A/N:

Good day, my friends! I have a special treat today - Chapters 31 - 35, ready to go one after the other! So you get a score of chapters, and you'll be caught up to the readers on TPA. YAY!

Ah, in regards to contacting me outside of leaving reviews, you have many options. I have both AIM and YIM, several email addresses, and a few other messengers on various forums. The easiest way to get ahold of me is to email me at . It's the one I check most often, and the one I'll be fastest to reply from. So should you ever have a question about the plot, or notice a mistake I made, or should you be contacting me that I may thank you personally (hint hint) please email me. ^_^

So, without further ado, lemme get this block of chapters out. (summons Jenos, Train, River, Sven and Shaolee from Black Cat)

Jenos: (squeezes Chase) Here's the deal. She owns my body -

River: (punches wall) But not Pendragon.

Train: (aims Hades at corporate lawyers) So don't sue her.

Sven: (holds out briefcase) Or we'll have to hurt you.

Shao: (smile) And you don't want us after you.

All: We tend to bring bad luck.

You heard to boys.

Onwards!

Chapter 31: The Harlot And The Hero

"Tilton – step off the floor! If you can't handle that little bit of pressure from Eric, how are you going to handle the pressure in a real game?! Pendragon, take your cousin's place and show her how to handle being a point guard!" Coach Lyman yelled out.

Chase flinched, but jogged off the floor without a word. It had been this way for a few weeks now. Ever since the whole affair with Spader, her game had been seriously off. She was having trouble making shots that normally would have been easy, couldn't keep her feet on defense, and was turning the ball over under slight pressure.

Bobby gave her a sympathetic glance as he took her position on the court.

Grumbling under her breath once the coach was no longer looking at her, she slunk over to the bench and sat down. She continued to watch the practice with her head in her hands, when a familiar pair of hands covered her eyes.

"Hey Aubrey." She greeted, reaching up to tug his hands off of her eyes.

A shock of flaming red hair fell into her face as he leaned over her. "You're getting too good at this game, Chase." He chuckled. He walked around the bench and sat beside her, holding something behind his back.

"Handling the breakup worse than you thought you would, eh?" he patted her shoulder. It was now common knowledge among the basketball team that Chase and Spader were no longer a couple. While her teammates were sympathetic, Coach Lyman had not been.

"Yeah…" she mumbled.

Aubrey punched her softly in the shoulder. "Aw come on. Don't make that face! You're better off without him anyway. Besides, I got you an early Christmas present!"

He pulled a small jewelry box out from behind his back and dropped it in her lap.

Curious, she opened it. "Holy shit, Aubrey!" she exclaimed.

Inside the box was a stunning silver necklace in the shape of a snowflake. It hung from a silver chain, and was adorned with what looked to be sapphires in the center.

"Merry early Christmas, kiddo. I saw it in the mall and thought it'd be perfect with your eyes." He smiled and ruffled her hair as she latched onto his waist, hugging him tightly. Aubrey had become the older brother she wished she had, always spending extra time to go over a certain play with her or taking a few moments to listen to her problems. The two had become quite close over the few months she had been on the team.

"This couldn't have been cheap…jeez….how did you afford this? I mean…um…" she sheepishly realized that she may have come off as rude.

He laughed. "I have a decent bit of money saved up, and I take on jobs here and there. I'm kind of a jack of all trades. I've been a gemstone appraiser, a boat captain, a lounge singer, a computer technician, and a community councilor, among other things."

"No way! That's crazy. And I can't really see you as a lounge singer. Isn't that more of a chick thing?" she asked absently as she struggled to clasp the gift around her neck.

He brushed her hands away and clipped the necklace in place for her. "Well, it put me in perfect position for my goal, so I didn't mind. Besides, wouldn't I look good in a dress?"

Chase snorted as he fluttered his eyes and posed. "Fruit." She giggled.

"Only half way." He winked. He had already admitted to her that he was bisexual, and knew she would understand the joke. She had not minded in the least, and was comfortable making the playful sexually oriented jokes with him.

A few moments later, Coach Lyman summoned Chase back to the court to start on a new play. She hugged Aubrey one more time, and made her way back to the floor.

As she settled into the next play, he watched after her, noting with happiness how well the reflected light of the sapphires offset her bright blue eyes.

"Merry Christmas, my love." He thought to himself. Beneath the form, Daniel surfaced above Saint Dane for a moment. And in that split second, as he recalled the smile on her face, he decided that he had made the right choice in buying Chase the necklace.

To say she was annoyed was mild – Shara was bitter and full of malice. Not only were Press' brats still alive and kicking - despite her best efforts - but to make matters even worse, Daniel seemed to be growing unstable. While he swore that his time on Second Earth as Aubrey Nevar and Andy Mitchell was necessary to gain the trust of the Travelers to better crush them later, Shara felt that Daniel was really using it as an excuse to spend time with his little hellion of a daughter.

He was losing focus, she had decided. Those foolish Travelers and their foolish ideals about freedom and human rights were corrupting her pure Saint and their visions of equality and power only in the hands of the wise and fit.

Shara wanted them all to die – especially the girls. The sooner, the better. Every time Chase or Leila opened their mouths, they sickeningly reminded her of their mothers. Eidra Ravencroft and Kaliska Avarosco had made a formidable team during their lives. Both were strong-willed women with admirable strength. And she had hated them both.

And now, with the man she had always wanted within her grasp, she was losing her hold over him because of one mistake nearly fourteen years earlier. She should have made sure that the child was dead before going off to gloat.

It was a mistake that she would have to correct delicately. Should she kill the child too soon, Daniel would surely finally be driven into full insanity. Should she wait too much longer, however, she feared that her Demon Saint would once more be the Blade Saint.

Shara had worked too hard for too long to lose him now. It seemed that she would have to take tighter hold of the reigns over Daniel. Her thoughts turned to Neeanyah and the Council. Nothing would stir him back to the dark like an assault on the homeland that he felt had betrayed him. And it had the added benefit of getting rid of Corinthe Ayarr.

She knew that of anyone alive, it was only Corinthe who knew of her involvement in the Eidra's death. His eternal silence, however, would have been too suspicious. So she had restrained herself all these years, but as the pieces flew together, she found it harder and harder to hold back. Timing was key, least she be discovered.

Regardless of who was leading the current charge, Shara knew she would win the war. And she would ensure that the Tilton girls felt every single death before their own.

From where he stood, things looked grim to Press. They knew that Daniel was planning something. They knew that Shara was currently helping him (and Press knew that she had been behind the madness in the first place, though he would not share this information with anyone). They even knew which territory was in danger in what order, and had a general idea of what potential dangers lay in each possible manipulation or attack .

And still they could do nothing.

While no one understood and appreciated the laws of the Covenant like he did, there were days when Press Tilton just wanted to say fuck it and go vigilante.

He was torn between his duty and his heart, that much was obvious. The part of him that still believed in the goodness of Daniel Ravencroft's heart and that wanted to protect his daughters was raging against the part of him that had to stand back or be punished.

"Commander Tilton, your thoughts?" an Elder asked.

Press snapped to attention from his mind's wandering. "Aravil is next, likely followed by a move on Neeanyah or Second Earth. The attacks have been centered around the other territories over the years, and those three remain the only lands not yet affected. After that, I believe they are going to attempt the Convergence."

There was a buzz among the Elders. They spoke for a moment amongst themselves before pulling back once more to address Press and the others assembled.

"Should they follow the course you believe they will, we need to prepare the forces for a formal battle to restore balance. While we hope it does not end up this way, we must prepare for the possibility of fighting. Since you know Saint Dane best, we're placing you in charge of the Covenant Forces." Elder Zeera smiled softly at her former student.

Press' eyes went wide. He could hardly dare to believe what he was hearing. "Does that mean then that he is under my jurisdiction?"

"Yes. We will leave his fate to your hands."

"And my daughters? Will we be allowed to break the barrier and work with them?"

Elder Zeera was silent a moment. "If it will happen as you say, I fear we may have no other choice but to finally summon the active Travelers. We had hoped to keep them out of this and handle it on our own, but we will need every hand for this fight."

Press bowed respectfully, trying to fight back the grin threatening to creep onto his face. "My thanks to you all. I will do you proud."

"We are sure of it, Press. You are dismissed for the day." Zeera beamed down at him.

With more spring in his step than he thought possible, Press bounded out of the hall to find Jo and report his good fortune.

Perhaps they would see their children again sooner than they had dared to hope.