Viper opened her eyes slowly. She had a thumping headache right behind her eyes and she grimaced at the pain. She was aching all over and she could still feel searing pain in her chest. She heard enormous sighs of relief and after blinking a couple of times she saw black shapes twist into the outline of her whole family and the other warriors.

She was lying in her bed at home. Not at the jade palace but back at the viper palace. Everyone was watching her from around the bed.

"she's alive! Oh thank goodness!" her mother cried and she leaned down and hugged her daughter. Viper was so achy all she could do was nod.

"let's leave you with your family viper" master shifu bowed at viper and left the room. The others followed him out, crane looking crestfallen as he walked out.

Her mother was still hugging her, tears rushing down her cheeks and on too viper's pillow. "we were so worried!"

"step back dear, give viper some space" grand mistress viper instructed to her daughter who nodded and stepped away from the bed.

"where…where am i? what happened?" viper asked groggily, her eyes still struggling too see her surroundings as more than a blur.

"you're at home dear" her mother replied, wiping her eyes with her tail. "you….err…you..." she seemed unable to continue, her voice cracking. Grandmama put her tail around her.

"you were hit by a knife. By Tong Fo" her father answered. He appeared not to have said anything until this moment. His head was bowed but he raised it to look at his daughter.

"hit? Am I ok?"

"well, the doctor said you'll recover but it could take some time" lady viper answered sternly. "that means you won't be able to do kung fu until at least October"

"oh" viper was quiet. October was two months away. "will I stay here then?"

Her family all looked at grand master viper but he shook his head. "that's your decision viper but if you went back to the jade palace you still couldn't do kung fu until October"

Viper pondered this. She'd decide later, she had something more pressing to ask. "what happened?"

Her family was quiet. "you jumped in front of the knife just as it was about to hit master crane" Veena sighed, breaking the silence.

"is crane hurt?" viper almost shouted, trying to sit up but feeling searing pain envelop her body so she fell back on to her pillow with a light thump.

"he…he's alright" lady viper replied. She was looking fondly at viper. "that was an incredible sacrifice"

Viper nodded but said nothing. "we should let you talk to your friends now" Maya decided. And her family left, the rest of the furious five and po entered. Master shifu was outside talking too grand master viper and lady viper.

"hi viper, are you ok?" asked Po.

"yes" was Viper's only reply. She was trying not to look at crane but at the same time she couldn't stop herself looking at him.

"the knife punctured your skin but didn't puncture your heart." Tigress announced. She was looking worriedly at viper. Not because of the wound, she knew she'd heal but because viper was looking very uncomfortable as she avoided the Avion's gaze. Viper nodded.

There was a long silence. "you know, why don't we leave viper and crane together a minute" said mantis as he watched viper and crane's eyes meet and then falter away from each other.

The others left but crane stayed. He looked at her once and then broke down in tears. "i…i….i'm so sorry viper. I promise I'm not dating tigress. The only reason you saw me with her all the time was coincidence and the reason I offered her the room and stuff because…..well…because I want to be more like you. Your such a kind person and all the time we were together I was thinking that your so nice and I'm just….uhhh I don't know. I want to be more like you because I thought you might think I'm mean or something and dump me and I love you so much and….and- "

"it's ok crane" viper soothed. "I don't think your mean. Never did. You don't need to change your personality, your amazing how you are."

Crane smiled, his watery eyes glinting at the compliment. "thank you. And thank you for sacrificing yourself for me. It was incredible. I can't believe you sacrificed yourself for me after you thought I was cheating on you"

Viper smiled back, her eyes watering slightly too. "no worries"

In the hallway, grand master viper was waiting for crane. "dear I don't think you need to talk to him, if he's made up with viper then let's not worry, shall we?" lady viper consoled her husband. She was looking worried.

"what? And let him get off scot free. Never. All the things he did to my precious girl. He nearly broke her" grand master viper scolded.

"he didn't nearly break her" lady viper corrected.

"she nearly quit the furious five!" grand master viper hissed making lady viper recoil slightly.

Meanwhile Down in the viper palace's magnificent dinning room the rest of the furious five and po were talking to great mistress viper and the triplets. "bean buns, dragon warrior?" asked Maya excitedly as she offered the silver tray too po.

They were all sitting around a round, oak table. The table was laden with delicious food and the chairs they were sitting on were gilded with gold. "wow" monkey breathed as he glanced around the dining room. The room was large and gold with more portraits of various reptile kung fu masters decorated with gold frames. Marble heads of reptiles lined the room on oak stands. "I didn't know viper was so rich!"

All mantis could say in reply was; "have you tried the noodle soup yet?" as he admired the glistening chandelier, his cheeks bulging.

"so, how did you beat Tong Fo this time?" great mistress viper asked po as she watched him stuff his face with as many dumplings as he could.

"oh" Po began. He swallowed a mouthful of dumplings and between squishing more into his mouth he said; "actually Viper did most of the work. She was the one that let us all out of the prison"

Great mistress viper nodded. "that's my granddaughter, although she wasn't always that brave"

"and I didn't tell you I wasn't with tigress because I didn't want to admit I was trying to make myself nicer because I thought-"crane was rambling.

"crane" viper cooed. "crane, yooo hooo!"

"you wouldn't like me or thought I was trying to become nicer than you or something-"

"crane!" viper was practically shouting now over the ramble. "listen it doesn't matter, it's all in the past now"

Crane was quiet again and then he murmed. "I think grand master viper wants to speak to me now." He grimaced. "do tell me if you decide to stay here won't you?"

"of course I will!" viper smiled at him. "but first go get a telling off by daddy, won't you?" she laughed.

Crane left her room and entered the hallway, his head bowed. As soon as he looked up, he was face to face with grand master viper. "come" hissed the reptile and lead him down the marble staircase while lady viper followed them, looking anxious.

"and then I was al like, skadoosh!" Po cried as the three triplets ohhed and ahhed.

"and did he ever come back from the spirit realm?" asked Lucy eagerly.

"no, he did not because my awesomeness made sure he would never return!" po yelled. "also I don't think he could return" he added in a small voice.

"you did after you defeated Kai!" Maya corrected. As she helped herself to her sister's leftover bean buns.

"huh. True that" po replied.

At that moment the oak doors opened and grand master viper entered. Everyone stood.

"there's no need for that we're all warriors" he said coolly. " I simply wish great mistress viper to join us"

Great mistress viper nodded and followed grand master viper out of the room. "I bet crane will get a right telling off by grand master viper" mantis squeaked and everyone nodded.

"so" began tigress. "is viper going to return to the jade palace?" she shot this question with a cool glance at master Shifu.

"that is her decision tigress but I presume she will" Master Shifu responded, as he drank some tea out of a blue china teacup.

Crane followed grand master viper into the palace living room, lady viper and grand mistress viper right behind.

"now" great master viper glowered at crane. "you know why I have summoned you and that is too talk"

"Are we going to return to the jade palace tonight?" Po asked Master Shifu as he added sixteen more spring rolls to his already full plate.

"yes, we need to get back" Master Shifu replied as he started a bowl of noodles.

"that's nonsense, you will all stay at the palace tonight" Lady viper announced as she, crane and the others appeared in the dining room doorway.

"but isn't that too intrusive?" mantis wondered.

"no of course not, besides it's far too dark to head home now." Lady viper argued as she sat down at the table. "girls can you get a maid to bring up some food for viper please" she instructed to the triplets who nodded.

"no, I'll bring something up to her, I want to talk to her" tigress demanded.

Lady viper nodded. "certainly master tigress. Girls don't hog the dumplings I'm so sorry dragon warrior!"

"oh no I've had heaps; they can take the rest" Po debated as he watched tigress take some food up too viper's room.

Tigress knocked on the door of viper's room. And entered. Viper smiled warmly at her, a distinctly opposite reaction to what tigress had received last time she had come to talk to her.

"I brought you up some food. There's a couple of bean buns, some dumpling some spring rolls and some noodles"

"oh. Thank you." Viper smiled again at tigress hoping it would suffice as a response.

Tigress put the tray on the bedside table and turned to leave, hoping viper would stop her. Which of course she did.

"ummm tigress, i…er.. I just wanted too say I'm sorry for what I said too you last time. I wasn't thinking, I was caught up in my own thoughts and I was mad at you even before I heard that you weren't even dating crane. I'm sorry."

"that's alright viper. i understand I would've been angry too"

"yeah, i…I wasn't thinking I was being such a dufus and it really was very mean of me. Huh now I'm starting too sound like crane" viper realised as she rambled on.

"I'm glad you made up with him you clearly care for him very much" tigress smiled.

"I did sacrifice myself for him" viper laughed.

Many hours later when the moon was at it's peak in the sky lady viper and grand master viper's bedroom door was flung open. Sitting bolt upright in bed the two masters looked around dazed as Maya, clutching a candle in her tail came running in.

"what's going on?" demanded grand master viper.

"it's viper" Maya shouted. Her face was tear streaked with worry.

Grand master viper and lady viper both looked at each other then hurried out of bed.

Rushing into their eldest daughter's room the view was blocked instantly by the figure of the village doctor.

"doctor, what's wrong with viper?" grand master viper demanded.

The doctor who was a dark green snake with grey hair shook his head sadly. "it appears I misread the signs"

"what signs?" inquired lady viper anxiously.

"the knife didn't stab viper's heart but it stabbed one of her lungs and although she seemed fine before I'm afraid there is nothing we can do now"

Lady viper gave an awful whimper and pushed the doctor aside, racing to the bed of her dying daughter.

Viper looked quite relaxed. Her eyes were open and she was lying still. "hello mama" she whimpered softly.

Grand master viper approached the bed carefully as he looked at the gorgeous snake who had saved his life. He didn't wipe away the tears that poured from his eyes he let them fall.

Lucy, Veena and great mistress viper where all in the room, Maya was going around the palace waking everyone up. Seconds later the door banged open again and the rest of the warriors and master shifu all crashed in, wearing their night things.

Crane was the first to approach the bed. The tears he shed dripped right along his beak and on too viper's bed covers. He didn't wipe them either as he leaned down and kissed viper. She shuffled and gasped and then became quite still. Her eyes opened and staring up at the white ceiling, glittering in the light from the chandelier.