Duncan had supplied her with sweet lavender oils and soft silks to stave the feeling of living in a desert, and she knew she couldn't thank him enough.

She dried off with a soft, plush towel and leisurely ran a comb through her hair, then changed into comfortable, cool, loose pants and a sleeveless soft white top.

With impeccable timing, Duncan waltzed into her room. The man wore finer clothes now than when he was a worker, though only by a fraction. She had no idea what he did all day to make him look like he'd just curled into a ball and thrown himself down a dirt hill, but every day, no matter what, he left clean and returned a dustbunny.

She stood to greet him, beaming at him cheerfully, and his eyes gleamed as they fell on her pearly smile. He approached her boldly, running his knuckles softly along her shoulder and one arm, and he let his eyes fall shut a moment as he took a deep breath of her scent.

"Lily flower," he purred at her. "Come, we will go to the water."

"But I just bathed-"

He gave her a daring look, a hint of challenge, and pressed a finger to her mouth. "Come."

She smirked back and in defeat placed her hand in his open one. He braided his fingers into hers, and the two exited the fort. Despite the sun nearing the horizon, many of the workers wouldn't be back for another fifteen minutes, and the camp was somewhat desolate compared to what it would be soon. Only half the number of people were there that would normally occupy it.

Duncan took her down to the surf, and she let it reach halfway up her calves, her feet burying themselves into the wet, sparse sand. The air felt moister than its usual dry heat, and she inhaled deeply, enjoying the fact that it didn't parch her throat.

Duncan drew her in against himself, arms wrapping around her front and hugging her back to his chest, burying his face in her neck.

They remained there for a few quiet moments before Lily tilted her head to the side to grant him more access, watching the light of the sunset fading in the sky as she spoke up finally.

"Have you decided upon what you're going to do about the camps in Stranglethorn? The ones that were ransacked and ruined?"

"They were all ransacked and ruined," he murmured in his resonant tone. "I do not care about camps an entire continent away. Let them burn. I have the best and biggest right here under my control."

"But what if the pirates that got those camps come here?"

"Then that will have been their final mistake."

Lily smiled, cozying in closer to him. He tilted his head inward and pulled her chin to him, wrapping his lips around hers intensely as his other hand gripped her flush against him. Lily still blushed every time he kissed her, because he never did anything half-assed, romance included, nor did he care about the four bodyguards watching from ten feet away.

His almost painfully-sharp teeth bit into her lower lip and tugged as he turned her around, lifted her up, and took her into the water to swim, regardless of their states of being fully-clothed.

They swam and enjoyed the cool water, ducking under large waves and avoiding sharp coral outcrops. Duncan didn't let his hands off of her for more than five seconds at a time, which she did not mind one bit. She liked his touch. It gave her a thrill she couldn't find anywhere else.

Eventually they left the water, and Duncan kept her and his bodyguards close-by as they made their way back through the camp. The workers were returning back for the night, all of them clearly exhausted, and the only thought in Lily's mind as she passed them was one of relief, relief that she was not among them anymore. A streak of pride hit her when she noted how the bodyguards beside her had once been in a position of power over her, and now she could tell them to do whatever she so pleased.

One bedraggled worker she passed looked about to croak; his mouth was chapped disgustingly, and his eyes drooped. "I need...water," he stumbled up to Lily and fell to his knees in front of her, hands reaching toward her. She startled back a single step, managing to avoid his outstretched hands, and the bodyguard closest to her pushed her aside with one elbow and grabbed the slave by the collar, forced him up to his feet, and then tossed him away, where he hit the ground and stayed there.

Not a second later, though, Duncan had let a growl rip through his chest and snapped, grabbing the bodyguard by the throat and crushing his neck with his bare hands so suddenly that the man hadn't had a chance to defend himself. Lily startled again, watching as Duncan's grip tightened until a sick crunch caused the struggling man to fall limp in Duncan's hand. Duncan threw the body aside with a grimace, and Lily swallowed back her surprise.

No one did a thing in response, and the remaining three bodyguards held no reaction or expression.

Lily glanced at the body. "Why'd you kill him?"

Duncan's silvery grey eyes flashed darkly. "I don't care if he's your guard. No one touches what's mine. Let him be an example."

Lily stared at the dead man, then was forced to keep walking when Duncan's large, hot hand wrapped around hers and pulled her forward. She fell into place beside him, thinking over what had just happened. Duncan had reacted violently, sure, but it was for her sake, so she should feel grateful. The guard had pushed her a little, and maybe Duncan had acted the way he had in concern for her safety.

Yes, that was it.

When she was with Duncan, she was sure of one thing: she felt definitely, assuredly, safe.

Julian, approximately 1 month later.

Just five days had been spent in Gadgetzan, and then the leaders of the whole operation (Norivana, Raphael, and Darkrunner) had all agreed to move the party southward, to get out of the city. So, in the following few weeks, they had set up an entire encampment along the rocky, secluded beaches on the southeastern end of Tanaris, just miles from where Raphael said the slave camp lay. A perimeter of various wards and fences had been placed around the camp to keep out the basilisks, buzzards, and bandits, and two more ships from Darkrunner's fleet had arrived, bringing both Shrouded Serpent and Bloodmoon members. They had a good army now, a solid ten dozen people. The slave camp had no chance against them, and now all they were doing was timing their upcoming attack.

Julian, whenever he found himself alone with his thoughts, always returned them to the slave camp, and how close they were to it now. Lily was only miles away, so close, yet so far. He could only hope that, for one, she was okay, and two, she wasn't what he feared she was. She couldn't be a taskmaster, couldn't have taken a job in which she subjects other people to inhumane labor.

That just wasn't like her. And if she had done something like that, he wasn't sure how other people might take it. He knew she'd be allowed back into the tribe; his father wasn't cruel enough to banish his daughter's childhood friend, but she would suffer some sort of consequence for making the choice she had, possibly not even from the tribe leaders, just from people like himself, or people who might judge her harshly. He could only hope it wouldn't be too bad.

Anyhow, other than the Lily issue, Julian had to admit that this month, despite him being away from home and under the stress of preparing for an offensive invasion, had been one of the best of his life. He'd spent all of his free time with Reece, as per usual, and it'd just been a magical time for both of them. Neither of them could have asked for a better honeymoon. They had friends, family, and enough excitement for a lifetime.

Not only that, but Julian had been thrilled to see Glenn Verdell with his parents upon arriving in Gadgetzan, and he and Glenn had worked the entire month on developing precise, pin-point-accuracy sniper-rifle-like guns that could be mounted on ships, as well as creating various types of explosives, cannonballs, and bullets with the help of Fleek Goldwell, the sassy, loudmouthed Goblin from Raphael's guild (and previously, Darkrunner's).

Norivana was, of course, the mind behind the big invasion, given her history in the military as well as her involvement in several different wars and operations over the years. She had assigned different groups to different tasks, and would be coordinating everything once the point of conflict arrived.

Currently, Julian, Fleek, and Glenn were working in the shelter of a thick, sturdy tent, and Julian was installing a sniper scope onto one of the guns. It was delicate work, but really quite easy now that he'd gotten the hang of it.

He spoke with his mentor as he worked, threading a tiny bronze filament between two spokes, which ultimately would attach to a gauge that allowed for focusing the lens. "How's your daughter, by the way?"

"Zinnia? She's great. Knows about ten words," Glenn smiled fondly, his thick magnifying spectacles on his nose making his eyes slightly larger than they should be. They slipped down his nose, and he pushed them back up before speaking again. "Her hair's green now. She was born with black, but it sort of...switched colors."

"That's really cool," Julian grinned back genuinely. "I can't wait to have kids."

Glenn smiled happily, pausing his work. "You and Reece planning for a little one already?"

"Well, we aren't really planning or anything, but I certainly wouldn't complain if it happened."

"Think you're ready for that?" Glenn's tone was merely curious.

"Probably not," Julian snickered. "But I love kids. Love them. And I would be delighted to have one of my own. If that's what life decides to throw at me, then I'll welcome it with open arms."

"That's a good stance," Glenn waggled the screwdriver in his hand once toward Julian.

Fleek, who'd remained silent until now, looked up from where he was stuffing black powder into a casing. "You people and your weird desire for offspring," he shook his head. "And here I thought the Alliance elves were all chaste prudes. You don't see many elf kids."

Julian chuckled. "You should see our orchard, then. They're swarming there."

Fleek lifted a single brow at the boy, somewhat skeptical, and then returned to his work.

Julian smiled, finishing up the scope he was on before standing from his seat and patting Glenn nearby on the shoulder. "I'm out for the night, then, Glenn."

Glenn reached over and shook the boy's hand warmly. "Thanks for the help, bud. Ever need anything, you know where to find me," the green-haired gentleman smiled genially, pushing his magnifying glasses back up his nose.

Julian thanked him and set off to find Reece. To be honest, all this talk of youngsters was getting to him, and he'd decided to bring it up to her. After all of this was over, there were so many different options as to where they could live together, and a few of those options gave opportunity for starting families. He wanted to know what her take on the idea might be, and whether she'd agree to it or not. If she didn't, fine, but if she did... he couldn't quite contain his excitement at the thought of that.

He passed two large, surrounded bonfires, which had been lit at sunset, though now the only light in the sky filtered from stars and the waxing moon, and the flames of the fires illuminated broad halos around themselves in otherwise pitch black night.

He found her finally by listening for the sound of her unique laughter, which he followed into a healers' tent. Upon slipping inside, he found not only her, but also Levianath and Fiammetta. When Reece saw him, her face gained a look of some sort of anxious joy.

"Hey," he smiled at her. "I was wondering if we could go somewhere to talk-"

"Julian," she cut in, still grinning.

"What?"

Her smile widened, dimpling her freckled cheeks. "I have something to tell you."

Levianath

When Reece had come to Levianath and Fiammetta, they'd been sitting at one of the bonfires, engaging a conversation with a few crewmembers. She'd seemed worried, and whispered something in Fiammetta's ear that made the Troll's entire demeanor switch from relaxed to surprised. Fiammetta had immediately stood and took off beside the girl, and Levianath, curiously, had gotten up and followed to see what they were up to.

Upon reaching the healers' tent, Levianath had become worried. Was someone sick, or wounded? Someone they knew, maybe? Who was here in the tent?

But then, all the two women did was beeline to a healer and speak with him, and Levianath, unsure of whether or not he himself should be with them, stood off to the side and watched from afar. Fiammetta was the one to ask questions, and after a minute or so, the woman turned to Reece, beaming, and gave her a hug, and Reece laughed aloud.

Levianath took this as a sign he was permitted to approach, and he did so. "What's going on?" he asked hesitantly, eyes flicking between Reece and Fiammetta.

Reece, beaming, opened her mouth to speak, but at the same time, her eyes glanced behind him and brightened. Levianath turned and saw Julian entering the tent with a vibrant smile. Levianath was still curious as to what it was Reece and Fiammetta had just discussed, and his ears perked when it sounded like Reece was about to tell Julian about it.

He watched as Reece took Julian's hand and led him a ways to the side, in more privacy, and he and Fiammetta both stared at the couple. Levianath folded his arms.

"What's this all about?" he wondered aloud.

"Watch and see," Fiammetta replied, still observing the young couple.

Levianath stared at Julian and Reece, and after a moment he couldn't help but chuckle at the sudden look of anticipation on Julian's face halfway through Reece's little speech.

The second Reece finished her words, Julian's face transformed from excitement to pure exuberance, and he let out a cry of happiness and swept Reece up into his arms, lifting her right up off the ground, both of them laughing loudly. As soon as Julian set Reece on her feet, he jokingly dropped to his knees and pressed the side of his head against her stomach, wrapping his arms around her and speaking animatedly. Levianath couldn't understand what the boy was saying from this distance, but he could tell it was fairly hilarious, whatever it was.

Then, suddenly, it all hit him, and he felt stupid for not realizing it earlier.

"Holy-!" he breathed, air leaving his lungs in one big whoosh, and he put his hands to his head.

Fiammetta's laughter beside him drew his eyes, and she observed him playfully. "Figured it out, I take it?"

"She's pregnant?"

Fiammetta's smile lit up her entire face, and she gave him a confirming arch of her brows. Levianath let one hand fall against his mouth as he continued to stare at the young couple in surprise. An intense flood of unexpected affection swelled within him in seeing how truly, truly happy the two of them were with one another. In a time like this, when everyone was preparing for what was basically a miniature war, these two always found some way to bring more joy to combat the hardship.

Levianath also marveled at how 'together' Julian's life was, how confident and positive the young man seemed about everything. He threw himself at life, took chances - or giant leaps, more like. Where Levianath would've practiced caution, Julian acted impulsively. Levianath couldn't judge him for rash action because he too was prone to doing drastic things on a whim, and the difference was that for Julian, his choices actually worked out well.

For eighteen years old, Julian certainly had his head on straight. As of now, he had his whole life set out before him. Levianath didn't even know what he himself would be doing in a week.

He watched as Julian had stood back up and wrapped the freckled girl into his arms joyfully. He looked happier than Levianath had ever seen him, which was saying something.

Julian and Reece finally walked excitedly back over to Fiammetta and Levianath, their hands interlocked.

Levianath offered them a partial smile, his brows slightly upturned. "Congratulations?"

Julian looked hardly able to contain himself, and he released what was basically a childish, half-subdued giggle, which made Reece giggle, and then Fiammetta followed suit.

Levianath laughed, too, at their goofiness. "When are you thinking about announcing?"

Julian glanced at Reece. "Well, we should probably keep it on the down-low for a while. You're only...what did the healer guy say? A few weeks?"

Reece nodded. "Give it a month or so."

Levianath nodded. "I'll keep my mouth zipped, then."

Julian glanced between Levianath and Fiammetta, donning an impish grin. "So, now it's you guys' turn. Our kids can grow up together!"

Levianath actively cringed, and Fiammetta snorted ridiculously, both of them at the same time shaking their heads and responding with an identical "No."

They shared a short glance, smirking, and Levianath finally spoke. "No, we'll leave the whole 'kids' thing to you two."

"But Fiammetta loves babies," Reece teased them both, nudging the Troll woman on the arm.

Fiammetta looked visibly uncomfortable, but she did offer a smile. "How about you just let me babysit yours once in a while instead."

Reece grinned. "Fine, fine." She glanced between the Warlock and the Troll playfully, obviously knowing how uncomfortable her words made them, and then took Julian's hand and tugged him along with her out the tent with nothing more than a fleeting, happy farewell.

Levianath turned to Fiammetta, and the two shared a few seconds of hesitant looks before they both burst into silent laughter, and Levianath had to turn away from her just to find his composure.

He finally looked back at her sideways, wagging one finger at her. "No kids allowed, Fia. You'd better not replace my potions with sugar water."

She eyed him teasingly. "Too late, already did it, and now you're trapped."

"You're right," he smiled at her, drawing her in with one hand at her hip as he embraced her in his arms. "I am entirely, completely trapped."

She grinned at him, lips pulling across her tusks. "And to think, a few months ago, you'd have run away screaming at the thought."

"The thought of what exactly?" he smiled at her, brushing her nose with his, but refraining from a kiss for the moment. He honestly didn't care that they were standing publicly in the middle of the healer's tent. Any chance he might steal a kiss from this woman, he'd take it.

"The thought that you might fall for me," she replied. "And that I might fall for you."

He brought his face back a single inch, meeting her gaze, studying her stare. "What are you saying?"

She blinked softly at him, her blue eyes deep enough he might drown. "I'm saying that we're entirely in over our heads with whatever's happening between us. I know you feel it, too."

His heart fluttered. This was the first time she'd actually, legitimately hinted that she thought there truly held something of value, a future, for them, and it both terrified and excited him.

He was unsure of what to say in response; his mind was jumping all over the place, and the only thing he knew of for sure right now was that he wanted to keep her right where she was, wrapped in against him. He tilted in and caught her lips in his, cupping one side of her face and wrapping his other arm around her waist tightly. She kissed him back enthusiastically, smiling into his kiss.

A moment or two passed, and Levianath broke away a moment, smirking at her. "You didn't really replace those potions, though, right?" he smirked at her teasingly.

"Hell no," she retorted in her rough, now somewhat playful tone.

He laughed and kissed her again sweetly.

It wasn't long before the day came in which it appeared everything was in place. Raphael, Norivana, and a few of the Shrouded Serpent people had, a few days earlier, set off in the middle of the night and spied on the camps, and they'd returned detailed maps of the layout. The central 'fortress', which was actually just a half-crumbling old military garrison made of hard stone, was surrounded on all sides by housing units for the slave drivers, and beyond those lay the slave tents. Finally, encompassing the entire massive camp, was a wall of stone with only one single entrance, save for the side where the camp transitioned into rocky mountains and cliffs, as well as another open area that led straight to the sea.

Guards reportedly covered the area like vermin, dotting along the tops of the walls with ranged weapons and stationed every few yards. They would be the big challenge here; it was a massive encampment, and the guards' numbers verged on a couple hundred, easily, with the number of workers possibly doubling that.

Darkrunner had concluded that the cannons on his ship could take out the side of one wall, which would allow for less of a bottleneck effect when entering the camps. This had, however, brought up another issue of how to destroy the camp without hurting the innocents inside, and after some brainstorming they'd come up with an idea: those trained in the arts of stealth could sneak in first and smuggle out the slaves at the same time as Darkrunner's pirates, who'd been practicing with Julian's sniper guns, would take out the guards high up on the ramparts. Lucian Silverpaw had come up with the idea to connect a portal between their own makeshift barracks and the slave camps, which could serve to quickly and efficiently bring the innocents to safety. Seeing as the slaves were helpfully placed on the outskirts of the fort, it was predicted that they could be escorted out without raising any alarms.

Then would come the point of actually invading.

It was predicted that Raphael's highly-trained members would be enough to effectively wipe out the camp, but Darkrunner's would remain as a second wave of backup. Better to be overprepared than to underestimate the enemy.

Once Raphael's people had made it far enough away from the wall, a signal would be given in the form of a flare for the cannons to fire, and then would come the pirates. The big fortress would be last, where they would hopefully find Lily as well as arrest the leader of the camp to subject him to judgment. The man would most likely end up imprisoned for his crimes.

Or, in Levianath's perfect world, dead. That was wishful thinking, though.

Right now, Levianath was rolling up spell scrolls and enchantments, tying them, and stacking them in one corner of his tent. He'd been given a large collection of regulated Warlock spells from his father, and although he hadn't informed a single soul about his boost in power from the now-banished demon, he felt confident in himself, truly, for the first time ever. He knew he could hold his own in a fight, knew so many new spells and abilities and even ways to heal himself and other people. He'd learned the art of soul-preservation and how to control the living energy of other creatures. He could siphon it for himself, transfer it to others, or simply snuff it out, if he so pleased.

His power was his own, which was the best part. He was entirely in control, and had lost the feeling of insecurity and danger looming over him everywhere he went. He knew he could protect the people he cared about, and that gave him peace.

He blew out a candle by his comfortable cot and relaxed into it. He could probably visit Fiammetta tonight, but he knew she'd been training with Darkrunner all day today and was most likely exhausted. She and Wraith worked mostly with dual-wielding short-swords and daggers and light armor, but the way they actually fought was like that of a Warrior: intense, berserking, giving everything they had. They threw themselves into a fight violently, confidently, and the few times he'd seen them sparring, it'd scared him how quickly they attacked, deflected, and dodged one another's attacks. Harnessing the speed of Rogues with the power and mindset of Warriors, they were forces to be reckoned with.

Now, Julian, on the other hand, hadn't the first clue of fighting, and Levianath was fairly sure neither he nor Reece would be allowed to participate in the fight. They might be good at wrestling and the occasional mild healing spell here and there, but neither had the power nor the mental fortitude to kill people. Julian, for goodness' sake, had never witnessed death, and didn't need to change that now. Levianath predicted that the two of them would be made to remain behind and tend to the slaves coming through the portal.

Levianath closed his eyes, willing sleep to take him. They would attack tomorrow evening, as long as the plans held true. He was just glad that they would take these slavers out once and for all.