A/N: Hey, there, y'all! How is everything? And you know what today is! Time for an update! And, of course, I hope you like it! More trouble is afoot and I'm afraid that things are just going to get hairier. So, without much more blather-since really, I can't think of anything else to blather about (that's a first!)-it's time for Chapter 34. Don't forget the IDNOAC thing. And, of course, Enjoy!

TrueHeart—Chapter 34-A Loss for a Gain

Bertrand groaned himself awake at the loud banging on his door. He, of course, knew that it was Spectra. He made a concerted effort to open his eyes and looked at his clock. But why was she here so early?

He slowly got up, but he hadn't even reached his front door when the shadow ghost barged in.

"Bertrand, they've escaped!" Spectra immediately and breathlessly uttered.

"Who?" he groggily asked, slowly stretching his arms up over his arms.

"The ghost animals!"

He snapped fully awake with the news. "How?"

"The little bird brain figured out how to pry a hole out of her cage! How that happened, I just don't know. This is your fault, you know! You said that the cage was escape-proof!"

"But it was…Hmmm…something must have weakened the bars."

Spectra then cringed. She had a sudden hunch on how that might have happened. "Well, I did shoot at the ghost bird through her cage a while ago. Do you think my energy rays weakened the bars when I had attacked her?"

"That would explain it. But it doesn't matter, now," he replied with a yawn.

The shadow ghost scowled before hissing, "Yes it does! Those two were vital to our final plans! Now, what are you going to do about it?"

"Nothing," he casually replied before rubbing his eyes.

"What do you mean 'nothing'?" she growled, her eyes flaring a bit.

"Well, they probably are long gone by now," he pointed out, stifling another yawn.

"But it couldn't have been too long ago!" she countered.

This time, he narrowed his eyes in grumpy irritation. "How do you know that?" he countered back.

She growled and started charging up her energy beams.

But he knew he had her on that one. "C'mon, Spectra, you don't know! Besides, we don't really need them anymore! They had proven to be really useless in the end; and it was too much work to keep them under control, especially that wildcat. Besides, there was the complication on what to do with them after we had accomplished our plans. We just couldn't let them go. So, it just as well that they're gone. Still, I don't think they want to come back here ever again. Just as well that they're gone, then; and it's no loss to us that they won't be back, especially since I think we can carry out the rest of our plans by ourselves.

Spectra frowned in dissatisfaction. But she knew he was right. Yet, she didn't want to give into him. With a pout on her face, she manipulatively softened her eyes and pleaded in a sickeningly sweet voice, "But they were important to our plans, Bertrand. And we want to make sure our plans succeed; and our plans won't work unless we get those two little miserable ghost animals back. Couldn't you find it within you to get them, just for us?" She ended that plea with a light stroke of her finger down his cheek.

He was stunned, yet delighted, with her change. He had always hoped that she would see how he felt about her, and that they were a 'we' and not a 'me-you' couple. That was all he needed. He smiled and replied with a slight whine, "Oh, OK! If it'll make you feel better, I'll go after the ghost animals. But I can't guarantee that the lynx will come back unscathed. I still haven't gotten back at him for all my still sore points!"

Spectra smiled underneath. She knew his weaknesses and he had swallowed her ruse whole. "And be sure that you get some more containers while you're out. We need to have an adequate stockpile, you know."

This time, Bertrand frowned. Give her that inch….and she'd take a league!

Even still, he went to his lab and retrieved his little machine. He was glad he had had the time to modify it. He typed in the names of the ghost animals and changed the gauge to read the new emotion he had just programmed it to scan for and pick up: 'fear'. He turned it on and it didn't react at all. He frowned, and then smirked in irritation. He knew why! Their ghostly signatures were still being entirely masked, and therefore, of course, could not be detected by his little machine.

Drat!" he said, but then thought. "But then again, if they came from the other direction of the Ghost Zone in the first place, they might want to flee in that same direction, and, of course, far away from us. Hmm… And just in case I can't make them out right away because of how well their dark colors blend in around here, I know the machine will verify it is them since they wouldn't show up on the gauge! OK, then, better waste no more time."

He quickly left his lab, left his lair, and left Spectra behind, in search of the two little miserable ghost animals.

Bertrand's hunch had been right. Derek and Sarah had left Spectra's lair in the direction that they were headed before they had encountered those two evil ghosts.

Because this whole area was completely foreign to them, they had to follow what seemed to them a natural path between all the lairs. It made their elopement slower than they wanted it to be, but they pressed on, nevertheless.

All the while, they talked about everything that had happened. They were both upset, of course, but each was upset for slightly different reasons. And for the first time in a very, very long time, their conversation was slowly becoming heated.

"At least we didn't leave with too many scars," Derek said as his wife looked down upon him at her usual perching site, which was, of course, on top of his head. "And I never want to come back to this wretched place again."

"I agree, Husband, that I do not wish to go back there. But we must go back and help that human couple, Danny and Sam," Sarah finally said. "Those two evil ghosts plan even more malevolence, especially upon the boy." She quickly told him all about what she heard between Spectra and Bertrand and their next plans.

"That is their problem, Sarah," her husband tersely answered, his ghostly throat tightening. "It is not our fault that we were forced to do the evil bidding of that 'Spectra' ghost."

"Not at first, but we could have resisted once we had regained our wits," the dove replied, not happy with her husband's reluctance and now regretting that she, too, hadn't been brave enough to do that at the time.

"You know very well what that would have meant, Sarah," Derek said, his voice becoming more sober and even tenser. "Is it not bad enough that we are in this state in which we continue to be? But if something were to happen to you…to be…alone like this, would be, at the very least, utterly unbearable for me." But what the young wildcat hadn't realized in his distress was that he had inadvertently slowed his flying considerably down.

"You know, my love, I understand; and it, too, would be unbearable for me if in our desperation to fight back you had been…," she began. But she didn't want to finish her sentence or her thought. She swallowed hard, but then, quickly steeled herself. She sighed before gently stroking his hair with her beak; and then quietly added with genuine gravity, "But it will be just as unbearable for me to leave all those young innocent humans—especially the two most in danger—to the wickedness planned by those depraved creatures from which we had just escaped."

Derek frowned in even more dissatisfaction. "Then, why did we escape and not just stay around, if helping those two humans has become more important than our own well-being to you?" he asked; and Sarah knew his voice carried accusation with it.

"That is unfair, Derek!" she replied with hurt in her voice. "We were in no position to help anyone when we were under the power of those two. But, we might be able to help now because we shall have our own plans."

"And what, pray tell, would those plans be?" the lynx asked and this time, his tone had a hint of sarcasm in it.

Sarah remained silent for a while. She had no plans, yet. She just knew they needed to help Danny and Sam. "I do not know, Husband," she finally admitted. "But I also know we cannot leave."

"And all I know is that we cannot stay," he firmly replied. "What is done, is done. We cannot help the situation."

The dove gasped in disbelief. "How can you say that, Derek? You of all should understand how unjust that would be! And to think that you would turn your eye away from the mortal peril in which we leave that boy especially distresses me so! I cannot believe that I hear those words from you! That does not sound like the man I married. It sounds like…" But she paused when she thought of the one who had betrayed them. But she kept strong. "I cannot believe you could be so cruel!"

Her husband knew to whom she was referring, but he would not give in. He grew edgier as he replied, "Having borne the brutal burden of injustice these many years has finally taken its toll on me, Sarah. I have succumbed, and no longer feel I am capable of discerning what is just or unjust anymore. Nor do I care what will become of those humans. We cannot help."

"But there is still some hope, and-"

"But I do not agree, Sarah!" her husband firmly interrupted her, and this time he was unquestionably angry. "Have you forgotten all the disdain we have received from every living creature these past years? And those were from others to whom we had done not even a thought of harm? Now, we have caused not only harm, but great injury to all those young humans and you think they will understand our reasons for helping them after all we did? I think not! We need to flee this place and remain shunned and saddened… It is all too late, now. It is very fitting, then, that in the end, we truly deserve our cruel fate for all that we have done."

Sarah's eyes widened when she heard him. She could tell that he did regret their actions, but was too despairing to do anything about it. He had now lost all hope. She fought back her tears and began, "But do you not see, my love, that…"

But she didn't have time to finish. A large green ectoplasmic ray had hit her husband from behind, throwing her off of him. He yelped in pain; but ignoring his injury, quickly turned tightly around to face their attacker.

It was Bertrand, who had managed to find them. But, of course, the young ghost animals hadn't realized just how much their flight pace had slowed and how obvious they were with their quarrel.

The couple quickly forgot their argument with their attack.

"Get out of here, Sarah!" Derek commanded as he charged at Bertrand.

Bertrand smiled when he saw the little wildcat heading his way. This would be good! He quickly morphed into his wolf form and charged right back.

Sarah's eyes widened in fear when she saw the two ghost animals hurrying so aggressively towards each other. She scanned desperately around for something that would help her husband. She spied a large branch that had fallen off a ghost tree on a near-by purple shelf, and quickly soared over to it. Then, with great effort, she managed to pull it up with both of her feet and she flew as fast as she could to the now grappling males.

The little dove stifled her gasp when she could see that her husband was getting the worst of it. And, indeed, he was.

Bertrand, having been prepared for whatever strategies the lynx had used in their past fights, was now eagerly using all of his new ones. The wolf was easily fending off the lynx's claws, all the while protecting his venerable areas.

Still, the little wildcat was tenacious, and charged with anger. He continued in his relentless attack. And, fortunately, all the while, he could still outmaneuver the larger beast for the most part, and kept making that painful point to his foe—literally.

But Bertrand would not be daunted. He increased his efforts, pouring every ounce of his strength to cruelly and soundly defeat this insignificant pest. It was then, in the midst of their fight, he spied the dove approaching with the tree branch.

But none of them, in the meantime, had seen the small portal that was randomly forming near by. The kind that Frostbite said happened all the time and could only be detected in advance by the Infi-Map.

The green wolf gave the lynx a harsh blow, which successfully stunned the smaller animal. Satisfied that this would detain the wildcat sufficiently enough, the wolf headed toward the dove.

Sarah saw him right away and gasped. She instantly dropped the branch, turning away as she did. But he was too swift; and soon, he was on top of her. Still, she successfully dodged his first try at grabbing her with his jaws.

Bertrand growled in frustration. He wouldn't let this girl outsmart him. He twisted violently back, snapping his angry teeth as he lunged toward the small bird. Again, she was able to avoid his aggressive attempt, but she had to let her body drop sharply downward in order to do so.

Meanwhile, Derek had finally recovered, and his blurry eyes snapped to wide alert when he saw what Bertrand was trying to do. Infuriated, he rocketed over to the two ghosts, aiming his outstretched claws right at the wolf.

Just before the wolf could strike the dove, the lynx violently pounced upon the wolf's back, digging his sharp nails, and then, his angry fangs deeply into the wolf's vulnerable ghost flesh.

Bertrand yowled in pain, instinctively striking the air in front of him. He pulled upward on his hind legs as he arched his back, trying to throw the lynx off. But he couldn't. The wildcat dug his fangs in deeper, firmly twisting his head to deepen the gash.

Bertrand contorted his body violently, turning in tight circles or rippling different parts of his body in his efforts to rid himself of the painful knives thrusting themselves within him. But the wolf's desperate movements only caused him and the other male to drift through the surrounding space in a chaotic spin.

Then, finally, with one last twist of his shuddering body, Bertrand was finally able to throw the lynx off. But the wildcat renewed his attack. Though smarting immensely, the wolf went right toward the lynx and the sound of their clashing bodies and claws dug into the atmosphere.

Sarah, meanwhile, had found herself accidentally trapped between the swatting claws of the wolf and her husband's first effort to protect her. With her wings, she pulled herself backwards; and with that effort, her tiny body barely avoided the reflexive, yet aimless, blow of the wolf's paws. But then, the lynx was thrown off the wolf and she impulsively flew toward her love.

However, the wildcat did not try to break off the battle. He went right at the wolf again. Sarah halted in flight, her wings pulling her back once more; and this time, she tried to move farther away. But, of course, the wolf and the lynx, wrestling as if they were one creature with fur and claws extending unnaturally from its body, were unaware of the dove's location. And when they suddenly began to move as one entity, their mass headed right towards her!

Sarah tried to zig, but then, they zagged back toward her. She turned this way, and they went the same way, blocking her. She flitted erratically, trying to steer clear of the wake of their angry mass. But try as she might, she finally couldn't avoid them as they ultimately slammed into her. And when they did, her small chest inadvertently met with Bertrand's striking claws, which had been aiming for the lynx. She screamed in pain when she felt her ghost flesh torn wide open by it; and at the harsh impact, her body was thrown away as an unwanted rag doll. Barely clinging to consciousness, she couldn't slow her injured ghost body as it hurled toward the now opened, yet unstable, portal.

The lynx had heard her scream; and, this time, he frantically increased his efforts to pull away from his foe. Though the wildcat succeeded, just before he did, the wolf countered with one last blow, which rent a large, yet superficial, gash in the lynx's side. Roaring with pain, the lynx nevertheless tried to ignore that and his mounting fatigue. He soared over to where he had heard the dove scream. He gasped, yelling her name when he saw her body being thrust into the portal. He immediately jumped in after her, just as the portal prematurely closed.

Bertrand had chased right after the lynx when the wildcat bolted away. But by the time he got to the smaller animal, the lynx had escaped, and the portal denied the wolf entry. He growled in defeat and in pain. They had gotten away! But then, he smiled. They didn't get away unscathed!

Now in the Real World, the injured dove crashed loudly into some discarded boxes in an alley in Amity Park, throwing up some loose paper trash when she did. She lay stunned.

The wildcat quickly exited the portal and was going so fast that he gasped when it looked like he was headed right to a violent collision with the silent dove. He tensed all his ghostly muscles; and ignoring the searing pain in his injured side which he had gotten from the effort, veered his path from her, slamming into the wall just behind her instead. He groaned as he struggled to get up. Still disregarding his pain from his fight with Bertrand and now with his encounter with the wall, he stumbled anxiously over to his wife.

When he had finally gotten to her and had inspected her wound, her husband fretfully uttered, "Why did you not escape, Sarah? You are so hurt!" He let his tears fall from his eyes when he saw the ectoplasm leaking heavily from the gaping wound in her chest. He was so distraught at his wife's condition that his own pain and injuries, which were really minor compared to hers and not even bleeding anymore, were no longer important. Through his grief-stricken tears, he hadn't even noticed that the cold wind had suddenly thrown a piece of trash onto his wife's wound. Her ectoplasm soaked the red discarded flyer, making the paper now appear redder.

"Can you not see that I, too, could not leave you in mortal danger?" she gently said as she drifted into unconsciousness.

He closed his eyes and fought back his desire to howl in anguish into the heavens. He then opened them slightly and gently nudged her listless head with his own.

Suddenly, he startled out of his grief. Human voices!