I'm not back. Let's get that straight right now if any of you are questioning that fact. I'm putting the last chapter up of the italics I wrote. So... R, E, and R!

Credit for the italics go to Alex again! This time I didn't really think they were all that funny, although I tried.

DORITO COMMERCIALS FOREVER! I loved the 'Ford' one where they were saying; "Tommy fell down the well!" Loved it. The Darth Vader one was cute, but not really funny. The Doreito pug was HILARIOUS! That one and 'Grandpa comes back to life with magic Dorito cheesy dust'. My favorite... It was funny, I didn't watch the football game, I watched the commercials. Lol.

Someone also asked if this was the end. *cough, cough* Does it look like we've hit Chapter Forty-three to you? Sorry, but if you glance at the titles I have, it states very clearly, 'no'. No, no, no, no.

So anyway, that's the answer to that question. Sorry if I was rude there...

EDWARD!

Oh God, I'm done with this. Through. All the way through. I'm tired of broken chords, breaking my ears. It's not fair. No, no, no, I guess it is fair. Edward is alotted his amount of fun around the house. But GUITAR? Not even I have done something as stupid as THAT!

Anyway, this is written all by me. I get all the credit here!

-MC (And EC, yes. And- and... Oh, fine. LC too.)

Four Years Later;

Chapter Thirty-two;

A Storyteller

"Mother, tell us a story. Please?"

"It's past your bedtime." Madeleine tucked the little blond haired girl in. Large blue eyes turned up to her though.

"Please? One about Father."

Madeleine softly ran her hand over her daughter's pale cheek. Even the shape of her face looked so much like Edward's. Madeleine sighed. "Alright Hope. Grace are you listening?" There was an almost incomprehensible mumble from a shape wrapped under a heavy quilt. "You should be in bed like your sister." Madeleine motioned to Hope. "Lillia!"

Suddenly footsteps came heavier and heavier. Madeleine looked expectantly towards the entrance to the lean-to shelter. A girl burst into the door, panting. Her dress was hopelessly ripped and muddied and there were a few twigs in her hair. She was smiling though. "Someone came." She panted. "It's a letter... for you Mother."

Madeleine nodded, with a wry look at her daughter's dress. It was too much like her own so often was. "I'll look at it later. Sit down, I was just going to tell your sisters a story."

"About what?" Lillia compliantly plopped down on the floor.

"Your Father."

Lillia closed her eyes, as if thinking hard. She couldn't find any memories except her; being thrown up into the air. Her Mother was on the side, laughing. But the face of whoever was throwing her was blank. She closed her eyes tighter, but she couldn't remember anything. There was only one other memory, of her and Grace sitting together on a log. She could remember her heart pounding for some reason. She had been so scared. She had been holding something. She couldn't remember what it was. But there was her Mother, at the edge of the clearing. Her face was darkened by ash, but Lillia had still been able to see the torment in it. Her Mother was frightened. And then her Mother screamed and ran forward -and the memory ended.

Lillia opened her eyes. "Please, tell us Mother."

"Tell us about when Father picked you up with a basket of kittens!" Hope sat up in bed, blue eyes peering anxiously at her Mother.

A smile twitched lightly across Madeleine's face. "You have that one completely memorized. Now..." She thought for a minute. "Did I ever tell you about the time your Father went and spied on me?"

Lillia shook, then cocked her head, listening. "No, what happened?"

Madeleine smiled. "We were in Holland. And that morning, your Father disappeared." Madeleine's face gave a twinge of distaste. "I was stuck in the Inn's kitchen all that morning so I couldn't look for him, and then a little girl asked me to tell her a story. I went outside, and I was telling her a story. It was the story about Luke Starkiller, remember?" The girls all nodded. "Well I was almost to the end, and then a little boy fell straight from the tree we were sitting under. Edward and him had been hiding in that tree listening to the story." The girls all giggled. "Now off to bed." Madeleine got up and softly gave Grace and Hope a kiss on the cheek. "Go to bed. You too Lillia." Madeleine added on second thought as she left the lean-to. She gave a firm glance at her oldest daughter. "Good night."

Two Hours Later;

"Lillia," Madeleine gently shook her eldest daughter's shoulder to wake her up. "Lillia, come outside. I need to talk to you." Big, green eyes blinked. Lillia got up and followed her Mother outside, still half-asleep and not really seeing anything.

It was dark outside. Lillia could see a few bats flickering around, scooping up mosquitoes. The fire was still lit brightly. Her Mother must of added another log to it. Lillia sniffed the air. Oak. That always made a pretty scent. The girl turned to look at her Mother. Her eyebrows were pulled together; her eyes dark, and vacant. "What's going on?" Lillia whispered.

"Sit down," They both sat on the ground in front of the fire, watching the flickering flames. "Lillia," Madeleine breathed. "I have to leave."

"That's no problem." The twelve year old staunchly replied. "Grace and I can run things until you get back, and Hope can help-"

"No," Madeleine whispered. She shook her head lightly. "This is different Lil. I won't be gone just for a few days, this will take weeks. And- and there's the chance that I might never come back."

A look of confusion settled on Lillia's face. "What?"

Madeleine ran the letter she had intercepted over in her mind. She had already read it enough times to memorize it.

Luke Cahill, In the Year of our Lord, 1520

My dearest Katherine; I hope this finds you in good health, as am I. The last I've heard, Jane is doing well. You have my regrets about the accident in your lab.

'You have my regrets.' Madeleine's mouth almost twitched into a smile at the thought. The most amount of emotion you'll ever get out of Luke.

I haven't seen The Murderer for almost four years. That's a good thing. I hope that I'll never see her again. I know it's sinful wishes to say this, but I do hope that she died in some remote place. Then nobody will have to be bothered to bury her. But I hardly think that she'll convenience that person with doing it. She always was a bother.

But I'm getting off track. What I wanted to tell you, is that I've made another vial of the serum. I've sent Ivan down to get the last ingredient. Clover. I only want the best. Then with that, perhaps I can travel to Italy, and Egypt and, perchance, Japan to give it to each of you. I think the world will be all brilliance now!

I've heard of your invention The Fork. I thought it quite ingenious, although not quite useful. How are you suppose to eat soup? The broth runs out through the holes. Ah well, I prefer my spoon, but remember, I do think it's ingenious. Keep trying.

Your constant brother,

Luke Cahill

But with that, he sent me to do something that I promised him I would do. Madeleine bit her lip in uncertainty.

"Mother..." Lillia peered anxiously into her Mother's face. "What were you going to say?"

"Oh, I-" Madeleine looked at her daughter. Edward had always said that they looked alike. He would often joke that if he didn't know that his wife was the larger one, that he would get them mixed up. Madeleine knew that. She had looked into the little girl's eyes the first day she'd held her, and known that. But Lillia truly wasn't like her, she was like Edward. Always laughing, panting at the first running step, but unmistakably loyal to whom she gave her heart. That was Edward. And that was Lillia too. "I have to tell you a story Lillia." She whispered, looking off at the fire's flames.

"I like stories." Madeleine felt it as Lillia settled down beside her.

Madeleine didn't say anything to Lillia's comment. "A long time ago," She started off, whispering. "There was a little girl. She had two brothers, and two sisters, and a Mother and a Father who loved them all very much. The girl grew up, and she, and her oldest brother were almost always together. They would do everything they could together, and they swore that they'd always love each other, and they'd never part.

"But in this family, each of the children had one talent. The oldest brother could put anything together. He could build anything, so long as there was an order to it. And he knew about order. He could manage anything. The oldest sister was..." Madeleine searched for a word. "Brilliant. She could invent something, out of nothing. Thin air." Lillia pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her chin on them. She listened. "The second brother- he could run all day and not get tired. Any sport was like soft pudding for him. And then the second sister- She was... she was artistic. She would sit all day in front of a harpsichord and-" Lillia made a face at the anticipated word. "Compose.

"But the last child," Madeleine looked at the stars. Ursa Minor twinkled above them, the stars laughing. "She was different. She just-"

"She what?" Lillia pushed, eager.

"She didn't have a talent." Madeleine whispered. "She had all of them. She was orderly, smart, playful, and artistic. But I think she had another thing. It was almost like she had a talent for loving life. She knew how to laugh, and play jokes, and tease. And she was able to love too. And care for others. Her family wasn't able to work together. It was like each of them was talking a different language to the other. They didn't want to know what was going on, on someone else's island. They wanted to stay with what they knew, and understood.

"The girl didn't want that. She wanted to be free. To reach the stars. To escape all that was holding her back." Madeleine smiling rather sadly. "So she dressed up like a boy and went out like the fields when her Father and brother weren't working there. She met the farm hand." Madeleine smiled again. "And he just seemed to grab her. They worked together, that is- until two of the brothers and sisters found out. They told on her, and then she wasn't allowed to go outside again. It broke her heart." There was another sad smile. "It broke her heart to be kept inside. And her family was torn apart more than ever. She wanted all of them to work together, so she set fire to the house, hoping that trying to build a new one would pull them together."

There was a long pause. "The Father and Mother were killed in the fire, and the older brothers and sisters discovered that their sister had set it. They called her a murderer and drove her off, even though it was only an accident. Lillia-" Madeleine couldn't meet her daughter's eyes. "That- that girl was me."

Lillia's eyes widened and she stared at her Mother. "Who was the farm hand?" She finally whispered.

"Your Father." Madeleine smiled. "We loved each other- from the moment we met. But your grandfather never would of allowed me to marry him. He was a farm hand. But once he'd died, and the family split apart-" There was a soft twinkle in Madeleine's eyes. "There was nobody to say 'no'. Only me." Madeleine paused. "I'll just say that your Father was a wonderful man. And he could talk a pig into being clean. I married him." She looked at Lillia. "And I have three wonderful children to show for it."

Lillia smiled back at her for a minute, then it faded. "Mother, how- how did Father die?"

Madeleine looked into the flickering flames. It was funny how similar they looked to the ones that had swallowed Edward up that night. Madeleine remembered that the cellar door had been made of oak. But this was her chance to tell Lillia the truth. That her uncles and aunts would hate her as long as she lived -unless she disappeared off the face of the earth. That she was one of the only people who could pull the family back together. That her Mother was called The Murderer. Madeleine stared into the fire for as long as she could without hurting her eyes. "Lillia, your Father, he- he was..." Madeleine couldn't force the word out. It hurt too much. "He was murdered."

Lillia's eyes widened in horror. She blinked quickly, and Madeleine could see tears starting to form behind the thick lashes.

"Remember what I said about my eldest brother? Your uncle, he hates me worst of all. He came, and I think he set fire to the house. He drove us out, and then he hurt your Father so he couldn't get away from the flames." Madeleine didn't finish. She knew that Lillia understood.

"But- you can't let him get away with that!" Lillia cried. "You know that he murdered him! He could go to prison for that!"

Madeleine shook her head. And turned to face her daughter. "Lillia, I'm only telling you this because I have to leave soon. I don't want to leave you with anybody. It's too dangerous. I don't want to leave you at all. But it can't be helped. If I need to leave you with someone," She whispered softly. "I can."

"No!" Lillia shook her head violently. "No! But why won't you turn him in?"

Madeleine held a finger to her lips. "He's my brother, first of all. And second, It's... it's wrong."

"But he-"

"I know what he did." Madeleine nodded. "And now you know too. But revenge isn't right. Justice is, retaliation is, but not revenge. An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth, won't fit here Lillia. This isn't a game. I'm telling you about him because I know that he won't hesitate to kill you if he finds you. He will murder you without a second thought. Just because you're my daughter."

Lillia shrank down, almost like she was trying to pull away from her Mother's words. "But... why? I didn't even know he existed."

"Because you're my daughter." Madeleine looked into the green eyes. "And because you look just like me. He's ruthless." She whispered. "Luke will stop at nothing once he finds you. He tracked me for six years all over France, and Spain, and Holland. He almost killed me when your Father and I were married. He set a trap in the church. That's how much he knows."

"So..."

"If you cross his path, he'll kill you without a second thought. Do you still want to stay here?" Madeleine watched her daughter's every movement.

"I want to stay." Lillia whispered. "But Mother, why do you have to go?"

"I made a promise." The whisper from Madeleine was so quiet Lillia almost wondered if it was the wind. "And I've got to keep it." There was a soft pause, with two pairs of emerald green eyes staring directly at each other. A word began to itch at Madeleine's mind. Something Edward had told her so long ago. Something- something he'd been teasing her with. M- Mad- Madelinis? No... "You are Madrigals." Madeleine finally whispered, swallowing hard. "You and Grace and little Hope. You three have to bring the family together, and not allow my brothers and sisters to get the clues or make the serum either.

"You can't let that happen. No matter what. Promise me. Please Lil. And if you can't make them work together, then your daughters, or your sons. Your sisters too. Me and my family, we're gone Lil. I- I could try and wish for hope, but- I- I truly don't think there is. Not for the five of us. But their children, or their children's children... Please Lil, promise me you'll do it. And you'll do everything in your power. No, within your power, your children's power, and their children's power. Please. You've got to."

Lillia bit her lip and stared at her Mother with sleepy, frightened, desperate eyes. "I- I promise Mother. I- I don't know though. I'm not smart, or strong, or- anything. How?"

Madeleine met her daughter's eyes. "It may not seem like you are," She breathed. "But inside- inside, you are everything you truly can be. You can do anything you want to do, if you really want to. Inside."

Lillia turned her head away from her Mother, afraid of meeting those kind, loving eyes that expected so much. "But- I'm just twelve. They're adults- grownups! I can't stop them!"

There was a soft sigh. "I don't want you to fix what I've done." Madeleine whispered. "But in this world, there are people who know nothing about the serum. About the clues that make it. If one of my brothers, or sisters gets it, everything will be thrown out of balance. They will rule. They will become the most powerful person in the world. In the world Lillia. Those people who know nothing will be crushed- trampled under someone they knew nothing of. Those letters-"

Madeleine looked down at the ground. "Those letters Lillia, they're not for me. They're between my brothers and sisters. I make sure none of them are getting close to finishing the serum. I know they'll always write about it in their letters. They can't help boasting about it to one another. And- and then I stop them."

"Why?" Lillia breathed. "Why- why is it that important? Why did Father- Father have to die. Why did he have to be murdered? Why does everybody hate us so much? Why can't we just- just live, live alone? You won't even take us back to the house we use to live in."

Madeleine stood up and sighed. "There's no house there anymore Lil."

The woman gently brushed away a tear that was trickling down Lillia's cheek. The girl's lip quivered dangerously. "I want Father back." Sobs riddled the words.

"I know," Madeleine wrapped her arms tightly around her daughter, hugging her close. "I know," She whispered. "So do I."

Madeleine stood in front of her horse, holding the reins. She was dressed in breeches and a tunic, ones that she had made quickly for herself. Lillia, Grace, and Hope were standing in order in front of her, waiting for whatever she would say. Madeleine's eyes looked each one of them over -they were all dressed, ironically, in breeches- then she zeroed in on Lillia. The girl's black hair was falling all around her shoulders, green eyes peering anxiously up at her Mother. Madeleine took a deep breath, reached up, and pulled the red hair ribbon out of her hair. "Lillia," She whispered. "I want you to have this. Wear it always until I get back."

Lillia's eyes widened and she took the ribbon and tied it in her own hair.

"And this." Madeleine gently pulled a small, corked vial out of her pocket. It had a strip of paper wrapped around it. "Lillia, protect this with your life."

The girl had an unnerving sense of responsibility meant for far older people as she took it.

Madeleine turned to the next girl, Lillia's younger by three years. The girl stared back up at her with Edward's large blue eyes, and out of a nervous habit, fingered a lock of raven-black hair. "Help your sister Grace, and that doesn't mean running off every five minutes."

Grace kicked at a bit of dust with her bare foot, head down.

Madeleine smiled and slipped her finger under her daughter's chin so she would look her in the eye. "To have new ideas, isn't a bad thing, but there's a time, and a place for them. Think before you speak. Patience is a virtue, and silence-"

"-Is golden." Grace blushed while she spoke, as Lillia poked her in the side.

Madeleine shot her oldest daughter a disapproving glance. Then she went to the third girl in line. She only came to about Madeleine's hip, but her yellow curls went halfway down her back. Edward's blue eyes searched Madeleine's face intently, waiting for any emotion to leak out so she could interpret it and know what to do next. Madeleine knelt down so their faces were almost level. "Here." Slipping off her ring, Madeleine held it out to Hope. "It was my great-grandmother's. It always goes to the youngest daughter." Madeleine reached a hand up and ran it through the silky soft curls. Then she hugged the little girl to her. "Please be careful." She whispered. She didn't say it exactly to Hope, but more to Grace and especially to Lillia.

Lillia took a deep breath and let it out, but she matched her Mother's gaze unflinchingly.

Madeleine let go of Hope and stood up. "I should only be gone for ten weeks, at most. Lillia, you know what I told you last night. Don't let anyone know where you are. And if you do, move from place to place. But stay in this area so I can find you again." The girl nodded. "And all of you, get to bed before nine o'clock. Period."

All the girls deflated visibly.

"You thought you could get away with that, didn't you." Madeleine chuckled softly at all three, and then turned to Hope again. Perhaps, somewhere deep down inside, she knew she'd never see her youngest daughter again. She kissed the pale forehead softly and did the same with the other two. Madeleine mounted her horse. "You know how I do everything." Lillia nodded. "Be careful doing it."

Madeleine looked over the three solemn children in line one more time, memorizing them, then urged her horse into a canter and rode away.

Edward's going to have to quit guitar two days after he took it up. He stinks anyway... Jane's ultimately convinced that she can teach him, but I'm not taking the chance.

Here's a hint of what's going to happen too. When Edward wakes up in the morning, five little guitar strings are going to have mysteriously broken in the night. Oh, no surprise. I can predict the future! Can't I!

Totally amazed at my own brilliancy,

-MC (No signs for Ed and Luke here. SORRY GUYS!)

Dun dun dun dun... What will happen next? Everyone who read my profile probably already knows... But DON'T GO CHECK IT OUT JUST TO GET A SPILLER! PERIOD! I'm serious about that. An anonomous figure skater will show up at your door the next day! *giggles*

It's funny, there really weren't any comments I wanted to make here, except; how does Madeleine's character differ here, than what I portrayed in the last chapter?

Question; Ditto above. Who wants me to re-write the italic parts in this chapter? Who thinks that part where Maddie spilled everything to Lil was disgusting and badly-written?